English Recordings

1. The biggest island in the world is Greenland.
2. The longest river in the world is the Nile.
3. The widest river in the world is the Amazon.
4. The biggest lake in the world is the Caspian Sea.
5. The deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal.
6. The longest mountain range in the world is the Andes.
7. The highest peak in the world is Everest.

Maps, maps, physical maps.
What do they show?
Mountains, islands,
Rivers and lakes,
Oceans and seas.
And like these.
Maps, maps, political maps.
What do they show?
Countries on continents,
Regions in countries,
Towns, villages,
even bridges.
Maps, maps.
What’s their role?
They take us on a tour
Round the world.

The Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth or The Commonwealth of Nations is a group of 53 nations from around the world with 2,400,000 inhabitants.

The official headquarters of the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations’ is located in London.

The second Monday of March is Commonwealth Day when the Queen broadcasts a message to all the members about the importance of this “family of nations.”

Most of the countries in the Commonwealth were once British colonies. They were part of the British Empire.

Today the members have no legal obligation to each other but they are united by their common history, language and values such as democracy and justice and issues like the environment, trade and human rights .

Since 1952 her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II has been the head of the Commonwealth. But today her role is mostly symbolical.

The Commonwealth games, a sporting competition between the Commonwealth members takes place every 4 year in a different host country.

The first was held in Ontario Canada In 1930. The next one is scheduled in 2022 in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

No one would report a murder case unless they found the baby.A man buried a body in a bonobo forest located in the depths of the mountains wherever no one goes.

This is the weather forecast. Now, let’s see what the weather
will be like tomorrow.
The south of the country, near Glasgow and Edinburgh, will
have nice weather. It will be sunny and the temperature will
be around 17ºC.
In the west and in the Midlands the weather will be dry, but
windy, with temperatures around 10°C. Hikers, be careful
because there may be thunderstorms on Ben Nevis.
In the east, around Aberdeen, don't forget your umbrella: it
will be rainy all day tomorrow, I’m afraid, and the maximum
temperature will be 8°C.
In the north of the country it will be very cold and quite cloudy.
The temperature will be around 7ºC. There is a chance of
some showers and it may be snowy in the Highlands. That's
the forecast.

Thesaurus Article: TO INCREASE
By Colin McIntosh, Cambridge English Thesaurus

These verbs refer to something getting bigger in size, amount, degree, etc., or causing something to get bigger in size, degree, amount, etc.
One of the most common words for this is increase /ɪnˈkriːs/.
We need to increase production to meet demand.
Any chance they can increase my wages?

The opposite of increase is decrease /dɪˈkriːs/.
Our attendance numbers have been decreasing every month.
For more opposites of increase, see the article at decrease.

The verbs grow /ɡrəʊ/ and rise /raɪz/ are common alternatives to increase.
The number of people living alone grows each year.
Prices rose by 10 per cent.

The phrasal verb go up /ɡəʊ ʌp/ is often used when prices increase.
House prices keep going up.
The price of fuel has gone up by 5p a litre.

If something suddenly increases by a large amount, you can use verbs such as escalate /ˈeskəleɪt/, rocket /ˈrɑːkɪt/, or soar /sɔːr/.
Crime in the city has escalated in recent weeks.
Building costs have rocketed by 70%.
House prices have soared this year.

If someone makes something increase in size or amount, you can use verbs, like expand /ɪkˈspænd/ or extend /ɪkˈstend/.
We’re hoping to expand our range of products.
The company extended its sales territory this year.

The verb maximize /ˈmæksɪmaɪz/ is sometimes used when someone tries to increase something as much as possible. The UK spelling of this word is usually maximise.
We need to maximize profits.

Thesaurus Article: AN INCREASE
By Colin McIntosh, Cambridge English Thesaurus

These words are used to refer to the fact of something getting bigger in number, amount, level, or degree.
One of the most common words for this is increase /ˈɪŋkriːs/.
There has been a sharp increase in municipal taxes this year.

The opposite of increase is decrease /ˈdiːkriːs/.
There has been a steady decrease in the number of visitors.
For more opposites of increase, see the article at decrease.

When talking about an increase in numbers, amounts, rates, or activities, you can use rise /raɪz/.
Last month saw a rise in the rate of inflation.
We have a sharp rise in share prices this quarter.

The opposite of rise is fall /fɔːl/.
We likely won’t see a fall in the prices of manufactured goods this year.

A gain /ɡeɪn/ or a boost /buːst/ is a positive increase in something.
We are not seeing the gains in productivity that we expected.
The dollar made gains against the euro this week.
We are hoping for a boost in sales this year.

A rapid increase can be called a jump /dʒʌmp/, a leap /liːp/, a surge /sɜːrdʒ/, or a spike /spaɪk/. Spike is often used to refer to a very high but temporary increase in something.
The jump in prices was generally expected.
The sudden leap in petrol prices took motorists by surprise.
There has been a surge in demand for avocados.
The city has seen a spike in drug deaths recently.

In business contexts you can talk about growth /ɡrəʊθ/ in sales, a market, etc. to refer to an increase in the size or importance of something. Growth is generally used in a positive way.
We are anticipating modest sales growth.

In business and economic contexts, an upturn /ˈʌptɜːrn/ or an upswing /ˈʌpswɪŋ/ is an increase in the level of something, especially in economic figures.
Some sectors of the economy have seen a sharp upturn.
Natural gas production is on the upswing.

