Comprehension: Mining Threat to Ancient Afghan Site

Archaeological treasures belonging to a glorious past... or huge economic gains from the unexploited copper mine they sit on? For Mes Aynak, a sprawling 4th century Buddhist monastery, the Afghan government has chosen billions of dollars of expected revenue over archaeological preservation and plans to destroy the site

Watch the video and answer the questions below. Decide if the statements are True or False.

1.The hills are in the West of Afghanistan.

a. True

b. False

2.When the archeaological dig is finished about 80% of the site will remain.

a. True

b. False

3. The museum is based in Kabul.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:
Huge riches lie under these hills in eastern Afghanistan.  Historical treasures from a 4th century Buddhist monastery... and further below, a huge copper ore deposit.  Workers and archaeologists are nearing the end of a hasty excavation before work to extract the mineral begins.

"I was heartbroken when I found out the site is going to be destroyed. I'm very unhappy about it."

A Chinese firm won rights to exploit the mine five years ago.  They're helping fund a dig that’s so far unearthed small villages, temples and more than a thousand Buddhist statues.  Up to 80 percent of the site will eventually be destroyed.  Archaeologists have one more year to document and salvage as much as they can.

"We're going to do 3D scans of all the small chapels, so if we want to remove them, we'll be able to reassemble them by constructing new walls and then installing as well as replacing the wall murals, stupas and sculptures."

 The smaller objects are far easier to take away. From statues to coins, pottery and pieces of jewellery, each day brings new, precious finds.  These are some of the oldest Buddhist artifacts in the world -- and well preserved in Afghanistan's dry, arid climate.

All pieces will remain in the country to be stored or displayed in Kabul Museum.
                    
"I believe getting the copper out is also very important economically for our government but the preservation of culture is our priority. It is very important for us that we have to protect them, we have to preserve them, we have to keep them for the next generation of Afghanistan."


The museum has space to exhibit only a fraction of the site's total haul.  It's an opportunity for Afghans to better understand their rich cultural heritage.  Each artifact represents the country's glorious past but also the sacrifices made in the hope of a more prosperous future.

Answers:
1. b
2. b
3. a

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Phrase of the Day: By the Book

Phrase of the Day: BY THE BOOK: Correctly; according to the rules.

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Phrase of the Day: Butterfingers

Phrase of the Day: BUTTERFINGERS:A name playfully applied to someone who fails to catch a ball or lets something slip from their fingers.

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Phrase of the Day: Butter Wouldn't Melt in his Mouth

Phrase of the Day: BUTTER WOULDN'T MELT IN HIS MOUTH: used to say that somebody seems to be innocent, kind, etc. when they are not really

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Phrase of the Day:As Busy As A Bee

Phrase of the Day: AS BUSY AS A BEE: Very busy.

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Phrase of the Day: Bury your Head in the Sand

Phrase of the Day: BURY YOUR HEAD IN THE SAND: Refuse to confront or acknowledge a problem.

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Phrase of the Day: Burning the Midnight Oil

Phrase of the Day: BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL: To work late into the night.

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Comprehension: Pretoria's Jacaranda trees are an 'alien' problem

South Africa's capital Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda City, for the purple blossomed trees that line its streets. Yet they were imported from South America and are classified as an alien invasive-problem.

Watch the video and answer the questions below. Decide if the statements are True or False.

1.Pretoria has always been a big city.

a. True

b. False

2.Jacaranda trees originally came from Brazil.

a. True

b. False

3. Jacaranda trees use a lot of water and prevents other plants growing beneath it.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:
The host of Jacaranda trees that line the streets of Pretoria explain its nickname, ‘the Jacaranda City’, but they’re not native to South Africa.  These trees were imported from Brazil over 120 years ago just as South Africa’s gold rush was beginning.

“Gold was discovered in Johannesburg in 1887, so these first Jacarandas came when Johannesburg was still a little mining town, so the first Jacarandas are older than Johannesburg itself.”

Today there are 70,000 Jacaranda trees in Pretoria, half of which were planted by the city council, but in recent years they’ve caused problems forcing the government to take action.

“You have to replace the Jacaranda with indigenous trees because it has to be using a lot of water and because of where they grow.  Normally you can’t grow anything like ground cover, or any plants underneath these Jacaranda.”

The government now classifies Jacarandas as alien invasive plants and has banned them from being replanted.  That’s bad news for woodworkers like Alexander Wildervank who likes to use the Jacaranda instead of pine

“It is a pity because it’s a beautiful tree to see, but on the other hand, like Black Wattle, it’s a lovely tree but if it starts, you know, messing up your ground water and things like that, I think that’s more important.”

