martes, 29 de noviembre de 2011

Advent Calendar

Here is a link to an Advent Calendar you can use with your students:

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/calendar/

The Streets of London



Fill in the gaps

1 Have you seen the _____________ man
2 In the closed-down market
3 Kicking up the paper,
4 In his ____________ out shoes?
5 In his eyes you see no pride
6 Hands held loosely at his __________
7 Yesterday's ______________ telling yesterday's news

CHORUS

Put the lines in the correct order

8 Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
9 and say for you that the sun don't shine?
10 I'll show you something to make you change your mind.
11 So how can you tell me you're lonely,

Correct the wrong words

12 Have you seen the cold girl
13 Who walks the streets of London
14 Dirt in her hair and her clothes in bags?
15 She's no time for walking,
16 She just keeps right on talking
17 Carrying her clothes in two plastic bags.

CHORUS

Underline the words you don’t hear

18 In the all night old cafe
19 At a quarter past eleven,
20 The same old man is sitting there on his own
21 Looking at the world outside
22 Over the rim of his dirty tea-cup,
23 Each cup of tea lasts an hour
24 Then he wanders home alone

CHORUS

Correct the wrong words

And have you seen the good man
Outside the seaman's mission
Memory falling with
The metal ribbons that he wears.
In our awful city,
The rain drops a little pity
For one more abandoned hero
And a friend that doesn't care



KEY
The Streets of London

Fill in the gaps

1 Have you seen the ____old_________ man
2 In the closed-down market
3 Kicking up the paper,
4 In his ____worn ________ out shoes?
5 In his eyes you see no pride
6 Hands held loosely at his __side________
7 Yesterday's ___paper___________ telling yesterday's news

CHORUS

Put the lines in the correct order

8 Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London c
9 and say for you that the sun don't shine? b
10 I'll show you something to make you change your mind. d
11 So how can you tell me you're lonely, a

Correct the wrong words

12 Have you seen the cold girl old
13 Who walks the streets of London
14 Dirt in her hair and her clothes in bags? rags
15 She's no time for walking,
16 She just keeps right on talking walking
17 Carrying her clothes in two plastic bags. carrier

CHORUS

Underline the words you don’t hear

18 In the all night old cafe
19 At a quarter past eleven,
20 The same old man is sitting there on his own
21 Looking at the world outside
22 Over the rim of his dirty tea-cup,
23 Each cup of tea lasts an hour
24 Then he wanders home alone

CHORUS

Correct the wrong words

And have you seen the good man old
Outside the seaman's mission
Memory falling with fading
The metal ribbons that he wears. medal
In our awful city, winter
The rain drops a little pity cries
For one more abandoned hero forgotten
And a friend that doesn't care world

Shopping in London


Read this article about the different shopping areas in London and complete the gaps with a correct missing word.

Missing words:
• Alternative
• Groceries
• Bargain
• Traffic
• Legends
• Revitalised
• crowds
• Market
:
Covent Garden
Originally a monastery garden and then a fruit and vegetable _1_, Covent Garden has been reinvented in recent decades as a shopping and tourism attraction. Saved from demolition, the main, glass-covered market building serves as the centerpiece of a revitalized piazza. These days, _2_ wander the streets, browsing for clothing, antiques, crafts, books and souvenirs. Plenty of bars, restaurants and cafes cater to visitors, and talented street musicians add lively ambience to the whole district.
Camden Town
Set in a bohemian, _3_ neighborhood north of London's center, Camden Market promises lots of cool, hip merchandise, often at _4_ prices. It's also a favorite of students and tourists, who relish the idea of getting terrific buys on leather goods, shoes, funky clothing, CDs and jewelry. Ethnic items, crafts, and all manner of souvenirs can also be found, along with a bounty of food shops and other local market venues. Great for people-watching too. TUBE: Camden Town
Knightsbridge
A neighborhood rife with upscale designer shopping venues, Knightsbridge prominently features two London _5_Not only are Harvey Nichols and Harrods (where the Queen gets her _6_ popular — they've also become tourist attractions. Accompanying them are plenty of historic attractions and boutiques, not to mention popular restaurants and bars.
Carnaby Street
What was, in the '60s, London's fashion epicenter has been _7_ as a pedestrian-friendly area offering the odd souvenir shop amongst the many trendy boutiques. Off Oxford Street and parallel to Regent Street, Carnaby gets a lot of foot _8_ and its bars and restaurants serve as gathering places for lunchtime and evening socializing. After you've braved the crowds on Oxford, step into this also-busy neighborhood for something more offbeat and contemporary-minded.


