Hi mates,
Could you please confirm me that there is lass today? and at what time? 18.00 as the previous Friday's class?
Thanks!
Regards
Roberto

Summary class 22/11/12

Hi classmates,

Here you have a summary of the work we did on Thursday:

First of all, we began the class correcting the homework on pages 21, 22 and 23 related to comparisons and expressions with “way”.

Then we commented the entries on the Blog of Roberto, Vanessa and Marisa, if you want to know more about it you can click on the links they added.

In this class we learn some vocabulary that it could be interesting to use overall in the oral exam; here you have some of the words and expressions we learned:

Fund,

Plastic surgery

Diet (go on a diet)

Pressure of the media

Appliances

Blender/mixer

To stir

To whish

To smell of

Stains

Abortion / miscarriage

Juan Ramón recommended us to organize our ideas in the oral exam taking in account three points:

• Reasons
• Consequences
• Personal opinion

Finally, we started unit 3 and did the listening in page 28.

For those of you who didn't come to class yesterday but are willing to know what's for homework for next week:

For Tuesday:

Reading pages 30/31 and do the reading exercises 2 and 3.

For Thursday:

Writing a composition around the two questions at the end of page 29 after reading the information related to PlasTax.

Have a good weekend 

Lourdes

                              A NEW LINK


            Hi everyone,
yesterday I sent you a link ("a lovely link"), but it wasn't from the media. Sorry about that, and so I am going to sort it out straight away. My new link is http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20258176 . It is about "How to make things invisible". Here you can listen to the Professor Chris Philips from Imperial College London who is speaking to BBC News about some of the work being done on making invisibility a reality. The link is really interesting  and it is amazing too see because it contains a video, so, at the same time, you can practice your listening.
Bye.
Paloma.

ANOTHER WAY TO LEARN

Nowadays, everybody has heard about climate change, but not many know the real implications that this problem have to mankind, as well as what we can do for reducing consequences.

Thus, I propose this interesting link.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/hottopics/climatechange/climate_challenge/aboutgame.shtml

It is about a game about climate change, in which you are president of the European Nations, and must manage climate change without losing popularity in order to remain in office.

¿Why a game about this topic has been developed? Mainly because it is necessary to awareness population, but also to know which are the issues that are being discussing by governments around the world. It is a game that wants to make users enjoy, so it should not be taken as a real prediction, simply as a game, although it includes real researches.  It is ideal to learn more about climate change.

Let’s try it!

Hi mates,

This link is very useful for those who like travelling and very helpful to plan your trip effectively. So if you are thinking of visiting any of the most important cities in the world such as Paris, London , Berlin etc.., next long weekend or maybe next summer, have a look at this link where you’ll find the best interactive city guides with all the information and tips you need to organize your trip easily.

 It’s well worth a click!!
　
　

SICAV or the legal fiscal Paradise in Spain!

Dear mates, the first time I read about this issue I couldn’t believe it, there is an easy and legal way to avoid paying taxes in Spain! You just pay 1% of your money, no matter how much it is. Well, you need a big amount of money to constitute this type of society, so is not for people like us.

This type of society is being used by many rich and famous people, bank owners, businessmen, monarchy members and of course the Church. I’m sure you will be surprised with some names.

The tax office inspectors are not allowed to investigate these societies, our current government, as well as the previous one, forbid the inspectors to carry on any single inspection.

This is just another example of what the politicians are doing for the people of this country, while a worker can pay up to 50% of its salary in taxes depending on his incomes, a person with some millions of euros would pay just the 1%, and moreover these euros are producing more money out of Spain, they even don’t have to use it here… amazing.

I’m sure that if you did not know about this at least you will find it interesting:

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/09/10/spain-investment-scheme-of-the-rich-and-famous-makes-headlines/

All the best,

Roberto

                            A  LOVELY  LINK

http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/quotes.HTM

     Hi everyone,
my link is about inspirational Quotes for Teachers and Learners: "Free resources for Teachers and Students of English". Here you can find really interesting famous English quotations which are organized into two groups: teachers and learners.So here you have as an example:
    
     For teachers: "If the child is not learning the way you are teaching, then you must teach in the way the child learns" (Rita Dunn).
     For learners: "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young" (Henry Ford).

