A TRIP TO PARIS!!!!

Dear boys and girls!!! In a few days you are travelling to Andalusia, Valencia, Portugal and Paris. As I know most of our blog readers are going to Paris, this is a little quizz for them. You only have to pay attention to these images of the wonderful city you are going to visit and, when you come back, just write down which places they are, ok? It's very easy!!

I hope all of you will have a wonderful time in Paris, Portugal, Valencia, Andalusia or wherever you will be next week!! I'm sure I will miss you all!!

Proverbs

Do you know what a proverb is?
A proverb is a simple saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth based on common sense or the practical experience of mankind (humanidad).

An example is: ¨Every cloud has a silver lining¨ =
¨No hay mal que por bien no venga¨

Who knows what are the meanings of these proverbs?
1. After a storm comes a calm: Después de la tormenta siempre llega la calma. (Luna Díez, 1ºD Bach.)
2. He who laughs last laughs best: Quien ríe el último ríe mejor. (Lucía Félix, 1ºC Bach.)
3. Love is blind: El amor es ciego. (Cristina González, 1ºC Bach.)
4. God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb: Dios aprieta, pero no ahoga. (Susana, English teacher)

5. He that would have the fruit must climb the tree: El que algo quiere, algo le cuesta. (Cristina González 1ºC Bach.)

6. If you think the worst, you won't be far wrong: Piensa mal y acertarás. (Gema, English teacher)

7. Brain is better than brawn: Más vale maña que fuerza. (Mónica Freire, Old student)

Where are you on the highway of life?

Every person is at a different point on a different highway (autopista) of life. Where are you?
As we cruise down (viajar a través) the highway of life we come across (cruzarse) many metaphorical destinations, some good some bad. Our individual personalities lead us all down a different path (camino). Let this magical personality test tell you where you are headed (dirigirse a)! Just punch in your name and soon you will be rolling past the roadsign (señal vial) of your life. Don't forget to drive carefully! What are the towns on your highway? Be sure to drop in and visit them all, because life is a journey that we should all cherish (mimar, querer). Peace!

Susana Highway Fame City 9 Study Hall 13 Dumpsville 56 Confusion Lane 118 County Jail 302 Please Drive Carefully

Username:

Where are you on the highway of life?

From Go-Quiz.com

Can you translate the words on your highway?

Mix your own dance and sound

Do you like music? If you want to enjoy for a while (un rato), click in here and tell us your experience...

Watch the video, play with the dancers, record your melody and while you were at it (de paso), why don't you translate the words under each picture?

We are waiting for your answers and opinion! It's so fun...Don't miss it out (no te lo pierdas)!!

" WATERMELON SNOW"

Have you ever hiked (ido de excursión) in a high mountain and noticed pinkish patches(manchas rosas) , or streaks of red, on the snowbanks?

This phenomenon is especially common during the summer months in the Sierra Nevada of California. The snow even has a fresh watermelon scent (olor) and is sometimes called "watermelon snow." ("nieve sandía"). It's amazing, but it has got a scientist explanation... The pink hue (tonalidad) is caused by an algae (alga) called “chlamydomonas nivalis”. People call it “Watermelon Snow” because it actually has a taste very similar to watermelon. The snow (and the algae) is safe to eat, atleast in reasonable quantities.

It is pretty unbelievable that snow would fall from the sky colored pink, and even more unbelievable that it would be safe to eat and taste like watermelon!!

It's amazing, isn't it??

The history behind the words

Do you know where the words ¨Teddy Bear¨ and ¨Hot dog¨ come from?

TEDDY BEAR

This word refers to a soft stuffed (relleno) toy bear. It was named after the American president Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was Teddy. Among his hobbies, he liked hunting bears. It is said that he saved the life of a brown bear cub (cachorro). Then, this story appeared in a cartoon in the Washington Post. After that, stuffed bears were called teddy bears.

HOT DOG
The use of this word to mean sausage comes from the XIX century. Hot referred to the temperature of the sausage, of course. And dog may have been a reference to the alleged (presuntos) contents of the sausage. In 1845 there were many accusations against sausage makers of using dog meat to make the sausage (which was not true). The term became popular and was often used in newspapers, making it as common as it is today.

What do you think about these histories?

You can look for other histories behind the words!

