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| Words in the News
Monday 10 June 2002
Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find explanations of difficult words below.
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New comic Superhero
Summary: The leading American comic book publisher, Marvel Comics, is starting a new comic book which it hopes will become as popular as its classics, "Spiderman", "Superman" and "The Incredible Hulk". But in this comic book the heroes will be ordinary New York police, firefighters and paramedics. This report from Jane Standley.
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| | The News | |
| | | It's a case of move over Spiderman and The Incredible Hulk - here come New York's finest. That's how its police officers are known; its firefighters are called the bravest. Their first adventures, along with the exploits of a female paramedic, are being sent out to the three-million subscribers to other, more traditional Marvel comics and will now also be in the shops.
The first issue - "The Call of Duty: The Brotherhood" - focuses on firefighters, who respond to all kinds of emergencies, small and large, around the city. But they're always hot on the heels of evil-doers too who want to wrong New Yorkers. And, because the comic strips take place in superhero land, there are hints of the super-human.
Marvel comics think they have hit on a best seller and a new cultural trend. New York's emergency personnel, especially its firefighters, have become revered for the way in which they responded to the attacks on the city on September the eleventh. Four-hundred-and three of them were killed. The publishers say they are not cashing in, just treating the emergency services with the respect they deserve. But this being America, there will of course be toys and videos as spin-offs of the new superhero series.
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| | The Words
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| | | move over
no longer big news
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| | | finest
here, bravest people
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| | | exploits
brave actions
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| | | subscribers
people who pay to receive a publication regularly
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| | | hot on the heels of
here, chasing
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| | | to wrong
to treat badly
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| | | super-human
beyond the powers of ordinary people
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| | | revered
greatly respected
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| | | cashing in
making money from the situation
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| | | spin-offs
new products which are based on an existing idea
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| | Read more about this story | |
| | Other Words in the News archives | |
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