Laugh a minute: Is it going to be a very cold winter?

The Indians* asked their Chief in autumn if the winter was going to be cold or not. Not really knowing an answer, the chief replies that the winter was going to be cold and that the members of the village were to collect wood to be prepared.

Being a good leader, he then went to the next phone booth and called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is this winter to be cold?"

The man on the phone responded, "This winter is going to be quite cold indeed."

So the Chief went back to speed up his people to collect even more wood to be prepared. 


A week later he called the National Weather Service again, "Is it going to be a very cold winter?"

"Yes", the man replied, "it's going to be a very cold winter."

So the Chief goes back to his people and orders them to go and find every scrap of wood they can find. 


Two weeks later he calls the National Weather Service again: "Are you absolutely sure that the
winter is going to be very cold?"

"Absolutely," the man replies, "the Indians are collecting wood like crazy!"

*Native Americans

WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

Spread the word: Over the moon

If you are over the moon, you are very pleased because you’ve got or achieved something that you always wanted.

When he sent me flowers and a note, I was over the moon.

When you jump for joy, you are extremely happy.

He jumped for joy when it turned out he got into the team.

WALK in English.

A drop in the ocean: Kindergartens in action

Let’s imagine an ideal world where kindergartens are so rich that they can provide children with everything needed for their progress. What do you think they would buy in order to prepare them for the challenges of the elementary school?

Whether you believe it or not, that world exists in the United States. What do you think they have bought?


Watch this short video then answer questions below.

1. How much did the district spend on iPads and cases?
2. What can iPads do that kindergarten teachers can’t?
3. What’s the aim of the kindergarten by providing all the students with iPads?
4. What are the possible drawbacks of too much computer time?
5. How can they be avoided?
6. Where will the teachers get a feedback from about the improvements of the kindergarten students?

Interesting, isn't it?

WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

Spread the word: When you can't stand something

Sometimes it happens that you can’t stand something, the political or economic situation, an awful smell or a kind of attitude for instance. Probably you will mention your dislike in a Friday night chit-chat. Let’s see some alternatives to put it.




can't bear something
if you cannot bear someone or something, you dislike them very much
I can't bear being bored.
He couldn't bear to see the dog in pain.

despise something
to hate someone or something and have no respect for them
The two groups despise each other.

can’t abide something
to dislike something very much
He couldn't abide laziness.


Definitions are taken from Macmillan Dictionary, example sentences are taken from Cambridge Dictionary.


Let’s have a WALK.

Laugh a minute: Someone special in mind

A six-year-old boy walked up to his father one day and announced, 'Daddy, I'd like to get married.'

His father replied hesitantly, 'Sure, son, do you have anyone special in mind?'

'Yes,' answered the boy. 'I want to marry Grandma.'

'Now, wait a minute,' said his father. 'You don't think I'd let you get married with my mother, do you?'

'Why not?' the boy asked. 'You married mine.'


WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

WALK Puzzler 6.

Are you new to WALK Puzzler? Click here for details.


Have you seen the short video about Euro in my A drop in the ocean: Is the Euro crumbling? post?

If not, now you have to watch it. Look for three words with the following synonyms:

• increase, go through the roof, ______(1)______
• infection, epidemic, ______(2)______
• show, support, ______(3)______

Send me your answer via email (info(at)ewalk.hu) until 14.30, 25th November.


WALK in English

WALK Puzzler 5. - the answer

Thank you for your emails. WALK Puzzler is getting popular :)

Have you forgotten what the question was? Click here.

And the solution is wind:

• to run like the wind - run very fast
• to wind up a company - to close a business
• to get one's wind - to be able to breath normally again

WALK Puzzler 6 is coming soon.


WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

A drop in the ocean: Musical memories in amnesia

When my sons are fighting, I always ask them not to hit each other’s head because the whole world is in it and injuries might lead to the loss of the world. 

Recently, scientists have found that musical memories have their own apartment in our head, different from that of other memories. In this BBC article you can find more details about the findings and their consequences.

