Comprehension: Wine making takes root in long-isolated Myanmar

Vines cascade down terraces overlooking the vast mirror of Inle Lake in Myanmar's Shan State, where a growing wine industry has taken root and is keen to tempt the tastebuds of the country's growing numbers of foreign visitors.

Watch the video below and answer the following questions. Are they True or False?

1. The vineyards of Shan State grow many varieties of grape.

a. True

b. False

2. A majority of tourists that come to Myanmar visit Inle Lake.

a. True

b. False

3. The white wines are the most popular.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below or go to:
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Transcript and Answers: Wine making takes root in long-isolated Myanmar

Myanmar might be more famous for its struggle for democracy. But in the clouded hills of Shan State maverick wine makers have been toiling for years to put the country on the map for the quality of its grapes. 

"The white wine, our sauvignon blanc is the best white wine in Myanmar. In December, January we have night time two or three degrees only. It’s cold and that produces the nice aromas which the especially white wine has to live from and the acidity which we need for white wine." 

The challenges are significant, with short days in the peak budding season and voracious fungal attacks, only a few hardy grape varieties are able to grow. But at 1,000 metres above sea level and more, both vineyards in the region say altitude is a major factor in their success. Proximity to the major tourist hub of Inle Lake has also helped raise this vineyard's profile. 

"Inle Lake is a very touristic place. It receives almost all the tourists who come to Myanmar, they come to see Inle Lake. And we have started to become a tourist attraction of the lake, so we have more and more tourists." 

Crisp whites are the highlight at both establishments. But it's the reds that fly off the shelves as the whisky-loving country begins to get a taste for wine. From Shiraz to Chardonnay, produce from the winery is mainly destined for the tourist hot spots of Yangon, Mandalay and Bagan, where Western holidaymakers are often surprised to be able to sample a bottle of locally-grown wine. This visiting connoisseur gives it the thumbs up. 

"It is very interesting indeed, but let's be clear, interesting in a good way. I liked the Pinot Noir a lot, it had aromatic qualities that are a little bit different from what we do, but with interesting character." 

Here on the lake, signs that tourism is booming are easy to spot, providing much needed income for local people. And while it'll take a few more years for the vineyards to see a dramatic rise in demand, there's hope that Myanmar wine is also in for a rosy future. 

Answers

1. b

2. a

3. b

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Phrasal Verbs with Answers: to drop

This week,'to drop' is the verb used to make our phrasal verbs.  Do you know what they mean?

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Comprehension: Real unemployed star in Italian musical

As Italy's general election looms, one theatrical show is tackling the burning issue of unemployment with a difference: this version of the Full Monty musical stars two unemployed workers who won a chance to bring their own experiences to the stage - and strip off their clothes as well. 

Watch the video below and answer the following questions. Are they True or False?

1. The Full Monty was a Broadway show before being made into a film.

a. True

b. False

2. Unemployment is higher than it’s ever been in Italy.

a. True

b. False

3. The financial crisis is a big issue for the voters of Italy.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below or go to:

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Transcript and Answers: Real unemployed star in Italian musical

The Full Monty - Italian style.  The musical, an adaptation of the British film and subsequent Broadway show, tackles one of Italy's sore points: record unemployment.  The tale of factory workers who lose their jobs and reinvent themselves as strippers is relocated from Sheffield to Turin.  Of the 70 people who auditioned in the industrial northern city just two made the grade, chosen partly for their first-hand experience of life without work.                    

"The musical mirrors my life, the situation with these workers who have been fired because of the crisis and who are trying at any cost to carry on, and it's the same thing that happened to me."

 Another who uses his personal story as an inspiration is 38 year old unemployed factory worker Marco Serafini .

"I will always carry inside me the rage that I felt in the dark days, when I didn't have a job, I didn't know what to do with myself, and I'll use it on stage as well."

 The financial crisis and unemployment in particular, which now stands at 11 percent in Italy, are  some of the biggest issues worrying Italians ahead of the February election.

And the show's director feels his musical is a timely reminder for politicians.

 "We're bringing a message: the show finishes with images of a factory collapsing and the words of the Italian constitution which says that the Italian Republic is founded on work. The show is our small contribution."

 And what about getting naked in front of a live audience? Well, it turns out that it's not a big issue.  

"In the end" as Lagrasta says "It's just a job".

Answers:

1. b

2. a

3. a

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Comprehension: Recycling company stubs out cigarette garbage

Cigarette butts are an urban nuisance but one company has a solution it says is good for the environment and business. Recyclers, Terracycle have figured out how to convert filters into saleable items, including ashtrays, and clean up the streets.

