Up in the Air

Yesterday we watched "UP IN THE AIR" (2009) at EOI Alhama. If you couldn't come and see it with us I recommend you watch it at home. It's a very good film with a fantastic plot, brilliant dialogues and great actors.

Here you have the trailer and some information about the film.

The Plot and the main characters

Ryan Bingham’s job consists in visiting other companies to sack employees when the bosses don’t have the courage to do it themselves. He spends his life travelling around the country and becomes a flying addict, collecting air miles. He develops a philosophy symbolised by an empty backpack.

On one journey he meets Alex and they begin an affair which depends on their schedules coinciding.

Natalie is a clever young new employee of Ryan’s company. She proposes to do the job by video conference to save the company enormous amounts of money in travelling expenses. Ryan doesn’t like that and takes her on his next trip to show her the importance of direct contact.

Glossary:

-       fire (v), sack (v): despedir (del trabajo)

-       backpack: mochila

-       How much does your life weigh?: ¿Cuánto pesa tu vida?

-       straps: asas, correas (de la mochila)

-       10K, 10 grand: 10 thousand (dollars)

-       patronize: tratar con condescendencia

-       being grounded: quedarse en tierra

-       downsizing: reducción de plantilla.

-       layover: escala

-       resumé: curriculum

-       runway: pista de despegue o aterrizaje

-       severance package: paquete de indemnización por cese/finiquito.

-       golden lab: labrador dorado (kind of dog)

-       crash a party: colarse en una fiesta.

-       real estate venture: operación inmobiliaria

-       to get cold feet: cambiar de opinión en el último momento.

The First Thanksgiving

What do you know about Thanksgiving?
When is it celebrated?
What do people do on this holiday?
What do they exactly celebrate?

Watch the video again about the First Thanksgiving from the History Channel.



Why did these Englishmen have to leave England?
What was the problem when they were in Holland?
Did they enjoy the journey to America? How long did it take?
What was their first winter in America like?
Who was Squanto? What did he do?
When was the first Thanksgiving? How was it? What did they eat?

Amelia Earhart (II)

Check out this interesting video by National Geographic about the disappearance of Amelia Earhart.
Did the aviator run out of petrol and crash into the sea? or could she have survived?

Where's Amelia Earhart?

Comprehension questions:
1. After a desperate search, what does the Royal Navy conclude?
2. Was their any evidence of a plane crash?
3. What gave hope that she was still alive?
4. What's the 1st hypothesis about?
5. What's the 2nd belief about?
6. What does the 3rd theory say?

Amelia Earhart (I)

KEY to Exercises on page 25.

3. a) 4    b) 1    c) 2    d) 5    e) 3
4. 1 fired    2 graduate    3 train    4 attend    5 give up    6 move    7 publish    8 awarded
5a. 
Before: +noun + past simple.  Ex: "before her third book was published" (past simple passive voice)
After: +verb-ing. Ex: "after graduating"
   OR: + time phrase (noun). Ex: "after a year"
When: +noun +past simple. Ex: "When her father was fired"
During: +time phrase (noun) + past simple. Ex: "During that time, she also wrote"
While: +past continuous. Ex: "while she was crossing"

5b. During is followed by a time phrase, While is followed by a verb/an action.

6.
1. Heyerdahl received a number of awards during his lifetime
2. Heyerdahl went to the Galapagos Islands before leading an expedition to Easter Island
3. Heyerdahl became curious about how the islands were inhabited while he was staying in Polynesia
4. He set out to prove his theories after giving up his study of geography

Did you know there was a film about Amelia Earhart filmed in 2009 starring Hillary Swank and Richard Gere? Have you seen it? Would you like to watch it?
Here you have the movie trailer.

12 Bar Acid Blues

Poor Siobhan! We counted 7 problems and mishaps in her last trip.

You can check the lyrics here.



New vocab and expressions:
I was due a holiday --- gut --- to heed --- to crawl --- to be cursed --- to be over the creek --- all keyed up --- a fashion mag --- counterfeit

Pronunciation of 3rd person singular & Question Intonation

Yesterday at the PROE we practised the pronunciation of the sounds /s/ /z/ and /Iz/ for the 3rd person singular form and the intonation of questions.

1. You can remember the rules for the -s/-es pronunciation by clicking here.

2. You can practice more here and here.

3. You can watch this video by Professor Marsha Chan and impersonate her to practice endings and intonation.

Extra Practice Key 2

G1 1
1. was  2. led  3. crossed  4. stopped  5. hard  6. ran  7. started  8. flew  9. completed

G2 3
1. Have you ever been to France?
2. I've already told you that - don't ask me again
3. Bill and martin have neveer seen it so let's watch it now
4. Haven't you finished it yet?
5. Have you already finished your lunch?
6. Why haven't you ever told me?
7. I haven't had time to speak to her yet
8. has he ever been late for class?

