Here’s why she has two birthdays, and you only get one

Happy birthday to the Queen! On 21^st of April Her Majesty celebrated her actual birthday (as opposed to her official birthday, which falls in June). Here’s a complete guide to why we celebrate her birthday twice each year.

So the Queen gets two birthdays? Yep. Her Majesty was born on April 21, 1926 and she turned 93 this year. She will celebrate her official birthday on June 14.

Why does she get two? It’s tradition – the sovereign is given two birthdays if their birth date is not in the summer. This is because there will be a better chance of good weather for the birthday parade, called Trooping the Colour, which is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies.

Have other kings and queens done this? Yes. All British monarchs have been given the option of having two birthdays since 1748. Edward VII, whose birthday fell in November, did it too.

Does she get presents? And cake? Well, we don’t know. The Queen celebrates her actual birthday in private (although last year she spent the day at the races) but we like to think she tucks into a very regal slice of birthday cake on occasion. At midday on April 21, she gets a 41 gun salute in Hyde Park, a 21 gun salute in Windsor Great Park and a 62 gun salute at the Tower of London.

So surely this is a national holiday. Do we get a day off? No, but you’re welcome to toast her if you like. Some places in the Commonwealth (such as Australia and New Zealand) get a public holiday on her official birthday, but we’re not so lucky.

source: www.metro.co.uk

to celebrate – ünnepelni
as opposed to – valamivel ellentétben
official – hivatalos
Her Majesty – Őfelsége
sovereign – uralkodó
a chance of – esély valamire
parade – parádé, felvonulás
regiment – ezred
the Commonwealth – Brit Nemzetközösség
the option of – valaminek a lehetősége
although – habár
the races (horserace) – lóverseny
to tuck into – bekebelez, jó étvággyal eszik
gun salute – díszsortűz
to toast someone – valakinek az egészégére inni, pohárköszöntőt mondani 

True or false?

1. The Queen was born in the summer.

2. Her Majesty celebrates her birthday in private.

3. The Queen’s official birthday is held in June.

4. The Queen’s birthday is a national holiday in the United Kingdom.

5. She is the first British Queen to have two birthdays.

Answers: 1-F 2-T 3-T 4-F 5-F

1. The lights have gone out in the whole area. It must be a ……………….. .

a) power down
b) power cut 

2. The bathroom is flooded. The washing machine ……………….. .

a) is leaking
b) is trickling

3. George’s car won’t start. It probably has a/an  ……………….. .

a) flat battery
b) empty battery

4. Oh dear, this lamp doesn’t work. We need a new ……………….. .

a) lighting
b) light bulb

5. Make sure you don’t touch this wire. It’s ……………….. and you’ll get an electric shock!

a) awake
b) live

6. My fridge is not working properly. I guess I need to ……………….. it.

a) defrost
b) defreeze

7. I plugged in my hair dryer but it doesn’t work. Looks like it ………………..

a) has broken off
b) has broken down

8. I’ve lost my ……………….. and I can’t use my phone now.

a) charger
b) changer

9. You can’t use the lift. It’s out of ……………….. .

a) electricity
b) order

10. I don’t know what’s wrong with the DVD player. Where is the ……………….. ?

a) instructions booklet
b) inventions booklet

11. I bought this drill yesterday but it doesn’t work. I need to ……………….. it to the shop.

a) reclaim
b) return

12. Give me a hand. The toilet won’t ……………….. .

a) flush
b) flash

13. Oh no! I ……………….. the memory card clean by mistake.

a) wiped
b) scrubbed

14. The touchscreen on Mike’s phone is broken. He needs a ……………….. .

a) replacement
b) change

15. Our car broke down on the motorway so we called a ……………….. .

a) breakdown car
b) tow truck

answers: 1-b 2-a 3-a 4-b 5-b 6-a 7-b 8-a 9-b 10-a 11-b 12-a 13-a 14-a 15-b

Taiwan gas explosion: Dramatic pictures show devastation after huge blasts kill 22 and injure 270

A series of gas explosions in Taiwan has left 22 people dead and 270 injured. Huge balls of flame erupted from the street, flying 15 storeys into the air and destroying buildings and cars in the south-western city of Kaohsiung last night. 22 people have already been confirmed dead, but the death toll is expected to rise sharply.

