Royal Engagement

Watch the video and complete the following sentences from the interview: (first 7 minutes)

1. Was it an ……………………… yes from you?

2. I think I managed to ………………….. her by ………………….. .

3. We were able to have so much time just to ………………………. .

4. It was a ……………………. date.

5. I was …………………………. surprised when I got into that room and I saw her.

6. It’s usually …………………………… to be able to get to know someone who isn’t ………………………. within your circle.

7. Go on holiday together in the middle of ……………………….. .

8.We made it ……………………. and now we are here.

9. There is this whole layer of what it ……………………. to get …………………….. with someone from the Royal Family.

10. I tried to …………………… you as much as possible but I think ……………… of us were totally surprised.

KEY

1.    Instant

2.    Catch; surprise

3.    Connect

4.    Blind

5.    Beautifully

6.    Refreshing;  necessarily

7.    Nowhere

8.    Work

9.    Means; involved

10. Warn; both

Missing for 35 years, the stunning discovery of a stolen Stradivarius

PRUEBAS ESTANDARIZADAS (A2)

 
http://cdn.zmescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/stradivarius-ex-nachez.jpg   

A 281-year-old Stradivarius violin stolen from a beloved musician and teacher has been found.  RomanTotenberg, a Polish-American violinist who played with major orchestras and became a leading teacher in the Boston area, died in 2012 at the age of 101. Later today, in New York City, the instrument will be returned to his three daughters.

The violin disappeared on a Thursday in 1980 in Cambridge, Mass. That night, Totenberg had performed in a concert at the Longy School of Music. The instrument was stolen from his office during a post-show reception. Totenberg’s suspected a young musician, Philip Johnson.  But Totenberg never had enough evidence to convince legal authorities to search the musician’s home.

It took 35 years, but in the end, he was right. Johnson, who moved to California in the 1980s, died 2011 at the age of 58. He left his ex-wife an instrument in a locked case. It wasn’t until earlier this year, that she finally cracked the combination lock and found the Stradivarius and took it to an expert, who examined the violin and contacted the FBI Art Theft team.

“His one regret is that he didn’t see it and play it again,” said his daughter Nina Totenberg. “He was practicing two weeks before he died.

The Totenberg sisters will sell the Strad, but not to just anybody. “We’re not selling to a collector unless it’s played.”

1  Underline the wrong information in each sentence and correct it.  Don’t make the sentence negative: correct the mistakes using the information from the text, like in the example.  One mark each (6 marks)

Example

0              A 281-year-old Stradivarius violin was broken    stolen from  

         by a musician.

1              Roman Totenberg was a Polish-American pianist.                                      

2              The missing violin will be taken from Totenberg’s 

         three daughters later today.                                                                    

3              Totenberg taught a class in Cambridge Mass.                                       

         on the night the violin was stolen.

4              Philip Johnson was an old musician.                                                      

5              Totenberg had a lot of evidence to show that Philip                               

         Johnson was guilty.

6              The expert was the person who opened the violin                                  

         case.

2  Vocabulary

Find words or phrases in the text that match the following definitions.  ONE MARK EACH (4 marks)

1      popular, liked  (para 1)

2      party  (para 2)

3      to look somewhere carefully to find something (para 2)

4      a container or box (para 3)

3 Match the dates, people and events

1911                                        Roman                        died

1980                                        Totenberg                    was born

2011                                        Philip John                   was unlocked

2012                                        the Stradivarius            was stolen

2015                                        violin                            was recovered

                                               

Source:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/missing-for-35-years-the-stunning-discovery-of-stolen-stradivarius/2015/08/06/c458be58-3bf4-11e5-b3ac-8a79bc44e5e2_story.html

Key

1   pianist       violinist      2  taken from     returned to    3  taught a class  performed in a concert     4   old    young     5  had a lot of    didn’t have enough    6   expert     exwife

2   1  beloved    2   reception  3  search     4  case

3   1911 Roman Totenberg was born.

     1980      The Stradivarius violin was stolen.

     2011       Philip Johnson died.

     2012      Roman Totenberg died.

     2015      The Stradivarius violin was recovered

Where can they be?? Famous missing or stolen items

Incredible isn't it?  How can things that are so well protected or so big be stolen?  Well, it does happen - read on to find out!!

