BACKGROUND Of course, an orangutan isn't really a monkey; it is one of the "great apes," and is a member of a family which Includes gorillas, chimpanzees, and... us. Humans. If you don't believe me, see here.
Given that orangutans and other apes are, literally, our relatives, it seems incredible that we do so many awful things to them: we kill them, we destroy their homes (the jungle), and we put them in jails (zoos). We wouldn't do these things to our aunts, uncles and grandparents, would we? So perhaps we shouldn't do these things to our other relatives, either, the great apes (or any animal, for that matter).
Anyway, here is one orangutan in Adelaide, Australia, who obviously doesn't like living in a zoo. literally = really; actually; in fact relatives = family members awful = terrible destroy = damage sth so badly so it cannot be used or no longer exists
View Larger Map QUESTIONS 1. How did the orangutan try to escape? Was it successful? 2. What action did the zoo take? 3. What is your opinion of zoos?
WATCH THE VIDEO
LANGUAGE an orangutan = a large ape; one of the "great apes" an enclosure = an area where animals are kept [= pen] an attraction = sth people want to see a ledge = a narrow, flat rock that sticks out essentially = basically bid for freedom = attempt to escape branch = one of the smaller parts of a tree short circuit = break the electricity supply electric barrier = part of the electric fence proceeded to = went onto (do sth) a set up = a device or thing used to do something allowing = enabling hot wire = part of the electric fence evacuated = moved all the people out of a dangerous area refunds = returned money; money given back to customers has a history of = has done sth many times before trying to outsmart = attempting to trick (sb) [= outwit] (zoo) keepers = people who take care of zoo animals a lot of late hours = often working overtime
Also:
"didn't make it inside" = not able to enter "it was amazing how he done it" (notice the grammar!) "he used a plant" (probably a big leaf or a stick)
BACKGROUND On May 12, 2008, there was a massive earthquakein Sichuan province, China. Nearly 69,000 people were killed, 374,000 were injured, and 15 million people lost their homes.
Tragically, many of the dead were schoolchildren. They were killed when the schools in which they were studying simply fell down on top of them.
There can be no greater sense of loss and pain for a mother or a father than to lose their child.
Personally, I'm glad I don't live in China. It is a police state, the people have no political freedom, and I believe that there is cronyism and corruption at every level of government, from the very top right down to the very bottom (think of the "milk scandal" in 2008).
I don't know about you, but I felt like crying at the end of this news report...
grieving = extremely sad and upset massive = very, very big; huge injured = hurt tragically = (something extremely sad, like an accident) police state = a country where people are always watched by the police cronyism = giving jobs to people because they are your friends, family corruption = dishonest behaviour by people in power
QUESTIONS 1. Why is the woman so full of grief? 2. Why are the local people unhappy with the government? 3. Why is a government official watching the local people? 4. What is your opinion? Do you think it is a government cover up?
WATCH THE VIDEO
LANGUAGE officials = people who work for the government a police checkpoint = a place where the police stop you to check who you are collapsed = fallen down the right credentials = the correct qualifications, papers secret location = secret place quake = earthquake primary school (BrE) = elementary school (AmE) left standing = not fallen down dulled the pain = made to feel not so terrible dug around = looked around (digging to try to find something) rubble = broken bricks and parts of building that has fallen down a government cover up = an event that the government keeps secret sub-standard materials = low quality, cheap materials that are not good enough natural disaster = (earthquake, typhoon, landslide, flood, etc) never far away = always nearby site = place, location (where something happens or happened) file a law suit = take a problem to a court of law for a legal decision stage demonstrations = protest or argue against something on the side of = supports (for example, a person, an idea, etc) contractors = companies or people who are paid to do some work common people = normal people anniversary = special date (when something is remembered) full of grief = terribly, terribly sad maintains = keeps saying sheer force of = total power of (something) no evidence = no proof construction process = the way things are built shrine = a kind of temple, often to remember somebody incense = something you burn that has a strong smell fake money = money that isn't real ("ghost money") after-life = the place where you go after you die guilt = a bad feeling about something you should or shouldn't have done protected = took care of “the sky fell down” = your life destroyed by something terrible that happened
Listening to the news is an excellent way to improve your listening skills and your knowledge of a language. I'm going to do my best to encourage you to listen to one or two short news stories every day!
Don't Forget to Read!
Remember, reading a little every day is important too. Read one or two articles a day at my other blog, read2simon.
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