BECAS INMERSIÓN LINGÜÍSTICA.

AXUDAS PARA A REALIZACIÓN DE ACTIVIDADES DE FORMACIÓN EN LINGUAS ESTRANXEIRAS NO ANO 2011
NOTA INFORMATIVA DO 11 DE MARZO

A Consellería de Educación e Ordenación Universitaria convoca 3.730 prazas para realizar actividades de formación en linguas estranxeiras no ano 2011.

                                   www.edu.xunta.es/axudasle

 OMIX A Guarda
Axudas para realización dun curso de idioma no verán de 2011

St. Patrick's Day

         17th March -  St. Patrick's Day 
The National Day of Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland 

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated each year on March 17^th.  In Ireland, Saint Patrick’s Day is both a holy day and a national holiday.  Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland as he was the one who brought Christianity to the Irish. 

The most famous story about Saint Patrick is him driving the snakes from Ireland. But scientists tell us that Ireland, which is an island, didn’t have any snakes to begin with.

 He died on 17th March in AD 461 and this day has since been commemorated as St. Patrick’s Day.

Learn more interesting facts about Ireland and its traditions and practise your English with these listening comprehension exercises:

1. IRELAND

2. ST. PATRICK'S DAY

.................

Japan's day of destruction

Shirakawa, Japan (CNN) -- Rescuers plucked dazed survivors from collapsed homes, muddy waters and raging fires Saturday, a day after a powerful earthquake tore through northeastern Japan, unleashing waves that swallowed entire neighborhoods along the coast.
More than 900 people were killed and about 700 were missing, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported. The number of dead is expected to rise as rescuers reach more hard-hit areas.
Aftershocks continued to jolt the island nation Saturday, including two at 6.1 and 6.4 magnitude.

PLUCK FROM = ARRANCAR DE................ RAGING FIRES = FUEGO ATROZ.................HARD-HIT = DURAMENTE GOLPEADAS

DAZED = ATURDIDOS................................TEAR/TORE/TORN = DESGARRAR..............AFTERSHOCK = RÉPLICAS

SURVIVORS= SUPERVIVIENTES..................UNLEASHING = DESENCADENADO

MUDDY = EMBARRADO.............................SWALLOW = ENGULLIR

In the city of Shirakawa, south of Sendai, rescuers dug through rubble with shovels to try to reach 13 neighbors trapped when the earth opened up and swallowed their homes.
Relatives and friends stood in the cold, quietly watching, praying and waiting. Others wept.
In other affected areas, military choppers plucked people from rooftops. In some cases, rescuers trudged in muddy water, carrying survivors on their backs. Weary, mud-spattered residents wandered through streets filled with crumpled cars and other debris.
The original quake struck Friday and left towns and villages along the northeastern coast devastated. Scores of aftershocks followed Saturday.

RUBBLE = ESCOMBROS.....................CHOPPER = HELICÓPTERO.................................MUD-SPATTERED = SALPICADOS DE BARRO

SHOVELS = PALAS.............................TRUDGE = CAMINAR CON DIFICULTAD............WANDER = CAMINAR SIN RUMBO

WEEP/wept/wept = SOLLOZAR............WEARY = AGOTADO...........................................CRUMPLED = ABOLLAR
DEBRIS = ESCOMBROS, DESHECHOS

LISTENING COMPREHENSION:

1. What is the biggest problem right now?

2. What was the only food the reporter could have in 12 hours?

3. What does the Japanese Prime Minister say after inspecting the damage caused by the quake?

4. How many people are buried alive in Shirakawa? What are the difficulties to rescue them?

Talking about description...

BECAS MEC 2011

Ya ha salido la convocatoria de las más de 20.000 becas del Ministerio de Educación para realizar cursos de inglés en el extranjero durante el verano. Los requisitos son los mismos que en años anteriores:

·        Tener entre 16 y 30 años.

·        Ser becario del ministerio

La novedad de este año es que la cantidad de la beca varía en función del destino que elijas y puede llegar hasta los 2.600€!!

1.     Solicita la beca cuanto antes, Plazo máximo 30 de marzo.

2.     Rellena los datos, los guardas, los imprimes, firmas y envías por correo Certificado  al Ministerio de Educación, Subdirección general de becas y promoción educativa calle Torrelaguna, 58 - 28027 MADRID. 