G3 4
1. I've climbed  2. Have/ ridden  3. did/ die  4. Did/ have  5. 's just announced  6. raised  7. 've never lived  8. met  9. have/had  10. 've visited

KL 5
1. On the one hand it's cold
2. On the other hand it's beautiful
3. There are arguments for and against
4. Another disadvantage is that it's expensive
5. It's be a good idea to ask other people
6. I think we should see what they say

V1 6
1. travel  2. abroad  3. journey  4. trip  5. destination  6. package holiday

V2 7
1. b   2. d   3. g   4. e   5. a   6. f   7. c

V3 8
1. around   2. out   3.on   4. off   5. to   6. back 

The Empty Quarter (p. 20)

Look at the photo. Why do you think it is called "The Empty Quarter"?
The answer is here.

Can you think of at least 6 words associated with deserts?
What might attract people to life in a desert?

Read about Wilfred Thesiger on the book or here. What attracted him to life in a desert?

Key to Exercise 2b:
1. one of the greatest
2. have won many literary awards; his best known book
3. a vast, waterless desert
4. tribespeople living in the area
5. he learned to love the Bedu and they learned to respect him

Key to Exercise 3:
1. False
2. True
3. True
4. False
5. False

Key to Exercise 4:
1. praised
2. vast
3. fierce
4. respect
5. urge
6. bordered
7. dune

Party "Torre de Babel"

Saturday 20th November

from 10pm onwards

PARTY

"TORRE DE BABEL"

An excellent opportunity to meet people and practice your English

Organised by LONDINIUM IDIOMAS 

at Fitzpatrick's Irish Pub

(near Bulevar Cetina)

Murcia

Free Foster's beer and mixed spirits at 4€

Feel free to come!

Everyone's invited!

In the News: Royal Wedding

Prince William has announced his engagement with Kate Middleton. The Royal Wedding will be next spring or summer.

You can read more about it here.

Watch the video of their first interview and answer some questions below.



According to William, why wasn't the wedding proposal a big surprise?

How does Kate describe her fiancé?

Did William plan how to propose or was it mostly improvised?

Did Kate suspect anything?

Where and for how long did William carry the ring?

What's special about the ring?


Find more interesting stuff about the next Royal Wedding (another video, vocabulary and a cartoon) on Helena's Intermediate 1 classblog.

Song: Remembrance Day

This is a song by Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) dedicated to Remembrance Day.

On your maypole green
See the winding morris men
Angry Alfie, Bill and Ken
Waving hankies, sticks and books
All the earthen roofs

Standing at the crease
The batsman takes a look around
The boys are fielding on home ground
The steeple sharp against the blue
When I think of you

Sam and Andy
Jack and John
Charlie, Martin
Jamie, Ron
Harry, Stephen
Will and Don
Matthew, Michael

On and on

We will remember them
Remember them
Remember them

We will remember them
Remember them
Remember them

Time has slipped away
The Summer sky to Autumn yields
A haze of smoke across the fields
Let's sup and fight another round
And walk the stublbed ground

When November brings
The poppies on Remembrance Day
When the vicar comes to say
Lest we forget our sons

We will remember them
Remember them
Remember them
We will...

Learn about Remembrance Day.

Here you have a short explanation on Remembrance Day. The speaker goes very fast and has a strange accent (Belgian?) but you should understand by now what she says about the meaning, the dates and the poppies.

Learn About Remembrance Day

Poem: In Flanders Fields

Our classmate Encarna has found the poem where the use of poppies on Remembrance Day comes from. If you still want to know more about the poem and its relation to poppies, you can have a look at the entry on the Wikipedia.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

The Mystery of the Poppy and 11/11

November 11^th is Remembrance Day in countries like the UK, France, Belgium and those belonging to the Commonwealth, like Canada or Australia. The country honours those who died in wars. Many communities have ceremonies. At 11:00 A.M., everyone is silent for two minutes.

War Cemetery, 1939-1945, World War II, Bayeux, Basse Normandie (Normandy), France

World War I ended on November 11^th, 1918. The armistice -- the agreement ending the war -- was signed that morning. The fighting ended at 11:00 AM that day. It was the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

As these countries fought in more wars, the purpose of Remembrance Day has changed. It is no longer only a reminder of the end of World War I. It has become a day to honour all people who has died in wars.

