Take a look at the discussion questions on page 35. Choose one and write a few lines about it.
Something you think all young people should be able to do before they leave school, by Tomás de Paz.
When students finish school they will have been able to acquire/learn a lot of kinds of knowledge and skills and these will be reflected in their marks. For many people that is the most important thing. In my opinion, the most important things should be that the teaching fully develops the student as a person. All students should be able to know how to conduct themselves in life, what to do, how to behave or how to respect once they leave school. J
Driving a motorbike, by Cristina Paz.
I would like to be able to drive a motorbike better. Eleven years ago I got the license to drive a motorbike. However, I think that it is very dangerous so I don´t usually drive it. Be that as it may I´m trying to drive the motorbike twice a week.My problem is that the car is more comfortable than the motorbike, you don´t need helmet, gloves and a jacket if the weather is cold. Despite this, it is also true that parking your motorbike is a bit easier than parking the car. In addition, traffic jams aren’t a big problem so I´m going to try to drive the motorbike.J
Something you´ve tried to learn, by Diana Fdez
I think that being able to do something well is very important. On the one hand, if I spoke better English, it would be easier to find a good job or I’d be able to communicate when I speak with people from other countries. Sometimes I would be able to answer well when people from other countries ask me for something, but sometimes I don´t know technical words, but it is an objective for me. On the other hand, when I was young I liked drawing cartoon characters. Sometimes I think I should start drawing once again because I’ve caught the bug. J
Something you can do, but you would like to be able to do better by Mónica Domínguez
I have always wanted to be able to play the guitar. Two years ago I took up guitar lessons with a private teacher and I enjoyed this very much.I think that playing an instrument is difficult and you should practice a lot and never give up. I would like to be able to play the guitar better. I love music and one day I will be able to improve my skills and play other instruments like the piano or the trumpet.J
Something you are learning to do and that you hope you´ll soon be able to do well by María Isabel Martínez Villares.
When I was young, I had a dream: Travel around the world and learn languages. At school and at high school, I always studied French. In my life, I have traveled to several countries but as I only spoke Spanish and French, I could speak very little with the local people, so four years ago I decided to study English. Today, I´m learning it and I hope to be able to do better soon because I have health problems to work in my profession and I requested a change of job, for which I urgently need to know English. My future depends on it. J
Something you think all young people should be able to do before they leave school, by Lorena Pacios.
I think all young people should be able to read really well before they leave school. Reading is necessary in our daily routine. For example when you are buying at the supermarket and you need to read the label because you are looking for a special product, or you need to read the instructions to assemble IKEA furniture. So reading well and understanding what you are reading is the most important thing that you should be able to do really well when you finish your Primary school.If you don´t like reading or you hardly ever read, it doesn't matter, but you need to understand when you read something.J
I am not able…… By Francisco
I would like to be able to whistle. I have always tried to be able to do it since I was a child but I always confronted failure or did it badly. Because of this, when I see sheep farmers whistling to their herds of sheep, I feel frustrated. Probably people say that it is an easy thing to do but unfortunately I am not able to do it. Maybe in another life I will be able to whistle;, but at the moment, I have this recurring nightmare where I dream that I am a sheep farmer and I am not able to lead my herds. J
Something you can do, but you´d like to be able to do better by A. Yolanda Fernández García
I can swim, but I would like to be able to do better. I learnt to swim when I was a teenager, when I was about fourteen years old. I tried to learn on the swimming-pool of my city, but I wasn´t able to learn. When I went to my niece´s communion I saw the sea for the first time. Then I practiced swimming on the beach a lot, with help of my brother. He taught me to swim and I didn´t need any floats. I managed to swim on the beach because I seemed easier. From then on I haven’t been swimming much. Nowadays I can swim, but I ´d like to be able to swim without getting tired and I would be able to keep my head inside the water. I am truly amazed when I see people swimming for a long time without stopping to rest. I think swimming is very important. Perhaps one day I will also be able to swim better, because it’s never too late. J
Something you have tried to learn, but have never been able to do well by Vanesa Domínguez.
I like singing but I know that I don't do it well. I learn songs very fast, I remember the lyrics and rhythm easily but I have never been able to sing well. I have never tried to go to singing lessons because I'm too embarrassed to sing in public. I know that my attitude is not right but I also know that even though if I went to singing lessons I would learn to sing better, I'll never get to be a good singer so I keep singing in the shower because although I do it badly, it feels good.J
Something you can do, but but you'd like to be able to do better. Maria.j
I have always wanted to be able to swim, so last September I decided to go swimming twice or three times a week. When I took up swimming I felt extremely tired, Otherwise, gong swimming makes me feel good On top of being able to swimm better, I'd love to be able to swim faster and have better endurance, so lately I have been watching videos on youtube about swimming styles. Furthermore I practice them. One day I will be able to swim a whole lot faster.J
SOMETHING YOU'VE TRIED TO LEARN, BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DO WELL. By Miriam Chana I don't like swimming. I have never been able to do it well. However, I have a problem in my back and the doctor said to me that I should swim. Due to this advice, I am learning to practise this sport with the help of my boyfriend and I have improved a lot. I hope I will soon be able to do it like a dolphin. I will attend swimming lessons next month and I will keep on trying. I can do what I wanted so I won't quit. J
Something I've tried to learn, but have never been able to do well. by Estefania Glez.
I have always wanted to be able to ski, but I have never managed. Every winter, I and my boyfriend go skiing. He skis very well and always tries to teach me, but I'm very clumsy. This year we decided to hire a professional instructor to teach me and I think I've improved a lot. I would like to be able to ski as well as my boyfriend does and be able to slide down the tracks together. I promise next year I’ll try again. J
Something you learnt to do after a lot of effort by Begoña Glez Being more patient has been, without doubt, what I’ve learnt to do (to be) it after a lot of effort. I’m going to explain this better…Whereas, some years ago, I worried about everything, I wanted to accomplish every challenge immediately; otherwise, I lost my patience easily. Little by little, I’ve been able to change my tune and nowadays I face my daily life less impatiently and more peacefully.I‘m sure that being patient is the first step to be successful in life. Futhermore, I believe you can improve things such as your personality or your skills. J
Something I`ve always wanted to learn by Marta del Canto. I`ve always liked classical music, especially, piano music. I have always wanted to play the piano since I was a little girl but for some reason or other, I’ve never been able to learn it like I would have wanted. The problem has always been the time. I spent my time on other activities such as ballet, private English classes, private Math classes, etc. And then it gets worse, because when we grow up time goes by faster than when we were children, and it gets more difficult to juggle everything at once. So I believe that if you feel like doing something, don´t wait to find the best moment, and if you feel capable of doing something, just do it! J
Practical things by Severino I would like to be able to be a bit of a builder, a plumber or an electrician. Most people very often look down on this kind of jobs and I don´t understand why. I´ve always admired practical people, who are able to create new things around us .They make life easier. Nowadays we are living in a virtual world where we only know about pushing keys, while things around us are a disaster. I think that it is a big mistake in the current education system. J
Something that I've always wanted to do by Víctor Álvarez I've always wanted to be able to play the piano. Since I was a child this instrument has fascinated me but I’ve never had the opportunity to learn to play it. Each passing year I've got less and less time to do after-school activities and the music school takes lots of time. One of my classmates, who plays the trumpet, has told me she has 4 hours of music on Wednesdays! Anyway, it seems to be a difficult instrument and maybe I'll need to wait a few years to face this challenge. J
MOBILE PHONES
Here are some questions around the this topic for you. Choose one and write a few lines about it.
- Does it bother you when people use their mobile phones?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones?
- Would you like to get a new phone? Why/Why not?
- Are you happy with your mobile company?
- Can you remember your first mobile phone?
- What is good phone etiquette?
Advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones, by Tomás de Paz
The invention of the mobile phone has brought a lot of advantages, such as: it enables wireless communication by voice, by text, by e-mail and even allows you to make emergency calls. You can also connect to the internet. But there aren’t just advantages; its use also causes a lot of problems. Mobile phones don’t make room for other activities while you are using them. It's hazardous to drive while you're talking (a bus driver was recorded chatting during a school trip... of course he was immediately fired). The non-stop use of it makes it impossible for people to concentrate in their activities and maybe we should bear in mind that the microwaves can affect our brains. Are we more likely to develop any brain illnesses as we get older? Who knows? J
Does it bother you when people use their mobile phones? By Vanesa Domínguez No, it doesn’t bother me because I can't understand life without mobile phones. I think they are necessary for many situations in our daily life. I use it to send and receive e-mails, to text friends, to make calls, to take photos and to use different social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, or instagram; in fact I never switch off my phone during the day but I put it on silence when I am working or I have a meeting. Sometimes I don't remember to switch it back to sound mode and then I don't answer the phone when someone calls me. The mobile phone is an essential gadget in our lives but it mustn't be the way to interact with other people, so I dislike it when I meet my friends for a drink and they are using their mobile phones all the time.J
Can you remember your first mobile phone? By Elena Puente
I remember my first mobile phone perfectly well. It was “One touch easy” of Alcatel, which was very big and heavy. This mobile phone had an external antenna and the battery lasted longer than now, about five days. There were ten ringtones at the most. I bought it with my friend. We had a rate which was cheaper if we called each other. It was called “duo”. Our mobile company was Amena. We had to stay in touch the whole time. We could talk and send text messages, but we weren’t able to download applications yet. J
What are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones? by María Isabel Martínez Villares.
In my opinion, the use of mobile phone has more disadvantages than advantages. As advantages, I would emphasize: the ease and speed of communication between people, allowing direct access to services, leisure, generally, Internet, social networks, applications and it is mainly useful in emergencies. For me, the main disadvantage is the lack of privacy, as you can always be tracked and controlled by other people. It is also very irritating that people forget to turn off their mobile or put it on silent during meetings, shows, films, etc. Mobile phones are also addictive and make people feel an urge to be connected or in contact with someone. J
Technologies by Diana Fdez I think that nowadays we are living in a world where the new technologies are important in our lives. Who doesn’t have a gadget at home or at work? There are people with the best mobile phone, laptop, or Ipad of the market or even with the most state of the art technology. On the one hand we can find some advantages regarding the use of smartphones; for example we can be connected as we speak or we can check email, or read news, or perform a lot of tasks without having to switch on a laptop. We can speak with friends who work in the other countries. On the other hand, in my opinion, technology has a lot influence in our lives and sometimes we rely too much on the gadgets and maybe we don´t enjoy the moments with friends, family or important events. J
What are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones? by Estefanía Glez.
In my opinion, mobile phones are the best invention of all ages. The first thing that needs to be said is that it have a lot of advantages such as 24h of communication among people, possibility of sending instant messaging, direct access to Internet, possibility to download several applications.. But the other side of the coin is that it also has some disadvantages, such as many people can control you through different applications, its uncontrolled use can create addiction... So use you phone responsibly!J
Does is bother you when people use their mobile phones? By Maria J. Nowadays people use their mobile phone all the time. We use our mobile phone to keep in touch with friends in different networking sites, to keep up with news, the weather or sports on the internet. We can search for information on Google. We can go on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, we can browse the internet whenever we want. However, we shouldn't use our mobile in wrong places or with the wrong people, so we should put the phone on silent or vibrate mode. It gets on my nerves when people go on whatsapp or reply to a message when I' m talking with somebody face to face and I’m ignored for the whole time. In my opinion it's bad manners.J
Mobile phones and the Age-Tech, by Seve. Nowadays most mobile phones are called smartphones. As a matter of fact, that’s an absolute truth. All of them are very, very clever. And it´s that because thebiggest technological inventions are within them. They are more the product of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Zuzkerberg and others than Graham Bell´s disciples. They are little computers where you can put hundreds of technological applications inside, such as google, facebook, whatsapp, news… And of course you can use all of them everywhere in your daily life. I simply think they are wonderful. It depends on whether you use them wisely.J
What are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones? By Víctor Álvarez It's undeniable that mobile phones, specially the ones known as "smartphones", have revolutionized our lives in an amazing way. You can always be connected to the web, look for information at the click of a mouse, chat or talk to people all around the world and take pictures of everything. In theory, there are no bad aspects of mobile phones. What can be wrong is the way in which we use them. Nowadays we are almost forced to publish everything we think, everyone we meet and everywhere we are so the people can see us and give their opinion on us. If we continue behaving like this, will there be any privacy in the future?J
SPORTS
Take a look at the speaking questions on page 47, choose one bullet point and write a few lines about it.
A time you got lost, by María Isabel Martínez Villares
This happened 27 years ago, that is, in 1988. It was the first time I went to Paris. My ex-husband and I were traveling by car. The trip began in Astorga and ended in Brussels. After 12 days of traveling, we arrived in the outskirts of Paris (" La Ville Lumière" is made up of 20 municipal districts, all skirted by motorways). Depending on the direction of the district you want to reach, you must choose between the inner ring road (moving clockwise) and the outer ring road (counterclockwise). This was a big mess! We got nervous because there were many lanes and also because of the speed of cars. We didn´t know which exit to take to get to The Eiffel Tower and we spent two hours circling around Paris. In the end, we managed to enter the city, but from the opposite side of the city and The Eiffel Tower.J
The first time I cheated at school, by Tomás de Paz
It was in primary school, so it was already more than 40 years ago. I was studying 5th grade in a boarding school, and my schoolmaster was Mr. Juan Seco, a very old person at that time. We were studying a very complicated subject for me: conjunctions. My classmate and close friend J.L.S. was the cleverest in the class and Mr. Seco had him in the front row. My friend always knew everything. I drew a hand on a piece of paper with indications and I told him to lift his thumb when the conjunction was copulative, his index finger when it was adversative, his middle finger when it was distributive, his ring finger when it was disjunctive and finally his pinky when the conjunction was explanatory. The plan worked perfectly and Mr. Seco showed himself very proud of all of us. The problem came the day of the test. Not all my mates could see J.L.S.’ hand, in that moment down, because of the test. Only those who were in his line could pass the test and Mr. Seco was surprised but I think he didn’t realize what happened exactly. When I meet with J.L. (who today works as an architect) I always remind him this and things like that and the good times we have both had. These things remind me of my childhood.J
A time you cheated in a game by Víctor Álvarez Martínez.
It was a Sunday I was playing Monopoly with my sister and cousins. I’m usually quite good at that game but I had had very bad luck and I was about to lose everything. Quite honestly, I’m not a good loser and when my cousin went to the bathroom I agreed with my sister and my other cousin to cheat and we started taking lots of bills from the bank. When my cousin returned we continued playing as if nothing had happened. In spite of that, I lost and, since then, I’ve never cheated in a game again.J
A time I met a celebrity, by Estefania Glez. Some months ago I went to Madrid with my boyfriend and we spent all weekend in the capital. We visited several places, but my favourite was Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. We went to see the match and the next day we went to Valdebebas to see our team train. After the training, the football players were out in their cars. Suddenly, the football player number #3, Pepe, stopped his car in front on me and he rolled down the window. He started to talk with me! OMG! I didn’t believe it! Finally we took some photos with him and he gave me his t-shirt! It was an amazing experience.J
A time I met a celebrity by Luis Ángel Calvete Prieto.
Twelve years ago I took a trip to Madrid with a friend to see a Real Madrid match in the city of Madrid.We had been doing sightseeing. I liked "El Retiro" Park, "El Prado" Gallery and Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. We were walking across Gran Vía St. and while we were looking for a fast food restaurant, we suddenly were in front of José Mota and Santiago Segura. They were wearing jeans and T shirts. José Mota is the funniest person that I’ve met in my whole life. We were talking and laughing for ten minutes. I love his humour.
P.D. Real Madrid beat Levante 5-0. ;-) J
A time I got a sports injury, by Vanesa Domínguez
When I was younger I played handball for eight years. We played the children provincial league female handball in A Coruña and we won this competition, so we played the Galician championship. In the first game against Ourense I injured my ankle when I was throwing the ball into the goal. At the time, the competition ended for me, I had a grade two sprain and I spent all weekend walking with crutches but, even so, I enjoyed a lot because we were staying at the Riazor hotel, the same hotel as the Deportivo de La Coruña players were staying because they played in Riazor that weekend. We saw Bebeto, Mauro Silva, Donato, Djukic, Fran and some other players at the hotel and we asked them for autographs or photos. Since that moment I am a member of Deportivo and I go to Riazor whenever I can to see my team play.J
A time when I cheated in a exam by Diana Fdez
When I was at secondary school, I was studying for the final exams. One day I was studying for a history exam and we were tested on two units of the Spanish Civil War. I thought that the second topic was less important than the first one, so I didn’t study that topic.