Watch the video below and answer the following questions. Are they True or False?

1. Terracycle mixes the cigarette filters with other plastics to make industrial pallets.

a. True

b. False

2. The organic parts of the cigarette are composted.

a. True

b. False

3. The company has been recycling cigarettes for over a year.

a. True

b. False

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Transcript and Answers: Recycling company stubs out cigarette garbage

Smokers get to enjoy their cigarettes, but leave their butts littering streets and sidewalks everywhere. But finally, someone's found use for them. Terracycle turns used cigarettes into plastic. Most cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate, which Terracycle blends with other recycled plastics to make everything from lumber, to industrial pallets. 
"These feel and look just like regular plastic pallets. There's a slight smell of tobacco that is associated with the plastic, but it's a smell that can be masked if necessary." 
Terracycle's mission is to take the toughest trash and turn it into something useful, and profitable. Many of its products are "upcycled," and retain some of their original traits -- items like eyeglass chandeliers and skirts made from packaging. The company's headquarters even uses trash as low-budget decor. 
"I have this very weird tendency that when I go around the world, like when I land in a city, the first thing I do is look in the garbage can. Because that's my opportunity: Anything that goes to waste."
 And there's no shortage of opportunities with cigarettes. Trillions are smoked every year. Terracycle takes the cigarette butts, composts their organic components and radiates the rest. It's a process the company says is no more energy-intensive than traditional recycling. Though less than a year old, the program is already a hit with tobacco companies and green groups who provide support. 
 "Not only was there huge response from individuals, businesses but especially NGOs. In Canada, one-third of all the cigarettes we've collected have come from groups like the World Wildlife Fund, from Ocean Conservancy, from all these places that do cleanup projects and instead of throwing the cigarettes they collect out, they now send them to us to be recycled." 
Szaky says the company turns a modest profit. They're not getting rich off cigarettes.  Terracycle, now plans to tackle more of the world's most notorious trash, from dirty diapers to chewing gum. 

Answers:

1. a
2. a
3. b

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Comprehension: Disillusioned, record number of Arabs seen shunning vote

Watch the video below and answer the following questions. Are they True or False?

1. This election will have the lowest ever turnout from the Arab Israeli population.
a. True
b. False

3. The current prime minister will have to work hard to remain in his job.

a. True

b. False

5. Israel’s 1.3 million Arab citizens represent under a fifth of the population.

a. True

b. False

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Transcript and Answers: Disillusioned, record number of Arabs seen shunning vote

Less than half of Arab Israelis are seen voting in Tuesday's parliamentary election in what pundits say is likely to be the lowest ever turnout. That's why Arab Israeli Knesset member Hanin Zoabi, up for re-election, is working hard to get more people to the polls.
"Now we want to say to all of our people that each minority is fighting for its voice. Your presence in parliament is a voice for the sake of your people." 
Many Arabic-language campaign posters hang on the streets of Arab neighbourhoods. But people here feel disenfranchised and many say elections won't improve their lives. Alaa is 38 years old and has never voted. 
"They don't do anything. Everyone just wants a seat. They've been elected more than once before and nothing's new except that things are increasingly tense." 
Faced with widespread cynicism, Arab parliamentarians and activists are trying a different tack - using fear of Israel's hard right. Their slogan: "Not voting means giving your vote to Netanyahu and Lieberman." 
Opinion polls show that the current prime minister is expected to win an easy victory. And to many Arab Israelis, this means there will be no progress on peace. 
"The right wing is strong in numbers and that's the reason we can't reach a solution to the political situation." 
Israel's 1.3 million Arab citizens represent over a fifth of the population, but only 10 members from their community currently serve in parliament. 

Answers:

1. a

2. b

3. b

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Comprehension: HMV entertainment retailer faces uncertain future.

Watch the video below and answer the following questions. Are they True or False?

1. HMV has over two hundred shops.

    a. True

    b. False

2. HMV is currently valued at £850 million.

    a. True

    b. False

3. HMV did NOT try new initiatives to compete in a difficult market.

    a. True

    b. False

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Transcript and Answers: HMV entertainment retailer faces uncertain future

For decades HMV, which stands for His Master's Voice, has been a stalwart of the British high street. But late on Monday the UK's largest entertainment retail chain announced it was going into administration. The Deloitte financial group will assess HMV's business prospects and look for a potential buyer for the company's 239 stores which employs 4,350 people. It's the latest victim of the rise in popularity of digital downloads and online sale of CDs which have forced a number of music retailers from the high street. 

"We've lost Zavvi in the market, Music Zone, Our Price, Silver Screen…a very large number of specialist retailers exiting the market." 

