1

— ENGLISCH
21

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FOOD
Cornbread — an
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SOCIETY
What is the future
of tourism?

PORTRAIT
Dr David Nott —
the Indiana Jones
of surgery
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 FROM THE EDITOR

Travel and
tourism in 2021
P
erhaps, like me, you are longing for a holiday — convey
while wondering how and where you can travel , vermitteln
to in the coming year. In the — I hope — nearly- free
end-of-pandemic summer of 2021, I’d like to go , kostenlos
to London. A big city might seem like a strange choice issue [(ISu:]
in post-pandemic times, but London can be quiet and , Ausgabe

green and still have that cosmopolitan edge. It is the post-

mood conveyed in our fourth London walk. Join our , nach-

author Lorraine Mallinder as she strolls from Regent’s previous

Park, through Marylebone and Mayfair, to Hyde Park , früher,
vorhergehend
and then up to Little Venice. Between shops and gal-
leries, you’ll discover a calmer, greener side to London. stroll
, schlendern,
The journey begins on page 36.
spazieren
If you are interested in finding out more about
tumultuous
Titelfoto: Maurizio Rellini/Sime/Huber-Images; Fotos: Raylipscombe/iStock.com, Gert Krautbauer

London, we are offering the three previous walks free [tju(mVltSuEs]

as a PDF, as well as interviews with Spotlight team , turbulent
members telling you more about London. You can
find everything at www.spotlight-online.de/london
Finally, we would like to say a big thank you to
you, our readers. It is you who we have in mind as we
work on each issue. In this tumultuous year, we hope
Spotlight has provided enjoyment and entertainment
and, most importantly, the chance to stay up to date
with your English. From all of us here at Spotlight,
a happy and healthy 2021.

INEZ SHARP, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

i.sharp@spotlight-verlag.de

EDITORIAL Spotlight 2021 3

 CONTENTS

36
A walk through
west London
M +

Discover pretty parks and hidden

pleasures on our tour of west London.
With places covered ranging from
Selfridges to Speakers’ Corner, this is
classic London at its very best.

6 In the Picture E

Christmas at Windsor Castle

8 N
 ames and News E M A
News and views from around the
English-speaking world

10 B
 ooks and Films E M A
Our recommendations on what
to read and watch

12 Press Gallery A

Fotos: Franz Marc Frei; J. Alden/eyevine/laif; picture-alliance/Reuters/G. Mangiapane

Comment from the English-
speaking world 28 Peggy’s Place M 43 Around Oz A
Visit Spotlight’s very own Peter Flynn writes to us
13 Britain Today E + London pub from down under
Colin Beaven takes a humorous
look at Britain and the Brits 30 Poetry Corner A + 44 Eccentric Life M
“No man is an island” Jean Batten — daughter of
14 I conic Products E by John Donne the skies
Mukluks, the original Canadian
winter boots 32 Short Story M 46 Feedback and Proverb A
“Jungle adventure” Your letters to Spotlight
16 The Supper Club M and a useful proverb
Cornbread — more American 34 The Lighter Side E
than apple pie Jokes and cartoons

18 A
 Day in My Life M + 35 American Life M US
Meet Joe Phelan, an alpaca Ginger Kuenzel about life 47–68 The language section
farmer from Ireland in small-town America

4 SPOTLIGHT 2021 CONTENTS


20
David Nott
A of Reference for Languages. The level is given at the top
Nicknamed the “Indiana
Jones of surgery”, the British
doctor chooses to work in
some of the most dangerous
places in the world.
24 The future of tourism
A a notebook and test yourself regularly.
In these times of pandemic —
and environmental challenges
— what is the future of tourism?
Spotlight investigates.
CONTENTS
SHORT STORY
How to use Spotlight
What we do
EASY
Spotlight magazine helps you to improve your English and
keeps you up to date on what’s happening in the English-
speaking world.
This magazine has two parts. The first has news stories,
travel reports, columns and interviews, with short exercises
on some pages to test your progress. Part two is the
language section, in which useful vocabulary and grammar
are explained. Many of these pages include exercises.
Every text has been written or adapted to one of three
language levels.
The levels are: EASY MEDIUM ADVANCED
A2 B1–B2 C1–C2
These correspond to the Common European Framework
of the page. This text, for example, is Easy (see above).
Choose texts at your level of English or try difficult ones
that challenge you.
Difficult words are underlined and the German translations
of these words are given in a list on each page. Words
that are hard to pronounce come with phonetic symbols.
If you want to know what an article is about, the German
introduction can be helpful.
Better at English with Spotlight
Here are some tips on how to use the magazine effectively:
• Interesting and useful words and phrases are highlighted
in yellow and explained.
• For every article you read, mark the words that are useful
to you. Write down five to ten words from every issue in
• You’ll find recordings, for example of Everyday English
and Britain Today, on the Spotlight Audio CD/download.
Look for this symbol:
• Support your learning by doing exercises in our Spotlight
plus booklet. Grammar, vocabulary and cultural extras are
all covered in plus. Look for this symbol: +
Magazine index 2020
Do you ever find yourself looking for
features and stories in past issues
of Spotlight? Then you’ll be pleased
to know that we have once again
Jahresindex created an index of content for all
2020
the issues of Spotlight in 2020.
Columns, language features, short
stories and society stories are listed
in the index. The PDF is available for
free at this link: www.spotlight-online.
de/downloads And remember, if
you are missing a copy of Spotlight, you can order it here:
https://shop.spotlight-verlag.de/de_DE/spotlight/spotlight-
einzelausgaben
You can do all the
exercises in this
magazine online —
just scan this QR-code.
SPOTLIGHT 2021 5
 IN THE PICTURE

Foto: picture alliance/empics

6 SPOTLIGHT 2021 GOOD TO KNOW

 Celebrating
at Windsor
Jedes Jahr eine Pracht:
der Weihnachtsschmuck auf
Schloss Windsor
EASY AUDIO

E
very year, Windsor Castle has
one of Britain’s grandest Christ-
mas displays, with large trees
and elaborate decorations —
and this year is likely to be no different.
Although the royal family isn’t at the
castle on Christmas Day, but at San-
dringham House in Norfolk, the Queen
likes to spend a lot of time at Windsor
during the festive season.
The castle is a royal residence and
popular tourist attraction in the his-
toric English town of Windsor, close to
London, in the county of Berkshire. The
original castle was built in the 11th cen-
tury by William the Conqueror. Over
the centuries, many other monarchs
have built and rebuilt on the site, add-
ing, for example, a round tower, a chapel
and state apartments.
Today, Windsor Castle is the world’s
oldest and largest occupied castle, and
the Queen spends most of her private
weekends there, often with other
members of the royal family. You can
tour the castle to see the grand rooms
and beautiful decorations, and visit
St George’s Chapel, where 10 monarchs
have been laid to rest.

chapel grand [grÄnd]

, Kapelle , prachtvoll
Foto: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

conqueror [(kQNkErE] likely: be ~ to be

, Eroberer , wahrscheinlich sein

elaborate [i(lÄbErEt] occupied [(QkjupaId]

, kunstvoll , hier: bewohnt

festive season
, Weihnachtszeit

GOOD
SHORTTO KNOW
STORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 7
 NAMES AND NEWS

contradictoriness
[)kQntrE(dIktErinEs]
, Widersprüchlichkeit
documentary maker
, Dokumentarfilmer(in)

offensive
, anstößig, abstoßend

ENTERTAINMENT
WHO EXACTLY IS… LOUIS THEROUX?
MEDIUM

Fotos: Daniel Zuchnik, Carl Court/Getty Images; mauritius images/TopFoto; picture-alliance/Reuters/Zohra Bensemra; vm/iStock.com
L ouis Theroux wants to understand people,
including those who say and do things that
most of us find bizarre or offensive. Since he
He now stars in Louis
Theroux: Life on the
Edge — a new BBC
began his career as a documentary maker series about his career —
more than 20 years ago, he has looked at and is a co-founder of the
the lives of criminals, racists, porn stars and Mindhouse production
bodybuilders, and become famous for his company. He told the
non-confrontational interviewing style. He told entertainment website
Time magazine that his films all have some de- Digital Spy that he sees
gree of “psychological angst, or complexity, or his work as “using all
contradictoriness. I want to go deeper into why these … muscles in terms
people behave the way that they do,” he said. of creativity in journalism
Son of the writer Paul Theroux, Louis was and storytelling. And it
born in Singapore in 1970, grew up in London feels really good.”
and studied modern history at Oxford University.
He worked on a satirical TV news show in the US 1. True or false? M
before starting his career with the BBC in the late
1990s. Since then, Theroux has made several doc- How carefully have you read the text about Louis Ther-
umentary series and a full-length documentary film: oux? Decide if these sentences are true (T) or false (F).
My Scientology Movie.
T F
A. Louis Theroux likes to interview
Theroux: Life on the Edge.)
normal people.
D. false
 (It’s called Louis B. Theroux’s style of interviewing is
C. true
B. true
non-confontational.
bizarre or offensive.) C. His father is the writer Paul Theroux.
things that most of us find
people who say and do
D. His new series is called Louis Theroux:
A. false (He is interested in Life on a Sledge.
Answers

8 SPOTLIGHT 2021 GOOD TO KNOW

 accelerate
, beschleunigen

gland. associate professor

s in En
ces [E(sEUsiEt] N. Am.
pro
ing Co , außerordentliche(r)
ild n
bu Professor(in)

se
-
se

r
auxiliary [O:g(zIliEri]

va
ou

tiv
eh
Hilfs-

eM
,

e th

emb
erat
betray

er of
, verraten

centralize and accel

We are in danger of

Parliament Damian Gr
commemorative blue

turning the garden of plaque [kE)memErEtIv

bluː (plÄk]
blaue Gedenktafel
England into a patio.
,

compound [(kQmpaUnd]
als to , Mischung
p os

een
honeybee
pro

sp e ,
, Honigbiene
t
en

ak
HISTORY
nm

in g
patio [(pÄtiEU]
r

A SPY STORY

d
e

MEDIUM
Born in Moscow in 1914 to an
Indian father and American
mother, Noor Inayat Khan
grew up in Britain and France.
She joined the British Wom-
en’s Auxiliary Air Force in
1940, then trained as a wireless
operator. In 1943, Khan flew to
France to support the resist-
ance. She was betrayed and
executed at Dachau concen-
tration camp on 13 September
1944. There is now a com-
memorative blue plaque at her
wartime home at 4 Taviton
Street, London. Khan is the
first woman of Indian origin to
be given a blue plaque.
THE NEWCOMER
SURF’S UP!
EASY
Name: Khadjou Sambe
Age: 25
From: Dakar, Senegal
Famous because: Sambe is Senegal’s
first professional female surfer. She lives
in California, trains other girls to surf and
hopes to compete in the next Olympics.
Quote: She told the BBC: “I would al-
ways see people surfing and I’d say to
v ur
go ing
sia
l
Ho a , Terrasse
ver
us e
ntro ommon t co
of C venom
s debate abou
, Gift
wireless operator
, Telefonist(in),
Funker(in)
SCIENCE
BEE POSITIVE
ADVANCED
We all know that honeybees make
honey, but we’re now learning that
they may also produce a treatment for
breast cancer. Scientists at the Harry
Perkins Institute of Medical Research
in Perth, Australia, have successfully
used a compound found in honeybee
venom, called melittin, to kill cancer
cells that occur in two aggressive
forms of breast cancer in laboratory
conditions. The next challenge is to
see if melittin can effectively treat
humans. Associate Professor Alex
Swarbrick, from Sydney’s Garvan Insti-
tute of Medical Research, told the BBC:
“Many compounds can kill a breast
myself: ‘But where are the girls who cancer cell in a dish or in a mouse. But
surf?’ I thought: ‘Why don’t I go surfing, there’s a long way to go from those
represent my country, represent Africa, discoveries to something that can
represent Senegal, as a black girl?’” change clinical practice.”

GOOD
SHORTTO KNOW
STORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 9
 NOVEL & RECIPES
EASY

A romantic comedy with chess

recipes! An Island Christmas , Schach
by Jenny Colgan is set on contradiction
the small Scottish island of , Widerspruch
Mure. The long list of char- pawn
acters includes Lorna the , hier: Bauer

teacher, Saif the Syrian ref- recipe [(resEpi]

ugee, Flora the cafe owner TIPS FROM THE TEAM
, (Koch)Rezept
and Bramble the sheepdog. refugee [)refju(dZi:]
Every year, Oxford
Colgan’s characters expe- Languages chooses a , Flüchtling

rience sadness, pain, love “Word of the Year”. 2020 sacrifice

and joy — and recipes are gave rise to so much , Opfer

included for three delicious new vocabulary, though,

local foods: a satisfying mix.
Little, Brown Book Group,
€9.95.
that they published a
whole report instead.
Spotlight’s language ed-
itor Petra Daniell highly
recommends “Words of
an unprecedented year”,
downloadable at https://
languages.oup.com/
word-of-the-year/2020

Thinking about her next move:

Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon
MINISERIES
ADVANCED US

The TV miniseries The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix) takes its name from an opening move in chess in which
the queen’s pawn is offered as a sacrifice. In the drama, Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), a young chess
genius whose mother has died, is adopted in the 1950s by a middle-class American couple. She goes on to
do battle in the highly competitive chess world of the Cold War era, “clearing the board” for her success.
Externally, the context is provided by remarkable period detail, such as smart clothes and fine hotel rooms.
Internally, this small world has stresses and limitations that drive Beth to alcohol and drugs. Setting up this
contradiction, The Queen’s Gambit uses the contrast of glossy and rough to great effect.

GOOD
SHORTTO KNOW
STORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 11
 BOOKS AND FILMS

Reviews by PODCAST
EVE LUCAS PHRASE TO GO MEDIUM
If we want to tell another
person a long story, but
are not sure if they will Produced by Sydney Opera House,
listen or be interested, we
may begin by using the
the podcast It’s a Long Story gives
phrase “It’s a long story” listeners exactly that: a long story.
— as a gentle warning!
Each episode allows its guest
personality to go into great detail.
American lawyer Kimberly Motley,
for example, explains how her student interest in being

STREAMING a DJ was useful to her later in life when she worked as a

ADVANCED US
The successful US screenwriter and producer
David E. Kelley started his professional life
as an attorney. Many of his TV shows (Ally
McBeal, Boston Legal) show Kelley’s under-
standing of the law and his ability to give
serious legal matters a humorous quality.
lawyer in Afghanistan: by helping her to prepare a mental
playlist for the people — and different cultural environ-
ments — she deals with. Israeli-English chef Yotam Otto-
lenghi talks about his grandparents’ Zionism, the death of
his brother and his own decision to enter a profession that
brings people together at one table. This is friendly, infor­
mative journalism at its best. www.sydneyoperahouse.com/
digital/podcasts/its-a-long-story.html

Hugh Grant and

Nicole Kidman as
Mr and Mrs Fraser BOOK | NOVEL
MEDIUM

Now, Kelley’s cooperation with Danish film

director Susanne Bier (After the Wedding, 2006)
brings to light the darker side inherent in
every court case. In the miniseries The Undoing
(available on HBO), Hugh Grant and Nicole
Kidman play Jonathan and Grace Fraser, a
New York couple with a solid marriage and a
good-natured son, Henry. Grace is a therapist,
Jonathan a paediatric oncologist. Out of no-
where, this perfect world comes apart when a
We know little about the life of William
Shakespeare (1564–1616). However, we
at its best do know that he was married to Anne
, vom Feinsten Hathaway and had three children with her:
attorney [E(t§:ni] a daughter and younger twins. Hamnet,
, Rechtsanwalt, Rechts- the boy twin, was 11 when he died in 1596.
anwältin About four years later, Shakespeare’s best-
chef known character, Hamlet, first walked
, Koch, Köchin onstage speaking the famous line: “To be, or
Fotos: Netflix; HBO; Simon Bradfield/iStock.com

mother is found murdered by her young son devastated
— who goes to the same expensive school as , am Boden zerstört
Henry. Susanne Bier’s films specialize in the paediatric oncologist
unexpected behind the everyday: her style has [pi:di)ÄtrIk
QN(kQlEdZIst]
been described as quietly tense. It is this ten- , Kinderonkologe,
sion between Bier’s distrust of what people -onkologin
say and Kelley’s confidence in language that screenwriter
makes The Undoing so interesting. That, and the , Drehbuchautor(in)
performance of Hugh Grant, whose charm tense
and weakness steal the show. , spannungsvoll
not to be: that is the question.” In Hamnet,
Irish-British author Maggie O’Farrell
imagines a link between Shakespeare’s son
and the character from his play — but she
concentrates mostly on Anne, creating a
character who has a strong connection to
the natural world. Anne is devastated when
her son’s death breaks that connection.
O’Farrell finds a language of the soul that
has seldom been matched. Headline, €19.25.

