Are you addicted to...?

 

 

Are you addicted to anything? Remember that all addictions are harmful for your mental health because you cannot stop doing them whenever you want.

 

There are many things we may like, even love doing, but we must always bear in mind that they are always under control. And this control belongs to you and if you decide to stop, you can stop without affecting your anxiety, your mental health.

Learning English from the News:   US Court: YouTube and Meta built addictive platforms  (BBC Learning English)  

 

Meta and YouTube designed addictive products that harmed young people, jury finds (The Guardian)

Campaigners welcome Meta and YouTube's defeat in landmark social media addiction trial (BBC News)

US: Meta, YouTube on trial over kids' social media addiction (DW News)

 

 

Social media, TikTok, YouTube... can be addictive for many teenagers and they literally waste hours and hours on them when there are so many things in life to carry out: sport, face-to-face relationships, books, homework, studying...

 

 

 

BREAKING NEWS ABOUT YOUR B1 EXAMS IN ENGLISH... 

Remember that after Easter the time will come for you to register at the Language School in Motril for your B1 exams as a freelance student!!!  I believe you can do everything on line.

 

Here's the link:   https://eoimotril.org/modalidad-libre/ 

 

These are the dates for the exams in Malaga, which should be the same for Motril language school. Relevant information  for candidates & registration forms. 

 

You can do everything online (  Guía del candidato  y modelos de pruebas anteriores )

New section in BBC Learning English... EASY ENGLISH CONVERSATIONS:    Where are you from?  

 

Learning English Grammar (a / an / the / zero article):   The great outdoors  (BBC Learning English) 

 

  Here's my musical hint for today:    Addicted to love by Tina Turner. And here's a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

Real Easy English:   Talking about BOOKS  (BBC Learning English)  

 

 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• English in a Minute:  5 phrasal verbs for WORK  (BBC Learning English)

• 
  

  The English We Speak: Flow state  (BBC Learning English) 

• Quick English Lessons: What's the difference...?  JUST / YET / ALREADY  (BBC Learning English) 

• Listening exercise for you to do:   Are saunas good for you?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

     

 

Learning English from the News: Space mission breaks records >>>   Artemis II takes humans further from Earth than ever before  (BBC Learning English) 

 

Here are some activities for my students:

• in 1º ESO...  

REVISION EXERCISES        

Exercise on the MODALS: CAN , MUST & SHOULD    

 

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES IN THE PREVIOUS POST:

1. Do we study English at school?   We don't study German at school.

2. Is Tom Cruise American? He isn't from Brazil.

3. Does James like playing football? He doesn't like English at all. 

4. Has my mother got a big car? She hasn't got a motorbike.

5. Are we studying English? We aren't studying German.

6. Do trains go faster than motorbikes? Trains don't go faster than a Ferrari.

7. Have we got a new French teacher? We haven't got a new English teacher.

8. Does Albert have cereals for breakfast? He doesn't have any tea.

9. Are you listening to the radio? I'm not  watching TV.

10. Do they read Sinbad? They don't read Braveheart.

27.  1. Where does Mrs Wagner work?  2. Does George like fast cars?  3. What is the girl eating?   4. What does your wife usually have for breakfast?

28. My proposal:  My mother is working in hospital, my father is driving to Granada and my little brother is still sleeping.

This afternoon my mother is going to buy a new folder for me, my father is going to order some pizza for dinner and my little brother is going to play with his toys.

29.  1. Penny played the guitar a lot when she  was young.  2. Last summer we took lots of photos.  3. We watched a very interesting  programme last night.  4. William Shakespeare wrote many famous plays.

30. 1. Beethoven didn't write drama; he wrote music.   2. We didn't see fire; we only saw some smoke.    3. Greek philosopher Socrates didn't live in Rome; he lived in Athens.

 

• in 2º ESO... Do exercise 2 on page 95.

