Merry 'SAFE' Christmas!!!

 

 

We are all wishing to spend the best Christmas ever, but also the safest, and, above all, we all want to enjoy Christmas next year with all our relatives and friends, so we have do things properly. 

 

Here are some interesting articles for you to read with some tips to enjoy and keep safe:

• How to have a Covid-safe Christmas (The Guardian)
  

• Have yourself a merry COVID-safe Christmas: 5 tips for staying healthy this festive season (ABC News)

• How to have yourself a merry cyber-safe Christmas (BBC News)
  

Canva is a new ITC tool for your presentations!!! And here's the project done by Marina Guirado on A Foreigner in New York >>>>    😲😲😲😲

 

 

Thousands of lorries stranded at Dover as France closes Eurotunnel because of a possible new variant of Coronavirus in UK:

'Disgraceful': lorry drivers stuck at Dover tell of lack of facilities (The Guardian)

Covid: WHO in 'close contact' with UK over new virus variant (BBC News)

New Covid Strain: UK cut off (News Review, BBC Learning English)

 

Merry Christmas from BBC Learning English

 

 

 

Some other activities for you to do: 

• Listening exercise:  Are trees intelligent?   (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

• 6 Minute Vocabulary:  PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS   (BBC Learning English) 
  

• English in a Minute:   ASSURE vs ENSURE vs INSURE   (BBC Learning English)

• Talking about sport: PLAY, DO or GO?   (English in a Minute, BBC Learning English)

 

 

Rod Stewart:  Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas 

 

 

 

REVISION FOR Bachillerato  >>>  Solutions to exercises in previous post

 

161. TENSES.

(1) has worked     (2)supplies    (3) was started    (4) was born     (5)was employed    (6) needed (7) was sent     (8)  took     (9) was carried    (10) has changed   (11) are expanding   (12) are sent

(a) for       (b) of      (c) by       (d) since

162. 

1. 'pigeons' are birds that can fly and that in the past were used to carry messages from one person to another     2. clerk

163. TENSES.

1. Albert has been telling us to work every day    2. We had had only one exam before our term exams.

3. The TENSES exercise has been really difficult for us (if we are doing the exam. If not: The TENSES exercise was....)

4. One day we did not bring a composition  Albert had told us to do so he got furious with us.

5. One day we were talking about Maths when Albert came into the classroom

164. PRONUNCIATION.       LISTEN         TALK        WRITE       KNIFE

165.

1. The new teacher we are having for English this year is called Albert.

2. Albert, who has to feed his baby before school, comes every day at 8.30 sharp. 

3. Where is the department store where your father works?

4. My father works in El Corte Inglés, which is in Granada.

5. Who is the girl you were talking with in the pub last Monday?

166. Follow-up questions. Possible questions.

1. What did you have for lunch?    2. How much have they paid?   3. Where did he go?

4. Where do you work? / What do you do?     5. Who is Joan writing a letter to?

6. Which film are you watching? Who are you going with?

167. PASSIVE VOICE

1. Internet is used by millions of people.    2. Lunch must be cooked for his baby every day by Albert.

3. That green van is being followed by a police car. 

4. How many times was this window broken by the children last year?

5. John wasn't asked a lot of questions.  //  A lot of questions weren't asked to John.

168.

1. ..... so you have it painted.        2. .... so they have it done.

169.

1. Millions of cans of Coca-Cola are drunk every day.

2. What do you think the life of a nun is like? Perhaps a little boring, but interesting too.

3. He didn't want anybody to see his new car.

4. They eventually understood what their father had meant.

5. "I think the baby likes learning English a lot because he is very interested in looking up new words in your new dictionary", said the mother to the father.

 

 

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 201223 / 23 December 2020    >>>  Lighting up the railway for Christmas -    Language related to 'sentimentality'.  Need-to-know language: spectacular, wonder, Christmassy, touching & magical.

V-Day

The V- Day came and Covid vaccines have started to be administered at hospitals in the UK. In a few days' time we will also begin here in Spain, as well as in most European countries. Is it the light at the end of this long dark tunnel?

 

Related articles for you to read about the issue:

• Covid vaccine: UK woman becomes first in world to receive Pfizer jab (The Guardian)
  

  

• Covid-19 vaccine: First person receives Pfizer jab in UK (BBC News)

And the latest about the pandemic:

Covid: Ireland, Italy, Belgium and Netherlands ban flights from UK (BBC News)

 

And this is what this elderly lady said after being vaccinated: "Go for it. It's free .... If I can do it, so can you". Now we will have to keep alert to see its possible side effects.

 

 

Good news now that Christmas is coming. Here's a song by Train:  Shake Up Christmas  (version with lyrics)

 

 

 

REVISION FOR Bachillerato

 

161. TENSES. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense. Some are active, some are passive. Then fill in the dotted gaps (....) with appropriate words.

 

Reuters News Agency

Martin Webb (1)____________ (work) for the Reuters News Agency (a) ............. ten years. He describes the company.

'Reuters is one (b) .............. the world's biggest news agencies. It (2) ____________ (supply) news and stock market prices to media world. It (3) _____________ (start) by Paul Reuter in 1849 - with pigeons! Reuter (4) _______________ (be born) in 1816 in Germany. During the 1840s he (5) _______________ (employ) as a bank clerk in Berlin. German bankers (6)______________ (need) to know the prices on the Paris stock exchange, but the French telegraph system only went as far as Belgium. From there the information (7) _______________ (send) to Germany (c) .............. train. The journey (8) _______________ (take) nine hours. The same information (9) ______________ (carry) by Paul Reuter's pigeons in only two hours!

Reuters (10) _______________ (change) a lot (d) .................. those days. Over the past fifty years, we've opened offices in many different countries - and we (11) ____________ still ____________ (expand). Now, news and stock market prices (12) _________________ (send) all over the world within seconds.'

162. Look at the previous text again and do what you are asked:

1. Define 'pigeons'  __________________________________________________________

2. Find a word in the text for the following definition: "a person whose job is to do written work or look after records or accounts in an office, bank, court of law, etc.   ___________

163. TENSES. Think about last school term and write sentences with the clues given imagining it is Tuesday. 22^nd December, that is to say, right at the of the term:

1. Albert / tell / us / to work every day   __________________________________________

2. We / have/ only one exam / before our term exams.

_____________________________________________________________________

3. The TENSES exercise / be / really difficult for us  

_____________________________________________________________________

4. One day / we / not bring / a composition / Albert / tell us / to do / so / he / get / furious with us

___________________________________________________________________________

5. One day / we / talk / about Maths / when / Albert / come / into the classroom

___________________________________________________________________________

164. PRONUNCIATION. Cross out the silent letters in the following words:

LISTEN         TALK        WRITE       KNIFE

165. Insert the second sentences into the first ones by means of  RELATIVE CLAUSES:

1. The new teacher is called Albert. We are having him for English this year.

2. Albert comes every day at 8.30 sharp. He has to feed his baby before school.

3. Where is the department store? Your father works there.

4. My father works in El Corte Inglés. It is in Granada.

5. Who is the girl? Last Monday you were talking with her in the pub.

 

166. Follow-up questions. Write questions asking for further information. (Do not use YES/NO QUESTIONS).

1. We had a wonderful meal in that restaurant. __________________________________?

2. My family has paid a lot of money for our new house.  _________________________________ ?

3. My uncle had a wonderful holiday. _____________________________________________ ?

4. My job is really interesting.   ________________________________________ ?

5. Joan is writing a letter.  ____________________________________________ ?

6. I'm going to the cinema tonight.  ________________________________________ ?

167. Change the following sentences into the PASSIVE VOICE ( one of them has got two possibilities, so write it at the end)

1. Millions of people use Internet nowadays.  

2. Albert must cook lunch for his baby every day.

3. A police car is following that green van. 

4. How many times did the children break this window last year?

5. Nobody asked John a lot of questions.

168. Say what you do when you do not do something yourself.

1. Your mother wants you to paint the house, but you can't paint it yourself, .....

so you ________________________________________________________

2. Some students don't like doing English homework,....

so they ________________________________________________________

169. Translate the following sentences into English:

1. Se beben milliones de latas de Coca-Cola todos los días.

2. ¿Cómo crees que es la vida de una monja? Quizás un poco aburrida, pero interesante también.

3. El no quería que nadie viera su nuevo coche.

4. Ellos finalmente entendieron lo que su padre había querido decir.

5. "Creo que al bebé le gusta mucho aprender inglés porque está muy interesado en buscar palabras en tu nuevo diccionario", le dijo la madre al padre.

 

 

 

Some other activities for you to do: 

• The English We Speak:  Contact tracing   (BBC Learning English)

• You must not confuse these words:  Luggage or Baggage? Complex or complicated? Beside or Besides?   (English with Lucy) 
  

• English in a Minute:   ALONE vs LONELY   (BBC Learning English)

• News Review: BREXIT: Deal or no deal?   (BBC Learning English)

 

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 201216 / 16 December 2020    >>>  Tackling a tide of plastic -    Language related to 'helping the planet'.  Need-to-know language: the final straw, strong sign, responsability, functioning & trajectory.
  

 

What a damned year! Again another great legend, the Italian football player Paolo Rossi has passed away.

 

Football's Greatest Series Documentary  >>  Paolo Rossi  (and 1982 final WC Italy - Germany FR 3:1)

 

 

 

Italy 4-3 West Germany | Extended Highlights | 1970 FIFA World Cup

Changing world

Our world is changing greatly and very fast lately, and not only because of the pandemic. But is it changing for the better or for the worse?

 

The world is changing...

 

 Other interesting videos for the vocabulary used  >>>

Digital transformation: are you ready for exponential change? Futurist Keynote Speaker Gerd Leonhard

Digital Transformation Video 2019  

 

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

• Where the world's moving (a series of articles on the BBC)
  

• ‘We can’t go back to normal’: how will coronavirus change the world? (The Guardian)
  

• The last global crisis didn't change the world. But this one could... (The Guardian)
  

 

 

For example, the way we communicate with each other. How do you communicate with your friends or relatives? Do you phone them or send them a WhatsApp message, or do you just send an audio and reply with emoticons? Do you use Skype?

 

Here's a listening exercise for you to do about this issue:

6 Minute English:  Do you text or talk? (BBC Learning English)

 

 

The world is changing, but you can also change it, like Eric Clapton in - Change the World 

 

 

Some other activities for you to do: 

• Quizz on:  Reflexive pronouns   (BBC Learning English)

• Upgrade the way you talk:  Different & Better Ways To Say "I DON'T LIKE IT!" | Say this Instead!   (mmmEnglish) 
  

• English in a Minute:   Using different tenses to be polite   (BBC Learning English)

• 6 Minute Grammar: Present and past modals of ability   (BBC Learning English)

 

And talking about long bridges and things that can change the world, visit this post: French megastructures  and you will even be able to practise your French!!!

 

English with Lucy:

 American vs British English Words   

50 Weird & Confusing Facts About British Life & Culture    

British Humour Explained (with examples)   

 

Project on A Foreigner in Britain by José Corzo (1º Bach A) >>>  link to see the project  

 

Project on A Foreigner in New York by Lucía Guirado (2º Bach A) >>>  link to see the project  

 

 

 

Project on A Christmas Carol by José Adrián González (4º ESO A) >>>

 

 

 

 

Project on A Christmas Carol by Raquel Peinado (4º ESO A)  >>>

 

 

 

Project on A Christmas Carol by Sara Peinado (4º ESO A)  >>>

 

 

 

Project on A Christmas Carol by María Romero (4º ESO A)  >>>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last 25th November, the Argentinean football player Diego Armando Maradona passed away.

