Beware of online frauds!

Summer is a time to travel not only in Spain, but abroad. We are not used to paying cash and we use our credit cards instead. We are also used to buying flight tickets, hotel rooms, any item... using our credit cards. However, we must be very careful with certain pages as they may be tricky and frauds are everywhere.

Here are some articles for you to read about the issue and a listening exercise:

• Criminals learning how to commit card fraud from dark web (The Guardian)

• Watch out for these holiday shopping scams (CNN)

• Online fraud: Do you have a digital double? (BBC News)

• Listening exercise to do: "Are you at risk from online fraud?" (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

News Review: Capital One hack: 100 million people's data stolen  (BBC Learning English)

Breaking news: Congratulations to Ana Muñoz (4° ESO A), as I have just been told that she passed her B1 exams at the Official Language School as a freelance student last June.

How to Use TO & FOR ⚡️English Prepositions | Common Grammar Mistakes

English with Lucy    >>>  British Humour Explained (with examples)

 

 

English in a Minute: Adverbs of frequency  (BBC Learning English)

 

REVISION FOR 1º Bachillerato

145. Put the sentences into the PASSIVE VOICE :

1. Do they still build ships in Scotland ?

2. Nobody can sing a song well if he is eating an apple at the same time.

3. The Chinese invented printing.

4. You mustn't take photographs in the museum.

5. They have recently discovered oil near the Falkland Islands.

146. Put these sentences into REPORTED SPEECH. (Use suitable introducing verbs)

1. John: "I always play football on Saturdays, but I'm not playing this Saturday because I'm ill".

2. She to him: "We've been waiting here for you since six o'clock"

3. As the passengers left the coach, the driver to them: "Don't forget to take all your belongings with you."

4. I to her:"Where did you go last night?".   She: "I ate in a Chinese restaurant with my boyfriend"

5. We: "Will you stay with us?"     Robert: "Yes, of course, I will"

 

147. Write suitable questions for these answers (pay attention to the underlined words).

1. ________ ? I live in a flat near the city centre.

2. ________ ? I speak  three languages.

3. ________ ? I'm learning English because I need it for my job.

4. ________ ? I've been learning English since 1985.

5. ________ ? Tomorrow it will be sunny and warm.

 

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Mind your Language - Many Happy Returns I   

 

SOLUTIONS to the exercises in the previous post /for further exercises of this level go to  Mock exams (1º Bach)/:

143.    1. works   2. has taught / has been teaching   3. left    4. enjoyed   5. Have you ever worked   6. spent    7. was made  8. could continue / would like to continue   9. happened   10. was working    11. to help     12. met    13. had told     14. was   15. am going to begin    16. will become    17. are getting   18. would do    19. had   20. is running   

                              

144.

1. Real Madrid have won the Champions League Cup thirteen times, which doesn't please Barcelona supporters.

2. Leonardo DiCaprio, who began his career as an actor working with Robert DeNiro, played an important role in the film Titanic. 

3. I was in the cinema where your father sometimes works.

4. The chair (which/that) I was sitting on was not very stable.

5. Albert, whose talent to predict the future is similar to Rappel's, guessed the result of the match.

Tennis: 2019 Wimbledon  >>>   Best rallies of Wimbledon 2019 

SUPER-GRANDPARENTS!!

Today is grandparents' day. The role of grandparents has changed along the years. When I was a kid (that was a long time ago) most parents (especially mothers) would take care of children, and grandparents would be those who would cook your favourite meal or tell you a funny story of the past.

 

 

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Telling Our Stories

Some other examples:   1   2    3   4   

However, as both parents began to work outside home, grandparents started to take over and be in charge of their grandchildren with tasks such as taking them to school, and collecting them, spending the afternoons doing homework with them, having them at home for holidays and so on...

Here are some related articles for you to read about the issue:

• Poll reveals crucial role of grandparents in childcare | Society | The Guardian

• Grandparents step up, save families - CNN

• BBC NEWS | UK | Wales | Grandparents 'vital' to family life  

• The impact of a 'grandparent deficit' on older parents - CNN

Nonetheless, all that glitters is not gold, as children's education used to be a responsability of the parents, or they would even learn from other peers playing in the streets. Now this is no longer like that in many cases and here's the problem:

• Indulgent grandparents 'bad for children's health' - BBC News

• Is grandparents' old-school parenting putting kids at risk? - CNN

What are your grandparents like? Do they help your parents at home? Do they take care of you?

