Today's Headlines:

Football fans hold vigil for team

Worst destruction ever for Great Barrier Reef

Mission to clean space

Transcript:

The loyal fans of the Chapecoense once more crowding the stands of their beloved football club. It's become a venue for collective mourning. Last week these fans were thrilled – the Chapecoense had made it to its first international final. Now, people can't believe their players won't be back again. The team's energetic fans chant their usual hymns, coming together for some cathartic release.

The planet's largest living structure struggling for survival. This coral should be alive with colour but it's bleached and barren. These scientists are part of a team that's assessed the health of the entire Great Barrier Reef – an area bigger than Britain – and here the prognosis is poor. On average, two-thirds of the coral in the northern section has died.

We've been space-bound since the 1950s, making amazing progress and countless scientific discoveries. But for every advance we've left something behind – space junk. At the University of Southampton, scientists are watching this waste. There are now thought to be 22,000 bits of space rubbish bigger than 10 centimetres.

Words and phrases and definitions:

mourning
process of sadness after someone has died

cathartic release

letting out of strong feelings that had not been shown before

prognosis

statement about what is likely to happen in the future

advance

development; improvement

Exercise:

Use one of the words or phrases from Lingohack to complete each of these sentences. Note that you may have to change the form of a word or phrase to complete the sentence correctly.

mourning / cathartic release / prognosis / advance

1. The therapist encouraged us to get in touch with our “inner bitch” because she said bitching is essential as a _________ when life, work and motherhood get too much.

2. Local people are _________ the loss of their neighbourhood shops now that the out-of-town superstore has opened.

3. Scientists have discovered using fish oil has __________ the fight against heart failure.

4. Financial experts say that despite a poor few years, the overall _________ for the economy is good.

Answers:

1. The therapist encouraged us to get in touch with our “inner bitch” because she said bitching is essential as a cathartic release when life, work and motherhood get too much.

2. Local people are mourning the loss of their neighbourhood shops now that the out-of-town superstore has opened.

3. Scientists have discovered using fish oil has advanced the fight against heart failure.

4. Financial experts say that despite a poor few years, the overall prognosis for the economy is good.