The English Blog

News Resources for English Learners

I often use news stories in my lessons and thought it would be a good idea to create a webpage for my EMN students with a list of news resources for learning English. The URL is myenglishnews.eu. If you have any suggestions for sites or resources I can add to the list, don't hesitate to add a comment below or send me an email.

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Cartoon: Volkswagen Emissions Scandal

BACKGROUND
The German car giant Volkswagen has admitted cheating emissions tests in the US. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), some cars being sold in America had devices in diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, changing the performance accordingly to improve results. Read more >>

CARTOON
The cartoon by Chappatte in The International New York Times shows a Volkwagen car emitting some nasty looking fumes. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a passenger in the car. A poor Greek man with a bicycle comments, "So you've been lying and cheating — and Europe will pay the price?"

IDIOM
To pay the price is to ​experience the ​bad ​result of something you have done (or someone else has done). • If you ​abuse ​your ​body now, you'll pay the ​price when you're ​older.

COMMENTARY
The cartoon compares the Greek Debt Crisis and the austerity measures that Germany insisted on in return for successive bailouts with the VW crisis that Germany that is now facing. However, in the latter case, Europe as a whole will "pay the price" in terms of increased pollution and even deaths (note the skull and crossbones depicted in the exhaust fumes). You could say that it's one law for the rich, and another for the poor.

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Yoplait 'Hunger' Ad

My French students often confuse the English words 'anger' and 'hunger' (the feeling that you have when you need to eat something). This ad for Yoplait yoghurt illustrates the difference quite nicely.

TRANSCRIPT
You see this look on my face. That's not anger that's hunger. So I'm gonna have a snack to make me feel better. And once I do, you'll see a look of satisfaction and contentment blossom across my face. See, now I feel better. Make your tummy happy. Mmm, Yoplait.

ALSO SEE
• Yoplait and W+K Made the Hangriest Yogurt Ads Yet (AdWeek)

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Cartoon: Made in Germany

Today's cartoon by Adams from The Telegraph connects the Volkswagen emissions scandal with the ongoing eurozone debt crisis.  

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is shown at the wheel of a Volkwagen Beetle. The car is emitting clouds of toxic fumes, choking the men in suits (other EU countries?). The badge on the front of the car is a euro sign, which tells us that the cartoonist is also making a point about Germany's role in the eurozone crisis. In fact, both Merkel's comment "But it passed all the tests!" and the title "Made in Germany" have a double meaning and can refer to both the car and the euro.

ALSO SEE
• Peter Brookes' cartoon in The Times
• VW is now in mortal danger, but it’s not the only one (The Telegraph)

VOCABULARY
If you pass a test, you are successful. In French 'passer un test' means to do or take a test, so it's a 'false friend' for them. • I took the test but I didn't pass. 

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Telegraph Cartoon by Adams

Today's cartoon by Adams from The Telegraph illustrates a well-known English idiom. Can you guess what it is? And what is the cartoon about? See here for answers.

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Cartoon: Europe Moved by Aylan's Death

BACKGROUND
The father of a Syrian toddler whose drowning shocked the world buried his family on Thursday in the war-torn town they originally fled, as divided European ministers scrambled to agree a response to the refugee crisis. Pressure on EU leaders has intensified with the heartbreaking pictures of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi's body on a Turkish beach, after he drowned with his brother Ghaleb and mother Rihana while they tried to cross to Greece. Full story >>

THE CARTOON
The cartoon by Chappatte from Le Temps, Switzerland, shows a group of EU leaders (I identified David Cameron, Angela Merkel, and François Hollande holding the photo). They are crying (crocodile tears?) and one of them comments, "From now on, all the little drowned kids have the right to asylum".

VOCABULARY
Asylum (U) is the right to stay in a country, given by a government to protect someone who has escaped from war or political trouble in their own country. • The number of refugees seeking political asylum has risen recently.

COMMENT
This cartoon by Chappatte has a lot in common with the harrowing one by Peter Brookes from last Friday's Times. They both suggest that EU leaders are failing in the face of 'biggest test of humanity in decades' (as Amnesty International said even before the Aylan tragedy).

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Quizlet Flashcard Set: Slogans

Here's a flashcard set I created for my M2 Marketing students. See if you can find the companies whose slogans are given. You can find all these slogans (and more besides) in this excellent article: 'How to Create Catchy Slogans and Taglines'. Click on 'Choose a Study Mode' to find more activities based on this flashcard set.

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