Idioms: The pocket with answers

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

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Comprehension: Moroccan Adoption Law Change Leaves Foreigners in Limbo

In Morocco, more than 100 Spanish, French and American families who were awarded children are still awaiting a final decision after adoption laws were tightened, throwing the whole process into doubt and leaving dozens of hopeful foreign couples in limbo. 

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

1. The French couple visit the child at the orphanage daily.

a. True

b. False

2. The French couple are going to adopt a girl.

a. True

b. False

3. Kafala means the legal right to look after a child.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript & Answers

In their home in Rabat, Eric and Yassamane can only admire photographs of baby Ziad, who is still living in an orphanage. The French couple was awarded the child for adoption more than a year ago. But last September, Morocco's government amended the laws, effectively barring foreigners from adopting.   

"We continue to visit this child everyday at the orphanage, but for the moment we can't take him out of the orphanage let alone out of the country.”

 More than 100 families share Eric and Yassamane's fears that the ban will be applied retroactively and they could lose the right to adopt a child they already consider theirs. Now it's in the hands of a judge. 

"The problem is that you can't change the rules when there's an emotional bond with the child whose documents are in order and whose parents' documents are in order. This is beyond heartbreaking. It is inconceivable for me to lose my son." 

Kafala, the Arabic word for "custody", allows Muslims - including converts to Islam - to assume the guardianship of orphans. According to authorities, the recent change in legislation is designed to better protect the children's interests and identity.   

"Our diplomatic representatives are unable to keep track of these children. Since they're Moroccans, it's the responsibility of the state to protect them according to the constitution, and this lack of monitoring has forced us to review our procedures of kafala for foreign families." 

Dozens of hopeful foreign couples have been left in limbo as they await a decision on their cases. The family court in Rabat has announced a sixth delay - pushing back the court hearing to June 3rd. 

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a

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Phrasal Verbs with Answers: to get 2

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

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Comprehension: Portuguese Retro Design, an Industry Unaffected by the Recession

Portugal is experiencing a design renaissance. Retro designs on everything from tinned food to toys to toiletries have sent sales soaring and given the country, ravaged by unemployment, a ray of hope.

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

1. The dictatorship in Portugal lasted 50 years.

a. True

b. False

2.Re-designing old designs is very fashionable.

a. True

b. False

3. About 17% of the population are without a job although able to work.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript & Answers

Vintage style is back in fashion in Portugal. Even tins of sardines are being given the treatment. 

'Everything that is remotely on trend that is coming out of Portugal is vintage, there's been a revival and it's really popular. All the shops for tourists are full of vintage products.' 
This shop has been going for 83 years. The owner decided, long ago, to keep the original designs and pictures on its tinned fish. It's a good way to acknowledge tradition while also satisfying tourists on the look-out for something different. 
'It's a bit like stepping back in time. We re-designed our tins 3 or 4 years ago, and our designers were told to change the design without really changing it.' The concept of taking something old and re-packaging it as new is the idea behind this shop in Lisbon. After studying the history of Portuguese design the owner was inspired. 
'During the 50 year long dictatorship our economy was fairly stagnant. Most brands didn't really have to strive to be competitive so rarely changed their designs. Bringing this kind of packaging up to date is all the rage these days.'
 Toys, exercise books, perfumes, soaps, kitchen items… it could have all come from your grandmother's cupboard. The visitors love it but so do the locals. 'It's great - it helps us remember our roots.'
 While the financial crisis hit the rest of the country retro designs were key to the success of Claus de Porto soaps. The company almost went bust 20 years ago but now their products are sold all over the world. 
'After the crisis struck we began to take a closer look at our history. Every day we get a bit closer to our roots, towards what I call our pedigree, because it’s exactly this pedigree that our clients look for more and more.'
Battered by recession and with unemployment running at around 17 %, this retro renaissance is giving Portugal and its people a much-needed lift and injection of pride. 

