lunes, mayo 18, 2009

EXAM DATES

Here you have the exam dates:
Written exam: June 2, 2009 (Monday) from 11:30 to 14:00
Oral exam : June 10, 2009 (Wednesday)
from 9:00 to 13:00
and 15:00 to 17:00

Parts of the exam that are passed will keep the mark until September. You can ask for the option of doing the oral exam in June, even if you fail the written part. Make sure you make the petition in our office.

Wish you luck!

martes, mayo 05, 2009

INSTRUCTIONS TO CHECK THE OIL ARE DIFFERENT FOR MEN AND WOMEN

Oil check instructions for WOMEN:
1.- Drive into ULTRA TUNE when the odometer reaches 10.000 kilometres since the last oil change.
2.- Drink a cup of coffee and read a free newspaper.
3.- 15 minutes later , write a cheque and leave with a properly maintained vehicle.
Money spent:
Oil change ....... 40 dollars
coffee................ 2 dollars
TOTAL: ........... 42 DOLLARS

OIL CHANGE INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEN:
1.- Wait until saturday, drive to auto parts store and buy a case of oil, a filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner and a scented tree, and then write a cheque for 50 dollars
2.- stop by the bottle shop and buy a slab of beer , write a cheque for 40 dollars, drive home.
3.- Open a beer and drink it.
4.- Jack the car up. Spend thirty minutes looking for jack stands.
5.- Find jack stands under the caravan.
6.- IN frustration open another beer and drink it.
7.- Place drain pan under the engine.
8.- Look for 9/16 box end wrench.
9.- give up and use crescent wrench.
10.- Unscrew drain plug.
11.- Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil on you in process. Curse and swear.
12.- Crawl out from under car to wipe hot oil off face and arms. Throw kitty litter on spilled oil.
13.- Have another beer while watching oil drain.
14.- Spend 30 minutes looking for oil filter wrench.
15.- Give up, crawl under car and hammer a screwdriver through oil filter and twist off.
16.- Crawl out from under the car with dripping oil filter splashing oil everywhere from holes. Cleverly, hide old oil filter among rubbish in wheely bin to avoid environmental penalties.
17.- Drink another beer.
18.- Install new oil filter making sure to apply a thin coat of oil to gasket surface.
19.- Dump first litre of fresh oil into engine.
20.- Remember drain plug from step 11
21.- Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.
22.- Drink beer.
23.- Discover that first litre of fresh oil is now on the floor. Throw kitty litter on oil spill.
24.- Get drain plug back in with only a minor spill. Drink beer.
25.- Crawl under car getting kitty litter into eyes. Wipe eyes with oily rag used to clean drain plug. slip with stupid crescent wrench tightening drain plug and bang knuckles on frame removing any excess skin between knuckles and frame.
26.- begin swearing fit.
27.- Throw stupid crescent wrench.
28.- Swear for additional five minutes because the wrench hit a bowling trophy.
29.- Beer
30.- Clean up hands and bandage as required to stop blood flow.
31.- Beer
32.- Dump in five fresh litres of oil
33.- Beer
34.- Lower car from jack stands.
35.- Move car back to apply more kitty litter to fresh oil spilled during any missed steps.
36.- Beer
37.- Test drive car
38.- Get pulled over: arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol
39.- car is impounded
40.- Call loving wife, make bail.
41.- 12 hours later get car from impound yard

MONEY SPENT:
Parts .........................50 dollars
DUI........................... 2.400 dollars
Impound fee............ 75 dollars
Bail............................ 1.500 dollars
beer .......................... 40 dollars
TOTAL: .......................4.085 dollars

But you know the job was done right!

lunes, abril 20, 2009

1.- FACTS AND FIGURES THAT MAKE US THINK

This presentation was shown to a group of workers and investigators of Sony, at their Executives Conference this year. It is about the world of computing, and information technologies nowadays. It is really amazing.
It makes you think about how much information we have at hand. If you wish to see it in YOutube, click here.

martes, abril 07, 2009

Here is the Mom's song

Dear Moms who are studying english,
this is your song. Specially dedicated to you.
See whether you can shout at your children
in English next time you have a little nasty
argument about the pocket money, or homework.
It must be true that a mom's work never ends.

