Phil is no ordinary weather forecaster. This friendly groundhog from Punxsutawney, Philadelphia, has been responsible for predicting the end of the winter in the US for the past 123 years. Today, Phil once again came out of his hole to announce that he has seen his own shadow, which means people can expect six more weeks of harsh winter in the northern hemisphere. Read all about the world's most famous groundhog clicking here.
The Brazilian Supreme Court has given scientists the green light to carry out stem-cell research using frozen embryos. Read all about it in this New York Times article. Until fairly recently, the Brazilian cachaça used to be the drink that local people would order in bars when they couldn't afford any other kind of drink. Not any more. Aged cachaças produced in small scale are now a sophisticated product and distillers all over the country are exporting them to Europe and the U.S.. The states of Minas Gerais and Pernambuco have owned the reputation of making the best cachaça in the country but you can find thousands of different brands - many of excellent quality - anywhere you go.
by Flávia J.
The 'Comida di Buteco' is back. The 9th edition of the famous gastronomic festival begins next Friday, 11th April, with 41 bars from different parts of the city participating. Like it happened in other years, bars are judged by customers and receive prizes for their food, quality of service, cold beer and cleaness. There are also shows programed for the 31 days of the event and another edition of the 'Art in the Bathroom', with local artists exhibiting their paintings in the bathrooms of the bars. The 'Festa da Saideira', a big party to celebrate the end of the festival, will take place on 17th and 18th May.
This is a great time to visit Belo Horizonte and try the local traditional food of our 'botecos'!
Read also:
Comida di Buteco's official website (in Portuguese)
Belo Horizonte in the New York Times
What to do in Belo Horizonte
It all started last year, when Sydneysiders decided to turn off their lights at exactly 8 pm in the most populous Australian city to raise people's awareness of environmental issues. The initiative was a great success and this year 26 major cities and 300 other towns around the world have embraced the campaign and promised to turn off the lights of their monuments, streets and houses. Read about this year's event in Sydney and click on the videos on the left side to watch the Associated Press news.Tall and tanned and young and lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, each one she passes goes - ah
When she walks, she's like a samba
That swings so cool and sways so gentle
That when she passes, each one she passes goes - ooh(Ooh)
But I watch her so sadly
How can I tell her I love her
Yes I would give my heart gladly
But each day, when she walks to the sea
She looks straight ahead, not at me
Tall, (and) tanned, (and) young, (and) lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, I smile - but she doesn't see (doesn't see)
(She just doesn't see, she never sees me...)
Wherever you are in Brazil this week, it will be impossible to ignore the country's most famous celebration. More than 750 thousand tourists are spending Carnival in Rio de Janeiro this year and hundreds of thousands more are joining the party in cities like Salvador and Recife. Here is a BBC article about this year's samba schools parade. Click on 'watch' under the picture next to the text to watch a related video.
Forget weather forecasters: on February 2nd it is Phil, the groundhog from Punxsutawney who will tell you how long winter will last this year. Thousands of people visit the little town in Pennsylvania (U.S.) every year for this traditional celebration, which can also be seen in the Hollywood movie Groundhog Day. Learn more about this year's event visiting the official website and reading this short text followed by some comprehension questions. Then test what you remember taking a short quiz!
Feb 2 update: Phil saw his shadow this morning and that means there will be 6 more weeks of winter! Read more about it here.
Cycling to work or school is not only good exercise, but also environmentally-friendly and an effective way of arriving faster at your destination. But in big urban centres, it can also be dangerous. Portland (OR), in the United States, is proud of being one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country and it's now taking new measures to improve bikers' safety. Read all about the new plans in this article published in the New York Times.
Take a look at this picture with the names of all the different bike parts in English, then try a quiz to test how much you remember. And if you want some listening practice, check this interview with Terry, in which he talks about his bicycle trips. There are five parts in all, and you can choose if you want to just listen (click on 'flash audio'), try the comprehension questions (click on 'show quiz') or read the script while you listen to the recording (click on 'text-mp3').
