450 metres above a gorge near the Grand Canyon.
With no safety harness, American acrobat Nik Wallenda walks the tightrope.
Wind made the cable sway during the 22 nail-biting minutes it took him to cross.
But towards the end he felt confident enough to kneel and blow a kiss to fans waiting on the other side.
gorge
a deep, narrow valley
safety harness
a system of belts to hold a person and stop them falling
walks the tightrope
walks along a 'tightrope': a rope or wire fixed high above the ground
(this phrase also appears as the idiom 'to walk a tightrope', which means to deal with a difficult situation where a small mistake could have bad results)
nail-biting
tense
blow a kiss
kiss your hand and blow it in the direction of someone
Brazil hasn't seen protests on this scale for over 20 years.
Police in riot gear stood behind barriers to protect state buildings in Rio, where over 100,000 people joined the march.
Demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities, to protest about the rising costs of public transport and the expense of staging the 2014 World Cup.
on this scale
as big as this
riot gear
clothes and equipment the police use when dealing with a large demonstration that might become violent
barriers
fences to stop people getting into a particular area
rising costs
increases in the amount of money needed to complete a particular project
staging
organising
The operating theatre can be a daunting place for patients.
And for trainee surgeons, limited time and resources mean not all get enough hands-on experience.
Which is why four surgeons in London developed an app to practise surgery.
It has training modules which give step-by-step guides to common surgical procedures.
operating theatre
a room in a hospital in which people are operated on
daunting
making you feel slightly scared or worried about your ability to achieve something
trainee surgeons
people who are learning to be surgeons; surgeons are doctors who are specially trained to perform medical operations
hands-on experience
experience gained by doing something yourself
step-by-step
doing one thing and then another thing in a fixed order
Floods have been causing havoc in central Europe.
Some areas had two months' rain in two days. Rivers are swollen and still rising.
In the Czech capital, Prague, streets normally packed with tourists are filled with soldiers and volunteers.
Several people have been killed and thousands evacuated.
At the zoo, the tigers are being sedated and moved; the monkeys climbed to safety.
havoc
chaos and confusion
swollen
bigger than usual because of a problem
packed
crowded
evacuated
forced to move from a place of danger
sedated
given medicine to go to sleep
A journey to the roof of the world.
An 80-year-old Japanese mountaineer, Yuichiro Miura, has become the oldest man to reach the summit of Everest.
The octogenarian has climbed the mountain twice before.
But Mr Miura's record could be short-lived; an 81-year-old Nepalese climber is preparing to make his ascent this week.
mountaineer
someone who climbs mountains
summit
the highest point of a mountain
octogenarian
someone who is between 80 and 89 years old
short-lived
lasting a short time
ascent
the act of climbing or moving upwards
An unusual sight in a tough environment.
Inmates in a Brazilian prison have been learning how to knit.
The scheme, which sees prisoners working on intricate woollen designs, is a collaboration between prison authorities and a fashion designer.
Prisoners are paid 75 percent of the local minimum wage and also earn days off their sentence.
tough
strong and difficult
inmates
people in prison
to knit
to make woollen clothes by creating knots with needles
intricate
complex
minimum wage
the least amount of money to be legally paid for work done
To some, they may not seem very appetising.
But these bugs could be part of the solution in the fight against world hunger.
That's according to the United Nations, which says two billion people already supplement their diets with edible insects.
The UN says industrial-scale insect farming could ensure future global food security.
appetising
something you would like to eat
bugs
insects
supplement
be an extra part of
edible
something which can be eaten
industrial-scale
very large
A fully functional gun made with a 3D printer.
The controversial group who designed the firearm want to make it available online.
Anti-gun campaigners have criticised the project; while law enforcement agencies are monitoring developments.
