BBC Learning English – Words in the News / The ‘No Cry’ onion

Transcript

Does chopping these make you cry? This farmer in the south of England thinks he has the answer.

Alastair Findlay has been developing a ‘No Tears’ onion for twenty years. Each season he has tasted hundreds of varieties to find the perfect flavour.

The new hybrid has a milder taste and aroma than others. That’s good news for your eyes – and also your breath.

Vocabulary

chopping
cutting into small pieces

varieties
different types of something

hybrid
new plant produced from two different types of plant

aroma
nice smell from food or drink

breath
the air that comes out of your mouth

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.

chopping / varieties / hybrid / aroma / breath

1. New Rice For Africa (Nerica) was developed less than 10 years ago and is a __________ combining the higher yielding Asian and the hardy African seeds. 

2. Although garlic is good for you – containing several vitamins and minerals – once eaten, it can cause bad __________ and body odour lasting hours or even days. 

3. For the sauce, wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth, before finely __________ them. 

4. An ancient __________ of pear tree that was once at risk of disappearing is being preserved and replanted by a Bedfordshire agricultural college. 

5. “Make fruits cascade down and their sweet __________ fill the air on the sea of apple trees at the foot of Chol Pass!”

Answers

1. New Rice For Africa (Nerica) was developed less than 10 years ago and is a hybrid combining the higher yielding Asian and the hardy African seeds. 

See story

2. Although garlic is good for you – containing several vitamins and minerals – once eaten, it can cause bad breath and body odour lasting hours or even days.

See story

3. For the sauce, wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth, before finely chopping them.

See story

4. An ancient variety of pear tree that was once at risk of disappearing is being preserved and replanted by a Bedfordshire agricultural college.

See story

5. “Make fruits cascade down and their sweet aroma fill the air on the sea of apple trees at the foot of Chol Pass!”

See story

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