Humor4u

Just a few days earlier than the running of the bulls started in Pamplona, New York City organized its own "running of the goats" in Riversida Park, Manhattan .  Families gathered to see the trailer opening its door to release twenty goats that had been brought to the park to eat all the weeds away. Here you can listen to the All Things Considered report on NPR (3':42")  that tells the story with a script, which makes it suitable for B2 students.  You will come across words like goats, to weed, a sliver, farmland, pretty flat, to slope sharply, invasive plants, porcelain berry, to take over, garden maintenance, a herd of goats, upstate [New York], a trailer, the thick impenetrable bush, hillside, with ease, a beloved ritual, St. Patrick's Day parade, to show up, [dogs] to strain against leashes, to sniff, to poke, dazzling, tawny-colored, horns, to curl in on themselves, poised, a gaze, to commune [with nature], nonprofit rescue service, a fenced area, chill, to ...

Ellen MacArthur has recently won the Princess of Asturias Prize for International Cooperation, The Majorca Daily Bulletin reported last week . In 2005, Ms MacArthur became the first woman to break the world record as a solo sailor around the world and later she started the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to promote the circular economy and design a more sustainable future for the finite world resources.  As a result of their campaign, in March 2022 the UN adopted a resolution to negotiate a legally-binding treaty on plastic pollution, which is hoped to be drawn and signed by the end of 2024.  Dame Ellen MacArthur was invited to the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs back in 2009. In this 45' interview she talks about her background, her achievement in sailing, and her charity work. Her English is a perfect model for C1 and C2 students, because it is rich, but not pompous; there are technical terms, but it is not packed with jargon; the colloquial expressions fit natur...

Earth Day is a worldwide initiative to raise awareness and take action to help the environment. Here you can find a lesson plan for a speaking and listening class for B2 students, which discusses environmental issues based on some of the materials published on the website of earthday.org. In this class students are likely to activate words like:  climate change, greenhouse effect, waste, pollution, overpopulation, ozone-layer depletion, consumerism, extinction of endangered species, deforestation, destruction of habitats, nature reserves, breeding areas, conservationism, fossil fuels, renewable energy, non-renewable sources of energy, harmful, toxic, overfishing, to raise awareness, water management, landfills, solar panels, wind turbines, to tackle the problem, threats to the environment. Whereas in the video "Plogging Paul" below, they will come across words like trash, plogger, windy (winding) roads, country lanes, bushes, to make the biggest impact, to create a ripple [...

  Australian social media celebrity  Supercar Blondie  shows us round a luxury villa in Dubai with a snow room in the extreme heat of the desert. Check it out! If you have $24 million, you may consider buying it! This short video below (9':15") can be watched with subtitles and it is suitable for B2 students and above. The language is cool and informal, and you will find few difficult words: to hang out, a desalination plant, sustainable, an irrigation system, stitching, the hustle and bustle, I feel like a million dollars, soak it up!, an infitity pool, tidal, super VIP, to wave [hello], inspirational [neighbours], a villa, solar power, the groceries, the mainland, make it happen!, a [Swedish] bunker, a sauna, a gym, a massage room, no way!, "glitzer" (a German word which means "glitter" or "purpurina"), ridiculous, layers.

Display Copy is a new fashion magazine that just features vintage and thrifted items from second hand and charity shops like eBay, Etsy or the Salvation Army, but pictured by top-notch models and photographers. "The idea was to make used clothes desirable", says Brian Hemingway, editor of the magazine.  The New York Times reports that "upcycling" is gaining momentum in the fashion industry, and well-established brand names like Miu-Miu, Levi's, Maison Margiela, Patagonia, Gucci, Stella McCartney or Burberry have launched collections of recycled clothes and have set up second life stores.   This article is suitable for C1 students. You will come across words like: disposablility, chic, a host of big brands, joy, upcycling, the cover [of a magazine], to feature, to debut, newsstands, a plus-size model, inclusivity, glossy shoots, vintage, secondhand, thrifted, pre-loved, for resale, a stream of [mostly] on-line shoppable [content], collectible, sustainable, [upc...

This BBC article tells the story of an old stone quarry that has become a new tourist hotspot in Nigeria after it became popular through Twitter.  The article is short and it has very illustrative pictures, so it can be accessible to B2 students. But here you can find a lesson plan which focuses on vocabulary and speaking, basically, for C1 students. B2 learners (and above) will find rich, descriptive vocabulary here, like an abandonded quarry, a tourist hotspot, a cliff, a moss-lined footpath, to shimmer [in the sun], [the views are] breathtaking, on the outskirts, to be thronged, food vendors, a burgeoining community, expatriates, lockdown, to be somewhat bemused, city-dwellers, tiers, a stunning view, sightseers, a winding footpath, the top terrace, [the path] snakes down to the water's edge, the brave, to plunge into, an aquifer, a fracture-prone area, tremors, to warn amateurs against hiking, fun-seekers seemed not to be deterred, chagrin, to put measures in place, to clear up...

You can celebrate International Biodiversity Week (18- 22 May) by watching the first episode of the Netflix documentary " Our Planet ", which has just been released on YouTube.  The stunning beauty of the images, the music, and the impeccable English on the voice of Sir David Attenborough will surely open an imaginary window to the wonders of our natural world and the fragility of its future preservation. Subtitles are available, so this 49':27" documentary can be enjoyed by B2 students and above.

In February there were severe floods in the UK caused by Storm Dennis. Here you can find several BBC reports about this recent example of extreme weather.  There are witten reports, videos with interviews to local people, pictures etc.  Some of these materials can be suitable for B2 level and above. And if you are really interested in the topic, here you can find a special programme from ITV News Central on the impact of storms Ciara and Dennis. It is a 29 minute long video, and although you can use subtitles, this material is more suitable for C1 and C2 students.

Greta Thunberg is a 16 year-old girl who has become worldwide famous for her campaings to raise awareness against climate change and other environmental issues. She is very articulate in English and an excellent communicator. Above, you can watch the emotional speech that she gave at the Climate Summit at the UN, which she reads slowly and clearly, but has no subtitles (C1) and below, you can see an interview on the Daily Show where her discourse becomes more natural and colloquial, even humorous at times, which can be accessible to B2 students.

Dynasties is a BBC Wildlife documentary that explores the social structure of 5 different animal species, tigers, emperor penguins, chimpanzees, lions and painted wolves. Producer Michael Gunton talks to Fresh Air on NPR about the social relationships of these groups of animals:  their kinship and affections, their rivalries and power struggles and about the two years that the naturalists took to shoot the documentary, which is narrated by Sir David Attenborough. This is a C1 listening task with the script. If you want to look directly at the documentary webpage and watch some clips of the episodes you can click here, on the BBC.

The hottest winter day on record in Britain has sparked wildfires in the countryside of Sussex and Wales, while Londoners bask in the sun and go picnicking in February.  The Daily Mail reports on this freak heatwave and its connexion to climate change with amazing pictures.