Learning English

Transcript

They've come in droves to Bangkok.

Glove puppets, puppets on strings and even the odd wannabe celebrity puppet. 

The Harmony World Puppet Carnival in Thailand has brought together more than 160 puppeteers from 80 countries.

The organisers are hoping to put on the most entertaining of events, with only a few strings attached. 

Vocabulary

in droves
in great numbers

wannabe
someone who hopes to be famous

puppeteers
artists who control dolls which perform in shows  

put on
produce

a few strings attached
a few conditions

To do

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from news reports.

Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.

in droves / wannabe / puppeteers / put on / a few strings attached

1. Locog have put together a creative team of British talent to oversee the ceremonies, with Oscar-winning film director Danny Boyle as artistic director for the Olympics opening ceremony and Take That's creative director Kim Gavin as artistic director for the Olympic and Paralympic closing ceremonies. Mr Boyle and the opening ceremony's executive producer Stephen Daldry have been talking about the task of ____________ a show with a 20,000 strong cast.

2. But it's not just geographical proximity that connects Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Millennia of migration - most famously in the 17th Century, when the plantation of Ulster saw English and Scottish Protestants move over ____________ to what is now Northern Ireland - has intertwined their history, culture and language. 

3. Beverly Hills has long had the reputation of being the plastic surgery capital of the world. Tummy tucks and nose jobs are a way of life for the well-heeled showbiz community. 

But now, even the ____________ stars are turning to cosmetic contouring to further their careers.

4. Puppetry and magic have been popular forms of traditional entertainment in India for long, but in recent years, the ____________ have been desperately trying to preserve their dying art form.

5. The deal is valid through Thanksgiving Day, though there are ____________. Shoppers are limited to one turkey per shopping trip and you must spend an additional $35 in groceries to get the 79-cent per pound price. Alcohol, tobacco, fuel and prescriptions are excluded.

Answers

1. Locog have put together a creative team of British talent to oversee the ceremonies, with Oscar-winning film director Danny Boyle as artistic director for the Olympics opening ceremony and Take That's creative director Kim Gavin as artistic director for the Olympic and Paralympic closing ceremonies.

Mr Boyle and the opening ceremony's executive producer Stephen Daldry have been talking about the task of putting on a show with a 20,000 strong cast.

See story

2. But it's not just geographical proximity that connects Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Millennia of migration - most famously in the 17th Century, when the plantation of Ulster saw English and Scottish Protestants move over in droves to what is now Northern Ireland - has intertwined their history, culture and language.  

See story

3. Beverly Hills has long had the reputation of being the plastic surgery capital of the world. Tummy tucks and nose jobs are a way of life for the well-heeled showbiz community.

But now, even the wannabe stars are turning to cosmetic contouring to further their careers.

See story

4. Puppetry and magic have been popular forms of traditional entertainment in India for long, but in recent years, the puppeteers have been desperately trying to preserve their dying art form.

See story

5. The deal is valid through Thanksgiving Day, though there are a few strings attached. Shoppers are limited to one turkey per shopping trip and you must spend an additional $35 in groceries to get the 79-cent per pound price. Alcohol, tobacco, fuel and prescriptions are excluded.

See story

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