INTENSIVE SUMMER COURSES. WHERE & WHEN.

Hello, everyone.
If you're wondering what an intensive Summer Course might be like, ask if your classmates have done one; the feedback is always really positive. 
If you'd like to know the where & when, see below.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Tom.

EXTRA PRACTICE 9 & 10. KEYS.

Hello, everyone.
Here are the keys to extra practice 9 & 10.

CLASS UPDATE 29.4.16

Hello, everyone. 
Today we've been revising.
We covered Extra Practice 7, p121, and part of E.P. 8, p122, as well as activities from the teacher's bok, and the DVD.
Your HW for 6.5.16 is already on the blog.
Enjoy your long weekend, but don't forget to study.
See you on Friday, back in Estadística.
Tom.

REVIEW HW FOR FRI 6.5.16

HW FOR FRI 6.5.16

Hello, everyone.
Here's another review HW. We'll check the answers in class.
Regards.
Tom.

CLASS UPDATE 22/04/2016

CLASS UPDATE 22/04/2016

SPEAKING	-     We did the quick review (page 98) to make sentences with de colloquial language. -     We corrected the exercises (page 98) and we used them to talk with the new vocabulary. -     We did exercises 7 and 8, page 99 as a speaking activity.
LISTENING	-     We did a listening to review “household jobs” and grammar in page 80.
READING	-     We played a game that consisted on making groups of three, and each participant had two stories that have to read and then, tell to their partners. We practised grammar in page 99 with this game.
GRAMMAR	-     Modal verbs (3): past forms and related verbs (page 99). -     We reviewed grammar from Unit 11 with “Extra practice 11” (page 125)
VOCABULARY	-     We studied “vague language expressions” (page 98) with exercise 1. -     We reviewed vocabulary from Unit 11 with “Extra practice 11” (page 125)
HOMEWORK	-     Page 125: 11B, 11C, 11D.

*Tom said that he was going to upload the "Jornada Gastronómica" information.

CLASS UPDATE 15/04/2016

SPEAKING	We talked about lose things and love relations 2 groups presents the Oral Project.
LISTENING	Ex 2ª, pag 96
READING
GRAMMAR	Modal verbs, deductions
VOCABULARY	Colloquial Word/prhases pag 96, ex 1a
HOMEWORK	Unit 12b pag 98, ex.1a, 1b, 2b, 3ª Rewiew time! Check the blog

REVIEW TIME!

Hello, everyone. 
Congratulations, we're almost there! 
I hope you feel you've learned some useful English this year, so that when you need to ask directions, order a meal or talk to some gorgouus guy/girl about your favourite bands you'll find the right words.
It's time to review now, so I'm going to be posting material on the blog, with answers included at the bottom of the page, (although upside down), which will make you pretty independent of your teacher unless there are answers that you don't understand. In that case, make sure to ask me about them in class, 'cos if you don't understand you can be sure some of your classmates would also find clarification useful.
Looking forward to those questions.
Regards.
Tom.

EURONEWS: MIGRANT CRISIS

This piece of news tell us about 13 children and 12 adults who have drowned in the West coast of Turkey last week. It happened near the town of Didim, just hours before EU talks with Ankara. While they are triying to solve the refugees crisis since their desks, more than 320 people have died in the Aegean sea alone this year (4 months). And despite the dangers, they are going to keep coming.

CLASS UPDATE 8/4/06

SPEAKING	- Famous brands and advertising campaigns p. 94, ex. 2 - We designed our coffee shop, café or restaurant. P. 93, ex. 8 - We were talking about what we could do to raise money for charity
LISTENING	- p.94, ex. 3 (only the audio)
READING
GRAMMAR	- Real world: p.94, ex. 4. P. 95, ex. 5
VOCABULARY	- Vocabulary related to advertising p.94, ex. 1
HOMEWORK	- Vocabulary related to colloquial phrases p. 96, ex. 1 a) b) - Check in p. 155

27 MARATHONS IN 27 DAYS!

Hello, everyone.
Remember we talked about what we could do to raise money for charity? Well, Eddie Izzard, the cross-dressing comedian has raised over €1.000.000 for charity this year by running 27 marathons in 27 days.
You can see the highlights here.

http://www.sportrelief.com/whats-going-on/eddie-izzard-marathon-man

Final exam date.

