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1. The Unusual Sport of Zorbing

What unusual sports do you know about ?

Recently, film director Mark Vins rolled down a steep hill inside a gigantic plastic ball. Why ? Vin
wanted to experience the extreme sport of "zorbing."

First, a person gets inside a "zorb." A zorb is a clear inflatable ball around three meters in diameter.
Next, the zorb rolls down a hill, reaching speeds of more than 48 kilometers per hour! When the zorb
reaches the bottom, it slows down, and eventually stops.

The zorb is actually two balls - one inside the other. The rider sits in the smaller ball. The space
between the two balls is filled with air. The air acts as a cushion to protect the rider. Riders can wear a
harness that keeps them in place, or ride without a harness. Without a harness, riders can move
around inside the ball. Some zorbs are big enough for just one person. Others hold up to three.

Zorbing began in the 1990's. Andrew Akers and Dwane van der Sluis developed the sport in New
Zealand. It became popular quite quickly. Since then, zorbing has spread around the world. You can
go zorbing in countries such as Thailand, Ireland, and Korea.

And today, there are different types of zorbing. Sometimes the zorb rolls on special metal tracks,
instead of down a hill. In Florida, USA, you can watch a zorbing race on tracks. Two people, each
inside their own zorb, try to be the first to reach the finish line. There's also "aqua zorbing," where
the inner ball is filled with water. Riders can "swim" as they roll. It looks like they're in a washing
machine! Where will this unusual sport roll to next ?

Vocabulary :

 Roll down : Dévaler une pente,

 a steep hill : Une colline escarpée
 inflatable : Pneumatique
 filled : Remplir
 a harness : Un harnais
 hold up : Tenir, Contenir
 spread : se répandre, se propager

2. Are You Ready for This Jelly ?

What animals can you find in the ocean ?

You may have seen videos of jellyfish swimming in the ocean. Jellyfish are sea creatures that look like
floating plastic bags, or umbrellas, with long, flowing tentacles. Jellyfish use venom in their tentacles
to catch food. Lately, the number of jellyfish has been increasing in oceans across the globe. Though
scientists aren't sure why this is happening, many are concerned. To them, too many jellyfish in the
oceans is bad news. One interesting solution to this problem is encouraging people to eat the
jellyfish!

Eating jellyfish is nothing new. For thousands of years, dishes made with jellyfish have been popular
in Asian countries such as Japan, China, and Vietnam. However, in Europe and other parts of the
world, jellyfish is an unfamiliar food. Biologist Antonella Leone at the Italian National Research
Council (CNR) wants to change that. She says that jellyfish are low in calories and fat too, and can be a
healthy addition to a person's diet. They are also a good source of protein. Out of the (approximately)
4,000 species of jellyfish worldwide, at least 30 of them are edible.

Leone has been studying jellyfish in the Mediterranean Sea for more than 10 years. It's a region
where the increase in jellyfish has been a huge problem. One reason is that large groups, or
"swarms," of jellyfish have destroyed fish farms, causing owners to lose money. Another reason is
that beaches have had to close to protect swimmers from jellyfish stings. Jellyfish stings are often
extremely painful and can make humans sick; some stings can even be deadly.

Leone and other scientists at the CNR are researching ways to make jellyfish tasty. So far, they have
worked with chefs to turn dried, fresh, and frozen jellyfish into appetizing foods, including desserts,
salads, and seasonings. Chef Fabiano Viva, of the restaurant Duo, in Lecce, Italy, has used jellyfish in
soups and pasta sauces. He's also made jellyfish taste like French fries. Leone has collected some of
the chefs' best recipes so far and turned them into a book called European Jellyfish Cookbook.

And how does jellyfish taste? As one satisfied customer put it, "It tastes like the sea!"

Vocabulary :

 Edible : Comestible
 Fish farms : Fermes piscicoles
 Stings : Les piqûres
 Swarms : Les essaims
 Dried : Sêcher

3. Welcome To The Doodle House !

When and what do you doodle ?

Have you ever drawn simple pictures or designs during a work meeting or during a class ? Then
you've doodled! When Sam Cox was nine years old, he doodled on his bedroom wall. Many people
outgrow doodling, but Cox never did; he became a successful British artist. Cox's childhood dream
was to live in a house completely covered in doodles. Recently, with the "Doodle House," he made his
dream come true !

The Doodle House looks very different from other houses in Kent, England. It has been doodled,
inside and out! Cox's art looks like cute, black-on-white cartoons. He uses simple, thick lines to create
symbols and characters wearing funny expressions. Cox bought the 13-room home in 2019. Then, he
covered every bit of it with white paint - he used 900 liters ! Next, Cox grabbed a black marker and
started doodling on the white surfaces. He began upstairs in the main bedroom, and then moved on
to the bathroom. Eventually, he finished the entire upper floor. Cox spent almost two years drawing
over every square centimeter of the house !

Cox didn't only doodle on the walls, floors and ceilings of the house - he doodled on the furnishings
too! Doodled beds have doodled blankets and pillows. In the kitchen, the stove and refrigerator have
been doodled. The dining room chairs and table have doodles. Cox doodled the sofa in his living room
as well as the television! Finally, when Cox had finished all the rooms in the house, he used 401 cans
of black spray paint to add doodles to the outside !

