Transcript
Not something you see every day: Santa abseiling down a 100-metre-tall building in Berlin.
He claims he was retrieving a sack of presents which had fallen from his sleigh.
The mishap meant children got an early treat as Father Christmas climbed through a cafe window to hand out presents and sing an impromptu festive song.
All in a day’s work for Santa, who still had time to entertain crowds on the street, before heading off to prepare for Christmas Day.
Vocabulary
abseiling
climbing down a rock or building holding onto a rope
sleigh
vehicle pulled by animals over snow
mishap
small accident or mistake
impromptu
not planned
all in a day’s work
used to say that something difficult or unpleasant is a usual part of someone’s job
To do
Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from news reports. Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.
abseiling / sleigh / mishap / impromptu / all in a day’s work
1. From herding sheep to helping injured lions, it’s _________ for a Junior Vet.
2. Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team carried the animals to safety after _________ 200ft (60m) down a rock face on Plynlimon mountain range.
3. Reindeer hooves are adapted to compress snow, but on slippery hard floor they would be prone to slip especially if pulling a __________.
4. A fan of Erasure sparked an _________ singalong on the London Underground with his own version of the band’s A Little Respect.
Neil Francis, who sings at venues around Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, was waiting at the Kentish Town station when he decided to break into song.
5. More than one million Montreal residents must boil drinking and cooking water after a _________ at a water treatment plant, officials have warned.
Answers
1. From herding sheep to helping injured lions, it’s all in a day’s work for a Junior Vet.
2. Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team carried the animals to safety after abseiling 200ft (60m) down a rock face on Plynlimon mountain range.
3. Reindeer hooves are adapted to compress snow, but on slippery hard floor they would be prone to slip especially if pulling a sleigh.
4. A fan of Erasure sparked an impromptu singalong on the London Underground with his own version of the band’s A Little Respect.
Neil Francis, who sings at venues around Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, was waiting at the Kentish Town station when he decided to break into song.
5. More than one million Montreal residents must boil drinking and cooking water after a mishap at a water treatment plant, officials have warned.