Joke of the week

An Aussie is having a quiet drink in a bar and leans over to the big guy next to him and says, "Do you want to hear a Kiwi joke?" The big guy replies, "Well mate, before you tell that joke, you should know something. I'm 1.90 m tall, 125 kg and I played as a forward for the All Blacks rugby team. The guy next to me is 1.85 m, weighs 115 kg and he's an ex-All Black forward. Next to him is a guy who is 2 m tall, weighs 120 kg and he's a current All Black player. Now do you still want to tell that Kiwi joke?" The Aussie says, "No, not if I'm going to have to explain it three times."

an Aussie - Australijczyk
to lean over - pochylać się
a Kiwi - pot. mieszkaniec Nowej Zelandii
a forward - napastnik
current - obecny

A quotation of the week: A SHORT STORY - EASY

Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand (3754metres). But let's look at another mountain, which is only only 305 metres high:
Mt Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokai-whenuakitanatahu. It has got the longest place name in the world. It translates into English: "the place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as 'landeater,' played his flute to his loved one."

GLOSSARY
	to slide / slid - pośliznąć się to swallow - połykać known as - zwane a flute - flet poprzeczny

A SHORT STORY - MEDIUM

Fancy a trip downunder? New Zealand is a beautiful and interesting place and if you enjoy the outdoors and a rural setting it's an absolute paradise. It is heaven for anyone who likes outdoor activities - you can go surfing and snowboarding in the same day. You can drive through beach, rainforest landscapes, and tundra all in one day. The island is extremely diverse. There is so much to see and if you take a lot of short trips you can see a lot of incredible things. Tramping (hiking) and exploring is an absolute must. Last but not least, the kiwis are wonderful people.

GLOSSARY
	downunder - antypody setting - sceneria a landscape - krajobraz diverse - różnorodny hiking - piesza wycieczka

A SHORT STORY - HARD

Queenstown, a resort town located on the South Island, is the extreme sports capital of the world. Skiing, jet boating, bungee jumping, mountain biking and tramping are all very popular. When you talk about adventure tourism in New Zealand, this is where it all began. On 12 November 1988 chronicles noted the first commercial bungee jump. Since then 450,000 people have taken the plunge. Why is bungee-jumping so popular? The secret to bungee's success is that even though it looks very dangerous, it is in fact pretty safe. Things have changed. Now the fearless need more thrill to frighten themselves. In today's extreme sports game, innovation is the key. Making things taller and scarier than before brings visitors back for more.

GLOSSARY
	a resort town - miejscowość wypoczynkowa the fearless - nieustraszeni to take the plunge - skoczyć

A FILM STAR

Complete the gaps in the text.

The (1) s _ _ _ of the Lord of the (2) R _ _ _ _ film trilogy is not a hobbit, a (3) w_ _ _ _ _, or a king. It's not its (4) d_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Peter Jackson or his special effects team. No, the star is definitely New Zealand. New Zealand (55) t_ _ _ _ _ _ officials jokingly called their nation as (6) "Best Supporting Country". The small Pacific nation provided about 150 (7) l_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for the films, including the hobbit-inhabited Shire, the mountains of Mordor, and strongholds of Rivendell and Lothlorien. The entire (8) c_ _ _ _ _ _ was involved in the making of the film. Hundreds of Kiwi (9) e_ _ _ _ _ cheerfully wore prosthetic ears and hair to participate as (10) o_ _ _ and urak-hai of Middle-earth.

Answer key:
1. star, 2. Rings, 3. wizard, 4. director, 5. tourist, 6. Best, 7. locations, 8. country, 9. extras, 10. orcs

I've never been to New Zealand before. But one of my role models, Xena, the warrior princess, comes from there.

Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State (1937)

Nigdy nie byłam w Nowej Zelandii, ale jedna z osób, które są dla mnie wzorem do naśladowania, wojownicza księżniczka Xena, stamtąd pochodzi.

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