Deadly E. Coli Strikes Europe

Some news about heatlth and food from the 3rd June.
Make sure you understand all the highlighted words and expressions.

The deadly bacteria that has killed 18 people in Europe is a new form of E. coli, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. Scientists are scrambling to find out more about the deadly strain behind the European outbreak. As well as the dead, more than 1,600 people are sick. This new outbreak is the deadliest in modern history and is the third in terms of the number of people made ill because of it. The source of the outbreak remains unknown. Germany was quick to blame Spanish cucumbers but this now appears not to be the case. Most of the sick and dead either live in Germany or recently travelled there. Authorities believe the bacteria is on salad vegetables and warned people to avoid eating salad and cook all vegetables.
The WHO says the new E. coli strain could be from a genetic merger of two different E. coli bacteria that has resulted in a super-strong bug. E. coli mostly spreads via food contaminated with human or animal feces. It leads to diarrhoea and vomiting, and can lead to kidney failure and death. Doctors say it is essential for people to wash their hands regularly to avoid contact with the bacteria, especially before eating. The outbreak is affecting Europe’s economy. Russia has banned all fruit and vegetable imports from the European Union, a move that could cost EU farmers billions. Spain’s politicians are asking Germany for compensation for blaming Spanish cucumbers for the outbreak.

Taken from http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1106/110603-e-coli.html

School Bans Hugging and High-Fives

News from 28th, May

Make sure you undestand all the highlighted words and expressions.

A high school in London has banned students from all forms of physical contact with each other. The Quest Academy has warned students not to hug, shake hands, or give high-fives. The school was briefly the centre of attention a week ago when US president Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron visited it. The two leaders perhaps broke the school rules with their back-slapping and high-fives during a game of table tennis with students. The idea behind the banning is to help prevent bullying, according to school principal Andy Croft. He said: "Physical contact between students is not allowed at the academy because it is often associated with poor behaviour or bullying and can lead to fighting."

Students and parents are up in arms at the new rules. Student Dayna Chong, 15, received detention for cuddling her female friend. She said: "They're trying to turn us into robots." Her mother called the policy “extreme” and “ludicrous”. She said: "If the kids can't even hug each other at school some of them will never learn how to be socially interactive.” She added: “School is supposed to be where we start teaching our children how to be social - shaking hands, hugging, opening up. You need an embrace to comfort you when things go wrong. I've never heard of anything so crazy in my life." Mr Croft disagreed, saying his policy, “creates a disciplined environment which is essential for learning and respect”.


TRUE / FALSE: Read the article. Say if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	A London school said students cannot shake hands with each other.	T / F
b.	Barack Obama visited the school.	T / F
c.	The government put the new law in place.	T / F
d.	The school principal said physical contact led to bullying.	T / F
e.	Parents agree with the new rules.	T / F
f.	A student said the school was trying to turn students into robots.	T / F
g.	A mother said school kids shouldn’t be hugging each other at school.	T / F
h.	The principal thinks the new rules are totally crazy.

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	banned	a.	momentarily
2	warned	b.	stop
3.	briefly	c.	ridiculous
4.	prevent	d.	embracing
5.	lead to	e.	angry
6.	up in arms	f.	prohibited
7.	cuddling	g.	vital
8.	ludicrous	h.	cautioned
9.	comfort	i.	result in
10.	essential	j.	support

YOUR OPINION

1. What do you think of the new physical contact rules at Quest Academy?2. Which is / was your most hated school rule?
3. Were Barack Obama and David Cameron bad role models?
4. How often did / do you break school rules?
5. Can any rules prevent bullying?2.

