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Level 2
Hotel India

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Parth
Mostly in India people settle down between the age of 23-29. We're lucky to have met each other at a time when both of us wanted to settle down in life.

We met at the gym. And I saw her at the gym and I just felt like going and saying hello to her.

Narrator
Unlike their parents, Rittika and Parth's marriage was not arranged. But tradition is still important.

Parth
We were very confident ourselves because when we met each other, we spoke to each other, we were judging each other, judging each other in the sense, keeping our parents' expectations in mind.

Rittika
Yeah

Parth
So I was not only looking for what I want but also what my family wants out of my wife. So it was very easy for us to convince our parents because we'd already done the thinking on behalf of them.

Narrator
After the wedding - Rittika will live with Parth in his parents' family home.

Rittika
Tonight basically we're trying to put all the dances together. We have a sequence of dances for the Sungeet. This is Indian dances, Bollywood dances.

Parth
My parents got married in the Taj - 28 years ago. So every time it's their wedding anniversary we go there and have family dinner together. So I thought it would be a great idea to introduce my parents to Rittika on that day.

Are you nervous?

Rittika
No.

Parth
We're not. I'm not.

Rittika
I'm not either. Why aren't you nervous?

Parth
Everyone's favourite question: Are you nervous? I'm like, why should I be nervous? I know who I'm getting married to and I really like her, I want to settle down with her, I love her, why should I be nervous about it? We're just excited and we're looking forward to it.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 9 / Session 4 / Activity 1

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Parth Mostly in India people settle down between the age of 23-29. We're lucky to have met each other at a time when both of us wanted to settle down in life. We met at the gym. And I saw her at the gym and I just felt like going and saying hello to her.

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Level 2
Days I'll Remembers Forever

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Over to you

What news or sporting event has stuck in your memory? We asked some people to tell us their stories. Here they are.

Your stories

Thank you for emailing your stories to us. We enjoyed reading them. This task is now closed.

Here are some of your stories about memorable events.

Rennan, Brazil

I remembered when the plane hit the Twin Towers in the USA. I was only 10 years old.

I remember I woke up about 11:00 am and when I was coming down to the living room.

I looked at my sister, she was nervous and apprehensive watching the news and one of the towers was on fire.

I did not give much thought about it.

Then the second plane crashed into the other tower and then the towers fell.

I realized that the matter was serious and my eyes were still on TV.

Isabella, Italy

The latest event i can remember is the arrival of the probe Rosetta on the comet surface. I was working in my office when i read the newspaper online. The news reported some difficulties, but in the end the mission was succesful. Photos of the comet started to arrive. For the first time we can study these fascinating space objects.

Damian, Ecuador

I was at mom's house when Jefferson Perez won the first gold medal by my Country Ecuador. At this time I was thinking about the words of an ecuadorian reporter, a day before, He said: "the words of Jefferson's couch are a little bit optimist to tell that he could be the best of the world in him speciality".

Ramon Martin, Spain

The biggest sporting event from me, was the South Africa football World Cup in 2010. I was in pub with friends watching the game. I knew it will be a memorable news, because Spain football team had never reached a World Cup final. The game started well, Spain was playing very well. They were doing a nice football style during the championship, (Spanier call: tiki taka). It is when you team is moving the ball very fast, and they have the ball almost the whole time. The game was very interesting. Almost in the end of the game, Spain team scored. Everyone jumped, and hunged each other. After the game, everyone went out to celebrate the victory. I was a cracy moment! I never fotget it.

Dilva, Italy

When I was young, I studied at university in Naples. On 23 of November 1980 it was Sunday and in the evening I went to a my Greek friend's to chat and to look the TV. When we were having dinner, the chandelier started to swing and the floor to shake. My friend shut me to run off, he caught my arm and he dragged me off. In the road people looked stunned and dogs barked. We spent the night on the road and we came back home in the morning, only. There were great cracks on the walls, the TV told a terrible earthquake destroyed a lot of houses and more 2500 people died. For a long time I shuddered feeling a loud sound.

Juan Manuel, Spain

A event which really frigtened me was Miguel Blanco dead, 15 years ago, more or less. I was having holidays with my girlfriend and we heard in the tv that terrorist group ETA had killed one young politician, shooting him in the head, in a forest. I became very sad after hear this event.

Juan Carlos Moreno, Colombia

In november of 1993, the Colombia futbol team was playing a match against the Argentina team. This day I was with my family in front of tv, I never thought that this game would was the most important of Colombia's history, Because my team won this game with a score of 5-0. when the game finished, I and my friends took ours flags and we left to the street to celebrate this victory.

Marc, Spain

I remember when Barcelona won Real Madrid 5-0 at Camp Nou on November at 2010, I remember that I was in a bar watching the match with my father and a friend, Barcelona did a really great match, not just because they scored a lot of goals, it was too because it was maybe the greatest game of history of 'Clasicos', they played excellent, we could see incredible plays, it was certainly an humilliation. Months ago at the previous season Pep Guardiola's team already won 2-6 at Santiago Bernabeu, but the 5-0 game at Camp Nou was even better, as I already said because they played like gods, I remember it was on Monday and not on Satuday or Sunday as usual, I remember it because the day before there were elections on the Parliament of Catalonia.

