English, News and Culture
A blog for advanced learners of English.
viernes, 18 de julio de 2025
Azizam and the Best 2025 Summer Songs in USA
jueves, 10 de julio de 2025
Toxic Mushroom Murder Trial in Australia
Erin Patterson was found guilty of murdering her in-laws by serving them poisonous mushrooms in a family dinner. The case has gathered huge media attention in Australia and all around the world for the jury had to weigh up the evidence and the lies, to decide if the poisonings were deliberate or not, and for the family relationships between the victims, the murderer and her estranged husband.
B2 learners who are not familiar with the story will find it difficult to understand the details at first, so I recommend them to read Rachel Treisman's report for NPR first, An Australian woman is found guilty of murdering her in-laws by toxic mushrooms, where they will come across interesting words like: death cap mushrooms, guilty, estranged [husband], beef Wellington, a paste, [finely] chopped [mushrooms], [multiple organ] failure, a witness, a twist and turn, a prosecutor, a motive, to plead [non-guilty], [three] counts [of murder], to forage [mushrooms], to cover up [her actions], to prove [her guilty], a recap, a split, an amicable [relationship], to pull out, a quirk, amanita phalloides mushrooms, to be discharged, scrutiny, back and forth, to throw up, to acknowledge, a grocery store, to dispose of [something], the stand, to dump, a knee-jerk [reaction], to dig [deeper], to cover her tracks, a deception, a fabricated [cancer claim], to plant the seed, a lump, to spark [a search for death cap mushrooms], to cherry-pick, a ruse, to take a leap,
After reading the text, C1 students can listen to a 3-minute NPR radio report and check how much they understand the American accent, where they can pick up words such as: to grip, a suburban [mom], to pass up, an estranged [husband], death cap mushrooms, the leftovers, bizarre, to fake [a cancer diagnosis], to forage for [mushrooms], to chalk it up, a [kitchen] mix-up, devastated, on [pretty] decent [terms], to pull out, to recap. To fully understand all the words in the report, C1 learners will problably have to use the transcript after listening a couple of times.For further information, students can read the following Wikipedia entry, 2023 Leongatha mushroom murders, watch this 9News story to test their understanding of Australian accent (C2 level) or watch the shorter ABC YouTube video below, also in Australian English:
lunes, 23 de junio de 2025
The Listening Planet by Martyn Stewart
Below you can watch a 2021 video interview to Martyn Stewart by Mark Savage on BBC Radio 4 "Martyn Stewart and the Listening Planet" (04':52"), which has subtitles and can be accessed by C1 students. Some intereting words are: a howler [monkey], a wren, an archive, extinct, mesmerized, a council estate, a [Eurasian] blackbird, a hard drive, remarkable, a legacy, to crush, fortunate, a performer, to capture.
Finally, you can watch a longer video tutorial (18':34") "Recording nature sounds" with a gorgeous "dawn chorus" of birds and a further workshop about Martyn's recording tools and techniques:
sábado, 14 de junio de 2025
Backstage with Shakira
The first half of the article contains very precise fashion & music show vocabulary, colloquial expressions and interesting collocations but the sentences are quite short, so, it can accessible for B2 students and above, who can pick up words like: backstage, bowels, to be taped, on fire, a scrawl, to put on [a stadium tour], sold out, to polish, frayed nerves, a screaming [match], vibe, to stretch, seamstress, to sew, a catsuit, a [guitar] check, tuning, to hang around, a tumble dryer, to plumb in, a venue, wardrobe, a costume, to care for, to stitch, to scrub, an outfit, to scuff [their shoes], to stash [reserves of Gatorade], iced coffee, sticky [Miami heat], a trade-off, the underworld, a set, to stash away, to stud, a [sound] check, [non-]deceitful, to be flanked, a [police] escort, flared, a vest [top], flawless, the crew, to deliver, a quip, a wink, to be [full] out, to figure something out, one way or another, a pan pipe, a riff, a wristband, a workout, [the obsession] to pay off, a parade, a [tribal-knife] routine, to thrash, to howl, to bray, heartbreak, [personal] upheaval, to fall apart, [tax] fraud, to settle [a case], out of court, to prompt, an outburst, a barb, a string [of hits], to rack up [13 billion], streams, furry, a she-wolf, commitment, [to come] off [stage], to put together [a show], to make something happen, to carry you through, to break into [the Western pop market], precarious, humane, to catch up with [the BBC], to christen, a [powerful] statement, to underpin, to span [generations], to bounce around, a tender [ballad], to duet, mixed emotions, stressed out, [to stay] tuned, to tease.