Before you read it, try to find the definitions of the following words:

1. memory span
2. intact
3. lobe
4. to retain
5. to couple

Definitions to choose from:

•  to join or combine
• complete and in the original state
• a part of an organ in the body, especially the lungs or brain
• the length of time someone can remember something
•  to keep or continue to have something

After reading the article, answer the following questions:

1. What caused Clive Wearing’s amnesia?
2. What musical abilities does he bear?
3. What are the mentioned important functions of the brain’s medial temporal lobes?
4. Where might be musical memories stored?
5. If scientists can identify the part of the brain where musical memories are stored, what may be the relevance of the discovery?
6. Does practice affect the musical performance of Clive Wearing?

WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

Laugh a minute: Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson in a camping

After a good dinner and a bottle of wine, they retire for the night, and go to sleep.
Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend. "Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
"I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes" replies Watson.
"And what do you deduce from that?"
Watson ponders for a minute.
"Well, astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically*, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe. What does it tell you, Holmes?"
Holmes is silent for a moment. "Watson, you idiot!" he says. "Someone has stolen our tent!"


*non-existent but we can deduce to the meaning coming from hour.


Try to choose the Hungarian equivalent from the list below for the linked English words in the joke.

bolygók, csillagászatilag, jelentéktelen, következtet, megfigyel, megközelítőleg, oldalba bök, sátor, töpreng

WALK in English

Laugh a minute: You needn't bother.

Have you seen Bridget Jones’s Diary? I know it was released 10 years ago. But I think it’s one of the funniest films ever. 

It’s Friday and the weather is quite dull here. I hope this short part of the film will give you a lift.

After watching it, try to decide who said the following words and sentences.

apart from  sg

despite appearances

go out of your way to do sg

It didn’t work out with …

I’m delighted to hear it.

inarticulately

There are elements of the ridiculous about you.

You really needn’t bother.

You really are an appallingly bad public speaker.

You tend to let whatever's in your head come out of your mouth without much consideration of the consequences.

Then try to choose the English equivalent for the Hungarian words below from the bold words in the list above. 

a látszat ellenére

azon lenni, arra törekedni, hogy
függetlenül vmitől

iszonyatosan

hajlamos

Kár a gőzért!, Kár ezzel foglalkoznod.

következmények

kuszán, érthetetlenül

nevetséges (a mondatban: nevetségesség)

WALK in English.

A drop in the ocean: Stand up for yourself

Are you familiar with the word 'assertiveness'? It's a psychological term referring to the ability of communicating your own thoughts, opinions and wishes clearly in a non-aggressive manner. If you are assertive, you stand up for yourself and reach your goals without intimidating others around you.

Are you interested how assertive you are? Take a test here, but before that make sure you can understand these expressions:



to pay sy a compliment
to take advantage of sy
to feel awkward - to feel uncomfortable
opinionated people
to have the guts to do sg - you are brave enough to do sg
to get my own way
to lose one's temper - to become angry suddenly


WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

A drop in the ocean: Spend The Night In A Portaledge

Imagine that you are enchanted by nature and you feel reluctant to leave the nice spot and the breathtaking view you are enjoying. You come to the decision to stay there for the night. What can you do? Sleeping on the ground might be dangerous. Why don't you sleep in the air? How? Visit Treehugger and you will learn it.







Here are some questions to help you understand the story:

1. Who were portaledges designed for?
2. Where can you hang it on?
3. Where can you have a shower if you spend the night in a portaledge?
4. Describe the structure of it.
5. What skill is essential to stay in a hanging tent?

Some useful words and expressions from the text:

hit (That is probably why the TreeHotel in Sweden is such a hit.) 

toss and turn (They are not for people who toss and turn a lot.)

ascend, descend (Guests can only ascend or descend with rope assistance.)

with ... assistance

WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

Spread the word: Fly (expressions)

I have chosen some fly expressions you may find useful in your everyday life. After reading them and the example sentences, try to figure out a situation for each where you would use it.


to fly about/ around

The rumour has been flying about for the past week, but no one has confirmed it.

Pigs might fly.

"I will get you what I've promised." "Yes, and pigs might fly."

