LISTENING

Do you want to listen to real English conversations by native speakers?

In this website you will find several conversations about different topics with the audio script. There are plenty of everyday expressions and vocabulary that may help you:

http://www.focusenglish.com/dialogues/conversation.html

4th ESO. SCOTLAND

       As you already know when we return from Christmas holiday a Scottish person will visit our highschool to teach us some aspects about Scottish culture.

       Therefore, here you have some relevant information about this beautiful country:

Where is Scotland?

Scotland is in north-west Europe and is part of Great Britain, an island country ( See map ) and the United Kingdom (UK) .

Scotland is a mountainous country in the north of the island of Great Britain and shares a land border to the south with England and is bounded by the North Sea on the east and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. Its capital city is Edinburgh.

Scotland has some 790 islands - 130 inhabited.

Scotland is Famous for....

Its fresh water lochs (lakes) – there are over 600 square miles of them. One of the most famous is Loch Ness where a mysterious monster is said to lurk in the depths of the water.

It is also famous for its clans, kilts, medieval castles, as well as poetry and songs of Robert Burns.

Theatre lovers from around the world come to Edinburgh for its famous theatres festival.

Famous People of Scotland

Famous Scots include: Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, David Hume and the actor Sean Connery.

Famous musicians of Scotland include Annie Lennox, Wet Wet Wet, Travis and Simple Minds.

Government

On 1 July 1999, the Scottish Parliament was opened by HM the Queen, the first Scottish Parliament for 300 years. Scottish parliament responsibilities include social work services, health, local government and education.

Interesting Facts

Edinburgh was the first city in the world which had its own fire-brigade.

Edinburgh – the capital of Scotland, like Rome, was built on seven hills.

Until 1603, Scotland (like England) had its own Monarch. In 1603, the King of Scotland became also the King of England ruling both countries.

The National Flag of Scotland

Country Facts

Motto:	Nemo me impune lacessit (No one provokes me with impunity)
Flag:	Cross of St Andrew
National Day:	30 November
Area:	78,789 sq km
Population:	5,054,800 (2002)
Capital City:	Edinburgh
Major Cities:	Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow
Official Language:	English (Scottish Gaelic is spoken by 1.4 percent of the population)
Nationality :	Scottish and British Find out more
Anthem (song) :	Flower of Scotland
Main religions:	Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) Scottish Episcopal Church, Roman Catholicism
Currency:	Pound Sterling (£)
Highest point:	Ben Nevis (1,343 m)
Lowest point:	Bed of Loch Morar, Scotland 987 ft (300 m) below sea level
Longest river:	Tay 193 kilometres (120 miles ) long
Largest Lake:	Loch Lomond (60 sq km) 40 km (24 miles) long
Official Animal	Unicorn

ESO 4. GRAMMAR: Future

Grammar exercises:

http://www.montsemorales.com/buildup4.htm  (you can practice different verbal tenses)
http://elblogdeisabelcarballo.blogspot.com.es/2012/03/4-eso-future-tenses-exercises.html (MIX DIFFERENT FUTURE TENSES IN THE SAME EXERCISE)

LISTENING. 3rd ESO

Do you want to improve your listening skill? :

http://mbonillo.xavierre.com/grammar/3eso.html (LISTENING EXERCISES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE= al final de la página). You will also find activities to practise some GRAMMAR.

LISTENING.

This is a video to learn to distinguish different English accents:

FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE

Practice activities to learn language used in everyday situations:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/teachingenglish/howto/

GRAMMAR: Subject and Object Questions

THEORY: http://www.slideshare.net/f2teacher/sl401-presentation#btnNext

Some practice exercises:
http://www.english-zone.com/grammar/questions4.html
http://www.tinyteflteacher.co.uk/learning-english/grammar/exercises/subject-object-questions.html
http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/grammar/3g26-subject-object-questions.php

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=719

CULTURE. ESO 3. UNIT 3

The Tower of London

It is an historic monument in London and a popular tourist site today. It was founded in 1078 by William the Cponqueror and was added to over the years. It now consists of several different buildings. It was used in the past as a fortress, a palace and a prison. Many people were executed in the Tower of London such as: Anne Boleyn (Henry VIII's second wife), Lady Jane Grey (Edward VII's cousin).




 
ROYAL PALACES

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace serves as both the office and London residence of Her Majesty The Queen. It is one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today.

During the summer, visitors can tour the nineteen State Rooms, which form the heart of the Palace. These magnificent rooms are decorated with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection, including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto.

 

St James Palace

St. James’s Palace was built by Henry VIII in the 1530s and was home to several famous sovereigns: Elizabeth I, Charles I and George I, II and III.