    If you like this kind of curiosities, you will find it really nice.
See you next day.
Bye.
Paloma.
   

           Thousands march in Dublin over abortion righ

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/17/march-dublin-abortion-death?INTCMP=SRCH

 

 

This week-end, I read a lot of articles about demonstrations in solidarity with the family of a woman who died after being denied abortion in Ireland. Her death was extremely tragic and personally, I don’t understand how they could let a young woman go to save a baby who will die anyway.

Successive governments have avoided confronting its reality in Irish society, but newspapers said that more than 3,000 women a year leave Ireland to have an abortion, usually in England. After that, the pressure for something to be done about the legal morass around abortion is greater than it has ever been.

However, in this case, I think that the death of Savita is not a refutation of anti-abortion arguments, it's a refutation of medical malpractice.

Interesting link

Hi mates!
Here you have a link from de BBC website that I think that it's worth reading:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/20389235

Next weekend's race in Brazil will decide the Formula I championship. Vettel is the favourite for achieving the drivers' title, but our compatriot Fernando Alonso has also a little chance to get it, so they are both excited about it.

AFTER HURRICANE SANDY

 At New York Times, I read that The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal has housed 137 animals after the Hurricane Sandy,  and it was expected to house a few hundred. The center can accomodate up to 700 animals, which are permittedto stay for 30 days free of charge, with full veterinary care, until their owners can reclaim them.
Here you have the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/nyregion/temporary-shelter-opens-for-pets-of-owners-displaced-by-hurricane-sandy.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0

INTERESTING LINK

Hi mates,
I,ve made my homeworks and I,ve been surfing on the internet links. As you know, I love music and my recommendation is about music.
I recommend you to visit NPR radio where you could find, read and listen different news, songs, interviews,... about all music styles.

Click on the photo




Another link (pronuntation)

Interesting link about health (NPR News)

Beer,wine  and spirits. When counting our liquid calories, are we honest?

The survey analyzes interesting findings.
In the first time, the average intake in guys from 20s to 30s is about 175 calories per day from alcoholic beverages. That’s the equivalent of about two light beers.
For women, the average is lower, at about 60 calories per day. So, spread over a week, we’re talking about 420 calories or four glasses of wine.
Secondly, perhaps beer reigns with men and wine among ladies. However, lately women seem to be equally drinkers of beer, wine and  spirits ,consuming about as many calories from hard liquors as men.
However, there are to be more teetotalers and occasional drinkers as well who are relating the alcohol with calories, sugar and weight.

Hi mates, among the sites we can visit on the right, I have a favourite:
http://es.englishcentral.com/
I subscribed last year and they send me new videos each week. You can choose the level and the issues you are more interested in, practise your pronunciation and improve your vocabulary.
Most of you visited this page last course and I encourage you to visit it again.
And for those trip's lovers, don't miss this website http://www.bbc.com/travel. You'll find fantastic places where to fly with your imagination. Regards.



Reading for tuesday

, I was who I had to put the homework for tuesday. Juan Ramon ddid part of my work, nevertheless we have to do to the reading of page 26-27 and the exercise number tree.

Good weekend.

Reading+Writing homework - November 20th

I want to remind you that, as homework, before Tuesday 20th, you have to surf some of the media in English. Choose one item that interests you, read it and then add its link here and comment why you find it worth it reading.

Use the comment section below, so that your entries are better organized. 

Enjoy your weekend, but don't forget to read some English every single day, if possible 

SUMMARY OF THURSDAY NOVEMBER 13th

Hello everybody,


Here is the summary of the last class, November 13th:

First of all, we corrected the homework from the photocopy of tuesday.
After that, we started the lesson 2d p.22: Listening exercises numbers 1,2 and 3.