Answers:

1. a
2. a
3. a

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Comprehension: London Taxi Drivers Develop a Different Part of the Brain

Scientific research shows that black taxi drivers develop a particular part of the brain known as the hippocampus when studying for ‘The Knowledge’, a special training programme where they memorise London's 25 thousand streets. 

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

1. There are about 20,000 London taxis in circulation.

a. True

b. False

2. ‘The Knowledge’ is an extensive training course that a London taxi driver must do.

a. True

b. False

3. Once they’ve learnt all the routes, it is easier for the cabbies to learn new routes.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Vying for attention with London's red buses, black cabs are one of the most famous symbols of the British capital.
With around 20 thousand in circulation, they're well-loved for their spacious and comfortable interiors
But what really sets them apart is their drivers.
Without the aid of a GPS, they know the city's labyrinthine street pattern better than anyone.
“A lot of the times you do it without thinking too much there's not a lot of stress involved. You just think, OK, I've got to head this way and away we go. And how can I get the people there, the passenger there as quick as possible. Your brain gets conditioned to work this way.”
Their impressive ability to orientate themselves in the city has spurred scientists to study London cab drivers' brains.
Research shows that working as a black cab driver develops a particular part of the brain known as the hippocampus.
“We'd seen how the hippocampus appeared to be linked to spatial memory, to learning, through the description of place cells.”
The foundation of all this brain activity is known as The Knowledge: the grueling training London's taxi drivers have to undergo before gaining their license.
Tests are carried out at schools like this one.
The atmosphere resembles a university library - the students, mostly men, undergo six hours of intense training per day.
The aim is to memorise the names and locations of 25 thousand streets, where London's 8 million plus population live and work.
“In London, the important roads are coloured yellow and orange. So the first thing they do really is learn all of these roads."
Aspiring cabbies take an average of three years to complete their training.
Almost thirty percent drop out.
“I've improved obviously with my knowledge with my way around London but I don't know about, like, my memory. I sort of use memory techniques on the knowledge to try to learn things, but sometimes it will give me a right headache it can give you a headache when you over study and stuff like that.”
Those who do succeed can be proud at having an unusually developed spatial memory.
Nonetheless, according to scientific studies, once their training is over, it gets harder for these masters of memory to learn new routes.

Answers:
1. a
2. a
3. b

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Comprehension: Trash-Burning Stove Helps Clean Up African Village

An oven fuelled by rubbish in a small village in central Kenya is helping to transform the community. The community cooker runs entirely on rubbish collected from farms and houses, and allows families to cook their food for free, saving them money and time. 

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

1. Dorcas uses the community cooker in the evening.
a. True
b. False

2. Fewer trees will be cut now the cooker is being used.
a. True
b. False

3. The community cooker can burn anything.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:


Every morning Dorcas comes to this huge oven in the centre of her village in the Rift valley of Kenya to cook food for her family. A simple activity, made unusual by the fuel heating the stove - rubbish from the nearby farms and from around the village.
"I was buying charcoal and I was using much more money, so now I can save money because I'm not using charcoal anymore." 
Dorcas also says the food cooks much quicker, and tastes better than when she cooks it at home, as there is no smoke around the cooker. There are other benefits too. Her village is getting cleaner and greener. 
"It will avoid people cutting their trees and they'll be using the cooker instead of using their fire wood."
 It took the architect, Nairobi born Jim Archer, several years to get the internal heat hot enough to cook on. Funded by the UN, the foundation behind the community cooker now hopes to see similar models in operation elsewhere. 
"We've had enquiries from all over the world from Bali, from Cornwall in the UK, from Nigeria, and so we are hoping to be able to replicate this idea in as many places as possible." 
The community cooker can't burn everything - rubber produces too much toxic smoke for instance - but it can rid whole neighbourhoods of plastic bags and other rubbish. And that could see both the environment, and the residents reaping the benefits. 


Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. b

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Idioms: The World 1 with answers

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

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