Brits plagued by anxiety due to recent flood misery 
(Level: Upper-Intermediate to Advanced / B2 to C1 / ****)

Aerial view of the Somerset Levels, February 2014
Photo credit: thetimes.co.uk

The UK experienced a series of major storms between January and February 2014 which definitely left their mark in many parts of the country.

Strong winds, high tides and huge waves battered towns and villages on the coastline whereas severe flooding destroyed thousands of homes inland.

Last winter was considered the wettest one for almost 250 years. Now, six months later, families who were left devastated by the floods are still struggling to get their homes rebuilt or repaired and some of them have decided to go to great lengths so as to prevent a repeat of their ordeal in the future. 

Sky News reporter Joe Tidy shows some of the steps people are taking to flood proof their properties.

You can also watch a previous report posted on 10 February 2014: Misery due to flooding and heavy storms continues.    Click HERE


Before watching:

The following words could be useful:
to flood proof ( a home): to make (a home) resistant to flooding      mettre ... à l'épreuve des inondations / protéger... des inondations
to be breached: to get a gap      être entamé / ébréché / abîmé  
to be left gutted: to be ravaged / devastated      se retrouver dévasté / détruit       
a steel girder framework: a structure made up of steel beams     structure composée de poutres en acier
a jack: a device (mechanical or hydraulic) used to lift heavy weights     vérin 
a wreck: a building e.g. reduced to a ruin        une ruine   
to dredge (a river e.g.): to clean (and possibly deepen and widen) a river e.g.   draguer 
a bund: embankment / dyke / barrier          mur de protection 
a slope: a portion of ground which is inclined      pente 
a drop-off: a slope / a vertical descent       pente / déclivité 
to beef up: to make stronger / to strengthen      renforcer  
buoyant: able to float / able to keep something afloat        flottant / flottable
skirtings: borders of wood e.g. fixed round the base of an interior wall       bordures / plinthes 




While watching:


Complete the chart in French:
What did the following families / people decide to do so as to not have their homes flooded again?
What was their ordeal like six months ago?
What is their situation like now?

	The Ivry family	Jane Scott (and her husband)	Sam Noturo	David Kidd
What was it like for them when they got flooded?
What is their situation like now?			NO ANSWER	NO ANSWER
What steps did they take to prevent being flooded again?

Wraysbury
Map credit: weather-forecast.com

The Ivry family's home in Wraysbury
Photo credit: news.sky.com

  

Somerset Levels
Map credit: commons. wikimedia.org

Sam Notaro's house in Somerset Levels
Photo credit : dailymail.co.uk

You can also watch the report on the Sky News site: click HERE 







When you are finished, you can check your answers. 

	The Ivry family	Jane Scott (and her husband)	Sam Noturo	David Kidd
What was it like for them when they got flooded?	En 15 ans, ils n’avaient jamais vécu une telle situation mais ce jour-là, l’eau est montée très vite, s’est engouffrée dans leur maison et a tout ravagé	C’était terrible à voir; terrible de voir l’eau monter et détruire les meubles et de ne rien pouvoir faire…	Sa maison est la seule à avoir été épargnée ; grâce, entre autres,  à un monticule de terre qu’il avait érigé tout autour de sa propriété	Maison  complètement inondée
What is their situation like now?	La famille occupe un logement temporaire depuis 6 mois mais espère pouvoir réintégrer la maison en septembre.	La maison est toujours à l’état de « ruine » ; plus de planchers ; plus de cage d’escaliers… Ils vivent dans une caravane placée dans leur jardin. Ils doivent beaucoup négocier avec les assurances et ça dure depuis des mois !	NO ANSWER	NO ANSWER
What steps did they take to prevent being flooded again?	Projet colossal : procéder à la surélévation de l’habitation à partir de sa base (à concurrence de 1m50) en plaçant une structure de poutres en acier au travers de tout le rez-de-chaussée qu’on fait lever à l’aide de vérins.	Ils voudraient trouver une solution adéquate pour leur habitation, notamment faire placer des matériaux offrant une résilience aux inondations  mais ne savent pas vraiment quoi.	Modifier le terrain tout autour de sa maison en créant une déclivité (ou une pente / dénivellation) d’un mètre de hauteur qui retiendrait les eaux en cas de nouvelle crue.	Il a conçu un système de flottabilité pour ses planchers en cas de crue (après avoir renforcé considérablement le soubassement flottant) ; aucune plinthe donc dans les pièces à planchers « mobiles »

