English Recordings

"I'm sick and tired of eating the same thing for lunch everyday."

"I'm getting sick and tired of this song. They play it way too often at this club."

"I'm sick and tired of listening to him nag all the time."

A: "Where are you going for lunch today?"
B: "I don't know... how about a burger?"
A: "No. I eat that almost everyday. I'm getting sick and tired of them."
B: "Let's go eat teriyaki then."

Other Common Sentences

"I'm getting sick of this phone. I think I'll buy a new one."

"I'm tired of the same routine. I need to find something new and different."

"I have nothing to do. I'm bored to death."

"I hate it when I'm bored to death."

"Would you rather be super busy or bored to death?"

A: "Hey Seth, what are you doing?"
B: "I'm reading a book. What are you doing?"
A: "I'm bored to death. Let's do something."
B: "Sure. Come over and we can play some games."

Other Common Sentences

"I'm so bored, I could die."
"I'm dying of boredom."

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Walesto the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The area now called England has been settled by people of various cultures for about 35,000 years, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.[13]
England's terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north (for example, the mountainous Lake District, Pennines, and Yorkshire Dales) and in the south west (for example, Dartmoor and theCotswolds). London, England's capital, is the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures.[note 3] England's population is about 51 million, around 84% of the population of the United Kingdom, and is largely concentrated in London, the South East and conurbations in the Midlands, the North West, the North East and Yorkshire, which developed as major industrial regions during the 19th century. Meadowlands and pastures are found beyond the major cities.
The Kingdom of England—which after 1284 included Wales—was a sovereign state until 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union put into effect the terms agreed in the Treaty of Union the previous year, resulting in a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain.[14] In 1800, Great Britain was united with Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922, the Irish Free State was established as a separate dominion, but the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act in 1927 reincorporated into the kingdom six Irish counties to officially create the current United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Vampires of Venice is the sixth episode in the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.
Following Amy's attempts to seduce him, the Doctor gatecrashes her fiancé Rory's stag party and tells him the problem. Knowing full well that travelling with him has a habit of destroying his companions' lives and relationships on Earth, the Doctor decides to take Amy and Rory on a romantic trip to get their relationship back on track. The TARDIS lands in the city of Venice in 1580, but he quickly discovers all is not well, as according to the citizens, plague is running rampant, and the city has been placed under quarantine at the order of the city's patron, Signora Rosanna Calvierri.
The Doctor heads to the Calvierri's palazzo, where he discovers that Rosanna runs a school for the betterment of young ladies which is highly sought after. However, as the Doctor watches, he sees a Venetian boat-builder called Guido, who had entered his daughter Isabella into the school several days before, trying to remove her. After Guido is turned away by the guards, the Doctor goes after him and learns that something evil is happening in the school, for his daughter didn't recognise him, and the girl who turned him away had a face like an animal.
Meanwhile, Amy and Rory, desperately trying to get along, hear a scream, and go to investigate, finding Rosanna's son, Francesco Calvierri, drinking blood from the neck of a flower girl. As Rory tends to the girl, Amy chases Francesco, only to lose him when he turns into an alley that opens on to the canal. Meanwhile, with Guido's help, the Doctor sneaks into the school, where he is ambushed by five beautiful girls. Upon noticing the girls have no reflections, and seeing their teeth are curved fangs, the Doctor quickly makes an escape and tells Amy, Rory and Guido the problem: there are vampires in Venice.
Needing a way into the school, Amy suggests that she pose as a destitute girl to gain entrance to the school, then open a way for the Doctor and the others to enter. Despite his distaste for the idea, the Doctor reluctantly agrees; however Amy is caught opening a trap door for the others and is taken to a chamber by Rosanna, Francesco and the other girl to be transformed. As they sneak into the school, the Doctor and Rory find a desiccated female corpse; the Doctor theorises that not all the girls survive the process of being turned into vampires, and Rory angrily tells the Doctor that the greatest danger he poses to his companions is the fact he drives his companions to put themselves at risk trying to impress him. Fortunately, the Doctor and Rory, with the help of Isabella, are able to rescue Amy and escape, though Isabella is caught and thrown into the canal, where something alive in the water drags her under.
The Doctor goes back to the school and confronts Rosanna. He identifies her as a Saturnynian, a race of aquatic beings. The vampiric traits displayed are a result of the natural teeth of the species, their natural aversion to sunlight (being deep-sea creatures) and a perception filter they wear to give themselves human appearance by manipulating brain waves which is rendered redundant when seen in a mirror, hence no reflection; the teeth emerge when attacking because, sensing danger, the human brain 'tweaks' the perception filter to see something dangerous. Rosanna explains that her people's planet was lost when "silence fell" and that they fell through a crack in time that sealed behind them, leaving the Saturnynians trapped in 16th century Venice. When the Doctor identifies himself as from Gallifrey, Rosanna proposes an alliance to restore their peoples together, but the Doctor refuses and departs after confirming that she doesn't even remember Isabella's name. Rosanna remarks that she will "bend the heavens" to save her people, then orders her girls to kill the Doctor and his companions.
At Guido's house, the Doctor realises that the Saturnynians are planning to make Venice habitable for their species by sinking the city. The purpose of Rosanna's school was to lure girls to the school that could be converted into female Saturnynians, since only Rosanna and her male offspring survived the fall through time. At that moment, the Calvierri girls, now fully transformed into Saturnynians, attack the house, but Guido buys the Doctor, Amy and Rory enough time to escape by detonating barrels of gunpowder he had stolen from his workplace at the Arsenal, killing the girls but sacrificing himself. At the same time, Rosanna activates a device that triggers an immense storm over Venice; the Doctor realises that the storm will trigger earthquakes and tsunamis that will sink the city and tells her that all the female Saturnynians she has created are dead. Then, with the help of Amy and Rory, he deactivates the device, saving Venice. Defeated, Rosanna throws herself into the water in human form to be eaten by her doomed offspring, but not before tormenting the Doctor with the knowledge he is now responsible for the extinction of two species: hers, and his own.
In the aftermath of the incident, Amy and the Doctor invite Rory to continue travelling with them in the TARDIS, but as the Doctor and Rory are about to enter the TARDIS, everything falls silent. Unnerved, the Doctor remembers Rosanna's words: "We saw silence, and the end of all things..."

