Post by Ritva Paivomaa on Mar 6, 2016 10:30:23 GMT -5
Dear students
we will discuss yle news in class in March 2016. You will get a handout in class one week before the lesson. If you can't attend that lesson, you can read the selected news items and tasks here.
(If you'd rather read a word version, you can read the attachment if you log in with USERNAME 'stepsstudent' and PASSWORD 'spring2016'. questions latest news 6 March 2016.doc (17.5 KB) Latest news 6 March 2016.doc (21.5 KB)
Which of these news items did you find interesting? Why?
Can you explain in your own words what the news report number 1 (2,3,…) is about?
Write an opinion (not necessarily your own:)) on one news report (or several) - or a question.
Eg. News report 1: My husband makes lovely food from roach. He cleans the fish, seasons it with salt and pork, covers it with rye crust and let's it cook overnight in the oven at a low temperature, at about 120 degrees. Yummy breakfast!
News report 2: Have you ever been ice fishing? Have you ever participated in an ice fishing contest?
What has happened since 6 March 2016?
Did you learn any interesting new words or expressions?
How could you express the following words/expressions in English?
1. kotimaisia lajeja
2. pilkkikilpailu
3. esittää tarjous
4a. välttämättömät tarvikkeet
4b. kuviot, aiheet, mallit
5a. ihmissalakuljettaja
5b. sakko ja ehdollinen vankilatuomio
5c. turvapaikanhakijat
6. parannus / uudistus hyllytetty
7a. ostos, hankinta
7b. citymaasturi
8. uudistusmielinen (kekseliäs) hanke, projekti,suunnitelma
9. rajaton energian lähde
10. sallia maahan-tulo ilman viisumia
11a. entisöinti, peruskorjaus
11b.budjettileik-kauksia ja irtisanomisia
Find the word/words to match the following definitions.
2. to persuade somebody/something to go somewhere or to do something, usually by offering them something ; SYNONYM persuade
4. a small digital image used to express an idea or emotion in emails, on the Internet, etc.
5.(of a crime or bad action) planned in advance
6. a change to the form of something, usually to improve its appearance
7. sport utility vehicle; a type of large car, often with four-wheel drive and made originally for travelling over rough ground se
8. to change or make somebody change their religion or beliefs
11.(formal) to do the official duties at a public or religious ceremony
yle.fi/news 6 March 2016
1.Cleaning the Baltic Sea, one roach (särki) or bream (lahna) at a time
Campaigns have worked for decades to encourage Finns to use more of their delicious local fish. Despite these efforts, the most popular fish found on a standard Finnish plate is still salmon, often originating from fish farms in Norway. A prominent foundation has now thrown its weight behind a new plan to convince Finns to better utilize domestic species, with what it calls the Local Fishing Project.
2.National ice fishing contest attracts 1,500 to Joensuu
Finland’s national ice fishing championships took place in Joensuu on Saturday, enticing over 1,500 eager ice fishers from across the country to participate. The contest isn’t an easy one, as the ice on the eastern border city’s Pyhäselkä Lake has reached a thickness of 60 centimetres (24 inches), and catching fish in the dark deep water is a real challenge.
3.Finnish football boss downplays reports of Nordic bid to host European football championship
Head of the Finnish Football Association Pertti Alaja has played down media reports that Nordic football associations are set to launch a bid to host a Europe football championship tournament. Alaja said that the associations are discussing securing a major event, but no decisions have yet been made.
4.Bears, birds, browns, blues and an emoji: Kela launches 2016 new baby kit
Cuteness alert: The 2016 edition of the new baby starter kit is a treat for animal lovers. The patterns on the collection of necessities for baby’s first months of life feature a stable of bouncing, cheerful bears, birds, dogs and monkeys in hues of brown and blue. The Finnish Social Insurance Institute Kela also announced that a new baby box emoji is due out in May.
5.Russian people smuggler charged and sentenced
The Lapland District Court has slapped a fine and a suspended prison sentence on a Russian man accused of smuggling asylum seekers into Finland over its eastern border. The court found that the man's actions were premeditated, and stiffened its sentence because he took money for transporting the migrants.
6.PM Sipilä: "No Plan B" – labour law revamp shelved
In the midst of serious doubts as to the future of Finland's so-called 'social contract' to bring more flexibility to the labour market, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä says that government's original plan to push through legislation that would force changes in Finnish labour policy has been shelved, as there would be no time left to finalise the plan before the next round of labour negotiations.