Natalia, Ukraine

When the reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded I was at school and my parents at work. Our government didn't tell us this horrible news immediately. One week late our teacher said that we had opportunity go away to black sea coast for a while and we must tell this information our parents. Then she told what's happened near city. I had been extremely afraid of radioactive pollution and I didn't understand why my mom and dad had to stay in dangerous zone. It is the most terrible event in my life.

Next

Do you like your job? What type of job makes people happy? Find out more in this week's News Report.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 7 / Session 4 / Activity 1

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What news or sporting event has stuck in your memory? We asked some people to tell us their stories. Here they are. Thank you for emailing your stories to us. We enjoyed reading them. This task is now closed. Here are some of your stories about memorable events.

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Level 1
A/An/The - A Message From Dubai

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Look, it's a grey day in London and I'm stuck here whilst my friends are elsewhere having fun. Catherine sent me a letter today. Let's see where she is...

PS: Would you like to go on a trip to "Hi Emma, I'm taking a break in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. I had afternoon tea in the Burj Khalifa - the World's tallest building. I went shopping in a traditional spice souk. The souk had a wonderful smell - and I bought you a little present. Finally, I went skiing in the world's largest indoor snow park. Wish you were here! Catherine. South America next year?"

That would be wonderful. I do need a holiday... but I can't afford that... where do you think I should go to?

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 8 / Session 3 / Activity 1

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Look, it's a grey day in London and I'm stuck here whilst my friends are elsewhere having fun. Catherine sent me a letter today. Let's see where she is... PS: Would you like to go on a trip to "Hi Emma, I'm taking a break in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

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Level 1
A/An/The - A postcard!

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Did you notice the articles Rob used in his virtual postcard? Here is an explanation of how and when to use a and an. Have a read, and try the activity to test your understanding.

Articles 'a' and 'an': meaning and use

2) before the name of a job: My sister wants to be an engineer.

Articles and adjectives

Adjectives go between a or an and the noun: What a great place this is! I went on an amazing trip.

This includes letters u or eu when they are pronounced y (/j/): a university, a e uro

Use an before vowel sounds. These words usually start with a, e, i, o, u:

Also use an with words that start with the letter h when the h is not pronounced:

To do

Now check your understanding with this activity. Look at the notes if you need help.

Download

Click here to download the video (size: 15.2MB).

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 8 / Session 2 / Activity 1

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Did you notice the articles Rob used in his virtual postcard? Here is an explanation of how and when to use a and an. Have a read, and try the activity to test your understanding. 2) before the name of a job: My sister wants to be an engineer .

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Level 1
A/An/The - Happy Holidays!

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 8 / Session 1 / Activity 1

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I'm so jealous. My friends are always going on holiday. Look at all the postcards they've sent me. I wish I was going on a trip somewhere... an exciting adventure to somewhere exotic like the Himalayas or to see the Taj Mahal... Look: Mike sent me a postcard today.

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Past Tense - Titanic

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I was with my parents. My father was going to open a business in Winnipeg. People were saying to my mother and father how fortunate they were to get on the Titanic. I was excited because I was going on a wonderful big ship.

I had no fear or apprehension or anything. She was very beautiful: luxurious beyond words. It was the first time I'd been on board a ship. Captain Smith was on deck and he was very nice. He had a beard like my own grandfather and he admired a doll I had.

On the third night I was sound asleep. My mother woke me and said "I'm going to dress you." But before she could by father came back from deck and said "You'd best put this thick coat on." That was all he said. Standing on deck, I couldn't see around the funnel. My father came back and said "The ship has struck an iceberg." My father had no difficulty in putting me and my mother in lifeboats but he made no attempt to get in himself.

When we were in the water, we could hear people rushing about on the deck. That's when the panic must have started - when they found there weren't any lifeboats left. I was terrified. I didn't know what a shipwreck would mean or how long it would take but I was too terrified to do anything but shriek for my father I knew we'd left behind.

Before she sank, she was a very beautiful ship: stationary on the ocean with all her lights on. It was dreadfully cold but the sea was the calmest I'd ever seen. The starlit night was the brightest I'd ever seen.

I looked back and saw the whole of that tragedy. And I saw that ship break in half. The front part went down and left the stern sticking up in a horrifying fashion. It was enormous. It seemed to stick up in the air for a long time. And then it gradually went down, turning over.

And after that there was the sound of the whole disaster. And that was people drowning. That is something you could never forget. And then the dreadful silence that followed it. It seemed as if the whole world was standing still.

It was discovered that my lifeboat was overcrowded and the officer in charge of the boat decided he would get rid of his load by putting people in other boats. I got separated from my mother and didn't find her until the next day.

The next day, the icebergs were like white sails in the distance: white yachts with the sun on them. They were very beautiful. They were all around us. The crew of the ship that rescued us were very kind and good to us.

We were given clothes because I'd only got my nightclothes and a blanket around me. I had nightmares from the time it sank until I was 23. And though I wouldn't like to say I'm not frightened of the sea, I lost a lot of the horror. I've never been in anything touching the Titanic. A beauty. She was lovely.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 7 / Session 2 / Activity 1

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I was with my parents. My father was going to open a business in Winnipeg. People were saying to my mother and father how fortunate they were to get on the Titanic. I was excited because I was going on a wonderful big ship. I had no fear or apprehension or anything.