Hi, everyone.
The dates of our final exam is Friday, May 13th. 
The exam is obligatory, and to pass the course you must pass the final exam, which is worth 40%.
Best regards.
Tom.

Newly discovered bacteria can eat plastic bottles!

A team of Japanese scientists has found a species of bacteria that eats the type of plastic found in most disposable water bottles.
The discovery, published a few days ago in the journal Science, could lead to new methods to manage the more than 50 million tons of this particular type of plastic produced globally each year.
The plastic found in water bottles is known as polyethylene terephalate, or PET. It is also found in polyester clothing, frozen-dinner trays and blister packaging.
“If you walk down the aisle in Wal-Mart, you’re seeing a lot of PET,” said Tracy Mincer, who studies plastics in the ocean at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.
Part of the appeal of PET is that it is lightweight, colourless and strong. However, it has also been notoriously resistant to being broken down by microbes – what experts call “biodegradation”.
Previous studies had found a few species of fungi can grow on PET, but until now, no one had found any microbes that can eat it.
To find the plastic-eating bacterium described in the study, the Japanese research team from Kyoto Institute of Technology and Keio University collected 250 PET-contaminated samples including sediment, soil and wastewater from a plastic bottle recycling site.
Next, they screened the microbes living on the samples to see whether any of them were eating the PET and using it to grow.

The new PET-eating fungi found in debris and wastewater could be a way to break down the artificial cellulose in plastics into non-hazardous and biodegradable properties. Photo: EPA

They originally found a consortium of bugs that appeared to break down a PET film, but they eventually discovered that just one of bacteria species was responsible for the PET degradation. They named it ideonella sakainesis.
Further tests in the lab revealed that it used two enzymes to break down the PET. After adhering to the PET surface, the bacteria secretes one enzyme onto the PET to generate an intermediate chemical. That chemical is then taken up by the cell, where another enzyme breaks it down even further, providing the bacteria with carbon and energy to grow.
The researchers report that a community of Ideonella sakaiensis working this way could break down a thin film of PET over the course of six weeks if the temperature were held at a steady 86°F (30°C).
Mincer said the study was impressive and did a good job showing that these organisms were eating the plastic pretty well. However, he said it was not immediately clear whether or not it would help keep plastics out of the ocean, for example.
“When I think it through, I don’t really know where it gets us,” he said. “I don’t see how microbes degrading plastics is any better than putting plastic bottles in a recycling bin so they can be melted down to make new ones.”
He added that the research could make it easier to identify other microbes that might have similar PET-degrading capabilities.
“This process could be quite common,” he said. “Now that we know what we are looking for, we may see these microbes in many areas around the world.” – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service

Original source: http://www.star2.com/living/science-technology/2016/03/29/newly-discovered-bacteria-can-eat-plastic-bottles/

CLASS UPDATE 11.04.16

SPEAKING	-Warmer: p. 86, ex. 1 (1+2) -Vocabulary related to work: p. 88, ex. 1. a, b.
LISTENING	- p. 88, ex. 2. a, b. / p. 89 ex. 4 a, b.
READING	We got our exams back and we corrected them.
GRAMMAR	- Tricky futures: Future Perfect and Future Continuous. p. 89, ex. 6, 7, 8
VOCABULARY	Language of work. p.88
HOMEWORK	-p. 89, ex. 8 (When we use by we must use Present Perfect!) - prepare the oral project for the back of Easter.

WHY FRANCE IS NOT WORKING (and we don't know anything)

A lot of Frech citizens protested yesterday against the new employment law reform. Workers and students refuse this change because it supposes a big regression in their employment and social rights, leaving them as "a kleenex", that can be used and throw out when the owner or the boss decide and without any excuse.

It's curious to observe this situation is winning over Europe, such as Portugal, France or even Germany can show us with their right wing politics and governmetns, but more curious is not to know anything about this topic, because nothing is said in our country's mass media.


http://www.euronews.com/2016/03/09/why-france-is-not-working/

Refugees

It's a very sad situation. People need to move out of their country because of war. They have to scape with anything, children, old people, women and men looking for a new life, a better one; but when they arrive to europe the have to sleep on the ground, eat by charity and they cant obtain a job or a house, because for the goverments and the society they are no one. The dont have an identity.

