Learn hot english issue 247 december 2022

The number-one magazine for learning and teaching English! @LEARNHOTENGLISH No.247 www.learnhotenglish.com THE SPAGHETTI PRANK! 10 CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS! ISSN 15777898 771577 789001 00247 IRREGULAR PAST TENSE VERBS! PLUS… phrasal verbs, grammar, idioms, vocabulary, useful expressions… and much, much more English Classes .for your employees! Language classes for companies! E E R Four trial pcalansys! s, m s -h one your cofree cla for t your ct: e onta glish.com c To g oten h learn ss@ usine b Are you looking for English classes for your company? Finding an academy that can keep students motivated, provide excellent materials, and offer a professional service isn’t easy But Learn Hot English has the solution! Our dynamic courses and materials will give employees the language they need at work! Face-to-face classes in Spain and online classes all over the world Why not try us for FREE? We’ll give you a FREE one-hour trial class (with no obligation) with one of our English teachers If you love our materials, why don’t you sign up for company classes and get them for FREE? TAP HERE for your FREE trial class! ’ve s weglish e s s cla t En tive “Thewith Hoally effective had been rer innova, our i a th h ve ith theg system W rnin have bnojoyed lea dents and e stu essed elves.” ector r ir s prog them ancial D ersity n Univ i F d Daviambridges Iberia C Pres Wherever your company is based, we can help Contact us NOW and put us to the test! (00 34) 91 421 7886 business@learnhotenglish.com www.learnhotenglishcorp.com FREE subscription if you recommend Hot English Language Services to your company E-mail classes@learnhotenglish.com / www.learnhotenglish.com / EDITOR’S INTRO Magazine Index How you learn English with Hot English magazine Pre-Intermediate (CEF level: A2) Why are you learning English? To get a better job, to pass an official English exam, to travel, or just to communicate in English? Hot English magazine helps with all this Increase your vocabulary In every issue of Hot English you’ll learn over 350 English words and expressions! Plus you’ll learn lots of idioms, phrasal verbs, grammar and more Improve your listening Every magazine has 60 minutes of spoken English audio You’ll learn to understand English, plus you can hear lots of different accents! Exam English Hot English helps prepare you for official English exams (First Certificate, IELTS, TOEFL, etc.) How? Exams test your ability to speak and your range of vocabulary Hot English improves your communication skills and your knowledge of words and expressions Business English Practical English for the office, for meetings, for talking to clients – it’s all in Hot English Plus, read business tips from entrepreneurs Travel English Want to travel to English-speaking countries? With Hot English you’ll learn the words and expressions you need for international travel! Social English How native English speakers really talk? Learn with our natural English conversations Also, learn English slang Plus, in Hot English you’ll read about current events (news, culture, music, films) so you can make conversation with native English speakers Want to learn even more? Get an English Unlocked book You’ll learn extra vocabulary, grammar, social English and business English The English Unlocked books are linked to the topics in Hot English magazine Visit our website for more details Hi, and welcome to another issue of Learn Hot English – the fun magazine for learning English In this month’s issue, we’re looking at 10 Christmas traditions from English speaking countries In this great article, you’ll learn a lot about the culture in other countries, and have something to talk about over the holiday period! Of course, that’s not all and we’re also looking at pranks, Notting Hill (the movie), boxing, Las Vegas, banks, Giorgio Armani, jokes, a famous prank about spaghetti, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang, vocabulary, a business topic, and lots, lots more Well, we hope you enjoy reading and listening to this issue of Learn Hot English Have fun, learn lots of English and see you all next month! Editorial Dr Fingers’ Error Correction Clinic Vocabulary - At The Doctor’s Listening: Discussing Money Problems! 10 Fingers’ Pronunciation Intermediate (CEF level: B1) 12 Story Time 14 Pranks 16 Film - Notting Hill 18 10 Christmas Traditions! 16 20 Exercises - 10 Christmas Traditions! 22 Trivia - Miscellaneous Upper Intermediate (CEF level: B2) 24 Vocabulary - The Bank 25 Typical Dialogues - The Bank Robber 18 26 Crossword 28 Wordsearch & Matching 30 Dr Fingers’ Grammar Clinic 31 Business Dialogues - The Proposal 32 Idioms – Idioms 34 Giorgio Armani 34 PS Remember to sign up for our newsletter so you can receive lots of FREE language lessons, and find out what we’re doing Just visit our website (www.learnhotenglish.com) and enter your name and e-mail address in the box on the right-hand side of the page Don’t forget to check out the blog on our website: www learnhotenglish.com/blog for free lessons and articles on how to learn English Or “like” us on Facebook or Twitter (@LearnHotEnglish)so you can keep up with our latest news COMPANY CLASSES LearnHotEnglish “The King Of Jackets” 36 Weird World - Swiss Spaghetti & Stupid Brits 38 Weird World - Cartoon Advanced (CEF level: C1) 36 (00 34) 91 421 7886 learnhoteng HotEnglishMagazine 39 Strange But True 40 British Bar Chat 41 US Bar Chat 42 Dictionary Of Slang 43 Phrasal Verbs - Bring All material in this publication is strictly copyright, and all rights are reserved Reproduction without permission is prohibited The views expressed in Hot English Magazine not necessarily represent the views of Hot English Publishing SL, although we think that spaghetti grows on trees and boxing is a brutal sport 44 Answers and Scripts For great private language classes, e-mail classes@learnhotenglish.com / www.learnhotenglish.com / AUDIO DR FINGERS’ ERROR CORRECTION CLINIC In this section Dr Fingers identifies and corrects typical errors… and ensures that they are NEVER, EVER repeated DR FINGERS’ ERROR CORRECTION CLINIC Hello everybody, and welcome to my “Error Correction” clinic You know just the other day I recorded a very interesting conversation in one of my classes During the extract, you will hear how Susana, one of my students, makes a few mistakes See if you can spot them You will have to excuse my class of 16 year-olds - they are somewhat undisciplined Dr Fingers: Good morning, class Who did that? That is very rude and I will not have that in my class Frederique, stop that… no… no, Frederique you will cause an accident Michaela, phone for an ambulance will you? Frederique, get up off the floor! OK, class, we’re