Lola's Blog

Public domain Think of an answer for these questions: 1) Do you know anyone who doesn't like money? 2) How greedy can you or anyone get? 3) How much money is enough for you to be happy? 4) Do you ever think of those who have very little or nothing? 5) How would you feel if you were young and long-term unemployed? Well, you'll have a chance to talk about these things in class. Vocabulary You are going to revise quite a lot of vocabulary this week: money vocabulary, phrasal verbs and money expressions . Do you know the meaning of the following expressions? If not, click and check.   to be in credit , to be well off , to pay the house off You can download this PDF with money vocabulary exercises . Reading Read this BBC article about young people seeking employment and answer these questions: What is the news? What has the report by the Prince's Trust revealed? What is the government doing about it?  What is a neet ?  What is the equival...

The Moorish Bazaar. Rudolf Ernst. Public domain Today we are going to step back in time and travel through time, to the trade route known as the Silk Route. Do you know anything about it? Vocabulary Task 1. Check the meaning of the following words: barter, bazaar, commodities,  goods, gunpowder, spices Task 2 . Click on this link about spices and make a list of at least five spices. What is the Spanish equivalent for each spice? What is the most expensive spice today? The map of the Silk Route Look at the map in your book on page 66 and compare it to this map. Can you locate the cities in your book in this map? Public domain. Wikimedia Commons Click on the cities along the Silk Route map to learn what life is like today in those places. Video clip on the city of Kashgar Watch this video on the BBC page and answer the following questions: Where is Kashgar? What does the reporter say about its past? Why is this city being transformed? What is it be...

Township in South Africa. CCO Public domain We had a writing class last Tuesday. The text you discussed and analysed in class involved problems caused by cycling in Beijing. The writer of the text proposed some solutions to the identified problems. This was an opportunity for you to think of possible solutions to problems that either matter to you or you are interested in. Essay titles that you suggested in class included the following: 1. Eating disorders 2. The spread of AIDS 3. Political corruption in Spain 4. Plastic waste and its impact on the environment 5. Lack of funding for cultural events 6. Youth unemployment in Spain 7. School dropouts 8. Pollution in the world 9. Malnutrition in the world 10. Gender inequality Task 1. Researching the topic: shanty towns The photo I have chosen for this post is about Soweto shanty towns . Did you know that Soweto is the most populous black urban residential area in South Africa? What is the original meaning of Sow...

Image by Eva Rinaldi. en.wikipedia.org CC BY SA Do you know the man on this photo? Just read the words behind and you'll guess. That's right, it's Baz Luhrmann, the director of The Great Gatsby . This post is about cinema. You will learn vocabulary for talking about and reviewing films. You will also be able to watch an interview with an actor and write a book/film review. Baz Luhrmann How much do you know about this director? What other films has he directed? Where is he from? What awards has he received? Click on this link to find out. Film glossary Do you know the meaning of "blockbuster" or "cameo". How about "props"? This is a sample of the vocabulary that you need to know when talking about films. Visit this Imdb page to learn film-related words. Speaking Think of   a film that you have enjoyed. Make some notes and get ready to talk about it in class. Watch this interview Watch Leonardo DiCaprio talk about...

Eric Allix Rogers. Flickr.com CC NC SA This post is about how to write an advantages and disadvantages article or essay. The main purpose of this type of essay is to present information objectively. Read the article about one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs in Unit 3 of your book Global . How many paragraphs is the article divided into? Can you identify the information in each paragraph? Structure This kind of essay has a clear structure: Introduction : mention the topic you are going to present and say why it is one of the greatest achievements. Advantages : list at least two advantages and benefits of your chosen topic. Disadvantages : list at least two disadvantages. Conclusion : end your essay with a conclusion. You can briefly summarise the advantages, without forgetting about the disadvantages (a word or two) and perhaps you can advance what the future holds. Connectors Read the article in Unit 3. Can you identify how ideas are linked? That's...

F.A Leyendecker Public Domain It's party time! Look at the photo of a flapper in the 1922 Life magazine cover. The word flapper refers to a woman. Click here to check its meaning. The origin of the word is uncertain, but it seems to be related to an early use to describe a teenage girl whose hair is not yet put up. If you would like to learn more about this, visit the Wikipedia page on flapper . What is clear is that flappers loved partying! Actress Norma Talmadge   The Great Gatsby soundtrack Do you remember the soundtrack in The Great Gatsby movie? Apart from jazz music proper, the film features hip-hop music, like A Little Party Never Killed Nobody by Fergie. I hope you enjoy it.  Have a great time partying or not partying!

Image by The Good News. CC-BY. Wikipedia This post is a tribute to Nelson Mandela, a great leader who has recently passed away. How much do you know about Mandela? How old was he? Where was he from? What was his real name? How long did he spend in prison? Why? What is his legacy? In this post you will find the answer to the above questions and much more. You will learn about his life, his legacy and the turbulent times in which he lived in his native South Africa. Apartheid Read the following sign. Can you identify the language below the English message? Public Domain How much do you know about apartheid? Watch the following video and find out. A video about Mandela's life   Listen to Obituary: The Life of Nelson Mandela This is a BBC radio recording . It's 25 minutes long! Listen as much as you like. If you would like to learn more about Nelson Mandela through listening, visit this BBC page . You will find hours of listening practice....