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Unit 2: Reported speech in 90 seconds!
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  1. 1 Go beyond intermediate with our new video course
  2. 2 Reported speech in 90 seconds!
  3. 3 If or whether?
  4. 4 5 ways to use 'would'
  5. 5 Let and allow
  6. 6 Passive voice
  7. 7 Unless
  8. 8 Mixed conditionals
  9. 9 The zero article - in 90 seconds
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  12. 12 The continuous passive
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  16. 16 Wish
  17. 17 Word stress
  18. 18 Different ways of saying 'if'
  19. 19 Passive reporting structures
  20. 20 The subjunctive
  21. 21 When and if
  22. 22 Inversion
  23. 23 Phrasal verbs
  24. 24 The future
  25. 25 Modals in the past
  26. 26 Narrative tenses
  27. 27 Phrasal verb myths
  28. 28 Conditionals review
  29. 29 Used to - review
  30. 30 Linking words of contrast

Session 2

Learn the language you need to talk about the news. Finn and Neil have been searching the web for the words and phrases used to report the story of smog in Beijing.

Sessions in this unit

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    Activity 1
  1. Activity 1

Activity 1

News Review

Beijing smog

Smog in the Chinese capital Beijing has got so bad the government has banned half of all vehicles from taking to the roads

Watch the programme and then see what you've learned with a short quiz. 

Watch the video and complete the activity

The story

Severe restrictions are in force in Beijing to limit air pollution after the city declared a red alert for the first time.

Half the city's vehicles have been banned from the roads.

Report from the BBC's John Sudworth in Beijing

Beijing's air has turned into a familiar smoggy soup with pollution well over ten times safe levels. But last week was actually much worse. Back then, some of the most dangerous pollutants reached almost 40 times the World Health Organisation's recommended maximum. And the lack of a red alert warning from the authorities was met with howls of derision. Now, the government has finally taken the costly steps of limiting car use and keeping children at home.

Key words and phrases

red alert
a warning that something dangerous will probably happen

toxic
poisonous

engulf
surround something completely

portmanteau word
a single word made from two words

To do

Try these questions to test your ability to use the words from this News Review.

Beijing smog quiz

3 Questions

Choose the best answer from today's news story to fill each gap.

Congratulations you completed the Quiz
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
x / y

Next

Learn more about this story in News Report.

Session Vocabulary

  • red alert
    a warning that something dangerous will probably happen

    toxic
    poisonous

    engulf
    surround something completely

    portmanteau word
    a single word made from two words

View full vocabulary reference

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