Breaking news. Israeli/Palestinian conflict

Around half a million Palestinians are returning to Gaza City following the start of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The truce followed extensive efforts and negotiations between Israel, Hamas, the USA, and Arab nations. The deal was orchestrated by US President Donald Trump, who hopes to bring peace to the region. The first phase of his peace deal involved the withdrawal of Israeli military from a large section of Gaza, and for Hamas to release the 48 hostages remaining in captivity. The laying down of arms has allowed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to head north to Gaza City, most of which is in ruins after two years of being bombarded and reduced to rubble.

Emotions have been running high in recent days among Israelis and Palestinians. Alongside the release of the Israeli hostages, nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are expected to be freed. The brother-in-law of hostage Omri Miran told the New York Post: "I have yet to process it all. I am naturally happy that this nightmare may soon be over." Gaza City residents are relieved to be able to return home, despite the widespread destruction, almost no infrastructure, no electricity, and no running water. One resident said: "I pray that God relieves our sorrow and distress, and that people return to their homes." Another man was more cautious after being displaced 20 times in the past two years.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2510/251013-gaza-ceasefire-a.html

 Paragraph 1

1.	truce	a.	Broken pieces of stone, brick, or buildings.
2.	extensive	b.	An agreement to stop fighting for a time.
3.	negotiations	c.	The act of moving back or leaving a place.
4.	orchestrated	d.	Very big or covering a large area.
5.	withdrawal	e.	Carefully planned and organized.
6.	captivity	f.	Talks between people or groups to reach an agreement.
7.	rubble	g.	The state of being kept as a prisoner or not free.

    Paragraph 2

8.	detainees	h.	People kept by the police or army and not free to leave.
9.	nightmare	i.	Forced to leave home and live somewhere else.
10.	relieved	j.	A very bad or scary dream.
11.	destruction	k.	A strong feeling of sadness.
12.	infrastructure	l.	Feeling happy or calm after worry or fear.
13.	sorrow	m.	Great damage; when something is ruined or broken.
14.	displaced	n.	The basic systems a country needs, like roads and power.

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

1. Half a million people live in Gaza.     T / F
2. The first stage of the ceasefire involves Israel's army leaving all of Gaza. T / F
3. Hamas must release 48 hostages as part of the ceasefire.     T / F
4. The article says Gaza City has been hit by bombs for the past two years. T / F
5. The ceasefire requires Israel to release almost 2,000 prisoners.     T / F
6. An Israeli man said he is happy the nightmare might soon be over.     T / F
7. Only half of Gaza City has electricity.     T / F
8. A Gaza City resident has moved 20 times in the past two years.     T / F

Halloween quiz

This exercise is based on the information provided in the video "Halloween History" by National Geographic [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-VRAemIvbI].

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📝 Halloween History Comprehension Exercise

I. True or False Questions (10 points)

Determine whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) based on the video.

1. Halloween's roots date back to a people called the Celts. _____

2. The Celts celebrated the end of the harvest season on November 1st. _____

3. The Celtic festival of Samhain was considered a time when the veil between death and life was supposed to be at its thinnest. _____

4. Villagers lit huge bonfires on Samhain to attract spirits and ghosts. _____

5. The Catholic Church began to merge the pagan rituals of Samhain with a church-sanctioned holiday in the 19th century. _____

6. All Saints Day was designated on November 1st to honor martyrs and the deceased faithful. _____

7. The English translation of the word "hallow" is roughly "scary." _____

8. The holiday customs were brought to America by Irish immigrants during the Potato Famine of the 1840s. _____

9. Trick-or-treating originated in America as a non-violent, organized charity event. _____

10. In the 1930s, the tradition of harmless tricks eventually grew into outright vandalism. _____

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II. Comprehension Questions (5 points)

Answer the following questions based on the video:

1. What was the name of the Celtic festival that marked the end of the harvest season and the Celtic New Year?

2. When did the Catholic Church first designate November 1st as All Saints Day?

3. According to the video, what was the calculated move on the part of the Church in merging the pagan and Christian holidays?

4. What two specific customs did Irish immigrants bring with them to America?

5. How was "trick-or-treating" originally described before it became an established holiday greeting?

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III. Fill in the Gaps (5 points)

Complete the following sentences with the missing information from the video.