3D printing has been hailed as the future of manufacturing, and works by building up layer upon layer of material to make solid objects.
fully functional
working normally and completely
firearm
a gun that can be carried easily
anti-gun campaigners
people who take part in organised activities against the use of guns
law enforcement agencies
government organisations which make sure people don't break the law
hailed as
called
With their graceful movements, jellyfish have long captured people's imaginations.
Visitors to this new aquarium in Fushun, northeast China, can get up close and personal with the colourful creatures from a safe distance.
Their sting can be very painful.
More than 3,000 are on show in 11 tanks.
Jellyfish have roamed the seas for at least 500 million years.
graceful
smooth and elegant
captured people's imaginations
made people very interested and excited about something
get up close and personal
experience closely, from a short distance
sting
skin wound caused by piercing, for example from a bee
roamed
wandered, moved apparently aimlessly
Fingers at the ready! This was the football game of a generation.
But fans of Subbuteo gave it the red card when computer games arrived on the scene.
Despite this, die-hard fans in Asia have continued to compete and are trying to revive this low-tech game.
At a recent tournament in Japan, fierce battles were played out on pitches made of soft cloth, between devotees who think this game still rules supreme.
gave it the red card
a football term used here to mean to reject or to stop using
die-hard
determined, dedicated
low-tech
simple or unsophisticated
devotees
people who are very enthusiastic about a subject or activity
rules supreme
is the best and most important
In this jar, hope for many who need a transplant.
In a Boston laboratory, a rat kidney has been stripped of its cells, leaving just this white scaffold.
Then the organ was reseeded with fresh cells and put into another rat. It filtered the animal's blood and produced urine.
The results are promising but human trials are still a long way off.
transplant
a new organ put into someone's body when the old organ fails
kidney
organ that takes away waste from the blood and produces urine
stripped of
had its parts removed
scaffold
structure that helps something to keep its shape
reseeded
here, had some new cells added, which multiply to fill the whole organ
Behind the smile, a tough leader.
With steely determination, Margaret Thatcher sent a task force to re-take the Falklands, or the Malvinas, from Argentina in 1982.
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev described her as 'a woman of conviction'.
Her softer side saw her chatting amicably with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and, with Ronald Reagan, strengthening the special relationship between Britain and the US.
But her belligerent attitude to Europe may prove to be the Iron Lady's most enduring legacy.
steely determination
refusing to stop trying to do something, even though it is very difficult
conviction
strong belief or opinion
amicably
pleasantly and in a friendly way, without arguments
belligerent
always unfriendly and wanting to argue
enduring
long-lasting
From the rainforest to the concrete jungle...
New York is where the son of the traditional chief of an indigenous community in Brazil has come to study. His dream is to speak English well and become a documentary film-maker.
It is a far cry from the village in the Amazon where Nilson Tuwe Huni Kui's people live.
Tuwe carries the responsibility of making his people's culture and problems known to the world.
rainforest
a tropical area where it rains a lot and there are lots of trees
concrete jungle
city with many buildings
indigenous community
group of people who come from a particular area, and lived there before any other people
a far cry from
extremely different from
responsibility
obligation, duty
A frightening sight for any swimmer...
Jonathan Kathrein was attacked while surfing in 1998. He battled to free his leg from a shark's jaws.
The Californian survived to tell the tale and he still has the scars to prove it.
He turned his ordeal into a campaign to save the animals, though.
And this month, his state added the great white shark to its list of protected animals.
frightening
scary
jaws
bones in the mouth which contain the teeth
to tell the tale
to say to people what happened
scars
a mark on the skin from an injury
ordeal
experience which causes suffering
Thousands of miles from home, a walrus dozes on a beach in Scotland's Orkney Islands.
It's been called a "once in a lifetime event" for a walrus to be spotted so far south of the Arctic Circle.
Nonetheless, the young male appeared to be in good health, and happy to be the centre of attention.
