BERLIN. a sad story with a happy ending (we do hope)

What an amazing city Berlin is! So full of history, of miserable and elated stories (look up EXTREME ADJECTIVES in English), of nice-looking gardens and palaces, of museums, of sad memories... but an example of how man can destruct something so beautiful and reconstruct it from its ashes.

 

 

A city where the past (How to use the PAST PERFECT, English in a Minute, BBC Learning English) meets the present!! 

 

  

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche is just an example.

However, let's begin with some information about Germany and how it was formed.

Some other interesting videos to watch:

• The animated history of Germany: Part One & Two 

• German Unification | 3 Minute History

• Ten Minute History -  German Unification and Empire  (Short documentary)

• How did Prussia Unify Germany? German Unification  - explained in 10 minutes

 

 

 

| and further information about Germany:

• Geography Now! Germany 

• Top 10 Facts About Germany    

 

 

 

 

However, our main issue was the city of Berlin as an example of what happened to Germany in the recent past. Here some other related videos to watch:

• The City of Berlin  

• The History of Berlin | Euromaxx  

• Berlin 1900 in colour!!!!  and part two   and then Berlin in July, 1945  

• Cities At War - Berlin: The Doomed City (WW2 Documentary)

• Warlords: Hitler vs Stalin (WW2 Leaders Documentary) | Timeline

• The Reconstruction of the Berlin City Palace | Euromaxx

• German reunification - a short history | DW Documentary

 

History Channel - Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall

 

 

 

German reunification 25 years on: how different are east and west really (The Guardian)

 

 

Berlin Now & Then - Reichstag, Olympic Stadium ... 

 

National Anthem: Germany - Deutschlandlied [NEW VERSION] and another version!!  

 

 

 

Even US President JF Kennedy said this once... (but is it edible? Ich bin ein Berliner! or: How edible was JFK?)

 

 

 

And now from the touristic point of view:

• Berlin   

• Potsdam And Berlin - Germany Best City - Travel & Discover

• Berlin: Constantly changing city | Discover Germany

 

 

Two nearby German cities you can also visit: Dresden and Leipzig   

Can you speak any Geman? (Kennst du Deutsch?) It is not an easy language, so my piece of advice is that you should first have a good basis learning English, then French and a bit of Latin. You can look up some sites I have come across and that I have compiled here in this blog in:  Ich bin in Köln geboren!!

After all this about Germany and the city Berlin, here are some exercises on English to do:

• Learn a phrase about meeting someone unexpectedly: It's a small world (The English We Speak)

• What is the difference between these two verbs: STEAL vs ROB? (English in a Minute)

Visiting Berlin with Rick Steves   >>>   BERLIN   

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Mr Bean does - 'Blind Date' | Comic Relief  

Chickens on the run

Chickens have always been presented as dull animals, but IS IT REALLY TRUE? What does the expression 'chicken on the run' mean?

Let's begin by reminding you of the famous film CHICKEN RUN. Did you see the film?

This film was based on another great film called THE GREAT ESCAPE, which is starred, among other famous actors, by Steve McQueen. Here's the official trailer of the film....

... and this film was based on a true story that happened during the Second World War (The Making Of The Great Escape. Part 1 of 4). Here is also an interesting documentary to watch:

 

 

Great Escape: The Untold Story (WW2 POW Documentary) | Timeline

 

 

However, going back to chicken, here's an interesting listening exercise to do: What can chickens teach us about organisation? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

 

Organizations are often run according to "the superchicken model," where the value is placed on star employees who outperform others. You can watch this fascinating TED talk by Margaret Heffernan: "Forget the pecking order at work". By the way, what does 'pecking order' mean?

AMERICA GOES CHICKEN CRAZY (The New York Times)

 

Here's another listening exercise to do: High-vis fashion (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

English in a Minute  >>>>   Prevent vs Avoid (BBC Learning English)

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 181107 / 07 November 2018    >>>  Train of the future -  Language related to 'power'.  Need-to-know language: diesel, electrification, hydrogen, coal  & battery-powered.