BBC Learning English
Words in the News
14th September 2011
Giraffe on the High Seas
Transcript
Travelling long distances can be a pain in the neck&
But Jelani the giraffe didn't seem to mind as he took to the seas inside a custom-made, 4.2
metre-high shipping crate.
It took five days to transport him from Auckland Zoo in New Zealand to Melbourne, Australia.
After a few days in quarantine, Jelani will take part in a breeding programme.
Vocabulary
a pain in the neck:
idiom meaning 'very annoying'
took to the seas:
started travelling across the ocean
custom-made:
built according to specifications
shipping crate:
box designed especially for delivery
in quarantine:
isolation period for an animal suspected of carrying a disease
Watch this video online: Giraffe on the High Seas http://bbc.in/otCfSH
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 pain in the neck / took to the seas / custom-made / shipping crate / in quarantine
1.
A __________ electric guitar stolen in Edinburgh from a Californian rock band appearing at a
music festival has been recovered by police.
2.
The importation of tortoises is restricted under the Convention in International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) and they can only be brought into the UK if the correct permits
have been applied for and issued. The tortoises are ___________ while plans are made for
them to be rehomed.
3.
In an article for Scotland on Sunday in February 2000 the judge wrote that the impact of the
Convention on Scots Law was already ''devastating'' and suggested that the legislation was
providing ''a field day for crackpots, ____________ for judges and legislators, and a goldmine
for lawyers''.
4.
It has landed here on the island nation of Singapore aboard the MV Copenhagen Express. This
is a routine stop over - hundreds of ______________ are unloaded while new ones are hoisted
in to replace them.
5.
The company behind the fin whale trade, Hvalur hf, has not hunted any this year because of
poor market conditions in Japan following the March earthquake and tsunami. But it does
intend to _________ again if and when the market improves.
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
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Answers
1.
A custom-made electric guitar stolen in Edinburgh from a Californian rock band appearing at a
music festival has been recovered by police.
Source: Le Blonde Dames' stolen guitar found http://bbc.in/neWQKy
2.
The importation of tortoises is restricted under the Convention in International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) and they can only be brought into the UK if the correct permits
have been applied for and issued. The tortoises are in quarantine while plans are made for them
to be rehomed.
Source: Endangered spur-thighed tortoises found at Stansted http://bbc.in/lUNtZV
3.
In an article for Scotland on Sunday in February 2000 the judge wrote that the impact of the
Convention on Scots Law was already ''devastating'' and suggested that the legislation was
providing ''a field day for crackpots, a pain in the neck for judges and legislators, and a
goldmine for lawyers''.
Source: Supreme Court 'not supreme' despite judgement http://bbc.in/kvfnT5
4.
It has landed here on the island nation of Singapore aboard the MV Copenhagen Express. This
is a routine stop over - hundreds of shipping crates are unloaded while new ones are hoisted in
to replace them.
Source: The Box arrives in Singapore http://bbc.in/nagzHR
5.
The company behind the fin whale trade, Hvalur hf, has not hunted any this year because of
poor market conditions in Japan following the March earthquake and tsunami. But it does
intend to take to the seas again if and when the market improves.
Source: US targets Iceland on whalemeat exports http://bbc.in/oMPkse
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
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