Blanquitolandia's world
Inglés para Arqueólogos
Prof: Crespo Jiménez Rosalía
(Febrero/Junio 2015)
TEXT 1
THE ROMAN CONQUERORS: DISCOVERING LONDINIUM
Lo que hoy es Gran Bretaña fue la provincial romana más septentrional y Londinium, su capital. Jenny Hall, una experta en el pasado romano de Londres, nos explica la riqueza del legado de esta civilización.
SPEAKUP 314.
(Part 1) : Reading (Language level: B1 INTERMEDIATE)
Why did the Romans come to Britain? Simple: Emperor Claudius needed a military victory to boost (1) his status back in Rome! General Aulus Plautius in AD 43 succeeded in the third attempt of conquering Britannia. Julius Caesar had tried his luck before, in 55BC and 54BC. The capital was Camulodunum, Colchester. In around AD 47, the Romans bridged (2) the river Thames – opening the way for the new trading port (3) of Londinium.
REBELLION
With trade and imports Londinium flourished (4) and became the capital city of the most northern province of the Roman Empire. The Romans also constructed a network of long and very straight roads connecting the town with the rest of Roman Britannia. In AD 60 Londinium was, however, destroyed by a rebelling Celtic Queen: Boudica, leader of the Iceni tribe, burnt down the town and killed thousands of inhabitants. Some five metres below street level, there is still a layer (5) of red ash (6) from that time. When Londinium was rebuilt, it was a planned Roman town, with a forum, amphitheatre and administration buildings. It was not, however, all palatial villas with under-floor heating (7). A lot of Roman London was quite basic: narrow alleyways (8) of long rectangular houses built using clay (9).
END OF AN ERA
In the early fifth Century, the Romans gradually left. Their empire was eroding on the continent and Emperor Honorius refused to support the province any longer. The Roman era was over. There is little left of Roman London to see above ground- it all lies six to eight metres below street level. Every time a new building is planned, particularly in the City of London, archaeologists are called in, and the biggest finds are then exhibited in the Museum of London. Many visitors notice the stump (10) of Roman wall outside Tower Hill station; the Museum of London also has a small section. Others might go underground at the Guildhall to see the amphitheatre ruins, which are beautifully illuminated. Every day, busy city workers walk past the Temple of Mithras, which illustrates the diffusion of an elite mystery religion through the Roman empire.
Beachcombers (11) on the Thames still encounter Roman pottery (12). Occasionally a great find is made. In 2008, Museum of London archaeologists found a whole Roman agricultural village in the grounds of Syon Park, West London, during excavations for a new luxury hotel. Human skeletons and thousands of Roman artefacts were recovered. And, of course, if you look at what Londoners are wearing, the toga style and gladiator sandals never really go out of fashion!
GLOSSARY
1. TO BOOST: reforzar
2. TO BRIDGE: construir un puente
3. TRADING PORT: puerto comercial
4. TO FLOURISH: prosperar
5. LAYER: capa
6. ASH: ceniza
7. UNDERFLOOR HEATING: calefación por suelo radiante
8. ALLEYWAY: callejón
9. CLAY: arcilla
(Part 2: Listening: B2 Upper Intermediate)
LIVING HISTORY
Is London a town (13) or a city? In actual fact it is both. Most of London is technically a town, while the financial district is known as “the City”. The City corresponds to the original Roman settlement. Today “the City of London” has its own police force and, if you look careful, the helmets (14) are different: they are modelled on those of Roman soldiers. To find out more about London´s Roman origins, we spoke to Jenny Hall, who is curator of Roman London at the Museum of London. As she explained, new evidence of the past emerges all the time:
Jenny Hall (Standard British accent):
That´s the lovely thing about a Roman town being excavated. The city of London is a very busy financial centre today- and that´s how it was in the Roman times- so that, whenever they redevelop a building in the City of London, there is likely to be Roman
(material) surviving. Because the Roman levels are so far down below present-day street level, some six to eight metres, then there is a possibility that even the later building may not have sort of cut into the Roman levels, so that we do get very good Roman survival on some of the sites. And also Roman London is a wet (15) site. The Romans didn´t have any shortage (16) of water, they didn´t have to bring their water in by aqueduct or anything like that. Because London was built on gravel (17), with clay underneath (18), the water would collect at the bottom of the gravel, and you just had to sort of sink (19) wells, to get a ready supply of drinking water, so that anything that´s buried (20) that far down, when we dig it up (21), is quite often still wet, so that we get a lot of preservation of things that don´t normally survive burial- the wood, the leather (22), which would normally just dry and crumble away (23)- is actually preserved in the wet conditions.
