Girl has a problem
A little Chinese girl had her head caught between two railings. She was freed with ease and escaped unharmed.
There has been a lot of news about Chinese children who got stuck. Chinese children, take care! Don’t get inside washing machines, in between walls or fall in wells!
Difficult words: railings (wall with poles along stairs or on the side of a balcony), with ease (easily), unharmed (not hurt).
Alligator in a shop
A man tried to swap an alligator for a pack of beers at a shop in Florida.
The alligator was tied and the man was holding it, but the store’s owner was concerned that the alligator could get loose and hurt someone. The owner was scared because he had never seen this kind of animal in the store before. The owner told the man to leave but the man wouldn’t.
Soon, the police arrived and arrested the man. The alligator was not hurt in the incident and was later released back into the wild.
Difficult words: swap (to trade something for something else), concern (worry), loose (free), incident (event).
Robot and man in space
People released a video. It shows a small Japanese robot and a man at a space station.
The robot has been at the space station since August 10th. It has been conducting experiments there. It is controlled remotely from Earth.
The man arrived at the space station on November 7th. When they met, the robot said that it was happy to see the man. Then the pair discussed zero gravity and the robot said he was already used to it.
With Christmas approaching, the two are also looking forward to a visit from Santa. The robot wishes for a toy rocket.
Difficult words: conduct (organise and do), remotely (from far away), approach (come).
Very high walk
Two Frenchmen walked a line strung between two cable cars in the French Alps.
The line itself was 60 metres long but only 2.5 centimetres wide. It was strung 380 metres above the ground. The two men crossed it with nothing but a small rope which was attached to a harness.
The men were good, but even they were afraid of heights. The difference between them and most people was that they like to play with heights. They like to face the heights by being on the high-line or by jumping.
The entire stunt was organised to celebrate a ski resort.
Difficult words: string (to hang in the air), harness (set of bands used to stop somebody from falling), stunt (dangerous action).
Tradition in Barcelona
Christmas arrived in Barcelona and a strange Catalan tradition of the “caganer” or “pooper” with it.
A caganer is a figurine. It traditionally shows a peasant in a white blouse who is bending over and going to the toilet. The figurines are often placed under bridges or in the nativity scene.
In recent years, caganers of famous characters and celebrities have become popular. One American in Barcelona liked the tradition very much and said that it should be brought to America. We’ll see if it catches on.
Difficult words: peasant (poor farmer), nativity scene (model of the baby Jesus and his parents in the place where he was born), catch on (become popular).
Young seals on a beach
Hundreds of young seals were left alone after last week’s storm surge which hit the east coast of England.
Luckily for the pups, a wildlife center is here to help. The center has taken in around 100 young seals. It has never had so many seals. The pups are fed every four hours. It is something to be done every day for the next five months. When the seals are fit enough to look after themselves, they will be able to swim freely in the ocean again.
The center needs people’s donations to pay for the pups. People can also sponsor a seal which is an even nicer way of supporting the center.
Difficult words: storm surge (rising of the sea as a result of a storm), pup (young seal).
Sign language interpreter
There was a sign language interpreter during Nelson Mandela’s memorial. The man was called a fake by the deaf community. Why?
The man wasn’t using sign language. He had his own signs and was only moving his hands. It looked as if he was trying to swat flies away from his face.
The Deaf Federation of South Africa says it is a real embarrassment. Nelson Mandela supported the deaf community. To do this during his memorial is a complete disrespect.
Nobody knows the man, neither professional interpreters nor organizations. The government has not made an official comment yet.
Difficult words: deaf (somebody who is deaf can’t hear anything), swat (hit an insect to kill it), embarrassment (something that makes you look bad and stupid).
Car jumping
This year’s, Britain’s car jumping championship took place in southern England. That was definitely something to watch!
The car drivers had to go fast over a ramp and fly over a line of eighteen old wrecks. They had to land safely on the opposite side. The farther and higher you jumped, the better. Reception from the crowd was of course very important.
Most people didn’t make it to the opposite side, but one young man managed to swerve during his take-off and he landed safely. His car was not even damaged much. He didn’t win any money, but he sure will be admired.
Difficult words: wrecks (broken cars), reception (how much people like it), swerve (suddenly change direction), take-off (time when something goes up).
Explosion in Russia
A female bomber detonated her explosives at the Volgograd station in Russia. At least 13 people died.
This is the second deadly attack in just three days. It is also the deadliest attack in Russia since January 2011, when 37 people were killed at a Moscow airport.
Volgograd lies about 430 miles (690 kilometres) of Sochi where the Winter Olympics will take place in six weeks. The Russian President ordered agencies to do everything to keep the country safe.
Difficult words: detonate (to explode), take place (happen), agency (government’s organisation that does a specific job).
Circles in California
One Californian farmer woke up to find out that there were circles in his green field.
Two friends reported the circles. They also said that they had seen two bursts of light on Sunday morning.
Those who came to look were not allowed close enough. Security guards prevented people from touring the fields.
How did the circles get there? Is it the work of some kids or something else? We’ll let you decide.
Difficult words: find out (discover), burst (flash), prevent (stop somebody from doing something).