 

News Review: Maradona: Doctor's house searched (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

Football's Greatest Series Documentary  >>  Maradona  

 

 

 

 

Gary Lineker's brilliant, heartfelt tribute to Diego Maradona & Diego Maradona ● Magical Moments In Napoli  

 

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 201202 / 02 December 2020    >>>  Trains powered by the sun -    Language related to 'power'.  Need-to-know language: solar power, feeding, a push, sources & the grid.

 

 

 

Round 1 almost over!!

Our first term is coming to an end. Fortunately we have had all our classes face to face (in-person clases), at least those groups I teach. Despite all these tough times with the pandemic, we are all making a tremendous effort complying with all the security mesures at school and so far no cases have been reported to have anything to do with what happens inside our school premises.

However, we cannot be happy at all as we live locked down most of the time. At the moment we have to stay in our own local town and we are not allowed to meet any relatives or friends living outside our hometown. Times of solitude, loneliness. But, as the song below says "let's be lonely together!"

 

Here's a listening exercise for you to do about this issue:

6 Minute English:  Loneliness (BBC Learning English)

How many words do you know related to 'loneliness'?

Avicii - Lonely Together ft. Rita Ora (official video)

 

Some other activities for you to do: 

• 6 Minute Grammar:  Verb patters: LIKE, LOVE, PREFER or HATE   (BBC Learning English)

• Upgrade your vocabulary:  Stop saying VERY   (mmmEnglish)  >>  EXTREME ADJECTIVES
  

• English in a Minute:  4 English word pairs   (BBC Learning English)
  

LINGOHACK  >>>

• 
  Episode 201125 / 25 November 2020    >>>  Ban on new petrol and diesel cars in UK from 20230 -    Language related to 'cars'.  Need-to-know language: performance, top end, range, charge points & museum pieces.

 

 

For what it's worth

 

Do you know what "For What It's Worth" means? It is also the title of a song by the Buffalo Springfield and it has always been an anti-war protest song. Actually, it wasn't in the beginning. It was a consequence of a curfew, like the one we have nowadays due to the pandemic.

 

Here's the real story for you to read it:

‘For What It’s Worth’: Inside Buffalo Springfield’s Classic Protest Song (Rolling Stone Magazine)

For What It's Worth by the Buffalo Springfield (Music Video with lyrics & another one with lyrics both in English and Spanish). 

 

 

 And it was also part of the soundtrack of the film Forrest Gump (the best scene in the film)

Why the race to find Covid-19 vaccines is far from over (The Guardian)

 

In a few days' time we are coming to our deadline to hand in compositions/writing exercises, making comments... so pay attention to the listening exercise I propose and the other activities: 

• A listening exercise for you to do:  Let's talk about lateness   (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

• News Review: Calls for ban on 'anti-vax' social media (BBC Learning English)

• Very useful for you:  22 ‘LOOK’ Expressions & Phrasal Verbs: look up to, look back on, look as though + MORE!   (mmmEnglish)
  

• English in a Minute:  4 verbs to use instead of 'walk'   (BBC Learning English)
  

• Learners' Questions: 'LIE' , 'LIE' or 'LAY' (BBC Learning English)
  

 

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 201118 / 18 November 2020    >>>  Polar bear moves house! -    Language related to 'animal conservation'.  Need-to-know language: captured hearts, baby steps, bring into the world, fingers crossed & settling into.

 

No matter how...

No matter how tough the situation becomes, we will face it and defeat it. Watch this commercial and pay attention to the vocabulary used.

 

 

Viruses will never defeat humans - Seegene

 

How Hard I Try by Filous ft. James Hersey (Official Music Video).