KEY

1. market
2. crowds
3. alternative
4. bargain
5. legends
6. groceries
7. revitalised
8. traffic

Viking buried in a ship found in Scottish Highlands








Archaeologists discover remains of a man buried in a thousand year-old Viking ship surrounded by valuable items in a remote part of the Scottish Highlands.
The 16ft-long grave on the west coast's Ardnamurchan peninsula contained the remains of the high-status Viking, laid to rest inside his boat and buried with an axe, a sword and a spear. He was surrounded by valuable artefacts including a knife, a whetstone from Norway, a ring-pin from Ireland as well as Viking pottery.
"They probably belonged to him many of them, but certainly what they really tell us is about what the people who buried him thought of him," said Dr Oliver Harris from the University of Leicester, who co-led the excavation.
"What did they want him to be remembered as and what did they think he would need for the afterlife, and they thought this guy would need weapons.He needed his axe, his sword, his spear, his shield; he needed things that he could defend himself with and attack others.So he was obviously someone of really high status to have all these different kinds of weapons. Someone really important in his local community."
Most of the body parts have decomposed over the years. Only two teeth and a few bone fragments are still intact.
Dr Harris described the discovery as a "dream come true for an archaeologist."

Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.

a) Ardnamuchan peninsula is in Norway.
b) Dr. Oliver Harris is the only leader of the excavation.
c) It is not sure the things around the Viking were his.
d) All Vikings had a good variety of weapons.

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.

a) What have archaeologists just discovered?
b) Why, according to Dr. Harris, were there weapons surrounding the body?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase in the text that means the same as:

a) tomb (par.2) b)world beyond death (par.4) c) complete, entire (par.5)

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a) Archaeologists discover remains of a man buried in a ship.
Remains ......................
b) “The weapons probably belonged to him. He needed them to defend himself.”
Dr. Harris said that ..........................................
c) He was buried with valuable items. He was a man of high status.
If he had ..........................

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:
Would you like to discover something?

Viking buried in a ship found in Scottish Highlands

KEY

Question 1.
a. False. “ ... a remote part of the Scottish Highlands. The 16ft-long grave on the west coast's Ardnamurchan peninsula.”
b. False. “Dr Oliver Harris from the University of Leicester, who co-led the excavation.”
c. True. “He was surrounded by valuable artefacts .... They probably belonged to him many of them... .
d. False. “this guy would need weapons ..... he needed things that he could defend himself with and attack others.So he was obviously someone of really high status to have all these different kinds of weapons. Someone really important in his local community."

Question 2.

a. Archaeologists have discovered what is left of a Viking man and some of his belongings inside a boat buried in the ground.
b. Dr. Harris says that the fact that there were different kinds of weapons surrounding the man reflects that the people who buried him thought he might need them to fight after death since he probably belonged to high class in his community.

Question 3.
a. grave b. afterlife c. Intact

Question 4.
a. Remains of a man buried in a ship are discovered by archaeologists.
b. Dr. Harris said that the weapons had probably belonged to him. He had needed them to defend himself.
c. If he had not been a man of high status, he wouldn’t have been buried with valuable items.