10 SPOTLIGHT 2021 GOOD TO KNOW

 PRESS GALLERY

New definitions
for the word “woman”
Eine Petition in Großbritannien hat den Verlag des Oxford Dictionary dazu gebracht, die Definition
für “woman” zu überarbeiten. Auszüge aus einem Artikel des britischen Guardian. Von AARON WALAWALKAR

ADVANCED AUDIO

Demanding
changes to the

O
xford University Press has
updated its dictionaries’
definitions of the word
“woman” following a ... re-
view triggered by equality campaigners.
Among the updates to Oxford
Dictionaries’ definitions is the ac-
knowledgement that a woman can be
“a person’s wife, girlfriend, or female
lover”, rather than only a man’s.
The entry for “man” has also been
amended to include the same gender-
neutral terminology, while many other
terms relating to sexual attractiveness
English language:
those for “woman” and presented wom- Maria Beatrice
en as “subordinate” or “an irritation”. Giovanardi
“Ms September will embody the
professional yet sexy career woman,”
read one example. Another spoke of
“male fisherfolk who take their catch
home for the little woman to gut”.
The petition called for all phrases amend gut
and definitions that “discriminate and , abändern, berichtigen , ausnehmen
patronise” or “connote men’s owner- bint UK vulg. irritation
ship” of women to be eliminated. It also , Weibsstück , Ärgernis
demanded that the entry of “woman” bitch vulg. offensive
be enlarged and include examples rep- , Miststück, Hure , beleidigend, verletzend
resentative of minorities such as trans- compiler patronise
Fotos: ABEMOS/Shutterstock.com; Maria Beatrice Giovanardi

and activity have been revised. gender women and lesbian women. , Bearbeiter(in), Lexiko­ , bevormunden, herab­
...An OUP spokeswoman said the ...Maria Beatrice Giovanardi, who graph(in) lassend behandeln
changes were made after its diction- started the petition, which has reached connote revise
ary compilers undertook an “extensive 30,000 signatures, was “very happy” , implizieren , überarbeiten

review” of entries “for ‘woman’ and with the changes and felt the campaign embody spokeswoman
many other related terms”. had achieved 90 per cent of its aims. , verkörpern , Sprecherin

The review was triggered following She said the inclusion of gender- entry subordinate
a petition ... criticising the dictionaries’ neutral terminology in the dictionaries’ , Eintrag , untergeordnet

inclusion of bitch, bint, wench and oth- relationship examples marked “a huge equality campaigner trigger
[i(kwQlEti kÄm)peInE] , auslösen, veranlassen
er offensive remarks among its list of step forward for the LGBTQI people”.
, Gleichstellungs­
synonyms for women. “It is respecting their love and unions,” aktivist(in) wench archaic
, Frauenzimmer,
Campaigners argued that the exam- she added...
exhaustive [Ig(zO:stIv] Prostituierte
ples the dictionaries offered for “man” , ausführlich, erschöp­
were also much more exhaustive than © Guardian News & Media 2020 fend

12 SPOTLIGHT 2021 PRESS GALLERY

 BRITAIN TODAY

Fantastic! Perfect!
EASY AUDIO PLUS

Unser Kolumnist ärgert sich über

aufgeblähten Optimismus in der
englischen Sprache.

M
y current dentist is charming — un-
like the one I had before, who told me
that the way I looked after my teeth
COLIN BEAVEN is a free-
was suboptimal. What a wonderful
lance writer. He lives and
word! But virtually everything is suboptimal, so works in Southampton on
all it really does is state the obvious. the south coast of England.
Boris Johnson would no doubt disagree that
everything is suboptimal. Now that we’ve left beat the queues UK
the EU, he’s worse than Dr Pangloss in Voltaire’s , als Erste(r) dran­
satirical story Candide. Pangloss believed that we kommen
live in the best of all possible worlds. Absurdly come across sb.
optimistic, but compared with Boris, he seems , jmdm. (zufällig)
begegnen
modest and realistic.
To be fair, you do come across plenty of sensible commuter The Big Issue — the street magazine sold
, Pendler(in)
people in offices, shops and cafes who are also by many of Britain’s homeless.
bright and enthusiastic. And unlike my ex-dentist, copy The magazine costs £3 and generally
, Exemplar
they really do seem to want to pay you compli- includes a free chat with the person sell-
ments. “Fantastic!” they say when you order a homeless ing it. I prefer it to the Evening Standard
, Obdachlose(r)
coffee, and “Perfect!” when you have to tell them — one of the newspapers given away
your name. modest free to London’s commuters as they
, bescheiden
I doubt that saying your name really does make make their way home.
sensible
anything perfect. As good deeds go, it’s unlike- I recently saw a young man trying to
Fotos: ComposedPix/Shutterstock.com; Ninell Art, Discovod, Ayvan/iStock.com; privat

ly to help you beat the queues when you reach
the gates of heaven. Most new arrivals there prob-
ably face a very long wait in the lane marked “Sub-
optimal”. Even Boris Johnson might be turned
away if he heads straight for the gate labelled
“Fantastic / Perfect”.
Taken together, “fantastic perfect” sounds quite
grammatical. It could be a tense: the present per-
fect for things you really have done; the fantastic
perfect for things you only plan to do — the good
intentions that never made it beyond fantasy.
We can’t all be like David Nott (see page 20),
the surgeon who takes time off from his London
hospital every year to operate on patients in war
zones, such as those in Syria. But we could at least
buy his book War Doctor (2019), in which he de-
scribes his phenomenal work there. Or better still,
buy Letter to My Younger Self — a collection of inter-
views given by celebrities over the past 12 years to
, vernünftig
take a copy of The Big Issue without pay-
surgeon [(s§:dZEn]
ing for it. He clearly thought that all the
, Chirurg(in)
capital’s newspapers were free, and was
take time off
, sich frei nehmen
having an undignified tug of war with
the old lady who was trying to sell it.
tug of war
, Tauziehen, Gerangel
I told him it was well worth the £3, but
he didn’t believe me, so I had to buy it
undignified
, würdelos
myself. That’ll teach me.
Each magazine has a “Letter to My
virtually [(v§:tSuEli]
, praktisch
Younger Self” written by a famous per-
son to the teenager he or she once was.
war zone
, Kriegsgebiet It might be Paul McCartney, Jamie
Oliver or Tracey Emin. A selection of
these letters was published as a book in
2019. The profits from the book sales go
to help the homeless, so buying it helps
you avoid having to learn the fantastic
perfect. And if you give it to a friend,
it makes a fantastic present.

BRITAIN TODAY SPOTLIGHT 2021 13

 ICONIC PRODUCTS

Mukluks
Praktisch, flexibel und warm –
­ diese Stiefel sind Teil des uralten Handwerks und der Kultur
der indigenen Völker im Norden Kanadas. Von JULIAN EARWAKER
EASY AUDIO

T
he design is unique — like DNA. The artisan
, Handwerker(in)
stitching in the soft animal skin looks like beaver
veins. The material is both waterproof and , Biber

handcrafted
warm. It needs to be: temperatures are often , handgearbeitet

below freezing point in regions where these boots are indigenous peoples
[In)dIdZEnEs (pi:p&lz]
worn. The mukluk is the original winter boot, hand- , indigene Völker

crafted for centuries by the First Peoples of the Cana- item

, Artikel

dian North. When Western explorers arrived there in moose [mu:s]

, (Amerikanischer) Elch
the 17th century, they found mukluks to be ideal foot- pattern
wear for the cold climate. , Muster

Mukluk boots are designed for flexibility, comfort revival of interest

, neu entdecktes

and silence when hunting or travelling. They take their Interesse

rubber sole
name from the Yupik word maklak, meaning “bearded , Gummisohle

seal”. Seals are an important source of food and cloth- seal

, Seehund
ing for indigenous peoples — and mukluks are tradi- source [sO:s]
tionally made from the skin of seals, moose or caribou. , Quelle

squirrel [(skwIrEl]
They are insulated with the fur of beavers, squirrels or , Eichhörnchen

other animals. Known as kamik among the Inuit, each stitching

, Näherei, Nähte
indigenous group has its own mukluk style. unique [ju(ni:k]
Modern mukluks are often a mix of traditional , einzigartig

vein
and modern design. They combine rubber soles with , Ader

animal skin and use patterns that reflect the geo-

graphical region in which they are made or the in-
WORD TO GO dividual craftsperson who makes them. Thanks to a
“Arts and crafts”
translates as Kunst revival of interest in indigenous arts and crafts, First
und Handwerk, but
was also the name Nations artisans can keep their ancient skills alive.
Foto: Manitobah.com

of an international
school of decorative Celebrities like Kate Moss and Beyoncé wear the
art that began
in Britain in the boots. The unique, high-quality mukluk has become
mid-19th century.
a must-have fashion item.

LIFESTYLE SPOTLIGHT 2021 15

 THE SUPPER CLUB

Cornbread Noch amerikanischer als der gute alte Apfelkuchen ist Maisbrot –
als unkomplizierte Beilage zu Speisen, weiß LORRAINE MALLINDER.
MEDIUM

W
hat could be more Amer- garden hoe — which explains its other abundant corn crops jalapeño pepper
ican than apple pie? It is, name: “hoecake”. Americans take their , üppige Maisernte [)hÄlE(peInjEU]
after all, the very essence cornbread very seriously. , Jalapeño-Chilischote
baking pan
of wholesomeness, with This is most evident in the contin- , Backform latticed
, gitterartig
its latticed crust and the orchard-fresh uing dispute over whether cornbread batter
fruit within. But wait, there’s another should contain sugar. Southerners pre- , Teig meagre
, spärlich, karg
dish competing for the title… fer it without — maybe because their cornmeal
It’s a kind of orangey-beige bread, forebears would simply have added , Maismehl molasses [mEU(lÄsIz]
Molassesirup
a bit crumbly. It doesn’t look very molasses if they had wanted sweetness. crumbly
,

promising, but it’s probably a lot more The Yankees up north, however, had , krümelig orangey
, orangelich
American than apple pie — thousands other ideas, adding sugar to the mix and crust
of years more American, actually. creating something halfway between , Kruste orchard [(O:tSEd]
, Obstgarten
Native Americans across the south bread and a cake. “If God had meant delicacy
were serving it up long before the Pil- cornbread to have sugar, he would have , Köstlichkeit pilgrim
, Pilger(in)
grims arrived with their apple pie and made it cake,” declared a sniffy food evident
smallpox. Groups like the Cherokee writer in Esquire magazine in the 1980s. , offensichtlich, klar runaway
, entlaufen
and the Chickasaw would make it with By this time, though, Texans had begun forebear [(fO:beE]
little more than corn and water, cooking to add jalapeño peppers and cheese — a , Vorfahr(in) settler
, Siedler(in)
it over an open fire. travesty in the eyes of purists. garden hoe [hEU]
The settlers were not impressed with Fried cornmeal balls are also known , Gartenhacke smallpox
, Pocken
the meagre offering. But hunger is a as “hushpuppies”. Some say the name give away
great motivator. Unable to grow wheat, dates back to the Civil War, when Con- , hier: verraten sniffy ifml.
, spöttisch, hochnäsig
they soon realized that the abundant federate soldiers supposedly used this godsend [(gQdsend]
Geschenk des Himmels supposedly
corn crops were actually a godsend. food to “hush their dogs” if Union ,
, angeblich
Plus, as it turned out, they quickly troops came near. In another version of griddle
, Backblech whisk together
improved on the prototype by adding that story, runaway slaves did the same
, verquirlen
new ingredients, such as buttermilk thing to stop hunting dogs from bark- hush
, zum Schweigen wholesomeness
and bacon fat. Over the years, the bread ing and giving away their hiding places. , Gesundheit
bringen
grew from a necessity into a delicacy, Usually found on a side plate as an
Fotos: Kathrin Koschitzki

consumed from Mississippi to Maine. accompaniment to the main dish, corn-

You’ll find different versions of corn- bread is a great all-rounder. Delicious
bread across the US today. Some cook with chilli con carne, it’s also the per-
it on a griddle, others in a baking pan. fect snack, washed down with a glass
Some traditionalists even cook it on a of cool, creamy milk.

16 SPOTLIGHT 2021 LIFESTYLE

 INGREDIENTS
• 120 g unsalted butter,
melted — plus extra for
the baking pan
• 180 g yellow or white
cornmeal
• 120 g all-purpose flour
• 6 tbsp sugar
(controversial!)
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 240 ml buttermilk
• 3 large eggs

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to
200 °C (400 °F). Butter
a 20-centimetre-square
baking pan. In a large bowl,
stir together the cornmeal,
flour, sugar, baking powder,
salt and baking soda. In
a medium bowl, whisk
together the melted butter,
buttermilk and eggs.
Combine the buttermilk
and flour mixtures. Transfer
the batter to the pan and
smooth the top. Bake for
20–25 minutes until a fork
inserted into the centre
comes out clean. Cool
before serving.

LIFESTYLE
SHORT STORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 17
 A DAY IN MY LIFE

Alpaca farmer
– gone trekking
Vom Banker zum begeisterten Alpaka­
besitzer. OLIVE KEOGH berichtet über
einen harten, aber erfüllenden Arbeits­
alltag mit ganz besonderen Tieren.

MEDIUM AUDIO PLUS

Everything I do
is determined by

M the animals.
y name is Joe Phelan and
I’m 60 years old. I’m a
retired banker turned
alpaca farmer. I live with
a herd of 90 alpacas on a 90-acre farm in
County Wicklow, Ireland.
Fotos: Maura Hickey; Issaurinko, VectorPocket/iStock.com; Keila Olan, Nicole Lienemann/Shutterstock.com

I bought my farm a year ago. It was

completely derelict, so I’m juggling a
big restoration project with farming
and my agritourism business.
My day generally begins before 7 a.m.
and doesn’t end until 11 p.m. or later. I
don’t mind the long hours. Everything
I do is determined by the animals. Their
welfare comes first. This means that the
cria I’m hand-feeding at the moment
gets his breakfast before I do. Once I’ve
checked on the animals, I start into the
paperwork. Administration takes up a
lot of my time.

Alpacas are native to South America

and found in Peru, Bolivia and Chile.
There are about 2,500 in Ireland. An
alpaca stands at about 1.2 metres and
weighs around 90 kilos. They come in
many colours, from chocolate brown
and black to sandy brown and white.
I’m passionate about alpacas. They’re
friendly and curious, and each one has

18 SPOTLIGHT 2021 PEOPLE

 WORD TO GO
“Yarn” is thick
thread that is used
to knit things.

its own personality. I love being close to these beautiful

Friends with fibres: alpacas aren’t just
good-natured companions, they also provide
fibres for soft winter clothing
animals and introducing people to them through our treks.
They also make ideal therapy animals, and we run regular
sessions for those with autism and other special needs.
Most people come here to experience trekking with an
alpaca by their side. A trek experience lasts about two hours
and each person leads their own animal across the farm and
through the forest. We go at a leisurely pace. This means it’s
a suitable activity for all ages. We don’t do the treks every
day, as I like to rest the animals in between. We give people a
little talk about alpacas before they start, and they get the
opportunity to feed them and to take lots of selfies.
Looking after the animals takes up a lot of time. They get
regular health checks, and sometimes, if one of them is un-
well, the vet comes. Depending on the time of year, we may
be busy with new arrivals. The mothers usually give birth
in the mornings and manage well on their own most of the
time. Sometimes, things don’t go to plan and they need help.
For example, we might have to hand-feed a baby if its mother
is not producing enough milk.
The alpacas are shorn every year and that’s a big job. They
produce fibre rather than wool. It’s naturally warm, fire-
resistant, hypoallergenic and, because of its structure, also
repels water. We send the yarn to England for processing.
The long fibre is made into socks, hats, gloves, scarves and
knitting wool. The short fibres are made into pillows, duvets
and mattress toppers.
What I love about my job is that no two days are the same.
It’s labour-intensive, but having worked in an office for 39
years, every day in the open air feels like a day off. If you love
what you do, you’ll never actually work a day in your life.

acre duvet [(du:veI] repel

, Morgen , Bettdecke , abweisen, abperlen
lassen
autism [(O:t)IzEm] hand-feed
, Autismus-Spektrum- , von Hand aufziehen run
Störung , hier: durchführen
juggle
cria [kriːə] , hier: unter einen Hut shear
, Jungtier (von Kamel- bringen , scheren
artigen)
pace turned
curious [(kjUEriEs] , Tempo , ehemalige(r) ... und ...
, neugierig
passionate: be ~ about vet
derelict [(derElIkt] sth. , Tierarzt, Tierärztin
, verfallen , eine Leidenschaft für
welfare
etw. haben
, Wohlergehen

PEOPLE
SHORT STORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 19
 LOOKING AT LIVES

Wir stellen einen britischen Arzt vor,

der es sich zur Mission gemacht hat,
an den gefährlichsten Orten der
Welt zu helfen. Von ANNE MULLEE

ADVANCED

I
have travelled the world for 25
years in search of trouble,” admits
Dr David Nott in his recent auto-
biography, War Doctor: Surgery on the
Front Line. “It is a kind of addiction, a pull
I find hard to resist.” This pull has seen
him use his surgical skills to help those
in need by taking unpaid, month-long
breaks from his “day job” as an NHS
surgeon in the UK every year to work
in conflict zones and disaster areas.