In the past, the animals were hunted for their blubber, ivory and meat, but now numbers are recovering.
dozes
sleeps lightly and for a short time, especially during the day
once in a lifetime event
something that is very special because it will only happen one time in a person's life
in good health
healthy
the centre of attention
the person or thing that people are most interested in and watch or listen to most
blubber
the thick layer of body fat which keeps sea mammals warm
Not what you usually see in a religious ceremony.
Father Humberto Alvarez uses a toy to bless his young congregation with holy water.
He says it's a way of reaching out to children who live in a community affected by drug crime.
He also adorns his robes with the images of comic-book superheroes such as Superman and Batman. Alvarez says that like Jesus, these characters are searching for justice.
bless
ask for God's help and protection
holy water
water that is blessed and used for religious purposes
reaching out
trying to communicate (with someone)
adorns
decorates
justice
fair and reasonable treatment
Life is hard in Afghanistan.
But artist Mohammed Akram makes sure that his painting materials don't cost the earth - they're just made of it.
He starts by scouring his neighbourhood for mud, dust and brick then grinds them down and finally mixes them together with home-made glue.
By painting with these materials Mohammed hopes to better capture his country's character and its struggles.
cost the earth
be very expensive
scouring
searching carefully
grinds
reduces something to smaller pieces by rubbing it against a harder surface
capture
represent something correctly by using images and words
struggles
difficult tasks that take a lot of effort
They may not be the most aesthetically pleasing group of people you've ever met, but these revellers at the Lucerne Carnival in Switzerland hope their ugly masks will scare off the evil spirits of winter and pave the way for spring.
The festival also features lanterns, costumes and music, and is part of a tradition which can be traced back to the 15th Century.
aesthetically pleasing
beautiful to look at
revellers
people who party in a noisy way
scare off
to make someone or something worried about something so they decide not to do it
pave the way for
make it possible for (something to happen)
traced back to
identified as having started in
A special day for 62 penguins and one sea lion rescued late last year off the Brazilian coast after getting lost during migration.
They've been looked after in a rehabilitation centre and now, after having been tagged, are being released into the ocean to catch a current to take them home.
The sea is choppy but, with a little help, one by one they slip back into the sea.
migration
the movement of certain animals from one place to another - often when the seasons change
rehabilitation
the looking after and caring for someone or something while it returns to good health
tagged
fitted with a device which can be tracked electronically
a current
the movement of water in a particular direction
choppy
with a lot of little waves caused by the wind
Greece's Mount Olympus is experiencing a rise in unauthorised logging.
It's estimated over 100,000 trees have been felled illegally.
With fuel prices soaring and temperatures dropping, many people are turning to wood to heat their homes.
Wood markets are thriving but not all sources of wood are legitimate.
Racketeers are among those who have been caught taking trees from the home of Greece's ancient gods.
logging
the cutting down of trees for wood, usually on a large scale for commercial purposes
felled
cut down
soaring
rising very quickly
thriving
doing very well, being successful
racketeers
people who make money from illegal activities
In a scene reminiscent of the film Jaws, a shark approaches the shore of an Australian beach.
However, unlike the film, beachgoers don't flee from the fish, they wrestle it and attempt to coax it back out to sea.
The shark was also spotted in the shallow waters of a creek by frightened parents, children and tourists before finding its way back to open water.
reminiscent of
bringing back memories of
flee from
run away from, escape from
wrestle
fight by grabbing hold of
to coax
to encourage or persuade in a gentle way
spotted
seen or noticed
Thousands of shark fins drying on a Hong Kong rooftop.
It's thought they were stored away from the gaze of tourists and conservationists who find the trade hard to stomach.
They say the practice of removing the fin and tossing the shark back into the sea is barbaric.
But shark's fin soup is considered a delicacy by many Chinese diners, who also claim it has medicinal qualities.
shark fins
thin vertical parts sticking out of the body of sharks which help them move around
hard to stomach
hard to accept - of something that is unpleasant or wrong
barbaric
extremely cruel and unpleasant
delicacy
something rare or expensive that is good to eat
medicinal qualities
properties which are good for your health
With no safety harness, American acrobat Nik Wallenda walks the tightrope.
