SESSION 16: A SONG
ALANIS MORISSETTE - EVERYTHING
LYRICS:
http://youtu.be/YlepQ9og-KE
ALICE IN WONDERLAND - PLAYSCRIPT - MAY 2010 - ACT 11
13 years ago
Sunday, January 29, 2012
SESSION 16: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
SESSION 16: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION:
2.1 EXCUSES: What do you think of these excuses for not taking holiday? Would you ever use any of these excuses? Why/why not?
a) What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘vacation’?
b) What do you think about what you read?
c) Would / do you ever not take all your vacation?
d) Are you surprised U.S. workers don’t take all their vacation?
e)Should workers get the money for untaken holidays?
f) Is ‘not being able to afford a holiday’ a good reason not to take the days off?
g) What did you do on your last vacation?
h) What do you think of the statement, “work is my life”?
i) Should all workers get the same number of days holiday?
j) Should we all give up holidays in this poor economy, when times are hard?
k) Should Japanese workers get more holiday?
l) How important are holidays in our life and for our health?
m) How much do you look forward to vacations?
n) Are vacations for traveling?
o) Should every day be like a vacation?
p) Where is the world’s best vacation destination?
THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:
Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 16, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions:
- Can´t afford it
- Forgot
- Lack of planning
- Keep the boss happy
- Work is my life
- Co-workers would think bad of me.
- Sit on a beach
- Stay at home and relax
- Voluntary work
- Go to another country
- Read
- Study
- Watch movies/TV
- Catch up with friends and family
2.4 DISCUSSION: Here are some questions you can try asking yourself before you come to our discussion on Wednesday:
a) What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘vacation’?
b) What do you think about what you read?
c) Would / do you ever not take all your vacation?
d) Are you surprised U.S. workers don’t take all their vacation?
e)Should workers get the money for untaken holidays?
f) Is ‘not being able to afford a holiday’ a good reason not to take the days off?
g) What did you do on your last vacation?
h) What do you think of the statement, “work is my life”?
i) Should all workers get the same number of days holiday?
j) Should we all give up holidays in this poor economy, when times are hard?
k) Should Japanese workers get more holiday?
l) How important are holidays in our life and for our health?
m) How much do you look forward to vacations?
n) Are vacations for traveling?
o) Should every day be like a vacation?
p) Where is the world’s best vacation destination?
PREPARING A DISCUSSION IS FUNDAMENTAL:
THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:
FIRST, YOU NEED TO LEARN NEW VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO USE FOR THE DISCUSSION.
SECONDLY, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE TOPIC BY LOOKING UP INFORMATION IN THE INTERNET, BOOKS, ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.
THIS WAY YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT IN THE ORAL SESSION.
FINAL TASK:
HERE IS ONE FINAL TASK THAT YOU MAY DO IN ORDER TO COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.
Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 16, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions:
- My best holiday ever was...
- Holidays are necessary for our life and health. Express your opinion.
SESSION 16: KEY TO EXERCISES
SESSION 16: KEY TO EXERCISES
1.1 TRUE/FALSE:
a.F / b.F / c.F / d.T / e.F / f.T / g.T / h.T
1.2 SYNONYM MATCH:
1.f / 2.h / 3.j / 4.b / 5.d / 6.i / 7.a / 8.g / 9.c / 10.e
1.3 PHRASE MATCH:
1.g / 2.e / 3.a / 4.j / 5.c / 6.i / 7.f / 8.d / 9.h /10.b
1.4 GAP FILL:
1. AMONG - 2. WORKING - 3. PAID - 4. FIGURES - 5. QUESTIONED - 6. REASON - 7. FOLLOWED - 8. FEELING
9. APPEAR - 10. AVERAGE - 11. GENERALLY - 12. PRETTY - 13. FEWER - 14. RELUCTANT - 15. NEGATIVELY - 16. REFRESHED
SESSION 16: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
SESSION 16: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
NOTE: IN ORDER TO WORK WITH THE TEXT, UNDERSTAND AND PREPARE IT BETTER I RECOMMEND THESE EXERCISES:
THERE WILL BE TWO TYPES OF EXERCISES:
1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT: THESE ARE EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE READING COMPREHENSION, WORKING WITH VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS.
