Learning English

Transcript

This is Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, but what would the Bard make of this?

Both genders were competing for the title of Alternative Miss World. And they pushed the boat out with their costumes. How about a peacock for evening wear? Would an octopus do for swimwear?

This unusual contest was created about 40 years ago. Maybe the only real thing this event has in common with a beauty pageant is the emotional coronation.

Vocabulary

the Bard
nickname given to the English poet, playwright and actor William Shakespeare  

genders
the male and female sexes

pushed the boat out
idiom: spent a lot of money, or made lot of effort

unusual
out of the ordinary  

beauty pageant
a competition traditionally focused on the physical beauty of its contestants, which are usually women

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.

the Bard / genders / pushed the boat out / unusual / beauty pageant    

1.     Getting people from different types of jobs into school "will help to show children what they could achieve and that no occupation should be closed to them because of their _________. It is exciting to see schools taking the initiative in this way," said the education secretary.

2.     Now, the Royal Shakespeare Company has launched a "manifesto" to bring _________ alive in classrooms. It advocates acting out the plays, seeing live performances and starting Shakespeare as early as possible.

3.     Superior 'inn rooms' come with four-poster beds and, if you really want to _________, there's an even more luxurious private suite.

4.     In Venezuela, there is almost no criticism of the _________ phenomenon. When, in 1972, a feminist group from the country's Central University interrupted the Miss Venezuela broadcast, it was the first and only demonstration of its kind.

5.   A stuffed otter was one of the more _________ items of lost property handed in to Scottish police, it has emerged. False teeth and a fully-dressed male mannequin were also among the items handed in to police stations.

Answers

1. Getting people from different types of jobs into school "will help to show children what they could achieve and that no occupation should be closed to them because of their gender. It is exciting to see schools taking the initiative in this way," said the education secretary. 

See story

2. Now, the Royal Shakespeare Company has launched a "manifesto" to bring the Bard alive in classrooms. It advocates acting out the plays, seeing live performances and starting Shakespeare as early as possible.    

See story

3. Superior 'inn rooms' come with four-poster beds and, if you really want to push the boat out, there's an even more luxurious private suite.

See story

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4. In Venezuela, there is almost no criticism of the beauty pageant phenomenon. When, in 1972, a feminist group from the country's Central University interrupted the Miss Venezuela broadcast, it was the first and only demonstration of its kind.

See story

5. A stuffed otter was one of the more unusual items of lost property handed in to Scottish police, it has emerged. False teeth and a fully-dressed male mannequin were also among the items handed in to police stations.

See story