Wind made the cable sway during the 22 nail-biting minutes it took him to cross.
But towards the end he felt confident enough to kneel and blow a kiss to fans waiting on the other side.
gorge
a deep, narrow valley
safety harness
a system of belts to hold a person and stop them falling
walks the tightrope
walks along a 'tightrope': a rope or wire fixed high above the ground
(this phrase also appears as the idiom 'to walk a tightrope', which means to deal with a difficult situation where a small mistake could have bad results)
nail-biting
tense
blow a kiss
kiss your hand and blow it in the direction of someone
Brazil hasn't seen protests on this scale for over 20 years.
Police in riot gear stood behind barriers to protect state buildings in Rio, where over 100,000 people joined the march.
Demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities, to protest about the rising costs of public transport and the expense of staging the 2014 World Cup.
on this scale
as big as this
riot gear
clothes and equipment the police use when dealing with a large demonstration that might become violent
barriers
fences to stop people getting into a particular area
rising costs
increases in the amount of money needed to complete a particular project
staging
organising
The operating theatre can be a daunting place for patients.
And for trainee surgeons, limited time and resources mean not all get enough hands-on experience.
Which is why four surgeons in London developed an app to practise surgery.
It has training modules which give step-by-step guides to common surgical procedures.
operating theatre
a room in a hospital in which people are operated on
daunting
making you feel slightly scared or worried about your ability to achieve something
trainee surgeons
people who are learning to be surgeons; surgeons are doctors who are specially trained to perform medical operations
hands-on experience
experience gained by doing something yourself
step-by-step
doing one thing and then another thing in a fixed order
Floods have been causing havoc in central Europe.
Some areas had two months' rain in two days. Rivers are swollen and still rising.
In the Czech capital, Prague, streets normally packed with tourists are filled with soldiers and volunteers.
Several people have been killed and thousands evacuated.
At the zoo, the tigers are being sedated and moved; the monkeys climbed to safety.
havoc
chaos and confusion
swollen
bigger than usual because of a problem
packed
crowded
evacuated
forced to move from a place of danger
sedated
given medicine to go to sleep
A journey to the roof of the world.
An 80-year-old Japanese mountaineer, Yuichiro Miura, has become the oldest man to reach the summit of Everest.
The octogenarian has climbed the mountain twice before.
But Mr Miura's record could be short-lived; an 81-year-old Nepalese climber is preparing to make his ascent this week.
mountaineer
someone who climbs mountains
summit
the highest point of a mountain
octogenarian
someone who is between 80 and 89 years old
short-lived
lasting a short time
ascent
the act of climbing or moving upwards
An unusual sight in a tough environment.
Inmates in a Brazilian prison have been learning how to knit.
The scheme, which sees prisoners working on intricate woollen designs, is a collaboration between prison authorities and a fashion designer.
Prisoners are paid 75 percent of the local minimum wage and also earn days off their sentence.
tough
strong and difficult
inmates
people in prison
to knit
to make woollen clothes by creating knots with needles
intricate
complex
minimum wage
the least amount of money to be legally paid for work done
To some, they may not seem very appetising.
But these bugs could be part of the solution in the fight against world hunger.
That's according to the United Nations, which says two billion people already supplement their diets with edible insects.
The UN says industrial-scale insect farming could ensure future global food security.
appetising
something you would like to eat
bugs
insects
supplement
be an extra part of
edible
something which can be eaten
industrial-scale
very large
A fully functional gun made with a 3D printer.
The controversial group who designed the firearm want to make it available online.
Anti-gun campaigners have criticised the project; while law enforcement agencies are monitoring developments.
3D printing has been hailed as the future of manufacturing, and works by building up layer upon layer of material to make solid objects.
fully functional
working normally and completely
firearm
a gun that can be carried easily
anti-gun campaigners
people who take part in organised activities against the use of guns
law enforcement agencies
government organisations which make sure people don't break the law
hailed as
called
With their graceful movements, jellyfish have long captured people's imaginations.
