Flash on english 2 2 2014

TEEN for ®

Your English Monthly

FLASH on English 2

2-2013/2014

2

®

Report

Football Crazy!

UK Today Britain’s Best Beaches

Culture and Society

Teen People

Shia LaBeouf g

VISIT US ONLINE!

Bristol Balloon Fiesta www.elimagazines.it

Common European Framework Intermediate Advanced (B2 – C1)

Contents

Welcome Hello everyone! Can you believe it’s the end of another year with Teen? We find out about this year’s most exciting sporting event – the Football World Cup – hosted by Brazil! We’ll also be going under the surface to learn about a new generation of fans, going up, up and away in a beautiful balloon, and discovering some of the loveliest beaches in the UK. Have a great summer!

Liz

3 4 6 8 10 12 14

Teen People Shia LaBeouf Underground Fandoms Report Football Crazy!

UK Today Britain’s Best Beaches Innovations The Social Media Music Revolution Culture and Society Bristol Balloon Fiesta Playstation

Audio A subscription to the magazine allows you to download for free, in revision of tenses relative clauses with who and which MP3 format, the audio hypothetical constructions of all the magazines in infinitive constructions with and the resources section without ‘to’ of our website www. internet neologisms challenging adjectives and sentence elimagazines.com. You can structures do this by inserting the language of film/music industries access code found in each language of football language of geography issue of the magazine.

In this issue look out for:

• • • • • • • • •

The Biggest Underground Station in the World latticework*, known as mashrabiya, which provides shade* and protection from the sun, but allows the wind to pass through.

Why is this huge project happening in Riyadh? Since 1990 the city has doubled in size from 2.5 to 5 million inhabitants.

Glossary dunes: ‘hills’ of sand flowing: that seem to move like water latticework: wood or metal over a window, with small holes in shade: when you are out of direct sunlight, eg under a tree

Shia LaBeouf is one of the most recognisable* faces in Hollywood. Let’s find out more about the contradictions* and passions of this young American actor.

Teacher’s guide For teachers, the subscription to the magazine allows you to download for free the audio material in MP3 format, as well as the teacher’s guide for all* the magazines available in PDF format. The teacher must first register in the teachers’ resources section on our website www. elimagazines.com Access Code: 0004 7000 0010

Around the World

The world’s biggest and most expensive underground train project is the enormous KAFD Metro station in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

The KAFD, or King Abdullah Financial District, Metro station will open in 2017. It’s been designed by architect Zaha Hadid, who has created an underground city of flowing* shapes that remind you of Saudi Arabia’s great sand dunes*.

The station will have six platforms and will cover an area of 20,000 square metres, over four floors. In her design, Zaha Hadid has used traditional Saudi

Teen People

Match Zaha Hadid is an Iraqi-British architect. She is the first female and first Muslim to win the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. Match some of her most famous buildings with the cities where you can find them!

1.

Galaxy Soho

2.

Beko Masterplan

3.

Maggie’s Centres

4.

MAXXI

a. Rome b. Belgrade c. Beijing d. Kirkcaldy, Scotland The answers are on page 15.

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ELI srl, C.P. 6, 62019 Recanati, Tel. (071) 750701, Fax (071) 977851 Direttore responsabile: Lamberto Pigini. Realizzazione testi: Liz Ferretti. Autorizzazione Trib. di Macerata N. 237 del 4 luglio 1984. Realizzazione: Realizzazione: Tecnostampa, Loreto © ELI Italy 2014

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Shia LaBeouf

An Alternative Childhood Actor Shia Saide LaBeouf was born in Los Angeles in 1986. His father is of Cajun origin, and his mother was a dancer, and is now a jewellery maker. His name comes from the Hebrew, meaning ‘gift of God’.

After graduating* from high school, he went to a well-known academy for visual and performing arts in Los Angeles, and soon began a career in television and film. Shia was encouraged to go into acting when one of his classmates got a part in TV series, Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman. He looked for an agent* in the Yellow Pages* and phoned them up! He got an audition and was offered his first acting job.