Although Julius Caesar visited Britain in 55BC, London was founded in AD43, But why did the Romans come to Britain?
Jenny Hall
The Romans came to Britain because, actually, the Emperor Claudius at the time needed a political victory. He needed to look good to the people of Rome. And so it was his way of actually showing what a good political and military leader he was, by getting a new province of Britain. And they´d been hoping that Britain would provide a lot of extra things like gold and silver, but, when it came to it, it was more some silver, some lead (24), some copper (25), from sort of south- west Britain, but mainly things like hunting dogs (26). And London and Britain, they were known for the wool trade, so they were supplying wool.
THE LONG GOODBYE
And the Romans left Britain in the 5th century:
Jenny Hall: Well, the Romans abandoned Roman Britain at a time when the Roman Empire was crumbling, basically. And, for the last 100 years of Roman Britain, the army had gradually been removed because there were various uprisings (27) and civil unrests (28) elsewhere in the Empire. The Barbarians outside the Roman boundaries were starting to attack, so that gradually there was no army left in Roman Britain, so that, when the western part of the Roman Empire finally fell, there was no one to help, and so Roman Britain was just left to its own devices (29). They asked the Emperor of the time, Honorius, for help, and he said: “No, you´re on your own! (30) And that´s when Roman London and Roman Britain finally came to an end.
GLOSSARY 2
10. STUMP: trozo, resto
11. BEACHCOMBER: raquero (tipo de embarcación)
12. POTTERY: cerámica
13. TOWN: ciudad pequeña, población
14. HELMET: yelmo, casco
15. WET: húmedo
16. SHORTAGE: escasez, falta
17. GRAVEL: gravilla
18. UNDERNEATH: debajo
19. TO SINK: perforar, abrir
20. TO BURY: enterrar
21. TO DIG UP: desenterrar
22. LEATHER: piel
23. TO CRUMBLE AWAY: caerse a pedazos, desintegrarse
24. LEAD: plomo
25. COPPER: cobre
26. HUNTING DOG: perro de caza
27. UPRISING: levantamiento, revuelta
28. CIVIL UNRERST: descontento social
29. LEFT TO ITS OWN DEVICES: abandonado a su destino, dejado a su suerte
30. YOU´RE ON YOUR OWN: estás sólo
EXERCISES: LISTENING QUESTIONS
1. Decide whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE
a) The City of London police force wear helmets based on Roman soldier
helmets. (TRUE/ FALSE)
b) A curator is someone who is in charge of museum exhibits. (TRUE/FALSE)
c) The City of London is an exclusive residential area. (TRUE/FALSE)
d) If you dug down in the City, you would find layers of gravel and then clay.
(TRUE/FALSE)
e) Because they didn´t have water, the Romans built aqueducts.(TRUE/FALSE)
f) Julius Caesar was once just another tourist in London. (TRUE/FALSE)
g) Britain was known for its grain trade in Roman times. (TRUE/FALSE)
2. Unscramble the letters to create words used in the article. The first letter of each word is given to help you.
a) eopcpr c …………………
b) levgra g …………………
c) tsgoerah s………………….
d) etrlahe l ……………………
e) nnigtuh h ……………………
f) rgusinpi u …………………..
g) olwo w …………………
h) diorelsr s ………………….
3. Choose the word from the list that best fits the gap.
|
HELMET EMERGE BURY LEVELS TRADE FOUNDED GOLD ELSEWHERE |
TEXT 2
ROMAN BRITAIN: WALKING THE WALL
Con más de cien Kms de extensión, la Muralla de Adriano está considerada como el resto romano más espectacular del Reino Unido. Un reportero de SPEAK UP la ha recorrido andando. Este es su diario.
SPEAKUP 304. AñoXXVI. págs: 18-21
HADRIAN´S WALL (Part I): Reading (Upper Intermediate)
DAY ONE
I´m travelling along on a metro train towards Wallsend on the outskirts (1) of Newcastle I´m visiting Segedunum Roman Museum and the eastern end of the massive wall begun by the Emperor Hadrian in 122 AD.
At the time the Roman Empire extended over 5000 kilometres from the Atlantic Coast of Britain through Europe, the Middle East and across North Africa to the Atlantic. Hadrian´s Wall formed the empire´s north-west frontier.