going to a little exercise Class: Boo! Dr Fingers: Now settle down Right, Susana and Pierre, come to the front Now come along, it’s almost lunch time Now, Pierre, I want you to ask Susana these questions (he hands them a sheet of paper) The rest of you be quiet and listen carefully Pierre: OK, Susana, how long have you been living in Valencia? Susana: I am here for ten years Pierre: And how long have you been learning English? Susana: I am learning English for eight years Did you hear the mistakes? Susana said: “I am here for ten years”; and, “I am learning English for eight years” These are very typical mistakes Remember, we use the present perfect, (“have” + a past participle) to refer to an activity that started in the past, and has continued until the present For example, if you met someone three years ago, you “have known that person for three years”; or if you started studying French six years ago, and you are still studying it, then you “have been studying French for six years” Here are a few more examples: Today ’s class: THE PRESENT PERFECT “I have been in Paris for ten years,” which means that you moved to Paris ten years ago and are still living there now “I have been waiting for twenty minutes,” which means that you arrived twenty minutes ago and are still waiting “I have been learning Italian for nine weeks,” which means that you started learning Italian nine weeks ago, and you are still studying it now Just after the class I disciplined Susana privately for a few hours, and now I think she understands the rule Later, my students repeated the conversation without the errors: Pierre: OK, Susana, how long have you been living in Valencia? Susana: I have been here for ten years Pierre: And how long have you been learning English? Susana: I have been learning English for eight years Dr Fingers: Excellent! OK, that’s all for today, bye for now and may you have an errorfree month For fantastic Video-Phone classes, e-mail classes@learnhotenglish.com / www.learnhotenglish.com / Teacher’s Packs Ready-to-go lessons for busy teachers! Are you an English language teacher? Do you need some new material for your classes? If so, the Teacher’s Packs are perfect for you! The Teacher’s Packs are full of fun, ready-to-go lessons that will help your students learn lots of useful English…and save YOU loads of time! THERE ARE FIVE TEACHER’S PACKS: And each PACK comes with over 20 ready-to-go lessons that include warmers, listening exercises and follow-up speaking and writing activities All this will make your life as a teacher so much easier! Your students will love these classes and learn lots of useful English Guaranteed! TAP HERE FOR A FANTASTIC OFFER ON ALL TEACHER’S PACKS, AND SAVE YOURSELF LOTS OF TEACHER PREPARATION TIME! TAP HERE Great ideas for busy teachers! AUDIO VOCABULARY: AT THE DOCTOR’S VOCABULARY: AT THE DOCTOR’S Useful expressions I’ve sprained my ankle I’ve twisted my wrist I hurt my arm I’ve got a pain in my left shoulder I’m a bit sunburnt I banged my head I’m having trouble breathing I’ve got a cut on my finger I’ve got a bruise on my leg My eye has swollen up I got stung by a bee I’ve got a rash on my arm More words Temperature – a normal body temperature is about 37ºC Thermometer – an instrument for measuring temperature Fever – if you’ve got a “fever”, your body temperature is high Pills – small pieces of medicine that you swallow without chewing Medicine – a substance that you drink or swallow to cure an illness Vomit / throw up – when you “vomit”, liquid/food comes out of your mouth Tummy bug – an illness in your stomach caused by bacteria Headache – a pain in your head Sore – if you body is “sore”, it hurts Also, “ache”: “My body is aching.” Fluids – liquids such as water / orange juice, etc Prescription – a piece of paper the doctor writes with information about the medicine you need Chemist’s / pharmacy (US English) – a shop where you can buy medicine Clinic – a building where people go to see the doctor / receive medical advice, etc Diarrhoea – if someone has “diarrhoea”, liquid comes out of them when they go to the toilet Constipated – if someone’s “constipated”, they can’t go to the toilet Cold – if someone has a “cold”, they sneeze a lot (air/liquid comes out of their nose) Cough – an illness in which your chest or throat hurts Queasy / sick / nauseous – if you’re feeling “queasy”, you feel as if you’re going to vomit Dizzy – if you feel “dizzy”, you feel as if you’re about to fall Flu – an illness which is like a cold but more serious Blood pressure – the amount of force with which your blood flows around your body Painkiller – a medicine that stops pain Pulse – the regular beating of blood through your body Infected – an “infected ” area of your body that has germs or bacteria on it Listening Jack is at the doctor's Listen once What's wrong with him? Listening Listen again Then, complete the sentences with the words from below temperature pill chemist’s problem medicine stomach fluids ? So, what seems to be the And I've got this terrible pain in my I just need to take your You need to drink plenty … of You also need to take this You can get it in the Just take one every six hours Speaking activity Use the phrases to act out a role play between a doctor and a patient / www.learnhotenglish.com / Contact us for fantastic online classes for your company, wherever you are: classes@learnhotenglish.com THE COMPLETE ENGLISH COURSE! Are you looking for an English study plan to improve your English level quickly? One that allows you to study wherever and whenever you want? If so, you need the Complete English Course! Your very own online teacher at home or work! OUR 3-LEVEL COURSE WILL ENSURE YOU… …make real progress as quickly as you want! …improve all areas of English at the same time! …increase your English level! The course is online so you can study wherever and whenever you want! Each level comes with videos, listening activities, quizzes, tests and lots more! Choose your level: Each level will improve your Speaking, Pronunciation, Listening, Reading, Vocabulary & Writing… guaranteed! And you’ll progress quickly and easily so can speak fluently and naturally! Complete the course with a video-phone teacher for even faster learning! www.learnhotenglish.com Tap here to buy! VIDEO LISTENING: DISCUSSING MONEY PROBLEMS! LISTENING DISCUSSING MONEY PROBLEMS! The pronunciation of can and can’t Pre-listening Match the objects (1 to 6) to the average prices (a-f) A $900 a $300 b 00 $25,0 c 00 $50,0 d $200n millio e f ,000 £300 Can There are two ways of pronouncing the modal verb can We often use the strong form can /kæn/ for emphasis in speech: a) I can see it b) He can help us And we use the weak form can /kən/ in casual speech: a) I can see it b) He can