“If you publish a scientific paper it is very hard to start a nationwide debate about something. If you do this in a movie, you can start a debate." And initiate a debate was what Brazilian director José Padilha intended when he made Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad), a film that discusses urban violence and drug traficking from a police officer's point of view. It's the most talked about movie in Brazil since City of God (2002) and it is now on its way to international film festivals, opening in the US and Europe next year. You can read Padilha's recent interview in the New York Times clicking here.
Looking for a place to go in the summer? Benji Lanyado, from the British newspaper the Guardian, explores the beauty and relaxed atmosphere of Florianópolis, in the south of Brazil, a city that boasts fantastic beaches and incredibly friendly people!
Brazil is the official host of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The decision was made today in Zurich, Switzerland, and now the country has 7 years to adapt and improve its infrastructure to match FIFA's demands. According to initial estimates, the total costs could reach the sum of 10 billion dollars, but the Brazilian government hopes that a significant percentage of this bill will in fact be paid by private companies interested in investing in the competition.
Straight from California, Ronaldo sends us the link to an interesting article published in the New York Times about the 12,000+ bars you can go to in Belo Horizonte. From the greasy-spoon spots to the very sophisticated pubs, tourists are sure to find one to match their taste!
Of course it would be impossible to come up with a comprehensive list of the best bars in town, so how about lending them a hand and posting here some suggestions of the "not-to-be-missed" places to go? You can use the comments link or send us your post! platypusmail@gmail.com
Check also: Comida de Buteco Food Festival
About half a million southern California residents, particularly around the San Diego area, have been evacuated after days of what has been considered the worst fires ever to hit the city. Firefighters find it difficult to fight the flames, which are spreading quickly because of the dry vegetation and the Santa Anas winds (fierce northeastern winds that usually blow from October to February). Read all about it in this article published by the Associated Press, which also contains links to several TV news stories.
First was the reality show that spawned countless versions around the world. Now the country that brought you Big Brother provides a new eating experience. The Restaurant of the Future at the University of Wageningen, Holland, is part of a research experiment which is trying to understand how subtle changes such as light, décor and service may affect your appetite. Customers and restaurant staff are surveilled by cameras installed at different points in the premises and scientists occasionally alter one element or another to see if - and how - people react to the changes. Read the article , watch a news story about it and tell us: would you mind being watched by cameras while you eat?
How do we read a text? This is a question that scientists have been trying to answer for many years. A recent study demonstrates that our eyes don't move through the text smoothly from left to right, but they tend to lock on different letters of the same word. This finding may help teachers and psychologists understand the reading process, improve the way schools teach kids to read and devise strategies to help children with reading problems such as dyslexia. Read all about it in this article and then, if you are preparing for the CAE, here's an activity to practise for the English in Use (paper 3).
Myanmar, in southeast Asia, has been the center of international news in the past few days after a series of protests around the country gained the support of buddhist monks. Listen to the broadcast at breakingnewenglish.com and recreate the text, which has been cut up in phrases. If you want, you can click on the button to listen to separate parts of the audio recording.
How much television do you watch? What kind of programmes do you usually watch - sports, soap operas, the news, talk shows? How do you rate the quality of TV programmes in Brazil? A recent study in the U.S. reveals that American families are exposed to more sex and violence on television now than a few years ago. Do you think the same thing happens in Brazil? Should parents control what their kids watch? Here is a listening activity in which people discuss whether or not TV is a good thing.
Welsh writer Roald Dahl (the author of children's books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) wrote this poem about children and television. What is his opinion?
Did you know that September 21st is the International Day of Peace? Established by the United Nations in 2002, it aims to 'promote the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples and give positive evidence of their commitment to peace in every way'.
A baby boy in Mexico was named "Yahoo" by his parents; a Chinese boy was almost called "@" (yes, the email symbol). Children's names are often a matter of fashion, but it seems that parents nowadays do anything to give their kids a truly unique name (and Unique is one of them!).
The trend started with celebrities and their weird baby names: Audio Science, Camera, Fuchsia, Jazz Domino and Pilot Inspektor are just a few examples. But the idea soon spread into the world of non-celebrities as well, and we can only imagine what these kids may have to put up with once they get into school...
Here is a dialogue to practise introducing yourself, and a written dialogue with the words mixed up. Both, luckily, using simple, everyday names! :-)