“I think
Surgery in Sarajevo
His first stint was in Sarajevo in 1993,
as a volunteer with the French charity
Médecins Sans Frontières. The hospi-

to skirt
tal he worked in had so many holes in
its walls caused by shelling and sniper
fire that it was called the “Swiss Cheese
Hospital”. It was his first insight into
the ter­rifying reality of treating patients

death … is
in a war zone. The hospital suffered
power cuts during operations and he
and his team were regularly shot at.
But Nott found this exhilarating.

euphoric.”
“Going to Sarajevo, almost getting
killed, I had never felt so wonderful. I
really felt as though somebody had in-
jected me with something. I felt fantas-
tic. I think to skirt death — and then to

addiction shelling
, Sucht, Abhängigkeit , Artilleriebeschuss

exhilarating skirt
, anregend , hier: entkommen

NHS (National Health sniper fire

Service) UK , Beschuss durch
, staatlicher Gesund- Heckenschützen
heitsdienst
Fotos: XXX

stint
power cut UK , Aufgabe David Nott with members of his
, Stromausfall team working in the Congo in 2008

20 SPOTLIGHT 2021 PEOPLE

 INFO TO GO BIOGRAPHY
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
Known in English as Doctors without Borders, Name: David Nott
this non-governmental organization “provides Born: 1956, in Carmarthen,
medical humanitarian assistance to save lives Wales
and ease the suffering of people in crisis situa-
Known for: His work as a
tions” in more than 70 countries.
surgeon in war zones. He has
MSF was founded in Paris in 1971 by a group been given the nickname the
of doctors and journalists after the Biafra War
“Indiana Jones of surgery”.
in Nigeria (1967–70), in which more than a
million people died, many of them of hunger.
Education: Hulme Grammar
Its founders believed that all people have a School, Oldham, University
right to healthcare “regardless of gender, race, of St Andrews, University of
religion, creed or political affiliation, and that Manchester
people’s medical needs outweigh respect for Extras: Qualified pilot
national boundaries”.
Today, almost 65,000 people work for MSF in
dozens of countries around the world.

realize how close you are to death and accidentally

that you survived it — is euphoric. And , aus Versehen
that’s the experience I’ve had many creed
times over.” , Glaube, Überzeugung
This attitude may seem reckless, but dispose of sth.
it means that Nott has saved lives in , etw. beseitigen
desperate situations. In Gaza in 2014, ease [i:z]
he decided not to abandon a young erleichtern, lindern
Fotos: picture-alliance/dpa; Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images

,
girl in the middle of surgery despite outweigh [)aUt(weI]
being told that the hospital was about , überwiegen
to be bombed. He carried on, no bombs political affiliation
fell and the girl survived. He has kept [E)fIli(eIS&n]
a photograph of them taken together , politische Zugehörigkeit
three days later. In Yemen, he operated reckless
, waghalsig, draufgängerisch
on the wife of a bomb-maker who had
accidentally blown up his own house. regardless of sth.
, etw. ungeachtet
Nott found a detonator buried in her
leg and had to carefully dispose of it be- surgeon [(s§:dZEn]
Chirurg(in)
fore continuing the operation. ,

PEOPLE
SHORT STORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 21
 From model planes to medicine
Although his Indian-Burmese father
and Welsh mother both worked in
medicine, as a doctor and nurse, respec-
tively, Nott’s modest and uneventful
childhood gave no indication of his
future. An only child, he was raised by
his grandparents until the age of four,
then spent a somewhat lonely child-
hood growing up in Rochdale, northern
England. Being darker skinned than his
classmates made him a target for racist
insults, causing the young David to
withdraw into himself. “I closed myself
off and continued to be in this lonely
atmosphere,” he says. “It was a way of
protecting myself.”
Alone in his bedroom, he occupied
himself by making model aeroplanes
from kits, which he then hung from
his ceiling. Constructing about 400
of these scale models made up of tiny
parts — in addition to his ability to use
both hands equally well — may have
contributed to the dexterity he would
later need as a surgeon.
Though strongly encouraged to pur-
sue medicine by his father, who would
chase him into his bedroom to study,
David was not a standout student:
“I was always put to the back of the
class. Nobody took any interest in me.”
However, failing his end-of-school
exams proved to be a catalyst for his
determination. He retook the exams,
passed and went on to study medicine
at St Andrew’s University in Scotland.
Training and trauma
It was while undertaking an emergen-
cy cranial operation that he decided to
become a surgeon, where he developed
expertise in laparoscopic (“keyhole”)
surgery and became the first surgeon
to combine laparoscopic and vascular
surgery. Not content with the punish-
ing life of a doctor in public service, he
kept up his love of flying and, for 10
years, had a second job, flying passen-
gers around Europe as a Learjet pilot.
During his 27 years of travelling — to
countries such as Afghanistan, Sierra
Leone, Chad, Liberia, Iraq, Libya, Haiti,
Gaza and Syria — Nott has contributed
to advances in trauma surgery. He has
also established specialized training in
this field for fellow medics, the result
of a mission to Libya, where he noted Sarajevo 1993 (both
images): Nott’s first
that many of his local colleagues lacked experience working
proficiency in this area. He therefore in a war zone

Fotos: A. Duclos/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images; Patrick Durand/Sygma/Getty Images; Robert King/Polaris/laif

cranial public service
, Schädel- , Staatsdienst

dexterity pursue sth. [pE(sju:]

, Geschick, Fertigkeit , etw. nachgehen
expertise [)eksp§:(ti:z] respectively
, Kompetenz, Sach- , beziehungsweise
kenntnis
scale model
kit , maßstabgetreues
, Bausatz Modell
modest trauma surgery
, bescheiden [(trO:mE )s§:dZEri]
, Unfallchirurgie
proficiency
, Fertigkeit vascular
, Gefäß-

22 SPOTLIGHT 2021 PEOPLE


decided to run a workshop there in de-
finitive surgical trauma skills (based
on the course he teaches at London’s
Royal College of Surgeons). At first,
no one turned up for the class, but af-
ter three weeks, the room was packed.
This was the seed that grew into the
David Nott Foundation, which he set
up with his wife, Elly, in 2015. The char-
itable foundation offers scholarships
and training — from surgical skills to
disaster modelling using virtual reality
technology — to doctors from around
the world.
Nott’s humanity and sensitivity
have won him many admirers. Unlike
the stereotypical image of the brusque,
emotionally detached surgeon, he is
quickly moved to tears by memories of
the distressing situations he has been
in — or even when discussing his wife
and children. He is also frank about
suffering from post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) following his tours
in war zones. He describes needing
three months to return to “normal” af-
ter such missions, acknowledging that
perhaps the effects of being exposed to
so much killing may never go away. In
2016, he spoke on BBC Radio’s Desert
Island Discs programme about his lunch
with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham
PEOPLE
SHORT STORY
Nott comforts a baby girl hurt in
the Haiti earthquake of 2010
Palace, just 10 days after his return brusque [brUsk]
from Aleppo, Syria, in 2014. When the , grob, schroff
Queen had asked him about Aleppo, he composure
was too overwhelmed by his traumatic , Fassung
experiences to say anything. Sensing detached
that something was wrong, the Queen , distanziert, unbeteiligt
suggested that they feed her corgis. So, exposed: be ~ to sth.
for 20 minutes, he and the monarch , etw. ausgesetzt sein
stroked the dogs and gave them bis- overwhelmed
cuits, and she talked about them until , überwältigt
Nott had recovered his composure. scholarship [(skQlESIp]
, Stipendium
The corona challenge
This year, the danger facing Nott and
his fellow doctors is deadlier than
bombs and bullets. He has compared
the Covid-19 pandemic to a worldwide
disaster zone, a war in which the virus
is an invisible enemy — “and you have
to make sure that the invisible enemy
doesn’t get you”. In a short video made
for UK healthcare workers, he reflect-
ed on his conflict experience to remind
them to look after themselves. But he
has hope. Earlier this year, he told The
Times: “Hopefully this crisis will reset
minds so people realize the human race
is one big family and we should help
each other as we are doing here and
stop killing each other. We’re only on
this planet once, we’re all in it together
and any of us can go down at any time.”
SPOTLIGHT 2021 23
 The future of tourism —
the world is gasping for
2020 war kein gutes Jahr für Reisende – doch schon bevor Covid-19 das Fernweh bremste,
steckte die Tourismusbranche in grundlegenden Schwierigkeiten. STEPHEN ARMSTRONG berichtet.
Fotos: XXX

ADVANCED

24 SPOTLIGHT 2021 SOCIETY

A rare quiet day on SOCIETY
St Mark’s Square, Venice

I
f you ask anyone in the tourism industry what
the future of holidays will be after the pandem-
ic, you’re just asking them to pull out a crystal
ball,” says Tom Pridmore, vice president of
the Tourism Management Institute. “Each time
there’s a new lockdown or talk of a new vaccine or
a new strain of the virus, the whole conversation
has to restart — but I think some things are funda-
mentally true. Tourism will survive, people will be
going on holiday, but the nature of those holidays
will change significantly, at least in the short term.
The world is gasping for air.”
As we try to work out when the world will be
safe for travel again, we’re also working out where
we’ll go when we’re finally able to travel freely.
Given that the start of the pandemic was linked to
travel — from its spread around Europe thanks to
skiing holidays in the Alps to the cruise-ship pas-
sengers trapped on board under full quarantine
— will we want to go back to the way things were?
“There is huge pent-up demand,” explains Tom
Jenkins, CEO of the European Tourism Associa-
tion. “Most people who booked holidays for 2020
didn’t cancel when travel bans came in — they
just postponed. People’s desires will not change
much as a result of this crisis. … People will not
stop wanting to go to Venice or Florence, and in
Florence, they’ll want to visit the Uffizi.”
Jeremy Sampson, the Chair of the Future of
Tourism Coalition and the CEO of the Travel
Foundation, says that worries over safety are un- ban
, Verbot
likely to go away even if restrictions are lifted. “So-
cial distancing will need to continue in airports, on CEO (chief executive
officer)
planes, in accommodation, restaurants… all those , Geschäftsführer(in)
places where crowds of people gather,” he warns.
frown upon sth.
“Going to Florence at the peak of the season can , etw. verpönen
feel like spending your time in an enormous
gasp for air
queue … close to hundreds of strangers.” , nach Luft schnappen
Sampson predicts that demand for private rent-
in the short term
als rather than busy hotels will grow, self-drive hol- , auf kurze Sicht
idays to lesser-known destinations will increase,
pent-up
and short weekend trips around Europe will be , aufgestaut
frowned upon as slower and longer breaks prove a postpone

air
better use of air miles. He also expects an increase , verschieben
in train-based gap-year travel as students — escap- prompt
ing college lockdowns — put on a backpack and , auslösen, veranlassen
Foto: Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images

start filling up youth hostels. quarantine [(kwQrEnti:n]

, Quarantäne
How we got to mass tourism significantly
The tricky thing for the tourism business, says , bedeutend, erheblich
Scott McCabe, professor of marketing and tour- strain
A rare, quiet day: ism at Nottingham University’s Business School, , Erregerstamm
St Mark’s Square, Venice
is that the industrial level of mass growth in trav- vaccine [(vÄksi:n]
el in the 1960s was prompted by Spanish dictator , Impfstoff

SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT 2021 25

Measures to control visitor numbers —
including a tax on day trippers, which
was due to be introduced in July — will
go ahead next year, while the debate
around cruise ships continues.
Similar efforts are under way in Am- 2020 vs 2019 international
sterdam, which was struggling to cope tourist arrivals per country
source: www.unwto.org
with an estimated 18.3 million over-
night tourist stays in 2019. Athens is
accelerating plans for a car-free historic -79%
centre, Berlin is introducing 14 miles of -74%
new bike lanes and Paris is also signifi-
cantly increasing its bike lanes to ease -64%
potential overcrowding. -59%

The way forward?

Tom Pridmore welcomes these changes -44%
but doesn’t see cities as being attractive
to tourists in the short term. He lives in
beautiful Ribble Valley, in north-west
England, and in the late summer, when
the UK lockdown rules were eased, the
area experienced a boom.
“There was a very strong trend to-
wards camping, caravanning, yurts, Canada Spain Germany Holland Austria
shepherds’ huts and cottages because
they were perceived as safer — less
mingling with other customers in ac- employment, equitable distribution
commodation where you are in con- of benefits and a thriving local supply “The message for
trol,” he explains. “But I think being chain. Their manifesto says tourists can
trapped inside for so long has meant help by choosing destinations and trav- the travel industry is
the whole continent has experienced a el partners who respect local communi- ‘build back better’.”
reawakening: people have reconnected ties and their decisions about tourism’s
with nature. For a while to come, I think regrowth. The message for the travel
tourists will head into the countryside.” industry is “build back better”.
What about long-haul travel? “Some “As the lockdowns lift, just being able advocate sth. inclusive
groups and places depend on tourism to talk, touch and be with people, even [(ÄdvEkeIt] , eingliederungs­
, befürworten, für etw. orientiert
— such as across the Pacific and Carib- strangers, will be welcome,” says Jeremy
eintreten
bean islands,” Scott McCabe points out. Sampson. “If we do this right, re-evalu- long-haul travel
“Women and young people make up ate our travel habits so that future gen- bike lane [)lQN )hO:l (trÄv&l]
, Fahrradweg , Fernreise(n)
the bulk of the workforce that tourism erations can see the world in the way
bulk mingle
relies on. If tourists change their habits, we’ve had the privilege of doing over
, Großteil , sich vermischen
that will delay their recovery.” the past 50 years, then I hope we will all
caravanning UK perceive [pE(si:v]
The Future of Tourism Coalition — make every holiday moment matter.”
, Wohnwagenurlaub , wahrnehmen, emp­
six global NGOs and the Travel Foun- finden
Caribbean [)kÄrE(bi:En]
dation — has set out 13 guiding princi- , karibisch reawakening
ples for a healthy recovery in the travel , Wiedererwachen
ease [i:z]
industry and nearly 300 organizations Tom Scott , hier: verringern shepherd’s hut
have signed up so far. The coalition ad- Pridmore McCabe , Schäferwagen
enhance [In(hA:ns]
vocates putting destination commu- , verbessern thriving
nities at the centre of tourism so that , florierend
equitable [(ekwItEb&l]
development is managed to enhance , fair yurt [jUEt]
residents’ quality of life, protect biodi- Jeremy Tom , Jurte, Rundzelt
versity and create quality and inclusive Sampson Jenkins

SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT 2021 27

 General Franco’s desire to secure for-
eign currency despite a trade embargo,
just as new, cheap passenger jets and an
abundance of skilled, post-war pilots
became available.
“Since then, tourism has always been
seen as a cheap form of economic devel-
opment by governments and they’ve al-
ways pushed for maximum growth, so
mass tourism has been largely unregu-
lated,” he explains. “The pandemic has
disrupted the industry and there’s been
a string of bankruptcies, so it’s time
travellers grappled with the challenges
of that growth — CO2 and sustainable
use of resources, overconsumption.”
At the end of 2019, overtourism be-
came a buzzword in places like Venice.
Venetians felt that the character of their
city as a place where people live and
work had changed. There were similar
problems in the Shetland Islands, and
Barcelona was coping with a lack of
regulation in the holiday rental market.
“The worst excesses of tourism were
not necessarily the fault of tourism reg-
ulators,” McCabe says, “but we can’t go The beach at Benidorm, Spain:
the start of mass tourism
back — overtourism and excess demand
is quite difficult to manage. One thing “Governments usually don’t notice
that may help is the reputation cruise things that aren’t directly in front of
ships earned for being giant floating their noses,” says Tom Jenkins. “The
petri dishes. I think it will take a while missing tourists will cause a hole in
before the big ships fill up again.” every economy, but they’re not voters,
What isn’t clear is the extent to so governments will be slow to pay at-
which local and national governments tention. That will change if business
will get involved in attracting potential travel is suppressed as people use on- abundance grapple
travellers. Tourism made up 10 per cent line video platforms rather than meet in , Überfluss, Fülle , ringen
of global GDP in 2019 and was worth al- person. City hotels are not built for lei- buzzword ifml. petri dish [(pi:tri dIS]
most $9 trillion, making the sector near- sure tourism — they’re built and run for , Modewort , Petrischale, Labor­
ly three times larger than agriculture, business travellers. If city hotels need to schale
consultancy
according to figures from McKinsey. reboot, cities will struggle, and local gov- , Beratungsunter­ plunge [plVndZ]
Fotos: INTERFOTO/TopFoto; Maxim Zarya/iStock.com; privat

ernments may step in to offer subsidies nehmen , stürzen

Small issues — a big challenge that make travel incredibly cheap.” cope with sth. subsidy [(sVbsEdi]
, mit etw. kämpfen, Zuschuss
However, the tourism value chain has In Venice — which previously at- ,
zurechtkommen
always been fragmented, with limit- tracted an estimated 25 million foreign suppress
disrupt , unterdrücken,
ed coordination among the small and visitors a year — local officials are ac-
, stören; hier: grund­ abschaffen
medium-size businesses that make up tively involved in post-pandemic tour- legend verändern
sustainable
most of the industry. With internation- ist planning. They’re using the pause to
floating , nachhaltig
al tourist arrivals projected to plunge by rethink an entire Venice system, with , schwimmend
trillion
60 to 80 per cent in 2020, tourism spend- sustainability and quality tourism at GDP (gross domestic , Billion(en)
ing is not likely to return to pre-crisis its core. The mayor is in discussions product)
value chain
levels until 2024, the consultancy be- with universities, aiming to offer tour- , BIP (Bruttoinlands­
, Wertekette
lieves — estimating that this puts as ist rentals to students, and old buildings produkt)
many as 120 million jobs at risk. are being restored for social housing.

26 SPOTLIGHT 2021 SOCIETY

 PEGGY’S PLACE

Welcome, Joe!
In Spotlights ganz eigenem Londoner Pub kursieren
wilde Gerüchte. Kann es wirklich sein, dass der neue
amerikanische Präsident Peggy und ihrer Crew einen
Besuch abstattet? Von INEZ SHARP
MEDIUM AUDIO

Helen: January is always a Phil: Did he say who would

bit of a downer, don’t you “I just had the be visiting?
think? Peggy: No, and he didn’t say
George: No, I love January, strangest phone call!” when either. He just had a
actually. The days are just long list of questions.
starting to get longer again, George: Like what?
the snowdrops are peeping Peggy: He wanted to know
through the grass. George: Even if you’re not into nature, if we have any Irish con-
Helen: Yeah, I’m not really there’s always something to be cheerful nections. So, I told him that
into nature. And anyway, it’s about. Sean’s Irish. He seemed to be
still cold outside. Helen: OK, list five things that are good really pleased to hear that.
Phil: What’ll it be? about this month. Helen: What else?
Helen: Do you have any of Phil: Let’s see. Seville oranges are on Peggy: This was weird: he
that hot peppermint tea? I’m sale again, which means you can start wanted to know who lived
chilled to the bone. making marmalade. over the pub and who’s in
George: I’ll have a lager. Oh, Helen: You’re kidding, right? the buildings on either side.
and a bag of salt and vinegar George: Well then, what about those Phil: Did you tell him we live
crisps. New Year’s resolutions, still all fresh over the pub and that the
Phil: Tea, lager and crisps and shiny? buildings on both sides are
coming up. Helen: Do the two of you secretly write currently being renovated?
Helen: Where’s Peggy? for Good Housekeeping? What about Peggy: Yes, and he was really
Phil: She’s still on the phone. something a bit more global — some- pleased to hear that, too.
Whoever it is, she’s been thing that requires no effort on my part George: Well, it’s obvious
talking to them for quite a to enjoy? what’s happening, isn’t it?
while. By the sound of it, it George: Peggy! Are you OK? You look Peggy: Not to me, it isn’t.
must be important. really pale. George: The government
George: Helen here was just Peggy: I just had the strangest phone must be looking for a nice
complaining about having call! London pub with an Irish
the January blues. Phil: Who from, love? connection, where Boris can
Phil: I love January. The days Peggy: You’re not going to believe me, be photographed with the
are getting longer. The first but the man on the phone said he was new American president.
snowdrops are out. from 10 Downing Street. Peggy, Phil, Helen: No!
Helen: You and George Helen: No! Really? What did he want? George: I think 2021 is going
spend far too much time to- Peggy: He’d like to use the pub for a to be a very interesting year
gether. photo op — for someone from America. for us all.
Illustration: Jill White

be into sth. crisps UK pale photo op N. Am. ifml. snowdrop weird [wIEd] ifml.
, sich für etw. interes- , Kartoffelchips , blass , Pressefototermin , Schneeglöckchen , seltsam, komisch
sieren
downer ifml. peep resolutions vinegar [(vInIgE] You’re kidding! ifml.
coming up ifml. , etw., das einen richtig , hervorlugen , gute Vorsätze , Essig , Du machst wohl Witze!
, kommt sofort runterzieht

28 SPOTLIGHT 2021 CHAPTERS AND VERSE

 INFO TO GO
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
This women’s magazine is
published in an American and
a British edition. Both of them
cover topics that include health,
recipes, fashion, interiors
and interviews with celebrities.
The average age of a GH
reader is around 47.

