Today's Headlines:

Workers' unrest in France

World's longest rail tunnel to open

An unusual kind of race

Transcript:

Rail workers have gone on strike in France as nationwide protests continue over the government's plans to reform labour laws. President Hollande says he won't back down as a bitter stand-off with unions continues. 

The world's largest railway tunnel opens in Switzerland on Wednesday after nearly two decades of construction. The Gotthard base tunnel, 57 kilometres long, will carry high-speed trains through the heart of the Alps.

The annual running of the Tetbury Wool Sack Races: Competitors have to climb Gumstool Hill carrying a sack of wool. The men are lifting 27 kilos – the women carry 16 kilos. They run 220 metres up the hill. Tetbury was once a thriving wool town, hence this - a way of showing one's strength.

Words and phrases and definitions:

bitter stand-off
angry or unhappy situation where two groups of people cannot agree

the heart of
the middle or centre of

thriving
very successful

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.

bitter standoff / the heart of / thriving

1. Having everybody at the meeting meant we could get to _________ the problem and do something about it.

2. We lived in a ________ village until they closed the school and post office.

3. Alleged tax corruption by the president has caused a _________ between the government and the business community.

Answers:

1. Having everybody at the meeting meant we could get to the heart of the problem and do something about it.

2. We lived in a thriving village until they closed the school and post office.

3. Alleged tax corruption by the president has caused a bitter stand-off between the government and the business community.