2020-05-12
3821 Does it ever snow in Brazil? During winter and sometimes even autumn and spring it snows in some cities of southern Brazil. There are several cities _______ KNOW ________ for their snow, like Urupema and Urubici.
These cities ________ BE _________ all in high areas, but even places at sea level can have snow, although in small amounts and not every year.
Brazil _____ THINK _______ to be a “tropical paradise” which is very wrong. Foreigners who travel to southern Brazil during autumn or winter in search for some heat and beaches are often disappointed.
2 The largest snowfall in decades This week’s snowfall in Brazil is one of the largest in decades. As snow on the ground is not a very common landscape in a so-called tropical country, everybody ________ FEEL __________ excited when they saw streets in snow.
In the cities by the sea people are used to spending the summer sun bathing. They _________ SURPRISE _________ very much when they saw snow covering the city.
It ________ NOT BE __________ long before social media became loaded with pictures of white fields and roads, and snowmen.
3 Difficult landing One airline had a policy that required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited. He smiled and thanked them for ________ FLY __________ the airline.
A pilot on this airline landed his plane into the runway really hard. He thought that passengers ________ HAVE __________ angry comments.
However, it seemed that all of _________ THEY _________ were too shocked to say anything. Finally, everyone got off except for a little old lady. She said, ‘Can I ask you a question?’ ‘Yes, Madam,’ said the pilot. ‘What was it?’ the lady asked, ‘Did we land or were we shot down?’
4 The North Pole has melted again Two weeks of warm weather in the high Arctic have caused a lake to begin forming. To be clear, the water _________ SURROUND _________ the pole is not sea water from the ocean.
It is _________ MELT _________ ice water resting on a layer of ice below. “It’s a shallow lake. It’s a cold lake. But it is, actually, a lake,” writes William Wolfe of Canada.com.
That lake started to form on July 13 during a month of abnormally warm weather – temperatures were 1-3 degrees Celsius higher than average in the Arctic Ocean this month. In addition, the weather is likely to get _________ BAD _________ over the coming week. An Arctic cyclone will bring strong winds and rain
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5 Russian inventions: holography Do you know what holography is? It is a technique ________ BASE __________ on lasers, which enable 3-D (three-dimensional) images to be made.
In 1962, Soviet physicist Yuri Denisyuk ________ COME __________ up with the first reflection hologram also known as the “Denisyuk hologram”.
Now the technology ________ USE __________ in most holographic displays and it was the first to allow multi-color image reproduction in holograms.
6 Who invented spaghetti, the Italians or the Chinese? When you think of agriculture in China, you probably think of rice. However, China is the largest wheat producer in Asia, and the ________ THREE __________ largest producer overall, ________ ACCOUNT __________ for about 10 percent of the world’s wheat crop.
What do the Chinese make from their wheat? Among other things, they make spaghetti! The Chinese _________ MAKE _________ noodles from wheat and other grains for longer than the Italians.
7 Why do the Chinese call the Yellow River in China “China’s Sorrow”? The Huang He, or Yellow River, in China is called “China’s Sorrow” by the Chinese themselves. Since long ago, flooding _________ BE _________ a serious problem.
The ________ BAD __________, most sorrowful flood on record happened in 1931.
The waters began to rise in July, and by November of that year, more than 40,000 square miles had been flooded, _________ LEAVE _________ 80 million people homeless.
8 He didn’t need advice Once Mozart was approached by a young man, who was interested in Mozart’s advice on how to compose a symphony. Since he was still very young, Mozart recommended that he should start by ________ WRITE __________ ballads.
_________ SURPRISE _________, the young man responded, “But you wrote symphonies when you were only ten years old.”
“But I _________ NOT HAVE _________ to ask,” countered Mozart.
9 Global warming In northern Québec and Labrador, temperatures ________ RISE __________ two degrees Celsius since the mid-1990s. That rise has helped more trees grow in the area which was previously too cold for trees.
And the more trees that grow, the ________ WARM __________ the region becomes.
“The cold landscape that we are accustomed to in northern Canada _________ BE _________ a thing of the past soon,” specialists predict.
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10 Kite fighting Have you ever heard of kite fighting? Kite fighting is a highly competitive sport traditionally ________ PLAY __________ in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Thailand, and South America.