As I exit the Metro station I notice a sign: “Noli Fumare”, and then some other signs written in Latin. I half expect a centurion to be on duty (2) outside. The striking (3) 35-metre high tower of Segedunum offers a panorama across the River Tyne. Instead of shipbuilding (4) , it´s tourism that brings prosperity to the area today.
Visitors travel from all over the world to see Hadrian´s Wall; and not just to see it, but to walk it.
DAY TWO
Rucksack (5) and walking boots (6) on, it´s a three-kilometre hike (7) from the small village of Wall (many of the local place names (8) contain the word “wall”) to Chesters Roman Museum. The sun is climbing and the day is already heating up. Chesters is packed with excited schoolchildren and coach parties (9) of tourists. Looking around the well-preserved ruins, it´s hard not to be impressed by the engineering achievements of the Roman builders. Even today, with all our technology and equipment, building a huge stone wall across Britain would be a major undertaking (10).
For the next hour or so I follow the acorn (11) signs along the NATIONAL trail, past farm walls, garage walls and garden walls. But no Roman wall… In the past centuries this section was either buried (12) by road construction or the stones stolen to build large houses in the area. Finally, at Black Carts, the stones of Hadrian´s Wall appear in the middle of a green field. A solitary walker with heavy backpack walks alongside it.
“I didn´t expect this”, says the young Dutchman (13). “Ancient history, beautiful landscape, and everyone I meet has a smile on their face!”
He has already walked the westernmost section of the wall near Carlisle, which he politely describes as “less interesting” than the scenic section I am about to begin near Housesteads Fort.
This fort was home to a Belgian infantry unit and later a German cavalry unit. In other parts the wall was guarded by Syrians, Spaniards and many other nationalities. For this reason it seems appropriate that many of the walkers I meet today are international visitors.
DAY THREE
It´s a beautiful day for aching (15) legs. After 22 kilometres yesterday I´m taking it easy today with only 14 Kilometres! First stop is Vindolanda, site of the most exciting archaeological finds anywhere on the wall.
Continuing excavations here have uncovered fragments of writing tablets (16) that reveal details of Roman business affairs, military records, and intimate correspondence. These include a birthday invitation, details of a parcel (17) to a soldier including shoes, socks and underpants, and a complaint (18) about a shortage (19) of beer!
They say that Britain is crowded (20), but back on the wall there are views across a vast and largely empty landscape towards the Cheviot Hills in the distance. Beneath big skies there are kilometres of rolling farmland (21) with white sheep, black cattle (22)- and occasional walkers!
DAY FOUR
There´s just time to drag (23) my aching body into the Roman Army Museum next to the outstanding Walltown Crags section of the wall. The “living history” exhibition here includes a wonderful “Eagle´s Eye” video that brings the past to life. As I climb on board the AD122 bus (a special service running the length of the wall) to return home, I wonder whether people will still be walking Hadrian´s Wall in 2000 years´time.
Frankly, it´s difficult to imagine otherwise.
GLOSSARY (1)
1. Outskirts: afueras
2. On duty: de servicio
3. Striking: asombroso
4. Shipbuilding: construcción naval
5. Rucksack: mochila
6. Walking Boots: botas de montaña
7. Hike: caminata
8. Place name: topónimos
9. Coach party of tourist: grupo de turistas en autocar
10. Undertaking: empresa, tarea
11. Acorn: bellota
12. To bury: sepultar
13. Dutchman: holandés
14. Turf: turba
15. Aching: doloridas
16. Tablet: placa, lápida
17. Parcel: paquete
18. Complaint: queja
19. Shortage: escasez
20. Crowded: muy poblado
21. Rolling farmland: campos labrados
22. Cattle: ganado
23. To drag: arrastrar
Hadrian´s Wall (Part 2): LISTENING ( C2 Proficiency)
PAST LIVES
Hadrian´s wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and “the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain”. Set in beautiful countryside in northern England, it´s a wonderful place for lovers of both walking and archaeology. Of particular interest is the auxiliary fort of Vindolanda at Chesterhom. Its director of excavations, Andrew Birley, is part of a remarkable dynasty: not only did his father work here, so did his grandfather. As he explains, Vindolanda is an archaeologist´s dream:
Andrew Birley (Standard English accent):
There are sites that you could work on where you can put six to eight weeks in (1) on a site (2) and you will find virtually nothing. You know, you may get a few post-pits (3) and you can be pretty damn excited (4) about that, but Vindolanda is not one of those places. But, in general, the Roman material culture is so vast, there´s so much stuff (6) they leave behind (6) and, particularly, on a military site: military sites these are some of the wealthiest people in society, they like to live the good lifestyle, they´re a transient
(7) population, they move from place to place and they, by that nature, have to leave an awful lot of stuff behind when they move out. Sometimes things that aren´t broken, they just literally can´t carry it with them.