Pe g g y ’ s P l a c e

Sean George Phil Peggy Helen Jane

Sean, from Ireland, is George, who’s Scottish, Phil is in his 60s. He is Peggy is the owner of Helen, a regular at Jane, Peggy’s daughter,
the chef at Peggy’s has been coming to married to Peggy. Once the pub. Now in her the pub, works as a is egocentric and lazy.
Place. Sean is Peggy’s Place for years. a London cabbie, he 60s, she is kind and nurse and is currently She’s a single mother
unconventional but a He has a business as now helps out at the reliable, and loves the single. She’s organized, — she has a daughter,
genius in the kitchen. an events manager. pub. Phil can be a bit British royal family. punctual and sensible. Simone — but she’s
He’s also a bit hot- George is married to grumpy but he’s a good Peggy is happy in her not good at taking on
headed. Maggie and has a person. Unfortunately, second marriage, to responsibility. Jane
grown-up son, Ian. he’s not much of a Phil. never stays in one job
businessman. for long.

NOW TRY THIS! M

Match these informal words and phrases used in the

dialogue to their definitions.

be into sth. | bit of a downer | photo op | You’re kidding!

A. something that makes a person sad or depressed

B. an arranged situation when a photo of someone
cabbie ifml. grumpy important is taken
, Taxifahrer(in) , mürrisch, grantig D. You’re kidding!
C. be into sth. C. to be interested or enthusiastic about something
chef sensible
D. to say that another person is joking
B. photo op
, Küchenchef(in) , vernünftig A. bit of a downer
Answers

CHAPTERS AND VERSE SPOTLIGHT 2021 29

 POETRY CORNER

VANESSA CLARK stellt ein Gedicht vor, dessen

erste Zeile, vor allem in Zeiten von Corona und Brexit,
immer wieder gerne zitiert wird.
ADVANCED AUDIO PLUS

No man
is an island
by John Donne (1572–1631)

No man is an island entire of itself,

Every man is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less,

As well as if a promontory were,

As well as any manor of thy friend’s,

Or of thine own were.

Any man’s death diminishes me,

Fotos: mauritius images/Alamy/Pictoral PressLtd; iStockphoto, LuckyTD, Miriya Bibikova, Christine Glade/iStock.com
Because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know

For whom the bell tolls;

It tolls for thee.

clod mankind promontory [(prQmEntEri] thine archaic [DaIn] toll

, Klumpen, Ackerscholle , Menschheit , Landzunge , dein , (Totenglocke) läuten

diminish manor thee archaic thy archaic [DaI]

, schmälern, verletzen , hier: Land(besitz) , dich , dein

30 SPOTLIGHT 2021 CHAPTERS AND VERSE

 What’s it about?
The famous first five words say it all: “No man
is an island”. Every person is a “piece” or “part”
of a bigger whole (“the main”). The English
poet John Donne uses the image of a whole
continent, which grows smaller (“less”) even
if one small piece of earth (“a clod”) is lost
(“washed away”). It is the same for any “prom-
ontory” (tongue of land) or, indeed, any piece
of land. Here, “manor” has its older meaning
of “land”, rather than “house”.
In the last section, Donne explains how
every single death is a loss to mankind, and
therefore lessens (“diminishes”) us all. When-
ever you hear a church bell ring (“toll”) for a
belie sth. come to terms with sth.
, etw. Lügen strafen , sich mit etw.
arrangieren
CHAPTERS AND VERSE
SHORT STORY
funeral, you shouldn’t ask who died (“For
whom the bell tolls”) but remember that it
also rings for you (“It tolls for thee”).
Good to know
The poet and priest John Donne is considered to be one of Eng-
land’s finest poets, best known for his love poems and religious
verses. He wrote these lines in 1624 while recovering from a se-
rious illness. Four hundred years later, the poem has lost none of
its effect as a plea for community, and can be read as a warning
against isolationism in our global society. With the UK and the
EU trying to come to terms with Brexit, the line “Europe is the
less” remains as relevant as ever.
If you liked this poem...
Listen to Simon and Garfunkel’s song “I Am a Rock” and you’ll
hear echoes of Donne’s words. The man has isolated himself to
try to protect himself from emotional pain: “I am a rock / I am
an island / And a rock feels no pain / And an island never cries”
— but the sad tone of the song belies his efforts.
INFO TO GO
If the phrase “For
whom the bell tolls”
sounds familiar to
you, you may know
it as the title of a
novel by Ernest
Hemingway.
Even when alone on a rock,
you are “part of the main”
plea
, Bitte, Appell
rather than
, und nicht
SPOTLIGHT 2021 31
 SHORT STORY

Jungle adventure
Eine Fernseh-Karriere kann hart sein – besonders, wenn man für die
Dreharbeiten im Dschungel landet. Von JUDITH GILBERT
MEDIUM AUDIO

A
Dear Reader, ll her life, Gillian Wainwright had wanted had rescued on her travels. Even that’s better than
One of the joys of
to work in television, but this, now, was watching someone from Ealing eat beetles in a
English is its enor-
mous and interesting not at all what she had hoped for. As a girl, rainforest. So much more civilized, and they’re
vocabulary. In Just she had imagined producing BBC World well dressed, too.
Judi (see Spotlight
News, or chat shows like Parkinson. Once out of the Land Rover, they reached the
14/20 and 1/21,
p. 52), columnist Instead, at the age of 38, here she was in Ghana’s area marked for them by the scouts. Mark was ex-
Judith Gilbert rainforest in the service of BBC Ten, setting up cited, making his way through the bush. He had
presents a collection
of unusual English
a reality show called Jungle Adventure with her studied at the London School of Economics but
words. We chal- co-producer, Mark Halliwell — whose cheerful seemed to be in his element in the wilds of Africa.
lenged her to write a optimism annoyed her — and a production team. Wham! Gillian’s thoughts were interrupted as
story using them all
in context.
Their mission was to travel up from Accra, the she fell flat on her face. Bloody hell!
Here is what she capital, through Kumasi and Digya National Park One compromise she had not made on this trip
came up with. to Lake Volta. was in the matter of boots — she had bought Prada
Happy reading!
Gillian knew so little about this part of the trekking shoes. Unfortunately, she had replaced
The Spotlight team
world. Whatever happened to the country Upper the shoelaces. Now, an aglet had come loose and
Volta? she asked herself after her scouts had found the untied shoelace tripped her up. Mark and
this location on Lake Volta. Later, she googled it Kumar, the cameraman, helped her up.
and learned that Upper Volta was now Burkina “Shh! Listen!” Mark said, just as she stood up.
Faso, Ghana’s northern neighbour, and that, un- A parade of elephants was marching by, so
til 1957, Ghana had been a British colony that in- Kumar began to get his Steadicam ready.
cluded Gold Coast, Ashanti, British Togoland and “Dev, get audio!” Mark said in a loud whisper.
INFO TO GO Northern Territories. Dev, the soundman, was trying to find the spoffle
Graham Norton is an I didn’t know that either, she thought. Maybe for the mic in his bag.
Irish television and
radio presenter whose
it’s a good thing that I’m not in charge of World Boom, boom, boom as the parade passed, fol-
popular chat-show News. She regretted not being better informed. lowed by a dazzle of zebras and a tower of giraffes.
interviews with film But Jungle Adventure? Reality TV? Really? The team had come to a clearing. In the distance,
stars and celebrities
have been running on
In any case, she, Mark and the team had just left they could see a pride of lions at a watering hole.
BBC TV since 2007. Digya National Park, where they had been denied
permission to set up Jungle Adventure, and arrived
aglet dazzle raft
Fotos: Sam Aronov/Shutterstock.com; GooseFrol/iStock.com

just outside it, where they were allowed to do so. , Nadel, Stift , hier: Herde , hier: Gruppe
What idiot would even want to be on this
beetle hyena [haI(i:nE] shoelaces
show? Gillian wondered. Who wants to live in , Käfer , Hyäne [(Su:leIsIz]
the jungle and listen to armies of frogs at night? Or , Schnürsenkel
Bloody hell! mic ifml.
the cackles of hyenas? People would do any­thing UK ifml. , Mikro spoffle
for their 15 minutes of fame. Oh, she thought, , Verdammter Mist! , Windschutz,
pandemonium Popschutz
I’d so much rather be doing Graham Norton and cackle of parrots
watching Benedict Cumberbatch imitate a raft , Keckern, Lachen [)pÄndE(mEUniEm] trip sb. up
of otters because people think he looks otterly. , Papageien- , jmdn. zum
charge: be in ~
schwarm Stolpern bringen
Do they even have otters in Ghana? Or Salma , leiten
Hayek taking five minutes to tell Graham about pride of lions whisper
clearing
, Löwenrudel , Flüstern
her pandemonium of parrots or the wild cats she , Lichtung

32 SPOTLIGHT 2021 CHAPTERS AND VERSE

 “Jungle rats!” Gillian said, jumping up, afraid of the
furry creatures at her feet.
“They’re not rats,” Kumar explained.
“Well, then ferrets,” Gillian said.
“Not a business of ferrets either,” Kumar said.
“Lemurs, actually. It’s a conspiracy of lemurs.
They’re native to Ghana,” Mark explained.
“So long as they don’t conspire against me,
I don’t care what their politics are,” Gillian said.
It was just the start, but she’d had enough already.
When they got to the shore of Lake Volta, Mark
thought he could see a bloat of hippos in the water.
“It’s only mud,” Kumar said. “The hippos are fur-
ther south, in the River Volta. It’s rained recently.
Can you smell the petrichor coming from the
grass? The rain must have loosened some mud.”
“I need a drink,” Gillian said.
Tamsin, the production assistant, unpacked
water and lunch. Mark pulled out a bottle of cham-
pagne he’d brought along with him. Holding it
close to the punt, he undid the agraffe, to make a
toast to the expedition team.
“Not for me,” Gillian said. “I’ll take a beer.”
Tamsin opened a bottle and she drank, wishing
she’d brought her personal zarf, purchased at
Marks & Spencer, to hold the sweaty bottle.
“You’ve got barm,” Mark said.
“I’ve got what?” said Gillian, slightly irritated.
“Beer foam, on your upper lip. You’ve got a beer
moustache.”
“Well, thank you for that humiliation. I’ve just
fallen on my face and now you tell me I’ve got a
The team raised their drinks.
Looking at the ullage in his trekking cup, Mark
filled it again. “Here’s to a new season of great tele­
vision, everyone!”
Suddenly, a mobile rang.
“Wow! I didn’t even know we’d have reception
out here,” Tamsin said. Clearly, the ringing was
coming from Gillian’s rucksack.
“Yes, hello?” Gillian answered, breathless and
wondering who it could be.
The team was looking at her, equally curious.
Everyone at the BBC in London knew they were
in Ghana and hard to reach.
Gillian continued. “Yes … yes … oh, my! … Oh, oh,
yes! ... Well, of course! Definitely! … No, not at all.
Just let me get something to write with.”
“Who is it?” Mark asked in a loud whisper.
Gillian pulled a pencil and notepad from her
rucksack to scribble down a few notes, putting the
ferrule to her lips each time she stopped to listen.
Mark tried to see what she was writing. Turning
away from him, Gillian said into the phone: “Well,
yes, but of course I could… As soon as possible? Oh,
yes! Yes! Thank you! Thank you!”
Gillian hung up. She looked amazed.
“Well, tell us!” Mark said. “What’s happened?
“That, friends, was Mr Graham Norton! His
producer has left and he wants me to produce his
show! Judi Dench is going to talk about her new
film, and Jessica Chastain about working with a
mob of kangaroos! I have to get back to London!”
The team looked stunned. A convocation of D. true

barmy moustache. Anything else?” Gillian asked. eagles flew overhead as if in salute.
they’re rats.)
she thinks
“Yes,” Mark said. “A toast to Jungle Adventure!” This was Gillian’s moment to shine. C. true (First,
B. true
in London.)
be working
would rather
A. false (She
Answers

agraffe furry reception

, Drahtkorb , pelzig , Empfang

bloat of hippos Here’s to... scribble down

, Flusspferdherde , Ein Prosit auf ... , hinkritzeln
NOW TRY THIS! M

business of ferrets humiliation shore

, Frettchen-Rudel [hju)mIli(eIS&n] , Ufer How carefully have you read this short story?
, Demütigung Test yourself here by deciding whether the sentences
conspiracy stunned
[kEn(spIrEsi] moustache , perplex, verblüfft below are true (T) or false (F).
, hier: Gruppe [mE(stA:S]
Schnurrbart toast: make a ~
convocation
,
to sth. T F
, hier: Gruppe petrichor [(petrIkE] , auf etw. anstoßen A. Gillian is happy to be in Ghana.
, Regengeruch
curious ullage [(VlIDZ] B. She can’t understand why anyone would
, neugierig punt , Schwund want to be on Jungle Adventure.
, Wölbung im
ferrule [(feru:l] zarf C. She sees lemurs running around her feet.
Flaschenboden
, Metallhülse , Manschette D. She accepts a job working for Graham Norton.

CHAPTERS AND VERSE SPOTLIGHT 2021 33

 THE LIGHTER SIDE

The Argyle Sweater

“Crocodiles are easy.

They try to kill and eat
INFO TO GO
you. People are harder.
In the cartoon to the left, Sometimes they pretend to
the men are looking to get
“stoned” — in other words, be your friend first.”
to get high on cannabis.
However, the ancient Greek Steve Irwin (1962–2006),
monster Medusa will actual-
Australian zookeeper and television presenter
ly turn them to stone.

by Scott Hilburn

National networks NEED A SHOWER?

Archaeologists in Germany discover In search of a new shower
small pieces of copper deep in the for his apartment, a man
ground. After studying these pieces, goes to a bathroom supply
they announce that the ancient shop. He talks to a young
Germans had a nationwide telephone saleswoman about what he

network. The French are not amused. is looking for, but as the shop
Their archaeologists discover small is about to close, he says
pieces of glass below the ground. The he will return the next day.
French government declares that the Later that evening, the man
Gauls had a fibre-optic network. This is in a restaurant with his
irritates the British, who put their best girlfriend. The saleswoman
archaeologists on the job. They dig and just happens to work there
dig and dig, but find absolutely nothing. as a waitress. When she sees
The government concludes that the the man, she calls out in a
ancient Britons had mobile phones. loud voice, “Hey! You’re the
man who needs a shower!”
Cartoons: © 2021 PEANUTS Worldwide LLC, Dist. by Andrews McMeel Syndication/Bulls Press; © 2021 Scott Hilburn/Distributed by Universal Uclick/Bulls Press
Give it a try
“Dad,” says Tommy, “I’m late
for football practice. Would
you please do my homework
for me?” Tommy’s father
shakes his head, “No, son.
It just wouldn’t be right.”
“That’s OK,” replies Tommy.
“You could at least give it a
try, though, couldn’t you?”
Compiled by Owen Connors

aisle [aI&l] dispensary Gaul [gO:l]

Wrong direction
, Gang , Apotheke , Gallier(in) A drunk man gets on a bus late one night, walks along the aisle with
ancient days: in the irritate great difficulty and collapses on a seat next to an old woman. She
[(eInSEnt] olden ~ archaic , ärgern looks at him angrily and says, “I’ve got news for you, young man —
, alt, antik , in alten Zeiten
lad UK ifml. you’re going straight to hell!” The drunk man immediately jumps
copper fibre-optic , Freund, up and shouts, “Oh, damn — I’m on the wrong bus!”
, Kupfer , faseroptisch Kumpel

Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz

34 SPOTLIGHT 2021 THE LIGHTER SIDE

 AMERICAN LIFE

Travel in times
of Covid — it’s a trip!
MEDIUM US AUDIO

Unsere Kolumnistin erlebt eigenartige Dinge am

Flughafen – besonders in Zeiten von Corona.

