Thursday the 25th of April, 2024.

Welcome to English Warm-ups. This week,  Edith Nene, a short story. This week's episode of  The Farm at Lane's End, and an easy quiz.

Translation.  

Have fun!  Simply translate into English, then scroll down for suggested solutions.  

Good Luck!

Wir sitzen in der Küche.

Es ist 11 Uhr.  

Es ist Zeit für Kaffee.   

Wir trinken einen Kaffee.  

Wir planen unseren nächsten Urlaub.  

Ich will an einen heißen Ort. 

Vielleicht nach Spanien.  

Oder, wie wäre es mit Griechenland?  

Eine griechische Insel wäre schön. 

Wir könnten auch in die Ferne fahren. 

Was hältst du von Asien?  

Ich möchte einen Abenteuerurlaub machen. 

Willst du lieber am Strand liegen?  

Du würdest gerne mit einer schönen Bräune nach Hause kommen. 

Ein Wanderurlaub in Schweden kommt nicht in Frage. 

Also, wir haben uns entschieden. 

Wieder Spanien.  

Genau wie letztes Jahr und das Jahr davor.  

Lass uns noch einen Kaffee trinken.

We're sitting in the kitchen.  It's eleven o' clock.  elevensis time.  We're having a coffee.  We're planning our next holiday.  I want to go somewhere hot. Maybe to Spain.  Or, what about Greece?  A Greek island would be nice. We could go further afield. What do you think of Asia?  I want an adventure holiday. You would prefer to lie on the beach?  You'd like to come home with a tan. A hiking holiday in Sweden is out of the question. So, we've made up our minds. Spain again.  Just like last year and the year before.  Let's have another coffee.

Listen here to English Warm-ups and Edith Neni

Edith Neni

Edith Neni grew up in the depths of an Hungarian forest. And, she knows the secret of getting through freezing cold winters without catching colds. And,Edith's secret is nothing more than bowls of hot water.

Every evening, Edith Neni's mother would prepare the bowls of hot water. One for each family member. And, into each bowl of piping hot water went a touch of bicarb' of soda and a sprinkling of salt.

And, there the family would sit in a circle, each with their feet in a bowl and all having fun. Stories and jokes, and, for those old enough, a cup of hot spicy wine. Wonderful ends of very hard days.

And, these bowls of hat salty water were very important. Edith Nene grew up in a very poor family. Everyone, even the children, had to work very hard. Foot baths in piping hot water kept people in very good health. And, very good health meant money as well.

Edith Neni, who's now 86, grew up in the depths of an Hungarian forest. And, she's never had a cold in her life. Bowls of piping hot water with bicarb' of soda and a small pinch of salt. This could be something for you. You will not only have very clean feet, but good health as well. It's not only cheap, it's easy as well.

Edith Neni and bowls of Hot Water

piping hot – very, very hot

a sprinkling – a small amount

a touch of . . . a small portion ...

a pinch of salt – a small amount

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The Farm at Lane's End

Chapter 4 -   A Fish and Chips Lunch

Key Words

Rashers and eggs    bacon and eggs.

30 grand - 30 thousand.   1 grand = 1 thousand.

I'll keep my fingers crossed - good luck.

Nightmare - very bad dream.

Before you get going - before you start.  Would you like a cup of tea before you get going with the cleaning.

Elevenses - A coffee break at 11 o' clock in the morning.  Usually with a biscuit.

I could eat a horse.  I am very hungry.

It slipped my mind - I forgot.

Never mind - It's no problem.  Don't worry.

Questions

Why is Farmer Ken going to see Peter Wilson?

When will Farmer Ken be back from Peter Wilson's?

What is Farmer Ken buying for lunch?

What did Dave offer Aunty Becky and Cousin Natalie when they arrived?

What did cousin Natalie say when she saw the mess?

What did Cousin Natalie mean when she said she could eat a horse?

What did Farmer Ken forget to buy?

What was Farmer Ken's good idea?

Easy Quiz

 

Thursday the 18th of April, 2024

Simply translate into English. You can then scroll down for suggested solutions.  

Good luck!

Es ist 7.30 Uhr morgens.  

Ich sitze in einem Kaffeehaus.  

Ich warte auf einen Freund.  

Wir haben viel zu besprechen. 

Wir haben uns schon lange nicht mehr gesehen.  

Das letzte Mal war vor sieben Jahren.  

Seitdem ist viel passiert.  

Es ist viel Wasser unter die Brücke geflossen. 

Ich bin sehr neugierig.  

Auch ich habe viel zu erzählen.  

Aber die Nachrichten anderer Leute sind interessanter als meine. 

Ich höre lieber zu.  

Mein Freund hört nie auf zu reden.