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION: EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE PREPARATION FOR THE DISCUSSION.
1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
1.1 TRUE/FALSE: Look at the article and guess whether these sentences are True (T) or False (F):
a. Americans lose lots of money in holiday pay.
b. U.S. bosses believe Americans are the world’s best workers.c. A researcher asked over 7,000 Americans about their vacation days.
d. Just over a third of Americans said they could not afford a holiday.
e. French workers take fewer holidays than American employees.
f. British workers generally take all of their vacation days.
g. The average Japanese worker takes less than half of his/her holidays.
h. Indians are hesitant to take all their days because it could look bad.
1.2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
1. bosses ............... a. usually
2. equivalent .......... b. yearly
3. figures .............. c. hesitant
4. annual ............... d. pay for
5. afford ............... e. energized
6. appear .............. f. employers
7. generally ........... g. standard
8. average ............ h. equal
9. reluctant ........... i. seem
10. refreshed ......... j. stats
1.3 PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from this article (sometimes more than one option is possible):
1. among the worst ............... a. 226 million days
2. Either ............................ b. feeling refreshed3. the equivalent of ............... c. afford a holiday
4. These figures come from ...... d. much take all of them
5. not being able to ................ e. way
6. lack of ............................ f. to have a problem
7. don’t appear ..................... g. in the world
8. … and pretty ..................... h. reluctant
9. Indians are also .................. i. planning
10. come back to work ............ j. an annual survey
1.4 GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text:
QUESTIONED - FOLLOWED - PAID - FEELING - AMONG - FIGURES - REASON - WORKING
U.S. workers are (1) ____________ the worst in the world for not taking all their vacation days. Their bosses might say they are among the best in the world for (2) ____________ their holidays. Either way, Americans will give up $34.3 billion in (3) ____________ vacation leave in 2012, which is the equivalent of 226 million days off. These (4) ____________ come from an annual survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Expedia. They (5) ____________ 7,083 employees in 20 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. The top (6) ____________ for Americans not using up their holidays was not being able to afford a holiday (34%). This was (7) ____________ by lack of planning (15%), the statement "work is my life" (15%) and (8) ____________ bad about asking the boss for time off.
RELUCTANT - AVERAGE - REFRESHED - PRETTY - APPEAR - NEGATIVELY - FEWER - GENERALLY
Workers in other countries don’t (9) ____________ to have a problem taking vacations. French workers get an (10) ____________ 30 vacation days a year and (11) ____________ use them all. In the UK, employees get 25 days and (12) ____________ much take all of them. Asia is the only region where workers receive and take (13) ____________ holidays than Americans. The average Japanese worker only gets 11 days a year and takes just five of them. Indians are also (14) ____________ to take all of their vacation. Expedia found that 20 per cent of workers in India did not take all their holidays because they "may be perceived (15) ____________ at work". In America, bosses believe it is important that workers use all their vacation so they can come back to work feeling (16) ____________.
SESSION 16: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 1st FEBRUARY
SESSION 16: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 1st FEBRUARY
AMERICANS GIVE UP $34 BILLION OF VACATION
TEXT TAKEN AND/OR ADAPTED FROM:
THE TEXT:
U.S. workers are among the worst in the world for not taking all their vacation days. Their bosses might say they are among the best in the world for working their holidays. Either way, Americans will give up $34.3 billion in paid vacation leave in 2012, which is the equivalent of 226 million days off. These figures come from an annual survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Expedia. They questioned 7,083 employees in 20 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. The top reason for Americans not using up their holidays was not being able to afford a holiday (34%). This was followed by lack of planning (15%), the statement "work is my life" (15%) and feeling bad about asking the boss for time off.
