Today's Headlines:

US anti-vaccine movement grows more daring

Future of Welsh national parks report criticised

Damian Hirst opens new exhibition in Venice

Transcript:

Like any medication, vaccines can cause mild, and in very rare cases serious, side-effects. But the scientific consensus on them is clear - they're safe, effective and save lives.  These mums are still unconvinced. This is the man who wants to chair a committee for the Trump Administration looking into vaccine safety. Long-time vaccine sceptic Robert F. Kennedy Junior met with Donald Trump after the election – the environmentalist completely dismisses scientific consensus on vaccines.

It's a row about the future of our most iconic landscapes. Wales has three national parks. They attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. But back in 2015, a review commissioned by the Welsh government suggested they needed to do more to help the people living in them, attracting green businesses, jobs and affordable housing. Several of the conservation charities taking part in the process found they couldn’t support the study’s findings. The draft, which has been obtained by BBC Wales, makes no mention, they say, of a long established principle – that the main purpose of a national park is nature conservation.

With almost 200 objects on show, Damien Hirst's new exhibition in Venice has been nearly a decade in the making. It’s called Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable because Hirst has created a backstory to it. These objects have been retrieved from an imagined collector from 2,000 years ago whose boat sank.

Words and phrases and definitions:

side-effects
undesirable reaction to a medicine

green businesses
companies with a minimal negative impact on the environment

backstory
a story of the life of a fictional character

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.

side-effects / green businesses / backstory

1. If you want to be a better writer, you need to add depth to your character. Try giving them a ______ to show who they are and where they come from.

2. Most people drink coffee and tea every day, but not me! Don’t you know that a major ______ of too much caffeine is anxiety disorder!

3. Because it’s my money, I only want my stock broker to invest in ______. I feel we have a responsibility to the environment that’s more important than profit.

Answers:

1. If you want to be a better writer, you need to add depth to your character. Try giving them a backstory to show who they are and where they come from.

2. Most people drink coffee and tea every day, but not me! Don’t you know that a major side-effect of too much caffeine is anxiety disorder!

3. Because it’s my money, I only want my stock broker to invest in green businesses. I feel we have a responsibility to the environment that’s more important than profit.