D
ue to a death in the family, I had to
travel to Munich from the US recently.
But first, I needed permission to en-
GINGER KUENZEL is a
ter the country because the Germans freelance writer who lived
consider the US to be risky. Yeah, no argument in Munich for 20 years. She
now calls a small town in
from me there! The first hurdle was figuring out
upstate New York home.
whom to ask for permission. I started with the
foreign ministry, who told me they could issue
curtly
me a visa. But wait! Americans don’t need a visa , schroff
He noted that it had expired but that he
for Germany. planned to renew it when he arrived. How-
death certificate
I next contacted the German border police. , Sterbeurkunde
ever, he said, he had copies of his parents’
After submitting the death certificate and my Ukrainian passports. They had not expired.
deem
passport, I received an e-mail from them stat- , als ... erachten Somehow, his story was deemed accept-
ing that they would probably allow me entry. able, and she stamped his boarding pass.
domestic partner
Probably? That sounded risky, but I had no choice. N. Am. The next passenger was going to visit
I booked my flight. , Lebenspartner(in) his domestic partner in Munich.
When I arrived at Dulles Airport in Washing- expired “Is she American?” the gate agent asked
ton, DC, the gate agent asked if I had a visa to , abgelaufen curtly.
enter Germany. I told her I didn’t need a visa. Why figure sth. out “No, German,” he responded.
doesn’t anyone seem to know this? Then she , etw. herausfinden “Does she live in the US?”
asked me the reason for my trip. foreign ministry [(fQrEn] “No, Germany.”
“A death in the family,” I told her. , Außenministerium “Do you live in Germany?”
She asked to see the death certificate. gate agent “No, the US.”
“It’s in German,” I said, pulling it out of my bag. , Mitarbeiter(in) am “So, how does that work?”
Flugsteig
She looked at it. “I can’t read German.” “It’s complicated,” he told her.
Fotos: Natalia Darmoroz/iStock.com; ilikeyellow/Shutterstock.com; privat

When she asked me for other documentation, hurdle “I’m listening,” she said.
, Hürde
I told her I had an e-mail from the border police, I wanted to shout, “Me, too!” But I bit
but that, of course, was also in German. ludicrous [(lu:dIkrEs] my tongue.
, lächerlich absurd
“I need to see it,” she said. I never got to hear his story because my
She looked at it and, once again, announced that make up plane was now ready for boarding.
, sich ausdenken
she couldn’t read it because it was in German. The next time I fly to Germany, I won’t
“What other documentation do you have?” she podium bother with death certificates and e-mails.
, Podest
asked. “In English!” No, I’ll just make up a really good story —
“Here’s something in English,” I said, opening submit like all these other passengers did.
, einreichen
an e-mail on my phone from my son in Munich, I’ll say I’ve been invited by the Ger-
saying he was glad that I was coming. via [(vaIE] mans to participate in a panel discussion
, über
She finally gave up and stamped my boarding on visas for Americans. And if the gate
pass. I sat down near the podium and listened as agent asks to see my visa, I’ll simply show
INFO TO GO
other passengers stepped up. her my Bank of America Visa card. I think
Our headline is a play on
The next guy in line was flying to the Ukraine words: “It’s a trip” means that could work! It’s certainly no more
via Munich. He showed her his Ukrainian passport. “it’s an experience”. ludicrous than those other stories I heard.

AMERICAN LIFE SPOTLIGHT 2021 35

 TRAVEL

London walks:
pretty parks and
hidden pleasures
Man braucht nicht viel Geld, um einige der
teuersten Straßen Londons zu entdecken.
West London ist reiner Luxus für das Auge.
Von LORRAINE MALLINDER
MEDIUM AUDIO PLUS

O
n a lazy Sunday morning, what better way to re-
lax than to walk round Queen Mary’s Gardens,
in Regent’s Park? It is, in every sense, a place to
“stop and smell the roses” — about 12,000 of
them, in fact. The rose garden opened in 1932 and now has
most rose varieties in different shades of red, yellow, orange,
pink and purple. My favourite is Golden Anniversary, which
smells like sherbet. I also quite like the pink-and-yellow Jam
and Jerusalem.
The rose garden is lovely all year round, its pond reflect-
ing the branches of the weeping willows. I sit by a waterfall,
watching a duck in the water below, and listen to the birds in
the trees overhead.
After this regal start to the day, I set off, ready to explore
craft
, (Kunst-)Handwerk the parks and pleasures of the poshest part of this great city.
needlework
, Handarbeit 10.45 a.m. — A walk to Marylebone
I walk down to York Gate and across to St Marylebone
plane tree
, Platane Parish Church. Just behind the church, there’s a handsome
pond
old building with the words “National School” above the
, Teich entrance. This is where the children of the poor were once
pop into ifml.
taught needlework and crafts, from the 18th century on-
, hereinschauen wards. I can imagine them playing under the plane tree in
posh ifml. the yard. From here, it’s just a stone’s throw from Marylebone
, vornehm High Street.
regal
, königlich 11 a.m. — Marylebone High Street
Mah-le-bone, darling! I’d always thought it was pronounced
Illustration: Martin Haake

sherbet N. Am.
, Sorbet Mary-le-bone because the area got its name from a church
time warp of St Mary built by a small stream (or “bourne”) that later
, Zeitschleife became known as St Mary at the Bourne.
weeping willow Lined with bistros and boutiques, Marylebone High
, Trauerweide Street exists in its own little time warp. If you pop into Daunt

SPOTLIGHT 2021 37
 Books, for example, for a quick look
round its exquisite Edwardian interi-
or, you may still be in there hours later,
having lost all sense of time in the long
oak galleries filled with travel books
and foreign literature.
I could go on. Perfumes at Diptyque,
where Eau Rose is the most popular;
cheese tasting at La Fromagerie (try
the Beaufort, the French cheese that
launched the shop); and, of course, bar-
gain hunting at Oxfam — visiting char-
ity shops in posh neighbourhoods is al-
ways a good idea. While I’m in the shop,
someone pops in with a donation bag,
a pink and white fascinator peeking out
the top. “Nice!” says a nearby lady eye-
ing the prize, only to be disappointed
when the shop assistant whisks the bag
to the back of the shop. On the shelves
at the back, I see The Sustainable Fashion
Handbook. Oh, yes, second-hand is
where the real fashion is these days.
12 p.m. — Lunch
Shopping is hungry work, so I decide
to lunch at FishWorks. There’s a fish-
monger at the entrance selling all kinds
of fish so fresh that they’re practically
jumping off the table. Inside, I choose
the Cornish ale-battered cod, bought
that very morning from Brixham Fish
Market in Devon, the chef tells me. It
has that mild seawater aroma you get
with fresh fish. Since this is an early
lunch, I wonder whether it would be
reasonable to have a second one later.
12.45 p.m. —
The Wallace Collection
I walk down George Street to Manches-
ter Square, stopping at Hertford House.
This building was once the Spanish
embassy, before being bought by the
2nd marquess of Hertford. Passed
down the generations to Sir Richard
Wallace, the son of the 4th marquess,
it’s home to the family’s complete col-
lection of 18th- and 19th-century art.
Amid all this privilege and the paint-
ings of landscapes, biblical scenes, no-
bles and slightly petulant children, I dis-
cover a quiet, 17th-century portrait of a
black boy holding a bow: A Young Archer
by the Dutch painter Govaert Flinck.
Looking it up later, I find that the boy
may have been a first-generation slave
from Sudan. What was going through
his mind as he sat for this painting?
1.30 p.m. —
A walk to Oxford Street
We’re a short distance from Oxford
Street, London’s busiest shopping
street, but Manchester Square is worth
a visit to see the beautiful Georgian Shopaholic’s dream:
Selfridges (above);
houses surrounding an idyllic garden. Burlington Arcade (right)
Through the trees, I see an elderly cou-
ple sitting on a bench, holding hands.
1.45 p.m. — Selfridges
The first thing you notice about this
department store are the window dis-
plays. At war with its rival Harrods for
over a century, Selfridges has some seri- ale-battered cod marquess [(mA:kwIs]
ous appearances to keep up. Today, the , in Bierteig ausgebacke- , Marquis
ner Kabeljau
mood is big, loud 1980s, with fat smilies millennials [mI(leniElz]
and rainbows. I’m probably right in say- bargain hunting , Generation Y
[(bA:gIn]
ing that this is perhaps not Selfridges’ , Scnäppchen-Jagd oak
finest moment. Fortunately, however, , Eiche, aus Eichenholz
bow
the grand art deco building is always , Bogen
out there ifml.
magnificent — the winged Queen of , außergewöhnlich,
chandelier [)SÄndE(lIE] ausgefallen
Time standing watch above the en- , Kronleuchter
trance in her blue enamel robe. patterned
Cornish , gemustert
With an interior like a great temple, , aus Cornwall
this is as extravagant as shopping gets. peek
dazzle , lugen, hervorblitzen
I notice some vintage dresses on the , blenden, schillern
third floor, a treasure trove of gold and petulant
department store , launisch, gereizt
glitter, silk and sequins, frills and flow- , Kaufhaus
sequin [(sikwIn]
ers. In this pop-up, you can rent out
donation , Paillette
dresses for special occasions. “It’s like , Spende
sparkle
Airbnb for clothes,” explains Sasha, the elderly , glitzern
assistant. , schon etwas älter
spell
These are the kind of dresses most or- embassy [(embEsi] , Zauber
dinary people would never buy — such , Botschaft
treasure trove [(treZE]
as the £2,000 metallic gold dress by Paco enamel , Fundgrube
Rabanne. Customers, often young mil- , Emaille
wallpaper
lennials, rent them for weddings, balls
Fotos: Franz Marc Frei; track5/iStock.com

fascinator [)fÄsIneItE] , Tapete

Inside, everything dazzles. There’s and special dates. “There’s no stigma , Kopfputz, kleiner Hut
weave
the art, paintings by Fragonard, among the young,” says Sasha. “They fishmonger , weben; hier: aus­
Velázquez and Gainsborough hang- might want something out there, to be , Fischhändler(in) machen
ing frame to frame on the walls, and photographed just once for Instagram.” frill whisk
the luxurious decor weaving its own I guess it fits the mood of the times. , Rüsche , abrupt entfernen
spell: the patterned silk wallpaper in launch [lO:nS] window display
each room perfectly matched by the , starten, ins Leben rufen , Schaufenster
brocade curtains, and the chandeliers magnificent winged
sparkling overhead. , großartig , geflügelt

38 SPOTLIGHT 2021 TRAVEL

TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT 2021 39
 2.15 p.m. — A walk to Hyde Park
It’s always seemed strange to me that the west asset manager
edge of Oxford Street should suddenly feel so or- , Anlagenverwalter(in)

dinary. This is where you’ll find the cheaper shops beheaded

selling souvenirs and mobile phone covers, but , enthauptet

then you look up and see the glory of Marble Arch, civil war
designed in 1827 by the famous Regency architect , Bürgerkrieg

John Nash. conspiracy theorist

Built as the ceremonial entrance to Bucking- [kEn(spIrEsi]
, Verschwörungs­
ham Palace and decorated with Carrara marble, theoretiker(in)
this grandiose arch was later relocated to what is
heart attack
now a traffic island between Oxford Street and , Herzinfarkt
Park Lane. Not just any traffic island, though.
homeless
This is the spot where Oliver Cromwell, the 17th- , obdachlos
century Puritan who led the parliamentary
jab
forces in England’s Civil Wars, was symbolically , (in die Luft) stoßen
executed in 1661. His body was dug up for the
marble
spectacle, hanged and beheaded — more than two , Marmor
years after his death!
minor [(maInE]
, klein, gering
2.30 p.m. — Speakers’ Corner plaque [plæk]
The great English writer George Orwell described , Tafel, Namensschild
this weekly gathering at the north-east corner of rant
Hyde Park as “one of the minor wonders of the , geschwollen daher­
world”. I stop for a second lunch (cheese sand- reden, schimpfen
wiches) at the open-air cafe and observe the var- relocate
Have
your say: ious idealists, surrealists and conspiracy theorists , umsetzen

Speak­ers’ ranting happily. This is freedom of speech in ac- sheikh [SeIk]

Corner tion. Your sensibilities may be under attack, but , Scheich

you’ll never be bored.

Take Danny Shine, for example, holding up a
sign that says “Thank you for not breeding” and
arguing down anyone brave enough to call into
question his views on the survival of the human
race. One elderly speaker in a smart suit is shout-
ing so loudly about the apocalypse and jabbing
his finger in the air so fiercely that I’m worried he
might have a heart attack.
This tradition of public speaking started over
150 years ago, when workers gathered in the park
Music to demand the vote. Even today — especially today Beautiful
nights: — it remains popular, judging by the 200 people lis- barges:
Albert Little
Hall
tening to the half a dozen speakers. There’s no or- Venice
ganization, and yet, somehow, it all seems to work.
Fotos: Franz Marc Frei; Alexandre Rotenberg/Shutterstock.com

3 p.m. — A detour through Mayfair

One of the most expensive locations on the
Monopoly board, Park Lane, is mostly home to the
madly rich. For a few million, you can buy a small
flat here and live side by side with sheikhs and
sultans, oligarchs and overseas royals. Recently,
though, some homeless migrants set up camp on
the grass outside Hyde Park.
I walk on to Upper Brook Street, its shiny black
doors decorated with plaques of law firms and
A land- asset managers, and follow it all the way down to
mark:
Marble Grosvenor Square, with its statue of American
Arch President Franklin D. Roosevelt. From there, I make

40 SPOTLIGHT 2021 TRAVEL

TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT 2021 41
 my way towards Savile Row, a small street that has
housed London’s finest tailors since the 19th cen­
tury. You’ll find lots of styles here, from Henry Poole
& Co (the gold standard for black-tie dressing since
it arrived on the street in 1846) to Ozwald Boateng
5 p.m. — A walk through Paddington
I leave the park through Lancaster Gate and head barge
straight into the district of Paddington. Craven , Kahn
Road is filled with delis and fruit shops, cafes and bespoke UK
pubs, and is slightly more down at heel than oth- , maßgeschneidert

(the first black tailor to open a shop here), who has er parts of west London. I turn left on to London black-tie dressing
brought traditional bespoke tailoring kicking and Street and walk through Paddington station to , festliche Abendgarde-
robe (mit Smoking)
screaming into the 21st century. Regent’s Canal.
After Savile Row, I stop a moment at 6 Burling- blingy [blINi] ifml.
, glitzernd
ton Gardens to enjoy the Royal Academy of Arts 6 p.m. — Little Venice
building and its many outside statues of famous The still canal water is home to a collection of criss-crossing
, kreuz und quer
thinkers, such as Aristotle, Goethe and Newton. A barges with names like The Rainy Day and The Lion- verlaufend
few doors away is the opulent Burlington Arcade, heart. I take a seat at a restaurant barge called The
deli ifml.
with its glass ceiling, a 19th-century version of the Grand Duchess and order a Greek pastry and a fresh , Feinkostladen
modern shopping mall and one of the loveliest lemonade, soaking up the peace of this hidden
down at heel
buildings in London. The arcade opened in 1819 corner of London, where Regent’s Canal meets , heruntergekommen
for the sale of jewellery and fashionable articles, Grand Union Canal.
frock coat
and its boutiques now sell a wider range of luxury Later, I walk to where the two waters meet. The , Gehrock
goods, including fine watches, perfumes, art and little island in the middle is a delightful oasis of giggle
antiques. The arcade (179 metres long) still has weeping willows. A couple are sitting out there, , kichern
its own small, private police force — known as obviously very much in love. A group of giggling Great Exhibition
“beadles” — who patrol the interior in traditional girls passes by in a hired boat but they’re soon , Weltausstellung
top hats and frock coats. John, the on-duty beadle, gone again, and a quiet falls over the pool. There’s pastry
tells me he once told off Arnold Schwarzenegger a word for this activity — leisurely watching boats , Gebäck
for smoking a cigar there! on a canal: it’s “gongoozling”. reed
Passing Berkeley Square, I walk back to Hyde From smelling the roses to gongoozling, it’s , Schilf
Park, this time, to the south-east corner. been quite a day. I could happily do it all over shaky
again. Maybe tomorrow. , wackelig
4 p.m. — Boating on the Serpentine shopping mall
It’s great to be back in the park. I follow the , Einkaufszentrum
criss-crossing paths to the Serpentine, the lake swan
that separates Hyde Park from Kensington Gar- , Schwan
dens. I can’t resist a trip out in a boat, so I pay my tell sb. off ifml.
fee and step into the shaky boat, pedalling past , jmdn. zurechtweisen
some very robust-looking swans to the centre of top hat
the lake. I’m soon able to manoeuvre to different , Zylinder

sections of the lake. The park looks amazing from

here, pleasingly wild in parts, with long reeds
along the edges of the lake. People are picnicking
in the long grass under the trees, each group in IF YOU GO…

Foto: Franz Marc Frei; Illustrationen: Martin Haake, Misha Shutkevych/iStock.com

its own little world. The place has probably Food and drink Attractions
changed little since it opened to the public in the • FishWorks • Queen Mary’s Gardens
89 Marylebone High Street, Regent’s Park, Chester Road,
17th century. London, W1U 4QW NW1 4NR, open from 5 a.m.
Back on land, I cross to the other side of the lake, www.fishworks.co.uk
past the Diana Memorial Fountain, to check out • The Wallace Collection
the Albert Memorial. The ultimate in Victorian • The Grand Duchess (pictured below)
pomp, this blingy tower shows Queen Victoria’s Sheldon Square, Paddington Hertford House, Manchester
Central, W2 6PY Square, W1U 3BN
German husband holding a catalogue of the 1851 www.londonshellco.com www.wallacecollection.org
Great Exhibition, surrounded by four marble
figures representing Europe, Asia, Africa and the • Speakers’ Corner
Americas. Just across the road is the Royal Albert Hyde Park, W2 2EU
Hall, another impressive memorial to dear Albert.
• Royal Academy of Arts
Designed to look like a Roman amphitheatre, this Burlington House, Piccadilly,
terracotta treasure is home to the biggest classical Mayfair, W1J 0BD
music festival in the world: the Proms. www.royalacademy.org.uk

• Bluebird Boats
Hyde Park, W2 2UH

42 SPOTLIGHT 2021 TRAVEL

 ECCENTRIC LIFE

Jean Batten
— daughter of the skies
Die neuseeländische Flugpionierin brach alle
Rekorde – und gab ihren Bewunderern immer
wieder Rätsel auf. Von PAUL WHEATLEY
MEDIUM

N
ew Zealand’s greatest aviator, Born: Such an undertaking would be expensive,
Jean Batten, burst on to the 15 September and Batten began to make use of her many
world stage in 1934 by becom- 1909 admirers. A series of male patrons gave her
ing the fastest woman to fly Rotorua, New significant financial help or expensive gifts,
Zealand
solo from England to Australia. But the including a plane. Two near-death crashes,
pressures of flying and fame left her ex- Died: in Iraq and Italy, highlighted the size of the
hausted, and after three incredible years, 22 November challenge, but she refused to give up.
she disappeared. 1982 In May 1934, she completed the England-
Palma, Majorca,
Born Jane Gardner Batten in Rotorua, to-Australia flight in a Gypsy Moth biplane
Spain
New Zealand, on 15 September 1909, she in under 15 days, beating Amy Johnson’s
spent much of her childhood in Auckland. Nationality: record by more than four days. She became a
She was named after her grandmother, New Zealander
but soon became known as Jean. In the
early 1920s, her mother took her to watch “If I go down in the sea,
admirer [Ed(maIErE]
the small seaplanes at the local flying
, Verehrer(in) no one must fly out to look
school — visits that fired the young girl’s
imagination. aviator [(eIvieItE]
, Flieger(in)
for me.”
The 1920s and 1930s were a golden age Batten to a reporter during a record-breaking flight
biplane from England to New Zealand in 1936
of flying: aircraft technology was develop- , Doppeldecker
ing fast, planes were becoming more relia-
burst
ble and pilots were celebrities. worldwide aviation star overnight and rev-
Foto: INTERFOTO/Mary Evans/aviation-images.com

, hier: stürmen
Jean was one of many young people elled in her new celebrity status.
exhausted [Ig(zO:stId]
mesmerized by the great aviators of the , erschöpft, ausgelaugt In November 1935, she became the first
time and the stories of their adventures. female to fly a plane from England to South
mesmerized
Her mother supported Jean’s ambitions , fasziniert
America. Her record-breaking time of two
and, in 1929, paid for her daughter to take days, 13 hours and 15 minutes was also a
patron
her first flight during a holiday in Sydney. , Gönner(in) record for any South Atlantic crossing. But
In 1930, mother and daughter sailed to by early 1936, Batten’s health had worsened.
revel in
England, where Jean took lessons at the , schwelgen She disappeared from public view, but reap-
London Aeroplane Club. By now, she was peared in October 1937 to become the first
set on: be ~ doing sth.
set on breaking the female record for a , entschlossen sein, person to fly solo from England to New Zea-
flight from England to Australia. etw. zu tun land. The front-page headline in the British

44 SPOTLIGHT 2021 ECCENTRIC LIFE

 AROUND OZ

2020 — not all bad

ADVANCED

Für viele Australier war 2020 ein katastrophales

WORDS TO GO
The expression “bucket list” — things a
Jahr. Das Leben unseres Kolumnisten dagegen
person wants to do before dying — has nahm einige positive Wendungen.
been around for at least 20 years. It’s
called a bucket list because “to kick the
bucket” is an informal way of saying
“to die”.