His big break came in 2007, when he was given the lead role in the science fiction film Transformers, co-starring Megan Fox. He went on to star in all three Transformer films. From that moment he became one of best known young actors in Hollywood.

‘Uncle’ Spielberg When director Steven Spielberg saw how talented Shia was, he gave him the lead role in his 2007 thriller Disturbia.

Since then, Shia has been in a lot of big movies and is now considered* one of the most promising young actors in Hollywood. Shia is close to Steven Spielberg, who he affectionately calls ‘uncle’, and Steven Spielberg sees Shia as his protégé*. He chose him to act alongside Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, playing the son of the famous archeologist.

Love and Life Shia makes his own short films and has directed a number of videos. He loves funny films like Dumb & Dumber. His favourite actors are Dustin Hoffman, Jodie Foster and John Turturro, and his favourite director is Robert Redford, who he worked with in The Company You Keep. He has also done voiceovers

3

language of the film and music industries

Happiness is…

‘Preparing for a new film is great because I learn such a lot and develop as a person, and that’s wonderful. I’m really happy when, at the end of the day, I feel as though I’ve done a good job. That’s my idea of happiness.

When I’m on set, I don’t let anyone visit me for at least the first three weeks of filming, not even my girlfriend. I need to focus 100 per cent on what I’m doing. I don’t want anything or anyone to take me outside the reality of the film.’ It’s not only acting that makes Shia happy though. ‘My dream is to build myself a farm. A few years ago, I bought some land in California with the money I earned from for animated movies like Surf’s Up and Nausicaa by Miyazaki.

Shia is also a talented musician and plays the drums, and several other instruments. He loves Rap and has even set up his own Hip-Hop label*. His music legends are 50 Cent, Eminem, System of a Down and Led Zeppelin. His biggest love though are his two dogs Brando and Rex!

Two Sides Shia has two very different sides to his character. Some say he’s as soft as a puppy and that he reminds them of Tom Hanks, others say he’s like an ‘angry little elf*’! The truth is that he does not always enjoy the publicity that goes with his fame, and he hates being photographed. ‘I am always scowling in photos, and if I look angry that’s because I am! But in my private life I’m not like that at all, I swear!’

His relationship with social networking has also been difficult. ‘I love Twitter because it gives me the chance to be sociable, but since I am also very spontaneous*, I often write things that I regret afterwards. I love communicating with people though, it’s especially important for an only child like me – I spend too much time alone and Twitter helps me open up. In fact, I love sharing my poetry with people.’

acting. One day, I plan to build a farm there, have fish and grow crops. I’d like to live there, maybe grow old there. Just thinking about it makes me happy!’

Glossary agent: person who helps you get a job as an actor considered: (here) a lot of people think he is contradictions: (here) behaving in a way that isn’t logical, eg caring but also aggressive elf: (from traditional stories) the elf has magical powers, pointed ears, and is often angry! graduating: (Am. English) when you finish school (at 18/19) label: music company protégé: (from French) person looked after and guided by an older person recognisable: (here) that you have seen before, and know well spontaneous: do something without thinking about it first Yellow Pages: list of businesses with contact details (in UK/US printed on yellow paper)

4

Under the Surface

5

multi-word verbs; neologisms; word formation and suffixes

Tumblr is the biggest social networking site for 13-25 year olds.

Most of the people on tumblr live in the US, the UK, Brazil, Canada and Russia. Tumblr hosts millions of blogs, and has billions of posts each year.

Fandoms The Secret World

of the Digital Teenager

In the last of our six articles that look under the surface, we find out about the growing world of fandoms, and how the internet is creating new communities for young people wherever they are in the world.

The word fandom comes from fan and the last part of the word kingdom – a country with a king or queen.

Basically, a fandom is made up of the people across the world who are fans of a film, book or, increasingly, a TV show. The difference between

being a fan and being part of a fandom is a big one – people in fandoms talk to each other about the thing they love, and create a vibrant* community of people with the same interests.

Fandoms have developed at an incredible speed over the past few years, especially with the arrival of social media platforms like Tumblr.