martes, 15 de noviembre de 2011

Thanksgiving Day

Health risk from fish pedicure


Questions have been raised in recent months over the beauty craze which sees customers place their feet in tanks of water containing dozens of tiny Garra Rufa fish which nibble on dead skin.
While the pampering carries a "very low" risk for healthy clients, those with conditions including diabetes and psoriasis have now been advised against the indulgence.
The pedicures - which are popular in Asia - have been banned in some US states, including Florida, Texas, New Hampshire and Washington amid fears that infections could spread through open wounds.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) today issued new guidance after a panel found fish tank water contained a number of micro-organisms and that infections could be transmitted either from fish to person (during the nibbling process), water to person (from the bacteria which can multiply in water), or person to person (via water, surrounding surfaces and the fish).
Dr Hilary Kirkbride, consultant epidemiologist at the HPA, said: "Provided that good standards of hygiene are followed by salons, members of the public are unlikely to get an infection from a fish spa pedicure, however the risk will be higher for certain people."This is why we feel it's important for salons to ensure the client has no underlying health conditions that could put them at risk, and that a thorough foot examination is performed to make sure there are no cuts, grazes or existing skin conditions that could spread infection."
Garra Rufa fish - a type of toothless carp - have become increasingly popular in salons across Britain, in part because of their novelty value.
Dr Paul Cosford, director of health protection services at the HPA, said the risk posed by the fish tanks could be kept to a minimum if spas followed "strict standards of cleanliness". "If a member of the public is concerned about the level of cleanliness of a salon they visit, they should report this to their local environmental health department," he said. Clients are also urged to wait at least 24 hours after having a leg wax or shaving to minimise the chances of contracting an infection.

Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.

a) If you suffer from diabetes, you shouldn’t use this kind of pedicure.
b) There are no fish spa pedicures in Washington.
c) You can get infected in three different ways.
d) There is no control of clients’ skin conditions.

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.

a) How does the Garra Rufa pedicure work?
b) What does the HPA advise people to do before using this treatment?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase in the text that means the same as:

a) illness, disease (par.2) b) complete, exhaustive (par.5) c) worried (par.7)

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a) The pedicures have been banned by the Health Protection Agency.
The Health Protection Agency ....................
b) Wait at least 24 hours after depilation or you can contract an infection.
If you don´t ...................
c) Dr. Cosford said that the risk could be kept to minimum if spas followed strict standards of cleanliness.
Dr. Cosford said “ ....................................”

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:
Spas are becoming increasingly popular. Give reasons.


20 million bees escape from a lorry in the USA

About 20 million bees were set free after a lorry carrying them overturned in Utah in the United States.

The bees were being taken to California so they could pollinate an almond crop next spring, but they escaped after the accident. Local beekeepers worked through the night to capture the bees, but most were lost or died.

People think that the accident happened when the driver lost control of the lorry, which rolled over. The driver and his wife were swarmed by the bees, but managed to escape with just bruises and a few stings.

The trip was among the last of 160 truckloads of bees being sent south from a honey farm in South Dakota.

The highway has now reopened but drivers have been warned to keep their windows closed.



Match the words below to their definitions


almond /crop / highway / pollinate / swarmed


take pollen from a male plant to a female plant so that the female plant produces seeds
oval nut with a hard shell, which you can eat
plants that are grown so that they can be eaten, such as fruits, vegetables and grain
when insects come together in a large group
an important road

True or false?

1. The driver was alone in the lorry.
2. Bees are used to pollinate plants.
3. The bees were being taken from California to Utah.
4. The driver was seriously injured.
5. Beekeepers could not find most of the bees.
6. The highway has remained closed.
7. Bees could fly in through drivers’ windows.
8. The accident happened when the driver was stung by a bee.

Which word or phrase means the same as the one in italics?

lorry
the same as car
the same as truck
the same as trailer
capture
the same as release
the same as find
the same as catch
overturned
the same as reversed
the same as dropped
the same as rolled over
taken
the same as removed
the same as transported
the same as lost







KEY

True or false?


1. False
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. True
6. False
7. True
8. False

Vocabulary

pollinate
take pollen from a male plant to a female plant so that the female plant produces seeds
almond
oval nut with a hard shell, which you can eat
crop

plants that are grown so that they can be eaten, such as fruits, vegetables and grain
swarmed
when insects come together in a large group
highway
an important road

Which word or phrase means the same as the one in italics?

b) the same as truck
c) the same as catch
c) the same as rolled over
b) the same as transported

Queen Victoria's old pants sold for thousands of pounds



A pair of pants that used to be owned by Queen Victoria have been snapped up at auction for thousands of pounds. A mystery bidder paid £9,735 for the large silk bloomers at an auction in Edinburgh.