Fly in the face of sg

The new law flies in the face of social norms. 

WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

WALK Puzzler 5.

Are you new to WALK Puzzler? Click here for details.




Look at the sentences below. The same word is missing from them. What's that? (Only one word is the answer.)

She ran like the _____________  to catch up. 

Due to the economic downturn, the owners decided to _____________ up the company. 

I had to stop halfway up the hill to get my _____________.

Send me your answer via email (info(at)ewalk.hu).


WALK in English

WALK Puzzler 4. - The answer

Probably it was a bit difficult but challenges are essential for self-development :)

Here is the solution:
In that relationship it is very much Anna who wears the trousers, so to speak.


WALK Puzzler 5 is coming soon.


WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

A drop in the ocean: London's Science Museum

What kind of inventions do you expect to find in a science museum? Futuristic gadgets? Or old machines with a long history of reliability?

Let's have a walk in London's Science Museum and answer the following questions.

1. What's the title of the new exhibition in London's Science Museum?
2. What do we learn about the history of
   - the coat hanger,
   - the rubber band,
   - the teabag and
   - the sticky notes?
3. What's the aim of this exhibition?
4. Where did the idea of the exhibition come from?
5. What does the term 'idiot-proof' mean?

Have a nice weekend and WALK in English.

Laugh a minute: Some Math

"A statistician can have his head in an oven and his feet in ice, and he will say that on the average he feels fine."

"Since the mathematicians have invaded the theory of relativity, I do not understand it myself any more." -- Albert Einstein

"Mathematics consists in proving the most obvious thing in the least obvious way." -- George Polya

from www.squidoo.com


WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

WALK Puzzler 4.

Are you new to WALK Puzzler? Click here for details.

This time you will have to build a sentence from the given words. You have to find the right order of them. 
(You can use every word only once in each sentence.)



Anna / in / is / it / much / relationship / ,so / speak. / that / the / to / trousers / very / who / wears


You get two points for the correct answer.

Send me your sentence in email (info(at)ewalk.hu) within 72 hours.

WALK Program – Haladjunk az angollal!

Spread the word: Leaf

There is something I really love doing, unfortunately it’s a kind of seasonal activity: walking on fallen leaves. It comforts my mind and soul as well. The rustling sound, the incredibly harmonic scene and the smell of the fresh autumn air.

This is my favourite part of the year and therefore leaves have got into the focus of my attention this time.

To leaf through something is similar to the expression ‘to look through something’. It means you turn the pages of a book or a magazine quickly and you read only a little of it.

While I was waiting I leafed through a magazine.

If you turn over a new leaf, you change your way of life to become a better, more responsible person, for example you give up an unhealthy habit, like smoking.

Apparently he's turned over a new leaf and he's not smoking any more.

If you take a leaf out of someone’s book, you copy something that someone else does in order to gain advantages.

Pro-lifers need to take a leaf out of the animal rights movement's books. (from The Telegraph)

Try to find out your own sentences with the expressions above. You can also leave some of them in the comment field.

WALK in English – Haladjunk az angollal!                      

A drop in the ocean: Zoobombing

After a week full of tension it’s important to let off steam, though you might feel it difficult to find the right way. Sometimes people have rather strange but unique ideas to get rid of stress. Have you ever heard about zoobombing? 


Now you will, just click here.

Questions that help you understand the story:

1. What does zoobombing mean? Where does the word originate from?
2. What kind of bicycles is used for zoobombing? Where are they kept on weekdays?
3. Who can participate in zoobombing?
4. Does the police endorse it or have any concerns about it?
5. How do people with the bikes get on the top of the hill?
6. What is the medical expert responsible for? Why does she do it?
7. One of the participants said that zoobombing exists only in Portland. Why?
8. One of the young girls said it’s an exhilarating experience. What do you think exhilarating means? After having some guesses, check it in the Cambridge Dictionary.

WALK Program – Haladjunk az angollal!

Laugh a minute: Birthday jokes

Why did the boy feel warm on his birthday? Because people kept toasting him!


