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BBC Learning English 

Video Words in the News  

11 June 2014 

Bridge of love

Transcript:

Paris: the city of love.

Attaching a padlock carrying your sweetheart's name to the railings of this bridge has become a sign of everlasting love.

It's become so popular that the entire length of the Pont Des Arts is now covered - causing the railings to give way in places.

And officials say falling locks threaten the safety of barges and boats. But in the words of Shakespeare, "The course of true love never did run smooth."

Vocabulary:

padlock

metal block with a ring which is locked and unlocked with a key

railings

metal or wooden barrier people hold onto to prevent a fall

everlasting

eternal duration

to give way

to collapse under pressure

barges

flat-bottomed boats used to transport heavy loads up and down a river or canal

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.

padlock / railings / everlasting / to give way / barges

1. According to some reports, the first section of the riverbank __________ was at Millbank by the Tate. Incredibly, given its proximity to the Thames, many of the gallery's works were stored in the lower ground floor. Some 18 were damaged beyond repair, 226 oil paintings were badly damaged and a further 67 were slightly damaged.

2. The impact of the crash left the __________ on a central reservation of the road twisted and mangled. 

3. Creating an __________ pacemaker powered entirely by the charge from the owner's own heartbeats, would take out the risk associated with heart surgery as well as saving on costs. 

4. A cargo __________ which was built to take part in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations is being launched on the River Wye. 

5. Royal charters from a Shropshire town have been seen for the first time in 40 years after a missing key was found. The 500-year-old charters for Bishop's Castle were stored in a local bank. The key to a __________ on the original box turned up in the mayor's parlour.

Answers:

1. According to some reports, the first section of the riverbank to give way was at Millbank by the Tate. Incredibly, given its proximity to the Thames, many of the gallery's works were stored in the lower ground floor. Some 18 were damaged beyond repair, 226 oil paintings were badly damaged and a further 67 were slightly instruments damaged.

2. The impact of the crash left the railings on a central reservation of the road twisted and mangled. 

3. Creating an everlasting pacemaker powered entirely by the charge from the owner's own heartbeats, would take out the risk associated with heart surgery as well as saving on costs.

4. A cargo barge which was built to take part in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations is being launched on the River Wye. 

5. Royal charters from a Shropshire town have been seen for the first time in 40 years after a missing key was found. The 500-year-old charters for Bishop's Castle were stored in a local bank. The key to a padlock on the original box turned up in the mayor's parlour.