 

 

Answering students' questions: How to use 'likely to' correctly 

 

English with Lucy  >>>  Telephone English Speaking Course | Business English Course Lesson 6

 

REVISION FOR 1º Bachillerato

For a start, let's begin with this:

Stop Making Mistakes with Relative Clauses! [Which & That]

143. TENSES  and VERB FORMS. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense. Some verbs are passive, and there are also examples of the conditionals, indirect speech, infinitives and gerunds (-ing form):

                      An interview with Sarah Jenkins

Sarah Jenkins is an English teacher. She (work) 1. ____________________ in a language school in London. She (teach) 2. ____________________ since she (leave) 3.  ____________________ university five years ago. I asked her first if she (enjoy) 4.  ____________________ teaching English.

'Yes, I do,' she replied. 'It's hard work, but it's very rewarding.'

'(ever, work) 5. ________________________________________   abroad?'

'Yes,' replied Sarah, 'I (spend) 6.  ____________________ two years in Madrid. But the school soon closed and I (make) 7.  ____________________ redundant. Luckily, some of my students asked me if I (continue) 8.  ____________________ to teach them privately, so I stayed in Madrid'.

'Well, a funny thing (happen) 9.  ____________________ while I (work) 10.  ____________________ at the school in Madrid. I had a student called Gloria. On some days she was the best student in the class. But on other days she performed really badly. I tried very hard (help) 11.  ____________________ her, but things got worse. Then, one day, I (meet) 12.  ____________________ Gloria in the street and asked her about her boyfriend. (The day before she (tell) 13.  ____________________ me a sad story about him.) She was surprised and told me that her name (be) 14.  ____________________ Victoria, not her twin sister Gloria.'

Then I asked her about her plans for the future and she said: 'Well, I (begin) 15.  ____________________ a teacher training course next September'. I told her: 'I'm sure you (become) 16.  ____________________ an excellent teacher'. However, she had a problem because she and her boyfriend had already arranged something for the summer. I asked her what it was and she replied: 'We (get) 17.  ____________________ married on the 3rd August!!'

'I don't really know what I (do) 18.  ____________________ if I (have) 19.  ____________________ to take such a decision, but it seems everything turned out to be wonderful because they got married, had three children and she (run) 20.  ____________________ a private academy in Toledo at the moment'.                              

144. Insert the second sentences into the first ones by means of a RELATIVE CLAUSE.

1. Real Madrid have won the Champions League Cup thirteen times. This doesn't please Barcelona supporters.

2. Leonardo DiCaprio played an important role in the film Titanic.  He began his career as an actor working with Robert DeNiro.

3. I was in the cinema. Your father sometimes works there.

4. The chair was not very stable. I was sitting on this chair.

5. Albert guessed the result of the match. His talent to predict the future is similar to Rappel's.

  

Tennis >>>  Roland Garros 2019 : Roger Federer technique in slow motion

 

SOLUTIONS to the exercises in the previous post /for further exercises of this level go to  Mock exams (1º Bach)/:

141. READING & COMPREHENSION.   

1. Vodka and tequila

2. Free T-shirts, caps, posters, free vodka for a whole term

3. a. TARGET  b. BRAND  c. TO ENCOURAGE  d. TO BE UNAWARE  e. TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT                                                         

4.

  a. TRUE, because "This means that they spend a lot of time in pubs, bars, discotheques and clubs"

  b. FALSE, because "Therefore, young people are a natural target for advertisers, especially the advertisers who work for liquor companies."

  c. TRUE, because "Companies advertise drinks at cheaper prices together with free T-shirts, caps and posters in order to encourage teenagers to try..."

  d. FALSE, because "Companies advertise drinks at cheaper prices together with free T-shirts, caps and posters in order to encourage teenagers to try..."

  e. TRUE, because "The main danger, they say, is the serious risk to life when young people drink large amounts of liquor and then try to drive home."

  f. TRUE, because "young people are unaware of how drinking affects their judgement and reaction time."

  g. TRUE, because "Liquor companies only care about making a profit on alcohol."       

5.

Advertising  (l. 3)    the activity companies carry out in order to sell their commercial products or services better.  