help us Can’t The negative form can’t /kɑːnt/ has the /ɑː/ sound: a) I can’t see it b) He can’t help us B Now listen and repeat these sentences with the weak form of can a) They can help us b) She can it later Listening I You’re going to listen to someone who is talking about money problems Listen once What exactly is the problem? Listening II Choose the correct answers (a/b) Then, listen again to check your responses Harry went to the pub… a) on foot b) by bus Harry has a lot of a) money b) debts Harry has bought a a) bus b) plane It cost a) $10,000 b) $20,000 It is a a) red bus b) Boeing 747 And these sentences with can’t a) We can’t see it b) They can’t help us Now compare the affirmative and negative forms Can you hear the difference? a) I can see it / I can’t see it b) He can help us / He can’t help us C Now listen and write the sentences you hear Discussion Ask and answer the questions How good are you at saving money? How much money have you got saved up? What would you like to buy with it? How much you save every month? Where you put it? How much interest does it earn? If you could spend it all now, what would you buy? Where’s the best place to invest money? Why? / www.learnhotenglish.com / Contact us for fantastic online classes for your company, wherever you are: classes@learnhotenglish.com Listen & learn! Download the audio files for this magazine! In order to get the downloadable audio files for this magazine, go to www.learnhotenglish.com/ learn-hot-english-magazine-audio-files And enter this code: HotMP3s2019 Tap here for the MP3s! Download the audio files for your magazine so you can improve your listening and speaking skills Then, you can listen to Learn Hot English as you're driving! walking! doing exercise! relaxing at home! AUDIO DR FINGERS’ PRONUNCIATION DR FINGERS’PRONUNCIATION Hello everyone and welcome to my English pronunciation course! OK, let’s get pronouncing! (The answers to the exercise are on page 44) Irregular Past Tense Verbs Listen & Repeat Exercise In past editions of Hot English we’ve looked at the pronunciation of regular past tense verbs This month we’re going to be looking at the pronunciation of irregular past tense verbs, and grouping the verbs according to their sounds This month we’ll be looking at that very complicated, confusing and completely ridiculous word group “ough / augh” I wrote a little poem to introduce the subject It may help you understand the complexity of all this, and I sincerely hope you’ll enjoy it OK, here goes: Well, that’s quite enough of that Now let’s get on with some pronouncing Listen and repeat these words: Now let’s try an exercise Listen to the following sentences and repeat them Then, listen again and try to write the sentences in connected speech We’ve done the first one for you: An Ode To “Ough” The past of “think” is “thought” I know, But with no “t” we must say “though”, The past of “catch” is “caught” we’re told, But we have a “cough” when it is cold, Of “teach” I’ve learnt the past is “taught”, But we must be “tough”, as a last resort, The teachers say it’s “bought” for “buy”, But with no “t” it’s “bough”, I cry, To “bring” is “brought”, the master shouts, But with words like “trough” I have my doubts, Of “fight” it’s “fought” we are informed, But say “hiccough”, we’re severely warned, Now that’s the end of this sad tale, Which will surely make your face turn pale By Dr Fingers - copyright, 2004 10 Infinitive Past To bring To buy To catch To fight To teach To think Brought Bought Caught Fought Taught Thought She fought a lion = She fough ta lion Connected Speech Now let’s look at these verbs in connected speech As you can see, these irregular past tense forms all end with the letter “t” When the following word starts with a vowel, this final “t” connects with the vowel to form a new sound For example: “I thought about it”, which becomes the following in connected speech: “I though ta bou tit” Now listen to some more examples: “I bought it last night.” (I bough tit last night) “I fought a bear.” (I fough ta bear) “She taught it to me.” (She taugh tit to me) Can you hear how the final “t” joins together with the vowel to form a new sound? 10 GLOSSARY an ode n a poem in honour of something - a literary and formal word though exp this is used to contrast with a previous sentence For example: “Latin is a dead language, though many people still learn it” a cough n if you have a “cough”, your throat hurts tough adj physically strong a bough n a large branch of a tree a trough n a long, narrow container from which animals can drink hiccough n if you have “hiccoughs”, you make a sound in your throat many times - usually because you have eaten too quickly It is also spelled “hiccup” a tale n a story / www.learnhotenglish.com / Contact us for fantastic online classes for your company, wherever you are: classes@learnhotenglish.com HAVE YOU GOT ALL THE COPIES OF LEARN HOT ENGLISH MAGAZINE? You can get backissues and some fantastic offers with packs of magazines! Buy packs of 12 or 24 magazines with great discounts! These packs, complete with lots of audio files and great learning material that will really improve your English! Tap here for the 12-pack! Tap here for the 24-pack! Happy learning! www.learnhotenglish.com GIORGIO ARMANI fashion GIORGIO ARMANI “THE KING OF JACKETS” This is the second in our new series on fashion designers from around the world This month, Giorgio Armani What are his clothes like? What does he have to offer? What is there for you? A Range Of Products Giorgio Armani started his company in 1974 Since then the company has gone from strength to strength, and sales are now in excess of $1billion per year The range of products includes accessories, swimwear, eyewear, watches, jewellery, home interiors, fragrances and cosmetics, as well as clothing And there are no less than 13 different clothing lines, including Giorgio Armani, Armani Jeans, Emporio Armani and Armani Golf The company has recently acquired a number of factories in order to maintain control over quality and product distribution So how did Armani manage this? A Fashion Icon In 1982, Armani’s status as a fashion icon was confirmed when he appeared on the cover of Time magazine (only the second designer to that since Christian Dior in the 1940s) Just before that, he had done a lot of clever selfpromotion He offered his designs to film stars and got Richard Gere (who wore Armani suits in the film American Gigolo) and Diane Keaton (who wore an 34 Armani jacket in the film Annie Hall) to wear his clothes During the 1980s Armani reached superstar status when his suits were worn by thousands of yuppies The King Of Jackets So how did it all start? Giorgio Armani didn’t start out in the fashion industry In fact, he almost