Mayflower

College

FACTS OF THE WEEK

Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants. Ants always fall over on their right side when intoxicated. The electric chair was invented by a dentist. The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet in the air.

GOOD WEEK FOR:

Dartmoor ponies who are set to “glow in the dark” to prevent them from being hit by vehicles at night. Authorities have ordered fluorescent collars for the ponies to increase their visibility in the dark, as fatalities on the moor have risen significantly.

22 April 2022 Tomorrow (23rd April) is St George’s Day, the patron saint of England. Like many saints, St George was described as a martyr after he died for his Christian faith in AD303. And now, some light-hearted stories we have found for you in the British media this week.

News and homework:

22 April 2022

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Take a look at “Portraits of Humanity”, a

competition that celebrates the quiet beauty,

strength and eccentricity of humanity - here.

QUOTATION OF THE WEEK

“Whatever you’re meant to do, do it now. The

conditions are always impossible.” ~ Doris Lessing.

This week's homework is called FIRE IDIOMs. PART A - Use these nouns to complete the idioms below BURNING, FLAMES, SPARKS, BLAZING, SMOKE, HEATED, FIERY, FIRE (3) 1) I want to be an actor. I've got a ????? ambition to play Hamlet at the Globe Theatre, London. 2) She's got a lot of potential as a singer, but she's not exactly going to set the world on ?????. 3) I had a ?????? row with my girlfriend last night. 4) Be careful what you say to Paul. He's got a ????? temper. 5) I wouldn't say we had an argument. It was just a ????? discussion. 6) I met Jackie at a conference and liked her immediately. We got on like a house on ?????. 7) Jill, you're playing with ??????. If your boss finds out what you are doing you'll be in serious trouble. 8) I was planning a quiet weekend but 4 friends came to stay on Saturday so all my plans went up in ?????. 9) Every time I have a new idea, Jill, you just shoot me down in ????? without really listening to what I have to say. 10) Have you heard Paul and Jill discussing politics? The ????? really fly when they disagree about something. PART B - Use the following idiomatic expressions to complete the dialogues below. a) AN OLD FLAME b) NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE c) ADDS MORE FUEL TO THE FIRE d) A BAPTISM OF FIRE e) A BLAZE OF PUBLICITY f) BURN MY BRIDGES g) FIRED MY IMAGINATION 1) Paul: I didn't know carol new Chris? Jill: Oh yes, she's ?????? from University days. 2) Paul: Can you remember your first day in the classroom, Jill? Jill: Yes, I had to teach Maths to a class of 30 very difficult 16-year-olds. It was a ????, I can tell you! 3) Paul: Have you seen the new James Bond film? Jill: Yes, but despite ????? when it came out, it didn't live up to my expectations. 4) Paul: There's a rumour that Christiano Ronaldo is going to leave Manchester United but I can't believe it. Jill: Well, you know what they say - there's ???????. 5) Paul: So what made you decide to go to Rwanda on holiday? Jill: Well, I saw a film a couple of years ago and it just ??????. 6) Paul: Did I hear that you are resigning? Jill: Well, I'm looking for a change, but I don't want to leave this job until I've found something new. I don't want to ?????. 7) Paul: That's the third government minister who's resigned this week. Jill: There's been something strange going on for a long time. This just ??????. And finally, a difficult riddle for you to solve: Long and thin and rather graphic, Plainest scrawl or quite seraphic. Coloured or just plain grey, Kept in case, the children play. Have a lovely weekend and until next Friday! Best wishes

A man who accidentally inhaled a drill bit during a visit to the dentist. The man didn’t just swallow the drill bit – he inhaled it into his lung. Luckily, doctors were able to safely remove the tiny drill.

BAD WEEK FOR:

Dublin Airport, which received 12,272 noise complaints from one person in 2021. The complaints are continuing in 2022 with the person having already filed 5,276 notices, a daily average of 59 complaints. The unidentified person accounted for 90% of all complaints in 2021.

Queen Elizabeth II, who celebrated her 96th birthday this week, as Britain’s longest serving monarch. Toymaker Mattel has created a limited edition Barbie doll in her honour, fitted with an elegant ivory gown and blue ribbon.

MEANING To be extremely patient USE Sometimes, I don’t know how he does it. He has the patience of a Saint!

to HAVE the patience of a saint

Paul Stevens - Director (based in San Diego, USA) Jill Tyler - General Manager (based in Plymouth, UK)

1) I want to be an actor. I've got a BURNING ambition to play Hamlet at the Globe Theatre, London. 2) She's got a lot of potential as a singer, but she's not exactly going to set the world on FIRE. 3) I had a BLAZING row with my girlfriend last night. 4) Be careful what you say to Paul. He's got a FIERY temper. 5) I wouldn't say we had an argument. It was just a HEATED discussion. 6) I met Jackie at a conference and liked her immediately. We got on like a house on FIRE. 7) Jill, you're playing with FIRE. If your boss finds out what you are doing you'll be in serious trouble. 8) I was planning a quiet weekend but 4 friends came to stay on Saturday so all my plans went up in SMOKE. 9) Every time I have a new idea, Jill, you just shoot me down in FLAMES without really listening to what I have to say. 10) Have you heard Paul and Jill discussing politics? The SPARKS really fly when they disagree about something.

The answer is PENCIL

1) Paul: I didn't know carol new Chris? Jill: Oh yes, she's AN OLD FLAME from University days. 2) Paul: Can you remember your first day in the classroom, Jill? Jill: Yes, I had to teach Maths to a class of 30 very difficult 16-year-olds. It was a A BAPTISM OF FIRE, I can tell you! 3) Paul: Have you seen the new James Bond film? Jill: Yes, but despite A BLAZE OF PUBLICITY when it came out, it didn't live up to my expectations. 4) Paul: There's a rumour that Christiano Ronaldo is going to leave Manchester United but I can't believe it. Jill: Well, you know what they say - NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE 5) Paul: So what made you decide to go to Rwanda on holiday? Jill: Well, I saw a film a couple of years ago and it just FIRED MY IMAGINATION. 6) Paul: Did I hear that you are resigning? Jill: Well, I'm looking for a change, but I don't want to leave this job until I've found something new. I don't want to BURN MY BRIDGES. 7) Paul: That's the third government minister who's resigned this week. Jill: There's been something strange going on for a long time. This just ADDS MORE FUEL TO THE FIRE.