BBC Learning English
Words in the News
12th October 2011
80 Years at the Top
Transcript:
The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. One of the world's most iconic
monuments.
The famous Brazilian landmark, which is perched on top of the 700 metre Corcovado
Mountain, is celebrating its 80th birthday.
It took five years to build and was inaugurated in October 1931. Now up to ten thousand
visitors flock to the 38 metre tall figure every day.
Vocabulary:
iconic:
famous or well known. also, something that represents a place.
landmark:
place which is easily identifiable.
perched:
sitting in a position that is close to the edge.
inaugurated:
opened officially
flock to:
gather together in large numbers
Watch this video online: 80 Years on Top http://bbc.in/pnLNLD
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.
iconic/landmarks/perched/inaugurated/flock to
1.
One of Glasgow's most notorious ___________ is to be given a new lease of life as part of a
scheme to boost cycling and pedestrian travel. The so-called "bridge to nowhere", a
pedestrian link over the M8 motorway, has never been used and has no access ramps.
2.
[The Maspero] was ________________ in Cairo in 1960 - the first dedicated television
building ever built in the Middle East.
3.
Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Coca-Cola bottle and Christ are history's top
____________ images, according to an Oxford professor.
4.
The eastern Canadian fishing town calls itself the iceberg capital of the world, and tourists
___________ visit in the summer when the season for the frozen goliaths is booming.
5.
Hong Kong's Ocean Park, which features a vast aquarium and rollercoaster rides all
_____________ atop one of Hong Kong's lush craggy peaks, saw attendance figures rise by
6% last year despite the threat from the big-name cross-town rival Disney.
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
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Answers:
1.
One of Glasgow's most notorious landmarks is to be given a new lease of life as part of a
scheme to boost cycling and pedestrian travel. The so-called "bridge to nowhere", a
pedestrian link over the M8 motorway, has never been used and has no access ramps.
Source: Cycle role for Glasgow's bridge to nowhere http://bbc.in/q6WV3o
2.
[The Maspero] was inaugurated in Cairo in 1960 - the first dedicated television building
ever built in the Middle East.
Source: Egypt state TV building an ugly reminder of the past http://bbc.in/r3I7Zv
3.
Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Coca-Cola bottle and Christ are history's top iconic
images, according to an Oxford professor.
Source: Christ and Che among top 11 icons http://bbc.in/oXLNJo
4.
The eastern Canadian fishing town calls itself the iceberg capital of the world, and tourists
flock to visit in the summer when the season for the frozen goliaths is booming.
Source: World iceberg capital turns frozen blocks to cold, hard cash http://bbc.in/rq9SN4
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
Page 3 of 4
bbclearningenglish.com
5.
Hong Kong's Ocean Park, which features a vast aquarium and rollercoaster rides all
perched atop one of Hong Kong's lush craggy peaks, saw attendance figures rise by 6% last
year despite the threat from the big-name cross-town rival Disney.
Source: Asia's growing middle class fuels theme park boom http://bbc.in/ooHDq7
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
Page 4 of 4
bbclearningenglish.com