115 Days to go in the countdown to the London Olympic Games

Wenlock and Mandeville, the London 2012 mascots

From 27 July to 12 August 2012 The Olympic Games will be held in London. The London 2010 Olympics will be one of the biggest sporting events in the world. And on the occasion of the Games, I invite you to know some of the simple facts in words and numbers.

There are 26 sports played by 24 countries. The games will start on July 27th and finish on August 12th. Events will take place at 26 different venues.

There will be more than 10,000 athletes from all over the world. And there will be 8,000 Olympic torch carriers.The new Olympic village will be big enough for 16,000 people. 80, 000 spectators will be able to sit in the new Olympic stadium. Every day 9,000 police officers will keep athletes and spectators safe.

Talking about News and Media, 20,000 journalists will report on the 2012 Olympics 24 hours a day, with  200 kilometres of electrical cables. More than 4 billion people around the world will watch the opening ceremony and the rest of the games on TV.

The 2010 Olympics hope to develop one of the poorest parts of London and provide new homes, jobs and shops. Three-quarters of all the money will help to make East London a better place to live in the future. The Games will make 2,818 new homes for people to live in.

Source: Speak Up

Tasks:
1. Study and revise Vocabulary related to sport. Start with Olympic Sports.

Olympic Sports

Archery	Athletics	Badminton	Basketball	Beach Volleyball
Boxing	Canoe Slalom	Canoe Sprint	Cycling – BMX	Cycling – Mountain Bike
Cycling – Road	Cycling – Track	Diving	Equestrian – Dressage	Equestrian – Eventing
Equestrian – Jumping	Fencing	Football	Gymnastics – Artistic	Gymnastics – Rhythmic
Gymnastics – Trampoline	Hockey	Judo	Modern Pentathlon	Rowing
Sailing	Shooting	Swimming	Synchronised Swimming	Table Tennis
Taekwondo	Tennis	Triathlon	Volleyball	Water Polo
Weightlifting	Wrestling

2. Read the text" The first Olympic Games" and answer the questions about it.

The Olympic Games were a series of athletic competitions held for representatives of various city-states of Ancient Greece. They began in 776 BB in Olympia in Greece. They were celebrated until 393 AD when they were suppressed by Theodosius I as part of the campaign to impose Christianity as a  state religion. The Games were usually held every four years. During a celebration of the Games, an Olympic Peace was made so that athletes could travel from their countries to the Games in safety. Some archaeologists argue, however, that the wars were not halted, but that the athletes who were in the army

were allowed to leave and participate in the Olympics.

Politicians would announce political alliances at the Games, and in times of war, priests would offer sacrifices to the gods for victory. The Games were also used to help spread hellenistic culture throughout the mediterranean.

The ancient Olympics were rather different from the modern games. There were fewer events, and only free young men who spoke Greek could compete. Athletes from any country oe city-state were allowed to participate. the Games were always held at Olympia rather than alternating with different locations as is the tradition with the modern Olympic Games. At first, the Olympic games lasted only one day, but eventually grew to five days. Participation in the classical games was limited to male athletes, although women entering horses in the equestrian events were allowed to take part.

Questions

1. Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer.

1. The Olympic Games were originally celebrated once a year until 393 BC.

2. The Games were used for several purposes, apart from the sports competition.

2. Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words.
1. How many cities hosted the Games in the ancient Greece?
2. In what way were the ancient Olympics different from contemporary games?. Give two examples.


3. Find a synonym in the text for:
1. stopped
2. use your authority to force
3. carried out, continued
4. relating to horses and riding

4. Complete the following sentences. The meaning should be the same as that of the sentence above.

1. It´s a pity they didn´t permit women athletes to compete.

I wish......

2. During the Games sculptors created statues of Olympic victors and displayed their works of art.

(.......) used to (.........).

3. The organizers awarded the winner of an Olympic event an olive branch.

The winner....

4. "I have read that single women were allowed to watch the races", he said to me.

He said.....

5. Write a composition with the following title (80-120 words)

Try to convince a friend to join you in a sports activity, giving your reasons.

Vocabulary learning through TV Ads and Advertising

TV Ads and other type of advertising is one effective and interesting way of learning vocabulary.

   

This TV commercial helps us understand some interesting English adjectives. These adjectives seem to describe the people being shown and the taste of the corn chips, called Doritos.

spicy: the chips are spicy, the woman is also "hot" or "attractive".
cheesy: the chips are cheese flavored. The man is "cheesy" because he is a little bit foolish!
crunchy: the chips make a "crunch" sound when you eat them. Or when your head hits the windshield of your car!
bold: again, a bold taste with a bold woman.
smooth? is the taste smooth? Is the woman smooth? Well, maybe not!

Watch the advert and enjoy!

http://www.laughandlearnenglish.com/videos/livetheflavor.wmv

Unable to learn to speak in English or understand it.

