ZINGER The English School Magazine

April 2012 No 4
ZINGER
The English School Magazine
Business Academy, Topoľčany
FUNNY EASTER
RIDDLES
The Krásna Hôrka
castle on Fire
ALSO
INSIDE:
Speaker´s
corner
INTERVIEW WITH
a dancer
Alicka´s
column
Easter
facts
Easter Eggs
Recipe
Knowing &
understanding idioms
CONTENTS
EDITORIAL
1
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWS
2-3
January-March news
Upcoming events
WINNING WRITING COMPOSITIONS
4
ALICKA´S COLUMN
5
INTERVIEW WITH A DANCER
6-7
Zuzana Maťová on her Sweet Charity musical experience
SPEAKER´S CORNER
8-9
English contest report
A STORY OF THE MONTH
10-11
The Krásna Hôrka castle on fire
AN IDIOM FOR A DAY
12-13
Knowing and understanding idioms
EASTER FACTS
14-15
BIG SPENDER
16
REVIEW
17
Food (a documentary, 2009)
FUNNY EASTER RIDDLES
18
JOKES
RECIPE
19
20
Easter eggs
KEYS AND SOLUTIONS
21
Dear readers,
At the beginning of this school year we decided to increase the number of
issues of our English school magazine ZINGER by one because we just felt like
having an abundance of materials and growing number of especially regular
contributors. Luckily, after some six or seven moths we can say we were right about
our feelings. Despite the fact that March and April are probably the busiest months
of the school term due to the Maturita exams, we, together with the new duo of
students´ editors-in-chief, still extremely hard-working, managed to collect enough
articles, write a few of our own and adjust all of them into a proper art design, so
now we can present the first spring issue of the ZINGER magazine in history.
What is new about the magazine? We have the brand new section called
Alicka´s column. Yes, you guess right – it will be the column of our former colleague
Alicja Černáková who promised to share her views of different aspects of life on the
British Isles with you. She starts with her beloved Ireland as she is currently
staying there. We believe these columns will sort of help us and you keep in touch
with her while she is abroad.
In addition to Alicka´s column, I would like to draw your attention to some
regular sections such as the news of the department of English language, a review
(a documentary called Food), a recipe (Easter eggs) or pages of riddles and jokes.
Apart from those, do not miss out a story of the month depicting the
catastrophe which struck the Krásna Hôrka castle; an interview with Zuzana
Maťová, a student of our school, about performing in a popular musical Sweet
Charity at the Andrej Bagar theatre in Nitra; vocabulary practice with idioms related
to knowing and understanding; an article on some amusing Easter facts and many
many more.
To finish with, I must remind you of the school´s webpage www.oato-edu.sk
where you will find a full-colour version of this issue as soon as possible. I wish you
all peaceful Easter holidays and a nice time spent with reading our magazine.
Mgr. Martin Huba
1
Department of English language
NEWS (January – March 2012)
January
When writing these lines now, at the end
of March, the winter and Christmas seem to
disappear a long long time ago. To give you
a satisfactory picture of what happened within
the months of January,
February
and
March one
cannot forget to
mention
three main events/competitions.
After a pleasant and relaxing Christmas
holiday we met again in January and let´s admit we all were too lazy to do anything
extraordinary. However, even in slothful January there were some enthusiastic and
diligent students who decided to join our annual writing competition. And I have
to say it was not easy to choose the best one. In order to give a chance to more
students we finally agreed on two categories – stories and essays. And here are the
best ones for each category:
STORY
ESSAY
1. Terézia Niková, IV.A
1. Marek Cikatricis, IV.D
2. Patrik Beláň, III.B
2. Juraj Píchal, IV.C
3. Vladimír Anděl, III.A
3. Peter Komžík, IV.D
The first two most successful writers in each category were rewarded with
small presents. On behalf of all English teachers of our school let me say
CONGRATS! I wish you always had inspiration and courage in your future writing.
The best story of this school year by Terézia Niková and the best essay by Marek
Cikatricis you can read on page 4 of this issue.
We must not forget about our English Olympics school winners who
represent our school at the Regional round. Although Vladimír Anděl, III.A came
2nd in his category and Simona Hlavinová, I.A came 3rd in hers, none of them
qualified in Slovak-wide round. Anyway, thanks for your hard work and good luck
in your future English studies.
2
February
In February four students of our
school took part in a speech contest
SPEAKER´S CORNER organized by Private
Bilingual Lycee in Žilina. Let me give you an
idea of how such a contest originated.
Speaker’s Corner was established in 2008
with several aims, not least to provide
students with a forum (a real one as
opposed to online) to express their ideas in
English. Another objective was to promote
some of the more formal aspects of spoken
English; it was felt that even though Slovak
students are having more and
more frequent contacts with English speakers and are becoming more fluent in the
language, they are also developing some of the habits of English-speaking
teenagers. This is not a bad thing in itself, but needs to be balanced by a realisation
that more formality is required on occasion. Finally, the competition was seen as a
way to connect schools and for students and teachers to listen to spoken English
from students at schools other than their own.
More about the contest itself and a sample speech by one of our contestants you
will find on pages 8-9.
March
March - not a funny month. At least not for 4th graders. They had to prove their
skills and knowledge in the MATURITA - Slovak-wide testing of mother tongue and
one of the foreign languages (English, German, Russian, French, Spanish ...) taught
at secondary schools in Slovakia. Let´s hope for them they all passed.
Upcoming events
Everybody´s looking forward to 30th April 2012. Don´t you know why? That´s the
day when we will experience the atmosphere of DAY OF LANGUAGES again.