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Level 1
Past Tense - English for Success

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Ece
Hello to BBC English Learning audience!
When did you start learning English?
Ece
I did my High School education in English so I started learning when I was 13, and then after High School I went to Law School which was completely in Turkish so I didn't have anything, I didn't know how to do anything with English so there was, is a gap in my English learning process for about 5 years. And then I restarted on my own, so to speak, by reading magazines and newspapers and watching TV - English TV shows with Turkish subtitles, which, by the way, helps a lot. And then after I began doing international journalism I had to learn English which actually improves English more than anything because when you have to do it you do it so it is still a process actually, I'm still learning.
How has learning English helped your career?
Ece
I was able to make [sic] interviews all over the world with those people who speaks [sic] English, so yeah I became an international journalist after learning English.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 6 / Session 3 / Activity 1

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Ece Hello to BBC English Learning audience! When did you start learning English? Ece I did my High School education in English so I started learning when I was 13, and then after High School I went to Law School which was completely in Turkish so I didn't have anything, I didn't know how to do anything with English so there was, is a gap in my English learning process for about 5 years.

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Level 2
Childhood Heroes

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Over to you

Why don't you write about your favourite hero?

Use this plan for your writing:

1. Background information - name, who they were, how you knew them

2. What did they do?

3. How did they affect you?

4. What did other people think of them?

Your stories

Thank you for emailing your stories to us. We enjoyed reading them. This task is now closed.

Here are a few of the messages you sent us about your heroes:
Dmitry's hero
My childhood hero was Robinson Crusoe. Robinson Crusoe was a character in Daniel Defoe's book. He was a sailor.

During one of his trips his ship sank and he managed to got to an island. But there were no people on the island, and no one else survived the disaster. Robinson was completely alone there. So he had to struggle for his survival. He built a house, he started growing wheat and hunting for animals.

When I was a boy I read the book about his adventures lots of times. It taught me not to become desperate when tough times came. I admired his determination to live and return home. And eventually, after several decades, he got there. It was an incredible story.
Adriano Secchi's hero
I liked all the Greek mythology heroes : Heracles, Ulysses, Perseus, and so on. As I was not a strong lad in my teen age, I admired and loved all the ones that were never defeated, indeed they helped weak people never surrender as well as never fear and try to challange the stronger ones.
Emiliano's hero
When I was a child, - like other millions of children - I truly adored my father. I was impressed about his power and knowledge. I was amazed when he talked about the huge universe. He knew all about animals, plants and their behavior and functioning.

This magnified image is gone now that I'm an adult. I know that it was an exaggeration, but the wonder, the same wonder, remains in the eye of the adult who looks at the world.
Alessandro's hero
My childhood hero was Conan, the barbarian, a character created by the American writer Robert E. Howard. I read a lot of his novels. I think I was so fascinated, because Conan was so strong and secure, while I was pretty shy and lonesome as a child. I was also romantic and full of brave thoughts. Conan was my ideal counterpart in the realm of literature. Later, as the films of Conan came out, I was quite disappointed: the hero, as I had imagined him, was completely different! Not so rough indeed!
Damian's hero
My Childhood hero was my uncle his name is Colon like the spanish that discovered America. He is a fishman and sometimes I went with him to fishing. My uncle had a lot skill whit the rowboat. Today I still with de idea of fishing for sport. The other people named him Tarzan the king of de jungle.
Muhammad's hero
My childhood hero was Shahid Khan Afridi , he plays for Pakistan cricket team, he is all-rounder that mean he can bat and bowl too, he is very energetic player, i love to see him in the field, he is a staylish player and he made record of fastest century in just 37 balls, he famous for his strike and sixer. Cricket fans call him BOOM BOOM, and he is still playing for Pakistan cricket team.
Patrizia Capoccia's hero
My childhood hero was the photographer Robert Capa. I used to watch his photo about the Civil War in Spain in the 1930s and I adored him. His images were full of reality and they were so close to the subject that I moved every time I see one of his shots.
Antonella's hero
when I was a child my brother was secretly my hero. When the dentist said I would have to have my braces fitted, I didn't mind at all. On the opposite, I bubbled over because also my brother had worn braces. But he didn't like me, he was very jelaous so we couldn't get on well.

Many years after, I met a psycologist who also became my hero. In a short time, she changed me because she was very good at listening to other people.

Now after decades, I have a quite good relationship with my brother too.
Alejandra's heroine
My childhood hero was Ariel from the movie "little Marmaid". I liked her because she was a pretty girl with a long hair. When I was a child I played violin and as she sang beautifull I loved that. Also when I went to the beach with my family I wanted to stay there all day so finally I thing I wanted to be like Ariel to live in the beach.
Naoko's heroine
My childhood hero was my aunt.

She's my mother's elder sister and now lives in London. She is smart, kind, outgoing and open-minded. I absolutely adored her because she could communicate in English.

When I was a child I lived with her here in Japan. She used to come and go between the UK and Japan, and while she was in the UK she sent me lovely birthday cards and Christmas cards. I really enjoyed looking at them which were a little rare in Japan at that time.

And I also enjoyed British style dishes she cooked. She's very good at cooking!

She had taught me the fun of studying English and the charms of the UK.

Although she is now not so young anymore, she has started using a computer since a couple of years ago. Family members and relatives were surprised about that. But now she very often emails us messages, pictures and interesting youtube videos' link as well!

