On 11 February 2017:
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Students children can watch a video about Florence Nightingale.
They can also find out about Emmeline Pankhurst and Isaac Newton.
GROUNDHOG
Famous groundhog makes winter prediction - VIDEO - 2 February 2017
"Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog predicts six more weeks of winter on groundhog day.
The tradition takes place every year on February 2nd."
(telegraph.co.uk)
Groundhog Day 2017: Punxsutawney Phil Predicts 6 More Weeks of Winter - Text + Audio + Pictures - 2 February 2017
"Every February 2nd, Americans observe Groundhog Day.
On this day, Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog, looks for his shadow and predicts if warm weather will arrive soon."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
TRUMP
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Address to Career Diplomats - VIDEO - 2 February 2017
"Rex Tillerson was sworn in as the United State's Secretary of State on February 1. He is the former chairman and chief executive of ExxonMobil.
This is his first address to career diplomats at the State Department."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
Trump Criticized for Putting Political Adviser on Security Council - Text + Audio + Pictures - 2 February 2017
"The Trump administration is being criticized for giving a top political adviser a seat on the president’s National Security Council (NSC). Trump recently signed an order making changes to the NSC that gave Trump’s top strategist Steve Bannon a seat on the NCS’s “principals committee.”
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
Who Is Top Trump Adviser Steve Bannon? - Text + Audio + Pictures - 2 February 2017
"President Donald Trump’s chief political strategist, Steve Bannon, has received much media attention since starting his new job.
Who is this close adviser to the president and what was his path to the White House?"
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
Steve Bannon, appointed chief strategist and senior counselor to President-elect Donald Trump,
arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 20, 2017, for the presidential Inauguration of Trump.
Steve Bannon: the strategist behind Trump's travel ban – video profile - 2 February 2017
"Steve Bannon has been a naval officer, an investment banker, a film producer and an executive at Breitbart News. Now he’s Donald Trump’s chief strategist and arguably the most influential man in the White House. He was reportedly behind the chaotic move to restrict immigration from certain majority Muslim countries and has called on the media to ‘keep its mouth shut’ about Trump.".
+ Steve Bannon: ‘We’re going to war in the South China Sea ... no doubt’
(theguardian.com)
‘This was the worst call by far’: Trump badgered, bragged and abruptly ended phone call with Australian leader - 2 February 2017
"Trump fumed as Turnbull attempted to confirm that the United States would honor its pledge to take in 1,250 refugees
from an Australian detention center."
(washingtonpost.com)
Facebook, Apple and Google pen letter opposing Trump's travel ban - 2 February 2017
"A draft letter co-authored by Silicon Valley heavyweights highlights how immigration supports entrepreneurship and corporate America."
(theguardian.com)
Neil Gorsuch nominated by Donald Trump to fill vacant supreme court seat - Article + Pictures + Videos - 1 February 2017
"Known for his firm conservative views, Gorsuch could tip the court’s balance on hot-button issues such as abortion, voting rights and religious equality."
(theguardian.com)
Nearly 1,000 at State Department Oppose Trump's Travel Ban - Text + Audio - 1 February 2017
"About 1,000 workers have expressed concerns about the president's executive order on immigration. The Foreign Service officers and civil service employees signed a Dissent Channel memo criticizing the order to block entry to refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
Trump Names Conservative Judge to US Supreme Court - Text + Audio + Video - 1 February 2017
"President Donald Trump Tuesday announced his choice for the U.S. Supreme Court. He chose a conservative 49-year-old appeals judge.
If confirmed by the Senate, Neil Gorsuch can serve for a long-term. Judges are appointed for life, or until they decide to leave."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
Trump Names Neil Gorsuch to US Supreme Court - VIDEO - 1 February 2017
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
Half a million at Washington D.C. Women's March (1st February, 2017) - a lesson plan with AUDIO
"New figures reveal that as many as 500,000 people attended the Women's March on Washington on January 21st."
Try the same news story at these easier levels: Women's March - Level 4 or Women's March - Level 5
Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities,
crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)
(breakingnewsenglish.com)
This Bookstore’s Response To The Anti-Muslim Ban Is Perfect - 1 February 2017
(huffingtonpost.com)
Freeport artist living a dream, with cover image on this week’s New Yorker - 31 January 2017
"Abigail Gray Swartz, who attended the Women's March in Augusta, updates the iconic Rosie the Riveter as a woman of color with a pink pussyhat."
