Παρασκευή 25 Οκτωβρίου 2013
Shopping in London -Listening
BBC World Service | Learning English | Welcome to London: There are many options for shopping in London, from the busy high street stores on Oxford Street to the bustling markets like Camden. John tells us what he likes best about shopping in the city.
FOOTBALL PLAYERS POSITIONS
player positions
Various tactical schemes are used in soccer; among the best known is the 4-4-2, a formation with four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards.
forward
Offensive position usually placed behind the striker; this player uses speed to make crisp accurate passes.
right back
Defensive position that covers the right side of the field; this player’s role is to impede an opponent’s progress toward the goal.
right midfielder Center position that plays on the right side of the field; this player uses playmaking skills to pass the ball to the forwards.
defensive midfielder
Center position; this player tries to take the ball from the opponent before that player reaches the defenders and quickly mount a counterattack.
goalkeeper
Position whose role is to prevent the ball from entering the goal; this is the only player allowed to touch the ball with the hands.
striker
Offensive position whose main role is to score goals; this player plays a forward position in the opposing team’s zone.
left midfielder
Center position that plays on the left side of the field; this player uses playmaking skills to pass the ball to the forwards.
defensive midfielder
Center position; this player tries to take the ball from the opponent before that player reaches the defenders and quickly mount a counterattack.
left back
Defensive position that covers the left side of the field; this player’s main role is to slow or stop an opponent’s progress toward the goal.
stopper
Position that stays back, marks an opposing forward and prevents that player from being in a scoring position.
sweeper
Position that stays back, anticipates defensive mistakes by teammates and makes up for them; this player is not required to closely mark an opposing player
from Learning English
Πέμπτη 24 Οκτωβρίου 2013
Madame Tussauds
Imagine having the chance to make the stars of stage and screen look perfect, and come face to face with the Royal family, every day.
Watch and share Rebecca's London story as the colouring artist at Madame Tussauds London shares some of the behind the scenes secrets of her role, the traditional techniques used to create the ever-changing wax figures on show and the places she loves in London when she's not rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.
the official page :http://www.madametussauds.com/
Τετάρτη 23 Οκτωβρίου 2013
World Celebrates British Royal Baby
English Reading - World Celebrates British Royal Baby
The Queen and Prince Philip are just some of the royals who will be attending.
The tradition would be to hold the service in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace but the couple have chosen the Chapel Royal instead. READ MORE :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/24634482
The future King will be christened later today at Saint James's Palace.
Prince George - the three-month-old son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - will be christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury at a private ceremony. The Queen and Prince Philip are just some of the royals who will be attending.
The tradition would be to hold the service in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace but the couple have chosen the Chapel Royal instead. READ MORE :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/24634482
Τρίτη 22 Οκτωβρίου 2013
Money: LISTENING AND IDIOMS
Words and Their Stories: Money, Part 1
Vocabulary and Idioms:
1. make/lose/spend money hand over fist /meɪk / luːz / spend ˈmʌniː hænd ˈoʊvər fɪst/ (idm.): to make/lose/spend money very fast and in large quantities
- My cousin has been making money hand over fist with her business.
- In fact, hewas getting rich, hand over fist, and was vastly respected. (A Connecticut Yankee by Twain, Mark)
- We wanted to take him ashore at once, but Henry was game; he said he'd be jiggered if he'd leave a school like that for anything short of lockjaw; then he kept fishing away, hauling in hand over fist and groaning between times. (Anne's House of Dreams by Montgomery, Lucy Maud)
- She acted like she’d just won the lottery. [=won a lottery run by a government]
3. windfall /ˈwɪndfɔːl/ (n): an amount of money that sb/sth wins or receives unexpectedly
- She had an unexpected windfall when a cousin died.
4. born with a silver spoon in your mouth /bɔːrn wɪð ə ˈsɪlvər spuːn ɪn jʊr ˈmaʊθ/ (saying): having rich parents
- She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and everything has been done for her.
5. hard up /ˌhɑːrd ˈʌp/ (adj): (informal) having very little money, especially for a short period of time
- After he lost his job he was so hard up he couldn’t afford the price of a beer.
- They’re not really as hard up as they say they are.
- We’re pretty hard up these days.
6. chicken feed /ˈtʃɪkɪn fiːd/ (n): an amount of money that is too small to be satisfactory
- We’re going to make so much money that five thousand will look like chicken feed.
- The project cost almost a million dollars, which isn’t exactly chicken feed.
- Ten bucks? That’s chicken feed!
7. handout /ˈhændaʊt/ (n): a gift of money, clothing, or food, which is given free to poor people.
- He sat on the sidewalk asking for a handout.
- My parents refused to take handouts from the government.
- Each family is being given a cash handout of six thousand rupees.
- I’m not interested in government handouts – all I want is a job.
8. deadbeat /ˈdedbi:t/ (n): (NAmE) a person or company that tries to avoid paying their debts
- He was accused of being a deadbeat.
9. pinch pennies /pɪntʃ ˈpeniːz/ (UK also pinch and scrape /pɪnʧ ənd skreɪp/) (idm.): (informal) to try to spend as little money as possible
- He pinched pennies to live on his small paycheck.
- When we were first married we had to pinch pennies just to get by.
10. cheapskate /ˈtʃiːpskeɪt/ = skinflint /ˈskɪnflɪnt/ = miser /ˈmaɪzər/ (n): (informal, disapproving) a person who does not like to spend money
- We really need a new heater, but the landlord’s such a cheapskate we’ll never get it.
