INTERMEDIATE CERTIFICATE EXAMS (B1+)

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOW DID YOU GET ON WITH YOUR CERTIFICATE EXAMS?

WERE YOU SUCCESSFUL?       IF SO, CONGRATULATIONS!

I´D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU. SO, PLEASE, FEEL FREE TO WRITE ANY COMMENTS ON YOUR EXPERIENCE.

P

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

WELCOME TO MY FIRST POST!

“Variety is the spice of life”  means that it´s good to try and do different things .

Life and “teaching” are much more interesting when you try to do things in different ways.

Variety is like the spice which adds flavour to life, and so to both the teaching and learning process.

Add your own spice to your English and start blogging!

COULD SPAIN BE DISQUALIFIED FROM THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST? (B1+)

By h.b. – May 15, 2009 – 6:51 AM

TVE failed to broadcast the second semi-final live, when Spanish residents should have exercised their tele-vote

There are reports that the Spanish entry to the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow on Saturday faces possible disqualification.

The Extremadura singer Soraya Arnelas is set to perform last in the final on Saturday night, but Spain is under fire for not broadcasting the second semi-final live on Thursday when viewers here should have taken part in voting. However TVE put an hour’s delay on the show because of the Masters Series tennis, and their live webcast had technical problems. European broadcasting regulations demanded the programme be shown live, and now Spain faces possible charges of fraud.

Several commentators say RTVE has plenty of channels, also in TDT where they could transmit sports events such as the Madrid Masters Series, and in the Eurovision forum there are some who claim TVE do not want Spain to win as that would mean they would have the expense of organising the gala next year.

Soraya – EFE

MUCH/ MANY HOW MUCH? / HOW MANY? (A1)

SOME & ANY (A)1

ADS ON TV (B1+)

Government takes the ads off TVE television

The funding shortfall will be made up by the private broadcasters, phone companies, and the state

The Spanish Cabinet on Friday approved the plans to remove advertising from the RTVE state TV broadcast channels, with the Deputy Prime Minister, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, saying the measure would be ‘imminent and definitive’. The measure will not apply to the regional state TV channels, at least not yet.

The private TV channels in Spain are to be hit with a 3% tax on their profits to fund the shortfall in advertising in TVE, with telecommunications companies also being called on to pay a new 0.9% tax, and that means that the phone and internet companies in Spain will be forced to increase their prices. The state will pay the remaining 45% of the costs of TVE although that will only finance public service activities of the broadcaster.

The removal of advertising on TVE is being described as a revolution for the industry in Spain, and the ads will be gone from the two channels by the end of the year.

SWINE FLU IN SPAIN (B1+)

Confirmed Swine Flu cases in Spain now 13
By m.p. – Apr 30, 2009 – 8:14 PM

The number of patients under observation has risen to more than one hundred

Thirteen people are now confirmed as having the Swine Flu virus in Spain, with three new cases confirmed by the Health Ministry on Thursday. These latest three are two in Madrid and one in Murcia. The number of cases under investigation for possible infection has now increased to 101, with more than half of those in Valencia and Andalucía – where there are 30 and 28 respectively.

El Mundo reports information from the health authorities in Valencia that amongst the 30 patients under observation there are some who have not recently returned from Mexico. That is the case with a man confirmed as infected with H1N1 in Cataluña on Wednesday, whose girlfriend had been in Mexico before she was taken ill.

The Health Minister, Trinidad Jiménez, has said again however that none of the confirmed cases is serious, and said all are stable and are responding well to treatment.

The World Health Organisation decided on Wednesday to raise the influenza pandemic alert up from phase 4 to 5, and told all countries to immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans. The WHO said in a statement on Thursday that as of 17.00 GMT on 30th April, eleven countries have officially reported 257 cases of H1N1 infection.

The organisation did not advise restriction of regular travel or closure of borders, and stated, as has Spain’s Health Minister, that there is no risk of infection from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products. Regular and thorough hand-washing with soap and water was recommended, and those who develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness were advised to seek medical attention.

The Health Minister, Trinidad Jiménez – EFE

LABOUR DAY AND UNEMPLOYMENT (B1+)

Spain faces Labour Day with four million unemployed
By h.b. – May 1, 2009 – 7:08 AM

Good holiday weather means many Spaniards have headed to the coast

Spain faces the May Day holiday weekend, and the celebrated Workers’ Day, with the Government facing more problems than ever.
Unions have so far rejected suggestions of any General Strike being called, but they are concerned at the pressure being applied on the Government by both the Bank of Spain and the Employers’ Organisation, demanding that sackings be made cheaper as a way of getting out of recession.

