Culture
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Magic and daemons in Philip Pullman TV series
Do we all have animal spirits? His Dark Materials, a popular book series adapted for TV, is set in a parallel world where everyone’s spirit lives inside an animal companion called a daemon.
- Culture
- Reading Band 8
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An army of youth to celebrate truth
What is the magic of poems? By using simple words arranged in lines and verses, poets can describe how many of us feel at important moments in life. Great poems can become like friends.
- Culture
- Reading Band 5
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‘It’s MY car now and I live here!’
Do we love humans more than animals? Every year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award shows us the very best pictures of the animal kingdom, from chasing cheetahs to curious raccoons.
- Culture
- Reading Band 5
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The woman who can see into the future
Is Margaret Atwood a prophet? She seems to have predicted recent attacks on women’s rights, President Trump, and the climate crisis. Yet she insists she sees only the present, not the future.
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Top writer imagines going back 500 years
Does life always get better? In a new thriller out this week, Robert Harris imagines that modern civilisation has collapsed and history has to start again. Our luxuries are just dim memories.
- Culture
- Reading Band 11
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Have your say in Earth’s message to the stars
If aliens call, what should we say? Scientists are asking the public how — and if — we should reply to a message from intelligent life. The decision could change the course of human history.
- Culture
- Reading Band 11
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Teen heroes amaze, delight and spark hope
Do teenagers deserve more respect? From Coco to Greta, the news is suddenly full of amazing young people. Yet, grown ups often think teenagers are lazy and selfish.
- Culture
- Reading Band 5
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Toy Story 4 explores what it means to be alive
Why are we alive? This is the surprisingly serious question posed by a new character in Toy Story 4, which is released today. The film tells the story of a spork that comes to life.
- Culture
- Reading Band 14+
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Jay-Z is the world’s first hip-hop billionaire
Is hip-hop the most exciting style of music? Rap legend Jay-Z has been named the world’s first hip-hop billionaire. He started life in one of New York’s roughest neighbourhoods…
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Eurovision: the ultimate battle of the bands
Is Eurovision silly or serious? Tomorrow, around 200 million people will tune in to watch the grand final of the world’s most outrageous singing competition: the Eurovision Song Contest.
- Culture
- Reading Band 14+
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‘Carry your heart like an egg on a spoon’
Those are the beautiful words of Simon Armitage, a famous UK poet. Poetry will never be everyone’s cup of tea, he says, but today it is attracting more interest.
- Culture
- Reading Band 11
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Scottish museum to stop calling ships ‘she’
Is this a good idea? For hundreds of years, sailors have called their ships “she”. Now, the Scottish Maritime Museum has decided to “move with the times” and call them “it” instead.
- Culture
- Reading Band 8
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Secrets and wisdom of The Avengers
Avengers: Endgame has finally hit cinemas, a year after the devastating losses caused by the villain Thanos. The film ends over a decade of epic superhero films. What have they...
- Culture
- Reading Band 14+
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Emojis have a history going back 5,000 years
Will we all write in emojis soon? A new British Library exhibition looks at the history of writing, starting with hieroglyphs and ending with emojis. They have more in common than you might...
- Technology
- Culture
- Reading Band 8
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Hope rises from the ashes of Notre Dame
Can France recover? For 855 years, Notre Dame Cathedral has watched over the city of Paris. The worst fire in its history has triggered an outpouring of shock and grief.
- Culture
- Reading Band 14+