Smoke with a "gas-like smell" was seen coming out of drains shortly before the disaster, local media reported, and the city’s fire department said the blast had been caused by a gas leak. Photographs showed a scene of devastation last night, including the body of a dead or injured child on the ground among the rubble.

Rescuers formed a chain to pull the injured from a deep crater in the road. After light broke this morning, residents found whole streets ripped up, with mangled and charred vehicles thrown on the roofs.

The media said some residents described it as having felt like the area was hit by a powerful earthquake. The Kaohsiung government has set up an emergency centre, with a plan to send soldiers in to coordinate the rescue operation, the media said.

source: www.mirror.co.uk

injured – sérült
to erupt – kitörni, feltörni
storey – emelet
to confirm – megerősíteni
death toll – halálos áldozatok száma
to rise sharply – hirtelen emelkedik
drain – csatorna
gas leak – gázszivárgás
devastation – pusztítás
rubble – törmelék
rescuer – mentést végző ember
to be ripped up – felszaggatja valami
mangled – szétroncsolt
charred – megperzselt
earthquake – földrengés
rescue operation – mentőakció

Match the words with the synoyms.

answers: 1-d 2-e 3-a 4-c 5-b

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This is the hilarious moment a dog sounded a car horn for 15 minutes after its owner spent too long in an art gallery. Fern, an 18-month-old boxer, was filmed leaning back in the driver seat with her left paw resting on the steering wheel and repeatedly pressing the horn on Saturday afternoon. The animal had been left inside the car while her owner to finish browsing an art gallery in Scotland. Since being posted online yesterday, the footage of the impatient but ‘attention-loving’ boxer has been viewed more than 8,000 times.

Fern’s owners Graham and Fiona Haddow say they had only been wandering around the shops for five minutes when they heard the faint sound of a car horn. At the time they thought little of the noise, and decided to browse the Eduardo Alessandro Studios art gallery. But after returning to their vehicle 15 minutes later they were shocked to see a large crowd gathered and grew concerned for Fern’s welfare.

Mr Haddow, 58, said: ‘I came out of the gallery and looked down the street and saw a crowd of people standing around, pointing at my car. I started running because I was worried something had happened to her,’ he added. ‘When I got closer I realised people were pointing and laughing and taking pictures. She gave me a sideways glance and just kept on going,’ Mr Haddow went on. Although Fern regularly climbs into the front seat when left alone in a car, she has never actually used the horn before, Mr Haddow said.

Mr Haddow is concerned that his beloved pet boxer may repeat her new trick after all the attention it got her the first time around. ‘I think she is a bit of a diva. She just wants a bit of attention and she seems to have gotten her way this time… I might have to put something on the driver’s seat to stop her doing it again.’

source: Daily Mail

hilarious – nagyon vicces, muris
horn – duda
owner – gazdi, tulajdonos
to lean back – hátradőlni
driver seat – vezetőülés
paw – mancs
steering wheel – kormány
footage – filmfelvétel
attention-loving – szeret a figyelem központjában lenni
faint – halk, elmosódott
to think little of something – nem sokat törődni valamivel
crowd – tömeg
to grow concerned for – elkezd aggódni valamiért
welfare – jólét, valakinek az egészsége, biztonsága
to point at – valamire mutatni
sideways glance – oldalpillantás
to keep on doing something – folytatni valamit
although – habár
trick – trükk, csel
diva – díva, művésznő
to have one’s way – úgy történnek a dolgok, ahogy akarja
to stop someone doing something – megakadályozni valamiben

True or false?

1. The owners left the dog in the car to go to the post office.

2. The dog often climbs on the first seat of the car when left alone.

3. The shoppers were upset by the sound of the car horn.

4. The owners were really worried when they saw a crowd standing around their car.

5. The dog likes to be in the centre of attention.

answers: 1-F 2-T 3-F 4-T 5-T

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Woman jailed for failing to return Jennifer Lopez movie she rented in 2005

A woman was arrested and jailed for failing to return a video she rented nine years ago. Kayla Michelle Finley, 27, was arrested when she went to her local county sheriff’s office in Pickens, South Carolina to report a crime. Officers informed her there was an active warrant for her arrest, she was arrested and spent the night in jail.

Finley rented the Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda movie Monster-In-Law from local store Dalton Video in 2005, but police say she failed to return it. As if having to watch Monster-In-Law wasn’t in itself adequate punishment, Dalton Video issued a warrant for Finley’s arrest. The store has since closed, but the warrant remained active.

