Nothing is impossible

Well, hardly anything is impossible if we make a real effort to solve it. We have often talked about droughts and problems with water in our planet. Have a look at the next documentary and you'll see what amazing measures, investments, discoveries... they have made in Saudi Arabia to turn a desert into an oasis!!!!

 

How Saudi Arabia is Turning its Desert into a Farmland Oasis

 

 

And also Impossible is Nothing - Muhammad Ali (the great boxer versus his daughter Leila & greatest tribute) ADIDAS ad

Muhammad Ali In His Prime - Blinding Speed 

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

Episode 220216 / 16 February 202    >>>   Boxing to beat Parkinson's disease   -    Language related to 'health and lifestyle'.  

Need-to-know language: quality of life, rock bottom, medical intervention, exercise-oriented therapy & back on its feet.

    Nothing is impossible, so While you see a chance, take it, as Steve Winwood says in his song. Here's one version with the lyrics:

 

 

 

And nothing has been impossible for our relentless Nadal: 1 ,  2  & just go back to the year 2000. So with effort and commitment you can achieve anything: NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!

 

Rafael Nadal Australian Open tribute (The Miracle Journey to #21 & The Miracle | Australian Open 2022 )

 

 

 

Was it impossible....?

Adidas - Impossible is nothing

 

 

Some activities for you to do so that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE for you: 

• Leadership: Sharing climate information with the world - Sophia Kianni  (BBC Learning English)

• Listening exercise for you to do: Sleepy in South Korea    (BBC Learning English)

• News Review: Racial inequality in the UK  (BBC Learning English)

• The English We Speak:  We couldn't make it up  (BBC Learning English)

 

 

Here are two examples of our students at work >>>

 

Project on  All about Ireland  by José Antº Sabio (3º ESO A)

 

 

Project about  Jane Eyre  by Johana Gutiérrez (2º Bach A) 

 

 

My job is to make you believe!!!

When tough times come and when time is running away very fast, students begin to feel the anxiety of the challenge they will shortly face and it is then my job, as your teacher of English, to make you believe in you. I'm sure you will do fine, but you can never stop or feel any fear!!

 

    ...like in this song: Make Believe by Toto. Here's one version with the lyrics:

 

Some activities for you to do: 

• Leadership: Who will save the planet? - Greta Thunberg  (BBC Learning English)

• Learn a new English expression: All that glitters is not gold    (BBC Learning English)

• News Review: Nadal: Star breaks records again  (BBC Learning English)

• English in a Minute:  Every time vs All the time  (BBC Learning English)
  

  

Some advanced vocabulary presented by Lucy (English with Lucy) >>> 

 

 

Discover some of the best players in the history of football, some football legends:   1 , Germany best football players of all times, best centre-backs, best playmakers, best midfielders... What is your opinion?

 

 

And now let's get serious. Here's an interesting talk about Why humans run the world by Yuval Noah Harari (TED talk)

 

 

and here's another talk by Yuval Noah Harari: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (Talks at Google)ta

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

Episode 220202 / 02 February 2022    >>>   Electric buses: greener public transport   -    Language related to 'buses'.  

Need-to-know language: chugging, double-decker, secreted, cabin & range.

 

 

Under pressure

Some  are claiming that they are under such a high pressure, but that's life and we must learn how to handle these difficult situations because this is just the beginning of their careers. Later in this post you will see one of the best people to cope with high pressure. I mean Rafa Nadal.

Anyway, now it is time to keep on doing our best and then calm down so as to get the best outcome by the end of the school year.

And this is what some people do under stressful situations:

 

The Big Bang Theory 1x1 | Meeting Penny

Some activities for you to do: 

• Leadership: Leading for a cause - Marcus Rashford & How you can make a difference  & Helping to organize a movement for change   (BBC Learning English)

• A listening exercise for you to do: Preparing for the winter Olympics    (BBC Learning English)

• News Review: Ukraine: US embassy families leave  (BBC Learning English)

• English with Lucy:  ALREADY, YET, STILL & JUST  
  

  

Some articles for you to read about the winter Olympic Games:

• Keeping the Olympics Covid-free: life inside Beijing’s ‘closed loop’ bubble (The Guardian)

• 

  Global sponsors quiet ahead of Beijing Winter Olympics - BBC News

• 'It creates a lot of anxiety': Ahead of the Winter Olympics, athletes are doing everything to avoid catching Covid-19 (CNN)
  

 

 

My musical hint for today: Under Pressure by Queen. Here's one version with the lyrics:

 

 

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

Episode 220126 / 26 January 2022    >>>   Reducing construction waste   -    Language related to 'construction'.  

Need-to-know language: wooden pallets, skip, manufacturing, supply chain & building sites.

 

John McEnroe on the GOAT debate in tennis | Eurosport

 

 

And the one who knows to be under high pressure and overcome it is our Rafa Nadal. Here are some examples...  1  ,  2  , 

The day 16-year-old Nadal Outplayed an Ex No.1 and coach Moyá

 

 

Rafael Nadal's first strike

 

 

Let's hope that he can do it once again tomorrow!!! We wish him all the best in the AO final against Medvedev.

 

Breaking news  >>>>   Nadal wins his 21st Grand Slam!!!!

 

Rafa Nadal Comes From Two Sets Down to Make Tennis History! | Eurosport Tennis

 

After nearly 3 hours and having this score against, Nadal's resilience made him come back!!!! (FULL MATCH)

 

McEnroe states that Nadal is the “humblest, classiest champion of almost every athlete I’ve ever seen in any sport.” “I’ve watched a lot of tennis and I’ve seen a lot of unbelievable champions, I’ve seen Nadal give these kinds of efforts in the past and I didn’t think he could top it. To do what he just did here, at this point in his career, and shift the narrative again from Djokovic and shift it to him, it’s hard to believe.”

Rafael Nadal | Top 5 Shots (F) | Australian Open 2022

Rafael Nadal's Incredible Journey To Grand Slam 21 At The Australian Open | Eurosport Tennis

Rafael Nadal: Australian Open 2022 (Summary) ● ON COURT   

 

 

Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev - Australian Open 2022 Final Highlights HD

 

Rafael Nadal overwhelmed with emotion after 21st Grand Slam victory | Australian Open 2022

 

 

Rafael Nadal beats Medvedev in epic Australian Open final to claim 21st slam (The Guardian)

 

Australian Open: Rafael Nadal beats Daniil Medvedev from two sets down in Melbourne epic (BBC News)

 

Rafael Nadal Wins the Australian Open, His 21st Grand Slam Title (The New York Times)

 

Comment Nadal a renversé Medvedev (L'Équipe)

Australian Open: Rafael Nadal makes history with comeback for the ages (The Times)

Best 21 Nadal's points ever by ATP

Enjoy the long journey to Ithaca

 

“When you set sail for Ithaca,
wish for the road to be long,
full of adventures, full of knowledge.”
― C.P. Cavafy 

 

The Greek poet from Alexandria Constantino Cavafis (1863-1933) tells us about the importance of enjoying the long journey, whichever journey, and not only be thinking about our goal, our destination. This is a metaphor to be applied to any targets in our life, or to the life itself. 

 

That would be the case of our students in the quest for the best future they can expect and that is the case of teachers. Teaching is not an easy task, but with the rucksack full of eagerness and hopes this long vital journey will be more enjoyable. When I look back and see how much I have gone through (here's my blog and my site as an example) and the expectations I have for the future, I realise the importance of Cavani's poem making reference to Homer's voyage to Ithaca, his home.

 

 

I would like you to discover the real meaning of the poem and of what I have just said by having a look at the videos and articles I have prepared for you: 

 

The Poem Ithaca by Constantine Cavafy (explanation in Spanish)

The legend of Ithaca explained     

Everything you need to know to read the Odyssey (Episode 1: The Odyssey)  

 

Ithaca by C.P.Cavafy (with Sean Connery & Vangelis)

Version with lyrics  >>>  Ithaca by C.P.Cavafy (Read by Sean Connery) | Powerful Life Poem | STRYV

Tourist destination:

• ITHACA ISLAND GREECE hlias mpr photography

• Visit Ithaca | Ithaca, NY Travel & Tourism Video 
  

 

 

And here's the official trailer to the film Ithaca  (2016)

 

Some activities for you to do: 

• Leadership: Do you know how to achieve your vision?    (BBC Learning English)

• A listening exercise for you to do: Are personalised diets the best way to be healthy?    (BBC Learning English)

• News Review: Tonga: Volcano and tsunami hit  (BBC Learning English)

• Papa English: Learn some Phrasal verbs with "away"  
  

 

Here's my musical hint for today: The Long Road by Mark Knopfler.

 

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

Episode 220119 / 19 January 2022    >>>   Following whales round the southern ocean   -    Language related to 'researching animals'.  

Need-to-know language: conducted, tags, track, migrations & transmitting.

And what about our great Rafa Nadal in his quest to become the G.O.A.T. in tennis? Now it is time for the Australian Open, where Carreño, Badosa and Alcáraz have done a great job too. Today he had a tough match against the French tennis player Manarinno, especially in the tie-break they played in the first set.

World No.5 Nadal Cruises To Quarterfinals After Beating

Our students at work   >>> Project on England by Abel Martínez (3º ESO A)

Our Mediterranean Sea Secondary School students in hospital!!!

