File 2 /3 Colloquial English

Julia Eccleshare
Journalist
Julia Eccleshare MBE is a British journalist and writer on the subject of children's books. She has been Children's Books editor for The Guardian newspaper for more than ten years, at least from 2000. Wikipedia
Born: 1951, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Profiles

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Books

1001 Children's Books Yo...
2009

Guide to the Harry Potter No...
2002

Beatrix Potter to Harry Pott...
2002

One Thousand and One...
2009


Click on:   Julia Eccleshare - Wikipedia

Clean Sweep Ignatius

 FEW showed much interest when Ignatius Agarbi was appointed Nigeria's Minister of Finance. After all, the cynics pointed out, he was the seventeenth person to hold the office in seventeen years. In Ignatius's first major policy statement to Parliament he promised to end graft and corruption in public life and warned the electorate that no one holding an official position could feel safe unless he led a blameless life. He ended his maiden speech with the words, "I intend to clear out Nigeria's Augean stables." Such was the impact of the minister's speech that it failed to get a mention in the Lagos Daily Times. Perhaps the editor considered that, since the paper had covered the speeches of the previous sixteen ministers in extenso , his readers might feel they had heard it all before. Ignatius, however, was not to be disheartened by the lack of confidence shown in him, and set about his new task with vigour and determination. Within days of his appointment he had caused a minor official at the Ministry of Trade to be jailed for falsifying documents relating to the import of grain. The next to feel the bristles of Ignatius's new broom was a leading Lebanese financier, who was deported without trial for breach of the exchange control regulations. A month later came an event which even Ignatius considered a personal coup: the arrest of the Inspector General of Police for accepting bribes - a perk the citizens of Lagos had in the past considered went with thejob . When four months later the Police Chief was sentenced to eighteen months in jail, the new Finance Minister finally made the front page of the Lagos Daily Times. A leader on the centre page dubbed him "Clean Sweep Ignatius", the new broom every guilty man feared. Ignatius's reputation as Mr Clean continued to grow as arrest followed arrest and unfounded rumours began circulating in the capital that even General Otobi, the Head of State, was under investigation by his own Finance Minister. Ignatius alone now checked, vetted and authorised all foreign contracts worth over one hundred million dollars. And although every decision he made was meticulously scrutinized by his enemies, not a breath of scandal ever became associated with his name. When Ignatius began his second year of office as Minister of Finance even the cynics began to acknowledge his achievements. It was about this time that General Otobi felt confident enough to call Ignatius in for an unscheduled consultation. The Head of State welcomed the Minister to Dodan Barracks and ushered him to a comfortable chair in his study overlooking the parade ground. "Ignatius, I have just finished going over the latest budget report and I am alarmed by your conclusion that the Exchequer is still losing millions of dollars each year in bribes paid to go-betweens by foreign companies. Have you any idea into whose pockets this money is falling? That's what I want to know." Ignatius sat bolt upright, his eyes never leaving the Head of State. "I suspect a great percentage of the money is ending up in private Swiss bank accounts but I am at present unable to prove it." "Then I will give you whatever added authority you require to do so," said General Otobi. "You can use any means you consider necessary to ferret out these villains. Start by investigating every member of my Cabinet, past and present. And show no fear or favour in your endeavours, no matter what their rank or connections." "For such a task to have any chance of success I would need a special letter of authority signed by you, General . . ." "Then it will be on your desk by six o'clock this evening," said the Head of State. "And the rank of Ambassador Plenipotentiary whenever I travel abroad." "Granted." "Thank you," said Ignatius, rising from his chair on the assumption that the audience was over. "You may also need this," said the General as they walked towards the door. The Head of State handed Ignatius a small automatic pistol. "Because I suspect by now that you have almost as many enemies as I." Ignatius took the pistol from the soldier awkwardly, put it in his pocket and mumbled his thanks. Without another word passing between the two men Ignatius left his leader and was driven back to his Ministry. Without the knowledge of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and unhindered by any senior civil servants, Ignatius enthusiastically set about his new task. He researched alone at night, and by day discussed his findings with no one. Three months later he was ready to pounce. The Minister selected the month of August to make an unscheduled visit abroad as it was the time when most Nigerians went on holiday and his absence would therefore not be worthy of comment. He asked his Permanent Secretary to book him, his wife and their two children on a flight to Orlando, and to be certain that it was charged to his personal account. On their arrival in Florida the family checked into the local Marriott Hotel. He then informed his wife, without warning or explanation, that he would be spending a few days in New York on business before rejoining them for the rest of the holiday. The following morning Ignatius left his family to the mysteries of Disney World while he took a flight to New York. It was a short taxi ride from La Guardia to Kennedy, where, after a change of clothes and the purchase of a return tourist ticket for cash, Ignatius boarded a Swissair flight for Geneva unobserved. Once in the Swiss capital Ignatius booked into an inconspicuous hotel, retired to bed and slept soundly for eight hours. Over breakfast the following morning he studied the list of banks he had so carefully drawn up after completing his research in Nigeria: each name was written out boldly in his own hand. Ignatius decided to start with Gerberet  Cie whose building, he observed from the hotel bedroom, took up half the Avenue de Parchine. He checked the telephone number with the concierge before placing a call. The chairman agreed to see him at twelve o'clock. Carrying only a battered briefcase, Ignatius arrived at the bank a few minutes before the appointed hour- an unusual occurrence for a Nigerian, thought the young man dressed in a smart grey suit, white shirt and grey silk tie, who was waiting