Tumblr works by allowing you to post and re-post short blogs and photos.

Gifs are also incredibly popular. Gifs are very short moving images of only a few frames which repeat the same

action over and over again. They are usually designed to make you laugh.

The Biggest Fandoms The biggest and most active fandoms currently centre around* book and film series such as Harry Potter (these fans are called Potterheads), the Hunger Games (fans call themselves Tributes, Panamaniacs…), and ‘Tolkeinites’ who love The Hobbit and The Lord

Recent research shows that becoming part of a fandom and connecting with people who have similar interests to you can help your self-esteem and help grow selfconfidence.

of the Rings trilogy. There are also big fandoms for Disney, and sci-fi series such as Star Trek (known as ‘Trekkies’ or ‘Trekkers’), even for English novelist Jane Austen.

Some current TV shows have large, and very active, fandoms. These too have special names. The biggest are the Whovians (fans of Doctor Who) the Sherlockians (fans of fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, played by Benedict Cumberbatch), and crossover* fandoms such as ‘Superwholockians’, who love American fantasy series Supernatural, Doctor Who and Sherlock!

Here are some more words invented by fandoms. Can you guess what they mean? Match the word or acronym in the box with the correct definition below.

A crossover B fanspeak

1. jargon, special language used by fans

Going Outside Not all super fans stay in front of their computers all day, some of them even go outside!

But only if they can go to international congresses* or exhibitions, known as ‘cons’. Here they can dress up as a character from their show and meet other fans, in the real world. This form of dressing up is called ‘cosplay’.

The biggest of these congresses is Comic-Con originally held in San Diego, but now spreading around the world. Comic-Con is a massive exhibition of all things to do with comics, TV shows and films. Here you can go to talks by the people who made your favourite film or show, and you might even meet some of the stars themselves, and of course you can buy official merchandise*.

C ship D OTP

2. short for relationship – either romantic or as friends, eg ‘Romione’ = Ron Weasley +Hermione Granger from Harry Potter 3. one true pairing = your favourite ship (see above!)

4. where characters from two or more different fandoms are put together, eg Doctor Who in a fan-written Sherlock story

What do you think?

Inspiring Creativity Fandoms can be hotbeds* of creativity. Fans are inspired to direct or edit their own short films, or create new stories about their heroes with ‘fan fiction’. Many create ‘fan art’ – drawings, graphics, and photo montages made using sophisticated photo software (go to DeviantART and have a look). Fandoms are where passion meets creativity!

1. Are you a fan of anything or anyone? ......................................

2. Why do you like it/them? ......................................

3. Are you a member of a fandom?

If so, which one and why; if not, why not? ......................................

Glossary

The answers are on page 15.

centred around: that have as their most important thing/at the centre congress: big meeting and exhibition crossover: (here) when two or more shows/films are mixed together hotbed: where new ideas grow merchandise: T-shirts, pens etc, with pictures and logos from films, TV shows etc vibrant: full of life, exciting and colourful

6

Report

7

challenging adjectives; language of football; revision of different tenses

Women’s Football

The waiting is nearly over – the Football World Cup in Brazil is nearly here! While we wait for the first match to begin on 12th June, let’s find out about the world’s most popular sport.

The next Women’s Football World Cup will be held in Canada next year. Women started playing football in 1895 at a club in London.

During the 1970s the first professional women’s teams were set up. Like the male teams they have international competitions or tournaments. Football is very popular with young British women – it’s the fastest growing sport in the UK.

Football Crazy!

million people play football in the world, and 38 million people are affiliated* to the many clubs on every continent. If you play a game on a real football pitch* you will have to divide your players into the four main positions. Teams have a goalkeeper and ten outfield* players, who are defenders, midfielders and forwards, depending on where they play on the pitch. There are many different formations* and tactics* which are usually decided by the team’s coach*.

danger it rolls itself up into a ball. The official ball will be called ‘Brazuca’, after an online vote of over a million people. Brazuca is the name given to Brazilian people living around the world.