Workers in other countries don’t appear to have a problem taking vacations. French workers get an average 30 vacation days a year and generally use them all. In the UK, employees get 25 days and pretty much take all of them. Asia is the only region where workers receive and take fewer holidays than Americans. The average Japanese worker only gets 11 days a year and takes just five of them. Indians are also reluctant to take all of their vacation. Expedia found that 20 per cent of workers in India did not take all their holidays because they "may be perceived negatively at work". In America, bosses believe it is important that workers use all their vacation so they can come back to work feeling refreshed.
'Americans Give Up $34 Billion of Vacation' - 3rd December, 2011
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
Sunday, January 22, 2012
SESSION 15: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
SESSION 15: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION:
2.1 What do these words suggest you when you hear them?
- Intellectual Property
- Wikipedia
- Piracy
- Web browser
- copyright
- entertainment
- entrepeneurs
- economic growth
- knowledge
- songs
- movies
- software
- books
- games
- operating systems
- piracy
- identity theft
- losing passwords
- pop-ups
- phishing
- cyber-bullying
- spam mail
- other...
2.4 DISCUSSION: Here are some questions you can try asking yourself before you come to our discussion on Wednesday:
a) What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘piracy’?
b) What do you think about what you read?
c) Do you think intellectual copyright should be protected?
d) Do you ever download things that you shouldn’t?
e) If no one pays for music, games and movie, people won’t make them, or won’t make them as good. What do you think of this?
f) Do you think SOPA and PIPA will get passed?
g) What do you think of Wikipedia’s action in “going dark” for 24 hours?
h) What punishment should sites that host or share pirated stuff have?
i) What do you think of the closure of the site Megaupload.com?
j) It is likely the actions of Internet companies like Wikipedia will defeat the bills in Congress. Is this kind of power in the hands of sites good?
k) How can the entertainment and fashion industries better protect their copyrighted material (movies, songs, etc.)?
l) What punishment should be given to copyright violators?
m) So many people nowadays think downloading is a way of life and don’t see the illegality of it. Is it too late to go back?
n) Would a bill protecting intellectual copyright lead to greater censorship?
o) Would the proposed bills “hurt economic growth and chill innovation”?
p) Is charging 99 cents for songs and similarly low prices the way to go ?
q) What would a world without free knowledge be like?
r) What questions would you like to ask Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia’s boss?
PREPARING A DISCUSSION IS FUNDAMENTAL:
THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:
FIRST, YOU NEED TO LEARN NEW VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO USE FOR THE DISCUSSION.
SECONDLY, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE TOPIC BY LOOKING UP INFORMATION IN THE INTERNET, BOOKS, ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.
THIS WAY YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT IN THE ORAL SESSION.
FINAL TASK:
HERE IS ONE FINAL TASK THAT YOU MAY DO IN ORDER TO COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.
Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 15, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions:
- Express your opinion about SOPA, the anti-piracy legislation.
- Does the Internet offer a world with free knowledge? Express your opinion.
SESSION 15: KEY TO EXERCISES
SESSION 15: KEY TO EXERCISES
1.1 TRUE/FALSE:
a.F / b.T / c.F / d.F / e.T / f.T / g.F / h.T
1.2 SYNONYM MATCH:
1.f / 2.j / 3.a / 4.g / 5.d / 6.c / 7.i / 8.b / 9.e / 10.h
1.3 PHRASE MATCH:
1.d / 2.e / 3.a / 4.h / 5.c / 6.i / 7.f / 8.j / 9.b /10.g
1.4 GAP FILL:
1. PROMINENT - 2. PROPOSED - 3. OPPOSE - 4. BROWSER - 5. COURT - 6. ABUSE - 7. DOUBTFUL - 8. VOTE
9. STRONGLY - 10. COPYRIGHT - 11. CENSORSHIP - 12. START - 13. EXPRESSED - 14. CHILL - 15. DECLARES - 16. WITHOUT
SESSION 15: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
SESSION 15: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
NOTE: IN ORDER TO WORK WITH THE TEXT, UNDERSTAND AND PREPARE IT BETTER I RECOMMEND THESE EXERCISES:
THERE WILL BE TWO TYPES OF EXERCISES:
1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT: THESE ARE EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE READING COMPREHENSION, WORKING WITH VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS.