Y
es, what a horrible year. Or, as Queen
Elizabeth II famously said back in 1992
— as various family matters imploded
around her: “1992 is not a year on which
I shall look back with undiluted pleasure” —
referring to it as an annus horribilis. PETER FLYNN is a
Personally, though, I can look back on 2020 with writer based in Perth,
memories of pleasure, diluted only by the global Western Australia.

scale of pandemic deaths, especially among the

most vulnerable.
For a start, I travelled to Melbourne in March arse UK, Aus. ifml.
with my daughter, Sylvia, for a “bushfire relief” , Arsch

tour of some of the hardest-hit towns in the counsel

state’s Gippsland area. We always enjoy our road , (einen) Rat erteilen

trips together (so long as the accommodation is curfew [(k§:fju:]

big enough for her not to hear my snoring). I had , Ausgangssperre

just had a swanky day at Flemington Racecourse hindquarters My other twin son, Markus, who has
, Hinterhand
(home of the Melbourne Cup) on the last day that studied a bit of psychology, coun-
the public was allowed to attend the races. hoot ifml. selled me for years “to prepare for re-
, Riesenspaß, Superzeit
After fleeing Melbourne to get back to Perth, tirement, not to retire”. When that day
I was recruited as a communications specialist inversely arrived, I quit my job immediately,
, umgekehrt
during the peak of Covid restrictions. The growth comfortable that I’d have no regrets.
in my bank account was inversely proportional to modest I don’t need any more money, and
, bescheiden
the number of people travelling to work on trains although not wealthy, I have enough
and buses. punting UK, Aus. ifml. for the modest lifestyle I prefer. Luxury
, Wette
My happiest memory of the year, however, was holidays were never on my bucket list.
in July, when my daughter decided to move from scone [skɒn] But getting back into racehorse
, Teegebäck aus
Melbourne to Sydney, beating the second-wave Rührteig
breeding and racing has been on my list
travel restrictions, tough lockdowns and curfews ever since I gave it all up more than 30
snoring
in Victoria by just 24 hours. , Geschnarche
years ago to raise a family. It’s nice to see
Second only to that, and some months later, was a plan come together.
Fotos: Ljupco, Popova Anna/iStock.com; privat

swanky ifml.
seeing my son, Anton, pull together a big property , extravagant
I have a share in a beautiful yearling
development project, involving a band of bright filly with a kind, sweet nature. What’s
undiluted
young investors who backed his judgement in , pur, rein
more, she has a big and powerful arse
a difficult environment. To celebrate, we took a (“hindquarters” in correct speak).
vulnerable
1,200-kilometre road trip for a fishing adventure , gefährdet You could put a picnic blanket over
in Exmouth, on the Ningaloo Reef. That was a her behind and serve tea and Devon-
yearling filly
hoot, and I’ll tell you more about it another time. , einjähriges Stuten- shire scones from it. Then there were
In between those two events, I made a life- fohlen some punting wins during the recent
changing decision. As I mentioned a while ago, Sydney and Melbourne carnivals. So,
I’ve stopped working, except to write this column. 2020 hasn’t been all bad.

AROUND OZ SPOTLIGHT 2021 43

Daily Express read: “The Girl Who Has Beaten All the Men”. fiancé [fi(QnseI] pulmonary abscess
Soon afterwards, though, Batten suffered a breakdown , Verlobter [)pVlmEnEri (Äbses]
, Lungenabszess
during a lecture tour, and in 1937, her pilot fiancé, Beverley lecture tour D. pauper
Shepherd, died in a plane crash. Her last long-distance flight , Vortragsreise turn up C. mesmerize
, auftauchen
B. patron
was from Australia to England that same year. paupers’ grave A. revel in
For the next 30 years, Batten and her mother led a [(pO:pEz greIv] Answers
, Armengrab
nomadic life, moving around the world and staying
out of the spotlight. Then, in 1969, Batten turned up in
London looking very different: she had undergone a NOW TRY THIS! M
facelift, dyed her grey hair black and was wearing a mini­
skirt. She spent the next decade travelling the world Match these words from the text to their definitions (A–D).
again.
In 1982, aged 73, Batten moved to Majorca — and dis- mesmerize | patron | pauper | revel in
appeared yet again. Five years later, the documentary
film-maker and Batten biographer Ian Mackersey dis- A. to really enjoy a situation
covered that Majorca had become her final resting place
just weeks after she had arrived there. Batten died on 22 B. a person who supports someone else by giving them
November 1982 of a pulmonary abscess, having refused money
medical help to treat a dog bite that had become infected. C. to get a person’s complete attention
Mackersey also learned that the legendary aviator
had been buried anonymously in an unmarked paupers’ D. a person with no money
grave in Palma on 22 January 1983.

Jean Batten and

her Percival Gull
in Gravesend

ECCENTRIC LIFE
SHORT STORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 45
 PROVERB FEEDBACK

Two’s
Dear Spotlight team!
My latest Spotlight (and Spotlight plus) has
just arrived and I’m overwhelmed with

company
admiration that you and your colleagues
can put together such a fantastic publica-
tion while observing every possible form
of distancing, social and geographic, in
particular. “Reading” was such a great idea
Drei sind einer zu viel as a theme (which even included the jokes
page) — I half-expected a travel article on
ADVANCED Reading in Berkshire!
All the best
“I’m a bit worried about my sister staying with us over New Year.” Nick Young, by e-mail
“I can see what you mean. Two’s company...”
Dear Nick
Thank you very much for your praise. As
every single one of us here loves reading,
This saying is a short form of the together and that a third person we had great fun putting together this spe-
proverb “Two’s company, three’s might be unwelcome. He or she will cial issue and were jostling each other for a
a crowd”. Here, “company” means be “the fifth wheel” — das fünfte Rad chance to sneak in our personal book rec-
“being together”, as in the phrase am Wagen. ommendations. I can’t believe we missed
“to keep someone company”, or “to The exact origins of the phrase are the opportunity to mention Reading!
be good company”. So, two people unknown, but many languages have I went to university there for a year, so I
enjoy being together. However, if a similar proverb with the numbers don’t know why this didn’t occur to me.
a third person joins them, they make “two” and “three”. There’s always a next time.
a “crowd” — there are now too many To finish, here’s a riddle with this Petra Daniell, language editor
people. proverb: “If two’s company and SH 1
—
20

The phrase reminds us that two three’s a crowd, what are four and
SH 1 / 2020

people sometimes want to be alone five?” — “Four and five are nine!”
BOOK SPECIAL | 30 reading tips | INTERVIEW Cornelia Funke | CRIME Ms Winslow

EINFACH BESSER ENGLISCH

You can order our special issue

on books and reading at
www.spotlight-online.de/
A·E ·I ·L · SK: € 11,20
Deutschland € 9,90

proverb [(prQv§:b] riddle

CH sfr 15,90

reading-print or www.spotlight-
, Sprichwort , Rätsel by Vanessa Clark document7049123647233501222.indd 1 16.09.20 14:16
online.de/reading-epaper

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46 SPOTLIGHT 2021 PROVERB — FEEDBACK

 Welcome

LANGUAGE SECTION
to the
language
pages
20 Sprachseiten
Over the next 20 pages, we 48 POUNDS AND PENNIES M 58 EVERYDAY ENGLISH M +
give you the opportunity to “Enrich” your English — with Brush up on your
learn about grammar and idioms that date back to before conversational English
expand your vocabulary in an decimalization was introduced
in Britain 60 SPOKEN ENGLISH M +
up-to-date context. We start Colourful idioms and useful
off with a look at “old” money. 52 JUST JUDI A US phrases
These days, pence, shillings Judith Gilbert’s personal view

and halfpennies might not be on the English language 62 ENGLISH AT WORK M +
found in purses and pockets Ken Taylor looks at language in
— but they’re still used in 53 THE BASICS E + the modern workplace
A conversation in easy English
everyday English expressions.
64 THE PUZZLE PAGES E M A
54 VOCABULARY M + Find the words and win a prize
Learn the language of a
different topic in each issue 66 LOST IN TRANSLATION A
A fun look at challenging words
56 THE GRAMMAR PAGES M +
Master key points of English 67 LANGUAGE CARDS
grammar Pull out and practise

THESHORT
LANGUAGE PAGES
STORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 47
 LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE SECTION

Pounds and pennies

Im Februar 1971 wurde im Vereinigten Königreich die Währung dezimalisiert –
doch die Namen der „alten“ Münzen leben in vielen Redewendungen weiter.
Von VANESSA CLARK
MEDIUM

F
ebruary 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day, the day on which the UK and
Ireland replaced their centuries-old system of 12 pence to the shilling, and 20 shillings to
the pound with 100 new pence to the pound.

The old coins and notes may be long gone from British purses and pockets, but there are still
many old money idioms in British English today that date back to the time before decimaliza-
tion. Explore them with us — and “enrich” your language!

enrich
, bereichern

purse [p§:s]
, Geldbeutel

Fotos: TonyBaggett/iStock.com, W. Thomas, NGC

48 SPOTLIGHT 2021 LANGUAGE


A PENNY FOR YOUR
THOUGHTS
If someone says, “A penny
for your thoughts”, they’re
actually asking, “What
are you thinking about?”
because you look lost in
thought.
LOOK AFTER THE
PENNIES AND THE
POUNDS WILL TAKE
CARE OF THEM-
SELVES
The small amounts of mon-
ey we spend every day can
soon add up to large sums.
So, by being careful with the
small costs, we can make big
savings.
LANGUAGE
SHORT STORY
A PENNY SAVED IS
A PENNY EARNED
Saving money by finding
good prices is effectively
the same as earning extra
money. Good advice!
THE PENNY (HAS)
DROPPED
Sometimes, we’re confused
by a problem, puzzle, joke or
situation, and have to think
about it for a while or have
it explained to us. Eventu-
ally, “the penny will drop”,
the light will come on and
we’ll understand at last. It’s
like when a coin is stuck in
a machine — you won’t get
anything until the penny
has dropped.
D. pennies, pounds
C. penny, penny
B. pound, penny
A. penny, pound
1. “Pounds” or “pennies”?
Answers
LANGUAGE SECTION
INFO TO GO
Decimalization came into
force in the UK and Ireland
on 15 February 1971. The
pound kept its old value and
name, but the shilling was
abolished, and the pound
was subdivided into
100 new pence.
TO TURN UP LIKE abolish
A BAD PENNY , abschaffen
You know that guy you’re not keen eventually
on, but he’s always there? You see him
, schließlich, irgendwann
at the shop, then in the pub, then he’s force: come into ~
, in Kraft treten
going out with your friend? He’s like
keen: be ~ on sb. UK
the “bad penny” that you’re annoyed , scharf auf jmdn. sein
to find in your change. The idea of the
puzzle [(pVz&l]
“bad penny” dates back to a time when , Rätsel
a lot of coins were fake or had been cut subdivide
to remove part of the metal. , unterteilen
1. “Pounds” or “pennies”? M
Complete the idioms below with “pound” or “penny”.
A. In for a ____________, in for a ____________!
B. I bet you a ____________ to a ____________ that I’m
right.
C. A ____________ saved is a ____________ earned.
D. Look after the ____________ and the ____________
will take care of themselves.
SPOTLIGHT 2021 49
 LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE SECTION

TO COST A A POUND TO A PENNY IN FOR A PENNY,

PRETTY PENNY
Something that “costs a
pretty penny” is expensive.
TO SPEND A PENNY
This is a euphemistic ex-
pression in British English
that means “to go to the
toilet”.
People sometimes use IN FOR A POUND
this phrase when they’re If you’re going to take a risk,
convinced they’re right or you might as well take a
are certain about something big one. Don’t do things by
— and willing to offer a halves — go for it! A similar
whole pound against your modern phrase is: “Go big or
one penny. It’s really just go home!”
another way of saying “I
bet” or “I’m sure”.

euphemistic TO PUT IN YOUR TWO / TEN A PENNY NOT TO HAVE

[)ju:fE(mIstIk]
, beschönigend
TWO PENCE WORTH Things that are “two a pen- TWO PENNIES TO
rub
Your “two pence worth” ny” or even “ten a penny” RUB TOGETHER
, reiben (also “tuppence worth”) are are nothing special. They’re If you “don’t have two
spoil
your thoughts or opinion everywhere. Like idioms pennies to rub together”,
, ruinieren, zerstören about something. You can about pennies! you have no money at all.
put in or add your two
pence worth to a discussion
— even if nobody wants to
hear it!
INFO TO GO
This early type of bicycle 2. Other coins M
was known as a penny-

Fotos: Brittny/Shutterstock.com, NGC, wikimediacommons/public domain

farthing — because the
proportion of the wheels Choose the right coin for each idiom.
to one another was similar
to that of the penny and
farthing coins.
bob | farthing | ha’p’orth | shilling | sixpence

A. Do the job properly!

Don’t spoil the ship for a _____________ of tar.
B. A good hockey player can turn on a _________.
C. His parents died and left him without a brass
E. bob _____________.
D. Our new office junior is so slow.
D. shilling
C. farthing
B. sixpence
A. ha’p’orth
He’s not the full _____________.
2. Other coins
Answers
E. My aunt’s not short of a _____________ or two.

50 SPOTLIGHT 2021 LANGUAGE

 LANGUAGE SECTION
IN OLD MONEY

The phrases “in old money”

NOT A BRASS
FARTHING
A farthing was the least
valuable coin, worth only a
quarter of a penny. So, if you
“don’t have a brass farthing”,
you have no money at all.
TO TURN ON
A SIXPENCE
A sixpence (or sixpenny
bit) was the smallest of
the coins, so, “to turn on a
sixpence” means “to change
direction very quickly and
skilfully”. You might see the
phrase used in car reviews
or hear it in sports commen-
taries.
and “in new money”
were used at the time of
decimalization, as a practical
way to deal with the new
pricing systems. Fifty years
later, the question “What’s
that in old money?” still
lives on in the UK, but with
a slightly different meaning.
If you give a British person
NOT THE FULL a distance in kilometres, a
SHILLING clothes size in centimetres,
a height in metres or your
Someone who is “not the weight in kilograms, they
full shilling” is lacking intel- may ask: “What’s that in
ligence. old money?” — meaning:
“What’s that in miles / inches
/ feet / stones?” Although
every English person under
the age of 55 learned the
metric system at school,
many quantities are still
given in the old imperial
system in day-to-day life.

TO SPOIL THE
SHIP FOR A
HA’P’ORTH OF TAR
A “ha’p’orth” [ˈheɪpəθ]
(“half a penny worth”) is the
amount you could buy for
half a penny. Tar was used
to make boats waterproof,
and the captain who tried to
save a little bit of money on
tar would lose a lot more if
the whole ship went down.
So, if you’re doing a job, do it
properly!
Go to our language
cards (pages 67–68)
to find a special treat:
NOT SHORT OF a Spotlight bookmark
A BOB OR TWO that will help you with
“old” money terms
A “bob” was a slang word for while you read the
English classics.
“shilling”. Someone who is
“not short of a bob or two”
has plenty of money.
brass
, Messing
3. Which idiom? M
farthing UK
, Viertelpenny Choose the right idiom for each situation
lacking: be ~ sth.
, fehlen A. He was confused for a long time, but finally…
tar B. My ex keeps turning up…
, Teer C. Those things aren’t rare or valuable. They’re…
D. I don’t know if we’ll reach an agreement,
but I’d like to add…
E. You look lost in thought. A…

1. …two a penny.
E–4 2. …like a bad penny.
D–3 3. …my two pence worth.
4. …penny for your thoughts.
C–1
B–2
A–5 5. …the penny dropped.
3. Which idiom?
Answers

LANGUAGE
SHORT STORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 51
 JUST JUDI
LANGUAGE SECTION

Party animals
ADVANCED US

Das Deutsche gibt sich mit Schwärmen, Herden und Rudeln zufrieden.
Das Englische dagegen wird bei der Benennung von Tiergruppen geradezu poetisch.
Unsere Kolumnistin hat die schönsten Bezeichnungen gesammelt.

