This week we've been shivering as the temperature has plummeted and students at the College have been quizzing us as to the best places in Plymouth to buy Winter coats!

So, to warm us up, let's take a look at some of the more amusing things that have been happening in the news over the last week:

GOOD WEEK FOR:

• People who find they can't afford to buy a new house, as a UK supermarket has launched its own range of budget, flat-pack, self-assembly houses! Read about it and see the pictures here:
  
  
• Those who enjoy spectacle, as a series of photos have been revealed that show frozen waves.
  Have a look here:

BAD WEEK FOR:

• Residents in Dubai, who awoke recently to find the whole local area carpeted by thick fog. However, it did lead to some fantastic pictures!
  Read the story and see the photos here:
  
  
• Residents that are trying to sleep in Dresden, Germany, after an architect designed and built an innovative new building that literally sings in the rain!
  Read all about it here:

QUOTATION OF THE WEEK:

"The most merciful thing in the world... is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents" - H. P. Lovecraft


FACTS OF THE WEEK:

• Volleyball was first invented by William Morgan in 1895, and was called "Mintonette"
• It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown
• Porcupines float in water
• The US purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 Million

VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

This week we had to include this hilarious and disturbing video from a Brazilian TV show that played a terrible ghostly prank on unsuspecting users of a lift. See it here:


HOMEWORK:

OK, as promised, here are the answers to last week's difficult homework:

PART A

1. If you jump into a swimming POOL you make a big SPLASH
2. If it is TEEMING with rain, it means the same as the more common word POURING. Both mean that the rain is very heavy.
3. I have a tap in my bathroom which has an annoying DRIP. I must fix it at the weekend !
4. In the Bible, Noah built an ark so he and his family could escape the great FLOOD.
5. Small STREAMS eventually flow into big rivers.
6. If a small amount of water escapes slowly from your car engine it TRICKLES out.
7. Fill your glass too full and it will OVERFLOW.
8. It's usually safer to go swimming in the sea when the TIDE is coming in rather than when it is going out.
9. A SURGE of water in the sea sends a large wave forward.
10. If you drop a stone into a pond you can watch the RIPPLES move out to the edges.

PART B

1. At the end of my presentation there was a RIPPLE of applause.
2. The government must find a way to stem the TIDE of refugees trying to enter Britain.
3. Amanda, you'll make quite a SPLASH if you go to the party with that dress! It's very short!
4. You can't expect David to do anything about the problem. He's far too WET. He avoids all sorts of decisions.
5. I'm an easy going sort of person. I don't usually complain. I just go with the FLOW
6. At Mayflower College we have 12 permanent teachers and a POOL of about 20 temporary teachers we use when we need to.
7. Come on, Olga, come and dance. It's fun. Don't be such a DRIP!
8. Less and less students are studying Mathematics at University these days. Not surprisingly, the number of new Maths teachers applying for jobs is slowly starting to DRY UP.
9. When I entered the party all I saw was a SEA of faces I didn't know.
10. When I went to Venice the main square was TEEMING with people.
11. After the game the crowd POURED out of the football stadium.

And the riddle:

Some have hands that never clutch,
Others figure out as much.
Some taking diving, others showers,
Jewellery for hours and hours.

The answer is WATCH


This week's homework is called "Animal Idioms":

PART A:

Put the following pairs of words into the sentences below:

• BEE - BONNET
• SHEEP - FAMILY
• BULL - HORNS
• ANTS - PANTS
• FISH - WATER
• FISH - SEA
• CAT - BAG
• COWS - HOME

1. Paul's got a ????? in his ????? about eating organic food.
2. John's girlfriend has just left him. I told him not to worry. There are plenty more ???? in the ?????.
3. I've arranged a surprise party for my wife's birthday. I just hope nobody lets the ???? out of the ???? by accident.
4. I went to a night-club for the first time in 10 years last night. I looked and felt like a ????? out of ?????.
5. If you think Tom's not doing his job properly, you're going to have to take the ???? by the ???? and tell him.
6. Billy's just won't sit still in the class. I think he's got ???? in his ?????.
7. I never liked school. I was always getting into trouble. I suppose I was the black ???? of the ????.
8. I love watching sport on the TV. I could sit and watch it until the ???? come ?????.

PART B

Complete the following sentences using the words:

DONKEY CAMEL HORSE PIG CHICKEN GOOSE WOLF FOXED

1. Olga: Did you buy that CD I asked you to?
   Paul: No. You sent me on a wild ???? chase. I tried 3 different shops but it doesn't exist.
   
   
2. Olga: Paul, what a surprise!
   Paul: Olga, how are you? I haven't seen you for ????? 's years.
   
   
3. Olga: You can earn about GBP20,000 per year as a computer programme in London.
   Paul: That's ????? feed compared to what you can get in USA.
   
   
4. Olga: Are you sure you are getting a pay rise next month? Who told you?
   Paul: I got it straight from the ???? 's mouth. The director told me himself.
   
   
5. Olga: You get a company pension, don't you?
   Paul: Yes, it's not much but it keep the ???? from the door.
   
   
6. Olga: Robert likes the sound of his own voice, doesn't he?
   Paul: Yes, he can talk the hind legs off a ?????.
   
   
7. Olga: And when they asked me to work on Sundays, I just had to resign.
   Paul: It sounds like that was the straw which broke the ???? 's back.
   
   
8. Olga: If you prepare the soil and do all the digging, I'll plant the flowers.
   Paul: No way ! I don't see why I should do all the ???? work!
   
   
9. Olga, I wish you would tidy up your room. It's like a ????-sty.
10. I just didn't understand. I didn't know what to do. I was totally ????.

And your riddle this week:

Reeds in Egypt were the start,
Now made by machine more than art.
Hard or soft, its use diverse,
You may find it in your purse.

OK, I hope you have a lovely weekend and week and I will write to you again next Friday.

Best wishes

Paul

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