seems to have fallen into it by accident After leaving school he studied medicine at university for two years, but didn’t like it so he dropped out He dabbled in photography, then worked for a local department store as a buyer He started working as a fashion designer in 1961 when he joined the prestigious fashion house of Nino Cerruti He left to become a freelance designer in 1970, and launched his own menswear label in 1974, in partnership with his friend Sergio Galeotti He was an immediate success, and was proclaimed the “King of Jackets” by the media after his first collection was shown The company expanded quickly, adding a womenswear line in 1975 / www.learnhotenglish.com / Looking for a quality English-language course abroad? Contact classes@learnhotenglish.com GIORGIO ARMANI & FAKE AD Fake ad Armani Style So what best defines the Armani Style? Armani is best known for elegance His designs are very simple (he does not believe in superfluous detail), with precise cutting and a beautiful design Prior to Armani, men’s jackets were very rigid Armani revolutionised men’s fashion when he designed his unstructured jacket, creating a loose jacket that was incredibly comfortable to wear He also revolutionised women’s fashion His relaxed designs for women are inspired by his menswear designs (he also uses menswear fabrics in his women’s suits and jackets) Unlike most long-running fashion designers, there is very little in Armani’s archive that looks ridiculous or dated He sticks to a tried-and-tested formula and his fashion shows are filled with wearable clothes, and there is nothing over-the-top The only problem is cost VITAL STATISTICS Nationality: Born: Best known for: Style: Star Rating: Italian July 11 1934 in Piacenza, northern Italy beautifully tailored suits in quality fabrics elegant, comfortable and classic ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ GLOSSARY accessories n articles that complement your clothes, such as belts, watches and jewellery a yuppie n a young, middle-class person with a well-paid job to drop out phr vb to leave school or university before the final exams to dabble vb if you “dabble” in an activity, you that activity as a hobby, and you don’t take it too seriously a department store n a large shop that sells many different things superfluous adj extra, unnecessary loose adj if clothing is “loose”, it is big and comfortable to stick to something exp to continue doing the thing you were doing before a tried-and-tested formula n a formula that has been tried and works well wearable clothes exp clothes that you can wear In this case, ordinary, normal clothes over-the-top adj exaggerated For fantastic Video-Phone classes, e-mail classes@learnhotenglish.com / www.learnhotenglish.com / 35 Weird World SWISS SPAGHETTI & STUPID BRITS SWISS SPAGHETTI & STUPID BRITS These days, British people eat food from all over the world; and Italian food is probably the most popular There are also shops selling spices from countries such as India, China, Thailand and Indonesia However, this is something new, and years ago most British people ate potatoes and meat… and that was basically it They didn’t even know about things such as pasta or spaghetti… until a very unusual television news report in the 1950s The Wrong Tree On 1st April 1957 there was a television programme all about this “unusual” food: spaghetti It was on a serious British documentary programme called Panorama, which was reporting from southern Switzerland The narrator was the distinguished presenter, Richard Dimbleby Dimbleby started the programme by saying: “There is nothing like real, homegrown spaghetti.” As Mr Dimbleby discussed the details of the spaghetti crop, there was footage of a rural Swiss family pulling pasta off “spaghetti trees” and placing it into baskets But does spaghetti grow on trees? No, of course it doesn’t So what was a reputable British television programme doing reporting something obviously false? The answer was that this was a big joke - an April Fool’s Day hoax Let’s see what happened Much Concern The report continued with Mr Dimbleby explaining: ”The spaghetti harvest here in Switzerland is not, of course, carried out on anything like the tremendous scale of the Italian industry Many of you, I’m sure will have seen pictures of the vast spaghetti plantations in the Po valley For the Swiss, however, it tends to be more of a family affair.” 36 Dimbleby spoke about how the crop that year was successful because it had been a mild winter; and in a tone of absolute seriousness he continued: “Another reason why this may be a bumper year lies in the virtual disappearance of the spaghetti weevil, the tiny creature that has caused much concern in the past.” The report also cleverly anticipated some questions viewers might have For instance, why, if spaghetti grows on trees, does it always come in uniform lengths? The answer, according to the reporter, was that, “this is the result of many years of work by past breeders who succeeded in producing the perfect spaghetti” The Spaghetti Farmer The report then went on to talk about the life of a spaghetti farmer, which could be quite stressful: “The last two weeks of March are an anxious time for the spaghetti farmer There’s always the chance of a late frost which, generally impairs the flavour and makes it difficult to obtain top prices in world markets.” At the end of the three-minute film Richard Dimbleby said: “Now we say goodnight to this first day of April.” / www.learnhotenglish.com / Looking for a quality English-language course abroad? Contact classes@learnhotenglish.com British Food The next morning, the BBC was flooded with calls Surprisingly, many viewers fell for the report “Did spaghetti really grow on trees?”, they wanted to know Also, many viewers called up wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti trees The receptionists at the BBC diplomatically replied that viewers should, “place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best” Later on, when the truth came out, many viewers responded favourably to the humour of the spoof; but others complained, and were angry that a serious program like Panorama had been used for an absurd joke So who were the people behind this hoax? The primary reason for the success was the fact that spaghetti was mostly unknown at that time It was considered an exotic food only consumed by the upper-classes and Italian immigrants Even Sir Ian Jacob, the BBC’s director general, later admitted that he had to run to a reference book to check where spaghetti came from after watching the show And secondly, the show, Panorama, had a lot of prestige at the time; and people had a lot of trust in the medium of television in general Of course, these days, the British