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION: EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE PREPARATION FOR THE DISCUSSION.
1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
1.1 TRUE/FALSE: Look at the article and guess whether these sentences are True (T) or False (F):
a. A bill has been announced in the U.S. to protect online pirates.
b. Several famous websites protested against piracy.c. The eBay site switched off for 24 hours to protest.
d. Many credit card services are being targeted as being pirates.
e. The anti-piracy bill doesn’t have a good chance of being passed.
f. Internet site owners believe an anti-piracy bill would be censorship.
g. 1,200 tech executives signed a letter to the U.S. Congress.
h. Wikipedia said on its website that it hasn’t finished protesting.
1.2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
1. prominent .............. a. law
2. proposed ............... b. offenders
3. legislation .............. c. unsure
4. allow .................... d. mistreat
5. abuse ................... e. worries
6. doubtful ................ f. leading
7. crucial .................. g. let
8. violators ............... h. states
9. concerns ............... i. vital
10. declares .............. j. suggested
1.3 PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from this article (sometimes more than one option is possible):
1. Several prominent ............................... a. browser
2. protest against the proposed anti- ............ b. done yet3. owner of the Firefox web ...................... c. abuse copyright
4. would allow U.S. copyright holders ........... d. websites
5. Sites that ......................................... e. piracy legislation
6. It is now .......................................... f. violators
7. copyright ......................................... g. without free knowledge
8. hurt economic growth and ..................... h. to get court orders
9. We're not ......................................... i. doubtful
10. imagine a world ................................ j. chill innovation
1.4 GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text:
DOUBTFUL - PROPOSED - COURT - VOTE - PROMINENT - OPPOSE - ABUSE - BROWSER
Several (1) ____________ websites like Wikipedia and Reddit went 'dark' on Wednesday to protest against the (2) ____________ anti-piracy legislation called SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act). Many other sites (3) ____________ SOPA but did not “go dark” in Wednesday’s 24-hour protest. These include Mozilla (owner of the Firefox web (4) ____________), Facebook, eBay and Google. A similar bill in the US Senate, the Protection of Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) would allow U.S. copyright holders to get (5) ____________ orders against foreign websites that steal from them. Sites that (6) ____________ copyright would not be able to use many online advertising networks or credit card services. It is now (7) ____________ the bill will get the support of the sixty senators it needs in a crucial (8) ____________ on Tuesday, January 24th.
CHILL - STRONGLY - CENSORSHIP - EXPRESSED - START - COPYRIGHT - WITHOUT - DECLARES
The entertainment, pharmaceutical and fashion industries (9) ____________ support the bills. They lose billions of dollars every year to (10) ____________ violators. Internet companies oppose the bills, saying they will lead to (11) ____________ that would damage the Internet by discouraging new online (12) ____________-ups. A letter to Congress signed by 130 technology entrepreneurs and executives (13) ____________ their concerns. It said SOPA and PIPA would "hurt economic growth and (14) ____________ innovation in legitimate services that help people create, communicate, and make money online". Wikipedia has said it would continue the fight. It (15) ____________ on its front page: "We're not done yet." It also said: “More than 162 million people saw our message asking if you could imagine a world (16) ____________ free knowledge.”
SESSION 15: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 25TH JANUARY
SESSION 15: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 25TH JANUARY
INTERNET PIRACY BILL IN TROUBLE
TEXT TAKEN AND/OR ADAPTED FROM:
THE TEXT:
Several prominent websites like Wikipedia and Reddit went 'dark' on Wednesday to protest against the proposed anti-piracy legislation called SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act). Many other sites oppose SOPA but did not “go dark” in Wednesday’s 24-hour protest. These include Mozilla (owner of the Firefox web browser), Facebook, eBay and Google. A similar bill in the US Senate, the Protection of Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) would allow U.S. copyright holders to get court orders against foreign websites that steal from them. Sites that abuse copyright would not be able to use many online advertising networks or credit card services. It is now doubtful the bill will get the support of the sixty senators it needs in a crucial vote on Tuesday, January 24th.