Finally we corrected half the mistakes we had done in our writings.

And, here you have the homework for Thursday:
-Correct the rest of the mistakes of the writings
-And the photocopy I have added below.

That’s all!! See you on Thursday!

PHOTOCOPY 1: HOMEWORK 13-11-2012


Read through the gapped text ~'Y> Look at the paragraphs belowwhich have been taken out. Use the underlined words and phrases to help you fit the paragraphs into the numbered gaps. Remember there is one paragraph which does not fit. 


One length forward, two lengths back.;; 
It was meant to be a relaxing break following a science ;i~ 
conference - a three-day kayaking trip off the west coast of';'] Vancouver lslsnd; before returning to Toronto. Instead it:;~ turned intá a succession of neai'-disasters, albeit along some of Canada's most beautiful shore.;~ 

AII had gone well the first day. Slipping out early from our hotel beside vancouver'~ll Stanley Park we skipped the last session of the conference and drove to Horseshoe BaY1~ ferry terminal with a couple of two-person kayaks firmlyattached to the van roof, and;~ wet-bags filled withprovisions. Brenda was the senior member of this gang of four.·~ Besides being a leading surgeon, she was an experienced ocean kayaker. David and r~~ were reassured that we would have no problems. Michael, a family friend of Brenda's;~~ completed the group.i:1 
1-

Waking to heavy rain, we discovered a sea of mud around the tent. Aware that theét~ , 
weather could worsen considerably, we decided to head back to Tofino. It was sooQr~ apparent that rough seas and a strong wind were against uso The next few exhausting~¡ hours were spent battling against the tide: progress made with great effort would bé;~ : quickly lost in a strong gust. During one stretch, we kayaked beside the same tall piné~ i tree for about 30 minutes, holding our own against the tide, but unable to go forward. ·~~i! . 

2-
Both Native Indians, they ran a Family Recovery Centre for akohollcs and their families;~~ll'· with an emphasis on traditional concepts and practices. They told us about their work::%! f 
and how it was helping the local community

3- ~ ,<11 
The following morning the water looked calm; the sky, although certainly not blue, was;1~ I not black either. Determined not to waste the opportunity, we headed back onto the.~ 1, water. Our destinationwas Meares Island, a breathtaking, ancient rainforest with trees',:,.,~,111 many hundreds of years old and of vast diameters, damp and dense undergrowth, and~ eagle nests high above. Emerging again at the shoreline after hiking a trail through this~ ¡ 
wonderland we were met with heavy rain and choppy seas
4-
We were soon buffetedby wind and rain. Halfway across, the kayaks were caught iñ~¡ the rough swell where two currents merged: waves smacked into us and we were~ I knocked and blown about. Michael and I were battling along when suddenly we heard]' a shout behind. Brenda and David had gone over into the freezing water, their kayak~, 
was upside down.'ánd:they were struggling to hold on in the high waves
5-
Michael called the coastguard from the nearest house: they arrived within minutes:: asking for directions, and then we waited. Many, many tense minutes passed before the:; coastguard again carne into view and we both had tears in our eyes when we counted] two extra figures in the boat. 

6-  
That tragedy had been averted made the travails of the subsequent tale seem triviavi but they are worth relating. As soon as we were able, we left Tofino and drove acrost! Vancouver Island at high speed and in gale force winds, only to miss the ferry by.: minutes. The later sailing meant we reached the airport check-in desk one rninuté] 
before the last flight of the day left forToronto. ,,' 
7- 
So much for relaxation - but at least we all survived. 