MY HEART WILL GO ON (TO SING ALONG)

Dear B1-s:
How is everything? are you enjoying yourselves apart from reading texts?
I found this video of the film Titanic, with the lyrics of the song My heart will go on sung by Celine Dion. I thought you might want to listen to it as you are on holiday now.
Sorry I did not have anyone by AC/DC.....

lunes, abril 06, 2009

HOW TO COPE WITH CHILDREN AFTER SEPARATION

This interesting video about how to deal with your children after your separation or divorce was very interesting to discuss in class.
  • Should a couple tell a child about their problems, or should they just pretend that nothing strange is going on between them?
  • What is the best age to talk it over for a child?
  • How should we explain it to him or her?

If you find yourself in this situation, this video may be a hint for you. For the rest of us it can be something to think about. I am open to any comments you would like to make. Click here to see the video.

THEY CLAIM THAT AMERICANS ARE STUPID, WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Here are some of the questions that were asked to some North American people in a survey carried out in the street:
1.- Name a country that begins with U
2.- Who is in the coalition of the willing?
3.- What's the religion of Israel?
4.- What religion are Budhist monks?
5.- Who won the Vietnam war?
6.- Who is Fidel Castro?
7.- How many sides does a triangle have?
8.- What is the currency used in the UK?
9.- In terms of the war of terror, who do you think should be the next country to invade?
10.- Put a number in the following countries: sri lanka, North korea, France


11.- Looking at the map, where do you think the best place to invade Iran would be from?

12.- Kofie Anan is a drink, true or false?

13.- Who is Tony Blair?

14.- Which countries are in the axis of evil?

15.- Palestinians or Israelis, which ones are throwing "the rocks"?

16.- Who was the first man on the moon?

17.- What is a mosque?

18.- How many kidneys does a person have?

19.- What is collateral damage?

20.- How many world wars have there been?

21.- Which state in USA does KFC come from?

22.- Do you know what KFC stands for?

23.- The film STAR WARS was based on a true story, true or false?

24.- What are Hiroshima and Nagasaki famous for?

25.- How many Eiffel towers are there in Paris?

26.- What is Al-Qaeda?

27.- The language they speak in Latin-America is Latin, true or false?

Now you can compare YOUR ANSWERS with the anwers of american citizens to these questions. Click here to see the video.


jueves, marzo 19, 2009

13.- AUSSIES, A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW


ONLY AUSSIES
Being Australian is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then on the way home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV.
Oh and...... Only in Australia .... can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.
Only in Australia .... do supermarkets make sick people walk all the way to the back of the shop to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
Only in Australia .... do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a DIET coke.Only in Australia .... do banks leave both doors open but chain the pens to the counters.
Only in Australia .... do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and lock our junk and cheap lawn mower in the garage.
NOT TO MENTION....
3 Aussies die each year testing if a battery works on their tongue.
58 Aussies are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of screwdrivers.
31 Aussies have died since 1996 by watering their Christmas tree while the fairy lights were plugged in.
8 Aussies had serious burns in 2000 putting on a jumper with a lit cigarette in their mouth.
A massive 543 Aussies were admitted to Emergency in the last two years after opening bottles of beer with their teeth.
And finally.........In 2000 eight Aussies cracked their skull whilst throwing up into the toilet.

jueves, febrero 12, 2009

12.- HOW TO WRITE A VALENTINE CARD

IT’S VALENTINE’S DAY.

It is usual for people in English-speaking countries to celebrate Valentine’s day by sending Valentine Card’s to people they love. Here you have some hints on how to write a Valentine Card.
What could be more romantic than receiving a love letter? A good old fashioned, hand-written love letter is still one of the best Valentines around, but don’t just save it for February. A love letter is a powerful expression any day of the year.

