An island in lockdown

An island in lockdown 
(Level: B2 to C1 / Upper-Intermediate / ***) 

Isle of Mull
Photo credit: lovefromscotland.co.uk

You are going to watch a BBC News report.

Before watching:

The Isle of Mull has been in lockdown now for a few weeks and closed to visitors. 

Although the residents are heavily reliant on tourism, they are confident that they can come out of this crisis stronger. 

Map credit: Macquarie University / mq.edu.au

Vocabulary

to fend for oneself: to take care of oneself without help from anyone else   

                                                      se débrouiller tout seul 

I feel a bit of a fraud = I feel a bit guilty  

to-ing and fro-ing:  movements to and fro...   allées et venues 

It was a bit of a slap: it was rather unpleasant   une douche froide / une claque

to care-take: to take care of / to manage   gérer; s'occuper de 

spooky:  ghostly / weird         lugubre / sinistre   

kind of: sort of                      pour ainsi dire / en quelque sorte 

       It's kind of / sort of spooky

       He sort of / kind of managed to stand up ...  

to line up: to queue          faire la file 

to batten down the hatches: to prepare for trouble    (lit.) fermer les portes à double tour

A hatch on the ground
Photo credit: dreamstime.com

While watching:

Answer the following questions:

1. How much do you get to know about the two interviewees in the report?

- Wayne Hamilton

-Andrew Ryan

2. They are both particularly optimistic in spite of the situation they are in.  Explain their viewpoint! 

You can also watch the report (with subtitles) on the BBC news website by clicking HERE

When you are finished, you can check your answers.

1.

Wayne Hamilton

-Il est le gardien de la petite île voisine (Inch Kenneth Island).

-Il vit seul, isolé. Il ne se sent pas vraiment concerné par la crise du coronavirus. En fait, il ne subit pas le matraquage incessant autour de la question puisqu'il n'est pas connecté, il n'a pas la télévision.

-C'est toujours la débrouille en ce qui le concerne. 

-Il s'estime chanceux d'être là où il est. 

-Pour lui, cette situation est similaire à une tempête ou quand, au coeur de l'hiver, il doit se calfeutrer et attendre que ça passe. 
-...

Andrew Ryan

-Il est le propriétaire d'un hôtel local, désormais sans touristes, mais avec quinze employés qui y résident. 

-Il estime qu'il est responsable des membres de son personnel; ils sont comme chez eux dans son hôtel. 

-...

2.

Pour Wayne Hamilton:

-Des amitiés se créent grâce à cette situation. Des liens se tissent entre les gens. Ce qui ne se serait sans doute jamais produit "en temps normal". 

-C'est un mauvais moment à passer. C'est comme une tempête: on se met à l'abri et on attend de meilleurs jours. Tout va revenir à la normale.

Pour Andrew Ryan:

-La communauté de l'île va en ressortir plus forte, plus soudée que jamais.

-Les gens se parlent davantage; ils se disent bonjour, demandent comment ils se portent, disent à autrui de prendre soin de soi etc. 

C'est en effet ce qu'il a remarqué en faisant la file avant de pouvoir entrer dans le magasin du village: il a échangé des mots avec des gens tandis qu'il ne leur aurait jamais adressé la parole auparavant! 

Song 15: Babooshka (Kate Bush)

Song 15: Babooshka (Kate Bush)
(Level: B2 / Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate / ***)

Photo credit: lesinrocks.com 

Before listening / watching:

The following notes could be useful:

Kate (Catherine) Bush  (born on 30 July 1958) is an English singer-songwriter known for her expressive three-octave voice and eclectic and meticulous musical style.

Being so talented, she even caught at the age of 16 the attention of Pink Floyd lead guitarist David Gilmour who helped her find a contract with EMI. 

She debuted in 1978 with the surprise hit Wuthering Heights which was immediately number one in the British music charts for four weeks and became an international hit (she was the first woman ever to reach Number 1 in the UK with a self-written song!).

She had several Number 1 hits and albums.

Between each album, she was used to dropping out of the public eye for many years simply because she was trying to devote her time to her family, away from the world of show business.

Her much-appraised eighth studio album, Aerial, was released on double CD  in November 2005 after a 12-year break.

She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to music.

Babooshka is a song by Kate Bush, taken from her album Never for Ever. Released as a single on June 23, 1980 it spent 10 weeks in the UK chart, peaking at number five.

If you want to know more about Kate Bush (discography; her news; watching music videos...), get to her OFFICIAL SITE

Vocabulary    

scented letters: letters with a perfumed smell       lettres parfumées

uncanny: strange; mysterious          troublant 

she freezed on him = she froze on him.  (Probably) She didn't want to get any further after meeting him / She refused to have sex

While listening / watching:

Watch the official music video by clicking HERE 

1. What is the topic of the song?  How do you know?

(Here is a clue: it’s the chronicle of a wife... ).