Dedicated to the students who find English difficult to learn.
I hope all of you enjoy the jokes!

This is the reason why I am unable to learn to speak in English  or I can´t understand it!

The test consists of three modules...

BASIC MODULE

In Spanish:
"Tres brujas miran tres relojes Swatch. ¿Qué bruja mira qué reloj? "

In English:

"Three witches watch three Swatch watches. Which witch watch which Swatch watch? "

ADVANCED MODULE

In Spanish:
"Tres brujas 'travestis' miran los botones de tres relojes Swatch. ¿Qué bruja travesti mira los botones de qué reloj Swatch? "

In English:"Three switched witches watch three Swatch watch switches. Which switched witch watch which Swatch watch switch? "*

...AND THIS MODULE IS FOR MASTERS

In Spanish:
"Tres brujas suecas transexuales miran los botones de tres relojes Swatch suizos. ¿Qué bruja sueca transexual mira qué botón de qué reloj Swatch  suizo? "

In English:

"Three Swedish switched witches watch three Swiss Swatch watch switches.
Which Swedish switched witch watch which Swiss Swatch watch switch?"

Who says English is easy?......


BAD ENGLISH STUDENT
A French policeman needs to learn perfect American English before going to New York. He finds the best "accent coach" in the world who tries to help him get rid of his French accent. They start with something very simple. But it's not so simple for this man!


For the video, link to:
http://www.laughandlearnenglish.com/videos/wanthamburger.wmv

practising , training, rehearsal: synonyms...

What can you do in order to become better at synonyms? Practising, training...them.
By linking to these webs, you´ ll be able to practise and check how skilled you are at them.

http://esl.fis.edu/vocab/q1/syn1.htm

http://esl.fis.edu/vocab/q1/syn2.htm

Forest Fires, arson and arsonists = Deforestation

Forest Fires. 

Galicia region is currently fighting forest fire outbreaks. The flames are devouring the only Atlantic Forest Reserve which remains in Europe at Las Fragas de Eume.

Drought and heat are usually the main culprits in forest fires but some people have also been arrested and trade unions are making the most of it to complain about the number of people who die fighting fires.

Did the arsonists decide all by themselves to set fires to lots of forests or is there something else going on?

Who is an arsonist?. An arsonist is a person that likes to set things on fire, not just as an addiction but sometimes for pay or for insurance.

What is arson?. Arson is defined as an action of setting something on fire, usually a house or another type of structure or as it happens in Galicia, a forest.

People commit arson for a variety of reasons and the crime is punished severely all over the world because arson puts lives and property at risk.

In some parts of the world if someone dies in an arson fire, it is considered to be murder rather than manslaughter or negligent homicide. In all instances an arson  conviction carries a prison term.

Why are forest fires important? They are enviromentally important to local ecosystems. Wildlife is killed and habitats of birds and animals destroyed. Forest fires can have an economic and emotional effect on people and property directly affected. Forest fires affect the atmosphere by creating large volume of smoke and ash, by causing localised changes of weather and increasing the amount of CO2. Besides, for asthmatics, the increased smoke in the air can provoke asthma attacks.

(Adapted from Clearly explained.com)

If you are aware of the fact we must do something and you are interested in the results of forest destruction by human factors, watch these videos.               

Finally, Do you know what´s happening to the Amazon rainforests?

Do you think this is acceptable?

Watch the video and decide what we can do to save the Amazon rainforest.

 By knowing about the issue it´s easier to do your best to a PAU exam on this topic.

Tasks: Read the text and choose the best choice.

The vanishing rainforest

                Unless things change, by 2025 the world's tropical rainforests will have been largely destroyed or seriously degraded. Ecologists make this dire prediction by extrapolating current rates of deforestation as revealed by satellite images. Tropical rainforests, which once covered about 10% of the earth’s land surface, have already been reduced by more than a third and an additional 2% is lost every year.

                Tropical forests contain about half of the world's species of animals and plants. These are now under threat of extinction. Biologists estimate that some 10,000 species are already being lost every year, never to be replaced. Admittedly, most of the threatened species are not big animals but insects. It is hard for zoologists to argue that the extinction of the average beetle is an economic tragedy. Yet, along with these apparently less valuable species, the destruction of the jungle is destroying many others that might have been extremely useful to man, especially plants. Professor Edward Wilson of Harvard University has pointed out that 'in previous mass extinctions ... most of the plant diversity survived. Now, for the first time, it is being destroyed.'

                The economic loss implied by this destruction of resources is beyond calculation. The forests are central to the economies of many tropical countries. Some two hundred million people currently make their livelihoods directly from tropical forests. For many of these people, the loss of the forests means poverty and a dismal future. But the forests have also become the mainstay of many national economies. They are an essential source of fuelwood in much of the developing world; they regulate river systems and local climate; they generate exports of timber products worth $12 billion a year. The loss of forests thus entails enormous social and economic costs.