The entertainment, pharmaceutical and fashion industries strongly support the bills. They lose billions of dollars every year to copyright violators. Internet companies oppose the bills, saying they will lead to censorship that would damage the Internet by discouraging new online start-ups. A letter to Congress signed by 130 technology entrepreneurs and executives expressed their concerns. It said SOPA and PIPA would "hurt economic growth and chill innovation in legitimate services that help people create, communicate, and make money online". Wikipedia has said it would continue the fight. It declares on its front page: "We're not done yet." It also said: “More than 162 million people saw our message asking if you could imagine a world without free knowledge.”
Internet Piracy Bill in Trouble - 20th January, 2012
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
Sunday, January 15, 2012
SESSION 14: A VIDEO (2)
SESSION 14: A VIDEO (2)
KAPLAN MANDARIN TRAINING FOR EXPATRIATES
Perhaps some day we´ll need it, who knows!
SESSION 14: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
SESSION 14: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION:
2.1 LIFESTYLES: What are the good points and bad points of living in the following places?
- New York City in the USA
- A beach village in Tahiti
- Dubai in UAE
- Delhi in India
- Rural New Zealand
- Paris in France
- Almería in Spain
- language
- local friends
- transport
- safety
- friends from your own country
- nightlife
- freedom to act like you do at home
- integrating
2.3 DISCUSSION: Here are some questions you can try asking yourself before you come to our discussion on Wednesday:
a) What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘expatriate / expat’?
b) Would you like to live in another country?
c) What’s your country like for foreigners to live in?
d) What is a 'comfortable' lifestyle for you?
e) How comfortable is your lifestyle?
f) Where would you like your second home to be?
g) Do you think it’s important to make friends with the local people if you live in another country?
h) Do you think you’re good / would be good at fitting in with other cultures?
i) Can you understand why the top country in the survey was New Zealand?
j) How do lifestyles in your country differ from those in countries around you?
k) What do you think are the hard things about being an expat?
l) Why do people choose to live an expat lifestyle?
m) Do many people in your country go to other countries to live and work?
n) How do you think the UAE could rank so lowly if most of the population is expatriate?
o) Do you think the study is biased towards rich Anglo-Americans?
PREPARING A DISCUSSION IS FUNDAMENTAL:
THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:
FIRST, YOU NEED TO LEARN NEW VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO USE FOR THE DISCUSSION.
SECONDLY, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE TOPIC BY LOOKING UP INFORMATION IN THE INTERNET, BOOKS, ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.
THIS WAY YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT IN THE ORAL SESSION.
FINAL TASK:
HERE IS ONE FINAL TASK THAT YOU MAY DO IN ORDER TO COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.
Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 14, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions:
- 'Everybody should experience expat life and live in another country for several years.' Express your opinion.
SESSION 14: KEY TO EXERCISES
SESSION 14: KEY TO EXERCISES
1.1 TRUE/FALSE:
a.F / b.F / c.F / d.T / e.F / f.T / g.T / h.T
1.2 SYNONYM MATCH:
1.c / 2.h / 3.f / 4.j / 5.a / 6.e / 7.b / 8.i / 9.d / 10.g
1.3 PHRASE MATCH:
1.g / 2.f / 3.i / 4.a / 5.c / 6.j / 7.e / 8.b / 9.d /10.h
1.4 GAP FILL:
1. SHOWS - 2. CONDUCTED - 3. OFFERED - 4. ASSESS - 5. BASED - 6. FITTING - 7. RANKED - 8. FOLLOWED
9. MARKETING - 10. SURVEY - 11. DIFFERS - 12. ORIGIN - 13. WHOLE - 14. POORLY - 15. SECOND - 16. DAILY
SESSION 14: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
SESSION 14: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
NOTE: IN ORDER TO WORK WITH THE TEXT, UNDERSTAND AND PREPARE IT BETTER I RECOMMEND THESE EXERCISES:
THERE WILL BE TWO TYPES OF EXERCISES:
1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT: THESE ARE EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE READING COMPREHENSION, WORKING WITH VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS.