If you can’t find the answer, start question 2!

2. Listen to the song and find the missing words in the gaps!

She wanted to test her ........................ (1). She knew exactly what to do: A ....................... (2) to fool him. She couldnt have made a worse move. She sent him scented ...................... (3), And he received them with a strange ...................... (4). Just like his wife But how she was before the ..................... (5), And how she was before the years flew by, And how she was when she was ...................(6). She signed the letter All yours, Babooshka, babooshka, babooshka-ya-ya! All yours, Babooshka, babooshka, babooshka-ya-ya!

She wanted to take it further, So she ..................... (7) a place to go, To see if he Would fall for her incognito. And when he laid eyes on her, He got the .................... (8) they had met before. Uncanny how she ..................... (9) him of his little lady, Capacity to give him all he ................ (10), Just like his wife before she freezed on him, Just like his wife when she was beautiful. He shouted out, I’m All yours, Babooshka, babooshka, babooshka-ya-ya! All yours, Babooshka, babooshka, babooshka-ya-ya! All yours, Babooshka, babooshka, babooshka-ya-ya!

In case you did not answer question 1 initially, can you now?









When you are finished, you can check your answers.

1.

Il s’agit de la chronique d’une femme qui veut tester la loyauté de son mari en se faisant passer pour une belle jeune femme (juste comme elle-même l’avait été avant les larmes, avant que les années ne s’écoulent, avant qu’elle ne se raidisse face à lui…) et en lui envoyant des lettres parfumées sous le pseudonyme de  Babooshka.

Elle finit par convenir d’un rendez-vous avec lui ; il s’y rend et il est étonné de voir à quel point cette fille lui fait penser à sa femme. Elle est exactement comme sa femme du temps qu’elle était belle.

Babooshka: grand-mère en russe - plutôt ironique! 

2.

She wanted to test her  husband  (1). She knew exactly what to do: A pseudonym (2) to fool him. She couldnt have made a worse move. She sent him scented letters (3), And he received them with a strange delight (4). Just like his wife But how she was before the tears (5), And how she was before the years flew by, And how she was when she was beautiful (6). She signed the letter All yours, Babooshka, babooshka, babooshka-ya-ya! All yours, Babooshka, babooshka, babooshka-ya-ya!

She wanted to take it further, So she  arranged (7) a place to go, To see if he Would fall for her incognito. And when he laid eyes on her, He got the feeling (8) they had met before. Uncanny how she reminds (9) him of his little lady, Capacity to give him all he needs  (10), Just like his wife before she freezed on him, Just like his wife when she was beautiful. He shouted out, I’m All yours, Babooshka, babooshka, babooshka-ya-ya! All yours, Babooshka, babooshka, babooshka-ya-ya! All yours, Babooshka, babooshka, babooshka-ya-ya!

An ideal place to self-isolate

An ideal place to self-isolate
(Level: B2 to C1 / Upper-Intermediate / ***)

Photo credit: thesun.co.uk

You are going to watch a BBC report focusing on a special place.

Inventor Colin Furze had indeed an underground bunker built in his garden that he is now using as a place to self-isolate during the coronavirus lockdown. 

Before watching

The following notes and words could be useful.

Colin Furze is a British YouTube personality, inventor and filmmaker from Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. 

lincolnshire, England
Map credit: en.ikipedia.org

He has his own internet site if you want to know more about him and his inventions. Click HERE ! 

Vocabulary
man cave:a room or other part of a home used by a man as a place to relax and pursue hobbies away from the rest of the family   antre; espace personnel (d'un père de famille par exemple...)

warmth: heat      chaleur   

the vents: small openings allowing air to enter     trous d'aération  

dingy:  gloomy; miserable       miteux; minable  

concrete: strong building material      béton 

damp: humid 

unrest: turmoil; disturbed situation       trouble; instabilité; malaise 
to sort out: to solve         régler (un problème) / arranger 

bits and bobs: objects of different kinds       babioles 

kind of: sort of    en quelque sorte    
            e.g. He kind of / sort of realised he was being laughed at. 

 While watching

Answer the following questions:

1. Colin says his place is a man cave: what does he mean?
2. Is it a perfect place if things really went wrong outside (like a war)? 

You can also watch the video on BBC World Service (You Tube.com) by clicking HERE

When you are finished, you can check your answers. 

1.

L'endroit rêvé pour se retirer du reste de la famille. Il a tout dans son "antre": une TV, une connexion internet, de la chaleur, aucun risque d'être dérangé (pas de visites impromptues / no accidental visitors), ce qui est pratique surtout dans le contexte actuel dû au coronavirus... 

2.

Même si on y est mieux en cas de guerre que dans son salon, des aménagements s'avèrent nécessaires.

-Il subsiste un risque à cause des aérations.

-Il faudrait arranger les sanitaires et trouver un moyen de produire soi-même son électricité.

...