Before you listen to the poem look at the pictures and think of a word which could fit in the gaps.
What is this life if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or
No time to see when woods we pass Where squirrels hide their nuts in
No time to see in broad daylight Streams full of stars like skies at
No time to turn at Beauty´s glance And watch her feet, how they can
No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile, her began.
A poor life this is, if full of care
We have no time to stand and stare. Watch the video to check your answers
to stare - to look in a fixed way, bough - branch, arm of a tree, squirrel - animal which lives in trees (see picture), nuts - dried fruit, stream - small river, glance - a quick look
Compare the two videos. Decide which one you enjoyed most and why.
What is this life if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows No time to see when woods we pass Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass No time to see in broad daylight Streams full of stars like skies at night. No time to turn at Beauty´s glance And watch her feet, how they can dance No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile, her eyes began.
To prepare look at the pictures and think of a word that could go in the gaps
1
If I was a growing wild and free
All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey
2
And if I was a tree growing tall and greeen All I'd want is you to shade me and be my
If you were a in the mountains tall, The rumble of your water would be my call.
3
If you were the I know I'd be the snow Just as long as you were with me when the cold winds blow
4
If you were a wink, I'd be a nod If you were a well I'd be a pod.
5
If you were the floor, I'd wanna be the rug And if you were a I know I'd be a hug
6
If you were the wood, I'd be the If you were the love, I'd be the desire
7
If you were a castle, I'd be your moat, And if you were an , I'd learn to float.
Now you are ready to listen and check your ideas
Barry Louis Polisar
: All I want is you If I was a growing wild and free
All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey
And if I was a tree growing tall and greeen
All I'd want is you to shade me and be my
If I was a flower growing wild and free
All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey
And if I was a tree growing tall and greeen
All I'd want is you to shade me and be my
All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the .and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your and sway me like the sea.
If you were a in the mountains tall,
The rumble of your water would be my call.
If you were the I know I'd be the snow
Just as long as you were with me when the cold winds blow
All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your and sway me like the sea.
If you were a wink, I'd be a nod
If you were a well I'd be a pod.
If you were the floor, I'd wanna be the rug
And if you were a I know I'd be a hug
All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your and sway me like the sea.
If you were the wood, I'd be the
If you were the love, I'd be the desire
If you were a castle, I'd be your moat,
And if you were an , I'd learn to float.
to shade - provide protection from the sun (shade - noun)
bride - a woman who is getting married
to sway - to rock, move gently from one side to another
to rumble - a noise like distant thunder
to wink - gesture when you close one eye
to nod - to say yes by moving your head
a seed - a plant grows from a seed
a rug - small carpet for the floor
to hug - to hold someone close to your body
wood - little forest
moat - the water round a castle
Fill the Gaps
It´s too hot. I´m going to sit in the . The was wearing a long white dress. We put the in the ground and watered it. Soon it began to grow. Give me a ! I´m a bit sad today.
And sometimes it happens like this: a young man lying face down in the ocean, his limbs hanging loosely beneath him, a motorboat droning slowly across the bay, his body moving in long slow ripples with each passing shallow wave the water moving softly across his skin, muffled shouts carrying out across the water and the electric crackle of waves sliding up against the rocks and the birds in the trees and the body of the young man lying in the ocean, face down and breathlessly still.
limbs - arms and legs, ripple - wave of expansion, shallow - not deep, muffled - not clear or easy to understand, crackle - a noise like on a bad telephone line,
You open your eyes, blinking against the light which pulses through the water. You look down at the sea floor, hearing only the hollow suck and sigh of your own breath through the snorkel, seeing the broken shells, the rusting beer cans, the polished pieces of broken glass. Black-spiked sea-urchins clinging to the rocks. Tiny black fish moving through the sea-grass. A carrier-bag tumbling in tight circles at the foot of the shoreline rocks. You hold out your hands, seeing how pale they look in the water, the skin of your fingers beginning to pucker a little. The sea feels as warm as bath water, and you´re almost drifting off to sleep when you hear the sudden smack and plunge of something hitting the water nearby.
blinking - opening and closing your eyes quickly, hollow - empty, suck - inhalation, sigh - exhale audibly (with relief), snorkel - mask with breathing tube, to rust - oxidise, sea urchin - animal as shown in photo above, to cling - to hold tight, to tumble - fall, to pucker - to wrinkle, to drift off to sleep - slowly and in a relaxed way, smack - hit
You turn your head, and see a young boy sinking through the water, his knees to his chest and his eyes squeezed shut. Above, way up in the air, another three boys are falling from a high rocky outcrop, their shorts ballooning out around their hips, their hair rising their mouths held open in anticipatory cries. One of them flaps his hands, trying to slow his fall. The other two reach out and touch the tips of their fingers together. All three of them look down at the water with something like fear and joy.