"It’s obvious that Pickens County has nothing better to do," Finley wrote on Facebook. "I fully intend on fighting this. It’s ridiculous that I had this happen to me." Police say Finley was sent a number of letters telling her the video was overdue and that a warrant had been issued. She denies having received the letters. Finley was released on $2000 bail next morning.

source: www.mirror.co.uk

to be arrested – letartóztatnak valakit
to be  jailed – bebörtönöznek valakit
to fail to do something – nem sikerül valamit megcsinálni
to report a crime – bűntényt bejelenteni
warrant – parancs
as if – mintha
punishment – büntetés
to issue – kiadni, kibocsátani
to remain – maradni
obvious – nyilvánvaló
to have nothing better to do – nincs jobb dolga
to intend – szándékozik
ridiculous – nevetséges
overdue – lejárt, késésben van
to deny – tagadni
to be released – kiengedik
bail – óvadék

Fill in the sentences with the right verbs. There is one extra. 

1. Ken went to work in New York but Jim ……………….. in Alaska.

2. Mark ……………….. for drunk driving for a month.

3. If you need to ……………….., call the police.

4. Kate said that her flatmate had stolen her bag but she ……………….. it.

5. My brother ……………….. to study engineering.

answers: 1-remained 2-was jailed 3-report a crime 4-denied 5-intends

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Boots made for the dog that is allergic to going for walkies outside

Bluey the weimaraner must wear tailor made boots otherwise his paws become unbearably sore if he goes on grass.

It’s a rough life for a dog if you are allergic to the great outdoors. But lovable Bluey has overcome his problem – by wearing a £50 set of boots. The eight-year-old weimaraner used to spend hours licking his poorly paws after walks.

Vets were stumped by his bizarre condition. But owner Julie Farr, 38, from Pembrokeshire, West Wales, solved the problem with boots specially made in the US. Julie, a nurse, said: “His paws were often inflamed and red. I tried tying carrier bags round his feet to ease the problem, but it wasn’t very practical. At first he wasn’t impressed and walked like a clown, but now he will happily wear them. It’s fantastic to see him running round without problems.”

source: www.mirror.co.uk

weimaraner – weimari
tailor made – méretre készített, rendelésre készült
otherwise – máskülönben
sore – fájdalmas, fájó
rough life – nehéz élet
to overcome – legyőzni
to lick – nyalogatni, nyalni
paw – mancs, tappancs
to be stumped – zavarban lenni
owner – tulajdonos, gazdi
inflamed – gyulladt
carrier bag – nylonzacsi
to be impressed – lenyűgözve lenni
clown – bohóc

Fill in the gaps with the right words. There is one extra.

1. The ……………….. of the car was really shocked to see the damage.

2. My sister took her dog to the vet’s with a broken ……………….. .

3. We need to go shopping now ……………….. we won’t have bread for dinner.

4. The shop assistant packed everything into ……………….. .

5. Andy managed to ……………….. his fear of flying and went to Australia.

answers: 1-owner 2-paw 3-otherwise 4-carrier bags 5-overcome

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 🙂

Szókincsfejlesztés szinonímákkal.

I. Group the words according to their positive or negative meaning.

synonyms of GOOD:

synonyms of BAD:

II. Replace the words GOOD or BAD in the sentences with a word from the table above.

1. I won’t buy this. It’s bad quality.

2. Don’t eat too much sugar. It’s bad.

3. I had a good time at the beach.

4. Don’t play with George, he kicked Dan. He’s really bad.

5. My neighbour doesn’t say hello to me. This is bad.

6. Your son was really good. He offered his seat to an old lady on the bus.

7. You crossed the road at red light! That was really bad.

8. I need a good mechanic. My car has broken down again.

9. What a bad day! My colleague was fired.

10. You gave me good advice. Thanks!

11. The movie is about a bad guy who plans to explode a hospital.

12. We had a bad conversation but we had to find out the truth.

13. I think we need to develop a good product.

answers:

I. GOOD: nice, first-class, excellent, lovely, skillful, polite, great, useful

   BAD: dangerous, terrible, harmful, poor, unpleasant, unhealthy, evil, mean, awful, rude

II. 1-poor 2-unhealthy/harmful 3-great/lovely/nice 4-mean 5-rude 6-polite 7-dangerous 8-skillful/excellent 9-terrible/awful 10-useful 11-evil 12-unpleasant 13-first class

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