Healthy news

Some latest news about health and diet.
Check that you know and understand the highlighted words and expressions:

Family Meals Keep Kids Slimmer (3rd May, 2011)

A new study shows that family meals help children stay slim. Researchers from the University of Illinois found that kids who eat at the table with their family are healthier and have a lower risk of obesity. The research team also says that sitting down for breakfast, lunch or dinner teaches children healthy eating habits. Researcher Dr Amber Hammons wrote: “Families that eat five or more meals together have children who are up to 25 per cent less likely to encounter nutritional health issues.”
Family meals also encourage other positive behaviour in children. They learn better manners sitting at the table and are more sociable because they join their parents’ conversation. This is not the case with children who eat alone or who sit in front of the television with their meal. In recent decades, more and more children sit on the sofa watching TV. This can lead to their food going cold and them not eating it. Eating alone also means the child misses out on developing social skills.

Coffee And Cola Can Lead To Strokes (7th May, 2011)

Scientists have discovered various activities that increase the risk of a type of stroke. These include vigorous exercise, drinking coffee and cola, blowing your nose, and even being startled. Researchers at Holland’s University Medical Center in Utrecht looked at 250 patients for three years to identify what starts bleeding in the brain that leads to a stroke. A sudden increase in blood pressure can cause blood vessels to burst, which can result in brain damage or death.
The researchers said drinking coffee was the most common risk factor. The lead researcher, Dr Monique Vlak, said: "All of the triggers [create] a sudden and short increase in blood pressure, which seems a possible cause for [blood vessel] rupture." The study is a reminder to us all to think more about high blood pressure. Doctors call it the “silent killer” because it can kill us before we know we have it. It is essential to have regular health checks to monitor your blood pressure.

Doctors Refusing to Treat Overweight Women (19th May, 2011)

Doctors in Florida are refusing to treat women if they are overweight. A report from the Sun Sentinel newspaper says that 15 out of 105 gynaecology clinics in Florida have a weight limit. Doctors at the clinics will not see new patients if they weigh more than 90kg. This is even if the women have no health problems. One of the excuses they gave reporters is that their medical equipment is difficult to use with obese people. Doctors say it is not against the law to refuse patients.
Many doctors and patients are furious this is happening. People say doctors have to treat anyone who enters their office. They believe any doctor who does not see a patient is letting down the medical profession. Dr Maureen Whelihan of West Palm Beach said: “If I had that policy, I'd lose half my patients.” She has a point. The USA has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world. If doctors put weight limits on patients, much of the country would be sick.

Extra Practice Key Unit 7

G1 1

1 Sorry but I can't help you with this
2 We should make it stronger
3 can you come with us tonight?
4 You don't have to ask for this permission
5 I can use steelo in this design
6 You shouldn't bother until after lunch
7 keep that wood. It could/might be useful later
8 You have to/must use recyclable products because of the new law.

G2 2

1 b   2 c   3 a   4 f   5 d   6 e

G1,2 3

1 don't have to   2 shouldn't   3 must   4 have to   5 can't   6 can   7 must   8 could

KL 4

1 several   2 made   3 appeal   4 value   5 looks   6 aimed   7 points

V1, 2 5

1 traditional   2 designer   3 user   4 innovative   5 artistic   6 scientific   7 manufacturer   8 futuristic   9 functional   10 engineer

V3 6

1 consumerism   2 efficiency   3 industrialisation   4 streamlining   5 modernity   6 optimism

Scientists Create Energy-Making Artificial Leaf (29th March, 2011)

Can you understand the highlighted words and expressions?

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created what could be a breakthrough in providing clean, alternative energy. Researchers have invented an artificial leaf that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen and stores the energy in a fuel cell. The device is about the size and shape of a playing card, but is even thinner. It is made from silicon and electronic components. The MIT team says it could power a home in a developing country for a whole day just by putting it into water under the Sun. The artificial leaf is also cheap to produce. Research team leader Daniel Nocera said a prototype of his leaf in his laboratory operated non-stop for over 45 hours with no drop in activity.

Technology that can efficiently turn sunlight and water into energy has long been seen as the Holy Grail of science. The conversion of solar energy into hydrogen is one of the answers to the question of how to provide an effective alternative to fossil fuels and thus end our dependence on oil. Nocera’s invention could even help save the planet, by turning around global warming. Furthermore, in light of the events at Fukushima, Japan, it might also prove to be a safe replacement for nuclear energy. However, this is all wishful thinking at the moment. The technology, although highly promising, is still in its early stages of development. In the near future, it could provide energy to people in remote areas of sunnier countries.


