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Dare to Shine

The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup is being held in France between 7 June and 7 July 2019. Alex Scott. is an English former footballer and has played for the English national team 140 times. She has a message for the World Cup players.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• national team - team that represents a country
• football cage - a space surrounded by wire on all sides where you can play football
• escape - something that helps you to forget about your usual life or problems
• to doubt someone - to have a feeling that someone cannot do something well or succeed at something
• to prove someone wrong - to show by your actions that someone's judgment of you was not correct
• determination - the ability to continue trying to do something that is very difficult
• on the cusp of something - at the point when something is about to change to something else
• to shine - to be very good or successful at an activity
• to take the spotlight - to do things that make people pay more attention to you

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Where did Alex start playing football?


2. Did everyone always believe that Alex could be great at football?


3. What was Alex’ determination to keep going and not give up?


4. According to Alex, what is happening with women’s football now?


5. What is Alex’ advice to the girls playing in the World Cup?

Really Ticked

Now that the warmer weather is here, we’re a lot more active outside. We are not the only animals enjoying the outdoors. Meet the tick:


Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• prime time - a good time for doing something or being somewhere
• undergrowth - plants, bushes, and small trees growing under larger trees in a forest
• nasty diseases - bad sicknesses
• insect repellent - something like a lotion or spray that is used to keep insects away
• DEET - a chemical that is used to keep insects away from people and animals
• flu-like symptoms - symptoms that are similar to when you have the flu (like fever, weakness, body aches, and breathing problems)
• rash - a group of red spots on the skin that is caused by an illness or a reaction to something
• GP - family docter (GP is short for general practitioner)

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Where in nature are most ticks found?


2. What do ticks eat?


3. Name three things you can do to fight ticks.


4. What should you do when a tick bites you?

Cruising Away?

Last week, Venice saw an incident with a cruise ship.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• a Hollywood production - a typical Hollywood film
• residents - people who live in a particular place
• storey - a floor level of a building
• quayside - the edge of a quay (kade), near the water
• oblivious to the potential danger - not aware of the possible danger
• dockside - the area along a shore next to a dock (dok)
• tugboat- a small, powerful boat that is used for pulling and pushing ships into harbors or up rivers
• turning point - the time when a situation starts changing in an important way

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What exactly happened with the cruise ship?
   Tell in your own words. Or write a short report about the incident.


2. How many passengers were there aboard the cruise ship?


3. Did all the people on land immediately realize what was happening?


4. Were any buildings in Venice damaged during the incident?


5. Name two or more reasons why people in Venice are protesting against cruise ships.

Extra speaking assignment
Is a ban on cruise ships in cities like Venice a good idea?
1. Split the class in two.
2. One side thinks of arguments for a ban, the other against a ban.
3. Have a class discussion.

Mount Everest

Mount Everest has been in the news a lot recently.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• to hit headlines - to appear as a big news story
• fierce - very powerful
• lack - the state or condition of not having any or enough of something
• oxygen - zuurstof
• a record number of people - the highest number of people ever
• summit - the top of a mountain
• crowded - filled with too many people or things
• delays - situations in which you have to wait longer than normally or expected
• experience - skill or knowledge that you get by doing something
• requirements - things that are needed or necessary

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Why is Mount Everest in the news?


2. Is Mount Everest the tallest mountain in the world?


3. Name three things that make climbing Mount Everest dangerous.


4. Why is it getting crowded on Mount Everest?


5. What could be done to make climbing Mount Everest safer?

Every Little Thing Counts

From global warming to endangered animals, the future of our planet is at risk. We can all do more to protect our environment. But many of us don't know where to begin. There is a plan for just those people.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• endangered - used to describe a type of animal or plant that has become very rare and that could die out completely
• living legend - a famous or important person who is known for doing something extremely well and is still alive
• cultivated fields - fields that are prepared and used for growing plants
• plight - a very bad or difficult situation
• roots - the parts of plants that grow underground
• shoots - the parts of new plants that are just beginning to grow above the ground
• to make an impact - to have a powerful or big effect

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What inspired Dr. Jane Goodall to go to Africa?


