Lola's Blog

Dear students Please check the C1 exam practice page , as I have updated all the links. As for homework, keep reading the novel The Bell Jar. We'll have the discussion session next Thursday. That's all for me now. Have a nice long holiday!

Self-portrait. Estate of Robert Hittel This document has been updated. It includes discussion questions from Chapter 1 to Chapter 9. You can now download this PDF . I recommend that you complete the Reflection section. Enjoy your reading. Keep up the good work.

Image by Gdudycha. CC BY SA. Wikimedia Commons Speaking Have you ever felt under a lot of stress? Look at the image above and tick the symptoms you have experienced or are experiencing at the moment because of stress.  Look up the meaning of  taut muscles ,  muddled thinking ,  hasty decisions ,  accident prone,   res tlessness . Do you have any recipe for a stress-free lifestyle? Watch this video Vocabulary Check the meaning of the following vocabulary before you watch: a) core issue       b) thorny issue      c) flexitime      d) paternity leave   e) corporation f) to get a grip  on something    g) to pause h) to work long hours    i) it's up to you Watch Nigel Marsh talking about how to make work-life balance work. It's a 10 minute long video. Task 1. He talks about four observations and then gives some tips on how to deal with those observations or problems. Sometimes he provides real-life examples or tells a short story to exemplify

Bob Marley (1945-1981) How much do you know about Bob Marley? What kind of music did he play? Do you know any of his songs? Jamaican English What language did Bob Marley speak? Listen to this radio interview. How much can you understand? Bob spoke Jamaican patois . Interesting? Difficult? Documentary about Bob If you would like to learn more about Bob Marley, follow this link.

Do you know the difference between Copyright and Copyleft ? Do you know what Creative Common Licences are? Do you think you can use and download any images for free? In this post you will find useful information about Creative Common Licenses, how to atribute images, videos or any material, where to find images in the public domain without worrying about what is legal or illegal. You can read or download an updated version of the document about creative commons licences. I have added a licence to my document. Is this licence restrictive? In what way? You can post a comment with your thoughts. I'd love to hear from students!

Please download the following document . We'll be working with these two news stories in class. You will find a link to the original source where they where published (El País in English). Understanding what the piece of news is about As you read the news, make sure you answer the following questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why?  How? Understanding the language used Identify what kind of verb tenses have been used identify what kind of language has been used to draw the reader's attention Reflecting on journalism style How reliable do you think are the news stories you have read? Further reading If you would like to read more about new trends in journalism, you can read this short article published in the UNESCO web page.

Brandon Jerningan, PhD English.  British Council Research Papers

Dear students Watch my presentation to learn more about the project we are going to work on. You will find all the instructions to do the project in my genial.ly. However, you can also download this document. I hope you enjoy doing the project. Please post a comment!!

I hope you remember some of the vocabulary we saw in class the other day, for example, the difference between undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate. Also, the difference between an undergraduate degree such as a BA ( Bachelor of Arts ), and a postgraduate degree such as an MSc ( Master of Science ). If you would like to have a general overview about education in the UK, read this document. Here you have the vocabulary handout I gave you in class last Thursday. Yo can download this document.. Oxbridge Do you know what Oxbridge stands for? Click here to find out. You are going to learn some facts about these prestigious universities. University of Cambridge  Visit the University of Cambridge page and find out the following: Is Cambridge University a private or a public university? How old is the University? How is the University structured, in terms of colleges, Schools, Faculties and Departments? How much are the tuition fees? What are the entry requirements?

Public domain Can you answer these questions?: Do you know the difference between work and job ? Which words collocate with do and make ? For example, what is correct make or do a living ? Have you been made redundant recently?  Which big company has announced a new round of layoffs ? How much paternity leave can you take in Spain? If you are a parent, how do you juggle work and family life ? What is the state retirement age ? Do you get any perks in your company? Vocabulary What words come to your mind if somebody mentions the following?: unemployment job security casual employment changing work patterns employment opportunities maternity/paternity leave sick leave childcare retirement Can you speak for 4-6 minutes on each topic? Well, you'll have to work at it or work your socks off! Topic 1. Unemployment Follow this link to read an article about Spain . Follow this link to read about benefits in the UK , and this one to read about redundan

We talked about writing, different types of text and analysed some reports. A report is a formal written account that gives information about a subject, a place, a person or an event. Broadly speaking there are four types of report: an assessment report, an informative report, a survey report, and a proposal report. The task in class You read somebody's report which followed these instructions:  "An international research group is carrying out an investigation into changing trends in the way young people spend their free time. You have been asked to write a report about the situation in your country". It was quite clear that this was an informative report. It was divided into five paragraphs, the first one being the introduction or purpose, and the last paragrah a conclusion with suggestions and/or recommendations. Suggested titles for a report Your writing task was to write a similar report but applied to your country. However, you suggested other titles