Learning English - Words in the News - Singing security guards

Last updated at 15:27 GMT, Wednesday, 14 November 2012

Singing security guards

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Report and vocabulary

Transcript: Their job is to keep passengers on the Sao Paulo underground safe.

But, once a month, instead of patrolling the platforms, nine security guards treat commuters to a concert.

They use the stations as venues and play an eclectic mix of samba, rock and opera.

The band is so successful that more members of staff want to take their place in the spotlight.
passengers: people travelling by car, bus or train
patrolling: walking around an area to make sure it's safe
commuters: people who travel regularly from home to work and back
an eclectic mix: a wide and varied range
in the spotlight: on the stage or the focus of attention

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.

passengers / patrolling / commuters / an eclectic mix / in the spotlight

1. It was a warm night in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez and heavily armed troops were _____________ the streets, at the height of the war on drug cartels here.

2. Contactless payment will also be introduced on the transport network and the first phase will see bus _____________ use contactless credit, debit or charge cards.

3. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) is back _________________ after its boss, Iain Overton, stepped down over a joint investigation with Newsnight.

4. "There is _________________ of things taking place which reflects the communities we'll be visiting, and I hope people will want to come to these free events."

5. Train __________ face continued disruption after an ongoing shortage of drivers caused cancellations and alterations on 30 London Midland services.