Previous two years have proven that there are many talented young people among
us. So, don´t hesitate to participate in the programme in any (suitable) way. Can´t
wait to see you singing, acting and performing in foreign languages soon.
References:
http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/38039/12/speakers_corner_connects_english_speaking_students.html
By Mgr. Júlia Gálová
3
Everybody should have an access to the Internet
By Marek Cikatricis, IV.D
They say that the Internet is one of the best inventions of the modern age. In the 21st century many
people cannot imagine their lives without it, but should everybody have an access to it?
One of the advantages of having the Internet is that you have an access to almost all information you are
looking for. Google or other search engines will find anything you need or want.
In addition to this, you can use the internet banking for paying your bills, for example, or getting a loan,
which is a very good way of saving your time because you do not have to go to the bank.
Furthermore, you can find a lot of fun and entertainment there. You can play online games, chat with
your friends or share your photos on social networks, download useful applications, your favourite movies or
songs, etc.
On the other hand, having the internet has also some disadvantages. One of them is that when you have
little children, the internet can bring some things that are allowed only for people older than eighteen.
Another point is that you have to be very careful because the more you use the internet the more time
you spend there, which is not very healthy. You can end in sitting in front of your PC for days instead of going
out, doing sport or hiking in the mountains.
Another disadvantage is that you can lose touch with reality and become an internet maniac, which is
a very bad thing. You can start harming people in many different ways using the Internet.
To summarize, everybody should have an access to the Internet. In my opinion surely yes.
It is a great and important technology and everybody should have it, but must be careful with using it.
One winter morning...
By Terézia Niková, IV.A
One winter morning there was a change. The world we had known before disappeared and was replaced
by another, new one, which was colder and emptier. Nobody saw it, nobody seemed to notice the difference,
nobody but Carol.
Carol had been living an ordinary life. For a long time she had been waking up in the same bed in her
little wooden house. She had brought up eight children there, she had managed to feed them all, they had grown
up and moved away. After that, days had become almost the same routine, but she had been satisfied with this.
Her life had been like a small safe cube of glass.
Until this dark cold winter morning. It started pretty normally. Carol woke up and went outside to get
something to eat. With her stomach full of delicious food, she decided to work out a little bit. It was the first time
she realised it was getting strange, cold. Too cold for her to like it. It was even freezing. Working out became
impossible, she was shaking. Little white flakes started to fall down on her. They were cold, but when she
touched them, they burned. She was thinking about the magic, she no longer felt her legs. And then, Carol, the
hamster, died.
Proofread by Mgr. Martin Huba
4
ALICKA´S COLUMN
Now I am not the woman who arrived in
Ireland all those months ago – I am someone new. If
my fate had not forced me across Europe, would
I have discovered that I loved the sea and big sky
and fields of grass? Now I occasionally dream in
English, even while dreaming of Poland or
Slovakia.
Does Ireland mean anything for YOU? For
me it means a lot, actually.
First of all, let me start talking about the 3rd month
of the year...I mean March. For me this is the most
important period of the year because I was born then. However, almost nobody can remember my birthday as
Christians celebrate the 19th March because of another reason...every „Jozef“ has his name day. Who would
bother with me? (I am just kidding...my family and friends do, of course:).
What is more, the British often say about somebody who is very silly or even mentally ill that is as mad
as a March hare...(Do they mean me?....I am not sure as the idiom comes from the Matt Hatter, a character in
Lewis Carroll´s ALICE´S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. Because of the chemicals used in hat-making,
workers often suffered from mercury poisoning, which can cause loss of memory and damage of the nervous
system. A March hare was called mad because of the strange behaviour of hares during the mating season...:).
On the other hand, it is about time I got back to „IRELAND“ ( ÉIRE in Gaelic). Living here I am used
to seeing a lot of symbols of the country, mainly in March. Every year the Irish look forward to celebrating St
Patrick´s Day on the 17th March probably the most widely celebrated saint's day in the world. This is a Christian
festival of the national saint of Ireland, when they wear a shamrock and all their clothes are green. Irish parades
are colourful, amazing and a bit crazy. A shamrock, a small plant with three leaves on each stem is a national
symbol of the Irish Republic. Do you know why?...
According to legend St Patrick is said to have used the 3-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to
the pagan Irish. That´s why wearing and displaying a shamrock and shamrock-inspired designs have become
a ubiquitous feature of the day.
By the by, do not use the word „Paddy“ talking about people from Ireland as it is deeply offensive for
them. Do you know another meaning of the word „paddy“? (Look up in your English dictionary).
A harp is another important symbol of Ireland (and of a well-known beer! By the way, have you ever been in an
Irish pub and tried Guinness – a type of very dark brown beer, with white head or top on it? Would you like to
be set in a Guinness Book of Records because you are a person of an exceptional talent?).
Anyway, let´s get back to the harp...it is also seen on the fin of all the Ryanair planes. The Irish are very
musical as almost everybody has a natural skill or interest in music. Do you know Bono Vox from U2 or Glen
Hansard (and Markéta Irglová) from an Irish low-budget film „Once“...Can you remember „Falling slowly“ or
„If you want me“? Traditional Irish music heard in every pub is unique. Lord of the Dance has made Irish
dancing popular all around the world.
It is said that the Irish have red hair. To be honest, it is not true. People who are Irish by birth have
either dark or fair hair and you can rarely see men with ginger hair. Last week I was at the huge stadium in
Limerick to watch a rugby match. There were thousands of people there and all of them with dark hair...(Can
you remember Vikings who attacked and sometimes settled in many parts of Europe including Ireland?).
