Hole takes cars
Security camera footage captured a shocking moment. A sinkhole swallowed eight rare cars at a museum in Kentucky, USA.
The incident happened last Wednesday. Luckily, nobody was injured. The sinkhole was around 12 metres wide and around 9 metres deep.
Part of the museum where the sinkhole is will be closed to the public. Officials will investigate the incident.
Difficult words: footage (video), swallow (to make something go down), public (people who come to visit), official (somebody who is in a position of authority).
Two men fall down
Two daredevils in Spain tried to walk between two hot air balloons 10,000 feet (3,048 metres) up in the air.
They tried but did not succeed and fell down. But don’t worry, they had parachutes. A filmmaker filmed the attempt and put it on the Internet. The video is very popular.
The daredevils are part of a group of extreme athletes. They slackline in dangerous situations and film themselves.
The two men said that they want to try this again when the weather is calm.
Difficult words: daredevil (person who like doing dangerous things), attempt (act of trying something difficult), extreme athlete (person who does a dangerous or exciting sport), slackline (walk on a special rope).
Man and fire
A man in England wanted to destroy somebody’s van by burning it. He squirted flammable liquid on it and set it on fire, as well as himself!
The man then ran down the street with his arm on fire and drove off. A security camera filmed the incident.
Fortunately, no one was hurt in the attack, which took place on February 5th. However, the front door and windows of a nearby house were damaged. Police are still looking for this man.
Difficult words: squirt (spray), flammable (it burns very easily), drive off (drive away).
A lot of snow in Japan
The worst snow storm in decades has swept across Japan. Thirteen people were killed and more than 1,500 injured.
Thirteen inches (33 centimetres) of snow fell on one area, which was partly devastated by the tsunami in 2011. This is the heaviest fall in Japan in 78 years.
Some people couldn’t get to work. A lot of flights were cancelled or delayed. Getting to the centre of Tokyo wasn’t easy, either. More than 20,000 homes were left without electricity after strong winds took down power lines. Luckily, a thaw is expected soon.
Difficult words: sweep (move with a lot of force), devastate (destroy), thaw (period of warmer weather during which snow melts).
Driver on the wrong side
An unbelievable video emerged. It was filmed on a motorway near Cambridge.
It shows a car which is going the wrong way around 50 miles per hour (80 kilometres per hour). Other drivers had to move away to avoid an accident.
You can hear two men talking in the video. One of them simply cannot believe it.
Police stopped the driver in the end, and confirmed the incident to news organisations. The driver’s license will be revoked.
Difficult words: confirm (say that something is true), revoke (officially cancel).
Statue cries
A statue of the Virgin Mary has been getting a lot of attention recently. It stands in a woman’s living room, and she says that she has seen a miracle.
She saw oily tears going down the statue’s face. The woman told her husband. He only smiled and didn’t believe her at first, but then he saw oil on the statue’s face and he believed.
For the past week, many Christians have come to see the statue. Many of them travelled for hours by cars or buses to get a blessing. Everything, however, might not be as it seems. This may be a hoax. The woman has said that her son checked the statue and found out that it is filled with oil.
Difficult words: miracle (something unusual and believed to be caused by God), at first (at the beginning), blessing (God’s help and protection), hoax (something which people believe but it is a fake).
Windsurfers like a storm
Severe weather in England, which is keeping most people indoors, has its fans. They are some of the world’s best windsurfers.
They competed in the final round of the Red Bull Storm Chase, which can only take place in stormy conditions. The ten daredevils battled winds of up to 80 miles an hour (129 kilometres per hour).
A Frenchman won. He was very happy that he could show what he can do, and he called the weather crazy. A man from Brazil was second and a German was third.
Difficult words: severe (very bad and extreme), daredevil (somebody who likes doing dangerous things), battle (fight with).
Strange statue in snow
There is a new piece of artwork at a college in Massachusetts. It is a very realistic statue of a man who is wearing only his underwear. Its name is “Sleepwalker” and it’s outside in the snow.
Some people like it. Others don’t mind it or they think it’s funny, but one student started an online petition to remove it. The statue has been called inappropriate and uncomfortable. It is a part of a new exhibition.
There is a lot of discussion as the man is in the snow. Some cars which were driving by started to slow down suddenly, as the drivers wanted to have a better look at the strange statue.
Difficult words: petition (written request signed by a lot of people), inappropriate (unsuitable or rude), exhibition (show of paintings or statues that people can go to see).
Wave and policemen
Storms continue to batter English coasts, but some people enjoy the extreme weather.
Passersby, prams and even policemen watched how the waves crashed over sea walls. Some people got too close to the sea and they got wet.
An area on an English island has been flooded recently. The army was called to start clearing that area.
Difficult words: batter (hit again and again), passerby (somebody who’s walking past something), pram (baby’s bed which can move).