She teaches me the joy of life.

She was my childhood hero and still she is!

Nataliya's hero

When I was a child I used to admire Robin Hood. He struggled with unfair government and helped poorer people. He was brave, kind, strong, romantic.
Nowaday I think this guy is needed. I am adult today I don't believe in happy ending and in heros. Oh! One sentence can be like 'hero' - 'If you want to make world better first of all improve yourself'.

Grammar tip: they & them

When we don't know if the person we are talking about is male or female, we can use the subject pronoun they instead of he or she, and the object pronoun them instead of him or her.

Next

Some people say that footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest footballer in the world. Is he one of your heroes? Go to the next page for this unit's News Report, where we learn about the secret of his success.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 6 / Session 4 / Activity 1

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Why don't you write about your favourite hero? Use this plan for your writing: Background information - name, who they were, how you knew them What did they do? How did they affect you? What did other people think of them? Thank you for emailing your stories to us.

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Level 1
Description - How's your home?

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Here we are on the streets of London... It's an international city, full of people from all over the world. So, let's go and meet some of them!

Hi Milly. Nice to meet you. Whereabouts are you from?

East Grinstead in West Sussex - probably about 50 minutes south of London.

I guess it's kind of a countryside town, so a lot different than London. Quite green and nice. I like it.

What do you like the most about it?

I think you go down the high street and everyone tends to know one another. It's homely, you feel safe there. It's friendly.

Hi Paul, nice to meet you. Whereabouts do you come from?

I come from London, just down the river here.

What is it you like most about London?

I think there are so many things that go on in the city, so many people and types of people who live here, it's just exciting and wonderful.

Hello, my name is Mariska.

Hello Mariska, nice to meet you. Where are you from?

Holland is a small country, very flat, with beaches.

What do you like about Holland?

I like the place where I live. It's a little town near the beach. And I like the sun and the quiet. It's really quiet.

Hello, nice to meet you. And where are you from?

Wow, what is it like there?

What do you like about it?

So, now you've met some of the people in London. See you next time.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 3 / Session 3 / Activity 1

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Here we are on the streets of London... It's an international city, full of people from all over the world. So, let's go and meet some of them! Hi Milly. Nice to meet you. Whereabouts are you from? East Grinstead in West Sussex - probably about 50 minutes south of London.

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Level 1
Description / Adjective - Meet Ginger

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My cat Ginger is 5 years old. He's ginger in colour, of course, and quite big and strong, and very independent.

He likes running in the house and fighting with other cats. He loves catching birds, and sometimes frogs. But he still likes cat food the most.

In fact, he's hungry now. He's always hungry. Ok, Ginger, I'm coming!

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 3 / Session 2 / Activity 1

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My cat Ginger is 5 years old. He's ginger in colour, of course, and quite big and strong, and very independent. He likes running in the house and fighting with other cats. He loves catching birds, and sometimes frogs. But he still likes cat food the most. In fact, he's hungry now.

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Level 1
What to wear? Smart or scruffy?

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Welcome to Unit 2! This unit is all about fashion and clothes. We'll introduce you to different people from the world of fashion - from everyday Londoners to top designers.

You'll pick up some very useful vocabulary for talking about clothes and fashion, and we'll take a good look at the present simple and present continuous tenses.

Later on in the unit you'll get a chance to do some listening and reading practice with our video and magazine articles, and this unit's News Report is all about the business end of the fashion industry.

So - let's get started. Emma's got a problem with her clothes. Watch the video see what's wrong. While you're watching, listen out for the words and phrases that Emma uses to talk about her clothes.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 2 / Session 1 / Activity 1

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Welcome to Unit 2! This unit is all about fashion and clothes. We'll introduce you to different people from the world of fashion - from everyday Londoners to top designers. You'll pick up some very useful vocabulary for talking about clothes and fashion, and we'll take a good look at the present simple and present continuous tenses.

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Level 1
Meet Tom Ford - a fashion designer

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 2 / Session 3 / Activity 1

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Level 2
Changing Antarctica

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Changing Antarctica

Learn language related to...

survival

Need-to-know language

challenge - (here) physical effort needed to survive

compensated - physically changed to survive in a particular situation

thrive - exist or grow successfully

adapt - change to enable something to survive in a new situation

to their max - as much as they can / to their limit

Answer this...

What is the temperature of the ocean around Antarctica?

Transcript

Antarctica is the most extreme continent on Earth. Few animals can survive the bitter cold. But one Antarctic environment is surprisingly stable - the ocean. But it is cold - minus two degrees centigrade.

Like everywhere else in the world, the Antarctic environment is changing. In some places the water is already warming - a huge challenge for animals that have never experienced any change.

Justin Rowlatt, BBC correspondent
So some of the incredible Antarctic animals are in this tank. Now Anne Todgham is a marine biologist; you've been studying these animals for years...

Dr Anne Todgham, Associate Professor, University of California Davis
So they have anti-freeze proteins inside that keep them from freezing. They have different red blood cells that are in fact not red. They have compensated for the cold, so they can go about their daily lives and actually thrive in an environment that most animals will find very stressful.

The big question for Anne is how well these extraordinary creatures will be able to adapt. The results so far are not promising.