- Tell your husband not to be a cheapskate.
- My dad’s such a cheapskate that he’s put a lock on the telephone.
11. flat broke /flæt broʊk/ (BrE also stony broke /ˈstoʊniː broʊk/) (also flat busted /flæt ˈbʌstɪd/) (idm.): (informal) have no money at all.
- Sorry, I’m flat broke. Not a cent on me.
- You may be flat broke, but you will find a way to pay your electricity bill or you will live in the dark.
- Mary was flat busted, and it was two more weeks before she was due to get paid.
- “I may be broke, but at least I’m not flat busted.”
12. scrape sth together/up /skreɪp ˈsʌmθɪŋ tʊˈgeðər / ʌp/(phr.v.): to manage with great difficulty to collect enough of something, especially money, or to find the things or people that you need
- We managed to scrape together eight volunteers.
- They have trouble even scraping together their rent.
- I finally scraped together enough money for a flight home.
- Do you think we can scrape up a team for the match on Saturday?
13. strike it rich /straɪk ɪt rɪʧ/ (idm.): to get a lot of money, especially suddenly and unexpectedly
- His father struck it rich in the diamond business.
- They’re hoping to strike it rich in Las Vegas.
14. hit the jackpot /hɪt ðə ʤækˌpɑːt/ (idm.): to suddenly get or win a lot of money
- When old Mr. and Mrs. Smith won the lottery, they hit the jackpot.
- When Celine found her new job in Las Vegas, she thought that she had hit the jackpot.
- The town of West Point, Georgia hit the jackpot when KIA opened its manufacturing plant there.
15. splurge ~ (sth) (on sth) /splɜːrʤ/(informal) = splash out (on sth) | splash sth out (on/for sth) /splæʃ/ (BrE, informal) (phr.v.): to spend a lot of money on sth that you do not really need
- He splurged his whole week’s wages on a champagne dinner.
- She splurged out more than she could afford on loads of new clothes.
16. have money to burn /həv ˈmʌniː tuː bɜːrn/ (idm.): (informal) money to spend on expensive things, especially things that other people think are unnecessary or silly :
- I don’t know what her job is but she certainly seems to have money to burn.
- People who buy these cars usually have money to burn.
- He was a high-earning broker with money to burn.
17. be burning a hole in your pocket /biː ˈbɜːrnɪŋ ə hoʊl ɪn jʊr ˈpɑːkɪt/ (idm.): if money is burning a hole in your pocket, you want to spend it immediately
- I just got paid today and this money is burning a hole in my pocket.
- Let’s go out and have some fun, I’ve got some money that is burning a hole in my pocket.
- I had a fifty dollar bill that was burning a hole in my pocket, so I figured I’d go out and have a really good time.
- The money had been burning a hole in his pocket when he decided to go to the casino.
18. foot the bill (for something) /fʊt ðə bɪl fər ˈsʌmθɪŋ/ (idm.): (informal) to be responsible for paying the cost of sth
- Once again it will be the taxpayer who has to foot the bill.
- Who will be footing the bill for the party?
- My sister is footing the bill for her daughter’s education so she is making sure that she studies hard.
- Many fear the taxpayer could end up footing a massive bill.
- Our insurance company should foot the bill for the damage.
19. pick up the bill/tab (for something) /pɪk ʌp ðə bɪl / tæb fər ˈsʌmθɪŋ/ (US also pick up the check /pɪk ʌp ðə ʧek/) (idm.): (informal) to pay for something that someone else has done/eaten etc.
- The company picked up the tab for his hotel room.
- The government will continue to pick up college fees for some students.
20. feel/look like a million bucks/dollars /fiːl / lʊk laɪk ə ˈmɪljən bʌks / ˈdɑːlərz/ (idm.): (informal) to look very attractive or feel very happy and healthy
- I felt like a million bucks in that tux.
- “You look a million dollars in that dress, honey!”
- an elegant suit that makes her look like a million dollars
21. down and out /ˌdaʊn ænd ˈaʊt/ (adj): (of a person) very poor, with nowhere to live and no job
a novel about being down and out in London
- Nobody loves you when you’re down and out.
22. strapped (for cash, funds, etc.) /stræpt fər kæʃ , fʌndz/ (adj.): (informal) having little or not enough money
- I’m strapped for cash (= have no money) at the moment – can I pay you later?
23. bottom dollar /ˈbɑːtəm ˈdɑːlər/ (idm.): your last dollar
- He spent his bottom dollar on some new clothes to wear for his job interview.
24. nest egg /ˈnest eg/ (n): (informal) a sum of money that you save to use in the future
- Over the years she had built up a nice little nest egg for her retirement.
- Regular investment of small amounts of money is an excellent way of building a nest egg.
- They have a little nest egg tucked away somewhere for a rainy day.
- I made a nice nest egg when I was working and I am now able to go to school.
25. on a shoestring /ɑːn ə ʃuːˌstrɪŋ/ (idm.): (informal) using or having a very small amount of money, on a very low budget
- He started his business on a shoestring but now it is very successful.
- Our schools are still running on a shoestring.
26. be penny wise and pound foolish /biː ˈpeniːwaɪz ænd paʊndˈfuːlɪʃ/ (idm.): (old-fashioned) to be extremely careful about small amounts of money and not careful enough about larger amounts of money
- My friend is penny wise and pound foolish and economizes on small things but wastes all of his money on big things.
- FROM:Learning English - Swan Song
Δευτέρα 21 Οκτωβρίου 2013
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