Spotlight Test your English! (Vorschau)

Spotlight 

92013 

Deutschland € 6,90|CH sfr 12,40|A·E· I·L·SK: € 7,50 

EINFACH ENGLISCH! 

TEST YOUR 

ENGLISH! 

Journey to India: 

Taj Mahal, Golden 

Temple and more 

Dinner in 

Johannesburg: 

a success story 

from Soweto 

Political scandal: 

Britain’s 

Profumo affair

Mit Englisch 

ganz nach oben! 

Englisch für den Beruf: Sprachtraining und interkulturelles 

Know-how für mehr Erfolg. Alle zwei Monate neu. 

4 

Magazine 

zum Preis 

von 3!* 

Bestellen Sie jetzt! 

www.business-spotlight.de/4fuer3 +49 (0)89/8 56 81-16 

* Kennenlern-Angebot für Neu-Abonnenten: 4 Ausgaben Business Spotlight zum Preis von 3 (€ 34,50 / SFR 51,75).

EDITORIAL | August September 2013 2013 

The power 

of learning 

Elektronische Wörterbücher 

mit professionellen Inhalten. 

Are you always looking for ways to improve 

yourself? Then this issue of Spotlight is for 

you. Do the listening test that begins on 

page 14, and take your English to the next 

Inez Sharp, editor-in-chief 

level. This exclusive test, brought to you in cooperation 

with the British Council, is part of the International English Language 

Testing System (IELTS) test taken by millions of people worldwide. Whether for 

your studies, for work or simply for your own satisfaction, it’s a challenge worth 

taking up. The audio material for the test is available online. Good luck! 

How do you build a good life? Hard work usually plays a role — and so 

does luck. We have two stories for you this month about people whose luck 

has improved. In “Writers inside”, correspondent Julian Earwaker describes 

how learning to write stories and poems has improved the lives of prisoners 

in Britain. Using the creative act of writing, they are learning to manage their 

problems before taking the step to freedom and becoming members of society 

again. This moving feature begins on page 24. 

Making something of your life is the theme of our food feature, too. 

Apartheid may have ended in South Africa nearly 20 years ago, but for children 

from townships like Soweto and Sharpeville, the chance of a good education 

and a successful career are still the exception. Desmond Mabuza is an exception. 

Once just another boy from Soweto, he now owns two restaurants in 

Johannesburg. Find out how he made his way on page 22. 

Colour 

Display 

Bis zu 21 1 fundierte Nachschlagewerke 

bewährter Verlagspartner, die auf die 

Bedürfnisse von Schülern und Lehrern 

zugeschnitten sind: Das zeichnet die 

elektronischen Wörterbücher der 

EX-word Serie aus. 

Das EX-word 

EW-G6500CP 

für Lehrer mit 

21 Wörterbüchern. 

i.sharp@spotlight-verlag.de 

Listen and learn: 

improve your English 

with a new test 

Titelfoto: The Image Bank/Getty Images; Foto Editorial: F1online 

Das EX-word 

EW-G560C 2 

für Schüler mit 

10 Wörterbüchern. 

Verfügbar ab 

11/2013 

Spotlight 9|13 

1 Gerätespezifi sche Zusammen stellung 

der Buchinhalte 

2 Voraussichtlich verfügbar ab 11/2013 

www.ex-word.de

CONTENTS | September 2013 

Writers in prison 

Writers in Britain help prisoners to express themselves 

and gain new perspectives before rejoining society. 

24 30 

The colours of India 

Jessica Mann visits India’s north: see the Taj Mahal in 

Agra and the Golden Temple of Amritsar. 

6 People 

Names and faces from around the world 

8 A Day in My Life 

A magazine editor from Mauritius 

10 World View 

What’s news and what’s hot 

13 Britain Today 

Colin Beaven’s view on tattoos 

40 History 

Looking back at the Profumo affair 

42 Press Gallery 

A look at the English-language media 

44 Arts 

Films, apps, books, culture and a short story 

66 The Lighter Side 

Jokes and cartoons 

22 Food 

South African cook Desmond Mabuza 

28 I Ask Myself 

Amy Argetsinger on same-sex marriage 

36 Around Oz 

Peter Flynn on political battles 

38 Debate 

Is Australian society fair to Aborigines? 

People in Brisbane have their say 

67 American Life 

Ginger Kuenzel on home repairs 

68 Feedback & Impressum 

Your letters to Spotlight — and our responses 

69 Next Month 

What’s coming next month in Spotlight 

70 My Life in English 

Athlete Magdalena Neuner on Tina Turner, 

using English in sport, and hamburgers 

Fotos: Alamy; Digital Vision; Mauritius; plainpicture 

THE SPOTLIGHT FAMILY 

Spotlight plus 

Every month, you can explore 

and practise the language and 

grammar of Spotlight with the 

exercise booklet plus. 

Find out more at: 

www.spotlight-online.de/plus 

Spotlight Audio 

This monthly 60-minute CD/download 

brings the world of Spotlight 

to your ears. Enjoy interviews and 

travel stories and try the exercises. 

Find out more at: 

www.spotlight-online.de/audio 

4 Spotlight 9|13

14 

Listen and learn 

We take you through a listening test from the world’s 

most popular testing service, with online audio. 

37 

Easy English 

Want to work on the basics? Then Green Light is for 

you: an eight-page booklet with essential English. 

IN THIS MAGAZINE: 14 LANGUAGE PAGES 

50 Vocabulary 

All about public transport 

52 Travel Talk 

On a cruise 

53 Language Cards 

Pull out and practise 

55 Everyday English 

Talking about taking a gap year 

57 The Grammar Page 

Using the past perfect continuous 

58 Peggy’s Place: The Soap 

The latest from a London pub 

59 English at Work 

Ken Taylor answers your questions 

60 Spoken English 

Using the word “do” 

61 Word Builder 

A focus on the words in Spotlight 

62 Perfectionists Only! 

Nuances of English 

63 Crossword 

Find the words and win a prize 

IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH WITH SPOTLIGHT PRODUCTS 

Spotlight Audio: hear texts and interviews on our CD or 

download. See www.spotlight-online.de/hoeren 

OUR LANGUAGE LEVELS 

The levels of difficulty in Spotlight magazine correspond roughly to 

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: 

A2 B1– B2 C1– C2 

To find your level, visit Sprachtest.de 

Spotlight plus: 24 pages of language exercises related 

to the magazine. See www.spotlight-online.de/ueben 

Spotlight in the classroom: free of charge to teachers who 

subscribe to Spotlight. See www.spotlight-online.de/teachers 

Readers’ service: abo@spotlight-verlag.de · www.spotlight-online.de 

Tel.: +49 (0)89 / 85681-16 · Fax: +49 (0)89 / 85681-159 

www.SprachenShop.de: order products 

from our online shop (see page 48). 


in the classroom 

Teachers: if you use Spotlight in 

your lessons, this six-page supplement 

will provide great ideas for 

classroom activities around the 

magazine. Free for all teachers 

who subscribe to Spotlight. 

www.spotlight-online.de 

Spotlight Online will help you to improve 

your English every day. Try our language 

exercises or read about current events 

and fascinating places to visit. Subscribers 

will also find a list of all the glossed vocabulary 

from each issue of the magazine. 

9|13 Spotlight 

5

PEOPLE | Names and Faces 

The singer 

Who exactly is… 

Janelle 

Monáe? 

She has been compared to David 

Bowie, Dinah Washington and 

James Brown. R & B singer 

Janelle Monáe, who is known for 

wearing a tuxedo on stage, not a tight, 

sexy dress, has become a star by experimenting 

and doing her own thing. 

Monáe was born in Kansas in 

1985 to working-class parents. As a 

child, she sang in church, and wrote 

her own plays. After leaving school, 

she decided to go to New York to 

study at the American Musical and 

Dramatic Academy. She told www 

.biography.com that being the only 

black woman in her classes didn’t 

bother her, but she realized that she 

wanted to create her own material 

rather than living “through a character 

that had been played 

thousands of times”. 

After dropping out of the 

academy, Monáe moved to 

Georgia and made a demo 

CD called The Audition. She 

promoted her music by playing 

in local colleges, and she 

met Chuck Lightning and 

Nate Wonder, who are songwriters 

and producers. Together, 

the three started the 

Wondaland Arts Society record label. 

“Once I got in touch with my 

own ideas, I knew there was some 

light in me trying to come out,” she 

told the Los Angeles Times. 

In 2010, she released a concept 

album, The ArchAndroid, in which 

she took on the persona of a timetravelling 

android called Cindi Mayweather. 

When the pop star Prince 

heard the album, he said, “This is 

amazing, this is incredible, this is 

going to rule the world,” as Monáe 

told The Guardian. 

President Barack Obama is also a 

fan, calling her “incredibly talented”. 

On 10 September, Monáe is releasing 

a new album called The Electric 

Lady. 

arch [A:tS] Bogen (➝ p. 61) 

billion [(bIljEn] 

Milliarde(n) 

drop out [drQp (aUt] 

eine Schule / Hochschule ohne 

Abschluss verlassen 

ensure [In(SO:] 

sicherstellen, gewährleisten 

get in touch with [)get In (tVtS wID] 

Kontakt aufnehmen mit 

lawsuit [(lO:su:t] 

Gerichtsverfahren 

Monáe [mQ(neI] 

preserve [pri(z§:v] 

erhalten 

R & B = rhythm and blues [)A:r En (bi:] 

real-estate developer [)rIEl I)steIt di(velEpE] N. Am Bauunternehmer(in) 

record label [(rekO:d )leIb&l] 

Plattenfirma 

sue sb. [sju:] 

jmdn. verklagen 

tuxedo [tVk(si:dEU] N. Am. 

Smoking 

In the news 

The real-estate developer and art collector 

Robbie Antonio has hired 

the famous architect Rem Koolhaas to 

build a home for him in Manila — at 

a cost of more than $15 million. The 

36-year-old plans to turn it into a “museum 

of me”, filling it with portraits of 

himself. Antonio 

hopes to have 35 

paintings, photographs 

and sculptures 

completed 

in the near future, 

created by the 

greatest art ists 

living today. 

Oprah Winfrey is giving $12 million 

to the National Museum of African 

American History and Culture, which 

is expected to open in Washington, 

DC, in 2015. Thousands of objects will 

illustrate African American history, 

from the time of slavery to today. Winfrey 

told The Washington 

Post : “I 

want to help ensure 

that we honor 

and preserve our 

culture and histo - 

ry, so that the stories 

of who we are 

will live on for generations 

to come.” 

British artist Roger Dean recently 

watched the hugely successful 2009 

film Avatar, and the planet of Pandora 

looked strangely familiar to him. Dean 

thinks that director James Cameron 

stole ideas from his artwork, which 

often features fantastical landscapes 

and mythical creatures. Now he is 

suing Cameron for $50 million. In the 

lawsuit, he says that Pandora’s moving 

mountains and stone arches were 

copied directly from his paintings. 

Avatar has earned nearly $3 billion. 


Out of the ordinary 

Chefs Andreas Eggmann and Benjamin Barton from 

New Zealand recently served a meal in an unusual place: on a 

ferry between Auckland and the suburb of Devonport. On the 

12-minute journey, people were seated at tables and enjoyed 

a seafood starter with a glass of wine. The meal continued in a 

restaurant when they reached Devonport. Eggmann told The 

New Zealand Herald that the purpose of the event was to encourage 

people to use public transportation. He added that in 

the future, his “pop-up dining” business hopes to serve food 

to people “using the trains, buses and biking lanes”. 

Ani Choying Drolma is bringing Buddhist chants to the 

world. The 42-year-old joined a Buddhist monastery near Kathmandu, 

Nepal, when 

she was a teenager. 

The BBC reports that 

visitors to the monas - 

tery noticed her beautiful, 

pure voice, and 

that Steve Tibbetts, an 

American guitarist, encouraged 

her to sing 

for the public. In 1998, 

Choying performed in 

several cities in the US. 

Since then, she has released 

a number of 

CDs. The money from 

sales goes to educating 

novice A fine voice: Ani Choying Drolma 

nuns. 

“The” is the most commonly used word in the English language, 

and Australian Paul Mathis believes that it should have its 

own typographic symbol. He wants to add a 27th letter to the 

alphabet, a symbol that looks like a combination of “T” and “h”. 

The Age reports that Mathis has spent thousands of dollars creating 

an app that allows people to download a new keyboard 

for their smartphones, complete with his “the” symbol. “Is this 

going to change the world? Not really,” he said. “But is it something 

that might be useful for people? I think so.” 

The newcomer 

• Name: Jack Andraka 

• Age: 16 

• Occupation: high-school student, inventor 

• Accomplishment: The American teenager has found a 

way to detect early-stage pancreatic cancer. 

• Why it matters: Pancreatic cancer has few symptoms 

in the early stages, so it is usually not diagnosed until it’s 

too late. Andraka’s test can find the cancer early. The 

test takes five minutes and costs three cents. 

• Won: $75,000 at the 2012 Intel International Science and 

Engineering Fair 

• What’s next: finishing high school and starting an LLC 

Internationale 

Sprachschulen 

MEHR INFOS 

UND KOSTENLOSE 

BROSCHÜREN AUF 

www.ef.de/ 

katalog 

Fotos: Getty Images; laif; Reuters; Jiro Schneider 

accomplishment [E(kVmplISmEnt] 

chant [tSA:nt] 

detect [di(tekt] 

early-stage [(§:li )steIdZ] 

LLC = limited liability company 

[el el (si:] US 

monastery [(mQnEstEri] 

novice nun [)nQvIs (nVn] 

pancreatic cancer 

[pÄNkri)ÄtIk (kÄnsE] 

starter [(stA:tE] UK 

suburb [(sVb§:b] 

Leistung, 

Errungenschaft 

(Sprech)Gesang 

erkennen, 

feststellen 

im Frühstadium 

Kapitalgesellschaft 

Kloster 

Novizin 

Bauchspeicheldrüsenkrebs 

Vorspeise 

Vorort 

Texts by RITA FORBES 

Live the language with EF! 

Du suchst nach einem aufregenden Auslandsaufenthalt, der unvergessliche 

Erlebnisse garantiert? Bei EF ist für jeden etwas Passendes dabei! 

Verbessere Deine Fremdsprachenkenntnisse in Sydney, Barcelona oder 

New York... EF ist mit 40 Sprachschulen in 16 Ländern weltweit vertreten! 

Die Entscheidung liegt allein bei Dir! Du kannst aus folgenden Programmen 

wählen: 

- Sprachkurse im Ausland (ab 16 Jahren) 

- Multi-Sprachenjahr 

- Studienjahr im Ausland 

EF Büro Düsseldorf 

Königsallee 92a 

40212 Düsseldorf 

Tel: 0211-688570 

Fax: 0211-68857101 

EF Büro München 

Lehel Carré 

Gewürzmühlstr. 11 

80538 München 

Tel: 089-2311900 

Fax: 089-23119019 

EF Büro Stuttgart 

Geißstr. 4 

70173 Stuttgart 

Tel: 0711-2599640 

Fax: 0711-25996464 

Informiere Dich jetzt und entdecke die Welt mit EF! 

www.ef.com

A DAY IN MY LIFE | Mauritius 

Good contacts: 

Touria Prayag 

has plenty 

Island life 

The church at 

Cap Malheureux 

Die Chefredakteurin einer englischsprachigen 

Zeitschrift in Mauritius kennt all die richtigen 

Leute auf der Insel. LORRAINE MALLINDER 

sprach mit ihr. 

My name is Touria Prayag. I am in my fifties, 

and I am the editor of a magazine called Weekly. 

It’s the only English-language magazine in 

Mauritius. Although English is the official language here, 

most people tend to speak French and Creole. 

I wake up very early in the morning — not that I like 

leaving my bed. In fact, I quite enjoy sleeping in a bit, but 

I can’t afford it because I have very long days. The first 

thing I do is go online to see if there’s any important news, 

so that I can brief my journalists if needed. 

I leave home at about six and go to the gym because it 

makes me feel good — and it also helps me keep my 

weight down. It has to be every day, because if I give myself 

the choice, it doesn’t work out. I start thinking to myself: 

“Well, should I go or not go?” Afterwards, I get ready and 

arrive at the office after nine. I’m usually the first in. I 

make myself a cup of coffee and have my breakfast: homemade 

bread rolls with butter or olive oil. I think I deserve 

it after the gym. For me, that time on my own at the start 

of the day is important. 

At about ten, we have a briefing. The journalists will 

have read the news before coming in, so we discuss what 

is going on and decide what topics are important for our 

readers. Each journalist has a section that he or she likes 

to do most, such as education or health or youth. 

bread roll [bred (rEUl] 

brief [bri:f] 

briefing [(bri:fIN] 

gym [dZIm] 

sleep in [sli:p (In] 

work out [w§:k (aUt] 

Brötchen 

informieren, instruieren 

(Einsatz)Besprechung 

Fitnessstudio 

ausschlafen 

hier: klappen 


Fotos: L. Mallinder; Hemera; iStockphoto 

A Mauritian news 

magazine in English 

Later in the morning, I 

might be working with the 

marketing department, 

talking about advertising or 

finding out how many 

pages we have for editorial 

use. I also edit articles, 

which I put on a server. 

The editorial assistant 

looks for photos, then 

the layout artists put it 

all on the page for me to approve. 

Lunch is never before one o’clock. We try to have lunch 

as a group. When the journalists are hungry, they come 

and say: “Are you hungry? Can we go for lunch?” I’m always 

ready, because I’m always hungry. Sometimes, we 

have journalists who say: “No, no, I’m going to eat at my 

desk.” But I think it’s important for people to sit and relax 

in the dining room as a team. That’s when you get to know 

your colleagues. 

After lunch, I might go and interview someone. At the 

beginning of this week, I interviewed a Michelin-starred 

German chef. Everybody was saying how nice his cooking 

was. I didn’t try it. But, if he has three stars from Michelin, 

I suppose he must be good. 

In the afternoon, I usually write, edit and read and 

make phone calls. I use my contacts to find out information, 

which I then relay to the journalists. Finding out the 

other side of the story, rather than taking things at face 

value, is very important. Journalists can forget that. 

I sometimes spend my evenings at cocktail parties because, 

you know, that’s when you hear all the gossip. That’s 

when you know what the intelligentsia of this country 

thinks. After a party, I usually get home at 9.30 p.m. My 

husband, who works for a German company, is out of the 

country six months of the year. He can’t complain when 

I’m not at home, because he’s away more than I am. During 

the other six months, we try to have a normal life. 

I go to bed at around 11, so I still get five to six hours 

of sleep. When I do a good exercise session the following 

morning, I really feel awake. And thank goodness for coffee 

— it’s the best invention in the world. 

approve [E(pru:v] 

edit [(edIt] 

editorial assistant 

[edI)tO:riEl E(sIstEnt] 

exercise session [(eksEsaIz )seS&n] 

gossip [(gQsIp] 

intelligentsia [In)telI(dZentsiE] 

layout artist [(leIaUt )A:tIst] 

Michelin-starred chef 

[miS)læ̃ stA:d (Sef] 

relay sth. to sb. [(ri:leI tE] 

genehmigen 

redigieren 

Redaktionsassistent(in) 

Trainingseinheit, 

Fitnessstunde 

Klatsch 

die Intellektuellen 

Layouter(in) 

Sternekoch, -köchin 

jmdm. etw. übermitteln 

INFO TO GO 

Mauritius 

Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean (population 

1.3 million), is usually grouped geographically with 

southern Africa. Located east of Madagascar, it has 177 

kilometres of coastline and is circled by reefs. It was 

once the home of the dodo (see Spotlight 1/13, page 

33), a flightless bird that is now extinct. The Portuguese 

colonized Mauritius in the 1500s; then came the Dutch, 

the French and the British. The Mauritians became independent 

of the UK in 1968. The economy has grown 

dramatically, relying on industry, finance and tourism. 

go for lunch / go to lunch 

It’s midday. Are you hungry? Maybe it’s time to go for 

lunch — or to lunch. Both versions of the expression 

are correct. Be careful, though: if you describe someone 

as being “out to lunch”, it means something else 

entirely. For example: “My husband is completely out 

to lunch when it comes to organizing birthday parties.” 

If someone is said to be “out to lunch”, it means that 

he or she has no idea about something. Perhaps it is 

simply from not paying attention — or maybe from 

having lost touch with reality. Read and complete the 

following sentences using these expressions. 

a) I have decided to take a break. I think I will ___ ___ 

lunch now. 

b) He has no idea what’s coming, does he? In my opinion, 

he is completely ___ ___ ___. 

take something at face value 

Touria Prayag says journalists should avoid taking 

things at face value. This means that they have to consider 

the source of the information they receive and 

ask themselves if there is more to the story. For example, 

if a politician says that a building project is being 

carried out at no cost to the taxpayer, a journalist is expected 

to research whether this is really true and not 

simply take the statement at face value. The expression 

comes from the value printed on a banknote, which is 

its “face value”. Read the sentences below and decide 

if the saying has been used correctly. 

a) He’s lying. I can’t take anything he says at face value. 

b) She said it was true. I decided to face the value. 

carry out [)kÄri (aUt] 

coastline [(kEUstlaIn] 

extinct [Ik(stINkt] 

flightless [(flaItlEs] 

lose touch [)lu:z (tVtS] 

reef [ri:f] 

ausführen, durchführen 

Küste, Küstenlinie 

ausgestorben 

flugunfähig 

den Bezug verlieren 

Riff 

Answers: lunch: a) go for / go to; b) out to lunch; 

face value: sentence (a) is correct; sentence (b) is incorrect 


9

WORLD VIEW | News in Brief 

The famous 

“Man in Black” 

over the years 

It’s a good month to visit... 

the Johnny Cash Museum 

UNITED STATES Ten years ago, the 

world lost a music legend: on September 12, 2003, Johnny 

Cash passed away at the age of 71. His greatest hits, such 

as “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk the Line,” and “Man in 

Black,” are as loved by fans today as they were when they 

first came out in the fifties, sixties, and seventies. 

Celebrate the memory and the music of this great 

singer-songwriter with a visit to a museum that has been 

dedicated to him. Opened earlier this year in Nashville, 

Tennessee, the Johnny Cash Museum was a project or- 

ganized by the legendary artist’s long-time friend Bill 

Miller. Exhibits include many of the guitars Cash played, 

awards he received, outfits he wore at his concerts, and a 

wealth of memorabilia donated by his friends and family. 

Videos explain his life and times, and notes written by 

Cash himself document highlights from his career. Cash’s 

wife, country music star June Carter, who also died in 

2003, is represented at the museum as well. 

The museum is open Monday to Sunday, from 11 a.m. 

to 7 p.m. See www.johnnycashmuseum.com 

bill [bIl] N. Am. 

counterfeit [(kaUntEfIt] 

dedicate [(dedIkeIt] 

donate [US (doUneIt] 

exhibit [Ig(zIbIt] 

maple syrup [)meIp&l (sIrEp] 

memorabilia [)memErE(bIliE] 

pass away [US pÄs E(weI] 

polymer [(pQlImE] 

rumour [(ru:mE] 

10 Spotlight 9|13 

Geldschein 

fälschen 

widmen 

spenden 

Exponat 

Ahornsirup 

Erinnerungsstücke 

versterben 

Polymer, hier: Kunststoff 

Gerücht 

Is the new, 

plastic money 

really so different? 

The sweet smell 

of money 

CANADA If you’ve travelled to Australia or even 

Vietnam, you’ve probably noticed that both countries use polymer 

for their banknotes. These plastic bills last longer than paper and 

are much harder to counterfeit. 

Canada will soon be replacing all of its paper bills with polymer 

notes. The first ones were introduced in 2011, and C$ 5 and C$ 10 

bills will be in use starting in November. 

The Canadian Press, a national news organization, reports that 

not all Canadians are happy with this. Rumours about the new notes 

are in circulation. People have written to the Bank of Canada asking 

if it’s safe to leave the money lying in the sun, or if it will melt. Many 

people think that the C$ 100 bills smell like maple syrup. “Everyone 

I asked who’s smelt the bills agrees they smell like maple,” one citizen 

wrote to the bank. “I strongly suggest the bank increase the 

strength of the maple smell,” wrote another. 

Officials say the money does not have a special smell, that it 

will not melt and that everyone will soon get used to it.

Fotos: Bank of Canada: Getty Images; Marion Trutter 

Medical help when you need it most 

UNITED STATES Imagine you are the 

victim of an accident. There’s been an explosion, which 

has sent bits of metal flying. You’ve been hit. One of your 

internal organs is damaged, and although a medic is applying 

pressure to your chest, the bleeding can’t be stopped. 

Arsenal Medical in Massachusetts has been developing 

a way to stop the bleeding, so that people suffering from 

such injuries can be brought to the operating table in time. 

To stabilize a patient, researchers at Arsenal propose injecting 

two types of liquid — polyol and isocyanate — 

into the body through the navel. 

Once inside the body, the liquids interact to form a 

polyurethane polymer foam. After expanding to cover the 

organs, the foam hardens within a minute. This puts pressure 

on the organs, slowing or stopping the bleeding. The 

chest [tSest] 

inject [In(dZekt] 

medic [(medIk] 

navel [(neIv&l] 

polyurethane polymer foam 

[US pQ:lI)jUrETeIn )pQ:lEm&r (foUm] 

protective layer [US prE(tektIv )leI&r] 

Brust(korb) 

injizieren, spritzen 

Sanitäter 

Nabel 

Polymerschaum 

Schutzschicht 

resulting protective layer does no harm to healthy organs 

and can be removed later by a doctor. The US government 

has been helping to pay for Arsenal’s research, which is 

still in the experimental phase. Watch a video on how the 

foam works at www.arsenalmedical.com/products 

One use of the new technology: treating battlefield injuries 

Klasse(n)fahrt 

Die junge Schiene der Bahn 

Reisen, erleben, wissen 

mit Bahn, Bus oder Flug 

DB Klassenfahrten & Gruppenreisen 

Buchen Sie Ihr individuelles Reiseprogramm: 

Kunst, Kultur, Zeitgeschehen, Musicals, Theater, 

Museen, Führungen, Rundfahrten, Spaß, Freizeit, 

spezielle Bildungsangebote... 

Weitere Infos unter: 

www.bahn.de/klassenfahrten 

Die Bahn macht mobil.

WORLD VIEW | News in Brief 

Born to be hunted 

SOUTH AFRICA “Canned hunting” — or shooting animals 

in an enclosed area, such as a game park — is booming in South 

Africa. More than 160 farms breed lions, many of which are then killed 

by tourists with guns. There are some 5,000 lions in captivity in the country 

today compared with just 2,000 in the wild. 

Canned hunting is big business: tourists pay 

between £5,000 and £25,000 to shoot a lion. 

It is also very controversial: animal-rights 

groups argue that it is cruel, while some hunting 

organizations say that it removes the sporting 

aspect of the hunt. Fiona Miles, who runs 

a lion reserve, told The Guardian that the public 

needs to know more about what’s happening. 

“If we can ... make [people] aware of ... what 

the life of a [captive-bred] lion is actually like, 

I believe there will be an outcry,” she said. 

approach sb. [E(prEUtS] 

breed [bri:d] 

canned hunting [)kÄnd (hVntIN] 

captivity [kÄp(tIvEti] 

chair [tSeE] 

enclosed [In(klEUzd] 

foam [fEUm] 

game park [(geIm pA:k] 

Jewish [(dZu:IS] 

latte art [(lÄteI A:t] 

(latte Ital. 

maintenance [(meIntEnEns] 

mosque [mQsk] 

outcry [(aUtkraI] 

raise money [reIz (mVni] 

short-lived [)SO:t (lIvd] 

toothpick [(tu:TpIk] 

Is this sport? The bad business 

of “canned hunting” 

sich an jmdn. wenden 

züchten 

Gatterjagd (Trophäenjagd auf Zuchtlöwen in 

einem eingeschränkten Gebiet bzw. Gehege) 

Gefangenschaft 

Vorsitzende(r) 

(ab)geschlossen 

Schaum 

Wildpark 

jüdisch 

künstlerische Gestaltung von Milchschaum 

auf Kaffeegetränken 

Milch; hier kurz für „latte macchiato”) 

Instandhaltung 

Moschee 

Aufschrei 

Geld beschaffen 

kurzlebig 

Zahnstocher 

WHAT’S HOT 

Art to go 

JAPAN If you order a 

latte in Osaka, you might find yourself 

staring at your coffee instead of 

drinking it. Why? Japan is taking 

“latte art” to a new level. 

People working in cafes don’t 

just make a heart in the foam on top 

of the drinks they serve. Using a 

spoon and a toothpick, they draw 

very realistic pictures — such as a 

portrait of Einstein. Or they make 

3D sculptures of cats out of milk 

foam. Kazuki Yamamoto, 26, has 

more than 100,000 followers on 

Twitter. He even posts photos of his 

fascinating coffee creations every 

day at twitter.com/george_10g 

Design philosopher Leonard 

Koren thinks Japan is a natural place 

for this art form. He told America’s 

National Public Radio that in Japanese 

culture, “many things are beautiful 

precisely because they are 

short-lived”. 

Waiter, there’s a 

cat in my coffee 

City of many faiths 

Cultural jewel: the Victorian 

synagogue in Bradford 


BRITAIN It may seem surprising — but is it? In 

England, a Muslim group is raising money to keep a synagogue from 

closing. The Bradford Council for Mosques told The Times of Israel 

that their choice to support the Jewish community was a logical one. 

“When the chair of the Bradford synagogue approached the 

Muslim community for help and assistance towards the maintenance 

of this building, it was a 

challenge which didn’t take us 

long to decide on,” said the 

council’s Zulfi Karim. 

Bradford, also known for its 

large Indian and Pakistani communities, 

its Hindu temple and its Sikh festival, belongs to a huge 

urban area in England’s north. 

In the 19th century, the region was a centre of textile production, 

and as such attracted workers from abroad. Jewish families arrived 

first from Germany and then from Russia. 

There are no longer many Jewish people in Bradford, and 

running the city’s last remaining synagogue costs more than 

the small community can afford. But the building, dating 

from 1880, is an architectural jewel as well as a symbol of 

the city’s rich multiculturalism. Thanks to the Council for 

Mosques, it may be able to play this role in the future, too. 

By RITA FORBES and CLAUDINE WEBER-HOF 

Fotos: Alamy; Getty Images; Kazuki Yamamoto

Britain Today | COLIN BEAVEN 

“ 

Is body 

art the 

answer? 

” 

It’s time to cover up 

Tätowierungen sind seit einigen Jahren groß in Mode. 

Doch Moden vergehen, Tätowierungen bleiben. 

Foto: Alamy 

It’s great when the summer is finally 

over. As the weather begins to get 

cooler, everyone puts on more 

clothes, so I no longer feel quite so 

different. The warm weather encourages 

people to take off what they’re 

wearing and show off their tattoos, 

but I have to confess I don’t have any. 

Tattoos have become so popular 

in Britain that if you don’t have one, 

you almost feel you don’t fit in. Especially 

fond of them are young people, 

even though they’re the ones who 

need tattoos least. It’s the older generation 

that needs help to cover up 

the bits that have seen better days. 

Even so, is body art the answer? 