During the night I decided to write the topic on a piece of paper and take it to the exam. The topic that the teacher chose for the exam was the one which I hadn´t studied. I waited one moment and when the teacher wasn´t looking at me I changed the piece of paper of the exam for the piece of paper which I had written the night before.J
THINKING BEFORE DOING IT. Francisco T Garcia
I'm going to tell you about one time when I was walking through the mountains with my cousin. This happened many years ago when both of us were teenagers and we used to go for a walk at different places. That time we went to the mountains and realized that we got lost. We got really nervous and we were really feeling isolated but my cousin, who was five years elder than me, took the responsibility of the situation. After we rested for a few minutes, we kept on walking and we suddenly saw someone far away. We approached him and asked him how to get back to the starting point where we had begun the route. In the end things were fine but we learnt one important lesson: if you’re going to do a mountain trail, you should study it thoroughly before you set off.J
A time you got lost. By Sonia Garcia Garcia.
I´m going to talk about a time when I and my husband got lost. This happened a few years ago when we were in our honey moon. We were traveling around several cities in the USA. When we visited Orlando we went to Disney Park by bus from the hotel. But when we came back to the hotel we missed our bus, because in the bus stop there were many buses. We were afraid because we didn´t know how to call the hotel or call for a taxi. A few minutes later two boys and a girl got to the bus stop and fortunately they spoke a bit of Spanish and they said their hotel was near our hotel. Finally we got back to our hotel on their bus. J
A time when you got lost by Begoña Glez.
It’s really difficult for me to tell you about a time when I got lost because I often end up getting lost. It doesn’t depend on the size of the place: from the smallest to the biggest one, it doesn’t matter. Last time it happened to me was last Christmas…I had visited my family’s youngest brothers, who live in a tiny village, which is situated 6 kms from my house and I’ve driven there many times. That day, I decided to come back home soon because it was raining cats and dogs. When I reached a roundabout, I hesitated between two directions, I chose one of them and after some kms, I realized I had got lost againJ
RELATIONSHIPS
Choose ONE of the following speaking topics and write a few lines about it:
- People who spend a lot of time on Facebook become more dissatisfied with their own lives.
- You can only have two or three close friends.
- Nowadays people are in touch with more people but have fewer close friends.
- Men keep their friends longer than women.
- You should never criticize your friend's partner.
- You should never lend money to a friend (or borrow money).
- It's impossible to stay good friends with an ex-partner.
Something with regards to relationships, by Tomás de Paz:
People get together for many different reasons. Each one of us has a lot of acquaintances, loads of mates and neighbours, some friends and very few close friends. It’s well known that ‘the good friends are counted with one hand’s fingers’. Life brings us close to lots of people and for different reasons we get in touch and we get on well with some and we don’t get on or even we get badly with others. Sometimes, in spite of getting on well with some mates and friends, it’s difficult to keep in touch and we lose touch with them. Humans, by nature, need friendship and relationships and whoever needs the opposite is diagnosed as autistic.J
It´s impossible to stay good friends with an ex-partner, by María Isabel Martínez Villares.
“When a couple relationship ends, it doesn’t have to be the end of friendship ". This is the theory, but my experience tells me that this is very difficult because first you have to assimilate failure, heal the wounds and forgive (which takes you some time). The thing is that it will always take longer for one of the partners in the couple than for the other. Then, both have to agree to have a friendly relationship where there is some distance and both have to behave as friends (non-rubbing or anything like that, of course). Definitely, the two people have to assume that NOW the relationship is totally different.J
You should never criticize your friend's partner, by Vanesa Domínguez
I think we should never criticize our friend's partner. If I don't like my friend’s boyfriend or girlfriend for some reason I should still try to have a healthy relationship with this friend. If I do not, this may lead to losing the good friendship with my close friend. In my opinion, we all have something in our behavior we could improve, so we must understand people and accept them as they are. If there is something we do not like in someone, we should fix the disagreements with this person directly; we shouldn’t talk about it behind their back. As far as I know, this is coward behaviour, we mustn't place anyone else in the way.J
Men keep their friends longer than women. Francisco T García The answer regarding this topic is going to depend on men and women’s perception of the term friendship. I would say men keep their friends longer than women but these friends aren’t just close friends but also mates, colleagues and they won't dive into this relationship. Nevertheless women have got fewer mates and just the opposite more close friends. In this case women get in touch with or keep their friends longer than men. So it is really difficult to answer properly when someone asks you about relationships due to the fact that there is not a relationship which is the same as another relationship and there are many different kinds of relationships. J
You can only have two or three close friends. By Diana Fdez I think that you can only have two or three close friends, but nowadays with the popularity of social networking it is easier to get in touch with many people than if we didn’t have the internet and technology gadgets. However, when you have an important problem, it is your close friends who are going to help you out with problems that you may be experiencing. That depends on the situation too. Personally, I believe it´s difficult, because in our life we meet many people and I don´t like losing touch with them.J
Nowadays people are in touch with more people but have fewer close friends by Yolanda Fernández I think most people, especially younger ones, have a lot of friends. If you are on a social networking site, you can see for yourself that your younger friends have many friends: three hundred, five hundred or even a thousand. It is very curious because when you meet them in the street sometimes they don´t even greet each other. A short time ago I saw a joke in a popular social network precisely. A man had died but in the funeral there were only two people, then one of them was saying: "I don´t understand it, because he had two thousand friends on Facebook". This joke is ironic but quite realistic in my opinion. Nowadays everyone likes adding people in social networking sites although they don´t meet any face to face and they talk about the photos that people upload on the social networks. In general if a young person has many "likes” for their photos or comments, this makes him or her a popular person... The news warns us about the dangers of social networks for teenagers because they can feel cut off if they are ignored by their friends.I think technologies are a good invention, but they have also separated people. For example, when computers or mobile phones didn´t exist, if you wanted to talk to someone you met this person and you talked to each other, but nowadays people tend to text on Whatsapp or share photos in a social network, but they don´t talk about important things about their lives.J
Nowadays people are in touch with more people but have fewer close friends by Mónica Domínguez. Nowadays social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter help you to meet friends and find old ones. The internet is a great way to keep in touch with your friends and family who don't live near and online chat is an easy way to have conversations so people tend to have one hundred acquaintances or more on Facebook but only between five and eight are really close friends.I think friendship is very important and I prefer to have fewer good friends instead of many acquaintances.J
You should never criticize your friend's partner by María Elisa Macho We may not always like the choices our friends have made when it comes to choosing friends. However, one of the foundations of a genuine friendship is the acceptance of the other's decisions. If you don’t like your boyfriend or girlfriend’s partner, my advice is to be careful not to hurt the person we like. If this relationship breaks up, we may decide to openly say what we have kept to ourselves. This kind of sincerity may not be appropriate. Your friend may be suffering and our words can hurt.Also, don´t rule out the possibility of a reconciliation.J
You can only have two or three close friends. By Mariaj. I think that it is very difficult to have more than two or three close friends. These few friends are very important in your life, Perhaps when you're a child it is easier to make a lot of friends because you share the same activities with them, whether it is school, sports or games. I think it depends on the moment of your life and on your personality as well as on your friend's personality. I have a friend who I've known since I was two years old and we have kept in touch for years. We can have friends from different social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook. Nowadays it is easy to keep in touch with people you don't see for a long time or to add people you have never meet in real life. But if you had a huge problem, you can only share that problem with two or three close friends and they will give you advice in the best possible way.J
Nowadays people are in touch with more people but have fewer close friends by Estefanía Glez. I agree with this topic because nowadays there are a lot of social networks which give us the opportunity to meet people. A lot of people have more than 1000 friends on Facebook for example, but this isn't the same as having real friends. You have a lot of friends on Facebook for many different reasons, friends for games, friends of friends, acquaintances, etc.. Thanks to these sites it is easier to keep in touch with these people, but you don't tell them the same things that you tell your close friends. So you can have 1000 friends on Facebook but only have 2 or 3 close friends.J
HURT, HURT AND HURT......WHY?? by Luis Ángel Calvete Prieto
It´s hard to write about the relationships when you have been unfaithful by your mates or partners, but it´s necessary this blind date to sucess my one,
isn´t it?
I´d like to show people who i´m Deep inside but i keep seeing day after day too fake people and i´ll give up this fighting.
I´m studying here in Astorga by a relationship, she is technical arquitect as me, she needed my help and i gave it without any problems.....she promised me to take care of my heart always in her life, she broke it after a Little time.
Nowadays the life keep walking under the grass and i can´t walking beside the fake people.
Please, never make a promise you can´t fulfil.
THE CINEMA
Write about a really good film you've seen this year:
- What kind of film is it?
