Britain’s Andy Murray has made it to the finals of the Australian Open on Sunday, and he’s the first Brit to have done so in 33 years!

Here are some words and phrases that you might hear in the match. So do the exercises below, practise the chants, and get in the mood to cheer on the Scotsman!

1. Tennis players put every effort into winning, and to show that, we often use expressions which describe how they’re playing with their whole soul, heart, or stomach! Can you name three stomach-related phrases which we use in the following situations?

a. He’s very sad.

b. That’s brilliant, fearless play.

c. Is he brave enough to survive?

2. Below are some more phrases you might hear from the commentators in the game. Can you match them to their meanings?

Phrases

A sloppy shot!

A piece of genius!

He’s on fire!

He wallops a forehand

He blasts the ball back.

Neither player is willing to give an inch

That left him scrambling for the ball.

The ball whizzes past him

A brutal back-hand.

Bang on the line

A gruelling match.

What a shot!

Definitions

He could have played that better (2 phrases)

Brilliant play (3 phrases)

The ball moves very fast (4 phrases)

Nobody wants to lose (1 phrase)

Very accurate play (1 phrase)

It’s very hard (1 phrase)

Here are some chants and phrases of encouragement!

• Great Scott! (This is an old-fashioned way of saying “that’s amazing.” But it’s also fun to use here, because Andy Murray is Scottish, and a Scottish person is called ‘a Scott!’
• Come on!
• Let’s go!
• Atta boy! (lit. That’s the way to do it)
• Gone on my son!

We love you Andy, we do

/wiː/ /lʌv/ /jʊ/ /ændi/ /wiː/ /dəʊ/

We love you Andy, we do

We love you Andy, we do

Oh Andy, we love you

/əʊ/ /ændi/ /wiː/ /lʌv/ /juː/

And if you want to get technical, you can think about why the pronunciation of “you changes” in the last line. But we think you’ll be too busy screaming at the T.V to care!

Answers

1. Your ‘gut’ or ‘guts’ is another word for stomach.
   1. He’s gutted
   2. That’s real, gutsy play.
   3. Has he got the guts to come through?

He could have played that better -

A sloppy shot! That left him scrambling for the ball.

Brilliant play -

He’s on fire! What a shot! A piece of genius!

The ball moves very fast

He wallops a forehand The ball whizzes past him He blasts the ball back A brutal back hand.

Nobody wants to lose - Neither player is willing to give an inch

Very accurate play - Bang on the line

It’s very hard - A gruelling match

1. In the first four lines of the chant “love you”, is linked and becomes “luv ya”, but in the final line, “you” is the last word of the whole song, so it needs to be emphasised and pronounce as “you.” So now you know!

Good Luck Andy!

B.1) taking place
2) the norm
3) vibrant

The Event

1) In Notting Hill, London, during the last weekend of August every year on Sunday and Bank holiday Monday
2) On Sunday there is the Children’s day parade and a lot of family events; on Monday there is a parade for everyone followed by parties in bars and clubs

Notting Hill Carnival has been taking place in London, on the last weekend in August, every year since 1966. It was initiated by London’s immigration population from the Caribbean, particularly from Trinidad. Back in the 1950s and 60s, these immigrants were facing harsh racism: limited job opportunities and poor housing conditions were the norm. They decided to create a festival in the style so synonymous with the Caribbean, to bring people together after the race riots of the 1950s. What began as a small party now has up to two million revellers every year. It is Europe’s biggest street festival and probably London’s most exciting annual event, involving twenty miles of vibrant colourful costumes surround over 40 static sound systems, hundreds of Caribbean food stalls, over 40,000 volunteers and over 1 million Notting Hill Carnival revellers.

A. Read the text quickly and find out: What is Notting Hill Carnival?

B. Read the text again and answer these questions

1) Which two-word phrase in the text is similar in meaning to:
happening / on / going on /

2) Which two-word phrase in the text is similar in meaning to:
standard / usual / typical /

3) Which word in the text is opposite in meaning to:
dull / grey / boring

THE EVENT
Notting Hill Carnival always takes place during the last weekend in August, on the Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. The first day of the carnival (Sunday) is traditionally Children’s Day, with the parade and events aimed at the whole family. The second day (Monday) is for all ages to dance in the streets. The parade floats keep moving through the streets till about 9pm and then you can move on to the local clubs and bars. Pumping sound systems around the parade route vie for your attention. As well as music and dancing, authentic Caribbean cuisine is also available.

1) Where and when does the carnival take place?
2) What happens on Sunday and on Monday?

• If a player has no points, it’s called “love”
• The first point a player gets is called “15″
• If a player gets two points, it’s called “30″
• If a player gets three points, it’s called “40″
• If both players get “40″ each, it’s called “Deuce” and a special two extra points are played.
• When one player gets another point after reaching “Deuce”, it’s called “Advantage”, but the game can go back to “Deuce” again if the opponent scored the next point.  The game can go on like this for a long time, but it’s very exciting”

Complete the missing word

1. Excuse me, ________’s the fitting room, please?
2. Do you ______ this in size 10?
3. Shop Assistant “Can I _____ you?”
4. You “No thanks, I’m just __________”
5. Could you tell me where I could ______ the menswear section?
6. Have you _______ this in blue?
7. I’m not sure what my shoe _____ is in Britain, but in France, it’s 38.
8. Can I ______ a tax refund from here?
9. I’m sorry, could you _______ what you said?
10. Can I _______ by card?

