The Origin of the Koala

Traditional Australian tale

Living beings cannot survive without water. What will happen when this valuable natural resource begins to run out?

The aborigines in a village had such hard hearts that they paid no attention to Kubu, an orphan boy who could not speak and wandered the streets begging. So Kubu climbed up trees, his only friends, and watched the horizon tinted in beautiful colours so as to forget his hunger and thirst.

One fine day everyone went hunting, but first they hid their provisions, especially the water, so that the orphan couldn't take it away from them. But when Kubu was alone in the village, a tree began to move its branches in a strange way. Kubu understood its language and approached the trunk where he discovered the villagers' secret hiding place. He had a real feast and then climbed up the tree.

When the aborigines came back, they became so furious that they climbed up to the orphan and threw him out...and when Kubu woke up, he was on the ground surrounded by expectant faces. He didn't understand why they were looking at him that way, until he realised that his body was covered with hair and he had been turned into a small bear. The spirit of the trees gave him the gift of being the only animal that does not need water to live. And that's why he's called koala, "who doesn't need water".

Many times it's necessary to accept something tough to discover who we really are. It's painful but it's worth the trouble.
Source: Sofia Adalid's collection of Tales of the World.

World Book Day

This date commemorates the death of two universal writers: Shakespeare and Cervantes.


As an Indian proverb says,
a book, opened, it is a speaking brain;
closed, an awaiting friend ;
forgotten, a forgiving soul;
destroyed, a crying heart.


Reading offers a wide range of possibilities to approach to other visions of the world, providing our minds with a thriving ground.
What are you waiting for? Join us!

Alice in Wonderland

How could Lewis Carroll have imagined the impact of his story so many years afterwards? A tale that was based on a warm summer afternoon, during a walk by the Thames river. He was with Reverend Duckworth and the young Liddell sisters. They felt tired and sat by the riverside. Meanwhile Carroll would tell the girls a wonderful story about a little girl called Alice to amuse them. Several months later, he wrote what he had told them that day. Since then, many interpretations of his Alice's Adventures in Wonderland have appeared and because of that, his name will be remembered forever.

Here you are the lyrics of the main theme for the motion picture, Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton. The singer is Avril Lavigne, so I hope you enjoy the song.

With English accent

If you go to Paris, you can't miss the Shakespeare & Company bookshop. Situated opposite Notre Dame cathedral, on the left margin, it has become one of the meeting points for many writers and readers interested in English literature. Since 1951, Jack Kerouac, Anaïs Nin, Henry Miller...are among its guests. Even today, you can consult the writers invited to come on its website.

For more information, www.shakespeareandcompany.com

Revision

This is a brief summary of unit 9. You can check how much you know about:

ADVERBS 1 2 3

MODALS  1 2 3

VOCABULARY 1 2 3 4 5
Try to test your knowledge by now and expand your vocabulary as well. Good luck!

This time last year...

... I started a course about the use of new technologies in the classroom. Then, I realized how useful they are to learn a language. Since then, my students have another tool to work with and look more motivated! Thank you for trusting me!

Happy Birthday (HOT!)

Listen and practise

Here there are some links to practise your listening skills. You only have to push on the topic you are interested in and listen carefully. Then, read the questions below and answer them.


SHOPPING
USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
MATERIALS
IN THE SUPERMARKET (Game)
SHOES AND FOOTWEAR (The hangman) 
SPORTS
EXTREME SPORTS QUIZ
GRAMMAR REVISION
Remember you can listen to them the times you need! Enjoy!

A tale for tolerance

Zogloboló

Traditional tale from the Ivory Coast.

Nowadays it's very common to study languages. But do we really know our mother tongue?

Zogloboló, an African king who took himself far too seriously, forbade his subjects to speak to him. They could only communicate with him through signs. One day, Zogloboló began a trip to meet with African kings in a nearby city. But he felt the urgent call of nature in his way and stepped aside to retrieve himself. As he was in a hurry, his cloak got tangled up and without realising it, he did it on himself.

When he returned to the road, there was great laughter: "Hahahahaha!"...His subjects tried to warn him with signs but Zogloboló didn't understand what they meant. So he appeared for the meeting with a foul-smelling "cake" on his cloak. The other kings began to hold their nose but Zogloboló, who didn't bat an eyelid, spoke: "I'm here to...", he began his speech, which was soon interrupted by another king: "You are a great leader, but I have to tell you that you have a "cake" on your cloak and we can no longer stand the terrible smell". Then, Zogloboló turned around and when he discovered it, he felt so embarrassed that he ran away from the group. Ever since, all his subjects had the right to speak and the king listened to them with patience and attention.

Fortunately, there's freedom of speech, but do we know how to speak and listen?
Source: Sofia Adalid's Collection of Tales of the World.

Revising Grammar

Good Friday recipe

British: How To Make Hot Cross Buns

April Fools' Day

It is traditional for people from UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, France, Romania and USA to play tricks or practical jokes on each other on 1st April. Children are the most enthusiastic about this custom, but even the BBC and serious newspapers sometimes have "joke" features on this date.

Its origins are not clear, but it may lie on the fact that when King Charles IX of France changed officially the first day of the year from April 1 to January 1, some of his subjects continued using the old system. In any case, All Fools' Day is celebrated to make people laugh. Friends, family members, neighbours, even enemies become targets of all sort of jokes that last all day. If you are an April Fool, just keep smiling, it's healthy!

Source: Wikipedia