BBC Learning English
Words in the News
30 January 2013
Greeks cut forests to stay warm
Transcript:
Greece s Mount Olympus is experiencing a rise in unauthorised logging.
It s estimated over 100,000 trees have been felled illegally.
With fuel prices soaring and temperatures dropping, many people are turning to
wood to heat their homes.
Wood markets are thriving but not all sources of wood are legitimate.
Racketeers are among those who have been caught taking trees from the home of
Greece s ancient gods.
Vocabulary:
logging
the cutting down of trees for wood, usually on a large scale for commercial
purposes
felled
cut down
soaring
rising quickly
thriving
doing very well, being successful
racketeers
people who make money from illegal activities
Watch the video online: Greeks cut wood to stay warm http://bbc.in/WvrOe3
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2013
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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.
logging / felled / soaring / thriving / racketeers
1. The classical Indian dance of Kathak originated in Northern India but its
popularity is ____________ in and around London with hundreds of young
British Asians.
2. He also claims to have brought 232 criminals to justice - including arms dealers
and immigration ____________ - by conning them with his disguise.
3. Many bears suffer from the effects of the ____________ industry and the
spread of the human population.
4. Steve Bransgrove was woken up by the "sound of an engine revving and a loud
bang" and found the 12m (40ft) pine in his garden had been ____________.
5. Car sales are ____________, carmakers are hiring thousands of workers, and
memories of the recent bankruptcies of two of Detroit's "big three" companies
already seem like distant memories.
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2013
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bbclearningenglish.com
Answers:
1. The classical Indian dance of Kathak originated in Northern India but its
popularity is thriving in and around London with hundreds of young British
Asians.
Source: Kathak dance proves to be popular in the capital
http://bbc.in/Wi0GzA
2. He also claims to have brought 232 criminals to justice - including arms dealers
and immigration racketeers - by conning them with his disguise.
Source: The dark arts of the tabloid reporter
http://bbc.in/179DMU
3. Many bears suffer from the effects of the logging industry and the spread of the
human population.
Source: Animals on the edge: Bears
http://bbc.in/anHX85
4. Steve Bransgrove was woken up by the "sound of an engine revving and a loud
bang" and found the 12m (40ft) pine in his garden had been felled.
Source: Poole men 'plotted to cut down tree for sea view'
http://bbc.in/U9IQfe
5. Car sales are soaring, carmakers are hiring thousands of workers, and memories
of the recent bankruptcies of two of Detroit's "big three" companies already seem
like distant memories.
Source: Cheery carmakers flock to Detroit
http://bbc.in/Ugp02S
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2013
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bbclearningenglish.com