CHECK OUT THESE SITES FOR MORE INFO:

                                                                  -  Infoidiomas.com

                                                                  - EuroLingua 

                                                                  - EuroLingua- VenaIrlanda 
                                                                  - E.S.L. Idiomas en el extranjero

A BEAUTIFUL PHILOSOPHY

The Mayonnaise  Jar    When  things in your life seem almost too much to handle, When 24  hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of  coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy  class and  had some items in front of him.  When the class began, wordlessly, he  picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and start to fill it with  golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.  item = artículo, cosa..................pick up = coger, recoger............... wordlessly = sin palabras..............jar = tarro The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and  poured  it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.     He then asked the students again if the jar was full.They agreed it was.  pebbles = cantos rodados..........pour = verter ......................agree = estar de acuerdo  The professor next picked up a box of sand  and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.  He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.' The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the  table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.  The students laughed. 'Now,' said the  professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God,  family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions.  Things  that if everything else was lost and  only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else -- The small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar  first,' he continued,'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf  balls.The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy  on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that  are important to you. So... Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.   dripping tap = el grifo que gotea   'Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really  matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.' One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The  professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'. It just goes to show you that  no matter how full your life may seem,  there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'                                       "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."

English...spoken???

Valentine's Day Superstitions & Traditions

Traditionally, spring begins on St Valentine's Day (February 14th), the day on which birds chose their mates. In parts of Sussex Valentines Day was called 'The Birds' Wedding Day'.

Valentine's Day History

St. Valentine was a priest in Rome, and was condemned to death on February 14th 269 A.D. after it was discovered that he had been helping Christian martyrs and secretly marrying couples. The emperor Claudius II had prohibited men in his army to marry, as he felt their strength would be sapped!
Before his execution St.Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, signed 'From Your Valentine', and so began the tradition of sending a card from a secret admirer.

martyr = mártir...............................sap = minar, socavar.
strength = fuerza..........................farewell note = nota de despedida

VALENTINE CARDS

Sending your loved one a card on Valentine's day has been with us  since the 1800's when commercial valentines were first introduced.

 
Valentine's Day
Is a wonderful way
To make "I love you"
Easy to say'.

Nicholas Gordon  

Love Spells (= hechizos)

To discover your true love
Before you go to sleep put bay leaves on the corners of your pillow, and one in the centre. Close your eyes and repeat these words 7 times, counting up to seven between each repetition:

'Dear Guardian Angel, let me have what I so earnestly do crave
A Valentine imbued with love, who will both true and constant prove.' 
 
bay leaves= hojas de laurel...................................earnestly = de todo corazón
pillow = almohada..................................................crave = anhelar
 
Your true love should appear to you in a dream.

Love Divination

If you visit a cemetery on St Valentine’s Eve at midnight and walk around the church 12 times, you should dream of your future husband.

LOVEBIRDS

It was a popular belief that the birds choose their mates on the feast of Valentine - their patron saint.
It is also traditionally believed that a girl is able to tell what sort of man she will marry by the first bird she sees on St. Valentine's day.

Blackbird (mirlo)- Priest
Robin (petirrojo)- Sailor
Goldfinch (jilguero) - a rich man
Sparrow (gorrión) - Farmer
Any blue bird - a happy man
Dove (paloma)- a loving man
Woodpecker (carpintero)- will not marry

Flower Language

Roses Messages

Red - true love
White - I love you not
Yellow - jealousy
Pink - innocent love and happiness
Orange - I love you vigorously
Purple - I will love you forever
Wild rose - uncontrollable desire
Moss rose - I admire you from afar

Funny Valentine

On July 19, 2009 a viral video called JK Wedding Entrance Dance was uploaded to You Tube that received significant media attention, using"Forever"" by Chris Brown as the song for the wedding march. The wedding was between Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz.
 

 

Imaginative wedding proposal!!.

Third week of protests begin in Cairo

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Egypt's revolt entered its third week Tuesday as anti-government protesters formed a human chain in Cairo's Tahrir Square, vowing not to budge until President Hosni Mubarak and those around him are forced from office.