The King of Football If you ask a football fan who is the greatest footballer of all time, you will almost always get the same answer: Pelé! This Brazilian player is known as the King of Football or The Black Pearl. He is unrivalled both in terms of matches he and his team won, and in the number of goals he scored (1,281 in 1,363 matches). Pelé combined technical expertise with physical strength, intelligence and speed (known as pace in football)… and he also scored some of the most memorable goals in the history of the game! Since retiring from football, Pelé has written novels, composed music, and has even appeared in films, such as Escape to Victory with Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone.

Football Types

A Brief History of Football Football was invented a long time ago, maybe in Japan, or in Ancient Greece, no one really knows. What is certain is that England is the birthplace of modern football. Modern football developed from a rather violent medieval game between neighbouring* villages, to become an elite* sport played in the famous public schools of England – Eton and Winchester – before spreading to English universities. Teams were originally made up of ten students and an eleventh player, who was one of the sports teachers. This is why today we have teams of eleven with a captain.

The world’s oldest football club is Sheffield Wednesday. It was founded in 1857 by English footballer Nathaniel Creswick, who also helped to establish* the first rules of the modern game, known today as the Sheffield Rules.

These rules were gradually taken up by* all the football clubs in England, and so, Sheffield is seen as the home of modern football.

The Beautiful Game Football is great because it doesn’t require a lot of special equipment – you can play football anywhere, all you need is a ball.

This is why it’s the most popular sport in the world. Studies show that at least 270

2014 FIFA World Cup The Football World Cup is also known at the FIFA World Cup. FIFA is the international governing body* of football.

This year’s World Cup is the 20th one. Thirtytwo teams will be competing in 12 cities across Brazil, from 12th June until 13th July.

On that day, millions of people will stop everything that they are doing to watch or listen to the World Cup final! Did you know that the host country automatically qualifies for the World Cup Finals? The 2014 mascot is called Fuleco (a combination of the Portuguese words for football and ecology) and is an armadillo native to Brazil, called a Tatu-Bola. When this lovely animal is in

A number of different types of football have developed over the years. The most popular is five-a-side* which is usually played on a small, astroturf pitch with a small goal. Beach soccer is a variation of five-a-side which is played on sand. The rules in both of these are similar to association football, except that the ball cannot go over head height and there is no offside rule so you don’t need linesmen. Disability Football, which you can watch during the Paralympics, is arranged according to disability. There is one for the visually impaired, and another for people with cerebral palsy or other neurological disorders. There is also a growing number of cross-over sports which mix the rules of different games, such as footvolley (a combination of beach volleyball and football) and football tennis. Another type of football which is great fun is Soap Football.

This is played on an inflatable pitch covered in soapy water!

It’s a summer of sport!

This summer we have the World Vollyeball Championships in Poland, and the World Basketball Championships in Spain.

Idioms and Phrases The word ball is used in a lot of idiomatic phrases in English. Do you know what these phrases mean?

1. TO GET THE BALL ROLLING a. to get something started b. to push someone out of the way 2. TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL a. to focus on the wrong thing b. to concentrate carefully on detail 3. ON THE BALL a. someone who is never serious b. someone who is quick and always ready The answers are on page 15.

Glossary affiliated: are members of, have joined coach: person who teaches you to be a better player elite: (here) only played by a small group of good players establish: start, set up five-a-side: game of football with five players in each team (or side) formations: different ways to play your players on the field governing body: people who

work with managers to decide the direction of a company or organisation neighbouring: who/which are next to each other outfield: all players except the goalkeeper pitch: area of land inside which you play football tactics: the methods you use to try and win the game taken up by: accepted by, used by

8

hypothetical structures; language of coastal geography

UK Today

9

People don’t come to the UK to laze around on the beach and get a tan, the summer here is too unpredictable for that, but the British coast has plenty of magic on offer. In this article, we introduce you to just a few of the UK’s best beaches.

