Christmas amazing story: One-armed teenager made himself a prosthetic extension arm out of LEGO blocks!!!!

Here's the amazing story of a handicapped one-armed young boy from Andorra who made himself a robot extension arm out of LEGO blocks. He is only 18 and it is incredible what he has done. Here are some related articles you can read about the issue:

• Inventive student, 18, who was born with a deformed arm creates himself a new one using LEGO blocks  (Daily Mail)

• The teen who made a revolutionary robot arm (BBC - Future) Watch the video included in the article.

 

 

Here's a video where he shows how he did it:

 

And here's the story of the first bionic man: The Six Million Dollar Man  

 

Activities for my 2º ESO students:  Can you describe the protagonist using comparatives and superlatives?

Here's an example of how he fixes a boy's bike. 

 

Here's a listening exercise to do: Should schoolchildren have jobs? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

Related articles you can read about the issue:

• Should all teenagers have a Saturday job? (The Guardian)

• Saturday jobs ‘can damage exam grades for teenagers’ (The Guardian)

• Are Saturday jobs less popular among teenagers now? (BBC News)

 

Do you have a part-time job? How do you pay for your expenses?

 

Lucy tells about how long we should take to learn English  >>>>>

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 171227 / 27 December 2017    >>>  Haemophilia breakthrough   -  Language related to 'haemophilia'.  Need-to-know language: genetic defect, clot, bleeding, blood clotting proteins, Factor Eight (Factor VIII).

Solutions to the exercises in the previous post (2º ESO):

16.    1. Do you drink a glass milk for breakfast?  Yes, I do.    2. Does Jane sing well? No, she doesn't.

17.    1. Peter has got short dark hair.    2. She loves watching television.    3. I can't speak English.  

4. Is there any water in the bottle? Yes, there is.    5. There aren't many children at school.

6. Luke is older than me, but my brother is the youngest.

18.   1. Now he is visiting his grandmother.   2. Now I am running with my friends.    3. Now they aren't eating lunch at home.      4. Is the teacher playing tennis now?          

19. I cycle to school once a week.    I always have milk for breakfast.            

20.   more interesting  //  the most interesting  ,   happier   // the happiest    ,   older  //  the oldest  ,

slimmer  //   the slimmest 
                                             

21.    1. any  ,   some     2. any  ,   some     3. any   ,   any

                                                                                                                                         

22.   1. more ,   than    2. most    3. dangerous  ,   longer    4. best

23.   1. I am going shopping with my mother tomorrow morning.  2. I am playing basketball with my friends tomorrow afternoon.

Christmas shoppings

Christmas is a time for shopping, but the good thing about it is that most of the things we buy are gifts for relatives or friends, or just food or ornaments for your homes in order to make them cosier to host all the friends and relatives that may visit you these days.

Related articles you can read about the issue:

• Last-minute Christmas shopping guide: there is still time to save the day (The Guardian)

• The world's 15 best Christmas markets (CNN)

Without looking it up, try to define the word 'joylessly'? Tell me other words derived from that one.

Here's a listening exercise to do: What do you buy when you're sad? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

Activities for my 2º ESO students:  What do you buy when you are sad? and when you are happy?

"And all through the mouse" - A Papa Teach Me Christmas Story!

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 171220 / 20 December 2017    >>>  World's steepest railway line   -  Language related to 'heights'.  Need-to-know language: faint-hearted, steep, gradient, weak at the knees, descent.

 

Revision for 2º ESO.

16. Write questions using the words in brackets and then write the short answers:

1. (you, drink a glass milk, for breakfast) _________________________________________?  Yes, ________________

2. (Jane, sings, well)  ___________________________________ ? No, ___________

17. Translate the following sentences into English:

1. Peter tiene el pelo corto oscuro.  

2. A ella le encanta ver la televisión. 

3. Yo no sé hablar inglés.  

4. ¿Hay agua en la botella? Sí.   

