This is your first writing task. I would like you to choose ONE conversation question from unit 1A and write about 5-6 lines about it.
Food by Begoña Glez If I eat healthy food, I feel happier. I think so...your body needs energy, power to bear your daily life. So that is why it is very important to have three or four pieces of fruit and vegetables , dairy products and carbohydrates every day. I usually have red tea, nuts and bread for my breakfast. At lunch I prefer to have pasta with fish and I often make a cream or soup with vegetables for dinner. Although I'm hooked on sweets, I'm trying to cut down on them.
How often do you eat chocolate? (by Vanesa Domínguez) I have a sweet tooth, so I love chocolate and all kinds of sweets. I eat it every day. It is not good for a healthy life, so I am trying to cut down on them but I eat dark chocolate twice a week because it has many antioxidants and it is beneficial to my health. I have other healthy habits. My diet is varied: I have fruit, vegetables, skimmed milk, three nuts and two liters of water every day. In addition, I do exercise four times a week. I love running, cycling and swimming. In my opinion, it is good to take care of your body but eating a few sweets is good for your mind because when I eat chocolate I feel happier.
Food and Health by Carlos Quintans: If we talk about food, we always need to know that “We are what we normally eat”. Following a correct diet is good for our bodies. I think it must contain proteins, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates. In my opinion, consumers should read food labels, they show us information about ingredients, amount of them, etc. If we did more exercise and ate more healthily, we would be happier. At the same time, it could reduce our medical expenses. We must change our tune, it is worth trying it!
How often do you eat chocolate? Does it make you feel happier? by Víctor Álvarez
Well, I usually have a small piece of chocolate when I get out for a walk in the afternoon but I´m trying to cut down on it because I think it's not very healthy to have sweets every day. But, in spite of calories, I like to have it when I´m a bit depressed. It makes me feel in a good mood, maybe because I associate it with relax and holidays (I always have lots of sweets in the summer). I can't stand great chocolate bars, I prefer to have it in small portions, in sweets or over cakes and this kind of stuff. Personally, I think chocolate can be very good for your health if you don't have much of it. Maybe it is not a very wise thing to have it every day but it can help you if you've got a responsible intake.
Is there any food or drink that you couldn´t live without? by M. Isabel Martínez Villares
In my life, water is essential and necessary. I drink a lot of water along the day.Because my work is outdoors, I feel very hot, especially in summer and I need to drink plenty of water to get hydrated. My body needs water and for this, I also eat fruit and vegetables that contain a lot of water. A study recommends that healthy adults drink 2 liters of water per day maximum to protect against dehydration and to prevent kidney stones formation.
Men are better cooks than women. by Emilo José Calabaza
I think that men aren't better cooks than women because women can cook as well as men, but there aren't any famous women chefs because in the past women worked at home and they didn't work outside, and the cooking world was dominated by men. But now the times are changing and women are starting to work outside the home. And women beging to appear in the world of cooking and being great chefs. Now we can see women involved in cooking TV shows and managing their own restaurants as well as men. And even in cooking competitions on television where both men and women participate, we can see women winning them
Is there anything you like cooking? by Tomás de Paz
Yes, I like cooking a traditional dish called 'widows potatoes'. This dish is called so because it doesn't have meat (doesn't contain proteins). This meal is high in good carbohydrates, has low calorie content, it's easy to digest, it has satiating power, and it's also a cheap dish. The recipe is very easy but you need a clay casserole, a wood spoon, a wood stove and two hours to cook it. The secret is a little bit of 'unto' ( old grease). You heat the casserole with a little olive oil and fry some garlic cloves until they are golden in colour. After that you add a chopped onion and a chopped red pepper and stir-fry, stirring frequently. After that you add chopped potatoes ( a large potatoe per person), one spoonful of paprika and a small chili pepper and stir it for a few minutes. Then you must add hot water to cover the potatoes, a bay leaf and some salt and stir frequently with the wood spoon. It's very important to let it cook over low heat and at the end break some potatoes with the fork to get a thick paste.
Eating habits in Spain by Estefanía Glez.
I would like to talk about the Mediterranean diet. Experts say that the Mediterranean diet isn't only a diet, it's a lifestyle that includes food, typical recipes, physical exercise and historical dishes..The Mediterranean diet features a lot of fruits such as oranges, pears, apples, peaches, vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, courgettes, eggplants, green beans, and legumes such as chikpeas, lentils, or beans, among others, a moderate intake of meat and fish, as well as dairy products and eggs and using olive oil as main fat. Also experts say that we should try to cut down on sweets.
In my opinion this is a very good balanced diet, I like it a lot because I really enjoy vegetables, I love it!
The vegetarian menu by Carmen Calvo
Four or five years ago I decided to change my eating habits, trying to cut down on meat and fish and other animals products and having more proteins from vegetables. Yes, I want to be a vegetarian in a coupls of years, and I think that the process should be as slow as possible to give yourself time for the change. I've found many reasons to have a vegetarian diet. In the first place for health reasons: you can notice the benefits from the beginning. But there is another reason that convinced me to take this decision: a vegetarian diet contributes to reduce hunger in the world because 3,700 litres of water are needed for 1 kilogram of beef whereas 1 kiko of wheat only needs 120 litres, which sounds incredible.
What food do you usually eat before doing sport or exercise? by Eva Fuertes Well, when I have to go training, I try not to eat anythig an hour and a half before I start. If I have a snack before doing exercise, it gives me a tummy ache. This is very difficult for me because I'm an addict of biscuits and chocolate. It's my favourite meal of the day! If I have that, I have to stop my training and I get my coach into a foul mood. So I dont usually eat before my workout but when I finish and I get home I eat one or two pieces of fruit (a banana or an orange) or chocolate or some nuts such as peanuts and almonds and a lot of water!
Is there any food or drink that you couldn´t live without? By Lorena Arias.
Well, I used to drink a glass of Coca Cola everyday up until recently, I knew it wasn´t healthy but I thought "well, it's only a small glass a day... it´s not big deal". I don´t think I was addicted to it but it´s true that many times i had an urge to have a little bit. I set myself a goal to stop drinking it. First, I decided to drink it only once a fortnight, an then I´d cut down on it little by little. But one day I saw a photo on twitter which showed that CocaCola turns your stomach into a gas bomb, so I realized that it was so damaging for me. Nowadays, I´d rather drink water although it hasn´t got any flavour.
What do you usually have for lunch during the week? by Mónica Domínguez.
For lunch, I usually eat healthy food such as salad, fruit, legumes, rice, pasta, roast chicken with baked potatoes and fish with raw vegetables. When I was younger, I used to eat fast food such as pizza, hamburger and chips but now I prefer eating something healthier. I enjoy the variety. I love homemade food but I often buy takeaway food like Chinese or Indian food. I don´t like Mexican food because it is too spicy. I drink water and juice every day and I sometimes drink beer. I think that a balanced diet can help to protect you from illness. Besides, many people opt for a change in diet because it makes them feel better.
Traditional cuisine Vs Modern Cuisine. By Francisco T. García
Nowadays having a conversation about modern cuisine is really fashionable. It seems that you have to know all things regarding new cuisine so if you don´t know the new ingredients, timings ,textures and needlessly grandiose descriptions of foods, then, you are staying in a different planet. In my understanding, I would like to encourage everybody to rediscover the traditional dishes, which were made by our ancestors. On the one hand these dishes are probably more healthy and cheaper when you eat out, and on the other hand the food world is full of people and establishments that reek of pretentiousness. The last thing we need is haughty and heavy handed language.
Ana Prieto: I think that my diet is healthy. Although I don't really like fish and I love meat, I eat all kinds of food. I try to eat in a balanced way. I prefer homemade food because I think it is healthier and I love cooking. Takeaway food is more fattening than homemade food but sometimes I eat it too. I couldn't live without vegetables, I really enjoy vegetables and eat vegetables three days a week at least. I occasionally drink fizzy drinks. I'm used to drinking water for lunch and dinner. Actually I try to cut down on coffee because I'm a nervous person and coffee affects me.
Some tips for people on a diet. By M. Lucía Pérez Nowadays, there are a lot of people following a diet. So, here I propose some pieces of advice to be successful with your diet. Af first, you should have five meals in a day and you have to eat three or four pieces of fruit. You should eat some vegetables each day and then you can eat some meat or fish and also some bread. It is recommended to drink a cup of herbal tea after lunch and after dinner. Furthermore, you can drink a coffee or a bit of black chocolate in a day when you feel like it, but you shouldn't eat too much sugar. Finally, you need to do some exercise or sports for about one hour, three or four days a week. So after all of this advice, you'll feel much better.
A Good Breakfast by Rubén Llamas Nutrition experts say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it is the first energy intake of the day. I think that a good breakfast should contain dairy products (milk, cheese or yhogurt), cereal (wheat, oats or bread) and mixed fruit (pineapple, pear, peach, etc.) to provide vitamins, zinc, calcium and iron to our body so that it can function efficiently. Other very healthy ingredients to add to our breakfast are extra virgin olive oil and honey (or royal jelly). A good breakfast will also improve our mood, the degree of attention and even the ability to multitask.
Chocolate for mood by Patricia García Blanco
Chocolate is a food with lots of calories, but with many heath benefits too. I love it. I love to eat chocolate, but if I eat a lot then I get pimples. However, it makes me feel good. When I'm a bit down I prefer to eat milk or white chocolate, but dark cholcolate is more pure chocolate and healthwise. Today if you go to a supermarket, you can find many kinds of chocolate and different flavors. Cocoa powder is used mostly in desserts. I think that if we have this food in moderation it can be very beneficial not only to health but to also to make you feel better
Tasty food…… By Ángel Fernández de la Torre.