The opposite of upturn is downturn /ˈdaʊntɜːrn/. The opposite of upswing is downswing /ˈdaʊnswɪŋ/. These two words, like upturn and upswing, are often used in business or economic contexts.
The economic downturn is likely to continue.
We’re seeing a downswing in auto manufacturing.

A pickup /ˈpɪkʌp/ is an increase or improvement in something to a previously high level after being low.
We’re beginning to see a pickup in exports at last.

Thesaurus Article: TO DECREASE

By Colin McIntosh, Cambridge English Thesaurus

These words are used to describe when something becomes smaller, less, or is brought to a lower level.

The most common word for this is decrease /dɪˈkriːs/.
The tests show that the tumour has decreased in size since we started treatment.
Her influence on him keeps decreasing as time goes on.
Costs have decreased dramatically in the last six months.

The verbs lessen /ˈlesn/, lower /ˈləʊər/, and reduce /rɪˈduːs/, and the phrasal verb bring down /brɪŋ daʊn/ are often used when someone decreases an amount or level.
A healthy diet lessens your risk for cardiovascular /ˌkɑːrdiəʊˈvæskjələr/ disease.
They’ve just lowered the age at which you can join.
They’ve just reduced the price.
They are bringing down their prices.

Drop /drɑːp/, fall /fɔːl/, go down /ɡəʊ daʊn/, and come down /kʌm daʊn/ are often used when a level or amount decreases.
Stock prices dropped today after the company’s announcement.
Unemployment has fallen to six percent in the last year.
Prices always go down in January.
Has her fever come down at all?

If a level or amount decreases very quickly, plummet /ˈplʌmɪt/ and plunge /plʌndʒ/ are sometimes used.
Temperatures last night plummeted.
Temperatures last night plunged below zero.

If a level or amount decreases gradually, the verbs dwindle /ˈdwɪndl/ and decline /dɪˈklaɪn/ are sometimes used.
The number of students in the school has dwindled to around 200.
The number of members has declined by 25 per cent over the last 30 years.

If the size of something decreases, shrink /ʃrɪŋk/ can be used. The verb contract /kənˈtrækt/ is used in technical contexts.
Forests have shrunk to almost half the size they were 20 years ago.
As the metal cools, it contracts.

The opposite of decrease is increase /ɪnˈkriːs/.
I’ve been increasing my workouts by five minutes a day.
Prices keep increasing across the board.

For more opposites of decrease, see the article at increase.

Thesaurus Article: A DECREASE

By Colin McIntosh, Cambridge English Thesaurus

These words are used to refer to the fact that something is getting smaller in number, weight, value, etc.

One of the most common words for this is decrease /ˈdiːkriːs/.
There has been a steady decrease in the number of visitors.
Stock prices have decreased by 3% in the last quarter.

The opposite of decrease is increase /ˈɪŋkriːs/.
There has been an increase in noise complaints since the building started.
For more opposites of decrease, see the article at increase.

When talking about prices, levels, and amounts in particular, you can use the nouns fall /fɔːl/, fall-off /ˈfɔːl ɔːf/, or falling-off /ˌfɔːlɪŋ ˈɔːf/to describe a decrease. These words are common in writing, especially in business contexts.

A fall in the price of petrol is unlikely.
There’s been a sharp fall-off in demand for the product since the company’s scandal broke.
There has been a slight falling-off in public sector employment growth.

The opposite of fall is rise /raɪz/.
There has been a sharp rise in home sales this month.

You can talk about a drop /drɑːp/ in value, weight, level, or the number of something. Drop is usually singular in this use.
We are expecting a sharp drop in temperatures overnight.

The word decline /dɪˈklaɪn/ is used broadly to describe a decrease in quality, strength, importance, or amount. It implies that something is getting worse.
A decline in profits is to be expected in this economic climate.

A sudden decrease can be called a nosedive /ˈnəʊzdaɪv/. Nosedive is often used in economic or business contexts.
Consumer confidence has taken a nosedive.

A reduction /rɪˈdʌkʃn/ usually refers the act of making something smaller in size, importance, or degree. Reduction is slightly more formal than decrease and is used more in writing than in speech.
The company announced a 10 per cent wage reduction in response to poor earnings.
After better security measures were taken, the area saw a reduction in crime.

You can talk about a downturn /ˈdaʊntɜːrn/ or a downswing /ˈdaʊnswɪŋ/ in the level of something, especially in economic figures.
The economic downturn is likely to continue.
Banks took action to counter the downswing in manufacturing.

The opposite of downturn is upturn /ˈʌptɜːrn/. The opposite of downswing /ˈʌpswɪŋ/ is upswing. Like downturn and downswing, these words are used in economic or business contexts.
Some sectors of the economy have seen a sharp upturn.
Production is on the upswing after a stagnant third quarter.

I think I'm lucky really because I didn't try very hard at school - I guess you'd call me lazy! And then it ended and I thought, 'Wow, I'd better think about a job,' and I got really worried and emotional about it because, well, I suddendly realised that I didn't want to go from job to job, you know. I wanted a career and regular money and an opportunity to climb up the ladder if possible. So, one day I saw a TV programme about nursing and it looked like it had the kind of benefits that I wanted - so here I am.