2º Bachillerato. Inglés

Alcohol More Harmful Than Heroin

2010-11-29T12:32:00.004+01:00

A new study has discovered that alcohol is a more dangerous drug than heroin and cocaine. The report is from Britain's Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. Its research classified drugs on the basis of the harm they do in our society. Alcohol came top of the list, with heroin second and cocaine third. Researchers created nine categories of harm that drugs can do "from death to damage to mental functioning and loss of relationships," and seven types of harm they do to others. Experts in Britain are now calling for new laws to control alcohol. Don Shenker from the group Alcohol Concern said: "The government should now urgently ensure alcohol is made less affordable and invest in prevention and treatment services to deal with the rise in alcohol dependency that has occurred."

The research was led by a former government drugs advisor, Professor David Nutt. He has been calling for a change in the way Britain classifies drugs for many years. He was fired in 2009 for his views and claimed the government was more interested in politics than scientific evidence. Any laws that make alcohol a dangerous drug would cause harm to any government trying to win an election. However, the current study is very extensive and strongly suggests he was right to call for a reclassification. Professor Nutt told Britain's Guardian newspaper: "We need to rethink how we deal with drugs in the light of these new findings." One suggested change is that cigarettes are put in the same category as cocaine, because they cause as much harm to the individual and society.

Vocabulary

There are some words in green in the text. Choose 2 of them and write a synonym, an opposite, a definition or a sentence.
Match these words from the text to their definition.

Damage / urgently / rise / fired / current

An increase in amount, number or intensity.
Of the present time; happening now.
Harm caused to somebody.
Requiring immediate attention or action.
Dismissed an employee from a job.

Comprehension

Say if these sentences about the text are true or false. Don't forget to copy the evidence from the text.
Alcohol is considered by experts to be the most harmful of all drugs.
Prohibiting alcohol would be the best option for any government to continue ruling a country.

what would you say in these situations?

You are at a party. Somebody is trying to convince you to drink alcohol. Refuse politely.
You've noticed that your dad has been smoking too much lately. Give him some advice about the dangers of smoking.

Listening
Watch this video. What do you think it is about?

QUAKE-HIT HAITI BATTLES CHOLERA EPIDEMIC

2010-10-26T20:29:00.006+02:00

Haiti's government and its aid partners are fighting to contain an epidemic that has killed at least 250 people in the nation's worst medical emergency since the January 12 earthquake.

President Rene Preval had confirmed cholera was the cause of the acute diarrhoea that overwhelmed hospitals in central Haiti in recent days with weakened, dehydrated patients. He said "This disease is very dangerous. It can kill in three hours because once the diarrhea starts it doesn't stop." He told they were concerned about the speed with which it had spread and they were making sure people were fully aware of precautionary measures they had to take to prevent contamination.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the virulent diarrhoeal disease, which had affected more than 1,500 people in central Haiti, would be the first cholera epidemic in a century in the disaster-prone Caribbean nation, already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Cholera usually comes from consuming water or food contaminated by cholera bacteria and is not likely to spread from person to person. But outbreaks could be potentially explosive among malnourished or displaced people living in unsanitary, crowded conditions.

The health authorities urged people not to panic and warned the population to regularly wash their hands, not to eat raw vegetables, to boil all food and drinking water, and to avoid bathing in and drinking from rivers. They informed the deadly dehydration caused by cholera could be easily treated by drinking boiled water mixed with sugar and salt.

Haitian officials said some cholera victims from the latest outbreak had been reported in Port-au-Prince so far though the worst-affected areas were in the central region and zones around Saint-Marc.

vocabulary

There are some words in green in the text. Choose 2 of them and write a synonym, an opposite, a definition or a sentence.
Match these words from the text to their definition.

disaster-prone / outbreaks / malnourished / raw / deadly

* Causing or able to cause fatal injury or serious damage.

* A sudden eruption of anger, war, disease, etc

* Likely to suffer.

* Uncooked.

* Not being provided with adequate nourishment.

comprehension

Say if these sentences about the text are true or false. Don't forget to copy the evidence from the text.

Health authorities have recommended the population how to avoid the cholera contamination.

People living under unsanitary conditions are more likely to get diseases like cholera.

what would you say in these situations?

You don't feel well. Your mother calls the doctor's surgery to fix an appointment.
You are at school, you feel dizzy and you think you are going to fall. Ask the teacher for help.

Listening

Melanie Teff, an advocate for Refugees International spoke with Matt Frei about the organization's work in Haiti and its report on conditions there ten months on from the devastating earthquake that ravaged the island.

Watch this video and answer the following questions:

What is life on the camps like?

