szerk., Author at EU English

Categories:

B2/C1, C1+, EU News, EU topics, European Union, News, World News

January 4, 2016

BERLIN, GERMANY - DECEMBER 30: (EDITORS NOTE: IMAGES STRICTLY EMBARGOED FROM ALL USAGE UNTIL 23:00 GMT DECEMBER 30, 2015) German Chancellor Angela Merkel records her televised new year's address at the Chancellery on December 30, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. Integration of the over one million migrants and refugees who came to Germany in 2015 will be among Germany's biggest challenges in 2016. Other major issues will include the fight against Islamist terror both at home and through Germany's participation in the coalition-led war against the Islamic State. (Photo by Ukas Michael - Pool/Getty Images)

In 2015, Angela Merkel evolved from Germany’s measured voice of reason into Europe’s voice of compassion. Loved and loathed (=hated), the German chancellor heads towards a tumultuous (=busy) 2016. Read the article by Matthew Karnitschnig in POLITICO along with some key terms explained in red and further expressions marked in green. Then take our Comprehension …

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Jan 01

News&English – 10 Films to Watch in 2016

Categories:

B2/C1, C1+, Movie & TV, News & Fun, Work & Life

by szerk.

January 1, 2016

Nicholas Barber picks the most exciting films coming up in the new year, including releases from the Coen brothers, Spielberg and Oliver Stone. See the complete BBC article here. Below, we selected four with some tricky expressions explained in red! A Bigger Splash A Bowie-ish rock goddess (Tilda Swinton) and her devoted boyfriend (Matthias …

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Dec 30

How to Wish – a HAPPY NEW YEAR

Categories:

B1/B2, Work & Life

by szerk.

December 30, 2015

Are you also bored with the usual NEW Year’s wishes? Now, as the New Year is approaching, it’s not always easy to find the right words, is it? So, what can you say instead of HAPPY?? And what can you say if you want to wish more than ‘A HAPPY NEW YEAR’? Here is our …

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Dec 28

Best of 2015 – Drone Photos

Categories:

B1/B2, B2/C1, Work & Life, World News

by szerk.

December 28, 2015

Can you recognise this picture? This is one of the 10 top photos users of the site Dronestagram have chosen as their favourite images. Check out the BBC’s website for a selection of photos chosen as being among the BEST of the YEAR 2015! Source: Donestagram/Alexandre Salem Some key terms and expressions of the article …

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Dec 23

Follow the Headlines DaybyDay – with Christmas Photos and Songs

Categories:

B1/B2, News & Fun, World News

by szerk.

December 23, 2015

On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar. —David Ogilvy Indeed, headlines are arguably more important than the article itself… They need to be tricky, unique, creative, super-clickable, irresistible and even sexy:) …

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Dec 23

18 Last-Minute Gifts That Will Help You Save Christmas

Categories:

B1/B2, News & Fun, Speak Easy

by szerk.

December 23, 2015

So you waited until the absolute last minute to do your shopping and now you’re here, reading this, wasting precious moments that should be filled with anxious, click-happy buying. Fear not: There are a variety of quick-shipping products and digital items that, despite your oversight, will be very appreciated by their recipients. Before you go …

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Dec 21

Common Words with DOWN

Categories:

B1/B2, B2/C1, C1+, Speak Easy, TOEFL, TOEIC, Vocabulary Quiz

by szerk.

December 21, 2015

Down-and-out, down payment, closedown… Well, don’t be down (=unhappy) if you are not really sure what these words and expressions mean, but take this quiz to practice the top 10 most common words with DOWN! Scroll down for more common words with down. Level: B1 and above WORDS TO KNOW to be / …

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Dec 17

The 13 Most Bizarre Christmas Traditions from around the World

Categories:

B2/C1, News & Fun, Quiz

by szerk.

December 17, 2015

From eating deep fried caterpillars on Christmas day to decorating your tree with artificial spiders – which one would you prefer? Every country has its own traditions that might make the rest of the world do a double take. The EveningStandard collected 13 of the weirdest Christmas traditions from around the world. Take this quiz to GUESS …

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Dec 16

Easily Confused Economic Terms – Real or Nominal?

Categories:

B2/C1, Business, Quiz, Vocabulary Quiz

by szerk.

December 16, 2015

Do YOU know the difference? There are plenty of economic terms you may come across while reading the news or discussing economic issues with your friends. However, a great number of these terms are often misused or simply not understood by the general public. If you want to be one of those who can use …

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Dec 15