Phrase of the Week: Eat Somebody Out Of House And Home

Phrase of the Week: EAT SOMEBODY OUT OF HOUSE AND HOME (informal, often humorous): to eat a lot of somebody else's food

“How much longer is he staying? He's eating us out of house and home.”

 

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Comprehension: Reviving the Philippine Capital's Polluted Heart

A toxic black river that cuts through Manila is being cleaned up at a cost of more than 240 million dollars a year.
Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. The Pasig river has nothing living in it.
a. True
b. False

2. The people who lived by the most polluted ‘estero’ have been relocated.
a. True
b. False

3. Experts say it will take a decade for the river and its tributaries to be revived.
a. True
b. False
For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

It may look like fun and games but these children are playing in some of the most polluted waters in the Philippines. Once the social and economic heart of the nation's capital, the Pasig River is now biologically dead.  Much of Manila's industrial waste ends up here – along with untreated sewage and rubbish of the millions living close by.
"There have been people who have gone into this with an open wound and died, literally. Whoever planned the city years ago really saw the esteros and the river as dumping grounds."
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent in failed attempts to clean up the river. The latest effort involves trying to relocate about 300,000 slum dwellers living directly along the river and its tributaries, known locally as esteros.
"As long as there are illegal dwellers living along the estero, using the place as their toilets and dumping garbage there, there’s no clean-up that can happen. So that's the beginning."
The project’s showing some early signs of success. A few years ago this estero was one of the city's most polluted, choked by squatters living in shanties. Thousands of people living within three metres of the waterway have been relocated. Boardwalks and plants have replaced their ramshackle homes.
"We are happy living here now. It's like living in a sub-division. When you wake up it is breezy, and there is a sunset, so you really feel like you are in a beautiful sub-division."
Nevertheless, even these waters remain dangerously polluted. Experts say it will likely take decades for the Pasig River and all its forty-seven tributaries to be revived. 



Answers:
1. a
2. a
3. b

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Phrase of the Week: Come a Cropper

Phrase of the Week: COME A CROPPER: to have a failure or near disaster

“We nearly came a cropper in the second half of the game.”   

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Comprehension: Argentine Cowboys Turn Trendsetters

In Argentina, the traditional ‘cowboy’ lifestyle is dying out -- but their traditional trousers, known as bombachas, are enjoying a new lease of life. Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. Gaucho is another word for cowboy.

a. True

b. False

2. Since 2003 a third of Argentina’s cultivated land has been livestock.

a. True

b. False

3. All the bombachas made in the shop “Aux Charpentiers” are handmade.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

It’s a classic postcard image of Argentina – the gaucho, or cowboy, rounding-up his cattle on horseback. But this traditional way of life is dying out – as cattle ranches give way to more lucrative soya plantations grown for biofuel.

“The world is globalized now, so people have changed. We no longer have real roots in the land and so there’s been a deep loss of identity”

Since 2003 a third of Argentina’s cultivated land has switched from livestock to crops. But at least part of the cowboy lifestyle is still going strong – their billowing trousers, called bombachas. Legend has it they arrived in Argentina in the nineteenth century, when the country accepted a shipment of military uniforms from Turkey, left over from the Crimean War. Perfect for horseback riding, the trousers caught on among cattle herders and wealthy landowners alike.

“I’m very used to wearing these clothes, they’re comfortable and I’m proud to wear them”

 And to buy your bombachas – this is the place to come. “Aux Charpentiers” is a Buenos Aires boutique founded by French immigrants at the end of the 19th century. A classic cotton pair costs about 60 euros. The shop has featured in fashion magazines around the world and is a key stop for stylish tourists. ,

“They'll never disappear, because they're something clients tell us they wouldn’t change for anything in the world, because they're cool and comfortable”

Here, the bombachas are entirely handmade.

“Bombachas are a lot of work. The strap, a pocket here, a pocket there… this pair has five pockets. Those over there only have three pockets, thank goodness, and they don’t have buttons. That takes time”

 The shop now sells new designs for a younger clientele – narrower bombachas for the city, or linen ones for the summer. Argentina’s gauchos may be making way for soya in the country – but in the city, they’re fashion icons. 



Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a

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Phrasal Verbs: to break

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

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Comprehension: Polish Prisoners Put Paint to Paper Creating Religious Art

Behind the bars of a prison in the east of Poland, inmates are learning to recreate religious paintings, in a unique rehabilitation programme.
Watch the video and answer the questions below. Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. The prison is found in the east of Poland.

a. True

b. False

2. Malgorzata has always loved painting.

a. True

b. False

3. The prison needs more funding to provide more classes for prisoners.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:
A steady hand and a lot of patience are required to paint a picture like this. But these artists aren't short of time; they're all inmates at the Bialystok prison in the east of Poland. And prisoners like Malgorzata -- sentenced to 24 years in jail -- have uncovered some hidden talents.
"I never knew how to paint. It wasn't my cup of tea. And now, I'm starting to make progress, I can see it myself and I'm happy with how I'm doing." Malgorzata's sentence was cut by a third owing to good behaviour - but she still has another eight years to serve. The idea behind the programme is to help the prisoners before they re-enter society, developing confidence and exploring the spiritual history of the paintings.
"At the start most inmates come to kill a bit of time, so that it passes more quickly, to try something more interesting. Some also do it to earn good behaviour, but at the end of the classes everyone wants to have their paintings blessed and keep them."
In a predominantly Catholic country, the Bialystok region is the stronghold of the Polish Orthodox Church.
"It calms me down and brings me peace, I have a lighter heart and my faith is strengthened. I already pray to the picture of the Virgin Mary that I created." The prison currently only runs two workshops - but if more funding’s provided it's hoped other inmates will have the chance to put paint to paper.
 
Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a

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Phrase of the Week: Between you, me and the gatepost

Phrase of the Week: BETWEEN YOU, ME AND THE GATEPOST: used to show that what you are going to say next is a secret

‘Between you, me and the gatepost, I don't think she'll stay in this job very long.’

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