Language and culture

【Conversation 1】 

Southwark is a historic area of London on the south side of the River Thames, opposite the City of London (the small central area famous for financial institutions).

The London Docks were part of Britain's busiest port in the 19th century. The Docks were used to import goods, but because of the increasing sizes of ships and the decline of local industries and manufacturers, the Docks were closed in 1969. In the 1980s and 1990s, the whole area was ＂regenerated”: many new homes were built and new businesses were started.

The Blitz, the name of the Second World War bombing of London and other British cities, comes from the German Blitzkrieg, which means "lightning war" in German. 

【Conversation 2】

Amazing means “very surprising or impressive". Similar expressions of interest which are often used in conversational replies are fascinating (something that makes you very interested or attracted) and I'm impressed (admiring someone or something very much).

Let me see.../Let me think...are expressions which people use to show they want to say something while they are thinking of exactly what to say.

Many parents give their children a lift to school by car. This is known as the school run. Although it can cause traffic jams, parents are much more protective, and are reluctant to let children walk to school on their own without an adult. For health reasons, however, schools would prefer more children to walk.

College of further education is a college where students aged 16 or older attend a wide range of full-time or part-time courses to study for A levels or vocational and professional courses.

A levels are exams in Britain at "Advanced” level taken by students aged 18 or older. A levels are beyond GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education), taken at 16 or older. A levels, compared to similar levels of exams in Europe, are more specialized and students generally choose to study only three or four main subjects for two years to prepare for the exam. (An exam taken after the first year is AS level or Advanced Subsidiary, while the full A level is sometimes called A2). A level exams are graded and each university specifies the grades that a student needs to achieve to get a lace there.

Hang on is an expression used to ask someone to wait or to be patient, like wait a minute.

LLanguage and culture

Afghanistan is a country at the crossroads of ancient routes fortrade and invasion. The modern Afghan state was established in 1747. Years of conflict and war have affected many fields such as agriculture, health and education and millions of refugees have fled to neighboring countries.

Malnourished means "weak or ill because you do not eat enough or you do not eat enough of the right food". Malnutrition is the medical condition of people who are malnourished. The prefix mal- means "bad or badly", e.g. malformed, maltreated, maladjusted, malfunction or malpractice.

The name Taliban comes from the Arabic word talib, which means "an lslamic student or seeker of knowledge" taliban is the plural. 

If you enroll at a school or other institution, or someone enrolls you there, you put your name on the official list of students or members. Enrolment is the process of enrolling or getting students officially registered.

To come to power means "to take control". Other collocations for the word "power" include seize power, be in power, lose power, and fall from power.

A mission is an important aim, activity or kind of work. Many organizations have a mission statement, a short official statement that an organization makes about the work it does and why it does it.

Language and culture

News Report

A selfie is a self-portrait digital photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smart phone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. 

【Passage 1】

A working farm is not just a place to live but a working place to rear animals, such as cows and pigs, or grow crops.

If you have the run of a place, it means you are allowed to go anywhere in the place -- you can wander or run around and do as you wish.

It was heaven is an informal expression to describe something as extremely pleasant, enjoyable or beautiful. It was just paradise is a similar expression to describe a place.

Nostalgia is thoughts about happy times in your past, often mixed with the wish to revisit them. 

【Passage 2】

A coat rack is a row of small hooks or pegs (an object fixed to a wall and used for hanging things) used for storing coats.

To get cross with someone is to become annoyed or angry. It's an expression used especially by or to children.

Mate is an informal way to refer to a friend.