Dr Anne Todgham, Associate Professor, University of California Davis
I am actually pretty worried, I wish the data was wrong, I wish I didn't have to be worried. But you know there are lots of things that are going to change in the ocean, and these animals are being stressed to their max.

You may wonder why we should worry about the fate of a few unusual species, but the scientists here say we should think of what's happening as a warning. If these animals can't survive in our changing world, what does that say about our future?

Did you get it?

What is the temperature of the ocean around Antarctica?

It's a cold, minus two degrees centigrade.

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BBC Learning English - Lingohack / Changing Antarctica

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Changing Antarctica survival challenge - (here) physical effort needed to survive compensated - physically changed to survive in a particular situation thrive - exist or grow successfully adapt - change to enable something to survive in a new situation to their max - as much as they can / to their limit What is the temperature of the ocean around Antarctica?

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Level 2
Recycling chopsticks

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Recycling chopsticks

Learn language related to...

manufacturing

Need-to-know language

resource - material to be used in producing something

infused - filled with, covered in, or given the quality of

modular - made of separate parts or processes that are combined to form a whole

press - machine for making things flat by applying weight.

mass-produce - make large numbers of something in a factory using machines

Answer this...

What are the chopstick-tiles used for?

Transcript

Bamboo chopsticks are some of the world's most popular utensils, but create their fair share of waste. A company in Vancouver, Canada, is giving them a new life.

Felix Bock, ChopValue founder
Sometimes a good idea starts with frustration - when you understand how resource inefficient we are in our cities. I wanted to make sure to set an example of using chopsticks and create a viable business out of it.

ChopValue collects used chopsticks from local restaurants. The sticks are cleaned, infused with resin and pressed into tiles.

Felix Bock, ChopValue founder
Our limitation was the size of the chopstick at the beginning - so I wanted to keep it very, very modular and very micro, and that's how we developed the first hydraulic hot press that presses 8 by 8 inch (20 by 20 centimetre) tile that is very highly densified.

The tiles are used to make new products, including home decor, kitchenware and table tops.

The company has recycled more than 25 million chopsticks to date. They hope to expand by taking their business model abroad.

Felix Bock, ChopValue founder
Think of mass manufacturing today like Ikea would do it. We're kind of the anti-Ikea and the anti-Amazon. We don't want to ship product. We don't want to mass-produce in one location. We want to produce locally wherever you are - but to scale, with a global design and a global brand of support in the back.

Some of the chopsticks have even found a new life as decor in the restaurants where they were sourced from.

Did you get it?

What are the chopstick-tiles used to produce?

They make new products including home decor, kitchenware and table tops.

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BBC Learning English - Lingohack / Recycling chopsticks

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Recycling chopsticks manufacturing resource - material to be used in producing something infused - filled with, covered in, or given the quality of modular - made of separate parts or processes that are combined to form a whole press - machine for making things flat by applying weight.

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Level 2
Australia fires: farmers face losses

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Australia fires: Farmers face losses

Learn language related to...

fire

Need-to-know language

flames - bright, burning streams of gas from a fire

bush fire - uncontrolled fire that happens in areas of wild vegetation

burnt out - describes a building or structure destroyed by fire

tinder-dry - something that is extremely dry and might catch fire easily

Answer this...

What happened to the nine injured cattle found by the Attree family?
Transcript
Neil Clydesdale takes a hay bale past his dead cattle to feed the rest of his herd. He thinks he's lost thirty in all. And he has to buy hay for the remainder, because the pastures they usually feed on have been burnt black.

The Attree family had to make a hasty retreat when the fires appeared suddenly on New Year's Day.

Belinda Attree, farmer
Probably for a good hundred metres or so we were driving through the flames on both sides of the road.

When they returned, they were faced with eleven dead cattle and another nine were so badly injured they had to be euthanised.

Belinda Attree, farmer
They must've just been in so much pain and that's... that's what's really, really hard. Really, really hard.

They're relying on donated hay for the rest of the herd. They've vowed to rebuild, but, to get up and running again, they'll need rain.

2019 was Australia's hottest and driest year on record and the bush fire itself is likely to stretch water resources even further.

There's good reason to think that damage could get even worse because even though huge areas have been burnt out, there are still plenty of tinder-dry places that could go up between now and the end of the bush fire season.

Did you get it?

What happened to the nine injured cattle found by the Attree family?

They had to be euthanised, meaning killed humanely.

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BBC Learning English - Lingohack / Australia fires: Farmers face losses

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Australia fires: Farmers face losses fire flames - bright, burning streams of gas from a fire bush fire - uncontrolled fire that happens in areas of wild vegetation burnt out - describes a building or structure destroyed by fire tinder-dry - something that is extremely dry and might catch fire easily What happened to the nine injured cattle found by the Attree family?

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Level 2
Surviving the tsunami

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On 26 December 2004, a huge earthquake off the coast of Indonesia triggered a devastating tsunami. More than 230,000 people were killed and millions more rendered homeless.

From the devastation there were stories of survival. For many it was just good fortune that they found themselves in a situation where they were able to escape the danger.

Kay Howells was staying on the island of Koh Phi Phi. She and her partner were taking a snorkelling trip when the tsunami struck.

They were in the water when the Thai guides started to call everyone back onto the boats. Water was receding rapidly from the shoreline, a tell-tale sign of a tsunami approaching.