1. hard headed means "stubborn" or "unwilling to change an opinion or idea

Example: I can't work with Joe any more. He's so hard headed!

2. keep in touch (or "stay in touch") means "do not stop communicating - send letters or call sometimes"

Example: Don't forget to keep in touch. I want to know how you're doing while you're away.

3. miss the boat means "to miss an opportunity"

Example: The sale ends today at noon. If we don't hurry, we're going to miss the boat!

4. be fed up with means "to hate something now, even though I may have liked it before"

Example: I'm fed up with my job! I think I should start looking for a new one.

5.to cram means "to study hard a few days before a test"

Example: If you had studied hard for the past four months, you wouldn't have to cram so much this weekend.

1. broke means "to have no money"

Example: I have to borrow some money from my Dad. Right now, I'm broke.

2. Cut it out! means "stop doing something bad"

Example: That noise is really annoying. Cut it out!

3. drop someone a line means "send a letter or email to someone"

Example: It was good to meet you and I hope we can see each other again. Drop me a line when you have time.

4. figure something out means "come to understand a problem"

Example: I don't understand how to do this problem. Take a look at it. Maybe you can figure it out.

5. fill in for someone means "do their work while they are away"

Example: While I was away from the store, my brother filled in for me.

1.sharp means "exactly at a that time"

Example: I'll meet you at 9 o'clock sharp. If you're late, we'll be in trouble!

2. sleep on it means "think about something before making a decision"
Example: That sounds like a good deal, but I'd like to sleep on it before I give you my final decision.

3. take it easy means "relax"

Example: I don't have any special plans for the summer. I think I'll just take it easy.

4.to get the ball rolling means "start something, especially something big"

Example: We need to get this project started as soon as possible. I'm hoping you will help me get the ball rolling.

5. up to the minute means "the most recent information"

Example: I wish I knew more about what is happening in the capital city. We need more up to the minute news.

Perhaps reflecting the vaguaries of the weather, there are only 19 films in competition at Cannes this year instead of the usual 20 to 22 – and all of them are directed by men.

The action kicks off with Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” which is showing out of competition to open the festival.

Films from Asia make a strong showing in the competition this year. From South Korea comes The Housemaid and Poetry. China and Thailand are also competing for the Palm d’Or.

Director Tim Burton is the president of the jury this year and says he’s excited to be in Cannes.

Thierry Frémaux, the festival’s artistic director said: “We have known him for a long time, he has been a part of the competition and he is a generous man, he’s very open and nice. And we like his talent, it is enough for him to be president of the jury, his legitimacy is enough, but more than that he is a movie buff.”

Michael Douglas reprises his 1987 role in Oliver Stone’s sequel “Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps”.

Korean film The Housemaid (aka Hanyo) is in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. A steamy love triangle, it tells the story of how an innocent women gets caught up in the machinations of the couple who employ her.

The film stars Jeon Do-Yeon who won critical acclaim for her performance in “Secret Sunshine” at Cannes in 2007. She says she was taken aback at how little attention she received at Cannes in 2007. This year however, things are likely to be different for the Korean star. Apart from anything else, The Housemaid includes some steamy scenes which are guaranteed to set tongues wagging.

Robin Hood will be shown out of competition on the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival. Ridley Scott directs Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow and Sir Walter Loxley in this slash n burn all-action thriller.

-Purple herons nest in UK for first time-

<RSPB and Kent police protecting herons' nest in Dungeness in the hope pair will successfully breed>

A pair of purple herons are nesting for the first time in the UK, conservationists said today.

The striking birds breed in southern Europe and visit Britain in small numbers each year, but the pair have nested on the Dungeness peninsula in Kent and could be the first to successfully breed here, if they can hatch the eggs they have laid and rear the chicks to fledging.

Experts said the bird, which has struggled in Europe in recent decades, is one of the species likely to be setting up home in southern Britain as climate change pushes wildlife further north.

But according to the RSPB, the site at Dungeness is under threat from the potential development of the airport at Lydd.

For now, a round-the-clock species protection scheme has been set up to give the purple herons the best chance of becoming the first successful breeding pair ever recorded in the UK.

Kent police are helping the RSPB protect the nest, and officers warned that any attempt to damage the nest or remove eggs was a criminal offence.

Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB's conservation director, said: "The RSPB has a century-long heritage of protecting birds in Kent.

"Our protection scheme at the site provides immediate security for the birds, but the potential development of an airport on the peninsula casts a long shadow over the future of this magnificent site and its wildlife.

"Purple herons are up on the list of birds that we expect to see setting up home in southern Britain as changing climate pushes them further north.

"This highlights the importance of wildlife havens like Dungeness in providing space for species displaced by global warming."

The purple heron, which is closely related to grey herons that are widespread in the UK, can reach 90cm in height with a wingspan of up to 1.5 metres (5ft).

In Europe, the bird breeds in colonies in reedbeds and feeds on insects, reptiles and amphibians. Purple herons are migratory and winter in Africa.

The RSPB said the pair in Dungeness were currently sitting tight on their nest and there was little for visitors to see.

If the eggs hatch, the wildlife charity hopes to set up a viewing station at a safe distance to give the public a glimpse of the "historic wildlife moment", Dr Avery said.