Which are some of the problems refugees are facing in the camps?

Which two groups are in charge of Haiti's community security?

What is needed to improve the camps situation?

Mario Vargas Llosa wins Nobel Literature Prize

2010-10-07T20:31:00.009+02:00

The Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa today won the 2010 Nobel prize for literature. The award is the culmination of a literary life that began in 1963 with the publication of his novel The Time of the Hero, and includes further books such as Conversation in the Cathedral (1969), Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977) and The Feast of the Goat (2000).

"I am very surprised, I did not expect this," Vargas Llosa told Spanish National Radio, saying that he thought it was a joke when he received the call. "It had been years since my name was even mentioned," he added. "It has certainly been a total surprise, a very pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless."

Born in 1936 in the provincial city of Arequipa, Vargas Llosa began working as a crime reporter for the Lima newspaper La Crónica at the age of 15. He moved to Paris in 1959 and from there to London and Barcelona, working as a Spanish teacher, broadcaster and journalist and as a visiting professor in universities in Europe and America, before returning to Peru in 1975.

Vargas Llosa took Spanish nationality in 1993 - three years after an unsuccessful bid for the Peruvian presidency. He was defeated by Alberto Fujimori, and left the country after a defeat he blamed on a "dirty war". "I didn't lie," he explained. "I said we needed radical reforms and social sacrifices, and in the beginning it worked. But then came the dirty war, presenting my reforms as something that would destroy jobs. It was very effective, especially with the poorest of society. In Latin America we prefer promises to reality."

The writer's international breakthrough came with the 1960s novel The Time of The Hero which built on his experiences at the Peruvian military academy, Leoncio Prado. The book was considered controversial in his homeland and 1,000 copies were burnt publicly by officers from the academy.

Then, a succession of novels, short stories and plays cemented his literary reputation.

The Feast of the Goat (2000), widely viewed as his most recent masterpiece, returns to dictatorship, offering a portrait of Rafael L Trujillo Molina, who ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 until 1961. He has described it as a "realist treatment of a human being who became a monster".

The author, whose works have been translated into 31 languages, had long been mentioned as a possible Nobel candidate. He has also won some of the Western world's most prestigious literary medals including the Cervantes Prize in 1995 - the Spanish-speaking world's most distinguished literary honour.

vocabulary

There are some words in green in the text. Choose 2 of them and write a synonym, an opposite, a definition or a sentence.
Match these words from the text to their definition.

expect / nonetheless / bid / blame / masterpiece

an attempt to attain some goal or purpose
to place the responsibility for (a fault, error, etc.)
to look forward to; regard as likely to happen
a person's greatest piece of work, as in an art
however; nevertheless

comprehension

Say if these sentences about the text are true or false. Don't forget to copy the evidence from the text.

Everybody in Peru acclaimed his novel The Time of The Hero.
The Nobel prize was a surprise beacuse the author had never been mentioned as a possible candidate.

what would you say in these situations?

You lose a book that you had borrowed from a friend.
Your Spanish Language teacher asks for suggestions to celebrate Vargas Llosa's Nobel prize.

listening

Listen to Mario Vargas LLosa, and complete the sentences below.

"I think that the ambition of all writers is that his works would have in his readers the effect ... (1) had in their lives."

"To read all these authors has enrichened my life in such a way, ... (2), the world, that if my books do something similar for readers, that ... (3)."

"I don't think it will affect my writing, but ... (4). It's not usual for me to be surrounded by photographers and journalists. Usually, my life is ... (5)."

listening practice

2010-05-03T21:54:00.012+02:00

Mandy is starting university and is looking for an apartment to rent. Listen and answer the sentences below.

How big is the apartment?
How old is it?
Is it furnished?
How much is the rent?
What does it include?
What happens if you move out before the 6-month agreement?
Do tenants get their deposit back when they move out?
Why, according to the owner, is the apartment so convenient?
Are pets allowed?
What pet does Mady have?

Spanish Government Backs Anti-Piracy Measures

2010-03-24T21:39:00.010+01:00

The Spanish government has finally approved controversial anti-piracy measures aimed at the illegal downloading of copyrighted material on the Internet.
The law focuses on measures to shut down Web sites found to be hosting illegal content, and stops short of a law recently approved in France, under which individuals who illegally download copyrighted material could lose their Internet connections.

Music companies and other copyright owners want the government to enact a similar law in Spain. "We do not think just going against the Web sites can be effective," said Fabrice Benoît, managing director of Universal Music Spain.