5. No hay muchos niños en el instituto.

6. Luke es mayor que yo, pero mi hermano es el más joven.

18. Transform these sentences into the PRESENT CONTINUOUS:

1. He visits his grandmother. Now _________________________________________

2. I run with my friends. Now ___________________________________

3. They don’t eat lunch at home. Now ________________________________

4. Does your teacher play tennis? ________________________________ now ?          

19. Write sentences using these words:

once a week _____________________________________________________        

always __________________________________________________________            

20. What is the comparative of superiority and superlative of the following adjectives ?

interesting  ________________________   ________________________ 

happy  ___________________________     ____________________________

old  _________________   ______________________

slim  __________________   _______________________                                             

21. Complete the sentences with SOME or ANY.

1. Is there __________ paper in the bag? Yes, there is ___________ paper in the bag.

2. There aren’t _____________ books on the desk, but there are ___________ pencils.

3. Have you got ___________ sugar in your tea? No, I haven’t got _____________ sugar.

                                                                                                                                         

22. Fill in the gaps with one of these words:  dangerous, best,  worse, most,  than, more, longer

1. Big cities are ______________ polluted ___________ small towns.

2. Rock music is the ____________ exciting music in the world.

3. Snakes are more  ______________ and ______________ than cows.

4. I think Ronaldinho is the _______________ footballer in the world.                            / 2

23. Look at your agenda and write the clues given what you are doing tomorrow using the PRESENT CONTINUOUS.

1. go shopping, with my mother, tomorrow morning.

2. play basketball, with my friends, tomorrow afternoon.

You will find the answers in the next post and you can find more exercises in my site.

Santa is coming tonight!!!

Tonight is Christmas Eve and we all have a family dinner, listen or watch to the King's speech and some people, most in the world, wait for Santa Claus' gifts. Tradition is very important these days. What traditions do you keep in your family?

 

And talking about tradition, have a look at this fishing tradition in China:

Winter fishing at Chagan Lake: A tradition of 1,000 years   (CGTN)

Here's a good way to read a book  >>>   Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Audiobook) from the BBC School Radio   

 

Activities for my 2º ESO students:

What do you usually have for dinner tonight? Who do you have dinner with? Do you get any gifts tonight or on the Three Wise Men Eve?

Here's a listening exercise to do: The Perfect Santa (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

Lucy teaches us how to pronounce 12 brands you may pronounce incorrectly.

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 171213 / 13 December 2017    >>>  The science of singing   -  Language related to 'hearing'.  Need-to-know language: hearing impairment, stimulate, hearing acuity, discriminate.

Related articles you can read about the issue:

• Singing Changes Your Brain (Time)

• Boost Your Brain and Memory by Singing (Lifehacker)

• Singing lessens stress (The Guardian)

Now let's listen to Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys   >>>>

Are mobile phones really suitable for children?

Mobile phones, and now smart phones, or any other of these similar electronic devices can be the solution to many things, but it can be the cause of many problems, especially when talking about children and teenagers. Can you, please, tell me which problems mobile phones can be the cause of?

 

Activities for my 2º ESO studens:  You can write your comment bearing in mind these questions:

Have you go a mobile phone? When did you get it? How much do you think it costs? How many hours do you spend using your mobile phone? What do you use it for? How heavy is it? What colour is it? How old is it? Why do you think it is useful? Did you get it as a Christmas gift?

 

Read the story included in this newspaper article and some other articles related to the issue:

I regret giving my children cellphones, but not for the reasons you’d think (The Washington Post)

What would you have said if you were the man telling the story? "I wish..."

• Schools that ban mobile phones see better academic results (The Guardian)

• Letting a baby play on an iPad might lead to speech delays, study says (CNN)

• 5 things to think about before buying your child a cell phone (CNN)

• Are smartphones really making our children sad? (The Guardian)

 

 

Here's a listening exercise to do: Do you need to upgrade your phone? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

For further information about the issue we are dealing with, you can also have a look at these two posts in this blog:

• Computers, artificial intelligence... Be careful!