I see myself forced to warn you that this article can be really disgusting if it´s your dinner time… There aren´t too many kinds of dishes which I hate, but I am sure that I will never eat the following dishes. Monkey brain: it´s a delicious dish in Guinea, they serve the brain in the monkey skull while the monkey is still alive. Bat soup: It´s really popular in some Asian and African countries but the governments are trying to cut down on this dish to prevent the ebola virus infection. Kiviac: In the noth of Greenland there are some Eskimos who eat kiviac which is elaborated with hundreds of birds into a seal body, the birds go through a rotting process of one year. Balut: It´s a 20 day old fertilized egg duck, so that you eat the duck before he is born.
Ultimate impossible mix by Leandro Morán de la Torre
In our childhood, afternoon snack was a funny chance to enjoy, discover and develop new tastes behind your mother's back. Each one of them was always stranger than the previous one. Despite of years gone by, I can still remember the TOP 5 dishes of my friend's private competition. Tinned sardines between chocolate cookies, fruit gummies with olives, ham rolling with cream, or icecream if it was summer time, and there was a tie, in the first and second position, hazelnut with cholocate spread on a "chorizo" sandwich versus pepper tortilla with cheetos. Never mind about the divine pleasures that they could bring, they could be featured in some revolutionary restaurants.
The unhealthy student life by Alejandro Puente Delgado.
When I was in college my diet was unhealthy enough. The reasons were my ignorance to cook, but I often solved it by calling a takeaway restaurant.
The other reason was that I had a busy schedule and I didn't have enough time to cook lunch so I had to eat fast food restaurant. But the most important reason is:When you are a student in León, you have to hang out and, what do you eat when you are in the street? Of course, "Tapas" and most tapas are deep fried. Fortunately I got to cut down on the fast food but... Why is the tastiest food always the most unhealthy?
Vegetarians by María de la Mata
In my opinion, being a vegetarian is a good and a bad idea at the same time. It´s good for your health, you don´t kill animals and you could be slimmer. But it´s bad because maybe you don´t have enough energy for your daily tasks and you may need more carbohydrates for your body. So if you´re thinking about becoming a vegetarian, you should think first about its advantages and disadvantages. In England there are a lot of people who are vegetarian but in Spain most people eat all kinds of food. Why this? I think it´s because we have a Mediterranean diet, which is heavier than the English diet.
Rocío: Eat five times a day for a healthy diet. If we eat a variety of foods, we will have a proper intake of vitamins and minerals in our meals. We should avoid taking fats. Choose instead light meals and fish and grill or broil meat instead of deep frying. Eat foods rich in fiber and carbohydrates (grains, legumes, vegetables and fruit) and do exercise. In my opinion these are a few tips that everyone should follow for good health. Healthy life by Alberto González García
If you want to feel happier you should begin having a healthy life ,probably you have a busy schedule and you don't have time to cook at home or go trecking every day, it's no big deal! You have to sleep at least 8 hours if you want to have energy ,also a breakfast full of carbohydrates and one piece of fruit will help you a lot. I you feel hungry during the day please don't eat sweets. Even if you're hooked on them,you have to cut down on them! For lunch you should take pasta or vegetables and a dairy product for dessert. You can take meat as well. It would be advisable to take soup or fish and you may also add a fresh salad for dinner. Don't forget to do exercise ,it's very important.
Is there any food or drink that you couldn’t live whitout? by Elena Puente
I love Italian food. I was working in Firenze for three months in 2001. Two days a week, I was eating from catering. I had to choose my meal the day before. It was healthy food. For example, pasta and rice without sauce, only with parmesano cheese. Even though it seems unbelievable, it’s very filling. Three days a week, I went to a restaurant near my workplace, which was buffet. There were fresh salads, steamed pulses, pizza, grilled meat… On the weekend, I went to a dining hall of students where you can eat for only three euros. When I had to come back, I started trying to cut down on pasta, but as much as I try, I can't live without eateing pasta once a week.
Why mood food rhymes with foot loose? By Javi Sánchez
I don't know why that question is right, but we don't have to think all night. Did people with loose foot use to have good mood food? Did people with good mood food use to go walking with foot loose? Is that a question of foot, mood, loose or food? Or is it good? I don't know but that's all folks!
Is there any food or drink that you couldn´t live without? By A. Yolanda Fernández García
I couldn´t live without salt. When people grow old (people of 50 years of age and older) they normally have high blood pressure. Then the doctors prescribe them medication to lower it and doctors advise them to go on a low salt diet. Two years ago my husband had slightly higher levels of blood pressure, then the doctor asked him to eat healthy food, do exercise and try not to have too much salt in meals. From then on I usually cook a bland menu. However I can´t eat food without salt, it´s impossible for me because the food has no taste, so I always add salt to all meals. FOR A GOOD APPETITE THERE IS NOT HARD BREAD by RUTH SANCHEZ
When I was a child I always had lunch and dinner with my grandparents every Friday. My grandmother used to cook mood food for me,because I never ate pulses or vegetables.but when I got older I realised that she had lied to me because she steamed a lot of vegetables, mixed them in the blender and turned it into a casserole with gravy sauce. Now I cook meals like she used to, because my daugther hates the same things as I did when I was a child. I think it is a good system for eating something that you don't like,J
IS THERE ANY FOOF OR DRINK THAT YOU COULDN´T LIVE WITHOUT? By Mirian Chana
I think eating without bread is quite sad. The doctor told me that I should eat oats instead of bread because I was on a diet. It was not bad but I prefer sopping up the plate with bread ti cutting it out. I love spreading butter on bread and having toast with jam for breakfast. Once I tried to eat fried eggs without bread and I got annoyed so I quit the diet. I think a balanced diet is good for your health but I think that your state of mind is more important. It is better to eat less bread than quit what you like. Yummy, yummy!.J
Is a healthy diet enough to be healthy?, by Miguel Angel Cuervo I think if you want to be healthy, it is necessary to have a healthy diet, but it isn´t enough. You have to cut down on drinking coffee and give up smoking. You have to do exercise at least three or four times a week. You need to have good friends and spend some time doing something you love. Then you might have a healthy body and a healthy mind.
FAMILY LIFE
This is your second writing task. Choose any speaking topic from this week's unit and write about 5-6 lines.
Do you think that parents should be ‘friends’ with their children….? By Tomás de Paz
Honestly, I don´t think so. The meaning of these two words is very different. In my opinion, and in a bit of a metaphorical way, the word ‘parents’ has a wider meaning than the word ‘friends’. On the one hand ‘parents’ means unconditional, and on the other hand the word ‘friends’ means conditional. Sometimes we do bad things to our parents that we wouldn’t be able to do to our friends; despite this, our parents stay with us at all times, but friends wouldn’t tolerate those things. (Teenagers sometimes are cruel with their parents). Our parents always suffer with us but our friends, in the best case, go with our feeling.
Parents should be “friends” with their children on social networking sites. I think parents should be friends with their children on Facebook when their children are very young, because nowadays people who access social networking sites are increasingly younger, so their parents should monitor the content or pages which their children access on the internet. On the other hand, I think other teenagers could choose if they want to be friends with their parents or not. For me, I don´t mind being friends with my parents or other members of my family for example my aunt, my uncle and so on, especially because some of them are living far away and I can’t see them frequently.
Do you think that parents should be 'friends' with their children on social networking sites? by Eva Fuertes. I think that parents and their children shouldn't be friends on social networks because the parents are controlling their children even more. The majority of teenagers don't want to add any members of their family. They consider that this space is for them and their friends and any comment from a friend can annoy their parents. Me, as a teenager, I'm friends on Facebook with my parents, my uncles and aunts, my cousins and even my grandmother. But I don't usually use this website, only for chatting with my kin who live in the other side of the country and I post some photos to show that I'm fine. I use other websites to interact with my friends.
Does your position in your family really affect your character? by Víctor Álvarez.
Well, after listening to a brief review and checking what the book says, I think I agree. I´m the oldest child in my family and it´s true that I´m sensible (I must take care of my young sister), very responsible and, above all, I think I´m very ambitious, I´m always thinking about my future. On the other hand it´s true that I´m sometimes a bit anxious. But, in spite of that, I don´t think we could generalize on this topic: I know a lot of oldest children who are not very responsible or hard-working and my sister, who is the youngest one, is not disorganized or immature, as the book says. Personally, I think we should not judge anyone for the position in the family he or she has, as it’s something we don’t get to choose.J
THE FAMILY!!!!! by patricia garcia blanco
For me family is very important. I have one sister and a lot of cousins, so when we celebrate Christmas, birthdays and other events we are very happy. Every day I see one member of my family because we live in the same place, but we don´t eat together every day, only at the weekends, because we have different schedules and I don´t have time to spend with my family. Internet is important to stay connected with the families who live somewhere else. There are many different family traditions in our country. One of them is meeting on Sundays and eating paella and chicken. In my house this day is the perfect occasion to meet.J
The family by Francisco Taboada
Probaily everyone sees life differently, it just depends on the person. When I was young, many years ago, family relationships were very important for me, our lives revolved around family, it was the center of our life.Nowadays young people want to be more independent, which is positive because they learn how to deal with life from an early age. On the other hand I think it's negative because the family is one of the most important pillars of our lives.Nowadays everybody should spend more time with the family, getting to know each other better and having great times together.J
The Family by Marta del Canto.
If you talk with anyone, most people will tell you that the family is the most important thing in life. But, what family? Because for some people the best family is the family that you choose, like your friends or your partner. However i think that everyone needs to have a strong support and, in my opinion, this support can only come from your immediate family, that is, your parents, brothers and sisters, because, even if you have arguments with them sometimes, they will eventually always be there for you, helping you and giving you love in good and bad times.J
Who is looking after Who? by Carlos Quintans.
Nowadays, the concepts of traditional family and home life are changing in our country; there are new models and different habits. On the one hand, most parents work outside their homes, so it is very normal, when we walk along the streets to see lots of prams and strollers which are pushed by grandparents. On the other hand, unfortunately young families have lost their jobs and they cannot pay their mortgages, as a result of this they are coming back to their parents´ home. I dare not make a prediction but I hope the current economic climate will improve.J
Do you think that families should have a meal together every day? (By Vanesa Domínguez) I think that family is very important. I like large families with many children, cousins, nephews, nieces and grandchildren. I love family and especial family gatherings. I believe they are necessary to keep in touch with all members of the same family. Perhaps I think this way because I can't enjoy my parents, brothers and sister because we live apart, about three hundred kilometres away and I see them about only once a month.Cultures and customs are different in each country. In large cities life is more stressful because people have to rush everywhere. However, in my opinion, people who live in the same house should have a meal together evey day and take advantage of the opportunity to talk about everyday life. I know kids who don't see their parents during the day because their schedules are incompatible and I think this is detrimental to both. What a pity!, but life is hard in many cases.J
Do you think elderly parents should live with their children when they are too old to live alone? by Estefania Glez.
I think elderly parents both shouldn't and should live with their children, it depends. If their children have time to look after their elderly parents, they should live with them, but if their children don't have enough time to look after them, elderly parents should live in nursing homes because they will be better taken care of and will have all their needs covered.For example, if my grandparents have lunch at 13:00 and my mom didn't come home until 14:30, my grand-parents would be alone and hungry, and in this case it is better to be in a nursing home.Finally, I think nursing homes are good for elderly people because in addition to providing good care, they can interact with other people.J
Do you have brothers and sisters, or are you an only child? What`s your position in the family? By Mónica Domínguez
I have a brother. I’m the oldest child. I think it is positive to have brothers or sisters. I remember good moments when I was a child. My brother and I shared the same bedroom and we played together. We sometimes argued but now we get on very well.I think the oldest children are responsible people because they often have to look after their younger brothers or sisters and only children can be a bit selfish or spoilt because they don´t have to share with anyone but maybe other reasons can influence your personality, not only your position in your family.J
Birth Order. By Sergio Cantón.
I didn't know that birth order affects our personality. It’s a fact that your personality, relationship with other people and behavior have to do with your position in the family. So, if you are the first born, there are some adjectives that define you such as ambitious, insecure, responsible and anxious. However, if you are the youngest child, you are rebellious, immature and charming. In my case, I am an only child; it is said that only children are spoilt and selfish but also independent and sussed. There are some Internet sites where only children are defined as more mature, intelligent and creative. I definitely think that birth order doesn't matter; there are many things that define our personality or our behavior . Birth order is just another one and maybe not the most important.J
The most important thing is the family. By Rubén Llamas.
I think so. We don't choose our family but the love family provides is unconditional. We choose our friends and sometimes they let us down. Some friends are with you just for the interest. Family will always support you in the best times and in the more difficult times. Parents educate their children, teach them how to live life and give everything for them. I think that the eldest brothers or sisters should look after their little brothers or sisters and elderly parents should be looked after by their children when they are too old to live alone.J
Do you think that families should have a meal together every day? By Sonia Garcia.
I think it is important that the family has at least one meal together every day because it is a good time to talk about work, school or daily routine.However, it is sometimes difficult because each member in the family has a different schedule.I live with my husband and we have two daughters. Normally we have dinner together every day and we have breakfast together at the weekend. It’s a relaxing moment because normally at the weekend we aren’t in a hurry trying to rush to work or school.J
Do you think that families should have a meal together every day? By Lorena Pacios
I think that families (father, mother and children) should have a meal together every day, or most of the days, because in these moments you can share information about your own daily routine. It can be either at lunch or at dinner, it doesn't matter. The only important thing is to be together and to share a good moment while we eat. As for the rest of the family (your parents, brothers, sisters or your family-in-law) I think once a month is enough. All families need to spend some moments together and have a good time.J
With and Without you:The Family. By Francisco T Garcia.
We are Spanish and like other countries with Greco Roman influence on our culture, the family has been always a great support in our day to day life. This feature in our culture is more important in these difficult moments, particularly in Southern Europe where many people have lost their jobs; nevertheless these people are surviving because of their families are providing a great financial support. On the other hand, the same cultural feature has a dark side: striving to get on well with the whole family, so we get very enthusiastic sometimes and we end up arguing due to stuff like inheritance for instance. At the end of the day, this is our destiny, it is like the fish that bites its tail. We are Latinos and Bedouin at the same time.J
Families should have a mear together every day. By MariaJ. Nowadays people have a different timetable and busy schedules, but I think eating together is an important part of family. One thing in my house that makes me happy is eating together at least once a day. I think this is a good time to talk about different things that happened to you at school or at work. We never watch TV while we eat. Normally I eat alone because my oldest daughter lives in Leon. My husband works in another city, even my youngest daugther eats at school, so we still have a meal together at the weekend.J
Close Family by Leandro Morán de la Torre
Not many people think that the bigger a family is the less close it is. It can be true if you don't follow a simple rule: spending time with family regardless of size, especially if there are children. In my case, with three brothers, one sister, five nephews, four nieces, one great nephew and one great niece, which makes up my extended family, following this rule can be a hard type of life experience.Obviously, during Christmas this little crazy town is not very relaxing. Tears, weeps, and bites wake up very early. Smiles, jokes and plays; that is the best definition of a family.J
Importance of the family. By Seve. Humans are very weak when they are born, even more than other mammals. In fact, we can´t survive without family until we are 18 years old more or less. Educating people takes a long time. In addition to food, protection, love and so on, people need learning a lot of rules to live in society. The family gives everything, even the genetic heritage. States have sometimes tried to replace the role of the family, but they have always failed. When we are adults our behaviour replicates what we have learned in our childhood. No one can change that. For this reason progress in society depends largely on family situation, as we can see in different cultures and countries.J
Are you going to have a new nephew soon? By Elena Puente
Yes, I’m going to have a new nephew in January. He will be my first nephew and the first grandson for my parents. My sister’s parents-in-law don’t have any grandchildren so this baby will surely be very spoilt. The whole family is very excited about the birth, but my sister and my brother-in-law live in Madrid so that’s why we won`t see the baby as much as we would want. My brother is going to be the godfather. He feels very excited because he loves to play with children. He studied to teach children from 6 to 12 years old and he works as a teacher. He thinks that nowadays, children are more independent and selfish and this may be explained because they are only children. So, he wants my sister to have more children.J
Modern families by Carmen Calvo Traditionally families have father, mother, sons and daughters, grandfather and grandmother and other extended family members, and everybody knows their role but reality around families has changed fast in the last 50 years.The mother used to work at home taking care of the family but nowadays she woks outside and the family reality has been changed: with emotional (less time for children) and nourishing implications (nobody cooks at home).The father has lost his family role and he´s still looking for it. Grandparents have no place at home and in the best cases they´re in an old people’s home. J
Is Linda Blair a Blair witch or ex-prime minister Tony Blair’s wife? By Javi Sánchez Well, last Wednesday in English class, when we were reading the conclusions of "Birth order" by Linda Blair, no matter what we talked about, the only thing I could think was: who was the self-confident, organized, impatient, selfish and spoilt only child of Mr. and Ms. Blair now? My first thought was she was a desperate housewife of a retired politician, with a lot of time to think, to drink and to write. Her children had grown up and it was time to talk about that.My second chance was she was the one from "The Blair witch project". Who knows more about children than a Witch? But that's a different history.J
Adults that are living at home with their parents by A. Yolanda Fernández
In Spain it is very typical for young people aged 18 to 30 or even older to still stay living with their parents. I think a decade ago this situation was already common, but since the financial crisis started in Spain (in about 2008) the number of adults that are still living at home with their parents has increased considerably. Young people can’t become independent because they are unemployed and don´t have money to start a life by themselves, even when they are highly qualified. Nowadays many young people must go abroad to find work. This situation is called "flight of brains". Even whole families who have children returned with their parents because they lost their jobs. I think it is common for families to help their sons, daughters, sons in-law, daughters in-law and grandchildren. But I also think the governments should have social programmes to help families without resources.J
Many people have a meal with their immediate family every day. By Lorena Arias
I can´t understand this comment very well... having meals with your family is the norm, isn´t it? Unless I have gone with my friends to a fast food restaurant or something like that, I always have meals with my immediate family, and I think everybody should do the same.Maybe people who have different work schedules can´t eat together, so I guess it isn´t entirely their fault. But people who don´t work or have the same schedules haven´t got any excuse. I think lunch or dinner time isn´t just time to eat, it´s also time to talk to your family and tell them how your day went. It´s important to spend time with family.J
We can’t choose our family !! by Begoña Glez My godson has been an only child until he was a teenager; far from being a spoilt and selfish one, he was a charming and loving boy, his life was idyllic….but suddenly, this changed...His father died and some years later his widow mother got engaged with a man who was older than her. In addition, she got a baby girl adopted. From then on he had a stepsister and a stepfather. They both lived in their mother’s house because they couldn’t afford to live on their own as well as they did it there.Nowadays, their situation is getting worse. From now on they’ll have to work hard because their mother is going to be in prison for years obviously, It`s the least traditional family I've ever known !!!J
MONEY
Choose any speaking topic related to money that we have discussed in class and write a few lines about it.