- Is it based on a book or a real event?
- Where and when is it set?
- Who's in it? Who is it directed by?
- Does it have a good plot?
- Does it have a good soundtrack?
- Why did you like it?
" AMERICAN SNIPER "(2014) by María Isabel Martínez Villares American Sniper is an American 2014 film directed by Clint Eastwood. It´s an action, war film and it´s based on the autobiography of marine Chris Kyle. The main characters are Chris Kyle and Taya Renae Kyle, and they are played by Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller. The film is set in the Iraq war after the terrorist attacks of September 11. It was filmed on location in L.A. and Morocco. The film is about the life of Chris Kyle (the most lethal sniper in U.S. history), his problematic family life for neglecting his wife and children for the times in which he went to war, his passion for being a Texas cowboy and most importantly, his mission in the Iraq war: to protect his fellow army with his milimetric precision and to save countless lives on the battlefield. The soundtrack is by Ennio Morricone but goes unnoticed. I think the film is great because it makes people aware of the sacrificies made by soldiers.J
About a really good film I’ve seen this year, by Tomás de Paz
Back in the day, when I was a teenager, I first saw an old black and white film. Despite the fact that it is set in 1940, it was a film premiere in Spain in 1976 because it was banned/censored by Franco’s dictatorship. I saw it again last month after almost 40 years, but now from another point of view. The main character and the producer is the same person and he plays two roles. On the one hand he plays the role of a dictator and on the other hand he plays a Jewish barber.This film is a comedy and it has a good plot, which is strongly critical of the Nazism and dictatorships, but humorously ridiculing it. The film is set in Germany and, it seems to me, it was filmed on location in Hollywood. For me the best scenes are when a breathtaking woman wants to hit a soldier with a frying-pan but, by mistake, she hits the head of the barber, who starts staggering in the street, in one direction and in another, like a zombie, with his peculiar walk. The movie got five Oscar nominations but didn’t receive any Oscar awards.J
The physician (2013) by Diana Fdez
The Physician is an adventure and drama film.It is based on the best-seller novel by the same title by Noah Gordon. The film is set in a mining town in England in the XI century and in Is Faham (Persia). The main characters are played by Tom Payne, Stellan Skargard, Olivier Martinez, Emma Rigby, Ben Kingsley, and Michael Gibson among others. It was directed by Philipp Stölzt. It has a good plot for me, because the film narrates how a child, Rob Cole, when his mother dies from a rare disease, he decides to study medicine in Persia with the teacher Ibn Sina. I don´t remember the soundtrack. I like the film because of the plot. J
The theory of everything (2014) by Víctor Álvarez Martínez.
About a couple of weeks ago I went to the cinema to see "The theory of everything". It's kind of a drama which tells the life of Stephen Hawking, the famous physicist, since he was at Cambridge University, is his early twenties, until he got the Order of the British Empire. The film is set in Cambridge and Oxford in the second half of the XX century. It stars Eddie Redmayne as Stephen and Felicity Jones as his wife Jane. The soundtrack is not very spectacular and the plot is based on Hawking's life, so for me the best part is the way the actors act, because Redmayne even got an Oscar! It shows the hard life Hawking has had because of his disease and I strongly recommend it.J
Birdman (2014) by Vanesa Domínguez
Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a 2014 American black comedy-drama. It was directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. It stars Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Andrea Piseborough, Zach Coalifianakis, Naomi Watts and Ammy Ryam. This movie is set in New York City during the spring of 2013 and it was filmed there. It has a good plot. Reagan Thompson (Michael Keaton) directs and stars one adaptation of the short story by Raymond Carver "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" and it stars him, his girlfriend and other friends. The most original aspect of this movie is it looks like most of Birdman was shot in only one take. It got many Oscar awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography. I saw this film at the cinema with my friends. I liked it a lot because I find it very original and it made me laugh.J
Choose a couple of questions from the handout on beauty and write about them.
Many different adjectives to describe a beautiful woman, by Tomás de Paz.
Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we can all use the same words and expressions to describe a beautiful woman. It’s probably one of the themes which have more possibilities in the English language, I think. On the one hand you can use adjectives like: attractive, pretty, alluring, prepossessing, lovely, charming, delightful, appealing, engaging, winsome, ravishing, gorgeous, stunning, breathtaking, arresting, graceful, elegant, exquisite, killer, cute, beauteous, comely, enchanting, captivating, enticing, irresistible, desirable, celestial, heavenly, divine... On the other hand we can use expressions like: drop-dead gorgeous, good-looking or easy on the eye. But for me, without a doubt, the best expression that can be addressed to a beautiful woman is ‘Heaven must be missing an angel’.J
Do you see beauty in the English language? by Víctor Álvarez.
Quite honestly, I don't think English is the most lovely language in the world. I find Mediterranean languages, specially Spanish and Italian, much more beautiful but, on the other hand, English is better than German or Swedish. In my opinion, languages reflect the way people are. That's why Southern-European languages are cheerful and the Northern-European ones are kind of cold and distant. Of course that isn't a general truth: a happy person will be happy even if he lives in Norway and a beautiful book will still remain beautiful whether it's written by Shakespeare or by Cervantes.J
Do you think people with many tattoos can be beautiful? by Elena Puente.
Tattoos might beautify body. People have been getting tattoos for many centuries, for example the Maori tribe. A tattoo is a permanent decorative element , so when you want to get a tattoo, you must be absolutely sure. Nowadays you can remove them with laser though. Any part of your body can be tattooed, but the most common ones are back and arms. When you are young and beautiful, you tend to get tattoos but you should think about your skin because you might get wrinkles with age and the tattoo may change a lot.J
Is it better to be physically attractive or intelligent? by Marta del Canto.
Although society nowadays considers that beauty is the most important thing to be happy and successful, the fact is that beauty is less important than intelligence and, of course than being healthy.To be honest, beauty is overrated in our society, being that in the first place, beauty is ephemeral, and on the other hand it’s subjective. However, intelligence is not only permanent, but it increases over time. As time goes by you can’t become more beautiful, but you can get wiser.So, definitely intelligence is more important than beauty, because although a lot of people think beauty is able to open doors, it is intelligence which keeps them open.J
What do you think about tattoos? by Estefanía Glez.
I like tattoos; however I don't like people with many tattoos. I like discrete tattoos, small and hidden strategically. I am not keen on people who have a tattoo covering all of their back or in all over their arm. On the whole, I hate huge tattoos.I also like tattoos that have meaning for the person wearing them. I got one small dragon tattooed but not just because they are fashionable. For example, my sister has a small and discrete tattoo, between her neck and her back, which has a meaning for her and I love it!Another issue regarding tattoos is the perception of other people about the person who has a tattoo. I don’t think that just because you have a tattoo you must be a pimp or a bad person.As a result, everyone should show respect towards those who may or may not have tattoos.J
What are some advantages or drawbacks of being beautiful? by Vanesa Domínguez
I think that nowadays the physical appearance of people is very important in our lives because everybody judges by appearances even unconsciously. When we have a job interview we wear suitable clothing. When we go out on Saturday night we wear clothes or make-up in order to impress other people. We do work out not only to have a healthy life but also to have a good body. We live in a society where everyone attaches great importance to appearance.I think that a beautiful person can have advantages to get a job as a model, a television presenter or other jobs where body image is very important but that is also a drawback because when you get a job due to your effort, as if you are a beautiful person, people will think you got the job because of your appearance.J
Do you have a tatto? By Mariaj. I haven't got a tattoo or piercings on my body because I don't like it, so I wouldn't get a tattoo. In any case, I don't know why people have a tattoo done. I suppose tattoos remind those people of good experiences, religion or love. Other people think tattoos give them strength. The matter for me is I hate them. I don’t get it when you have a huge tattoo or piercings covering your whole body, including your face. I think those people who have a huge tattoo done regret doing it. In a way, if you have a small tattoo somewhere that can be covered with clothes it’s not a big deal.J
What are some advantages of being beautiful? by María Isabel Martínez Villares.
There are studies that say: When a person founds someone else nice physically, the subconscious automatically deducted that they are also beautiful in other ways; and we deduct "what is beautiful is good". In education, teachers often think that handsome students (at school and at university) are smarter and more intelligent and this is reflected in the grades. I think in this world today being beautiful gives you advantages throughout life, from school to the workplace, but for me personally what is clear is that being beautiful is not synonymous with being a good person, beauty doesn´t compensate for a bad personality.J
Failure and success
Take a look at the discussion questions on page 35. Choose one and write a few lines about it.Something you think all young people should be able to do before they leave school, by Tomás de Paz.
