This is news review from BBC learning english.

I'm rob.

And joining me today is Neil hi neal hello rob.

Hello everybody.

Uh if you want to test yourself on the vocabulary in this program, there is a quiz on our website at BBC learning english dot com.

But now let's find out some more about the story from this BBC news bulletin.

A lockdown has come into force in Austria for anyone over the age of 12 who hasn't been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Around two million people who haven't received their jabs are no longer allowed to leave home for non essential purposes, but they can still exercise by food and go to work.

The country is facing a record surge in cases.

Okay, as you have just heard, there has been a large increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19 in Austria and the government has responded by A lockdown, but only for people who haven't had a COVID-19 vaccination.

This is the first government in the world to take such action.

So if you haven't had a vaccination, you have to stay at home and you can't go out except for work or to buy food.

Um The rate of vaccination in Austria is actually quite low compared to the rest of Western Europe at around 65%.

And we've got three words and expressions we can use to talk about this story, What are they please Neil yes, we have surge plunges.

And on the cards.

So that surge plunges and on the cards And these words come from news headlines.

What is your first headline please?

First headline comes from the Independent, which is a british newspaper and it reads Austria to impose lockdown on everyone who isn't fully vaccinated.

As covid cases surge.

Okay, that's surge increase suddenly.

Yes, spelt S U r G e.

The word in this headline is a verb and if something surges, it means there is a sudden dramatic increase of some kind.

So for example in this headline is increase in the number of people infected with an illness.

Are we just talking about covid and viruses?

When we talk about a search, know when something surges.

It's not just about illnesses, for example, groups of people or crowds can surge.

Most people have had that experience of being at a large sporting event or a concert when the doors open and people rush through, that is a crowd surging um often with dangerous and sometimes with dangerous consequences as we saw tragically in the United States recently.

But there's this sense of there being a lot of something going through suddenly through through it through an area or through a population in the case of the covid infection.

And we've got to be careful because we have a verb form and a noun form of this word.

Is that right?

That's right.

So in the headline it's a verb but we can also use the word surge as a noun.

A surge.

So there has been a surge in Covid cases in Austria.

We can talk about a surge at a football match or at a concert when lots of people move in the same direction at the same time.

We can also talk about a power surge, can't we?

Yeah, A power surges when too much electricity travels through the system.

The network often again just like the crowd search with potentially dangerous or negative consequences.

It could overpower a building for example.

And you can end up with a power cut or damage to some of the, some of the gadgets and equipment.

And also, I've heard in economic terms uh surge in house prices when house prices increase quite quickly quite suddenly and again, that is to do with sudden dramatic increases.

And the word itself contains an element of drama.

So of course headline writers like to use these types of words because you know, it's not possible to have an undramatic surge.

There is drama inherent in the word surge.

Very true.

Okay, thanks for that.

Let's have a summary of that word.

Yeah.

Mm.

Of course.

We've talked quite a bit about Covid here on news review and in our other programs and last year we made a program, six minute english all about Will Covid change our cities.

It's an interesting listen, where can people watch and listen to it Neil?

Yeah, it's really fascinating this idea that a disease can change the way our cities look, All you have to do is click on the link below, down below.

Okay fantastic.

Okay let's have a look at your next headline please.

Yes.

The next headline comes from the Evening Standard which is from the U.

K.

A.

London based newspaper.

And the headline is Austria plunges unvaccinated into lockdown.

That's plunges moves quickly into something.

Yes that's plunges.

P L U N G E S verb again here, plunges and as you say rob it means something moving from one place to another.

Usually downward.

Uh for example, do you like swimming rob?

Yes I do like swimming.

Yes, particularly the summer.

Of course.

Yeah.

You a diver.

Well I'm not a professional diver but I do like to plunge into the cool waters of the sea on a hot summer's day or plunge into a swimming pool.

That's right.

So plunge has this sense of falling dramatically into something.

Yeah.

Is it always downwards when you're plunging like a like water over a waterfall?

Is it going down?

Yes.

It is yeah.

It's going down a person who plunges into water goes from one position up higher down into a lower position but in this headline we're not exactly going from a high position to a low position, are we?

No it's interesting isn't it?

Going from um having freedom into into a lockdown there's no physical direction in that but we're thinking figuratively here.

So we use the word plunge because probably emotionally it's a downward thing to do, to go from freedom to lock down.

So that's why the word plunge is appropriate here.

Okay.

And like our previous word, there's a verb form and a noun form.

Yes, we plunge into something or we can, here's a set expression.

Take a plunge or take the plunge.

Yes, I'm familiar with that one.

Take a plunge, which is when you, you end up after thinking about something for a long time, you make a decision to do something, maybe a career change.

You eventually want to take the plunge.

That's right, yes.

Um if you are not sure about something, there might be uncertain consequences just like diving into deep water that you're not sure of.

We can say that you take the plunge, you decide to take that difficult decision into an unknown future.

So for example, rob.

I know you've always wanted to join the circus, haven't you?

Oh yes.

Always wanted to be a clown.

Yes.

Do you think you'll take the plunge and you know, leave BBC learning english and uh, you know, clown around for a living?

Yeah, well, I'm still do that anyway, but I mean, I'll have a think about it.

I think before I make that decision before I take the plunge?

Yeah.

Very, very wise.

Okay.

Should we take the plunge now and have a look at the summary of that word.

Thank you.

Yeah.

So we've been talking about water plunging over waterfalls.

The famous victoria falls in Zimbabwe might have a problem though because the water there is drying up so it might stop plunging over and this is something we covered in our lingo hack video.

Where can people watch that video again, Neil?

Yeah, it's well worth a look that video and it's just in the link below, click in the lake down below time now for your next headline please kneel.

Next headline comes from Russia today and it reads first ever nationwide lockdown for the unvaccinated is on the cards.

Now.

We should say that this headline came out before the final decision.

So we're looking towards the future there and the expression is on the cards.

So that's on the cards likely to happen.

Yes and it now has happened.

Um rob have you ever been to a fortune teller?

Well I have actually yes, I went to this, this woman who had a pack of cards, she produced a card and a card.

The picture on the card told me what my future would hold that I was going to have a wife and two Children.

So that came true.

Yeah.

Okay, so by looking on the cards, the future became clear, is that right?

Yeah it was likely to happen and in this case it did happen.

Yeah.

So this is probably the origin of this expression um from fortune telling, we say that something is on the cards, it means that it is likely to happen.

It's a set phrase.

Yeah it is a set phrase.

Yes.

Okay so nice little phrase.

Let's have a summary of on the cards.

Mhm.

Thank you.

Yeah Okay it's time now to recap the vocabulary that we've been discussing today.

Yes.

First of all we had surge increase suddenly secondly we had plunges moves quickly into something and finally on the cards likely to happen.

Thanks for that.

And don't forget you can test yourself on this vocabulary by going to a quiz on our website at BBC Learning english dot com.

There's lots of other learning english resources there as well.

And don't forget we're all across social media as well.

Well that's all for this news review will be back again next week.

Bye for now.

Goodbye living with.