are much more sophisticated and regularly enjoy spaghetti dishes… with lots of ketchup and vinegar, of course School Days INFORMATION BOX - TREES & MONEY The inspiration for the joke was Charles de Jaeger He was a Swiss cameraman working for the BBC at the time He explained how he thought up the spoof: “The idea came from my school days in Switzerland One of my teachers was always saying to us, ‘you’re so stupid you’d think spaghetti grew on trees’ So it had always been in my mind to the story and I tried for several years It was not until I was working on Panorama that I got the go-ahead.” “Later, I went to the Swiss Tourist Office, who said they would help, and I flew to Lugano.” “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” We often say this expression to children when they ask to buy things, or if they forget to turn off lights and generally waste electricity It is a way of saying that it is difficult to get money and therefore we shouldn’t waste it Hanging Pasta “We found this hotel in Castiglione, which had trees with leaves on So I said, ‘we’ll it here Let’s go down into Lugano and get some handmade spaghetti’ We did that, and put the strands of spaghetti in a big wooden box, and drove back to put them on the trees But they wouldn’t hang up Se we cooked them and then tried to put them on the trees But this time they fell off because they were so slippery.” “Then this Swiss guy with us had a brilliant idea: put the spaghetti between damp cloths so they were just a little bit wet That worked and we got the locals to hang them up Then they dressed in national costume and we filmed them climbing on ladders with these baskets, filling them up with pasta, and laying the pasta out in the sun.” Charles continued to work with the BBC after this, but wasn’t allowed to play any more jokes on the British public So why was the hoax so successful? GLOSSARY FOR CARTOON to let in some warm air exp to something (like opening a window) so warm air can enter a room an organ recital n a classical music concert with an organ to switch on phr vb to press a button on the television so you can watch it awful adj terrible, horrible, very bad to gather round phr vb to form a circle an up-date n a report that gives you some new information a harvest n the time when you cut the crops (plants for eating) and take them to the farm to sell them due to exp because of to look up phr vb to look for a word in a dictionary or encyclopaedia so you can read the definition of the word space n empty area a tin n a metal container for food or drinks to hope for the best exp if you are in a difficult situation, and you something then “hope for the best”, you just hope that everything will be alright in the end GLOSSARY a spice n a type of food that gives flavour to food a crop n plants that are grown in large quantities for food footage n just one small part of a film or documentary that they show on television a basket n a container for fruit or food It is usually made of wood April Fool’s Day n the 1st of April It is a day when British people play jokes on one another a hoax n a joke or trick a mild winter n a winter that is not very cold a bumper year n a year when plants grow very well a weevil n a small insect that attacks plants uniform lengths n all the same length a breeder n a person who studies techni-ques for growing plants a frost n when there is ice on the ground to impair vb to make worse or to damage to be flooded with calls exp to receive many, many calls to fall for phr vb to believe a joke or trick to call up phr vb to telephone a sprig n a small part of a plant or tree that has been cut from the main plant or tree a tin n a metal container for food or drinks a spoof n a trick or joke to think up phr vb to imagine to get the go-ahead exp to get permission to something a strand of spaghetti n a small, individual piece of spaghetti to hang up phr vb in this case: to put on the tree slippery adj when things are wet and difficult to hold damp adj a little bit wet a cloth n a piece of material used for cleaning a local n a person who is from the area you are referring to a ladder n a wooden or metal object with steps It is used for climbing up higher For fantastic Video-Phone classes, e-mail classes@learnhotenglish.com / www.learnhotenglish.com / 37 SWISS SPAGHETTI & STUPID BRITS Reactions (GLOSSARY ON PREVIOUS PAGE) (glossary on previous page) Illustration by Jorge Tarruella SWISS SPAGHETTI & STUPID BRITS Weird World Cartoon 38 / www.learnhotenglish.com / Looking for a quality English-language course abroad? Contact classes@learnhotenglish.com True stories from around the world that are hard to believe! e u r T T U B Strange What a Star! Credibility “The really surprising thing is that no one seemed to notice anything strange about the photos I mean, for a start, most of the photos were taken in the same room, with the same background; and in a couple of shots you could even see other tourists walking about behind me Also, some of my photos were with dead stars such as Elvis Presley and John Lennon But no one seemed to comment on this - it was as if my victims just wanted to give me their money,” Mr Kwook continued All about a government official, a camera and a museum The Money Names The world of business is all about image; and quite often who you know is more important than what you know Clients are often so impressed with your connections that they’ll buy your product, or sign your contract The star of our little story, Mr Kwan Kwook, became very, very rich just by impressing people with his contacts Actors & Politicians At the time of his arrest, Mr Kwan Kwook was working for the government in the Ministry of Public Works He was a low-ranking official, and was in charge of the paperwork for all the major construction projects One day, he came up with an ingenious idea Mr Kwook explains: “First of all, I wrote letters of introduction to all the major international construction companies I knew about I explained how I could help them win building contracts if they paid me a commission… up front I also included a number of photos of myself with important and famous people such as actors, musicians and politicians Within a short time, I started receiving replies to my letters, and lots of nice donations into my bank account I don’t know why it worked so well, but I’m sure it had something to with the photos.” Models Mr Kwook continued: “I got all the photos of myself with these famous people at the waxwork museum The museum is full of models of famous people, and I just ‘borrowed’ their services It was simple: I went to the museum very early in the morning with a friend Then, I stood next to the wax versions of famous people and pretended that I was talking to them My friend