Three officials can then be seen making a ‘mic drop’ hand signal in the background – seen as a symbol of confidence.

The First Lady also wrote on Twitter: ‘Hey, @KensingtonRoyal! Are you ready for @InvictusOrlando? Game on.’

Prince Harry initially replied from the official Kensington Palace account with a tweet, stating: ‘Wow @FLOTUS and @POTUS, some @weareinvictus fighting talk there!You can dish it out, but can you take it? – H.’

But he then appeared to be concerned about the possible threat of competition from the Americans as he added: ‘@FLOTUS @POTUS How on Earth am I going to top that?’

The Prince, however, had a pre-prepared trick up his sleeve – a video with the Queen.

A short clip uploaded around 4pm – less than an hour after the Obamas’ footage was posted – shows the Prince sitting on a sofa with his grandmother while looking at pictures of last year’s Invictus competitors.

They appear to be concerned about an American man looking ‘incredibly fast’ during the sprinting when the Prince’s phone starts playing ‘Hail To The Chief’ – a march associated with the U.S. president.

It signalled a text from Mrs Obama, which contains the video starring the Obamas.

The Prince turns to the Queen and asks: ‘Do you want to watch this together?’ before stating: ‘Let’s have a look.’

While Prince Harry looks concerned, the Queen does not look fazed by the clip and merely states: ‘Oh really? Please.’

The clip ends with the 31-year-old Prince turning to the camera and making his own ‘mic drop’ hand signal, clearly convinced the Britons will return triumphant.

Prince Harry has been the driving force behind the Games, which was first staged in 2014 to great acclaim.

The Prince will be cheering on competitors in the sporting spectacle he said would allow them to serve their country again and ‘go out and kick the a**e out of life’.

The ethos of Invictus is to highlight the incredible effect sport has to inspire and help the recovery of servicemen and women who have been injured whilst serving their country.

The next Invictus games will be held in Orlando, Florida, next month, while the third round of games will take place next year in Toronto, Canada. One US competitor of the games said: ‘Up until my awareness of the Invictus Games, all I had been doing was living in memories. In my mind my life has been over and I was just waiting to be done because I’m not capable of doing or living like I used to. I‘m starting to think however, that my game has just begun.’

A British competitor added: ‘ I knew it’d be special but this has been something else. I can’t sum it up in words. We’ve been humbled by the support everyone has given us. We just want to say thank you to everyone. This has meant so much.’

According to Prince Harry: ‘These Games have shone a spotlight on the “unconquerable” character of service men and women and their families and their “Invictus” spirit.

‘These Games have been about seeing guys sprinting for the finish line and then turning round to clap the last man in. They have been about teammates choosing to cross the line together, not wanting to come second, but not wanting the other guys to either.

‘These Games have shown the very best of the human spirit.’

The video was immediately met with delight from fans of the royals on social media.

One Twitter users, known only as Andrea, wrote: ‘Omygosh this is too much! This Queen wins this one.’

Sally R added: ‘I think Prince Harry just won that round – well done to The Queen for her sense of fun.’

William Wearmouth simply said: ‘Her Majesty the Queen – bossing it since 1952.’

While Sarah Hallahan wrote: ‘Brilliant fun. Round 1 the Queen and Prince Harry I think.’ 

Prince Harry will travel to the U.S. next week to support the UK team in the Paralympics-style competition, which is for injured, sick or wounded servicemen and women and veterans. 

The video is not the first time the Queen has shown her sense of humour.

The monarch famously appeared in a film sequence for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig and some of her corgis. She is also known for her wit, which she uses to put nervous guests at ease.

THE INVICTUS GAMES: A PARALYMPIC-STYLE COMPETITION FOR INJURED, SICK AND WOUNDED PERSONNEL 

The Invictus Games are a multi-sport event for injured, sick or wounded military personnel and veterans. Prince Harry has been the driving force behind the Games, which were first staged in 2014 in London to great acclaim. He is patron of the games, an event he is especially passionate about given that some of the soldiers he fought alongside in Afghanistan had been injured. He believes the games can help rehabilitate wounded service personnel as well as showing them their country appreciates their sacrifice.  The ethos of Invictus is to highlight the incredible effect sport has to inspire and help the recovery of servicemen and women who have been injured whilst serving their country. This year, the competition is being staged in Orlando, Florida. It will start on May 8. Prince Harry will travel to the U.S. next week to support the UK team in the Paralympics-style competition. He previously said he was ‘absolutely delighted’ the United States had decided to host the Games. More than 500 competitors from countries including Italy, Germany, Estonia, Jordan and the UK compete in 10 events – archery, indoor rowing, powerlifting, road cycling, sitting volleyball, swimming, athletics, wheelchair basketball, rugby and tennis.