The Irish love rugby and I think it is more popular with people here than football. Its rules are almost
impossible for me to comprehend. Players use an oval ball which may be kicked or carried. They try to put the
ball over the other team´s line.Have you seen any rugby players and the methods they use during the match?
(No, thank you...I prefer football, so do some Irish:).
Everything is green here. The lush green countryside...stunning and making me feel happy. Fields are
grazed by a herd of cows seen to be herded by nobody and chewing the cud. I enjoy living here mainly now in
the spring although I would like to be somewhere else while it is rainy and windy and the sky seems to cry
bitterly.
Well, time to love you and leave you.
Lots of love from A.C.
5
INTERVIEW with Zuzana Maťová,
a majorette dancing in the musical Sweet
Charity at the Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra.
How long have you been dancing?
I have been dancing for twelve years.
Who/ what was your motivation to dance?
I have been dancing since my chilhood, so
almost my whole life has been about “dancing“.
My mum is a coach of a dance group in
Topoľčany and she taught me how to dance and
took me to dance trainings with her. Since
I spent most of my free time in the dancing environment, I had no other option but
to choose dancing for my hobby.
Are you a member of
any dance group?
Yes, I am. I dance in a
dance group and its
name
is
TOSUMA
which
stands
for
Topoľčany
majorettes
group.
Have you achieved
any success in the
field of dancing?
Yes, I have. During the
year we take part in
different contests in Slovakia and also abroad. One of our biggest and most
beautiful achievements was when we won the first prize on Slovak–wide dancing
contest eight years ago. We travelled to the USA and we were dancing in
Disneyland. I also consider a great success dancing in Sweet Charity musical at the
Andrej Bagar theatre in Nitra.
When did you start and how did you get to performing in Sweet Charity
musical in DAB Nitra?
I started last summer. Actually, the Andrej Bagar theatre was searching for
majorettes and we were chosen to perform.
6
What is the musical about?
It is a kind of love story but there is no happy ending. It is about a prostitute girl
who falls in love. The man she loves wants to marry her, she is happy, but then he
changes his mind and decides not to marry her. She dances in a dance club called
Fandango. She hates working there and she is looking for a more serious job. She
meets Oscar, they fall in love, but he has no idea what her job is. But then he finds
out...I will not tell you more. If you want to know how the story ends, come and see
it.
How long does your part take?
It takes just for about twenty minutes. The whole musical lasts about two hours. So
it is maybe a small part but it is a great experience for me.
How many times a week do you have to travel to Nitra for performances?
We used to go to Nitra three time a week, but now we go there just twice a month. It
depends on how the performance is planned.
How
do
you
manage
studying
and
performing? Isn´t it too time demanding and
tiring?
At the beginning it was really tiring because we
had
so
many
performances.
I had
to
concentrate on dancing. I was really busy. Now
it is better because we have fewer performances.
There are some famous actors, actresses and
singers playing in the musical: Can you tell
me some behind the scene rumours.
Yes, you are right. I can mention Kuly, Kuko,
Kristína Turjanová and Eva Pavlíková. I am
sorry there is nothing special I can tell you
about these stars. They are normal, friendly,
fun loving people. As soon as I find anything
interesting, I will let you now.:)
Would you like to be a professional dancer or actor in the future. If not, what
would you like to do?
I would not like to be a professional dancer, because my dream is to become
a dentist.
Zuzana was interviewed by Mgr. Júlia Gálová
7
SPEAKER´S CORNER
By Mgr. Martin Huba, 8 March 2012
On 9 February 2012 four students of our school (Simona Hlavinova, I.A;
Dominika Bielichová, I. C; Terézia Niková, IV. A; Tomáš Zeník, IV. C)
accompanied by Mgr. Martin Huba set off on an early-morning long-distance
journey to Zilina in order to participate in Slovakwide contest in oral speech in
English language SPEAKER´S CORNER, which was held at Private Bilingual Lycee
in Žilina.
In a hot competition of approximately 140 contestants (most of which were students
of lycces) none of our students made it to the finals (only 10 best contestants
qualified). However, we gained a lot of experience of the system of the contest which
we might use in the future and we surely had a great time all day.
All four students found the opportunity to test their oratory skills very useful. They
could see how important it was not only to use their language and ad-lib skills, but
also to fight with stage fright.
The system of the contest when the contestants are supposed to give a prepared
speech on a chosen topic in front of the audience and commitee, then reply to their
questions and share opinions with each other in a discussion was very helpful.
They were confronted with lots of interesting information and ideas which they will
certainly use in the future as all the topics were linked to the topic areas tested in
their school-leaving exams.
Our students competed with the speeches on the following topics (a great thanks
goes to Mgr. Huba, Mgr. Quintas a Mgr. Gálová for their help with the preparation
of the speeches):
Category INTERMEDIATE (16-17 years of age, 4-min speeches):
Simona Hlavinova, I.A: We do not learn well when we are forced, we only learn well
with freedom.
Dominika Bielichová, I. C: There are no difficulties in life, only challenges.
Category SENIORS (18-19 years of age, 5-min speeches):
Terézia Niková, IV. A: It is not always possible to tell the truth. Lies are sometimes
necessary.
Tomáš Zeník, IV. C: The EU is an undemocratic elite which does not listen to
ordinary people.
As an example, here is one of the speeches:
8
There are no difficulties in life, only challenges.
By Dominika Bielichová, I.C
We get into situations that make our lives difficult all the time. What we find
difficult evidently differs in different stages of our lives. In our childhood it can be
choosing a right toy to play with or solving a simple puzzle. Then in school years it
can be passing a test or surviving first split-ups; in our working age paying bills or
dealing with marriage problems and in an advanced age coping with the loss of our
closest or loneliness.
