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BBC Learning English

Video Words in the News

12 March 2014

Teapot tower

Transcript:

It might not be everyone's cup of tea.

This giant, teapot-shaped construction is actually a 10-storey office building.

Ordinary red clay teapots are big sellers here in the Chinese city of Wuxi.

Locals hope the quirky building will become a symbol of the city.

Vocabulary:

cup of tea if something is 'not your cup of tea', it's not the kind of thing you like

storey a level of a building, a floor

clay thick, wet soil that becomes hard and dry when baked, used for making plates, cups, bricks and other objects

quirky strange but in an attractive way

symbol something that represents a particular idea or quality

Exercise:

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.

cup of tea / storey / clay / quirky / symbol

1. The plans will see one _________ added to the top of Television Centre and two under it, with the facade of the building being retained and restored.

2. "We have these laws in place to protect and conserve species such as the red squirrel, which are very dear to people's hearts and a _________ of Scotland."

3. It might not be everyone's _________ but hopefully people will respect it. I'd like to think that whatever song wins is because of the song.

4. Ensure the email address you send your application from isn't _________ as it is not likely to be taken seriously.

5. The basic aim of dredging is to remove silt - a sedimentary material made of fine sand, _________ and small-sized particles of rock - from the river's bed, therefore increasing its capacity to carry water downstream.

Answers:

1. The plans will see one storey added to the top of Television Centre and two under it, with the facade of the building being retained and restored. Source: BBC Television Centre homes and hotel plan approved

2. "We have these laws in place to protect and conserve species such as the red squirrel, which are very dear to people's hearts and a symbol of Scotland." Source: Warning to keep grey squirrel traps shut to help save reds

3. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but hopefully people will respect it. I'd like to think that whatever song wins is because of the song. Source: Molly Smitten-Downes: Eurovision will be a challenge

4. Ensure the email address you send your application from isn't quirky as it is not likely to be taken seriously.

Source: CV blunders hit jobseekers' chances of securing employment

5. The basic aim of dredging is to remove silt - a sedimentary material made of fine sand, clay and small-sized particles of rock - from the river's bed, therefore increasing its capacity to carry water downstream. Source: How do you stop flooding?