On Dec. 18, 2014, she recorded a video, telling the world of her dream to meet the Obamas. She submitted a petition to the White House government website, describing her memories of life without electricity, kerosene lamps, the first Ford motor vehicle and the day Martin Luther King Jr. was killed.

Her husband was in the army, and passed away in 1941. Ever since, she’s lived in Washington D.C., silently hoping she’d come face-to-face with the country’s first black president. Her story must’ve struck a chord with the folks in the White House, because she was recently invited over to celebrate black history month.

The moment is captured on film in a video released by the White House.

Her advice is worth listening to: Keep moving. Keep on breathing and believing and you never know what might happen….

Can you match the words and the synonyms?

Key:

1. c.

2. e.

3. a.

4. b.

5. d.

Beyoncé: Rumours of affair with Barack Obama are ‘absurd’

Beyoncé knows exactly how Liz Hurley feels after the actress was forced to deny she’d had a fling with Bill Clinton. The internet was buzzing with rumours of a new bout of White House romance – this time involving the Crazy In Love singer and president Barack Obama. A French paparazzo claimed the Washington Post newspaper was planning to run a story that the pair were having an affair. Pascal Rostain’s sensational allegation on the Europe 1 radio station was picked up by other French media, including the normally strait-laced Le Figaro. A spokeswoman for Beyoncé dismissed the claim as ‘absurd’. Rostain, a friend of the jilted former French first lady Valérie Trierweiler, is due to have a memoir published this week.

source: Metro

rumour – pletyka
affair – viszony
to be forced to do sg. – rákényszerít vmire
to deny – tagad
fling – könnyű viszony
to buzz – zizeg
new bout of sg – újabb roham, kör
involving – vkit illető
president – elnök
to claim – állít
to plan – tervez
to run a story – megjelentet egy sztorit, cikket
allegation – állítás
to pick up – itt: átvenni
including – beleértve
strait-laced – szigorú erkölcsű, komoly
spokeswoman – szóvivőnő
jilted – elhagyott
former – korábbi, előző
to be due to – várhatóan bekövetkezik
memoir – emlékirat, önéletrajz
to insist – ragaszkodik
to go on – folytat
alleged – állítólagos
to add – hozzátesz
to perform – fellép
to assure – biztosít
the Obamas –  az Obama-házaspár
to remain – marad
to receive – kap, fogad
actually – igazából
tryst – titkos légyott
to reveal – felfed
to make sg. up – kitalál vmit, füllent

Match the verbs with their definitions.

 answers: 1-d 2-a 3-e 4-b 5-c

Every four years – on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November – millions of U.S. citizens go to local voting booths to elect the next President and Vice President of their country. Their votes will be recorded and counted, and winners will be declared.The President and Vice-President of the United States must be at least 35 years of age, they must be native-born citizens of the United States, and they must have been residents of the U.S. for at least 14 years. A person can be elected only twice, which means a President can be in office for two terms.

To choose their candidates, most political parties hold conventions, attended by delegates. The delegates can be selected by state primary elections, by state caucuses (it means that they use public voting instead of secret ballots) or they can also be chosen for their prominence in the party. To win the party’s nomination a majority of delegate votes is needed. In most cases, the delegates let their chosen presidential candidate select a vice-presidential candidate.

In the general election, each candidate for President runs together with a candidate for Vice-President on a ticket. Voters select one ticket to vote for which means they can’t choose a presidential candidate from one ticket and a vice-presidential candidate from another ticket.

Electoral College

The national presidential election consists of a separate election in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The voters on these 51 elections are actually voting for electors, pledged to one of the tickets. These so called electors make up the Electoral College. The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of its senators and representatives. It means that there are two senators from each state, but the number of representatives depends on the state population. Each state has the same number of electors as it has senators and representatives.

In most of the states the election is a winner-take-all, which means whichever ticket receives the most voters in that state gets all the electors. There are only two exceptions – Maine and Nebraska – as in these two states just two of the electors are chosen in a winner-take-all manner from the entire state. The remaining electors are determined by the winner in each congressional district, with each district voting for one elector. When the Electoral College is formed, it votes for President and for Vice-President, with each elector casting one vote. These votes are called electoral votes. Each elector is pledged to vote for particular candidates for President and Vice-President.

When the election poll closes the votes are counted, resulting in one of the candidates receiving a majority of the electoral votes. It usually means that he (or she) has got more than half of the electoral votes. The candidate who has got the majority of the votes will be elected President of the United States. That candidate’s vice-presidential running mate will then also receive a majority of electoral votes (for Vice-President), and that person will be elected Vice-President.

But what happens if there is no Electoral College winner? In this case the House of Representatives chooses the President. This is however a very rare event.

6th November, 2012

The next United States presidential election is to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will officially elect the president and the vice president of the United States on December 17, 2012, will be chosen. Incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama is running for a second term. His major challenger is former Massachusetts Governor, Republican Mitt Romney. Two other candidates have attained ballot access, which is sufficient to mathematically win the election by a majority of the Electoral College. They are former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, the Libertarian nominee and Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee. Virgil Goode, the Constitution Party candidate, and Rocky Anderson, the Justice Party candidate, also have ballot access plus write-in status in enough states to reach the 270 electors.