You don’t have to be Shakespeare to write the perfect love letter. All you need to know is how you feel. What makes a love letter so romantic is that it is deeply personal. It shows your beloved how well you know them, and that knowledge is the very stuff of love.

HOW TO GET STARTED

All you need to get started is a pen and some decent stationery. Use thick card stock with some texture to it rather than stationary with roses and cupids around the edges. The recipient is probably going to keep this letter for a long time. Writing on heavy card stock will help it last.

As you are writing be specific. Tell him exactly how he makes you feel and what he does that makes you feel that way. Write in the second person ( use “you” ) so that your letter speaks directly to him. Before you start writing, take a few moments to think about your beloved.

The following questions can help to get your thoughts going:
What is his greatest strength?
What do you see in him that he doesn’t see in himself?
What is the most romantic thing he has ever done for you?
What does he do on a regular basis that shows you he cares about you?
When did you fall in love with him?
What about him pleasantly surprised you?
What is your favorite memory of the two of you?
How has your world changed since you got together?

You can start your letter anyway you like as long as you include his/her name. You don’t have to be super-mushy right from the start, a simple “Dear _____” works well. Begin your letter with a very specific quality that you appreciate about him. Make the sentence exclusive – for example “I’ve never met anyone as _______ as you” or “No one has ever made me feel as____ as you do when you ____” Starting out this way shows him that he ranks higher than anyone else in your books – a great way to start a love letter.

As you write, tell him/her exactly how you feel. Use specific examples that show that you’ve been paying attention. Remind him of the things he has done that really meant something to you. Share a favorite memory and a hope for the future. Don’t forget to say “I love you.” It doesn’t matter how long or short your letter is, as long as it’s sincere.

There’s no rule that says you have to use poetry in a love letter, but if you’re stumped finding just the right words, one or two carefully chosen lines can work really well. If you don’t have a poem in mind, there’s a lot to choose from online. If you want to use something other than the usual classics, I highly recommend “Dance Me to the End of Love” by Leonard Cohen.

Once your letter is complete, read it over carefully and check for errors. This letter will be read over and over. You don’t want a mistake spoiling the mood.

If you want to add an extra special touch, seal the envelope with wax. Sealing kits are available at most fine stationary stores, but a regular taper candle in a dark color works just as well. Simply light the candle and carefully drip a small puddle of wax about the size of a quarter over the flap.

Once the letter is complete, drop it in the mail and wait for a great response. If you’re lucky, you just might get a love letter yourself.

Good Luck!!