MONEY by Patricia Garcia Blanco In my opinion lending people money is a very serious thing. They have never asked me for a lot of money, about 10 or 20 euros or so, but this has always been quickly paid back from people whom I trust. I think money is to important to play with it so if anyone ever asks me for a large amount of money I would try to find another solution to try to understand what their problem is. I am not in favour of lending money because it is a big commitment and often these people take their time to pay back, and when they do you feel as if you were asking for it.J
SAVING MONEY. By Marta Fuertes Nowadays saving money is very difficult. The prices go up all the time, but the salaries are the same, so going to the supermarket to buy food for the week gets most expensive every year. Other products like water, electricity, gas, and diesel… increase their price every year too, so saving money gets more and more difficult. We should try to cut down our bank charges to save money, but if our salary is very low, this could be impossible. At any rate, we could save money by cutting unnecessary charges. For example we could go out less often or waste less money. In addition, there are other things that we can do to save money, like going to the supermarket with a shopping list and on a full stomach, working with natural light, reducing shower time, wearing more layers of clothes,…Despite everything, saving money could be very difficult today.J
HAVE YOU EVER LOST A CREDIT CARD OR YOUR WALLET? by Mónica Domínguez I lost my wallet five years ago. It fell out of my backpack when I was on a bus. It had my credit cards and money in it. Fortunately somebody found it and a week later the police phoned me and I went to get it. It still had all my cards and photos in it except the money. I was amazed.J
HAVE YOU EVER WON ANY MONEY? By M. Lucía Pérez Arias Yes, I have. It happened 10 years ago, when I was studying my degree, in Zamora. I'm a blood donor and one day I went to the hospital to donate as usual, and one month later I received a phone call and a woman from the donation told me that I had won a credit card with 150 euros to spend on whatever I wanted!!! They had written my name and my address on a paper which was put into a box with other donors’ details an I had won the prize. After that, I went to some different shops and I bought several presents for my family and for me, of course. Although that amount of money wasn't enough, it made me happy to be the winner for one day.J
IF I WERE A RICH WOMAN. María de la Mata Renilla. "Dear God, you made many, many people poor. I realize, of course, that it´s no shame to be poor...but it´s no great honor either. So why would it be so terrible if I had...a small fortune?"- That´s what the principal actor of "Fiddler on the Roof" said to God. I think I like him in most things that he said. You could be happy with little money but if I were I rich woman, what would the difference be? I think everybody wishes to be rich, because if you have a lot of money you can buy everything you want because you can get it. If you don´t have too much money, you might be able to borrow money from the bank, like a loan or a mortgage, and you have to pay it back as soon as you could. Or you could feel bad if you owe friends money and you can´t pay back because you have spent all your salary. Definitely, being rich is easier.J
Have you ever been ripped off? By Tomás de Paz Honestly, I think we have been ripped off a lot of times. I actually think we are constantly being scammed. Some examples of it are: when you go to the TIV (Technical Inspection of Vehicles) and you have to pay 60 € per 15 minutes (so 240 € per hour) and they don't repair your car, they only inspect it. Another rip off is when you go to a petrol station and you have to pay 1,30 per litre of diesel, so 90 € for a full petrol tank and, as you know, the price of the oil barrel is dropping and it's around $80. Another scam is that you are working longer hours than before and your salary is frozen. And what about the electricity bill? And what about our taxes? ...J
Shopping online by Carlos Quintans. I have never bought things at auction sites. I used to think they would play a trick on me if I bought on the internet but I discovered three months ago that if we buy on safe websites, we could save money, because we may choose loads of items and different prices. The method is easy and fast, (without going into details) we have to stick to a plan step by step. First, we have to create an account, then we choose one item or more and of course we have to give our delivery address and our payment details such as our credit card number and its expiry date. Be careful!! Do not do this at work, you could be sacked.J
THE GREAT RIP OFF. by Francisco Tomás García Martínez First of all when a person has borrowed money from the bank, he has to keep in mind that he must pay it back to the bank. Because of this, the debtors ought to try to reach a balance between their income and their expenses in order to be able to pay back the loans; otherwise, the bank will execute its rights and the debtor might lose his home or some property. However, what happens when the bank is the debtor? Experience shows that in this bankrupt situation, the state will rescue the banks. Because of that, I consider this a great rip off, because this leads to higher taxes, social cuts and the most important thing, you feel like a puppet on a string.J
Have you ever wasted money on something you´ve never used?
Who hasn’t wasted money on something which they haven’t used some time later? Sometimes we see something in a shop but we are not sure whether to buy it or not. Then we might leave the shop with the item we have bought because we think we can use those objects, clothes or whatever at some point.The object or clothes will stay in the wardrobe with the price tag on them, when we could return them or change them for other things.I think that the best thing is to be sure before buying it. This way we won’t be wasting any money.J
Spend or save? by María Isabel Martínez Villares. Life is full of options: we can do a lot of things with our money, spend, save or invest. One of life’s greatest pleasures is spending money. Another option is to save our money in the bank, in stable current accounts. The third option is to invest (this isn´t for conservative people because it carries a risk). It’s up to us to make decisions and choose the best way to make the most of our money, although people keep on thinking that money was created for spending it. This may be the whole point but nowadays there are many different alternatives. J
A difficult situation (By Vanesa Domínguez) At present in Spain, people are living a difficult situation. Many people haven't got a job because the unemployment is very high here. In many cases people have a mortgage or other loans and they can't pay them, so the banks are driving them from their homes and they are coming back to live with their parents once again. I think it is very unfair because politicians have badly managed done and are still badly managing this country and the citizens aren't guilty of this. So now people survive with money that they had saved or on the charity of others. Even so, we must be positive and think that this situation will change soon but in my opinion, when we have a job we must save some of the money that we earn and not spend it all.J
Money by Begoña Glez. “Money, money, money makes the world go around….” , says a cabaret song.Whether you like it or not, you have been keeping in touch with money since you were born…When you’re a baby, you only need nappies, milk, clothes; you grow and your needs and desires increase too but you don’t mind because you still live off your parents, they have to pay for these things. When you are in your early 20s, things could change for you if you started to earn a salary. At that moment, you can decide between saving or wasting it; or maybe you are an ambitious person and you prefer to invest it for a long time and after that you’ll make a lot of money but you should be very careful because it may have the opposite effect ….and you’ll get into debt !!J
MONEY,Mariaj.
I'm afraid that I live on only one salary, so I'm not good saver. Nowadays saving money is very difficult. In my opinion if you can save money after pay your pay bills, mortgage, tax, water, electricity, gas, phone, internet connection and diesel, you are a lucky person. I have a good tip to save money. When you want to buy something which is expensive, shop around, be careful with your credit card, to make sense. Ifyou pay with your credit card you spend your money like water. Write a shopping list, then stick to your list. I' m sure you'll buy things that you really need.J
When was the last recession in your country? How long did it last? by Víctor Álvarez Well, the Spanish economic crisis began in the early 2008s, when banks, which have been lending money without control for years, couldn´t earn the loans that people owed them. As banks didn´t give money, people couldn´t pay their debts and mortgages, so the banks kept these people´s houses. Banks had then lots of houses and no one who wanted them so prices began to fall down. All the people who have invested their money in houses to resell them with higher prices lost it, and millions of workers, including many young people who left their studies, lost their jobs. This started an extremely deep recession, which has destroyed millions of jobs, increased poverty and made thousands of well-qualified experts emigrate abroad, to the rich countries of northern Europe, like Germany or the UK.J
Is money important? by Francisco Taboada P. I think it is. Nowadays we live in a society where everybody needs money.Most people want to live a better life, but we have to take care of several expenses, such as mortgages, taxes and all kinds of bills (electricity, children's school fees, etc.).Therefore we need money. Some people can live better than others, because they've inherited money from their families and they don't struggle to afford these expenses. There is also a small part of society who has invested in the stock market with success, too.J
Are you a spender or a saver? by Estefania Glez. In the past I considered myself a spender because I wasted money in many things such as clothes, shoes or make up. I enjoy spending money on my hobbies, but nowadays I'm a saver because Spain's economy has fallen, and life is very difficult. I can't afford things that I could before. I have been saving money in the bank for 2 years because I would like to buy a car and I don't like loans. In the future I would like to invest some money in my own deal.J
To get save money by A. Yolanda Fernández García When I go shopping and I see something which is very expensive I don’t normally buy it, because I don´t like wasting money on something that I don´t need. When I go with my husband he tells me: buy it!, Don’t be stupid, I’m a saver and I prefer spending money on important things. Women normally love to buy clothes, I am not an exception and I also like them, but I try to save money. When you have a job you can afford to buy a whim because you have a salary, but when you are unemployed you have to learn to prioritize and spend money on necessary things. The first thing that you have to pay is the mortgage, after that electricity bill, telephone bill, heating bill, water bill....and finally you check that you have spent more money than you have earned. Spanish people for the most part can´t afford to save money, but nowadays you watch the news and you get depressed when many politicians and people with high positions are stealing money, even when they are rich, but they always want to have more money because they are ambitious.J
Wasteful consumerismby Ángel Fernández de la Torre Nowadays we live in a consumer society. A lot of people spend too much money in stupid things because they are happy while they are shopping but this problem is still more important when they can´t afford the bills. While they are shopping, they pay with their credit cards but when the end of the month comes all the bills are charged to their accounts and this is even worse if the people have a mortgage. A common mistake in this situation is asking for a loan to pay debts because in the future you have to pay more money. The best way is to be aware of your own circumstances and don´t spent the money which you haven´t got.J
ABBA was right in 1976. Nowadays the rich man’s world continues ruling the world.It must be very nice to look from above the Managerial Advice for Competitiveness (CEC). One group from the18 Spanish biggest companies wrote and presented a report entitled "creating employment " in Spain in 2018. It intends to fight black economy effectively by increasing the number of labor inspectors, and by providing fiscal incentives to formal contracts. It also intends to improve the public accounts to fight against tax evasion, the improvement of the educational level, with major resources and specialized qualification.The big companies are again saying that those who have to make more effort to get out of the crisis are those who have already made a lot of effort in the last few years.J