 

Possible answers:  

a. Did they catch the criminal? Why were they chasing the criminal? What happened when the earthquake began?

b. What did the criminal steal?   How fast could the criminal run?

c. Why did the criminal fall? Was he hurt?

d. What time did the criminal enter the house? How much did he steal from the house?

e. How much did the computers and mobile phones cost?  Why did he steal their jewellery?

f. When did the witness call the police?  Was the witness nervous or afraid? 

 

 

• in 4º ESO... 

  Let's revise the  PASSIVE VOICE 

 

Solutions to the Reported Speech exercises in the previous post:

D.  1. My friends suggested having a picnic.  2. The little boy asked for another biscuit.

3. Her boyfriend asked her to drive.    4. The student offered to open the window.

5. My father asked me to bring him the newspaper.                         

60. 1. He said he was out then.   2. He said he would be home by nine.    

3. Mary said her young brother wanted to be a football player.   

4. My mother asked who had been using her typewriter.   

5. His wife asked/warned us not to do anything dangerous.  

6. The guide asked the tourists if they wanted to see the cathedral.   7. Albert to Nick to close the door.

8. The teacher asked the student to take those dictionaries to the English Department.

61. Arthur asked her what the matter was and told her not to cry. Finally he asked her if she wanted to borrow his handckerchief.

Mary apologised for being so boring / said she was sorry to be so boring, but she hadn't seen Bruce for the whole weekend  and asked him if he had seen him.

Arthur answered he had.

Then Mary asked him where he had seen him.

And Arthur said he had seen him at the dentist's the previous Thursday.

Mary said he hadn't come for her on Thursday, but that there had to be quite a simple explanation.

 

 

 

Do you forget words when you speak English | Please watch this video...

 

 

 

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

Learning English with movies  Pirates of the Caribbean  

 

 

 

 

Vintage tennis:  Pioline vs Masur  - US Open 1993

 

Carlos Álcaraz at Montecarlo (vs Etcheverry)  

 
 

 

Football Classics: SPAIN ✦ Road to Glory  in Euro 2008

   

 

 

 

 

 

Time to get fit... for any challenge!

 

 

Time to get fit and be ready for the summer. Physical exercise, healthy routines, balanced diets... We have no time to lose if we want to look suitable for our summer clothes, swimsuits...

 

Actually, we should always care about our health all the year long. It is not just a summer matter! The healthier you are, the better quality of life you will have.

 

BREAKING NEWS ABOUT YOUR B1 EXAMS IN ENGLISH... 

Remember that after Easter the time will come for you to register at the Language School in Motril for your B1 exams as a freelance student!!!  I believe you can do everything on line.

Here's the link:   https://eoimotril.org/modalidad-libre/ 

New section in BBC Learning English... EASY ENGLISH CONVERSATIONS:    Hello, what's your name?  

 

Learning English Grammar ("It was as if ..." ,  "it was as though... " , "it seemed like..."):   An interesting sight  (BBC Learning English) 

 

  Here's my musical hint for today:    What if 'With or Without You' was an Irish Folk Song? by U2. And it is a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

The English We Speak:   Got you  (BBC Learning English)  

 

 

 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• English in a Minute:  phrases with LEAVE  (BBC Learning English)

• 
  

  Learning English from the News: Trump's unproven autism claim  (BBC Learning English) 

  
  

• Office English:  Describing your job  (BBC Learning English) 

• Listening exercise for you to do:   Weight loss drugs  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

     

 

Weight-loss drugs could prevent fatal complications from heart attacks, UK study finds (The Guardian)

India's cheap weight-loss drugs could reshape global obesity fight (BBC News)

Billions made from weight-loss injections (DW)

 

 

 

Here are some activities for my students:

• in 1º ESO...  

REVISION EXERCISES

Make the sentences interrogative and complete the following sentences in the negative:

1. We study English at school.   ________________________? ________________ German at school.

2. Tom Cruise is American.  ___________________________? __________________ from Brazil.

3. James likes playing football.  ________________________? ____________________ English at all. 

4. My mother has got a big car. ____________________? _________________________ a motorbike.

5. We are studying English. ________________________? _________________________ German.

6. Trains go faster than motorbikes. ________________________? _________________ than a Ferrari.

7. We have got a new French teacher. ___________________? ________________ English teacher.

8. Albert has cereals for breakfast. ________________________ ? ___________________ any tea.

9. I'm listening to the radio. _______________________? _______________________ watching TV.

10. They read Sinbad. ___________________? __________________________ Braveheart.

27. Rewrite these sentences in their right order.

1. does Wagner work where Mrs?  ______________________________

2. fast does George like cars? ________________________

3. eating girl that what is? ____________________

4. for does what wife breakfast have your usually?  ___________________________

28. Tell a friend what the members of your family "están haciendo" now and what they "van a hacer" this afternoon.

______________________________

______________________________

29. TENSES. Fill in the gaps with the PAST form of the verbs in brackets:

1. Penny (play) ____________ the guitar a lot when she (be) ___________ young.

2. Last summer we (take) _____________ lots of photos.

3. We (watch) ____________ a very interesting  programme last night.

4. William Shakespeare (write)  ____________ many famous plays.

30. TENSES. Fill in the gaps with the PAST form of the verbs in brackets either in the negative or affirmative:

1. Beethoven ______________ drama; he ____________ music. (WRITE)

2. We ___________ fire; we only ___________ some smoke. (SEE)

3. Greek philosopher Socrates ____________ in Rome; he _________ in Athens.   (LIVE)

 

• in 2º ESO... Do exercise 2 on page 95.

 

Write follow-up questions for each sentence (there are many possibilities).

Example: “There was a terrible sandstorm in Egypt.”    

Possible answers: When did it happen? Were there many damages?  How long did it last?

 

 

• in 4º ESO... Exercises on Reported Speech:

 

D. REPORTED SPEECH. Have a look at the sentences, decide the appropriate verb to use ( ask , tell , offer, suggest ) and finish the sentence in REPORTED SPEECH.

“Shall we have a picnic?”   //  “Shall I open the window?”  //  “Bring me the newspaper”  //  “Could I have another biscuit, please?”  //  “Will you drive now?”

1. My friends ______________  _________ing  ______________________

2. The little boy _______________ for _________________________

3. Her boyfriend ______________ her to ____________________________

4. The student _____________  to ______________________________

5. My father ____________ me to ____________________________                         

60. Put the following sentences into REPORTED SPEECH:

1. "I'm going out now", he said.

2. "I'll be home by nine", he said.   

3. "My young brother wants to be a football player", said Mary.   

4. "Who has been using my typewriter?", said my mother.   

5. "Don't do anything dangerous", said his wife.  

6. "Do you want to see the cathedral?", said the guide.

7. "Close the door", said Albert to Nick.

8. "Take these dictionaries to the English Department", said the teacher to the student.

61. REPORTED SPEECH. Put this dialogue into reported speech:

Arthur‑ What's the matter? Don't cry. Do you want to borrow my handckerchief?

Mary ‑ I'm sorry to be so boring. I haven't seen Bruce for the whole weekend. Did you see him?

Arthur ‑ Yes, I did.

Mary ‑ Where did you see him?

Arthur ‑ I saw him at the dentist's last Thursday.

Mary ‑ He didn't come for me on Thursday. There must be quite a simple explanation.

 

Arthur ...... and told her ..... . Finally he asked her .....

Mary ......  , but  ....    and asked him .....

Arthur answered .....

Then Mary asked him ....

And Arthur said ......

Mary said .... , but that .....

 

 

 

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

Learning English with Disney's  Elio  

 

 

 

 

Vintage tennis:  Vilas vs McEnroe  - Boca West 1981 - 03/12

 
 

 

Football Classics: Juventus vs Ajax  in European Cup Final in 1973

   

 

 

Homo homini lupus

 

 

This Latin proverb, meaning literally 'man is a wolf to a man', is used to situations throughout history and everywhere on the planet where man has behaved atrociously to man. This idea was also later developed by philosopher Thomas Hobbes.

It is true that fortunately it is not and has not been always like this, but the examples are many: the holocaust, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip, American atomic bombs on Japan during the II World War, the Ukranian-Russian conflict... and what White Men did to the Aboriginal people in Australia. Besides, wolves aren't such horrible animals, either!

 

My students in 4º ESO will be reading Rabbit-Proof Fence in the second term. It is a very interesting book which deals with this problem they had in Australia when the white men arrived and tried to carry out certain atrocities against the Aboriginal people.

 

The English We Speak:  Can't put the finger on it  (BBC Learning English)

 

 

Here are some videos for you to watch and articles to read which will give you useful information before you begin reading the book:

 

Full Documentary. The Men of Fifth World - Planet Doc Full Documentaries

 

 

Other videos to watch:   1  ,   2   (TED talk)       

• Why Aboriginal Australians are still fighting for recognition (National Geographic)

• Aboriginal Australians 'still suffering effects of colonial past' (BBC News)

• Racism Down Under - Violence Against Aboriginal Australians (DW) 

• Australia has a genocidal history but we won’t learn while it’s dominated by white men (The Guardian)

    

 

  

Road towards success in the Selectivity exam.....

 

• 2022_It's not easy to be green_Men earn more money than women in every country  

 

Solutions to the exam...

1- c  (lines 3-4)  2- b  (lines 12-14)   

3: True (lines 7-8) “Plant-based alternatives are a relatively new and developing part of the market, which means more money is spent on research and innovation to ensure they meet the demand for taste and quality.”

4: False (lines 8-9) “In December 2020, Plant & Bean opened Europe’s largest plant-based meat production facility in the UK to help drive down prices.”

5: False (line 11) “No ingredients were changed.”

6: True  (lines 15-16) “The Vegan Society hopes to increase access to affordable plant-based food and support vegans who find themselves in financial difficulty.”

7.1: ensure (line 7)   7.2: misconception (line 13)    8.1: invest (line 10)   8.2: tempt (line 4)

9- d (line 3)   10- a (line 9)

11: False (line 3) “In the first survey of its kind (, scholars examined public data from 2.85 million households across 45 countries to reach their conclusions).” 

12: True (lines 5-6) “(The team wanted to assess the global picture,) particularly in Scandinavian countries, which are often presented as more progressive for females.”

13: False (lines 7-8) “They found that the family unit is often a place of great inequality, even in the most affluent nations.”

14: False (line 14) “Working women are stuck in low-paid and insecure jobs.”

15.1: narrow (line 10)   15.2: brave (line 13)   16.1: stuck (line 14)  16.2: to reward (line 15) 

USE OF ENGLISH

17.1  to learn      17.2. being      18.1  between     18.2 met

19. They expect (that) the parcel will reach its destination before the wedding.

20. The best lesson in their lives has been taught to the students by the girl from Syria. // The students have been taught the best lesson in their lives by the girl from Syria.

21. Where are your students going to borrow the book (from)?

22. Many Erasmus students choose Greece, which is known as the cradle of western civilization. 

23. We shouldn't have left.

24. if you had told me to do so.

25. How long have you had your tablet?

26. They used to get on well with their relatives.

27. A member of the aircrew warned / advised us not to leave the luggage unattended.

28. You have no idea how pleasant it is to swim here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  SUMMER REVISION  >>  Activities for my   students in 1º ESO !!!!

 

37. Write sentences with the clues given using "the same as", "different from" and "similar to".

1. your language / Italian / Chinese  _____________________________________   

2. the colour of your eyes / the colour of your mother's eyes ___________________ 

3. your nationality / Lamine Yamal / Mbappe  ______________________________

4. Calahonda / Salobreña / Madrid _______________________________ 

38. APPEARANCES. Fill in the blanks with suitable words.

1. Japanese   ________________  Chinese.

2. What's the book ________? It's very interesting.

3. You ____________ ill today.

4. I __________ my father, but I'm not __________ in personality.  

39. Put in a/an, the or - (= no article) in the gaps.

1. What __________  time is it?

2. My father is __________ office worker.

3. She lives in _________  small flat on __________ fifth floor of ________ old house.

4. Do you know that potatoes are £2 _________ kilo?

5.  I'd like half __________ kilo of sugar.

40. MEDIATION. First tell me the opposites of the adjectives given and then discuss about what you think your English teacher is like (useful words you can use: "estar de acuerdo, creer, parecer...).

1. calm  __________  _______________________________________________   

2. patient _________  _______________________________________________

3. talkative ___________   ____________________________________________

4. shy  _________   _________________________________________________  

41. MEDIATION. Translate the following sentences in English to an Australian friend of yours.

1. ¿Te gusta la cerveza? No me gusta mucho, pero me encantan los refrescos.

2. Mi hermano sabe hablar alemán mejor que yo, pero yo soy mejor en matemáticas que él.

3. ¿Cuánto mide la pirámide de alto? Creo que mide 120 metros.

4. Tú eres casi tan viejo como yo, pero no lo aparentas.

5. ¿Puedo hablar con tu hermana? Me temo que no está en casa.

6. No importa. Nos vemos el sábado.

7. Cuando era más joven no sabía cocinar en absoluto, pero ahora sé cocinar bastante bien.

8. ¿Cómo iban los niños a la escuela hace 50 años? Iban andando.

9. ¿Cuántas personas hay en el supermercado? No hay demasiadas.

10. ¿Cómo es tu profesor de historia? Se parece bastante al tío de Indiana Jones.

    
    
      

42. MEDIATION. LOCATING PLACES. Look at the map and tell me where (1) the church is; (2) the bus stop is; (3) the flower shop is.

________________________________  

43. MEDIATION. GIVING DIRECTIONS PLACES. Look where you are in the map and tell me how to go to (1) the post office; (2) then to the supermarket; (3) and finally to the park.

________________________________  

 

 

SUMMER REVISION  >>  Activities for my students in 3º ESO:

 

 

62. COMPARATIVES OF SUPERIORITY and SUPERLATIVES. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate forms of the adjectives given in brackets. (ADVANCED towards B1)  

1. Spain is becoming (important) ___________________ in Europe, from the economical point of view.

2. I think Saudi Arabia is one of (hot) _________________ countries in the world.

3. (much) ____________ you write, (good) ______________ for you.

4. This is (bad) ____________ football match I've ever watched.  

Rewrite these sentences so that they have the same meaning.

5. She was very excited before the interview, but she often gets a lot more excited. She wasn't......

6. There were fewer people at this meeting than at the last one. There weren't .....  

Translate the following sentences into English.

7. El alumno le preguntó al profesor dónde podía conseguir una información más detallada sobre los comparativos porque los ejercicios se complicaban cada vez más.

8. Desde que mi hermano mayor empezó a ayudarme a hacer mis ejercicios de inglés Alberto está cada vez más contento conmigo.  

For further information on the comparatives you can have a look at:   A. COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES   

63. LANGUAGE IN USE. First, answer the following questions and, then, write appropriate questions for these answers.

1. How often are the buses to Motril? _____________________________

2. What do you do? _______________________________

3. Where have your parents gone? __________________________

4. __________________? The novel Great Expectations was written by Charles Dickens.

5. __________________? She arrived very early.

6. __________________? Liverpool is about 80 miles from Manchester.

64. ASKING FOR CONFIRMATION. Finish the following sentences with a QUESTION TAG as in the example.  Example: Albert was born in Germany, wasn't he?

1. Students must be on time for the exam, ____________________?

2. Last Thursday I saw Mr Cross with his girlfriend in the playground, __________________?

3. We could never defeat Albert on a tennis court, ___________________?

 

 

 

 Here's my musical hint for today:  Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd, a version with lyrics included for you to sing along.  

 

 

 

 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• Listening exercise for you to do:   Are you flourishing?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English) 
  

• 
  

  English in a MINUTE: Phrases with FIRE  (BBC Learning English)  

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

• Learning English from the News: Hiroshima: 80 years since atomic bomb  (BBC Learning English)     

Wangechi's interview - AUSTRALIA - #HUMAN 

 

 

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

Learn English with movies -  Zootopia  

 

...and also with Classic Popeye: County Fair