The underpants were on sale with other Royal belongings, including a pair of the Queen's silk stockings, which sold for more than £5,000.

The sale included more than 500 royal paintings, letters, furniture and other items from the Forbes home. Two paintings owned by Queen Victoria, who was Britain's longest serving monarch, were also sold for more than £500,000 each.

All of the items were owned by a family called Forbes, who publish magazines in the US. The auction made more than £3m in total.


Vocabulary
Match each words to its definition
auction / bidder / bloomers / furniture / publish / stockings

someone who offers to pay a specific amount of money for something
public sale where things are sold to the person who offers the most money
large loose underwear worn below the waist by women
things such as chairs, tables, or beds
tight-fitting clothing made of thin material that women wear on their legs
make and sell books, newspapers or magazines

True or false?

1. The silk stockings sold for £9,375.
2. The sale was held in Edinburgh.
3. Everyone knew who bough the bloomers.
4. The underpants were the most expensive item in the sale.
5. One bidder paid £500,000 for two paintings.
6. Queen Victoria reigned longer than any other British king or queen.
7. The Forbes family publish books in the United States.
8. All of the items sold were owned by the Forbes family.

Which word or phrase means the same as the one in italics?

1. paintings
a) the same as brushes
b) the same as canvases
c) the same as pictures

2. snapped up
a) the same as torn
b) the same as stretched
c) the same as bought

3. mystery
a) the same as wealthy
b) the same as unknown
c) the same as public

4. belongings
a) the same as wanting
b) the same as belongs
c) the same as possessions



KEY

bidder
someone who offers to pay a specific amount of money for something
auction
public sale where things are sold to the person who offers the most money
bloomers
large loose underwear worn below the waist by women
furniture
things such as chairs, tables, or beds
stockings
tight-fitting clothing made of thin material that women wear on their legs
publish
make and sell books, newspapers or magazines

1. False
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. False
6. True
7. False
8. True

1. c) the same as pictures
2. c) the same as bought
3. b) the same as unknown
4. c) the same as possessions

Health risk from fish pedicure

KEY

Question 1
a) True. “those with conditions including diabetes and psoriasis have now been advised against the indulgence”.
b) True. “The pedicures - which are popular in Asia - have been banned in some US states, including Florida, Texas, New Hampshire and Washington”.
c) True. “ infections could be transmitted either from fish to person (during the nibbling process), water to person (from the bacteria which can multiply in water), or person to person (via water, surrounding surfaces and the fish)”.
d) False. “that a thorough foot examination is performed to make sure there are no cuts, grazes or existing skin conditions that could spread infection."
Question 2
a) People put their feet into tanks of water filled with lots of Garra Rufa fish which have no teeth. The fish “bite” small amounts of dead skin leaving the skin nice and smooth.
b) They advise clients to make sure the spas are absolutely clean. They also warn them not to use this practice if they have open wounds or suffer from some skin problems. Finally they tell them to wait 24 hours if they have removed their legs hair with wax or by shaving.
Qu3stion 3
a) conditions b) thorough c) concerned
Question 4
a) The Health Protection Agency has banned the pedicures.
b) If you don´t wait at least 24 hours after depilation, you can contract an infection.
c) Dr. Cosford said “The risk can be kept to minimum if spas follow strict standards of cleanliness.

The Amish

AMISH HISTORY

Amish belong to a Protestant-based religious group that originated in Switzerland and Germany in 1500s. Martin Luther broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, the Protestant Reformation, putting heavy emphasis on personal faith and the authority of the Bible, swept through northern Germany and Scandinavia.

Not satisfied with conservative reform, many sects developed other forms of worship. One point of contention for the reform movement was baptism which, it was believed, should only be performed on adults who consciously accepted the teachings of Jesus Christ. Adult baptisms became identified with the so-called Radical Reformation movement. Its reformers were called Anabaptists, meaning "Rebaptizers" because they had already been baptized in the Catholic Church as infants. They also believed in separation of church and state.

