Monday 17 November 2014

2nd BACHILLERATO  
TOPICS for WRITING ESSAYS


OPINION ESSAYS


FOR AND AGAINST ESSAYS
1st
Term



1. World governments should conduct serious campaigns against smoking. 

2. Parents are too permissive with their children nowadays. 

3. Examinations exert a pernicious influence on education. 

4. Animals should not be kept in captivity. 

5. Teaching-machines will replace teachers in the future. 

1st
Term



1. The advantages and disadvantages of being famous. 

2. Professional armies: advantages and drawbacks. 

3. Bilingual education: advantages and disadvantages 

4. Pros and cons of animal testing. 

5. Advantages and disadvantages of home schooling.
2nd
Term



6. Younger generations don´t really care for the elderly 

7. Capital punishment should be done away with. 

8. Violent video games contribute to youth violence 

9. Human activity is a substantial cause of global climatic change 

10. Only stricter traffic laws can prevent accidents. 





2nd
Term


6. Pros and cons of having a humanoid robot at home. 

7. Pros and cons of school uniforms. 

8. Pros and cons of becoming a vegetarian. 

9. Pros and cons of social networking sites. 

10. Pros and cons of having a right to carry a concealed handgun.


3rd
Term



11. It is dishonest to download 
music and movies from the internet. 

12. It is better to travel around 
your own country instead of 
going abroad. 

13. Children under 10
 shouldn´t  use mobile phones. 

14. Reality shows are the worst 
programmes on TV. 

15. Housewives should be paid 
for their work. 



3rd
Term



11. Pros and cons of using tablets
 at classrooms. 

12. Pros and cons of nuclear energy. 

13. Pros and cons of napping. 

14. Pros and cons of co-education. 

15. Online dating: advantages and 
disadvantages. 

Wednesday 12 November 2014

THANKSGIVING DAY IS COMING IN THE USA...








Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. 





Click HERE     (thanks, Samantha)

Thursday 6 November 2014

PRESENT PERFECT VS SIMPLE PAST

Translate the following sentences into English


Friday 31 October 2014

Sunday 26 October 2014



2nd BACHILLERATO:  READING FOR PLEASURE

If  it  ever  occurs to you to read "The Great Gatsby", by  F.  Scott Fitzgerald  - or even watch any of the two film versions - you will find that the following background notes and videos as well as the  links to the film trailers are particularly useful.



·       The Roaring Twenties is a term sometimes used to refer to the 1920s, characterizing the decade's distinctive cultural edge in New York City, Paris, Berlin, London, and many other major cities during a period of sustained economic prosperity. French speakers called it the "années folles" ("Crazy Years"), emphasizing the era's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism. Normality returned to politics in the wake of hyper-emotional patriotism during World War I, jazz music blossomed, the flapper redefined modern womanhood, and Art Deco peaked. Economically, the era saw the large-scale diffusion and use of automobiles, telephones, motion pictures, and electricity, unprecedented industrial growth, accelerated consumer demand and aspirations, and significant changes in lifestyle and culture. The media focused on celebrities, especially sports heroes and movie stars, as cities rooted for their home team and filled the new palatial cinemas and gigantic stadiums. In most major countries women were given the right to vote for the first time. Finally the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ended the era, as the Great Depression set in worldwide, bringing years of worldwide gloom and hardship. The social and cultural features known as the Roaring Twenties began in leading metropolitan centers, especially Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Paris and London, then spread widely in the aftermath of World War I. By the middle of the decade, prosperity was widespread, with the second half of the decade later becoming known as the "Golden Twenties". The spirit of the Roaring Twenties was marked by a general feeling of discontinuity associated with modernity and a break with traditions. Everything seemed to be feasible through modern technology. New technologies, especially automobiles, moving pictures and radio extended 'modernity' to a large part of the population. Formal decorative frills were shed in favor of practicality in both daily life and architecture. At the same time, jazz and dancing rose in popularity, in opposition to the mood of the specter of World War I. As such, the period is also often referred to as the Jazz Age.