Clothes seem a much simpler way of 

making sure that other people don’t 

get a nasty shock when they see you 

in the street. Tattoos are so permanent 

and painful in comparison, like 

marriage or membership of the European 

Union. And they’re just as hard 

to put right when they go wrong. 

It’s risky, for example, to use your 

partner’s name in a tattoo. A friend of 

mine was once asked for help by two 

young women who were arguing 

about the spelling in a new tattoo 

that one of them had; should she 

have spelled her beloved’s name Stewart 

with an “e” or as Stuart with a “u”? 

Some people spell it one way, 

some the other way. The woman had 

a 50 per cent chance of being right 

and a 50 per cent chance of needing 

a new boyfriend. It’s no joke when 

your happiness stands on a knife-edge 

like that. OK, tattooists use needles, 

not knives, but frankly, anything 

sharp and metallic worries me. 

In theory, love is as permanent as 

a tattoo, but what if the teenage Stewart 

who’s adored today turns into a 

middle-aged husband tomorrow 

who’s stopped listening to real music 

(heavy metal, perhaps) and thinks he 

sounds like Frank Sinatra when he 

sings “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” 

during a karaoke night at the pub? 

Some of us think that what Sinatra 

did to Cole Porter’s wonderful 

song about passion was unforgivable, 

and that a partner trying to imitate 

him would clearly be grounds for divorce. 

As part of the divorce, he’ll 

take everything that’s got his name on 

it — even if it means you have to cut 

off the arm you had tattooed when 

you first met. What a nightmare! 

Gay couples in Britain now have 

all this to look forward to as well. The 

government plans to make gay marriage 

legal. Not everyone agrees with 

adore [E(dO:] 

anbeten 

argue [(A:gju:] streiten (➝ p. 61) 

beloved [bi(lVvId] 

Liebster 

change one’s mind [)tSeIndZ wVnz (maInd] es sich anders überlegen 

confess [kEn(fes] 

gestehen 

especially [I(speS&li] 

besonders 

fit in [fIt (In] 

dazugehören 

fond: be ~ of sth. [fQnd] 

etw. mögen 

frankly [(frÄNkli] 

ehrlich gesagt 

gay marriage [geI (mÄrIdZ] 

gleichgeschlechtliche Ehe 

nasty [(nA:sti] 

fürchterlich 

nightmare [(naItmeE] 

Albtraum 

stand on a knife-edge [)stÄnd Qn E (naIf edZ] auf Messers Schneide stehen 

unforgivable [)VnfE(gIvEb&l] 

unverzeihlich 

this reform. The Church of England 

has found it hard to accept that gay 

people may want a religious ceremony. 

Some on the political right are 

also worried; they want marriage to 

stay the same as it’s always been. 

That’s a common conservative 

view, but the prime minister, who’s 

leader of the Conservative Party, has 

campaigned actively to make gay 

marriage possible. 

I think David Cameron’s quite 

right to do so. I just hope that young 

people wait until they’re really sure 

about choosing a partner before they 

rush off to get their tattoos. Luckily, 

there are some names both men and 

women can use; Chris can be 

Christopher or Christine, and Charlie 

can be Charlotte or Charles. 

What if you leave Daniel and 

move in with Danielle, though, or if 

you thought that Nicole was the love 

of your life, only to change your mind 

when you realize it’s Cole? You don’t 

really want to have to ask the tattooist 

to add letters or take them away. 

Perhaps it’s better not to be in too 

much of a hurry with tattoos. 

Colin Beaven is a freelance writer who lives 

and works in Southampton on the south 

coast of England. 


13

LANGUAGE | IELTS Test 

Let’s hear it for IELTS! 

In der Ausgabe 2/13 haben wir den Textverständnisteil des internationalen 

IELTS-Sprachtests behandelt. Hier konzentrieren wir uns auf den Hörverständnisteil. 

JOANNA WESTCOMBE gibt nützliche Tipps für Hörverständnistests. 

In the 12 months to April 2013, more than two million 

IELTS tests were taken worldwide. This makes IELTS 

(International English Language Testing System) the 

world’s most popular test for people wanting to move 

abroad or study in English. Spotlight would like to congratulate 

IELTS on this achievement. It is the reason for 

the title of this feature: to praise someone or something, 

you can say “Let’s hear it for...” and everybody cheers. 

An IELTS test will accurately show your ability to communicate 

in English. In Spotlight 2/13, we introduced the 

tests and also featured a reading test. We are cooperating 

with IELTS and the British Council again this month to 

praise sb./sth. [preIz] 

jmdn./etw. loben 

bring you exclusive listeningtest 

material. On the following 

pages, you will 

find many helpful 

tips and three sections 

from a listening 

test. You 

can find the 

audio component 

as well as 

the last part of 

the test at 

www.spotlightonline.de/audio 

THE BRITISH COUNCIL 

The British Council is the UK’s cultural-relations organization. 

It works in the arts, education and society in more than 100 

countries worldwide. In addition to the IELTS test, the British 

Council offers resources for teachers and learners of English. 

It has been in Germany since 1959, initiating projects and 

holding events across the country. The British Council offers 

the IELTS test up to 36 times a month in 14 test 

locations around Germany. For more information, visit 

www.britishcouncil.de or.at or.ch 

IELTS 

IELTS is jointly managed by the British Council, 

IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language 

Assessment. IELTS results are recognized 

by more than 8,000 educational institutions, government 

agencies and professional organizations 

in more than 135 countries. This includes 3,000 institutions 

and programmes in the US, as well as all 

UK universities and colleges. In Germany, as more 

English-taught courses are offered, the number of 

institutions recognizing IELTS results continues to 

grow. http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org 

14 

Spotlight 9|13

The IELTS listening test 

The full listening test takes 30 minutes and consists of four 

sections of equal length, presenting spoken English in a 

variety of formal and informal, general and academic situations. 

The listening test (like the speaking test) is the 

same for both the Academic and the General Training 

modules (see Spotlight 2/13). 

You will hear each of the four recordings once only. 

Time is given for you to read the questions before you listen 

and to check your answers afterwards. There are 40 

questions altogether, each worth one point. The questions 

become progressively more difficult. Your writing and 

reading skills are also tested, and you need good organizational 

and logical-thinking skills. Here are Spotlight’s 

“golden rules” for preparing for success in listening tests: 

1. Know the format and question types. Each section 

of the test has a different format and tests different skills, 

so you need to have practised and to be prepared for each 

one. Our tips on sections one to three will help you. 

2. Use all the information given. For each conversation 

or monologue, try to picture the situation and the participants. 

Use this information to predict the language you 

are going to hear. Find more clues in headings and the text 

around the questions. 

3. Be efficient and accurate. Use the time given before 

you listen to read the instructions and questions carefully. 

Take notes on the question sheet while you listen. Use the 

time afterwards to transfer your answers accurately to the 

answer boxes. In the test, these are on a separate sheet. 

Fotos: Digital Vision; Fuse; Mauritius 

Section 1: questions 1–10 

This section presents a conversation between two people in 

an everyday situation. It tests basic, specific details such as 

names and times. You may need to complete a form or notes 

with short answers of one or more words or a number. 

Questions 1–5 

Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN 

ONE WORD AND / OR A NUMBER for each 

answer. Write your answers in boxes 1–5 on the right. 

Second-hand Bedroom Furniture for Sale 

Example 

Number of items for sale: 

Bedside tables 

Construction: wood 

Colour: 1. ............. 

Drawers: two (in each table) 

handles made of 

2. ............. 

Height: 3. ............. cm 

Condition: 4. ............. 

Price: 5. ............. (for both) 

Answer 

three 

............. 

1. ➯ 

2.➯ 

3.➯ 

4.➯ 

5.➯ 

There is a lot to do before you listen. Look at the words 

and headings in bold to give you key information and to 

organize your listening. Look at the words around the 

question gaps, as they will help you to know what you 

are listening for: a price in questions 5 and 9, an adjective 

in question 8, for example. Listen to the instructions on 

the audio, as they tell you which questions to focus on, 

and to the example section, where you hear the two 

voices for the first time and see a typical answer. 

This section tests your spelling and numerical skills. 

Remember that you can write only one word or a number. 

In the real test, it is important that you transfer the 

details accurately from your notes to the answer sheet. 

Questions 6 –10 

Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN 

ONE WORD AND / OR A NUMBER for each 

answer. Write your answers in boxes 6 –10 on the right. 

Dressing table 

Drawers: five (two are 

6. .............) 

6.➯ 

Width: 7. ............. 

7. ➯ 

Mirrors: three: one large, two small 

(all 8. .............) 8.➯ 

Condition: good 

Price: 9. ............. 

9.➯ 

Seller’s details 

Name: 

Carolyn Kline 

Address: 19 10. ............. Road 10. ➯ 

Tips 

Answers 

Section 1: 1. cream; 2. brass; 3. 65 / sixty-five; 4. perfect; 5. £30 / 30 pounds / 

thirty pounds; 6. deep; 7. 1.25 metres / 1.25 m; 8. adjustable; 9. £50 / 

50 pounds / fifty pounds; 10. Domain 

9|13 Spotlight 15



In the second section of the test, you hear a presentation 

or talk by one speaker. This is more challenging than listening 

to a conversation, as you do not have another 

speaker’s questions to provide you with thinking time or 

to guide you. Instead, the information you need may be 

“hiding” in lots of other spoken text. 


Label the plan below. Write the correct letter, 

A–J, in boxes 11–17 on the right. 

SPORTS SUPER CENTRE 

11. Administration office 

12. Sports medicine clinic 

13. Bike racks 

14. Café 

15. Conference room 

16. Men’s locker room 

17. Pool shop 

The task in the first part of this section is to label a 

plan of a sports centre. Look at the plan and note the 

information provided. Mark the places that are still to 

be labelled. Note their location — for example, F is near 

the stairs, B is next to the outdoor pool. Then look at 

the names of the areas (11–17) that need to be added 

to the plan. Reading them aloud to yourself (quietly!) 

may help you to recognize them when you hear the 

recording. 

You have probably predicted that you will hear a 

guided tour of the centre, so you need to find out 

exactly where the tour starts and then 

listen for directions like “Let’s go 

through...” and descriptions of location 

such as “opposite”. 

Listen for sequencing words 

and phrases such as “first” 

and “then” and “you’ll have 

seen”, as they will help you, too. 

Write your notes on 

the plan. Keep them organized 

and clear — you 

11. ➯ 

will need to be able to 

12. ➯ 

understand them when 

13. ➯ 

you transfer the letters 

to the answer boxes. 

14. ➯ 

15. ➯ 

16. ➯ 

17. ➯ 

Tips 

Answers 

Section 2: 11–H; 12–C; 

13–J; 14–F; 15–B; 16–I; 

17–A; 18–A; 19–D/E; 20–D/E 

Question 18 

Choose the correct letter, 

A, B or C. 

18. The sports centre 

is open on public 

holidays from 

A 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

B 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

C 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

18. ➯ 

Listen carefully to all the 

instructions on the audio, so 

that you know which ques - 

tions to focus on. In this case, 

the next part of the recording 

contains the answers not just 

to question 18, but also to 

questions 19 and 20. 

Note the format of these 

tasks: in question 18, there are 

three choices of ending to one 

sentence. First, highlight the 

key words in this sentence — 

in this case: “open on public 

holidays...”. For questions 19 

and 20, you need to choose two specific pieces of information 

from the services included in the membership 

fee. But be careful: the recording will contain words 

used in the other options as well. 

Tips 

Questions 19 and 20 

Which TWO services are covered by the 

membership fee? Choose TWO letters, A – E. 

Write the correct letters in boxes 19 and 20. 

A personal training 

B swim squads 

C childminding 

D programme design 

E 

tennis lessons 

19. ➯ 20.➯ 



Since many people take the IELTS test because they want to study in English, 

the third section of the listening test is always a discussion on an educational 

topic. You are listening for the main facts, reasons or opinions given. 

Das erste Wörterbuch, 

das Sie klicken 

und blättern können. 


Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for 

each answer. 

Part One – Checklist: 

• Write an 21. ....... — keep it brief. 

• List relevant 22. ....... 

• Have two academic advisors read over your 23. ....... 

• Choose the journal you want to submit to. 

• Apply the journal’s 24. ....... to your article. 

• Sign the 25. ....... 

21. ➯ 

22.➯ 

23.➯ 

24.➯ 

25.➯ 


Complete the flow chart 

below. Write NO MORE 

THAN TWO WORDS 

for each answer. 

Tips 

The second task in a section is always 

more challenging. These questions are 

more difficult than 21–25 because there 

are fewer clues, and the questions are not 

embedded in full sentences. However, the 

incomplete flow chart helps you to plan 

your listening. Read it through, asking 

yourself a question for each gap, for 

example, question 26: “What do I need to 

submit?” You won’t always hear exactly 

the words that are printed, so you need to 

recognize their synonyms. An answer may 

also need rephrasing to fit in the notes. 

Part Two – Process: 

26.➯ 27.➯ 28.➯ 

Submit 

26. ....... 

Check 

e-mail for 

27. ....... 

of 

submission 

28. ........ 

Gedruckt und online – das neue Langenscheidt 

Taschenwörterbuch vereint das Beste 

aus zwei Welten. Das Nachschlagewerk von 

morgen: Erhältlich für Englisch, Französisch, 

Italienisch und Spanisch. 

Fotos: Goodshot; iStockphoto 

Answers 

Section 3: 21. abstract; 

22. key words / keywords; 

23. final draft; 

24. style guide; 

25. copyright form; 

26. (the) manuscript; 

27. confirmation; 

28. peer review; 29. rejection; 

30. cover letter 

Acceptance 

or 

29. ........ 

Conditional 

acceptance 

or 

revise and 

resubmit 

29.➯ 30.➯ 

Revise & 

send back 

with a 

30. ....... 

Mehr unter www.klicken-und-blättern.de 


17


You can find the fourth section of this test and the questions that go with 

it, as well as more information, at www.spotlight-online.de/audio 

We would like to thank Martin Spieß and the British Council in Berlin 

for making this test available to us. We hope to offer you more news 

from IELTS and another test in early 2014. 

Martin Spieß works 

in the exams department 

at the British 

Council in Berlin, with 

responsibility for the 

IELTS test in Germany. 

TRANSCRIPT 

TRACK 1: Section 1 

Instructions are given in italics. 

You will hear a telephone conversation between a woman who is selling 

some furniture and a man who is making enquiries about it. First, you 

have some time to look at questions 1 to 5. [20 seconds] You will see that 

there is an example that has been done for you. On this occasion only, the 

conversation relating to this will be played first. 

WOMAN: Hello! Carolyn speaking. 

MAN: 

Hello! My name is Lincoln Farraday and I’m ringing to 

see if you still have the bedroom furniture that you advertised 

for sale. 

WOMAN: Yes, there are three items left — two bedside tables and a 

dressing table. 

The woman said she has three items available, so “three” has been written 

in the space. Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you 

listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time. Listen carefully 

and answer questions 1 to 5. 

W: Hello! Carolyn speaking. 

M: Hello! My name is Lincoln Farraday and I’m ringing to see if you 

still have the bedroom furniture that you advertised for sale. 

W: Yes, there are three items left — two bedside tables and a dressing 

table. 

M: Oh, good! They’re just the items I’m after. Tell me, what’s the construction 

of the bedside tables? I mean, what are they made of? 

W: Well, they’re a matching pair, and they’re made of wood — but 

the wood has been painted. It’s not brown any more. It’s been 

painted cream. 

M: I see. 

W: Each table has a shelf and two drawers. Oh, and the drawers have 

square brass handles — quite modern and quite nice really. 

M: And what about the dimensions? 

W: Well, each table is 50 centimetres wide... 

M: That’s good, much bigger than that and they wouldn’t fit beside 

my bed. I live in an apartment where the bedrooms are quite 

small. What I really need to know is how tall they are. You see, 

my bed’s quite high. 

W: 65 centimetres high and 45 centimetres deep. 

M: Thanks. Just a couple more questions about the bedside tables: 

what condition are they in, and how much are they? 

W: They’re in perfect condition — there isn’t a mark on them. I had 

them painted professionally, you know, so the finish is much better 

than you’d normally expect. As for how much... I think 15 

pounds each would be fair, but I’ll only sell them as a pair, so 

that’s thirty pounds all up. 

Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look 

at questions 6 to 10. [20 seconds] Now listen and answer questions 6 

to 10. 

M: Now, can you tell me about the dressing table? 

W: Yes, it matches the other tables in colour and style. 

M: Good. How many drawers does it have? 

W: Five altogether. Um... the bottom two drawers hold more, as 

they’re deep. 

M: Mmm... and the dimensions — how wide is it? That’s all I need 

to know. It wouldn’t be more than a metre and a half, would 

it? 

W: Well, just under actually... it’s... ah, 1.25 metres across. 

M: Does it have a mirror? 

W: Three. 

M: Sorry? 

W: It has three mirrors — you know... a central one and a narrower 

one on each side. And they’re all adjustable. 

M: I see — and the overall condition of the dressing table? 

W: Well, it has a couple of scratches on the surface, but it’s still in 

good condition, so I’m asking fifty pounds. 

M: Could I call round and have a look later today? 

W: What time were you thinking of? 

M: In about half an hour. 

W: Oh, yes, that’s fine. By the way, my name is Carolyn Kline. It’s 

on the gate at the front of the house. 

M: Kline — is that K-L-I-N-E? 

W: That’s right. And I live at 19 Domain Road. 

M: Did you say the main road? 

W: No, Domain — D-O-M-A-I-N Road. 

M: That’s just off Ash Grove, isn’t it? 

W: Yes. See you soon, then. 

M: Yes, in about 30 minutes. 

That is the end of section 1. You now have half a minute to check your 

answers. [30 seconds] 


You will hear an employee of the Sports Super Centre giving a guided 

tour of the facilities in the centre. First, you have some time to look at 

questions 11 to 17. [20 seconds] Listen carefully and answer questions 

11 to 17. 

SPEAKER: 

It’s so nice to see so many people here on our Open Day. I hope you’ll 

be impressed by what you see and that you’ll all decide to join up. 

We have tried to cover all aspects of sport and fitness here at the centre. 

Well, let’s start, shall we? 

As we’re standing here at reception looking down the long corridor, 

you’ll notice the car park on your left (where most of you have 

parked) asks you to reverse into the parking spaces (for safety reasons). 

Also, this morning, a couple of keen potential members rode their 

bikes right in through the door instead of leaving their bikes outside 

there, on your right, where the secure bike stands are. Um... you may 

be wondering why there are so many mothers arriving with little children. 

As we proceed, you’ll see that this first room on your right is a 

crèche, where you can leave your little ones for up to two hours, and 

they’ll be expertly supervised while you work out. 

After the crèche, on the same side of the corridor, is the male 

locker room with showers, spa and sauna. Opposite that, on your 

left, there’s a staircase leading to the mezzanine floor. You’ll not only 

get a great view out over the playing field, but you’ll also find a coffee 

shop and snack bar selling a range of wholesome food and drinks 

— protein shakes, fruit smoothies... that kind of thing. We won’t go 

up the stairs at this point. I’ll give you some time later when you can 

explore at your leisure. Most of you in the group are women ... so 

next, let me point out the women’s locker room (which has the same 

facilities as the men’s — you know, things like showers, spa and 

sauna). It’s separated from the men’s locker room by an office which 

the staff mainly use for administrative purposes. 

As we move on, on the same side of the corridor as the stairs, 

you’ll see the entrance to the main hall, where they hold yoga classes, 

Foto: British Council 


continued on page 21

Englisch zum 

Frühstück! 

Einfach Englisch: 70 Seiten Lebensgefühl. 

Mit großem Sprachlernteil. Jeden Monat neu. 

Mit 

Zufriedenheits- 

Garantie!* 

Bestellen Sie jetzt! 

www.spotlight-online.de/flexibel +49 (0)89/8 56 81-16 

* Risikoloses Kennenlern-Angebot für Neu-Abonnenten: 12 Ausgaben Spotlight für EUR 74,40 / SFR 111,60. Jederzeit kündbar!

Unser Beitrag zu mehr Verständigung. 

Alles auf einen Blick unter www.spotlight-online.de/komplett 

Spotlight – das Magazin für Ihr Englisch 

Verbessern Sie Ihre Sprachkenntnisse! Mit didaktisch aufbereiteten Übungen und 

spannenden Artikeln zu aktuellen Themen aus Gesellschaft, Kultur und Reisen. 

Inklusive Online-Zugang zum Premium-Bereich. 

Spotlight plus – das Übungsheft 

Vertiefen Sie Ihre Grammatik- und Wortschatzkenntnisse! 24-seitiges Übungsheft 

in praktischem Pocket-Format für alle, die sich ihre Lieblingssprache systematisch 

aneignen möchten. 

Spotlight Audio – Englisch-Training, das ins Ohr geht 

Trainieren Sie Ihr Hörverständnis! Die CD umfasst rund eine Stunde Texte, Interviews 

und Sprachübungen. Das Begleit-Booklet ergänzt Aufgaben und Texte zum Mitlesen. 

Lehrerbeilage – Bestnoten für Ihren Unterricht 

Kostenlose Tipps und Ideen für Abonnenten in Lehrberufen! Das Lehrmaterial ist 

in drei verschiedenen Niveaustufen aufbereitet. Sie erhalten die Beilage auf Anfrage 

zusammen mit Ihrem Magazin. 

Premium-Abo – das Online-Extra 

Erhalten Sie unbegrenzten Zugriff auf Texte, Übungen und Archiv! 

Die umfassende Online-Plattform bietet Ihnen aktuelle Beiträge und einen großen 

Pool an interaktiven Übungen. Das Premium-Abo ist bereits kostenlos im Magazin- 

Abo enthalten. 

Mehr Informationen unter www.spotlight-online.de/komplett 

Bei Rückfragen erreichen Sie uns unter E-Mail abo@spotlight-verlag.de oder Telefon +49 (0) 89 / 8 56 81-16.

continued from page 18 

aerobics and so on. On the wall here, there is a timetable of all group 

classes, and it is updated regularly. Now, opposite the hall is the gymnasium 

itself. Go ahead — have a look. Impressive isn’t it? Very spacious, 

light and airy with all the most modern equipment. 

As we continue down the corridor past the main hall, on the same 

side, there is a conference room. This is mainly used when the centre 

is hosting a big sports event of some kind. It gives the officials a quiet 

place to gather and have meetings and so on. You’ll have seen the 

400-metre athletics track on your way in, beside the car park. We 

have some pretty big athletics conventions here. 

Well, after a strenuous workout, I bet there’s nothing you’d like 

more than a swim... in the aquatic complex. But first, these rooms 

on our right are all part of the sports medicine clinic, where you have 

access to a doctor, physiotherapist, massage therapist, podiatrist and 

even a sports psychologist if you need one. Of course, you’ll need to 

make appointments, but if you have any questions, just pop in and 

see the clinic receptionist, and she’ll help you out. 

OK. Let’s go through the turnstile ahead of us... and here we are... 

in the aquatic centre. Turn left, past the pool shop, where you can 

buy or hire goggles, swim caps and such like... and we’re outside... 

poolside. Beautiful, isn’t it? Especially on a day like today. Go on, dip 

your toes in the water — and if that’s not warm enough for you, then 

I’ll take you to the indoor pool, which is less than half the size, but 

heated to 32 degrees. Let’s go back past the pool shop and through 

the double doors to the indoor pool. 

Well, that’s all I have time to show you. Let’s go back to the reception 

area and, if you like, we can run through some details about 

opening hours, membership and so on. 

Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 

18 to 20. [20 seconds] Now listen and answer questions 18 to 20. 

Now, in this brochure, you’ll see the opening hours: the centre is 

open seven days, from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, except for 

public holidays, which follow Sunday’s timetable. On Saturdays, 

we open at the same time as weekdays and close a little earlier: so 

that’s 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays; and on Sundays, everyone gets 

a sleep-in — you can come in between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. 

Membership fees cover access to the gym, group classes and the 

pool, but if you want to join a swim squad to train with a coach, you 

should enquire at reception for prices and timetables. In the gym, 

personal training is available from one of our dedicated team of trainers, 

and reception will have more information on who is free when, 

and what hourly rates apply. However, there is a certificated instructor 

on hand in the gym at all times for advice and help, and once your 

membership is paid, you are entitled to a free health assessment, 

and you’ll get a programme designed to meet your own particular 

needs. You’ll need to book a time for this with the gym instructor. 

Now, if you’re a mum or dad, remember you can leave your children 

in the crèche — they take babies from six weeks old. Bookings are 

essential, though, and you’ll have to check the website for times and 

pricing. Members are also entitled to tennis lessons on a Tuesday or 

Thursday from 9 till 10.30, but bookings are essential, so ring Natalie 

(her number is here in the brochure) to reserve a place. 

Well, I think that’s it. Any questions? 




You will hear a conversation between a research student, Jeremy, and his 

supervisor. They are talking about the process of having a research project 

published in a journal. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 

to 25. [20 seconds] Listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25. 

SUPERVISOR: So, you’re nearly ready to submit your article to an 

academic journal, are you? 

JEREMY: Yes, I think so. I just wanted to go over all the things I need 

to do before I submit it. And then I wanted to go over the submission 

process with you. 

S: Great! So, firstly, you need to write an abstract. Make sure it’s 

short and concise. 

J: Of course. I forgot all about that. And what about key words? 

S: Huh! Yes, a lot of students overlook this part and just jot down 

whatever comes to mind. But take some time to make a list of 

key words that are accurate and relevant. 

J: OK. Another thing, could you have a look at my article before I 

submit it? 

S: Absolutely. Actually, at least two senior staff members should always 

read through a final draft before submission. Do you mind 

if I give it to Professor Johnson to have a look at as well? 

J: Not at all. I’d be glad to have the feedback. 

S: Do you know which journal you want to submit to yet? 

J: Not yet. I have a shortlist of about three that I’m interested in. 

S: Make that decision soon. Because you’ll need to adjust your article 

so that it matches the style guide of the journal you are submitting 

to. 

J: I bet that can take a while. 

S: Yes, but after that you are just about ready to submit. One more 

thing: you’ll have to sign the copyright form — just confirming 

that it’s your own work — and then you’re good to go. 

Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look 

at questions 26 to 30. [20 seconds] Now listen and answer questions 26 

to 30. 

J: Now, the submission process. How does it work exactly? 

S: Well, the first thing is to just send it off. You’ve got to send in the 

manuscript before anything else can happen. 

J: Sure. And then, should I call to check if they have received it? 

S: No need for that. No. All you have to do is just log on to your 

e-mail regularly because you will get a submission confirmation 

once they have processed the manuscript. 

J: And that will have comments on what they thought of it? 

S: No. No comments yet. That e-mail is just to let you know they 

have received it. The next stage is what is known as peer review. 

This is when experts in the field review your manuscript and decide 

whether to accept it. 

J: Aagh! They’ll never accept me. I’m only a master’s student! 

S: Don’t worry about that, Jeremy. It’s all done through a doubleblind 

method. That means that whoever reads your manuscript 

has no idea whether you are a grad student or a Nobel Prize laureate. 

They’ll only be judging your work, not you. 

J: Well, that’s good to hear. And then what, once they’ve made their 

decision? 

S: Well, there are four possible outcomes. You might get an acceptance. 

But a first-off acceptance is very, very rare. Don’t pin your 

hopes on it. You could also get a rejection, but these don’t happen 

very often either. I don’t think this will be a problem. 

J: What do you think I’ll get? 

S: If you’re very lucky, you’ll get a conditional acceptance. This 

means that they’ve accepted the article, and it will be published, 

but you need to tweak a few things first: a sentence here, a heading 

there, nothing major. 

J: That sounds good. 

S: But, to be honest, you will probably end up with a revise and resubmit. 

This means they are definitely interested, but you will 

need to rework the paper before it’s accepted. The necessary 

changes will be outlined by the reviewers. 

J: OK. So I just fix the things that need changing and present it 

again? 

S: Yes, but include a cover letter that discusses the changes you 

have made. The same goes for a conditional acceptance, actually. 

It helps the reviewers see that you’ve taken their criticism 

seriously. 



The transcript of section 4 with the accompanying listening material 

can be found at www.spotlight-online.de/audio 


21

FOOD | South Africa 

Desmond Mabuza at his 

restaurant Signature 

Dinner with 

Desmond 

In ärmsten Verhältnissen in Johannesburg 

aufgewachsen und zu einem preisgekrönten 

Gastronomen avanciert: CHRISTINE MADDEN 

über eine Bilderbuchkarriere. 

How do you move from a childhood in one of South 

Africa’s poorest and most violent townships to the 

ownership of not one, but two high-end restaurants 

in Johannesburg? The man to ask is Desmond Mabuza. 

The 40-year-old award-winning restaurateur speaks with 

Spotlight about the lives of his father and grandfather in 

Soweto, and about his own life today as a successful businessman 

and role model for young black South Africans. 

From Soweto (top) to the 

Sandton business district 


Spotlight: You grew up in Soweto, where your father had 

a hardware store. How did you end up becoming a 

restaurateur? 

Desmond Mabuza: My father’s store is still up and running. 

It’s about 55 years old now, and he recently turned 

75. He still gets up at eight o’clock in the morning and 

makes a start. His work ethic has a lot to do with how 

I’ve turned out. 

My grandfather was also very entrepreneurial. He 

had a minihotel, supermarket, butchery and a little 

restaurant. That was long before Apartheid law took effect 

in Johannesburg and forced relocation according to 

race. He lost all of those businesses. Everyone was migrated 

to places like the “tribal homeland”, where they 

had to start again from nothing. All these things happened 

before I was born. 

Spotlight: How did you learn about food and running a 

restaurant? 

Mabuza: I trained as a civil engineer 

in the US and came back in 

1993. At that time, the politics 

made it interesting to return and 

bring some of that know-how 

back into the country. 

Then I had an opportunity to 

help set up a restaurant, Back o’ 

the Moon, which opened in 

2000. I was doing my engineering 

work in the daytime and 

managing the restaurant at night. 

After a while, we needed somebody 

to be there full-time. And I 

said, “Look. I’m loving this. Let 

me be the one.” Fourteen years later, I’m still in the 

restaurant business. 

I stayed with Back o’ the Moon for roughly nine 

years. Then I spent about a year putting together my 

restaurant Signature, which opened in June 2009. It 

turned out to be quite a success story. I opened my next 

restaurant, Wall Street, about a year later. 

Spotlight: What is it that you like so much about gastronomy 

and running restaurants? 

Mabuza: Every day is different. You get to meet quite a lot 

of interesting people — personalities, big business executives, 

celebrities, politicians. During the World Cup, 

we had all the soccer greats coming in, such as Zinedine 

Zidane and Patrick Vieira. We had Bono here as well, 

and activist Jesse Jackson from the US, who was here in 

the country to receive an award from our president. 

