Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts

Apr 1, 2014

Flying penguins found by BBC programme

To start with the topic of environment, I found this interesting piece of news...

Flying penguins found by BBC programme
By Neil Midgley, TV & Radio Editor 1:10PM BST 01 Apr 2014

The BBC will today screen remarkable footage of penguins flying as part of its new natural history series, Miracles of Evolution.

Camera crews discovered a colony of Adélie penguins while filming on King George Island, some 750 miles south of the Falkland Islands.

The programme is being presented by ex-Monty Python star Terry Jones, who said: "We'd been watching the penguins and filming them for days, without a hint of what was to come. But then the weather took a turn for the worse. It was quite amazing. Rather than getting together in a huddle to protect themselves from the cold, they did something quite unexpected, that no other penguins can do."

BBC1 viewers will see the penguins not only take flight from the Antarctic wastes, but fly thousands of miles to the Amazonian rainforest to find winter sun.

"The film reveals nature's stunning glory in exciting and unexpected ways, so much so that it defies belief," said Mr Jones.

"Not only does it create a vivid and emotional experience for the viewer, it also illustrates just how bold and simple Darwin's idea of natural selection was."

Classification-Life-Animals-Vertebrates-Birds-Sphenisciformes-Penguins-Flying Penguins

More Info: Flying penguins are a very recent addition to the penguin family in evolutionary terms. A few isolated species have evolved to make the most of their small wings, allowing them to migrate to warmer climes for the harsh Antarctic winter months. Elusive and secretive, these populations of penguin are extremely hard to locate in the rainforest and even seeing them fly on their migration is a rare experience. Little is yet known about just how these small birds survive flying over such vast distances, or why the anatomical differences they possess enable them to fly when other penguin families cannot.

Scientific name: Volatis

Rank: Genus



Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think of this recent discovery? Did you ever expect to hear that penguins could fly?

2. What did you find most surprising about this article? Why?

3. What are some surprising things that other animals can do?



...HAPPY APRIL FOOLS!

Mar 31, 2014

Cultural Awareness

Here you have some fun adverts from a bank to see the importance of cultural awareness.


Never underestimate the importance of local knowledge!



Useful vocab: get some some shut eye --- be frowned upon


The one with the eels in China:



The one with the commuter:



The one with the chrysanthemum in Italy:

How clean is your house?


Watch again (if you're strong enough) the first part of the show HOW CLEAN IS YOUR HOUSE?



To find out how he learn to clean watch PART 2

Finally, watch the results in PART 3

Mar 16, 2014

Fawlty Towers

Watch some clips from Fawlty Towers, the best British sitcom ever.

The Language Lesson


The speaking moose


And finally, a customer with some complaints

Dec 30, 2013

Hanukkah and the Holiday Armadillo


Friends - The One With The Holiday Armadillo from rarethen9 on Vimeo.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. At what time of year does Hanukkah take place?

2. Which religion celebrates Hanukkah?

3. What song do people sing at Hanukkah?

4. Who existed “years and years ago”?

5. What is Hanukkah the ‘festival’ of?

6. What was the miracle that happened?

7. What do they light at the end of the day?

Dec 15, 2013

Innocent drinks


Visit the Innocent Drinks website to practise your reading and learn more about the company we talked about.

Also interesting, and to pratise your listening skills, a 25-minute TV documentary by the BBC to know more about the company, its ethos and how it started: BBC Start Up Stories: Innocent drinks (transcript available at the bottom of the screen)

Dec 1, 2013

Oct 7, 2013

Speed dating


If you only had one minute to introduce yourself to a would-be partner, would you also use it to talk about your profession or social success? Is that what people are interested in?

Watch here a funny fragment from an episode of the TV series "Sex and the City", about speed dating (a technique used to meet many people in a short period of time and decide if you like any of them).

How does she finally make a guy be interested in her?

Jan 21, 2013

Armstrong's confession

Here you have the famous interview and shocking confession of Lance Armstrong...


More videos, the highlights, the comments and reactions HERE.