in the marble hall to greet him. He bowed to the Minister, introducing himself as the chairman's personal assistant, and explained that he would accompany Ignatius to the chairman's office. The young executive led the Minister to a waiting lift and neither man uttered another word until they had reached the eleventh floor. A gentle tap on the chairman's door elicited " Entrez," which the young man obeyed. "The Nigerian Minister of Finance, sir." The chairman rose from behind his desk and stepped forward to greet his guest. Ignatius could not help noticing that he too wore a grey suit, white shirt and grey silk tie. "Good morning, Minister," the chairman said. "Won't you have a seat?" He ushered Ignatius towards a low glass table surrounded by comfortable chairs on the far side of the room. "I have ordered coffee for both of us if that is acceptable." Ignatius nodded, placed the battered briefcase on the floor by the side of his chair and stared out of the large plate-glass window. He made some small ltalk about the splendid view of the magnificent fountain while a girl served all three men with coffee. Once the young woman had left the room Ignatius got down to business. "My Head of State has requested that I visit your bank with a rather unusual request," he began. Not a flicker of surprise appeared on the face of the chairman or his young assistant. "He has honoured me with the task of discovering which Nigerian citizens hold numbered accounts with your bank." On learning this piece of information only the chairman's lips moved. "I am not at liberty to disclose -" "Allow me to put my case," said the Minister, raising a white palm. "First, let me assure you that I come with the absolute authority of my government." Without another word, Ignatius extracted an envelope from his inside pocket with a flourish. He handed it to the chairman who removed the letter inside and read it slowly. Once he had finished reading, the banker cleared his throat. "This document, I fear, sir, carries no validity in my country." He replaced it in the envelope and handed it back to Ignatius. "I am, of course," continued the chairman, "not for one moment doubting that you have the full backing of your Head of State, both as a Minister and an Ambassador, but that does not change the bank's rule of confidentiality in such matters. There are no circumstances in which we would release the names of any of our account holders without their authority. I'm sorry to be of so little help, but those are, and will always remain, the bank rules." The chairman rose to his feet, as he considered the meeting was now at an end; but he had not bargained for Clean Sweep Ignatius. "My Head of State," said Ignatius, softening his tone perceptibly, "has authorized me to approach your bank to act as the intermediary for all future transactions between my country and Switzerland." "We are flattered by your confidence in us, Minister," replied the chairman, who remained standing. "However, I feel sure that you will understand that it cannot alter our attitude to our customers' confidentiality." Ignatius remained unperturbed. "Then I am sorry to inform you, Mr Gerber, that our Ambassador in Geneva will be instructed to make an official communiqué to the Swiss Foreign Office about the lack of co-operation your bank has shown concerning requests for information about our nationals." He waited for his words to sink in. "You could avoid such embarrassment, of course, by simply letting me know the names of my countrymen who hold accounts with Gerberet Cie and the amounts involved. I can assure you we would not reveal the source of our information." "You are most welcome to lodge such a communiqué, sir, and I feel sure that our Minister will explain to your Ambassador in the most courteous of diplomatic language that the Foreign Ministry does not have the authority under Swiss law to demand such disclosures." "If that is the case, I shall instruct my own Ministry of Trade to halt all future dealings in Nigeria with any Swiss nationals until these names are revealed." "That is your privilege, Minister," replied the chairman, unmoved. "And we may also have to reconsider every contract currently being negotiated by your countrymen in Nigeria. And in addition I shall personally see to it that no penalty clauses are honoured." "Would you not consider such action a little precipitate?" "Let me assure you, Mr Gerber, that I would not lose one moment of sleep over such a decision," said Ignatius. "Even if my efforts to discover those names were to bring your country to its knees I would not be moved." "So be it, Minister," replied the chairman. "However, it still does not alter the policy or the attitude of this bank to confidentiality." "If that remains the case, sir, this very day I shall give instructions to our Ambassador to close our Embassy in Geneva and I shall declare your Ambassador in Lagos persona non grata." For the first time the chairman raised his eyebrows. "Furthermore," continued Ignatius, "I will hold a conference in London which will leave the world's press in no doubt of my Head of State's displeasure with the conduct of this bank. After such publicity I feel confident you will find that many of your customers would prefer to close their accounts, while others who have in the past considered you a safe haven may find it necessary to look elsewhere." The Minister waited but still the chairman did not respond. "Then you leave me no choice," said Ignatius, rising from his seat. The chairman stretched out his arm, assuming that at last the Minister was leaving, only to watch with horror as Ignatius placed a hand in his jacket pocket and removed a small pistol. The two Swiss bankers froze as the Nigerian Minister of Finance stepped forward and pressed the muzzle against the chairman's temple. "I need those names, Mr Gerber, and by now you must realise I will stop at nothing. If you don't supply them immediately I'm going to blow your brains out. Do you understand?" The chairman gave a slight nod, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. "And he will be next," said Ignatius, gesturing towards the young assistant, who stood speechless and paralysed a few paces away. "Get me the names of every Nigerian who holds an account in this bank," Ignatius said quietly, looking towards the young man, "or I'll blow your chairman's brains all over his soft pile carpet. Immediately, do you hear me?" he added sharply. The young man looked towards the chairman, who was now trembling but said quite clearly, "Non, Pierre,j amais." "D'accord," replied the assistant in a whisper. "You can't say I didn't give you every chance." Ignatius pulled back the hammer. The sweat was now pouring down the chairman's face and the young man had to turn his eyes away as he waited in terror for the pistol shot.