Metzgerei 

Tiefbauingenieur(in) 

unternehmerisch 

Manager(in) 

Eisenwarenhandlung 

Oberklassen- 

hier: jmdn. umsiedeln 

Umsiedlung, Umzug 

Gastronom(in) 

Vorbild 

aufbauen, eröffnen 

Fußball 

wirksam werden 

Stammesgebiet 

werden 

in Betrieb sein 

butchery [(bUtSEri] UK 

civil engineer [)sIv&l )endZI(nIE] 

entrepreneurial [)QntrEprE(n§:riEl] 

executive [Ig(zekjUtIv] 

hardware store [(hA:dweE stO:] 

high-end [)haI (end] 

migrate sb. [maI(greIt] 

relocation [)ri:lEU(keIS&n] 

restaurateur [)restErE(t§:] 

role model [(rEUl )mQd&l] 

set up [set (Vp] 

soccer [(sQkE] 

take effect [)teIk E(fekt] 

tribal homeland [)traIb&l (hEUmlÄnd] 

turn out [t§:n (aUt] 

up and running: to be ~ 

[)Vp End (rVnIN] 

Fotos: africamediaonline/images.de; Masterfile; PR

Tasty creations: fine presentation and fresh ingredients such as local seafood make Mabuza a star of South African cuisine 

Spotlight: South Africa has a very varied cuisine because 

of all its many different ethnic elements. Do you have 

a culinary theme in your menu? 

Mabuza: South Africa is a very big country with a diverse 

populace. So our menus are quite vast. We offer 

all kinds of seafood: shellfish, prawns, langoustines, 

crabs, as well as meat dishes. The cuisine we serve is 

international. We also have uniquely South African 

dishes. 

Spotlight: What are your plans for the future? 

Mabuza: A group that’s setting up a hotel in Abuja, the 

capital of Nigeria, asked me to design the hotel restaurant. 

It’s called Panache and is due to open later this 

year. I’ve also had quite a few interested parties contacting 

me about doing something in Zambia, Namibia, 

Kenya and Ghana. 

Spotlight: Is it true that you’re the first black South 

African restaurant entrepreneur? 

Mabuza: I think there are a few black South African 

restaurant owners, but they have what they call franchise 

offerings. On the level of fine dining, at the top 

of the restaurant food chain, I’m the only one. 

Spotlight: You are seen as a role model. Do you run any 

programmes to teach others? 

Mabuza: We work together with a hotel school based in 

Tanzania, which often sends us some of its students for 

practical training experience. I also get daily enquiries 

from people who would like to enter the restaurant 

business. I’m glad to assist them. 

Spotlight: If you could give somebody a quick piece of 

advice, what would that be? 

Mabuza: We live in an era when people expect everything 

to be immediate — especially the youngsters. The real 

world doesn’t work that way, unless you win the lottery. 

I think it was the US general Colin Powell who said: 

“Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning 

from failure, loyalty and persistence.” 

Restaurant life is hard work. There are a lot of sacrifices. 

But I enjoy it. I’ve put in the time, and I’ve been 

in the trenches. Although I was good at civil engineering, 

I didn’t have the passion for it. And if you love what 

you do and you have a passion for it, I think the sky is 

the limit. 

crab [krÄb] 

cuisine [kwI(zi:n] 

diverse [daI(v§:s] 

franchise offering 

[(frÄntSaIz )QfErIN] 

interested party 

[)IntrEstId (pA:ti] 

langoustine [)lQNgu(sti:n] 

persistence [pE(sIstEns] 

populace [(pQpjUlEs] 

prawn [prO:n] 

sacrifice [(sÄkrIfaIs] 

shellfish [(SelfIS] 

the sky is the limit 

[DE (skaI Iz DE )lImIt] 

trench: be in the ~es [trentS] 

uniquely [ju(ni:kli] 

unless [En(les] 

vast [vA:st] 

Krabbe, Krebs 

Küche, Kochkunst 

bunt gemischt, vielfältig 

Franchise-Angebot 

Interessent 

Kaiserhummer 

Ausdauer 

Bevölkerung 

Garnele 

Opfer 

Schalentiere 

alles ist möglich 

an der Front sein; 

hier: hart arbeiten 

einzigartig, unverwechselbar 

es sei denn, außer wenn 

(sehr) groß; hier: breitgefächert 

„Mein Briefkasten steht 

auf meinem Schreibtisch.“ 

Bequem und sicher im Netz – der . 

Informieren und kostenlos registrieren: 

www.epost.de 

Mit dem E-POSTBRIEF profitieren Sie im Internet von den zuverlässigen 

Leistungen der Deutschen Post. Denn jetzt können Sie 

Ihre Briefpost sicher, schnell und bequem auch online erledigen.

SOCIETY | Britain 

Writers 

inside 

Freiwillig ins Gefängnis? JULIAN EARWAKER hat sich mit einigen Autoren unterhalten, 

die Insassen mit Worten davon abbringen, rückfällig zu werden. 

Is that how you spell it?” asks 

Craig*. He sits at the computer, 

concentrating on the screen, battling 

with the words in front of him. 

“What can you rhyme with ‘violence’?” 

He looks out of the barred 

window for inspiration. 

Outside the education block, officers 

in dark uniforms stand guard. 

Keys jangle. People come and go. The 

heavy metal entrance door bangs 

shut. “How about sirens?” says Craig, 

a smile on his face. A few minutes 

later, his work is complete. “Can I 

print it out and take it back to my 

pad?” he asks. “I’d like to send it to 

my mum.” 

His “pad” is a prison cell. Craig is 

17 years old and is in a young offenders’ 

institute, halfway through a ninemonth 

sentence. He has been 

involved in crime for much of his life. 


Five weeks ago, he joined a 

creative writing workshop run by the 

prison writer in residence and has just 

completed his first ever poem. If he 

looks pleased, that shouldn’t be a surprise: 

when he first came to prison, 

Craig could barely read or write. 

The writer in residence, James*, is 

an experienced author recruited and 

trained by the Writers in Prison 

Foundation (WIPF). He works two 

“very full days” each week in the 

prison and runs workshops and oneto-ones 

with young male offenders 

aged 15 to 18. “They are creative, 

spontaneous and find it difficult to 

manage their emotions, especially 

anger,” he says. “Their lives have usu- 

bang shut [bÄN (SVt] mit lautem Krach zufallen (➝ p. 61) 

barely [(beEli] 

kaum 

barred [bA:d] 

vergittert 

first ever [f§:st (evE] allererste(s, r) 

foundation [faUn(deIS&n] 

Stiftung 

jangle [(dZÄNg&l] 

rasseln 

one-to-one (lesson) [)wVn tE (wVn] Einzelunterricht 

sentence [(sentEns] 

Urteil; hier: Strafe 

writer in residence [)raItE In (rezIdEns] hier: Gefängnisschriftsteller(in) 

young offenders’ institute 

Jugendstrafanstalt 

[)jVN E(fendEz )InstItju:t] 

(offender 

Straftäter(in)) 

*Names have been changed. 

Fotos: Alamy; iStockphoto; Julian Earwaker

CHANGE OF SENTENCE 

In the US, offenders can be sentenced to read as an alternative 

to custody. The Changing Lives Through Literature (CLTL) programme 

helps them to read and discuss a range of literature 

and philosophy. Results are impressive: an average reoffending 

rate of 18.8 per cent compared to 45 per cent nationally. 

ally been quite chaotic, and writing can help them find 

some order, some meaning. It also provides them with an 

escape from prison life.” All of James’s activities are voluntary, 

which he says makes the programme attractive for 

young people (YPs) who have had bad experiences with 

formal education. 

WIPF was set up by the author and playwright Clive 

Hopwood in 1992 after he had worked for the Arts Council 

on prison writing projects. Since then, his awardwinning 

charity has created more than 140 long-term 

writing residencies in prisons across Britain. Hopwood, 

60, still believes strongly in the benefits of putting writers 

behind bars. “Prison is a noisy, tough, overcrowded, sometimes 

violent, often boring environment,” he says. “It 

makes a quiet art such as writing all the more precious.” 

Award-winning screenwriter Hugh Stoddart, 65, began 

a WIPF residency at Her Majesty’s Prison Brixton in London 

in 1999. “It was up the road from where I lived,” he 

explains. “But I’d never stepped inside a prison in my life.” 

Being accepted by staff was as important as getting on well 

with offenders, which meant he had to listen to lots of 

jokes about “finishing sentences”. In what way does he believe 

writing best connects with prisoners? 

“Writing is an articulation of their experiences, 

thoughts or feelings,” he says. “People in prison have often 

had very little opportunity to express themselves. They believe 

that they have nothing to say. You tell them, ‘No, 

that’s not the case. You have as much to say as anybody 

else.’ And that can have a profound effect on people who 

have been told repeatedly that they are nobodies.” Over 

the two years of his residency, Stoddart produced several 

Inside: using creativity to open doors 

Marek Kazmierski runs Not Shut 

Up, a national prison magazine 

anthologies of prisoners’ 

work and discovered some 

enthusiastic and talented 

writers who were “genuinely 

thrilled and delighted” to see 

their work published. 

Why spend time and 

money improving prisoners’ 

writing and reading skills, 

though? Why encourage 

someone who has committed 

a crime to sit writing poems 

and stories? 

“It’s simple really,” says 

Hopwood. “There are around 

92,000 people in UK prisons 

today. Most of them will 

come out one day, and a 

handful will be coming to a 

street near you soon. Would 

you like them to be better or 

worse than they were when 

they went in?” 

Writer, journalist and exoffender 

Caspar Walsh has 

experienced the transformational 

power of words firsthand. 

“Literature has saved my 

life. If I hadn’t used writing as 

part of my rehabilitation 

from drugs and crime, I’d be 

dead,” he told The Guardian. 

“I learned to express myself 

through my writing and 

found deep healing. I knew 

that telling my story was 

going to be the making of 

me, and I discovered this was 

true for the majority of men 

I worked with in prison.” 

Walsh has since set up his 

own charity, Write to Freedom, 

which successfully 

combines wilderness experifinish 

a sentence [)fInIS E (sentEns] 

playwright [(pleIraIt] 

precious [(preSEs] 

profound [prE(faUnd] 

screenwriter [(skri:n)raItE] 

thrilled [TrIld] 

eine Strafe absitzen; 

hier auch: einen Satz zu 

Ende bringen 

Dramatiker(in) 

wertvoll, kostbar 

tiefgreifend 

Drehbuchautor(in) 

begeistert 


25

SOCIETY | Britain 

ence with writing exercises and selfdiscovery. 

Prisons contain some of the most 

vulnerable and disadvantaged people 

in society. Low self-esteem and lack 

of qualifications, education and training 

are endemic; so are literacy problems 

and learning difficulties. 

Reading and writing skills can increase 

both empathy and communication 

between people. 

“Writing is a way of finding out 

who you are,” explains Stoddart. 

“Through their imagination, through 

their application, prisoners can escape 

the notion of themselves as criminals 

who are only good for prison and 

punishment. With encouragement, 

they can become more rounded people; 

they can think of themselves as 

having potential. All that can occur 

application [)ÄplI(keIS&n] 

desistance agenda [di(zIstEns E)dZendE] 

hier: Einsatz, Fleiß 

Reintegrationsprogramm 

(von straffälligen Jugendlichen) 

vorherrschend 

hier: Angebot, Förderung 

Lese- und Schreibfähigkeit 

beratend, Beratungs- 

Vorstellung, Bild 

Rückfallquote (von Straftätern) 

Selbstwertgefühl 

verletzbar, anfällig 

endemic [en(demIk] 

intervention [)IntE(venS&n] 

literacy [(lIt&rEsi] 

mentoring [(mentErIN] 

notion [(nEUS&n] 

reoffending rate [riE(fendIN reIt] 

self-esteem [)self I(sti:m] 

vulnerable [(vVlnErEb&l] 

The Museum of My Life 

Over there are all the drugs I have taken, 

That burned out white Corsa is the first car I ever stole, 

This is the book of all the crimes I have committed, 

These are the people who have stuck by me, 

And those are the people who have been affected by my crimes. 

That is my first jail, 

These are the years I have spent inside, 

There is the gate, 

And over there is the new me. 

through writing and arts activity.” 

This view is backed by a 2011 report 

from think tank New Philanthropy 

Capital, which has found that arts interventions 

in criminal-justice set- 

Brixton prison: home to strong 

writing programmes as well as 

National Prison Radio 

by Dean Hudson (ex-offender) 

tings can reduce reoffending rates by 

as much as half. 

James is not surprised by the results 

of the research. “Writing is just 

one form of intervention,” he says. “It 

doesn’t solve everything, but it does 

provide an outlet for people’s emotions. 

It can open doors which have 

long remained closed for most offenders. 

It builds confidence and gives 

them a real sense of achievement.” 

James has set up a prison magazine 

in which all the content is produced 

by the YPs he works with. 

They are, he says, very proud to see 

their work in print. There is also a 

strong mentoring element to his 

work — and lots of listening. 

Sheffield Hallam University recently 

concluded that the work of Writers 

in Prison Foundation is “making a 

significant contribution to the desistance 

agenda”.

Author Alex Wheatle 

speaks to young offenders 

about writing 

Stories from the 

heart: Wheatle’s 

books are street 

and family dramas 

All of this should be music to the ears of 

Chris Grayling, the justice secretary, who 

heads the government’s so-called “rehabilitation 

revolution”. In June 2013, Grayling 

told the press that “Britain’s problem is less about offending 

and more about reoffending”. 

The UK’s high reoffending rates cost the economy between 

£9.5 and £13 billion each year, according to the 

National Audit Office. The costs to victims, offenders, 

their respective families and to society in general are 

equally high. It’s easy to lock people up, but much harder 

to solve the difficult issues behind their offending and potential 

rehabilitation. 

Britain is the only country in the world to have a national 

prison arts award. It’s organized by a charity called 

the Koestler Trust. “The arts can have a huge impact on 

offenders,” says Tim Robertson, chief executive of the 

trust, “enabling them to create positive new lives for themselves, 

free from crime.” 

James promotes the annual Koestler awards in his 

prison. Many of his YPs have won awards for their work. 

James also brings in visiting writers and 

artists, especially those who are ex-offenders, 

to talk to the young inmates. Among the 

writers is the novelist Alex Wheatle, who was 

recently awarded an MBE for his services to literature. He 

discovered books when serving a prison sentence for his 

part in the 1981 Brixton riots. But what made him want 

to write? 

“I started to write,” he explains, “because I wanted to 

get rid of the anger inside of me — about the way I was 

raised, the way I was treated as a young guy, the way I felt 

my life was insignificant. I wanted to shout out to the 

world that my life was just as important as anybody else’s. 

I wanted to validate my life. I think that was the main 

motivation.” 

Back in the young offenders’ institute, Craig shares a 

similar view. 

“I used to express my emotions with this,” he says, 

holding up a clenched fist. He lowers it and, with the other 

hand, raises a pen. 

“Now I express them with this.” 

Fotos: Alamy; Julian Earwaker 

On a prison visit: 

Mark Grist, Alex Wheatle and Caspar Walsh 

clenched fist [klentSt (fIst] geballte Faust 

impact [(ImpÄkt] 

Einfluss, Wirkung 

inmate [(InmeIt] 

Gefängisinsasse 

MBE (Member of the Order britischer Verdienstorden 

of the British Empire) 

[)em b: (i:] 

National Audit Office Rechnungshof 

[)nÄS&nEl (O:dIt )QfIs] UK 

novelist [(nQvElIst] 

Romanschriftsteller(in) 

respective [ri(spektIv] jeweilig (➝ p. 61) 

riot [(raIEt] 

Aufstand 

serve a prison sentence eine Freiheitsstrafe verbüßen 

[)s§:v E (prIz&n )sentEns] 

validate sth. [(vÄlIdeIt] hier: Anerkennung für 

etw. erlangen 


27

AMY ARGETSINGER | I Ask Myself 

Is marriage a matter 

of equal rights? 

“ 

Gay 

marriage 

was a radical, 

politically 

untouchable 

idea 

” 

Vor knapp zehn Jahren wurde in Massachusetts die gleichgeschlechtliche 

Ehe eingeführt. Weitere US-Bundesstaaten folgten. 

My friend Roy used to love 

weddings. The pageantry, 

the party — he loved it all. 

For the first decade or so after we left 

college and our friends began to get 

married, he was always the ideal wedding 

guest. The first to RSVP, the last 

to leave, he would make all the right 

toasts and be sure to lead the bride’s 

single sister onto the dance floor. He 

had the perfect formal suit and always 

sent the perfect gift. 

Suddenly, though, 10 or 12 years 

ago, he soured on weddings. We were 

all getting a little tired of them by that 

time. We had just been to too many of 

them, with some of the ceremonies 

obnoxious in their ostentation and expense. 

But Roy’s feelings bordered on 

resentment. There he was, spending so 

much money and time to celebrate 

someone else’s special day, yet he 

would never get to have a wedding of 

his own, because he was gay. 

It’s amazing how quickly things 

have changed. Through most of the 

1990s, few people took seriously the 

idea that men should be able to 

marry men, or women to marry 

women. When gay activists in Hawaii 

bill [bIl] 

civil union [)sIv&l (ju:njEn] 

court challenge [kO:rt (tSÄlIndZ] 

obnoxious [A:b(nA:kSEs] 

ostentation [)A:sten(teIS&n] 

pageantry [(pÄdZEntri] 

portrayal [pO:r(treIEl] 

resentment [ri(zentmEnt] 

RSVP [)A:r es vi: (pi:] 

(RSVP = répondez s’il vous plaît 

shunt sb. into sth. [SVnt (Intu] 

sign into law [)saIn )IntE (lO:] 

sour on sth. [(saU&r A:n] 

straight [streIt] ifml. 

toast [toUst] 


raised a court challenge to the traditional 

definition of marriage, members 

of Congress reacted quickly. 

They introduced a bill saying the federal 

government would recognize 

only marriages between a man and a 

woman, no matter what crazy laws 

might be passed by the states. The bill 

went through and was signed into 

law by a liberal president, Bill Clinton. 

That was in 1996 — just 17 

years ago. Gay marriage was a radical, 

politically untouchable idea, and no 

one thought that would ever change. 

It already was changing, though. 

In that same decade, a handful of European 

nations pioneered the idea of 

domestic partnerships, a way to recognize 

gay couples with many of the 

same rights as married couples. Suddenly, 

activists in the US could ima - 

gine a way to do the same. A state 

court ruling that same-sex couples 

could not be treated differently from 

straight couples inspired Vermont to 

create “civil unions” for gay couples. 

But the gay community pushed for 

more: they wanted marriage. 

If civil unions offered all the same 

rights and responsibilities as mar- 

hier: Gesetzesvorlage 

eingetragene Partnerschaft 

gerichtliche Anfechtung 

unausstehlich, widerlich 

Prunk, Prahlerei 

Prunk 

Darstellung 

Groll 

auf ein Einladungsschreiben antworten 

(frz.) um Antwort wird gebeten) 

jmdn. auf etw. abschieben 

zum Gesetz machen 

etw. leid sein 

hier: heterosexuell 

Trinkspruch, Tischrede 

riage, wasn’t that enough? My gay 

friends explained: if it offered all the 

same rights and responsibilities, why 

not call it marriage? Otherwise, they 

were being shunted into a “separate 

but equal” institution, like the 

schools reserved for black people during 

the days of racial segregation. 

In 2004, Massachusetts approved 

gay marriage. Now 13 states allow it, 

and another seven permit marriagelike 

unions. It is still a controversial 

issue, and many states ban same-sex 

unions. But in June, the Supreme 

Court overturned that 1996 law, 

which means the federal government 

now recognizes gay marriages approved 

by individual states. 

How have things changed so fast? 

Some think it’s because of the many 

friendly portrayals of gay people in 

popular culture, in TV shows like 

Will & Grace. I think it’s because 

more Americans have opened their 

minds, thanks to gay friends. 

We respect their desire to live in 

committed relationships like everyone 

else — like my friend Roy, who 

will get married to his boyfriend next 

spring. He promised to have a small 

ceremony. Happy as he is to have 

one, he’s says he’s still a little tired of 

weddings. 

Committed 

relationships 

for all 

Amy Argetsinger is a co-author of “The Reliable 

Source,” a column in The Washington 

Post about personalities. 

Foto: Comstock

Sprachen lernen für alle! 

NEU! 

KOSTENLOS UND 

UNVERBINDLICH 

Die neue Basismitgliedschaft: 

✔ 10 kostenlose Videos 

✔ 90 interaktive Übungen 

✔ Voller Zugriff auf „mein dalango“ 

www.dalango.de 

Einfach Lernen mit Spaß!

TRAVEL | India 

Uusually I am not a morning person, but today, just 

after 6 a.m., I feel energetic and excited. I am 

standing in a queue behind the gates of what many 

consider to be the most beautiful building in the world. 

As the guard opens the door, I know immediately why 

every guidebook says you should see the Taj Mahal at 

dawn. The sky is a very light pink with a hazy shimmer, 

making the building’s smooth white marble domes appear 

like a shining mirage — or like a painting that has come 

to life. As I join the other tourists photographing themselves 

in front of what’s considered to be the jewel of Islamic 

art in India, I hear another visitor say exactly what 

I am thinking: “Well, it was definitely worth getting up 

so early.” 

The famous mausoleum made “the sun and the moon 

shed tears from their eyes”, according to its creator, Shah 

dawn [dO:n] 

dome [dEUm] 

hazy [(heIzi] 

marble [(mA:b&l] 

Morgendämmerung 

Kuppel 

verschleiert, diesig 

(aus) Marmor 

mirage [(mIrA:Z] 

queue [kju:] 

shed tears 

[Sed (tIEz] 

Trugbild, Illusion 

Warteschlange 

Tränen vergießen 

Fotos: Mauritius 


Soul of India 

Erleben Sie die atemberaubende Schönheit Indiens. 

JESSICA MANN beschreibt einige der berühmtesten Sehenswürdigkeiten 

und erzählt von der kulturellen Vielfalt des Landes. 

A vision from a dream: 

the Taj Mahal seen from the 

River Yamuna 

Jahan. The Mogul emperor built this impressive tomb after 

his beloved third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died in childbirth 

in 1631. The verse he wrote does not seem like much of 

an overstatement. I feel almost as if I am dreaming as I 

wander around the formal gardens and watch a herd of 

water buffalo through the mist on the other side of the 

River Yamuna. Am I really here? 

beloved [bi(lVvId] 

in childbirth [In (tSaI&ldb§:T] 

mist [mIst] 

Mogul emperor [(mEUg&l (empErE] 

tomb [tu:m] 

geliebt 

während der Geburt 

Nebel, Dunst 

Großmogul 

Grabmal


As soon as I leave the 

peaceful grounds, I am 

thrown back into reality. 

Cycle rickshaws and threewheeled 

auto rickshaws, 

commonly known as tuktuks, 

crowd the narrow, 

dusty streets near the Taj 

Mahal. The drivers do their 

best to compete for the attention 

of tourists, so it 

doesn’t take long to find a ride to the train station. 

Agra has beautiful sights in addition to the Taj Mahal, 

including more grand tombs and the famous Red Fort, 

but I really want to go north and get off the beaten track. 

At the station, I buy some snacks and a Limca, a fruitflavoured 

drink, and wait for the overnight train. 

When the train arrives, I discover that I’ve been standing 

at the wrong end of the track. I run with my bags to 

make it to the right car, moving quickly through a crowd 

of people, luggage and carts full of goods. I splurged on 

first-class tickets: the seats are old but comfortable, folding 

Fast transport: three-wheeled tuk-tuks 

At a shop in Agra: 

strings of flowers for sale 

down into beds with plenty of space to stretch my legs. 

The air conditioning is on so high that it’s almost cold. 

“Chai, chai, chai...” The cries of the chai wallah carry 

through the car, and I stick my head out of my compartment 

to wave him over. For 10 rupees, the equivalent of a 

few euro cents, I receive an espressosized 

plastic cup filled with hot, 

spiced, milky tea. The drink is known 

as masala chai, a combination of the 

words for a mix of spices and tea — 

or chai. I order a vegetarian meal as 

well, which comes with two types of 

lentil stew along with some rice and 

flatbread. 

car [kA:] 

cart [kA:t] 

chai [tSaI] 

chai wallah [(tSaI )wQlE] 

(wallah ifml. 

compartment [kEm(pA:tmEnt] 

cycle rickshaw [(saIk&l )rIkSO:] 

flatbread [(flÄtbred] N. Am. 

fold down [fEUld (daUn] 

lentil stew [)lentIl (stju:] 

masala [mE(sA:lE] 

off the beaten track 

[)Qf DE )bi:t&n (trÄk] ifml. 

Red Fort [red (fO:t] 

spiced [spaIst] 

splurge on [(spl§:dZ Qn] ifml. 

Detail: at the Taj Mahal 

hier: Waggon 

Karren 

indischer Tee 

Teeverkäufer(in) 

(Hindi) Typ, -fritze) 

(Zug)Abteil 

Fahrradrikscha 

Fladenbrot 

sich umklappen lassen 

Linseneintopf 

(ind.) Mischung; hier: Gewürzmischung 

aus Kardamom, Zimt, 

Ingwer, Lorbeer, Nelken und 

Muskat 

abseits vom (Touristen)Rummel 

Rote Festung 

gewürzt 

großzügig Geld ausgeben für 

Mogul strength: 

the Red Fort

Fotos: iStockphoto; Mauritius 

The Golden Temple in Amritsar: visitors on the marble pathway by the sacred pool, above 

After a while, an older Indian couple joins me in the 

four-person compartment. They’re on their way to Amritsar 

as well, taking a four-day trip from Delhi. At some 

point, the conversation moves on to the topic of regional 

and linguistic differences in India. The couple explains 

how it is sometimes easier for them to speak to people 

from other parts of India in English than in Hindi. “Can 

you understand Punjabi?” I ask. It is the language spoken 

in the Indian state of Punjab, where we are heading. “Of 

course,” the man says, tilting his head from side to side in 

an Indian nod. 

We fall asleep to the rocking of the train and wake up 

in Amritsar, one of the largest cities in Punjab. I say goodbye 

to the couple and check into a hotel near the station. 

Then I stop on the street to buy a glass of fresh sugar-cane 

juice — from a vendor who crushes an entire cane, using 

a hand-operated press — before making my way to the 

city’s best-known sight. 

The word Sikh [si:k] comes from the Punjabi language 

and means “learner”. Sikhism honours one god 

and ten gurus, or teachers. The religion, which grew 

out of the Hindu tradition, was founded in the Punjab 

region in the 15th century. Today, there are 27 million 

Sikhs, most of them living in Punjab, India. Ideas basic 

to the religion include the search for truth, using 

truth in daily life and the equality of all people. 

chant [tSA:nt] 

cloakroom [(klEUkru:m] 

crush [krVS] 

cutlery [(kVtlEri] 

nod [nQd] 

pilgrim [(pIlgrIm] 

sacred [(seIkrId] 

scarf (pl. scarves) [skA:f] 

shallow [(SÄlEU] 

sugar cane [(SUgE keIn] 

tilt [tIlt] 

vendor [(vendE] 

volunteer [)vQlEn(tIE] 

A CLOSER LOOK 

(feierlicher) Sprechgesang 

Garderobe 

zerstoßen 

Besteck 

Nicken 

Pilger(in) 

heilig 

Schal 

seicht 

Zuckerrohr 

neigen 

Straßenverkäufer(in) 

Freiwillige(r), Ehrenamtliche(r) 

Amritsar was founded 

by the fourth Sikh guru, 

Ram Das, in the 1570s. 

The Golden Temple in the 

city centre is the religion’s 

holiest shrine, drawing pilgrims 

from around the 

world. At the entrance to 

the temple, I leave my 

shoes in a special cloakroom 

and join the other 

On site: author Jessica Mann 

visitors. We cover our heads with scarves and follow the 

crowd of pilgrims through the gates, passing through shallow 

footbaths to clean our feet. We walk on the marble 

pathway that surrounds the sacred pool with the shining 

temple at its centre. Inside the temple, texts are continuously 

read aloud from a Sikh holy book, and rhythmic 

chants echo through the complex. The effect is calming, 

and the whole place is very peaceful. 

While circling the pool, I come to the community dining 

room, a feature of all Sikh temples. Anyone is welcome 

to eat here at no cost, and the massive kitchens run nonstop 

all day. I queue up for a metal tray and cutlery and 

then join the rest of the group seated on the floor. 

Servers come by with flatbread, lentils, 

yogurt and rice — more than you 

could ever want. When I have finished 

my meal, I leave through a 

large outdoor area 

where volunteers 

are doing the 

washing-up. 

Daily work: 

women in Agra 

collecting water 

33


INDIA DIVIDED 

The British East India Company first 

arrived in India for the spice trade 

in the early 1600s. When the Mogul empire 

collapsed in the 1700s, the British 

were able to take control of much of 

the country. India was effectively 

British by the early 1800s. 

English replaced Persian as the language 

of politics and government, and 

many other aspects of the country 

were transformed. Roads and railways 

were built. Institutions and educational 

systems were created based on those 

in Britain. But controversial policies like 

high taxes and flooding the markets 

with cheaper British goods — made 

from Indian raw materials — damaged 

local people’s livelihoods. 

The London-educated barrister Mohandas 

Karamchand Gandhi (1869– 

1948), later known as Mahatma, or 

“Great Soul”, became the leader of a 

movement that encouraged people to 

oppose the British Raj — “reign” in 

Hindi — in a non-violent manner. Examples 

included refusing to pay taxes or 

buy British products. Gandhi also called 

for the end of the traditional Hindu 

caste system and for peaceful Hindu- 

Muslim relations. 

Although India gained independence 

in 1947, Gandhi’s dream of a 

peaceful Hindu-Muslim state was not 

fulfilled. Instead, India was divided. The 

country of Pakistan was formed to satisfy 

the demands of the Muslim League 

to have its own state. The partition of 

India cut Punjab in half. Amritsar became 

part of India, and Lahore became 

part of Pakistan. Many Hindus and Muslims 

on both sides of the border were 

caught up in violence, and 10 million 

people were forced to leave their 

homes. 

barrister [(bÄrIstE] UK 

caste [kA:st] 

livelihood [(laIvlihUd] 

Muslim League [)mUzlIm (li:g] 

partition [pA:(tIS&n] 

spice trade [(spaIs treId] 

Rechtsanwalt, -anwältin 

(bei höheren Gerichten) 

Kaste 

Lebensgrundlage 

Muslimische Liga 

Teilung 

Gewürzhandel 

A nation remembers: 

the “flame of liberty” in 

Jallianwala Bagh 

My next stop is to visit 

Jallianwala Bagh, a peaceful 

park near the temple that 

serves as a memorial to the 

people — between 1,000 and 

1,500 altogether — who were 

killed here by British authorities 

during a peaceful protest in 

1919. The tragic scene has been described 

in several books and shown in 

many films, including the awardwinning 

movie Gandhi. The massacre 

brought new energy to Indian nationalism 

and drove Gandhi to 

strengthen his campaign of civil disobedience 

against the ruling colonial 

powers. 

By now, the sun is low in the sky, 

and I realize that I have to get on my 

way for one last special occasion. I’ve 

arranged for a driver to take me from 

Amritsar to the Indian-Pakistani border 

at Wagah, about 30 kilometres 

away. Every afternoon, a legendary 

border closing ceremony is performed 

there before sunset. The drive 

to Wagah is filled with anticipation 

— I hope that I’ll be early enough to 

get a good seat. I can tell we’re nearing 

the border when we start to drive 

Soliders closing the border at Wagah 

anticipation [Än)tIsI(peIS&n] 

civil disobedience 

[)sIv&l )dIsE(bi:diEns] 

drop sb. off [drQp (Qf] 

emcee [)em(si:] ifml. 

flashing light [)flÄSIN (laIt] 

grandstand [(grÄndstÄnd] 

memorial [mE(mO:riEl] 

syncopate [(sINkEpeIt] 

past a long line of delivery trucks 

waiting to cross into Pakistan. They’re 

richly painted with designs and decorated 

with flashing lights. 