Answers

1. where
2. have
3. help
4. looking
5. find
6. got
7. size
8. get
9. repeat
10. pay

Happy shopping!  And if you want to check out the special events in Selfridges, visit: http://www.selfridges.com/

Quiz by Cultured Learning Ltd

Is a clash of civilisations looming? Following the events of 9/11, commentators have spoken of a conflict between an economically powerful but increasingly amoral West, and a resurgent and moralistic Islam. There is much at stake. Can a state such as Turkey, overwhelmingly Muslim, join the EU and become party to international human rights provisions? Given that Islamic councils have been established in England, should they be recognised by English family law?

And what about human rights in the context of combating terrorism? Is any dilution of human rights justified for the protection of the public and of national security? “The rules of the game have changed,” Tony Blair famously said after the London bombs. This seemed to signal a change in policy on human rights, from which Muslims – here and abroad – would be the most likely to suffer. But everyone can feel victimised and resentful. All religions attach importance to certain rituals and sanctity to certain religious persons. How far should the law go in protecting such religious beliefs and ultimately religious feelings, and how far in protecting free speech?

Sharp questions lead to sharp answers. In all our communities there is misinformation, ignorance and fear of what is little known. Occasional suspicion can easily deepen into distrust, which can lead to anxiety and antagonism; so ends all hope of understanding between communities and mutual appreciation.

Two organisations have come together to generate discussion with a quite different dynamic. The Temple Church in the heart of legal London and the Centre of Islamic and Middle East Law (CIMEL) at the School of Oriental and African Studies in the University of London are sponsoring a series of lecture-discussions on Islam in English law. The sponsors state that an important part of the series is the opportunity for people from different backgrounds to meet. “Please make the most of this opportunity, from this first evening, by introducing yourself to those sitting around you,” they say. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, launches the series this Thursday with a foundation lecture on civil and religious law in England

English law and Islamic law differ in principle and application. English law has been shaped in large part by the principles and history of Christian culture, but acknowledges no duty of obedience to any revelation, scripture or doctrine ascribed to God. In current practice, it attends closely to the rights and freedoms of the individual and protects them against curtailment from the state or from corporate power.

It is the prime duty of all Muslims to follow, as much as they are able, the traditions of Islamic law, which include the principles imparted by Allah to the Prophet Muhammad. Islamic law has tended to protect and strengthen the community in which, it is intended, the individual can then live a devout, good and ordered life.

The English court system aims to free litigants – and especially, vulnerable litigants – from the pressure that people powerful in a local community can bring to bear; Islamic councils draw strength from the insights that local and personal knowledge can offer.

English family law does not accept the validity of decisions of the many Islamic councils that have grown up; there is strong debate as to whether it should. Intolerant actions of militant Islamists have affected the debate on the exercise of human rights – an issue behind the question of the validity or morality at Guantanamo Bay.

At times the two systems have seemed in direct conflict. In 2001, the European Court of Human Rights in relation to the European Convention on Human Rights declared that Islamic law “clearly diverges from conventional values, particularly with regard to its criminal law and criminal procedure, its rules on the legal status of women and the way it intervenes in all spheres of private and public life in accordance with religious precepts”. The claim demands discussion. We too readily imagine two incompatible systems of law squared up for conflict. But it is a matter of genuine disagreement how wide or deep is the gulf between the two systems – and both are evolving.

The series on Islam in English law is not designed to reach clear, prescriptive answers to all the questions that its speakers will raise. It is meant to be a forum for the discovery, on all sides, of people, ideas and ideals that seem alien and threatening.

Last month, when Dr Williams spoke in the House of Lords on religious hatred and religious offence, he talked of an “argumentative democracy” in which public controversy should not be debased – or effectively silenced – by thoughtless and (even if unintentionally) cruel styles of speaking and acting.

The setting for the rest of the series is significant. The Temple Church was built in 1185 by the Knights Templar, who were vital in the Crusades to the viability of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. In past centuries it represented the gulf between Christendom and Islam; the sponsors are now using it to help to heal the divisions it was built to foster. They have just installed a window in the church to mark the anniversary, bearing the motto of James I: “Blessed are the peacemakers.” That is what the sponsors, through honesty and courtesy and without delusion, hope to be.

Adapted from The Times 5 February 2008, Ian Edge and Robin Griffiths-Jones

READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

Section A

Does the article suggest that Islamic and English law cannot be reconciled?