Despite the nation- wide ban Pretoria’s tree lovers have successfully fought for exemption.  New Jacaranda trees can still be planted in the city centre, in spots where previous trees have died.

They’ll be fewer ‘alien plants’ elsewhere in South Africa but they’ll continue to flower in the country’s Jacaranda City.

Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. a

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Idioms: Happy with answers

This week 'happy' is the theme of our idioms. Do you know what they mean?

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Phrase of the Day: Have a Bun in the Oven

Phrase of the Day: HAVE A BUN IN THE OVEN: to be pregnant (informal)

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Phrase of the Day: Bums on Seats

Phrase of the Day: BUMS ON SEATS: the idea that it is important to have a lot of people going to an event or performance.

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Comprehension: Ivory Coast Footballer Uses Sport To Get Kids In School

In a poor district of Ivory Coast's economic capital Abidjan, former professional footballer Souleymane Cissé has founded a football club for young people. He aims not only to improve the ball skills of children and adolescents, but to encourage them to go to school and learn a trade. Watch the video and answer the questions below.  

Decide if the statements are True or False.

1.Children who are good at football receive free training at the Cissé Institute.
a. True
b. False

2.Soulemane Cissé believes that football is the most important thing.
a. True
b. False

3. Everyone at the Cissé Institute becomes a professional footballer.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

This is a football club with a difference.  Here at the Cissé Institute in the Yopougon area of Abidjan, young people aged 9 to 18 receive free training from former professional footballer, Souleymane Cissé.  He founded this centre with his own money and a clear idea of what he wanted to achieve.

“The most important thing for me isn’t football - I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - the most important thing isn’t football, its school.”

Even if students are primarily chosen for their ball skills, they must also maintain good grades to keep their place and as many are from disadvantaged backgrounds, financial help is available to fund places.

“I see many children who come from poor areas who have a real passion for football.  I said to myself, ‘Why not use that to get the kids to stay on the path to school?’, because many don’t go, they’re from poor backgrounds, so I said to myself, ‘Use football as a means to get them to go to school’.”

A skilled striker, Abdulla trains at the Cissé institute, but like everyone else, he still goes to school and the institute keeps track of his academic progress.

“Whenever we finish our homework or oral tests, they ask us to show them our work so that they can see how we are doing at school.”

The next stage is for Cissé to create a training centre for vocational skills, like plumbing and carpentry.  Not everyone at the Cissé Institute can become a professional sportsman, but they can all use football to get on the right path.

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. b

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Phrase of the Day: Break the Ice

Phrase of the Day: BREAK THE ICE: To break down social formality and stiffness.

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Phrase of the Day: Break a Leg

Phrase of the Day: BREAK A LEG: Said to actors for good luck before they go on stage, especially on an opening night.

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Phrasal Verbs with Answers: to knock

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

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Comprehension: Brazil Targets Biofuels Made From Sugar Cane

Brazil is the world's biggest sugar cane producer - growing 617 million tons a year - and now farmers have found a new use for their crop that they hope will open up new markets. They're turning the cane into biofuel - and say it could soon be powering commercial airline flights. 

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1.The test flight is flying from Campinas to Rio de Janeiro. 
a. True
b. False

2.Biofuel manufacture started in Sau Paula in the 1990's. 
a. True
b. False

3. Brazil plans to increase its production by 55% in the next ten years. 
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Could this be the future of aviation?  This test flight from Campinas in the state of Sau Paolo to Rio de Janeiro is the first to be entirely powered by biofuel made from sugar cane.  Brazilian airliner Azul hopes more sustainable flying will take off from here.

“We believe our fuel reduces the greenhouse gas emissions of the flight by 82% - but of course in order for this to be commercially viable we need to produce it on a much bigger scale.”

The raw material for that fuel is grown here, Ribeirao Preto in Sao Paulo state, home to 60% of Brazil’s sugar cane crop.  Biofuel manufacture started here in the 1980’s, and now producers say they’ll soon be able to use every part of the crop so nothing goes to waste.

“In the future we’re working towards making ethanol from this material, here, which is organic.  Burning these stalks to make electricity, we’re using the residual fibre of the sugar cane to make second generation ethanol.”

Biofuels are a hugely controversial subject, though.   Environmentalists and human rights groups say that production has led to deforestation, forced out local farmers, and taken up land that could be used for food crops.  Meaning, they’ve been blamed for rising commodity prices.   Advocates say sugar cane is more sustainable than making fuel from corn.  It has higher yields, leading to less deforestation but that doesn’t mean the ethical worries are over.