The area around St. James’s Park was once a medieval leper hospital.

 

STEPEHEN KING

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual.

He was born in Maine, USA (1947- ) He is called the Master of Horror.

 

 

NEWS: US Election 2012

President Obama wins four more years as America delivers decisive verdict
 

• President promises America: 'the best is yet to come'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/07/obama-four-more-years-america-verdict

LISTENING

Have you got some problems with  LISTENING? Here you have a website to practise this skill.

http://esl.about.com/od/englishlistening/English_Listening_Skills_and_ActivitiesEffective_Listening_Practice.htm

4th ESO.Past Simple or Present Perfect

UNIT 3

You will find some theory about these two verbal tenses and some exercises so as to be able to distinguish them.

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simpas-preper

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=3365

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=1496

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=5987

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=4769
 

4th ESO. UNIT 3: WORKING

JOB ADVERTISEMENT:      These are some job adverts

 

Are you looking for a part time job?

We require 3 part time shop assistants.

No experience required, applicants should between 18 and 26

.Download and fill in the application form on our site:

www.mothercare.com

and send it to this address:

Personnel Manager,

Mothercare Ltd,

988 Holborn Road,

        Birmingham.

SECRETARIES

Good IT skills?

Would you like more responsibility?

Are you easy to get on with?

Would you like to work in London?

We are looking for secretaries for our London office.

 Visit our site for more information

www.intersec.co.uk

 

Personnel Manager,

Intersec

269 Lombard Road,

London, SW2 3UK

 

 

 

Teachers Needed:

Jamie’s Kindergarten needs 2 teacher/trainers to help with classes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Applicants should have appropriate licenses.

For more information visit Jamie’s Kindergarten’s site: www.jamie.com

where you can download an application form and send it to the address on the site.

 

3rd ESO. CULTURE.UNIT 2

WERE THEY REAL OR NOT?

ALEXANDER the GREAT.

Alexandros III Philippou Makedonon (Alexander the Great, Alexander III of Macedon) (356-323 B.C.), King of Macedonia, was born in late July 356 BC in Pella, Macedonia, he was one of the greatest military genius in history. He conquered much of what was then the civilized world, driven by his divine ambition of the world conquest and the creation of a universal world monarchy.

 Alexander inherited from his father King Philip the best military formation of the time, the Macedonian Phalanx, armed with sarisses - the fearful five and half meter long lances. He was the first great conqueror who reached Greece, Egypt, Asia Minor, and Asia up to western India. He is famous for having created the ethnic fusion of the Macedonians and the Persians. From victory to victory, from triumph to triumph, Alexander created an empire which brought him eternal glory. He brought Greek ideas, culture and life style to the countries which he conquered, and assured expansion and domination of Hellenistic Culture which, together with Roman Civilization and Christianity, constitutes the foundation of what is now called Western Civilization.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS

The Three Musketeers (French: Les Trois Mousquetaires) is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard. D'Artagnan is not one of the musketeers of the title; those are his friends Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, inseparable friends who live by the motto "all for one, one for all"

JOAN OF ARC

Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" ( 1412- 30 May 1431), is considered a national heroine of France and a Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the coronation of Charles VII. She was captured by the Burgundians, sold to the English, tried by an ecclesiastical court, and burned at the stake when she was 19 years old. Twenty-five years after the execution, Pope Callixtus III examined the trial, pronounced her innocent and declared her a martyr. Joan of Arc was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920. She is – along with St. Denis, St. Martin of Tours, St. Louis IX, and St. Theresa of Lisieux – one of the patron saints of France.

Joan asserted that she had visions from God that instructed her to recover her homeland from English domination late in the Hundred Years' War.

ROBIN HOOD

Robin Hood was an heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor,^] assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men." Traditionally Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes. The origin of the legend is claimed by some to have stemmed from actual outlaws, or from ballads or tales of outlaws.Robin Hood became a popular folk figure starting in the medieval period continuing through modern literature, films, and television. In the earliest sources Robin Hood is a yeoman, but he was often later portrayed as an aristocrat wrongfully dispossessed of his lands and made into an outlaw by an unscrupulous sheriff.

WILLIAM WALLACE

Sir William Wallace( died 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, and was Guardian of Scotland, serving until his defeat at the Battle of Falkirk. In 1305, Wallace was captured in Robroyston near Glasgow and handed over to King Edward I of England, who had him hanged, drawn, and quartered for high treason and crimes against English civilians.