There are certainly loads of things that can give us hard times throughout our lives.
Any more-or-less serious problems test our determination and endurance, they
often make us doubt about our strength to overcome them. Deep in any kind of
trouble, we often consider it to be beyond our strength, we tend to lose our faith or
hope of getting over it.
In short, what we find difficult does not matter at all; how we face it, in my opinion,
or how we cope with it is what really matters. As Epictetus, a Greek Stoic
philosopher, said: It is difficulties that show what men are. That is how I see it too.
Everything is about attitude. We must not give up or stop trying our best in any
situation that seems to be hopeless. We have to change such an attitude and start
to see that there are no difficulties in life, only challenges.
As an example I would like to share a true story with you. It is a life story of one of
my good friends, called Juraj, 26. He was an ordinary boy who after finishing
a hotel academy started to work as a waiter. He was mad about cars and spent all
his free time driving and tuning them. You can probably guess that there is no
happy ending of this story. And you are right. At the age of 18 he had a car accident
while driving too fast. His guardian angel might have been taking a short nap,
which had terrible consequences. Juraj´s backbone got seriously injured and his
legs got paralysed.
To cut the long story short, Juraj´s life got totally changed - he lost his job and soon
he was left by his mother who could not face having a handicapped child. Moreover,
he was told by the doctors that his injuries would possibly end up in a complete
paralysis of his body.
Nevertheless, he did not want to be resigned to his fate. With a huge help of his
father and a generous help of his friends or many strangers he struggles for his
every day existence as well as he can. You can imagine how difficult it gets for him
to manage even simplest things of his daily routine. He still does not take them as
difficulties, he takes them as challenges.
Juraj has been through fire and water, but he has never surrendered. He took up
drawing and painting pictures some time ago, he is into taking photos and he loves
going out with his friends . He enjoys every single minute of his life. He tries hard
to meet his challenges.
To sum up, I want to say life is not easy - there are good times and bad times, but
whenever you encounter a problem, you have to try to solve it. No matter how many
times you fail. Keep the positive attitude to life, keep the faith because there is
nothing too difficult, only challenging enough.
9
The Krásna Hôrka Castle on Fire
By Mgr. Martin Huba, 27 March 2012
One of Slovakia´s best preserved castles, Krásna Hôrka, caught fire on 10 March 2012, a Saturday of the country´s
parlamentary elections. All of a sudden the country´s political discussions and growing expectations about the elections´
results were replaced with watching incredibly shocking TV images of this spectacular castle on fire.
Nobody could believe how fast the flames were
engulfing the majestic buildings of the castle,
which has been a National Cultural Monument of
the Slovak Republic since 1961. With bated
breath we supported the firemen and many
civilian volunteers in their uneven fight with the
fire in extremely dry and windy weather
conditions.
In spite of their great efforts all wooden-shingle
roofs of the castle, the interior the Gothic palace
with an unique collection of historical weapons
of the 16th and 17th century, as well as the Bell
tower where the heat melted three huge bells
were completely destroyed.
Tourist guides who were inside the castle during
the outbreak of the fire were devastated: „ Last
admission was at about half past twelve. We
were escorting the tourists to the exit when we
spotted smoke. At the very same time the fire
alarms went off, so we tried to get out of the
castle as fast as possible.“
Tens of drivers stopped at the side of the main road (from Rožňava to Košice) leading at the foot of the castle hill and
watched the huge fire in absolute desbelief. „It is something terrible, unbelievable...you can´t assess the damage, can´t
you?!“, commented one of them, „I am just about to burst into tears“, added another one.
Initial investigation into the fire proved it was caused by incautious burning of grass, bushes and trees on the castle hill by
two young boys (aged 11 and 12) trying to light up their first cigarettes. The fire then quickly spread onto the roofs of the
Lower palace. However, according to Július Barczi, an art historian and expert on the estates and collections of the Andrássys
(the former long-time owners of the castle), it would not be all right to blame only the irresponsible boys. As he said, the
castle hill had been neglected for years by the Betliar Museum, the castle administrator. The dense vegetation of grass,
bushes and trees on it, no water inside the castle plus weather conditions contributed significantly to the rapid spreading of
the fire.
SOME HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT KRÁSNA HÔRKA
The history of Krásna Hôrka goes back to the first half of the 13th century when according to the legend King Béla IV was
helped by the Ákos family (later renamed to the Bebeks) found a shelter from the Tartar invasion at their fortified settlement.
In 1243 the King gave the family all the surrounding lands in return. At the beginning of the 14th century the property was
sold to the Batisz family who together with the Máriássy
family - the owners of Brzotín – supposedly started building
a Gothic tower and a habitable palace on the foundations of
the former fortified settlement.
The first written mention of the Krásna Hôrka castle itself is
from 1333. The Bebeks managed to regain its ownership in
1352 and owned it until the late 16th century. They had the
castle rebuilt and extended a few times – a very important
was the reconstruction (allegedly designed by a well-known
Italian architect Alessandro da Vedano) in the 1540s under
the threat of Turkish invasion when a new irregular triangleshaped forfication with three solid corner bastions was built
around the castle.
After the last of Bebeks, Gyorgy, died out childless in 1567, the castle returned to the imperial court and in the next years it
was administered by castle captains including Peter I Andrássy whose arrival marked the first connection of the Andrássy
dynasty with Krásna Hôrka. But it was not before 1642 when Mathias II, a grandson of Peter I, was finally donated the castle
estates to hereditary ownership by Emperor Ferdinand III.