·         Flappers were a "new breed" of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behaviour. Flappers were seen as brash for wearing excessive makeup, drinking, treating sex in a casual manner, smoking, driving automobiles and otherwise flouting social norms. Flappers had their origins in the liberal period of the Roaring Twenties, the social, political turbulence and increased transatlantic cultural exchange that followed the end of World War I, as well as the export of American jazz culture to Europe.




Click HERE ("The Roaring Twenties")

Click HERE ("The Roaring 20´s: US History")

Click HERE ("Dance Craze")


·         Art Deco is an influential visual arts design style which first appeared in France during the 1920s, flourished internationally during the 30s and 40s, then waned in the post-World War II era. It is an eclectic style that combines traditional craft motifs with Machine Age imagery and materials. The style is often characterized by rich colors, bold geometric shapes, and lavish ornamentation. Deco emerged from the Interwar period when rapid industrialization was transforming culture. One of its major attributes is an embrace of technology. Art Deco can be defined as an assertively modern style that ran to symmetry rather than asymmetry, and to the rectilinear rather than the curvilinear; it responded to the demands of the machine and of new material and the requirements of mass production. During its heyday Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress.

 Chrysler Building spire, Manhattan



  A crowd gathers outside the Stock Exchange after the crash (New York)


·         The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as Black Tuesday and the Stock Market Crash of 1929, began in late October 1929 and was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, when taking into consideration the full extent and duration of its fallout. The crash signaled the beginning of the 10-year Great Depression that affected all Western industrialized countries and did not end in the United States until the onset of American mobilization for World War II at the end of 1941. 15 million people had unemployment coming to them after the banks crashed.

·         The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in 1930 and lasted until the late 1930s or middle 1940s. It was the longest, most widespread, and deepest depression of the 20th century. The depression originated in the U.S., after the fall in stock prices that began around September 4, 1929, and became worldwide news with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929.The Great Depression had devastating effects in countries rich and poor. Personal income, tax revenue, profits and prices dropped, while international trade plunged by more than 50%. Unemployment in the U.S. rose to 25%, and in some countries rose as high as 33%. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially those dependent on heavy industry. Construction was virtually halted in many countries. Farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by approximately 60%. Some economies started to recover by the mid-1930s. In many countries, the negative effects of the Great Depression lasted until the end of World War II.


·         F.  Scott Fitzgerald  (1896 – 1940) was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost Generation" (the generation that came of age during World War I, including distinguished artists such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, T. S. Eliot, John Dos Passos, and Isadora Duncan). He finished four novels: This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night. The Great Gatsby has been the basis for numerous films of the same name. Paris in the 1920s proved the most influential decade of Fitzgerald's development. The Great Gatsby, considered his masterpiece, was published in 1925. Fitzgerald made several excursions to Europe, mostly Paris and the French Riviera, and became friends with many members of the American expatriate community in Paris, notably Ernest Hemingway. Although Fitzgerald's passion lay in writing novels, only his first novel sold well enough to support the opulent lifestyle that he and Zelda, her wife, adopted as New York celebrities. Because of this lifestyle, as well as the bills from Zelda's medical care when they came, Fitzgerald was constantly in financial trouble and often required loans. Fitzgerald had been an alcoholic since his college days, and became notorious during the 1920s for his extraordinarily heavy drinking, leaving him in poor health by the late 1930s.


 F. Scott FitzGerald



Front cover art for the book The Great Gatsby


Film trailers

 2013 version    



1974  versión 

WELCOME TO THE EIGHTIES...!!!
 

 Click HERE
 

Sunday 21 September 2014

LEARNING VOCABULARY: COLLOCATIONS

"You shall know a word by the company it keeps"
J R Firth (British linguist, 1890-1960)

 

 
The "father" of collocation is usually considered to be J.R. Firth, a British linguist who died in 1960. It was he that first used the term "collocation" in its linguistic sense.

 

Some definitions:
  • to collocate (verb): to appear with another word more frequently than by chance - The word "white" collocates with "coffee".
  • collocation (noun): the combination of two or more words more frequently than by chance - Learning about collocation helps us speak more fluent English.
  • a collocation (noun): an example of collocation - "White coffee" is a collocation.