Meanwhile, Internet service providers, bloggers and representatives of Web-based businesses do not support the government's proposal, even though, unlike in France, the Spanish proposal could not result in anyone being disconnected from the Internet.

"The Internet should be free and not have any interference from groups that seek to perpetuate obsolete business models and stop the free flow of human knowledge," opponents of the law said in a "manifesto" distributed on the Web.

Apart from the expected criticism and intense protests of the new law by Internet consumer groups, legal experts warn that the complexity of intellectual property rights issues will mean long trials and appeals, and it's not at all clear who would be responsible for costs to injured parties if they are found not to have infringed the law after all.

Do you think a government has the right to cut internet access to users who access pirated material?

Spanish Government Backs Anti-Piracy Measures

2010-03-24T12:13:00.000+01:00

Here are some activities about the text above. You can either e-mail your answers to elcalero.ingles@gmail.com or hand them in to your teacher. Deadline: 10th March.

vocabulary

There are some words in green in the text. Choose 2 of them and write a synonym, an opposite, a definition or a sentence.
Match these words from the text to their definition.

stop short / enact / flow / manifesto / trial

a public declaration of intentions, opinions, obectives or motives
the determination of a person's guilt or inocence by due process of law
a cylinder or tube used to conduct a liquid, gas, or finely divided solid
to make into law
not go so far as to do something

comprehension

Say if these sentences about the text are true or false. Don't forget to copy the evidence from the text.

The main aim of the law is to shut down Web sites that host illegal content.
The same as in France, people can get disconnected from the Internet.

what would you say in these situations?

A friend of yours has decided to start paying for music downloaded from the Internet.
A friend of yours joins a pop group. They become popular, but nobody buys their music: it is downloaded from the Internet.

listening
Listen to two people discusing changes in the music industry, and complete the sentences below.

Peter O'Neill writes a popular blog about ...
Peter thinks that the death of the music industry ...
According to him, the challenge for the big companies in the music industry is ... and come up with a new business model.
The presenter says that ... were illegally downloaded last year.
A European survey said that 34% of 15 to 24 year olds had no idea of music as something ...
Peter says that those same 15 to 24 year olds who have never imagined buying music are the people who ...
Artic Monkeys released the ...

if / I wish / if only

2010-03-05T15:32:00.000+01:00

Write a suitable reply for these situations. You can find the solutions below.

1. A friend wants you to drive him home. You don't have a car.
If ...
I wish ...

2. Peter eats lots of fast food. He isn´t healthy.
If you ...

3. You had an argument with a friend. Then she had a party and didn't invite you.
If ...
I wish ...

4. It's your best friend birthday, but you don't have any money to buy him a present.
If ...
I wish ...
If only ...

5. Your sister is always chatting on the Internet. Your father gets angry with her.
If ...

6. You forgot to phone Carol and she didn't go to your birthday party.
If ...
I wish ...
If only ...

7. Your house is very small.
I wish ...
If only ...

8. You watch too much television. You don't have much time to study. Your mother says:
If ...
I wish ...
If only ...

9. You are in Germany. You can't speak German.
I wish ...
If only ...

10. Your father has to work next Saturday. He can't take you to Las Palmas.
If ...
I wish ...
If only ...

11. "It may rain this evening".
"Ok. We'll stay at home, then".
If ...

12. "Hurry up! We'll be late!"
Unless ...

13. Your little sister is making an annoying noise.
I wish ...

14. You didn't listen to your parents and you got into trouble.
If ...
I wish ...
If only ...

15. You want to go to the beach but it's raining.
I wish ...
If only ...

Here are the answers. If you have any questions, write to elcalero.ingles@gmail.com, or leave a comment here.

Haiti earthquake - how do UK charities help?

2010-02-17T18:56:00.005+01:00

For the last month, UK charities have been scrambling to get aid to the earthquake-stricken Caribbean island. But what do agencies do when disaster strikes?There is no doubt that Haiti's 7.0-magnitude earthquake has been a humanitarian disaster. Over three million people are thought to have been displaced in the poorest nation in the Americas, and the death toll keeps rising.

Charities have been quick to send supplies and emergency response teams. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) - the umbrella organisation which co-ordinates responses to major disasters overseas - launched an emergency appeal within days.

But how do charities and the DEC assess what to do first when a disaster devastates?
Richard North, acting head of logistics for the British Red Cross, said the first line of response was to see if a disaster could be handled on a local level.

"The Haitian Red Cross was overwhelmed, warehouse buildings damaged, there was a clear requirement for international assistance. Emergency stocks were distributed pretty much straight away. Then we looked at our emergency response unit, we have teams which are on 24/7 standby, and specialist areas like medicine," he said.