(pressherald.com)
Trump Fires Official Who Refused to Defend Travel Ban - Text + Audio - 31 January 2017
"Sally Yates had refused to enforce his executive order limiting immigration.
A replacement was quickly named; he has ordered Justice Department employees to carry out the order."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
US Supreme Court Justices - VIDEO
"U.S. President Donald Trump is set to nominate a justice to the Supreme Court. How does this process work?"
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
Immigrant voices make democracy stronger | Sayu Bhojwani - 25 October 2016 
"In politics, representation matters — and that's why we should elect leaders who reflect their country's diversity and embrace its multicultural tapestry, says Sayu Bhojwani. Through her own story of becoming an American citizen, the immigration scholar reveals how her love and dedication to her country turned into a driving force for political change. "We have fought to be here," she says, calling immigrant voices to action. "It's our country, too."
(YouTube)
Ellen's Comments on the Travel Ban - 31 January 2017
(YouTube)
Six other times the US has banned immigrants - 29 January 2017
"Donald Trump's 'Muslim ban' is not the first time specific groups or nationalities have been blocked from the US."
(aljazeera.com)
REFUGEES
On the run from IS in no man's land - VIDEO - 3 February 2017
"Some 80,000 people fleeing so-called Islamic State are stranded in no man's land on the border between Syria and Jordan.
They can't enter Jordan and they can't return home. Aid organisations are struggling to help them
BBC journalists Feras Kilani and Ben Allen visited the settlement. They are the first journalists to enter the area."
(BBC)
Starbucks plans to employ 10,000 refugees (February 03, 2017) - a lesson plan with AUDIO
"Starbucks boss Howard Schultz has said his company would employ 10,000 refugees over the next five years."
Try the same news story at these easier levels: Refugees - Level 0, Refugees - Level 1 or Refugees - Level 2
Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities,
crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)
(breakingnewsenglish.com)
Thousands of refugees fleeing conflict destitute in UK, says Red Cross - 2 February 2017
"Almost 15,000 people sought charity’s help with food, housing or money in 2016 – up from 11,000 in 2014."
(BBC)
NORTH KOREA
Mattis warns North Korea of 'overwhelming' response to nuclear use - 3 February 2017
"The US Defence Secretary James Mattis has said any use of nuclear weapons by North Korea would be met with an "effective and overwhelming" response."
+ How advanced is North Korea's nuclear programme?
+ North Korea's missile programme
(BBC)
AIRPORT SECURITY
How to improve airport security - 24 January 2017
"After decades of small improvements, innovative new technology is poised to make painful security checkpoints more efficient and effective."
(BBC)
DRIVERLESS VEHICLES
Driverless Electric Buses Tested in Paris, Las Vegas - Text + Audio + Videos - 31 January 2017
"More and more cities across the world experiment with driverless vehicles on public streets. Two of the latest are Paris, France and Las Vegas, Nevada. The cities have used self-driving electric buses to carry passengers on short rides to try out the technology and see how humans react to it."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
BILINGUALISM
California Border Schools Celebrate Bilingualism - Text + Audio - 31 January 2017
"The Chula Vista Elementary School district is California's largest and among its most diverse.
Sixty-eight percent of students are Hispanic and 35 percent are learning English.
The school district celebrates bilingualism and the sharing of cultures."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
GREEN CITIES
Green City Solutions - Meet the Product
"Green City Solutions is a biotech and IoT startup leading the way in the business of air pollution reduction.
Our company has developed a freestanding solution, called "CityTree", which features a moss culture that naturally absorbs the pollution
that occurs in urban environments.
Each unit has the effect of up to 275 traditionally planted urban trees, yet it requires less than 1 % of the space and no groundwork. The CityTrees have a reach of up to 50 m and thanks to IoT technology, solar power and water reservoirs, they only need a few hours of maintenance each year."
(YouTube)
What is an Eco city? - 22 November 2012
"What is an eco city? What will tomorrow's green city look like? How do you build cities that do more with less to provide for ever-growing populations?
Sustainable housing, energy efficiency, internmodal passenger transport, and smart grids for electrical distribution will all play a role
in shaping the future of urban planning.
This animated short film gets to the heart of the challenges we face in making sustainable cities a reality.