What is a collocation?
A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just sound "right" to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations may be unnatural and just sound "wrong". Look at these examples:
 

Natural English...  
 

   Unnatural English...

the fast train
fast food

the quick train
quick food

a quick shower
a quick meal

a fast shower
a fast meal

strong tea

a powerful computer

powerful tea

a strong computer
 

Some common verbs

 
have
 
do
make
have a bath
have a drink
have a good time
have a haircut
have a holiday
have a problem
have a relationship
have a rest
have lunch
have sympathy
do business
do nothing
do someone a favour
do the cooking
do the housework
do the shopping
do the washing up
do your best
do your hair
do your homework
make a difference
make a mess
make a mistake
make a noise
make an effort
make furniture
make money
make progress
make room
make trouble
 
take
break
catch
take a break
take a chance
take a look
take a rest
take a seat
take a taxi
take an exam
take notes
take someone's place
take someone's temperature
break a habit
break a leg
break a promise
break a record
break a window
break someone's heart
break the ice
break the law
break the news to someone
break the rules
catch a ball
catch a bus
catch a chill
catch a cold
catch a thief
catch fire
catch sight of
catch someone's attention
catch someone's eye
catch the flu
pay
save
keep
pay a fine
pay attention
pay by credit card
pay cash
pay interest
pay someone a compliment
pay someone a visit
pay the bill
pay the price
pay your respects
save electricity
save energy
save money
save one's strength
save someone a seat
save someone's life
save something to a disk
save space
save time
save yourself the trouble
keep a diary
keep a promise
keep a secret
keep an appointment
keep calm
keep control
keep in touch
keep quiet
keep someone's place
keep the change
come
go
get
come close
come complete with
come direct
come early
come first
come into view
come last
come late
come on time
come prepared
come right back
come second
come to a compromise
come to a decision
come to an agreement
come to an end
come to a standstill
come to terms with
come to a total of
come under attack
go abroad
go astray
go bad
go bald
go bankrupt
go blind
go crazy
go dark
go deaf
go fishing
go mad
go missing
go on foot
go online
go out of business
go overseas
go quiet
go sailing
go to war
go yellow
get a job
get a shock
get angry
get divorced
get drunk
get frightened
get home
get lost
get married
get nowhere
get permission
get pregnant
get ready
get started
get the impression
get the message
get the sack
get upset
get wet
get worried
 
 
 
 
Miscellaneous
 
Time
Business English
Classifiers
bang on time
dead on time
early 12th century
free time
from dawn till dusk
great deal of time
late 20th century
make time for
next few days
past few weeks
right on time
run out of time
save time
spare time
spend some time
take your time
tell someone the time
time goes by
time passes
waste time
annual turnover
bear in mind
break off negotiations
cease trading
chair a meeting
close a deal
close a meeting
come to the point
dismiss an offer
draw a conclusion
draw your attention to
launch a new product
lay off staff
go bankrupt
go into partnership
make a loss
make a profit
market forces
sales figures
take on staff
a ball of string
a bar of chocolate
a bottle of water
a bunch of carrots
a cube of sugar
a pack of cards
a pad of paper
 
BACHILLERATO RESEARCH PROJECTS:
 
Periods and Eras in English History
 
Click on your favourite period and check the corresponding Wikipedia document before starting  your English project. You might be interested in watching some classic films portraying each era, which surely will improve your project design. If this is the case let me know and I will provide you with the necessary files and English subtitles.
 
 
Anglo-Saxon period (927–1066)
 
 
 
 
Norman period (1066–1154)
 
 
 
Plantagenet period (1154–1485)
 

 
Tudor period (1485–1603)
 

 
 
Elizabethan era (1558–1603)

 
 
Stuart period (1603–1714)
 

 

Jacobean era  (1603–1660)
 
 
Caroline era (1625–1649)


 
 
The Interregnum  (1649–1660)



Restoration era (1660–1800)
 
Georgian era (1714–1830)

Victorian era (1837–1901)

  
Edwardian era (1901–1910)
 
 
World War I  (1914–1918)

 
 
 
Interwar Period (1918–1939)
 
 
 
 
World War II (1939–1945)
 
 

Modern Britain (1945–Present)