Has money been damaging originality or has originality been saving money? By Javi Sánchez. Money, such a problem! We had been reading in the English book it makes young people stupid but not old people. Now we know if we are a spender or a saver and what a millionaire's secret is or who a ghost-writer is. But what have we been learning? English? It doesn’t matter. They know it. The truth is we still have to spend time to pay bills. Is that an original way of life? It doesn’t matter, this is the way of life we lead.J
.Saving money? By cristina Paz Nowadays saving money is impossible for me. Although I earn a salary every month, I have a mortgage, this is the problem. The bank lent me money when I signed the mortgage seven years ago, so every month I have to make my mortgage payments. Salaries are the same as five years ago but life is more expensive. Water, electricity, diesel bills... are very high. If you want to save money you cannot waste it. I think that you need to work to live. If you are a reliable person you might never have problems when you need money.J
Challenges
Write about:
- a challenge you faced
- interesting challenges that a person can do
- a challenge that you would like to try
My personal challenge by María Isabel Martínez Villares
The challenge I would like to face in my life would be to be able to spend a year traveling through various countries of the world without money. Reaching a country, walking around the cities and towns, getting to know the culture of the place, helping families with their daily work and then eating their food (through doing volunteer work in exchange for room and board) . This is a good way to learn languages and to communicate with people who lead very different lives; sharing with others any means of transport. Definitely, without traveling dates, times and just being able to enjoy the trip. J
A challenge you faced by Víctor Álvarez Martínez Well, last year a group of mates and I were talking about Star Wars. It was a saga which seemed to be great, but I had never seen its films so I decided to watch them. The first thing that surprised me was the number: there were 7 Star Wars films! I realised I couldn't watch them with classes and studies and I waited until summer. Then, I rented one of the films every weekend in the video-club and I spent a month and a half to watch all of them. It was kind of a tough challenge but I spent a great time with them, so I recommend this saga to everyone.J
The hardest challenge I’ve faced (by Vanesa Domínguez) I am sure that everyone has to rise to the challenge in some moment of their lives. The hardest challenge I’ve ever faced in my life was doing the public exams to be teacher. I had to study a lot, about eight hours every day, but I got it. Now I have a fresh challenge, which is to pass the public exams to work as a teacher in other countries but as I am very happy working here too I don't devote much time to it. I love travelling abroad, getting to know other countries and cultures and this new challenge is a way to do it, so if I get it I will get two objectives at the same time.I believe embracing challenges is very important because by doing so life will be more exciting.J
Is it a challenge or a dream? By Carlos Quintans Travelling from New Orleans to Chicago, driving from dawn till dusk to live my own “road movie” has been a major challenge for ages that I cannot afford. I would like to get to Nashville where I could listen to midnight blues in some clubs, but let´s face it! Firstly, I am afraid this journey is very expensive, I should save money and this is a new challenge for me. I wish I were rich! Secondly, I often have second thoughts about it, because the US is a large and strange country to me. On the other hand it would be exciting and a dream come true.J
A challenge that I would like to try by Estefania Glez. I would like to try to open my own restaurant! I love cooking and I admire many chefs such as Jordi Cruz, Quique Dacosta, Pedro Subijana or Dani Garcia. I have loved cooking for as long as I can remember, and my love has increased since I saw Master Chef. I would like to go to university in Pais Vasco (Basque Culinary Center) but it's a private university and I can't afford it. Lately. I've been saving money because in the future I will go to the Basque Culinary Center to become a good chef and have my own restaurant with some Estrellas Michelin.J
My challenge, by Lorena Pacios I took on a challenge four years ago: to learn English and get the B1 certificate, because I need it for my job.It´s a real challenge for me.When I was studying at high school, I hated English and I didn't sometimes pass my exams.Although I don`t like English, I try to study it and do the homework, but I'm sometimes lazy and I prefer doing the ironing, for example. If I pass my exam in June or in September, I`ll go to a hotel with spa for a weekend.J
Which is the challenge of your life? By Ruben Llamas In order to answer this question it is necessary to think about what we would change to improve our current life. There are always people who meet their challenges and people who don’t rise to their challenges. Many people want to live in the present and be happy but they sometimes relive the past or are worried about their future. Although in some aspects of life we don't know what we want, the most important thing is to know what we don't want.In order to face the challenges it is necessary to leave the past behind, be motivated and committed and fight against the fear of failure and against people who don't believe in you. All good things start with a little fear.J
My small/big daily challenge by Begoña Glez. Everyday when I wake up I spend some minutes thinking: What little/big challenge will I rise to today? (e.g. cut down on sweets, do some sport for one hour, help to my co-worker, speak in English class, not waste money…or simply be delighted). I choose one of them. I pledge myself to tackle it and…. Go for it!I don’t mind if it is a kind o tough challenge, it’ll be my target for that day so I’ll deal with it until I’ll get it, I won’t give up.My tip is: The more challenges we overcome, the more we believe in ourselves. J
A challenge that I would like to try by Emilio José I would like to be able to run the 101 Km race in Ronda, because some of my partners ran it several years ago and they told me that it was a pleasing experience, but that the truth is it’s very hard, because you have to finish it in 24 h. maximum. And having to run all those kilometres well at night is very hard because it is very cold and you don’t carry a flashlight so you can’t see anything, and, as you run through the mountains, it is easy to fall and have an injury. Last year a partner pulled his calf muscle and had go to the next checkpoint and there a legionnaire covered him with a blanket and he told him "once you grab a blanket, it will not let you go" and it was true because he couldn't keep on running .In spite of this, it's an interesting challenge to embrace,knowing how much one's body can endure and it would be an experience to tell people if I manage to finish the race. Training for the challenge will be long, intense and hard but thanks to the training I will be able to overcome the challenge. J
Life is a challenge, by Tomás de Paz I think life itself is a real challenge and people must enjoy their daily challenges. For me, there are basically two kinds of challenges, the compulsory ones and the voluntary ones. The compulsory ones determine your position in life and they normally become hard. The voluntary ones allow you to enjoy yourself and they are delightful for people. My last one was walking on foot all villages and towns of León province (around 1460 including the deserted villages) doing a photographic report. It took me four years, I did thousands of Kms and hundreds of hours away from home. J
A challenge that you would like to try, by Mariaj. I think we all have small challenges or perhaps we need to face a challenge in some moment in our lives, because each day we need to overcome difficult situations. My major challlenge that I would like to try is doing to St James Way as a pilgrim, from Roncesvalles to Santiago. I'm not a religious or spiritual person, although I have a motivation: "obtaining my compostela". I would like to do this on foot alone, otherwise " no one walks alone on the way". I need to spend a month without responsibilities, I don't know when I'll be able to take this on but I'm sure it's worth it. J
A "really big" challenge. By M. Lucía Pérez Arias. One of my favourite hobbies is completing jigsaws and many of them are a challenge for me. As a major challenge, at the present time I’m completing the most enormous jigsaw that I’ve ever built. Its name is “Life” and it has more than 24.000 pieces, really small pieces. It measures 4,28 m long and 1,57 m wide (I don't have a room large enough to do this). It shows a complete fantasy landscape of the world with the depth of the sea, different animals and the sky with planets and stars. I began it 9 months ago and I hope to finish it before the new year. There’s nothing as satisfying as putting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and seeing it finished. J
How to face life´s challenges.. By Francisco T García. Everyday we face our individual challenges and the way that we face them makes our difference with the rest of the people. Overall there are two types of people regarding facing challenges. In the first group we will have people showing fear to new challenges, and in the second group, we are going to see self confident and strong people who don´t have fear to face new challenges. Of course it’s clear that the first group is extremely vulnerable to life problems and challenges. The moment they fail they believe that something went wrong instead of realizing that success is all about trying things that don’t work until something that works is found. J
The loneliness of the long distance runner by Leandro Morán de la Torre Anyone who has played any kind sport for years knows how hard it can become, even more if a injury crops up and seriously compromises your future in this sport. This was my case when a trauma specialist doctor told me that I would never be able to run a long distance race again. My challenge was to recover almost completely from my damage knee through long physiotherapy sessions and a proper strength work in the gym. One year later, I ran a half-marathon and I crossed the finishing line. J
A daily challenge by Seve Nowadays my real challenge is around happiness and getting to face some small challenges. That means I must do little things for others or for myself properly. I can make a tasty meal, fix a breakdown at home, tend the garden or invest in stock markets. When I´ve accomplished these challenges (the electrical appliance works, the flowers grow, my family tastes the meal or I make some money) I feel satisfied. Rising to each challenge brings up different emotions in me. I can feel a bit cleverer, more hardworking, a whole lot more generous o a tiny bit more artist depending on each one. After that, I try to face new challenges next day. J
Challenges, Dr. Challenges I suppose. By Javi Sánchez I have to write about:
- a challenge I faced - an interesting challenge that a person can do - a challenge that I would like to try and I have 5 minutes, so it's become a challenge!Hurry up! Time goes by quickly. This is a challenge that I have never faced, an uninteresting challenge that people can try and a challenge that I wouldn't like to try again. Maybe it wasn't the question but it has been the challenge. It's too late. I've written too slowly so I have no time to write about form of Transports, I miss them all. Sorry, I didn’t rise to the challenge! J
My personal challenge by Sonia Garcia. I am going to talk about a personal challenge I faced three years ago. I was afraid of skating and I had never skated before when I was a child.But when my daughters starting to learn skating I decided to learn to skate too. I bought a pair of skates and I began to practice. The first timeI went very slowly and needed more than one hour until I could keep my balance. I practiced several times until I got my balance and a few weeks later then I learnt to skate. Nowadays I often go out skating with my daughters in a sport center. I think it is a good sport to be in good shape. J
FORMS OF TRANSPORT
This time choose any conversation question from the handout on transport and write about 5-6 lines.