Britain’s

Best Beaches Sandwood

Mystery and Romance Close your eyes and imagine that you have been transported to the British seaside. In front of you are kilometres of beautiful golden sand, the waves breaking* gently on the shore. There are a few families playing near the little seaside village that you have just left, but you soon leave them behind. You turn a corner and see a castle rising up above the sand dunes. Or perhaps you would prefer a rocky shore with cliffs* rising steeply up above you? Or a secluded*

A view of promenade town centre and pier in Cromer seaside town in Norfolk

These are only a handful of the many hundreds of beaches around Britain’s long coastline. Go to visitbritain.com for more ideas.

Northumberland

cove* where you can look for crabs and fish in rock pools*? You can find all of these in the UK.

Gwyneth Paltrow walked across this beach in Shakespeare in Love!

Northumberland

The county of Dorset, on the south coast of England, is famous for its coast and beaches, and above all for its unique rock formations*. Durdle Door is one of these.

This ‘door’ in the cliff has been created by the sea over thousands of years of erosion.

You can only get to it on foot, but the views are worth every step. A short distance away is the village of Lulworth Cove where the sea has created a perfectly circular cove – it’s one of the best in the world.

Dorset

The coast of Northumberland in the northeast of England, just below the Scottish border, has many beautiful beaches. The best of these is near the picturesque* village of Bamburgh. The whole area is dominated by the dramatic Bamburgh castle. This enormous castle was the home of the ancient kings of Northumberland and is best seen from the long sandy beach that stretches for kilometres on either side of it. You might recognise it, as it has been used in a number films.

Cornwall, Blog Minack

the right time of year, this can be a good place to see dolphins. Some even say that a mermaid lives here!

Scotland Scotland’s rocky coast and hundreds of islands are full of great beaches. One of the best of these is at Sandwood Bay in the far north-east of Scotland. This place is far from anywhere, and so you will probably have the place to yourself. Here, the Atlantic waves break onto a long beach of white sand. In the distance are hills, and a huge pillar* of stone out in the sea. At

North Norfolk

Rocky coastline with water fall in Scotland

If you want kilometres and kilometres of golden sand, you will want to make the journey to Holkham in North Norfolk. This famous beach was voted as the best beach in Britain last year. It’s a protected area, and is therefore one of the most unspoilt* beaches in the UK. When the tide is out, the sand stretches as far as the horizon.

Cornwall If you like your beaches to be busy and full of life, then Cornwall is definitely the place for you. There are places to go surfing, great places to eat, and plenty of sandy beaches. If you visit Cornwall, don’t miss Porthcurno. The beach is lovely, and if you take the time to climb up onto the cliffs above, you will find the Minack Theatre.

This open-air theatre was built out of the rock and looks down onto the beach – the views are breathtaking.

The British love their fish and chips when they go to the seaside. It’s a good idea to use the internet to find the best fish and chips shops in the area you are visiting. Try tripadvisor.co.uk and newspaper reviews.

Can you match the words on the left with the correct word on the right to make beach words and phrases?

1 beach

a board

2 bucket and

b castle

3 life

c towel

4 rock

d guard

5 sand

e pool

6 surf

f spade

Glossary

The Northumberland coastal village of Craster with its harbour

Cornwall

breaking: (here) when the waves meet the land cliffs: tall wall of rock cove: bay, a beach in the shape of a half-circle formations: (here) rocks shaped by the sea picturesque: pretty, charming

The answers are on page 15.

pillar: vertical column rock pools: small areas of sea water left in the rocks at low tide secluded: secret, not known by many people unspoilt: natural, no buildings etc

10 Innovations

11

infinitive constructions with and without ‘to’; continuous tenses; complex sentence structures

Have you ever heard a great song and not been able to remember what it’s called or who it’s by? A free app called Shazam makes identifying songs easy. Shazam uses the microphone on your phone to record a few seconds of the song, it searches through its database, recognises the title, the performer and even the album that the track is on. Go to www.shazam.com

Social media is a powerful way to promote music, but it is also a great way for artists to know immediately if the public like what they are doing. It’s also a good way for music fans to find a constant supply of new bands, sounds and types of music. In short, the world of music is becoming more fluid, more flexible and more exciting. All you have to do is go and explore!