The city of tomorrow is waiting just under the surface of our everyday lives. Together, we can make it happen."
(YouTube)
CARTOON
Cartoon: Trump's UK Visit - 1 February 2017
COMMENT + NOTES + Related articles
(englishblog.com)
BLARNEY CASTLE
Eight Secrets of Blarney Castle - in Cork, Ireland
"it easily ranks as its most popular, with hundreds of thousands of travelers coming from all across the world to stroll the 1,500-acre grounds,
explore the 14th-century castle, and, of course, kiss the famous Blarney Stone..."
(travelandleisure.com)
 |
 |
IMMIGRATION / BREXIT
Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech - Full text
delivered to a Conservative Association meeting in Birmingham on April 20 1968.
(telegraph.co.uk)
Rivers of Blood speech
"a title derived from its allusion to a line from Virgil's Aeneid.[1]"
"Enoch Powell's 20 April 1968 address to the General Meeting of the West Midlands Area Conservative Political Centre (commonly called "Rivers of Blood") was a speech criticising Commonwealth immigration and anti-discrimination legislation that had been proposed in the United Kingdom..."
(Wikipedia)
Enoch Powell's Rivers Of Blood Speech in 1080p
(YouTube)
Steve Bell on Enoch Powell and Brexit – cartoon
(theguardian.com)
PARLER EN CONTINU
Deux fiches de travail sur l'évaluation de la compétence PARLER EN CONTINU - Cycle 4 :
CHARLES LINDBERGH'S 1927 SOLO FLIGHT
Créées par Delphine Darrieumerlou (Ac. Bordeaux)
- Charles Lindbergh - Préparation à l'évaluation de la compétence Parler en continu (pdf)
- Charles Lindbergh - Evaluation de la compétence Parler en continu (pdf)
Support complémentaire possible : Charles Lindbergh - From New York to Paris 1927 - Video
TRUMP
See CARTOONS
Why a Wall Won't Stop Immigration
(YouTube)
Supreme Court choice Neil Gorsuch draws Democrat opposition - Article + Pictures + Videos - 01/02/2017
"Leading Democrats have come out in staunch opposition to Donald Trump's nomination of Neil Gorsuch for the vacant position on the Supreme Court."
+ Who is Neil Gorsuch?
+ Who are the current eight justices?
+ Why is the Supreme Court so important?
(BBC)
Trump Defends Travel Ban Despite Protests, Legal Action - Text + Audio + Pictures + Video - 30 January 2017
"President Donald Trump is defending his executive order that bans people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.
The order puts a 90-day entry ban on people from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen.
It also prevents refugees from entering the country for 120 days."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
US Has a Long History of Restricting Immigrants - Text + Audio + Pictures - 30 January 2017
"Trump’s government is not the first administration to restrict immigration, including on the basis of national origin."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
Reaction to Trump's Travel Ban - VIDEO - 30 January 2017
"President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring the entry of U.S. visa holders and others from seven Muslim-majority countries.
The White House defends its order as federal judges intervene and protests continue in cities and airports across America."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
(Permalink 1) (Permalink 2) (Permalink 3) (Permalink 4)
TET
Vietnamese-Americans Celebrate Tet or Lunar New Year - VIDEO - 30 January 2017
"Eden Center in Falls Church, Virginia hosted a Lunar New Year celebration for the year of the rooster.
VOA Learning English was there and spoke to members of the Vietnamese American community."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
ANIMALS
The woman working on the front line of the war on poaching - 31 January 2017
"Asuka Takita was born and raised in Japan, but she has made her home on the Maasai Mara, where she leads patrols to stop ivory poachers."
(BBC)
Polar Bears in Peril
(YouTube)
DOPING
London 2012 Olympics: Russia stripped of relay silver - 1 February 2017
"Russia have been stripped of their 4x400m relay silver from London 2012 after sprinter Antonina Krivoshapka tested positive for steroid turinabol."
(BBC)
BEING DRUNK
English has 3000 words for being drunk
"As ‘dry January’ comes to an end, Susie Dent looks back at the long and colourful relationship between alcohol and the English language."
(BBC)
LANGUAGE
Do Brits and Americans really understand each other? - with a video - 29 January 2017
"Can Brits decipher common Americanisms? How about the opposite?"
(BBC)