Twitter Turns an Old Quarry in Nigeria into a Tourist Hotspot

This BBC article tells the story of an old stone quarry that has become a new tourist hotspot in Nigeria after it became popular through Twitter.  The article is short and it has very illustrative pictures, so it can be accessible to B2 students.

But here you can find a lesson plan which focuses on vocabulary and speaking, basically, for C1 students.

B2 learners (and above) will find rich, descriptive vocabulary here, like an abandonded quarry, a tourist hotspot, a cliff, a moss-lined footpath, to shimmer [in the sun], [the views are] breathtaking, on the outskirts, to be thronged, food vendors, a burgeoining community, expatriates, lockdown, to be somewhat bemused, city-dwellers, tiers, a stunning view, sightseers, a winding footpath, the top terrace, [the path] snakes down to the water's edge, the brave, to plunge into, an aquifer, a fracture-prone area, tremors, to warn amateurs against hiking, fun-seekers seemed not to be deterred, chagrin, to put measures in place, to clear up a trail of plastic waste, to split, a clean-up dash, to dispose of [litter], to poison [a place], [a job or a profession] to be cut out for [me].

If you are interested in local varieties of  English worldwide, you can read here a West-Africa pidgin version of the article above from the BBC Pidgin Service, based in Lagos (Nigeria).

The 50 Best Irish Films Ever Made

 

This article from The Irish Times draws up a list of the 50 best Irish films ever made.  After an introduction that discusses what can be considered an Irish film and what not, the critic describes briefly the plot or the performance of the actors in each film.  The density of information and the rich vocabulary give little context for the English learner to understand new words, so this text is recommended for C2 students. 

You will come across words like sane, to claim, a parlour game, to be set, fanciful, loose(r), to score, jerry-rigged, to shoot a film, it gets you a long way down the road, stand-in, to be up for [consideration], to lure, to settle, to play hardball, a fleeting mood, to qualify [for this list], a bunch, to make [Irish films] happen, a space probe, weed, a peddler, offload, to pit [them] against, a kingpin, unabashedly, thrall, interweaving [urban stories], abrasive, to buzz about, heighthened, to snatch, a toddler, unsettling, to light out, a minor-key gem, ailing, to stumble, to befriend, a saviour, inner city, sparse, lead performance, sterling support, selkie, an informant, ailments, overdue, a shoestring [production], to soar, on the brink of, upheaval, blarney, hoodlum, a coup d'etat attempt, a treatise, a portrait, turmoil, gorgeously rich, to stick in the memory, to segue, curveball, to stalk, to carve out a niche, a masterpiece, to be fuelled, masterly, on the run, backward, a depiction, stunning, to permeate, a boffin, to rage, to ponder [human life], an asylum, a carer, overlooked, disabled, to tend to [their dying mother], a newsreel, annus mirabilis, to boss [the Oscars], winningly [absurd], boosted by  stirring performance, deserving winner, to skirt, to fall for firebrand [Maureen O'Hara], dowry, sime wave, to be muted as, to drift towards, to tweak, holy kismet, scoundrel, stately composition.

Geena Davis Talks About Gender Inequality and her Career in Hollywood

Geena Davis became a household name with the film "Thelma & Louise" back in 1991. Since then, she has had a long career in the movie industry and as an activist to denounce gender inequality in Hollywood.  In this interview, she talks to The Irish Times about The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which she launched and has successfully managed for two decades; about sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement; about being a mother in her 40's and about her career in general. 

The interview is long and the language includes some colloquial, American slang, so it is suitable for C1 students. You will surely find new words and expressions like: Hot dog!, harassment, prejudice, a sweatsuit, athleisure, a bra, knickers, snappy, personable, pals, cosy, lockdown, a homebody, downtime, to snuggle, to wipe, to scrub, to account for, to make up the top 100 grossing films, far-fetched, endeavour, to focus on, to launch, a toddler, her jaw dropped to the floor, gender bias, a dwarf, to gather data, mainstream industry, misogynistic, ennui, in the wake of [#MeToo], to wash away, to retrench, to read up on [a topic], pluckiness, to be let down, a slash, a hit, to go by, a lap, an audition, a [film] set, to fall off the cliff, blithely, femalecentric, tippy-top, high profile, a cameo appearance, a trailer, a showgirl, an outfit, rhinestones, high-powered women, onscreen, lingerie, to start out, to bat a question away, to land a role [or a job], a flop, shattered, to starve, to gasp, to live up to your expectations, to shrink, to vanish.

If you want to listen to Geena Davis's voice, you can listen to this 27 minute, Fresh Air interview to herself and to director Maria Giese, where Geena Davis talks, about her acting career, her Institue on Gender in Media and gender inequality in Hollywood. This is radio interview, which was originally broadcast on NPR in 2019, covers some of  the very same topics as the The Irish Times article above, but it is recommeded for C2 students, even with the help of the script. 

Jaden Wolfiez Ashman, the Teenage Gamer Who Became a Millionaire

Jaden Wolfiez Ashman is a 15-year-old gamer from Essex who won $1,000.000 playing the Fortnite World Cup Finals.  He promised to buy his mum a house, and one year later he has fulfilled his promise.  The BBC Newsbeat video on this link tells us the story.  

Wolfiez talks with a teenager's working-class intonation and he uses colloquial words, which makes it a bit more difficult to understand him, but the subtitles will allow C1 students to follow it.  You will come across new words like: "e-sport, chill, quid, set-up, too fancy, step, mortgage, to frame, logo, to be plastered, to take pressure off me, childminder, living day-to-day, you are clock watching, to moan, to strive to do something".

If you want to watch an interview to Wolfiez and his mum one year before when he had just won all that money, you can click below on this "Good Morning Britain" video on ITV , which has subtitles and it is also suitable for C1 students: