Scream while you can!!

 

 

"It's close to midnight / And something evil's lurking in the dark / Under the moonlight / You see a sight that almost stops your heart / You try to scream / But terror takes the sound before you make it / You start to freeze / As horror looks you right between the eyes / You're paralyzed"

 

What do these words remind you of? Which song?

Yes, Halloween is coming! 

 

 Here's my musical hint for today:  Thriller by Michael Jackson. Here's a version with the lyrics for you to check!

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some activities for you to do:

• Georgie teaches us some   phrasal verbs for FEELINGS  (BBC Learning English) 
  

• Real Easy English: Talking about SHOPPING  (BBC Learning English)

• Learning English from the News (Crisis in the Middle East): German far right wins state election  (BBC Learning English)

• A listening exercise for you to do:   Did Taylor Swift fans cause an earthquake?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

 

The London to Edinburgh challenge: Episode 6: Work (BBC Learning English)

Solutions to the exercises in the previous post.....

1) The director said that they were very privileged to have nursed her.

2) She lived for a long time, although she had a whisky everyday.

3) Old people live in nursing homes.

4) How old is she said to be? (And we remember if we had to put the original sentence into the ACTIVE VOICE: People say she is 115 years old. How old do people say she is?)

5) If Eva had lived six more days, she would have seen her grandson.

 

Model of the new PAU exam for 2025 made in Galicia

 

This exam comprises four questions: 1. and 2. contain two subsections which you must answer in full; 3. contains only one section which you must answer; in 4., answer only one of the two subsections.

PART ONE

1.1.
1. Spanish is a language with a grammatical gender system.
T: “In common with many gender-based languages, Spanish…”
2. The President of the European Parliament agrees that languages must be inclusive.    NG
3. The Spanish Language Academy is in favour of using masculine AND feminine nouns whenever possible.
F: “The conservative-minded RAE […] has previously defended the gender neutrality of masculine nouns. ‘Doubling up is artificial and unnecessary from a linguistic perspective,’ it said in an official statement. The explicit use of the feminine is only justified when the opposition of the sexes is relevant.’”
4. Many feminist writers and thinkers were sent to prison during the Francoist regime because of their ideas.      NG
5. The Feminist movement blossomed during the Second Spanish Republic.
T: “The battle over language is only the latest fought by Spanish feminists, whose movement flowered in the 1930s during the Second Republic.”
6. Using non-inclusive forms of the language will contribute to social inequality in the future.   NG 

1.2.    1. resorts to    2. hit upon    3. delayed    4. pay    5. focus

 

 

Road towards success in the new PAU (Selectivity exam).....

Model of the new PAU exam for 2025 made in Galicia (i)

 

 2. Answer both subsections in this question. (2,5 points)
2.1. Write a new sentence that has the same meaning as the given one. Use the word or expression in brackets. (1,5 points)
 

1. Some people like the old language rules. Inclusive language users are implementing new strategies. (although)
2. The Second Spanish Republic happened in the 1930s. Clara Campoamor campaigned for women’s suffrage. (when)
3. The fascist regime started in 1939. Franco died in 1975. (from… until)
4. The Feminist movement has become more militant. The #MeToo movement in the European parliament has two spokeswomen. (ever since)
5. The spokeswomen for the #MeToo movement in the European parliament are both Spanish. (who)
6. There are still many issues to be dealt with regarding gender equality. International Women’s Day takes place on 8th March every year. (given that)
 

2.2. Answer the following questions about pronunciation. (1 point)

 
1. In which two words is the final "-ed" pronounced as in “worked”? feared, tasted, stopped, climbed, ranked, humbled, played, evolved.
2. In which word is the underlined vowel pronounced like the "e" in “equal”? enter, even, elbow, exit.
3. In which word do(es) the underlined letter(s) have the same sound as the "o" in “focus”? along, reboot, moment, joyful.
4. In which word is the letter "g" pronounced the same as in “gender”? ghost, guidance, manage, finger.
5. Which word contains the same vowel sound as the underlined vowel in “Republic”? focus, ambiguous, multiple, ensure. 

3. In this text, fill in the gaps with the most suitable option from the four options given for each gap.
(2,5 points)
 

Interviewer: Hello, Maria. Thanks for coming in for the interview.
María: It's my pleasure. Thanks for ………………………… me.    

                                1: invite / hearing to / inviting / listen to                             
 

Interviewer: Well, as you know, the company ………………………… and we have an opening in our HR department. We're creating a new role for someone to lead our training and development within the company.

                        2: expanded / will expand / has been expanding / was expanded

María: Yes, I very much think that my skills and experience are a good fit for what you're looking for.
Interviewer: That sounds great. So, your CV looks strong, though it would be good if you could give us an overview, in your own words, of what you've been doing ………………………… the past four years or so.

                                            3: since / on / over / between
 

María: Well, in my first job, four years ago, I was working for a small HR services provider which offered HR services, including L&D, to corporate clients.
Interviewer: OK, so it was only B2B?
María: Yes, we only offered services to other companies, not B2C.
Interviewer: Right, and it says here you then ………………………… that company about three years ago.

                                        4: stayed / left / paid for / bought

María: Yes, that's right. I was looking for a little more stability and also to be part of a larger organisation. So I joined a company with around one hundred staff and a small HR team. As there are only ………………………… us, we each deal with a range of HR topics. In addition to payroll, one of the areas I was responsible for was learning and development.

                                5: a few of / less of / fewer than / many more
 

Interviewer: I see. And, so why do you want to change jobs now?
María: Well, I very much like the L&D side of my role and I've always had particularly good ………………………… for my work in this area. I excel in that field. So, I'm looking to specialise, and as your company has around 2,000 people, right …?
 

                                6: trust / intentions / feedback / complaints
 

Interviewer: Yes, that's right.
María: Well, an organisation of this size would give me the scope to specialise in L&D. I'm also a big ………………………… of your brand and feel fully aligned with your image and values.
 

                                        7: follower / boss / critic / bang
 

Interviewer: Well, that all sounds good. And I can see you have an L&D qualification.
María: Yes, I got a diploma two years ago. I am also currently working on a further diploma in psychology, with a specific focus on learning and performance management.
Interviewer: Very good. Well, it looks like you have the qualifications and experience we're looking for. What do you think will be the main ………………………… of coming to a much larger company?
 

                                        8: ideas / mistakes / challenges / cons
 

María: I can see that it might be perceived as a weakness to not have experience in an organisation of this size, though I see that it could also be a benefit. I won't be bringing too many preconceived and inflexible ideas with me to the role.
Interviewer: Yes, that would be a good thing.
María: Who would I mostly work with on a daily basis?
Interviewer: Well, there's the HR manager who you would ………………………… And then the HR team, which currently has six people in it. There's usually an intern or two who you can get some support from also.
 

                                        9: be friends / trust / invite / report to
 

María: OK. Thanks.
Interviewer: Great. So, thanks again for coming in today. We'll be discussing all candidates next week and then I'll get back to you …………………………the end of next week to let you know the outcome.
 

                                                10: on / in / after /by
 

María: Thank you for your time. I'd welcome the opportunity to continue discussing this role with you.
 

4. Answer one of the following subsections (2,5 points)
4.1. Write a formal e-mail to a member of the European Parliament complaining about a specific issue that people your age in Spain are concerned about. (120 words)
4.2. Write a brief composition answering this question: What is your view on gender equality? (120 words)

Halloween is coming. Here are some activities for my students in 1º ESO...

 

 

Pumpkin carving contest for our 1º & 2º ESO students...