jueves, febrero 05, 2009

11.- AN INTERESTING ARTICLE FOR YOU TO READ

The Dominion Post ( New Zealand) Monday, 14 July 2008

A Basque solution to growth
Think of Basques, think of bombs. Right? But there's more to Basques than bombs. The tiny Basque country is renowned for its science.
The region, on the north coast of Spain, is smaller than Wellington province and is home to 2.1 million people. Their common language is Spanish, but about a quarter of them speak the strange Basque language. If you want to say "Nice to meet you" in Basque you'd say "Potzen nau zu ezaguteak". (literal copy)
In the past 200 years, millions of Basques have emigrated to America. Ten per cent of Argentineans have Basque ancestors. Today's Basques, with a gross domestic product per capita income of NZ$48,000, are among the wealthiest people in Europe and much better off than New Zealanders. In the 1980s, Basques' traditional fishing and shipbuilding industries collapsed but, since then, their government has developed a spectacularly successful growth strategy built on scientific knowledge, technological innovation and entrepreurship.
Basques' biggest company, the Mondragon Cooperative, is hugely successful and has tentacles all through Spain and South America. It even has its own university.
The country's wealth is now built on new technologies – aeronautical and energy technology, and making fine machine tools, wind turbines and rolling stock. They are into nanotechnology and miniaturisation in a big way, developing high-performance hybrid materials for hi-tech industries, making precision miniaturised desktop type machinery for mass hydro-forming, stamping and cold- forging bulk materials, and improving high-resolution electron microscopy and lithography.
They are developing new catalysts for hydrogen fuel cells, designing a hydrogen-driven car (H2CAR), installing 16 sea-wave energy turbines, doing stem-cell research, and have developed new implant materials for healing wounds and for plastic surgery. Among other things they are developing miniaturised throw-away medical laboratories – each the size of a credit card and read with a hand-held gadget.
Basque technologists are on to "microwire technology" enabling huge amounts of data to be stored on microscopic wires. These wires have military uses, but Basques paste them on goods in supermarkets. To reach the checkout, your shopping trolley must pass through an electronic arch which instantly calculates the total cost.
They have research centres devoted to climate change, applied mathematics and health innovation. They also have an ambitious plan to "coordinate information and communication technologies around cognitive systems, pervasive computing, digital security and natural interfaces", and participate in the European space programme.
This tiny Basque country has 12,500 scientists and technologists at its universities, polytechnics or in private companies and puts a lot of money into attracting leading foreign scientists to work there, or join forces with them. This month they are advertising internationally for 30 more scientists.
The Basques' capital city, Bilbao, is about the size of Wellington and has become world- renowned for its new, fabulous, elegant, jaw-dropping, avant-guard, titanium-clad museum, and then, in September, there's their popular mixed-sex annual 5000-metre foot race along the beach at low tide, in the nude. First prize: a holiday in the Canary Islands.
We have a lot to learn from the Basques.

10.- EXAM DATES

Group B12 Tuesday / Thursday - 12th february
Group B12 Monday /Wednesday - 9th February

Some people may do the exam on other days, provided that they tell me something about it.

Doubts , comments, etc please, click on comments and write them to me if possible, before the exam itself.

GOOD LUCK, well,.... it's a mock exam after all....!!!

jueves, enero 29, 2009

9.- FOR NEXT DAY, SPEAKING HINTS AND RECORDINGS

NEXT DAY, we will spend most of our time listening and speaking, apart from correcting exercises.

7.- NEW BOOKS BOUGHT FOR THE LIBRARY- LIST

LIBROS DE LECTURA DE LONGMAN PEARSON de LA BIBLIOTECA:

Penguin Active Reading EASYSTARTS
The hat
Newspaper Chase

Penguin Active Reading LEVEL 1
The Wrong man
Theseus and the Minotaur
The Rainbow Serpent
Kylie Minogue
Island for Sale
Amazon Rally
The Crown

Penguin Active Reading LEVEL 2
Don Quixote
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare before Christmas
Water for Life
Mr. Bean

Penguin Active Reading LEVEL 3
Titanic
The romans
Japanese Ghost stories
The adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Penguin Active Reading LEVEL 4
Three great plays of Shakespeare
The street lawyer
Secret codes
Oliver Twist
The Odyssey
Nicholas Nickelby
The dream and other stories
The body in the library

martes, enero 27, 2009

6.- A REASONABLE DOUBT: NEAR VS NEAR TO

It is claimed that you can say:

the office is near the station (preposition)
the office is near to the station (adjective)

Look it up in a dictionary , ask your friends, meditate, and tell us:

.- Is this actually true?
.- Is the meaning in both cases the same?
.- If the meaning is not the same in both cases, when should we use each of them?
.- Give us three more examples in which you use NEAR or NEAR TO

The first one who answers all these questions correctly will get a free beer in Irish Pub Bermeo. This offer will finish next Friday (Jan 31st)

jueves, enero 22, 2009

5.- PUT YOUR HAND ON YOUR HEAD, IT'S PRONUNCIATION TIME

We learnt the pronunciation of /s/ /z/ sounds together with /sh/ sounds (sorry I did not find the correct icon in the computer).

