BBC Learning English
Words in the News
14

th

December 2011

Thriller in Manila

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

Page 1 of 4

bbclearningenglish.com

Transcript:

The dance moves of Michael Jackson performed by a Santa Claus lookalike.

Drivers on a congested road in the capital of the Philippines, Manila, are being entertained

by traffic enforcer, Ramiro Hinojas.

The fifty-five-year-old man, in fancy dress costume, directs traffic at a chaotic intersection

with his distinctive dance routine.

His amusing antics are aimed at lightening the motorists' mood during the busy festive

season.

Vocabulary:

lookalike

a person who looks very similar to the person mentioned

congested

full of vehicles or traffic

traffic enforcer

someone who makes sure people obey particular laws about driving on the road

distinctive

having a special style or characteristic

antics

silly, ridiculous or sometimes disruptive behaviour

Watch this video online: Thriller in Manila

http://bbc.in/tTnvKc

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

Page 2 of 4

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.

lookalike / congested / traffic enforcer / distinctive / antics

1.

Steven Taylor managed to stop Aguero's shot but when the ball bounced to Toure, his

follow-up was blocked by Ryan Taylor's outstretched arm. Balotelli made no mistake from

the spot. The Italian produced another ____________ celebration, walking towards keeper

Krul stern-faced and with his arms folded across his chest.

2.

The E01 Expressway is the first motorway on this island, which is slightly smaller than Ireland

in land area. True, for now you still have to drive through the fairly ____________ eastern

suburbs to get to it, but then you see the start of the motorway, with multicoloured flags

flying for its grand opening.

3.

The off-field _________ of some of England's Rugby World Cup players are to be

investigated by the sport's governing body over the next two weeks.

4.

US reality TV star Kim Kardashian wants to stop a US clothing store from using a

______________ model of her in its ads.

5.

Every vehicle - but above all the taxis, the vans and the lorries - stopped, chatted, gave them

a toot or a wave. They are fighting a legal case against "revenue-driven"

___________________, and pretty effectively. Thus warned, there were no traffic violations

occurring.

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

Page 3 of 4

bbclearningenglish.com

Answers:

1.

Steven Taylor managed to stop Aguero's shot but when the ball bounced to Toure, his

follow-up was blocked by Ryan Taylor's outstretched arm. Balotelli made no mistake from

the spot. The Italian produced another distinctive celebration, walking towards keeper

Krul stern-faced and with his arms folded across his chest.

Source: Manchester City 3-1 Newcastle

http://bbc.in/tGVuxi

2.

The E01 Expressway is the first motorway on this island, which is slightly smaller than Ireland

in land area. True, for now you still have to drive through the fairly congested eastern

suburbs to get to it, but then you see the start of the motorway, with multicoloured flags

flying for its grand opening.

Source: Sri Lanka opens its first motorway

http://bbc.in/u7q9p5

3.

The off-field antics of some of England's Rugby World Cup players are to be investigated by

the sport's governing body over the next two weeks.

Source: Rugby World Cup: RFU to investigate player conduct

http://bbc.in/rffQGu

4.

US reality TV star Kim Kardashian wants to stop a US clothing store from using a lookalike

model of her in its ads.

Source: Kim Kardashian sues US clothing store over 'lookalike'

http://bbc.in/u721do

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

Page 4 of 4

bbclearningenglish.com

5.

Every vehicle - but above all the taxis, the vans and the lorries - stopped, chatted, gave them

a toot or a wave. They are fighting a legal case against "revenue-driven" traffic

enforcement, and pretty effectively. Thus warned, there were no traffic violations

occurring.

Source: V is for what? The meaning of the mask

http://bbc.in/rmVT7z