A later, 1hgy arranged for the seaboat that serves the native communities along the coast to return ~ to Tofino.J1rn1 night we rented a log cabin on long Beach and were lulled to sleep by the sound of waves pounding on the shore. 
B Brenda had managed to right the kayak and clamber back in, and had been attempting, without a rud~gr, to paddle closer 
to land while David clung to the side. . 
C Once on Vancouver Island we drove across the mountainous interior to the Pacific Rim National Park with its endless log­strewn beaches, and north to Tofino, starting point for any kayaking trip among the small islands of Clayoquot Sound. Despite much controversy in recent years over logging in the region, it remained a largely unspoilt wilderness. We paddled out to the islands until late afternoon, enjoying calm seas and a blue sky and admiring the mountains before eventually setting up our campsite facing the Pacific Ocean. 
, ., 
D Twenty-twenty hindsight reveals our subseguent decision to have been most unwise. Rather than retracing our meandering outward journey between the islands, which would have provided shelter from the wind, we chose the shorter and more direct route. crossing an open stretch of water.
E Vancouver Island is the largest island off the west coast of North America. It boasts everything for the discerning tourist, from rugged wilderness to grand colonial architecture. The climate is mild, particularly at the southern end where it is protected from the ocean by a northerly promontory of Washington State. 
F We turned to go back but Brenda furiously shouted us away, waving us to the shore for help. Realizing that it was the only possible hope, we left them, and desperately fighting the heaving swell, headed for land. looking back before we turned in towards Tofino, all we could see were waves. 
G- The airline was persuaded to hold the flight as Brenda was due to operate on a very sick child the next morning. Our luggage was to follow on a subsequent flight: but when we received our bags, all the outdoor and camping equipment had been meticulously stolen. 
H- Eventually a lull in the storm allowed us to slowly but doggedly cross to an adjacent island where we pulled into a dock. As the wind rose again we were about to attempt the difficult task of rounding the headland whén two men carne out of the forest. Scanning the bay with blnoculars for eagles, they had spotted the kayaks from their home on the hill.After driving us all back there, !hgy calmly made hot tea while describing the whale population in the area and the behaviour of eagle families in the bay.

PHOTOCOPY 2: MISTAKES 13-11-2012 


11. Is this that future we want for our future? 
Anybody can feel the necessity of participate 
LSV can beneficiate economy ( ... ) but it is impossible to evaluate every consequences 
14.Sheldon demands to the Spanish president some concessions. 
15.0ur Community should have invested better installing any factories or another clearer business not relating to gambling and corruption. 
16.This large complex will generate a lot of jobs, an authentic good notice. 
17. Some people argue that this may be what is waiting our economy. 

SUMMARY OF THURSDAY NOVEMBER 8th

Hi!
Here is the summary of the last class, November 8th:

First of all, we corrected the homework (ex.1,2,3 p.17)

After that, we started the lesson 2c p.20: Speaking nº1: In group of three, we discuss about the method of transport which has had the most positive impact on our lives: cars, trains or planes. There was a tie between cars and planes.
Then, we read the text “the rise of the bicycle” and we spoke about the topic.
Finally, we discuss about the greatest technological innovation since 1800 (ex.4 p.20). Simon explained his choice justifying his opinions.

And….Here you have the homework for Tuesday:
-Ex.3 p.20
-And the following photocopy I have added below.

That’s all!! See you on Tuesday!

PHOTOCOPY: HOMEWORK 08-11-2012

1) For questions 1-13, read the following note, written by a club member. Use the information in the note to complete the numbered gaps in the letter to the club secretary. Use no more than two words for each gap. The exercise begins with an example (0).

A. INFORMAL NOTE

Maggie,
I'm afraid 1 can't make the youth club meeting on Thursday after all. The boss wants me to go to Spain — she only let me know last night.
Anyway, I've written to Mrs Burgess to let her know 1 can't come and also I wanted a chance to tell her what 1 think about a couple of the things that will come up for discussion. One is what should we do with the extra money? 1 know some people think we should keep the fees the same or even cut them a little but 1 really think the club house needs doing up. It's in a terrible state — some paint and some new wallpaper would be a start. Te my mind, this really is the best thing to do.
She also thought it would be a good idea if we met more often. Well, for once 1 agree with her. (It doesn't happen very often, does it?) We might get more done.
Have a nice meeting! I'll think of you as 1 tuck into my paella.
George