Looking further ahead, he said: "Emergency relief typically takes 6-8 weeks, with recovery 2-4 years. Normally the response moves from search and rescue and medical needs, to helping those who have lost homes with shelter, to water sanitation and food. Then comes more longer-term recovery programmes, like re-building homes and offering families micro-loans."

Oxfam, which had a member of staff killed in the earthquake, said its priority was "always" water and sanitation. The charity has sent up to 10 tonnes of water, sanitation, health and shelter equipment - valued at around £70,000 - from its Oxford UK warehouse. Equipment includes emergency sheeting for shelter and latrines, water tubing to create pipes, water purification chemicals and tablets, and buckets to enable people to carry and store water.

The charity said staff already based in Haiti had been providing shovels to clear rubble and search for trapped victims, and 17 international humanitarian experts had arrived in Haiti on Friday.

Kate Akhtar, senior emergency programme officer for Care International, agreed that water and sanitation were "key". Haiti was "well versed" in disaster, having had four hurricanes in 2008, but was in "urgent need" of more aid, she said.

"Urban areas are always difficult, but there is so much deforestation in Haiti - which has caused landslide problems in the past - that it will be difficult to source items to create shelter."

Communication was also a problem, with text messaging the only way to communicate with their staff, she said.

ActionAid said aid was "trickling in" but the situation was "chaotic". It said it had 25 staff in the country, but 20 were "still trying to dig their families out of the rubble". As well as delivering shelter, food and sanitary kits for women, the charity has provided psycho-social support, a spokeswoman said.
The Disasters Emergency Committee is flexible. Different agencies have different skills, so they work in a complementary way. Some agencies are geared up to send immediate relief - some anticipate response.

------------o------------

It is clear from this article the importance of the work charities do. But are charities really necessary, or should the work they do be undertaken by governments? Leave your opinion.

Haiti earthquake

2010-02-11T12:27:00.008+01:00

Here are some activities about the text above. You can either e-mail your answers to elcalero.ingles@gmail.com or hand them in to your teacher. Deadline: 10th March.

vocabulary

There are some words in green in the text. Choose 3 of them and write a synonym, an opposite, a definition or a sentence.
Match these words from the text to their definition.

scramble / toll / launch / shelter / pipe / rubble

broken bits and pieces of anything, as that which is demolished
to introduce to the public,to iniciate
a cylinder or tube used to conduct a liquid, gas, or finely divided solid
to move hastily and with urgency
a building serving as a temporary refuge or residence for homeless people
the extent of loss, damage, suffering, etc., resulting from some action or calamity

comprehension

Say if these sentences about the text are true or false. Don't forget to copy the evidence from the text.

The Red Cross has teams ready every single day of the week.
The first line of response for the Red Cross is developing recovering programmes such as rebuilding homes.
According to Kate Akhtar, it will be difficult to find items to build shelters due to deforestation.

what would you say in these situations?

A friend of yours has decided to give up his/her studies to volunteer in a country in need.
A friend of yours wants you to join Cruz Roja. Give a polite refusal.

listening
Watch this video and answer the questions below.

How many people do Oxfam have on the ground?
Which other disaster(s) have they responded to in the past in Haiti?
What do they need the money for?
What is the situation like in Haiti?

gerund or infinitive?

2010-01-21T21:17:00.006+01:00

Aquí dejo algunas direcciones con ejercicios para practicar on-line. Todas tienen la respuesta correcta, pero si alguien no entiende por qué alguna es como dicen que es, durante el fin de semana pueden mandandarme un correo a elcalero.ingles@gmail.com (intentaré contestarlo cuanto antes), o consultarlo durante la mañana del lunes.

¡Ánimo, que no es tan difícil ...!

http://a4esl.org/q/h/9801/el-to-ing.html
http://esl.lbcc.cc.ca.us/eesllessons/gerundinf/meanchmc1.htm
http://esl.lbcc.cc.ca.us/eesllessons/gerundinf/meanchfib1.htm
http://www.kico4u.de/english/uebungen/gerundium/forget.htm
http://www.kico4u.de/english/uebungen/gerundium/remember.htm
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/infinitive-gerund/exercises?30

A Fat Man Walking

2009-12-21T14:34:00.002+01:00

Aquí está en PDF el texto PAU que corregiremos en clase a la vuelta de las vacaciones de navidad. Recordad que la pregunta 5 es para entregar, así que hacedla en un folio aparte. Las dos opciones que se dan para la redacción son de opinión. Aunque revisaremos a la vuelta cómo hacer estas redacciones, y en el pack de fotocopias del 1er trimestre están los apuntes, tened en cuenta:

En el primer párrafo (introducción) hay que dejar bien claro cuál es nuestra opinión. En este caso, si creemos o no que unos hábitos saludables hacen que nuestra vida sea mejor, o si creemos o no que en los colegios sólo se debería servir comida sana.