Forms of transport, by Tomás de Paz. I can’t find the handout on transport, but I'm going to write about transport. For me the best way to travel is by car. It makes you independent. If you like traveling abroad you can rent a car in the airport, you set the satnav and you can visit everything you want, even places which are off the beaten track or on the outskirts and experience the real atmosphere in interesting places. I don't like city breaks, despite being fashionable. I think it's a short trip and you don't get a feel for a city, also you can't get an overall picture of a city. I think city-breaks are rather a trendy and sophisticated form of traveling. J
Transport by María Isabel Martínez Villares. My favourite means of transport is the plane, because you can be transported across the world in no time. The dream of flying goes back to prehistory, and as far as I’m concerned, it has always amazed me how you can be thousands of meters above the ground. The plane is the fastest means of transport and the most expensive, but also highly safe as it records a lesser number of accidents. Airports have ground terminals where aircrafts take off and land. When I start a trip ,I love airports because it is the beginning of an adventure, but when I return from a journey, airports seem to me unbearable boredom rooms. J
Forms of transport, by Víctor Álvarez In my opinion, means of transport should account for a great part of a country's national budget. In addition to being a necessary service to supply to the population, a good transport network generates a lot of money and jobs. For example, the Spanish AVE, the national high-speed train, is one of the most successful transport programs currently. It has already exceeded the plane in number of travellers and it's probably a great way to generate income for the country. I also think transport is a good way to increase the number of foreign tourists, more specially so in countries like Spain, which is very dependent of tourism, as it can be a great jobs - generator. J
Forms of transport. By Francisco T García In my opinion all means of transport have a good side and a bad side, but overall if you compare them with fifty years ago, all of us will agree that the improvements on the forms of transport have been great. I personally prefer to travel by train because I consider it is the most comfortable and safest form of transport despite of the last enormous crash which took place in Spain two years ago. In addition, I would say that investments on transport infrastructure always generate profit for the country; not only in terms of material wealth but they also improve the country image specially in foreign countries, It is also important for expanding social networks and possibilities of personal development. J
Better public transport by Carlos Quintans. I you wanted to save money or to look after the environment, you could try other ways of travel other than driving your car. I often travel to Madrid and I used to go there by car, but I don´t any more. It was dear, you know, petrol, tolls, hotel car park... Now I always travel by train, in my opinion it´s the most relaxing way to travel, we can read or look through its windows. In a big city I prefer to take the subway, it enables you to go faster and avoid the heavy traffic on the surface. When I am on holiday I enjoy walking along the large or narrow streets getting a feel for the city. J Transports by Marta del Canto.
Talking about transport, I think that most people share the same view. There are a lot of cars, there are a lot of buses, there are a lot of motorbikes... Of course it's true that means of transport make our life easier. Thanks to them we can move faster than in the past, when travelling lasted too long. For example, if you wanted to go China in the past, the trip took around many months. Nowadays you can get there in a matter of a few hours. Obviously this is a great improvement. But, in my opinion, the situation in the big cities has worsened because the massive traffic is too uncomfortable, and it's our fault. We complain about getting stuck in a traffic jam and, as I have just said, we are part of the problem, for using our cars for everything and not using public transport instead. This is a problem with a difficult solution, because until we understand that the solution is in our hands, it will keep getting worse. J
Forms of transport,by Francisco Taboada.
When I go on holiday abroad we prefer to travel by plane, because in my opinion it's faster and more comfortable than the train or the bus, but some people hate travelling by plane, so they have to travel by car, bus, etc. For me it's very tiring and a bit stressful, because you set off early to avoid road works, traffic lights and getting stuck in the traffic jams. Also you have to go very slowly everywhere, because the police has many speed cameras on the roads and if you exceed the speed limit, you might get fined. J
Times change by A. Yolanda Fernández García
At present there are several means of transport. Fifty years ago many people never travelled by plane, or by boat, but nowadays most people have been using all of forms of transport at any time in their life. Fifty or even forty years ago, in the small villages with a population of under a hundred residents; a lot of people didn´t have a car. They went to work or to the Health Center on foot, although they needed to walk a lot of kilometres. In those days it was very common to go on foot everywhere. Nowadays it is very different, for example, most of the children are driven to school by their parents. I think it is better that we can choose among different forms of transport, but people have become very lazy and we use the car for everything, even to go to the gym... J
Public transport by Estefania Glez. In my area, the public transport system is very bad. In many cases there aren’t many available transfers, and you have to wait a long time between one and another one and it's a bit expensive. For example, the bus in Leon is very awful. People in wheelchairs cannot use this means of transport because it hasn't got ramps or any infrastructure to allow this people to use it. I think public transport should be made more accessible to people with disabilities. J Do you ever use your car when you could walk, run or use public transport instead? By Sergio Cantón I never use my car if I can go on foot. I lived in León for seven years and I used to go to University by bus. Nowadays in Astorga, where I live, you don’t need a car to go wherever you want. We don’t have any public transport in our town but it’s also known that we don’t need it because Astorga is a small town. I think it’s very important to have a good public transport system in large cities so that people could travel on it and don’t need to use their own cars. J How often do you use public transport? By Lorena Pacios I usually use public transport once a week, when I visit my grandparents. They live in a village near the mountains and the road is really dangerous, so I prefer to go by train.I think it´s a great deal safer than other forms of transports. In fact, when I go by train I can have dinner there because the last train is at 11:00 p.m. When I was six or seven, I loved to go by train, because if I went by bus or by car I felt bad and in the train I could play or draw. J
Means of transport. By Mariaj.
I live in Astorga so I usually go on foot, I only use my car when I go to the supermarket and I have to carry heavy bags. I often travel to Gijon and I normally travel by bus. If you get a resident card, you pay 0,82€ for each trip and if you are under 13 you can travel free. Other than that, in my opinion travelling by public transport is faster and more convenient. It helps you save money for parking. And petrol. It is easy to reach all areas in town. On the bus stops you can look for information on lines, timetables, frequency and bus routes. J
Forms of transport. By Sonia Garcia. I am going to talk about forms of transport. In my opinion it is very important to have a car when you live in a small village. I personally need to drive my carseveral times a day, for example to go to school, go to work, go shopping, go to the bank or go to the Health Center. For me it is very difficult to use public transport because in my village you can take a bus only at nine o´clock in the morning and come back at two o´clock and at three o´clock in the afternoon, and come back at six o´clock. So that’s why I have a car to make my life easier. J
Animals on the motorway By Cristina Paz When I travel alone I prefer to use public transport. However, if I travel with family I always travel in my car.One year ago I was driving my car on the motorway from Madrid to Astorga, and suddenly my car crashed against a bull. It was terrible. I was afraid while my car crashed against both sides of the motorway. The car was a write off. When I got to stop my car I got out and I called the emergency number. I was wearing the seat belt, which is very important. It is also very important to observe the traffic rules such as the speed limit, and not to use the phone while you are driving... J
Forms of transport by Begoña Glez. In my daily life I have to commute by car because I live in a small city where there isn’t enough public transport but, if I lived in a bigger place, I’d use means of transport such as the bus, the underground or the train much more or I’d share the car with people who would have the same schedule. I think that it is, overall, the best way to save money and time.On the other hand, when I get to a new city, I wander around on foot because I’m sure it’s the best option to get a feel for a place but….. many times, I end up getting lost. No big deal!! J
TeleTransportation or Transporting or Trainspotting. By Javi Sánchez
Now we gonna talk about the electron transport chain inner mitochondrial membrane and how cells use their protein complex to carry electrons from food.Ha, ha it has been a joke, the real thing is we are gonna tell the same old story about forms of transport: Do we miss the train or is the train which has been missing us?Well, let’s be serious, does the train know the meaning of "to miss"? I don't think so. So, who is guilty of this? Is it the train driver?Yeah: The train driver is guilty! J
Public transport (by Vanesa Domínguez) Public transport is very important for society. In the cities, people who don't drive need to go to work by bus or subway, for example. It is cheaper than going with their own car, and it is less polluting. If we can go to work walking or cycling we must choose this option because it is healthier. Public transport is also very necessary to travel. If there weren’t any planes or high-speed trains, we wouldn’t have enough time to know other countries. All forms of transport are an evolution of society. J
STEREOTYPES. Choose any of the speaking topics that we have discussed in class over the last few days and write a few lines about it.
Women are better at multitasking than men by Eloy Carro How might you know this? Only if you compare women and men in the same situation. This could simply be explained by the fact that multitasking performed by women is more simple and it needs less concentration. Only in an experimental situation in which you place men and women to do the same things with the same training, you could have an accurate answer. J
WOMEN WORRY MORE ABOUT THEIR APPEARANCE THAN MEN by Mónica Domínguez I think nowadays men worry about their appearance the same as women. If you go to the gym, you can see more male members than females. They care about their body image and they sometimes wax their legs or they enjoy going to a spa to get some treatments done for their skin. It is true most women usually wear make up when they go out, go shopping and do exercise but men like being fit or well groomed too. J
Spanish Stereotypes. By Ruben Llamas Many foreign people think that Spanish people dance flamenco or sevillanas, like bullfighters or that our only song is La Macarena. However, this depends on each region and each person. They also think that Spanish people are lazy and sleep a nap daily. The nap is our invention but we only sleep a nap when we can. Another Spanish stereotype is that we are always having parties. It is true that any excuse is a cause for celebration in Spain and we have many bars and many festivals in villages, but that doesn't mean that we attend all of them. But there are true stereotypes: Spanish people are very familiar, cook well (and healthy food) and like everything which is free. And with that I say goodbye and as a good Spaniard, with a couple of kisses. J
Women worry more about their appearance than men. by Lorena Pacios. I completely disagree with this statement because nowadays there are a lot of products for men such as lotions, creams, shampoos for different types and styles of hair...And all of them are selling well.More and more men are worried abour their appearance and they usually go to the hairdresser, but they always go to the same hairdresser, because they agree with him, and they ask for fashionable haircuts. J
Spanish & wine by Mª Elisa Macho Spainhas very good wine such as Ribera del Duero, Cigales, Rueda, Bierzo... I think that for this reason the Spanish like to drink wine. In my opinion this isn't a stereotype because this is a fact.Nowadays, the Spanish go out at night and they drink a glass of wine because this makes them feel good. The problem comes when they have to drive back home. My advice: cut down on wine if you have to take the car. J
Stereotypes by Carlos Quintans.
