UNIT 8: write about an experience

A HAPPY ENDING:

During the last holidays, I stayed in Australia with my family and one of my best friends. At first, I didn’t like the place and I preferred being in Banyoles because there were a lot of summer parties and I had to celebrate a birthday.

Everything changed for me, the day that we went to a forest and I saw a group of volunteers keeping the place clean and safe for the animals, and also helping some animals that were ill or they had some healthy problems. The volunteers were people who was my age and this was shocking for me. I didn’t realise that they can do a lot of work without anything and only to save the environment. This makes me think that you can help the others and feel better with yourself and all for the common good.

When I came back from my holidays I was searching information about associations of young people for volunteering near my country. This week I’ve started doing some things to help the old people and the children. Now, I feel better because I’m helping people who need someone to do different things that they are not able to or only for company because they are alone. If I hadn’t travelled to Australia and gone to that forest, I’d never have had this opotunity.

NEW: Chinese earthquake rescue

22 April 2013

Summary:

China is continuing a massive rescue operation in Sichuan province, with thousands of workers, after a powerful earthquake on Saturday.

Report:

Rescue teams had already reached the remote villages inmountainous Baoxing County on foot, but landslides were blocking access to aid trucks and preventing some of the casualtiesfrom being brought out.

Now state media is reporting that a path has been cleared, although, in heavy fog, and with regular aftershocks, the going is slow.

Even in the more accessible areas of neighbouring Lushan county the aid effort has been hampered by congestion on the single road in, and some of those who've been made homeless are complaining that they've not yet received food or water.

Although on the same fault line, this earthquake was much less powerful than the one that struck Sichuan Province in 2008, and thedeath toll is not expected to rise significantly.

Once again though it is the poor who have borne the brunt of the disaster, with the biggest killer not the earthquake itself, but poorly constructed houses.

NEW: Obama's brain project

5 April 2013.

Summary

US President Barack Obama has launched a $100m project to map the "enormous mystery" of the human brain. He hopes the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) project will help us understand how the brain works and learn more about diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Report

The president's advisors call the BRAIN project ambitious, evenaudacious. It aims to produce dynamic pictures of the brain that show, in the words of a White House statement, how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact at the speed of thought. Announcing the programme, Barack Obama said humans could identify distant galaxies and study subatomic particles, but still had a limited understanding of the brain.

Barack Obama:

"There's this enormous mystery waiting to be unlocked. The BRAINInitiative will change that by giving scientists the tools they need to get a dynamic picture of the brain in action and better understand how we think and how we learn and how we remember."

That knowledge, he said, would be transformative: families no longer helpless at the onset of Parkinson's, and war veterans able to reverse the effects of traumatic brain injury. The administration reckons it costs around $500bn a year to treat the various conditions this project hopes to address. It believes that technological advances, in data processing and revolutionary new techniques like optogenetics mean that, for the first time, this hugely ambitious research is actually possible.

UNIT 9: EXPLAIN AND CLARIFY A SITUATION

G: Hi Clàudia. How was your afternoon?

C: No bad, thanks.Why do you ask?

G: Because you told me that you were going to a friend's house for study , but I heard that you were in town.

C: Who told you that?
 
G: Marta said that she'd seem you. How come you didn't tell me about it?

C: 'Cause I was only there for two hours. Then, for finish my work, I needed a book form the library, so I left. 

G:Are you telling me the truth?

C: Honestly, it's true! If you don't believe me, you can ask Marta.

G:OK, OK. I believe you. Sorry, Claudia.

C. That's Ok.

UNIT 8: CONSOLE AND ENCOURAGE

G: Hey Clàudia, you look a bit down. What's the matter?
C: Oh, I've just split up with my boyfriend.
G: Oh, I'm sorry to here that. It isn't the end of the world though.
C: I know, but I I'm really going to miss him.
G: Don't take it too badly- at least there are a lots of boys in the world.
C: That's true, I suppose.
G: Look at this way- if you hadn't split up with him, you'd  lose a lot of oportunities.
C: Yeah, maybe you're right.
G: Cheer up! Come on- let's go to a café or something.
C: Ok. Thanks, Gemma. I feel a bit better now.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift's personal pop songs are loved by millions of fans...But it's her positive attitude and generosity that make her a real star.

