Learning English - Words in the News - Floating Christmas tree

Last updated at 16:43 GMT, Wednesday, 05 December 2012

Floating Christmas tree

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Report and vocabulary

Transcript: The festive season has got underway in Rio de Janeiro in spectacular style.

The world's largest floating Christmas tree has been lit up in the heart of the city.

Over 100,000 people flocked to the lagoon to watch a six-minute fireworks show. It's become one of Rio's main tourist attractions.

This year, the decorations on the 85 metre-high structure have been based on the four seasons.
the festive season: the Christmas and New Year period
lit up: illuminated
flocked to: travelled in great numbers
fireworks show: display of colourful explosives used for entertainment
decorations: things used to make something look more attractive

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.

the festive season/lit up/flocked to/fireworks show/decorations

1. The latest to be __________ , and some of the most famous, are on Regent Street in central London..

2. The Lamma IV had been carrying employees of Hong Kong Electric and their family members to watch the __________ held to celebrate China's National Day.

3. The campaign's online animation delivers a message about how easy it can be to lose count of the amount you drink over __________.

4. Constructed largely from waste, it contains video tapes, toothbrushes and even Christmas __________.

5. Arab foreign ministers __________ Gaza to demonstrate solidarity, while Egypt mediated a ceasefire that included provisions to ease Israel's blockade of Gaza.