The Social Media Music Revolution Technology is revolutionising the way we experience live concerts. In the past, you went to a concert, you listened to it, then you went home. Now all that is changing. We’re using our smartphones make videos of events, and post photos and tweets while we are at a concert. So what does this mean for the audience* and the performers*?

There aren’t many people at a pop concert without a smartphone in their pocket. But more and more often, the smartphones are not staying in those pockets, they’re being taken out to record what’s going on. In fact, some people seem more interested in watching a concert on the tiny screen* in their hand than experiencing it directly!

On the more positive side, social media is a way for us to share our experiences instantly, posting videos and comments on YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter or Google+. People love being able to say “I was there!”. Today’s technology makes it incredibly easy to do this, all you need is a phone with a goodquality camera or camcorder built in.

Social media is also helping to break down the barriers between the people on stage and their audiences. Some musicians are even encouraging their fans to post photos and comments during their performances, to tell the world what a good time they are having.

From Concert to Video – Instantly!

Vyclone is a social video platform and app invented by Joe Sumner, son of singer Sting.

Vyclone lets you create, edit and share videos of any event by putting together recordings made on several different smartphones at the same concert.

This clever app lets you see a concert from several different viewpoints. The videos that come out of this are of almost professional quality, apart from the occasional tremor* from hand-held devices*.

Lively is a recently developed app that lets musicians create recordings of their live shows and send them out to their fans very quickly. You go to a concert and when you get home you can download an audio or video recording of it. This lets you enjoy the concert forever in your home, your car, or on your MP3 player. The sound and video quality is usually as good as if it had been recorded in a studio Finally, Soundhalo, used by British band Alt–J, lets you buy an MP4-format video of individual songs almost immediately after they have been performed.

What do the Performers Think?

How are pop stars and performers reacting to this social media revolution? Some older stars aren’t

very happy about it, and get upset that you aren’t giving them your full attention! Ian Brown, of the Stone Roses, recently went on tour after a long break from the stage, and found himself staring at hundreds of mobile phones. ‘It might be a good idea,’ he said, ‘to put those phones away and just experience the moment!’ Pop group Yeah Yeah Yeah put a notice up at the entrance to one of their concerts asking fans not to watch their performance through their smartphones. It’s not just the stars that find it annoying. It can ruin your concert experience if you are standing behind someone who is holding their smartphone up right in front of your eyes!

Beyoncé loves social media. In fact she uses social media to build a stronger relationship with her fans. A fan at a recent Beyoncé

Do you like going to concerts or do you prefer to watch from the The music industry has had a tough time comfort of your own home? since the digital revolution began. In …………………………………………………………….. the past you bought the music of your …………………………………………………………….. favourite band, went to their concerts, Does filming or photographing a Ticket Buying Meets Social and if you were lucky you heard them on concert stop you enjoying it?

Media the radio. The relationship was simple, you ……………………………………………………………..

In some places you can get cheaper concert bought the music, and the musicians got tickets by bringing along a friend. The more …………………………………………………………….. paid. The digital revolution made it easy friends you get to come with you, the greaWhich music apps do you use for people to listen to music for free even ter the discount! It’s a really clever idea and though it was illegal to do so. As a result, or know about? What kind of creates publicity for a concert via word of the music industry suddenly started to lose music app would you love to see mouth*. You can spend an evening with your billions of dollars and thousands of people developed? friends, save money and have fun all at the around the world lost their jobs. The …………………………………………………………….. same time! future did not look good – musicians can’t ……………………………………………………………..

Have you ever afford to make music if

concert was Facetiming* one of her friends.

Beyoncé asked to borrow the phone and said hello to the boy that the girl had been speaking to, saying, “It’s great to meet you!”

The Future of Music

found out after a concert that a friend of yours was there too, but you didn’t see each other? Ticketmaster, one of the world’s biggest and best-known ticket companies, has linked its sales system to Facebook. Now, when you buy a ticket for a concert you can see where your friends are sitting so that you can go and sit near them!

they don’t earn anything from it! But now, many in the music industry are beginning to see the potential of the digital age, and especially social media. They are building closer and stronger relationships with fans, and giving them exclusive content.