• Mobile phones for children, good or bad?

This is what happens when you suffer from a smartphone addiction:

What Happens To Your Brain When You Mindlessly Scroll?

 

Here's another interesting video about how your phone is changing you >>>   CLICK HERE TO WATCH   

 
And now, changing subject, let's talk about clothes, what's the difference between these two verbs: "to fit" & "to suit" (watch the video) And when do we use the verb "to match"?

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 171206 / 06 December 2017    >>>  Acidic oceans will 'reduce sea life'   -  Language related to 'biology'.  Need-to-know language: creatures, thrive, ecology, species, food web.

Nintendo, the solution?

Let's deal today with the issue of mental health. Here's an interesting article by therapist Marie Miguel for you to read:

How Nintendo Therapy Can Improve Your Patient's Mental Health

 

This therapist is working on a free mental health project focused on educating people as part of a programme developed by Betterhelp. I highly recommend you to have a look at this page, especially the advice section, as it has relevant vocabulary related to the issue which may useful for our Selectivity exam.

 

Activities for my 2º ESO students:  You can have a look at my post popular post Is Internet addiction really a problem???? and answer these questions:

Do you email or message people in another country?
Have you got a personal blog or a personal webpage?
Do you ever chat with strangers on the internet?
Do you play games with people online?
How many hours do you spend surfing the internet?

And here's a really interesting video for you to watch about SO, TOO, REALLY & VERY >>>

And now an article about volcanoes (the Lingohack section also deals with the topic)   >>>>

How dangerous is Bali's Mount Agung and what action has been taken? (The Guardian)

 

Solutions to the exercises in the previous post:

67.     1. People will not probably need food ....        2. The submarine took the men to Manila.

     3. Nobody had delivered the message yet.

    

68.   1. sleeping - to camp   2. studying  -  spend  -  watching   3. to pass   - to come  -  dreaming

69. (a) John and Paul, who were working on the roof, left the ladder against the house.

      (b) Bill, whose fingerprints were on the screwdriver, was later caught by the police.

      (c) The bed I slept on has no mattress.       (d) Tom, who had been driving all day, was tired and .....

      (e) He spoke in French,but the people he was speaking to didn't know French.

    

70.   Of course, I will go to the party.       I took a two-week course on robotics.

He asked me a question.       He asked me to stand up.
I am still writing.      You could hear strange sounds in the still of the night.    Stay still till I tell you so.

71.    (a) She asked me to pass her the salt.        (b) Jim answered she was not the right woman to do that.

(c) The driver said he couldn't find the road in the map.       (d) Peter suggested having dinner somewhere after the theatre.   Ann accepted and suggested going to that place Jack was always talking about.

(e) Ann said Jack's parents had asked her to supper the following night, but she didn't know what to wear (but she wondered what she should wear)

     

72.   1. I prefer driving rather than travelling by train if you don't mind.   
2. According to certain people, may parents would prefer that their children had less homework. (fewer exercises to do)

3. When I went to England I wasn't used to having breakfast so early, but shortly after I got used to getting up and having breakfast early

4. There's no point (in) worrying about money because you never know what is going to happen tomorrow.

5. We've almost run out of petrol. We'd better stop at the next petrol station to fill it in.

6. May, who is the new British Prime Minister, also stated that it is (high) time something is done / to do something about pollution and the Bosnian problem.

7. I didn't see anybody going into the house, but I could hear how someone was walking on the second floor.

8. At the beginning she didn't want to have dinner with Albert, but in the end he could / was able to convince her.

9. He must have gone out because I have been phoning him since five and nobody answers. Do you think you could lend me a hand with my English homework?

10. We've got plenty of time, so we needn't/don't need to/don't have to hurry up.

     

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 171129 / 29 November 2017    >>>  Monitoring a deadly volcano   -  Language related to 'volcanoes'.  Need-to-know language: towers above, active, peak, eruption, lava.