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION: EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE PREPARATION FOR THE DISCUSSION.
1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
1.1 TRUE/FALSE: Look at the article and guess whether these sentences are True (T) or False (F):
a. A global bank tried to find out who its friendliest customers were.b. Researchers asked over 3,000 people about their own countries.
c. People were asked whether their own country was friendly.
d. The report says the world’s friendliest countries are English-speaking.
e. The bank says it wants to be the world’s largest supplier of expats.
f. The UAE finished bottom of the list.
g. Around four-fifths of the UAE is made up of expatriates.
h. A woman described India as being like a minefield for expats.
1.2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
1. shows ...................... a. mixing
2. conducted ................. b. descent
3. questioned ................ c. reveals
4. assess ...................... d. workers
5. integrating ................ e. priceless
6. invaluable ................. f. interviewed
7. origin ...................... g. never-ending
8. comprises of .............. h. carried out
9. labourers .................. i. is made up of
10. relentless ................ j. evaluate
1.3 PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from this article (sometimes more than one option is possible):
1. which countries offered the most .......... a. with the new culture
2. they asked 3,385 .............................. b. of origin3. their second ................................... c. community
4. fitting in ....................................... d. paid labourers
5. integrating into the local .................... e. into expat life
6. the largest global survey ..................... f. respondents
7. invaluable insights ............................ g. comfortable lifestyles
8. from an expats’ home country .............. h. challenges
9. poorly .......................................... i. home
10. daily .......................................... j. of expats
1.4 GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text:
ASSESS - FITTING - OFFERED - FOLLOWED - SHOWS - BASED - CONDUCTED - RANKED
A new report (1) ____________ which are the friendliest countries in the world. The HSBC bank (2) ____________ the Expat Explorer Survey to find out which countries (3) ____________ the most comfortable lifestyles. Researchers questioned people in one hundred different countries between May and July 2011. They asked 3,385 respondents to (4) ____________ how willing they would be to make different countries their second home. The questions were (5) ____________ on how easy it is to make friends with the local people; learning the local language; (6) ____________ in with the new culture; and integrating into the local community. The top-(7) ____________ country was New Zealand, (8) ____________ by Australia, South Africa, Canada and the United States.
POORLY - ORIGIN - DAILY - SURVEY - WHOLE - MARKETING - SECOND - DIFFERS
Head of (9) ____________ for HSBC, Lisa Wood, said: “As the largest global (10) ____________ of expats, Expat Explorer allows us to capture invaluable insights into expat life and how it (11) ____________ from country to country, continent to continent and from an expats’ home country of (12) ____________.” The lowest ranked country was the United Arab Emirates, which is surprising as around 80 per cent of the (13) ____________ population comprises of expatriates. Many of these are (14) ____________ paid labourers who are unlikely to be eligible for HSBC’s survey. India finished (15) ____________ bottom. Danish expat Pia Mollback-Verbic said India “is simply a minefield of relentless mental, emotional and practical (16) ____________ challenges for most non-Indians.”
LESSON 14: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 18th JANUARY
LESSON 14: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 18th JANUARY
THE "FRIENDLIEST" COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD
TEXT TAKEN AND/OR ADAPTED FROM:
THE TEXT:
A new report shows which are the friendliest countries in the world. The HSBC bank conducted the Expat Explorer Survey to find out which countries offered the most comfortable lifestyles. Researchers questioned people in one hundred different countries between May and July 2011. They asked 3,385 respondents to assess how willing they would be to make different countries their second home. The questions were based on how easy it is to make friends with the local people; learning the local language, fitting in with the new culture, and integrating into the local community. The top-ranked country was New Zealand, followed by Australia, South Africa, Canada and the United States.