Perhaps this will help them start to make a profit again?

Glossary audience: the people watching a concert, film or play Facetiming: making a video telephone call (NB only when using an Apple phone/tablet/iPod) devices: small electronic machines, eg phones, tablets performers: musicians, actors, dancers screen where you watch/read things on a TV, smartphone ‘etc’ tremor: fast shake word of mouth: (advertising) people talking positively about something to other people

12

relative clauses with who and which; superlatives; phrasal verbs

Culture and Society

13

World-record Balloons You can fly very high above the earth in a hot air balloon. The world record for the highest balloon flight is held by Vijaypat Singhania, who flew at an altitude of more than 21,000m above Mumbai in 2005.

Of course, Vijaypat took his own oxygen supply with him!

The longest unbroken* flight by a hot air balloon was made in 1991 by Per Lindstrand and Richard Branson. They flew from Japan to Northern Canada, a distance of over 7,500 km.

The fastest journey round the world was made by hot air balloon in 2002.

Balloonist Steve Fossett did it in just over 13 days!

There’s something magical about hot air balloons, perhaps it is because they are so elegant and graceful*. Balloons fly much lower and more slowly than planes, giving you wonderful views over cities and countryside. One of the best places to see balloons in the UK is the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, held in August every year.

The Bristol Balloon Fiesta

How to get to Bristol The Weather The main enemy of hot air balloons is the weather, especially the wind. Once balloons are up in the air, you cannot control where they go, they go where the wind blows them. Balloon pilots always find out about the latest weather conditions – in the UK

they get their information from the Met Office (the UK’s metereological office). For a safe flight you need excellent visibility and light* winds, both on the ground and at 600m.

Winds are at their calmest just after sunrise and at sunset, which is why you will often see balloons at these times.

Bristol is 190 kilometres west of London. You can get there by coach from London Victoria Coach Station, or by train, from Paddington Station to Bristol Temple Meads. The Fiesta is held outside Bristol – you can catch a shuttle bus* from Temple Meads.

If you want a taste of the Fiesta, click on the YouTube link on the official website www. bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk

Odd One Out Phileas Fogg is the hero of Jules Verne’s adventure story Around the World in Eighty Days.

Which of the following means of transport did Fogg not use on his journey?

a. b.

Steamship Hot air balloon

c. d.

Pilot boat Train

True or False How much do you know about hot air balloons? Are the following statements true or false?

Up, Up and Away!

Dawn and Dusk

How Do They Work?

The Bristol Balloon Fiesta is a spectacular event which is held over four days at Ashton Court just outside Bristol. Hundreds of thousands of spectators watch balloon teams from all over the world take part in mass ascents*, where you might see as many as 100 balloons launching* at the same time. It’s one of the few places in the world where you can see so many balloons go up together. Obviously, only the best international teams are allowed to take part in this – it requires a lot of skill to fly safely with so many other balloons around you.

The most popular events are the early morning ‘Breakfast and Balloons’, where balloonists take advantage of the calm conditions just after sunrise (a view best enjoyed with a hot coffee and a bacon sandwich!), and the Night Glow*. The Night Glow takes place at the end of the day. The gas that powers the balloons makes them light up, so even though it’s dark you can watch the balloons rising majestically into the night sky. It’s one of the fiesta’s most popular events, and many people arrive hours before it starts to get the best views.

Hot air balloons are made up of a huge bag, known as an ‘envelope’, with a mouth or throat at the base.

Under the envelope is a powerful gas burner. When the gas is lit, it fills the balloon with hot air – hot air rises, which is what lifts the balloons and its passengers, who are carried underneath the envelope in a strong basket*.

One balloon company has recently developed a basket with a glass floor, but you would need to be very brave to travel on that!

T

F

a The first balloon flight was in 1783 at Versailles. b The first balloon passengers were a chicken, a duck and a sheep. c Balloons were used for spying in the French Revolution and the American Civil War. d Hot air balloons were invented by the Wright brothers. e The gas used to fly hot air balloons is hydrogen.