Prize  (l. 7)      the thing that you get when you win a competition or a contest          

Expert   (l. 9)  people who know a lot about a certain area of knowledge

142. COMPOSITION.   >>>  You can send me your compositions and I will correct them

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

The Teacher and the Cop 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 190724 / 24 July 2019    >>>  The end for London river boats?:   Language related to 'sailing'.  Need-to-know language: vessel, tide, fleets, skipper  & on course.

Neil Armstrong: "Houston, do you copy me? I'm over the moon"

Houston: "Roger*! Neil, you mean, you're on the Moon."

Neil: "Negative! Well, both. I'm over the Moon because I'm on the Moon"

 

Joking aside, here are some issues to take into account to see what this conversation really means:

1. First, 'Roger' is often used in aviation instead of 'Received', but why?    

2. Secondly, we've got "do you copy me?" meaning "Can you hear me?", but why?  (the Phrase Finder)

3. Thirdly, what is the difference between the idiom "over the moon" and the expression "on the Moon". The first one is a synonym of 'elated' (extreme adjective of 'happy', which we saw in the previous post), according to the Cambridge Dictionary. The second one can have a literal meaning, that is to stay, 'to be standing right on the surface of the Moon', although at an informal level it can mean almost the same as the first one, according to the Urban Dictionary. Notice also that when we refer to the Moon as the astronomical body we tend to write with capital letter at the beginning. 

We usually leave the LINGOHACK section to the end of the posts, but this time we will put it at the beginning so that you can become familiar with the vocabulary related to 'space travelling':

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 190717 / 17 July 2019    >>>  Moon Landing: Why was Neil Armstron first?:   Language related to 'the right candidate'.  Need-to-know language: qualified, a (man) of many talents, broad viewpoint, broad exposure  & representative.

And now some related articles for you to read about the moon landing by The Eagle (Apollo 11) on 20^th July, 1969:

• The greatest photos ever? Why the moon landing shots are artistic masterpieces (The Guardian)

• Neil Armstrong was the 1st man to walk on the moon 50 years ago today (ABC News)

• Hear Buzz Aldrin tell the story of the first moon landing (Science Museum)

• Neil Armstrong's son talks about the Moon landing (BBC News)

Moon Landing 50th Anniversary Special 🌝Behind the News  (ABC News)

THINGS YOU WANNA KNOW | NAT GEO KIDS  T1 • E3

Apollo 11 - The First Moon Walk | Things You Wanna Know

 

and here's another interesting video: Over (to) The Moon: Crash Course Kids #13.2  

 

Let's go back to Earth and to English learning. Here are some activities for you to do:

• News Review: Trump 'racist' tweets (BBC Learning English)

• English with Lucy  >>>  DO NOT say "how are you?"! Ask the question PROPERLY!   

• 'Actually', 'in fact' and 'well' - Learners' Questions

 

REVISION FOR 1º Bachillerato

141. READING & COMPREHENSION.  Read the text below about how liquor companies advertise their products.

Death by advertising

In many countries, young people have a more active social life than any other group in society. This means that they spend a lot of time in pubs, bars, discotheques and clubs. Therefore, young people are a natural target for advertisers, especially the advertisers who work for liquor companies. Promotions and advertising campaigns aim at introducing young people to different brands of liquor. The idea is to attract as many young people as possible into a club or a bar. In this way, they create a new generation of drinkers, who will go on drinking for the rest of their lives. Companies advertise drinks at cheaper prices together with free T-shirts, caps and posters in order to encourage teenagers to try new "tastes" in hard liquor. One vodka company actually held a competition at a university. The prize was free vodka for a whole term.

Health experts have strongly critisised this form of advertising. They argue that young people are unaware of the dangers of alcohol. The main danger, they say, is the serious risk to life when young people drink large amounts of liquor and then try to drive home. Drunken driving involving teenagers is a serious problem in many European countries, where drinking in bars is becoming more popular among teenagers. Drunken driving often leads to injury and death because young people are unaware of how drinking affects their judgement and reaction time. An unfortunate example of the effects of alcohol is the case of a young girl who collapsed in her home after drinking 17 tequilas at a liquor promotion. Later, when she was leaning out of her window to get some fresh air, she fell to her death.

Experts on alcoholism believe that the only way to prevent this disturbing trend is to teach teenagers the facts about the effects of alcohol on the body and to make them aware of the risks they take when they drink and drive.