Head of marketing for HSBC, Lisa Wood, said: “As the largest global survey of expats, Expat Explorer allows us to capture invaluable insights into expat life and how it differs from country to country, continent to continent and from an expats’ home country of origin.” The lowest ranked country was the United Arab Emirates, which is surprising as around 80 per cent of the whole population comprises of expatriates. Most of these are poorly paid labourers who are unlikely to be eligible for HSBC’s survey. India finished second bottom. Danish expat Pia Mollback-Verbic said the country “is simply a minefield of relentless mental, emotional and practical daily challenges for most non-Indians.”
The "Friendliest" Countries in the World - 14th January, 2012
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
Sunday, January 8, 2012
SESSION 13: A SONG
SESSION 13: A SONG
FREDDIE MERCURY & MONTSERRAT CABALLÉ: GUIDE ME HOME
QUEEN: LOVE OF MY LIFE
SESSION 13: A STORY
SESSION 13: A STORY
SONGS: JOURNEY OF THE ANGELS & SILENT NIGHT BY ENYA
ONE OF MY FAVOURITES:SESSION 13: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
SESSION 13: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION:
2.1 2011/2012: Write three lists or columns and think about the following points. Write on list 1 and 2 what was good and bad in 2011, and on list 3 what your hopes are for 2012:
- You
- English
- Your country
- The Earth
- War
- Sport
2.2 2012: Which of these do you hope for most in 2012? Rank them putting the best at the top:
- more money
- better English
- better figure
- World peace
- better friendships
- better health
- a new leader for your country
2.3 DISCUSSION: Here are some questions you can try asking yourself before you come to our discussion on Wednesday:
a) What is the first thing that springs to mind when you hear the year ‘2011’?
b) How was 2011 for you?
c) How was 2011 for your country?
d) What are your regrets about 2011?
e) What things would you like to have been different in 2011?
f) What hopes do you have for 2012?
g) Are you glad to see the back of 2011?
h) What do you remember most about events in your country in 2011?
i) What do you wish hadn’t happened in 2011?
j) What three adjectives would you use to describe 2011 and why?
k) What is the first thing that springs to mind when you hear the year ‘2012’?
l) What do you think 2012 has in store for you?
m) What do you remember about the first few months of the Arab Spring?
n) What was the biggest news story of the year 2011 for you?
o) If you were a journalist, what event would you like to have covered in 2011?
p) Whose death in 2011 had the biggest impact on the world? And the strongest consequences in 2012?
q) What was the best thing about 2011?
PREPARING A DISCUSSION IS FUNDAMENTAL:
THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:
FIRST, YOU NEED TO LEARN NEW VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO USE FOR THE DISCUSSION.
SECONDLY, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE TOPIC BY LOOKING UP INFORMATION IN THE INTERNET, BOOKS, ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.
THIS WAY YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT IN THE ORAL SESSION.
FINAL TASK:
HERE IS ONE FINAL TASK THAT YOU MAY DO IN ORDER TO COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.
Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 13, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions:
- What important political and economical events and changes took place in 2011. Express your opinion.
- How do you see 2012, with hope or with fear. Express your opinion.