It's 7.30 in the morning.  I'm sitting in a coffee-house.  I'm waiting for a friend.  We've much to talk about. We haven't see each other for a very long time.  The last time was seven years ago.  Much has happened since then.  Much water has flown under the bridge.  I'm very curious.  I, too, have much to talk about.  But, other people's news is more interesting than mine. I prefer listening.  My friend never stops talking.

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The Farm at Lane's End

Chapter 3 

A Herd of Guernsey Cows

Listen to this chapter on YouTube, then answer the following questions,-

Key Words

Never mind - don't worry - it's no problem - 

Pint - a big beer

Grand - a thousand - 5 grand = 5 thousand

Does Farmer Ken think  housework is easy?

How long ago did Farmer Ken and Dave have fish and chips?

Who phoned farmer Ken?

What did Peter Wilson want to sell?

How much did Peter Wilson want for his cows?

How many cows did Peter Wilson have to secky sell?

What did aunty Becky say in her text message?

Who is Aunty Becky coming with?

Are Farmer Ken and Dave happy that Becky and Natalie are coming?

What are Becky and Natalie coming to do?

Where are farmer Ken and Dave going for a pint?

What has farmer Ken forgotten to do?

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A Short Story

 A Lazy Toorington Weekend!

This weekend was a very slow weekend.  We had a lazy time.  We spent most of our time in the garden.  A little bit here and a little bit there.  Nothing special.  

But, the grill  on Saturday evening was great. Two beautiful steaks. We bought them at the butchers on Saturday morning. And, the wine  came from The Toorington Wine Bar. Very good and a very good price. Only 10 pounds a bottle.  

After dinner we watched Grafenegg on TV.  Live from Austria.  Buchbinder was playing.  A sensational concert.  Brilliant as usual.   One day, we are definitely going to Grafenegg.  I love the atmosphere.  Classic and fine.

And, what's planned for next week?   We are meeting Mick of the Toorington theatre club.  See you next week.

Vocabulary

lazy . .

spent . . .

definately . . .

Thursday the 11th of April, 2024.

  

Translate into English and have fun.  Scroll down for suggested solutions.  Good luck! 

Es ist genau wie im Sommer.  

Viel zu heiß für diese Jahreszeit.   

30 Grad in Wien.  

Die Wienerinnen und Wiener lieben dieses herrliche Wetter. 

Alle sind draußen und haben Spaß.  

Die Parks sind voll.  

In der Wachau blühen die Marillenbäume. 

Es ist noch viel zu früh.  

Marillenmarmelade ist meine Lieblingsmarmelade.  

Auch wir haben einen Marillenbaum. 

Hoffentlich eine sehr gute Ernte.   

Gregor liegt schlafend in seinem Liegestuhl.  Seine Frau ist drinnen.  

Sie räumt nach dem Mittagessen auf.

It's just like summer.  Far too hot for the time of year.   30 degrees in Vienna.  The Viennese love this wonderful weather. Everyone's outside having fun.  The parks are full.  The apricot trees are blossoming in the Wachau. It's far too early.  Apricot jam is my favoutite jam.  We, too, have an apricot tree. Hopefully, a very good harvest.   Gregor is asleep in his deck chair.  His wife is inside.  She is cleaning up after lunch.

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San Marino

San Marino is a long way from Toorington. San Marino is a very interesting place. It is the smallest republic in Europe:  It has only 61 square kilometres. 

San Marino lives from  wheat, grapes, cheese, livestock, postage stamps, tourism, 

textiles,  pottery, chemicals, paints and wine.

San Marino is landlocked in the middle of Italy. Its border is 34 kilometres long. Its highest mountain, the Monte Titano is 793 meters high. 

The River Ausa flows through San Marino.

The official language of San Marino is Italian, and the head of state is known as the Captain's Regent. San Marino was founded in the 4^th century by a Christian Saint.

Vocabulary

border -Grenze

cheese – Käse

flow (flow/flowed/flowed) – fliest

founded (found/founded/founded) gegrundet

grapes – Trauben

head of state – Staats Oberhaupt

landlocked – Ohne zugang zum Meer

language - Sprache

livestock – Vieh

paints - Farben

postage stamps – Briefmarken

pottery – Keramik

wheat – Getreide

Questions

How many square kilometres has San Marino?

How high is its highest mountain and what is its name?

Where is San Marino?

Which language is spoken in San Marino?

What does San Marino live from?

Which river runs through San Marino?

What is the head of state known as?

Who founded San Marino?

 

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The Farm at Lane's End

   

Chapter 2 - Visiting Time at the Hospital

Key Words

Yorkshire - short for Yorkshire pudding -  Roast beef and Yorkshire.

Decent - respectable -satisfactory - good -  A decent meal.

Listen to the audio then answer the follwing questions,-

What is the time when Farmer Ken and Dave arrive at the hospital?