                According to the World Resources Institute, besides the areas cleared and burnt for agriculture, unintentional fires consume huge areas of forest. In the past 10 years Indonesia alone has lost 100,000 square kilometres of tree cover to forest fires. Some scientists speculate that gases released by these seasonal burns contribute to the thinning of the ozone layer over the Antarctic. What is more certain is that, together with the burning of fossil fuels, burning forests add to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The result is a steady warming of the globe through the so-called greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide lets the sun's incoming rays through, but blocks reflected rays from leaving the atmosphere, thus trapping the sun’s heat in the atmosphere. Burning down forests does double damage to the world's climate, for trees are the main agents responsible for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, by converting it into oxygen and wood. Without rainforests, the planet will be less good at recycling the carbon dioxide generated by man.

                The fate of the tropical forests presents modern civilization with one of it's biggest challenges. If the destruction is to be halted, new models of development will have to be worked out and introduced now.

Questions: Choose the correct answer. Only one is possible.

1. How much of the earth's tropical forest is destroyed annually?
a) 10%
b) a third
c) 2%
d) 3%

2. What evidence do ecologists base their predictions on?
a) They visit the degraded areas and predict what they can see there.
b) They extrapolate the information about deforestation from similar areas.
c) A satellite provides them with the percentages of deforestation.
d) They observe the amount of deforestation currently taking place.

3. What will be lost if the tropical forests are destroyed completely?
a) Some animals but no plant species.
b) About 10,000 plants and all beetles.
c) Many big animals and some plants.
d) About half of the world's plants and animals.

4. What is the difference between this extinction and previous ones?
a) Some species of plants are now becoming extinct.
b) Some species disappeared but now all plants will survive.
c) Small, unimportant animals died out in previous extinctions.
d) The average beetle is dying out and this is a tragedy.

5. Why are tropical forests so important for many countries?
a) Timber production increases, climate improves and the river system can generate more fuelwood.
b) They help the economy, provide fuelwood and keep rivers and climate under control.
c) Rivers and climate improve and therefore tourism flourishes in these countries.
d) They provide fuelwood for export, rivers to produce energy and climate to enjoy outdoor activities.

6. 'They' in the third paragraph ('They are an essential source ...') refers to ...
a) many national economies.
b) livelihoods.
c) some two hundred million people.
d) forests.

7. Apart from the clearing of forests for agriculture, what other threats do forests face?
a) the burning of fossil fuels.
b) fires caused by people.
c) fires not caused by people.
d) gases released over the Antarctic.

8. Name two ways in which forest fires affect the atmosphere.
a) The fires produce more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the lack of trees prevents the recycling of carbon dioxide.
b) The greenhouse effect and the recycling of carbon dioxide generated by man.
c) Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and the globe warms up steadily.
d) The atmosphere has more carbon dioxide that is not recycled and fossil fuels are also burnt.

9. What do scientists think is one of the reasons why the ozone layer is becoming thinner?
a) The regulation of fossil fuels.
b) The gases released by forest fires.
c) The greenhouse effect.
d) The steady warming of the globe.

10. How can we prevent the vanishing of the tropical forests?
a) By developing a challenging system of civilization.
b) By introducing different development policies.
c) By reducing the number of forest fires.
d) By stopping new developments. 

Answers: 1C /2D /3D /4A /5B /6D /7C /8A /9B /10B

April´s Fool´s Day

April Fool´s day is celebrated in different countries on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fool´s Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but it´s widely recognized and celebrated as a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other.

In France and Italy children and adults traditionally tack paper fish on each other´s back as a trick and shout "april fish" in their local language.

To know more about this day link to: http://www.wartgames.com/themes/holidays/aprilfools.html for April Fool´s Day powerpoint.


Tasks:
1. Related to this topic, you can find some vocabulary such as:
hoax / -es: a deception, especially a practical joke.
to hoax: to deceive or play a  joke on (someone)
fool, foolish, foolishness and some idioms: Act the fool, Make a fool of oneself, Live in fool´s paradise, Make the fool....
The aim of this task is to learn as many related words as possible, so look up the meaning of the new words and expressions.


2. Watch some of the most famous hoaxes on April Fool´s day in history, and see what happens.



3. To practise PAU exams, read April Fool´s Day! text and answer the questions.

April Fool´s Day!

In Spain, many people play tricks on December 28, Holy Innocents´day. In many countries, jokes are played on April 1, April Fool´s Day. The resaon seems to be that, up until the mid-sixteenth century, France celebrated New Year´s Day on April 1, but in 1562 Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new calendar to the Christian world, which changed the date of the New Year to january 1. At that time news travelled slowly and some people continued to celebrate on April 1. These poor, misinformed people were referred to as "April Fools" and other people played tricks on them.