Back in 2006 the company was worth 850 million pounds.  Now it's valued at just under 5 million pounds - a result of mounting debt and sales down 13.5 percent. In a bid to adapt to the changing demands of the market, HMV opened a number of temporary 'pop-up shops' which open just a few months around Christmas. The chain also began organising concerts, installing game zones and selling a broad range of technology and accessories. Although this hasn't been enough to keep the administrators at bay, HMV's faithful following are disappointed the retailer may disappear for good. ''Since I was little, I've always liked to browse and hold the item I’m looking to purchase, just get a better feel of what I'm shopping for.'' 

"'It’s just a lot more convenient, like you get the CD straight away you don't have to wait for it to download." 

The 92-year-old institution has been teetering on the edge of collapse for months and has now suspended trading of its shares. Many fear the announcement that HMV has entered administration, will silence His Master's Voice once and for all.

Answers:

1. a

2. b

3. b

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Idioms: Answers to Rainy idioms

Answers and examples to this weeks idioms. The theme this week is rain.

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Comprehension: When the House becomes a home

Watch the video below and answer the following questions. Are they True or False?

1. Tim Walberg prefers sleeping in his office to sleeping at home.

  a. True

  b. False

2. Congressman Tim Walberg hasn’t been working very long on Capitol Hill.

  a. True

  b. False

3. Congress is less noisy, at night, than the rest of Washington.

  a. True

  b. False

For transcript and answers see below or go to: http://eflexlanguages.blogspot.fr/2013/01/transcript-and-answers-when-house.html

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Transcript and Answers: When the House becomes a home

 For Congressman Tim Walberg, sleeping on the job isn't always a bad thing. Every night, he rolls out his air mattress and makes his bed, on his office floor. 
 "The only thing better about my bed at home is my wife is in it with me." 
Walberg has worked in Washington for years, and all of his time in the city is spent on Capitol Hill.  "This is important because of the espresso maker; I have to have my double espresso in the morning"
From espresso machine...to breakfast cereal...and even a small closet … 
"Wardrobe of all the clothes that I need." …everything is in his office, everything, except a shower. 
 "It forces me every morning to get up and go to the congressional gym, which is in the basement of this building" 
Down the hall, Congressman Paul Gosar has his makeshift kitchen, including a small fridge.  "Buckwheat pancakes!" Gosar and Walberg aren't the only ones who've turned the House into their home. Some 50 Congressmen, mostly Republicans, sleep in their offices every night, saving precious money, and precious time. 
"They know where I’m at. I’m getting my work done. So I spend a lot of time reading, dialoguing, making sure that we've got issues for the day and working on behalf of our constituents back home." 
But it's not all about the savings. Walberg says he was elected to the House by the people, for the people. 
"I am not a king or a prince or a lord and the people who sent me here are the people I serve and I don't ever want to get to a point where I believe that because I’m here, I am better than them" 
But sleeping at work also has its perks. The halls are bustling during the day but, when night falls, Congress is among the quietest, and safest, places in Washington

1. b
2. b
3. a


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Common Mistakes 5

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Comprehension: Gaza fishing family struggles for survival

Watch the video below and answer the following questions. Are they True or False?

1. The Al Qaraan family has caught a few fish recently.

a. True

b. False

2. The Al Qaraan family has a motor for their boat.

a. True

b. False

3.  50% of Gaza’s population is unemployed.

a. True

b. False

For answers see below or go to:

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Transcript and Answers to Gaza fishing family struggles for survival

For more than a month, the Al Qaraan family has not caught a single fish. Equipped with just a small boat and a few nets which he made himself, Atef al Qaraan's livelihood depends entirely on the seas off Gaza. 
"We only have a small boat which we power with paddles. We don't have the money to buy a motor boat or fishing nets. No-one helps us, we need a motor boat to be able to eat." 
The economic blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip in 2007 after the Islamist movement Hamas took power there, makes the task even more difficult. After the 8-day war in November, Israel lightened restrictions on Palestinian fishermen - they can now sail up to six nautical miles from the coast, rather than three. But with no engine for his boat, it's of little help to Atef. He has no money to hire other workers, so his wife and two children help out. A third of Gaza's population is unemployed. Like many others, the Al-Qaraan family fridge is often bare. 
 "When we manage to find some fish, we earn between 300 and 400 shekels. It's not enough - I can't buy water, gas, flour, sugar or even fish. My whole life turns on a few shekels." 
When the nets come up empty, the family relies on donations of bread and tea from neighbours. Before the blockade, around three and a half thousand fishermen plied the waters off the Gaza coast. But their numbers have dropped consistently, and their trade has also been hit by pollution pumped into the sea. As a result, the Strip imports ever greater quantities of fish - above all from Egypt and Israel itself. 

