World News for Students of English

24-08-2015 15:00

Russian President Vladimir Putin took a dive underwater in Crimea. He descended to the bottom of the Black Sea to look at shipwrecks from the 11th century.

Putin said over the radio:

“There are simply so many interesting things here. There are so many objects scattered around. The ship wreckage can be seen very well, and specialists say there will be a lot of work to do here.”

Several top Russian officials, including Russia’s Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Senate Speaker and Putin’s Chief of Staff were at the pier in the Sevastopol port to watch the Russian president’s latest stunt.

This was Putin’s second dive in the Black Sea. In 2011, he dived off the coast of southern Russia.

Underwater footage showed him finding and bringing to the surface two vases dating back to the 6th century. His spokesman Dmitry Peskov later admitted the diving stunt broadcast was staged and Putin did not find the vases himself.

Difficult words: descend (to move down), scattered (located in all different positions), pier (a platform which goes from the shore into the sea), stunt (a cool but dangerous action), footage (video), staged (prepared).

Source: www.ondemandnews.com