EARLY SUCCESS:
In 2006, at 16 Taylor released her fist single "Tim McGraw" about one of her ex-boyriends. Love has been a theme of her music ever since. Taylor's public appreciated her intimate, autobiographical songs and in 2008 she was nominated for her first Grammy award.
Then at the 2010 Grammy awards, she became the youngest singer to win Album of the Year at the age of 20.
INTERNATIONAL STAR:
The talented singer now has an international reputation. Taylor's third album, Speak Now, was Number One in the USA, and Taylor has also toured North America, Europe and Australia.
Taylor loves playing live shows and speaking with her fans.
"Fans are my favourite thing in the world" she says. " I'll hang out with them after the show. I'll hang out with them before thw show."

LOVE LIFE:
Recentrly, Taylor has been the subject of speculation about her relationship with One Direction's Harry Styles. She says she is embarrassed that people talk about her love life. In the past, Taylor has had lots of famous boyfriends such as Joe Jonas, Taylor Lauthner and Jake Gyllenhaal. So does she always go out with famous boys? "I really don't have any rules when it comes to height, age, career choice, she says.

POSITIVE INFLUENCE:
Like other pop artists such as Shakira, Taylor Swift likes to help others. She gives money to schools and recorded the Hope for Haiti Now album for the victims of the disaster there. She also has a good influence on young people: Taylor avoids alcohol and cigarettes. " I don't drink to get drunk because tha'ts just not cute" and I don't want to smoke anything because I sing.

TAYLOR THE ACTRESS:
Taylor Swift isn't just a contry singer... she is an actress too! Taylor has had roles in Valentine's Day, The Lorax and the TV series CSI. She also played herself in the film Hannah Montana: The Movie. With a successful music career and all her Grammy awards, perhaps the next step for Taylor Swift is to win an Oscar.

Test questions

GEOGRAPHY:

1.What is the name of the sea on the east coast of Great Britain?
The North Sea

2.What is the tallest mountain in the UK?
Ben Nevis

3.What natural feature was formed by volcanic action?
The Gian'ts Causeway from Ireland is formed by volcanic action
4.In which country is the Lake District?
In England
5.Which UK islands are closer to France than to England?
The Channel Islands: Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark. 
6. In which country is Snowdonia?
In Wales
7.What is the second largest city in Wales?
Is Swansea
8.Where are the Lakes of Killarney?
In Ireland
CUSTOMS AND LANGUAGES:

1. When is Guy Fawkes Night?
On 5th November in England

2.Where would you see someon tossing the caber? 
In Scotland on the Highland Games.
3.What is Geordie?
A england dialect.

4.According to a legend, what did St.Patrick remove from Ireland?
The wild snakes.
5.Which flower is the national symbol of Wales?
The Daffodil and the leek
6. What is the English translation of "Shwmae"?
How are you.
7.What is the national song of Wales?
is called Land of my Fathers
8.Who celebrates Hogmanay and when?
The scotish people on 31th December
PEOPLE:


1. The last English king who was killed in battle: 
Richard III

2.The English king who had six wives? 
Henry VIII

3.The man who tried to kill King James? 
Guy Fawkes

4.The first Primer Minister to live at 10 Downing Street? 
Robert Walpole

5.The owner of a dog called Gallert? 
Llewellyn's

6. The Scottish leader who learnt a lesson from a spider?
 Robert the Bruce

7. The national saints of England, Wales and Scotland?
 St.George, S: St.Andrew and St.David

8.The first female Irish President?
 Mary Robinson

PLACES

The cathedral where Thomas Becker was killed?
 Canterbury cathedral (England)

The Abbey Theatre?
 Ireland

The Scottish Parliament? 
Edinburgh

A stone that people come to kiss?
 Ireland

The Tynwald? 
The isle of Man

The Book of Kells?
 IN the Trinity Collage, Dublin, Ireland

Hadrian's Wall?
 England

The 2008 European Capital of culture?
 Liverpool, England


COUNTRIES:

Was called the Celtic Tiger? 
Ireland

Experienced “The Troubles”?
 Ireland

Fought with England during the Hundred Years War? 
France

Is now the home of the writer of Harry Potter?
 Scotland

Had a queen called Mary who was beheaded in England?
 Scotland

Sent a fleet of ships to invade England? 
Spain

Fought a War of Independence against England in 1857?
 India

In the United Kingdom does not have its flag as part of the Union Flag? 
Wales