The driver drops me off about a 

kilometre away. I join the crowds 

walking towards the border, passing 

what seems like a hundred snack 

stands and vendors selling Indian 

flags. When I reach the grandstand, I 

show my passport and join the other 

foreign tourists at the front. It’s just 

like a sporting match, complete with 

an emcee and loud music to excite 

the crowd. 

The event begins when a group of 

soldiers comes out of the guardroom 

and begins to parade up and down in 

front of the crowd. The marching is 

frequently syncopated by dramatic 

high kicks that wouldn’t be out of 

place in a Monty Python sketch. The 

crowd loves it, cheering and fighting 

for the best view with 

video cameras and 

smartphones. Accompanied 

by shouts of 

“Hindustan zindabad!” 

(“Long live 

India!”), the soldiers 

lower the Indian flag, 

while the Pakistani 

soldiers can be seen 

lowering theirs on the 

other side. Before the 

border is officially 

(gespannte) Erwartung 

ziviler Ungehorsam 

jmdn. aussteigen lassen 

Showmaster 

Blinklicht 

Zuschauertribüne 

Gedenkstätte 

synkopieren, rhythmisch 

verschieben 

Fotos: Jessica Mann; Mauritius, picture alliance; Karte: Nic Murphy 


IF YOU GO... 

closed for the night, one soldier from each side opens the 

gates and shakes hands with his counterpart. 

The crowd stays on for a while, before slowly walking 

back along the road to where the taxis and tuk-tuks are 

waiting. The sun is setting, and the wind begins to blow, 

taking sand around with it. Through the haze, I find my 

driver and settle in for the ride back to town. As we drive 

off, I watch the brightly painted trucks and their drivers, 

who will have to wait another night before they can be on 

their way. 

counterpart [(kaUntEpA:t] 

vaccine [(vÄksi:n] 

(Amts)Kollege, Kollegin, Gegenüber 

Impfung 

All aboard 

for the colours 

of India 

Some of the borders on this map are in dispute. 

A Sikh ticket 

inspector 

in Punjab 

Getting to northern India 

Lufthansa offers direct flights from Frankfurt and Munich 

to Delhi. Direct flights from Zurich are available from 

Swiss Air Lines and from Vienna on Austrian Airlines. 

Getting around 

Signs throughout Indian train stations call Indian Railways 

“the pride of the nation”. Because of the demand 

for seats, advance reservations are recommended. A certain 

number of seats are set aside for foreigners, and 

tickets for these can be bought directly at major reservation 

offices, but finding those offices is not easy. Booking 

tickets online and many months in advance is a 

better option. For timetables and route information, see 

www.indianrail.gov.in 

Tickets can be booked at www.irctc.co.in or 

www.cleartrip.com 

Where to stay 

For real luxury in Agra, stay at Oberoi Amarvilas — or 

simply go for a drink there and see a perfect view of the 

Taj Mahal. As a special offer, a double room costs 19,500 

rupees, or about €250. Taj East Gate Road; tel. (0091) 

562-223 1515. www.oberoihotels.com/oberoi_amarvilas 

In Amritsar, try the Grand Hotel. Rooms cost 1,000– 

2,000 Indian rupees (about €13 to €26). Situated across 

a busy street from the railway station, the hotel has simple 

rooms and a welcoming restaurant. Trips and tours, 

including to the Wagah border, can be arranged at the 

front desk. Queen’s Road; tel. (0091) 183-256 2424. 

www.hotelgrand.in 

Keep in mind 

Obtaining a visa from the Indian government as well as 

getting the necessary vaccines from your doctor are important 

steps to take before travelling to India. 

More information 

See www.incredibleindia.org 


35

PETER FLYNN | Around Oz 

An election gamble 

Kann die Rückkehr des populären Premierministers Rudd 

seine zerstrittene und skandalbehaftete Partei vor einer 

Katastrophe an den Wahlurnen bewahren? 

Thankfully, the longest election 

campaign in Australian memory 

will soon be over. Ever 

since Labor formed a minority government 

in 2010 with the support of 

the Greens and three independents, 

the country has been preparing for 

the next election. Now, at least, the 

campaign between Labor and the 

conservative coalition of the Liberal 

and National Parties will be interesting 

and competitive. 

Prime Minister Julia Gillard had 

led a shambolic government, not 

helped by internal party warring. 

Labor could easily have lost as many 

as half its seats in parliament. The opposition 

conservatives, led by Tony 

Abbott, had only to remain disciplined 

and make themselves as small 

a target as possible. 

as preferred PM candidate, a position 

Gillard had lost to Abbott a long time 

before. This is important because, 

while Australia is a parliamentary 

democracy, our elections are increasingly 

in the US presidential style. 

Rudd is also a bit of a rock star on 

the campaign trail. A large section of 

the public feels he should never have 

been dumped before completing his 

first term. “The Australian people 

elected me to be prime minister in 

2007,... and I’m back here to do that 

job,” he said, while also trying to distance 

himself from the messy legacy 

of the Gillard years. 

Abbott and the opposition will 

confront him, however, with his own 

three-year history as PM, which laid 

the foundation for Gillard’s government 

and many of its problems. 

The conservatives will also have 

mountains of extremely negative 

public descriptions of Rudd — from 

his closest colleagues — to use during 

the official election campaign. Senior 

Labor people have repeatedly described 

Rudd as everything from a 

“once-in-a-lifetime egomaniac” to 

“ 

Things are 

now starting 

to get very 

interesting 

” 

“dysfunctional” and even “psychopathic”. 

Government and party insiders 

commonly observe that the 

only people who like Rudd are those 

who don’t know him. 

Abbott has plenty of senior ministerial 

experience from the last conservative 

government, but he is still 

suspected of being morally and socially 

more conservative than his 

macho image suggests. (He once 

trained briefly for the priesthood and 

is sometimes called “the mad monk”.) 

The opposition has the money, resources 

and discipline to hold much 

of its opinion-poll lead in many of 

Labor’s marginal seats, especially in 

New South Wales and Queensland, 

and possibly Victoria. 

Labor is likely to avoid catastrophic 

losses under Rudd, but I still 

expect Abbott to be the next PM. 

This move to Rudd, who is still despised 

by many in his party, was more 

about saving the furniture than the 

house — or about politicians saving 

their own skins. 

Comeback: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd 

In late June, however, Gillard was 

deposed by former Prime Minister 

Kevin Rudd — almost three years to 

the day after Gillard had deposed him 

with the support of Labor factional 

leaders and union heavyweights. 

Rudd’s return was one of the 

greatest political comebacks in our 

country’s history. Immediately, 

Labor’s polling stocks lifted considerably, 

and Rudd was comfortably back 

kurz 

absetzen 

verachten 

jmdn. fallenlassen 

Fraktions- 

Vorsprung 

Erbe 

mit knapper Mehrheit 

gewonnener Parlamentssitz 

im Wahlkampf 

Meinungsumfrage 

Umfragewerte 

hier: charismatische Figur 

chaotisch 

Amtszeit 

Gewerkschaft 

briefly [(bri:fli] 

depose [di(pEUz] 

despise [di(spaIz] 

dump sb. [dVmp] ifml. 

factional [(fÄkS&nEl] 

lead [li:d] 

legacy [(legEsi] 

marginal seat 

[)mA:dZIn&l (si:t] Aus., UK 

on the campaign trail [Qn DE kÄm(peIn treI&l] 

opinion poll [E(pInjEn pEUl] 

polling stocks [(pEUlIN stQks] 

rock star [(rQk stA:] 

shambolic [SÄm(bQlIk] Aus., UK ifml. 

term [t§:m] 

union [(ju:niEn] 

Peter Flynn is a public-relations consultant and social commentator who lives in Perth, 

Western Australia. 

Foto: Getty Images 

36 


GET STARTED NOW! 

Spotlight’s easy-English 

booklet 

Einfaches Englisch 

für Alltagssituationen 

Green Light

DEBATE | Australia 

What about the Aborigines? 

Trotz vieler Bemühungen, das an den Aborigines begangene Unrecht wiedergutzumachen, 

kann noch keine Rede von Chancengleichheit sein. 

City life: Sydney has the highest population of Aborigines 

For most people, Australia is “the Lucky Country”. 

The majority of its 22 million inhabitants enjoy a 

strong economy, political stability and a high standard 

of living. But for the original inhabitants of Australia 

— today, 550,000 Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders 

— life has been anything but lucky since British colonization 

began in 1788. 

Killed in their thousands by European diseases, 

stripped of any civil rights and removed from their traditional 

lands, the indigenous people have suffered greatly. 

It was only in 1967 that the Australian constitution was 

changed to recognize Aboriginal people as equal citizens. 

Before then, there had been special laws for Aborigines, 

and they were not counted as part of the population. 

In a landmark High Court case in 1992, judges ruled 

that Australia’s indigenous people owned their traditional 

land. The court overturned the concept that when the 

British first arrived, Australia was terra nullius — a Latin 

term that describes land that no one owns. This decision 

has still not been recognized in the constitution, however. 

Another landmark came in 2008, when Kevin Rudd, 

prime minister at that time, apologized “for the laws and 

policies of successive parliaments and governments that 

have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss” on 

Australia’s indigenous people. Rudd apologized in particular 

for the “stolen generations”. These were Aboriginal 

children forcibly removed from their families by federal- 

and state-government agencies, as well as church organizations, 

and given to white Australian families. The practice 

lasted from 1869 to 1969, though in some places, 

children were being taken as late as the 1970s. 

Despite the many improvements in recognition of 

Aboriginal Australians, there is still a long way to go to 

remove the inequality between indigenous and nonindigenous 

Australians. Estimates for 2009 by the Australian 

Bureau of Statistics show that life expectancy for 

indigenous people is lower than for the non-indigenous 

— by 11.5 years for men and 9.7 years for women. In the 

period between 2002 and 2006, indigenous children 

under five died at around three times the rate of nonindigenous 

children; and at the time of the 2006 census, 

around 48 per cent of indigenous people were in employment 

compared to 72 per cent of non-indigenous people. 

Australia is famous for its belief in giving everyone a 

“fair go”, an equal opportunity, no matter what a person’s 

race, gender or sexual orientation is. Now, after more than 

200 years of sorrow and tragedy, are Australia’s indigenous 

people finally being given a fair go? 

Strong traditions: indigenous culture is rich and diverse 

forcibly [(fO:sEbli] 

gender [(dZendE] 

grief [gri:f] 

High Court [)haI (kO:t] 

indigenous [In(dIdZEnEs] 

inequality [)Ini(kwQlEti] 

inflict sth. on sb. [In(flIkt Qn] 

landmark [(lÄndmA:k] 

no matter [nEU (mÄtE] 


strip sb. of sth. [(strIp Ev] 

successive [sEk(sesIv] 

mit Gewalt 

Geschlecht 

Leid, Kummer 

Oberstes Gericht 

eingeboren 

Ungleichheit 

jmdm. etw. zufügen 

grundlegend, historisch 

ganz gleich 

tiefgreifend, schwer 

jmdm. etw. entziehen, aberkennen 

nachfolgend 

Fotos: Julie Collins; Getty Images; Photonica 


Julie Collins asked people in Brisbane, Australia: 

Is society fair to Aborigines? 

Listen to Danial, Angela, Paula and Craig 

Danial Cox, 31, 

IT developer 

Angela Berry, 41, 

photographer 

Paula Gray, 45, 

business owner 

Craig Claxton, 42, 

post-office worker 

Blair McGilvay, 27, 

video producer 

Sheila Sissons, 50, 

artist 

Emmily Cox, 30, 

nurse 

Jason Linke, 38, 

engineer 

as opposed to [Ez E(pEUzd tE] 

benefits [(benIfIts] 

bloodline [(blVdlaIn] 

exemption [Ig(zempS&n] 

anstatt 

Unterstützung, 

Sozialleistungen 

Abstammung 

Ausnahme(regelung) 

fair share [feE (SeE] 

mistreat [)mIs(tri:t] 

pull sb. up [pUl (Vp] 

walkabout 

[(wO:kE)baUt] Aus. 

gerechter Anteil 

misshandeln, schlecht behandeln 

jmdn. anhalten 

hier: Umherziehen eines Aborigine 

auf den australischen Traumpfaden 


39

HISTORY | 50 Years Ago 

Christine Keeler: 

model, dancer 

and later author 

John Profumo: 

secretary of 

state for 

war 

Sex, lies 

Die Affäre zwischen Kriegsminister John 

Profumo und einer Oben-ohne-Tänzerin war 

im Kalten Krieg ein Skandal ohnegleichen. 

MIKE PILEWSKI berichtet. 

The characters could have been straight out of a 

James Bond film: a British war minister, a beautiful 

woman and a Soviet spy. But while From Russia with 

Love took place in the cinema, a real-life story of Cold War 

intrigue was just unfolding, causing one of the biggest political 

scandals ever to hit Britain. The cover-up surrounding 

War Minister John Profumo’s brief affair with model 

Christine Keeler helped to bring down a government. 

John Profumo — his friends called him Jack — was a 

rising star in the Conservative Party. In 1940, at the age 

of 25, he was elected to the House of Commons as the 

youngest member of parliament. Profumo had completed 

an officer’s training in the army and served in politics and 

the military at the same time, fighting in North Africa and 

landing in Normandy on D-Day. 

During the 1950s, he held a number of ministerial 

posts, rising to the position of minister for foreign affairs. 

In July 1960, he was appointed secretary of state for war 

and made an adviser to the queen. 

On a warm evening in July 1961, he met Christine 

Keeler. Keeler, 19 at the time, had grown up in poverty 

and had gone to London in search of opportunity. What 

she found was some part-time modelling and a job as a 

topless dancer for high society. She lived with Stephen 

Ward, a playboy who threw parties for influential people. 

At one such party, Keeler was 

swimming naked in the pool 

when Profumo first saw her. 

Their affair lasted only a 

few weeks, until Profumo 

ended it, but it had consequences. 

In 1962, rumours 

began to circulate. Keeler 

had also slept — once, she 

says — with Yevgeny Ivanov, 

who was an assistant attaché for 

the Soviet navy. 

The risk to national security 

could not be underestimated. 

Double agents were everywhere. 

George Blake (see 

Spotlight 10/11) had been 

discovered in 1961; Kim 


and 

spies 

Philby would follow in 1963. But a certain amount of 

Cold War paranoia contributed to the atmosphere surrounding 

what was really just an extramarital affair. 

A fight involving two of Keeler’s other lovers resulted in 

one of them, Johnny Edgecombe, trying to shoot his way 

into the flat of Ward and Keeler. The press started to pry 

deeper into the rumours of a connection to Profumo. When 

Keeler failed to appear at Edgecombe’s trial in March 1963, 

everyone, including the House of Commons, wanted to 

know whether Profumo had any inside knowledge. 

appoint [E(pOInt] 

brief [bri:f] 

circulate [(s§:kjuleIt] 

D-Day [(di: deI] 

extramarital [)ekstrE(mÄrIt&l] 

From Russia with Love 

[frEm )rVSE wID (lVv] 

House of Commons 

[)haUs Ev (kQmEnz] 

minister for foreign affairs 

[)mInIstE fE )fQrEn E(feEz] 

pry [praI] 

rumour [(ru:mE] 

secretary of state 

[)sekrEtEri Ev (steIt] UK 

topless [(tQplEs] 

trial [(traIEl] 

underestimate [)VndEr(estImeIt] 

unfold [Vn(fEUld] 

ernennen 

kurz 

sich verbreiten 

6. Juni 1944 (Beginn der Landung 

der Alliierten in der Normandie 

im Zweiten Weltkrieg) 

außerehelich 

Liebesgrüße aus Moskau 

Unterhaus des britischen 

Parlaments 

Außenminister(in) 

herumschnüffeln 

Gerücht 

Minister(in) 

oben ohne 

Gerichtsverhandlung 

unterschätzen 

sich entwickeln 

Fotos: Corbis; dpa/picture alliance; Gamma/Keystone

From left to right: 

playboy Stephen Ward; 

Profumo told the House that he 

knew Keeler, but had not done anything 

inappropriate with her. When 

Paris Match and Tempo Illustrato 

printed stories about their affair, Profumo 

sued them both — successfully. 

The rumours, however, kept television 

audiences interested night after 

night in the evening news. Journalists 

referred to Keeler as a prostitute and 

to Ivanov as a spy. 

In June, only 10 weeks after his 

statement to parliament, Profumo 

admitted in a letter to Prime Minister 

Harold Macmillan that he had lied. 

“You will recollect that on 22 March, 

following certain allegations made in 

parliament, I made a personal statement. 

... I said there had been no impropriety 

in this association [with 

Keeler]. To my very deep regret, I 

have to admit that this was not true, 

and that I misled you and my colleagues 

and the House,” he wrote. 

His resignation followed. 

An investigation led by Lord 

Denning determined that Profumo 

had not told Keeler any state secrets. 

The official report was published 50 

years ago this month, on 25 September 

1963. Days later, Prime Minister 

Macmillan resigned, saying he was in 

poor health. The Conservatives were 

voted out of office in 1964. 

Lord Denning, judge; Soviet 

official Yevgeny Ivanov 

For the next 40 years, Profumo 

worked for the charity Toynbee Hall, 

helping the poor in London’s East 

End. In 1975, this work earned him 

the title Commander of the British 

Empire, and in 1995, Margaret 

Thatcher called Profumo “one of our 

national heroes”. She said, “It’s time to 

forget the Keeler business. His has 

been a very good life.” 

From 1963 until his death in 

2006, Profumo never mentioned the 

affair again. Prime Minister Tony 

Blair said the affair with Keeler had 

been a “serious mistake”, but that 

Profumo had undergone “a journey of 

redemption” and had given “support 

and help to many, many people”. 

Keeler’s story is somewhat different. 

The affair put an end to the modelling 

offers she’d had. She took a job 

preparing school dinners, but lost it 

when her identity was found out. 

Other jobs never paid well, except her 

books about the affair — six of them 

between 1985 and 2012. Her 1989 

book Scandal! was made into a film. 

“I don’t remember the sex with 

Jack that much,” Keeler told the 

Daily Mail in 2012. “It seems incredible, 

looking back, (that) it could 

have resulted in so much tragedy and 

damage. All that Swinging Sixties: it 

didn’t do anyone any good, did it?” 

A creative-writing class was 

asked to write a short essay 

containing the following elements: 

religion, royalty, sex 

and mystery. The prize-winning 

essay read: “‘My God!’ said 

the queen. ‘I’m pregnant.’” 















ENGLISCH LERNEN IST EIN WITZ? 

Ja, mit diesem Spiel, in dem die Spieler Witze, 

Reime, Zungenbrecher und lustige Zitate zum 

Besten geben. Und da Spielen ja eine ernste 

Angelegenheit ist, versuchen alle sich das 

Lachen zu verkneifen, denn das gibt Extrapunkte. 

Für 3 – 8 Spieler ab 12 Jahren. Mit 400 Witzen, 

Zungenbrechern und Reimen, 252 Kärtchen 

mit 504 Vokabeln und 1 Spielanleitung mit 

ausführlichem Vokabelteil. 

In Zusammenarbeit mit: 

allegation [)ÄlE(geIS&n] 

association [E)sEUsi(eIS&n] 

business [(bIznEs] 

impropriety [)ImprE(praIEti] 

inappropriate [)InE(prEUpriEt] 

mislead [mIs(li:d] 

recollect [)rekE(lekt] 

redemption [ri(dempS&n] 

resignation [)rezIg(neIS&n] 

sue [sju:] 

undergo [)VndE(gEU] 

Anschuldigung 

Verbindung, Bekanntschaft 

hier: Sache, Affäre 

Unanständigkeit 

unangemessen 

täuschen 

sich erinnern 

Wiedergutmachung 

Rücktritt 

verklagen 

durchmachen 

JETZT BESTELLEN! 

www.sprachenshop.de/spiele 

oder im Buch- und Spielwarenhandel 

3 19,95 (UVP) 


41 

Mehr Informationen auf 

www.grubbemedia.de

PRESS GALLERY | Comment 

The National Health 

Service turns 65 

Der kränkelnde staatliche Gesundheitsdienst im Vereinigten Königreich braucht eine 

Finanzspritze. Doch wer soll sie verabreichen, der private oder der staatliche Sektor? 

Emergency service: answering a call in North Yorkshire 

In 1948], at a time of food rationing, a housing shortage 

and profound poverty, the National Health Service was 

born in the face of fierce opposition. It promised a 

comprehensive service, funded by taxation, available to all 

and free at the time of need. It has developed, over the 

years, into an institution rightly esteemed around the 

world and much-loved by the British people[,] whom it 

has mostly served well. ... 

When spending increases — under Labour it saw an 

increase of 5.7% a year on average — satisfaction is high. 

Now, and for several years ahead, in spite of a ringfenced 

budget, spending will flatline and demand will increase. 

That means the NHS could face an effective cut of £36bn 

by 2018. The choice ahead is whether better services are 

paid for through tax rises or private spending on healthcare 

by those who can afford it. 

[I]t would be a tragedy if the increasing pressures on 

services and an ever-tighter budget were used as an excuse 

to open the door wide to the private sector — a sector not 

committed to the training of professionals, the reduction 

of health inequalities vital [to] a prosperous society or the 

collection of nationwide data that is a necessary part of 

good public health [— a] private sector that is exempt 

from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 

depriving us of access to important information and limiting 

accountability and transparency. 

A “comprehensive service funded by taxation” continues 

to represent the heart of the NHS. ... May it continue to 

flourish as a public institution for many years to come. 

© Guardian News & Media 2013 

accountability [E)kaUntE(bIlEti] Verantwortlichkeit 

act [Äkt] 

Gesetz 

committed [kE(mItId] 

sich einsetzend für 

comprehensive [)kQmprI(hensIv] umfassend 

deprive [di(praIv] 

berauben 

esteem [I(sti:m] 

schätzen 

exempt [Ig(zempt] 

befreit, ausgenommen 

fierce opposition [)fIEs QpE(zIS&n] entschlossener Widerstand 

flourish [(flVrIS] 

gedeihen 

housing shortage [(haUzIN )SO:tIdZ] Wohnungsnot 

National Health Service (NHS) staatlicher Gesundheitsdienst 

[)nÄS&nEl (helT )s§:vIs] UK 

private sector [)praIvEt (sektE] Privatwirtschaft, privater Sektor 


tief 

prosperous [(prQspErEs] 

wohlhabend 

provision [prE(vIZ&n] 

Bedingung 

ring-fenced [)rIN (fenst] UK zweckgebunden 

vital [(vaIt&l] 

unerlässlich 


A lesson in 1948: nurses learn about human anatomy 

Fotos: Alamy

INFO TO GO 

flatline 

The writer of the article uses flatline as a play on 

words. The verb originated in the 1980s in the world 

of medicine, where it is used informally to mean “die”. 

It comes from the line on a monitor used in hospitals 

to show how a patient’s heart is beating. If the patient 

is alive, the line displays regular peaks and troughs. 

When the heart stops beating, or a patient is close to 

death, the line on the monitor becomes flat. “Flatline” 

also has a more general meaning of “fail to increase” 

or “remain at a stagnant level”. This is what the journalist 

predicts will happen to government spending 

on the National Health Service. 

Which one of the following two uses of “flatline” 

is correct? 

a) Since smartphones came on to the mobilecommunications 

market, sales of old-style mobile 

phones have flatlined. 

b) The patient is recovering; his heart rate has flatlined. 

IN THE HEADLINES 

Listen to more news 

items in Replay 

Don’t even think about it The Economist 

This headline can have several meanings: “don’t consider 

the possibility of sth. happening”, “don’t let sth. worry 

you” and “don’t consider doing sth.”. The article to which 

it refers is about the use of statistical information to predict 

criminal activity. The use of “predictive techniques” 

by police in the US and Britain has already led to fewer 

home break-ins, for example. Software experts now want 

to use cameras, sensors and computers to analyse “suspicious 

behaviour”, listen for gunshots and monitor socialmedia 

websites. The headline is a warning to criminals 

that police know what they’re thinking, but it’s also a 

reminder of the ethical questions such systems may raise. 

Answer: a) is correct 

close to death [)klEUs tE (deT] 

peaks and troughs [)pi:ks End (trQfs] 

dem Tod nahe sein 

Spitzen und Täler 

Perfektion lässt sich leicht üben. 

Mit dem Übungsheft Spotlight plus passend zum aktuellen Magazin. 

Zu jeder 

Ausgabe von 


Spotlight plus ist die ideale Ergänzung 

zum Magazin: 

Bietet 24 Seiten Übungen zu Grammatik, 

Wortschatz und Redewendungen 

Enthält Tests zur Überprüfung des Lernerfolgs 

Erscheint monatlich passend zum Magazin 

Zusammen mit dem Magazin Spotlight steht Ihnen 

damit ein ideales Lernsystem zur Verfügung. 

Am besten, Sie probieren es gleich aus! 

Bestellen Sie hier Spotlight plus: 

www.spotlight-online.de/plusheft

ARTS | What’s New 

| Drama 

A writer’s life 

| Comedy 

Director David Gordon Green won a Silver Bear at this year’s 

Berlinale for Prince Avalanche, a charming form of American 

road movie. Alvin (Paul Rudd) is an introverted guy whose 

work consists of painting road markings so that he can move 

to Europe with his girlfriend. Travelling through a lonely part 

of America with the younger, laid-back 

Lance (Emile Hirsch) — who is also the 

brother of his girlfriend — tests the 

two men to their limits. The film 

brings together time and space in an 

almost dream-like sequence, as Alvin 

and Lance share a tent, a campfire — 

and a certain understanding. 

Starts 26 September. 

Stuck in Love from first-time American director Josh 

Boone deals with a familiar subject: divorce and what 

happens afterwards. In this case, there is a spin on 

the story, because the father, William (Greg Kinnear), and 

both children are writers. College student Samantha (Lily 

Collins) has just published a novel. Younger brother Rusty 

(Nat Wolff) writes poems and is in the process of falling 

in love for the first time. Creative people need intense experiences, 

but what happens when it is all too much? 

Stuck in Love shows what is needed for people to welcome 

Life (with a capital L) instead of letting disappointment 

take over. Reflecting on family trauma in different 

and very individual ways, Collins and Wolff give solid performances 

as good kids in a bad situation. But it’s the mixture 

of helpless stupidity and humour that Kinnear brings 

to his relationship with ex-wife Erica (Jennifer Connelly) 

that makes this film feel satisfying: it shows chaos as a normal 

state of affairs, best accepted, not to be worried about. 

And if the whole process leads to a couple of good books 

(and a rather good film) with a nice little surprise tucked 

away at the end — well, who’s complaining? 

Starts 19 September. 

| Romance 

Young talent: 

Lily Collins as the 

writer Samantha 

Baz Luhrmann’s extravagant 

new 3D interpretation of 

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 

novel The Great Gatsby 

received mixed reviews. The 

ornate sets, musical-style 

dance routines and largerthan-life 

characters are typi- 

Mulligan and DiCaprio 

cal of Luhrmann and very different from the more thoughtful 

1974 film version. Nonetheless, Leonardo DiCaprio as mysterious 

businessman Jay Gatsby and Carey Mulligan as Daisy 

Buchanan, his unhappy love interest, live out their story 

against a garish background that mirrors the crash-and-burn 

atmosphere of 1920s New York. Out on DVD on 20 September. 

crash-and-burn 

[)krÄS End (b§:n] ifml. 

dance routine [(dA:ns ru:)ti:n] 

first-time director 

[f§:st )taIm daI&(rektE] 

garish [(geErIS] 

laid-back [)leId (bÄk] ifml. 

vollkommen unbekümmert, 

nach mir die Sintflut 

Tanzeinlage 

Regie-Debütant(in), 

Jung-Regisseur(in) 

grell 

locker 

nonetheless [)nVnDE(les] 

ornate [O:(neIt] 

sequence [(si:kwEns] 

spin [spIn] 

state of affairs [)steIt Ev E(feEz] 

stupidity [stju(pIdEti] 

tucked away [tVkt E(weI] 

nichtsdestotrotz, trotzdem 

kunstvoll 

Abfolge 

Dreh 

Lage, Situation 

Dummheit 

versteckt 

Fotos: PR 


| Language learning 

| Travel 

One of the biggest challenges faced by people learning a foreign 

language is being able to follow natural speech. How can 

we understand what is often a jungle of sounds created when 

a native speaker runs words together in a way that seems incomprehensible? 

The answer for learners of (British) English is 

to practise with Cool Speech. In this app, listening expert 

Richard Cauldwell presents a number of authentic dialogues 

that, among other things, can be broken down into segments 

and listened to either quickly or slowly. This allows the listener 

both to understand single words and to discover how different 

those words can sound when they occur in natural speech. 

Cool Speech is suitable for learners who are at least at B2 level. 

Available for the iPad, it costs €6.99. 

If you have ever dreamed 

of becoming a foreign 

correspondent, or if you 

just like listening to adventurous 

travel stories, 

you’ll enjoy the BBC podcast 

From Our Own 

Correspondent. The 

programme, which is 

more than 50 years old, 

is introduced by the 

veteran war reporter 

Kate Adie. Each free 

episode, which is roughly 

30 minutes long, features 

Kate Adie: stories from 

around the world 

short stories from interesting places around the world — often 

ones that are making the headlines. A recent episode, for example, 

included a visit to Libya to look at the result of the revolution, 

a report on why Australians don’t like kangaroo meat 

and a trip to the Jordanian capital, Amman, where homesick 

Syrian refugees like to meet at a cafe that serves a special ice 

cream imported from home. The podcasts are available on 

iTunes, or type “From Our Own Correspondent” into the search 

function at www.bbc.co.uk 

| Theatre 

The real thing: understanding natural speech 

The English Theatre in Hamburg 

opens its autumn season 

with Stone Cold Murder, a 

thriller by James Cawood that 

will have you on the edge of 

your seat. It starts with a young 

English couple, Robert and 

Olivia Chappell, who are celebrating 

their first successful summer as owners of a small hotel in the English Lake Dis- 

A dark story: English crime comes to Hamburg 

trict. A storm is raging outside, and a visitor knocks on the door, asking for shelter. Is he 

really a stranger, though? And what about the second man who arrives shortly afterwards 

to make up a quartet of personalities whose roles are as changeable as the weather? Cawood’s 

play mixes the English drawing-room “whodunnit” with psychological drama. If 

you can’t get to England this year, get tickets and information at www.englishtheatre.de 

drawing room [(drO:IN ru:m] 

foreign correspondent 

[)fQrEn )kQrE(spQndEnt] 

homesick [(hEUmsIk] 

incomprehensible 

[In)kQmprI(hensEb&l] 

jungle [(dZVNg&l] 

Salon 

Auslandskorrespondent(in) 

heimwehkrank 

unverständlich 

Dschungel; hier: Durcheinander 

make the headlines 

[)meIk De (hedlaInz] 

rage [reIdZ] 

shelter [(SeltE] 

veteran [(vetErEn] 

whodunnit 

[)hu:(dVnIt] ifml. 

in die Schlagzeilen kommen 

wüten, toben 

Unterschlupf, Unterkunft 

erfahren 

Krimi 

Reviews by EVE LUCAS 


45

ARTS | Short Story and Books 

Dublin noir 

Innerhalb einer Woche werden drei Bankdirektoren auf grausame Art und Weise umgebracht. 

