Unit 4: News Review
How to use the language from the latest news stories
Select a unit
- 1 News Review
- 2 News Review
- 3 News Review
- 4 News Review
- 5 News Review
- 6 News Review
- 7 News Review
- 8 News Review
- 9 News Review
- 10 News Review
- 11 News Review
- 12 News Review
- 13 News Review
- 14 News Review
- 15 News Review
- 16 News Review
- 17 News Review
- 18 News Review
- 19 News Review
- 20 News Review
- 21 News Review
Session 39
The Chinese giant salamander has become a delicacy – that means people like to eat it. But there are now very few of them left in the wild. Neil and Catherine bring you the language you need to talk about this story.
Activity 1
News Review
The Chinese giant salamander is in danger of being eaten to extinction
A creature that has been around for millions of years is now in danger of extinction. The Chinese giant salamander has become a delicacy – that means people like to eat it. But it seems they like to eat this particular animal too much as there are now very few of them left in the wild. Neil and Catherine bring you the language you need to talk about this story.
Language challenge
If something is amphibious, it:
a) lives on land
b) lives in water
c) lives on land and/or in water
Watch the video and complete the activity

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NEWS REVIEW PODCAST NOW AVAILABLE - SUBSCRIBE HERE
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Did you like that? Why not try these?
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The story
New zoological research has suggested a growing human appetite for the Chinese giant salamander has pushed the world's largest amphibian to the brink of extinction in the wild.
The creatures, which date back 170 million years, have in recent times become a delicacy. Researchers say they've nearly completely disappeared from their traditional freshwater habitats.
Key words and phrases
the brink of
a point in a process where something important will happen
- After some bad investments, the company is on the brink of bankruptcy.
- Thousands of people are buying Neil's album. He's on the brink of rock stardom!
food fad
type of food fashionable for a short period of time
- Eating everything raw is the latest food fad.
- He says eating fermented food will make him live longer but I think it's a food fad.
slithering
moving over a surface by twisting from side to side
- The snake slithered through the grass.
- She slithered under her desk to try to find her keys.
To do
Try our quiz to see how well you've learned today's language.
News Review quiz
3 Questions
Now you've watched the video, try to answer these questions about the language in the news.
Help
Activity
Now you've watched the video, try to answer these questions about the language in the news.
Hint
There is no letter 'a' in this word.Question 1 of 3
Help
Activity
Now you've watched the video, try to answer these questions about the language in the news.
Hint
The correct preposition begins with 'o'.Question 2 of 3
Help
Activity
Now you've watched the video, try to answer these questions about the language in the news.
Hint
Newspaper headlines love alliteration (pairs or groups of words that start with the same letter).Question 3 of 3
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