4th ESO. CULTURE UNIT 3

EMPLOYMENT OF CHILDREN

During the Industrial Revolution (1750 to 1850) many people went to live in the cities, where there was plenty of work in the new factories. Children were cheap labour, so factory owners hired them to work in the textile factories or mills. Children as young as four year old had to work as hard as possible: they spent nearly all their working hours working the machines, they had no schooling and were beaten if they sat down to rest.

Children were also sent to work in the coal mines. These were dangerous places  - sometimes the roof collapsed or there were floods and gas explosions.

Many orphans lived on the streets of London. They had nothing to eat and they slept in doorways. They often picked pockets in order to buy food and were severely punished if they were caught.

CHARLES DICKENS wrote about these children in "Oliver Twist".

Because of exploitation, children's employment laws were gradually enacted and enforced.



CHILD ACTORS

Many child actors have made successful careers as adult actors, including LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ELIJAH WOOD, JODIE FOSTER... One of the most famous child stars of all time was SHIRLEY TEMPLE. As an adult, she was a public figure and diplomat.

However, there are also many examples of child actors who were unable to adjust to living in the "real world". They often suffer from depression, drug addiction and financial problems. Psychologists say that child actors don't have normal childhoods. They don't go to school regularly so they don't socialise withother children. They are often very spoilt (=malcriados) and protected.

4th ESO. CULTURE UNIT 2.

ROYAL MAIL
Royal Mail is the national postal service of the UK. It can trace its history back to when HENRY VIII established a "Master of the Posts" in 1516. The Royal Mail Services were made available to the public by CHARLES I in 1635. The person receiving the letter paid the postage, but this caused many problems. In 1840, the penny post was introduced. This was a single rate for delivery anywhere in the UK. To prove that payment had been made, the sender stuck the stamp on the letter. The first stamp became known as the 'Penny Black'.

Faking It

This programme began on Channel 4 in the UK in 2000, and the idea has since been copied by other TV channels around the world. The original concept was "a modern-day Pygmalion", referring to the play by GEORGE BERNARD SHAW in which an uneducated flower seller is taught to behave like an aristocrat. The show's basic format is that a member of the public lives and trains with an expert for four weeks, and then takes part in a contest against experienced participants. a panel of professional judges tries to guess which participant is the faker.

HALLOWEEN

On October 31st, we celebrate Halloween,thought to be the one night of the year when ghosts, witches, and fairies are especially active.

Why do we celebrate halloween?

The easy answer to this question is that no one really knows the origins of Halloween.

What we do know for sure is that Halloween is on the eve of a major Catholic festival, All Saints (1st November) and the eve of the pagan Celtic festival known as Samhain.

The three days between 31st October and 2nd November see pagan and Christian celebrations intertwined in a fascinating way and is a perfect example of superstition struggling with religious belief.

Currently, it is widely thought that Halloween originated as a pagan Celtic festival of the dead related to the Irish and Scottish Samhain, but there is no evidence that it was connected with the dead in pre-Christian times.

 

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR HALLOWEEN PARTY IDEAS VISIT THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE:

 

 

http://www.halloweenpartyideas.org/

CULTURE. UNIT 1. ESO 4

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Communication
E-mail, or electronic mail, is one of the most common ways for people to contact one another.

Searcher : GOOGLE

 The founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, met when the were students at Stanford University in 1995. In 1996, they began to work together on a new system for finding information on the web. They called it "BackRub", but later changed the name to Google. They had very little money, so they borrowed computers from the university and set up an "office" in Larry's bedroom. Eventually, they rented a friend's empty garage and took on their first employee. In 2000, Google officially became the world's biggest search engine with an index of an over 1 billion pages.

Information: WIKIPEDIA

In 2001 a project was started to create a free encyclopedia containing entries written and edtited by anyone who wished to do so. This online encyclopedia was called Wikipedia. The idea came from a similar project called Nupedia, an online encyclopedia written by experts. However, Wikipedia soon became much more popular and replaced Nupedia. Today, Wikipedia includes millions of articles with people contributing information from around the world.

Buying and Selling: eBay

ebay is an Internet company that controls an online auction and shopping website. People use eBay to buy and sell goods and services around the world. The website was founded in California by a computer programmer. The first item sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer for $a4.83. The founder was astonished that someone had bought it and he contactes the buyer to check if he understood that the laser pointer was broken. In 1998, eBay became a public company and its founder became a billionaire!

3rd ESO .GRAMMAR. PASSIVE VOICE.