Detective Inspector O’Shaughnessy ermittelt. Von CHRISTINE MADDEN. 

Detective Inspector O’Shaughnessy stared at the 

body in front of her and turned up the collar of 

her trench coat against the cold. It was just before 

daybreak, and the drizzle in the air felt like fog sliding in 

from the sea. It was so fine that the tent over the crime 

scene couldn’t keep it out. It travelled in the air, cold and 

heavy in the grey hour before it became light. 

O’Shaughnessy shivered, but not because of the cold. 

“How long has he been here?” she asked. 

“Not sure, detective inspector,” the Garda answered. 

“We got a call about 45 

minutes ago.” 

“Who from?” 

“Don’t know, ma’am. The caller 

hung up before we could get the 

name.” 

“This is the third one this week.” 

“The doctors are on their way.” 

O’Shaughnessy pulled on a pair 

of latex gloves and bent down to 

look closer at the body. Like the 

others, it was lying directly under a 

cash machine. The eyes had been cut 

out and replaced with euro coins. The chest 

had an ugly, bloody hole where the heart had 

once been. But it wasn’t entirely empty. Something had 

been stuffed into it. 

“What did the perpetrator leave in there this time?” 

O’Shaughnessy asked. 

“Not sure, ma’am, but it looks like Aldi receipts for 

baked beans.” 

“Hmmm!” O’Shaughnessy had never liked baked 

beans. “Another bank manager, of course.” 

“We’re waiting for final confirmation, but that’s what 

his identification indicates.” 

Dublin was a hard place to be these days. The recession 

had forced people out of work. Many of them didn’t know 

where their next meal would come from. It was simply a 

matter of time before someone cracked. But was this really 

only about money? 

O’Shaughnessy stood up. “Chief Inspector Gilligan 

knows about this?” 

“He’s on his way, ma’am.” 

O’Shaughnessy’s mobile beeped: a text 

message. It was the subplot. Earlier that 

week, she had had what she called a 

“sweet night” with the man who had 

sent her the text. The plot thickened, 

of course, when she had seen his 

name and picture in The Irish Times 

the next day. As a bank manager, he 

was advising other bank managers 

to be careful. This was very helpful 

for building the tension at the end of 

the last episode. 

“What have we got?” Chief Inspector Gilligan 

asked, as he arrived at the scene of the crime. 

“We’ve got another one,” said O’Shaughnessy. 

“That’s the third one this week.” 

“Yes,” said O’Shaughnessy. She was known for being a 

woman of few words. 

“We need to talk,” said Gilligan. 

Chief Inspector Gilligan pulled Detective Inspector 

O’Shaughnessy to one side. “We’ve got to get something 

on whoever’s doing this. The bank managers are terrified. 

The politicians think they’re next. The people on the 

street think he’s a hero. There’s a Facebook page for the 

nameless perpetrator, and it already has nearly a million 

likes. They sang a song for him at last Sunday’s football 

match.” 

beep [bi:p] 

cash machine 

[(kÄS mE)Si:n] 

chest [tSest] 

chief inspector [)tSi:f In(spektE] 

collar [(kQlE] 

crack [krÄk] ifml. 

crime scene [(kraIm si:n] 

detective inspector 

[di)tektIv In(spektE] 

drizzle [(drIz&l] 

piepsen 

Geldautomat 

Brust 

Hauptkommissar(in) 

Kragen 

überschnappen 

Tatort 

etwa: Polizeikommissar(in) 

Nieseln 

Garda [(gA:dE] Irish 

like [laIk] 

O’Shaughnessy [EU(SO:nEsi] 

perpetrator [(p§:pEtreItE] 

receipt [ri(si:t] 

shiver [(SIvE] 

subplot [(sVbplQt] 

tension [(tenS&n] 

text message [(tekst )mesIdZ] 

thicken [(TIkEn] 

Polizist 

(Comp.) “Gefällt mir-Klick” 

auf Facebook 

Täter(in) 

Quittung, Kassenbon 

zittern, erschaudern 

Nebengeschichte 

Spannung 

SMS 

sich verdichten 

Fotos: Hemera; iStockphoto 


Short Story 

“We’re getting closer,” said O’Shaughnessy. She knew 

that now — near the end of episode three — a major 

breakthrough was due. “We’re getting closer,” she repeated. 

“I can feel it.” 

“We’ve got to get him. Soon!” said Gilligan. 

O’Shaughnessy focused her steel-blue eyes on Gilligan. 

“Him?” 

Gilligan looked confused. 

“I’m not so sure this is the work of a man,” she said. 

“Detective inspector!” a Garda shouted from the scene. 

“Come and look at this!” 

Right on time, O’Shaughnessy thought. She reached 

to flip up the collar of her coat, but it was already up. So 

she put it back down. The Garda was pointing to a piece 

of paper lying behind the bloodied head of the dead bank 

manager. O’Shaughnessy bent down and picked it up with 

her gloved hands. 

“What’s that?” asked Gilligan. 

“It looks like a list.” O’Shaughnessy studied the bit of 

paper more carefully. The bloodstains made it hard to read, 

but she could see a number of names written there. Three 

had already been crossed out — the three victims. The next 

name after that was her subplot. 

“This could be important,” she said. “Have forensics 

study it for fingerprints when they get here, then give it 

back to me.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” said the Garda. 

Detective Inspector O’Shaughnessy put up the collar 

of her trench coat again. It was time for another sweet 

night. This time, in the call of duty. 

Novel 

Following the success of Olive Kitteridge, 

winner of the 2009 Pulitzer 

Prize, American writer Elizabeth 

Strout returns with a new work, The 

Burgess Boys. The story is about 

two brothers, Jim and Bob, and their 

sister Susan, and how they deal with 

a hate incident involving Susan’s son 

and a group of immigrant Somalis. 

Set in small-town Maine and New York City, and starting with 

a childhood tragedy, Strout picks apart the family’s history. 

The author goes looking for the reasons that have made Jim 

a successful lawyer with a seemingly perfect family life, while 

Bob and Susan have done less well. If there’s a difference 

between loving and liking your family, Strout has found it, 

describing emotions that we all know and have felt with a 

unique and perceptive eye. Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-1- 

4711-2752-6, €15.99. 

Easy reader 

Rakesh is the perfect son, an excellent student 

and, later, a successful doctor. He is 

the pride of his parents, who live in a 

modest house on the edge of a large Indian 

city. After years of being held up as a 

model of good behaviour, however, 

Rakesh begins to show another side of his 

character. When his father finally rejects 

Rakesh’s treatment of him, it becomes a 

battle between life and death. “A Devoted Son”, by Indian writer 

Anita Desai, is one of six short tales in World Stories. Sudan, 

New Zealand and Australia are represented by Leila Aboulela, 

Katherine Mansfield and Henry Lawson in this colourful and 

varied collection. The stories in this advanced-level reader have 

not been adapted. Single words, though, are translated, and 

each story comes with background on the author and a 

language section with exercises. Macmillan Publishers, ISBN 

978-3-19-472959-9, €12.99. 

adapt [E(dÄpt] 

bloodied [(blVdid] 

bloodstain [(blVdsteIn] 

due: be [dju:] 

hate incident 

[(heIt )InsIdEnt] 

bearbeiten 

blutbefleckt 

Blutfleck 

fällig sein 

Hassdelikt 

in the call of duty [In DE )kO:l Ev (dju:ti] 

modest [(mQdIst] 

perceptive [pE(septIv] 

right on time [)raIt Qn (taIm] 

seemingly [(si:mINli] 

unique [ju(ni:k] 

dienstlich, im Dienst 

bescheiden 

einfühlsam 

genau zur rechten Zeit 

scheinbar 

einzigartig 

Reviews by EVE LUCAS 


47

Mehr Sprache können Sie 

nirgendwo shoppen. 

Die besten Sprachprodukte für Ihr Englisch, ausgewählt und empfohlen von 

Ihrem SprachenShop-Team aus dem Spotlight Verlag. 

LANDESKUNDE 

WÖRTERBUCH 

LANDESKUNDE 

ENGLISCH – RUND UM DIE INSEL 

So lernen Sie die Engländer zu verstehen – 

ihre Sprache, ihre Kultur, ihre Eigenheiten. 

In 20 großen Quizthemen erweitern Sie 

Ihre Englisch-Kenntnisse und Ihr Wissen 

über Großbritannien. Zudem finden Sie 

viele unerhaltsame Anekdoten und Skurrilitäten 

und lernen sprachliche und kulturelle 

Fettnäpfchen zu vermeiden. Lösungen 

und Hintergrundinformationen sowie ein 

Wortverzeichnis sind ebenfalls enthalten. 

Buch mit 130 Seiten. Englisch 

Niveau A2-B2. Artikel-Nr. 15577 

€ 9,99 (D)/€ 10,30 (A) 

ELECTRONIC BOOKMARK 

– ZWEISPRACHRIG 

Endlich ist sie da: Die zweisprachige Version 

des Electronic Bookmark. Niemand 

möchte sich beim Lesen eines englischen 

Buches von unbekannten Wörtern aufhalten 

lassen. Abhilfe schafft dieses Elektronische 

Wörterbuch, das man immer bei 

sich tragen und als Lesezeichen benutzen 

kann. 38.000 Wörter aus dem Collins 

English Dictionary, das häufig in Schule 

und Studium genutzt wird. 

Elektronisches Wörterbuch. Englisch-Deutsch 

Artikel-Nr. 18129. € 24,99 (D)/€ 24,99 (A) 

FETTNÄPFCHENFÜHRER 

GROSSBRITANNIEN 

Was ist das bloß für ein Land, in dem 

die Telefonzellen rot sind und die Autos 

auf der linken Seite fahren? Schon der 

Pubbesuch wird zum Fiasko, wenn man 

nicht ein paar grundlegende Regeln beachtet. 

Und auch sprachlich gilt es so 

manche Feinheit zu berücksichtigen, 

um nicht in eines von so vielen britischen 

Fettnäpfchen zu treten. 

Buch mit 251 Seiten. Deutsch 

Artikel-Nr. 15576 

€ 10,95 (D)/€ 11,30 (A) 

FÜR SCHÜLER UND LEHRER 

LERNKRIMI 

ENGLISCHPIRAT 

Die neuen Piraten-Lernhilfen ENGLISCH machen das 

Lernen vielfältig und mit dem kostenlosen Zugang zu 

dem Online-Lernportal www.englischpirat.de auch medienübergreifend. 

Alle wichtigen Englisch-Themen sind 

nach dem Lehrplan für die Klassen 3 bis 7 altersgemäß 

aufbereitet. 

Leicht verständliche Erklärungen leiten jedes Kapitel 

ein. Auf der Audio-CD gibt es viele Hörtexte, passend 

zu den Hörverstehensübungen. Mit extra Lösungsheft. 

Englischpirat 3. Klasse Artikel-Nr. 15578 





Jeweils Buch + Audio-CD. Englisch 

je € 12,99 (D)/€ 13,40 (A) 

FIVE MILLION DOLLARS 

Eine US-Senatorin und ihre Tochter verschwinden 

kurz nach ihrer Ankunft in London. 

Wer hat sie entführt? Kann Kim die 

beiden retten? Lernkrimi mit landeskundlichen 

Infos zu Großbritannien und London. 

Buch mit Audio-CD. Englisch. Niveau B1/B2 

Artikel-Nr. 15574. € 9,95 (D)/€ 10,30 (A) 

Bei uns finden Sie Lese- und Hörproben zu den ausgewählten Produkten. Für aktuelle Informationen und

Kompetent. Persönlich. Individuell. 

SPRACHCOMPUTER 

SPRACHKURS 

SPRACHSPIEL 

von den Machern 

von Spotlight! 

CASIO EX WORD G6500C 

Das G6500C ist ideal für den intensiven 

Sprachanwender, wie z.B. Lehrer, Dolmetscher 

und Linguisten. 21 professionelle 

Nachschlagewerke für Englisch, 

Französisch, Deutsch, Latein und jetzt 

auch Spanisch mit logisch strukturierten 

Inhalten bewährter Partner wie PONS, 

Oxford und Duden in nur einem Gerät! 

Eine Vielzahl intelligenter Suchfunktionen 

ermöglicht Ihnen einen zielgerichteten, 

schnellen und einfachen Zugriff. 

Elektronisches Wörterbuch. Div. Sprachen 

Artikel-Nr. 13072. € 249,90 (D)/€ 249,90 (A) 

JOHN PETER SLOAN 

–INSTANT ENGLISCH 

Der Kurs für alle, die denken, dass sie 

selbst das Problem beim Englischlernen 

sind. Das Buch für Anfänger liest sich wie 

ein Roman und bringt den Lernern Englisch 

mit Witz und Humor bei. Der Kurs 

lehrt Stück für Stück wichtigen Wortschatz 

sowie die nötigen grammatischen Strukturen. 

Mit Videos zum Download. Auch 

für Lerner ohne Vorkenntnisse geeignet. 

Buch mit 402 Seiten. Englisch - Deutsch 


€ 14,99 (D)/€ 15,50 (A) 

ARE YOU JOKING? 

Das neue Spiel aus dem Spotlight Verlag, 

zusammengestellt von den Redakteuren 

von Spotlight! Englisch lernen wird mit 

diesem Spiel zum Witz. Spieler dürfen 

dabei Witze, Reime, Zungenbrecher und 

lustige Zitate zum Besten geben, gerne 

auch mimik- und gestenreich! Die Mitspieler 

hören genau zu und prüfen, ob sie 

ein Kärtchen mit einer im Text vorkommenden 

Vokabel besitzen. 

Englisches Sprachspiel. Niveau B1-C2 


€ 19,95 (D)/€ 19,95 (A) 

ROMAN 

WIE BESTELLE ICH DIESE PRODUKTE? 

Einfach auf www.sprachenshop.de gehen. 

Nach Artikel-Nummer oder Produktnamen suchen. 

Bestellen. 

BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL FOREVERS 

Annawadi ist ein Slum jenseits des luxuriösen 

Flughafens von Mumbai. Hier wohnen 

Tausende Menschen in notdürftig errichteten 

Hütten. Katherine Boo erzählt von 

den Menschen und ihren Hoffnungen. 

Gerne können Sie auch telefonisch, per E-Mail oder Post bestellen. Bei einer schriftlichen 

oder telefonischen Bestellung geben Sie bitte die Artikelnummer, die Menge 

sowie Ihre Anschrift an. 

E-Mail: bestellung@sprachenshop.de 

Telefon: +49 (0) 711 / 72 52-245 

Fax: +49 (0) 711 / 72 52-366 

Post: Postfach 81 06 80 


Deutschland 

Buch (256 Seiten). Englisch 

Artikel-Nr. 15575. € 15,30 (D)/€ 15,70 (A) 

Sonderangebote bestellen Sie einfach unseren kostenlosen Newsletter. Alles auf www.sprachenshop.de

LANGUAGE | Vocabulary 

Public transport 

You may use it every day, but can you talk about it in English? 

ANNA HOCHSIEDER presents words that have to do with public transport. 

9 

12 

6 

11 

1 

7 

4 

10 

2 

3 

5 

8 

14 

13 

15 

16 

1. (double-decker) bus 

5. bus stop 

9. map 

13. escalator 

2. passengers 

6. bus shelter 

10. ticket machine 

14. platform 

3. bus driver 

7. timetable 

11. tracks 

15. ticket inspector 

4. queue (UK), line (US) 

8. bus lane 

12. departures board 

16. ticket barrier 

Bus talk 

Train talk 

Excuse me. Does the number 12 bus go to Church 

Street Underground station? 

Let me see... No, it doesn’t. It’s best to take the 

number 19 to the station and walk from there. 

Or you could catch the 142 and then change at 

Rupert Square. The number 7 will take you to 

Church Street from there. 

But I thought the number 142 runs only once an 

hour. 

Oh, that’s right. And you’ve just missed it. Yes, it’s 

probably best to get the 19. It stops over there, 

where the queue is. 

I always go to work by train. It’s only a half-hour 

journey, and it’s much cheaper than driving. 

Haven’t they just put the fares up again, though? 

A single to the city centre costs £9, I think. 

Well, I’ve got a season ticket. It’s £147 a month, 

and it lets me travel all over the city as often as 

I like. 

But isn’t it hell during the rush hour, when everything 

is packed with commuters — especially in 

summer? I’d rather go on foot or by bike any day. 

No, it’s OK, and I can read the newspaper on the 

train, too. 

Illustration: Bernhard Förth 

50 


Möchten Sie noch mehr Tipps und Übungen? Abonnieren Sie Spotlight plus! www.spotlight-online.de/ueben 

Practice 

Now try the exercises below to practise talking about public transport. 

1. Match the words on the left to their definitions on the right. 

a) A fare... 

b) A commuter... 

c) A ticket barrier... 

d) A timetable... 

e) A season ticket... 

f) A passenger... 

a ➯ 

b ➯ 

c ➯ 

d ➯ 

e ➯ 

f ➯ 

1. is a ticket that lets you make regular journeys during a particular period. 

2. is someone who travels in a car, bus or train but does not drive it. 

3. is a list of the times when buses or trains leave. 

4. is someone who travels regularly to and from a place of work. 

5. is a gate where your ticket is checked before you go on to the platform. 

6. is the price you pay to travel by public transport. 

2. Complete the sentences below with words from the opposite page. 

a) You’re not allowed to drive along there. That’s the _______________. 

b) Oh, no! The _______________’s out of order. I’ll have to carry all these bags up the 

stairs. 

c) Look at that long _______________ at the bus stop. It’ll be quicker to walk. 

d) The city is putting up new _______________ so passengers can keep out of the 

wind and rain. 

e) I don’t understand this _______________. Are the blue lines the buses or the trams? 

3. In each line, one of the verbs printed in bold 

is incorrect in the context. Cross it out. 

a) Do you catch, get, go or take a bus? 

b) Do you come, drive, go or travel by train? 

c) Do you go by bus, car, foot or train? 

The verb get is used very 

commonly — often in the 

context of travel: 

• How do you get to 

(= travel to) work? 

• What time did you get in 

(= arrive) this morning? 

• When do you usually get 

(= arrive) home? 

• I usually get (= take) the 

subway (US) to 42nd Street. 

Remember: you get on or off 

a bus, a tram, a train, a plane 

or a boat, but you get into or 

out of a car or a taxi. 

Tips 

4. Complete the table below with words from the opposite page in British and American English. 

British English 

American English 

a) the system of buses, trains and trams: ___________________ public transportation 

b) a ticket for just one journey: a __________________ a one-way ticket 

c) a system of trains that travel through tunnels below a city: the ________________ the _______________ 

d) the time spent travelling from one place to another: a __________________ a trip 

Answers 

1. a–6 (fare: Fahrpreis); b–4 (commuter: Pendler(in)); c–5 (ticket barrier: Durchgangssperre); d–3; e–1 (season ticket: Dauerkarte); f–2 

2. a) bus lane; b) escalator (Rolltreppe); c) queue (US: line); d) bus shelters (Buswartehäuschen); e) map 

3. a) You can catch, get or take a bus. b) You can come, go or travel by train, but you drive a train only 

if you’re a train driver. c) You can go by bus, car or train, but you go on foot. 

4. a) public transport; b) single (ticket); c) Underground, subway; d) journey 


51

LANGUAGE | Travel Talk 

On a cruise 

It’s time to sail away 

on an ocean cruise 

with RITA FORBES. 

First dinner 

Hi! I’m Sally, and this is Rupert. 

Hello! We’re Gina and Frank. Embarkation day is 

always so exciting: finding your cabin, doing the 

lifeboat drill, meeting new people... What do you 

think of the ship? 

Well, she’s very big, isn’t she? How many passengers 

are there on this trip? 

Around 3,000, I think — not counting the crew, 

of course. It’s nice that we’ve been assigned dining 

tables and times, isn’t it? Otherwise we might never 

see the same face twice. 

That’s true. Have you been on lots of cruises? 

This is our third. Our first was in the Bahamas, too. 

Booking activities 

Excuse me! I’d like to book a shore excursion. 

Yes, of course. Here’s a list of our ports of call. We 

offer a number of different activities at each one. 

My husband and I would like to do some 

snorkelling. 

There are still a few places left for Nassau. We’ll be 

docking there on Friday. 

That’s perfect! 

Good. I’ll charge it to your on-board account. 

Would you just sign here, please? 

A relaxed day 

Frank said there’s a tour of the bridge and galley 

at 10 o’clock today. Do you want to go? 

Why not? That sounds interesting — a look behind 

the scenes. 

We could go and sunbathe on the lido deck afterwards, 

couldn’t we? 

That’s exactly what I was thinking. Not do much 

all day, and then finish up at the 

midnight buffet. 

charge to sth. [(tSA:dZ tE] 

cruise [kru:z] 

etw. belasten 

Kreuzfahrt 

• Embarkation is a noun that describes going on to 

a ship. If you leave, you “disembark” (von Bord gehen). 

• The room in which you sleep on a boat or ship is 

called a cabin. On a cruise ship, you can also book a 

suite [swi:t] or a stateroom (Luxuskabine). 

• Ships must, by law, carry out (durchführen) a lifeboat 

drill at the beginning of a cruise, so that passengers 

know what to do in an emergency. 

• A ship is often referred to as she, not “he” or “it”. 

• The times and seating plan for meals have been 

assigned. This means that cruise passengers have 

been told where they should sit at mealtimes and 

what these times are. Passengers often share a table 

with the same people for the whole cruise. 

• A shore excursion [Ik(sk§:S&n] is an activity or tour 

that takes place on land and is organized by the cruise 

company. “Onshore” means on land; “offshore” means 

on the water (as in “offshore oil rig” (Ölbohrinsel)). 

• A port of call is a place where a ship makes a temporary 

stop. Cruise ships usually have several ports of 

call where passengers can disembark. 

• Nassau [(nÄsO:] is the capital city of the Bahamas 

and a popular port of call for cruise ships. About 

250,000 people live in Nassau, and many thousands of 

cruise passengers may be there at any one time. English 

is the official language of the Bahamas. 

• The noun dock means the place on land where cruise 

and other ships can stop for people to get on and off. 

The verb “to dock” means to arrive at a dock. 

• Cash is not used on a cruise ship. Instead, you have 

an on-board account to which all the extra items 

(Einzelposten) you buy or activities you sign up for 

during your cruise are charged. You pay the total with 

your credit card at the end of the trip. 

• The bridge is the part of a ship where the captain and 

other officers control operations. 

• The galley [(gÄli] is a ship’s kitchen area. 

• The lido deck [(li:dEU )dek] is the part of a ship that 

has an outdoor (Außen-) swimming pool. Lido is the 

Italian word for “shore”. 

• Food is included in the cost of a cruise — and there is 

a lot of it. Apart from 24-hour room service, midnight 

buffets [(bUfeI] are often offered. 

Tips 

Fotos: Creatas; iStockphoto 


Cards | LANGUAGE 

cli-fi 

NEW WORDS 

More and more cli-fi novels have been winning 

important literary prizes. 

GLOBAL ENGLISH 

What would a speaker of standard 

English say? 

Welsh speaker: “Where to is your mam, butty?” 



(IN)FORMAL ENGLISH 

Make this command sound more formal: 

Shut up and listen to me, for Chrissake! 

TRANSLATION 

Translate the following sentences: 

1. Lass mich dir einen Rat geben. 

2. Sie hat mir zwei Ratschläge gegeben. 

Spotlight 9|13 Spotlight 9|13 

PRONUNCIATION 

IDIOM MAGIC 

Read the following words aloud: 

accident 

account 

Ching Yee Smithback 

eccentric 

succinct 

occupy 

tobacco 

washed-up 


FALSE FRIENDS 

slipper / Slipper 

Translate the following sentences: 

1. The dog ate my slippers. 

2. Diese italienischen Slipper waren richtig teuer. 

GRAMMAR 

Complete these sentences with the 

correct pronoun: 

1. When he’s alone, Tom talks to _____ (sich). 

2. Tom put the book down on the chair next to 

_____ (sich). 

Spotlight 9|13 Spotlight 9|13

LANGUAGE | Cards 

GLOBAL ENGLISH 

In informal spoken British English you might hear: 

“Where’s your mum, mate?” 

The words and phrases in bold on the front of this 

card — the expansion of “where” to “where to”, 

and the use of “butty” to mean “friend” or “mate” 

(Kumpel) — are typical of southern Welsh English. 

In northern Wales, people would understand the 

word “butty” to mean “sandwich”. 

NEW WORDS 

The new expression cli-fi [)klaI (faI] comes from 

“climate fiction”, just as “sci-fi” [)saI (faI] was 

once formed from “science fiction”. Cli-fi novels 

deal with the effects of climate change and are 

often set (spielen) in the present or near future. 



TRANSLATION 

1. Let me give you some advice. 

2. She gave me two pieces of advice. 

German Rat can be both uncountable (Rat suchen) 

and countable — at least in the singular form — as 

in example (1). English “advice”, however, is never 

countable. In (1), “a / one piece of advice” could 

also be used instead of “some advice”. 

(IN)FORMAL ENGLISH 

Stop talking and listen to me, for goodness’ 

sake! 

“For Chrissake” [fE (kraIs)seIk] is an informal way 

of spelling / pronouncing “for Christ’s sake”, 

which is used in a similar way to um Gottes willen 

in German. Other frequently used alternatives are 

“for God’s / heaven’s sake”. 


IDIOM MAGIC 

PRONUNCIATION 

A person who is described as washed-up is 

thought to be no longer effective or successful at 

something. Depending on the context, “washedup” 

might be translated as erledigt or gescheitert. 

[(ÄksIdEnt] 

[Ik(sentrIk] 

[sEk(sINkt] 

[E(kaUnt] 

[(QkjupaI] 

[tE(bÄkEU] 

“Marie’s mother is a washed-up film actress.” 

The letter combination “cc” is pronounced [k] in 

most cases, but usually [ks] when followed by 

“e” or “i”. The Italian word “cappuccino”, with the 

sound [tS], is an exception. 


GRAMMAR 

1. When he’s alone, Tom talks to himself. 

2. Tom put the book down on the chair next to 

him. 

When the object of a preposition refers to the 

subject, it is normally reflexive, as in (1). 

When the preposition reflects a spatial (räumlich) 

relationship, however, as in (2), it is generally 

non-reflexive. 

FALSE FRIENDS 

1. Der Hund hat meine Hausschuhe gefressen. 

2. These Italian loafers were really expensive. 

British speakers also call German Slipper a “slip-on 

(shoe)”. 

Spotlight 9|13 Spotlight 9|13

Fotos: Hemera; iStockphoto 

A gap year 

1. We need to talk 

Olivia is thinking about taking a gap year. She is talking 

to her parents, Kirsty and Alan. 

Olivia: Mum! Dad! I need to talk to you. 

Kirsty: Oh, dear! That sounds ominous. What is it? 

Olivia: Well, you know I’ve got a place at uni? 

Alan: Yes... 

Olivia: I’m thinking of deferring and using the 

chance to take a gap year — with Freya. 

Alan: How much is that going to cost, then? 

Kirsty: Oh, Alan! Honestly! Give Olivia a chance to 

explain. 

Olivia: I haven’t worked out the details, but we know 

we want to travel and work. We thought we 

could maybe volunteer... 

Alan: 

let out [let (aUt] UK untervermieten 

ominous [(QmInEs] verdächtig 

Listen to dialogues 2 and 3 

This month, DAGMAR TAYLOR looks at the 

words and phrases people use when they talk 

about taking a year off between school and 

university or college. 

As long as you can find a way to finance it, I 

think it’s a great idea. You may never have the 

opportunity again to see the world and learn 

first-hand about other cultures. 

Olivia: Thanks, Dad. I knew you’d understand. 

Alan: And it means we can let out your room. 

• When people are accepted for their chosen 

course of study, they have a place (on a course or 

at university). 

• Uni [(ju:ni] (UK ifml.) is short for “university”. 

• Deferring means to delay a university course to take 

a gap year. In other contexts, “defer” takes an object. 

• When a person takes a gap year (or a “year out”), he 

or she spends a year working and / or travelling, often 

between school and starting college or university. 

• Here, honestly is used to show that Kirsty is annoyed 

by Alan’s comment. 

• When you work sth. out, you plan or think about it. 

• If you volunteer, you work without being paid. The 

work is often for charity, and the volunteer gains work 

and life experience. 

• When the adverb phrase as 

long as comes at the start of 

a sentence, it means “only if”. 

Tips 

2. Putting together a plan 

Everyday English | LANGUAGE 

Olivia and her friend Freya are in a cafe talking about 

their gap-year plans. 

Olivia: OK. Which countries do you want to go to? 

Freya: Well, I know I want to go backpacking round 

Europe... 

Olivia: Yeah. Me, too. 

Freya: ...and I really want to go to Australia. I’ve been 

in touch with my rellies in Sydney. It wouldn’t 

be a problem to stay with them for a while. 

Olivia: Really? Oh, my God! That’s amazing! If we get 

one of those working-holiday visas, we could 

probably find jobs in cafes or restaurants and 

make enough money to travel. 

Freya: Yeah, and we could stay in youth hostels or 

even try couchsurfing. 

Olivia: Dylan... You know Dylan, right? 

Freya: Yeah. 

Olivia: He was telling me about this programme... 

• A popular way to travel cheaply is to go backpacking 

— carrying your clothes and equipment in a 

backpack (or rucksack). 

• When you communicate with someone, usually by 

phone or in writing, you can say you are in touch. 

• Rellies (Aus. ifml.) is short for “relatives”. Australians 

are known for their use of slang, in which they typically 

shorten words and change word endings. 

• You stay somewhere when you live in a place tempo - 

rarily as a guest or as a visitor. 

• A working-holiday visa allows you to live and work in 

Australia for up to 12 months. You can apply for a visa 

on the Australian government website: 

australia.gov.au 

• Many people offer travellers a bed or sofa in their 

homes to sleep on. Staying with these people is called 

couchsurfing (ifml.). See www.couchsurfing.org 

youth hostel [(ju:T )hQst&l] 

Jugendherberge 

Tips 


55

LANGUAGE | Everyday English 

3. Wwoofing 4. Letting go 

Olivia and her friend Freya are still talking about 

what they’re going to do on their year out. 

Kirsty and Alan are talking about 

their daughter Olivia’s gap year. 

Olivia: It’s called “wwoofing”. 

Freya: What’s wwoofing? 

Olivia: “World-Wide Opportunities on Organic 

Farms”. They have the scheme in loads of different 

countries, and you work for four to six 

hours a day on a farm in exchange for food 

and accommodation. 

Freya: Farming? I don’t know the first thing about it. 

Olivia: Yeah, but you’ll learn. We could harvest grapes 

in Italy or make cheese in Switzerland... 

Freya: Great! It sounds really glamorous. 

Olivia: Don’t be like that. Have a look at the website, 

at least. I think it would be a great way to 

meet interesting people and get to know the 

country. 