10
During the Andrássy period the original castle stayed unchanged for a long time due to its location, decrease in importance
and a rather stable political situation. In the 17th century it was added two late-Renaissance palaces (Lower and Central
castle) with new representative and habitable premises. At the turn of the 17th and 18th century the Andrássy family
branches divided their properties, István I moved to Betliar and Gyorgy II stayed at Krásna Hôrka. The castle was
extensively reconstructed in the 1770s when the south-eastern bastion called Dobogó was rebuilt to a gorgeous chapel with
Baroque and Classicist features.
At the beginning of the 19th century the castle was left as it did not provide its owners a sufficient comfort. In 1817 it burnt
out after a flash of lightning. It was re-roofed again and only the inevitable repair and maintenance works were carried out
for tens of years by especially Gyorgy IV Andrássy who was also behind an idea of establishing a family museum at Krásna
Hôrka. The first tour of historic rooms and collections was held on 19 August 1867.
In 1883 the Andrássys welcomed in their Betliar manor house a well-known romantic writer Mór Jókai who was collecting
facts for his new novel. His historical novel „Levočská biela pani“ (The White Lady of Levoča), translated into many
languages and re-published many times, made the Krásna Hôrka castle famous as it was used as a scene for a story set in the
period of Rákoczi II´s last uprising of the Estates and also for the legendary motif of the mummy of Sophia Andrássy-Serédy
.
The castle was reconstructed in 1903-1905, which was initiated by Count Denés Andrássy. The reconstuction was designed
by Budapest architect Gyözö Czigler and supervised by a Munich builder Eduard Schmucker. The Andrássys, one of the
most significant European aristocratic dynasties kept looking after the Krásna Hôrka castle as a symbol of their family until
1945 when they had to leave the country. The castle was nationalised and later in 1961 it became a National Cultural
Monument.
Since 1996 it has been administered by the Slovak National Museum as a part of the Betliar Museum. During 2010 and 2011
it underwent the latest renovation and was re-opened to public in April, 2011.
THE FUTURE OF PRICELESS EXHIBITS
Apart from the above mentioned damage, roughly estimated at 8 million euros and counting, the interiors of the Central and
Lower Palace were smoked and partially flooded. Fortunately, most of the priceless collections have been saved and moved
or being moved to the museums around the east of Slovakia. We all hope that the castle will be renovated to its former shape
and the public will soon be able to see its expositions of fortification building of 13th-18th century or the original interiors
with valuable historical furniture and paintings, the musical lounge with a display of unique basset horns, the torture chamber
presenting medieval instruments of torture or the original castle kitchen with an open fireplace.
And there is certainly much more we could admire in the castle: the Baroque-Classicist chapel with the famous painting of
black Madonna called the Virgin Mary of Krásna Hôrka, for example, the art nouveau funeral carriage of Contess Franciska,
the wife of Dénes Andrássy, or the embalmed body of Sophia Andrássy-Serédy whose mummy´s motif had been used in
Jókai´s novel.
We cannot forget about the works of applied arts or the remarkable collections of medieval armaments and armours stabbing, cutting, threshing and multi-purpose weapons such as swords, knives, daggers, spears, maces and halberds; or
firearms such as rifles, pistols and cannons.
The renovation will start as soon as possible and if everything goes all right, it should be finished in autumn 2012 as the
government representatives claim. It will be paid by the insurance company up to 11,6 million euros, which would not be
enough according to some experts. However, the catastrophe has aroused all country´s concerns and worries about the future
of Krásna Hôrka and many organizations, foundations and other institutions have joined the Slovak National Museum with
offers of fund-raising campaigns, so if you wish to contribute to the renewal of the Krásna Hôrka castle, find some accounts´
numbers below:
FUND-RAISING CAMPAIGNS FOR KRÁSNA HÔRKA:
Slovak National Museum: 7000443743/8180 or (from abroad) IBAN SK20 8180 0000 0070 0044 3743, SWIFT
SUBASKBX
Linaje Foundation: 2920872310/1100
Association of Towns and Villages of Upper Gemer: 5026566857/0900
TV JOJ Foundation: 22221111/5200 or send an empty text message on 855 (worth EUR2 at all operators)
REFERENCES:
http://roznava.korzar.sme.sk/c/6293781/hrad-krasna-horka-znicil-poziar.html
http://roznava.korzar.sme.sk/c/6298130/krasnu-horku-uz-stahuju-skody-nahradi-poistka.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kr%C3%A1sna_H%C3%B4rka
http://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kr%C3%A1sna_H%C3%B4rka
http://www.hradkrasnahorka.sk/index.php?page=aktuality&lng=sk
http://www.hradkrasnahorka.sk/index.php?page=hrad&lng=en
http://www.slovakia.travel/entitaview.aspx?l=2&idp=2093
11
AN IDIOM FOR A DAY
By Mgr. Martin Huba, 17 March 2012
Two things - knowledge and comprehension - certainly played very important roles in
performances of all the students of the fourth grade taking the written form of their schoolleaving exams both in the middle of March. The years of hard study of both their mothertongue and foreign languages examined by a few-page tests and a few tens of words of their
writing compositions. They both checked students´ knowledge of grammatical structures
and vocabulary, their listening and reading comprehension, or their writing skills.
All of the students had to know and understand a lot in order to pass their exams,
which gave us an idea to look at the idioms related to knowing and understanding in this
issue of our magazine. Below you will find some of them together with their definitions and
Slovak translations, and you can also practise how well you understand their meanings in
the couple of follow-up exercises as usual.
KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING IDIOMS
If you beat your brains out, you try very hard to understand or solve something. (lámať si
hlavu)If you haven´t (got)/don´t have a clue about something, you are without any
knowledge or understanding of it. (nemať potuchy/poňatia/šajn)
If you lose the thread of something such as a conversation or story, you are not able to
follow it because you do not understand or do not concentrate. (stratiť niť)
If you can´t make head or tail of something, you cannot understand it at all because it is
confusing, too difficult or complicated. (nemať ani hlavy ani päty)
If you put two and two together, you reach the conclusion on the facts you have/know.
(dať si dve a dve dokopy)
If two people are at cross purposes, there is a misunderstanding as to what they are talking
about. (ja o koze, ty o voze)
If you haven´t (got)/don´t have the faintest/foggiest idea, you really/absolutely don´t
know at all. (nemať najmenšieho tušenia)
If you know something inside out, you know every detail of it.
(vedieť aj odzadu /perfektne /detailne/naspamäť)
If you can´t see the wood for the trees, you are so concetrated on
the details or you are too closely involved that you cannot see the
situation as the whole. (pre stromy nevidieť les/byť príliš ponorený do
detailov a nevnímať celok)
Walking encyclopaedia refers to someone who is very
knowledgeable about a particular subject. (chodiaca encyklopédia)
Enough said is used to indicate that you have clearly understood what someone
has just said and do not need any more explanation. (počuť dosť/hovoriť za všetko)
If you hit the nail on the head, you are absolutely right about something or you
have guessed the exact nature of something. (trafiť klinec po hlavičke/mať pravdu,
pochopiť, vyjadriť niečo správne)
If someone misses the point, they fail to understand the essential part of what
was said. (nepochopiť pointu/uniknúť pointa niekomu)
If you are quick/slow on the uptake, you are quick/slow to understand what is
meant. (byť otvorená hlava,páliť niekomu/mať dlhé vedenie,chápať pomaly)
If people get their wires crossed, they misunderstand each other or are confused about
what was said. (ne(po)rozumieť si/zle sa dohodnúť)
12
A. Choose the correct option to complete the sentences.
1. You should re-write your essay again. I _____ .
a) know it inside out
b) can´t make head or tail of it.
2. Where can I find the figures from your last year´s income tax return? I _____, I´ve
been in this department only for two weeks.
a) miss the point
b) haven´t got a faintest idea
3. You´d better explain it to John in very simple words – he´s a bit _____ .
a) at cross purposes
b) slow on the uptake
4. Samuel had never met the boy before, but when he saw his face, he _____ and
realized he was standing in front of his son.
a) lost the thread
b) put two and two together
5. We might have _____ . I thought we were supposed to meet at the cinema.
a) got our wires crossed
b) hit the nail on the head
6. So he didn´t even give you the chance to clear all the misunderstanding up, right?
_____, he´s just too proud to admit it was not your fault.
a) Beat your brains out
b) Enough said
7. Who won the World Cup in 1982, Brazil or Italy? What?! You know I _____ about
sport.
a) haven´t a clue
b) am a walking encyclopaedia
8. The Minister is so focused on war on terrorism that he _____ when it comes to the
overall safety situation in the country.
a) is slow on the uptake
b) can´t see the wood for the trees
B. Put the expressions in the correct form to complete the gaps.
AT CROSS PURPOSES
BEAT YOUR BRAINS OUT
WALKING ENCYCLOPAEDIA
MISS THE POINT
KNOW IT INSIDE OUT
HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD
LOSE THE THREAD
QUICK ON THE UPTAKE
1. You can _____ doing this puzzle till the end of the world, but you´ll never sort it out!
2. Pete _____ when he said Tom was going to leave Mary. That bastard dumped her the
very same day.
3. Look, we seem to be _____ - I´m talking about going there for a year or two, but you
want to stay there forever.
4. Just because Michael ´s not so _____, it doesn´t mean he´s stupid!
5. Didn´t I _____ ? I think you did. I´d meant to say something completely different!
6. Jack is absolutely obsessed with the Matrix trilogy. Sure, he _____.
7. Sorry, but I _____ of what you were saying. Could you start again from the very
beginning.
8. When it comes to WWII, he´s like a _____. Whatever you ask him, he has an answer.
You can check your answers on page 21.
REFERENCES:
English idioms in use, Michael McCarthy and Felicity O´Dell, Cambridge Unversity Press, 2003
English Vocabulary in Use (Upper-intermediate), Michael McCarthy and Felicity O´Dell, Cambridge
University Press, 2007
Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, A&C Black Publishers Ltd., 2007
www.learn-english-today.com
13
Easter facts
Easter is the second favourite holiday world-wide after
Christmas, so we decided to give you some interesting facts about it.
Did you for example know that Easter is one of the oldest and
holiest of festivals for Christians and that 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are made for Easter each
year? Or that the world's largest jelly bean weighs over 6000 pounds?
And because Easter is coming soon we will tell you some more interesting facts about this holiday:
 When taking a bite into a chocolate bunny, 76% of Americans prefer to bite off the ears first. 5%
eat the feet first and 4% eat the tail first.
 Each day throughout the year, 5 million marshmallow chicks and bunnies are produced in
preparation for Easter.
 16 billion jelly beans are made specifically for Easter which is enough to fill
a plastic egg the size of a 9-story building.
 The first Easter baskets were made to look like bird's nests.
 The custom of giving eggs at Easter time has been traced back to Egyptians,
Persians, Gauls, Greeks and Romans, to whom the egg was a symbol of life.
