Today's Headlines:

London WW2 bunker turns into farm

The growing industry of corporate wellness

Meet the kung fu grandmother

Transcript:

This is urban farming’s new frontier, where crops are grown underground. Pink LED lights shine instead of the sun, and carpets replace soil - quite a contrast from the World War Two days when these tunnels were used as bomb shelters. The quick upside is freshness and reduced export costs. Produce goes straight to nearby retailers and restaurants the same day it is harvested. But indoor farming has its limits - generally only smaller produce can be grown.

It’s 5pm at Silicon Labs and instead of catching a bus home, workers here are busy catching their breath. Staff at the semi-conductor maker are taking part in a free health programme at work. It’s an example of a growing trend with companies buying into the idea that healthier and happier employees are also more productive. Asia Pacific's corporate wellness market is estimated to reach 7.4 billion dollars by 2024, and there’s no shortage of firms offering packages that include health screenings, exercise programmes and stress management workshops.

This is 94-year-old Zhang Hexian, commonly known as Kung Fu Grandma and the latest social media sensation to hit China. She lives a semi-reclusive lifestyle on a hilltop in a rural area. Zhang started practising the martial art when she was just four. Ninety years later and she’s still fit and practising kung fu with great dexterity. She wants younger generations to continue her legacy.

Words and phrases and definitions:

upside
positive aspect of something

catching their breath
struggling to breathe normally after physical activity

dexterity
skill in performing tasks

Exercise:

Use one of the words or phrases from Lingohack to complete each of these sentences. Note that you may have to change the form of a word or phrase to complete the sentence correctly.

upside / catching their breath / dexterity

1. You can continue your jogging. I will stop here for a minute to ______. I'm not very fit.

2. On the ______, the fall of the pound has boosted exports as goods are now far cheaper on foreign markets.

3. The discovery of an ancient bone at a burial site in Kenya puts the origin of human hand ______ at more than half a million years earlier than previously thought.

Answers:

1. You can continue your jogging. I will stop here for a minute to catch my breath. I'm not very fit.

2. On the upside, the fall of the pound has boosted exports as goods are now far cheaper on foreign markets.

3. The discovery of an ancient bone at a burial site in Kenya puts the origin of human hand dexterity at more than half a million years earlier than previously thought.