took the photos Some of the photos were very good I particularly liked the one of me dancing with Michael Jackson, and another one of me looking at a report with Tony Blair Of course, not all of them were convincing, and I never used the one of me with my arm around the Queen’s shoulder, or the one of me and Arnold Schwarzenegger studying a rocket launcher But generally the photos were acceptable, and my plan worked perfectly as I convinced my victims that I rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous.” In total Mr Kwook earned more than $50,000 He was finally arrested after one of his victims, John Chandlers of the Australian construction company “Building Perspectives”, alerted the police: “We received one of Mr Kwook’s letters and immediately contacted the police We don’t agree with this sort of behaviour and of course we never paid the money, honestly.” During the trial, other people arrived to give evidence Marsha Evans, the managing director of the American construction company “Architectural Design Initiatives” said: “I’ve seen these photos, and the one of him standing next to Bill Clinton is quite convincing But the one of him with Boris Yeltsin is less believable because the waxwork has a strange colour.” Sentence The judge passing sentence said: “Mr Kwook’s method was ingenious and he is a good actor But he is also a debased cheat and I demand a severe sentence.” Kwook was sentenced to six years in jail GLOSSARY the Ministry of Public Works n the government department that is in charge of building and construction a low-ranking official n a person who works in a government department who is not very important the paperwork n the routine part of a job that involves writing letters and doing reports to come up with phr vb to think of a letter of introduction n a letter that explains who you are and what you a commission n an amount of money you pay to an agent as a percentage of the total up front exp if you pay “up front” for a service, you pay before you receive the service - to pay immediately a waxwork museum n a museum with figures representing famous people These figures are made of “wax”, which is a substance that is also used to make candles (thin sticks that burn and give you light) to borrow vb to take something from some-one with permission for a limi-ted period of time to pretend vb to act as if something is true, even if it isn’t a rocket launcher n a type of gun that fires a rocket that explodes on impact to rub shoulders with the rich and famous exp to be friends with rich and famous people and go to their parties, etc Literally, “to rub” means to physically move against something, going up and down; and “a shoulder” is a part of your body at the top of your arm I mean exp this is often used to introduce something you think is important, or as a way of emphasising something a background n what you can see behind the main subject in a photo a shot n a photo honestly exp I promise debased adj with no morals a cheat n a person who tricks other people in order to get money For fantastic Video-Phone classes, e-mail classes@learnhotenglish.com / www.learnhotenglish.com / 39 STRANGE BUT TRUE AUDIO Authentic conversations by native British speakers BRITISH BAR CHAT AUDIO t a h c r a b h Britis Boxing This month Philip and Martin are talking about the Simpsons Listen to their conversation and answer these questions Remember, you don’t have to understand every word in order to answer the questions Just listen for the key words (the most important words in the conversation): Exercise In the conversation, what arguments are there in favour of boxing? In the conversation, what arguments are there against boxing? Charles: Richard: Charles: Richard: Charles: Richard: Charles: Richard: Charles: Richard: Hey, did you see the fight last night? It was great! The boxing? Yeah I, I, no, I don’t watch boxing Boxing is barbaric How can you say that? It’s the most exciting sport on, you know, available This is great! It’s not a sport, is it? I mean, it’s just violence It is a sport It’s a competition between two people, and that’s a sport, you know People pay to watch it, and they watch it and it’s, I think it’s exciting It’s, it’s, it’s violence and as far as I’m concerned violence is just plain wrong; and you’re sending out the wrong message to people by saying that violence is entertaining It’s not, it’s not violence It’s a sport involving a lot of skill, physical dexterity and movement, and it’s like a dance, if anything, you wouldn’t call it violence Nah, but basically, I mean, these, these guys, the boxers, they’re, they’re just, they’re just poor young guys most of Charles: Richard: Charles: Richard: Charles: Richard: them, aren’t they? It’s the, the only way, you know, the only sort of hope, they’re just being exploited They’re not being exploited, they’re given an opportunity to rise above their, their poverty No, again, it’s, it’s a bad message, you know, that you can solve your problems with violence What, what kind of message is that? No, it’s, you can’t, you can’t get rid of it anyway I mean, if you ban it, if you try and ban it People will just it It’s better to have it under control, and besides that it’s an exciting, interesting… Hey! What’s that noise? I don’t know Seems to be something going on in the street I’ll just look out the window Hey look! There’s a fight going on A fight! Oh, great! Let me see Fight! Fight! Fight! Go on, get stuck into him, my son Give him one GLOSSARY you know? exp people often say this to check that the other person is understanding I mean exp this is often used to introduce something important that you want to say plain wrong exp completely wrong you’re sending out the wrong message exp you are communicating something negative a skill n an ability to something very well nah exp no to exploit vb to use people and make them work for you without paying them much to rise above poverty exp to start to earn enough money so you aren’t poor any more to get rid of something exp to throw something away because you don’t need it any more anyway exp this word is used to emphasise what you are going to say, or to change the conversation to ban vb to prohibit seems exp inform notice how the subject “it” has been omitted get stuck into him exp inform “hit him” my son exp inform people often say “go on, my son” to encourage someone who is doing sport or playing a game give him one exp inform hit him LOTS OF FREE CONTENT WHEN YOU FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK! www.facebook.com/LearnHotEnglish LOTS OF FREE CONTENT WHEN YOU FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! www.twitter.com/LearnHotEnglish 40 / www.learnhotenglish.com / Looking for a quality English-language course abroad? Contact