When students finish school they will have been able to acquire/learn a lot of kinds of knowledge and skills and these will be reflected in their marks. For many people that is the most important thing. In my opinion, the most important things should be that the teaching fully develops the student as a person. All students should be able to know how to conduct themselves in life, what to do, how to behave or how to respect once they leave school. J
Driving a motorbike, by Cristina Paz.
I would like to be able to drive a motorbike better. Eleven years ago I got the license to drive a motorbike. However, I think that it is very dangerous so I don´t usually drive it. Be that as it may I´m trying to drive the motorbike twice a week.My problem is that the car is more comfortable than the motorbike, you don´t need helmet, gloves and a jacket if the weather is cold. Despite this, it is also true that parking your motorbike is a bit easier than parking the car. In addition, traffic jams aren’t a big problem so I´m going to try to drive the motorbike.J
Something you´ve tried to learn, by Diana Fdez
I think that being able to do something well is very important. On the one hand, if I spoke better English, it would be easier to find a good job or I’d be able to communicate when I speak with people from other countries. Sometimes I would be able to answer well when people from other countries ask me for something, but sometimes I don´t know technical words, but it is an objective for me. On the other hand, when I was young I liked drawing cartoon characters. Sometimes I think I should start drawing once again because I’ve caught the bug. J
Something you can do, but you would like to be able to do better by Mónica Domínguez
I have always wanted to be able to play the guitar. Two years ago I took up guitar lessons with a private teacher and I enjoyed this very much.I think that playing an instrument is difficult and you should practice a lot and never give up. I would like to be able to play the guitar better. I love music and one day I will be able to improve my skills and play other instruments like the piano or the trumpet.J
Something you are learning to do and that you hope you´ll soon be able to do well by María Isabel Martínez Villares.
When I was young, I had a dream: Travel around the world and learn languages. At school and at high school, I always studied French. In my life, I have traveled to several countries but as I only spoke Spanish and French, I could speak very little with the local people, so four years ago I decided to study English. Today, I´m learning it and I hope to be able to do better soon because I have health problems to work in my profession and I requested a change of job, for which I urgently need to know English. My future depends on it. J
Something you think all young people should be able to do before they leave school, by Lorena Pacios.
I think all young people should be able to read really well before they leave school. Reading is necessary in our daily routine. For example when you are buying at the supermarket and you need to read the label because you are looking for a special product, or you need to read the instructions to assemble IKEA furniture. So reading well and understanding what you are reading is the most important thing that you should be able to do really well when you finish your Primary school.If you don´t like reading or you hardly ever read, it doesn't matter, but you need to understand when you read something.J
I am not able…… By Francisco
I would like to be able to whistle. I have always tried to be able to do it since I was a child but I always confronted failure or did it badly. Because of this, when I see sheep farmers whistling to their herds of sheep, I feel frustrated. Probably people say that it is an easy thing to do but unfortunately I am not able to do it. Maybe in another life I will be able to whistle;, but at the moment, I have this recurring nightmare where I dream that I am a sheep farmer and I am not able to lead my herds. J
Something you can do, but you´d like to be able to do better by A. Yolanda Fernández García
I can swim, but I would like to be able to do better. I learnt to swim when I was a teenager, when I was about fourteen years old. I tried to learn on the swimming-pool of my city, but I wasn´t able to learn. When I went to my niece´s communion I saw the sea for the first time. Then I practiced swimming on the beach a lot, with help of my brother. He taught me to swim and I didn´t need any floats. I managed to swim on the beach because I seemed easier. From then on I haven’t been swimming much. Nowadays I can swim, but I ´d like to be able to swim without getting tired and I would be able to keep my head inside the water. I am truly amazed when I see people swimming for a long time without stopping to rest. I think swimming is very important. Perhaps one day I will also be able to swim better, because it’s never too late. J
Something you have tried to learn, but have never been able to do well by Vanesa Domínguez.
I like singing but I know that I don't do it well. I learn songs very fast, I remember the lyrics and rhythm easily but I have never been able to sing well. I have never tried to go to singing lessons because I'm too embarrassed to sing in public. I know that my attitude is not right but I also know that even though if I went to singing lessons I would learn to sing better, I'll never get to be a good singer so I keep singing in the shower because although I do it badly, it feels good.J
Something you can do, but but you'd like to be able to do better. Maria.j
I have always wanted to be able to swim, so last September I decided to go swimming twice or three times a week. When I took up swimming I felt extremely tired, Otherwise, gong swimming makes me feel good On top of being able to swimm better, I'd love to be able to swim faster and have better endurance, so lately I have been watching videos on youtube about swimming styles. Furthermore I practice them. One day I will be able to swim a whole lot faster.J
SOMETHING YOU'VE TRIED TO LEARN, BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DO WELL. By Miriam ChanaI don't like swimming. I have never been able to do it well. However, I have a problem in my back and the doctor said to me that I should swim. Due to this advice, I am learning to practise this sport with the help of my boyfriend and I have improved a lot. I hope I will soon be able to do it like a dolphin. I will attend swimming lessons next month and I will keep on trying. I can do what I wanted so I won't quit.
J
Something I've tried to learn, but have never been able to do well. by Estefania Glez.
I have always wanted to be able to ski, but I have never managed. Every winter, I and my boyfriend go skiing. He skis very well and always tries to teach me, but I'm very clumsy. This year we decided to hire a professional instructor to teach me and I think I've improved a lot. I would like to be able to ski as well as my boyfriend does and be able to slide down the tracks together. I promise next year I’ll try again. J
Something you learnt to do after a lot of effort by Begoña Glez
Being more patient has been, without doubt, what I’ve learnt to do (to be) it after a lot of effort. I’m going to explain this better…Whereas, some years ago, I worried about everything, I wanted to accomplish every challenge immediately; otherwise, I lost my patience easily. Little by little, I’ve been able to change my tune and nowadays I face my daily life less impatiently and more peacefully.I‘m sure that being patient is the first step to be successful in life. Futhermore, I believe you can improve things such as your personality or your skills. J
Something I`ve always wanted to learn by Marta del Canto.
I`ve always liked classical music, especially, piano music. I have always wanted to play the piano since I was a little girl but for some reason or other, I’ve never been able to learn it like I would have wanted. The problem has always been the time. I spent my time on other activities such as ballet, private English classes, private Math classes, etc. And then it gets worse, because when we grow up time goes by faster than when we were children, and it gets more difficult to juggle everything at once. So I believe that if you feel like doing something, don´t wait to find the best moment, and if you feel capable of doing something, just do it! J
Practical things by Severino
I would like to be able to be a bit of a builder, a plumber or an electrician. Most people very often look down on this kind of jobs and I don´t understand why. I´ve always admired practical people, who are able to create new things around us .They make life easier. Nowadays we are living in a virtual world where we only know about pushing keys, while things around us are a disaster. I think that it is a big mistake in the current education system. J
Something that I've always wanted to do by Víctor Álvarez
I've always wanted to be able to play the piano. Since I was a child this instrument has fascinated me but I’ve never had the opportunity to learn to play it. Each passing year I've got less and less time to do after-school activities and the music school takes lots of time. One of my classmates, who plays the trumpet, has told me she has 4 hours of music on Wednesdays! Anyway, it seems to be a difficult instrument and maybe I'll need to wait a few years to face this challenge. J
MOBILE PHONES
Here are some questions around the this topic for you. Choose one and write a few lines about it.
- Does it bother you when people use their mobile phones?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones?
- Would you like to get a new phone? Why/Why not?
- Are you happy with your mobile company?
- Can you remember your first mobile phone?
- What is good phone etiquette?
Advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones, by Tomás de Paz
The invention of the mobile phone has brought a lot of advantages, such as: it enables wireless communication by voice, by text, by e-mail and even allows you to make emergency calls. You can also connect to the internet. But there aren’t just advantages; its use also causes a lot of problems. Mobile phones don’t make room for other activities while you are using them. It's hazardous to drive while you're talking (a bus driver was recorded chatting during a school trip... of course he was immediately fired). The non-stop use of it makes it impossible for people to concentrate in their activities and maybe we should bear in mind that the microwaves can affect our brains. Are we more likely to develop any brain illnesses as we get older? Who knows? JDoes it bother you when people use their mobile phones? By Vanesa Domínguez
No, it doesn’t bother me because I can't understand life without mobile phones. I think they are necessary for many situations in our daily life. I use it to send and receive e-mails, to text friends, to make calls, to take photos and to use different social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, or instagram; in fact I never switch off my phone during the day but I put it on silence when I am working or I have a meeting. Sometimes I don't remember to switch it back to sound mode and then I don't answer the phone when someone calls me. The mobile phone is an essential gadget in our lives but it mustn't be the way to interact with other people, so I dislike it when I meet my friends for a drink and they are using their mobile phones all the time.J
Can you remember your first mobile phone? By Elena Puente
I remember my first mobile phone perfectly well. It was “One touch easy” of Alcatel, which was very big and heavy. This mobile phone had an external antenna and the battery lasted longer than now, about five days. There were ten ringtones at the most. I bought it with my friend. We had a rate which was cheaper if we called each other. It was called “duo”. Our mobile company was Amena. We had to stay in touch the whole time. We could talk and send text messages, but we weren’t able to download applications yet. J
What are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones? by María Isabel Martínez Villares.
In my opinion, the use of mobile phone has more disadvantages than advantages. As advantages, I would emphasize: the ease and speed of communication between people, allowing direct access to services, leisure, generally, Internet, social networks, applications and it is mainly useful in emergencies. For me, the main disadvantage is the lack of privacy, as you can always be tracked and controlled by other people. It is also very irritating that people forget to turn off their mobile or put it on silent during meetings, shows, films, etc. Mobile phones are also addictive and make people feel an urge to be connected or in contact with someone. J
Technologies by Diana Fdez
I think that nowadays we are living in a world where the new technologies are important in our lives. Who doesn’t have a gadget at home or at work? There are people with the best mobile phone, laptop, or Ipad of the market or even with the most state of the art technology. On the one hand we can find some advantages regarding the use of smartphones; for example we can be connected as we speak or we can check email, or read news, or perform a lot of tasks without having to switch on a laptop. We can speak with friends who work in the other countries. On the other hand, in my opinion, technology has a lot influence in our lives and sometimes we rely too much on the gadgets and maybe we don´t enjoy the moments with friends, family or important events. J
What are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones? by Estefanía Glez.
In my opinion, mobile phones are the best invention of all ages. The first thing that needs to be said is that it have a lot of advantages such as 24h of communication among people, possibility of sending instant messaging, direct access to Internet, possibility to download several applications.. But the other side of the coin is that it also has some disadvantages, such as many people can control you through different applications, its uncontrolled use can create addiction... So use you phone responsibly!JDoes is bother you when people use their mobile phones? By Maria J.
Nowadays people use their mobile phone all the time. We use our mobile phone to keep in touch with friends in different networking sites, to keep up with news, the weather or sports on the internet. We can search for information on Google. We can go on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, we can browse the internet whenever we want. However, we shouldn't use our mobile in wrong places or with the wrong people, so we should put the phone on silent or vibrate mode. It gets on my nerves when people go on whatsapp or reply to a message when I' m talking with somebody face to face and I’m ignored for the whole time. In my opinion it's bad manners.J
Mobile phones and the Age-Tech, by Seve.
Nowadays most mobile phones are called smartphones. As a matter of fact, that’s an absolute truth. All of them are very, very clever. And it´s that because thebiggest technological inventions are within them. They are more the product of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Zuzkerberg and others than Graham Bell´s disciples. They are little computers where you can put hundreds of technological applications inside, such as google, facebook, whatsapp, news… And of course you can use all of them everywhere in your daily life. I simply think they are wonderful. It depends on whether you use them wisely.J
What are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones? By Víctor Álvarez
It's undeniable that mobile phones, specially the ones known as "smartphones", have revolutionized our lives in an amazing way. You can always be connected to the web, look for information at the click of a mouse, chat or talk to people all around the world and take pictures of everything. In theory, there are no bad aspects of mobile phones. What can be wrong is the way in which we use them. Nowadays we are almost forced to publish everything we think, everyone we meet and everywhere we are so the people can see us and give their opinion on us. If we continue behaving like this, will there be any privacy in the future? J
SPORTS
Take a look at the speaking questions on page 47, choose one bullet point and write a few lines about it.
A time you got lost, by María Isabel Martínez Villares
This happened 27 years ago, that is, in 1988. It was the first time I went to Paris. My ex-husband and I were traveling by car. The trip began in Astorga and ended in Brussels. After 12 days of traveling, we arrived in the outskirts of Paris (" La Ville Lumière" is made up of 20 municipal districts, all skirted by motorways). Depending on the direction of the district you want to reach, you must choose between the inner ring road (moving clockwise) and the outer ring road (counterclockwise). This was a big mess! We got nervous because there were many lanes and also because of the speed of cars. We didn´t know which exit to take to get to The Eiffel Tower and we spent two hours circling around Paris. In the end, we managed to enter the city, but from the opposite side of the city and The Eiffel Tower.JThe first time I cheated at school, by Tomás de Paz
It was in primary school, so it was already more than 40 years ago. I was studying 5th grade in a boarding school, and my schoolmaster was Mr. Juan Seco, a very old person at that time. We were studying a very complicated subject for me: conjunctions. My classmate and close friend J.L.S. was the cleverest in the class and Mr. Seco had him in the front row. My friend always knew everything. I drew a hand on a piece of paper with indications and I told him to lift his thumb when the conjunction was copulative, his index finger when it was adversative, his middle finger when it was distributive, his ring finger when it was disjunctive and finally his pinky when the conjunction was explanatory. The plan worked perfectly and Mr. Seco showed himself very proud of all of us. The problem came the day of the test. Not all my mates could see J.L.S.’ hand, in that moment down, because of the test. Only those who were in his line could pass the test and Mr. Seco was surprised but I think he didn’t realize what happened exactly. When I meet with J.L. (who today works as an architect) I always remind him this and things like that and the good times we have both had. These things remind me of my childhood.J
A time you cheated in a game by Víctor Álvarez Martínez.
It was a Sunday I was playing Monopoly with my sister and cousins. I’m usually quite good at that game but I had had very bad luck and I was about to lose everything. Quite honestly, I’m not a good loser and when my cousin went to the bathroom I agreed with my sister and my other cousin to cheat and we started taking lots of bills from the bank. When my cousin returned we continued playing as if nothing had happened. In spite of that, I lost and, since then, I’ve never cheated in a game again.JA time I met a celebrity, by Estefania Glez.
Some months ago I went to Madrid with my boyfriend and we spent all weekend in the capital. We visited several places, but my favourite was Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. We went to see the match and the next day we went to Valdebebas to see our team train. After the training, the football players were out in their cars. Suddenly, the football player number #3, Pepe, stopped his car in front on me and he rolled down the window. He started to talk with me! OMG! I didn’t believe it! Finally we took some photos with him and he gave me his t-shirt! It was an amazing experience.J
A time I met a celebrity by Luis Ángel Calvete Prieto.
Twelve years ago I took a trip to Madrid with a friend to see a Real Madrid match in the city of Madrid.We had been doing sightseeing. I liked "El Retiro" Park, "El Prado" Gallery and Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. We were walking across Gran Vía St. and while we were looking for a fast food restaurant, we suddenly were in front of José Mota and Santiago Segura. They were wearing jeans and T shirts. José Mota is the funniest person that I’ve met in my whole life. We were talking and laughing for ten minutes. I love his humour.P.D. Real Madrid beat Levante 5-0. ;-) J
A time I got a sports injury, by Vanesa Domínguez
When I was younger I played handball for eight years. We played the children provincial league female handball in A Coruña and we won this competition, so we played the Galician championship. In the first game against Ourense I injured my ankle when I was throwing the ball into the goal. At the time, the competition ended for me, I had a grade two sprain and I spent all weekend walking with crutches but, even so, I enjoyed a lot because we were staying at the Riazor hotel, the same hotel as the Deportivo de La Coruña players were staying because they played in Riazor that weekend. We saw Bebeto, Mauro Silva, Donato, Djukic, Fran and some other players at the hotel and we asked them for autographs or photos. Since that moment I am a member of Deportivo and I go to Riazor whenever I can to see my team play. J
A time when I cheated in a exam by Diana Fdez
When I was at secondary school, I was studying for the final exams. One day I was studying for a history exam and we were tested on two units of the Spanish Civil War. I thought that the second topic was less important than the first one, so I didn’t study that topic.