Alan: We’re soon going to be empty nesters. 

Kirsty: I can’t wait! 

Alan: Really? I thought it’d be a wrench for you. 

Kirsty: Don’t get me wrong. Of course I’ll miss her, but 

you have to let go at some point, don’t you? 

She’s so together now and ... grown-up. 

Alan: I’m glad that she’ll be travelling with Freya, 

though. 

Kirsty: Yes, me too. They’ve sorted out their own insurance 

and visas, and they’ve even found out 

about the best way to carry money. 

Alan: We should make copies of the most important 

documents, just in case. 

Kirsty: She’s done that already. They’re all here. She’s 

going to be fine. 

• On an organic farm, no artificial fertilizers 

[A:tI)fIS&l (f§:tElaIzE] (Kunstdünger) or pesticides 

[(pestIsaId] are used. 

• If you do one thing in exchange for another, you get 

something in return for what you did or gave. 

• In British English, accommodation is uncountable. In 

US English, it is used in the plural: “accommodations”. 

• If you know nothing at all about a subject, you can say 

that you don’t know the first thing about it. 

• Olivia says Don’t be like that because she is disappointed 

that Freya has reacted sarcastically. 

• Here, at least is used to mean “even if you do nothing 

else”. 

Tips 

• A parent whose child has grown up and left home 

is known informally as an empty nester (N. Am.). 

• To emphasize how excited you feel about something, 

you can say: I can’t wait! 

• If something is a wrench [rentS], it makes you feel 

pain or unhappiness. (wrench: Schraubenschlüssel ) 

• Don’t get me wrong means “don’t misunderstand 

me”. 

• When parents let go of their child, they allow him or 

her to be an independent adult. 

• Someone who is together is organized and confident. 

• If you organize something successfully, you sort it 

out. 

Tips 

EXERCISES 

harvest [(hA:vIst] 

scheme [ski:m] 

ernten 

Programm 

1. What do the words in bold refer to in the 

dialogues? 

a) I think it’s a great idea. _____________________________ 

b) It wouldn’t be a problem to stay with them. _________ 

c) It sounds really glamorous._________________________ 

d) She’s done that already. _______________________________ 

grown-up [)grEUn (Vp] erwachsen 

insurance [In(SUErEns] Versicherung 

just in case [)dZVst In (keIs] für alle Fälle 

3. True or false? 

a) Olivia has a place at university. _________ 

b) Freya has a family in New Zealand. _________ 

c) Freya doesn’t know what wwoofing is. _________ 

d) Kirsty is worried about Olivia. _________ 

2. Add the missing word. 

a) I haven’t worked ______ the details. 

b) Dylan was telling me ______ this programme. 

c) You work ______ a farm. 

d) They’ve sorted ______ their own insurance. 

4. What did they say? 

a) I’m thinking of d _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and taking a gap year. 

b) I want to go b _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ round Europe. 

c) You work in exchange for a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. 

d) We’re going to be e _ _ _ _ n _ _ _ _ _ _. 


Answers: 1. a) taking a gap year; b) Freya’s relatives; c) working on farms; d) made copies of the most important documents; 

2. a) out; b) about; c) on; d) out; 3. a) true; b) false; c) true; d) false; 4. a) deferring; b) backpacking; c) accommodation; d) empty nesters

The Grammar Page | LANGUAGE 

The past perfect 

continuous 

ADRIAN DOFF uses notes on a short dialogue to present and 

explain a key point of grammar. 

Mark and Val are exchanging some news. 

Mark: Did you hear about Peter — Sue’s boyfriend? 

Val: Oh, you mean the one with all the money? No. 

What about him? 

Mark: Well he crashed 1 his car and was taken 1 to hospital. 

He’s OK, though, it seems. 

Val: What happened? 

Mark: He drove into a tree. He was on his way home after 

he’d been celebrating 2 his 21st birthday somewhere. 

Val: Had he been drinking? 3 

Mark: No, he hadn’t 4 , but he was talking 5 on his mobile 

phone, so he wasn’t paying attention. 5 

Val: Well, that’s illegal, too. 

Mark: Yes, I know. Really dangerous. Anyway, a car came 

out 5 from the side suddenly, and Peter came off 5 

the road. He wasn’t badly injured — just a few cuts. 

Val: And the car? 

Mark: He wasn’t so lucky there. It was a brand-new BMW. 

His dad had given 6 it to him for his birthday. 

He’d only been driving 7 it for a week... 

Remember! 

Forms of the past perfect continuous: 

Positive: had been + verb + -ing 

• He’d been driving the car for six months. 

Negative: hadn’t been + verb + -ing 

• He hadn’t been driving the car for long. 

Question: Had (subject) been + verb + -ing? 

• Had he been driving the car for long? 

1 Mark is telling a story that happened in the past, so he 

uses the past simple tense in the active and passive form. 

2 Here, Mark is talking about background activities that 

continued for a period of time up to the main event of 

the story — the crash. He uses the past perfect continuous 

tense: had (or ’d) been + verb + -ing. 

3 To ask a question in the past perfect continuous, the subject 

and “had” change positions: He had... ➝ Had he...? 

4 This is the contracted negative form of He had not been 

drinking. 

5 Now Mark is talking about the crash itself again, so he 

uses the past continuous and past simple tenses. (Peter 

was using his phone when the other car came out of the 

side road.) 

6 This is the past perfect simple, used to describe a single 

event that happened before the main event of the story. 

7 Here again, the past perfect continuous tense describes 

an activity going on for a period of time before the crash. 

Beyond the basics 

Simple and continuous tenses 

Simple tenses are generally used for single events and 

continuous tenses for ongoing activities: 

• I’m hungry! I’ve been working all day, and all I’ve 

had is a ham sandwich. (someone talking now) 

• When I got home, I was hungry. I’d been working 

all day, and all I’d had was a ham sandwich. 

(someone talking about the past) 

EXERCISE 

Complete the sentences below with a verb from the list in the past perfect continuous. 

climb | listen | look | save up | sit | wear | work 

d) We really needed a holiday. We _____________________ 

hard all year. 

a) They reached the mountain hut very late. They 

e) He smelt terrible. He _____________________ the same 

_____________________ for six hours. 

shirt for three days. 

b) We finally had enough money to buy a flat. 

f) My shoulders were burned. I _____________________ 

We _____________________ for years. 

in the sun for too long. 

c) In December, I managed to get a job. 

g) I had no idea what the talk was about. I (not) 

I _____________________ for one since May. 

_____________________. 

Answers: a) had been climbing; b) had been saving up; c) had been looking; d) had been working; e) had been wearing; 

f) had been sitting; g) hadn’t been listening 


57

LANGUAGE | The Soap 

Helen 

Phil 

Peggy 

It’s all about beer 

Join us at Peggy’s Place — Spotlight ’s very 

own London pub. By INEZ SHARP 

George 

Sean 

FOCUS 

Peggy: Can’t believe the summer’s already over. 

Helen: Perhaps we’ll have a nice September. Anyway, 

you’ve still got some colour. 

Peggy: Yeah. Ibiza was great — even if I didn’t see much 

of Jane. 

Helen: Out every night, was she? 

Peggy: Yup. Honestly, my daughter has the energy of a teen - 

ager — and the mental age, too, come to think of it. 

Helen: Didn’t Simone mind? 

Peggy: No. I think she sometimes finds her mother a bit 

embarrassing: all the tight clothes and the flirting. 

Helen: Speaking of bad behaviour, how are things with 

Sean? I see he’s back in the kitchen. 

Phil: Yes. He sauntered in the morning after the row as if 

nothing had happened, and that was it. 

Peggy: I think he’s just a bit temperamental sometimes. 

They say the best chefs are. And he’s right about the 

customers. They love him and his cooking. 

George: I hate to be a nuisance, but any chance of a drink? 

Peggy: I’m sorry, love. I didn’t see you there. What’ll it be? 

George: Phil had lager here a couple of weeks ago from 

some microbrewery. 

Phil: Oh, you mean Beetle Beer. It’s from Cornwall. Sean 

read about it and thought we should try it. 

Helen: Can you sell any beer you like? 

Peggy: We’re not a tied pub, if that’s what you mean. 

We’re independent — always have been. 

Helen: There must be advantages to being supported by 

one of the breweries. Have you ever thought about...? 

Phil: Over my dead body! It’s not support those pub companies 

offer. They milk all the profits out of the pubs, 

and the landlord’s just a glorified manager. 

Helen: But the landlords still own their pubs, don’t they? 

Peggy: Na. In most cases, pub companies own the property, 

and the publican’s a tenant. 

Phil: Dennis over at the King’s Head — I’ve known him 

for donkey’s years — he sold out to one of the pub 

companies, and now he’s sorry for it. Him and Audrey 

are only just scraping by. 

This month, the conversation at Peggy’s Place is about 

tied pubs. Around half the public houses in the UK are run 

under a tied system. So-called pub companies own the 

houses, and the landlord rents the building but is tied to the 

make of beer that the pub company chooses. Critics of tied 

pubs say that the rents can be high and the beer is expensive, 

so that landlords find it hard to make a profit. The system 

also limits the variety of beers available in British pubs. 


Eddy 

“ ” 

Can you sell any beer you like? 

Jane 

Peggy: So many pubs are closing. I read somewhere that 

every week 18 pubs close around Britain. 

Helen: But is that just the fault of the pub companies? 

Peggy: No. It’s the price of drink at the supermarkets that’s 

hitting the pub trade hard. Your average pub can’t compete 

with those kind of rock-bottom prices. 

Phil: And the smoking ban. That hasn’t exactly helped. 

Helen: How many independent pubs are there? 

Peggy: Well, they say there are about 50,000 pubs in the 

UK, and maybe half of them are independent. 

Phil: We’re the ones supporting the new microbreweries. 

Helen: But that’s just a trend, isn’t it? 

Phil: I don’t know. I’ve tried some of the beers they produce, 

and the quality is really first-class. 

Peggy: Take that Beetle Beer George asked for: it’s got a 

great flavour. And it’s nice talking to the brewers. It’s 

much more personal. They want to tell you about their 

beer and ask for feedback. You don’t get that with the 

big companies. 

George: I hate to interrupt your discussion on the state of 

the British brewing industry, but if you don’t give me 

my beer soon, I’ll take my custom to the King’s Head. 

Dennis might be just a glorified manager, but at least 

he does his job and doesn’t simply talk about it. 

ban [bÄn] 

Verbot 

chef [Sef] 

Küchenchef(in) 

come to think of it 

wenn ich es mir recht 

[)kVm tE (TINk Qv It] 

überlege 

custom: take one’s ~ elsewhere 

anderswo hingehen 

[(kVstEm] UK 

embarrassing [Im(bÄrEsIN] 

peinlich 

for donkey’s years [fE (dQNkiz jIEz] UK ifml. seit einer Ewigkeit 

glorified manager [)glO:rIfaId (mÄnIdZE] besserer Verwalter 

landlord [(lÄndlO:d] 

Wirt 

microbrewery [(maIkrEU)bruEri] 

kleine Brauerei 

nuisance: hate to be a ~ [(nju:s&ns] nicht lästig sein wollen 

publican [(pVblIkEn] UK 

Wirt 

rock-bottom prices [)rQk )bQtEm (praIsIz] Tiefstpreise 

row [raU] UK 

Streit 

saunter in [)sO:ntE (In] 

hereinschlendern 

scrape by [skreIp (baI] 

gerade so über die 

Runden kommen 

tenant [(tenEnt] Mieter, Pächter (➝ p. 61) 

Have a look at all the characters from Peggy’s Place at 

www.spotlight-online.de/peggy

English at Work | LANGUAGE 

Dear Ken: How 

do I end a formal 

letter correctly? 

Dear Ken 

Could you please tell me how I should end a formal letter? 

I’m confused. I’ve seen “Yours faithfully” when the letter 

begins with “Dear Sir or Madam” and “Yours sincerely” 

after “Dear Mr Miller”, but in one book, I read “Dear Sir 

or Madam” and “Yours sincerely”. Is “Yours faithfully” 

used much less now, like the German Hochachtungsvoll ? 

Even in applications, we write “Mit freundlichen Grüßen”. 

Is there a difference in ending between a formal letter and 

an application, and between American English and British 

English? 

Regards 

Regina W. 

Dear Regina 

Ending a formal letter should not be complicated. Like 

you, I always use “Yours sincerely” when I write the addressee’s 

name in the greeting. I also use “Yours faithfully” 

when I start with “Dear Sir or Madam”. This is standard 

British English business practice. I would suggest you continue 

to use these conventions. 

In the US, there are some differences. A standard formal 

ending that you might use if you are not writing to a specific 

person is “Sincerely”. If you are writing to a named 

person, then “Sincerely yours” expresses your wish to establish 

or continue good business relations with him or 

her. “Yours truly” is used for personal but polite correspondence; 

for example, to a family member whom you don’t 

know well. 

Application letters are formal letters. So it’s best to use the 

conventions I mentioned in the first paragraph. 

One additional tip I have is this: remember that the first 

sentence after the greeting always starts with a capital letter, 

unlike in German. 

All the best 

Ken 

abbreviation [E)bri:vi(eIS&n] Abkürzung 

addressee [)Ädres(i:] 

Adressat 

capital letter [)kÄpIt&l (letE] Großbuchstabe 

care about sth.: not ~ nichts gegen etw. haben, 

[(keE E)baUt] 

jmdm. egal sein 

fairly [(feEli] ziemlich, relativ (➝ p. 61) 

recede [ri(si:d] 

verschwinden 

recipient [ri(sIpiEnt] 

Empfänger(in) 

Send your questions 

about business English 

by e-mail with “Dear 

Ken” in the subject line to 

language@spotlight-verlag.de. 

Each month, I answer two questions 

Spotlight readers have sent in. If one of 

them is your question, you’ll receive a 

copy of my book: Fifty Ways to Improve 

Your Business English. So don’t forget 

to add your mailing address! 

Dear Ken 

I read your column in Spotlight 4/13. Some years ago, our 

(British) English teacher at work specifically told us not to 

write BR as an abbreviation for “Best regards”, at least not 

to British people, since this abbreviation stands for British 

Railways in Britain. We were told we should write out 

“Best regards” in full instead. What is your view on that? 

I also notice you don’t put full stops after the B or R — 

like this: B.R. I was taught always to use full stops in 

abbreviations. Has that rule changed? 

I’m looking forward to your reply. 

Kind regards 

Eva L. (Malmö, Sweden) 

Dear Eva 

Thanks for your e-mail. 

Basically, I agree with your English teacher about the abbreviation 

BR. It does have connotations for older British 

recipients of e-mails. But because British Rail(ways) has 

receded into history since the privatization of the railways, 

younger writers probably don’t associate it with BR, and 

therefore don’t care about using BR for “Best regards”. 

I’ll continue to write the phrase out in full in e-mails. I 

used “BR” in my column because it has come into use 

fairly recently. 

In British English at least, we tend to leave out the full 

stop in abbreviations that include the first and last letters 

of a single word, such as Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr, etc. 

BR — sorry! — Best regards 

Ken 

Ken Taylor is the director of Taylor Consultancy Ltd, an international 

communication-skills consultancy in London. He regularly 

runs seminars in Germany. 


59

LANGUAGE | Spoken English 

He’s done it! 

ADRIAN DOFF looks at how the word “do” is 

used in spoken English. 

• Did you have a good time at the party? 

— Yes, I did, thanks. It was great! 

• I do everything in this house. Why can’t you help a 

little sometimes? 

As you can see from the examples in the box, “do” is used 

in two main ways. In the first example, “do” is an auxiliary 

verb [O:g(zIliEri )v§:b] (Hilfsverb), used here in its past simple 

form “did”. In the second example, “do” is a main verb, 

used to talk about activities. On this page, we discuss this 

second use of “do” as a main verb. 

As a main verb, “do” normally has a general meaning, as in 

the following common questions: 

• What do you do? (= What’s your job?) 

possible answer: I work in a bank. 

• What are you doing? (= at this moment) 

possible answer: I’m reading. 

• How are you doing? (= How are you?) 

possible answer: Fine, thanks. 

“Do” is used to talk about: 

1. studying 

You might do a course (in languages), do a university degree 

or do research. If you are a school pupil, you have to 

do your homework. 

2. work in the home 

You might do the cleaning, do the washing (= wash 

clothes) or do the washing-up (UK = wash the dishes). All 

these activities are part of doing the housework. Someone 

also has to do the cooking and do the shopping. 

3. sport and fitness 

Some people do yoga; others do fitness training (in a 

sports club) or do exercises at home. Notice the difference 

between do exercises (such as sit-ups) and do exercise (in 

general): 

• My father’s over 80, but he still does his exercises 

every morning. 

• You’re putting on weight. You need to do more 

exercise. (= be more active) 

“Do” is often used before a quantity expression + -ing: 

• When we lived in Cornwall, I used to do a lot of sailing. 

(= I often went sailing.) 

• She lives alone, so she doesn’t do much cooking. 

“Do” can also be used informally in place of another verb: 

• Can you do the potatoes? (= cook them) 

• I’ll just do my hair. (= brush / wash it) 

• Have you done the sitting room yet? (= cleaned it) 

“Do” has other common meanings in spoken English. 

It’ll do. (= It’s good enough.): 

• I’ve finished my essay. It’s not that good, but it’ll do. 

You’ve been done. (UK = cheated): 

• You paid £6,000 for that car? I think you’ve been done. 

Now you’ve done it. (= You’re in trouble.): 

• I got really angry with her again. — Well, now you’ve 

done it. She’ll probably never speak to you again. 

do (someone) out of (UK ifml. = cheat): 

• When I left the company, they tried to do me out of a 

month’s pay. (= They didn’t want to pay me.) 

do (someone) good / harm: 

• Drink this green tea. It’ll do you good. 

• All those sweets he eats don’t seem to do him any harm. 

done (= cooked): 

• OK, the potatoes are done. Let’s eat! 

“Do” is also used in phrases that include with or without. 

could do with (= would like / need): 

• I’m thirsty. I could do with a beer. 

make do with (= manage): 

• You sleep in the bed. I’ll make do with the sofa. 

(= It’s not ideal, but I’ll survive.) 

do without (= manage or survive without): 

• I love my smartphone. I just couldn’t do without it. 

Complete the sentences below with the correct 

word or phrase. 

a) He’s very fit. He does / goes a lot of running. 

b) Look! Now you’ve been done / done it. It’s broken. 

c) He doesn’t do any exercises / exercise. He just 

watches TV all day. 

d) They tried to do me into / out of my money. 

e) I really couldn’t do with / without a laptop. I use it 

all the time. 

f) He should try to find a girlfriend. It would do him 

good / do him well. 

(= She doesn’t cook much.) Answers: a) does; b) done it; c) exercise; d) out of; e) without; f) do him good 

EXERCISE 

Foto: iStockphoto 

60 


Word Builder | LANGUAGE 

Build your vocabulary 

JOANNA WESTCOMBE presents useful words and phrases from this issue of Spotlight and their 

collocations. The words may also have other meanings that are not listed here. 

arch [A:tS] noun p. 6 

tenant [(tenEnt] noun p. 58 

curved structure, often found in churches or above a 

door or gateway 

Bogen 

The pointed arches in Durham Cathedral were 

the first of their kind. 

a person who rents a flat, house, office, etc. from 

the owner 

Mieter, Pächter 

Our long-term tenant has just moved out, so 

we have to start looking for a new one. 

Gewölbe is also usually translated as arch; 

Senkfuß = fallen arches. 

A tenant pays rent to a landlord or landlady. 

argue [(A:gju:] verb p. 13 

bang shut [bÄN (SVt] verb pp. 24, 66 

to speak angrily because you disagree about something 

to close (something) loudly 

streiten 

zuknallen; mit lautem Krach zufallen 

I don’t want to argue with you about this any 

more. You know I’m right! 

We need something to stop the kitchen door 

banging shut. 

If you argue, you have an argument (about something). 

See the extra notes below on how to use the verb bang. 

fairly [(feEli] adverb p. 59 

respective [ri(spektIv] adjective p. 27 

relatively, quite 

to do with or belonging to each thing mentioned 

ziemlich, relativ 

jeweilig 

I don’t know exactly, but I’m fairly sure 

Kathy’s new baby is a boy. 

The women exchanged stories about their respective 

husbands and children. 

Other common collocations: fairly 

soon; fairly early/late; fairly quick 

The adverb respectively orders and separates details: 

“Dave and Joe worked here for 12 and 17 years respectively.” 


How to use the verb bang 

Bang! is the noise of a window closing 

in the wind, a balloon popping or 

a gun going off. The verb bang takes various prepositions. 

Bang out means to play a tune badly and loudly: 

• Auntie June banged out the melody on the piano. 

But bang doesn’t always have to do with a loud noise. 

You can bang your head on a low ceiling, or bang 

your knee if you bang into a low table. Ouch! 

If a person bangs on (about sth.) (UK), he or she talks 

about something for a long time in a boring way: 

• Uncle Tom is always banging on about the army. 

If you bang away at something, you work hard at it: 

• Tom is still banging away at her church newsletter. 

Be careful with the slang expression banged up, which 

can mean both to be in prison (UK) or badly injured. 

Complete the following sentences with words 

from this page in their correct form. 

a) They are a very happy couple. They never seem to 

____________. 

b) The boat will only fit under the middle ____________ 

of the bridge. 

c) I didn’t know about the plans until ____________ 

recently. 

d) Careful! Mind you don’t ____________ your head on 

that cupboard. 

e) I want to live in my own home. I’m tired of being 

someone’s ____________. 

f) Both scientists are experts in their ____________ 

fields. 

OVER TO YOU! 

Answers: a) argue; b) arch; c) fairly; d) bang; 

e) tenant; f) respective 


61

LANGUAGE | Perfectionists Only! 

WILL O’RYAN explains developments in the English language and examines 

some of the finer points of grammar. 

The one 

before that 

In a series of things, what do you call 

the item that comes right before the 

very last one? In normal, everyday 

English, it’s either “the last but one” or 

“the second to last”; for example, “the 

second to last train”. Many welleducated 

speakers with a fondness 

(Vorliebe) for Latinate morphology 

might prefer to speak of “the penultimate 

train”. And the one before that? 

The predictable “last but two” / “third 

from last” have a serious competitor 

in “antepenultimate”. Can this continue? 

Not for long: the next and final 

member of this group of adjectives is 

“pre-antepenultimate”. “Last but 

three” may serve you better, however. 

Back to the roots 

You may have heard native English 

speakers refer to the flat of the hand 

as Palme instead of Handfläche, when 

speaking German. The reason for this 

classic mistake is that English “palm” 

and German Palme are half-false 

friends. Not surprisingly, both come 

from the same Latin root, palma. The 

original Latin meaning of palma was 

“palm of the hand” — the palm tree 

got its name from the shape of its 

leaves, which look like the fingers of 

a hand. With Christianity, 

the word made it to northern 

Europe, where 

the tree does not 

grow. The original 

meaning is still 

present in “palm”, 

but not in Palme. 

On the other hand, 

the German word 

has developed a further 

sense with no 

English counterpart: 

auf die 

Palme bringen, 

auf der Palme sein. 


The first-person imperative 

Which sentence is less formal? 

Grammar 

The following two sentences appear to contain the same verb — “let”: 

a) Let them ask the boss what she thinks. 

Let’s ask the boss what she thinks. 

In the first sentence, “let” is a “normal” verb (meaning “allow, permit”) and 

is used as an “ordinary” (second-person) imperative. The second sentence, 

a first-person imperative, no longer has this sense of allowance / permission. 

Let’s take a closer look at this “let” of the first-person inclusive imperative, 

contrasting it with the normal verb “let”. Note that “us” is nearly 

always contracted to “’s”. “Let us” is normally used only in formal situations 

— the priest says “Let us pray” rather than “Let’s pray”. In normal imperatives 

and in all non-imperatives, however, “us” cannot be contracted: 

b) The boss decided to let us (let’s) all take the day off. 

As we see in (c), the subject can be stated in an ordinary imperative 

(though it normally isn’t) but not in the first-person imperative: 

c) (You) let her decide for herself, OK? 

We let’s decide for ourselves, OK? 

Predictably, the logical subject of “let” shows up in a tag question, however, 

even in the second case: 

d) Let her decide for herself, will you? 

Let’s decide for ourselves, shall we? 

There are two different negative forms of a first-person imperative. The 

first sentence in (e) is slightly less formal: 

e) Don’t let’s ask the boss what she thinks. 

Let’s not ask the boss what she thinks. 

There is an important structural contrast here to the ordinary imperative. 

The first sentence of (f) expresses not allowing them to ask the boss, while 

in the second, “let” expresses allowing them not to ask the boss (in other 

words, not forcing them to do it): 

f) Don’t let them ask the boss what she thinks. (= They mustn’t.) 

Let them not ask the boss what she thinks. (= They don’t have to.) 

Many speakers use a further first-person imperative in informal style, 

which takes the reanalysis of “let” a step further away from the normal 

verb “let”: 

g) Let’s you and I / me have a chat about that soon. 

Here, “Let’s” cannot be replaced by “Let us”, so “you and I / me” are not in 

apposition to “us”. “Let’s” can no longer be viewed as “verb + object” — 

the two have been fused into a single unit that serves simply as a marker 

for the first-person imperative. This usage is so widespread that it’s safe 

to consider it acceptable informal style in standard English. 

1. Don’t let’s worry about that right now. 

2. Let’s not worry about that right now. 

Answer: 1 

Fotos: iStockphoto

Crossword | LANGUAGE 

1 2 

4 5 6 7 

8 9 10 11 

12 13 

16 

14 15 

17 18 19 20 

21 22 23 24 

25 26 

The words in this puzzle are taken from the article about prisoners 

who write. You may find it helpful to refer to the text on pages 24–27. 

Competition! 

Form a single word from the letters in the coloured squares. 

Send that word on a postcard to: Redaktion Spotlight, “September 

Prize Puzzle”, Postfach 1565, 82144 Planegg, Deutsch land. 

Ten winners will be chosen from the entries we receive by 

20 September 2013. Each winner will be sent 

a copy of Contemporary Indian Short Stories 

by courtesy of Reclam. 

The answer to our July puzzle was legend. 

Congratulations to: Christine Lohs (Munich), 

Michael Vandrey (Potsdam), Edith Reicherz 

(Ellwangen), Bernadette Terme (Eschenlohe), 

Peter Saegert (Celle), Willy Walker (Zurich), 

Dennis Schorpp (Friedrichshafen), Günter 

Schmidt (Nuremberg), Jürgen Kripp (Speyer) 

and Monika Hertel (Frankfurt). 

3 

Mike Pilewski 

Prison writers 

Across 

1. Worthy of people’s respect and admiration 

because it makes an impression on them. 

4. Began: “I ______ to write in the 1980s.” 

6. Not these. 

8. Third-person singular form of “to be”. 

9. A writing tool filled with ink. 

11. Was of the opinion: “I ______ that my life was 

insignificant,” says novelist Alex Wheatle. 

12. Things one can do. 

14. To carry something to a particular place. 

16. A word that expresses an alternative. 

17. Something that is your ______ belongs to you. 

18. Performs an action. 

21. Two words that have a similar sound ______. 

24. A word of comparison. 

25. To ______ something up is to establish it: “He 

______ up his own charity.” 

26. Twenty-four hours. 

Down 

1. The power to think of new situations or things. 

2. Therefore. 

3. Sent to prison for a certain amount of time. 

4. Not planned: “It was a ______ decision.” 

5. In particular: “They find it difficult to manage 

their emotions, ______ anger.” 

6. “What are you going ______ write about?” 

7. An individual. 

10. A negative answer. 

11. Someone who does something before anyone 

else. 

13. A word that expresses condition or possibility. 

15. Plural form of 8 across. 

19. “Craig is 17 years ______.” 

20. To express oneself verbally. 

22. That man. 

23. Belonging to me. 

Solution to 

puzzle 8/13: 

MEMOIRS 

P C O N V I N C E D 

E N O I 

A A T T E N D E D 

S C H O O L O F D 

E S E P 

C F A M O U S R O L E 

O N D E R 

L D I D M O N T H S 

O T T C O 

N H I S R O B E S N 

E E U O 

L A N D O W N E R 

S F N A M E 

Jetzt erhältlich! 

Der Jahrgang 2012. 

Ihnen fehlt noch ein Jahrgang Ihres Magazins, Ihres Übungsheftes oder Ihrer 

Audio-CD? Bestellen Sie ihn doch direkt bei uns in Kombination mit dem 

praktischen Sammelordner. 

Schön, wenn endlich alles komplett ist! 

+ Die Jahrgänge: Bestellen Sie den Jahrgang Ihrer Wahl. Wir liefern gerne, solange der 

Vorrat reicht. 

+ Der Sammelordner: Die ideale Aufbewahrung für einen Jahrgang. Die Hefte werden 

in zwölf Me tallstäbe eingehängt und können dann wie ein Buch gelesen werden. 

Bestellen Sie am besten gleich unter www.spotlight-online.de/extras

SPRACHKURSE UND SPRACHFERIEN 

Sprachreisen 

weltweit 

England, Irland, Malta, USA, Kanada 

Rubrikanzeigen / Classified ads 

F+U Academy of Languages 

Hauptstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg 

Tel. 06221 8994-2945, sprachen@fuu.de 

www.fuu-heidelberg-languages.com 

Learn English in beautiful Devon 

Kleingruppen + Einzelunterricht 

English + gardens English + walks 

Ab 28 Jahren 

‘The teaching was excellent’ 

www.english-on-dartmoor.com 

AlfaSprachReisen 

Die schönsten Ziele und die besten 

Programme für Ferien, Freizeit und 

Beruf. Informationen und Beratung: 

www.alfa-sprachreisen.de 

Telefon 0711-61 55 300 

SPRACHPRoDUKtE 

Mehr Sprache 

können Sie 

nirgendwo shoppen. 

Klicken und Produktvielfalt 

entdecken: 

LIVING 

ENGLISH 

HOMESTAY 

•Total immersion 1:1 English 

courses in your teacher's home 

•Study in the city, the 

countryside or by the sea 

•Quality General or 

Business English courses 

info@livingenglish.com 

www.livingenglish.com 

Einem Teil dieser 

Ausgabe ist eine 

Beilage von 

Pro-Idee catalog Gmbh 

beigefügt. 

Nächster 

Anzeigentermin: 

25. september 

für die 

Ausgabe 11/13 

Themenvorschau 

ausgabe 11/13: 

• London for Lovers 

• Sprache: Besser Vokabeln lernen 

• Extra-Booklet: Englisch für Reisende 

anzeigenschluss: 25.09.13 

Erstverkaufstag: 30.10.13 

ausgabe 12/13: 

• Kenia 

anzeigenschluss: 23.10.13 

Erstverkaufstag: 27.11.13 

Änderungen vorbehalten. 

Themenvorschau 

Ihre Anzeige im 

Sprach- und Reisemarkt Spotlight 

Print & E-Paper 

Rabatte 

ab 3 Anzeigen 3 % Rabatt 




Beispiel 1 

1-spaltig / 20 mm hoch 

e 118,– (schwarz/weiß) 

e 165,– (farbig) 

Beispiel 3 




Beispiel 2 




Weitere Formate möglich. 