They were able to get back on to their boat before it had to move to a safer position away from the shore. From their vantage point they saw waves hitting the beach, boats being destroyed and people being swept away. They didn't know what happened to the other people on their trip.

At first they thought it was an isolated incident but they soon learned that a vast area was affected. Their hotel on the island was destroyed and over half the people staying there were killed.

Kay was deeply affected by the tragedy of what happened that day.

Every year on the anniversary of the tsunami she takes a walk on the beach with her partner to reflect on that devastating day and their survival.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 30 / Session 4 / Activity 3

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On 26 December 2004, a huge earthquake off the coast of Indonesia triggered a devastating tsunami. More than 230,000 people were killed and millions more rendered homeless. From the devastation there were stories of survival. For many it was just good fortune that they found themselves in a situation where they were able to escape the danger.

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Level 2
The future of travel?

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Are you fed up of endless traffic jams and overcrowded trains? Then how about travelling to school, university or work in your own jetpack?

A company in New Zealand is building a one-person jetpack that will go on sale in 2016.

It's designed to be used by emergency services but the chief executive of the company believes that it won't be long before it'll be available for everyday transport.

Realistically though, personal flight is likely to remain elusive for most of us.

Across the world, with populations growing, congestion, pollution and travel stress look likely to rise.

Major cities are approaching this challenge in different ways. Some are spending money on big infrastructure projects. Others see the future lying in greener transport alternatives such as electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Cities like Copenhagen, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona and Mexico have rolled out electric bike-sharing schemes.

But the really big change lies not in the type of transport but how we use it. According to some experts in 10 or 20 years the types of transport may not be that different, we will still have buses, tubes and trains, but everything will be integrated.

We'll simply decide where we want to go and an app will work out the fastest and cheapest way to get there.

It'll give you choices based on its knowledge about you, the traffic situation and even the weather. For example it might calculate that it's a nice day, there is congestion on your normal route so it will book you an e-bike or an automated taxi.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 28 / Session 4 / Activity 3

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Are you fed up of endless traffic jams and overcrowded trains? Then how about travelling to school, university or work in your own jetpack? A company in New Zealand is building a one-person jetpack that will go on sale in 2016.

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Level 2
Robin Williams honoured

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The late American actor and comedian Robin Williams has been honoured by the Screen Actors Guild in a ceremony in Los Angeles.

Williams died in an apparent suicide in August 2014. He was 63 years old.

Williams was born on 21 July 1951 in Chicago, Illinois. In his teens, he joined his school's drama club as a way to overcome shyness.

Later, when he was studying at New York's famous Juilliard School, his tutor suggested a career in stand-up comedy.

His breakthrough came when he appeared on the TV show Happy Days as an alien called Mork.

The character inspired a spin-off TV series, Mork and Mindy, which made Williams a star.

He then appeared in several films, but it was not until 1987's Good Morning Vietnam that Hollywood found a suitable vehicle for him. This role earned him his first Oscar nomination for best actor.

His second nomination came two years later for Dead Poets Society, in which he played an inspirational English teacher at a strict boys' school, who encourages his pupils to think for themselves.

He was finally awarded an Oscar in 1998 for his role in Good Will Hunting.

He later turned to darker roles, like the serial killer in the Alaska-set Insomnia.

"People think of me as likeable, so the appeal was to play against those expectations," he told Empire magazine in 2010.

At his funeral, President Obama described him as " one of a kind".

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 20 / Session 4 / Activity 3

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The late American actor and comedian Robin Williams has been honoured by the Screen Actors Guild in a ceremony in Los Angeles. Williams died in an apparent suicide in August 2014. He was 63 years old. Williams was born on 21 July 1951 in Chicago, Illinois.

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Level 2
Murder Mystery

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In 1930, Alfred Rouse faked his own death. He hit a man over the head and put him in a car, which he then set alight, in Hardingstone, a small town in Northamptonshire, UK.

Rouse then fled to Wales, but his crime was discovered, and he was convicted of murder and hanged.

But, if Rouse did not die in the burning car, who was the victim? DNA tests are being carried out in the hope of answering this question.

Paul Davies, 63, from South Wales, believes his "missing" great grandfather could be the mystery man.

Mr Davies said his great grandfather, James Brick, lived near Rouse's girlfriend.

Mr Brick had nine children, but he left his family and disappeared shortly after he inherited some money.

Rouse was having money problems at the time of the crime. "If Rouse had come across James Brick and learned he had money, it could have been an incentive to kill him," says Mr Davies.

Also, like Rouse, Mr Brick had red hair. This could have been another reason for Rouse to choose him as a victim.

Who really died in Alfred Rouse's car? Was it James Brick? Perhaps these questions will be answered soon.

Scientists at Northumbria University have successfully extracted DNA from the victim of the murder. It is just possible that they might be able to identify the body, 85 years after the murder took place.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 18 / Session 4 / Activity 3

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In 1930, Alfred Rouse faked his own death. He hit a man over the head and put him in a car, which he then set alight, in Hardingstone, a small town in Northamptonshire, UK. Rouse then fled to Wales, but his crime was discovered, and he was convicted of murder and hanged.