 The term Easter owes its source from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess which represents hare as
well as egg.
 Easter is now celebrated (in the words of the Book
of Common Prayer) on the first Sunday after the
full moon which happens on or after March 21, the
Spring Equinox.
 Americans celebrate Easter with a large Easter egg
hunt on the White House Lawn.
 The date of Passover is variable as it is dependent
on the phases of the moon, and thus Easter is also a movable feast.
14
The Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny or Easter Rabbit (sometimes Spring Bunny in the U.S.) is a character depicted
as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs, who sometimes is depicted
with clothes. In legend, the creature brings baskets filled
with colored eggs, candy and sometimes also toys to the
homes of children, and as such shows similarities to Father
Christmas, as they both bring gifts to children on the night
before their respective holiday. It was first mentioned in
Georg Franck von Frankenau's De ovis
paschalibus (About Easter Eggs) referring to an Alsace
tradition of an Easter Hare bringing Easter Eggs
Rabbits have been associated with springtime since ancient times. It is believed that a symbol of
the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring Eostre was the hare. It was Eostre's sacred animal since it was
a symbol of fertility and the rebirth of nature following winter.
As rabbits are similar to hares and are very common everywhere, Christians changed the symbol to
the Easter bunny. So the modern symbol of the Easter bunny comes from pagan times.
The tradition of the Easter bunny leaving a basket of treats such as Easter eggs and chocolates on
Easter Day is common in America but not in Britain. Parents of American children often hide eggs
in the garden for children to find. Sometimes their children leave out carrots for the Easter bunny.
The idea of an egg-laying rabbit went to America in the 1700's through immigrants arriving from
Germany. They told their children to make 'nests' before Easter with their caps and bonnets and if
they were good the Easter bunny would leave them coloured eggs.
References:
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/easter/easterbunny.aspx
http://ea ster.123holiday.net/easter_facts.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Bunny
http://www.yumsugar.com/Easter-Fun-Facts-200482
By Filip Gális,
Jakub Železník III.D
15
BIG SPENDER
Sweet Charity, the musical, written by Cy Coleman
(music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics) and choreographed by Bob
Fosse was first performed on Broadway in 1966. It was
nominated for 12 Tony Awards and since then it has had many
revivals and international productions including the 2011 one at
the Andrej Bagar theatre in Nitra. In 1969 it was also made into
a movie in 1969, starring Shirley MacLaine as Charity and
John McMartin as Oscar Lindquist.
"Big Spender" is one of the most famous songs of the
musical. During the musical performance it is s sung by the
dance hostess "girls" and is "set to the beat of a striptease" as
the girls taunt and mock the customers. However, it was
Shirley Bassey who came out with probably the greatest hit
version of the song. In December 1967 it reached #21 in the
UK Singles Chart and became one of her signature songs. Here
are the lyrics of the song:
Shirley Bassey – Big Spender
The minute you walked in the joint
I could see you were a man of distinction
A real big spender
Good looking, so refined
Say wouldn't you like to know
What's going on in my mind
So let me get right to the point
I don't pop my cork for every guy I see
Hey big spender
Spend a little time with me
Wouldn't you like to have fun, fun, fun
Hows about a few laughs, laughs
I could show you a good time
Let me show you a good time
The minute you walked in the joint
I could see you were a man of distinction,
A real big spender
Good looking, so refined
Say wouldn't you like to know
What's going on in my mind
So let me get right to the point
I don't pop my cork for every guy I see
Hey big spender
Hey big spender
Hey big spender
Spend a little time with me
The song has been covered by many other artists, e.g. Peggie Lee, Queen, Bette Midler,
Christina Aguillera, etc. and even by Homer Simpson, in one of the episodes of The
Simpsons, who sang one verse of modified lyrics to its tune to reflect the merchandise he
was promoting. Check it out:
Hey Big Spender
Dig this blender
Rainbov suspenders
Hey big spender
Spen some dough on table 3
REFEENCES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Charity; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Spender;
http://www.lyrics007.com/Shirley%20Bassey%20Lyrics/Hey%20Big%20Spender%20Lyrics.html; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxTrVsKOVFg;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq-P5bbgfhI; http://www.kovideo.net/big-spender-lyrics-the-simpsons-745168.html
By Mgr. Martin Huba, April 3, 2012
16
Food, Inc. (2009)
Directed by:
Robert Kenner
Written by:
Robert Kenner, Elise Pearlstein,
Kim Roberts
About movie
"Forget buckets of blood. Nothing says horror like one of those tubs of artificially
buttered, nonorganic popcorn at the concession stand. That, at least, is one of the
unappetizing lessons to draw from one of the scariest movies of the year, Food, Inc."
Food Inc. is a documentary film about secrets behind the meat production and also
food as well. The movie is exploring where the food we purchase at the grocery store really
comes from, and what it means for the health of future generations. By exposing the
comfortable relationships between business and government, Kenner gradually shines light
on the dark underbelly of the American food industry.
Companies use false imagery in the marketing of their products such as farm houses
next to green pastures that resemble the old school farming mentality. In reality, today it is
more of a factory system that has been standardized and controlled by a few businesses that
have monopolized the industry for their own financial gain. The expense is often of the hard
working and underpaid people who keep getting sicker as a result of poor regulations and
greedy business men.
Food Inc. is a great eyeopening movie that I recommend for everybody over 15 years
who cares about their health and health of his friends and family.
http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/movies/12food.html
http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2009/12/food-inc-review/
http://www.greenmuze.com/reviews/films/1236-food-inc-review-.html
By Filip Gális III.D
17
Funny Easter Riddles
1. What part did the egg play in the movies?
2. What do you call a sleeping egg?
3. Why didn't the egg cross the road?
4. What day does an egg hate the most?
5. Who is the Easter Bunny's favorite movie
actor?
