Cars and Traffic

Dear NI1 students,

Why don't you take some time to listen to a conversation about cars and traffic from elllo.org site?

 

For questions on the listening, click the grey panels on the margins:

Quiz 1: Vocabulary Focus

hike up • public transport • win-win
  fun run • sum up

1. It's wise to aim for a situation here.
2. We are expecting the gas companies to their prices again.
3. I'm joining the again this summer.
4. We won't need to catch the because he'll pick us up.
5. We're pressed for time, so I'm going to ask you to quickly the report.

Quiz 2: Comprehension Q's

Answer the questions below. Some questions have more than one answer. Scroll down to view the answer button.

1) Transport planning focuses on ________________.

a) logistics.
b) moving things across the ocean.
c) moving people around.
d) trains and buses.

2) What does Shifani usually do at work?

a) She plans bus routes.
b) She works with policies.
c) She goes to a shopping center.
d) She analyzes people.

3) How can you reduce car use?

a) Make cars illegal.
b) Make parking difficult.
c) Promote benefits of driving.
d) Increase gas prices.

4) At the shopping center in Auckand she tried to _________________.

a) Motivate people to use a specific parking lot
b) Increase walking or cycling to the shopping center
c) Buy more buses.
d) Get rid of the parking lots.

5) How did the fun run reduce the use of cars?

a) It made people want to exercise.
b) The cars couldn't drive because of the race.
c) People realized that shopping center was close.
d) Drivers couldn't participate in the run

Short Stories

Dear NI2 students,

These are some web pages where you can read a short story to tell in class next week.

This one contains short fables with explanations of difficult English words.

http://www.saberingles.com.ar/stories/index.html

You can even listen to some of them, Luck by M.Twain!! 

In this other site you'll find urban legends (stories, myths):

http://urbanlegendsonline.com/

Have a good weekend!

Reductive

Lookups on the word "reductive" on Merriam Webster dictionary spiked on January 13, 2012. Why: In a television interview, Madonna was asked what she thought of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" – a song that resembles Madonna's "Express Yourself." Madonna replied: "It feels reductive." When the interviewer asked if that was good, Madonna smiled coyly and said, "Look it up." Even after they looked it up, many people still weren't sure what Madonna meant. Reductive is a disapproving word that means "dealing with or describing something complicated in a simple or too simple way." Was Madonna saying that Lady Gaga's hit lacks nuance in its message or performance? Or that the newer song is "reduced" by a lack of originality? Is it possible that Madonna meant to use a word like derivative ("lacking originality, banal")? Either way, this usage caused a wave of comments in the Seen & Heard section of reductive.

Couchsurfing

Hi!

This is the listening we did in class this week about couchsurfing. It belongs to Speak Up magazine.

Do you like travelling but can't afford an expensive hotel? Why don't you check the couchsurfing website? Would you like to participate in the group? Would you couchsurf yourselves? or would you prefer to be a host?

A note

Following the homework assignment for Christmas, we can see a good example of what you are expected to do in the writing. A job interview note

Heart Attack Grill

Dear NI2 students,

 Would you like to try this restaurant? Why (not)? What's the most surprising thing in the video?

Key to NI1 exercises

Key to NI1 American Cities, American Cities in Films, p.97

Police Films:  The Fugitive (1993)
Thrillers: Vertigo (1958), The Birds (1963), Bullitt (1968), Pacific Heights (1990)
True Stories about people: Escape from Alcatraz (1979),  Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Falling Down (1963)
Organized Crime: The Untouchables (1987),The Godfather trilogy, Gangs of New York (2002)
Private Detectives: The Big Sleep (1946), Chinatown (1974)
Comedies: Some like it hot (1959), Pretty Woman (1990)
Musicals: Chicago (2002)

Why I didn't want to be a millionaire. Coursebook, p. 35

A.
1. a
2. b
3. c
4. a
5. b
B.
Fortunate: lucky
Charity: an organization which collects money to help people who are poor, sick, etc
Volunteer: somebody who offers or agrees to do something without being forced or paid.
Orphanage: an institution where children without parents live and are looked after.
Deposit: a percentage of the price of somehting you are buying which you pay in advance.
Annoyed: made angry
Adopted: taken by a family and looked after as if they were their own children.
Useful: having a practical use.
Definitely: certainly, without a doubt.

If you were a sailboat

Dear NI2 students,

Listen to the song we sang in class in this video again. Did you like it? What type of music do you normally listen to? Any suggestions?

You can do a gap-fill activity with this song in AlPozo's phonetic blog!