7.Valmet Automotive makes biggest robotics purchase in Finnish history
More than 250 robots have been bought by car manufacturer Valmet Automotive, which will begin to manufacture the Mercedes GLC, a city SUV, in Uusikaupunki beginning in 2017.
8.Turku bus card offer converts thousands of motorists to public transport
It can be tricky to get drivers to give up their cars and hop onto a bus, but an innovative scheme in Turku has helped more than 5,000 motorists swap their car keys for a bus card—free of charge. The special promotion runs to the end of March and is open to anyone who holds a driving license and doesn’t already have a bus card.
Motorists in the Turku region are able to get a taste of bus travel this spring at no cost. The offer is open to anyone with a driving license who has not previously registered a bus card. If they sign up with Föli, the region’s transport authority, their first card will be loaded with 20 euros worth of travel.
9.GTK: "Geothermal could completely replace fossil fuel for heating"
Geothermal is an odourless, invisible, renewable, reliable and limitless source of energy that could heat all of Finland's buildings, says the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK).
Geothermal energy is nothing new – just taking advantage of solar energy stored in the earth, bedrock or bodies of water. The technology for exploiting it is already readily available, and in growing use.
10.Finnish passport ”third best in the world”
European passports are the most useful in the world, according to a new comparison, with Finland’s passport coming third in a new index that ranks passports by the number of countries to which they allow visa-free access.
The ranking showed Europeans have the easiest time when travelling, with Germans able to visit 177 countries without a visa. Swedes can get into 176 without extra documents and Finns, Brits, Spaniards, Italians and French people can all visit 175 countries without a visa.
Afghans have the trickiest time crossing borders, with just 25 countries allowing them in after showing just a passport. Pakistanis also have it tough, with just 29 visa-free destinations, while Iraqis have the third-worst passport in the world with only 30 countries allowing entry without a visa.
11.At 170, National Library re-opens amid contemporary pressures
Following funding criticism from the library director, Minister of Education and Culture Sanni Grahn-Laasonen skipped the re-opening ceremony. Officiating instead was author Jenni Haukio, the wife of President Sauli Niinistö.
Finland's National Library re-opened on Tuesday after a restoration that lasted more than two years. It's now restored to its 1840s glory – and equipped with the latest technology including wireless internet.
Behind the gorgeous facade, though, the library faces the same grim future as other educational and cultural institutions: budget cuts and up to 50 redundancies.
we will discuss yle news in class in March 2016. You will get a handout in class one week before the lesson. If you can't attend that lesson, you can read the selected news items and tasks here.
(If you'd rather read a word version, you can read the attachment if you log in with USERNAME 'stepsstudent' and PASSWORD 'spring2016'. questions latest news 6 March 2016.doc (17.5 KB) Latest news 6 March 2016.doc (21.5 KB)
Which of these news items did you find interesting? Why?
Can you explain in your own words what the news report number 1 (2,3,…) is about?
Write an opinion (not necessarily your own:)) on one news report (or several) - or a question.
Eg. News report 1: My husband makes lovely food from roach. He cleans the fish, seasons it with salt and pork, covers it with rye crust and let's it cook overnight in the oven at a low temperature, at about 120 degrees. Yummy breakfast!
News report 2: Have you ever been ice fishing? Have you ever participated in an ice fishing contest?
What has happened since 6 March 2016?
Did you learn any interesting new words or expressions?
How could you express the following words/expressions in English?
1. kotimaisia lajeja
2. pilkkikilpailu
3. esittää tarjous
4a. välttämättömät tarvikkeet
4b. kuviot, aiheet, mallit
5a. ihmissalakuljettaja
5b. sakko ja ehdollinen vankilatuomio
5c. turvapaikanhakijat
6. parannus / uudistus hyllytetty
7a. ostos, hankinta
7b. citymaasturi
8. uudistusmielinen (kekseliäs) hanke, projekti,suunnitelma
9. rajaton energian lähde
10. sallia maahan-tulo ilman viisumia
11a. entisöinti, peruskorjaus
11b.budjettileik-kauksia ja irtisanomisia
Find the word/words to match the following definitions.
2. to persuade somebody/something to go somewhere or to do something, usually by offering them something ; SYNONYM persuade
4. a small digital image used to express an idea or emotion in emails, on the Internet, etc.