During the night I decided to write the topic on a piece of paper and take it to the exam. The topic that the teacher chose for the exam was the one which I hadn´t studied. I waited one moment and when the teacher wasn´t looking at me I changed the piece of paper of the exam for the piece of paper which I had written the night before.J
THINKING BEFORE DOING IT. Francisco T Garcia
I'm going to tell you about one time when I was walking through the mountains with my cousin. This happened many years ago when both of us were teenagers and we used to go for a walk at different places. That time we went to the mountains and realized that we got lost. We got really nervous and we were really feeling isolated but my cousin, who was five years elder than me, took the responsibility of the situation. After we rested for a few minutes, we kept on walking and we suddenly saw someone far away. We approached him and asked him how to get back to the starting point where we had begun the route. In the end things were fine but we learnt one important lesson: if you’re going to do a mountain trail, you should study it thoroughly before you set off.JA time you got lost. By Sonia Garcia Garcia.
I´m going to talk about a time when I and my husband got lost. This happened a few years ago when we were in our honey moon. We were traveling around several cities in the USA. When we visited Orlando we went to Disney Park by bus from the hotel. But when we came back to the hotel we missed our bus, because in the bus stop there were many buses. We were afraid because we didn´t know how to call the hotel or call for a taxi. A few minutes later two boys and a girl got to the bus stop and fortunately they spoke a bit of Spanish and they said their hotel was near our hotel. Finally we got back to our hotel on their bus. J
A time when you got lost by Begoña Glez.
It’s really difficult for me to tell you about a time when I got lost because I often end up getting lost. It doesn’t depend on the size of the place: from the smallest to the biggest one, it doesn’t matter. Last time it happened to me was last Christmas…I had visited my family’s youngest brothers, who live in a tiny village, which is situated 6 kms from my house and I’ve driven there many times. That day, I decided to come back home soon because it was raining cats and dogs. When I reached a roundabout, I hesitated between two directions, I chose one of them and after some kms, I realized I had got lost againJRELATIONSHIPS
Choose ONE of the following speaking topics and write a few lines about it:- People who spend a lot of time on Facebook become more dissatisfied with their own lives.
- You can only have two or three close friends.
- Nowadays people are in touch with more people but have fewer close friends.
- Men keep their friends longer than women.
- You should never criticize your friend's partner.
- You should never lend money to a friend (or borrow money).
- It's impossible to stay good friends with an ex-partner.
Something with regards to relationships, by Tomás de Paz:
People get together for many different reasons. Each one of us has a lot of acquaintances, loads of mates and neighbours, some friends and very few close friends. It’s well known that ‘the good friends are counted with one hand’s fingers’. Life brings us close to lots of people and for different reasons we get in touch and we get on well with some and we don’t get on or even we get badly with others. Sometimes, in spite of getting on well with some mates and friends, it’s difficult to keep in touch and we lose touch with them. Humans, by nature, need friendship and relationships and whoever needs the opposite is diagnosed as autistic.J
It´s impossible to stay good friends with an ex-partner, by María Isabel Martínez Villares.
“When a couple relationship ends, it doesn’t have to be the end of friendship ". This is the theory, but my experience tells me that this is very difficult because first you have to assimilate failure, heal the wounds and forgive (which takes you some time). The thing is that it will always take longer for one of the partners in the couple than for the other. Then, both have to agree to have a friendly relationship where there is some distance and both have to behave as friends (non-rubbing or anything like that, of course). Definitely, the two people have to assume that NOW the relationship is totally different.J
You should never criticize your friend's partner, by Vanesa Domínguez
I think we should never criticize our friend's partner. If I don't like my friend’s boyfriend or girlfriend for some reason I should still try to have a healthy relationship with this friend. If I do not, this may lead to losing the good friendship with my close friend. In my opinion, we all have something in our behavior we could improve, so we must understand people and accept them as they are. If there is something we do not like in someone, we should fix the disagreements with this person directly; we shouldn’t talk about it behind their back. As far as I know, this is coward behaviour, we mustn't place anyone else in the way.J
Men keep their friends longer than women. Francisco T García
The answer regarding this topic is going to depend on men and women’s perception of the term friendship. I would say men keep their friends longer than women but these friends aren’t just close friends but also mates, colleagues and they won't dive into this relationship. Nevertheless women have got fewer mates and just the opposite more close friends. In this case women get in touch with or keep their friends longer than men. So it is really difficult to answer properly when someone asks you about relationships due to the fact that there is not a relationship which is the same as another relationship and there are many different kinds of relationships. J
You can only have two or three close friends. By Diana Fdez
I think that you can only have two or three close friends, but nowadays with the popularity of social networking it is easier to get in touch with many people than if we didn’t have the internet and technology gadgets. However, when you have an important problem, it is your close friends who are going to help you out with problems that you may be experiencing. That depends on the situation too. Personally, I believe it´s difficult, because in our life we meet many people and I don´t like losing touch with them.J
Nowadays people are in touch with more people but have fewer close friends by Yolanda Fernández
I think most people, especially younger ones, have a lot of friends. If you are on a social networking site, you can see for yourself that your younger friends have many friends: three hundred, five hundred or even a thousand. It is very curious because when you meet them in the street sometimes they don´t even greet each other. A short time ago I saw a joke in a popular social network precisely. A man had died but in the funeral there were only two people, then one of them was saying: "I don´t understand it, because he had two thousand friends on Facebook". This joke is ironic but quite realistic in my opinion. Nowadays everyone likes adding people in social networking sites although they don´t meet any face to face and they talk about the photos that people upload on the social networks. In general if a young person has many "likes” for their photos or comments, this makes him or her a popular person... The news warns us about the dangers of social networks for teenagers because they can feel cut off if they are ignored by their friends.I think technologies are a good invention, but they have also separated people. For example, when computers or mobile phones didn´t exist, if you wanted to talk to someone you met this person and you talked to each other, but nowadays people tend to text on Whatsapp or share photos in a social network, but they don´t talk about important things about their lives. J
Nowadays people are in touch with more people but have fewer close friends by Mónica Domínguez.
Nowadays social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter help you to meet friends and find old ones. The internet is a great way to keep in touch with your friends and family who don't live near and online chat is an easy way to have conversations so people tend to have one hundred acquaintances or more on Facebook but only between five and eight are really close friends.I think friendship is very important and I prefer to have fewer good friends instead of many acquaintances.J
You should never criticize your friend's partner by María Elisa Macho
We may not always like the choices our friends have made when it comes to choosing friends. However, one of the foundations of a genuine friendship is the acceptance of the other's decisions. If you don’t like your boyfriend or girlfriend’s partner, my advice is to be careful not to hurt the person we like. If this relationship breaks up, we may decide to openly say what we have kept to ourselves. This kind of sincerity may not be appropriate. Your friend may be suffering and our words can hurt.Also, don´t rule out the possibility of a reconciliation.J
You can only have two or three close friends. By Mariaj.
I think that it is very difficult to have more than two or three close friends. These few friends are very important in your life, Perhaps when you're a child it is easier to make a lot of friends because you share the same activities with them, whether it is school, sports or games. I think it depends on the moment of your life and on your personality as well as on your friend's personality. I have a friend who I've known since I was two years old and we have kept in touch for years. We can have friends from different social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook. Nowadays it is easy to keep in touch with people you don't see for a long time or to add people you have never meet in real life. But if you had a huge problem, you can only share that problem with two or three close friends and they will give you advice in the best possible way.J
Nowadays people are in touch with more people but have fewer close friends by Estefanía Glez.
I agree with this topic because nowadays there are a lot of social networks which give us the opportunity to meet people. A lot of people have more than 1000 friends on Facebook for example, but this isn't the same as having real friends. You have a lot of friends on Facebook for many different reasons, friends for games, friends of friends, acquaintances, etc.. Thanks to these sites it is easier to keep in touch with these people, but you don't tell them the same things that you tell your close friends. So you can have 1000 friends on Facebook but only have 2 or 3 close friends.J
HURT, HURT AND HURT......WHY?? by Luis Ángel Calvete Prieto
It´s hard to write about the relationships when you have been unfaithful by your mates or partners, but it´s necessary this blind date to sucess my one,
isn´t it?
I´d like to show people who i´m Deep inside but i keep seeing day after day too fake people and i´ll give up this fighting.
I´m studying here in Astorga by a relationship, she is technical arquitect as me, she needed my help and i gave it without any problems.....she promised me to take care of my heart always in her life, she broke it after a Little time.
Nowadays the life keep walking under the grass and i can´t walking beside the fake people.
Please, never make a promise you can´t fulfil.
THE CINEMA
Write about a really good film you've seen this year:- What kind of film is it?