El resto de párrafos deben responder a la pregunta "¿por qué?". Es decir, por qué creemos que sí o por qué creemos que no. En cada uno de los párrafos debemos poner un punto de vista que apoye la opinión que hemos establecido en la introducción, dando ejemplos o explicaciones.

Si queremos poner un punto de vista diferente al nuestro, debemos hacerlo en un párrafo aparte.

En el último párrafo, como siempre, escribo una pequeña conclusión, intentando decir, con otras palabras, lo mismo que afirmé en la introducción.

Feliz Navidad!
Merry Christmas!

Swine flu

2009-11-09T10:27:00.001+01:00

Swine flu is a respiratory disease, which means it's to do with breathing, that usually affects pigs. It's is caused by a strain of the influenza virus and is a bit like human flu, in that there are loads of different types and the infection is constantly changing.

The disease regularly breaks out among herds of pigs, but although it can make the animals very ill they normally survive.

Swine flu doesn't usually affect humans and in the past, those who have had it have normally been in close contact with pigs. But officials say this latest outbreak IS being passed from person to person and it's thought to be passed on in the same way as human flu... by coughing and sneezing.

So what's changed?

Experts at the World Health Organisation say at least some of the cases are a new version of the H1N1 strain of the influenza type A virus. Doctors who have studied the bug have found that it's like other types of flu, but has bits mixed into it from the flu bugs that pigs and birds can catch.

Symptoms of swine flu in people appear to be similar to those of human flu, including having a fever, cough, body aches or chills etc.

Many cases that have been reported so far appear to be mild, some people who catch the swine flu bug may not even realise they have it, but hundreds of people have been killed around the world. Some medical experts think the number of people who die from swine flu could rise much higher.

Governments around the world are doing all they can to stop swine flu spreading and say they have plans in order to deal with the outbreak.

Should we be worried about swine flu, or has it been exaggerated by governments and the media? Leave your opinion on comments.

swine flu

2009-11-09T10:25:00.002+01:00

Here are some activities about the text above. You can either e-mail your answers to elcalero.ingles@gmail.com or hand them in to your teacher. Deadline: 27th November.

vocabulary

There are some words in green in the text. Choose 3 of them and write a synonym, an opposite, a definition or a sentence.
Match these words from the text to their definition.
1. strain
2. break out
3. bug
4. deal with

any microorganism, esp. a virus
a variety, esp. of microorganisms
to be able to handle competently or successfully
to begin suddenly or violently

comprehension

Say if these sentences about the text are true or false. Don't forget to copy the evidence from the text.

Swine flu and human flu have some things in common.
Everybody who catches swine flu has severe symptoms.

what would you say in these situations?

A friend of yours thinks he has caught swine flu.
Someone sitting next to you is sneezing without using a tissue.
You are at school and you realise you have a fever and body aches.

listening

Watch this swine flu advert. Why do you think the message is "CATCH IT, BIN IT, KILL IT"?

Ejemplos de ejercicios PAU

2009-11-05T20:30:00.005+01:00

Aquí tienes ejemplos de las nuevas preguntas del examen PAU con soluciones. Las respuestas son las que dieron en la coordinación de la PAU. Como ves, no se pide gran cosa. Lo más importante es que seas capaz de comunicarte en unas situaciones dadas.

Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-10T20:56:00.009+02:00

The prestigious Nobel peace prize has been given to US President Barack Obama for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples".

But the decision by the Nobel Committee is controversial as Mr Obama has been in office less than a year and his policy of engagement is just a few months old.

Arguments against

Most people can think it is great to recognise the remarkable policy of international engagement that Barack Obama has undertaken in the last nine months. But there are problems with the decision to award him the Nobel Peace Prize now.

Engagement doesn't necessarily mean success. America may still be the most powerful nation in the world, but its power does not always translate into influence.

Given this reality, awarding President Obama this prestigious prize now is not helpful. First, it further raises international expectations at a very delicate time in Obama's presidency - expectations that may not be fulfilled.

Moreover, the prize will make his opponents even more cynical about his policies. Increasing numbers in America want to know that President Obama's first priority is to protect US interests.

It might have been better, therefore, to consider awarding Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize in a few years, when he can show the results of his efforts. Now is too early.

Arguments for

This is one of those rare events when a person has been awarded a prize for what might be, rather than what has already been achieved.

But the award can be seen in a positive way - clearly its intention is to honour and recognise what it is hoped can be achieved with this new president.

Barack Obama came into office claiming to take a different route to countries such as Iran, North Korea and Burma. And in recent months we have seen some very interesting and overall positive movement in all of these places.

Probably the most important thing President Obama has done in regards to trying to establish global security is on the issue of nuclear disarmament.

The potential for the US to assume greater responsibility and moral leadership is higher than it has been for some years.

The Nobel Committee has recognised this change and its potential - and that's what the prize was awarded for.

What do you think? Are you for or against giving the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama?

Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-10T20:00:00.008+02:00

Here are some activities about the text above. You can either e-mail your answers to elcalero.ingles@gmail.com or hand them in to your teacher. Deadline: 23rd October.

vocabulary

There are some words in green in the text. Choose 3 of them and write a synonym, an opposite, a definition or a sentence.

Match these words to their definition.

undertake
expectations
achieve
issue

a point, matter, or dispute
prospects, especially of success or gain
to bring to a successful end
to take in charge; assume the duty of attending to

comprehension

Say if these sentences about the text are true or false. Don't forget to copy the evidence from the text.

Everybody agrees with the Nobel Committee.
America is the most powerful country in the world.
Obama has won the Prize for his achievemnts.
In the last past months, the attitude towards some countries has changed.

what would you say in these situations?

A friend of yours has been given a prize s/he doesn't deserve.
You want to congralute a friend for a prize s/he has won.

listening

Watch this video of a part of Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech and complete the text below. There is only one word in each blank.

I am both ………………… (1) and deeply humbled by the ………………… (2) of the Nobel Committee.

Let me be clear, I do not view it as a ………………… (3) of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American ………………… (4) on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.

To be honest, I do not feel that I ………………… (5) to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this ………………… (6), men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire ………………… (7) through their courageous pursuit of ………………….(8).

But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women and all Americans want to ………………… (9), a world that gives life to the ………………… (10) of our founding documents.

Recession

2009-05-06T14:37:00.006+02:00

We are in a recession, but what is it?

For ages people have been talking about money worries and the credit crunch, and now another strange word has hit the headlines. The latest figures show that most countries are on the edge of something called a RECESSION.

BUT WHAT IS IT?

The more a country sells to other countries, the more money the country makes. When that happens, the economy grows.
And for a long time it's all been going quite well.
For the past 16 years the economy has either stayed the same, or been growing.
But recently countries across the world have been hit by a cash crisis that people are calling the CREDIT CRUNCH. And that means for the first time in years the economy is shrinking instead of growing.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN?

Most people won't have as much to spend as they used to, so instead of buying things they'll be more likely to make do with what they've already got.

This means it'll be harder for shops and businesses to make money, and pay people to work for them. If all that happens, a lot of people will be worried about losing their jobs.

WHEN WILL IT END?

No-one knows for sure. But some experts say it could be 2010 before the economy starts growing again.

So, how is this crisis affecting you and your family? Or how do you think it is affecting other people?

Do you think governments are doing as much as they can to try to stop it?

What would you do if you were the Prime Minister?

Here are some vocabulary,comprehension and listening activities about the text above. You can either hand your answers in to your teacher or e-mail them to elcalero.ingles@gmail.com.

vocabulary

1. Match these words from the text with their definition.

a. headlines b. figure(s) c. crunch d. grow

1. A shortage or reduction of something needed or wanted.
2. To increase gradually in size, amount, etc.; become greater or larger; expand.
3. The title or caption of a newspaper article, usually set in large type.
4. An amount or value expressed in numbers.

2. There are four bold words or expressions in the text. Write a synonym, an opposite, a definition or a sentence of each of them.

listening / watching

3. Watch the video below. Name three things that the singer has had to do due to the credit crunch, and two things that he thinks he should or could do.

School shootings

2009-03-23T15:37:00.007+01:00

Last 11 March we could listen to and watch the terrible news that 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer went on a shooting rampage in a school in southern Germany and killed 15 people before dying in a shoot-out with police.

Although this kind of incident is rare, the number of incidents doesn't stop increasing.