Nowadays, it seems that new technologies provide fresh ways of playing tricks on April 1. The Internet has given birth to a rise in popularity and proliferation of tricks and hoaxes. E-mail inboxes are bombarded with messages warning of terrible viruses that cause users to delete important data from their computers, or of credit card cheats that request personal information, including passwords and bank account numbers. In August 2001 an e-mail containing a photo of a shark trying to attack a helicopter was received by e-mail throughout the world. The e-mail claimed the photo was National Geographic´s "Photo of the Year", but National geographic said that the photo was a fake and finally found the people responsible for making the composite image.

Questions

1. Are the statements True or False? Justify your answers with the evidence from the text.

1. New Year´s Day has always been celebrated on the same day.

2. New technologies help people to avoid tricks.

2. Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text, Use your own words.

1. How did the tradition of April Fool´s Day originate?

2. How can you play a trick on someone using the new technologies? Give two examples.

3. Find in the text synonyms for:

1. New (adj)

2. Remove by "cutting out or erasing" (verb)

3. Tricks (noun)

4. Copy (noun)

4. Rewrite the following sentences, the meaning should be the same as that in the sentence above.
1. She arrived home. Her husband didn´t cook dinner before.
When she arrived home .......... (yet)


2. They were shown a picture of an attacking shark.
A picture............


3. "The e-mail warned about terrible viruses infecting computers". He said
He told.....


4. He received an e-mail. Its content was spam.
He received an e-mail......


5. Write a composition (80-120 words) on one of the following options:
1. can you tell a joke that you have played on someone or one that has been played on you?
2. How has the Internet changed people´s habits?

Source: Universidad de Andalucia, adapted

Self-restraint or Self-control needed.

Do you show your self-restraint? When?, Why?, How do you do it?
By watching a BBC video, I wondered these questions and tried to find out the importance of this issue.

Since childhood, learning to have self-control is important and  being self-controlled is necessary in adulthood .

"To lose one´s cool is an English phrase meaning to lose control of one´s temper. Cool people should never lose their cool.

 The UK is believed to be one of the countries whose self-restraint or self-control  is a desirable quality. You can disagree with other people, but the way to express yourself should be controlled even in challenging situations.

 "Let´s see some cartoons and scenes for children that show us what happens when self-straint is lost, in a funny way.

Enjoy them!

What happens...... when your anger rises?

                                   when you lose your temper?

                                              



Beauty and the Beast

You should learn to control your temper!

The  Watchkins Self- control

Self-control is saying......NO!

Self-control is saying.......THAT´S ENOUGH!

Task:

1. Read the PAU exam "Should the State tell us what to eat or drink?" and answer the questions about it.

Anyone who, in an honest spirit of enquiry, has watched many of us eat and drink will have been frightened at the sight. A large part of the population has become simultneously gluttonous or rather it chooses terrible things to consume and terrible ways of consuming them. How far should the Government be responsible for the health consequences of its own population´s lack of taste and self-control?

We should not overlooked far deeper and more revealing aspects of the national diet, however. Most people prefer not to think about these, because they reveal a society in a state of profound descomposition. If you examine the national rubbish, as I do wherever I walk, you discover that it is composed mainly of the wrappings of junk and fast food. We eat on the street to a degree almost unknown anywhere else.

But Why should this be? A sociologist told me that half of our homes no longer have a dining table. Flats in which there are no dining tables are also flats in which not much in the way of cooking fresh ingredients goes on.The microwave is the cooker, the saucepan, the casserole dish, and the entire batterie de suisine in fact; and everyone in the family eats not as a social activity, but almost furtively. meals are nasty, solitary and short.

In other words, one pof the most elementary but important and enjoyable of all social activities, eating together, is now restricted to a considerable proportion of the population.

Questions
A. Are the following sentences True or False. Quote the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only True or false.
1. The society described in the text does not have the habit of eating on the street.
2. In the author´s country all homes have a dining room.

B. In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions.
1. What negative eating habits are mentioned in the text? Write about at least four of them.
2. What can be rubbish reveal about people´s diet?

C. Find the words in the text that mean.
1. research
2. nearly
3. whole
4. unpleasant

D. Rewrite the following sentences, the meaning should be the same as that in the sentence above.
1. "Anne, do you want something else to eat?".
I offered .......

2.  Most people prefer the microwave to the cooker.
Most people prefer the microwave rather..........

3. It is said that eating together is now restricted to a considerable proportion of the population.
Eating together .........

4. The population´s lack of self-control shouldn´t be responsibility of the Government.
The Government ........

E. Write about 80-120 words on one of the following topics:
1.  Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of being a vegetarian.
2.  Do you think that the State should promote or forfid some kinds of food?.