Unit 9: News Review
How to use the language from the latest news stories
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Session 82
Power cuts in South Africa enter a fourth day. Dan and Catherine teach you the language the media is using to discuss this story.
Activity 1
News Review
South Africa power cuts enter fourth day
Electricity cuts in South Africa are causing economic difficulties.
Language challenge
Complete this sentence: The company suffers from gross ____management.
a) mal
b) dis
c) mis
Watch the video and complete the activity

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The story
South Africans are facing a fourth day of severe power cuts. The troubled, state-run firm, Eskom, has appealed to customers to turn off all non-essential lights and appliances. The power cuts have caused transport problems in Johannesburg with many traffic lights switched off. South Africa's ageing network has suffered from years of mismanagement.
Key words and phrases
blackouts
periods of no light or electricity
• The earthquake destroyed the power station, resulting in a city-wide blackout.
• The government ordered a blackout so the enemy planes can't target the city at night.
double whammy
two bad things happening at the same time
• Catherine had the double whammy of forgetting both her keys and her buss pass.
• Rising taxes and low sales brought the business a double whammy of bad luck.
light at the end of (the) tunnel
sign that a difficult situation will improve or end
• I was wrong. Now I've studied a bit more, there's light at the end of the tunnel.
• After winning the lottery, I saw light at the end of the tunnel for my money worries.
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 a letter 'h' 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
This word is made from two smaller words joined togetherQuestion 2 of 3
Help
Activity
Now you've watched the video, try to answer these questions about the language in the news.
Hint
The first gap must be filled with a preposition of place. The second preposition is used to indicate possession.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
c) mis
More
We hope you enjoyed News Review. You can find more episodes here.