Disappeared in: 2010
Reward offered: Undisclosed

Unfortunately, it's fairly conclusive that this Picasso is unlikely to re-emerge. Shortly after it was stolen from the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the thief threw it in a bin which was emptied before authorities learned of its contents. If the painting hasn't been destroyed, it has a very wealthy owner out there somewhere – the painting is worth more than £20 million at auction.

3,000 Pound Bell

In 2005 in Tacoma, Washington a 3,000 pound bell was stolen from a Buddhist temple. The bell, which was cast in Vietnam, was used very rarely and only for special occasions. According to the monks, the bell was priceless but I guess the thieves missed that memo because one year later they were caught trying to sell it for $500.

Bridge

In 2007 a 200-tonne metal bridge was stolen. The bridge that was originally located in Khabarovsk in eastern Russia vanished overnight. The bridge was part of the only road that accessed a local heating plant. The company, who relies on the bridge to get their employees to work, says it will cost them $37,000 to replace the bridge.

Interestingly, this isn’t the only bridge to go missing. Bridges in India, the Czech Republic and Turkey have all been scooped up too!

Plane

In 1992 a Major from the Israeli Air Force stole a WWII Mustang Fighter Plane. After spotting the plane in a reserve airfield where it was waiting to be moved to a museum, the major spent some time restoring it before he flew it the almost-priceless vintage plane to Sweden where he sold it for $331,000! The plane is still being used by the Swedish companies and was only located when Interpol became involved!

Sources of texts & information:

Picasso painting:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/10191072/The-10-most-wanted-missing-paintings.html

http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/the-biggest/the-10-biggest-things-ever-stolen

Driving age could rise to 18 under new proposals

            A Government report has set out options which could see new restrictions for newly qualified drivers. Young motorists could have to wait until they are 18 before they take their driving test and be banned from carrying their peers under proposals being considered by the Government.

            The move is triggered by casualty figures which showed that last year a fifth of the people killed or seriously injured on the road were in an accident where the driver of one of the cars was under 24.

            Under the proposals drawn up for ministers by TRL, formerly the Government’s transport research laboratory, nobody would not only have to wait until they are 18 before taking the test but will be required to log 120 hours of supervised practice, including 20 at night. They would be banned from carrying passengers under of the age of 30 or driving between 10pm and 5am unless there was also someone over 30 in the car.

            Then the novice motorist would be on probation for another year. This would entail their having to carry a green P plate, which would make it easier for the police to enforce the restrictions.

            These restrictions would apply in full to any newly qualified driver below the age of 30. Some, such as the ban on night-time driving, using a hands free mobile and a lower drink-drive limit, would apply to anyone 12 months after passing their test irrespective of age.

            “The reasoning behind this is that the evidence shows both youth and inexperience are factors in determining crash risk,” said Dr Shaun Helman, one of the author’s of the report. According to the research introducing these curbs would cut casualties by 4,471 – including up to 41 fatalities a year.

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. Most car accidents are caused by drivers under the age of 24.

b. Young drivers cannot use a car at night under any circumstances.

c. Young motorists only need supervised practice to drive without restrictions.

d. Some of the new restrictions would apply to all drivers a year after passing their tests.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. Why is the Government considering restrictions to new young drivers?

b. What requirements could be introduced to drive without restrictions?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. to cause, to set off par. 2

b. to  involve par. 4

c. control par. 6

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a.  A Government report has set out options for newly qualified drivers.

            Options..................

b.  These restrictions will apply in full to any newly qualified driver below the age of 30.

            Unless you...............

c. “The reasoning behind this is that the evidence shows both youth and inexperience are factors in determining crash risk,” said Dr Shaun Helman.

             Dr Shaun Helman said...........

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

Does a car always give you independence?

Witch's hat halts London Underground on Halloween

A witch's hat brought part of London's Underground to a standstill on Halloween when it was thrown on to a track.