Your friends are watching as well, sprawled across a wide concrete ledge jutting out over the sea. Claire turns and looks for you, waving, brushing the knots from her wet tangled hair. Her pale skin is shiny with sun cream and sea water.
to squeeze - to apply pressure, to flap - to move like wings, to sprawl - lie in a relaxed way, arms and legs out, knots - if you don´t brush your hair you get these, tangle - lots of strings in a confused mess
VOCABULARY SUMMARY AND EXERCISES
limbs - arms and legs, ripple - wave of expansion, shallow - not deep, muffled - not clear or easy to understand, crackle - a noise like on a bad telephone line, blinking - opening and closing your eyes quickly, hollow - empty, suck - inhalation, sigh - exhale audibly (with relief), snorkel - mask with breathing tube, to rust - oxidise, sea urchin - animal as shown in photo above, to cling - to hold tight, to tumble - fall, to pucker - to wrinkle, to drift off to sleep - slowly and in a relaxed way, smack - hit
to squeeze - to apply pressure, to flap - to move like wings, to sprawl - lie in a relaxed way, arms and legs out, knots - if you don´t brush your hair you get these, tangle - lots of strings in a confused mess
The bird its wings and flew away
The little baby was to its mother.
If you can´t swim, stay at the end of the pool.
There´s a in the rope. Can you untie it?
The side of the boat was old and had started to
My brother is always on the sofa watching video games.
The old tree was completely inside. We loved to go inside when we were children. The cat had been playng with the wool and it was very . She had something in her eye and couldn´t stop The little boy was being very rude. In the end his father his bottom .
Claire turns and looks at you, waving, brushing the knots from her wet tangled hair. Her pale skin is shiny with sun cream and sea water.´We´re making a move now,` she calls; ´you coming?`
The others are already standing up, brushing bits of dirt from their skin and shaking out their towels. You lift the mask from your face and take the snorkel from your mouth and tell her you´re staying in a bit longer. You`ll catch them up on a minute, you say.
They pick up the sun-cream and water bottles, the paperback books, the leaflets from the tourist information office in town. The girls lift up their damp hair, squeezing out the water and letting it run down their backs. Andy buttons his shirt and straps into his unlaced trainers.´We´re not waiting for you,` says Claire and that is fine. You´ll be out in a minute or two.
knots - what you get if you don´t brush your hair, tangled - long strings in a confused mess, to make a move - leave, snorkel - a mask with a breathing tube, leaflet - small paper books with information in, damp - slightly wet to squeeze - apply pressure, unlaced - not tied,
The night before, sitting at a table outside one of the old cafés in the old town,the girls had got up to go to the toilet together, leaving their tall glasses of beer on the table and tugging at their skirts. Andy had caught your eye and lifted his drink in salute, and you had both smiled broadly at your good fortune. Nothing had needed to be said. You´d left behind long months of exams and anxieties and the flat grey east of England and landed suddenly in this world of cheap beer and sunshine, of clear blue seas and girls who wore bikinis and short skirts and slept in the room next door. It felt like something you´d both been waiting years for; something you have long been promise. It felt like adulthood. The girls have made it clear by their pointing out of the waiters and boys on scooters, that they´re more interested in the locals than in the two of you but there is still a chance. A feeling that something could happen: that anything could happen. It seems worth thinking about, at least. to tug - to pull, broadly - widely,
You put the mask over your eyes and lie back in the water for a while, looking up at the steepsides of the bay, kicking your legs to send you drifting away from the rocks.
steep - almost perpendicular, drifting away - moving slowly away from. VOCABULARY SUMMARY AND EXERCISES
knots - what you get if you don´t brush your hair, tangled - long strings in a confused mess, to make a move - leave, snorkel - a mask with a breathing tube, leaflet - small paper books with information in, damp - slightly wet to squeeze - apply pressure, unlaced - not tied, to tug - to pull, broadly - widely, steep - almost perpendicular, drifting away - moving slowly away from.
