No graduation without English

1. According to the heading, will English be necessary at university?


2. Which of the three requirements would you choose if you went to university?


3. Which of the three requirements would your partner choose?
   

Thursday, 7 February 2008

Students beginning their university studies next year will have three options to fulfill a new requirement for their degree:

• a working knowledge of English, today's global lingua franca.


• Either 10% of their regular degree courses will have to be conducted in English (not including English-language class), or they will have to achieve competence in English equivalent to the Cambridge First Certificate examination or the European Union B2 level.


• Finally, students will have also the option of fulfilling the 10% requirement of their studies in English (roughly a term) in foreign universities. (Full story in printed edition of Catalonia Today).

GROUP WORK: Research on the Conditionals

You are supposed to have read, analyse and underline the Grammar Reference of your student's book. So you must be ready to solve the following:

• Get into groups of 3 or 4 people.


• Once more, look up the Grammar Reference of your student's book.


• Make original sentences using the correct conditional and express:

1. a probable situation + its structure
2. a hypothetical situation + its structure
3. a hypothetical situation in the past + its structure
4. a thing which is always true -- scientific facts, general truths.

• When you are finished, send it all as a comment or email it to me at negroarroz@gmail.com. Your work will be posted on the blog.


• Finally, as well as a comment or via email, say which presentation is your favourite one.


• Bonus. Make a sentence for each of the following: if...not; unless; even if; as long as; providing that; but only if.

Goodbye & good luck!

Well, boys and girls, it's time for me to leave. I wish you all the best.

Although this is our last activity together, let’s be optimistic with the help of Monty Python's song Always look on the bright side of life.

1. Listen to the song and follow it with the lyrics below.
2. There are some words in bold. Can you classify them into two columns, as positive and negative terms?
3. Look up the dictionary when necessary.

For example,
positive terms: life, ...
negative terms: bad, ...

ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE
Some things in life are bad,They can really make you mad.Other things just make you swear and curse.When you're chewing on life's gristle,Don't grumble, give a whistle! And this'll help things turn out for the best...And
... always look on the bright side of life! Always look on the light side of life...
If life seems jolly rotten,There's something you've forgotten!And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing,
When you're feeling in the dumps,Don't be silly chumps, Just purse your lips and whistle -- that's the thing! And... always look on the bright side of life...
Come on! Always look on the bright side of life...
For life is quite absurd, And death's the final word. You must always face the curtain with a bow! Forget about your sin -- give the audience a grin, Enjoy it -- it's the last chance anyhow!
So always look on the bright side of death! Just before you draw your terminal breath. Life's a piece of shit, When you look at it.
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true, You'll see it's all a show, Keep 'em laughing as you go. Just remember that the last laugh is on you!
And always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the bright side of life. Come on guys, cheer up Always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the bright side of life... Worse things happen at sea you know Always look on the bright side of life...
I mean--what have you got to lose? you know, you come from nothing -you're going back to nothing, what have you lost? Nothing! Always look on the bright side of life...
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Let me give you some advice just before leaving. If you are going to get into trouble, you will find nothing better than english-trouble.blogspot.com. ;-)

France introduces smoking ban

02 January, 2008

France has joined several other European countries in imposing a ban on smoking in bars, cafes and restaurants. The ban came into effect at midnight on New Year's Eve. Most people appear to have accepted the prohibition as inevitable, though there's strong resistance in rural France. Read more and listen. Try a quiz on this story

Write down the main ideas which may be useful for your next writing task, the opinion essay in your Steps 2 student's book on page 37.

Personality test

Do you know what your personality type is? There are 16. Take the test clicking here and find it out.

Don't forget to describe your personality type: Big Thinker, Counsellor, Go-getter, Idealist, Innovator, Leader, Mastermind, Mentor, Nurturer, Peacemaker, Performer, Provider, Realist, Resolver, Strategist and Supervisor.

english-trouble.blogspot.com WORKSHEET

How to learn English? Practise it little and often!

This worksheet will help you when you get to english-trouble.blogspot.com.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/15065582/EXTRA-ACTIVITIES-englishtrouble-blogspot-com-CHART

In the worksheet you will find...

• a column, the 1st, where you are the posts and gadgets on the blog, so far.
• a 2nd column where you are usually suggested a brief and amusing task. When finished, write down your results.
• a 3rd column to be filled in just with the date.

Keep your English alive! This worksheet may help you.

Happy New Year 2009!

Make a wish:
1) In groups or pairs.
For example: We, the teachers, wish you all passed in June.
2) Individually.
For example: I wish I could have more free time.


If you want your wishes here, send them as a comment to this entry or send them to me at negroarroz@gmail.com

1 Tíffany: I wish I was lucky in the future.
We're Wendy and Tíffany and we wish we passed batxillerat.

2 Marc: I wish Spórting de Gijón the won league.

We're Ona, Alba and Marc and we wish we didn't any a more exams.

3 Ona: I wish I passed my car test.

We're Marc, Ona and Alba and we wish we didn't have any mor exams.

5 Alba M: I wish I won the lottery.
We're Marc, Ona and Alba and we wish we didn't have any more exams.

Which sentence in blue is correct, 2, 3 or 5?

4 Cristina Rovira: I wish I was more organized.
We’re Noelia; Alain and Cristina Rovira and we wish we got better marks.

6 Wendy: I wish I was lucky in the future.
We're Tiffany and Wendy and we wish we passed batxillerat.

7 Mireia: I wish I had a better year than the last one and a worse one than the next one.
Laia and I wish there was peace in the world.

8 I'm Sheyla and I wish I went to Paris.
I also wish I did well in this school year.

9 Edu: I wish I was Sergio's best friend for life.
We the students wish you had a happy new year at this high school.

10. Estefania: I wish the war finished
We wish the crisis finished.

11. Laia: I wish I could take part at New York's Film Academy's Summer Camp in Europe!
Mireia and I wish there was peace in the world.