Name: New UK travel restrictions - News Review
Uploaded: 2021-01-20T18:25:33.000Z
Duration: 11 min 9 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Hello. Welcome to News Review from BBC Learning English.

I'm Tom. Joining me this week is Catherine. Hi Catherine.

Yes, today's story is about travel restrictions

that the UK government has recently brought into force.

Don't forget – if you want to test yourself on the language from today's episode,

we have a quiz on bbclearningenglish.com.

Now, let's take a listen to this BBC Radio 4 news report:

Yes. So, the UK government is forbidding entry to the UK

except if you have been able to provide evidence of a negative Covid test

before you start your journey. They are doing this in an attempt

to restrict the movement of new variants of coronavirus.

And we have three words and expressions we can use to talk about this story, right?

Yes. We have: 'corridors', 'bid' and 'axed'.

Let's take a look. Catherine, can we have your first headline please?

Certainly. We are here in the UK for our first headline with Sky News – the headline:

Catherine, what can you tell us about 'corridors'?

and the spelling is: C-O-R-R-I-D-O-R-S – 'corridors'. Now..

'Corridors' – narrow routes – now, I thought 'corridors' were something in your house.

You're quite right. Most people have a 'corridor' in their house or apartment.

It is a narrow kind of hallway; it's just a space that leads to rooms.

So, usually long and narrow with lots of doors.

Its only purpose is to take you from one part of your house to another part.

So, it is another kind of narrow route – a literal one. What is a 'travel corridor' though?

Well, a 'travel corridor' is also a route.

In this case, a 'travel corridor' – at the moment – is an agreement

between two countries to allow travel between those countries.

We have a lot of places we're not allowed to travel to at the moment

because of coronavirus, but if two countries agree –

yes, you can travel from this country... our country to your country –

that's known as a 'travel corridor'. It's a narrow route between two countries.

So, what the headline is saying is that these travel corridors,

these narrow routes between countries, are going to close now, right?

OK. So, travel through travel corridors is restricted,

but we are not restricted from travelling onto our next section...!

So let's... so let's have a look at that slide please:

OK. We have another programme about travelling within certain boundaries, don't we?

Yes. This one's all about microadventures:

small adventures that you've always wanted to have.

And you can find out more by just clicking the link.

OK. Catherine, can we have a look at your second headline please?

And we're still in the UK with The Sun – the headline:

Catherine, what can you tell us about 'bid'?

'Bid' is a noun in this headline, although it can also be used as a verb.

Its spelling, whether it's a noun or a verb, is the same.

Simple three-letter word: B-I-D – 'bid'.

So, what... so, this 'bid' belongs to the PM – what's a 'PM' in the headline?

At the moment the British prime minister is Boris Johnson.

what's the article going to talk about from the headline?

Well, what we're talking about here in this article is the prime minister's attempt

to close the travel corridors and the headline's saying that this might be quite difficult.

So, the use of the word 'bid' is talking about an effort:

So, would we use this word 'bid' as, sort of, a synonym for 'attempt'

Not so much. You wouldn't say, 'I'm going to make a bid to make a chicken curry tonight.'

Yeah, exactly that. So, it's used much more in kind of –

when we're talking about organisations, important individuals –

kind of attempts to do major, important, significant things.

And I think it probably comes up in headlines a lot, as you say,

because it's very short: there's only three letters.

One of those words our newspapers absolutely love.

Yeah. Are there any collocations or like, you know,

regular verbs that we use with this noun 'bid'?

Well, you 'make a bid' is a really... a really strong way of saying it.

You can 'make a bid to do' something or you can 'make a bid for' something.

Kind of like 'make an effort' to do something, right? Similar structure.

And there's a... one of my favourite fixed expressions with 'bid'.

To 'make a bid for freedom' – do you know this one?

Very much so – I do. 'Try to escape': if you try to escape you 'make a bid for freedom'.

Yes, my cat 'made a bid for freedom' the other day.

She saw me open it and she escaped as fast as she could, but I caught her.

Yeah. And probably if... probably if you were in an airport in the UK last weekend,

this one just finished, you would be 'making a bid for freedom' –

you'd be trying to escape the UK before the travel corridors close.

Thank you very much. OK. Let's make a bid for freedom to get to our next section.

So, there are all different kinds of 'bids'.

Catherine, you've selected a video from the archive, right?

Yes, this one is about various countries making 'bids' to host the upcoming Olympic Games.

And you can find out more by clicking the link.

Catherine, can we have your third headline please?

Yes. We're at The Independent, still in the UK – the headline:

'Axed' – cut or reduced without warning.

What can you tell us about the word 'axed', Catherine?

Yes. 'Axed' – A-X-E-D – lovely pronunciation: it's 'axed' with a 'ks-t' at the end.

'Axe.' 'Axe' – so the '-ed' is a 't' – so it's 'axed.'

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New UK travel restrictions - News Review

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