5.(of a crime or bad action) planned in advance
6. a change to the form of something, usually to improve its appearance
7. sport utility vehicle; a type of large car, often with four-wheel drive and made originally for travelling over rough ground se
8. to change or make somebody change their religion or beliefs
11.(formal) to do the official duties at a public or religious ceremony
yle.fi/news 6 March 2016
1.Cleaning the Baltic Sea, one roach (särki) or bream (lahna) at a time
Campaigns have worked for decades to encourage Finns to use more of their delicious local fish. Despite these efforts, the most popular fish found on a standard Finnish plate is still salmon, often originating from fish farms in Norway. A prominent foundation has now thrown its weight behind a new plan to convince Finns to better utilize domestic species, with what it calls the Local Fishing Project.
2.National ice fishing contest attracts 1,500 to Joensuu
Finland’s national ice fishing championships took place in Joensuu on Saturday, enticing over 1,500 eager ice fishers from across the country to participate. The contest isn’t an easy one, as the ice on the eastern border city’s Pyhäselkä Lake has reached a thickness of 60 centimetres (24 inches), and catching fish in the dark deep water is a real challenge.
3.Finnish football boss downplays reports of Nordic bid to host European football championship
Head of the Finnish Football Association Pertti Alaja has played down media reports that Nordic football associations are set to launch a bid to host a Europe football championship tournament. Alaja said that the associations are discussing securing a major event, but no decisions have yet been made.
4.Bears, birds, browns, blues and an emoji: Kela launches 2016 new baby kit
Cuteness alert: The 2016 edition of the new baby starter kit is a treat for animal lovers. The patterns on the collection of necessities for baby’s first months of life feature a stable of bouncing, cheerful bears, birds, dogs and monkeys in hues of brown and blue. The Finnish Social Insurance Institute Kela also announced that a new baby box emoji is due out in May.
5.Russian people smuggler charged and sentenced
The Lapland District Court has slapped a fine and a suspended prison sentence on a Russian man accused of smuggling asylum seekers into Finland over its eastern border. The court found that the man's actions were premeditated, and stiffened its sentence because he took money for transporting the migrants.
6.PM Sipilä: "No Plan B" – labour law revamp shelved
In the midst of serious doubts as to the future of Finland's so-called 'social contract' to bring more flexibility to the labour market, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä says that government's original plan to push through legislation that would force changes in Finnish labour policy has been shelved, as there would be no time left to finalise the plan before the next round of labour negotiations.
7.Valmet Automotive makes biggest robotics purchase in Finnish history
More than 250 robots have been bought by car manufacturer Valmet Automotive, which will begin to manufacture the Mercedes GLC, a city SUV, in Uusikaupunki beginning in 2017.
8.Turku bus card offer converts thousands of motorists to public transport
It can be tricky to get drivers to give up their cars and hop onto a bus, but an innovative scheme in Turku has helped more than 5,000 motorists swap their car keys for a bus card—free of charge. The special promotion runs to the end of March and is open to anyone who holds a driving license and doesn’t already have a bus card.
Motorists in the Turku region are able to get a taste of bus travel this spring at no cost. The offer is open to anyone with a driving license who has not previously registered a bus card. If they sign up with Föli, the region’s transport authority, their first card will be loaded with 20 euros worth of travel.
9.GTK: "Geothermal could completely replace fossil fuel for heating"
Geothermal is an odourless, invisible, renewable, reliable and limitless source of energy that could heat all of Finland's buildings, says the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK).
Geothermal energy is nothing new – just taking advantage of solar energy stored in the earth, bedrock or bodies of water. The technology for exploiting it is already readily available, and in growing use.
10.Finnish passport ”third best in the world”
European passports are the most useful in the world, according to a new comparison, with Finland’s passport coming third in a new index that ranks passports by the number of countries to which they allow visa-free access.
The ranking showed Europeans have the easiest time when travelling, with Germans able to visit 177 countries without a visa. Swedes can get into 176 without extra documents and Finns, Brits, Spaniards, Italians and French people can all visit 175 countries without a visa.
Afghans have the trickiest time crossing borders, with just 25 countries allowing them in after showing just a passport. Pakistanis also have it tough, with just 29 visa-free destinations, while Iraqis have the third-worst passport in the world with only 30 countries allowing entry without a visa.
11.At 170, National Library re-opens amid contemporary pressures
Following funding criticism from the library director, Minister of Education and Culture Sanni Grahn-Laasonen skipped the re-opening ceremony. Officiating instead was author Jenni Haukio, the wife of President Sauli Niinistö.
Finland's National Library re-opened on Tuesday after a restoration that lasted more than two years. It's now restored to its 1840s glory – and equipped with the latest technology including wireless internet.
Behind the gorgeous facade, though, the library faces the same grim future as other educational and cultural institutions: budget cuts and up to 50 redundancies.