Future

Dear NI2,

How about practicing the future and review other tenses in the English Page?

• Verb Tense Exercise 23 Simple Future and Future Continuous
• Verb Tense Exercise 24 Simple Present, Simple Future, Present Continuous, and Future Continuous
• Verb Tense Practice Test Cumulative Verb Tense Review
• Verb Tense Final Test Cumulative Verb Tense Review

After unit 2

Dear NI1 students,

As we are about to finish unit 2, it would be a good idea start rewiewing what we've learnt. Click on these links to New English File Intermediate and practice:

• Grammar
• How words work
• Stress Monsters
• Practical English
• Vocabulary: money
• Vocabulary: transport and travel
• Irregular pasts
• Jobs
• Phrasal Verbs
• Opposite Adjectives

San Francisco

Dear NI1 students,

You can listen to chapter 7 on LA and chapter 8 on New Orleans here.

I'd also like you to listen to this video on the hippie movement in San Francisco in the 60's.

• How many people visit the area on daily basis? 
• Where exactly did they gather? 
• Why didn't the police want to move them away? 
• Did the hippies like to be visited?

Barbary Coast

Dear NI1 students, In the text about San Francisco, we read about Barbary Coast but there is not much indication about what it was. Can you tell us what you find out in this link?

"The Barbary Coast, Pacific Street," photographer unknown, c.1910. 

Eat, pray, love

Answer the listening comprehension questions below from the movie track Eat, pray, love (2011).The answers are in the "comentario".

 1. Liz's friend thinks that Liz _________________.
  a. should go back to college
  b. should go talk with a college kid
  c. is behaving in an immature way 
2. Liz's friend thinks Liz will miss her ______________.
  a. friends and family
  b. job
  c. city 
3. Liz wants to ______________.
  a. increase her ability to work harder
  b. recover her appetite for life
  c. find the perfect spaghetti recipe 
4. Liz thinks that Italy is a place where she will be able to ______________.
  a. get excited about life again
  b. relax
  c. go on a diet 
5. How long has Liz either "been with a guy or breaking up with a guy"? _______________.
  a. For the past 15 years
  b. Since she was 15
  c. 15 times

NI2 writings

Dear NI2, I'd like you to have a look at these compositions of your classmates. They are simple, well-structured and  to the point.Have a good day!  Ni2 articles on medicine

The Curious Incident

Dear NI2,

How is your reading going on? Do you like the book? What are you reading now? Do you like it? Tell us!

In the meantime watch this video and tell us, what topics does this video deal with?

- Communication and the meaning of symbols among humans, what else?

Homework for the holidays

Dear NI2 students,

For Christmas we are going to read The Curious Incident of the dog in the night time. There are some activities staged for January  11th and 12th. 

I'd also like you to write down a note of about 100-120 words following the instructions: 

Today you attended a job interview. As you arrive home you see this note from your flatmate:

IMPORTANT

How did it go!!??

I've gone to the cinema. I don't think I'll be back before you go to bed. PLEASE, leave me a note telling me ALL about it!

Write an note dealing with:

• the interviewers
• the questions 
• the impression you think you made

American Cities

Dear NI1 students,

For Christmas we will read American Citites, the chapter on Chicago, San Francisco and the origins of Music in the USA.

When coming back we'll correct: exercises on
- p: 48-49;
- p. 55 exercise 1;
- p. 64-66 ex. 1, 2, 3, 4 and
- p. 75 ex. 1. After we finish reading the book in January, we'll have a little test on the book focusing on reading comprehension, vocabulary and listening.

As for now, how about doing and interactive listening on American Cities? Click on the circles that you want to listen to:http://www.elllo.org/english/Points/PT06-Cities.html

Christmas Festival on Thursday 22nd

Dear all,

On Thursday 22nd the school is going to hold a Christmas festival so we've organized some activities.

• 16:30 -18:30 Christmas Carol (Movie in Room 3)
• 17- 18h Christmas Pop Quiz  (Room 6)
• 18:30 Modern Family at Christmas (series in Room 1)    

 I encourage you all to come over and if you wish, bring some apetizers.

Some grammar

Dear NI1,

In these links you can practice some grammar:

• For or since 
• Still / yet / already
• Past simple vs present perfect
• Present Perfect 1  
• Present Perfect 2 
• Present Perfect 3
• Future Arrangements

Practice conditionals

Dear NI2, 

You can practice conditional sentences on these Better English links: 

First Conditional1
First Conditional 2
Second Conditional 1
Second Conditional 2
Second Conditional 3
Second Conditional 4
Third Conditional 1
Mixed Conditionals