Some food for thought...
 
What’s wrong with fossil fuels?
What happens if fossil fuels run out before we find an alternative?
Have we become too greedy for energy?
Do you think this invention could reverse global warming?
What do you think of nuclear energy?

Going Green

Test you Eco IQ with this quiz.
There's a lot you can do to help reverse global climate change and live and eco-friendly life.


Some vocab you might need.:

PV= Photovoltaic
CFL = Compact Fluorescent Light (= bombilla de bajo consumo)
EPA = Environmental Protection Agency
hemp = cannabis

Check out the National Geographic website for more information about the environment and of natural disasters.

Second Explosion at Japan Nuclear Plant

This is the text we saw in class this week. Without looking ;) do it now as a cloze. Later, check your answers with your worksheet.

Can you understand the meaning of the underlined words and expressions?

 

Second Explosion at Japan Nuclear Plant (14th March, 2011)

A second explosion has (1) ____ at the nuclear power plant that was damaged in Friday’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. Nuclear reactor 3 from the Fukushima plant suffered a (2) ____ explosion to that which hit reactor 1 on Saturday. Officials say the blast did not damage the casing which houses the uranium fuel rods in the reactor’s (3) ____. Experts believe the latest explosion was caused by a build-(4) ____ of hydrogen in the building that covers the core. Japan’s prime minister Naoto Kan has told people there is no danger of a radioactive (5) ____, but warned the situation to cool the reactors is still critical. He described recent events as "the biggest crisis Japan has (6) ____ in the 65 years since the end of World War II".
Japan is beginning to understand more details of its tragedies. The death (7) ____ is slowly rising. Police found over 2,000 bodies on the (8) ____ of Miyagi prefecture on Monday and at least ten thousand people are missing in the port town of Minamisanriku. Tens of thousands of people have been (9) ____ from a 20-km radius of the Fukushima nuclear power plants – many fear they will never see their homes again. More than 22 Fukushima (10) ____ are being treated for the effects of exposure to radiation. The whole of Japan is extremely concerned about the ongoing crisis at the power plants. Experts say a disaster on the scale of Chernobyl is highly unlikely. Nevertheless, the quiet fear and panic experienced by the Japanese raise questions about nuclear safety.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	occurrence	(b)	occurs	(c)	occurring	(d)	occurred
2.	(a)	similar	(b)	alike	(c)	identical	(d)	same
3.	(a)	bore	(b)	core	(c)	lore	(d)	pore
4.	(a)	in	(b)	out	(c)	up	(d)	down
5.	(a)	leaky	(b)	leaks	(c)	leak	(d)	leaking
6.	(a)	recoiled	(b)	encountered	(c)	dispirited	(d)	undaunted
7.	(a)	doll	(b)	poll	(c)	moll	(d)	toll
8.	(a)	coastline	(b)	fault line	(c)	beeline	(d)	inline
9.	(a)	excavated	(b)	evacuated	(c)	elevated	(d)	estimated
10.	(a)	residence	(b)	resides	(c)	residency	(d)	residents
11.	(a)	affects	(b)	affective	(c)	effects	(d)	effective
12.	(a)	scale	(b)	limit	(c)	grade	(d)	ratio

Japan’s Quake, Tsunami and Atomic Alert

News from the 12th of March

Japan is beginning the cleanup after Friday’s (1) ____ earthquake and tsunami. The death (2) ____ is currently at 573 with hundreds more people missing. Most of the people died in the (3) ____ tsunami, which was up to ten metres high. Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency says the number of destroyed buildings has (4) ____ 3,400, but that is expected to rise. In the quake-hit areas, around 5.57 million households (5) ____ have no electricity, while more than one million homes have had their water supply cut (6) ____.