“There are lots of illegal activities around deforestation and converting land to sugar cane farming, but things are improving.  NGO’s and private businesses are trying to make rural producers aware that they must do things correctly.”


Despite these concerns, the biofuel market is booming.  Brazil plans to increase its production by 55% in the next ten years.  Azul, the country’s third biggest airline, hopes to incorporate the new fuel in its commercial flights, making flying all the sweeter.

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a

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Phrase of the Day: Born with a Silver Spoon in One's Mouth

BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON IN ONE'S MOUTH: Born into a wealthy family

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Phrase of the Day: Bone Up On

BONE UP ON: To study hard, usually in preparation for a test

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Comprehension: Senegal's Traditional Artisans Look to the Future

The traditional tapestries made by the Thies workshop just outiside the Senegalese capital Dakar have found their way around the world from the African Union to the UN in New York. Now the prestigious artisans are looking to find new ways to compete in the modern world.

Watch the video and answer the questions below. Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. The whole factory was involved in making the tapestry.
a. True
b. False

2. The tapestries are very expensive;
a. True
b. False

3. The factory was set-up by a former president of Senegal.
a. True
b. False

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

Transcript and Answers:

It’s made of 24 square metres of wool and cotton; this huge tapestry will soon be hung in its new home in the UN headquarters in New York.  Made by two artisans and taking three years to complete, it is the largest ever to come from this workshop in Senegal.

“So proud - I think this honours the whole of Africa.”

Senegalese works adorn the walls of the Whitehouse and the headquarters of the African Union, among others, and they don’t come cheap.  Each square metre of tapestry costs between 800 and 1600 Euros.  Every new work has an original design that is reproduced, at the most, eight times.

“If a customer wants a ninth one, we have to call the artist, because the contract is eight - now we pay the artist something to make a new edition.”

The Thies factory was set-up by former president Léopald Senghor almost fifty years ago.  It was part of an ambitious project by the culture- loving president who also wrote poetry.   Today the workshop boasts a new generation of craftsmen.  The old hands pass on their knowledge to new recruits at the school of fine arts.

“We have a commercial aim too.  We have to look at how to occupy the market as widely as possible and it’s this combination of tradition and modernity that’ll get us there.”

The director plans to diversify the workshop’s production too.  They soon hope to bring in new and less time consuming techniques such as batik and screenprinting.

An age old factory still keeping its eye on the future.

Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. a

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Idioms: Relations with answers

This week 'relations' are the theme of our idioms. Do you know what they mean?

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Comprehension: Morocco's Movie 'Mecca' Seeks Return to Days of Glory

Ouarzazate in southern Morocco was once dubbed the "Mecca" of the film industry for its studio facilities and the stark beauty of its locations, with many Hollywood blockbusters shot there. 

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1.There has been less work for Atlas Studio since 2009.
a. True
b. False

2.The Arab Spring is one of the reasons given for the reduction of work.
a. True
b. False

3. There still hasn’t been much interest from movie makers in filming in Ouarzazate.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

It's all quiet on set. Actors, make-up artists and stagehands are preparing for the next scene.
Atlas studio in the southern Moroccan city of Ouarzazate may look all too familiar. 
It’s in these stunning desert landscapes that a raft of movie blockbusters such as "Laurence of Arabia", "Gladiator" and "Babel" were filmed. 
But in recent years, fewer and fewer production companies have come calling, leaving film crews and extras with little to do. 
" From 1986 until 2009, cinema production was very present here in Ouarzazate but from 2009 until 2012 there has been very little work for us."
The global economic crisis put many projects on hold and the turmoil of the Arab Spring across the region pushed international film-makers to look elsewhere. 
Many of the sets remain, visited by tourists and maintained by locals as a sort of museum of movie-making.
"We took responsibility for the sets on this plateau about 16 to 18 years ago. We have two site keepers a day and one for the evening, and we are able to pay their salaries when a new film production arrives to use this place."
Many film backdrops are real-life places; historical sites or homes that are unique to the area. 
Production companies negotiate with local leaders to shoot there, bringing in much-needed income for villagers. 
"A big production company came here to film, they partially restored the places that they were interested in, paying the village 500 or 600 hundred euros."
The cash flow has been cut back to just a trickle but locals are still hopeful that Ouarzazate can attract big-budget movies once again. Several major productions have visited since the beginning of the year.
There are already four films in production here and a starring role for this city would mean jobs for hundreds of people. 

Answers:
1. a
2. a
3. b

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