Each part of the Doodle House has a theme. In the bedroom, flowers, stars and other characters get
ready for bed. Fish and other sea creatures float around a water-themed bathroom, along with a
giant toothbrush. There's even a "thinking" room filled with fluffy clouds !
Cox (known as "Mr. Doodle") loves living in the Doodle House with his wife Alena ("Mrs. Doodle"),
and their dog, "We think it's really fun," he says. The public can't visit yet, but there is an online video
Cox made using the nearly 2,000 photos he took while painting the house. "I am so excited that my
doodles now have a permanent home in the UK," says Mr. Doodle.

Vocabulary :

 Doodle : Griffoner/Griffonnage
 The furnishings : Le mobilier
 The stove : Le poêle
 Fluffy : Duveteux

4. Is It Messy or Is It Cluttercore ?
Do you like to collect things?

If yes, what do you collect?

If not, why not?

Children often collect things, such as rocks, dolls, or stickers. Research shows that being surrounded
by their objects makes children happy and secure. But when children become adults, they're
expected to be more organized, and make sure their homes don't have too much clutter. "Clutter is
stuff that is no longer useful but gets in the way of living," says Jennifer Howard, who wrote a book
called Clutter: An Untidy History. Most modern design trends encourage people to tidy up rooms, and
"declutter" their homes. Yet, many adults enjoy collecting. They might want to keep their old
collections, or create new ones. Lucky for them, there's a new design trend called "cluttercore."

With cluttercore, people keep and celebrate their collections, instead of throwing them away. In
crowded cluttercore rooms, many things are on display, but they're organized. The idea is to group
similar items together, and give each group its own area, so rooms don't feel messy. For example, you
may display a collection of photographs by covering a wall with them, from top to bottom. In the
same room, take a different group of objects, such as clocks or small statues, and display them on a
table.

Collector Daniel Mathis is sometimes called the "King of Cluttercore.'' His different collections are
arranged around his large 111.5 square meter apartment in Oklahoma, USA. Two tables are
completely covered with objects made of brass. Another has a bunch of tall black candles. Paintings
of faces hang on a green wall in the dining room. Mathis keeps a framed seashell collection in his
home office, as well as part of his pottery collection - he has more than 400 pieces of pottery around
the house! "Collecting is in my blood... and so why fight it?" says Mathis. "It's what I love to do."

Like other cluttercore fans, Mathis shares his cluttercore pictures on the Internet. Cluttercore began
trending on social media during the pandemic. For many people stuck at home, cluttercore was just
what the doctor ordered. "We want[ed] to feel safe, we want[ed] to feel comfortable, we want[ed] to
feel protected and taken care of - stuff can act like a literal cocoon," says Howard. Can cluttercore
change our views on clutter ?

Vocabulary :

 Dolls : Poupées
 Being surrounded : Être entouré
 Clutter : Désordre
  On display : A l’affiche
 Untidy/Messy : Désordonné
 Tidy up : Ranger
 Bunch : bouquet
 Candles : bougies
 Hang on a : Attendez une/un…

5. A Fridge Full of Food, and Love !

How can communities help people who are hungry get food ?

According to the organization World Food Programme (WFP), as many as 828 million people
worldwide are unsure of where their next meal is coming from. This means they suffer from food
insecurity. People who are food insecure have difficulty getting enough food to eat each day. One way
to provide them with access to healthy food is by putting refrigerators in public spaces. These
refrigerators are called "community fridges."

Community fridges are placed outdoors, in areas that get a lot of foot traffic. You may see them on
sidewalks in front of stores, at schools, or even in people's front yards. Anyone can visit the fridge and
take as much free food as they need. The fridges are also unlocked, so people can visit 24 hours a day.

To fill the fridges, private citizens and businesses donate food. Some donations come from
supermarkets, restaurants, and local businesses that have leftover food. According to the WFP, one-
third of all the world's food is lost or wasted each year. And a lot ends up in landfills, which is bad for
the environment. Community fridges redistribute food that would otherwise be thrown away.

The fridges are usually decorated or painted in bright colors, and are covered by a roof or shelter to
protect them from the weather. Inside each fridge, you'll find everything - from bread and eggs to
fresh fruits and vegetables. Many also have cabinets next to them for food that doesn't need
refrigeration.

Volunteers manage the space, making sure the fridge is kept clean and working properly. They
coordinate deliveries and keep everything organized. If they notice a need for a particular item,
volunteers may use social media to suggest ideas for donations. Volunteer Lily Winter, from the
Coconut Grove community fridge in Florida, USA, is happy to be helping out. "Even if it is just one
fridge or one community," says Winter, "it's something; it makes a difference."

The Coconut Grove fridge is one of more than 150 community fridges across the USA. Many other
countries, such as the UK, Brazil, and Slovakia, also have community fridges. As Winter tells visitors,
"Anything's yours. It's your fridge, it's my fridge, it's everyone's fridge!".

Vocabulary :

 As many as : Autant que

 Leftover : Laissé pour compte
 Landfills : Décharge
 Roof : Toit
 Shelter : Abris