BBC Learning English
Video Words in the News
28 August 2013
Knife massage
Transcript:
It's not food she wants to chop - it's you.
This is a massage parlour in Taiwan. Trained specialists use blunt
knives as well as meditation to help their customers relax.
Knife massages date back more than 2,000 years to China, where they
were given by monks or nuns.
Now Taiwan is one of the few places where this type of therapy is still
practised.
Vocabulary:
to chop
to cut into pieces
massage parlour
a place where professional massages are given
blunt
with a dull edge; not sharp
meditation
concentrating on a single thing in order to become calm
therapy
treatment
Watch the video online: Knife massage http://bbc.in/15frO2o
Video Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2013
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bbclearningenglish.com
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.
to chop / massage parlour / blunt / meditation / therapy
1. Lord Hutton released his findings in January 2004, reporting that the
scientist had committed suicide by slashing his wrist with a __________
gardening knife.
2. The roasted guinea pig - called cuy in South America - was brought to our
table whole before being __________ into five pieces - four leg portions
and the head.
3. A disease which robs children of the ability to walk and talk has been cured
by pioneering gene __________ to correct errors in their DNA, say doctors.
4. Adam says that __________ is a crucial part of free-diving. "If you don't
stay relaxed, you can't hold your breath," he tells BBC News.
5. Two men have been arrested and weapons have been seized after an armed
robbery at a Brighton __________.
Video Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2013
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bbclearningenglish.com
Answers:
1. Lord Hutton released his findings in January 2004, reporting that the scientist
had committed suicide by slashing his wrist with a blunt gardening knife.
Source: Dr David Kelly: Controversial death examined
http://bbc.in/kvhXnR
2. The roasted guinea pig - called cuy in South America - was brought to our
table whole before being chopped into five pieces - four leg portions and the
head.
Source: Could I bring myself to eat a guinea pig?
http://bbc.in/16YrAEa
3. A disease which robs children of the ability to walk and talk has been cured
by pioneering gene therapy to correct errors in their DNA, say doctors GMT.
Source: Gene therapy trial 'cures children'
http://bbc.in/1auL8Bq
4. Adam says that meditation is a crucial part of free-diving. "If you don't stay
relaxed, you can't hold your breath," he tells BBC News.
Source: Man v seal: How we compare with our marine cousins
http://bbc.in/1bLvDQY
5. Two men have been arrested and weapons have been seized after an armed
robbery at a Brighton massage parlour.
Source: Two arrested over Brighton massage parlour raid
http://bbc.in/IeTlrC
Video Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2013
Page 3 of 3
bbclearningenglish.com