BBC Learning English
Video Words in the News
21 August 2013

Garden in the clouds

Video Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2013

Page 1 of 3

bbclearningenglish.com

Transcript:

When there's no space for a garden, the only way is up.

One Chinese doctor has built a rocky retreat on top of this Beijing block of
flats.

But his villa is now being dismantled after neighbours complained it was noisy
and dangerous.

Authorities say it was built illegally and have ordered its demolition.

Vocabulary:

retreat
a private, safe place to get away from everyday life

block of flats
tall building divided into separate homes

villa
large house with a garden in the countryside or by the sea

dismantled
taken apart piece by piece

demolition
destruction (of a building)

Watch the video online: Garden in the clouds

http://bbc.in/14ZTpvx

Video Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2013

Page 2 of 3

bbclearningenglish.com

Exercise:

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.

retreat / block of flats / villa / dismantled / demolition

1. Two multi-storey ____________ in Hull dating back to the 1960s have been

demolished as part of planned improvements to a city estate.

2. I noted that London had suffered a similar disregard for many of its

architectural landmarks after the war. Covent Garden Market and the gothic
magnificence of St Pancras Station were earmarked for ____________ and
only saved by a small band of passionate protestors.

3. His appearance on Monday followed a two-month period of convalescence.

He will now join the Queen at their summer ____________ of Balmoral
Castle in Aberdeenshire.

4. But while he is gloomy about the future he is also a dreamer, and the

centrepiece of his dream is a small ____________ in the seaside suburb of
La Goulette.

5. The temporary Neolithic huts were completed and open to the public during

the two May bank holidays.
But last week the volunteers who built them began to ____________ the
reconstructed buildings.

Video Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2013

Page 3 of 3

bbclearningenglish.com

Answers:

1.

Two multi-storey blocks of flats in Hull dating back to the 1960s have been

demolished as part of planned improvements to a city estate.

Source: Hull Orchard Park tower blocks demolished

http://bbc.in/154LkCN

2.

I noted that London had suffered a similar disregard for many of its

architectural landmarks after the war. Covent Garden Market and the gothic

magnificence of St Pancras Station were earmarked for demolition and only

saved by a small band of passionate protestors.

Source: Exploring Los Angeles' forgotten stairways to the stars

http://bbc.in/16Ge5Ix

3.

His appearance on Monday followed a two-month period of convalescence.

He will now join the Queen at their summer retreat of Balmoral Castle in

Aberdeenshire.

Source: Prince Philip appears in public for first time since surgery

http://bbc.in/1doGjsg

4.

But while he is gloomy about the future he is also a dreamer, and the

centrepiece of his dream is a small villa in the seaside suburb of La Goulette.

Source: Tunisia Jews: A tiny community hanging on - and cooking

http://bbc.in/19G7tMg

5.

The temporary Neolithic huts were completed and open to the public during

the two May bank holidays.

But last week the volunteers who built them began to dismantle the

reconstructed buildings.

Source: Archaeologists demolish Neolithic houses built at Old Sarum

http://bbc.in/13OhWgD