classes@learnhotenglish.com Authentic conversations by native American speakers AUDIO US BAR CHAT t a h c r a b S U LAS VEGAS This month we are going to listen to two young Americans, Brent and Susan, who are talking about Las Vegas Listen to the conversation and answer these two questions: Why does Brent like Las Vegas? Why doesn’t Susan like Las Vegas? Brent: Susan: Brent: Brent: Susan: Brent: Susan: Brent: Susan: Brent: Susan: Brent: Susan: Brent: Susan: 41 So I was in Vegas the other weekend gambling, and I couldn’t help but notice what a good time I was having Right, I’ve never been, but I don’t think I’ll ever go Why not, you scared to lose? Well, for one yeah I don’t know though, gambling’s not really my thing, and I think Las Vegas, all those Elvis impersonators, you can’t get away from them Yeah, but all the girls in skimpy outfits bringing you free drinks while you’re at the tables, you can’t beat that (sarcastic) Just why I wanna go They have guys too Well OK, maybe, give me a Chippendales man and maybe I’d go Yeah, Chippendales? Chippendales, I don’t know, the whole shows [at Las Vegas] are like really old, you know, kind of the old comedy, old, like, singers and stuff Yeah well, I guess some people go for that and some people go for the gambling, but at least if you lose big they’ll give you a free room True, but, erm, lets talk about the drive-through weddings I mean, you know how many people go to gamble, get pissed drunk and end up getting married to some toothless woman named Bertha Bertha, don’t you come around here anymore (Laughs) So, I don’t know what would you play if you went to Vegas? Gosh, I don’t know I’m not a big gambler, maybe those slot machines, they’re great fun But OK lets be honest in Vegas, did you win or lose? We won’t talk about that GLOSSARY to gamble vb to play games for money - for example, cards, horse races, etc you scared to lose? exp inform notice how in informal speech some speakers omit words In this case it would be more conventional to say, “are you scared to lose?” scared adj frightened for one exp inform US firstly it’s not really my thing exp I don’t really like it an Elvis impersonator n a person who imitates Elvis Presley you can’t get away from them exp you can’t escape from them you can’t beat that exp there is nothing better than that wanna abbr want to a guy n inform a man a Chippendale man n a professional dancer who takes his clothes off in a club like exp people often use this when they are thinking about what to say next It is used to fill space in a conversation and doesn’t mean anything kind of exp more or less and stuff n inform and things like that to lose big exp to lose a lot of money erm exp inform people often make this sound when they are thinking about what to say a drive-through wedding n a type of wedding ceremony that you have while you are sitting in your car I mean exp this is often used to introduce something important that you want to say to get pissed drunk exp inform to drink a lot of alcohol to end up phr vb if you “end up” doing something, you that thing eventually toothless adj with no teeth gosh excl an exclamation of anger or surprise a slot machine n a machine - you put money in it and try to win more money / www.learnhotenglish.com / Looking for a quality English-language course abroad?Video-Phone Contact classes@learnhotenglish.com For fantastic classes, e-mail classes@learnhotenglish.com / www.learnhotenglish.com / 41 AUDIO AUDIO Here we’ve got some examples of how to say things in different situations > DICTIONARY OF SLANG Dictionary of slang Situation Formal Relaxed Informal You are describing your grandfather: My grandfather is an elderly gentleman My grandfather is an old man; he’s an OAP My grandpa is an old fogey; he’s an old codger; he’s a wrinkly You are angry because you are in the same situation as before: We have returned to our original position We’re back to where we started We’re back to square one You are describing a friend who is not fashionable: He is unfashionable He’s not cool; he’s not very trendy He’s a square; he dresses like my dad; he dresses like a plonker; he’s not hip You are explaining what a good time you had last night: We had a fantastic night We had a great night We had a cracking night; we had a brilliant night You ask a friend to go for a beer: Would you like to drink some beer? Would you like to go for a drink?; would you like to have a few beers? Fancy a bevy or two?; fancy sinking a few jars?; fancy a quick half? You ask someone if they have the money they borrowed: Do you have the money you owe me? Have you got my money? Have you got the dosh?; have you got the dough? Have you got the cash? You want to go out but have no idea where to go You suggest being “spontaneous”: Let’s improvise Let’s just make it up as we go along Let’s play it by ear; let’s just see how we go; let’s just see how we get on Please note that the words in this glossary box are literal translations of parts of idiomatic expressions GLOSSARY an OAP abbr an old aged pensioner - an elderly person wrinkly adj with many wrinkles (lines on your face that usually appear as you get older) a hip n the joint in the middle of your body on either side of your leg to fancy vb “do you fancy a drink?” means, “would you like a drink?” to sink vb if a ship “sinks”, it goes under the water and to the bottom of the ocean or sea a jar n 42 a glass container for keeping food a half (pint) n a measure of beer - about 33cl to borrow vb to take something from someone with permission for a limited period of time to owe vb if you “owe” money to someone, you have to pay that person some money they have previously given you dough n a mass that is used to make bread or cakes cash n paper or metal money - not credit cards to make something up phr vb to invent something / www.learnhotenglish.com / Looking for a quality English-language course abroad? Contact classes@learnhotenglish.com PHRASALVERBS PHRASALVERBS BRING Our series on phrasal verbs This month: phrasal verbs with the verb “bring” Bring back Bring in If something “brings back memories”, it makes you think about things from the past: If you “bring someone in”, you ask that person to take part in an activity: Seeing you again brings back all sorts of horrible memories These voters are getting a bit violent I think we should bring in the police Bring out Bring up If a company “brings out” a new product, it produces the product and then sells the product on the market: If you “bring up” a child, you educate and care for the child, teaching him/her what is good, bad, etc We are going to bring you up to be a nice, pleasant charming little girl - doesn’t that make you happy?” They’ve brought out these great new nappies which keep you dry all