Vow = jurar, hacer voto de

Budge = moverse

Forced from office= obligados a dejar el cargo

"Tahrir Square wants Mubarak to go as soon as possible, but it also wants the dismantling of his regime," actor Khalid Abdalla, the star of the 2007 film "The Kite Runner," said Monday. "It wants the dismantling of the police state. It wants the dismantling of the emergency law. It wants the dissolution of the parliament, which was corruptly elected."

dismantling = dermantelamiento

Mubarak has ruled Egypt since 1981, aided by an emergency decree that gives him sweeping powers. Since the protests began January 25, he has appointed a vice president for the first time, reshuffled his cabinet and announced that he won't seek a new term in September. His new deputy, longtime intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, has been holding talks with opposition parties in hopes of creating a smooth transition, and key members of the ruling National Democratic Party --including Mubarak's son Gamal -- resigned from leadership positions Saturday.

rule = gobernar....................................reshuffle = reorganizar

decree = decreto..................................seek a new term = intentar conseguir un nuevo mandato.

sweeping powers = amplios poderes......smooth= suave, tranquilo

appoint = nombrar.............................. resigned from leadership positions = dimitir de puestos de mando

CNN's Anderson Cooper takes on the Egyptian government's claims about its treatment of protesters and journalists.
Write a summary of the report. Here you have some vocabulary to help you:

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (NGO)

VIDEOTAPE = grabar en video

RELEASE = liberar

HELD 0= retenido(pp HOLD)

HENCHMAN = secuaz, esbirro

OPOSITION FIGURES = miembros/personajes de la oposición

 DENY = negar

TRASH = destrozar

ARREST = arrestar

INVOLVEMENT = participación

MOB=  muchedumbre

PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATORS = manifestantes pacíficos

SHOTS IN THE AIR= tiros al aire

DETAINED = detenido

INTEND  = tener intención

POLICE STATE = estado policial

ARE YOU INTERESTED? Ask your teacher for further information.

CONVOCATORIA DE UNA BECA PARA PARTICIPAR EN EL

INSTITUTO DE VERANO BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 2011

EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA PARA JÓVENES ENTRE 16 Y 18 AÑOS

La Embajada de los Estados Unidos en España selecciona un estudiante español o residente en España, para participar en el Instituto de Verano Benjamin Franklin 2011, programa financiado por el Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos para promover las relaciones entre las jóvenes generaciones de europeos, asiáticos y norteamericanos. 

El estudiante seleccionado participará en un programa intensivo enfocado en los asuntos globales a los que se enfrentan los jóvenes a ambos lados del Atlántico.  El Instituto tendrá lugar en una localidad norteamericana - aún por determinar - durante cuatro semanas en junio-julio de 2011 y reunirá aproximadamente a 45 estudiantes de distintos países de Europa y Asia Central con 10 estudiantes norteamericanos.  Los participantes llevarán a cabo una gran variedad de actividades: seminarios, programas de apoyo comunitario y voluntariado, viajes de estudio y eventos culturales.  Trabajarán en un proyecto conjunto y explorarán como los jóvenes de hoy interactúan con los medios de comunicación, tanto en su faceta de consumidores como de productores de información.  Abordarán también como la libertad de expresión impone a los ciudadanos tanto derechos como responsabilidades. 

Dotación: Todos los gastos (viaje, alojamiento, manutención, seguro médico y de accidentes y visado) correrán por cuenta del Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos de América.
Requisitos y criterios de selección:

• Excelente conocimiento del inglés. Es imprescindible adjuntar un certificado del centro de enseñanza, Escuela Oficial de Idiomas o academia acreditando una calificación de “Sobresaliente” o equivalente (C1^[1]) en la asignatura de inglés.
• Excelencia académica. Los candidatos deberán adjuntar un certificado de su centro de enseñanza que refleje una nota media mínima de “Notable” (7.5) en su expediente académico.
• Deberá también adjuntarse a la solicitud al menos una carta de referencia.
• No se considerarán solicitudes de candidatos que hayan participado previamente en viajes de estudio a los Estados Unidos.
• Se valorará muy positivamente la participación en actividades de voluntariado y/o proyectos de servicio comunitario.

Envío de solicitudes: Cumplimentar este formulario, adjuntar una o varias cartas de referencia siguiendo el modelo adjunto, certificados de notas e inglés y remitirlos por correo postal, electrónico o fax a:

                                               Embajada de los Estados Unidos de América

                             Sección Cultural

                             Serrano, 75 – 28006 Madrid

                             Fax: 91 576 8464 – morenoma@state.gov

Fecha límite de recepción de solicitudes: Martes, 1 de marzo de 2011 – 18:00h

Resolución de la beca: Prevista para finales de marzo 2011.                         

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[1] Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - CEFR