Each player hopes to get his or her kite to fly _________ HIGH _________. The players try to cut their opponents’ kite strings with sharp objects imbedded in their kites.
________ START __________ in the late 1990s, kite fighting gained popularity in the USA and is now practiced throughout the country, with an annual championship competition held in Washington state.
11 Education for everyone Thomas Jefferson made a considerable contribution to the development of education. He hoped that one day all young people on our planet ________ HAVE __________ the right to education.
Today, his dream _________ COME _________ true. At the global level, the United Nations recognises the right of everyone to education.
Although education is compulsory in most places, school attendance is optional, therefore some parents choose home-schooling for their _______ CHILD
12 Traffic lights Have you ever wondered about the origin of the green, yellow, and red colour scheme for traffic lights? In 1920, in Detroit, the USA, a policeman ________ NAME __________ William L. Potts invented the four-way, three-colour traffic signal.
It ________ BASE __________ on the colours used in the railroad system.
Thus, Detroit ________ BECOME __________the first city to use the red, green, and yellow lights to control road traffic.
13 The Beatles The Beatles were one of the most successful pop-music groups of the 1960s. Also ________ CALL __________ the Fab Four, this quartet of British musicians created songs and recordings that many people still enjoy.
The group _______ BEGIN ___________ in the working-class neighbourhoods of Liverpool.
The Beatles’ first _______ RECORD ___________ song was ‘Love Me Do’ (1962).
14 The Sydney Opera House For many years there was no good opera house in Australia. In 1954, Jorn Utzon from Denmark _____ WIN ________ a competition organized by the Australian government to build an opera house. The construction lasted for fourteen years until 1973. Since then, the building _____ BECOME ________ the symbol of Australia. The best way to visit the Sydney Opera House is to see a show. In sunny weather visitors can take a picnic basket and enjoy _______ WALK _________ around the Botanic Gardens near the Opera House.
15 The name of Alaska The name Alaska comes from the Aleut word a laxsxaq, ______ MEAN ______ “object toward which the action of the sea is directed” – that is, the mainland. It is also known as Alyeska, the “great land”, an Aleut word ____ FORM ________ from the same root. Its nicknames are the Land of the Midnight Sun and America’s Last Frontier. Its first nicknames were “Seward’s folly” and “Seward’s icebox” to laugh at the secretary of state who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia, which _____ CONSIDER _______ foolish at the time.
16 The Irish celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Last week people all over Ireland celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day in the traditional way. Dublin ___ DECORATE ____ with flags and bunting. Sprigs of shamrock ___ SELL __ everywhere. In many countries of the world, the Irish held parades, pageants, sports and drama festivals. Saint Patrick, who ___ BRING ___ Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, is the country’s patron saint. For centuries, his day ____ BE _____ a day of cele bration in Ireland.
17 A kind man A truck driver was driving 100 penguins to the New York Zoo when his truck broke down on the freeway. The driver got out of the cab. He ____ LOOK ____ at the engine when another truck stopped in front of him. The second truck driver asked if his colleague ___ NEED ____ any help. The penguins’ driver explained that he was taking the penguins to the zoo and asked if the other man ____ TAKE ____ the penguins there. He agreed. Some hours later, the second truck driver drove past the first one, who was still waiting on the freeway for help to come. The penguins, however, ____ BE ____ still on the truck! “I thought I asked you to take those penguins to the zoo,” shouted the first driver. The second replied, “I did, but I had some money left, so we’re going to the cinema now.”
18 No man without a secret Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, enjoyed practical jokes. He is said to have once sent a telegram to twelve of ____ HE ____ friends, all people of great significance and power. The telegram said: “Flee at once, the secret ___ DISCOVER ___.” Within 24 hours all twelve ___ LEAVE __ the country.
19 Elizabeth II becomes longest-reigning U.K. monarch On September 9, 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Her tenure of 63 years 7 months plus surpassed that of the famous Queen Victoria. In some respects Elizabeth ____ MAKE ____ the monarchy less formal and remote. She sent her ____ CHILD ____, 3 boys and a girl, to school, ending the practice of royal sons and daughters being educated at home by private tutors. She also allowed television cameras limited access to her palaces and, through them, provided to the general public glimpses of her daily life and leisure interests, the ___ PROMINENT ___ of which was horse racing.