You have to the tube to get the toothpaste out I got really tired climbing up the hill. We had better ! It´s getting late. The clothes were still a bit when I brought them in. We need some sunshine to dry them well. I went to the tourist office to get some about things to do. squeeze, steep, make a move, damp, leaflets
We Wave and Call - J McGregor
Part 3
You put the mask over your eyes and lie back for a while, looking up at the steep sides of the bay, kicking yourself to send yourself drifting away from the rocks. You´re not sure you ever want to get out. At home the beach is a few minutes away, and you´ve grown up running in and out of the sea. But you´ve never really swum; there, you run in, shouting against the shock of the cold, and run out as soon as you can. Here you could sleep in the clear warm water. You watch the others making their way up the path between the pine trees and oleander bushes. A bus drives along the road at the top of the hillside, stops near the gap in the railings and moves off. A young couple on a scooter overtake it, the boy riding without a shirt or a helmet, the girl wearing knee length wraparound skirt and a bikini to, her hair flowing out from behind her. Birds hang still in the warm currents of air drifting up the side of the hill. The grasshoppers sound out their steady scraping sound. The air is thick with the scent of crushedpine needles and scorchedrosemary, heavy with heat. steep - almost perpendicular, railings - metal bars, grasshoppers - insects which make a typical noise we hear in summer (see video), to scrape - to move a rough or sharp object over a surface, crushed - pressed, flattened, pine needles - long sharp leaves of the pine tree, scorched - burnt, rosemary - aromatic bush
A long the bay, at the bottom of a steep flight of steps cut straight from the rock, there´s another small bathing jetty. A girl in a black swimming costume sits on the edge, her feet in the water, a white towel hanging over her head, reading a book. jetty - wooden platform over water,
Further along, where the bay curves round to form a long headland jutting out into he sea, there´s an ugly concrete hotel with its name spelt out in white skyline letters. Half the letters are missing, and when you look again you see the whole place is a ruin; the windows shot to pieces gaping holes blown in the walls, coils of barbed wire rolling across the golden sands. Shreds of curtain material hang limply from windows and patio doors, lifting and dropping in the occasional breeze.
to jut out - to be longer, bigger than the main part, to gape - to be wide open barbed wire - metal cable with spikes for defense, shreds - torn, destroyed, in pieces
VOCABULARY SUMMARY AND EXERCISES
steep - almost perpendicular, railings - metal bars, grasshoppers - insects which make a typical noise we hear in summer (see video), to scrape - to move a rough or sharp object over a surface, crushed - pressed, flattened, pine needles - long sharp leaves of the pine tree, scorched - burnt, rosemary - aromatic bush, jetty - wooden platform over water, to jut out - to be longer, bigger than the main part, to gape - to be wide open barbed wire - metal cable with spikes for defense, shreds - torn, destroyed, in pieces
We were almost in the concert. There were so many people pushing to get to the front. The dog tore the newspaper into Oh no I´ve burnt the rice! I´ll have to the pan to clean it. After the long hot summer, the grass was completely is used for cooking. It smells wonderful. crushed,shreds, scrape, scorched, rosemary
We Wave and Call - J. McGregor
Part 4
Shreds of curtain material hang limply from the windows and patio doors, lifting and dropping in the occasional breeze.
You hear some girls screaming, and look round to see a group of boys soaking them with water bottles, laughing when the girls scramble to their feet and retaliate with flat stinging hands. The sounds carry softly across the water.
to soak - to get very wet
You´d seen a map, this morning, at the entrance to the city walls, marked with clusters of red dots. The red dots were to show where mortar shells had landed during the war, where fires had started, where roofs had come crashing in.
It was the only sign you could see at first that anything had happened here. Everything in the town seemed neat and clean and smooth: the streets polished to a shine, the ancient stonework unaffected by the destruction which had so recently poured down on it. But when you had looked closer you had seen that the stonework of the historic city walls alternated between a weathered grey and the hard white gleam of something new. there were whole streets boarded off from the public, piled with rubble. There were buildings whose frontages had been cleaned and repaired but which were still gutted behind the shutters. And in a tiny courtyard workshop, and under the shade of a tall lemon tree, you´d seen a fat shouldered stonemason carving replica cornices and crests, the shattered originals laid out in fragments in front of him, glancing over his shoulder as if to be sure that no one could see. You´d
wondered how long it would take for this rebuilding to be complete.
clusters - small groups, gleam - shine, rubble - piles of stone, old bricks etc, gutted - completely emptied, shade - place where there is no sun, shattered - destroyed, in pieces to glance - look quickly
The others are halfway up the hill now, walking slowly along the pine-needled path, letting their hands trail through the sweet smelling pine bushes, stopping for a drink of water and looking down at the calm shining sea. You watch them for a moment. You wave but none of them sees. You call. If you were to get out now, you might catch up with them before they get on the bus. But if you wait for the next bus, they´ll have cleared up by the time you get back, and got some food ready, and be waiting for you. Jo went out to the market before lunch, so the apartment´s small kitchen is well stocked. You can imagine arriving back to find the others sitting on the terrace around a table loaded with food: bread and cheese and oranges, olives and pickles and jam, big packets of paprika flavoured crisps. You can imagine cracking open a beer and joining them, making plans for the night.
to trail - drag, bushes - very low trees, to catch up with - reach
VOCABULARY SUMMARY AND EXERCISES
to soak - to get very wet, clusters - small groups, gleam - shine, rubble - piles of stone, old bricks etc, gutted - completely emptied, shade - place where there is no sun, shattered - destroyed, in pieces to glance - look quickly, to trail - drag, bushes - very low trees, to catch up with - reach
Vivian Maier has been called `the best street photographer of the 20th Century´. Watch the video to find out a little bit more about this incredible woman.
Comprehension Quiz
Do the quiz to check what you understood about Vivian Maier.