If you want to watch the Mexico show of Shakira's "Women No Longer Cry" tour, you can click on the YouTube link below:
sábado, 7 de junio de 2025
Camino de Santiago with Manni Coe
The first episode is called "Camino de Santiago with Manni Coe", an author, guide and walker, who went through a deep emotional journey during the "camino" to overcome a personal trauma and find forgiveness. This programme contains a number of relaxed conversations and some descriptions of the landscape, but, as there are no subtitles and it is quite long (23':50"), it can be recommended for C2 students and above. Lower level students could use the following vocabulary list as a listening guide: chilly, crops, brotherly [love], a foundational [month], Down syndrome, to come up with [an idea], to give up, tough, [his] pace, roles reversed, [to open my] consciousness, the scallop [shell], an insignia, faithful, a [route] to converge, a pungent [smell], to sprout, moss, a [red] tile, a sleepy [village], a [rain] cover, a [recognized] pilgrimage, the tomb [of Santiago], within your means, an upturn [scalop shell], [to collect] stamps, "compostela" (credential), an up-and-coming [route], a [strong] odour [of cows], to rock up, to wing it, St James' appeal, a hermit, "compostela" (field of stars), to hand draw, to rage [down], a drop [of 40 meters], a [single]-arch [bridge], a steep [peak], stonemasons' [insignia], moss & ivy, lichen, to lean over [the balcony], a vocal [dog], a little hamlet, a [raised] [grain-]storage [building], on stilts, grills, stone pillars, to be brought up [in the Church of England], [my faith] to fall apart, the confession, a [public] forum, trauma, [to be] set [at our house], to come up with [the title of the book], to be groomed, to be abused, a vicar, to press charges, to go to court, circumstantial evidence, earthly [father], skewed, to acknowledge [what happened], [a case] to stand up [in court], rage, guilt, to struggle [to forgive], to release [it], shattered, a breakdown, the ramparts [of the castle], to pick up on [the signs], gay, to blame, [for as long as it] takes, to bring them up, fishhooks, to collapse, a gate, to grab [each other], a stream, to flush [them away], baggage, to shed, a healing [process], not linear, a [continuous] mindset, to catch you off guard, thrilled, to catch up.
Other episodes of the series include "Camino Francés with Maggie McLean" who is a missioner, a reverend canon and one of the first women who was ordained in the Church of England, and "Living on the Camino de Santiago" with Andrea Abbatemarco, who left his life in Milan to run a hostel for pilgrims on the Sanabrés route. Shortly, the episodes "Camino Inglés with Jannine and Sally", "Arriving in Santiago de Compostela with Sharon, Shirley and friends" and "Camino Memories in Penicuik" will be broadcast.
If you want to watch a short, lighthearted video of "El Camino", you can just click on this BBC-2 clip below:
martes, 27 de mayo de 2025
Gloriously Uncrowded Zaragoza
The article features a massive display of precise, often humorous, expressions that could be useful for C1 students (and above) trying to expand their vocabulary on the topics "cities, food and tourism", for example: a [surprising tapas] scene, a mighty [baroque church], an under-the-radar [weekend], to loom over [the River Ebro], to go unnoticed, an [architectural] powerhouse, a stronghold, the formidable [Basilica del Pilar], ochre, a dome, to cast [a glow], to glint, the brickwork, to echo, to put to shame, overhyped [Barcelona], cramped, a maze, a local, to jostle, to ooze, garlicky [gambas], to swell, a [flower] offering, the faint-hearted, unvarnished, at a glance, to blend, meandering [cobbled streets], to heave, [party] ephemera, to soak, laid-back, a show-stopper, flanked, backlit, blessed, carved [ceilings], mini-me, Moorish, compelling, a glimpse, layered, granted, an alley, oil-spitting, crowned, parsley, pie, mash, to top, overlooked, a chapel, a soaring [needle], brutalist, beguiling, the draw, to stud, a fruit gum, to flood, a beam, a crib, to grab, the foundations, [to be] tucked, meaty, a gyoza, lacquered, packed, boisterous, a clan, at the helm, wisecrack, to spill [on], a [modern] spin, camp, bric-a-[chic], tiered, car-boot, brasserie, to be lined, vintage, crackly, wholesome [plates], finesse, a cast, to stare at [you], a haunt, starchy, a [gastro-]hub, a bite, [no] frills [low bills], overkill, varnished, unflashy, wallet-friendly, [accommodation] bang, an olive's throw, to sample, sleek, respite, the [urban] sprawl, up to scratch, deftly, to put the world to rights, to haunt, crash pad, [to strew, strewed], strewn, to plunder, goose-bump, to shimmer, to catch up with, a fleet, a jumping off point, a foodie [city].
