This week we’ve been anticipating the arrival of several large groups at Mayflower College – March is going to be exceptionally busy this year!

Have you been doing anything fun this week? As usual, if you have some news to share with us, please do tell us on Facebook.

OK, let’s take a look at some of the bizarre things that have been happening in the news:
 

GOOD WEEK FOR:

• A deer stranded on a frozen lake in Canada, after it was saved by a helicopter that used the downdraft from its rotary blades to sweep the animal to safety.
  Read the story here
  
  
• Fans of bizarre addictions, as a New Yorker has this week revealed her strange compulsion to eat deodorant sticks.
  Read all about it here

BAD WEEK FOR:

• A children’s TV host in Croatia, who passed out on live television – whilst talking about how important oxygen is!
  See the video here
  
  
• A would be ‘ram-raider’ thief in the UK, who was caught by police minutes after attempting to steal from a jeweller’s – after his lorry became stuck. Read the story here

QUOTATION OF THE WEEK:


“If you don’t make mistakes, you don’t make anything.” – Paulo Coelho


FACTS OF THE WEEK:

• The strongest (most resilient) creatures on Earth are gonorrhea bacteria.
• The average person who lives to be 75 will have spent 6 years dreaming.
• An orange is a berry but a strawberry is not!
• More than 1 in 20 football injuries are caused by celebrating goals on the pitch!

 
PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

This week we’ve got a gallery of images showing rollercoaster inspectors at work. Take a look here


HOMEWORK:

OK, enough of the news. How did you find last week's homework? Well, here are the answers!

PART A

1) If you twiddle your thumbs h) you are wasting time
2) If you never lift a finger e) you are lazy
3) If you point the finger a) you accuse someone of something
4) If you get your fingers burnt f) you lose money
5) If you get your finger out g) you try harder
6) If you have green fingers b) you are good at gardening
7) If you are all fingers and thumbs i) you are not good with your hands
8) If you keep your fingers crossed c) you believe in luck
9) If you put your finger on something d) you see the problem

PART B

1) There's something strange about Olga, but I'm not sure what it is. I just can't put my FINGER on it.

2) I was miles from the nearest garage when I ran out of petrol so I just stood at the side of the road and tried to THUMB a lift.

3) Olga, if you want to pass this exam you really need to get your FINGER out and start some serious study.

4) I invested some money in the stock market a couple of years ago but I got my FINGERS badly burnt. I lost $10,000. Never again!

5) My appointment at the hospital was supposed to be at 16.00h but I had to sit in the waiting room, twiddling my THUMBS for over an hour.

6) My flatmate is driving me crazy. I have to do all the cleaning. She never lifts a FINGER to help.

7) Olga, you can't wear jeans and a T-shirt to the wedding. Everyone else will be smartly dressed. You'll stick out like a sore THUMB.

8) I had a great idea at work that we should paint the walls different, bright colours, get more plants and pictures, but it got the THUMBS down. They're so conservative!

9) It's too easy to point the FINGER at today's parents. There are many other influences on today's teenagers.

And the riddle

Lifting it's all right,
Clearly seen at night.
In the window bright
To welcome home at night.

The answer is LIGHT (the opposite of dark and the opposite of heavy).


This week's homework is called "FIRE IDIOMS":


PART A - Use these nouns to complete the idioms below

• BURNING
• FLAMES
• SPARKS
• BLAZING
• SMOKE
• HEATED
• FIERY
• FIRE (3)

1) I want to be an actor. I've got a ????? ambition to play Hamlet at the Globe Theatre, London.
2) She's got a lot of potential as a singer, but she's not exactly going to set the world on ?????.
3) I had a ?????? row with my girlfriend last night.
4) Be careful what you say to Paul. He's got a ????? temper.
5) I wouldn't say we had an argument. It was just a ????? discussion.
6) I met Jackie at a conference and liked her immediately. We got on like a house on ?????.
7) Olga, you're playing with ??????. If your boss finds out what you are doing you'll be in serious trouble.
8) I was planning a quiet weekend but 4 friends came to stay on Saturday so all my plans went up in ?????.
9) Every time I have a new idea, Olga, you just shoot me down in ????? without really listening to what I have to say.
10) Have you heard Paul and Olga discussing politics? The ????? really fly when they disagree about something.

PART B - Use the following idiomatic expressions to complete the dialogues below.

a) AN OLD FLAME
b) NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE
c) ADDS MORE FUEL TO THE FIRE
d) A BAPTISM OF FIRE
e) A BLAZE OF PUBLICITY
f) BURN MY BRIDGES
g) FIRED MY IMAGINATION

1) Paul: I didn't know carol new Chris?
Olga: Oh yes, she's ?????? from University days.

2) Paul: Can you remember your first day in the classroom, Olga?
Olga: Yes, I had to teach Maths to a class of 30 very difficult 16-year-olds. It was a ????, I can tell you!

3) Paul: Have you seen the new James Bond film?
Olga: Yes, but despite ????? when it came out, it didn't live up to my expectations.

4) Paul: There's a rumour that Wayne Rooney is going to leave Manchester United but I can't believe it.
Olga: Well, you know what they say - there's ???????.

5) Paul: So what made you decide to go to Rwanda on holiday?
Olga: Well, I saw a film a couple of years ago and it just ??????.

6) Paul: Did I hear that you are resigning?
Olga: Well, I'm looking for a change, but I don't want to leave this job until I've found something new. I don't want to ?????.

7) Paul: That's the third government minister who's resigned this week.
Olga: There's been something strange going on for a long time. This just ??????.

And finally a difficult riddle for you to solve:

Long and thin and rather graphic,
Plainest scrawl or quite seraphic.
Coloured or just plain grey,
Kept in case, the children play.

Have a lovely weekend and until next Friday!

Best wishes
Paul & Jill

Paul Stevens - Director (based in San Diego, USA)
Jill Tyler - General Manager (based in Plymouth, UK)


к следующему выпуску