What will the future be like? The 'metaverse'? (Look for an interesting listening exercise below) I don't know, but we're still struggling to get through this pandemic. Here's a bunch of our students at work during Christmas holidays:

 

Mediterranenan Hospital - Your Students Hospital ("This is a project made by some 1º Bach and 2º Bach students for the subject of English. I hope you enjoy it" by David Bp)

Some articles for you to learn about the 'metaverse': 

 

Apparently, it's the next big thing. What is the metaverse? (BBC News)

Enter the metaverse: the digital future Mark Zuckerberg is steering us toward (The Guardian)

Why Silicon Valley is betting on making this dystopian sci-fi idea a reality (CNN)

 

 

The Metaverse and How We'll Build It Together -- Connect 2021

 

 

Some activities for you to do: 

• The English We Speak : "Say no more"   &   "As sick as a parrot"   (BBC Learning English)

• Welcome to the 'metaverse' with a good listening exercise for you to do: What will future be like?    (BBC Learning English)

  

• News Review: Review of 2021  (BBC Learning English)

• Leadership: Do visionaries make good leaders?  , talking about Steve Jobs (BBC Learning English)

 

Here's my musical hint for today: For the first time by Rod Stewart and here's another one with the lyrics  for you to sing along.

 

 

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

Episode 210105 / 05 January 2022    >>>   Protecting sea horses   -    Language related to 'Sea and boats'.  

Need-to-know language: teeming with life, mooring chains, sea bed, tide & seafarers.

 

Breaking news >>> Football legend Francisco Gento has passed away today, the only player to win 6 European Cups, the last of which with 11 Spanish players on pitch!!!

 

Gento talking about the European Cup and other interesting videos to watch: 1  2  3  4  5  

Farewell, Paco Gento!!!  R.I.P. (Rest in Peace) 

 

Real Madrid: Six-time European Cup winner Francisco 'Paco' Gento dies aged 88 (BBC News)

Paco Gento, la carrière d'une légende du Real Madrid en images (L'Équipe)

Francisco Gento dead: Real Madrid legend and European Cup record holder dies at 88 (Daily Mirror)

Addio a Francisco Gento, leggenda del Real Madrid e del calcio spagnolo (La Gazzetta dello Sport)

 

Gento, the legend   and here's a report in Italian  

Long live the King!!

 Long live the King!!! But who's the king? There are many kings as you will see in minute: in politics, in sport, in music... and something is for certain kings don't live for ever and we are all kings in a way.

 

 

And when talking about kings we can't help this blues singer coming to mind!!! Here's my musical hint for today: Lucille by B. B. King and here are the lyrics for you to learn about what the singer meant to say.

 

 

 

Some activities for you to do: 

• Want some advice about leadership? : Are women better leaders?   &   Don't be scared of leadership   (BBC Learning English)

  

• A listening exercise for you to do: How do languages get invented?    (BBC Learning English)

• News Review: Djokovic vs Australia: Novak to stay  (BBC Learning English)

• English with Lucy: REPORTED SPEECH  Discover when to use it correctly!!
  

 

Once upon a time, there was a king in football named Johan Cruyff: The Impossible is nothing

Other kings....

King Kong Official Trailer #1 - Jack Black Movie (2005) HD

The Circle of Life Lyrics - The Lion King

 

 

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

Episode 220112 / 12 January 2022    >>>   Robotic surgery   -    Language related to 'surgery'.  

Need-to-know language: operation, medical field, patient, surgeons & keyhole surgery.

 

Tennis >>>  The Commissioner of Tennis: McEnroe On The Next Icon Of Tennis | The Commissioner of Tennis | Eurosport

 

 In tennis there is always a search for the KING or the G.O.A.T. (the Greatest Of All Times). Once, the dilemma was between Borg and McEnroe (Wimbledon 1980) and episode 2.

He is not a king, but watch how you have to face life and how to volley: Hurkacz's amazing volley   (Australian Open 2022)

Thinking about you

As you may have noticed, I can't stop thinking of you and I keep preparing things for you (posts, exercises, exams...). This is a most common feeling among people who love each other as in the case of Lagertha and Ragnar in the series Vikings.

 

 

Here's my musical hint for today: Skin by Rag'n Bone Man used in the series of Vikings and here are the lyrics for you to learn about what the singer really means.

 

 

Vikings: Queen Lagertha Joins Ragnar in Valhalla (Season 6) | History

 

You can even learn English watching this series.

 

 

 

Some activities for you to do: 

• International Law : What is 'legalese'?   (BBC Learning English)

• Two listening exercises for you to do: Fake or real: What's the best tree to have at Christmas?  & Do trees have memories?    (BBC Learning English)

• News Review: Our pick of the news and words of 2021  (BBC Learning English)

• The English We Speak: Say no more  (BBC Learning English)

English with Lucy: Causative Verbs - HAVE, GET, MAKE, LET, HELP - English Grammar Lesson

 

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

Episode 211229 / 29 December 2021    >>>   Walrus counting   -    Language related to 'walrus'.  

Need-to-know language: blubbery, grumpy, beasts, scouring & icon.

 

 

Vintage tennis... Björn Borg, one of the GOATs >>>

Björn Borg vs Vitas Gerulaitis Semifinals at Wimbledon 1979

Borg vs Tanner Wimbledon 1979 Final (5th set) (Highlights)

Björn Borg vs Stan Smith  1973 Final at Bastad

 

 

Project about A Foreigner in New York  by David Bacas (2º Bach A)