People now more tech savvy 
(Level: Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate / B2 / ** to ***)

Picture credit: edtech.jp

A new Ofcom (*) study (**) has highlighted that the “Millennium Generation”, i.e. the teenagers born at the turn of the millennium are now considered to be the “most technologically savvy group in the UK”.

But the survey has also brought about conclusions about younger children and adults as far as media and communications are concerned.

You are going to watch a Sky News report focusing on that issue.


(*) The Ofcom (Office of Communications) is a government-approved and regulatory authority for the television, radio, telecoms and postal sectors in the UK whose main task consists in representing the consumers’ interests by promoting competition and protecting the public from harmful practices. Its counterpart in Belgium is the IBPT (Institut Belge des Services Postaux et des Télécommunications).

If you are interested, you can click HERE (official Ofcom's site) and find out more about the organization. 

(**) For more details about the study itself: click HERE.





Before watching:

The following words could be useful:

tech savvy: knowing quite a lot about modern technology         féru de technologie / technophile / capable sur le plan technologique

the skills: special abilities     compétences / aptitudes

lacking: not having enough of...           déficient / qui manque / qui fait défaut 

to keep up: to maintain one's level (of knowledge e.g.) / to remain informed     arriver à suivre / rester dans le bain / se maintenir à niveau

dramatically: considerably         considérablement

to lead the way: to set a precedent       être le premier  / ouvrir la voie  

a land line telephone: home phone      téléphone fixe    

on a weekly basis: every week     chaque semaine 

text-based: which contains only text      textuellement 

While watching:

Listen and complete the missing information about the following age groups as far as technology, communications and media are concerned.

The 14, 15-year-olds	The 5, 6-year-olds	The adults
Ce groupe appelé la génération …   car…    Considéré comme le groupe d’individus à être les plus… 84% : … 3% : … 94% : …	… Ils jugent les capacités des parents / grands-parents en matière de technologie comme étant …       (+ expliquer) Raison probable de leur capacité quasi « innée »?	Par rapport aux enfants, certains ont du mal à se maintenir à niveau. Mais de + en + technophiles : …  (Expliquer) Habitudes au quotidien : différentes (Expliquer)

When you are finished, you can check your answers:

The 14, 15-year-olds	The 5, 6-year-olds	The adults
Ce groupe appelé la génération du millénaire   (ou enfants du millénaire) car nés au tournant du millénaire    Considéré comme le groupe d’individus à être les plus férus de technologie / technophiles. Ils dépassent de loin les autres générations 84% se sentiraient perdus sans la technologie / sans leurs gadgets électroniques ou numériques 3% à peine utilisent un téléphone classique chaque semaine / (en somme, à peine 3% « parlent » au téléphone une fois par semaine) 94% des communications se passent sous une forme textuelle (et non orale)	Ils parviennent à naviguer très rapidement sur tablette ou Smartphone après quelques secondes. Ils jugent les capacités des parents / grands-parents en matière de technologie comme étant insuffisantes / lacunaires…       (+ expliquer: dans le reportage, la mère de Kiara explique que sa fille lui montre comment utiliser certaines applications sur l’iPad / si elle s’y prend mal, Kiara le lui dit) Raison probable de leur capacité quasi « innée »? Ils sont nés dans la technologie et ont grandi entourés d’objets  numériques en tous genres…  / Les parents sont eux aussi de + en + technophiles (car eux-mêmes mieux équipés numériquement)	Par rapport aux enfants, certains ont du mal à se maintenir à niveau. Mais de + en + technophiles : 61% possèdent un Smartphone (contre 21% en 2010) et 44% disposent d’une tablette (alors que pratiquement 0% en 2010)   Habitudes au quotidien : différentes (Expliquer) Ils passent à présent plus de temps (2 heures en + par jour) dans les médias et communications qu'ils ne dorment !