School shooting events cut across most all social boundaries transcending race, class, religion and age, and have occurred across the globe from Australia to Finland. Most shooters seem to have a common profile. Many of the attackers had experienced - and found it very difficult to cope with - major problems in their lives. These could be anything from the end of a romance to living through a serious illness, and a number had considered suicide. Almost three-quarters said that they had felt bullied, persecuted or injured by others prior to the attack. Only a few attackers had been suspended from school, with nearly two-thirds having never or rarely been in trouble at school. And, of course, most of them had an easy access to firearms. Revenge seems to be a common thread that runs through all of these events. School shootings are primarily acts of revenge. Revenge is rooted in a sense of real or perceived injustice towards the perpetrator of the shooting and injustice is the feeling that ‘I should have something that I don’t'. Many school shootings are fomented by a desire for revenge against society.

However, the fact is that the only feature that school shooters have in common is that all of them were male. There is no easy answer as to why this is so, but the Secret Service in the US thinks that it might help a bit to listen more to boys, to encourage them to speak about their problems and issues, and to be very aware of what's going on in their minds. It sounds trite, but boys are rarely open with their feelings and getting them to open up can have positive results.

Can anything be done about it and is there any way that attacks can be prevented in the future?

Here are some vocabulary,comprehension and listening activities about the text above. You can either e-mail your answers to elcalero.ingles@gmail.com or hand them in to your teacher.

vocabulary

1. Match these words from the text with their definition.

a. revenge

b. thread

c. rampage

d. trite

e. issue

1. that which runs through the whole course of something, connecting successive parts.
2. something done in vengeance
3. violent or excited behavior that is uncontrolled, or destructive
4. without freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition
5. an important question that is in dispute and must be settled

2. Choose 5 words from the bold ones and write a synonym, an opposite, a definition or a sentence.

comprehension

Say if these sentences about the text are true or false. Don't forget to copy the evidence from the text.

After killing 15 people, Tim Kretschmer killed himself.

Many attackers have had problems such as breaking up with their partners or an illness.

Most shooters have been in trouble at school.

Boys find it difficult to talk about their problems.

listening

Watch this video in which a journalist tells about the shooting by Tim Kretschmer in a German school.

What does he say about Tim Kretschmer's family?

Does it agree with some of the ideas from the text? Which ones?

A Brief Synopsis of the Israel/Palestine Conflict

2009-02-27T20:04:00.004+01:00

How was Israel created?

Before the First World War (WW1) Palestine was a district ruled by the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans were defeated by Britain and her allies in the war.
After WW1 Britain took control of Palestine, but there were many troubles between the Arabs who lived there and Jews who wanted to live there too.
After the Second World War, Britain decided to let the United Nations decide what to do with Palestine. The United Nations suggested separating Palestine into two countries, one Arab and one Jewish.
The Arab leaders said no to the plan, but the Jewish leaders accepted it and declared the state of Israel. The President of the United States gave his support to the new state. However the Arab leaders were not happy. War broke out between Israel's Arab neighbours, (including Egypt and Jordan) and the new country.
After months of intense fighting, Israel and her Arab neighbours agreed to stop the war. However relations between them were still tense and more wars followed.

What are the occupied territories?

The Occupied Territories refer to two separate bits of land, called the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, where many Palestinians live.
After the 1948 war, Jordan took control of the West Bank and Egypt took control of the Gaza Strip. Both were captured by Israel during a war in 1967 and Israel then took control of both areas.
Since then Israel set up many Jewish settlements - some tiny, some as big as small towns - in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In August and September 2005 Israel withdrew all of its settlers and troops from the Gaza Strip, and some settlements in the northern West Bank were also evacuated.

Life in the occupied territories

Human rights groups also say the Israeli army can sometimes treat the Palestinians too harshly in these areas.
For example, the Israeli army has put up lots of check points on roads between villages. The army says it is to prevent potential suicide bombers from harming Israelis. But Palestinians say it makes it much harder to visit friends and family, get to work or school. Some Palestinians compare the restrictions on their lives to being in prison.

Current violence

In December 2008 Israel launched a series of air strikes - dropping bombs from fighter planes - on the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government said the air strikes were a response to rockets that were being fired from Gaza into Israel.
Rockets are often fired from Gaza into southern Israel, and while they have not claimed many lives, they make it very scary for Israelis to live there.
Israel says it was trying to destroy buildings belonging to Hamas, to force Hamas to stop the rockets from being launched. But many, many people live in Gaza, so those attacks also killed ordinary people, as well as members of Hamas. In just two days almost 300 people inside Gaza were killed and around 1,000 injured. That makes the current violence and fighting some of the worst the region has seen for decades.

Comment on the conflict. Should United Nations take control? Is there any chance to reach a peace agreement? What do you think both Israelis and Palestinians should do? Can Israel do anything it wants? How do you think the situation could be brought to an end?