Perhaps they should also show teenagers how they are manipulated by advertisers who are not concerned about the consequences, but only about making a profit.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

1. Which two types of liquor are mentioned in the text?

2. Give two examples of free gifts the liquor companies give to teenagers.

3. Try to find the words in the text for the following definitions (one clue: they are in order) :

a. something that you want to reach; aim, objective.                    

b. a product of a particular company.                                             

c. to give active approval to.                                                 

d. to have no knowledge of.                                                 

e. to be worried about.                                                         

4. Say whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE according to the text and justify your answers.

  a. Young people spend a lot of their time in pubs and discotheques         ________

  b. Liquor companies are not interested in selling to teenagers.                  ________

  c. Free gifts are used to persuade teenagers to try new drinks.                 ________

  d. The drinks sold as promotions are very expensive.                                ________

  e. The most serious consequence of teenage drinking is drunken driving.            ________

  f. Teenagers are not aware of the effects of alcohol on the body.             ________

  g. Liquor companies only care about making a profit on alcohol.              ________       

5. Define the following words from the text:

Advertising  (l. 3)           Prize  (l. 7)                Expert   (l. 9) 

142. COMPOSITION. Write a composition about anything you have just read in the text or your personal opinion about the problem of drinking among teenagers. (120 words)

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Mind your Language - No Flowers By Request pt1  

Tennis: 2019 Wimbledon  >>>   Best shots from Wimbledon 2019 

As we saw in the previous post about Germany and Berlin, here's The animated History of Spain 

Here's a playlist with some old Daddy's songs!!! 

 

 

BERLIN. a sad story with a happy ending (we do hope)

What an amazing city Berlin is! So full of history, of miserable and elated stories (look up EXTREME ADJECTIVES in English), of nice-looking gardens and palaces, of museums, of sad memories... but an example of how man can destruct something so beautiful and reconstruct it from its ashes.

 

 

A city where the past (How to use the PAST PERFECT, English in a Minute, BBC Learning English) meets the present!! 

 

  

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche is just an example.

However, let's begin with some information about Germany and how it was formed.

Some other interesting videos to watch:

• The animated history of Germany: Part One & Two 

• German Unification | 3 Minute History

• Ten Minute History -  German Unification and Empire  (Short documentary)

• How did Prussia Unify Germany? German Unification  - explained in 10 minutes

 

 

 

| and further information about Germany:

• Geography Now! Germany 

• Top 10 Facts About Germany    

 

 

 

 

However, our main issue was the city of Berlin as an example of what happened to Germany in the recent past. Here some other related videos to watch:

• The City of Berlin  

• The History of Berlin | Euromaxx  

• Berlin 1900 in colour!!!!  and part two   and then Berlin in July, 1945  

• Cities At War - Berlin: The Doomed City (WW2 Documentary)

• Warlords: Hitler vs Stalin (WW2 Leaders Documentary) | Timeline

• The Reconstruction of the Berlin City Palace | Euromaxx

• German reunification - a short history | DW Documentary

 

History Channel - Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall

 

 

 

German reunification 25 years on: how different are east and west really (The Guardian)

 

 

Berlin Now & Then - Reichstag, Olympic Stadium ... 

 

National Anthem: Germany - Deutschlandlied [NEW VERSION] and another version!!  

 

 

 

Even US President JF Kennedy said this once... (but is it edible? Ich bin ein Berliner! or: How edible was JFK?)

 

 

 

And now from the touristic point of view:

• Berlin   

• Potsdam And Berlin - Germany Best City - Travel & Discover

• Berlin: Constantly changing city | Discover Germany

 

 

Two nearby German cities you can also visit: Dresden and Leipzig   

Can you speak any Geman? (Kennst du Deutsch?) It is not an easy language, so my piece of advice is that you should first have a good basis learning English, then French and a bit of Latin. You can look up some sites I have come across and that I have compiled here in this blog in:  Ich bin in Köln geboren!!

After all this about Germany and the city Berlin, here are some exercises on English to do:

• Learn a phrase about meeting someone unexpectedly: It's a small world (The English We Speak)

• What is the difference between these two verbs: STEAL vs ROB? (English in a Minute)

Visiting Berlin with Rick Steves   >>>   BERLIN   

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Mr Bean does - 'Blind Date' | Comic Relief