Was mum's operation easy or difficult?

Was mum smiling when Dave and Farmer Ken arrived?

What did the doctors tell mum?

Were Farmer Ken and Dave happy to hear mum's news?

What did Dave say about mum coming home?

What will mum need for the wedding?

What must  Farmer Ken and Dave do before mum comes home?

What has Farmer Ken forgotten to do?

Click here to listen to all Chapters so far  

 

Thursday the 4th of April, 2024.

 

 Simply translate into English.  Scroll down for suggested solutions.  Good luck!

Gregor ist ein hochkultivierter Mann.  

Ein Mann des Theaters, der Oper und der Kunst.  

Gregors Lieblingsautor ist Franz Kafka.   

Gregor liebt Kafkas Geschichte über einen Mann, der sich in ein Insekt verwandelt.  

Diese Geschichte ist jetzt ein Theaterstück.  

Es wird im Akademietheater in Wien aufgeführt. 

Gregor hat zwei Karten gekauft. 

Die perfekte Geburtstagsüberraschung für seine Frau. 

Vielleicht gefällt Gregors Frau das Stück.  

Wir müssen abwarten. 

Gregor is a highly cultured man.  A man of theatre, opera, and art.  Gregor's favourite author is Franz Kafka.   Gregor's really loves Kafka's story of a man who turned into an insect.  This story is now a play.  It is  on  at the  Akademietheater in Vienna. Gregor has bought two tickets. The perfect birthday surprise for his wife. Maybe, Gregor's wife will enjoy the play.  We must wait and see.

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The Farm at Lane's End

Chapter 1 - A Letter

Listen to the story, then answer the following questions,

Key Words

Preparing - getting ready

Huge - very very big

 

Is farmer Ken cooking breakfast or lunch? 

What has Dave just finished doing?

Which season is it in this story?

What does farmer Ken tell Dave over breakfast?

Who has written to farmer Ken?

Good news or bad news?

Who is getting married?

Who is Cousin Jane getting married to?

Is Rajeeve's father rich or poor?

Why is Rajeeve's father rich?

Where is Dave's mother?

Click here for more of Life at Lane's End - This site will be updated weekly.

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A Short Story

House flies are small, black  everyone hates them. They share our homes and eat all they can get! House flies are very revolting.

But, these little miracles of nature have another side, too. They are good at surviving. House flies can fly at 11 kilometres an hour, and with their 6000 little eyes they can see danger coming and fly out the way. And, there's more! In their 34 day lifespan, house flies can lay more than 400 eggs.

But, not everyone hates them. House flies are perfect for lunch and are loved by spiders and birds.

And little Susie? She keeps a house fly under her bed in a box, and its name is Erich!

Vocabulary

danger – Gefahr

fly (fly/flew/flown) – fliegen

hate – (hate/hated/hated) – hassen

house fly – Stubenfliege

lifespan - Lebenszeit

miracle – Wunder

revolting - abscheulich

share (share/shared/shared) – teilen

surviving – überleben

 Questions

Why do you hate house flies?

How fast can house flies fly?

How many eyes have house flies got?

What do house flies eat for lunch?

How many eggs do house flies lay?

Where does Susie keep Erich?

For how long can a house fly live?

Who has house flies for lunch?

Listen to this story on Youtube.

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Maundy Thursday, 28 March, 2024

Simply translate into English.  Suggested solutions at the end.

Ostern steht vor der Tür.  

Nur noch 4 Tage.      

Heute ist Gründonnerstag. 

Morgen ist Karfreitag.  

Am Gründonnerstag wäscht der Papst die Füße der Armen. 

Vielleicht wäscht der Papst auch seine eigenen Füße.  

Die Karwoche beginnt am Palmsonntag.  

Jesus wurde am Karfreitag gekreuzigt.  

Der Ostersonntag war der Tag der Auferstehung.  

Ostermontag ist der Tag nach Ostersonntag. 

Ich liebe Ostern.  

Es gibt viele Schokoladeneier und Hasen.  

Frohe Ostern.

Easter's just round the corner.  Only 4 more days.  It's Good Friday tomorrow.  Today is Maundy Thursday.  On Maundy Thursday, the Pope washes the feet of the poor. Maybe, the Pope washes his own feet, too.  Holy Week starts on Palm Sunday.  Jesus was crucified on Good Friday.  Easter Sunday was the day of the resurection.  Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday. I love Easter.  Lots of chocolate eggs and bunnies.  Happy Easter.

 

Inventions

The world is full of inventions. Some good, some bad, and some good and bad! Aeroplanes are very good examples. They can take us to very nice places, and, they can drop bombs on our heads. Good and evil! Night and day!

So, what does Maxi B. Acs say? He says that pencil cases are the most useful inventions he knows. He always knows where his pencils are.