2. How does Roots & Shoots work?


3. Why did Dr. Jane Goodall found Roots & Shoots?


4. Name the three areas on which Roots & Shoots projects focus.


5. Go to the Roots & Shoots website to find out if the programme is currently active in your area.

Up in the Air

Summer vacation is coming up. Good times for airline companies.
Travelling by plane has never been more popular. But flying contributes to climate change.
Now what?

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• a significant number - very many; so many that it really makes a difference
• carbon footprint - a measurement of the amount of carbon dioxide that your activities produce
• fuel - a material (such as coal, oil, or gas) that is burned to produce heat or power
• via another airport - by departing from another airport
• to offset - to cancel or reduce the effect of something
• online calculators - websites that do the math for you
• to tackle a problem - to deal with a problem
• to reduce the impact of flying - to make the (negative) effect of flying smaller

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. When you think of flying, what is the best thing you can do to help our climate?


2. Laura Foster explains what you can do to reduce the carbon footprint of your flight.
   How many things does she name?


3. Name three or more of these things you could do yourself.


4. How does “Offset your flight” work?


5. Do all these things really reduce the impact of flying on climate change?

The Thing About Biodiversity

Hundreds of thousands of different species of animals and plants are facing extinction. The United Nations says that this is all because of human activity: all sorts of things we humans are doing.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• biodiversity - the existence of many different kinds of plants and animals in a particular area or in the world generally
• variety of all life - all the many different sorts of life on earth
• immense - very large
• secure - safe
• towering forests - forest with very tall trees
• pollinator - something, such as an insect, that carries pollen from one plant or part of a plant to another
• to keep in supply - to store something; to make sure there is enough of something
• coral reefs - larger areas of coral that can be found in warmer parts of the ocean
• mangrove swamps - an area of very wet, soft land where mangroves (tropical trees) grow
• to drop - to go down in number, to become less
• catastrophic - as bad as a big catastrophe or disaster

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Complete the statement: The more biodiversity the more .......


2. Why do we humans need forests?


3. Why do we humans need pollinators, soil organisms and plankton?


4. Why do we humans need strange plants deep in jungles?


5. What is happening with biodiversity? It is:
   a. dropping,
   b. increasing,
   c. staying the same everywhere.

Buzz Buzz Buzz!

It is an early, warm spring. You may have already spotted some bees. Bees can be found in many different countries.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• massive - very large in number or size
• (bee) combs - a group of wax cells with six sides that are built by bees; the bees keep young bees or honey in these cells
• hornet - a very large wasp
• to be under attack - to be attacked
• predator - an animal that lives by killing and eating other animals
• to intercept - to stop and take something that is going from one place to another place before that thing gets there
• foraging - searching for food
• to strike - to attack suddenly

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Fill in the missing number:
   Each of these massive combs can contain ........... wild bees.


2. Can hornets catch the bees easily?


3. How many bees are on the cliff in the video clip?

Watch an extra video about these bees here.

The Blue Bandit

Wiebe Wakker went for a ride in his car. His car is called the Blue Bandit. It is a special car and it was a special ride.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• epic journey - very impressive trip
• a bandit - a gangster
• online donations - money people give through a website
• to plot your course - to plan your route or journey in detail
• to prove someone wrong - to do something in order to show that someone had an incorrect idea or opinion
• prejudices - unfair or unreasonable opinion about something or someone
• reliable - good, to be trusted
• insane - very foolish, sort of crazy
• inspire - to make someone want to do something

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.



(B1) Answer the questions.

1. Where did Wiebe’s journey begin and end? 
2. Is Wiebe's Blue Bandit a regular car? Explain your answer. 
3. Where did Wiebe get the money to make his trip?
4. What was Wiebe’s goal with his trip?

(A2) Fill in the numbers:

1. Wiebe Wakker and his Blue Bandit drove ................. days.
2. Wiebe Wakker drove through ................. countries.
3. Wiebe Wakker drove nearly ................. kilometers.
4. Wiebe Wakker’s journey started in March .................
5. The Blue Bandit is one of only ................. of such electric cars ever made.