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Taj Mahal, Dharmapuri, Forest Colony, Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

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Level 2
The Taj Mahal in your living room

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The Taj Mahal is India's most famous and romantic landmark. Soon, people who want to see the Taj Mahal will be able to take a virtual tour, using Google Street View, without leaving their homes.

The Taj Mahal is being mapped digitally using the Trekker, a special camera that creates 360-degree images. These images can make viewers feel that they are walking around the monument or landmark.

Google plans to use the Trekker camera to collect images of all the world's most beloved landmarks. It has already been used to map the Grand Canyon and the world's tallest skyscraper, Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Today, about 80% of holidaymakers research their trips online before booking their holidays. Online virtual tours of hotels and destinations, like the Taj Mahal, are becoming an important way for holiday companies to market their products.

But is it possible for 'virtual holidays' to replace real world holidays completely?

Stuart Hetherington, chief executive of Holovis, a company which specializes in this kind of technology, believes this is possible.

In the future, he says, the walls of our homes could become giant TV screens, giving us extremely vivid 3D experiences. This technology could allow us to take 'virtual vacations', while staying at home.

"But I think virtual vacations are still a long way off," he admits.

We can expect tourists to keep visiting the Taj Mahal for a long time yet.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 15 / Session 4 / Activity 3

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The Taj Mahal is India's most famous and romantic landmark. Soon, people who want to see the Taj Mahal will be able to take a virtual tour, using Google Street View, without leaving their homes. The Taj Mahal is being mapped digitally using the Trekker, a special camera that creates 360-degree images.

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Level 2
Minecraft player builds virtual city

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A 19-year-old student from Delaware, called Duncan Parcells, has just spent two years building a virtual city in the online game Minecraft. He has named it Titan City.

Minecraft is set in a virtual world made of cubes of different materials. Players must use the cubes to build shelters, and also to make weapons to fight the game's many monsters.

Titan City is made of 4.5 million cubes, and it contains 96 buildings. Mr Parcells says it has taken him two years to build, working up to five hours a week on the project.

Titan City includes a virtual version of the World Trade Center, in New York, which took 18 months to complete.

Mr Parcells plans to add an airport and a sports stadium.

"A lot of people drop by and want to walk around and explore or help," he says. "A lot of them help with roads."

While Titan City has received a warm welcome online, Mr Parcells has not told many people about it yet - except his parents, of course.

"My parents think it's cool," he said. "I think they're just glad I don't play it too much."

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 13 / Session 4 / Activity 3

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A 19-year-old student from Delaware, called Duncan Parcells, has just spent two years building a virtual city in the online game Minecraft. He has named it Titan City. Minecraft is set in a virtual world made of cubes of different materials.

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Level 2
Swiss children used as slave labour

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Starting in the 1850s, hundreds of thousands of Swiss children were taken from their parents and sent to farms to work. Now, thousands of people in Switzerland, who were forced into child labour, are demanding compensation for their stolen childhoods.

When children became orphans, when parents were unmarried, or when families were very poor, sometimes the children were taken from their families and placed in foster families. The children were often sent to farms, as agriculture in Switzerland was not mechanized, and so child labour was needed. They were called 'contract children'.

"They wanted to take these children out of the poor family and put them somewhere else where they could learn how to work," says historian Loretta Seglias. If the children's parents objected, they could be sent to prison too.

The use of contract children declined in the 1960s and 70s.

Last year an official apology was made to contract children - and now, campaigner Guido Fluri is trying to get them compensation.

He hopes for about 500 million Swiss Francs (£327m) for the 10,000 contract children estimated to be alive today. However, there could still be many more years of discussion in the Swiss parliament before this becomes a reality.

But Fluri says it is important to remember these "people who suffered for decades."

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 11 / Session 4 / Activity 3

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Starting in the 1850s, hundreds of thousands of Swiss children were taken from their parents and sent to farms to work. Now, thousands of people in Switzerland, who were forced into child labour, are demanding compensation for their stolen childhoods.

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Level 2
Mushrooms are the business for Burmese migrant

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Every day, Than Wai Aung sprays water on hundreds of plastic bags, which are filled with wood. Mushrooms grow on the damp wood, and every two or three days Than collects several kilos of mushrooms to sell.

Than is from Yangon (also called Rangoon), in Myanmar, but he has lived in Thailand for nearly 20 years. He is 45 years old now, and has three children.

"There was nothing for me in Myanmar, no opportunities," he says.

First he came to live near Ratchaburi, a town in western Thailand. He worked on building sites, and then he had the idea for his business.

"We used to buy mushrooms to use in our cooking," he remembers, "and I thought, 'Why not grow them?'"

Learning to grow the mushrooms was difficult. And when he sold his mushrooms in his local area, the price was very low. But he did not give up. Instead, he decided to move to Bangkok.

Thailand's economy started to grow rapidly in the 1980s. Since then, millions of people have come to Thailand from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and other countries, to find jobs. Life is difficult for these migrant workers, and success stories are very rare. But Than is doing well in Bangkok. He grows his mushrooms in sheds, he delivers them to his customers on his motorbike, and he earns between $16 and $32 per day.

And he is still ambitious. "I want to be rich," he says. "Rich enough to buy a car!"

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 12 / Session 4 / Activity 2

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Every day, Than Wai Aung sprays water on hundreds of plastic bags, which are filled with wood. Mushrooms grow on the damp wood, and every two or three days Than collects several kilos of mushrooms to sell. Than is from Yangon (also called Rangoon), in Myanmar, but he has lived in Thailand for nearly 20 years.