So, as a consequence of that, you´ll get a lot more information from a military site than you will perhaps a contemporary civil site, or a town, something like that.
AN INCREDIBLE DISCOVERY
And, he says, even inexperienced archaeologists can make remarkable discoveries here:
Andrew Birley
We´re sitting here in front of the only temple ever to be found from an oriental cult inside the walls of an auxiliary fort and, just in the distance there, we see the lovely “edicola” or the shrine (8) , and outside that shrine were two magnificent altars that were found about this time last year, to the God Jupiter Dolichenus. Now, those altars were found by two people on their very second day of excavation ever ! And what they´ve done is completely blown open the doors (9) on the idea that you do not get temples inside auxiliary forts. Well, here you are: we´re inside an auxiliary fort and we´ve got one! So, yes, that´s a game-altering find (10) and a wonderful experience for the people involved and that´s what it´s all about.
THE PERSONAL TOUCH
Andrew Birley´s colleague, Paul Bentley, says that we have to thank the Romans for keeping records of everything:
Paul Bentley (North-Eastern English “Geordie” accent)
They were phenomenal at writing everything down, which is great for us ¨cause we find it all! Vindolanda´s , at the moment, really famous for the Vindolanda writing tablets, little bits of information, personal letters back home. Some of it´s troop movements, there´s a famous one, it´s like an inventory of what´s going on: and there´s one guy on personal leave in Londinium, the rest of them are out on troop movements here, there and everywhere, and there´s 32 of them or something in the local hospital with an eye infection.
These are little personal snippets (11) of the life which were hitherto (12) not really thought about. I mean, we can tell you which troop was where and what time, because of the writings that they´ve done, but these little bits and pieces make it more personalised, these are actually people who lived and worked along the line of the Wall and that´s fantastic.
WALL FACTS
Hadrian´s Wall was largely completed within five years, but was altered and improved over a period of 200 years! Originally the wall was constructed of turf (14) but later rebuilt in stone. The wall was planned to be 10 Roman feet (2.7 metres) wide and 15 Roman feet (4 metres) high. Around 15.000 Roman soldiers were involved in the building work.
If you plan to go …
It takes about a week to walk the 235 kilometre length of the Hadrian´s Wall National Trail. If you have less time, concentrate on the scenic centre section from Chollerton/Wall to Walton/ Greenhead.
Full information can be found at www.hadrians-wall.org
For details of Roman forts and museums visit www.english-heritage.org.uk, www.twmuseums.org.uk/segedunum and www.vindolanda.com
Walking, wildlife and national park information can be found at: www.northumber landnationalpark.org.uk and www.nationaltrail. co.uk/hadrianswall/
For a good welcome and good food go to: www.hadrianhotel.com , www.vallum-lodge.co.uk , www.walltownlodge.com , www.twicebrewedinn.co.uk
Video visto en clase: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_4m5lknX68
GLOSSARY (2)
1. To put (time) in : dedicar tiempo
2. Site: excavación
3. Post-pit: hoyo donde se clavaba una viga de madera
4. Pretty Damn excited (colloq.): muy entusiasmado
5. Stuff: cosas
6. To leave behind: dejar atrás
7. Transient: transitorio, pasajero
8. Shrine: santuario
9. They´ve blown open the doors: han revolucionado todas las creencias
10. Game-altering find: descubrimiento revolucionario
11. Snippet: fragmento, retazo
12. Hitherto: hasta ahora
EXERCISES: Listening Questions
1.- Choose the best answer
a) Which Roman site in Britain is an archaeologist´s dream?
a) Vindolanda
b) Hadrain´s Wall
c) Chesterholm
b) Why is a military site so interesting?
a) the people were minor celebrities
b) they yield lots of information
c) they are older
c) Why did the military leave so much behind?
a) they were always moving
b) they hoped someone would find it
c) they were wealthy
d) What is an “edicola” ?
a) a temple
b) an ancient artifact
c) a shrine
e) Why was the shrine to Jupiter Dolichenus so important?
a) It had two altars
b) It was found by the military
c) It was unexpected on a military site.
f) What kind of information do we get from Roman writings?
a) small pieces of information
b) lengthy histories
c) stone tablets
g) What are the best synonyms for the word “hitherto” ?
a) usually, most of the time
b) previously, until now
c) presently, now
TEXT 3
STONE AGE IRELAND: NEWGRANGE
Irlanda también tiene su Stonehenge: Newgrange. La fecha mágica para una visita, el solsticio de invierno. Ese sia tiene lugar un apasionante fenómeno que se repite desde hace 5.000 años. Hay mucha demanda. SPEAK UP 320
(Part 1: Reading: (B1: Intermediate)
A visit to Newgrange is one of the highlights (1) of any trip to Ireland. Constructed around 5.000 years ago, the passage tomb (2) of Newgrange predates(3) the Egyptian Pyramids!