Dumbo

Have you seen the new Dumbo movie yet? Disney has just released a remake. In the film, Danny DeVito plays Max Medici, the owner of a circus.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• in captivity - not free; kept in a cage or something similar
• to run away - to leave your home suddenly without permission and go somewhere else to live
• doing voice-overs - speaking words in a movie or television programme without being seen
• gruff - rough or rather unfriendly or very serious
• to survive - to continue to exist
• similar to - almost the same as someone or something else
• he has a big heart - he is very generous and kind
• emotions - feelings
• xenophobia - fear of strangers or foreigners
• to embrace - to accept and support someone and believe in them
• confidence - the feeling that you can do something well or succeed at something

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. According to Danny DeVito, where do animals belong?


2. Danny says: “In Dumbo, we have people from all over the world.”
   Name three or more countries where these people come from.


3. In what way is Max Medici different from the characters DeVito usually plays?


4. When people look at Dumbo, what do they feel or do?


5. One of the messages that you get out of the movie is that you have to embrace people for who they are.
   Explain what this means.

Brexit, Again...

What is going on in London?

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• to reject - to refuse to accept
• in deadlock - in a situation in which nothing happens because all sides cannot come to an agreement
• to stick to your guns - to continue to have a particular opinion, plan, etc., even when other people criticize you and say that you are wrong
• perilously close - dangerously close
• extension - extra time allowed for doing something
• to extend - to make something longer or greater

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Fill in the missing words:
   Brexit means ..... and we’re going to make a ..... of it.
   We will leave the EU on the ....


2. Did things go exactly as planned?


3. What did Theresa May write in her letter to Donald Tusk?

Super Bloom

Spring is a time when we can see nature’s amazing powers with our own eyes.
Just check out these recent sights in California.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• drought - a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain
• to celebrate - to do something special or enjoyable for an important event
• consumed by drought - destroyed by a long period of no rain
• to prove - to show that something is true
• awash with wildflowers - covered with many, many flowers
• poppies - plants with bright red or orange flowers
• to appreciate - to understand the worth or importance of something
• pathetic - very bad, almost stupid
• vast desert - large area of very dry land
• scorching - very hot

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What is a “super bloom”? Also explain what makes it happen.


2. What does this super bloom prove according to park ranger Dennis Stephen?


3. Some people like to get very close to the flowers. Is this okay? Explain your answer.


4. Is this year's super bloom in California popular?


5. How long does the super bloom last?

March News

What’s up in the world this month?

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• to propose - to suggest something like a plan or an idea to others
• planes grounded - Airplanes that are “grounded” are prevented from flying.
• to smash records - to break existing records with far better performances or achievements
• pristine - not changed by people; left in its natural state
• samples - small amounts of something that give information about the thing it was taken from
• to accumulate - to become more gradually as time passes
• soil - the top layer of earth in which plants grow
• species - a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.



For A2 listeners
Watch the video until 1:28.
Answer the first three questions.

1. How old is the World Wide Web this month?
2. When did the first website in the world go online?
3. How many websites are there today?

For B1 listeners
Watch the video until 3:45.
Answer all six questions.

4. Which information can be found on a black box?
5. How many million dollars has the Captain Marvel film made already? 
6. Which materials does Phoebe, the penguin researcher, analyse for her research?

Wolves

Wolves were gone from the Netherlands. But they are back. Between November last year and January this year at least four wolves were spotted.
In the United States wolves also almost became extinct (uitgestorven). This has changed.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• predator - an animal that lives by killing and eating other animals
• a howl - a long, sad sound
• northern hemisphere - northern half of the earth
• canines - dogs
• wolf pack - a group of wolves, that live and hunt together
• cohesive units - closely united groups
• hierarchy - system in which all elements (people, animals, or things) are arranged according to their importance
• to show your affection - to show that you like someone or something
• exterminated - killed

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. How many species of wolves are there?


2. Which species of wolves can be found in both the U.S. and the Netherlands?


3. How many wolves generally form a wolf pack?


4. “Each wolves howl is unique.” Explain what this means. Use examples from the video.


5. Name at least 2 reasons why wolves almost became extinct in the U.S.