The mega-earthquake is the seventh largest (7) ____ recorded. It hit northeast Japan at 2:46 p.m. with a magnitude (8) ____ 8.9 on the Richter scale. It was felt as far away as Beijing, China. The following tsunami has completely (9) ____ away large parts of Japan’s north. The damage is      (10) ____ tens of billions of dollars. Fifty-three countries in the Pacific Rim were put on tsunami alert. Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan said his        (11) ____ focus now is to stop a nuclear power plant from overheating. Scientists released (12) ____ steam from the plant to reduce the pressure inside it.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	death	(b)	dead	(c)	deadly
2.	(a)	toll	(b)	doll	(c)	roll
3.	(a)	largish	(b)	massive	(c)	tiny
4.	(a)	reaches	(b)	reached	(c)	reaching
5.	(a)	current	(b)	currant	(c)	currently
6.	(a)	off	(b)	on	(c)	in
7.	(a)	ever	(b)	never	(c)	even
8.	(a)	by	(b)	at	(c)	of
9.	(a)	washing	(b)	washed	(c)	washes
10.	(a)	on	(b)	to	(c)	in
11.	(a)	main	(b)	mainly	(c)	mains
12	(a)	radio	(b)	radioactive	(c)	radiate

Key: Unit 6

G1 1
1 was studying   2 worked   3 was checking   4 called   5 were searching   6 was   7 was living   8 was wearing   9 were planning   10 kept

G2 2
1 c   2 a    3 e   4 b   5 d

G1, 2  3
1 had seen   2 'd applied   3 was trying   4 had invested   5 gave   6 had already gone   7 was working   8 had had   9 went   10 was looking

KL 5
1 would   2 placing   3 afraid   4 paid   5 check   6 feel   7 sounds

V1 6
1 staff   2 customer   3 invest   4 profit   5 partner   6 price   7 taxes   8 wholesaler

V2 7
1 go bankrupt   2 launch a company   3 launch/introduce a product   4 make a profit   5 negotiate a contract

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Can you understand the meaning of the highlighted words without using a dictionary? 

Message from the American Red Cross 

Earthquake and tsunami in the Pacific - What you can do‏

Friend,

The pictures coming out of Japan today are just devastating. This epic 8.9 magnitude earthquake off the nation's shores set off a series of giant waves that devastated its northern coast and spawned tsunami warnings in dozens of other countries in the Pacific, including the U.S.

As I write this, the Japanese Red Cross is deploying relief workers, emergency supplies, and other assistance to help ease suffering. Other Red Cross societies in the Pacific region have provided early warning messages and assisted in evacuating those at risk. The American Red Cross opened temporary evacuation centers across the West Coast and Hawaii, providing a safe place for nearly 2,500 people to stay while they watched and waited for possible tsunami impact.

Emergency relief is needed right now for the mounting critical needs of the masses suffering such grave loss. Please donate now to support the Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami effort:

http://american.redcross.org/Earthquake

The early reports we're receiving indicate this disaster has taken hundreds of lives and devastated thousands more.

As part of the global Red Cross humanitarian network of more than 13 million volunteers and 186 Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, we're uniquely positioned to manage catastrophic emergencies and provide assistance to those affected by emergencies like this enormous disaster.

The American Red Cross stands ready to extend support beyond the U.S. and its territories to assist other nations. Our warehouse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is fully stocked with pre-positioned relief supplies for thousands of families, and our disaster specialists are standing by in case their assistance is requested.

Please help us do everything we can to assist in this time of great tragedy, give generously now.

Sincerely,

David Meltzer
Senior Vice President, International Services
American Red Cross

Disney Company Targeting Newborns

This is an article we read some weeks ago. Can you remember the meaning of the highlighted words and expressions?

