BBC Learning English
Words in the News
21

st

December 2011

Polar plunge

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

Page 1 of 3

bbclearningenglish.com

Transcript:

The temperature was close to freezing but this was no time to get cold feet.

Hundreds of thrill-seekers looking for a challenge and a good cause jumped into a hole in

the Alaskan ice.

Some of the groups came in fancy dress.

The crowd gathered around the hole clapping and cheering on the participants of this

charity event in support of disabled athletes.

Vocabulary:

to get cold feet
to be afraid of doing something you had planned to do

thrill-seekers
people who seek excitement and adventure

a good cause
an activity that benefits the community

fancy dress
costume worn to represent a particular character

cheering on
shouting to encourage or show support for someone

Watch this video online: Polar plunge

http://bbc.in/s3h7nI

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

Page 2 of 3

bbclearningenglish.com

Exercise:

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from BBC

news reports.

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

to get cold feet / thrill-seekers / a good cause / fancy dress / cheering on

1.

The Guinness World Records has confirmed that Penzance now holds the title for the

largest gathering of pirates in one place. On Sunday 25 June, 8,734 people in _________

assembled on Penzance promenade at 13:00 BST.

2.

Scientists say they have found physical evidence of brain differences which may drive

_____________ to act impulsively or dangerously.

3.

Thousands turned up at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for a second time in a week to

____________ the Wales team at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. More than 16,000

fans watched the third-place play-off against Australia on the venue's big screens.

4.

The events in the Gaza Strip may limit the amount of debate given to the prickly issue of

crimes of aggression. Some insiders at the ICC conference are even hinting that delegates

may have _____________, and the much expected vote on the subject could be put on ice.

5.

MPs have occasionally been accused of telling tales but, thanks to a Buckinghamshire charity,

they have now done it for _____________. Prime Minister David Cameron and Home

Secretary Theresa May have joined more than 80 Conservative MPs to record stories for

visually impaired children.

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

Page 3 of 3

bbclearningenglish.com

Answers:

1.

The Guinness World Records has confirmed that Penzance now holds the title for the

largest gathering of pirates in one place. On Sunday 25 June, 8,734 people in fancy dress

assembled on Penzance promenade at 13:00 BST.

Source: Penzance town breaks official world pirate record

http://bbc.in/vzIjkO

2.

Scientists say they have found physical evidence of brain differences which may drive "thrill-

seekers" to act impulsively or dangerously.

Source: Evidence of 'risk-taking' brain

http://bbc.in/szrSkW

3.

Thousands turned up at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for a second time in a week to cheer

on the Wales team at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. More than 16,000 fans

watched the third-place play-off against Australia on the venue's big screens.

Source: Fans at Millennium Stadium see Wales lose cup play-off

http://bbc.in/tULsyn

4.

The events in the Gaza Strip may limit the amount of debate given to the prickly issue of

crimes of aggression. Some insiders at the ICC conference are even hinting that delegates

may have got cold feet, and the much expected vote on the subject could be put on ice.

Source: Why International Criminal Court needs more than time

http://bbc.in/uy65ZN

5.

MPs have occasionally been accused of telling tales but, thanks to a Buckinghamshire charity,

they have now done it for a good cause. Prime Minister David Cameron and Home

Secretary Theresa May have joined more than 80 Conservative MPs to record stories for

visually impaired children.

Source: Conservative MPs record children's stories for charity

http://bbc.in/v8Dkcr