Clean Sweep Ignatius

The twist in the tale

Biography

Simple bio

"Excellent," said Ignatius, as he removed the gun from the chairman's head and returned to his seat. Both the bankers were still trembling and quite unable to speak. The Minister picked up the battered briefcase by the side of his chair and placed it on the glass table in front of him. He pressed back the clasps and the lid flicked up. The two bankers stared down at the neatly packed rows of hundred-dollar bills. Every inch of the briefcase had been taken up. The chairman quickly estimated that it probably amounted to around five million dollars. "I wonder, sir," said Ignatius, "how I go about opening an account with your

File 2 B Vocabulary Clothes

match

1

look good together

 [intransitive and transitive] if one thing matches another, or if two things match, they look attractive together because they are a similar colour, pattern etc [↪ matching]:

We painted the cabinets green to match the rug.

Do you think this outfit matches?

! Do not say that one thing 'matches to' or 'matches with' another. Say that one thing matches another or that two things match.

2

look the same

 [intransitive and transitive] two things that match look the same because they are a pair:

Your socks don't match.

Suit

2 [not in passive] clothes, colours etc that suit you make you look attractive:

That coat really suits Paul.

Red suits you.

Jill's new hairstyle doesn't really suit her.

fit past tense and past participle fitted also fit American English present participle fitting

1

clothes

a) [intransitive,transitive not in progressive] if a piece of clothing fits you, it is the right size for your body:

His clothes did not fit him very well.

The uniform fitted her perfectly.

The jacket's fine, but the trousers don't fit.

I know this dress is going to fit you like a glove (=fit you very well).

! Use fit to say that clothes are not too big or too small. Use suit to say that clothes look attractive on someone The dress fits, but it doesn't suit me.

b) [transitive usually passive] to try a piece of clothing on someone to see if it is the right size for them, or to make sure a special piece of equipment is right for them

streak

1 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to run or fly somewhere so fast you can hardly be seen

streak across/along/down etc

Two jets streaked across the sky.

2 [transitive usually passive] to cover something with lines of colour, liquid etc:

The sky was streaked yellow and purple.

streak with

His hands and arms were streaked with paint.

3 [intransitive] to run across a public place with no clothes on as a joke or in order to shock people

File 2 B Older and wiser?

1A Questions and Answers

Questions and answers

10 A Great British design icons

The Coca-Cola London Eye is centrally located in the heart of the capital, gracefully rotating over the River Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. At 135 metres, the Coca-Cola London Eye is the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel; a feat of design and engineering, it has become the modern symbol representing the capital and a global icon. The experience showcases breathtaking 360-degree views of the capital and its famous landmarks and has been the number one visitor experience in the city for the past decade.

The gradual rotation in one of the 32 high-tech glass capsules takes approximately 30 minutes and gives you an ever-changing perspective of London. Within each capsule, interactive guides allow you to explore the capital's iconic landmarks in several languages.

An experience on the Coca-Cola London Eye will lift you high enough to see up to 40 kilometres on a clear day and keep you close enough to see the spectacular details of the city unfolding beneath you.

Make the most of your time with us by visiting our London Eye 4D Experience, free with every ticket. See London come to life through unique perspectives and multi-sensory special effects, including wind, bubbles and scent. The four-minute show is perfect to watch at the start of your visit.