The Walt Disney Company is venturing into a new and untapped market - newborns. It already has a dominant presence in every other area of childhood, but now wants to start making money from babies. It has released a new product called Disney Baby. Sales agents have been visiting new mothers in maternity hospitals offering a baby suit in exchange for signing up to e-mails from DisneyBaby.com. Disney’s new campaign is attracting criticism. Jeff McIntyre, director of the group Children Now, said: “This is taking advantage of families at an extremely vulnerable time.” New mother Elizabeth Carter said: “It surprised me that Disney was in there promoting something right as the baby was born, but we figured as new parents we weren’t in a position to turn free things down,” she said.

Disney CEO Robert Iger believes his company is offering a fantastic product, saying: “If ever there was an opportunity for a trusted brand to enter a market and provide a better product and experience, it’s this.” He added: “It’s about making something easier and providing [mothers] with a personalized, high-quality product.” Iger estimates the North American newborn baby market alone to be worth $36.3 billion a year. Other world markets will offer significantly more. Disney’s last venture to sell products for babies did not prove to be wholly successful. In 2009, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood forced Disney to acknowledge that its Baby Einstein products did not turn babies into geniuses. The company ended up offering Baby Einstein refunds.

You can read the real article here. 

DISNEY AND BABIES DISCUSSION

What did you think when you read the headline?
What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘Disney’?
Do you think it’s OK for Disney to tap into the market for newborns?
What do you think about Disney sales agents visiting hospitals to get new mothers to sign up for DisneyBaby.com?
Should hospitals keep sales agents out of maternity wards?
Did you like reading this article?

Key: Extra Practice 5

G1

1 advertise (or could advertise)  2 would (or might)   3 ‘d give   4 were   5 asked   6 wouldn’t know   7 Could/give   8 could reach

G2 3

1 less important   2 big   3 more complex   4 fastest   5 cheaper   6 highest   7 as   8 more 

G2 4

1 much better   2 a little   3 as interesting   4 much more   5 the least  

KL

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

V1

1 endorse   2 eye-catching   3 sponsorship   4 catchy   5 logo   6 slogan   7 exotic

V2, 3

1 advertising manager

2 TV commercial

3 vast sums

4 mail order

5 product placement

6 interactive website

7 fast food

8 junk food

9 persuasive message

10 word-of-mouth

Key: 5.1 What makes a good advert?

Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising. 

Quote by Samuel Langhorne Clemens, (1835-1910) known by the pen name Mark Twain. He was an American writer and humorist, most famous for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

2a.  1 T   2 T   3 T   4 F (people want adverts that ‘take away the ordinariness of everyday life’)   5 T   6 F (‘But for me, an instantly recognizable logo is really important’)

2b. 2 Text 3: Coca-Cola

      3 Answers depend on your own opinions but logical answers are: a) Text 1; b) Text 3; c) Text 2

3. 1 attention-grabbing   2 eye-catching   3 catchy   4 shocking   5 effective   6 persuasive   7 witty   8 dull   9 original/creative   10 exotic

4. 1 commercial   2 sponsorship   3 slogan   4 endorse   5 misleading   6 logo   7 promote

Key: Extra Practice 4

G 1

1 ‘ll look   2 ‘re meeting   3 ‘re going to get (or ‘re getting)   4 ‘m doing   5 ’re going to offer   6 ’ll probably go   7 will be   8 ‘ll stay   

G2

1 If you revise, you’ll pass your exams

2 We should ask your teacher for the correct answer when we seehim

3 The world might only have one or two languages in the future unless we protect them

4 I won’t go unless you go

5 If there isn’t lots of traffic, I’ll be there about 5 p.m.

6 When the class ends, we’ll go for coffee

7 Unless I’m busy, I’ll give you a call

8 If you don’t have much money, you should stay in

KL

1 sure   2 think   3 cause   4 worth   5 like

V1

1 accent   2 foreign   3 bilingual   4 dialect   5 native   6 grammar

V2

1 down   2 behind   3 up   4 by   5 on   6 up   7 with

V3, 4

1 allow   2 die   3 disastrous   4 disappearance   5 extinction   6 let

In the News: Christmas

Some of the latest news in the world related to Christmas. Make sure you understand the words in bold and if you have anything to comment, an opinion to share, please do! And as I always recommend... TRY NOT TO USE A DICTIONARY unless extremely necessary!