What do you know about?...

It has ocurred to me that we could insert a photo of any famous characters (actors, actresses, politicians, scientists,...) and the rest of people would have to add information about him/her. I think it may be a good idea to learn English and curiosities about some famous people in the world.

And the first one is...

His name is Brad Pitt.
He was born on 19th December, 1963.
His birthplace was Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Pitt grew up in Missouri and studied journalism in college before dropping out (abandonar, dejar) to become an actor.

I guess he is the sex symbol of our age, as it used to be Robert Redford or Paul Newman some years ago.I love his performances in films such as Telma & Louise, Seven, Legends of the Fall, Ocean's Eleven and Twelve and his last Babel.... (Gema, English teacher)

Hello!! I have to say that I love Brad too! hahaha. Well, I'm going to talk about his love life.Brad was engaged to Gwyneth Paltrow on December 20, 1996. The couple ended their engagement in June, 1997.In 1998 Brad began dating Jennifer Aniston, star of the TV sitcom Friends. Brad and Jennifer were married July 29, 2000,in California.In 2005, Brad After Pitt and Aniston separated on in January 2005.Nowadays he has a relationship with Angelina Jolie. Angelina and Brad have two adopted children, and one biological child.What lucky girls! I would like to be one of her lovers...! (Sue Soto, 1ºC Bach.)

His mother's name is Jane. His father, whose name is Bill, worked in management at a trucking firm (empresa de transportes) in Springfield. At Kickapoo High School, Brad Pitt was involved (estuvo involucrado) in sports, debating, student government and school musicals. He attended the University of Missouri. He occasionally acted in fraternity shows. He left college two credits short of graduating (a dos créditos de licenciarse) to move to California. Before he became successful at acting, Brad Pitt supported himself by driving strippers in limos, moving refrigerators and dressing as a giant chicken while working for "el Pollo Loco"(haha). (Tamara, 1ºC Bach)

If you add more information about this attractive man, something will happen to you...

FALSE FRIENDS

Do you kwon what a false friend is?

A false friend is a word that sounds similar in Spanish but actually it has got a different meaning.

A famous example is: ACTUALLY. Maybe you think it means ¨actual¨, but it means ¨en realidad¨.

Who can tell me what are the meanings of these false friends? :

1.Billet: Alojamiento/Alojar (Gema, English teacher)
2.Conductor: Cobrador/Revisor (Susana, English teacher)
3.Pan: Cacerola/Cazuela (Cristina Gonzalez 1ºC Bach./ Luna Díez 1ºD Bach.)
4.Carpet: Alfombra (Lucía Rivera, 1ºD Bach.)
5.Collar: Cuello de las prendas de vestir (Luna Díez 1ºD Bach.)

6.Deception: Engaño (Sue Soto, 1ºC Bach.)
7.Embarrassed: Avergonzado/a (Luna Díez 1ºD Bach.)
8.Dessert: Postre (Emilio 1ºA Bach.)

You can seek other false friends. Enjoy them!

Lunar eclipse

From 22:00 to 02:00 everybody will be able to enjoy a total lunar eclipse. This phenomenon can be seen twice a year, although this one is said to be the best one till 2029. The zenith will be at 23.43 when the moon will be completely covered by the shadow of the Earth. DON'T FORGET TO ENJOY IT TONIGHT!!

Review for 1st bachillerato

As you are taking your second term test in a few days, we have searched some links to practise on Reported Speech and Relative Clauses. We hope they are useful and help you improve your skills. Enjoy your weekend!!

REPORTED SPEECH

Reported Speech Quiz

Exercise on Reported Speech 1

Exercise on Reported Speech 2

Change to Reported Speech

RELATIVE CLAUSES

Non-defining relative clauses

Relative clauses

Test on Relative Clauses

Test on Relative Clauses 2

Relative clauses: defining or non-defining?

MORE PALINDROMES...

Do you remember what a palindrome is??

A palindrome is a word, phrase, verse, or sentence that reads the same backward or forward.
Last month we talked about them. In that post we found lots of palindromes which were really curious. Well, now I have found a very interesting video with a song where everything said are palindromes, so look at it carefully to understand all of them.

Who is able to write and translate the palindromes that appear in the video??

Lots of kisses, and enjoy it!!