- Is it based on a book or a real event?
- Where and when is it set?
- Who's in it? Who is it directed by?
- Does it have a good plot?
- Does it have a good soundtrack?
- Why did you like it?
" AMERICAN SNIPER "(2014) by María Isabel Martínez Villares
American Sniper is an American 2014 film directed by Clint Eastwood. It´s an action, war film and it´s based on the autobiography of marine Chris Kyle. The main characters are Chris Kyle and Taya Renae Kyle, and they are played by Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller. The film is set in the Iraq war after the terrorist attacks of September 11. It was filmed on location in L.A. and Morocco. The film is about the life of Chris Kyle (the most lethal sniper in U.S. history), his problematic family life for neglecting his wife and children for the times in which he went to war, his passion for being a Texas cowboy and most importantly, his mission in the Iraq war: to protect his fellow army with his milimetric precision and to save countless lives on the battlefield. The soundtrack is by Ennio Morricone but goes unnoticed. I think the film is great because it makes people aware of the sacrificies made by soldiers.J
About a really good film I’ve seen this year, by Tomás de Paz
Back in the day, when I was a teenager, I first saw an old black and white film. Despite the fact that it is set in 1940, it was a film premiere in Spain in 1976 because it was banned/censored by Franco’s dictatorship. I saw it again last month after almost 40 years, but now from another point of view. The main character and the producer is the same person and he plays two roles. On the one hand he plays the role of a dictator and on the other hand he plays a Jewish barber.This film is a comedy and it has a good plot, which is strongly critical of the Nazism and dictatorships, but humorously ridiculing it. The film is set in Germany and, it seems to me, it was filmed on location in Hollywood. For me the best scenes are when a breathtaking woman wants to hit a soldier with a frying-pan but, by mistake, she hits the head of the barber, who starts staggering in the street, in one direction and in another, like a zombie, with his peculiar walk. The movie got five Oscar nominations but didn’t receive any Oscar awards.J
The physician (2013) by Diana Fdez
The Physician is an adventure and drama film.It is based on the best-seller novel by the same title by Noah Gordon. The film is set in a mining town in England in the XI century and in Is Faham (Persia). The main characters are played by Tom Payne, Stellan Skargard, Olivier Martinez, Emma Rigby, Ben Kingsley, and Michael Gibson among others. It was directed by Philipp Stölzt. It has a good plot for me, because the film narrates how a child, Rob Cole, when his mother dies from a rare disease, he decides to study medicine in Persia with the teacher Ibn Sina. I don´t remember the soundtrack. I like the film because of the plot. J
The theory of everything (2014) by Víctor Álvarez Martínez.
About a couple of weeks ago I went to the cinema to see "The theory of everything". It's kind of a drama which tells the life of Stephen Hawking, the famous physicist, since he was at Cambridge University, is his early twenties, until he got the Order of the British Empire. The film is set in Cambridge and Oxford in the second half of the XX century. It stars Eddie Redmayne as Stephen and Felicity Jones as his wife Jane. The soundtrack is not very spectacular and the plot is based on Hawking's life, so for me the best part is the way the actors act, because Redmayne even got an Oscar! It shows the hard life Hawking has had because of his disease and I strongly recommend it.J
Birdman (2014) by Vanesa DomínguezBirdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a 2014 American black comedy-drama. It was directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. It stars Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Andrea Piseborough, Zach Coalifianakis, Naomi Watts and Ammy Ryam. This movie is set in New York City during the spring of 2013 and it was filmed there. It has a good plot. Reagan Thompson (Michael Keaton) directs and stars one adaptation of the short story by Raymond Carver "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" and it stars him, his girlfriend and other friends. The most original aspect of this movie is it looks like most of Birdman was shot in only one take. It got many Oscar awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography. I saw this film at the cinema with my friends. I liked it a lot because I find it very original and it made me laugh.J
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JUDGING BY APPEARANCES
Choose a couple of questions from the handout on beauty and write about them.
Many different adjectives to describe a beautiful woman, by Tomás de Paz.
Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we can all use the same words and expressions to describe a beautiful woman. It’s probably one of the themes which have more possibilities in the English language, I think. On the one hand you can use adjectives like: attractive, pretty, alluring, prepossessing, lovely, charming, delightful, appealing, engaging, winsome, ravishing, gorgeous, stunning, breathtaking, arresting, graceful, elegant, exquisite, killer, cute, beauteous, comely, enchanting, captivating, enticing, irresistible, desirable, celestial, heavenly, divine... On the other hand we can use expressions like: drop-dead gorgeous, good-looking or easy on the eye. But for me, without a doubt, the best expression that can be addressed to a beautiful woman is ‘Heaven must be missing an angel’.J
Do you see beauty in the English language? by Víctor Álvarez.
Quite honestly, I don't think English is the most lovely language in the world. I find Mediterranean languages, specially Spanish and Italian, much more beautiful but, on the other hand, English is better than German or Swedish. In my opinion, languages reflect the way people are. That's why Southern-European languages are cheerful and the Northern-European ones are kind of cold and distant. Of course that isn't a general truth: a happy person will be happy even if he lives in Norway and a beautiful book will still remain beautiful whether it's written by Shakespeare or by Cervantes.J
Do you think people with many tattoos can be beautiful? by Elena Puente.
Tattoos might beautify body. People have been getting tattoos for many centuries, for example the Maori tribe. A tattoo is a permanent decorative element , so when you want to get a tattoo, you must be absolutely sure. Nowadays you can remove them with laser though. Any part of your body can be tattooed, but the most common ones are back and arms. When you are young and beautiful, you tend to get tattoos but you should think about your skin because you might get wrinkles with age and the tattoo may change a lot.J
Is it better to be physically attractive or intelligent? by Marta del Canto.
Although society nowadays considers that beauty is the most important thing to be happy and successful, the fact is that beauty is less important than intelligence and, of course than being healthy.To be honest, beauty is overrated in our society, being that in the first place, beauty is ephemeral, and on the other hand it’s subjective. However, intelligence is not only permanent, but it increases over time. As time goes by you can’t become more beautiful, but you can get wiser.So, definitely intelligence is more important than beauty, because although a lot of people think beauty is able to open doors, it is intelligence which keeps them open.J
What do you think about tattoos? by Estefanía Glez.
I like tattoos; however I don't like people with many tattoos. I like discrete tattoos, small and hidden strategically. I am not keen on people who have a tattoo covering all of their back or in all over their arm. On the whole, I hate huge tattoos.I also like tattoos that have meaning for the person wearing them. I got one small dragon tattooed but not just because they are fashionable. For example, my sister has a small and discrete tattoo, between her neck and her back, which has a meaning for her and I love it!Another issue regarding tattoos is the perception of other people about the person who has a tattoo. I don’t think that just because you have a tattoo you must be a pimp or a bad person.As a result, everyone should show respect towards those who may or may not have tattoos.J
What are some advantages or drawbacks of being beautiful? by Vanesa Domínguez
I think that nowadays the physical appearance of people is very important in our lives because everybody judges by appearances even unconsciously. When we have a job interview we wear suitable clothing. When we go out on Saturday night we wear clothes or make-up in order to impress other people. We do work out not only to have a healthy life but also to have a good body. We live in a society where everyone attaches great importance to appearance.I think that a beautiful person can have advantages to get a job as a model, a television presenter or other jobs where body image is very important but that is also a drawback because when you get a job due to your effort, as if you are a beautiful person, people will think you got the job because of your appearance.J
Do you have a tatto? By Mariaj.
I haven't got a tattoo or piercings on my body because I don't like it, so I wouldn't get a tattoo. In any case, I don't know why people have a tattoo done. I suppose tattoos remind those people of good experiences, religion or love. Other people think tattoos give them strength. The matter for me is I hate them. I don’t get it when you have a huge tattoo or piercings covering your whole body, including your face. I think those people who have a huge tattoo done regret doing it. In a way, if you have a small tattoo somewhere that can be covered with clothes it’s not a big deal.J
What are some advantages of being beautiful? by María Isabel Martínez Villares.
There are studies that say: When a person founds someone else nice physically, the subconscious automatically deducted that they are also beautiful in other ways; and we deduct "what is beautiful is good". In education, teachers often think that handsome students (at school and at university) are smarter and more intelligent and this is reflected in the grades. I think in this world today being beautiful gives you advantages throughout life, from school to the workplace, but for me personally what is clear is that being beautiful is not synonymous with being a good person, beauty doesn´t compensate for a bad personality.J