(And I hope you're enjoying the holidays).

 

 

Brits Angry at Xmas Reindeer Steaks (16th November, 2010)

British people are angry at a discount supermarket for selling reindeer meat. The store, Lidl, is offering “Rudolph steaks” as an alternative to the traditional turkey. The German chain is selling the frozen steaks along with other "luxury meats" such as pheasant, venison and springbok. The vegetarian campaign group Viva! say that "Lidl is destroying the magic of Christmas". Animal rights group PETA said: "The idea of ‘Rudolph’ being slaughtered and sliced into steaks for a novelty Christmas dinner is revolting."

Viva! spokesman Justin Kerswell is worried the reindeer suffer a horrible death. He claimed the Siberian reindeer are chased by snowmobiles and helicopters and may be killed in a cruel way. He added that transporting the meat from Siberia to Britain increased the supermarket’s carbon footprint. A PETA spokesperson agreed, saying: "Christmas is supposed to remind us of peace and goodwill - and the rest of the animal kingdom could do with a taste of it, rather than being tasted."

10-Metre Chocolate Christmas Tree on Offer ( 28th November, 2010)

A famous French chocolate maker has built a 10-metre-high chocolate Christmas tree. The Patrick Roger chocolate factory in Paris will sell the tree at an auction and give the money to charity. The edible tree weighs four tons. It needed a special piece of architectural design to keep it standing. Mr Roger explained: “We used a sort of cavity inside to make the chocolate solid enough, because there is very strong vertical pressure." The tree, which took one month to construct, will be a highlight at France's Telethon, an event to raise money for neuromuscular diseases.

This is a great way of raising money for charity. It will also provide amazing advertising all over the world for the chocolate factory. French chocolate is amongst the yummiest in the world. It is still not clear who might buy the giant tree and what the buyer will do with it. It is certain that many children will watch the telethon on the third and fourth of December wishing they could have some of the tree. The telethon organizers are hoping there will be a world record bid for the chocolate tree. They want as much money as possible for the charity.

 

Traffic Safety for Christmas Reindeer (22nd December, 2010)

There is an increasing number of cars on roads in Norway, home to many of Santa’s reindeer. About 500 reindeer are killed each year in car crashes. Officials from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration have come up with a great idea to keep Santa’s helpers safe this Christmas – reflective yellow tags that are put on the reindeer’s antlers. The leader of the project, Kristian Oevernes, told the Reuters news agency: “It really works….This is the first time it has happened.” Oevernes told the reporter that Santa might also use this idea.

Very few people think about the problems Santa and his reindeer have at Christmas. It must be difficult to fly around the world in one night to deliver so many presents. It gets more and more dangerous every year because there are so many planes in the sky and cars on the road. Santa and his reindeer need as much protection as they can get. Another problem with delivering presents is the disappearance of chimneys. Santa has to think of new ways to get inside houses that do not have a chimney. Apartments are particularly tricky.

In the News: Top Store Fires Santa for Telling a Joke

Some news from last 10th December related to the topic of Christmas and Jobs. Do you understand the meaning of the highlighted words and expressions? (Think first! Do not use the dictionary until you finish the exercises I suggest!)

A top New York department store has fired its Santa Claus after two customers did not like one of his jokes. John Toomey, 68, had worked as Macy’s Santa for 20 years. A middle-aged couple asked him why Santa was always so jolly, to which he replied, “because I know where all the naughty boys and girls live”. They complained his humour was in bad taste. He was shocked to receive his marching orders the following day. Toomey instantly became the world’s second most famous Santa. Thousands of customers complained to Macy’s about his firing. He was offered dozens of new jobs around the world. He accepted one just down the road from Macy’s. He told reporters: "Helping the kids - that's what it's all about, you know.”