Visitors to this new aquarium in Fushun, northeast China, can get up close and personal with the colourful creatures from a safe distance.
Their sting can be very painful.
More than 3,000 are on show in 11 tanks.
Jellyfish have roamed the seas for at least 500 million years.
graceful
smooth and elegant
captured people's imaginations
made people very interested and excited about something
get up close and personal
experience closely, from a short distance
sting
skin wound caused by piercing, for example from a bee
roamed
wandered, moved apparently aimlessly
Fingers at the ready! This was the football game of a generation.
But fans of Subbuteo gave it the red card when computer games arrived on the scene.
Despite this, die-hard fans in Asia have continued to compete and are trying to revive this low-tech game.
At a recent tournament in Japan, fierce battles were played out on pitches made of soft cloth, between devotees who think this game still rules supreme.
gave it the red card
a football term used here to mean to reject or to stop using
die-hard
determined, dedicated
low-tech
simple or unsophisticated
devotees
people who are very enthusiastic about a subject or activity
rules supreme
is the best and most important
In this jar, hope for many who need a transplant.
In a Boston laboratory, a rat kidney has been stripped of its cells, leaving just this white scaffold.
Then the organ was reseeded with fresh cells and put into another rat. It filtered the animal's blood and produced urine.
The results are promising but human trials are still a long way off.
transplant
a new organ put into someone's body when the old organ fails
kidney
organ that takes away waste from the blood and produces urine
stripped of
had its parts removed
scaffold
structure that helps something to keep its shape
reseeded
here, had some new cells added, which multiply to fill the whole organ
Behind the smile, a tough leader.
With steely determination, Margaret Thatcher sent a task force to re-take the Falklands, or the Malvinas, from Argentina in 1982.
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev described her as 'a woman of conviction'.
Her softer side saw her chatting amicably with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and, with Ronald Reagan, strengthening the special relationship between Britain and the US.
But her belligerent attitude to Europe may prove to be the Iron Lady's most enduring legacy.
steely determination
refusing to stop trying to do something, even though it is very difficult
conviction
strong belief or opinion
amicably
pleasantly and in a friendly way, without arguments
belligerent
always unfriendly and wanting to argue
enduring
long-lasting
From the rainforest to the concrete jungle...
New York is where the son of the traditional chief of an indigenous community in Brazil has come to study. His dream is to speak English well and become a documentary film-maker.
It is a far cry from the village in the Amazon where Nilson Tuwe Huni Kui's people live.
Tuwe carries the responsibility of making his people's culture and problems known to the world.
rainforest
a tropical area where it rains a lot and there are lots of trees
concrete jungle
city with many buildings
indigenous community
group of people who come from a particular area, and lived there before any other people
a far cry from
extremely different from
responsibility
obligation, duty
A frightening sight for any swimmer...
Jonathan Kathrein was attacked while surfing in 1998. He battled to free his leg from a shark's jaws.
The Californian survived to tell the tale and he still has the scars to prove it.
He turned his ordeal into a campaign to save the animals, though.
And this month, his state added the great white shark to its list of protected animals.
frightening
scary
jaws
bones in the mouth which contain the teeth
to tell the tale
to say to people what happened
scars
a mark on the skin from an injury
ordeal
experience which causes suffering
Thousands of miles from home, a walrus dozes on a beach in Scotland's Orkney Islands.
It's been called a "once in a lifetime event" for a walrus to be spotted so far south of the Arctic Circle.
Nonetheless, the young male appeared to be in good health, and happy to be the centre of attention.