Tube passengers had to walk through tunnels in the early hours of Sunday morning after the hat, which contained metal, was thrown on to the line at Chalk Farm, in North London. A passenger is thought to have thrown the hat which cut out the power, halting four trains.
Hundreds of passengers were stuck on the trains for more than an hour before they were allowed to walk along tunnels to the nearest stations, London Underground said.
The four trains, three heading north between Camden and Belsize Park, and one northbound between Camden and Kentish Town, were stopped at 0040 BST. London Underground estimated that there were up to 90 passengers on each train.
"We apologise to passengers who were inconvenienced as a result of this incident, and would urge customers to take care and not to discard items on the railway," a spokesman for the company said. "The metal part of a hat thrown on to the rails at Chalk Farm caused power interruption," London Underground said.

1 Look at the following words in the text. They are all in italics. Put each word next to the correct definition/synonym.

a) Tube is another, informal way of naming the ……………………………… .

b) People who travel in a vehicle (but are not the driver), are ………….…………………

c) There are four ways of referring to the metal strips where the train runs. What are they?

2 Find words in the text that mean:

a) To stop (paragraph 1) ……………………………..….

b) Trapped (paragraph 2) ……………………………..….

c) Travelling northwards (paragraph 2) …...……………………………….. or ....……………………………..

d) To say sorry (paragraph 3) ……………………………..….

e) Someone who represents a company in an interview ……………………………..….



Links to materials of interest:

Worksheet on vocabulary and some listening activities.click here




Key
1 a) London Underground
b) passengers
c) track, line, railway, rails
2 a) halt
b) stuck
c) heading north / northbound
d) apologise
e) spokesman

French and German strike

French and German rail strikes continue

Commuters in both France and Germany have today made their third journey into work without railways.

In France, union members voted yesterday afternoon to extend the two day strikes, while in Germany an agreement between unions and rail bosses over train driver pay seemed further off.

"My God, I really would like this to stop" said one Parisian commuter. "The first day I lost one day's work. Today I'm coming to my work but I'm really tired. I woke up at 4.15 this morning."
France's SNCF railway company said less than half its staff were on strike yesterday, against more than 60% on Wednesday, but workers from several rail unions voted to keep up the strike until today, at least. French rail unions said they had sent a letter to the government seeking a meeting today, but they said they were still not ready to hold direct negotiations. French Government Minister Xavier Bertrand said it was not possible to hold talks with unions while the stoppages continued. Although slightly more trains, buses and metro trains were operating today, many workers struggled for a third day to reach their office and traffic jams clogged roads leading into Paris from well before dawn.

The strike in France is the biggest test yet for French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who was elected on a pledge to do away with the special pension regimes, which allow some state sector employees to retire after 37.5 years of work against 40 years for everyone else.

In Germany, the GDL train drivers staged a 62-hour walk out. The strike has paralysed goods transport in much of the country and raised fears the dispute may have a lasting impact on the economy if no solution is reached soon. National rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, said yesterday that goods transport in eastern Germany had nearly come to a standstill and that carmakers in particular were alarmed because supplies of parts were not getting through.

A poll for top-selling Bild newspaper showed sympathy for the strikers at just over 40%, down from just over 50% at the beginning of October. Another poll showed support is still strong.
Schoolchildren piled into taxis in Berlin and buses were unusually full as commuters tried to avoid the disruption on the trains.

Question 1 (2 POINTS) indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.
a) There were more French rail workers on strike on the second day of the strike than on the first day.
b) The French rail union wants to meet the government to discuss the strike.
c) People who work in private companies have to work for 40 years in France.
d) Car factories are worried about the strike.
Question 2 (2 POINTS) Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) How have people in France and Germany been travelling to work and school during the strike?
b) How much are German people in favour of the strike?
Question 3 (1,5 POINTS) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.
a) to block (paragraph 4) b)a promise (paragraph 5) c)to increase (paragraph 6)
Question 4 (1,5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a) One Parisian commuter said “The first day I lost one day’s work and today I’m coming into work but I’m really tired”:
One Parisian commuter complained that he …..
b) “It is not possible to hold talks with unions while the stoppages continue.” said the French Minister.
The French Minister said “If the stoppages ……………….it………………………
c) Just over 40% of the German population supported the strike.
The strike…………………………
Question 5 (5 POINTS)
Write a short essay (about 120-150 words) on the following topic:
Do you think strikes are a good way of solving problems?
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