1. b
2. b
3. b

For transcript and answers see below or go to:

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Phrasal Verbs with Answers: to draw

This week,'to draw' is the verb used to make our phrasal verbs.  Do you know what they mean?

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Comprehension: Take a hip-hop lesson 'à la française'

This January, the Paris suburb of Suresnes is hosting the 21st edition of its annual hip hop dance festival, a showcase for the vibrant fusion of street and contemporary dance that France has made its own.

Watch the video below and answer the following questions. Are they True or False?

1. Hip-hop started in the Bronx in the 1970’s.
    a. True
    b. False

2. The younger dancers want to keep hip-hop traditional.
    a. True
    b. False

3. From hearing the report, do you think that this type of hip-hop is unique to   
    France?
    a. True
    b. False


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Transcript and Answers to Take a hip-hop lesson 'à la française'

Hip-hop was born in the Bronx in the 1970s -- but it's found a second home in modern multicultural France. Though it began as an art form of the streets, French aficionados quickly gave it pride of place on stages across the country…slotting it into theatre programmes alongside more established forms of dance like classical or contemporary. This prestigious hip-hop festival in the Paris suburbs is now in its 21st year. 

 "In other countries it's remained a type of choreography, with dancers grouped together in set places. But there's no diversity, there's no one coming out of the pack to take a solo, showing individual personality." 

And though it's often seen as a male-dominated world, women are increasingly involved in hip-hop. Though many say that before they could take part in the famous hip-hop freestyle battles, they had to prove themselves worthy opponents. 

"You had to act like them -- put on a big baggy T-shirt and baseball cap, do THIS like the guys did. Once you'd done that, it was all, 'You see, I can do that too….and I know how to do THIS as well, I know how to do THIS and THIS and THIS. you know, I can act like a girl -- I am a girl.' " 

And there's now a new generation of hip-hop stars, drawing inspiration from some unexpected sources. Dancers on this stage are incorporating elements from the circus and carnival tradition…creating new, hybrid forms of dance. 

"This cultural exchange is always worthwhile. And what's interesting is keeping things evolving, getting to a level where you can bring everything together." 

It may owe more to the dance school than the ghetto -- but as this festival hopes to show, hip-hop has, for many young admirers, become one of the most French dance forms available. 

Answers:

1. a

2. b

3. a

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Idioms: Answers to Leafy idioms

Answers and examples to this weeks idioms. The theme this week is winter.

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Comprehension: Using rubbish to help Thailand's poorest go green

Thailand's poorest are able to trade in recyclable waste for food in an innovative scheme taking off across the country.

Watch the video below and answer the following questions. Are they True or False?

1. The poor exchange rubbish for money.

a. True

b. False

2. 25% of Thailand's rubbish is recycled.

a. True

b. False

3. By the end of 2013, Thailand wants to set up 80 recycling shops.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below or go to:

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Transcript and Answers to Using rubbish to help Thailand's poorest go green

A dirty job reserved for Thailand's poorest. Nom and Rai are scavengers: each day they comb dustbins in their area looking for recyclable rubbish to sell. The money they make isn't always enough to live on -- but an innovative scheme is helping them out. 

 "When we're starving, we can find rubbish to exchange for rice to eat, detergent, soap and everything." 

The husband and wife bring used bottles, cartons, cans and paper to this shop and trade them in for food and other goods - no cash needed. The shop works as a cooperative for local people. By selling to the recycling plants in bulk, it gets a better rate than individual scavengers would manage on their own. And profits from the shop are then paid back in dividends to its members. 

 "Sometimes we would have to buy things like fish sauce or rice on credit at shops. But people looked down on us as we're poor and they'd wonder whether they would get their money back. So that's why we started up our own shop." 

The project's success is inspiring others too -- in another part of Bangkok, people recently set up their own cash-free shop to which they take along their household rubbish. About a quarter of Thailand's garbage is currently recycled -- but that's largely thanks to scavengers rather than efforts by consumers to separate their waste. It's hoped schemes like this will help people be more environmentally responsible. 

 "Recycling is not an alien word any more. Everyone is aware that recycling can help the world one way or another. So people are more aware and people want to take more action. But I think what we are lacking now is the system in place." 

The goal is to set up 80 cash-free recycling shops across Thailand by the end of 2013 and there's a lot of international interest too. More and more communities are coming together to help themselves -- and the environment. 

Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. a

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