Ship in ice
Tourists and scientists went on an expedition to the Antarctic at the end of November. They wanted to commemorate the 100th anniversary of a similar journey, but the ship with fifty-two people on board got stuck in ice.
They were stuck in the ice for more than a week. They spent Christmas and New Year in the Antarctic, but were eventually rescued. It took days for the rescue workers to get to the ship because of the ten-foot-thick ice, strong wind and heavy snow.
The people on board the ship have posted a special video of themselves. In it, they welcome the New Year with a song that they composed.
Difficult words: commemorate (to do something to show that you remember and respect someone important or an important event in the past), anniversary (date on which something special happened in a previous year), eventually (in the end), compose (write a song).
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher, the 7-time Formula One World Champion, had a skiing accident in the French Alps. He is fighting for his life now.
His condition is not getting worse, but it is still critical. He is not yet out of danger. Schumacher’s doctors removed a haematoma which was in his brain. The intra-cranial pressure was reduced. Doctors scanned his brain afterwards. It showed signs of slight improvement.
Michael Schumacher is a great family man, and he’s always loved to do exciting and dangerous things. It is sad to hear that something like this happened to him. He has been through so much and survived so much.
Difficult words: haematoma (piece of solid blood), cranial (relating to the cranium/skull), slight (little).
Farmers in Yemen
Seventy-five per cent of people of Yemen rely on farming. If something goes wrong, they have nothing to eat and they suffer.
Well, something has gone very wrong. Heavy rainfall has wet the deserts and created the perfect environment for locusts. A locust is an insect which flies in large groups and eats the crops. Because of the rain, there are too many locusts. They destroy all the crops and there is not much that can be done about it.
It is possible farmers may not harvest any crops this year. If the government and the international community don’t help, some people will probably die of hunger.
Difficult words: insect (small animal with six legs), crop (plant grown and used as food), harvest (gather crops).
Girl is free again
A member of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot has been freed early from prison.
However, she doesn’t seem to be very happy about it. She says that she had no choice and had to leave the prison. The girl says that she is free because it is publicity for the President Vladimir Putin. The 25-year-old would now like to meet human rights activists and engage in human rights activity.
The rebellious girl was arrested along with two other members of the band. They were convicted of vandalism because they performed a protest song in a church. The song criticised the Russian President.
Difficult words: engage in (be part of), PR stunt (event planned to draw public’s attention), convict (to officially say that somebody is guilty).
Brave passengers on a bus
A shocking video emerged. At first, it shows passengers on a typical bus journey in Seattle.
But then an armed robber starts making threats and points his gun in a man’s face. The brave man suddenly wrestles the criminal to the ground.
Some passengers leave the crime scene as fast as they can, but others help the hero and hold the criminal down until the police arrive.
Difficult words: armed (carrying a weapon), robber (someone who steals), threat (to tell someone to do something or you will hurt them).
Two fishermen have a problem
Two Australian fishermen had to leave their ship as it began to sink. They made a Mayday call and held onto a large cooler for 15 hours.
Emergency services and locals started to search for them. The locals spotted the upturned boat 13 kilometres from the coast.
Both exhausted men were lifted up to safety by a helicopter and taken to a local hospital.
Difficult words: Mayday (emergency), cooler (box which keeps food cold), spot (notice), exhausted (extremely tired).
Two angry men in Italy
A security camera video has been released. It shows two men on a scooter who stop in front of a shop and begin to shoot.
The two men shot eleven bullets at their victims. One of the victims hid in the shop and the other one ran away. When the two criminals finished shooting, they went after the man who ran away.
The video is almost two years old. Police took their time, but they have now charged the two men with attempted murder. It is thought that one of the victims owed one of the attackers a few thousand Euros. This may be the motive behind the attack.
Difficult words: victim (somebody who’s been attacked), attempt (try), owe (have to give somebody their money back), the motive behind (the reason for) .
Plane lands on a highway
A small plane was taking two women on a Statue of Liberty tour when some problems with the engine occurred.
The plane was forced to make an emergency landing on a busy New York expressway. Workers who were at the expressway stopped traffic and cleared the road for the plane to land. The pilot and the women are now in hospital.
The New York mayor said it was a miracle nobody was seriously hurt or killed.
Difficult words: occur (happen), force (make somebody do something), expressway (city highway).
Niagara Falls in winter
The extreme weather in North America and Canada provided plenty of photographic opportunities.
Some visited Niagara Falls when it was -19°C to take pictures. Parts of Niagara Falls are frozen and have become a winter wonderland, so for people freezing there for some time, it must be worth it. Some water turns to ice before it reaches the bottom which creates an ice jam and subsequent flooding on two islands.
The US and Canada have been suffering from a polar vortex which brought freezing air and Arctic temperatures. The temperatures are expected to rise this week. The cold could switch to a relative form of 12°C.
Difficult words: ice jam (a lot of ice), subsequent (following), vortex (wind which spins quickly).
Floods in Britain
Most people are not happy to see that large parts of Britain are flooded. Three extreme sports lovers, however, are still able to have fun.
They originally wanted to go kiteboarding in a flooded park, but there was not enough wind. They went surfing instead.
They used a long rope and a four-wheel drive car to surf through the roads of southern England. A remote-controlled drone with a camera recorded their unusual activity.
Difficult words: flood (cover with water), kiteboarding (to surf with a kite attached to the surfboard), four-wheel drive (car with four moving wheels), drone (pilotless aircraft).