Section B

1) Find on page 1:

a) A word that means “a conflict” or “a difference that makes it difficult for people / things to work together”

b) A word that means “coming” or “threatening”

c) A phrase that means “there is a lot to be won or lost”

d) A word that means “angry and offended”

e) A word that means “personal histories and experiences”

f) A word that means “limitation”

g) A word meaning “a person involved in a lawsuit”

h) A word meaning “the clear understanding of things”

2) Find on page 2:

a) A phrasal verb meaning “face something directly”

b) A word meaning “cure” or “make better”

c) A word meaning “help grow or develop”

Section C

3) Find two differences between Islamic law and English law

4) Find three examples of Human Rights problems

The article suggests that it is difficult to reconcile English law and Islam, but not impossible

SECTION B:

1) Find on page 1:

a) A word that means “a conflict” or “a difference that makes it difficult for people / things to work together” = clash

b) A word that means “coming” or “threatening” = looming

c) A phrase that means “there is a lot to be won or lost” = there is much at stake

d) A word that means “angry and offended” = resentful

e) A word that means “personal histories and experiences” = backgrounds

f) A word that means “limitation” = curtailment

g) A word meaning “a person involved in a lawsuit” = litigant

h) A word meaning “the clear understanding of things” = insight

1) Find on page 2:

a) A phrasal verb meaning “face something directly” = square up

b) A word meaning “cure” or “make better” = heal

c) A word meaning “help grow or develop” = foster

SECTION C

1) Find two differences between Islamic law and English law

English law focuses on the rights of the individual; Islamic law focuses on the rights of the community. English law acknowledges no duty to god; Islam law incorporates the principles from Prophet Muhammad.

2) Find three examples of Human Rights problems

The treatment of women; Guantanamo Bay; the intervention of religion in public and private life.

1)

Little is known about St George, but it is believed his father, a soldier in the Roman army, was from Cappadocia, now in modern-day Turkey, and his mother from Lydda, now Israeli Lod. Like his father, George entered the military and swiftly rose through the ranks. His career, and life, was put to an end by the emperor Diocletian in April 23, AD 303 when he protested against the persecution of the Christians. He thus became an early Christian martyr. He was entombed in Palestine, where he had lived with his mother after his father’s death.

2)

Around 1,000 years after St George’s death, England, whose crusaders had heard the story of St George in the Holy Land, ditched Edward the Confessor for a new patron saint and, in 1415 (the anti-French year of the battle of Agincourt), made April 23 a national feast day. St George is also the patron saint of several other countries.

3)

George is not only seen as a defender of the Christian faith but he is also associated with the myth of a dragon slayer who rescued an innocent maiden from death and then gave his reward money to the poor.

4)

In England, there are many people who want to see St George’s Day made a national holiday marked with greater festivity. In Ireland, St Patrick’s Day is already a national holiday and is celebrated across the land.

SECTION A

Can you match these paragraph headings with the numbered paragraphs above?

a) The legend of St George

b) The history of St George

c) St George and England

d) Celebrations

SECTION B

Can you find words in the text which match these definitions?

1) a person who serves in an army

2) the cruel or unfair treatment of people because of their race, or religious or political beliefs

3) a person who is killed or who suffers greatly for a religion or cause

4) a saint who is believed to protect a particular place

5) a person who kills someone or something

6) celebration and enjoyment

SECTION C

Do you think St George’s Day should be a national holiday in England?

What do you think people should do on St George’s Day?

ANSWERS TO SECTION A:

1) b

2) c

3) a

4) d

ANSWERS TO SECTION B:

1) soldier

2) persecution

3) martyr

4) patron saint

5) slayer

6) festivities

Text modified from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George#England) BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/george_st.shtml) and The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2004/apr/23/netnotes.simonjeffery).

]]> http://www.culturedlearning.com/blog/article/st-georges-day-reading-and-quiz.htm/feed http://www.culturedlearning.com/blog/article/answers-to-dutch-questions.htm http://www.culturedlearning.com/blog/article/answers-to-dutch-questions.htm#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:25:08 +0000 sona http://www.culturedlearning.com/blog/?p=63 Hello everyone

We hope you had a beautiful sunny weekend.

Here are the answers to the “Dutch” questions.

To go Dutch = to share the cost of a meal between two people

If something is all double dutch = it doesn’ t make any sense

Dutch courage = to drink alcohol to make you braver!

Bye, see you again soon for our next “Improve your English” worksheet.

Why not go to the Holland House festival in Trafalgar Square to celebrate the Dutch Queen Mum’s Birthday?  There you can chat to people and practise your conversation skills, watch or take part in some of the fun activities, listen to live music and sample some Dutch delicacies.  Better still, there’s no entrance fee, so what are you waiting for?

http://www.holland.com/uk/hollandhouse2009/hollandhouse2009.jsp

Vocabulary

Chat - to talk to someone informally.

Take part in - to participate / join in doing an activity.

Live music - bands / groups of musicians performing on stage (not recorded on a CD for example)

Sample… delicacies - to taste the lovely traditional food.

Entrance fee - price to enter / participate in an event.

Homework

Try and find out what these three Dutch idioms mean

1. To go Dutch
2. It’s all double Dutch
3. Dutch courage

Have fun!