File 10 A Song the greatest love of all

"Greatest Love Of All"

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

Everybody's searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
And so I learned to depend on me

[Chorus:]
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I'll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

[Chorus]

And if, by chance, that special place
That you've been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love

File 10 B Read more about unsolved crimes

When the murder trail goes cold

Click and read:

Mysterious murderers

File 10 A Relative Clauses

Click on these links and read about relative clauses. You can also do exercises

Relative Clauses

Relative Clauses II

File 9 B The winter of our disconnect. Video

File 9 B Vocabulary

File 9 A Third Conditional

Click and do the exercises:

Third Conditional Exercises

File 8 B HOMEWORK A new product

PRODUCT:  RELAX SODA

Everyone will buy it, everyone will enjoy it, because it's a relaxing tea soda. The special ingredient is LINDEN. You might know linden, lime flower, is a sedative and relaxing herb,  that, mixed with gas has an exceptional and refreshing taste, much better than usual.

It's different from anything else in the market because it's the first tea soda in the whole world. You can have it wherever you want, you don't need the hot water. 
These days, society is under great stress, and this product could be a little moment of relax for many people, and It will cost you just £1 !

We have an advertising jingle...

Relax... take it easy... you could have a relaxing soda ♪ :)

FOUND IT

We developed an app for Smartphones with Android, iOs and windows Phone. We called it "Found It"

It's simple but very useful application for our days, We're always in a hurry and many times we lost our stuff and gadgets.

I'm a very messy person, every day I spend a lot of time searching for my smartphone in my house, car or office. That was the reason for the app.

Maybe you're wondering how it works? Ok is too easy:

* First users must download the app in the specific store.

* Then you need to configure "Found It" You must select a keyword and record it with your own voice. For example "Blue"

* The app is always running in the background, but don't worry about this, because it  uses very few resources for this function.

* When you can't find your smartphone, you only have to say the keyword aloud then you smartphone starts ringing.

It's special for messy people like me.

Nowadays a similar app doesn’t exist. Many app's can find your smartphone in a map but not in your house or car.

We think of a Slogan to sell it "If you're a messy on your own, you need  to FIND IT in your phone"

Mauro Carballo

Hello, I’m here to present to you this new product, it’s a watch for blind people, it isn’t a watch with speakers, this gadget have a 3d screen, with an air system to modify the screen to form numbers in braille. The name is Braille-Watch.

In this first version, the battery has autonomy for about 3 days. The price is £ 199, but I think it’s possible to improve the battery autonomy in 2 more days and reduce the price 25% after 1 year in the market.

Our slogan is “Time for all”
This watch will be the first one to use this technology and in a near future we can provide a smartwatch with a lot of functions.

Franco Borgazzi

Name: María Fernanda Arino

Presenting a product

Good morning, I´m going to tell you about my new product. It´s a fantastic and an incredible chair and it´s called “Contortionist Chair”. Now you can see it opened and with its real  shape, but in a few seconds your eyes won´t be able to believe what you see. Look and pay attention!!!

Firstly, I turn the four legs; secondly, I fold the back and the seat and… ready!!! What do you see now? A small box with the same shape of a matchbox. Obviously, it is for people who don´t want to be standing up in a queue anymore. You can go everywhere and you will always have a seat. You can take it in your bag and suddenly, a chair besides you!!!   It will cost

$ 400. Believe me, everyone will want one of them, it will be very popular and there isn´t similar products in the market. It´s an exclusive chair and you can choose it in different colours with a radio AM/FM or with MP4.

I have an advertising slogan for it:

No more standing up queues.

The SOS chair will rescue you.

-          Do you have questions?

Smart lamp

Good morning. We’re going to tell you about our new product.

It’s a lamp and it’s called Smart lamp.

It’s completely different from conventional lamps because this product has the possibility of calibrating the light intensity according to the atmosphere brightness. It’s better than anything else in the market because, in first place, it’s the cheapest lamp in the market –it costs $100–. This lamp is very light, it only weighs 500 grams. One of the most important characteristics of this product is that the light quality is certificated by Ophthalmology International Association. This lamp will not draw energy from the mains, it is wireless and it works with solar energy –you only need 15 minutes to charge it and the battery lasts 24 hours–. And you also have this lamp in 20 colors to combine with your room.

We think it will very popular with North American people because most of them work in offices and read a lot, so probably they need the Smart lamp to do their job easier and get a better vision quality. This is why we think this a great opportunity to invest your money.

Eliana Mattiacci Stablun

 The new pork hamburguer

-It is delicious!

-It is cheaper than others meals

-It is low in calories

-You reduce the costs,the sales go up and people will love it!

-the new pork hamburguer will be sold to the big market, like BK and Mc.

No doubts: it will be a success!!!!!