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BBC Learning English

Words in the News

24th August 2011

Swiss cable guy





Transcript

A Swiss daredevil’s climbed the highest mountain in Germany in an unusual wayâ€Ĺš



He scaled the 3000-metre peak using a cable car wire as a tightrope.



Freddy Nock gained nearly 350 metres in altitude as he walked the kilometre-long route without a balancing pole or a safety harness.



The stuntman’s trying to break seven world records in a week, raising money for charity in the process.





Vocabulary



daredevil:

a person who does dangerous things and enjoys taking risks

tightrope:

a wire or rope stretched above the ground which performers try to walk across altitude:

the height above sea level

safety harness:

piece of equipment which prevents someone from falling when they are doing a dangerous job above the ground

stuntman:

a person whose job is to perform dangerous tricks in films and TV in place of an actor



Watch this video online: Swiss cable guy





http://bbc.in/mSankw





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.

daredevil/ tightrope/ altitude / safety harness/ stuntman



1.

A Chinese inventor claims he reached an __________ of 4,000m on his home made flying machine.



2.

Strapped to a __________ tethered more than 100 floors up, he began his climb up the silvery, glass-covered tower just after 1800 (1400 GMT) on Monday.



3.

A "human cannonball" __________ plunged to his death in an accident seen by hundreds of people at a daredevil show.



4.

The New York state assembly has made an exception to a century-old ban on stunts at Niagara Falls, to allow a renowned __________ walker to cross from one side to the other.



5.

Sam has a touch of the ___________. He flies helicopters, boxes, rides motorbikes and carries the air of a dashing gentleman untroubled by life's frailties.





Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011



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bbclearningenglish.com





Answers

1.

A Chinese inventor claims he reached an altitude of 4,000m on his home made flying machine.

Source: A Chinese home-made flying machine and other tech news

http://bbc.in/nH28hf

2.

Strapped to a safety harness tethered more than 100 floors up, he began his climb up the silvery, glass-covered tower just after 1800 (1400 GMT) on Monday.

Source: 'Spiderman' Alain Robert scales Burj Khalifa in Dubai



http://bbc.in/exhRMp

3.

A "human cannonball" stuntman plunged to his death in an accident seen by hundreds of people at a daredevil show.

Source: 'Human cannonball' killed in Kent stunt show



http://bbc.in/hRcZUZ

4.

The New York state assembly has made an exception to a century-old ban on stunts at Niagara Falls, to allow a renowned tightrope walker to cross from one side to the other.

Source: Can Niagara tightrope walk offer safety net for sagging tourism? http://bbc.in/jCZdoC

5.

The Sam has a touch of the daredevil. He flies helicopters, boxes, rides motorbikes and carries the air of a dashing gentleman untroubled by life's frailties.

Source: Kauto Star upstaged by Long Run at King George VI http://bbc.in/h6h83F





Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011



Page 3 of 3

bbclearningenglish.com







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