Macy's has refused to comment on the incident, calling it a simple personnel matter. Employees and former colleagues of Mr Toomey described his sacking as "devastating" and definitely not in the spirit of Christmas. Santa Toomey was a very popular and professional Father Christmas. He even had his own white beard. He claimed he was “no bad Santa”. He explained to the San Francisco Chronicle that no one had ever disliked his jokes before. He said he would never use inappropriate humour with children. He gave the newspaper another of his favourite jokes: "When I ask the older people who sit on my lap if they've been good and they say 'yes', I say 'Gee, that's too bad’”.

Find synonyms for these words in the text: 
speak - unsuitable - sacked - unfortunate - leading - upsetting - crude - criticize - happy - coworkers

Some opinion questions...
- What springs to your mind when you hear the expression "Santa Claus"?
- What does Santa Claus have to do with Christmas?
- What is really Christmas spirit?
- Should there be more images of Jesus and fewer of Santa at Christmas?
- What qualities should a professional Santa have?
- What questions would a department store job interviewer ask someone wanting to be a Santa?
- What would you like from Santa this Christmas?

You can read the original article here.

Film: The Queen

The film programmed for today was THE QUEEN by Stephen Frears, starring Helen Mirren. Unfortunately, no member of this class came to watch it. However, I thought it would be nice if you could watch the film at home... perhaps during the holidays.

I strongly recommend you watch it as it is a great film, I was actually impressed myself! I'm sure you'll enjoy it as you know the historical facts of the plot. You will also learn a lot about the British character and the impact of Diana Spencer's life and death on the British people and, more importantly, on the Royal Family.

THE PLOT

It is 1997. Princess Diana, one of the most popular women in the world, has just died in a terrible accident. The Queen and the Royal Family want to deal with her death in private, with dignity. But the British people want the Queen to change. They want her to share publicly in their sadness. Tony Blair, the new Prime Minister, tries to make the Queen realize this.

Will she listen to his advice? Will the Queen and her traditions survive in this modern age?

Some vocabulary from the film

A curtsey (to the queen): reverencia hecha por las mujeres.

To bow: hacer una reverencia inclinando la cabeza.

A blessing: bendición

Tony Blair’s constituency: distrito u oficina electoral de Tony Blair

Any contingency: imprevistos, casos de emaergencia.

Lord Chamberlain: Lord Chambelán de la Casa, miembro oficial de la Casa Real y encargado de la organización de la corte.

You could hear a pin drop: Literalmente: “Se podía escuchar el sonido de un alfiler cayendo”, para describir un momento de silencio absoluto.

A hearse: coche fúnebre

The tarmac: asfalto

A gillie: ayudante

The scourge: el azote, causa de sufrimiento

Go stalking: ir de caza al acecho.

A nutter: loco, chalado.

A flunky: esbirro, lacayo

Grovelling on all fours: ponerse a cuatro patas, humillarse

To rehearse: ensayar

To marshal: formar, reunir a las tropas

A nonstarter: imposible, sin la más mínima posibilidad.

A stag: ciervo, venado

daft: tonto, bobo.

The prop shaft: el árbol de trasmisión (en un coche)

A vow: un voto

A family spat: una discusión, rencilla de familia.

Extra practice Key 3

G1 1
1 for   2 For   3 since   4 Since   5 for

G1 2
1 has/since  2 been  3 long/you   4 haven't   5 teaching/for   6 hasn't   7 having   8 watching

G2 3
1 prepared   2 benn packing   3 been waiting   4 been driving   5 written   6 seen   7 been  
8 been working

KL 4
1 in   2 about   3 on   4 up   5 into   6 to

KL 5
1 just one last question
2 I'm glad you asked me that
3 That's a very good question
4 Let me just think about that for a moment
5 I thought you might ask me that

V1 6
1 glamorous  2 stressful   3 flexible   4 rewarding   5 challenging

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

V3 8
1 time   2 work   3 time   4 work   5 time

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.