O
ne thing I’m sure Edgar Allan Poe never JUDITH GILBERT is a
thought he’d be is a doorstop. To be writer, editor,
more precise: I use The Collected Works of translator, and
photographer who
Edgar Allan Poe — a very thick book — to divides her time
keep my living-room door from closing. Sometimes between New York
(not often enough), I clean my floor, so one evening, City and a small
town in Bavaria.
I picked Edgar up and turned to his most famous
poem, “The Raven,” about a raven that lands on the
narrator’s window and reminds him of his dead lover. bloated
This made me think about a strange phrase in the , aufgeblasen
English language. Recently, I read that a group of cackle
, Geschnatter, Keckern
ravens is not called a “flock” — which is the general
word used for a group of birds. No, a group of ravens is conspiracy [kEn(spIrEsi] a mob of kangaroos — they can get a bit
, Verschwörung
called — are you ready? — “an unkindness of ravens.” out of control, I suppose
Then I did my research. In English, the collective convocation a murder of crows — because they’re as-
, Versammlung
terms for animals usually reflect the way we think sociated with death
about them. Whether these creatures actually are crow [krEU] a pandemonium of parrots — because
, Krähe
this way is a matter of debate, of course — people are our feathered friends are loud and crazy
so often wrong. Anyway, here is what I found. Even dazzle a parade of elephants — can’t you just
, Blendeffekt
though you might never hear these words in every- see them?
day conversation, they are simply too good to miss: ferret a parliament of owls — because owls are
, Frettchen
an army of frogs — there are lots of them, they’re symbols of wisdom
green, and they make a lot of noise flamboyance a prickle of porcupines — ow!
[flÄm(bOIEns]
a bloat of hippos — they do look a bit bloated, don’t , Extravaganz a pride of lions — because the kings
they? of the animal kingdom are such proud
narrator
a business of ferrets — because they’re active, busy , Erzähler(in) creatures
little animals (originally, the word was “busyness”) a raft of ducks — because they glide along
pandemonium
a cackle of hyenas — who knows if they actually , wildes Durcheinander the water
cackle, but they look like they might porcupine [(pO:kjupaIn]
a stench of skunks — no explanation
a conspiracy of lemurs — I think they’re cute and , Stachelschwein needed
don’t look conspiratorial at all prickle a tower of giraffes — ditto
a convocation of eagles — they’re so majestic , Stachel an unkindness of ravens — someone
a dazzle of zebras — all those stripes! raft should teach those birds some manners
Fotos: rusm, Ratth/iStock.com; privat

a destruction of wildcats — I don’t agree (the only , Floß

thing my cats ever destroyed was my sofa) raven WORD TO GO
a flamboyance of flamingos — well, they do high , Rabe
“Hippo” (Flusspferd)
step and are hot pink stench is short for “hippopota-
a gaggle of geese — because when they’re on the , Gestank mus” [ˌhɪpəˈpɒtəməs].
Read Judi Gilbert’s short story on
ground, they make a “gaggly” sound (when they fly, pages 32–33 to see some of these
they’re called a “skein”) weird and wonderful phrases in use.

52 SPOTLIGHT 2021 JUST JUDI

 THE BASICS

LANGUAGE SECTION
Easy English
VANESSA CLARK präsentiert einen Dialog und dazu
passendes Hintergrundwissen – auf Sprachniveau A2.
EASY PLUS

FASCINATING FACTS
…about driving

⋅⋅ If you see L-plates — a red “L” on a

white square — on a British car, it
shows that the driver is a learner. You
might want to keep a bit more distance

⋅⋅
and be careful around them.
uctor
heaf, driving instr France was the first country in the
Mel S world to introduce a national driving
test. That was in 1899. In 1900, Vera
Hedges Butler became the first British
A CONVERSATION WITH MEL SHEAF woman to pass a driving test — but
Here, we present interesting lives from around the English- Miss Butler had to travel to Paris to
speaking world. This time, we talk to Mel Sheaf, who works do so because driving tests weren’t

⋅⋅
as a driving instructor. introduced in Britain until 1935!
Who is the only person in the UK who
What do you do in your job? is allowed to drive without a licence?
I teach people to drive safely and to pass their driving test. Yes, it’s the Queen. But it’s worth
remembering that she was trained to
Are most of your learners 17-year-olds? drive ambulances and lorries during
Yes. Typically, they’re young adults aged 17 to 20. They’re ex- the Second World War — at the age
cited to get on the road, to be independent. But I also have of 18, when she was still Princess

⋅⋅
learners in their thirties and forties who never learned to Elizabeth.
drive, or who failed their test at 17 or 18 and then gave up. Generally speaking, you have to be
17 before you can learn to drive in the
What makes a good driving instructor? UK. You can learn with an instructor,
The three Cs: cool, calm, everything under control — what- a parent or another adult. In the US,
ever happens! the minimum age varies from state to
state, but the average age is 16. In some INFO TO GO
If you see L-plates
What makes a good learner? states — such as Alaska, Arkansas,
on a young woman
Someone who listens to me! If they just do what I say, they’ll Iowa, Kansas, and North and South in a bar, she’s on her
be OK. They shouldn’t panic if they make a mistake. It helps Dakota — you can start as early as 14. hen night!
if they’re confident, but overconfidence can be dangerous,
especially when they’re driving alone, after the test.
Illustration: Martin Haake

Can anyone learn to drive?

Yes, but some people learn more quickly than others. I have
driving instructor hen night UK overconfidence
one learner at the moment who is taking her test for the sixth , Fahrlehrer(in) , Junggesellinnen­ , übertriebene Selbst­
time. She’ll get there in the end! abschied sicherheit

THESHORT
BASICSSTORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 53
 VOCABULARY
LANGUAGE SECTION

6
12

10

11

13

9
Illustration: Martin Haake

54 SPOTLIGHT 2021 VOCABULARY

 LANGUAGE SECTION
At the gym
Ist Fitness einer Ihrer guten Vorsätze fürs neue Jahr? VANESSA CLARK präsentiert
Wörter und Wendungen, die Sie im Fitness-Studio gut gebrauchen können.

MEDIUM PLUS

Inside the gym

There’s a lot of pressure on young men these days to have the
perfect physique and a muscular torso. They might not want an
extreme look, like a competitive bodybuilder, but many do want
to bulk up and be ripped, with broad shoulders, rippling muscles,
bulging biceps and a six-pack (where the individual abdominal
1 abs (abdominal muscles) muscles stand out). This takes a lot of dedication, and long hours
, Bauchmuskeln of training. Training with weights can also be included in a general
2 barbell fitness programme, to tone and strengthen muscles.
, Langhantel The basic principle of weight training is to burn fat and build
muscle to increase body mass. Lifting a weight multiple times is
3 bench called doing “reps” (repetitions). You can do reps of arm curls, leg
, Bank curls or bench presses (lifting weights while lying on a bench).
4 biceps [(baIseps] Exercises that don’t use weights include squats and press-ups,
, Bizeps or “push-ups” in US English (on the floor), and pull-ups (using a
bar). It’s important to vary your training and work all the different
5 calf muscles [kA:f]
muscle groups in both the upper and lower body.
, Wadenmuskeln The motto of the weight-lifting community is “Go heavy or go
6 delts (deltoid muscles) home” — but to avoid injuries such as pulled muscles and joint
, Deltamuskeln sprains, don’t overdo it in the first few workouts. Start gently and
gradually increase the weights and reps. Take deep breaths and
7 dumb-bell
exhale during the exertion part (the lifting phase) of the move. If
, Kurzhantel
you feel a sharp pain, stop!
8 glutes
(buttock muscles) Outside the gym
, Gesäßmuskeln Protein helps to build muscle, so fuel your training with a
INFO TO GO
high-protein diet, including lean chicken, soybeans, eggs and
9 kettlebell “Gym” is short for
“gymnasium” — which, salmon.
, Kugelhantel in English, is not a type
of school but a room
10 pecs (pectoral muscles) equipped for gymnastics,
, Brustmuskeln games or other physical
bar fuel [(fju:El] pull-up
exercise. The plural is
11 thigh muscles [TaI] either “gymnasiums” or , Stange , verstärken , Klimmzug
“gymnasia”.
, Oberschenkelmuskeln bench press joint sprain ripped ifml.
, Bankdrücken , Gelenkverstauchung , muskelbepackt
12 triceps
bulging [(bVldZIN] lean rippling
, Trizeps , hervortretend , mager , hier: gut definiert

13 weight rack bulk up physical exercise salmon [(sÄmEn]

, Muskelmasse aufbauen , körperliche Betätigung Lachs
, Hantelablage ,

dedication physique [fI(zi:k] soybean

, Hingabe, Engagement , Körperbau, Figur , Sojabohne

exertion [Ig(z§:S&n] press-up UK squat

, Anspannung, Belastung , Liegestütz , Kniebeuge

You’ll find our Vocabulary archive at: exhale [eks(heI&l] pulled muscle [pUld (mVs&l] torso [(tO:sEU]
www.spotlight-online.de/teachers/picture-it , ausatmen , Zerrung , Oberkörper

VOCABULARY
SHORT STORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 55
 THE GRAMMAR PAGES
LANGUAGE SECTION

“Is having” and “is being”

ADRIAN DOFF erklärt grundlegende Grammatikpunkte anhand eines kurzen Dialogs.
MEDIUM PLUS

Dana has 1 a cough, and her flatmate, Rita, is worried that she might have coronavirus.

That doesn’t
sound good.
Are you sure I’ve got 1 a cough, that’s
you’re OK? all. I often have 2 coughs
in the winter — I think it’s
from the dry air in the flat.

Are you sure

it’s only a
cough?
Don’t worry, I haven’t
got 3 coronavirus,
if that’s what you’re
Well, you never know. thinking.
Have you got 4 a
thermometer? Maybe
you should take
your temperature. I
think I’ve got 4 one
somewhere... Look, I’m
fine. Stop
worrying. It’s
just a cough.
Are you still
having 5
friends round
tomorrow?

Yes, they’re
coming round for
dinner. Why?
Well, maybe you should
cancel it, just to be on the
safe side. And go and get
yourself tested. You need
to be careful.
I am being 6 careful.
I’m probably being 6
too careful — I’ve hardly
seen anyone for weeks,
apart from you.
cough [kQf]
, Husten
flatmate UK
, Mitbewohner(in)

56 SPOTLIGHT 2021 THE GRAMMAR PAGES

 LANGUAGE SECTION
BEYOND THE
BASICS
We can use have
or have got to
talk in general
GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT or about how
things are at the
moment:
1 The opening sentence says Dana • Most people in
has a cough, and she says, “I’ve our family have/
have got black
got a cough”. They mean the same, hair. (= in general)
but “I’ve got” is more common • We haven’t got/
don’t have any THE RULES
in conversational English. Here, eggs. (= just now)
“have” is a state verb, so it has no have
Have got is
continuous form. We can say “She more common
We can use “have” or “have got” to show pos-
has a cough”, or “She’s got a cough” in informal session. When it has this meaning, “have” is a

⋅⋅
but not “She’s having a cough”. language and state verb, so it has no continuous form:
conversation.
To talk about She has two grandchildren. Not: She’s
2 Here, Dana is talking about a things that are having two grandchildren.
repeated, we
repeated event (I often have...), use “have”, We can also use “have” as an action verb (have
so she uses I have, not “I’ve got”. not “have got”: a bath, have a party). When it has this meaning,
• The shop has

⋅⋅
fish only on
it can be used in the continuous form:
3 I haven’t got is the negative form. Fridays. Are you having a good time?
Dana could also say “I don’t have”. • She often has
headaches.
be
4 We also use have or have got to Normally, “be” is not used in the continuous

⋅⋅
talk about possessions. When it form:
has this meaning, “have” is a state I’m tired. Not: I’m being tired.
verb and therefore has no contin- But we can use the continuous form with “be”

⋅⋅
uous form. We can’t say, “Are you if it means “behave” or “act”:
having a thermometer?” The children are being really difficult at the
moment.
5 Here, Rita uses have as an action
verb (have = invite), so she can
use the present continuous form
(Are you having...?). EXERCISE TO GO M

6 Here, Dana uses the present helpful way)

The sentences below all use the present continuous
continuous of the verb be (I’m
behaving in a
helpful = tense but only three of them are correct. Tick the ones
being...). It’s used here as an action D. correct (being where the present continuous is used correctly.
verb, to describe how someone is
time.”)
a lot of free
behaving or acting at the mo- have/I’ve got A. I’m sure things will be fine. I don’t know why
ment. (= I’m behaving in a careful you’re being so pessimistic.
(should be: “I
Illustration: DmitryMo/iStock.com

C. incorrect
way.)
B. Have you heard the news? We’re having a baby!
expecting)
(having =

C. I’m having a lot of free time at the moment.

B. correct
way)
a pessimistic
talking in such D. I don’t know why he’s being so helpful. He’s usu-
pessimistic = ally really unfriendly.
A. correct (being
Answers

THE GRAMMAR
SHORT STORY PAGES SPOTLIGHT 2021 57
 EVERYDAY ENGLISH
LANGUAGE SECTION
DAGMAR TAYLOR präsentiert Dialoge und Sprachtipps,
mit denen Sie spielend Ihr Alltagsenglisch auffrischen.
1. A NEW WORKSPACE
Grace is a freelance journalist who’s keen to start renting
a desk in a co-working space.
(phone rings)
Grace: Hello?
Fergus: Hi there. Is that Grace?
Grace: Yes, speaking.
Fergus: Hi. This is Fergus from The
Hub. You left your name
on the waiting list for a
co-working desk. I’m just
calling to let you know that
we now have a desk availa-
ble. Are you still interested?
Grace: Oh, yes! I wasn’t expecting
2. LOOKING ROUND
It’s Monday morning and Grace has arrived at The Hub,
where she meets Fergus.
Grace:  Hi. I’m Grace. I’m here to
have a look round. Are you
Fergus?
Fergus: Yes, that’s me. Hi. Did you
find us OK?
Grace: Yes, no problem.
Fergus: Good. Right, let me show
you round and tell you
about the amenities. This is
the hot desk area here. The
dedicated desks are over
there on the right. We have
privacy booths for phone
booth come along
, Nische, Kabine , vorbeischauen
58 SPOTLIGHT 2021
Hot-desking
MEDIUM AUDIO PLUS
INFO TO GO
The noun “space” can be count­
able or uncountable.
A space is a place that is empty:
• You can sit in any of the spaces
on this side.
Space is an area that is available
for use:
• Could you move over, please?
You’re taking up too much space!
you to get back to me so
quickly. That’s great!
Fergus: OK. Well, you could come
Tips
⋅⋅
and have a look round if
you like. Would some time Hello? is used as a greeting when
⋅⋅
next week be suitable? you answer the phone.
Grace: Could I come along on Mon- A (or “the”) hub is the centre of
day morning? activity, where things happen and
⋅⋅
Fergus: Yeah, of course. That’s fine. important decisions are made.
We’re open from 9 a.m. If you get back to someone, you
Grace: Great! I’ll see you on Mon- speak or write to them again later,
⋅⋅
day, then. Thanks! especially in order to give a reply.
When you visit a place or building
and walk round it to see what is
there, you have a look round
⋅⋅
(US: around).
Amenities are features or services
that make a place useful, pleasant or
⋅⋅
comfortable to live or work in.
calls, and we also have A hot desk does not belong to a
larger meeting rooms. particular person but is used by
⋅⋅
Grace: Cool! How much is it? various people at different times.
Fergus: Hot desks are £10 a day and A dedicated desk, on the other
⋅⋅
a dedicated desk is £250 hand, is used by one person only.
a month. You’re welcome There are two ways to pronounce
to pay as you go, but a privacy: [(prIvEsi] in British English
month-to-month contract and [(praIvEsi] in North American
⋅⋅
will guarantee you a space. English.
You can use our app to set If something guarantees someone
up your payment details and something, that person can be
book your space. I’ll send certain that whatever was pomised
you a link later. will happen or have the desired
outcome.
freelance keen: be ~ to do sth. UK
, frei, freiberuflich , unbedingt etw. tun
wollen
EVERYDAY ENGLISH
 LANGUAGE SECTION
Tips
3. WHAT I’VE BEEN MISSING
Grace is arranging with Fergus when she can start working at The Hub.
⋅⋅ If you have a strong sense of
community, you share things
with others and have the feeling of
Fergus: You’ll find there’s a strong Fergus: Of course. Do you know belonging to a group in the place

⋅⋅
sense of community here. how many days you’re likely where you live or work.
Everyone’s friendly and to be in the office? It’s too good to be true is used to
you’ll have the opportunity Grace: I was thinking two to three say that you cannot believe that

to chat with the other mem-
bers over coffee or lunch.
We also run some interest-
ing events and workshops.
Grace: It all sounds too good to
⋅⋅
days to start with. I might
end up renting a desk five
days a week. We’ll see how
it goes.
Fergus: OK, that’s great. Whatever
something is as good as it seems.
The expression working from
home is used to talk about doing
your job from your home, especially
a job that is usually done in an

be true. It’s what I’ve been
missing, working from
home for so long. So, when
can I start? Could I come in
tomorrow?
⋅⋅
works for you. As I said, I’ll office.
send you the link and you We’ll see how it goes is used to say
can book your space for that a decision about a situation
tomorrow. will be made after allowing it to
Grace: Great! develop for a period of time.

EXERCISE TO GO M

Can you label the five things you need in a co-working space? Write the words on the
lines provided.

