I hope you have had a good week.

Several of us here have been busy this week finding good homestay accommodation for lots of our students coming over the summer period.

OK, let’s have a look at some of the stranger things that have been reported in the UK media this week:


GOOD WEEK FOR:

• Car enthusiasts with lots of money, after Mercedes unveiled what it called ‘the best car in the world’.
  Read about it and see some pictures here
  
  
• Walrus fans, after unusual photos of a baby walrus getting his teeth examined by a zookeeper emerged this week.
  Take a look here

BAD WEEK FOR:

• Those who fancied getting their hands on ‘the world’s most perfect diamond’ – as it’s been sold at auction this week. The 101.73 carat ‘Winston Legacy’ diamond sold for a staggering £17.46 million.
  See a video here
  
  
• Eight households in California, after they were forced to move out of their homes – because they are being swallowed by a sinkhole.
  See the video here

 
VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

This week we have the brilliant video of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield singing David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ on the International Space Station. See it here



FACTS OF THE WEEK:

• Iceland was once called ‘Butterland’ because the grass was so rich it seemed to drip butter.
• Within 200 metres of the flat in Islington (London) where George Orwell had the idea for his book ‘1984’, there are now 32 CCTV cameras.
• Barbara is Latin for ‘strange woman’.
• When trying out a new pen, 97% of people write their own name.

QUOTATION OF THE WEEK:

“When you're in jail, a good friend will bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, 'Damn, that was fun'.” - Groucho Marx



HOMEWORK:

That's the news for this week. Now for the answers to last week's "Certainty and Doubt"

PART A:

1. Paul: How is your grandfather? Is he still in hospital?
Olga: Yes, I'm afraid it's touch and go at the moment. We'll know within 24 hours whether he's going to pull through or not.

2. Paul: What's the news about the Australian contract? Have we won it?
Olga: Well, it hasn't been signed yet but I think we can safely say it's in the bag.

3. Paul: Are Jim and Anna getting married or not? I hear they are having second thoughts.
Olga: That's right. They had a big argument so it's all up in the air at the moment.

4. Paul: England is the best football team in the world. They are going to win the World Cup. It's a forgone conclusion.

5. Paul: I wouldn't be surprised if Jack and Jill decide to get married, would you?
Olga: You're right. A wedding is definitely on the cards.

6. Paul: We've been waiting 5 hours and we still don't know when the plane is going to leave. What's happening?
Olga: I'm sorry, sir. It's anyone's guess. We're as much in the dark as you.

PART B:

1. 20 red roses! I have no idea who sent them. Your guess is as good as mine.
2. It was John. I'm telling you I saw him. It WAS him - without a shadow of a doubt.
3. The writing's on the wall for Paul. He'll be looking for a new job soon. He's never in the office and people are starting to complain.
4.There's going to be trouble at the match tonight. I can feel it in my bones.

And the riddle:

A man and his son are in a car accident. The father dies on the scene, but the child is rushed to the hospital. When he arrives the surgeon says, "I can't operate on this boy, he is my son!" How can this be?

The answer is very simple: the surgeon is the boy's mother!


This week's homework is called "Communicating":


PART A: Fill in the following words in the definitions below.

• BRICKS
• BEAT
• HIND
• GAB
• BUSH
• GRAPEVINE
• WAVELENGTH
• DOZEN

1. The back legs of an animal are called their ????? legs.
2. If you want to listen to a particular radio station you need to know its ??????.
3. A ???? is smaller than a tree but larger than a plant.
4. When hunting some birds, people (known as "beaters") ???? the ground and bushes to force the birds to fly up so that they can be shot.
5. ????? have been used to build houses for centuries.
6. Another word for 12 is a ?????.
7. Grapes grow on a ?????.
8. An informal or slang word for "mouth" or "talk" is ?????.

PART B: Use the following expressions in the sentences below.

a. TALKING TO A BRICK WALL
b. GET IT OFF YOUR CHEST
c. CAN'T GET A WORD IN EDGEWAYS
d. TALKING NINETEEN TO THE DOZEN
e. BREATHE A WORD OF THIS
f. BEATING ABOUT THE BUSH
g. PUT IN A GOOD WORD FOR YOU
h. JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME
i. THE GIFT OF THE GAB
j. HEARD IT ON THE GRAPEVINE
k. TALK THE HIND LEGS OFF A DONKEY
l. ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH

1. This is ????? but I think Olga has got a drink problem!
2. I wish you would get to the point, Olga and say what you think. Stop ?????.
3. Honestly, Olga, I don't know how many times I've told you not to forget your keys. It's like ?????.
4. Paul: How do you know that the head of the London office is leaving the company.
Olga: Oh, I ?????.
5. If you've got a problem, Olga, then it's always best to talk to someone about it. ?????? as soon as possible.
6. If Frank disagrees with you about something, he just doesn't stop. Once he starts you ?????.
7. If you decide to apply for the job in Sydney, Olga, let me know. I know one of the directors there so I can ?????.
8. You know when Amanda is excited about something because she starts ?????.
9. Whatever you do, don't get into a conversation with old Mrs Chapman. She can ?????.
10. Olga, please don't ????? but I'm thinking of selling the Mayflower College!
11. Paul: You and Sharon seem to get on very well.
Olga: Yes, we seem to be ?????.
12. Tom is easily the best salesman in the company. He could sell ice to Eskimos! He's got ?????.

And this week TWO riddles for you to solve!

Riddle 1: Why is it better to have round manhole covers than square ones?

Riddle 2: What are the next two letters in the following series and why?

W A T N T L I T F S

Have a lovely week and until next week.
Paul & Jill

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


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