Elephants in Africa in net decline

(Level: Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate / B2 / ** to ***)

Picture credit: eng.wikipedia.org

The number of African elephants has declined dramatically.

The strong demand for ivory on the Asian black market has led to even more poaching. 

Consequently, the number of elephants killed every year has reached a high of around 35,000. 

If poaching does not stop, the entire species will become extinct within the next decades. 

You are now going to watch a report by the BBC focusing on this issue.

Before watching:

The following words and notes could be useful:

to thrive: to grow or develop vigorously             s'épanouir  / évoluer 

to vanish: to disappear      disparaître 

the tusks: the long curved teeth sticking out of the mouth of some animals like elephants or walruses      défenses    

A walrus
Photo credit: walrus.org.uk

to hack off: to chop; to cut      trancher   

to rot: to undergo decomposition      pourrir; se décomposer    

to poach: to take (and kill) fish, game or other animals illegally      braconner   

to soar: to rise or ascend rather suddenly       augmenter considérablement; monter en flèche

fuelled by: stimulated by      généré par

to wipe out: to destroy or be destroyed completely       éliminer; détruire

a keystone species: a central species on which others would depend within a specific ecosystem 

une espèce clé; espèce considérable... 

the conservationist: the person who promotes the preservation of the environment and of  natural resources         un adepte ou défenseur de l'environnement

the stockpile: large supply / the fact of having stored a large quantity of a specific product     stock; réserves   

to curb: to restrain          faire fléchir; juguler; restreindre 

the slaughter: the massacre / the fact of killing in large numbers but also in a brutal way     massacre; boucherie 

to become extinct: to die out / to be wiped out / to be dead; gone, vanished     disparu; éteint

the Knowsley Safari Park: a zoological park and tourist attraction in the Knowsley area of Merseyside, England. More details? Click HERE

Knwsley, Merseyside
Map credit: eng.wilipedia.org

While watching:

Complete the chart with the missing information

You can also watch the BBC report by clicking HERE

When you are finished, you can check your answers.

  

Immigrants found in a container
(Level: Upper-Intermediate / B2 to C1 / ***)

Thirty-five immigrants believed to be from India and the victims of people traffickers were found inside a shipping container in Tilbury. One man died while others were suffering from dehydration and hypothermia. 

It is a fact now that the number of people smuggling into Europe, particularly in summer, is on the rise. And this new tragedy clearly shows how big an issue human trafficking is.

You are going to watch a Sky News report focusing on the issue.

Illustration credit: dailymail.com
Click on the picture to make it bigger!

Tilbury
Map credit: roxhill.co.uk

Before watching:


The following words could be useful:
to smuggle:  to convey (someone / something) secretly and illicitly        passer / introduire (quelque chose / quelqu'un) illégalement...  
commodities: goods; products        produits / denrées / marchandises
soft-sided (versus hard-sided): e.g. for a lorry of which the sides are not hard        parois (latérales) souples   

A soft-sided lorry
Photo credit: metro.co.uk

a rough sea  (versus a smooth sea):  turbulent         une mer agitée  
to capsize: (of a boat)  to turn over       chavirer   
ought to... = should
random: without a particular plan or pattern     aléatoire
to trick someone into...:   to fool; deceive       inciter à...  (par la ruse) ; piéger; 
to be enslaved:  to be reduced to slavery              être réduit à l'esclavage; être asservi 
an issue: a matter of discussion; debate; a problem    une problématique; un problème; une question  

Lampedusa
Map credit: en.wikipedia.org

While watching:


Answer the questions in the chart in French:

You can also watch the video on the Sky News site by clicking HERE.








When you are finished, you can check your answers:

If you are interested, you can also watch a report posted on 15 June 2014:  click HERE

Just a little Britishness, my dear, please! Just a little!
(Level: Upper-Intermediate / B2 / ***)

Are these aspects of Britishness?
Photo credit: bbc.co.uk

This lesson will be devoted to the notion of...  Britishness. 