Generally speaking, I am afraid stereotypes are the best way to discriminate against someone. Although we could choose between a wide variety of subjects, I am going to list some common stereotypes, which range from gender differences to external appearance. For instance, blue is for men and pink is better for women, men must be keen on football and they cannot cry or black people are good at sports, women have to put on make up or they multitask better than men. I´d like to hazard a guess, we should propose new ideas and points of view about a more equal treatment for men and women. J
Stereotypes by Sheila Martínez Nowadays, stereotypes are part of our life. You can see this easily during Christmas. The catalogue of toys has many stereotypes, all toys for girls are pink, and on the other hand the toys for boys are blue or green. It is very difficult to find a covered wagon that is not pink, and it is also uncommon to find photos where the girls play with cars or the boys play with dolls. Our culture gives us a lot of stereotypes, which are very difficult to eliminate. I think that everybody has a duty to try to eliminate stereotypes. J
Stereotypes (by Vanesa Domínguez) I think that many stereotypes aren't true. It is very common to hear a man talk bad about how badly women drive, however, women have less accidents than men and that is what really matters. Another stereotype about men is that they can't do several things at the same time but it isn't real. I think stereotypes have a certain length of time and they change with the evolution of society, therefore they are not quite real. So we must accept that it is part of our culture but we can't give it much importance. J
Stereotypes by Marta del Canto Since I was a little girl I've heard that men come from Mars and women come from Venus because of the differences among us and, of course, because of the social stereotypes such as women worry more about their appearance then men, women spend more time talking about their problems than men, women don't have interest in sports etc. Beliefs like these are responsible for discrimination in some cases. So, separating women and men is not a very wise thing to do, in as much as time has shown that, in spite of the fact that women and men have different points of views about certain things, we can be the same relating to work, likes, and many other things. For that reason, in my opinion, stereotypes are only that, stereotypes. There may be a grain of truth in them, but in general they are clichés. J
Stereotypes by Sonia Garcia. In my opinion we experience stereotypes since the moment we were born. Parents have always brought up their sons and daughters differently. When a baby boy is born the parents usually buy him cars, balls, excavators or helicopters but when it is a baby girl, they usually buy her dolls, strollers for dolls or hairdryers for dolls. I think it is important that the children can play with allkinds of toys irrespective if they are boys or they are girls. On the other hand I think it is very difficult to change society nowadays. J
Men find it more difficult than women to talk to their friends or family if they have a problem. By Mariaj. Men find it more difficult than women to talk to their friends or family, including when they have a problem as well. I think women are generally more talkative, women solve problems in a crisis by talking about them. They will usually want to discuss the situation and their feelings, while men themselves don't like asking for advice or discussing their problems. And they try to solve them by themselves. This difference is one of the main causes of conflict between male and female in relationships. That's true: men and women’s brains work completely differently. J
Stereotypes nowadays by Víctor Álvarez I think stereotypes are in general true but lots of them, specially referred to men or women, are a bit out-of-time. In a relatively traditional society like the Spanish one 50 years ago, these stereotypes were common and accepted but now they are completely false. You can find women playing football or leading enterprises, men taking care of their children, etc... However, some stereotypes are not untrue: it's undeniable that in general men are more interested in football or cars and fashion and gossips are common in women chatting. You should find a mid-term: Stereotypes can be true, but you should not judge anyone in base of them. J
Stereotypes by Estefanía Glez. If you are a woman, experts say that you cannot talk for two minutes about football or cars. I think this is wrong! I can talk about these topics perfectly, more than two minutes. For example, I'm a very avid football fan, my team is Real Madrid and I think that now we have the best football players in the world. Iker is considered the best goalkeeper, Ramos, Pepe or Varane are the best defenders and obviously we have the best striker in football history. However, I can talk about cars too. I love cars, high range cars. My uncle has an Aston Martin and a Porsche and when he visits me he always lends me his car and it's awesome. J
Stereotypes : Men & Women by María Isabel Martínez Villares. I think the first thing is to accept that men and women are different. From here, it is understood that there are both stereotypes which are true and which aren’t. Scientific advances have shown that there are real stereotypes which science can explain. Some examples: 1 - Women are the weaker sex (women feel more pain because they have more sensors in the skin that men). 2 - Women love to talk, men are silent (there are areas in the brain responsible for language and they are 17% larger in women than in men). 3 - Women get drunk more easily than men (the body of a man is made up of approximately 61% water, and a woman’s body accounts for 52%, the relationship between water and fat is different in the bodies, therefore alcohol affects differently). 4 - Women cannot drive or park (boys exceed girls in spatial ability in a ratio of 4-1. Girls can perceive only 2 directions in his brain, while boys can see a third dimension). J
Stereotypes by Elena Puente Stereotypes can be of: sex, social class, race, age, religion … In fact, I think that stereotypes are prejudiced. For instance, the ones claiming that women have to know cooking, cleaning, being sensitive, patient, whereas men have to be hard working, intelligent, strong, they are not supposed to cry, they have to be brave, aggressive… As for old people, the stereotype is that they are disabled, dependent, sickly and they don’t think clearly. Nowadays, there are rascal politics, and this is becoming a stereotype. In my opinion, most stereotypes are wrong. J
Stereotypes should be eliminated, by Tomás de Paz A stereotype is a way to describe a group of people. As usual it’s said that they are labelled. Stereotypes describe a group of people featuring a characteristic that, supposedly, is common to all of them. Frequently the stereotype is negative. There are many types and they often are wrong, e.g. the Spanish man is like a Iberian male, men from Madrid are cocky, Catalans are mean and hard working, Andalusian people are lazy, truckers are fat and surly, gypsies are thieves, dark people stink… Stereotypes are transmitted from generation to generation and it’s very difficult to eliminate them. Only with education things can be changed. J
Stereotypes by A. Yolanda Fernández García Spanish have become used to judging people by a lot of things: appearance, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, age....We believe that we are always right when we judge someone who was born in another place. For example, if we go to Andalucía we normally say that they are lazy, people who live in Madrid are arrogant, Basques are rude, Catalans are mean, gypsis are thieves...and we could come up with a long list with a lot of adjectives which aren´t true. But when we talk about foreigners we are sometimes cruel. I think Spaniards are a little racist, especially with Muslims, people from South America and Eastern Europeans. I am surprised when I see young people being disrespectful to foreigners because I can´t believe that they had been educated with values. J Stereotypes by Begoña Glez I sort of believe stereotypes are prejudices about people who have the same race, sexual orientation, appearance or another thing in common, overall, physical. Although some of them are positive, such as... Africans are good at running, women are good at multitasking....; they are usually negative and not true enough e.g only children are spoilt, teenagers are interested in nothing .... Furthermore, they can become a kind of discrimination; at least, I think so. Because of this, everybody should avoid having these thoughts when we meet a foreign person or when we arrive in a new place. J Stereotypes by Seve Stereotypes traditionally tend to show an absolute truth or a grain of truth about someone or something. But nowadays we are living an age of big changes. Rich men quite often live as poor men and the other way round. Anybody can be hard working, creative and so. Moreover new technologies and means of transport are clearing differences among cultures, countries and lifestyles, especially in big cities. Because of that jokes based on stereotypes have no sense. All of us should know what is happening over the world and not hurt other people for free. J
Stereotypes by Cristina Paz The other day I read an article in a newspaper about that subject. The journalist wrote about women and jobs and he said that nowadays women want to do the things men do so women work in jobs such a firefighters, police officers, airplane pilots ... and it isn´t possible. I don´t agree with the journalist and I am angry with this article. Despite the limitations between male and female, this article is sexist and doesn´t reflect reality. J
This is your first writing task. I would like you to choose ONE conversation question from unit 1A and write about 5-6 lines about it.
Food by Begoña Glez
If I eat healthy food, I feel happier. I think so...your body needs energy, power to bear your daily life. So that is why it is very important to have three or four pieces of fruit and vegetables , dairy products and carbohydrates every day. I usually have red tea, nuts and bread for my breakfast. At lunch I prefer to have pasta with fish and I often make a cream or soup with vegetables for dinner. Although I'm hooked on sweets, I'm trying to cut down on them.
How often do you eat chocolate? (by Vanesa Domínguez) I have a sweet tooth, so I love chocolate and all kinds of sweets. I eat it every day. It is not good for a healthy life, so I am trying to cut down on them but I eat dark chocolate twice a week because it has many antioxidants and it is beneficial to my health. I have other healthy habits. My diet is varied: I have fruit, vegetables, skimmed milk, three nuts and two liters of water every day. In addition, I do exercise four times a week. I love running, cycling and swimming. In my opinion, it is good to take care of your body but eating a few sweets is good for your mind because when I eat chocolate I feel happier.
