Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Halloween is here!

TOMORROW Thursday 12:00, IES A Sangriña, assembly room:
3rd BOBBING for APPLES Halloween CONTEST for Bach

Friday, October 22, 2010

IT HAPPENED IN 1919...

The picture below shows a campaign in favour of the PROHIBITION of ALCOHOL in USA, in 1919. Read the text and check the group of angry women who are holding the placard..



Now... to be honest... WHO WOULD GIVE UP DRINKING?

give up= abandonar, dejar

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

LETTER from OTTAWA

Hi guys!

I am writing to you from Ottawa (Canada) to greet you and tell you briefly my experience as a teacher abroad. I am working in a high school that is located in the Beacon Hill neighbourhood of Gloucester, in the city of Ottawa. It is called Colonel By Secondary School…

During these weeks, I have been attending classes of different subjects (especially Music classes) to observe how the educational system in general and how one high school in particular works. Things I have observed include many details related to the relationship between the teachers and the students, the many different and effective teaching styles,...I see many things that I like and a few that I do not but in general, my experience in a Canadian high school is being really wonderful.

I speak English all the time so I´m learning a lot! I encourage you to learn languages and if you can, to take a course abroad. You know that learning a language helps you to communicate with people from other countries and it can help you in your future career. You will be the more skilled candidate when employers are interviewing and hiring.

Well, I will tell you in more detail when I return to Galicia in a few days. I hope you are studying hard!

Regards from Ottawa.

Nuria.

.................................................................Nuria Vázquez is the teacher of music in our bilingual sections

Thursday, October 14, 2010

English is fun!

Review opposites with Katy Perry and Elmo. Click the link for a listening comprehension exercise:
..........................Katy Perry & Elmo cantan "Hot N Cold" Sesame Street





play dress up = jugar a disfrazarse
in this pose = con esta pinta
in sync = sincronizado
chase = perseguir, cazar

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Funny English

maternity ward = sala de maternidad

Chile miners reach surface


The first 15 of 33 miners trapped underground for more than two months in northern Chile have been winched to the surface amid scenes of jubilation.
Florencio Avalos, the first to be released, was greeted by family and President Sebastian Pinera when he emerged.
A minute after the "Phoenix" capsule reached the top of the rescue shaft, Mr Avalos stepped out and was greeted by his family, rescuers and the president and the First Lady, Cecilia Morel.
Bystanders cheered and clapped, and then started chanting "Chile".

All the freed miners are being taken to a triage centre for health checks

The operation has run smoothly so far. Health Minister Jaime Manalich said that if working conditions stayed the same, the rescue should be completed in one-and-a-half days, half a day quicker than predicted.
The men have been trapped underground since 5 August, when a rockfall caused a tunnel to collapse.
winch = levantar con un torno......shaft = hueco, pozo.................clap = aplaudir
surface = superficie......................step out = salir.......................triage = médico
amid = en medio de......................bystander = testigo, mirón......smoothly = sin problemas
release = liberar............................cheer = vitorear................so far = hasta ahora
The next to be freed were:
  • Mario Sepulveda, who brought a bag of stones from the mine as souvenirs; he ran towards a group of rescuers and led them in song.
  • Juan Illanes, a former soldier who urged his fellow miners to be disciplined and organized while trapped
  • The only non-Chilean, Bolivian Carlos Mamani; Bolivian President Evo Morales spoke to Mr Mamani at the triage centre
  • Jimmy Sanchez, the youngest miner at 19; he had only been working at the mine for five months and had been showing signs of anxiety
  • Osman Araya, who had a hugely emotional reunion with his wife
  • Jose Ojeda, whose scribbled note - which read "All 33 of us are safe in the shelter" - informed the world the miners were still alive, 17 days after the rockfall that trapped them
  • Claudio Yanez, who was met by his partner of 11 years, Cristina Nunez; during the ordeal, they agreed to marry
  • Mario Gomez, at 63 the oldest miner, who sent up a letter shortly after the miners were found to be alive, expressing love for his family and saying that the mining company "has got to modernise"
  • Alex Vega, who was met by his wife Jessica Salgado, who said earlier that she had eased his fears over debts by telling him she had cleared them
  • Jorge Galleguillos, who said the journey to the surface was very smooth; "The only thing I wanted was to reach the top," he told President Pinera at the triage centre
  • Edison Pena, who became known as "the runner" because he ran up to 5km (3 miles) a day through the mine tunnels to keep himself fit, even in the 30-35C heat
  • Carlos Barrios, who reached the surface shortly before 1000 local time (1400 GMT)
  • Victor Zamora, not a miner but a driver who had gone underground to repair a vehicle and was trapped by the rockfall

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Enviromental Disaster

(CNN) -- A tide of toxic red mud burst through the walls of a giant storage reservoir at the Ajkai Timfoldgyar alumina refinery on the outskirts of Akja, a small town in the county of Veszprem, Hungary on Monday, October 4.
So far, four people are known to have been killed by the torrent, six people are missing and more than 120 people have been injured by the sludge which inundated the villages of Kolontar, Devecser and Somlovasarhely, around 150 kilometers southwest of the capital, Budapest.
Illes (Hungary's Environmental Affairs State Secretary) described the flood as Hungary's worst chemical accident and an "ecological catastrophe."

tide = corriente, marea..... storage reservoir = embalse.......missing = desaparecidas......flood = inundación
mud = barro........................outskirts = afueras...................injured = heridas
burst = desbordarse...........so far = hasta ahora..................sludge =lodo,fango

Environmental Affairs State Secretary= Ministro de Medioambiente

State of emergency in Ecuador extended


(CNN) -- A state of emergency in Ecuador has been extended to Friday, the country's government announced, as investigators watch videos and review photographs to identify officers involved in last week's police uprising. It was originally set to expire Tuesday.
The state of emergency was prolonged because of "shameful acts and protests" by some national police officers in front of the headquarters of the National Assembly...
President Rafael Correa was physically attacked by police in a day of protests that paralyzed the country Thursday.
Correa and other South American leaders have described the events as an attempted coup. Troops rescued Correa in a dramatic shootout with officers at a hospital, where the president said he was held for more than 10 hours.
...Police officers have said they were angered by a new law that would take away their bonuses and reduce their compensation.

state of emergency = estado de emergencia....... events = acontecimientos ..................angered = furioso
involve = involucrar......................................... attempted coup = tentativa de golpe....bonus = prima, plus
police uprising = alzamiento de la policía.......... troops = tropas

shameful = vergonzoso.................................... shootout = tiroteo
headquarters = cuartel general........................ held= p.part HOLD= retener