The poppy is a symbol of Remembrance Day. During World War I, a Canadian army doctor named John McCrae wrote a poem about poppies growing in a cemetery. This poem – “In Flanders Fields” became very famous. Now, poppies remind many people of those who died in wars. Around November 11^th, they wear artificial poppies to honour those dead.

Pronunciation of the -ed

Here you have a game to practice the pronunciation of the -ed endings.

Air travel tips

Here you have 20 tips on flying comfortably.

Which one(s) do you consider useful?
Which one(s) do you consider not that important?

Conversation Exchange in Alhama

Where?: Partido Popular's Head Office, Los Pasos Street,

Alhama de Murcia City Centre.

email: conversationexchangealhama@hotmail.com

Join us in Facebook: facebook.com/conversationexchange.alhama

At the Airport

Here you have some revision questions and links to practise vocabulary related to Airports. Would you be able to answer these questions?

1. When was the last time you flew abroad?

2. Do you ever get nervous when the plane takes off or lands?

3. Which is your favourite seat: aisle or window?

4. What kind of things can make the metal detector beep?

5. What do you have to show when you go through the customs?

6. What kind of things can’t you carry in your hand luggage?

7. What can you buy at the duty-free shops?

8. Which is your favourite low-cost air company?

9. How do you usually book your flights?

10. What do you usually do when you are waiting at departures / the departure lounge?

11. When was the last time you went to pick up someboby at arrivals / at the arrival lounge?

12. What are the usual problems with flights?

13. What can you get at the baggage claim?

14. What do you have to show at the check-in desk?

15. What colour are usually life vests in planes?

Try these links as well for more words and expressions:

http://www.saberingles.com.ar/lists/airport.html

http://www.inglesmundial.com/A11/vocabulary.htm

Extra Practice Key 1 - Vocabulary

V1 5
1 adventurous  2 cautious  3 energetic  4 moody  5 reliable  6 thoughtful  7 open-minded  8 self-confident

V2 6
1 antisocial  2 bicycle  3 discomfort  4 misunderstand  5 monorail  6 overshadowed   7 redefine  8 outperform  9 ex-president  10 underrated

V2 7
1 bicycle  2 misunderstand  3 underrated  4 outperformed  5 monorail

Way down south

Here you have some pictures of my road trip down Highway One.
Southern Florida, USA, spring 2009.

Highway 1, on my way to Key West, Fl.

The 7 Mile Historic Bridge (the one on the right) built in 1912, joining Florida Keys

A Key called like me!

The Southernmost point of Continental USA, just 90 miles to Cuba!

 
Beginning (or end) of Highway One, Mile 0, Key West, FL.

Extra Practice Key 1 - Grammar and Key Language

G1
1 Is  2 Do  3 Does  4 does  5 Have/done  6 are  7 May (or Can)  8 was  9 did  10 has/taken (or Did/take)

G2
2 Who designed the test?
3 What does Oprah Winfrey own?
4 Who married Joe DiMaggio?
5 How many languages is he able to speak?
6 What is your favorite time of the year?
7 What is the reason you are leaving?

G3,4
1 do/study  2 work  3 prefer  4 depends  5 ´m working  6 're setting up  7 do/know  8 get  9 ´m getting

KL
1b  2e  3d  4a  5f

Present Simple vs. Present Continuous

Here you can find the Key for Grammar Exercises 7b & 8a on Unit 1.3. Please contact me if you have any questions or problems or if you need further practice.

7b
1 regularly gives
2 is interviewing
3 is growing
4 I'm carrying
5 drives
6 are becoming
7 studies
8 is

8a*
1 Do you make friends easily?
2 What do you usually do at the weekend?
3 What are you reading at the moment?
4 Do you enjoy art and music?
5 Do you prefer extroverts or introverts?
6 Are you working on any new project now?
7 Are you doing anything interesting at the moment?
8 Do you lose your temper easily?

*Answer these questions for further speaking / writing practice.

History of Halloween

This is the video we watched in class to find out a bit more about the history of Halloween.



This is some of the new vocab we learned:
druid - foretell - disguise - famine - starving - roaring - gourd - commonplace - bullet

Can you remember the meaning of these words? How did you find the video? Did you like it?

Alhama's Intermediate I Class Blog

On the right you can find a link to the Class Blog created by my colleague Helena for her Intermediate I students. 
In it you might find interesting websites and exercises to practice or revise other topics... but also some coincidences ;)

Remember: 

The more you practice and experiment with English... the better.