BBC Learning English
Words in the News
5th October 2011
Search for the stars
Transcript
A new image of two galaxies colliding.
At a facility in the Atacama Desert the world's most powerful radio telescope begins the quest
to view the origins of the universe.
The telescope consists of an array of giant antennae on top of one of the highest plateaus in
Chile.
It's able to detect light which emanated from stars created hundreds of millions of years ago.
Vocabulary
a facility:
a group of buildings and structures that are used for a particular purpose, often scientific or
military
quest:
a long and hard search for something that is difficult or maybe even impossible to find
an array of:
a group of similar items, often an impressive collection of objects
plateaus:
a plateau is an area of flat land that is higher than the land around it. The plural can also be spelt
'plateaux'.
emanated from:
came from, was produced by
Watch this video online: Search for the stars http://bbc.in/npOraJ
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
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Exercise
Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from a BBC news
report. Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence
correctly.
a facility/ quest / an array of / plateaus / emanated from
1.
The "Mogi Doughnut Hypothesis" suggests that a circular pattern of small precursor quakes will
precede a large earthquake ______________ the centre of that circle.
2.
Deep below the sea, off the north coast of Northern Ireland, a dramatic geological mystery has
been discovered.
Huge cliffs, vast basins and ______________, a lake and even rivers have been found. But so far
no-one is certain what caused them to end up like this deep under the sea.
3.
In South Korea, the group will be accommodated in ______________ for North Korean refugees.
4.
The collection features ______________ stone and terracotta objects that covers almost 2,000
years of the country's pre-Hispanic history.
5.
On hearing the news Afghan President Hamid Karzai decided to cut short his visit to the US but
briefly met President Barack Obama, who condemned the killing as a "tragic loss". Both men
reinforced their determination to continue the ______________ for peace.
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
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Answers
1.
The "Mogi Doughnut Hypothesis" suggests that a circular pattern of small precursor quakes will
precede a large earthquake emanating from the centre of that circle.
Source: Can we predict when and where quakes will strike? http://bbc.in/q05olm
2.
Deep below the sea, off the north coast of Northern Ireland, a dramatic geological mystery has
been discovered.
Huge cliffs, vast basins and plateaus, a lake and even rivers have been found. But so far no-one
is certain what caused them to end up like this deep under the sea.
Source: Prehistoric land under the sea http://bbc.in/nx0sBV
3.
In South Korea, the group will be accommodated in a facility for North Korean refugees.
Source: Supreme Court 'not supreme' despite judgement http://bbc.in/r0KrQO
4.
The collection features an array of stone and terracotta objects that covers almost 2,000 years
of the country's pre-Hispanic history.
Source: US museum returns indigenous artefacts to Costa Rica http://bbc.in/pMLbSR
5.
On hearing the news Afghan President Hamid Karzai decided to cut short his visit to the US but
briefly met President Barack Obama, who condemned the killing as a "tragic loss". Both men
reinforced their determination to continue the quest for peace.
Source: Afghan peace council head Rabbani killed in attack http://bbc.in/p7r7rx
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
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bbclearningenglish.com