But what is Britishness, according to you? How would you define it?

In other words, what do you think are the most important aspects (notions, people…) of Britain? What do you associate the word ‘British’ with?

You can make a list.

When you are finished, you can compare yours with this 2008 list (of course, in a more recent list, Kate Middleton and Prince William would most certainly top it!)

  

Photo credit: meetpeopleinlondon.eu

A recent survey (April 2014) conducted by a charity, The British Social Attitudes, showed that the monarchy, the BBC, the pubs, the weather, Shakespeare ... were among the commonest British associations and you may have found some of them as well.

Britishness can also be partially synonymous with the pride Britons have in their national identity.  

Partially because The BSA survey found that that pride has been declining.

If you want, you can have a look at The BSA site and find out how the surveys are conducted. Click HERE.

However, while still keeping that notion of Britishness in mind, the survey also highlighted that it is getting harder and harder to be seen as a true Brit.

You are now going to watch a Sky News report to find out more about that issue.

Before watching

The following words and notes could be useful:

the cradle: place of origin     berceau       

ancestry: ancestors       ascendance  

to tackle (a problem e.g.):  to deal with      s'attaquer à  

hard-hitting: effective; forceful       efficace; percutant  

(Alexander) Boris (de Pfeffel) Johnson (born 19 June 1964): a British Conservative Party politician and Mayor of London since 2008 (after being re-elected in 2012).  He worked initially as a journalist for The Times and the Daily Telegraph before becoming the editor of the Spectator.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, 10 June 1921): husband of Queen Elizabeth II. He was educated in several countries (France, Germany, England, Scotland) and joined the British Royal Navy in 1939 at the age of 18. After the war, he was granted permission by King George VI to marry Princess Elizabeth, which led him to abandon his own royal titles, to convert to Anglicanism and to become a naturalized British citizen. He married Elizabeth in 1947 who became Queen in 1952.

Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946): an English actress, former model and author, who starred in the British television series (Absolutely Fabulous as well as in The New Avengers) in films and plays. She is also an advocate for various causes (charities and animal welfare groups).

Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb, 14 October 1940): a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor and philanthropist. He mainly dominated (with the Shadows) the British pop scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s. But he has released lots of singles, albums and EPs during a career spanning more than 50 years. 

While watching

Answer the following question in French:

What does it imply now to be(come) a true Brit?  Complete the grid.

What are the conditions?	Comments? Show how hard(er) it is now to be regarded as a true Brit.

You can also find the report on the Sky News site by clicking HERE 

When you are finished, you can check your answers

What are the conditions?	Comments? Show how hard(er) it is now to be regarded as a true Brit.
Etre capable de parler l’anglais	95% des personnes interrogées en 2013 estiment que c’est une nécessité. En 2003, ils n’étaient que 86% à abonder dans ce sens.
Avoir vécu en Grande-Bretagne la majeure partie de sa vie.	Argument tenu par 77% des personnes en 2013 ; 69% dix ans plus tôt.
Etre né en Grande-Bretagne.	74% des personnes le pensent (en 2013, contre 70% en 2003) Argument qui suscite un gros problème car des « Britanniques » apparemment de prestige ou de haut niveau nés ailleurs (à l’instar de B. Johnson, Maire de Londres, né à New York ou le mari de la reine né en Grèce, ou une actrice comme J. Lumley née en Inde) seraient exclus.
Avoir la « bonne » ascendance	50% des gens le pensent. Problème pour la journaliste qui a bien son passeport et qui est bien née en Grande-Bretagne mais pas ses ascendants !  (Ou bien: ils n'ont pas la "bonne" couleur!!!  - Plutôt vague)
Attendre un certain délai (en tant qu’immigré) avant de pouvoir prétendre bénéficier d’allocations au même titre qu’un Britannique	60% des personnes interrogées estiment nécessaire que ces personnes ne puissent en bénéficier qu’après trois ans alors que le Premier Ministre veut fixer le délai à trois mois après leur arrivée…