Living Off-Grid Like a Hobbit

Introduction:

When you’re living off grid like a Hobbit, people are going to want to take a trip to the Shire to see how you’re doing. And who doesn’t love a Hobbit? Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand but one man has brought the idea of Hobbit homes to the UK, though he claims never to have seen the movies. Interestingly, he doesn’t mention not having read the books!

Watch the video and then do the accompanying English language exercises below.

The news is a consistent and endless source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery. Because it plays such a vital part in our lives and is so important to keep up with, it’s doubtless a piece of your daily routine that can’t go ignored.

There are many reasons to read, watch or listen to the news. Understanding the ramifications of recent legislation passed. Listening to recent events and grasping the potential consequences to your country. Or, simply listening to what’s happening in other countries so you can compare them to your own. It’s a staple in our lives and the most reliable way to get information.

That’s why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds: learning English and keeping up with current events. We hope our challenging exercises, composed of listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises in English, bring these worlds together in a satisfactory and entertaining way.

So that’s all for the introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:

Adapted from this article.

Quiz Time!

And that’s it for today’s English lesson, where you can improve your English with the news and current events. Do you have any comments or special requests for us for the next edition of Learn English with the News? Be sure to leave any feedback you have in the comments section below. We would love to help you on your quest to learn the English language!

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Full text for Living Off-Grid Like a Hobbit:

Stuart Grant, now 90 years old, moved into the cottage he bought as a wreck with no roof and no doors in 1984 while he was renovating a house, but found it was so satisfying doing DIY on the quirky building which dated back 200 years, that he decided to make it his home.

He does not have a mobile phone or use the internet and no longer drives due to his age, but he loves getting out and meeting people, which is good considering he has been inundated with visitors.
Grant states that he has never watched Lord of the Rings and that is only a coincidence that the front door is almost the same shape and same kind of wood.

The old house had doorways, but no doors; window frames, but no windows, and there was no roof either. Outside there were only cows, chickens, and a donkey as neighbors. Building everything by hand, he described as working in “slow motion,” while living in a shed near to the cabin. He cut the wood from fallen trees and collected stones from the river for the stonework.

As the tourists began coming they would routinely apologize for disturbing him and say they would feel better if there were a collection box. He eventually acquiesced but insists no one has to put anything in it.