Some other activities for you to do: 

• A listening exercise for you to do:  Could you be victim of online fraud?   (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

• News Review: Kamala Harris: First female US vice-president (BBC Learning English)

• Learn about time expressions:  15 Time expressions   (English with Lucy)
  

• English in a Minute:  4 ways to exaggerate like a Brit   (BBC Learning English)
  

•  Learners' Questions: Using 'FOR' & 'TO' for reasons WHY (BBC Learning English)
  

 

Some articles for you to read about US elections:

• US election results 2020: Joe Biden wins presidency, defeating Donald Trump (The Guardian)
  

• Biden overtakes Trump to win presidency (BBC News)
  

• Biden begins transition plans as Trump refuses to concede (CNN)
  

• Trump's refusal to accept loss puts transition work on hold as inner circle remains split (CNN)
  

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 201111 / 11 November 2020    >>>  Koalas return to the wild -    Language related to 'wildlife'.  Need-to-know language: survive, ecology, raise, joey & thrive.

On the right way!!

 

On the right way... Yes, on the right way to SUCCESS!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to our students at the IES Mediterráneo (Salobreña) for their good results in their B1 and B2 exams at the Official Language School: Ana Muñoz (2º Bachillerato) has passed her B2 exams and these students in 1º Bachillerato have passed their B1 exams at the Official Language School: Nuria Díaz, Lucía Espinosa, Susana Pérez. As you can see, taking into account all those who passed a month ago ( Can flowers make bees smile?  ), we have a total of 11 students in the level of 1º Bachilleratoand 9 students in 2º Bachillerato that have already got their B1 and so have 8 students in 2º Bachillerato, four of whom have also got their B2. 

And latest wonderful news: Sofía has just got her C1 (Cambridge)!!!!

 

 

However, that does not mean we are at the end of the road. This is just the beginning of a road: THE ROAD TO SUCCESS!!! as we have many other goals ahead: having the best of marks both at school (  English in a Minute:  'At school' or 'At the school' (BBC Learning English)  ) and in Selectivity, and getting their B2 (especially those students in 1º Bachillerato) next June. That's the way our great Rafa Nadal faces life so as to get such incredible results in life. 

 

 

 

'Could that potentially be the   turning point' in your lives as it happened in the 1000th Rafa's victory when playing against Feliciano López? This was Nadal when he was just 16!!!

 

 

Rafa Nadal in Challenger (16 years old) - 2003

 

 

Some other activities for you to do: 

• A listening exercise for you to do about CLIMATE CHANGE:  Melting ice sheet: Is it too late?   (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

• News Review: US election day 2020 (BBC Learning English)

• Learn about time expressions:  15 Time expressions   (English with Lucy)
  

• Learners' questions:  Using FOR & TO for reasons why (BBC Learning English)

 

Some newspaper articles and pieces of news on the US elections:

• Joe Biden narrowly ahead of Donald Trump as count continues (The Guardian)
  

• US Election: How can America reunite after this race? - BBC Newsnight

• US Election 2020: Trump claims 'historic election interference' - BBC News

 

 

LIVE CBS Special Report 2020 presidential election (BROADCASTING RIGHT NOW)

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 201104 / 11 November 2020    >>>  Restoring an English cathedral -    Language related to 'restoration'.  Need-to-know language: spire, parapets, stonemasons, forebears & artisans.

Eating less meat could save 45,000 lives a year, experts claim

Some articles to read about the issue:

• WHO links processed meat consumption to cancer (Aljazeera)

• Processed meats rank alongside smoking as cancer causes – WHO (The Guardian)

However, read about the reactions in Argentina:

• 
  Argentinians react to report linking meat to cancer: 'I'd rather die than give it up' (The Guardian)

What does WHO stand for? 

And some time ago we posted this in this blog:

• Eating less meat could save 45,000 lives a year, experts claim.

Joint of honey roast ham

 Read the article and write a comment about your eating habits or anything about the issue.

And finally. LINGOHACK:   Episode 151028 / 28 Oct 2015 

What will happen in the future? Here's an exercise on the FUTURE PERFECT tense.