day Bring down Bring forward If you “bring down” prices, you reduce them: To arrange for something to happen at an earlier time: The football match starts at 7pm, so I asked them to bring forward the meeting to so we’d have time to go and see the game V.C They’ve brought down their prices and I couldn’t resist spending a bit of money For fantastic Video-Phone classes, e-mail classes@learnhotenglish.com / www.learnhotenglish.com / 43 Hot Staff Directors ANSWERS Answers & scripts AT THE DOCTOR’S LISTENING  private plane WORDSEARCH D: But Harry, you don’t know how to fly a plane You can’t even drive problem; stomach; a car temperature; fluids; H: I know I was stupid, but it was medicine; chemist’s; pill just so beautiful D: So, how much did it cost? Audio script H: Not much Doctor: So, what seems to be the D: How much? problem? Patient: Well, I haven’t been feeling H: $10,000 It was quite cheap very well I was vomiting a lot over They’re usually much more expensive the weekend And I’ve got this terrible pain in my stomach and a Denise: $10,000? H: Yes, I probably shouldn’t have pretty bad headache I think I’ve D: What sort of plane is it? got some kind of tummy bug H: A Boeing 747 D: Does your body feel sore? D: A Boeing 747? MATCHING P: Yes, it does   D: OK I just need to take your A6 B7 C11 D5 E9 F1 G8 DR FINGERS’ PRONUNCIATION temperature [She takes his H10 I2 J13 K14 L3 M12 N4 EXCERCISE temperature.] Mmm 38.5 you’ve got a bit of a temperature She fought a lion = BUSINESS DIALOGUES She fough ta lion You need to drink plenty of fluids THE PROPOSAL I caught a ball = I caugh ta ball Peter’s proposal is to organise and stay in bed for the next 48 We fought it to the ground = a competition hours You also need to take We fough tit to the ground this medicine [She hands him a Mary’s proposal is the same prescription.] You can get it in the I brought about six = I brough ta The only difference is that bout six chemist’s Just take one pill every Simon obviously prefers Mary I thought about you last night = six hours to Peter I though tabout you last night Exercise: P: OK Thanks a lot Is there a I caught a cold on holiday = chemist’s near here? for; into; to; up; to I caugh ta coldon holiday D: Yes, there’s one right next to She taught us when we were the clinic BRITISH BAR CHAT young = She taugh tus when we The arguments in favour of P: Great Thanks a lot Bye were young D: Bye boxing are: it is exciting, it’s a I bought a dozen eggs = competition, the boxers have I bough ta doze neggs PAGE 84 DISCUSSING MONEY a lot of skill and dexterity, it’s They fought at seven o’clock = PROBLEMS  like a dance and poor, young PRE-LISTENING They fough tat seven o’clock people can rise above their 10.He taught a class of fifty poverty 1e 2f 3c 4d 5a 6b LISTENING children = He taugh ta cla ssof The arguments against fifty children boxing are: it’s barbaric, 1a  2b  3b  4a  5b it’s not a sport, it’s violent, STORY TIME THE PRONUNCIATION OF it sends out the wrong The couple went out to the CAN AND CAN’T message and it exploits poor, theatre I can’t see it from here young people The thief wrote the note They can come later The punch-line is that the person US BAR CHAT She can’t leave now who gave the couple the theatre Brent likes Las Vegas because He can it tomorrow tickets was the same person who he can gamble, there are girls robbed them with skimpy outfits and you Audio script get free rooms Harry: Hi, Denise 10 CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS! Susan doesn’t like Las Vegas Denise: Hi, Harry GAP-FILL EXERCISE because she doesn’t like H: Sorry I’m late I had to walk tree; cards; plants; kiss; gambling, there are Elvis D: Why did you have to walk? crown; fruit; steamed; impersonators, drive-through H: I’m trying to save money sugar weddings, old shows and people D: How does walking help you SENTENCE COMPLETION get drunk and marry people save money? they don’t want to marry H: Well, I didn’t need to buy a bus fairy lights; baubles; tinsel; stocking; gift; ticket I’ve saved £2.50 reindeer; snowman; D: Oh, OK Well, can I get you a turkey; crown; drink? 10 mincemeat; 11 Santa Claus; H: Thanks, I’ll have a pint But I 12 carols; 13 Advent calendar can’t afford to get you one later D: That’s OK There you are Cheers CROSSWORD H: Cheers, D: So, why are you saving money? Is there something you want to buy? H: No, no It’s my debts D: I didn’t know you had debts I thought you were quite well off H: Not anymore I spent all my money last week D: What? H: Yeah I bought something I couldn’t afford and now I can’t even cover my monthly expenses D: What did you buy? H: A private plane D: A what? H: It was on a website It looked really nice, so I put in a bid for it You know I’ve always wanted a 44 / www.learnhotenglish.com / Contact us for fantastic online classes for your company, wherever you are: classes@learnhotenglish.com Managing Director Thorley Russell (00 34 91 543 3573) thorley@learnhotenglish.com Editorial Director Andy Coney (00 34 91 543 3573) andy@learnhotenglish.com Finance Financial Director Leigh Dante (00 34 91 549 8523) leigh@learnhotenglish.com Classes Department (00 34 91 455 0273) classes@learnhotenglish.com Teacher Coordinator teacherinfo@learnhotenglish.com Accounts manager classes@learnhotenglish.com Administration Department Subscriptions (9:30-13:00) subs@learnhotenglish.com payments@learnhotenglish.com Credit control and administration 9:00 - 2pm (by e-mail thereafter) Office hours 10am to 6pm (Spanish time) Barcelona office (Hot English) barcelona@learnhotenglish.com Seville office (Hot English) classes@learnhotenglish.com Editorial Department James Conway assistant editor Vanesa Carosia design Patrick Dempster writer Steve Brown writer Christine Saunders writer Louisa Staines writer Contributors Magnus Jones proof reading Marcie Peters proof reading Natalia Smith proof reading Laurent Guiard French depart Peter Time proof reading Danielle Ott intern Georgina Brown intern Rayner Taylor intern Vanessa Simmonds writer Petra Bates writer Slim Pickens special intern Nick Hargreaves writer Printing Printerman Audio Production HEP ISSN 1577-7898 Depósito Legal M.14277.2001 December 2022 Published by Hot English Publishing, S.L C/Extremadura, 21 - 1ª planta, oficina 1, Madrid 28011, Spain Phone: (00 34) 91 549 8523 Fax: (00 34) 672 317 912 info@learnhotenglish.com www.learnhotenglish.com www.learnhotenglish.com Skype: hotenglishgroup www.facebook.com/LearnHotEnglish www.twitter.com/learnhotenglish French material by Hot English: www.lekiosquenumerique.com Cover/magazine images: How to pronounce regular past tense verbs! tips for dealing with your boss “Money” phrasal verbs How to learn difficult words in English! 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