The monument consists of a large mound (4) of grass with a spectacular wall of white quartz and granite. Newgrange was built by a Stone Age community to house and honour the dead. The famous large stone in front of the entrance is engraved (5) with beautiful spirals and lozenges (6). The designs have been interpreted in many different ways; as representations of the sun and moon, as an astronomical chart (7), as a map of the area, as a meditation aid, and as the effect of hallucinogenic drugs! A narrow (8) passageway leads to the burial chamber (9). This is not for the claustrophobic. But then the chamber opens up. One of the designs in the stone, a beautiful tri-spiral, has become the symbol of Newgrange. Look up to the roof: the interlacing (10) stones were put in place some 5.000 years ago and the roof is still waterproof (11) today!
DISCOVERY
The Battle of the Boyne in 1690, the victory of the Protestant William III (William of Orange) over the Catholic James II, changed Irish history and the history of newgrange. New settlers (12) came into the area. Until 1699, the tomb had been undisturbed (13) for hundreds of years. Superstition kept the monument intact. Newgrange was discovered when a local landlord needed stone for some building work and accidentally found the entrance.
WHO BUILT NEWGRANGE?
We know the builders of Newgrange wea a Stone Age farming community on some of the richest agricultural land in Ireland. They had competence in architecture, engineering, geology, art and astronomy. For example, they aligned (14) the passageway so that every year, at winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, the first sunlight entered the passage tomb. Thousands of years later, a ray of light still makes the way through the rooftop (15) box above the entrance. The first archaeologist to
excavate Newgrange in the early 1960s was the first person for centuries to witness (16) this natural spectacle. Today, the guides replicate the effect for visitors with a torch ((17). Even this artificial version is powerful. Every year, a few lucky people are permitted to attend winter solstice in the passage tomb.
MYSTERIES
There are still plenty of mysteries to be solved in this bend (18) of the River Boyne. For example, archaeologists continue to look for evidence of the houses of the people who moved 200.000 tons of stone 5000 years on. Newgrange is as fascinating as ever.
PLANNING A TRIP
There are three major passage tombs in Brú na Bóinne: Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth
(which can´t be visited). Newgrange is the largest and the most popular. Plan your visit
for the morning. Having a car gives you time to see both sites, ideally starting with
Knowth. Knowth provides a close look at the fabulous megalithic art, a collection of
photogenic satellite mounds around it, and a walk on top of the mound, then at the main
monument at Newgrange, you can actually enter the chamber. Both visits start by
shuttle bus from the Visitor Centre. For more background, the best website is
www.worldheritageireland.ie. For general information get in contact with the Irish
Tourist board based in Madrid, Spain: Tel: 917456420. www.discoverireland.com/es
or www.visitireland.com
THE LOTTERY
Every year, 25.000 people apply to witness winter solstice in the chamber of
NEWGRANGE. The shortest day of the year on 21 December was a turning point (19)
for the Stone Age community, as the days got longer and a new cycle of crops (20)- and
life- began. Today, only 10 people are allowed in the chamber for the spectacle, which
takes place around 9am- if there aren´t too many clouds, of course! Lottery forms (21)
for one of the five days around the solstice are available from the Visitor Centre, or you
can email your postal details and a contact telephone number to brunaboinne@opw.ie
and a member of staff will fill in an application form for you. The lottery takes place in
late September. www.newgrange.com has a webcast of the 2007 solstice.