This Swiss Anabaptists became known as Mennonites, after a Roman Catholic priest, Monno Simon, who led them in the Netherlands and Northern Germany in the 1530s. The Mennonites, regarded as heretics, were persecuted with torture, burning at the stake, jailing, drowning and general harassment during the 1600s. At the same time, a sect of stricter Mennonites, who followed Jacob Ammann, broke off from the group and became known as Amish.

Why did many sects develop from Protestantism? Many people believed that Protestantism was not enough conservative. They wanted their Religion to be stricter than the current one.

What religious observances are the most important for the Amish? The most important observances for the Amish are the belief in personal faith and the authority of the Bible.

Who Was Jacob Ammann? Jacob Ammann was a very strict Mennonite who founded the Amish Sect.

What did Protestants think of Baptism? They thought that it should be performed on adults, not children.


Listen to this song and fill the gaps




"Wonderful World"

Don't know much about ...................
Don't know much biology
Don't know much about a science book
Don't know much about the ..................... I took

But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love ................ too
What a wonderful world this would be

Don't know much about ......................
Don't know much trigonometry
Don't know much about ........................
Don't know what a slide rule is for

But I do know that one and one is ...................
And if this one could be with you
What a wonderful world this would be

Now I don't claim to be an "A" student
But I'm trying to be
So maybe by being an "A" ..................... baby
I can win your love for me

Don't know much about history
Don't know much ...........................
Don't know much about a science book
Don't know much about the French I took

But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me too
What a wonderful world this would be

La ta ta ta ta ta ta
(History)
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
(Biology)
La ta ta ta ta ta ta
(Science book)
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
(French I took)

But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me too
What a ............................ this would be


AMISH LIFESTYLE

Amish, often referred to as plain people maintain a very distinct lifestyle. They use few modern conveniences and keep a horse and buggy as their means of conveyance. Buggies are a common sight in Lancaster as they clip-clop down country roads as well as more travelled routes.
Amish easily are identified by their manner of dress, which, they feel, is a symbol of their separation from the world and a constant reminder of their commitment to God and their religion.
Men and boys wear dark suits, coats without lapels, pastel-coloured shirts, a straw or black broad-brimmed hat and black shoes. Women wear skirts with long sleeves and high necks topped off with caps and white or black aprons. They also wear select pastel colours. Wire hook-and-eye fasteners, straight pins and velcro are used as fasteners. Women and men do not wear jewellery or embellishments such as buttons (although, some buttons are worn on winter coats) on their clothes in order to maintain humility and disavow anything that might gain them recognition, such as distinctive dress. Likewise, Amish do not style their hair, wear makeup, manufactured clothing or anything to alter God’s creation.
Black is the dominating colour for Amish life but, ironically, Amish are buried in white. Married men wear a beard. Moustaches are taboo since they were once associated with military officers and Amish are pacifists. Men keep their hair trimmed in a single layer, parted cut that dips to the earlobe on the sides and above the collar in the back of the head.

QUESTIONS
1. Match the following words to the definitions.

Fastener
Conveyance
Commitment
Disavow
_______________: Strong belief in an idea or system, especially when it is shown by your actions and behaviour.
_______________: Vehicle.
_______________: When you say that you are not connected with it or responsible for it.
_______________: Device such as a button or a zip or safety pin that fastens something, especially clothing.

2. Answer the following questions.
a. Why are Amish referred to as plain people?
b. When do Amish people wear clothes in white?
c. Why do they not wear luxurious things?

3. Put the following sentences into the passive.
a. We have a table for dinner at the Hilton
b. The white-fly is destroying melon crops in USA
c. Everybody in the city knows him well

4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning of the original.
a. Despite the age of the house, we managed to sell it.
b. Her children have long conversations on the phone. Consequently, the phone bills are expensive (Result).
c. Helen is very busy at work. Andrea is on holiday (whereas).
d. The temperature was freezing. The children were sent home (reason)
e. Although the tickets were expensive, we went to the concert (In spite of)

5. Composition. Write 130 words about fashion and models.