Alle Preise zuzüglich MwSt.

SPRACHKURSE UND SPRACHFERIEN 

SPRACHREISEN | HIGH SCHOOL | 

AUSLANDSPRAKTIKA www.gls-sprachenzentrum.de 

Live the language with EF! 

Du suchst nach einem aufregenden Auslandsaufenthalt 

der unvergessliche Erlebnisse garantiert? Nichts wie 

los! Verbessere jetzt Deine Fremdsprachenkenntnisse 

in einer von 40 EF Sprachschulen in 16 Ländern 

weltweit! Ob ein Sprachkurs im Ausland, ein 

Multi-Sprachenjahr oder ein Studienjahr... die 

Entscheidung liegt allein bei Dir! 

EF Düsseldorf 

Königsallee 92a 

40212 Düsseldorf 

Tel: 0211-688570 

www.ef.com 

EF München 

Lehel Carré 

Gewürzmühlstr. 11 

80538 München 

Tel: 089-2311900 

Internationale Sprachschulen 

IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH 

IN ENGLAND 

One-to-one English courses 

designed for you/your business Living 

in your teacher’s home. 

www.live-n-learnenglish.com 

Agent in Germany: 0049 7616 1290601 

EF Stuttgart 

Geißstr. 4 


Tel: 0711-2599640 

MEHR INFOS 

UND KOSTENLOSE 

BROSCHÜREN AUF 

www.ef.de/ 

katalog 

Klassenfahrten nach London 

mit oder ohne Sprachkurs, 

ausgesuchte Gastfamilien, indiv. Programm, 

Termine nach Absprache 

Christian: Tel. +49 (0) 6181 42 46 70 

E-Mail: london@reichardt.eu 

www.reichardt.eu 

Haben Sie Fragen zu Anzeigenschaltungen? 

Tel. +49 (0)89/8 56 81-131 

Fax +49 (0)89/8 56 81-139 

E-Mail: anzeige@spotlight-verlag.de 

Fit für die Welt 

Sprachreisen für Erwachsene 

Sprachurlaub 50Plus 

Sprachreisen für Fach- und 

Führungskräfte 

Auslandspraktika 

Schülersprachreisen 

Schüleraustausch 

Carl Duisberg Centren 

 

Praktika 

cdc.de 

Auslands-Praktikum für Schüler 

ab 16 in GB, Irl, F, E 

Individuelle Einzelvermittlung 

das ganze Jahr über 

www.horizoninternational.de 

verschiedenes 

Lernen Sie Englisch 

in Cornwall 

www.learnenglishincornwall.co.uk 

Julie Tamblin MA - 0044 (0) 1208 871 184 

Englisch inLondon 

Einzelunterricht für Schule, Freizeit, 

Beruf; Halbpension in Gastfamilie. 

Exkursionen mit dem Lehrer. 

Tel. 0049 6181 424830 ·www.reichardt.eu 

Email: brigitte.sherlock@reichardt.eu 

Next advertising 

deadline: 

25 September 

for the 11/13 issue 

Brieffreunde 

Zu Hause die Welt entdecken 

Als Gastfamilie einen von 550 Austauschschülern 

aus aller Welt aufnehmen. 

www.yfu.de/freianzeigen • Tel.: 040 227002-0 

Rubrikanzeigen / Classified ads 

BERUFSAUSBILDUNG, FORTBILDUNG 

www.ifa.uni-erlangen.de 

Staatlich anerkannte Fachakademie und Berufsfachschule 

für Fremdsprachenberufe 

Staatl. gepr. Fremdsprachenkorrespondenten, Euro-Korrespondenten, 

Übersetzer und Dolmetscher 

Englisch, Französisch, Italienisch, 

Russisch, Spanisch 

Hindenburgstr. 42, 91054 Erlangen, Tel. (0 91 31) 81293 - 30, E-mail: ifa@ve.uni-erlangen.de 

Berufsfachschule für Fremdsprachen: 

Europasekretär/in, Übersetzer/in, Fremdsprachenkorrespondent/in, 

Welthandelskorrespondent/in, EDV- und Sprachkurse, Prüfungszentrum 

F+U Academy of Languages, Heidelberg 

Tel. 06221 8994-2945 

www.fuu-heidelberg-languages.com 

www.europasekretaerin.de 

staatl. anerkannt, kleine Klassen, mit Uni.-Abschluss, BBS, ☎ (07221) 22661 

www.spotlight-online.de

THE LIGHTER SIDE | Wit and Wisdom 

“ 

If at first you don’t succeed, 

failure may be your style. 

” 

Quentin Crisp (1908–99), British writer and actor 

Different kinds of people 

• There are two kinds of people in the world: those who 

can pay attention and those who... Hey! There’s something 

shiny over there. 

• There are three kinds of people in the world: those who 

can count and those who can’t. 

• There are two kinds of people in the world: those who 

finish what they’re saying and... 

© Bulls 

Fast food 

Q: What’s the best way to see flying saucers? 

A: Trip up the waiter. 

bang shut [bÄN (SVt] zuknallen (➝ p. 61) 

flying saucer [)flaIIN (sO:sE] fliegende Untertasse 

honey [(hVni] ifml. 

Schatz 

mammal [(mÄm&l] 

Säugetier 

shoot [Su:t] 

schießen; auch: Schössling, Spross 

trip sb. up [trIp (Vp] 

jmdm. ein Bein stellen, 

zum Stolpern bringen 

PEANUTS 

THE ARGYLE SWEATER 

Lotto winner 

A woman comes home, runs into the house and bangs the 

front door shut behind her. She shouts out: “Honey, pack 

your bags! I’ve won the lottery!” Her husband says: “Oh, my 

God! What should I pack, beach stuff or mountain stuff?” 

“Doesn’t matter,” she replies. “Just get out!” 

Knock, knock! 

Knock, knock! 

Who’s there? 

To. 

To who? 

No, “to whom”. 

Why did the chicken cross the road? 

I don’t know. Why? 

To get to the stupid person’s house. Knock, knock! 

Who’s there? 

The chicken. 

Panda power 

A panda walks into a restaurant, sits down and orders some 

food. Once it has finished eating, the panda takes out a gun, 

shoots the waiter in the leg and begins to walk out. The manager 

runs after it and stops it at the door. 

“Why did you do that? I don’t understand.” 

The panda says: “Hey, I’m a panda. Look in your dictionary.” 

Confused, the manager goes to his dictionary and finds the 

word. It says: “Panda — noun, large black-and-white mammal 

from China. Eats shoots and leaves.” 


American Life | GINGER KUENZEL 


“ 

Make 

sure you have 

lots of friends — 

most offer to 

help only 

once 

” 

September is when I start fixing 

things up around the house. Every 

year, it seems, there are more 

projects than the year before. That’s 

why I keep adding pages to my own 

per sonal “Home Moaner’s Manual.” 

Despite the clichés about women 

being helpless when it comes to repairs, 

I am the quintessential tool person. 

I have so many tools that I don’t 

even know what some of them are for. 

Many came from kindly souls who 

offered to help me and then left some 

of their tools behind. I do, of course, 

know what a hammer looks like and 

a screwdriver, too. Once we get into 

the wrench department, though, 

things become more complicated. 

I’m not really sure why anyone 

would need as many wrenches as I 

have acquired over the years. Last 

summer, I bought an expensive one at 

the request of someone who had offered 

to help me remove the engine 

from my wood chipper. Yes, I really 

do have a wood chipper; and no, I 

don’t remember why we decided to 

So many reasons to visit 

remove the engine. The project 

didn’t end well. That friend hasn’t 

been back. 

“Home Moaner’s Manual” tip 1: 

make sure you have lots of friends, 

since most of them extend an offer to 

help only once. 

Here’s tip 2, especially important 

for women (like me) who live on their 

own: don’t hesitate to ask for assistance 

from anyone who drops by. 

My theory is that most guys love 

to play the role of aiding a damsel in 

distress. Let’s say your lawn mower 

won’t start. When the UPS or FedEx 

guy comes by the next time, just ask 

him if he knows anything about machines. 

Most men would give their 

right arm and first-born son rather 

than admit that they can’t fix something. 

So, of course they’re going to 

offer to help. Unfortunately, these delivery 

guys are now wise to my ways. 

acquire [E(kwaI&r] 

erwerben 

after all [)Äft&r (O:l] 

immerhin 

damsel in distress [)dÄmz&l In dI(stres] 

Dame in Nöten 

delete [di(li:t] 

löschen, streichen 

driveway [(draIvweI] 

Hof-, Garageneinfahrt 

drop by [drA:p (baI] 

zufällig vorbeischauen 

Home Moaner’s Manual 

etwa: Handbuch für jammernde 

[)hoUm )moUn&rz (mÄnjuEl] 

Heimwerker(innen) 

lawn mower [(lO:n )moU&r] 

Rasenmäher 

on the porch [)A:n DE (pO:rtS] N. Am. 

auf die Veranda; hier: vor die Haustür 

ply with [(plaI wIT] 

hier: jmdn. mit etw. abfüllen 

quintessential: the ~ [)kwIntE(senS&l] der Inbegriff eines / einer ... 

screwdriver [(skru:)draIv&r] 

Schraubendreher 

spirits [(spIrEts] 

hier: Spirituosen 

tricky [(trIki] 

verzwickt 

wise to one’s ways: be ~ [)waIz tE wVnz (weIz] wissen, wie der Hase läuft 

wood chipper [(wUd )tSIp&r] 

Holzhackschnitzelmaschine 

wrench [rentS] 

Schraubenschlüssel 

Wenn man selbst nicht heimwerken kann, 

muss man eben andere dazu animieren. 

I don’t see them anymore. First, they 

started quietly placing my packages 

on the porch without ringing the 

doorbell. Then, I installed a driveway 

alarm so that I could hear them when 

they drove in. But the next thing I 

knew, they were parking their trucks 

on the main road and walking up my 

driveway. 

I was thinking that I might need 

to delete tip 2 from the manual. But 

then I designed a backup plan: I call 

the cable company to report that my 

television isn’t working properly and 

ask them to send someone to check it 

out. This tactic has served me well 

when I’ve needed help with something 

I couldn’t manage on my own, 

like moving furniture. After all, there 

he is — the TV guy — right in the 

living room, exactly when I need that 

table to be moved. 

One more way to get help is to invite 

a friend over. You may, for example, 

want to offer him a glass of 

your best single-malt scotch before 

mentioning the much-needed repair. 

This tactic can be a bit tricky, though. 

Sure, the friend might not be able to 

refuse his help after you’ve plied him 

with your best spirits, but he may no 

longer be capable of successfully completing 

the project. 

Now the UPS and FedEx guys 

leave my packages at the post office, 

and the cable guy seems to be able to 

fix everything from a remote location. 

What’s more, when I invite my 

friends over for a cocktail, they all tell 

me that they’ve given up drinking. 

Clearly, I’m going to have to come 

up with some new ideas. After all, it’s 

nearly fall, and I have a whole list of 

things I’ll be needing help with. 

Ginger Kuenzel is a freelance writer who 

lived in Munich for 20 years. She now calls 

a small town in upstate New York home. 


67

FEEDBACK | Readers’ Views 

Write to: 

FEEDBACK 

Redaktion Spotlight 

Fraunhoferstraße 22 

82152 Planegg 

Deutschland 

or send an e-mail to: 

spotlight@spotlight-verlag.de 

Please include your postal 

address and phone number. 

We may edit letters for 

clarity or length. 

Very funny! 

Spotlight 7/13 — Language: “Laugh and learn”. Thank you 

for this article. It reminds me of how our teacher at the 

interpreters’ school in Cologne always added variety to his 

lessons through laughter. That was in 1952, but I have 

never forgotten it. Thank you for Spotlight. I have been 

reading it for years now, and it has kept my brain working. 

Ingrid Mante, Bonn 

Recognize it? 

Spotlight 6/13 — Travel: “Love letter to Alaska”. I enjoy 

reading your magazine very much, as it offers a variety of 

interesting topics. This travel report was great, especially 

the pictures. However, there was one sentence in “A Closer 

Look” that I found a bit puzzling: “When Bligh explored 

Turn again Arm in 1778, he recognized that it did not lead 

to the Arctic Ocean, so he had to ‘turn again’ — in other 

words, turn back.” Why was the word “recognized” used 

in this context? 

Petra Gadler, by e-mail 

Usually, the word “recognize” means “to acknowledge” — in 

other words, to accept as fact what others already know. This 

definition would not fit here because Bligh was the first explorer 

in this area. In US English, though, the use of “recognize” 

in the sense of “realize” is perhaps more prevalent. In other 

words, Bligh saw and understood that the inlet did not lead to 

the Arctic Ocean. 

The Editor 

Used to be 

Spotlight Online — Test 1, July 2013. Frage 4 lautet: “‘I’ve 

never eaten meat. I’ve always been a vegetarian.’ — Harry 

used to be a vegetarian. True or false?” Warum ist “false” 

die richtige Antwort? 

Monika Hahn, by e-mail 

If Harry says, “I’ve never eaten meat,” he is talking about the 

period of time from his birth until the present. However, “Harry 

used to be a vegetarian” means he was a vegetarian in the past, 

but he isn’t a vegetarian now. Because Harry is still a vegetarian, 

the correct answer is “false”. 

Spotlight Online offers two free tests each month and 160 more 

in the archive. Go to www.spotlight-online.de/language/tests 

The Editor 

Kundenservice 

ABO: 

Spotlight Verlag GmbH 

Kundenbetreuung, Postfach 1565, 82144 Planegg 

www.spotlight-verlag.de 

Montag bis Donnerstag: 9 bis 18 Uhr, Freitag: 9 bis 16 Uhr 

Kundenbetreuung 

Privatkunden und Buchhandlungen: 

Tel. +49 (0)89/8 56 81-16 · Fax +49 (0)89/8 56 81-159 

E-Mail: abo@spotlight-verlag.de 

Kundenbetreuung 

Lehrer, Trainer und Firmen: 

Tel. +49 (0)89/8 56 81-150 · Fax +49 (0)89/8 56 81-119 

E-Mail: lehrer@spotlight-verlag.de 

Spotlight wird besonders umweltfreundlich auf 

chlorfrei gebleichtem Papier gedruckt. 

Einzelverkaufspreis Deutschland: € 6,90 


BEZUGSKONDITIONEN JAHRESABO: 

Deutschland: € 74,40 inkl. MwSt. und Versandkosten 

Österreich: € 74,40 inkl. MwSt. und zzgl. € 10,20 Versandkosten 

Schweiz: sfr 111,60 zzgl. sfr 15 Versandkosten 

Übriges Ausland: € 74,40 zzgl. Versandkosten 

Studentenermäßigung gegen Nachweis. 

Die Belieferung kann nach Ablauf des ersten Bezugsjahres 

jederzeit beendet werden — mit Geld-zurück-Garantie 

für bezahlte, aber noch nicht gelieferte Ausgaben. 

WEITERE SERVICENUMMERN: 

Leserbriefe: spotlight@spotlight-verlag.de 

Anzeigen: anzeige@spotlight-verlag.de 

Sprachenshop: www.SprachenShop.de 

Tel. +49 (0)711/72 52-245 

Fax +49 (0)711/72 52-366 

E-Mail: Bestellung@SprachenShop.de 

Bestellung Einzelhefte/ältere Ausgaben: 

E-Mail: leserservice@spotlight-verlag.de 

www.spotlight-online.de Gegründet 1981 

HERAUSGEBER UND VERLAGSLEITER: 

Dr. Wolfgang Stock 

CHEFREDAKTEURIN: Inez Sharp 

STELLVERTRETENDE CHEFREDAKTEURIN: 

Claudine Weber-Hof 

CHEFIN VOM DIENST: Susanne Pfeifer 

REDAKTION: Owen Connors (Text, Audio), 

Joanna Westcombe (Sprache) 

MITARBEITER IM REDAKTIONSBEREICH: 

Elisabeth Erpf, Anja Giese, Peter Green, 

Anna Hochsieder, Sabine Hübner-Pesce, 

Reinhild Luk, Stephanie Shellabear, Dagmar Taylor, 

Michele Tilgner 

ONLINE-REDAKTION: 

Michael Pilewski (Online-Redakteur) 

BILDREDAKTION: Sarah Gough (Leitung), 

Thorsten Mansch 

GESTALTUNG: Marion Sauer/Johannes Reiner, 

Büro Vor-Zeichen, München 

AUTOREN: Amy Argetsinger (US), Colin Beaven (UK), 

Douglas Bolduc (US), Dr. Karl Brehmer, Vanessa Clark 

(UK), Julie Collins (Australia), Adrian Doff, Julian Earwaker 

(UK), Merridy Eastman (Australia), Rosemary Findley 

(NZ), Peter Flynn (Australia), Rita Forbes, Franz Marc Frei, 

Steenie Harvey (Ireland), Polly Hughes (US), Olive Keogh 

(Ireland), Ginger Kuenzel (US), Talitha Linehan (US), 

Eve Lucas, Christine Madden, Lorraine Mallinder 

(Canada), David Peevers (US), Bulelani Phillip 

(South Africa), Laurie Schenden (US), Romie Singh, 

Toby Skingsley, Jan Stuermann (US), Ken Taylor (UK), 

Lori Tobias (US), Anthony Zurcher (US) 

PRODUKTIONSLEITUNG: Ingrid Sturm 

LITHO: H. W. M. GmbH, Lena-Christ-Str. 44, 

82152 Planegg 

DRUCK: Vogel Druck & Medienservice GmbH, 

97204 Höchberg 

VERLAG UND REDAKTION: 


Postanschrift: Postfach 1565, 82144 Planegg 

Hausanschrift: Fraunhoferstraße 22, 

82152 Planegg, Deutschland 

Telefon +49 (0)89/8 56 81-0 

Telefax +49 (0)89/8 56 81-105 

E-Mail Redaktion: spotlight@spot light-ver lag.de 

GESCHÄFTSFÜHRER: 

Dr. Wolfgang Stock, Markus Schunk 

VERTRIEBSLEITUNG: 

Monika Wohlgemuth 

MARKETINGLEITUNG: Holger Hofmann 

LESERSERVICE: Birgit Hess 

MARKETINGLEITUNG B2C & PR: Heidi Kral 

MARKETINGLEITUNG B2B & KOOPERATIONEN: 

Susanne Mürbeth 

KEY ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT: 

Corinna Hepke 

VERTRIEB HANDEL: 

MZV, Ohmstr. 1, 85716 Unterschleißheim 

BANKVERBINDUNGEN: 

• Commerzbank AG, Düsseldorf 

(BLZ 300 800 00) Konto-Nummer 02 128 652 00 

• Credit Suisse AG, Zürich 

(BC 48 35) Konto-Nummer 554 833 41 

• Bank Austria AG, Wien 

(BLZ 12 000) Konto-Nummer 10810 814 700 

© 2013 Spotlight Verlag, auch für alle genannten 

Autoren, Fotografen und Mitarbeiter. 

Erscheinungsweise: monatlich 

ISSN 0944-1972 

Im Spotlight Verlag erscheinen: 

Spotlight, Business Spotlight, Écoute, 

Ecos, Adesso, Deutsch perfekt 

GESAMT-ANZEIGENLEITUNG: 

Axel Zettler, Tel. +49 (0)89/8 56 81-130 

Fax +49 (0)89/8 56 81-139 


SPRACH- & REISEMARKT CROSSMEDIA: 

Eva-Maria Markus, Tel. +49 (0)89/8 56 81-131 

Fax +49 (0)89/8 56 81-139 

E-Mail: e.markus@spotlight-verlag.de 


MEDIA CONSULTANT: 

Martina Konrad, Tel. +49 (0)89/8 56 81-132 

Fax +49 (0)89/8 56 81-139 

E-Mail: m.konrad@spotlight-verlag.de 


REPRÄSENTANZ EMPFEHLUNGSANZEIGEN: 

Patrick Priesmann, iq media marketing gmbh 

Leiter Marketing, Kasernenstraße 67, 40213 Düsseldorf 

Tel. +49 (0)211/8 87-2315; Fax +49 (0)211/8 87-97-2315 

E-Mail: patrick.priesmann@iqm.de 

Lina Cicelyte, Product Manager, iq media marketing 

gmbh, Kasernenstraße 67, 40213 Düsseldorf 

Tel. +49 (0)211/8 87-2367; Fax +49 (0)211/8 87-97-2367 

E-Mail: lina.cicelyte@iqm.de 

Nielsen 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 

iq media marketing gmbh 

Kasernenstraße 67, 40213 Düsseldorf 

Tel. +49 (0)211/8 87-2053; Fax +49 (0)211/8 87-97-2099 

E-Mail: marion.weskamp@iqm.de 

Nielsen 3a 


Eschersheimer Landstraße 50, 60322 Frankfurt 

Tel. +49 (0)69/24 24-4510; Fax +49 (0)69/ 24 24-4555 

E-Mail: eva-maria.glaser@iqm.de 

Nielsen 3b, 4 


Nymphenburger Straße 14, 80335 München 

Tel. +49 (0)89/54 59 07-26; Fax +49 (0)89/54 59 07-24 

E-Mail: katja.foell@iqm.de 

Sales Lifestyle 



Tel. +49 (0)211/8 87-3582; Fax +49 (0)211/8 87-97-3582 

E-Mail: christian.gericke@iqm.de 

Benelux, Skandinavien 



Tel. +49 (0)211/8 87-1332; Fax +49 (0)211/8 87-97-1332 

E-Mail: neil.frankland@iqm.de 

Österreich 

Internationale Medienvertretung & Service proxymedia 

e.U., Wiesengasse 3, 2801 Katzelsdorf 

Tel. +43 (0)2662/367 55; Fax +43 (0)125-330-333-989 

E-Mail: michael.schachinger@proxymedia.at 

Schweiz 

Top Media Sales GmbH 

Chamerstrasse 56, 6300 Zug 

Tel. +41 (0)41/7 10 57 01; Fax +41 (0)41/7 10 57 03 

E-Mail: walter.vonsiebenthal@topmediasales.ch 

International Sales 


Gerda Gavric-Hollender 


Tel. +49 (0)211/8 87-2343; Fax +49 (0)211/8 87-97-2343 

E-Mail: gerda.gavric@iqm.de 

ANZEIGENPREISLISTE: Es gilt die Anzeigenpreisliste 

Nr. 29 ab Ausgabe 1/13. 

IVW-Meldung 2. Quartal 2013: 

70.960 verbreitete Exemplare Spotlight 


October 2013 | NEXT MONTH 

USA Special 

America’s Route 66 

Next month, we’ll be getting our kicks 

on Route 66. Join us in the great 

south-western state of Arizona for a 

road trip along part of this legendary 

highway. Meet bandits and bikers, 

and visit the amazing Grand Canyon. 

Dakota 

dreaming 

We’re off to “the 

last best West”. 

North Dakota is 

where cowboys eat 

Knödel, Native 

Amer icans dance at 

powwows and visit - 

ors explore the 

Badlands — be - 

loved of President 

Teddy Roosevelt. 

Is it time to 

colonize Mars? 

It’s a popular topic in 

science-fiction novels 

and Hollywood films: 

should we be making 

plans to settle the “red 

planet”? Talitha Linehan 

asks people in Los 

Angeles about an excit - 

ing idea that some 

astronauts are starting 

to take seriously. 

Language 

Vocabulary 

What’s in your bin? Let’s lift the 

lid on language to talk about the 

things you throw away and the 

places in which you put them. 

Spoken English 

Watch out! We’re going to take a 

look at words and phrases used 

to talk about danger and risk. 

Don’t say we didn’t warn you! 

Travel Talk 

Our Travel Talk writer will be a 

guest at a wedding. Join Rita 

Forbes and take part in the big day. 

Let’s hope the autumn sun shines! 

Fotos: Cinetext; Ingram Publishing; iStockphoto; TRONPS 

Spotlight 10/13 is on sale from 

25 September 


69

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | My Life in English 

Magdalena 

Neuner 

A real winner: 

Neuner and 

her prizes 

Die ehemalige Biathletin Magdalena Neuner 

berichtet über die Bedeutung der englischen 

Sprache in ihrem Leben. 

As an athlete, what makes English important to you? 

It’s very simple: in international sport, English is the 

“unofficial official language”. You won’t get very far without 

it. 

When was your first English lesson, and what do you 

remember about it? 

All I remember is that in the first lesson, we all got an 

English name to use in class. I was called “Sally” and 

thought that was just horrible. 

Who is your favourite English-language author, actor 

or musician? 

I’m really enjoying reading the American author 

Nicholas Sparks at the moment. 

Which song could you sing at least a few lines of in 


Tina Turner’s cover version of “Proud Mary”, with the 

line “rolling on the river”. 

Which is your favourite city in the English-speaking 

world and why? 

Oh, dear! I still have to find that out. 

When did you last use English (before answering this 

questionnaire)? 

During an interview for Swedish TV. 

Which phrase do you use most when you talk in 


Um! 

Which English word was the hardest for you to learn to 

pronounce? 

“Authorized”, or even worse, “unauthorized”. 

Which person from the English-speaking world would 

you choose to be stuck with on a desert island and why? 

Jamie Oliver — then at least I’d always have something 

tasty to eat. 

What is your favourite food from the English-speaking 

world? A good home-made hamburger. 

Which person from the 

English-speaking world 

(living or dead) would 

you most like to meet? 

Robbie Williams. But 

I’m probably not the 

only one with that 

answer. 

If you could be anywhere 

in the Englishspeaking 

world right 

now, where would it 

be? 

Hawaii would be 

very nice. 

How do you improve your English? 

By reading an English book in the original language 

from time to time — and, of course, by speaking English 

as often as possible. 

If you suddenly found yourself with a free afternoon in 

London or New York, what would you do? 

Since I haven’t been to either city yet, I’d probably do 

exactly what all tourists do on their first visit: the whole 

nine yards! 

What would be your motto in English? 

Know yourself. 

questionnaire [)kwestSE(neE] Fragebogen 

tasty [(teIsti] 

lecker 

the whole nine yards 

das volle Programm 

[DE )hEUl naIn (jA:dz] N. Am. ifml. 

Fotos: action press 

70 


Gut für 

den Kopf! 

Besser mit Sprachen. Land und Leute 

verstehen – und nebenbei die Sprache 

lernen. Jeden Monat neu. 

4 

Magazine 

zum Preis 

von 3!* 

Bestellen Sie jetzt Ihr Lieblingsmagazin! 

www.spotlight-verlag.de/4fuer3 +49 (0)89/8 56 81-16 

* Kennenlern-Angebot für Neu-Abonnenten: 4 Ausgaben eines Magazins Ihrer Wahl zum Preis von 3 

(€ 18,60 / SFR 27,90 – Business Spotlight € 34,50 / SFR 51,75).

Green Light 

92013 

ENGLISCH LEICHT GEMACHT! 

Read about 

the Union 

Jack 

Learn words 

for things 

you need at 

school 

Practise using 

“can” and 

“can’t”

GREEN LIGHT | News 

This month… 

Was beschäftigt die englischsprachige Welt im September? 

VANESSA CLARK spürt die heißen Storys für Sie auf. 

Rule Britannia 

Thriller man 

Music The BBC Proms music festival at London’s Royal 

Albert Hall (see also Green Light 7/13) ends on 7 September 

with the famous Last Night of the Proms concert 

— including an energetic celebration of traditional 

British songs, such as “Rule Britannia” and “Land of 

Hope and Glory”. Some people think the evening is too 

patriotic, but international visitors love it. The concert 

is broadcast live in London’s Hyde Park as well as in 

parks around Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

This year is a “first” for the Last Night of the Proms: 

after 118 years, it will have its first female conductor, 

American Marin Alsop. 

Books American David Baldacci was working as a lawyer when 

he decided to write a political thriller. It took three years to complete, 

but it was an international bestseller. Since then, he has 

written more than 20 other books, mostly exciting and fastmoving 

thrillers. 

Baldacci still lives in his home state of Virginia with his 

wife, their two “terrific teenagers” and two “not-so-wellbehaved 

Labradoodles”. 

His latest thriller, Das Komplott (English title: Deliver Us 

from Evil ), comes out in paperback in German this month. 

40 

1973 

years 

ago 

Washington, DC / Paris On 

26 September 1973, Concorde made 

its first non-stop flight across the 

Atlantic in record-breaking time. 

The supersonic plane flew from 

Washington to Paris in three 

hours and 32 minutes — half 

the time of the old record. 

broadcast [(brO:dkA:st] 

celebration [)selE(breIS&n] 

conductor [kEn(dVktE] 

energetic [)enE(dZetIk] 

exciting [Ik(saItIN] 

female [(fi:meI&l] 

Labradoodle [(lÄbrE)du:d&l] 

lawyer [(lO:jE] 

not-so-well-behaved 

[)nQt sEU wel bi(heIvd] 

supersonic plane [su:pE)sQnIk (pleIn] 

take [teIk] 

terrific [tE(rIfIk] ifml. 

senden, übertragen 

Fest 

Dirigent(in) 

energiegeladen 

spannend, fesselnd 

weiblich 

Hundemischling aus Labrador- 

Retriever und (Groß)Pudel 

(Rechts)Anwalt, -anwältin 

eher unerzogen 

Überschallflugzeug 

hier: dauern, benötigen 

toll, fantastisch 

2 


At school 

8 pictures | GREEN LIGHT 

STEPHANIE SHELLABEAR presents the words for things that are 

used at school. 

1 

8 

2 

7 

3 

6 

4 

5 

Titel: Polka Dot; Fotos Doppelseite: A. Slater; Arpingstone; Illustrationen: B. Förth 

Write the words below next 

to the pictures. 

1. pencil case [(pens&l keIs] 

2. pencil 

3. (a pair of) scissors [(sIzEz] 

4. ruler [(ru:lE] 

5. compasses [(kVmpEsIz] 

6. rubber (UK), eraser [I(reIzE] 

7. fountain pen [(faUntIn pen] 

8. (ink) cartridges [(kA:trIdZIz] 

1. What do you need... 

a) ...to correct mistakes? __________________ 

b) ...to draw circles? __________________ 

c) ...to draw lines? __________________ 

d) ...to cut paper? __________________ 

Tips 

2. Write the names of the English words 

next to the German translations below. 

a) Füllfederhalter __________________ 

b) Tintenpatrone __________________ 

Schere is a singular noun, but in 

c) Federmäppchen __________________ 

English, you need to ask for a pair of d) Bleistift __________________ 

scissors. It is only one thing, but it is 

made up of (bestehen aus) two parts. 

Don’t call a Radiergummi a rubber when you’re talking to people from the US. In US English, a 

rubber is a “condom”. 

Answers: 1. a) a rubber / an eraser; b) (a pair of) compasses; c) a ruler; d) a pair of scissors 

2. a) fountain pen; b) (ink) cartridge; c) pencil case; d) pencil 


3

GREEN LIGHT | Grammar elements 

“Can” and “can’t” 

STEPHANIE SHELLABEAR presents basic grammar. 

Can you remember how to use “can” and “can’t”? 

There is a group of special verbs that are called “modal verbs”. Can is one of them. It 

has no infinitive — you never say to can. Let’s look at how the verb is used: 

I / you / he / she / it / we / you / they can 

I / you / he / she / it / we / you / they can’t 

“Can’t” is the shortened form of “cannot” (written as one word). 