Inauguration Day is the day on which the President of the United States is sworn in and officially takes office. After a morning worship service, the oath of office is traditionally administered on the steps of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC. The Vice President takes the oath of office at the same ceremony as the President. The oath is as follows:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

The 2013 Presidential Inauguration will be held in Washington DC on Monday, January 21, 2013. By law, the President must take his Oath of Office on January 20th before noon. Since the 20th falls on a Sunday, there will be a private ceremony on that date and the public ceremony will be held the following day. A week of festivities will include the Presidential Swearing in Ceremony, Inaugural Address, Inaugural Parade and a night of Inaugural Balls and galas honoring the new President of the United States.

voting booth [ˈvəʊtɪŋ buːð] – szavazófülke
to elect [tu ɪˈlekt] – választ
vote [vəʊt] – szavazat
to be recorded [tə bi rɪˈkɔːdɪd] – rögzítve lenni
to be counted  [tə bi ˈkaʊntɪd] – megszámlálva lenni
to be declared  [tə bi dɪˈkleəd] – kinyilatkoztatva/bejelentve lenni
native-born citizen [ˈneɪtɪv bɔːn ˈsɪtɪzən] – az országban született állampolgár
resident [ˈrezɪdənt] – lakos
to be elected [tə bi ɪˈlektɪd] – megválasztva lenni
in office [ɪn ˈɒfɪs] – hivatalban (lévő)
term  [tɜːm] – ciklus, időszak
candidate [ˈkændɪdət] – jelölt
political party [pəˈlɪtɪkəl ˈpɑːti] – politikai part
convention [kənˈvenʃən] – gyűlés (US)
to attend [tu əˈtend] – részt vesz
delegate [ˈdelɪɡeɪt] – képviselő, küldött
secret ballot [ˈsiːkrɪt ˈbælət] – titkos szavazás
ballot [ˈbælət] – szavazócédula, szavazás
prominence [ˈprɒmɪnəns] – kiemelkedés, kimagaslás
nomination [ˌnɒmɪˈneɪʃən] – jelölés
to vote for [tə vəʊt fɔː] – szavazni valamire/valakire
presidential election [ˌprezɪˈdenʃəl ɪˈlekʃən] – elnökválasztás
to consist of [tə kənˈsɪst ɒv] – áll valamiből
elector [ɪˈlektə] – választó
to be pledged to  [tə bi pledʒd tuː] – valamire fogadalmat tett
to be equal to  [tə bi ˈiːkwəl tuː] – egyenlő valamivel
representative [ˌreprɪˈzentətɪv] – képviselő
to depend on  [tə dɪˈpend ɒn]   – valamitől függ
state population [steɪt ˌpɒpjʊˈleɪʃən] – állam népessége
whichever [wɪtʃˈevə] – bármelyik (is)
exception [ɪkˈsepʃən] – kivétel
manner [ˈmænə] – mód, módszer
remaining [rɪˈmeɪnɪŋ] – megmaradó, fennmaradó
to be determined by [tə bi dɪˈtɜːmɪnd baɪ] – valami által meghatározva lenni
to cast (a vote) [tə kɑːst ə vəʊt] – szavaz
particular [pəˈtɪkjʊlə] – bizonyos/ különleges
election poll [ɪˈlekʃən pəʊl] – választás
to result in  [tə rɪˈzʌlt ɪn] – valamit eredményez
rare event [reər ɪˈvent]  – ritka esemény
quadrennial [kwaˈdreniəl] – négyévenkénti
incumbent [ɪnˈkʌmbənt] – hivatalban lévő
challenger [ˈtʃæləndʒə] – kihívó
former [ˈfɔːmə] – egykori, korábbi
to attain [tu əˈteɪn] – elér, elnyer
sufficient [səˈfɪʃnt] – elegendő
nominee [ˌnɒmɪˈniː] – jelölt
to be sworn in [tə bi swɔːn ɪn] – felesketve lenni
to take office [tə teɪk ˈɒfɪs] – elfoglalja a hivatalát
worship service [ˈwɜːʃɪp ˈsɜːvɪs] – istentisztelet
oath of office [əʊθ əv ˈɒfɪs] – eskü, fogadalom
solemnly [ˈsɒləmli] – hivatali eskü
to swear [tə sweə] – esküszik, felesküszik
to affirm  [tu əˈfɜːm] – állít
faithfully [ˈfeɪθfəli] – hűségesen
to execute [tu ˈeksɪkjuːt] – véghez visz
to preserve [tə prɪˈzɜːv] – megőriz
constitution [ˌkɒnstɪˈtjuːʃən] – alkotmány