"Were any famous men born on your birthday?" "No, only little babies."


You know you’re old when by the time the last candle is lit on your birthday cake the first one has burnt out.



WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

Spread the word: Birthday

Three things have occurred to me related to birthday:

If you are bored by wishing happy birthday, just say “Many happy returns of the day.”

If you are completely naked, you are in your birthday suit.

And my favourite birthday wish goes like this: May the best of your past be the worst of your future.

WALK Program – Haladjunk az angollal!

A drop in the ocean: Is the Euro crumbling?

BBC has made a brief but meaty presentation on the Euro.  Before watching it, have a look at the meanings of the following terms:

debt – the money you owe someone

loan  – a sum of money you borrowed from a bank

bail-out – financial help given to organizations or countries facing difficulties

lender – a person or organization that lends money to someone

bond yields – money that is earned from a bond

contagion – disease, infection

After watching the video, answer the following questions:

What do the two parallel lines symbolize in €?

Why was € launched?

What went wrong?

In your answers try to use these words:

to crumble, to certify, to smooth, to soar, at a price, unaffordable, to lose out, to be exposed to

If you are not sure about the meanings, check them in Cambridge Dictionary.

WALK Program – Haladjunk az angollal!

WALK Puzzler 3.

Now you have to create a word-packed sentence. Here are the words and expressions you have to build your sentence from:

to keep a low profile
to moonlight
grave (adj.)
in the face of sg (=despite)

(If you are a loyal WALKER, you must have met these expressions :))

You have to send me only one sentence to info(at)ewalk.hu. Use at least 3 of the words (1 point). If you use all of them, that's worth 2 points. Try to avoid grammatical errors. And don't forget that you have 72 hours to send your answer and like this post on Facebook.

WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

WALK Puzzler 2. - The answer

Have you started WALK Puzzling? Not yet? Come and join the competition. Here you can read about the details.

If you haven't seen WALK Puzzler 2., click here.



Thank you for your answers full of great words. Here's a list of what you've sent me.

a c e h i i n s s t t u

hint
hit
shine
institute
sin
ace
static
enhtusiastic
use
case
unit
sun
teach
sue
East
sea
ice
hunt
hut
eat

WALK Puzzler 3 is coming soon.

WALK in English.

Laugh a minute: The train ticket

Five Englishmen boarded a train just behind five Scots, who, as a group had only purchased one ticket.

Just before the conductor came through, all the Scots piled into the toilet stall at the back of the car.

As the conductor passed the stall, he knocked and called "Tickets, please!" and one of the Scots slid a ticket under the door. It was punched, pushed back under the door, and when it was safe all the Scots came out and took their seats.

The Englishmen were tremendously impressed by the Scots' ingenuity.

On the trip back, the five Englishmen decided to try this themselves and purchased only one ticket.

They noticed that, oddly, the Scots had not purchased any tickets this time. Anyway, again, just before the conductor came through, the Scots piled into one of the toilet stalls, the Englishmen into the other.

Then one of the Scots leaned out, knocked on the Englishmen's stall and called "Ticket, Please!"

When the ticket slid out under the door, he picked it up and quickly closed the door.


from e-jokes.net


WALK Program - Haladjunk az angollal!

A drop in the ocean: Father Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant, one of my favourite Britons, has become a father. The identity of the lucky (?) mother hasn’t been revealed. For further details read the article in The Guardian.

What do you think these expressions mean? The article will give you a helping hand.

1.      to be on good/ friendly terms

a.      to use nice words while talking

b.      to have a good relationship

2.      a fleeting affair

a.      short or quick

b.      having a great effect

3.      a high-profile relationship

a.      attracting a lot of attention and interest from the public

b.      a relationship of two celebrity

4.      to keep a low profile on the big screen

a.      to have only insignificant or few roles in films

b.      to perform poorly in films

5.      to voice the role of a captain

a.      to have negotiations for the role of a captain

b.      to be the voice of a captain

I’m just wondering what it means: “The actor became father to a baby girl earlier this month.” The article has just been posted to the website. (On the 1^st November)

WALK in English