Sunday, April 18, 2010

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

Friday, April 16, 2010

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!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

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 glitters
Happy Birthday (HOT!)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

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!

Monday, April 12, 2010

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.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

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