SESSION 13: KEY TO EXERCISES
SESSION 13: KEY TO EXERCISES
1.1 TRUE/FALSE:
a.F / b.T / c.F / d.T / e.F / f.F / g.T / h.T
1.2 SYNONYM MATCH:
1.f / 2.d/ 3.a / 4.i / 5.h / 6.c / 7.b / 8.j / 9.g / 10.e
1.3 PHRASE MATCH:
1.i / 2.e / 3.g / 4.a / 5.c / 6.d / 7.j / 8.f / 9.b /10.h
1.4 GAP FILL:
1. CONDUCTED - 2. BELIEVE - 3. OPTIMISTIC - 4. DESCRIBED - 5. BACK - 6. RISE - 7. FAITH - 8. POCKETS
9. MOMENTOUS - 10. PEOPLE - 11. RESIGN - 12. SPREAD - 13. COMPLETED - 14. DEVASTATED - 15. WORST - 16. HIT
Saturday, January 7, 2012
SESSION 13: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
SESSION 13: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
NOTE: IN ORDER TO WORK WITH THE TEXT, UNDERSTAND AND PREPARE IT BETTER I RECOMMEND THESE EXERCISES:
THERE WILL BE TWO TYPES OF EXERCISES:
1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT: THESE ARE EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE READING COMPREHENSION, WORKING WITH VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS.
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION: EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE PREPARATION FOR THE DISCUSSION.
1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
1.1 TRUE/FALSE: Look at the article and guess whether these sentences are True (T) or False (F):
a. The article says the world believes 2012 will be better than 2011.
b. Over three-quarters of Americans believe their family life will be better.c. Less than a third of Americans said 2011 was a poor year.
d. One American suggested politicians only cared about their own wallets.
e. In January, people power fell to the Tunisian government.
f. Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi died at the end of September 2011.
g. Japan’s earthquake and tsunami officially killed fewer than 16,000.
h. The world’s population rose above 7 billion in 2011.
1.2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
1. poll .................. a. showed
2. conducted .......... b. rolled out
3. revealed ............ c. historic
4. hard to come by ... d. carried out
5. faith ................. e. passed away
6. momentous ......... f. survey
7. spread ............... g. destroyed
8. resign ................ h. belief
9. devastated .......... i. difficult to get
10. died ................ j. leave office
1.3 PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from this article (sometimes more than one option is possible):
1. The study revealed that 62 per cent ....... a. in Washington politics
2. they are glad to see the back ............... b. nuclear disasters
3. Jobs were hard to ............................ c. their pockets
4. lost faith ....................................... d. one around the world
5. how they are going to line .................. e. of 2011
6. the year 2011 was a momentous ........... f. Japan’s northern coastline
7. popular uprisings spread .................... g. come by
8. devastated much of ......................... h. hit 7 billion
9. one of the world’s worst ................... i. are optimistic
10. The world population officially .......... j. across the Arab world
1.4 GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text:
FAITH - DESCRIBED - BELIEVE - BACK - POCKETS - CONDUCTED - RISE - OPTIMISTIC
A poll (1) ____________ by the Associated Press (AP) shows almost two-thirds of Americans (2) ____________ 2012 will be better than 2011. The study revealed that 62 per cent are (3) ____________ about what 2012 will bring for their country, and 78 per cent believe 2012 will bring better times for their family. Over two-thirds of those polled (4) ____________ 2011 as a poor year. Many said they are glad to see the (5) ____________ of 2011 because of the poor economy. Jobs were hard to come by and prices for things like healthcare, food and fuel continued to (6) ____________. South Carolina resident Mary Burke told the AP she had lost (7) ____________ in Washington politics, saying: “They don't care about me and you. They only care about how they are going to line their (8) ____________."
SPREAD - PEOPLE - WORST - COMPLETED - MOMENTOUS - HIT - RESIGN - DEVASTATED
The year 2011 was a (9) ____________ one around the world. The shape of the Middle East changed after the Tunisian government fell to (10) ____________ power in January. This event started the Arab Spring that saw Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak (11) ____________ and popular uprisings (12) ____________ across the Arab world. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s murder in October (13) ____________ his country’s successful uprising. There were many natural disasters in 2011. The biggest was the earthquake and tsunami that (14) ____________ much of Japan’s northern coastline. It killed 15,840 people and created one of the world’s (15) ____________ nuclear disasters. Floods in Rio de Janeiro and Thailand killed thousands. The world population officially (16) ____________ 7 billion, although Osama bin Laden, Apple’s Steve Jobs and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died.
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