EXAM WARNING: do not try to memorize the most difficult expressions to force them into your monologue in the oral exam, it usually sounds unnatural or just wrong (this article is a written text, people do not talk like that!). Learning vocabulary is a slow process that takes time, involves reading extensively and requires forgetting new words a few times, before they finally get fixed in your active memory. What you can do, perhaps, is to find one or two expressions or collocations that you are already familiar with, but you do not normally use, and improve the precision and richness of your expression in a gentle manner. My favourite expression in the long list of vocabulary above is "to put the world to rights" but I am not sure it will be very useful in an oral exam.
sábado, 17 de mayo de 2025
The Parsi Museum in Mumbai
martes, 6 de mayo de 2025
Steve Bannon Predicts a Constitutional Crisis in the U.S. by Summer
viernes, 25 de abril de 2025
TikTok, AI and other security threats to the EU
The geopolitical tensions in the world are making the European Union think twice about the communication apps that are safe, and those that could be manipulated by foreign powers to eavesdrop on politicians' and high-profile officials' sensitive information, Cynthia Kroet & Romane Armangau report in the Euronews article "From TikTok to AI: What the EU now calls a security threat".
miércoles, 16 de abril de 2025
Bike Buses to School in Cardiff, Valencia and Barcelona
Cardiff has started a new scheme to help children bike to school safely, Hywel Griffith and Antonia Matthews report for BBC News in "Bike bus in Cardiff creates safety in numbers on school run". The idea is to plan bike routes where groups of children, with the supervision of some adults, can start the day with energy and oxygen in their brains, an initiative that was promoted by Bike Bus World, an American non-profit group, and Sustrans in the U.K., and has caught on in Spain -Violeta Peraita reports for Levante newspaper- in CEIP Cervantes de Alboraia, Valencia and in other schoolos like Xirinacs school, Barcelona. The BBC article is short and simple, so it can be recommended for B1 students who can pick up expressions like: a [bike] ride, to set [pupils] up for [a successful school day], non-profit, a charity, a marshal, to pick up [children], to foster [a sense of community], a convoy, loads [of fun], [to have a] chat.
martes, 1 de abril de 2025
Justice, Politics and Money in Wisconsin
Here you can listen to the NPR's Morning Edition story by Anya van Wagtendonk "Out-of-state billionaires donate big money in Wisconsin Supreme Court race" (03':52"), which comes with a script, but, due to the density of the information and the references to American law and political campaigns, this story is recommended for C2 students and Experts, who will find interesting expressions like: to rake in, to be fueled, the tally, to funnel, to back, a non-partisan [Wisconsin Supreme Court], an issue, at stake, a cap, a rally, to spell out, a stake, [President Trump`s] agenda, to take over [Schimel's campaign], a megadonor, to fire back, a boogeyman, an endorsement, an heir, distressed, the fundraising, to hit, a recusal, to chill, to be beholden.
If you want to do class practice, here you can find a C2 listening, vocabulary and speaking task with the key, based on the Anya van Wagtendonk's radio report above.
For further background information about the pecularities of this election, you can read the article "The Wisconsin Supreme Court vote is getting national attention and millions from Musk", which can be suitable for C1 students and above, where you will find words like: a rally, a contested [issue], partisan [politics], to play out, voting rights, a court ruling, to redraw [congressional districts], to end up, to pour, to hand out, a [legal] back-and-forth, to bribe, a [democracy] advocacy [group], a swing state, to face off, a seat opening, non-partisan, a justice, the ballot, liberal-leaning [judges], the attorney general, to endorse, a [legal] counsel, a bid, to barrage, an issue, to tee up [issues], on the books, to overturn [the right to abortion], collective bargaining, the ballot, to end up, to deploy, the GOP, transgender [rights], to feature, to side with [radicals], fearmongering, [to run] misleading [adds], a buzzword, a sweepstake, to redraw [the districts], to enforce [the law], the legislature, a matter, to sue, a [car] dealer, a backer.