A B
Fotos: slav, guvendemir, s-cphoto, Floortje, goir/iStock.com

E. pen
(US: cell phone)
D. mobile phone
C. desk
B. laptop
A. headphones
Answers

chat
, plaudern
C D E
label sth.
, etw. bezeichnen

EVERYDAY ENGLISH
SHORT STORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 59
 SPOKEN ENGLISH
LANGUAGE SECTION

Say it in pairs!
ADRIAN DOFF erklärt die Verwendung von Wortpaaren
aus Adjektiven und Adverbien.
MEDIUM PLUS

ADJECTIVE AND ADVERB PAIRS

Imagine that your children went climbing in the

mountains. You were really worried about them,
but now they’re back home and everything is fine.
You could say they’re “safe”, or they got back “safe-
ly”, or they returned home safe and sound (here,
I got up bright and early this
“sound” means “undamaged” or “unharmed”).
morning and went for a swim
There are many pairs of adjectives and adverbs
before breakfast.
like this in English, and we’re going to look at
some that are common in conversation.

We often use pairs of adverbs to talk about time

⋅⋅
or place:
She lives alone, but she sees her family every

⋅⋅
now and then. (= sometimes, but not often)
The landscape was rocky, with just a few
patches of grass here and there. (= in different
Their flat is always so spick

⋅⋅
places)
and span (= clean and tidy). I
Whether our new boss is friendly is neither
hardly dare to touch anything!
here nor there (= not relevant). She needs to

⋅⋅
be good at managing a company.
I’ve looked far and wide (= everywhere, in
different places) for somewhere to live. There
just aren’t any flats available.

Sometimes, we use the same adverb twice to cre-

⋅⋅
ate identical pairs: PAIRS TO REMEMBER
She makes the same grammar mistakes over
and over again / again and again. (= She
⋅⋅⋅⋅ again and again

⋅⋅⋅⋅
bit by bit

⋅⋅
keeps repeating the same mistake.) bright and early
There’s a lot of work to do on the flat, but

⋅⋅⋅⋅
every now and then
Illustration: Merfin/Shutterstock.com; Gil-design/iStock.com

we’re getting it done bit by bit / little by little. far and wide

⋅⋅
(= gradually, in small stages)

⋅⋅⋅⋅
free and easy
He keeps going on and on about his problems here and there
at work. (= He never stops talking about his

⋅⋅⋅⋅
little by little
problems.) neither here nor there

⋅⋅⋅⋅
on and on
over and over again

⋅⋅⋅⋅
rough and ready
dare to: ~ do sth. gradually [(grÄdZuEli] rocky safe and sound

⋅⋅⋅⋅
, sich trauen, etw. zu tun , allmählich, nach und nach , felsig short and sweet
draft [drA:ft] patch of grass stages: in ~ sick and tired
, Entwurf , Grasfläche , schrittweise, in Stufen spick and span

60 SPOTLIGHT 2021 SPOKEN ENGLISH

 LANGUAGE SECTION
I’ve written a draft of the re-
port. It’s a bit rough and ready,
(= not perfect yet), but I’ll do
some more work on it later.

I decided to keep my wedding

speech short and sweet, so I spoke
for only a couple of minutes.

Perfect pairs
Often, using a pair of words simply They’re always saying how won-
adds emphasis. Look at these examples. derful their children are. I’m
sick and tired (= had enough)
of hearing about them.

The atmosphere in our office is

free and easy (= very relaxed).
We all call each other by our
first names.

EXERCISE TO GO M

Correct the mistakes in the highlighted phrases below.

BY THE WAY
A. I learn the same words over and under again,
In 2004, American
singer-songwriter but I can never remember them.
Anastacia used
an adjective pair B. It’s good to see you’re back safe and sorry after
in one of her your sailing holiday.
hit songs: “I’m
sick and tired of C. I started work bright and quick this morning,
always being sick
and tired.” D. short and sweet so I’ve already finished.
D. Only four sentences? This exercise is certainly
C. bright and early
B. safe and sound
A. over and over short and salty.
Answers

SPOKEN ENGLISH
SHORT STORY SPOTLIGHT 2021 61
 ENGLISH AT WORK
LANGUAGE SECTION

The Zoom meeting

Kommunikations-Experte KEN TAYLOR wirft einen Blick auf die Fähigkeiten
und Sprachkenntnisse, die in der modernen Arbeitswelt unabdingbar sind.
MEDIUM AUDIO PLUS

One of the many effects of Covid-19 on our working lives has been to REMEMBER!
make the Zoom meeting a vital communication tool. Have a look at 1. Know your technology
the conversation below to familiarize yourself with the language you Make sure that you have a
basic understanding of how the
might hear in the context of a Zoom meeting. We have highlighted the technology works. You don’t
relevant words and phrases for you. need to be a technical expert,
but, as meeting facilitator, you
certainly need to know how to
schedule a meeting and invite
others. If you’re not sure how
to do this, there are plenty of
John is Kay’s line manager. Kay will be organizing a meeting using websites that offer advice.
Zoom for the first time. She has asked John for advice.
2. Make small talk
Small talk works well in KEN TAYLOR
John: Zoom meetings function best with small groups. But you still smaller groups. It breaks the
is a communication consul­
need to be a firm facilitator to run the meeting effectively. ice and allows you to check
tant and author of 50 Ways
that everyone’s technical
Kay: Can you give me some advice on how to do that? equipment is working before to Improve Your Business
you start. English (Lulu Publishing).
John: Start by checking the technology to make sure that every- If you have any suggestions
one can see and hear each other. I usually prompt everyone 3. Keep it short for topics, you can write to
to turn their cameras on, too. It’s more personal if everyone A remote meeting demands him at ktaylor868@aol.com
greater concentration than a Ken looks forward to hearing
can see each other. face-to-face meeting. Keep from you!
Kay: Lots of background noise can be an irritant. your Zoom meetings to 45
John: That happens when the facilitator forgets to remind partici- minutes at most.
pants to mute their microphones when not speaking. 4. Be a firm facilitator
Kay: Should I start with a bit of small talk? Being a firm meeting facilitator
means making sure that
John: I think that helps to lighten the mood before you start. participants follow the agreed
Kay: I intend to keep my Zoom meetings as short as possible. agenda and that decisions are audible [(O:dEb&l]
made and recorded. hörbar
John: You should also encourage interaction. It makes up for the ,

lack of personal contact. 5. Learn the lingo facilitator [fE(sIlEteItE]

Kay: Is screen sharing a good idea? If you are running a Zoom , hier: Moderator(in)
conference in English, you will
John: It is. But only when it’s really necessary. It’s better for the need not only the vocabulary familiarize oneself
attendees to see each other. to talk about the actual content , sich vertraut machen
of the meeting, but also the
Kay: Great! Thanks for those ideas. right words to talk about the lack
John: One final tip. It’s your job to ensure that everyone has the technology you are using. Do , Mangel, Fehlen
the preparation for the meeting
chance to speak. You also need to stop people from speak- itself in English to identify and
line manager UK
, direkte(r) Vorgesetz-
ing too much. And that’s not always easy. learn the relevant vocabulary.
Remembering the words and te(r)
phrases highlighted on this lingo ifml.
page is a good start.
, Fachsprache, Sprache
make up for sth.
, etw. ausgleichen
WORD TO GO
prompt
Foto: Gert Krautbauer

“Mute” can be a noun, an adjective or a verb. , auffordern

In this context, it means “turn the sound off”.
By adding the prefix “un-”, you create a verb with vital [(vaIt&l]
the opposite meaning: if you “unmute” something, , wesentlich, uner-
you make it audible again. lässlich

62 SPOTLIGHT 2021 ENGLISH AT WORK

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 THE PUZZLE PAGES
LANGUAGE SECTION

The savannah and the city

Sprachliche Knobeleien zu Texten aus dem Heft. Von OWEN CONNORS
EASY MEDIUM ADVANCED

WORD SEARCH
There are 12 words hidden in the puzzle below. All 12 are
taken from the short story on pages 32–33. Find the English
trans­lations of the German words below.
Demütigung
C G M O U S T A C H E S H Flüstern
Käfer
L U G N W K Y W O B T S U Keckern, Lachen
Lichtung
E U B E E T L E W A E H M Metallhülse
neugierig
A Y M D X F E P H J Y O I pelzig
perplex, verblüfft
R F E R R U L E I D Z E L Schnurrbart
Schnürsenkel
I S V M T P G X S C S L I Schwund
N S T U N N E D P F D A A Word search solution

G P W I H Q Q R E V D C T
E G A L L U K U Y I G N O
S U O I R U C M F R G Y C

F E Y M J L K Q R S P E I
N Z N C T M Q D Q R R Y A
O S O I E L K C A C X U K

K U X C A C K L E I O S O
I E P S R Q K L J M Y E F
T C D V E R Q Q H I W P G
A A D F P D E N N U T S N

A Y R R Q D Q M T C N Z N I
L
L
E
S
Z
C
D
S
I
X
E
G
L
P
U
T
R
M
R
V
E
S
F
I
R

C Y G R F M C U R I O U S
I O Y J H P E F X D M Y A
M H E A W E L T E E B U E

O N G I Y U K U L L A G E
U S T B O W Y K W N G U L
H S E H C A T S U O M G C

WORD SNAKE
In the word snake below, we have hidden the names of African animals. In between
Fotos: GooseFrol/iStock.com; vable/Shutterstock.com

the words, you can find letters that can be rearranged to form the name of an African
national park. Word snake solution:

“Serengeti”.
The hidden name is
sewildebees
so
str grh inocero tnh
ichi thog ipp
lion

cheeta ewar otlio

hippo

hrbaboon ne wildebeest
rhinoceros
warthog
baboon
cheetah
The name of an African national park: ________________________. ostrich

64 SPOTLIGHT 2021 THE PUZZLE PAGES

 LANGUAGE SECTION
CROSSWORD
The words in this puzzle are taken from the Travel feature. You may
find it helpful to refer to the text on pages 36–42.

ACROSS
1. To take something away quickly.
1. 2. 4.
3. To poke rapidly or suddenly.
1. 3. 5. 6. The official residence of an ambas-
sador.
7. 8. To take a quick look.
9. Move to a new place.
6.
10. Old-aged.
12. Weapon that shoots arrows.
14. High-class and elegant.
8. 9. 16. A small, pretty object worn on the
head on a special occasion.
11.
18. A material used to decorate metal,
10. glass or pottery.

13. 14.
DOWN
12.
14. 1. An alternative to paint.
15.
2. An Arab ruler or prince.
17. 4. Custom-made.
5. A small sweet or savoury cake.
16.
7. A river or canal boat.
11. To start something.
13. To create an attractive effect.
18. 14. A small lake.
15. Long-necked waterbird.
17. A tree with acorns.

COMPETITION

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN Solution to crossword 14/20:

crustacean
Form a single word from the letters in the orange squares. Send it
on a postcard to: S U B C O N S C I O U S
P R U E
Redaktion Spotlight E A B O R
“Issue 1/21 Prize Puzzle” C F M A R I N E
Kistlerhofstraße 172
K T I D E I N
81379 München
R G E
Or take part by visiting www.spotlight-online.de/crossword, where F L O A T S L I D E V
you can also find the list of winners of our crossword competition I U I N O
in issue 13/20. S T V I B R A N T L Y
S C A L T A
Ten winners will be chosen from the entries we receive by
U R G E O G
19 January 2021. Each winner will be sent a copy of English
Expressions by courtesy of Reclam. R O U R I D G E
E P R E T T Y

THESHORT
PUZZLESTORY
PAGES SPOTLIGHT 2021 65
 LOST IN TRANSLATION
LANGUAGE SECTION

VANESSA CLARK betrachtet Worte und Wendungen,

deren Übersetzung nicht immer ganz einfach ist.
ADVANCED

“Baby 101 — what I wish I knew*

when I had my babies”

YouTube, 30 August 2019

This is the title of a YouTube channel for new parents.
*The simple past is incorrect in this title.
The correct tense here would be “had known”.

USAGE BACKGROUND
The noun 101 [)wVn EU (wVn] means “basic information” or “in­ In American colleges, the number 101
troductory level skills”. is traditionally used for an introduc­
It can be used positively, as with “baby 101”, to mean that the tory course that imparts beginner-
information is fundamental and important. However, the ex­ level knowledge of a subject. A course
pression is often used negatively, to suggest that the information catalogue might, for example, list
and skills are so basic that they should already be known. “economics 101”. The term was first in­
Similar phrases include: “That’s what you learn on day one” or troduced by the University of Buffalo
“It’s on page one of the manual”. The number 101 can be a useful in 1929 and became part of a common
search term if you’re looking online for basic information on a numbering system that allowed stu­
subject. dents to transfer more easily between
In German, you could talk about an Einführung or a Grundkurs different colleges.
in or, more informally, about das Einmaleins des/der…

INFO TO GO
Note that this EXERCISE TO GO A
phrase has nothing to
do with Room 101, the
torture room in George In which of these contexts would “101” make sense?
Orwell’s novel 1984.
Illustration: VICTOR/iStock.com

A. “My boss is very competent.

He’s a student of management _________________.”
impart torture room
, vermitteln [(tO:tSE ru:m] B. “My boss is hopeless.
, Folterkammer
suggest [sE(dZest] He couldn’t pass management _________________.”
, hier: nahelegen transfer [transˈf§ː] B
überwechseln
Answer
,

66 SPOTLIGHT 2021 LOST IN TRANSLATION

 LANGUAGE CARDS

New
Newwords
words Spotlight — 07Spotlight
— 2016 Global English Spotlight

seasonal affective What would a speaker of American English say?

disorder (SAD)
British speaker:
Every year, around five per cent of
Temperatures rarely drop below
the American population experiences
0 degrees (Celsius) in autumn.
seasonal affective disorder.

(In)Formal English Spotlight Translation Spotlight

What do these informal phrases mean?

They had forecast light showers, Translate into English:

but it chucked it down this afternoon. 1. Sie schwebt wohl auf Wolke sieben!

2. Ich bin aus allen Wolken gefallen, als sie das gesagt hat!
Enjoy the mild weather today — it’s going to be
scorching tomorrow!

Pronunciation Spotlight Idiom magic Spotlight

Match the words on the left to the words on the right that
have the same vowel sound.
Zeichnung: Ching Yee Smithback

dry blew
humid cloud
rain storm
shower mild
warm gale
come down in buckets / rain buckets
you. Stick this bookmark between
If you like reading classic English lit-

terms that might not mean much to

the pages of your novel and you’ll

erature, you will come across money
“Old” money
explained

always know what’s what.

➞ Austrennung an der Perforierung
LANGUAGE CARDS

Global English Spotlight — 07Spotlight

— 2016 New words Spotlight

American speaker:
Temperatures rarely drop below 32 degrees (Fahrenheit)
in fall.
In the US, temperatures are most often expressed in
degrees Fahrenheit, rather than the metric system used in
the UK and Europe. The equivalent of 0 degrees Celsius is
32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression linked
to the changing of the seasons. Most people suffer from
it in autumn and winter, when it’s often cloudy and the
number of natural daylight hours decreases. Symptoms
are similar to depression but can be eased with light
therapy.

Translation Spotlight (In)Formal English Spotlight

1. She seems to be on cloud nine!

2. I was completely taken by surprise / flabbergasted They had forecast light showers, but it rained very heavily
when she said that! this afternoon.

These idiomatic phrases cannot be translated directly. Enjoy the mild weather today — it’s going to be extremely
English typically uses cloud nine rather than Wolke 7. And hot tomorrow!
English has no idiomatic phrase that refers to clouds to
show surprise.

Idiom magic Spotlight Pronunciation Spotlight

[aɪ] dry — mild

[uː] humid — blew
[eɪ] rain — gale
[aʊ] shower — cloud
If it’s coming down in buckets or raining buckets, it’s
[ɔː] warm — storm
raining very heavily. Imagine someone emptying whole
buckets of water from the rainclouds!
Notice that different spellings in English can be pro-
nounced the same way — but also the same spelling can
be pronounced different ways! So, don’t rely on spellings
when learning how to pronounce words.

Fotos: AdamGilchrist/iStock.com
sixpence — a six-pence coin, half a shilling
thre’penny bit — a three-pence coin
tanner — slang word for a sixpence
pound — a note worth 20 shillings

tuppenny bit — a two-pence coin

farthing — a quarter of a penny

The basics
half a crown — a coin worth
crown — a five-shilling coin
one twentieth of a pound

ha’penny — half a penny

20 shillings = 1 pound
tuppence — two pence
two and a half shillings

12 pence = 1 shilling
The coins and notes
shilling — 12 pence,
 NEXT ISSUE

The language Die n

äc
Ausga hste
be vo

of good
Spotl n
ight
ersch
eint a
27.01 m
.2021

manners May we ask: do you know how to

be polite in English? And, if you’ll
excuse a further question: are the
phrases you use in English conver­
sations and correspondence still Winter sunshine!
up to date?
We would be most grateful to The island city of Key
you if you took Spotlight’s special West sits right at the
quiz on the language of good man­ very tail end of the
ners, which you’ll find in the next Florida Keys. A popular
issue of the magazine. Thank you. tourist destination,
Key West has kept its
nostalgic charm. We
visit the home where
writer Ernest Heming­
way once lived, the
local naval fort and the
city’s most famous bar,
Sloppy Joe’s.
Illustration: duncan1890/iStock.com
Fotos: XXX
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Kaliber Tutima 330 mit einer Gangreserve
www.shop.zeit.de/tutima
von 38 Stunden. Eine Uhr mit echten E-Mail: zeitshop@zeit.de | Telefon: 040/32 80-101
Dresswatch-Qualitäten fürs Dinner oder
*Zzgl. Versandkosten. Da die Edition limitiert ist, kann keine Gewähr für eine Berücksichtigung der Bestellung insgesamt bzw.
Business-Meeting. der bestellten Menge übernommen werden. Anbieter: Zeitverlag Gerd Bucerius GmbH & Co. KG, Buceriusstraße, Hamburg