Now if you want , you can put your hands on your head and find the words from this list which do not contain the sound /z/

spots- streets-rice-oasis-place-plays-arise-squares-rise-desert-face-phase-prize-sells-sense-smokes-snacks-nose-since-sits-science-songs-seas-smiles-six-exact-lose-crisps-voice-focus-sports-escapes-lost-box-boxes-concert-zoo-breeze-bays

Copied from:
English Pronunciation in Use by Mark Hancock
Cambridge University Press
Page 16/17

Hint:
spelling s like sad, ss like class and c like place sound /s/
spelling s is not always pronounced /s/ for example: sugar, rise, plays

spelling z like zero, like nose sounds /z/
spelling se at the end of a word usually sounds like /z/
spelling zz scissors sounds like /z/, although sc may sound /s/ as in science

Answers will be published tomorrow

lunes, enero 19, 2009

4.- TRANSLATIONS JANUARY 19TH

1.-
Las personas interesadas en obtener una de las 70 invitaciones que sortea la Diputación de Bizkaia para acudir al concierto de AC/DC el próximo 4 de abril en el BEC pueden rellenar desde hoy el formulario disponible en la página web www.bizkaia.net. El plazo de inscripción estará abierto hasta el día 26 de enero de 2009 hasta las 14:00 horas

*****
2.-
El Ayuntamiento de Gernika-Lumo ha destinado 691.572 euros para la realización de obras de adaptación y reforma de la plaza Saraspe y la calle Etxegarai en aplicación de la legislación en materia de accesibilidad de entornos urbanos

ANSWER TO THE TRANSLATIONS

2.- Yesterday, hundreds of young people went to IURBENOR offices in Barakaldo to get more information about the future that awaits the 700 social flats planned to be built in Lutxana after the building company had announced a suspension of all payments.

3.- About 100 photographers took part in the XXII edition of the photography contest held by the municipality of Leioa. Marta Luengo took the local prize.

4.- The first British baby genetically selected so as not to carry the gene that produces breast cancer was reported to have been born yesterday at the University college hospital .

martes, enero 13, 2009

2.- 14 OF JANUARY (CLASS PLANNING)

B1.2 MON/WED.:
.- give back essays on Tess of the D'urbervilles, and pick up delayed ones.
.- practice conversation, interrupting a narration, interrupting your conversation partner correctly. (hand out)
.- start unit 5 (topic publicity, brand names, surveys , marketing)
.- Vocabulary: adjectives, description of the purpose of objects, the language of advertising, transform positive adjectives into negative adjectives by means of prefixes (un, in, im, dis),
the language of surveys and statistics, idioms related to comparisons.
.- Grammar points : comparative and superlative with adjectives (unit 13 in the grammarway to be done at home and check the answers at the back)
.- Listening for pronunciation: the difference between the sibilant sounds

2009-1.- WORDS FROM THE NEWS TO TRANSLATE

Thanks to Marisa, from B1.2 (thank you so much, you gave me a good idea), I thought I could upload here parts of texts I would like you to translate (by yourselves and not with power translators from Internet, and no cheating please!!!). It is a way to learn new vocabulary and put yourselves to test. If you would like your translations to be corrected you should send them to b122008blog@gmail.com . I promise I will correct them.

here is the first one:

1.- Los alumnos de la escuela de Laukariz han retomado las clases tras el periodo vacacional estrenando las nuevas instalaciones del colegio publico del barrio Mungiarra.

2.- Cientos de jovenes acudieron ayer a las oficinas de IURBENOR en Baracaldo para conseguir mas información sobre el futuro que espera a las 700 viviendas protegidas proyectadas en Lutxana tras el anuncio de la suspensión de pagos de la empresa.

3.- Alrededor de un centenar de fotografos se han presentado a la edición XXII del concurso de fotografía del ayuntamiento de Leioa. Marta Luengo se ha llevado el premio local.

4.- El primer bebé británico seleccionado genéticamente para no portar el gen del cancer de mama ha nacido en Londres- informó ayer el hospital del university college.