6. What is the Easter Bunny's favorite state
capital?
7. How do bunnies stay healthy?
8. Why did the rabbit cross the road?
9. What did the rabbit say to the carrot?
10. What do you call a rabbit who tells jokes?
11. What do you call a rabbit with fleas?
12. Why did the bunny go to the dance?
13. Why is a bunny the luckiest animal in the
world?
14. Why did the chocolate egg hide from the sun?
15. What do the call an Easter Bunny on a farm?
You can the correct answers on page 21.
http://leladavidson.hubpages.com/hub/Easter-Jokes--Riddles-For-Kids--Sorted-By-Category
http://holidays.kaboose.com/easter/jokes.html
Jakub Železník III.D
18
Jokes
TEACHER: Young man, where's your homework
assignment?
FRED: It blew away while I was coming to school.
TEACHER: I see. And why are you late for school?
FRED: I had to wait for a heavy wind.
PUPIL: Teacher, is there life after death?
TEACHER: Why do you ask?
PUPIL: I may need the extra time to finish all this homework you gave us.
TEACHER : What is further away, Australia or the Moon ?
Pupil : Australia, you can see the Moon at night !
Teacher: You copies from Fred's exam paper didn't you ?
Pupil: How did you know ?
Teacher: Fred's paper says "I don't know" and you have put "Me, neither" !
Father: How were the exam questions ?
Son: Easy
Father: Then why look so unhappy ?
Son: The questions didn't give me any trouble, just the answers !
When Alexander Bell invented the telephone he had 3 missed calls from Chuck Norris
When the president pushes the big red button Chuck Norris's cell phone rings
Chuck Norris once ran a marathon backwards...just to see what second place looks like.
In honor of Chuck Norris, all McDonald's in Texas have an even larger size than the supersize. When ordering, just ask to be Chucksized.
http://chuck-norris-jokes.com/
By Dávid Hatala III.D
19
Recipe - Easter Eggs
"If you want to wow your family with extra special Easter eggs, this is the recipe for you!
These are peanut butter and coconut cream eggs dipped in chocolate. They are both delicious
and beautiful!"
Prep Time: 3 Hrs
Cook Time: 10 Min
Ready In 3 Hrs 10 Min
Original Recipe Yield 60 eggs
Ingredients

910 g confectioners' sugar

115 g margarine, softened

224 g cream cheese

10 ml vanilla extract

335 g peanut butter

455 g flaked coconut

670 g semisweet chocolate chips

25 g shortening
Directions
1.
In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, margarine, cream cheese and vanilla
extract. Divide the batter in half and place each half of the batter in a bowl on its
own. Stir peanut butter into one of the bowls and coconut into the second.
2.
Using your hands, mold the dough into egg-shapes and arrange the forms
on cookie sheets. Place the eggs in the freezer until frozen.
3.
Once the eggs have frozen, melt the chocolate and shortening in the top of
a double-boiler. Dip the eggs into the chocolate until coated. Place the eggs on
wax paper lined cookie sheets and return to the freezer to harden. After the
chocolate has hardened the eggs can be kept in the refrigerator
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easter-eggs/
20
Dávid Hatala III.D
KEYS AND SOLUTIONS
KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING IDIOMS (p. 13)
A.
B.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
B
B
B
B
A
B
A
B
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
beat your brains out
hit the nail on the head
at cross purposes
quick on the uptake
miss the point
knows it inside out
(´ve/have) lost the thread
walking encyclopaedia
FUNNY EASTER RIDDLES (p. 18)
1. He was an "Egg-stra".
2. Egg-zosted!
9. It's been nice gnawing you.
3. Because he wasn't a chicken yet!
10. A funny bunny.
4. Fry-days.
11. Bugs Bunny
5. Rabbit De Niro!
12. To do the bunny hop!
6. Albunny, New York!
13. Because it has 4 rabbit's feet
7. Eggercise
14. Because he didn't want to melt!
8. Because it was the chicken's day
off.
15. Dinner
21
Keith Green – Easter song
Here the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be born
again
Here the bells ringing
They're singing christ is risen from
the dead
The angel up on the tombstone
Said he has risen, just as he said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That jesus christ is no longer dead
Joy to the word, he has risen,
hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be
healed
right now
Hear the bells ringing, they're
singing
Christ, he will reveal it now
The angels, they all surround us
And they are ministering jesus'
power
Quickly now, reach out and receive
it
For this could be your glorious hour
Joy to the world, he has risen,
hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah
The angel up on the tombstone
Said he has risen, just as he said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That jesus christ is no longer dead
Joy to the world, he has risen,
hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
Hallelujah
The full-colour version of ZINGER magazine, can be also found
on the website of Business Academy, Topoľčany:
www.oato.edu.sk
Do not forget to check it out.
And at the very end, here are all the people
responsible for this issue:
Editor-in-chief: Mgr. Martin Huba
Assistant editor: Mgr. Júlia Gálová
Art & Graphic design: Mgr. Júlia Gálová, Dávid Hatala, Jakub Železník, Filip Gális
Web support: Mgr. Roman Vavro
Students´ editors-in-chief: Dávid Hatala, Jakub Železník
Editorial staff:
Ing. Alicja Černáková, Dávid Hatala, Jakub Železník, Filip Gális, Marek Cikatricis,
Terézia Niková, Zuzana Maťová, Dominika Bielichová