1. Halloween is a _____________ holiday stitched together with cultural, religious, and occult traditions that span centuries.

2. On Samhain, the ghost of the _____________ walked the Earth.

3. The night before All Saints Day was All Hallow's Eve, which gradually morphed into _____________.

4. All Saints Day had to do with the afterlife and about _____________ after death.

5. By the late 1930s, storekeepers and neighbors began giving treats or _____________ to stop the tricks and troublemaking.

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IV. Multiple Choice Questions (5 points)

Choose the best answer for each question.

1. What does the word "hallow" in All Hallows Day mean? a) Scary b) Holy or saintly c) New Year d) Ghostly

2. The Celts' festival of Samhain was celebrated on which date? a) October 18th b) October 31st c) November 1st d) December 31st

3. According to the video, the tradition of harmless tricks grew into outright vandalism by which decade? a) The 1840s b) The 1930s c) The 1950s d) The 2000s

4. Which group of people brought the original Halloween customs to America? a) English Settlers b) Scottish Traders c) German Artisans d) Irish Immigrants

5. What was one of the early customs brought to America by the immigrants? a) Carving pumpkins b) Trick-or-treating c) Bobbing for apples d) Watching scary movies

Quiz: https://gemini.google.com/share/79069bb2d1dc

Use of English. Inversion.

 What is an inversion with a negative adverbial?

In formal English, we can use a negative or restrictive adverb at the beginning of a sentence to make it more emphatic or dramatic. When we do this, the adverb is then followed by an inversion: auxiliary verb + subject (+ verb). See the example below:

• I could find my keys nowhere. ⇒ Nowhere could I find my keys. 

When there is no auxiliary verb, we use do/does (present) or did (past) as auxiliary.

• I understand the true meaning only now. ⇒ Only now do I understand the true meaning. 
• I didn’t say anything until she arrived. ⇒ Not until she arrived did I say anything. 

Common adverbs used with this structure

In the table below, you can see some of the most common negative or restrictive adverbials that are sometimes used at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis.

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Hardly, barely, scarcely, no sooner

We normally use hardly … when, barely … when, scarcely … when, and no sooner … than in narratives with past perfect in the inversion.

We use no sooner … than (NOT that, or when)

Adverbial + clause + inversion

❗ Note that after some adverbials, such as only if and only when we use a subordinate clause (subject + verb), and that the inversion is never in the subordinate clause but in the main verb of the sentence. Check the sentence below:

• Only when do I sleep I can forget about the accident. 
• Only when I sleep can I forget about the accident. 

The same happens with other adverbials, such as not since and not until; we use a subordinate clause (subject + verb), and the inversion is never in the subordinate clause but in the sentence’s main verb. Check the sentence below:

• Not since was I a child I have had such a great time.  
• Not since I was a child have I had such a great time. 

If you are in doubt, it’s always useful to look at the sentence without the negative adverbial at the beginning.

• I can forget about the accident only when I sleep. 
• I haven’t had such a great time since I was a child.

The main subject and verb are at the beginning of the sentence, and this is the element that must be in the inversion.

Not

We must always use not followed by another element before the inversion.

• Not can we see such great expressions of art often. 
• Not often can we see such great expressions of art. 

Adverbs of frequency

We can also use inversion after the negative or restrictive adverbs of frequency, such as seldom, rarely, or never.

We often use never to talk about experiences. In that case, we normally use present perfect or past perfect.

Writing (Practice makes perfect). A review

 Learning Objective: To understand what a review is, what they are used for and how to create a successful one.

What is a Review? What are they used for? 

1. A review is a written assessment of something, someone or an experience. It is there to inform people, to advise them, to analyse something or describe it.

2. They can be written with a positive view in order to give praise, with a negative perspective to criticise, or simply just offer an opinion and balanced view of something for others to read.

3. A review should always give your opinion but also be as accurate as possible. The purpose of a review is often to help other people so giving accurate information is useful. For example if you are reviewing a product such as a mobile phone accurate details allow other people who read your review to understand it. 

4. Here are some examples of things that typically get reviewed:
• A book
• A film
• A CD
• A holiday
• A place you visited – museum, theme park
• An experience – paintballing, swimming, flying, massage
• A product you have bought/used – mobile phone, clothes, shoes, toys, crafts,
• recipe book
• A play
• A sporting event