In the past, the animals were hunted for their blubber, ivory and meat, but now numbers are recovering.
dozes
sleeps lightly and for a short time, especially during the day
once in a lifetime event
something that is very special because it will only happen one time in a person's life
in good health
healthy
the centre of attention
the person or thing that people are most interested in and watch or listen to most
blubber
the thick layer of body fat which keeps sea mammals warm
Not what you usually see in a religious ceremony.
Father Humberto Alvarez uses a toy to bless his young congregation with holy water.
He says it's a way of reaching out to children who live in a community affected by drug crime.
He also adorns his robes with the images of comic-book superheroes such as Superman and Batman. Alvarez says that like Jesus, these characters are searching for justice.
bless
ask for God's help and protection
holy water
water that is blessed and used for religious purposes
reaching out
trying to communicate (with someone)
adorns
decorates
justice
fair and reasonable treatment
Life is hard in Afghanistan.
But artist Mohammed Akram makes sure that his painting materials don't cost the earth - they're just made of it.
He starts by scouring his neighbourhood for mud, dust and brick then grinds them down and finally mixes them together with home-made glue.
By painting with these materials Mohammed hopes to better capture his country's character and its struggles.
cost the earth
be very expensive
scouring
searching carefully
grinds
reduces something to smaller pieces by rubbing it against a harder surface
capture
represent something correctly by using images and words
struggles
difficult tasks that take a lot of effort
They may not be the most aesthetically pleasing group of people you've ever met, but these revellers at the Lucerne Carnival in Switzerland hope their ugly masks will scare off the evil spirits of winter and pave the way for spring.
The festival also features lanterns, costumes and music, and is part of a tradition which can be traced back to the 15th Century.
aesthetically pleasing
beautiful to look at
revellers
people who party in a noisy way
scare off
to make someone or something worried about something so they decide not to do it
pave the way for
make it possible for (something to happen)
traced back to
identified as having started in
A special day for 62 penguins and one sea lion rescued late last year off the Brazilian coast after getting lost during migration.
They've been looked after in a rehabilitation centre and now, after having been tagged, are being released into the ocean to catch a current to take them home.
The sea is choppy but, with a little help, one by one they slip back into the sea.
migration
the movement of certain animals from one place to another - often when the seasons change
rehabilitation
the looking after and caring for someone or something while it returns to good health
tagged
fitted with a device which can be tracked electronically
a current
the movement of water in a particular direction
choppy
with a lot of little waves caused by the wind
Greece's Mount Olympus is experiencing a rise in unauthorised logging.
It's estimated over 100,000 trees have been felled illegally.
With fuel prices soaring and temperatures dropping, many people are turning to wood to heat their homes.
Wood markets are thriving but not all sources of wood are legitimate.
Racketeers are among those who have been caught taking trees from the home of Greece's ancient gods.
logging
the cutting down of trees for wood, usually on a large scale for commercial purposes
felled
cut down
soaring
rising very quickly
thriving
doing very well, being successful
racketeers
people who make money from illegal activities
In a scene reminiscent of the film Jaws, a shark approaches the shore of an Australian beach.
However, unlike the film, beachgoers don't flee from the fish, they wrestle it and attempt to coax it back out to sea.
The shark was also spotted in the shallow waters of a creek by frightened parents, children and tourists before finding its way back to open water.
reminiscent of
bringing back memories of
flee from
run away from, escape from
wrestle
fight by grabbing hold of
to coax
to encourage or persuade in a gentle way
spotted
seen or noticed
Thousands of shark fins drying on a Hong Kong rooftop.
It's thought they were stored away from the gaze of tourists and conservationists who find the trade hard to stomach.
They say the practice of removing the fin and tossing the shark back into the sea is barbaric.
But shark's fin soup is considered a delicacy by many Chinese diners, who also claim it has medicinal qualities.
shark fins
thin vertical parts sticking out of the body of sharks which help them move around
hard to stomach
hard to accept - of something that is unpleasant or wrong
barbaric
extremely cruel and unpleasant
delicacy
something rare or expensive that is good to eat
medicinal qualities
properties which are good for your health