Glossary ascent: when you move up through the air, or climb to the top of a mountain basket: you can carry things in this like a bag, usually made from natural materials glow: light that is not bright, eg from a candle

The answers are on page 15.

graceful: moving in a beautiful way launching: the start of a balloon flight light: (here) opposite of strong shuttle bus: bus that travels from A to B, and back again unbroken: (here) done without stopping

14 Playstation

15

Music Wordsearch A record that sells more than one million copies in the US becomes a ‘platinum disc’. Find 16 words from the world of music in the wordsearch below, and discover what a record is called when it has sold over 10 million copies. o o o o o o o o

band chart download drummer guitarist hiphop keyboard leadsinger

o lyrics o MP3 o pianist o pop o rap o rock o R&B o studio

Crossword Every year FIFA publishes the list of the fastest football players in the world. Do you know who is number one on the current list, with a top speed of 35.7 km per hour? Here are some clues.

His first name is Theo, he’s an English forward, and he plays for Arsenal and England. Write the correct definitions in the crossword below to find his surname!

1

P H I P H O P D C L I B M P R & B R H E

A A P O D I A U A A

N N 3 P M D O M R D I D N R O C K M T S

S L Y R I C S E R I

T S T U D I O R A N

K E Y B O A R D P G

G U I T A R I S T E

D D O W N L O A D R

Who Said What?

2 3

Can you match these quotes with the person (or thing!) that said them?

4 5

1. Surname of Nathaniel, founder of the world’s first football club.

2. The only player who isn’t an outfielder 3. Football started out as an … sport, now anyone can play!

4. The name of the mascot for the 2014 World Cup. 5. You need this to make a fun type of football played on an inflatable pitch.

6. The methods you use to try to win a game of football, or other sport.

7. Number of teams who compete in the World Cup Finals.

Odd One Out

The following words have many meanings in English, both as verbs and nouns. One of the definitions is wrong in each case, can you find it?

6 7

a.

To boldy go where no man has gone before…

b.

Exterminate!

c.

When you have excluded the impossible, whatever

remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

d.

And may the odds be ever in your favour.

e.

It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far

more than our abilities.

1 Sherlock Holmes (in a story by Arthur Conan Doyle) 2 Effie Trinket (in The Hunger Games, a novel by Suzanne Collins) 3 Albus Dumbledore (in Harry Potter and the Chamber of

1. fly a. the opening at the front of a pair of trousers, usually with a zip b. to move through the air using wings c. a type of insect d. to move very quickly e. an aeroplane f. something you use to catch fish

2. take a. to give something away for free b. in films – a single, unbroken scene c. to remove something from somewhere, eg a book from a shelf d. travel on a means of transport, eg a bus e. to get something and hold it in your hands f. to get people as your prisoners, eg in a war

3. place a. location b. to put something carefully in a particular position c. your seat on a train, bus or at a table d. a house or somewhere to live e. a job f. a type of fish

Secrets by JK Rowling) 4 The Daleks (in British TV series Doctor Who) 5 Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise (from US TV series Star Trek)

Answers P. 2 Match: 1c; 2b; 3d; 4a.

P. 4-5 Match the word and definition: A4; B1; C2; D3. + own answers.

P. 6-7 Idioms: 1A; 2B; 3B. P. 8-9 Match: 1 beach towel; 2 bucket and spade; 3 lifeguard; 4 rockpool; 5 sandcastle; 6 surf board.

The answers are at the bottom of this page.

P. 10-11: Own answers.

P. 12-13 Odd One Out: B (a hot air balloon was used in the film version of the book, but not in the book itself!); True or False: a.T; b.T; c.T; d.F (the Montgolfier brothers); e. F (it’s propane).

P. 14 Crossword: 1. Creswick; 2. goalkeeper; 3. elite; 4.

Fuleco; 5. soap; 6. tactics; 7. thirty-two: Walcott; Odd One Out: 1.e; 2.a; 3.f (NB there is a fish called a plaice); Music Wordsearch: diamond; Match the quote: A5; B4; C1; D2; E3.

Liven up your lessons!

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