GLOSSARY 1
1. HIGHLIGHT: (lugar) más destacado
2. PASSAGE TOMB: pasaje funerario, (Tomb: sepulcro)
3. TO PREDATE: ser anterior a
4. MOUND: montículo
5. TO ENGRAVE: grabar
6. LOZENGE: rombo
7. CHART: carta
8. NARROW: estrecho
9. BURIAL CHAMBER: cámara mmortuoria
10. TO INTERLACE: entrelazar
11. WATERPROOF: impermeable
12. SETTLER: colono
13. HAD BEEN UNDISTURBED: había permanecido inalterado
14. TO ALIGN: alinear
15. ROOFTOP: tejado, techo
16. TO WITNESS: ser testigo
17. TORCH: antorcha, linterna
18. BEND: curva
19. TURNING POINT: momento decisivo
20. CROP: cultivo
21. FORM: formulario
(Part 2): Listening: (C1 Advanced)
TIME TRAVEL
Ireland is a land with many mysteries. One of the more intriguing is newgrange, a
Neotlithic site in County Meath, Claire Tuffy, manager of the Newgrange Visitor
Center, thinks it is a special place:
Claire Tuffy (Irish accent)
It´s special because it´s 5.000 years old. There are very few opportunities anywhere to
stand in a room which was built so long ago and see it exactly like they did back then.
It´s wonderful to be at Newgrange at the winter solstice, when the sun shines into the
Chamber, and know that, when you´re waiting for dawn (22), that 5.000 years ago
people stood on the same hill waiting for the same event. Now, there´s no doubt, but
for them it had a completely different meaning than it would have for us, but we´re still
waiting, glancing (23) towards (24) the same bit (25) of sky, looking around at the
gorgeous (26) Boyne Valley and waiting for the sun to rise on the shortest day. So it´s a
great opportunity to be able to share an experience with your remote ancestors (27) –
and feel pride (28) in their achievement (29).
SOME THEORIES
Needless to say, there are many theories as to why these remote ancestors built
Newgrange:
Claire Tuffy:
The entrance stone itself is a barrier between the world of the living and the world of the death. It´s rather like a threshold (30) or doorway, and it´s covered in five spirals and lots of swirly lines (31) and zigzags and diamond shapes (32). And some people suggest that the swirls and the spirals are to confuse the entrance into the spirit world, that it´s somehow…. is to make things more convoluted (33). Other people suggest that it represents the sun and the starts, because, of course, we know that astronomy was extremely important to the people who built these monuments. And it is interesting that, at the winter solstice, when the sun is directly opposite the entrance of Newgrange, the light, because the sun is opposite the entrance, the art on the entrance stone seems quite flat (34), it almost disappears, there are no shadows, so perhaps on those days the barriers are down between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
But there´s an even stranger theory:
Claire Tuffy: Other people suggest that the people who carved (35) the stones used halluc(in)ogenic drugs so that they could enter into the spirit world and communicate with the ancestors. And tests that have been carried out by scientists using halluc(in)ogens report that these are the images, they are called entoptic images, that are reported from, being seen from all over the world, not just in our culture, but from all over the world. And that might solve some of the queries, like hoe come (36) sometimes, when you look at the art of our Neolithic tombs, it´s so similar to something you´d see in Aboriginal Australia, or in the Maori, or South America, that all over the world we use the same symbols in different combinations, so perhaps all of these holy men and women were using halluc(in)ogens to represent this spirit world!
GLOSSARY 2
22. DAWN: amanecer, alba
23. TO GLANCE: mirar
24. TOWARDS: hacia
25. BIT: trozo
26. GORGEOUS: magnífico, precioso
27. ANCESTOR: antepasado
28. PRIDE; orgullo
29. ACHIEVEMENT: logro
30. THRESHOLD: umbral
31. SWIRLY LINES: líneas en forma de remolino
32. DIAMOND SHAPE: forma de diamante
33. CONVOLUTED: intrincado, enrevesado
34. FLAT: plano
35. TO CARVE: esculpir, tallar
36. HOW COME: por qué
EXERCISES: LISTENING QUESTIONS
Write the word that best fits the gap in each sentence. The first letter and a definition are given in parentheses to help you
a) The film about Marilyn Monroe´s life was ( i) ……………. (very
interesting) in its portrayal of the icon
b) People sometimes have a party to celebrate the winter (s) ………… (the
shortest day of the year)
c) We saw him (g) ………………. (look quickly) in this direction when we said his name.
d) The guide took us to some of the most ( r ) …………… (isolated) places in the Andean mountains.
e) The chocolate ice-cream had (s) ……………… (curved) bits of caramel in it.
f) The newspaper is delivered before (d) ……………. (sunrise) to the door of the house.
g) The construction workers put up a (b) ………….. (border, obstruction) between the street and the pavement.
h) Our office receives (q)………………. (enquiries) from international customers.
4. Put the following topics into the order in which they appear in the report.
a) 5.000 years old
b) astronomy
c) Boyne Valley
d) County Meath
e) entoptic images
f) doorway to the spirit world