Don't forget that we have only studied Present and Past Simple Passive this year. If you want to ckeck if you really understand this grammar point, practise the following exercises:
http://www.saberingles.com.ar/curso/lesson24/04.html

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/passiv.htm

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive/exercises?simple-present (SIMPLE PRESENT)

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive/exercises?simple-past (SIMPLE PAST)



Passive voice is widely used in news.

3rd ESO. CULTURE UNIT 9. MUSIC.

Sting

Gordon Sumner (Sting) was born in Wallsend near Newcastle in England in 1951. He wanted to be a musician from an early age. He has stated that he gained his nickname beacuse once he wore a black and yellow striped sweater thet made him look like a bumble bee.

 He has performed since 1977 and he went solo in 1982. His most famous songs include "Roxanne", "Every Breath You Take", "Message in a Bottle"...
He has supported environmentalism and humanitarian movements throughout his career.

BOY BAND
Boy bands are a type of manufactured pop or hip-hop group with three or more male singers. The members are generally expected to perform as dancers as well as singers. Most boy bands tend to follow mainstream music and fashion trends.
They tend to appeal to pre-teen girls and the emphasis seems to be on the marketing and image rather than the quality of music. Some famous boy bands are New Kids on the Block  and Backstreet Boys.

How are these bands created?:

1- First, the producer decides on a look and sound for the band.

2- Then, an advert is placed in teen magazines, or talent is discovered in trendy clubs or discos.

3-Next, auditions are held and the band members are chosen.

4- They are taught to sing and dance, hoe to deal with the media...

5- Songs are recorded and released on the readio. Concerts are organised and with luck the band becomes famous.



MUSIC IN ENGLAND AND GREAT BRITAIN

 

Britain is more famous for pop music than it is for classical composers or jazz musicians. Names such as The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Elton John, George Michael and The Spice Girls are known world wide but little do people know of our other musicians not in the pop world.

Music we listen to today

In Britain, most youths listen to punk, garage, house, rock, pop and R&B. (such as McFly, JLo, Xtina, Beyonce, Pink, Britney, Justin Timberlake, Mis-teeq).

3rd ESO. CULTURE. UNIT 8.

Humour
The United Kingdom is the country where wordplay (joking about word meanings= humor basado en jugar con los significados de las palabras ; also called PUN) is the most popular type of joke.

Examples:
1- Do you have any grandchildren?
No, all my children are just ordinary.

2- Why did the bus stop?
Because it saw the zebra crossing.

Taxi drivers in London

All licensed taxi drivers in London must pass a series of tests called "The Knowledge". This proves that thay know the names and locations of 25,000 streets in and around Central London. They also need to know places of interest and important landmarks in the area as hospitals, theatres, hotels and train stations. Candidates for a licence drive around London evrydady for several hours. It can take a whole year to prepare for the exams.

Health issues

For several years now, many hospitals around the world have brought in hospital clowns to try and relieve ('aliviar') the mood of tension and drama that often accompanies a hospital stay. Research has shown that laughter can help patients recover more quickly. Some hospital clowns are volunteers, others are employed by the hospital or institution.

SONG. Someone Like You

 Someone Like  You  by Adele.

Some activities to work on this song:

1. Fill in the gaps with the past of the verbs in the box:

marry Not give give

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->

settle down find Hear x 2

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->

I ____________... that you're ­____________________

That you... _________________a girl

And you're... ____________________now

I ______________ that your dreams

came true

Guess she _______________ you things

I _______  ____________ to you

2. Order these sentences:

are you so shy? why Old friend  ___________________________________________________________________________

you to hold back It ain't like _______________________________________________________________________________

Or the hide light from_______________________________________________________________________________________

3. Choose the correct Word:

I (hate/shape) to turn up out of the blue

Uninvited, but

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->I (couldn't/wouldn’t) stay away

I couldn't fight it I'd hoped

you'd see my (face/place)

And that you'd be reminded

That for me, (it/this) isn't over

4. Numer in the correct order:

______Never mind I'll find

______for you too

______Someone like you

______I wish nothing but the best

______Don't forget me I beg

______Sometimes it lasts in love

______Sometimes it lasts in love, but

______I remember you say

______But sometimes it hurts instead

______sometimes it hurts instead, yeah

5.  Fill in the gaps with the apropiate preposition:

You'd know how ____________

time flies only yesterday

Was ___________ time _________our lives

We were born _________ raised

___________a summer haze

Bound ________ __________ surprise

____________our glory days

Repeat paragraph #3

Repeat paragraph #4

6. Identify and cross out the Word that doesn't belong in the sentence

Nothing  is compares

No worries, or  more cares

My regrets and mistakes

They're memories made

Who would have known how much

Bittersweet this would taste me

Repeat paragraph #4