Record unemployment numbers with more than four million out of work show no sign of improvement in the short term, despite optimistic statements from the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and the demands being placed on it are showing a rapid use of the surplus in the Social Security account.

The Government is also being advised to lift the retirement age to 67 as a way of making the pensions system in Spain viable, although the administration says that payments are guaranteed until the year 2025.

Meanwhile the forecast of good weather on the Spanish coastlines led to long delays on roads out of the main cities last night. The DGT traffic authority expects to see 5.1 million journeys made on Spanish roads this weekend, and 400 extra guardia are on duty in an effort to keep the traffic moving.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero – EFE

70% OF TEACHERS SUPPORT THE STRIKE (B1+)

70% of teachers support Valencia schools’ strike

By m.p. – Apr 28, 2009 – 4:40 PM

The figure from the regional government is a much more conservative 21.7%

The schools strike called in Valencia against the regional government’s education policy has achieved massive support according to the organisers, the Platform in Defence of Public Teaching.

They say 70% of teachers stayed off work on Tuesday, while 90% of pupils stayed home from school. Gemma Piqué, spokesperson for the Platform, told El Mundo newspaper that their figures were reached after telephoning each and every school in the region. There are approximately 1,500 state schools in Valencia where 50,000 teachers are employed.

The Generalitat’s education department is reported to have given a much lower figure of 21.7% of teachers who supported the one-day stoppage. It’s understood that minimum services have been maintained, and that fewer pupils supported the stoppage in primary schools owing to difficulties for working parents in keeping their children at home.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Gemma Piqué called on the Generalitat President, Francisco Camps, to remove the Generalitat’s education chief, Alejandro Font de Mora, from his job.

PICK ME UP (B1+)

Everytime I look into your eyes
I know it only comes once in life
And now my heart’s gone cold
And the one who brings it back, yeah
Is you, and I don’t wanna be without you now

CHORUS
So pick me up
Take me out
Turn it on, Yeah
Pick me up
Take me out
Turn it on, Yeah
And now my heart´s gone cold
And the one who brings it back, Is you
Pick me up
Are you ever gonna do that?
Are you ever gonna do that?
You know it cuts deap like a knife,
And God knows how much I tried, Yeah
And now my heart´s gone cold
And the one who brings it back, yeah
Is you, and I just wanna be with you tonight, yeah

CHORUS

Tell me when this could be wrong
If you stay with me tonight
It’ s with you that I’m alone
Hold me tight
Hold on, Hold on

Are you ever gonna pick me up

So pick me up
Take me out
Turn it on, Yeah
Pick me up
Take me out
Turn it on, Yeah
And now my hearts gone cold
And the one who brings it back, Is you
Pick me up

Are you ever gonna do that?
Are you ever gonna do that?
Are you ever gonna pick me up
Are you ever gonna do that?
Are you ever gonna do that?

TO PICK SOMEBODY UP, TO TAKE SOMEBODY OUT OR TO TURN SOMETHING ON ARE VERY COMMON PHRASAL VERBS IN ENGLISH.

BUT HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT PHRASAL VERBS?  IS IT POSSIBLE TO SAY ” PICK UP ME”? WHY? WHYNOT?

PHRASAL VERBS (B1+)

 

What are phrasal verbs?

1.  A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb which creates a meaning different from the original verb. Example: I ran into my teacher at the movies last night. run + into = meet He ran away when he was 15. run + away = leave home 2. Some phrasal verbs are intransitive. An intransitive verb cannot be followed by an object. Example: He suddenly showed up. “show up” cannot take an object 3. Some phrasal verbs are transitive. A transitive verb can be followed by an object. Example: I made up the story. “story” is the object of “make up” 4. Some transitive phrasal verbs are separable. The object is placed between the verb and the preposition. In this Phrasal Verb Dictionary, separable phrasal verbs are marked by placing a * between the verb and the preposition / adverb. Example: I talked my mother into letting me borrow the car. She looked the phone number up. 5. Some transitive phrasal verbs are inseparable. The object is placed after the preposition. In this Phrasal Verb Dictionary, inseparable phrasal verbs are marked by placing a + after the preposition / adverb. Example: I ran into an old friend yesterday. They are looking into the problem. 6. Some transitive phrasal verbs can take an object in both places. In this Phrasal Verb Dictionary, such phrasal verbs are marked with both * and + . Example: I looked the number up in the phone book. I looked up the number in the phone book. 7. WARNING! Although many phrasal verbs can take an object in both places, you must put the object between the verb and the preposition if the object is a pronoun. Example: I looked the number up in the phone book. I looked up the number in the phone book. I looked it up in the phone book. correct I looked up it in the phone book. incorrect