B FORMAL LETTER

Dear Mrs Burgess,
I (0) regret to inform you that I will be unable to (1) ................... the meeting on Thursday 14th April as I have been asked to travel to Spain on (2) ..... . ............. at very(3) ....................
I would like to take this (4) ..................., therefore, to (5) ................... my views on two important items on the agenda. The first is the (6) .................. . of what to do with our financial) surplus. I am (7) ................... that there are some members who feel that this would be best used to keep our membership fees as they are or even to (8) ................... them. My feeling, however, is that this would not be the best (9) ................... action and that the money should be used to (10) ................... the club house.
The second item concerns your (11) ...................that the committee should meet every month rather than every two months as it does at the moment. 1 am very much in (12) ................... this idea and I feel that we would (13) ................... much more if we were to meet more frequently.

Yours faithfully,

G J Florey

2) Peter and Sue are in the shopping centre. Complete their conversation by putting the verbs into the infinitive or the -ing form.

Peter :Have we done al¡ the shopping now?
Sue Yes, I think so. I must remember (post) this letter.
Peter I remember (pass) a postbox somewhere.
Sue Just a minute, where's my purse? It isn't in my handbag.
Peter Did you forget (bring) it?
Sue No, I had it not long ago. And my credit card is in there. Oh, my God, what are we going to do? Peter Just stop (worry) and think. You must have put it down somewhere and forgotten (pick) it up. Try (remember) when you had it last.
Sue I remember (have) it in the shoe shop.
Peter Then you stopped (buy) a newspaper ...
Sue Oh, it's all right. It's here in the, shopping bag. Sony. 1 can't remember (put) it there.
Peter You could try (chain) it to your hand next time.

3) Complete the short article on the bicycle as a form of transport. Put in these words or phrases: after, also, although, because, but, but also, either, if, not only, on the other hand, or, so, that, when, whereas. (Some of the words or phrases may be used more than once.)

The bicycle
Driving a car can be expensive. The bicycle, ... , is a cheap form of transport. A bicycle ... costs very little ... lasts much longer than a car. It is ... very cheap to use ... of course it doesn't need any fuel. In fact, it costs practically nothing ... you've bought it. It ... helps keep you fit ... you get exercise ... you ride it. Another good thing about a bicycle is ... it doesn't pollute the air. ... everyone rode bicycles instead of driving cars, we wouldn't be using up the world's oil so quickly.

…..the bicycle has these advantages, it has some disadvantages táo. It is convenient only for relatively short journeys, ... by car you can travel quite a long way in comfort. Another problem is ... the cyclist is not protected from the weather and gets wet ... it rains. Cycling isn't very Hice in heavy traffic .... In Britain there are very few cycle paths, ... bicycles have to share the road with cars and lorries. The best place for a bike ride is a quiet country lane. Main roads and city streets are often ... busy ... it needs some courage to take a bike on them. The cyclist has no protection, and ... he is more likely than a motorist to be seriously hurt ... killed ... he does have an accident. Cycling keeps you healthy, ... the cars may kill you!

Summary November 6th.

Hi mates!
Here is the summary of Tuesday:
First of all, we started the class correcting the homework:
We read the texts on page 16 and we corrected the exercise 2.
After that, we did the vocabulary exercise on the same page.
Then, we turned to page 18 and we did the whole page.
We were also doing the listening exercises on page 19 and the speaking exercises 1 and 2 where we were using a very useful technique to memorize a sequence of eight cards.
Finally, here you have the homework for Tuesday:
page 17-> Grammar: 1,2 and 3 (if you read first the page 24 is easier to do the exercises)
Remember that tomorrow we have to give to the teacher the composition about EuroVegas with an introduction, pros and cons and a conclusion about our opinion.

That's all! See you on Thursday.

Homework for Thursday

Hi there!
Yesterday I couldn't go to the English class because I was ill. Could someone tell me the homework for tomorrow? Thank you in advance.
See you tomorrow!
Ana Isabel

Hi Juan Ramón, thank you to invite me to the blog. See you Marisa