Can and can’t are used to say three different things: 

• We have / don’t have the ability (die Fähigkeit) to do something. 

• We have / don’t have the possibility (die Möglichkeit) of doing something. 

• We have / don’t have permission (die Erlaubnis) to do something. 

Sometimes we give a reason (Begründung). Look at these examples: 

• My daughter can play basketball really well. She has trained hard. 

• I can’t go swimming today because I have forgotten my bikini. 

• You can’t park there. The space is for disabled (behindert) drivers. 

Can and can’t are used in questions like these: 

• Can you meet me on Friday at ten o’clock? 

• Can’t she move her meeting to another day? 

If people begin a question with Can’t I / you / he...?, they are showing that they are not 

happy with the situation and would prefer to change it: 

• Can’t you play the trumpet somewhere else? 

Tips 

Complete the following sentences with “can” or “can’t”. 

a) I’m really sorry, but I _____ come to your party. 

b) _____ we have lunch a bit later? 

c) We _____ go to the US this year, because the flights cost too much. 

d) Are you free on Saturday? _____ you come to the beach with me? 

e) I don’t have the information you need, but my colleague _____ help you. 

f) _____ we have a break? I’m tired. 

Fotos: iStockphoto 

Answers: a) can’t; b) Can / Can’t; c) can’t; d) Can; e) can; f) Can / Can’t 

4 


Being ill 

It’s Saturday morning. Andrew is still in bed. 

By DAGMAR TAYLOR 

Donna: Aren’t you getting up today? We 

wanted to go shopping. 

Andrew: (groans) I don’t feel well. 

Donna: Oh? What’s the matter? Have you 

got the flu? 

Andrew: I don’t know. I’ve got a sore throat, 

and I feel awful. 

Donna: You poor thing! Shall I get you some 

tea? Do you want to take a paracetamol? 

Andrew: I’ve already taken one. I just want 

to sleep. 

Donna: I’ll try to make an appointment 

with the doctor. 

Andrew: OK. You’ll have to go shopping 

without me. 

Donna: No. We’ll go when you feel better. I 

know how much you enjoy it. 

Andrew: (groans) 

flu [flu:] 

groan [grEUn] 

throat [TrEUt] 

Grippe 

stöhnen 

Hals 

The Greens | GREEN LIGHT 

• When you get out of bed in the morning, 

you get up. You don’t stand up. 

• Another way to say you feel ill is to say 

you don’t feel well. 

• To find out more about how a person 

is feeling, you can ask: “What’s wrong?” 

or What’s the matter? 

• If a part of your body is sore [sO:], it is 

painful (schmerzhaft). 

• To tell someone how you feel, you can 

say you feel awful, “tired”, “sick”, etc. 

(Don’t say: I feel me...) 

• If you want to show that you feel sorry 

for someone, say: You poor thing! 

• When you take medicine or a pill, you 

swallow (hinunterschlucken) it. 

• If you want to see a doctor to ask for 

advice (einen Arzt (innerhalb der Sprechstundenzeiten) 

aufsuchen), you have to 

make an appointment (einen Termin 

vereinbaren). 

Tips 

Underline the correct words in bold 

to complete the sentences below. 

Donna 

a) Aren’t you getting / standing up today? 

b) I don’t feel ill / well. 

c) You poor one / thing! 

d) I’ll make an appointment / a date. 

Andrew 

Answers 

a) getting; b) well; c) thing; d) an appointment 

Listen to the dialogue at 

www.spotlight-online.de/ 

products/green-light

GREEN LIGHT | Get writing 

Saying sorry 

VANESSA CLARK helps you to write 

letters, e-mails and more in English. 

This month: how to apologize. 

Use 

it! 

Highlight the key words 

and phrases that you would use if you 

wanted to write an e-mail like this yourself. 

Sorry :-( 

To: 

Cc: 

Subject: 

fiona_h@offended.net 

Sorry :-( 

Dear Fiona 

I’m sorry about what happened yesterday. I made a mistake, and I feel bad about it. 

I was very tired all day, and I’m under a lot of stress at the moment. 

I hope we can continue to work together. 

Sorry again 

Max 

• The most important thing to say is: I’m sorry. You can make this stronger by saying: 

“I’m very sorry...” or “I’m really sorry...” 

• Maybe you made a mistake, or “did the wrong thing”, or “said the wrong thing”. Now you 

may feel bad, “terrible” or “awful” [(O:f&l]. 

• Explain why the mistake happened. Perhaps you were tired, “ill”, “drunk” (betrunken) or 

under a lot of stress. 

• To look to the future, start with “I hope”; for example, I hope we can continue to work 

together or “I hope we can be friends again.” 

Tips 

Fotos: iStockphoto; T. Mansch

Culture corner | GREEN LIGHT 

I like… 

the Union Jack 

Jeden Monat stellt ein Redakteur etwas Besonderes aus der 

englischsprachigen Welt vor. Diesmal präsentiert 

Sprachredakteurin 

STEPHANIE 

SHELLABEAR ihr 

Lieblingsdesign. 

Fun 

facts 

What it is 

“Union Jack” is the popular name for the 

red, white and blue national flag of the 

United Kingdom. Its name comes from the 

sea term “jack”, meaning the flag that flies 

at the head of a ship. The design we know 

today dates from the year 1801, but there 

has been a union flag since the early 

1600s. It is made up of the individual 

crosses on the flags of St George, the patron 

saint of England, St Patrick, the patron 

saint of Ireland, and St Andrew, the patron 

saint of Scotland. The blue background is 

from St Andrew’s flag. 

Why I like it 

I love the design and the bright colours of 

the flag. These days, there are many products 

in the shops (even outside the UK) that 

are decorated with this design. One of the 

things I own is a small purse covered in sequins 

with a similar pattern to the flag on it. 

I keep my iPod in it. When I see the Union 

Jack, I am reminded of some very happy 

events that happened in my home country 

when I was a child of nine: I picture crowds 

of cheering people waving small versions 

of the flag when Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 

her silver jubilee — 25 years on the 

throne — in 1977. 

You might be asking yourself why a 

flag of Wales is not included in the 

Union Jack. It’s because the cross of 

St George represents both England 

and Wales. Wales has a national flag 

of a red dragon on a green and white 

background, made official in 1959. 

background [(bÄkgraUnd] 

bright [braIt] 

cheering [(tSIErIN] 

cross [krQs] 

dragon [(drÄgEn] 

included: be ~ in sth. 

[In(klu:dId] 

individual [)IndI(vIdZuEl] 

made up of: be ~ 

[)meId (Vp Ev] 

own [EUn] 

patron saint [)peItrEn (seInt] 

pattern [(pÄt&n] 

picture sth. [(pIktSE] 

remind sb. of sth. 

[ri(maInd Ev] 

sea term [(si: )t§:m] 

sequin [(si:kwIn] 

wave [weIv] 

Hintergrund 

leuchtend 

jubelnd 

Kreuz 

Drache 

in etw. enthalten 

sein 

hier: einzeln 

bestehen aus 

besitzen 

Schutzheilige(r) 

Muster 

sich in 

Erinnerung rufen 

jmdn. an etw. 

erinnern 

Seefahrerausdruck 

Paillette 

schwenken 


7

GREEN LIGHT | Notes and numbers 

There are different ways to say 

the number “0”. 

Nil is used to talk about the score (Spielstand, 

-ergebnis) in a team game such as football: 

• Our team is winning! The score is 8–0. 

(eight nil) 

O [EU] is used to give telephone numbers: 

• Is her number 804? (eight oh four) 

Zero [(zIErEU] is used when talking about 

temperatures and in scientific, medical and 

economic contexts: 

• Temperatures will drop to 0 °C. 

(zero degrees) 

Your notes 

Use this space for your own notes. 

Write the following numbers as you 

would say them. 

a) 0 °F __________________________________ 

zero degrees (Fahrenheit) 

b) The score is 2–0. _____________________ 

c) His number is 305. ___________________ 

______________________________________ 

d) The score is 4–0. _____________________ 

e) Her number is 675090. _______________ 

______________________________________ 

Love 

In tennis, love is used for the score of zero: 

• He won the first set six to love. 

Answers: b) two nil; c) three oh five; d) four nil; e) six seven 

five oh nine oh 

Fotos: iStockphoto 

IMPRESSUM 

Herausgeber und Verlagsleiter: Dr. Wolfgang Stock 

Chefredakteurin: Inez Sharp 

Stellvertretende Chefredakteurin: Claudine Weber-Hof 

Chefin vom Dienst: Susanne Pfeifer 

Autoren: Vanessa Clark, Dagmar Taylor 

Redaktion: Owen Connors, Elisabeth Erpf, 

Anja Giese, Peter Green, Reinhild Luk, 

Michael Pilewski (Online), Stephanie Shellabear, 

Michele Tilgner, Joanna Westcombe 

Bildredaktion: Sarah Gough (Leitung), Thorsten Mansch 

Gestaltung: Marion Sauer/Johannes Reiner 

www.vor-zeichen.de 

Anzeigenleitung: Axel Zettler 

Marketingleitung: Holger Hofmann 

Produktionsleitung: Ingrid Sturm 

Vertriebsleitung: Monika Wohlgemuth 

Verlag und Redaktion: Spotlight Verlag GmbH 

Postanschrift: Postfach 1565, 82144 Planegg, Deutschland 

Telefon +49(0)89/8 56 81-0, Fax +49(0)89/8 56 81-105 

Internet: www.spotlight-online.de 

Litho: HWM GmbH, 82152 Planegg 

Druck: Medienhaus Ortmeier, 48369 Saerbeck 

© 2013 Spotlight Verlag, auch für alle genannten Autoren, 

Fotografen und Mitarbeiter. 

UNSER SPRACHNIVEAU: Das Sprachniveau in Green Light entspricht ungefähr Stufe A2 des 

Gemeinsamen Europäischen Referenzrahmens für Sprachen.


Pocket 

Puzzles 

Language tips 

Crosswords 

15 FUN 

WORD 

GAMES

ENGLISCH LERNEN 

IST EIN WITZ? 

Ja, mit diesem Spiel, in dem die Spieler 

Witze, Reime, Zungenbrecher und lustige 

Zitate zum Besten geben. Ein witziges 

Familienspiel mit großem Lerneffekt: 

vorlesen, frei vortragen, übersetzen, 

hören, verstehen und Vokabeln lernen. 

Mit 400 Witzen, Reimen, Zungenbrechern , 

lustigen Zitaten und 504 Vokabelkärtchen, 

1 Spielanleitung, 1 Würfel, 1 Leinenbeutel. 

JETZT BESTELLEN! 

www.sprachenshop.de/spiele 

oder im Buch- und 

Spielwarenhandel 

5 19,95 (UVP) 

In Zusammenarbeit mit dem 

Erschienen bei: 

400 WITZE, 

REIME UND 

ZUNGEN- 

BRECHER 

Für 3 – 8 Spieler ab 12 Jahren, 

Spieldauer ca. 20 Minuten pro Runde.

WORD GAMES | Wortspiele 

We all love rules. We also know that rules 

are there to be broken and that the English 

language especially loves to break rules — 

just look at the list of irregular verbs in English, 

or at plural forms, spelling or pronunciation. 

We have put together a booklet of puzzles 

not only for your amusement, but to help you remember and practise 

some of those tricky areas of English. We’ve included helpful 

tips and word games, and there’s a competition, too. So, grab a 

pencil and enjoy Spotlight’s word-games booklet. We hope you’ll 

have fun — and learn a lot, too. 

IMPRESSUM 

HERAUSGEBER UND VERLAGSLEITER: 

Dr. Wolfgang Stock 

CHEFREDAKTEURIN: Inez Sharp 

STELLVERTRETENDE CHEFREDAKTEURIN: 

Claudine Weber-Hof 

CHEFIN VOM DIENST: Susanne Pfeifer 

AUTORIN: Dagmar Taylor 

REDAKTION: Owen Connors, Elisabeth Erpf, 

Anja Giese, Peter Green, Reinhild Luk, 

Michael Pilewski (Online), 

Stephanie Shellabear, Michele Tilgner, 

Joanna Westcombe 

BILDREDAKTION: 

Sarah Gough (Leitung), Thorsten Mansch 

GESTALTUNG: Marion Sauer, Johannes Reiner 

www.vor-zeichen.de 

ANZEIGENLEITUNG: Axel Zettler 

MARKETINGLEITUNG: Holger Hofmann 

PRODUKTIONSLEITUNG: Ingrid Sturm 

VERTRIEBSLEITUNG: Monika Wohlgemuth 

VERLAG UND REDAKTION: 


Postanschrift: Postfach 1565, 82144 Planegg, 

Deutschland 

Hausanschrift: 

Fraunhoferstraße 22, 82152 Planegg 

Telefon +49(0)89/8 56 81-0; Fax 8 56 81-105 

Internet: www.spotlight-online.de 

LITHO: HWM GmbH, 82152 Planegg 

DRUCK: te Neues,47906 Kempen 

© 9/13 Spotlight Verlag; 

Foto Titel: iStockphoto 

Fotos Innenteil: Thinkstock 

Language author, Spotlight 

CONTENTS 

1. Verb search...............................4 

2. Uncountable crossword............5 

3. Spot the prepositions ...............6 

4. “Make” and “do” snakes ............7 

5. Plurals crossword I....................8 

6. Plurals crossword II...................9 

7. Alphabet riddles......................10 

8. Word pyramid .........................11 

9. Spelling balloons.....................12 

10. Punctuate this ........................14 

11. Word partners.........................15 

12. Fix the idioms .........................16 

13. Commonly confused words ...17 

14. What’s the joke? .....................18 

15. Code breaker ..........................19 

Answers .......................................20 

Competition.................................23 


3


1. Verb search 

Circle the past simple forms of the following verbs in the word 

search below. The words read diagonally , horizontally and 

vertically . The first one has been done for you. 

bite | break | buy | catch | cost | do | drink | give 

go | leave | make | steal | teach 

A F G B K B Z R W E N T 

B I T O S A R I P L O R 

S R T U G C Y O K G D T 

E T T G N A I I K B C A 

L S O H H J V Z O E P U 

E T T T O M A E E T E G 

F R R O Z A X V B H U H 

T T E D L D H Z F D A T 

F T Z A W E D G H T I C 

G C O S T Q W E R T Z D 

R H J I O P W D R A N K 

E Z C A U G H T U I K L 

It’s important to know the past forms of irregular verbs. You can find 

a list of them in a good grammar book or a learner’s dictionary. 

Tips 


2. Uncountable crossword 

The words in this crossword are all uncountable nouns. 

Read the clues and complete the crossword. Which uncountable 

noun can you make from the letters in the blue squares? 

1 2 3 

4 

5 6 

7 8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

ACROSS 

1. Reports of recent events 

6. Helpful suggestions about what to do 

8. Apples, bananas, oranges, etc. 

9. You use shampoo to wash this. 

11. You can spread butter on this. 

12. Tables, chairs, beds, etc. 

DOWN 

2. Rain, snow, sun, etc. 

3. A place to live or stay (UK) 

4. Facts or details 

5. The suitcases and bags with which you travel 

7. The vehicles on the road at a particular time 

10. The things that you do as part of your job 


5


3. Spot the prepositions 

Describe the beach scene below in your mind using 

prepositions of place. For example: “There are some 

shells on the beach.” Make notes on the lines given. 

Illustration: B. Förth 

Now use the correct prepositions to complete the sentences below. 

a) Paula is sitting ____ the beach ____ the shade. 

b) She’s sitting ______ her beach umbrella. 

c) The beach umbrella is stuck ____ the sand _____ Paula’s deckchair. 

d) The spade is lying ______ her deckchair. 

e) There is a boy standing _____ the sea. 

f) There is a seagull flying ____ the air _____ Paula. 

g) There is a sandcastle _____ the right of the picture. 

h) There is a rock pool ______ Paula’s chair. 


4. “Make” and “do” snakes 

It’s not always easy to know when you should use make and when 

you should use do. The two word snakes below are here to help you. 

There are six expressions in each snake. When you have found all the 

expressions, label the snakes. Which is the “do” snake and which is 

the “make” snake? 

a) 

YO U RH AI RHO USE WOR K BU SIN ESS TH ECO OKI NG HOM EWOR KTH EIRONING 

b) 

A S UGG E ST IO N NO ISE ADECIS ION AJ O UR NE YANEXC USE AP HON E CALL 

Tips 

Make and do 

Make is often used when you are talking 

about creative or more abstract tasks: 

• Mary made me some lovely earrings for 

my birthday. 

Do is usually the right word to use when 

you are talking about work or about jobs in 

the home: 

• His father does all the cooking. 


7


5. Plurals crossword I 

Some nouns are used only in their plural form. Read the clues and complete 

the grid with the correct words for things that you wear. Then, 

you should find a word for another piece of clothing in the blue boxes. 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

f) 

a) Things that help you to see better. 

b) Things that you wear. 

c) “Shall I wear a skirt or ___________?” 

d) Scotsmen don’t always wear these. 

e) Male ballet dancers wear these on their legs. 

f) They are made of denim. 

Glasses 

When a glass is used for drinking out of, 

the plural is glasses: 

• She’s ordered six new wine glasses on the 

internet. 

Glasses that are used to help people see 

better or to protect the eyes from bright 

light are always plural: 

• My optician told me that I need to have 

new glasses. 

Tips 

Pronunciation fun 

Remember that 

clothes [klEUDz] 

sounds like 

“close” [klEUz], not 

“closes” [(klEUzIz]. 

Tips 


6. Plurals crossword II 

1 2 

DOWN 

1. 

2. 

3 

5. 

6. 

4 

5 

Not all plurals are 

formed using -s. 

Complete the crossword 

by creating 

the correct 

irregular plural 

forms of the words 

shown in the 

picture clues. 

9 

6 

7 8 

8. 9. 

10 

11 

ACROSS 

3. 

4. 

11. 

7. 

9. 10. 


9


7. Alphabet riddles 

English has jokes about almost everything, including the alphabet. 

Can you guess the answers to the following letter riddles? 

a) Why is U the happiest letter? 

b) What is the longest word in the dictionary? 

c) What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it? 

d) How can the letter A help a deaf lady? 

e) What starts with the letter T, is filled with T and ends in T? 

f) We see it once in a year, twice in a week and never in a day. What is it? 

g) How do you make the number one disappear? 

h) How do you write a love note with only five letters? 

i) Can you name the two days, apart from Tuesday 

and Thursday, that start with the letter T? 

j) What is at the end of a rainbow? 


8. Word pyramid 

Can you build the word pyramid? Get to the word “STARTING” by 

adding one letter to each previous word. The letters in each row must 

form real words. You can do the puzzle with or without the clues. 

The first one has been done for you. 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

f) 

g) 

I 

S T A R T I N G 

a) A pronoun used to talk about yourself 

b) Write the letters ___ the boxes. 

c) An action people disapprove of 

d) What you do when you make musical sounds with your voice 

e) A wound made by a bee or a wasp 

f) Used for tying things together 

g) You are doing this when you look at somebody for a long time. 

When you’ve completed this puzzle, close the booklet and see if you 

can get back to “I” again by removing one letter at a time. 

Tips 


11


9. Spelling balloons 

The 10 balloons on these two pages contain the letters of words that are 

often misspelt. Read the clues on page 13. The yellow letter is the first 

letter. Be careful: each balloon contains more letters than you need. 

l 

i 

f 

n 

e 

d 

i 

i 

e 

e 

y 

t 

e 

d 

a 

a 

l 

a 

e 

r 

n 

c 

j l 

e 

w e 

y 

y 

e 

r 

l 

e 

a) b) c) 

e 

a 

i 

i 

m 

l 

a 

e 

y 

d 

e 

m 

t 

i 

q 

n 

r 

o 

u 

s 

t 

e 

i 

a 

i 

e 

r 

n 

a 

u 

o 

n 

p 

i 

n 

u 

c 

t 

i 

r 

n 

o 

o 

d) e) f) 


e 

l 

s 

s 

u 

c 

e 

l 

c 

f 

u 

s 

e 

e 

c 

e 

s 

i 

p 

r 

t 

s 

e 

c 

r 

e 

n 

c 

a 

y 

r s 

e 

y 

b 

t 

i 

u 

u 

f 

l 

a 

l 

g) h) i) j) 

a) This adverb emphasizes that something is true. 

b) This shows the days, weeks and months in a year. 

c) Objects such as rings or necklaces worn for decoration 

d) Not later — not even a little bit later 

e) This list of questions is used for collecting information. 

f) It’s the way you say it. 

g) You are this when you achieve what you want to do. 

h) This piece of paper shows what you bought and how much you paid. 

i) This adjective is used to say that something is needed. 

j) This adjective describes a person or thing that is lovely to look at. 

The longest words 

Floccinaucinihilipilification (29 letters) means an estimation of 

something as worthless. It’s the longest real word in the English 

language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. 

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (34 letters) is a made-up word in 

the musical film Mary Poppins. 


13


10. Punctuate this 

Add the necessary punctuation so that the following sentence is 

grammatically correct — and makes sense. 

Whereas I had had had Alice had had had had had had had 

had the teachers approval 

You’ll need: 

one apostrophe (’) 

one full stop (.) 

one semi-colon (;) 

one comma (,) 

three pairs of inverted commas (“ ”) 

You won’t see many sentences 

like the one above, but punctuation 

can still be tricky. See 

Spotlight’s Language Pocket 

Guide 7: Punctuation today for 

more practice and tips. 

Tips 

What does a comma sound like? 

Have you ever thought that punctuation 

should have a voice? YouTube 

offers lots of ways to watch Victor 

Borge giving examples of his 

famous phonetic punctuation. 


11. Word partners 

Word partnerships help you to understand and speak natural 

English. Make expressions to describe weather conditions by matching 

two separate adjectives on the cards to each picture on the right. 

blazing 

howling 

/ 

low 

blustery 

/ 

deep 

glorious 

/ 

fresh 

/ 

scattered 

torrential 

/ 

pouring 


15


12. Fix the idioms 

Look at the idioms below (a–h). One word in each of the expressions 

is incorrect. Circle the incorrect word and write the correct word from 

the list in the box below. There are more words than you need. 

barking | fish | hat | iceberg | ice cream | log 

road | sheep’s | spots | touch | wool | zebra 

a) He’s a wolf in 

cheap clothing. 

b) It’s as easy as 

falling off 

a dog. 

c) I wouldn’t eat 

that with a 

ten-foot pole. 

d) He’s like a duck 

out of water. 

f) A leopard can’t 

change his 

stripes. 

e) You can’t pull the 

wood over my eyes. 

g) That’s just the tip 

of the ice cube. 

h) I’m sorry. You’re 

parking up the 

wrong tree. 


13. Commonly confused words 

Learners of English sometimes confuse common words. Some sound 

similar or are “false friends”. Complete the crossword with pairs of 

words that are commonly confused. 

1 2 

3 

5 6 

7 8 

9 

10 11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

4 

DOWN 

1. She’s a great 

friend. She’s 

______ a sister to 

me. 

2. She’s a great 

player. She can’t 

______ this 

match. 

4. I’ve lived here 

______ 2012. 

6. He had to ______ 

money from his 

parents. 

7. ______ you like, 

we can go out for 

dinner tonight. 

8. My dad left us 

when I was six. 

He started a new 

______ in Australia. 

11. Do you live 

______ here? 

12. Why did you 

_______ him the 

car? 

13. Look! She has 

the same bag 

______ I have. 

ACROSS 

3. Mum, my tooth is _______. I think it’s 

going to fall out soon. 

5. My mother lives on her own, but my 

sister lives ______. 

8. They’re planning a big wedding — 

with ______ music. 

9. It feels as if it’s been raining ______ 

days. I need some sun. 

10. I’m going to London this weekend. I’ll 

call you ______ I get back. 

14. What’s for ______? Chocolate mousse? 

15. Dave is trekking in the Sahara ______. 


17


14. What’s the joke? 

Word order in English can sometimes seem like a puzzle. A sentence 

is hidden in each word cloud below. Put the words in each sentence in 

the correct order. All the sentences together will make a joke. 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

Wordles 

You can make word clouds 

at www.wordle.net Working 

with word clouds can help 

you learn vocabulary or texts 

— or practise word order. 

Tips 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 


15. Code breaker 

Uncover the mystery quotation by cracking the code below. 

Each letter has been replaced by a different letter or number. 

“8 b355ywy5f 5335 fq3 vyjjysn7fh ye 

3a3zh xbbxzfneyfh; 

8e xbfywy5f 5335 fq3 xbbxzfneyfh ye 

3a3zh vyjjysn7fh.” 

“– ––––––––– –––– ––– –––––––––– –– 

––––– –––––––––––; 

–– –––––––– –––– ––– ––––––––––– –– 

––––– ––––––––––.” 

A B C D E F G H 

3 

I J K L M 

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 

x 

f 


19

WORD GAMES | Answers 

1. Verb search (p. 4) 

2. Uncountable crossword (p. 5) 

A F G B K B Z R W E N T 

B I T O S A R I P L O R 

S R T U G C Y O K G D T 

E T T G N A I I K B C A 

L S O H H J V Z O E P U 

E T T T O M A E E T E G 

F R R O Z A X V B H U H 

T T E D L D H Z F D A T 

F T Z A W E D G H T I C 

G C O S T Q W E R T Z D 

R H J I O P W D R A N K 

E Z C A U G H T U I K L 

3. Spot the prepositions (p. 6) 

a) on, in 

b) under 

c) in, beside / next to 

d) in front of 

e) in 

f) in, over / above 

g) on 

h) behind 

1 

N E 

2 

W S 

3 

A 

I 

E 

C 

4 

N L A D V I C E 

5 6 

T F R U I T 

O 

7 8 

R O G H 

M 

H A I R G E 

M 

9 

F M A R 

10 

W O 

F A G 

O D 

I T E 

11 

B R E A D 

C I 

O 

K T 

I 

12 

F U R N I T U R E O 

N 

Extra word: luck 

4. “Make” and “do” snakes (p. 7) 

a) do your hair 

do housework 

do business 

do the cooking 

do homework 

do the ironing 

b) make a suggestion 

make noise 

make a decision 

make a journey 

make an excuse 

make a phone call 

5. Plurals crossword I (p. 8) 

a) 

b) 

G L A S S E S 

C L O T H E S 

T R O U S E R S 

c) 

d) 

e) 

f) 

U 

T 

J 

N 

I 

E 

D E R P A N T S 

G H T S 

A N S 


6. Plurals crossword II (p. 9) 

C 

2 

G 

1 

A 

E 

3 

C H I L D R E N 

T 

S 

I 

4 

F E E 

5 

T 

E 

6 

K E 

N T 

F I S H 

9 

M I 

E 

N 

P 

V 

E 

E 

O 

10 

S H E E P 

L 

11 

W O M E N 

7 8 

C

7. Alphabet riddles (p. 10) 

a) Because it is always in the middle of “fun”. 

b) Smiles; there is a “mile” between each s. 

c) short 

d) It can make “her” “hear”. 

e) a teapot 

f) the letter E 

g) Add the letter G to “one”, and it’s gone. 

h) U R A Q T (You are a cutie.) (cutie: Süße(r) 

(ifml.)) 

i) “today” and “tomorrow” 

j) the letter W 

8. Word pyramid 

(p. 11) 

I 

I N 

S I N 

S I N G 

S T I N G 

S T R I N G 

S T A R I N G 

S T A R T I N G 

9. Spelling balloons (p. 12) 

a) definitely 

b) calendar 

c) jewellery 

d) immediately 

e) questionnaire (Fragebogen) 

f) pronunciation 

g) successful 

h) receipt 

i) necessary 

j) beautiful 

10. Punctuate this (p. 14) 

Whereas I had had “had”, 

Alice had had “had had”; 

“had had” had had 

the teacher’s approval. 

11. Word partners (p. 15) 

low / scattered clouds (scattered clouds: aufgelockerte Bewölkung) 

pouring / torrential rain (torrential: sintflutartig) 

glorious / blazing sunshine (blazing, hier: strahlend) 

howling / blustery wind (blustery: stürmisch) 

deep / fresh snow 

12. Fix the idioms (p. 16) 

a) He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. 

b) It’s as easy as falling off a log. (Das ist ein Kinderspiel.) 

c) I wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole. (Das würde ich noch nicht mal mit der 

Kneifzange anfassen.) 

d) He’s like a fish out of water. (Er ist wie ein Fisch auf dem Trockenen.) 

e) You can’t pull the wool over my eyes. (Du kannst mir keinen Sand in die Augen 

streuen!) 

f) A leopard can’t change his spots. (Die Katze lässt das Mausen nicht.) 

g) That’s just the tip of the iceberg. (Das ist nur die Spitze des Eisbergs.) 

h) I’m sorry. You’re barking up the wrong tree. (Du bist auf dem Holzweg.) 


21

WORD GAMES | Answers 

13. Commonly confused words (p. 17) 

1 

L 

2 

L 

I 

3 

L O O S E 

4 

K 

S I 

5N E A R 

6B Y E N 

O 

C 

7I 

R 

8 

L I V E 

F O R I 

9 

O F 

L 

10 

W H E 

11 

N 

A 

12 13 

E 

A 

14 

D E S S E R T 

N 

15 

D E S E R T 

14. What’s the joke? (p. 18) 

(a) A shipwrecked sailor has survived on a lonely island for many years. (b) One day, 

he sees a ship appear on the horizon. (c) A rescue boat soon lands on the beach. 

(d) An officer gives the sailor a pile of newspapers and says: (e) “The captain thinks 

you should read through these and let us know if you still want to be rescued.” 

15. Code breaker (p. 19) 

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; 

an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” 

Sir Winston Churchill (1874–1965), former British prime minister 

A B C D E F G H I J K L M 

8 s v 3 j q y 7 w 

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 

e x b z 5 f n a h 


COMPETITION! 

Spotlight is giving away three 

copies of Are You Joking? by 

Grubbe Media and Spotlight — a 

game for activating your English 

and your sense of humour. 

For your chance to win a game, 

look back through the page headings 

in this booklet and find all the 

letters in blue. Use these letters to 

make a word that has to do with 

the topic of this booklet: 

_____ - ______ 

To take part, go to www.spotlight-online.de/word-games and put in the 

correct answer. 

We will draw three winners from the correct entries we receive by 

30 September 2013. The winners will be announced on our website, 

www.spotlight-online.de 

Good luck! 

Ja, ich mich damit einverstanden, dass meine Daten von der Spotlight Verlag 

GmbH erhoben und gespeichert werden dürfen. Die Spotlight Verlag GmbH darf 

mich per E-Mail über interessante Produkte informieren. Nicht teilnahmeberechtigt 

sind Mitarbeiter der Spotlight Verlag GmbH und der Grubbe Media 

GmbH sowie deren Angehörige. Eine Barauszahlung des Preises ist ausgeschlossen. 

Teilnahmeschluss ist der 30.09.2013. Der Rechtsweg ist ausgeschlossen. 


23

Gut für 

den Kopf! 

Besser mit Sprachen. Land und Leute 

verstehen – und nebenbei die Sprache 

lernen. Jeden Monat neu. 

4 

Magazine 

zum Preis 

von 3! 

www.spotlight-verlag.de/4fuer3

Spotlight Test your English! (Vorschau)

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?