I hope most of them, one day, have a good life and can forget all this terror.

EURONEWS

TWO YEARS ON, MH370 FAMILIES DEMAND ANSWERS

This new speaks about what happened with the flight MH370 while it was doing the route kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. It hasn't been found yet, however, the agency has said that the flight will be found in the next four month.

The worst thing is that families feel ignored, they need answers about what happened with that flight in which where their love ones.

I hope experts achive to find out what happened and give answers and support to the families.

WWW.EURONEWS.COM

Hello, everyone.
Here's a link to help you improve your listening while following the news and current events. The presenters are speaking for an international audience, so it's easier to follow than the BBC, while also including a reasonably complete transcript.

Please try it out, and leave a comment on the blog.

http://www.euronews.com/2016/03/06/boat-sinks-off-turkish-coast-at-least-25-refugees-drown/


Best regards.
Tom.

CLASS UPDATE 26/02/2016 & HOMEWORK

CLASS UPDATE 26/02/2016 & HOMEWORK

SPEAKING	-We did the quick review on page 76. -We also talked in groups about the gender roles related to page 84/85.
LISTENING	-Ex. 4a/b, 85 page.
READING	-84/85 pages.
GRAMMAR	-We played the quantifiers games that Tom sent to our mail.  -Compound nouns+Adjectives on page 84. -Extra Practice 9A on page 123.
HOMEWORK	-We have to make groups to prepare the oral project. -Extra practice to prepare the exam. We have exercices on the blog and in pages 123/124. Good luck!

Extra Practice answers for units 9 & 10.

Hello, everyone.

Here are the answers to the Extra Practice sections for units 9 & 10. You'll find the exercises on pages 123 and 124 of your course book.

Good luck on Friday

Tom.

.

Tom.

Men's brains and women's brains.

Hello everyone.
This video isn't made for students, but a colleague of mine has prepared an activity sheet which has a glossary to help you.

Unit 8C

Difference between Men’s Brains and Women’s Brains:

An American comedian gives his “take” on the difference between men and women’s brain and the practical implications when they relate or live together.

Link to video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ6mVumHY9I

Before You Watch

1.    Vocabulary The following words or expressions may be new :

·         basement (n.) = bottom floor of a building; cellar

·         particular ( adj.) = specific

·         aware (adj.) = conscious or cognizant of

·         subject (n.) = topic, theme

·         wire (n.)= metal in the form of a thread or thin rod (alambre)

·         upbringing (n.)  = family teaching and training of a child; “educación” in the non-academic sense

·         nun(n.) = religious sister in the Catholic church

·         brain-dead ( adj.) = without any activity in the brain

·         unwind ( v.) = relax, free one’s self of stress

·         nuts ( adj. / coll.) = crazy

2.   Think about the following points:

-       Have you heard or read anything about the difference between men and women’s brains?

-       Do you think that men and women are innately quite different in terms of the way we use our brains or do you think it’s mainly a question of individuals and the differences are exaggerated?

First Viewing

Now read the following sentences. Listen to determine which sentences are true of men, which are true of women and which are true for neither according to the comedian. Write M, W, or N.

1.    Their brains are made of a big ball of wire.     _____________

2.    Their brains are made of little boxes that don’t touch each other.  ________

3.    Their brains are made of big boxes that connect with each other. _________

4.    They close the little boxes of their brains very carefully. _______

5.     Their brains are like internet super-highways driven by emotional energy. _______

6.     Their brains are like race cars driven by sexual energy. ____________

7.    They tend to remember everything.   _________

8.     They don’t care about many things.   __________

9.      Their favourite box is the “nothing box.”  ________.

10.  Their favourite box is the “people box.”  _________.

11.  Their minds never stop working. ________

12.  They handle stress by not thinking or talking.  _______

13.  If they don’t talk when they have a problem, they will explode.  _______

14.  If you give them advice, they will become loving and appreciative.  _____

15.  They think that they are supposed to fix things.  _________

16.   When they are stressed, they have to do a physical activity.   ____ 

Second Viewing Answer the following questions.

1.    What is the main rule for men’s brains?

2.     What are some things that most annoy men about women?

3.    What kind of school did the comedian attend when he was young and what teacher does he remember?

4.      According to the speaker, what happens when you connect an event to an emotion?

5.    What thing about men most drives women crazy?

6.    What are two “brain-dead” activities that men love to do?

7.    What are 2 or 3 things men typically say to women?

8.    What are 2 or 3 things that women typically say to men?

Language Focus

Complete using the gerund or the infinitive of the verb in parenthesis. If there is no verb, add a logical verb in the right form.

1.    Men close their boxes ____________ (be) very careful  ____________________ ( touch- neg.) any other box.

2.    Women tend _____________ ( remember) everything.

3.    Women’s brains never stop _________________. ( work)

4.    Nothing makes a woman more irritated than ______________ ( see) a man______   nothing.

5.    Men don’t understand that women just need ______________ about their problems.

6.    They just want the men ____________________.

7.     Men avoid ____________ when they have problems or are stressed.

8.    They refuse ________ anyone come into their “nothing box.”           

Complain

Hi guys! I have sent an email to the CSIM. My complain is about the new classroom for our clases. If I recieve any answer I'd told you in the next class.

Quantifiers explained

One of the drawbacks of presenting all these quantifiers together is the overload of rules for each different case. My colleague Sheila has drawn up this infograph to help clarify it for you. I'm sure you'll find it useful. Thanks, Sheila.

CLASS UPDATE 19/02/2016 & HOMEWORK

1       VOCABULARY: We started the class doing a homonyms review, page 77. You can check this vocabulary :page 147, 9.3.  and the vocabulary on page 82: adjectives for views and behaviour.

2       GRAMMAR. We continued with some grammar: have/get something done, get someone to do something, do something yourself, page 81, and we correct 7a. Quantifiers (each, both of, everyone,…), page 83, exercise 3.

3       READING, page 82: “Youth in the 21st century”; we did exercices 1a and 2.

4       SPEAKING:  we spoke in pairs about having things done, 10A. Find some one who…, and follow-up questions.

5       HOMEWORK: check the blog for hw, written before by Tom.

HW for 26.2.16

Hello, everyone.
Here's the HW I mentioned. From 10A, just do Ex1. From 10B, do everything. Remember I also asked you to do Ex 5a on p83.
See you all next Friday.
Regards.
Tom.

Progress Test II

Hello, everyone.

Here is the information you need to be aware of for our 2nd progress test. Please read it carefully, and if you have any questions I'll be happy to answer them in class.

Best regards.

Tom.

Progress Test 2

LX groups - X02 marzo

MJ groups - J03 marzo

V groups -   V04 marzo

S groups -   S05 marzo

The marks breakdown is as follows..

Final exam (compulsory) = 40%

Progress Test 1               =   5%

Progress Test 2               =   5%

Participation                    = 10% (self-explanatory - in class, on your blog etc)

Oral Project                     = 10%

Written work, tasks, homework = 30%

Points to note:

1. The dates for progress tests are fixed.

2. The exam is worth 5% but you cannot fail on the grounds that you missed a progress test.

3. There is not an opportunity to do it in another class or on another day

CLASS UPDATE 12/02/2016 & HOMEWORK

SPEAKING	-Warmer: we talked about things in which we are good with our hands. This is related to 80 page. -We also talked in groups about things that we can do ourselves, or when we have/get something done, using ex. 4a-4b structures, on 81 page. -Socialising: we talked about how a good day would be in Madrid, using vocabulary and suggestion/preferences/refusing expressions on ex.3a, 78 page.
LISTENING	-Ex. 3a, 80 page.
READING	-80-81 pages.
GRAMMAR	-Having/getting things done. -Ex. 4a, 4b, 4c, 6, 8 and 9, on 81 page.
VOCABULARY	-Ex. 1a, 80 page. Vocabulary about things that people good with their hands can do. You can check it on 149 page.
HOMEWORK	-Ex. 7a, 81 page. -As we’ve got two Fridays without classes, for people couldn’t come last Friday (12/02/16), is necessary you to prepare, do exercises and review 80 and 81 pages, because we’re continuing next day with different things.

*Remember we are in a new class now.

F. de Estadística building, C-13 classroom.