A Brief Synopsis of the Israel/Palestine Conflict

2009-02-27T13:02:00.002+01:00

Here are some vocabulary and comprehension activities about the text above. You can either e-mail your answers to elcalero.ingles@gmail.com or hand them in to your teacher.

vocabulary

There are some words in bold in the text. Find two phrasal verbs and add two more from the text. Look up for their meaning (you can go to http://www.wordreference.com/).

Choose 5 words from the bold ones and write a synonym, an opposite, a definition or a sentence.

Find in the whole text 5 war terms (words that can be used in a war context).

comprehension

Say if these sentences about the text are true or false. Don't forget to copy the evidence from the text.

Britain decided to separate Palestine in two different countries.

The Occupied Territories are distant from each other.

Since Israel put up check points, it is easier for Palestinians to go to work.

Gaza is an overpopulated area.

Torch troubles

2008-05-05T18:12:00.008+02:00

By this time, with Beijing's preparations in terms of stadium and facilities having gone so well, the men and women who run the Olympics movement should have had every reason to feel satisfied. They have taken the Olympics to a new frontier; the world's most populated country. Of course there will be problems - smog, traffic etc. But these have always been seen as manageable. After all, every Olympics produces scare stories before the Games which often prove just that once the opening ceremony is held.
Yet talking to major figures in the Olympic movement, including senior members of the IOC (International Olympic Committee), it is clear the mood is actually one of intense nervousness. The Olympic torch, meant to promote peace and harmony, is now producing the sort of discord and anguish that it has rarely been seen in an Olympic gathering, especially with a Games only four months away.

The Olympic movement feels it has lost charge of the torch and is now reflecting as to what could have been done to prevent the current problems.
There is, of course, the inevitable talk of blaming the media and even the protesters for their alleged violence. But many others recognise that China's decision to have such a worldwide torch relay, despite warnings from the IOC, is the major factor.
The co-ordination commission for the Beijing Games repeatedly warned the Chinese not to have such a worldwide tour with the torch.But the Chinese, keen to advertise their status as the world's new super-power, ignored it and went further.
They really made the Olympic torch China's torch.
(From Mihir Bose's Blog - BBC sports editor)

What's your opinion about what has been happening with the torch tour all over the world? Do you think we should boycott China's Olympic Games? Or do you support the argument that politics should stay out of sport?

Reported speech

2008-04-25T19:25:00.001+02:00

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The Passive Voice

2008-03-04T17:45:00.007+01:00

En este vídeo encontrarás una explicación sencilla acerca de la voz pasiva: qué es, cuándo se utiliza y cómo se forma. Al final, hay algunos ejercicios que están bien para practicar.

Sí, está en inglés, pero verás que no es difícil de entender. Y puedes parar y volver a escuchar lo que no comprendas cuantas veces quieras.

Antes de empezar, asegúrate de que conoces el significado de focus (como verbo y como sustantivo).

Este segundo vídeo es la continuación del anterior. En este caso, sólo encontrarás actividades. En algunos ejercicios dan la solución demasiado rápido, y puede que no tengas tiempo suficiente para pensar la respuesta. En ese caso, para el vídeo, escribe tu respuesta en un papel y vuelve a poner en marcha la grabación para ver si tu respuesta es correcta.

The Passive Voice

2008-03-04T14:21:00.001+01:00

GIVING OPINIONS

2008-02-13T20:26:00.010+01:00

useful ideas and expressions

Here are some expressions you can use when you want to state your opinion.

I believe / think / feel (that) …
I (do not) agree that / with …
In my opinion / view …
I (completely) agree that / with …
The way I see it …
I (strongly) disagree that / with …
As far as I am concerned …
It seems to me (that) …

The following words and phrases will help you link all your ideas.

To list points: in the first place, to begin with, firstly, …
To add more points: moreover, also, furthermore, in addition, …
To introduce opposing viewpoints: however, on the other hand, …
To introduce examples: for example, for instance, in other words, such as, …
To conclude: all things considered, to sum up, taking everything into account, …

Enlaces útiles

2008-02-07T02:01:00.009+01:00

Esta es una colección de enlaces que pueden resultar muy útiles para el trabajo en casa.

English Grammar for you. Web muy interesante con explicaciones gramaticales y ejercicios de distintos niveles. Para repasar y afianzar lo trabajado en clase.
Thesaurus Reference. Diccionario de definiciones y de sinónimos/opuestos. Muy útil para hacer bien el ejercicio 3 de la PAU.
Wordreference. Diccionario inglés-español, español-inglés. Si no encuentras lo que buscas puedes preguntar en los foros, y la gente que está conectada te ayudará. Para eso, tienes que registrarte (es gratis).