Unit 8: News Review
How to use the language from the latest news stories
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Session 79
Have you ever made a phone call to the wrong person by mistake? Imagine doing it from space! Neil and Tom teach you the language the media is using to discuss this story.
Activity 1
News Review
Spaceman doesn't phone home
An astronaut orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station accidentally managed to call the US emergency services.
Language challenge
An ___ is someone who works in space.
a) astronaught
b) astronaut
c) astronought
Watch the video and complete the activity

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The story
A Dutch astronaut has revealed that he accidentally called the US emergency number while orbiting the Earth aboard the International Space Station.
Speaking on Dutch radio André Kuipers explained that you make a call from space just as if you’re at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston by dialling 9 for an outside line, and then 011 for an international call. But he said it’s naturally trickier while floating around in space and he must have dialled 911 by mistake.
Key words and phrases
astronomical
extremely large, enormous
• Compared to 20 years ago, the cost of a train ticket is astronomical!
• The country has struggled for the last decade with astronomical debt.
sparks panic
causes strong fear
• A sudden rise in oil prices often sparks panic among drivers.
• Alien spaceships arriving from Mars sparked panic.
frenzy
activity which is out of control
• The smell of blood drove the sharks into a violent feeding frenzy.
• Last-minute Christmas shoppers grabbed the final items on the shelves in a frenzy.
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
You need an adjectiveQuestion 1 of 3
Help
Activity
Now you've watched the video, try to answer these questions about the language in the news.
Hint
What's the correct word combination?Question 2 of 3
Help
Activity
Now you've watched the video, try to answer these questions about the language in the news.
Hint
Be careful of the spelling!Question 3 of 3
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
Downloads
You can download the audio and PDF document for this episode.
Language challenge answer
b) astronaut
More
We hope you enjoyed News Review. You can find more episodes here.