And, what does Helga Indra say? Her favourite invention is the mobile phone. She can speak all-day-long to her friends!

But, for many people, the computer is the most important invention of all. I don't agree. I believe the wheel is the most important of all! Wheels make life very easy.  Imagine a car with no wheels.

Vocabulary

agree – zustimmen (agree/agreed/agreed)

all-day-long – den Ganzen Tag

believe – glauben (believe/believed/believed)

day – Tag

ever – jemals

evil – böse

examples – Beispiele

important – wichtig (important/more important/the most important))

impossible – unmöglich

inventions - Erfindungen

many – viele (much – viel)

mobile (phone) – Handy -used mainly without „phone“

night – Nacht

pencil case - Fedepenal

people – Menschen

say – sagen (say/said/said)

some are good – Manche sind gut

without - ohne

zero – Null

Questions and Points for Discussion!

Name four inventions which are good and bad!

What is the most important invention ever?

Why are computers very good inventions?

What have you invented?

Who invented the aeroplane?

What are the most important household inventions?

What do you think of cars?

Very Easy Quiz

Was Charles Dickens Irish or American?

How many symphonies did Beethoven compose?

Was Franz Werfel a tram driver or a cook in a Chinese restaurant?

In which city did Alma Mahler die?

Was Bruno Kreisky the prime minister or president of Austria?

Who is the mayor of Vienna?

Did Alfred Hitchcock make suspence films or love films?

What have Babelsberg and Holywood in common?

Where is Babelsberg? 

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Thursday the 21st of March, 2024

 

Simply translate into English,  suggested solutions belowe. Good luck!

Es ist mitten in der Nacht.  

3 UHR MORGENS.  

Die frühen Morgenstunden.  

Ich bin wach.  

Ich kann nicht schlafen.  

Ich hatte einen schrecklichen Albtraum. 

In der Kneipe gab es kein Bier.  

Was soll ich tun?  

Soll ich aufstehen?   

Soll ich versuchen, wieder einzuschlafen? 

Ich stehe auf und schreibe eine Mail an meinen Bruder.  

Das hätte ich schon gestern tun sollen.  

Ich würde auch gerne in den Garten gehen.  

Aber es ist noch dunkel. 

Eine Tasse Kaffee wäre toll. 

Oder vielleicht eine schöne Tasse Tee.  

Aber auf jeden Fall kein Bier.

It's the middle of the night.  3 AM.  The small hours.  I am awake.  I can't sleep.  I had a terrible nightmare. The pub had no beer.  What shall I do?  Shall I get up?   Shall I try to get back to sleep? I will get up and write a mail to my brother.  I should have done it yesterday.  I would also like to go into the garden.  But, it's still dark.  A cup of coffee would be great. Or, maybe a nice cup of tea.  But, definately no beer.

Easy Quiz

Where is Cape Verdi?

Is Cape Verdi in the northern hemisphere or the southern hemisphere?

Is Cardif or Sydney the capital of Australia?

Is Kufstein in Lower Austria or Upper Austria?

Who wrote The Merry Widow?

When did Emperor Franz Josef die?

Who was the last emperor of Austria?

Where was Empress Elisabeth of Austria assasinated?

Who is the British prime minister?

Is Southern Comfort a medicine that is only taken in the south?

Karli Freund - A short story

Karli Freund is a carpenter, He works with wood. Karli Freund needs many different tools for his work.

He needs saws, chisels, planes, drills, hammers, screwdrivers, and a lathe. Karli Freund also uses lots of sandpaper and glue.

Karli Freund makes window frames, door frames and furniture in his workshop.

And, Karli loves his weekends as well. He has a very nice little wooden house in the Vienna Woods, which, by-the-way, he built himself!

Karli Freund is a carpenter. He loves his job very much.

Vocabulary

built – gebaut (build/built/built)

by-the-way - übrigens

carpenter – Tischler

chisel – Meißel

different – verschieden

door frames – Türrahmen

drill – Bohrer

furniture – Möbel

glue - Klebstoff

lathe - Drehbank / Dressel (Öst.)

need – brauchen (need/needed/needed)

plane - Hobel

sandpaper – Schleifpapier

saw - Säge

screwdriver – Schraubenzieher

tools – Werkzeug

window frames – Fensterrahmen

wooden - hölzern

workshop - Werkstatt

Questions

1 – What tools does Karli Freund need for his job?

2 - Why does Karli Freund make in his workshop?

3 – What does Karli Freund do at weekends?

4 – Where is Karli Freund's little wooden house?

5 – Who built Karli Freund's little wooden house?

6 – Who chose the furniture?

7 - Why is wood beautiful?

Click HERE to listen to Karli Freund on YouTube

Recording with full text.