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Level 2
Girl power in Ghana's schools

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For young people in Ghana, in West Africa, it's not easy to learn the necessary skills for work and life. The school system has many problems: the quality of teaching is variable, and sometimes teachers don't come to work at all.

It's particularly difficult for Ghanaian girls to get a good education. Normally, they're expected to leave school when they are young, and get married.

A new education project, called Making Ghanaian Girls Great, is trying to improve girls' education, by offering extra lessons in English and maths.

The project provides lessons on television, from a studio in Accra. Teachers in the studio can talk to pupils in their classrooms, and the project also offers after-school lessons - called Wonder Women lessons - designed to increase girls' confidence. In these lessons, girls can ask questions about health, education or careers - and they can also talk to role models.

The project was launched by Nana Ogyedon Tsetsewah, a local leader in central Ghana. Nana says that young people in Ghana are frustrated, and they don't want to work as farmers any more.

Head teacher Vanderwell Augustt Gordor welcomes the extra lessons. It's a much more active style of learning, he says, and the pupils like joining in.

Ghana has invested in education, in order to increase national income. "Education is the key to development," said Anthony Klopka, a local politician. But until now, he says, girls' education has not received enough attention.

Because of projects like Making Ghanaian Girls Great, perhaps this situation is starting to change.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 10 / Session 4 / Activity 3

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For young people in Ghana, in West Africa, it's not easy to learn the necessary skills for work and life. The school system has many problems: the quality of teaching is variable, and sometimes teachers don't come to work at all. It's particularly difficult for Ghanaian girls to get a good education.

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Level 2
The island at the end of the earth

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What is your ideal holiday destination?

It could be the tiny Pacific island of Palmerston. With its beautiful white sand, transparent water, and palm trees, you may think you have arrived in paradise.

But this is one of the most remote islands in the world. Surrounded by thousands of miles of ocean, it is only accessible by boat. The journey takes nine days from Tahiti, and is long and dangerous. However, it's well worth it.

"Nothing goes wrong in Palmerston," says Bob Marsters, the mayor, who greets visitors in his boat. He, like all except three of the other 62 islanders are descendants of one man - William Marsters, an Englishman who settled here 150 years ago with his three wives.

There's no shop on the island and drinking water comes from rainwater. A ship with supplies calls just twice a year. The main street is a narrow piece of sand no more than 100 metres long, and has only half a dozen buildings.

But what the island lacks in amenities, it makes up in its beauty and peace. If you want to get away from it all, this island 'at the end of the earth' could be the place to go. You may never want to go back home.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 8 / Session 4 / Activity 4

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What is your ideal holiday destination? It could be the tiny Pacific island of Palmerston. With its beautiful white sand, transparent water, and palm trees, you may think you have arrived in paradise. But this is one of the most remote islands in the world.

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Fashionable Business

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The fashion business is big.

In fact, it's twice the size of the UK car industry, according to the British Fashion Council.

Fashion is more than just dresses and handbags; the industry includes design, sales and manufacturing. It's the largest of the British ' creative industries'.

During London Fashion Week, buyers from across the world spend around £100m on orders. Many companies are using social media to reach this global market. Burberry puts its catwalk show on the internet so customers can watch online wherever they are.

But it's also a very competitive business, where 95% of new companies fail in their first five years, says fashion blogger Imran Amed. He says: "For some of these young designers to succeed, they're shipping to 30 or 40 or 50 countries around the world, they're sourcing their fabrics and materials from India and from Italy and from France."

It's a ' complex' business, which needs things like marketing as well as creativity and ideas.

And, if you're not a well-known brand, it's easy to go out of fashion.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 2 / Session 4 / Activity 2

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The fashion business is big. In fact, it's twice the size of the UK car industry, according to the British Fashion Council. Fashion is more than just dresses and handbags; the industry includes design, sales and manufacturing. It's the largest of the British ' creative industries'.

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Level 2
Tipping?

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Do you leave a tip when you pay for a meal? And how much do you tip?

Michael Lynn from Cornell University thinks that tipping is worth about $40bn each year. That's more than twice the budget of Nasa.

Indeed, many people say America is the most 'tip-friendly'country on earth. In New York, leaving a tip of around 20% in restaurants is normal. This compares to around 11% in London.

Why is it so much higher? Mainly because the wages of restaurant workers in the US are usually lower, so the tip is a very important part of their income.

But now some restaurants are trying something different. Sushi Yasuda restaurant in New York has banned tips because they say their staff are already well-paid, and because it makes the dining experience simpler for customers.

And which countries don't expect tips at all? In Singapore tipping is very rare, and in Fiji, Iceland and Japan, it can cause embarrassment and offence.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 1 / Session 4 / Activity 4

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Do you leave a tip when you pay for a meal? And how much do you tip? Michael Lynn from Cornell University thinks that tipping is worth about $40bn each year. That's more than twice the budget of Nasa. Indeed, many people say America is the most 'tip-friendly'country on earth.

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Level 2
Creating African Comic Superheroes!

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BBC Learning English - Lingohack / Creating African comic superheroes

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Learn today’s words and phrases: movement, put (something) on the map, perspective, talents, entrepreneurship