Food and Health by Carlos Quintans: If we talk about food, we always need to know that “We are what we normally eat”. Following a correct diet is good for our bodies. I think it must contain proteins, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates. In my opinion, consumers should read food labels, they show us information about ingredients, amount of them, etc. If we did more exercise and ate more healthily, we would be happier. At the same time, it could reduce our medical expenses. We must change our tune, it is worth trying it!
How often do you eat chocolate? Does it make you feel happier? by Víctor Álvarez
Well, I usually have a small piece of chocolate when I get out for a walk in the afternoon but I´m trying to cut down on it because I think it's not very healthy to have sweets every day. But, in spite of calories, I like to have it when I´m a bit depressed. It makes me feel in a good mood, maybe because I associate it with relax and holidays (I always have lots of sweets in the summer). I can't stand great chocolate bars, I prefer to have it in small portions, in sweets or over cakes and this kind of stuff. Personally, I think chocolate can be very good for your health if you don't have much of it. Maybe it is not a very wise thing to have it every day but it can help you if you've got a responsible intake.
Is there any food or drink that you couldn´t live without? by M. Isabel Martínez Villares
In my life, water is essential and necessary. I drink a lot of water along the day.Because my work is outdoors, I feel very hot, especially in summer and I need to drink plenty of water to get hydrated. My body needs water and for this, I also eat fruit and vegetables that contain a lot of water. A study recommends that healthy adults drink 2 liters of water per day maximum to protect against dehydration and to prevent kidney stones formation.
Men are better cooks than women. by Emilo José Calabaza
I think that men aren't better cooks than women because women can cook as well as men, but there aren't any famous women chefs because in the past women worked at home and they didn't work outside, and the cooking world was dominated by men. But now the times are changing and women are starting to work outside the home. And women beging to appear in the world of cooking and being great chefs. Now we can see women involved in cooking TV shows and managing their own restaurants as well as men. And even in cooking competitions on television where both men and women participate, we can see women winning them
Is there anything you like cooking? by Tomás de Paz
Yes, I like cooking a traditional dish called 'widows potatoes'. This dish is called so because it doesn't have meat (doesn't contain proteins). This meal is high in good carbohydrates, has low calorie content, it's easy to digest, it has satiating power, and it's also a cheap dish. The recipe is very easy but you need a clay casserole, a wood spoon, a wood stove and two hours to cook it. The secret is a little bit of 'unto' ( old grease). You heat the casserole with a little olive oil and fry some garlic cloves until they are golden in colour. After that you add a chopped onion and a chopped red pepper and stir-fry, stirring frequently. After that you add chopped potatoes ( a large potatoe per person), one spoonful of paprika and a small chili pepper and stir it for a few minutes. Then you must add hot water to cover the potatoes, a bay leaf and some salt and stir frequently with the wood spoon. It's very important to let it cook over low heat and at the end break some potatoes with the fork to get a thick paste.
Eating habits in Spain by Estefanía Glez.
I would like to talk about the Mediterranean diet. Experts say that the Mediterranean diet isn't only a diet, it's a lifestyle that includes food, typical recipes, physical exercise and historical dishes..The Mediterranean diet features a lot of fruits such as oranges, pears, apples, peaches, vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, courgettes, eggplants, green beans, and legumes such as chikpeas, lentils, or beans, among others, a moderate intake of meat and fish, as well as dairy products and eggs and using olive oil as main fat. Also experts say that we should try to cut down on sweets.
In my opinion this is a very good balanced diet, I like it a lot because I really enjoy vegetables, I love it!
The vegetarian menu by Carmen Calvo
Four or five years ago I decided to change my eating habits, trying to cut down on meat and fish and other animals products and having more proteins from vegetables. Yes, I want to be a vegetarian in a coupls of years, and I think that the process should be as slow as possible to give yourself time for the change. I've found many reasons to have a vegetarian diet. In the first place for health reasons: you can notice the benefits from the beginning. But there is another reason that convinced me to take this decision: a vegetarian diet contributes to reduce hunger in the world because 3,700 litres of water are needed for 1 kilogram of beef whereas 1 kiko of wheat only needs 120 litres, which sounds incredible.
What food do you usually eat before doing sport or exercise? by Eva Fuertes
Well, when I have to go training, I try not to eat anythig an hour and a half before I start. If I have a snack before doing exercise, it gives me a tummy ache. This is very difficult for me because I'm an addict of biscuits and chocolate. It's my favourite meal of the day! If I have that, I have to stop my training and I get my coach into a foul mood. So I dont usually eat before my workout but when I finish and I get home I eat one or two pieces of fruit (a banana or an orange) or chocolate or some nuts such as peanuts and almonds and a lot of water!
Is there any food or drink that you couldn´t live without? By Lorena Arias.
Well, I used to drink a glass of Coca Cola everyday up until recently, I knew it wasn´t healthy but I thought "well, it's only a small glass a day... it´s not big deal". I don´t think I was addicted to it but it´s true that many times i had an urge to have a little bit. I set myself a goal to stop drinking it. First, I decided to drink it only once a fortnight, an then I´d cut down on it little by little. But one day I saw a photo on twitter which showed that CocaCola turns your stomach into a gas bomb, so I realized that it was so damaging for me. Nowadays, I´d rather drink water although it hasn´t got any flavour.
What do you usually have for lunch during the week? by Mónica Domínguez.
For lunch, I usually eat healthy food such as salad, fruit, legumes, rice, pasta, roast chicken with baked potatoes and fish with raw vegetables. When I was younger, I used to eat fast food such as pizza, hamburger and chips but now I prefer eating something healthier. I enjoy the variety. I love homemade food but I often buy takeaway food like Chinese or Indian food. I don´t like Mexican food because it is too spicy. I drink water and juice every day and I sometimes drink beer. I think that a balanced diet can help to protect you from illness. Besides, many people opt for a change in diet because it makes them feel better.
Traditional cuisine Vs Modern Cuisine. By Francisco T. García
Nowadays having a conversation about modern cuisine is really fashionable. It seems that you have to know all things regarding new cuisine so if you don´t know the new ingredients, timings ,textures and needlessly grandiose descriptions of foods, then, you are staying in a different planet. In my understanding, I would like to encourage everybody to rediscover the traditional dishes, which were made by our ancestors. On the one hand these dishes are probably more healthy and cheaper when you eat out, and on the other hand the food world is full of people and establishments that reek of pretentiousness. The last thing we need is haughty and heavy handed language.
Ana Prieto: I think that my diet is healthy. Although I don't really like fish and I love meat, I eat all kinds of food. I try to eat in a balanced way. I prefer homemade food because I think it is healthier and I love cooking. Takeaway food is more fattening than homemade food but sometimes I eat it too. I couldn't live without vegetables, I really enjoy vegetables and eat vegetables three days a week at least. I occasionally drink fizzy drinks. I'm used to drinking water for lunch and dinner. Actually I try to cut down on coffee because I'm a nervous person and coffee affects me.
Some tips for people on a diet. By M. Lucía Pérez Nowadays, there are a lot of people following a diet. So, here I propose some pieces of advice to be successful with your diet. Af first, you should have five meals in a day and you have to eat three or four pieces of fruit. You should eat some vegetables each day and then you can eat some meat or fish and also some bread. It is recommended to drink a cup of herbal tea after lunch and after dinner. Furthermore, you can drink a coffee or a bit of black chocolate in a day when you feel like it, but you shouldn't eat too much sugar. Finally, you need to do some exercise or sports for about one hour, three or four days a week. So after all of this advice, you'll feel much better.
A Good Breakfast by Rubén Llamas Nutrition experts say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it is the first energy intake of the day. I think that a good breakfast should contain dairy products (milk, cheese or yhogurt), cereal (wheat, oats or bread) and mixed fruit (pineapple, pear, peach, etc.) to provide vitamins, zinc, calcium and iron to our body so that it can function efficiently. Other very healthy ingredients to add to our breakfast are extra virgin olive oil and honey (or royal jelly). A good breakfast will also improve our mood, the degree of attention and even the ability to multitask.
Chocolate for mood by Patricia García Blanco
Chocolate is a food with lots of calories, but with many heath benefits too. I love it. I love to eat chocolate, but if I eat a lot then I get pimples. However, it makes me feel good. When I'm a bit down I prefer to eat milk or white chocolate, but dark cholcolate is more pure chocolate and healthwise. Today if you go to a supermarket, you can find many kinds of chocolate and different flavors. Cocoa powder is used mostly in desserts. I think that if we have this food in moderation it can be very beneficial not only to health but to also to make you feel better
Tasty food…… By Ángel Fernández de la Torre.
I see myself forced to warn you that this article can be really disgusting if it´s your dinner time… There aren´t too many kinds of dishes which I hate, but I am sure that I will never eat the following dishes. Monkey brain: it´s a delicious dish in Guinea, they serve the brain in the monkey skull while the monkey is still alive. Bat soup: It´s really popular in some Asian and African countries but the governments are trying to cut down on this dish to prevent the ebola virus infection. Kiviac: In the noth of Greenland there are some Eskimos who eat kiviac which is elaborated with hundreds of birds into a seal body, the birds go through a rotting process of one year. Balut: It´s a 20 day old fertilized egg duck, so that you eat the duck before he is born.
Ultimate impossible mix by Leandro Morán de la Torre
In our childhood, afternoon snack was a funny chance to enjoy, discover and develop new tastes behind your mother's back. Each one of them was always stranger than the previous one. Despite of years gone by, I can still remember the TOP 5 dishes of my friend's private competition. Tinned sardines between chocolate cookies, fruit gummies with olives, ham rolling with cream, or icecream if it was summer time, and there was a tie, in the first and second position, hazelnut with cholocate spread on a "chorizo" sandwich versus pepper tortilla with cheetos. Never mind about the divine pleasures that they could bring, they could be featured in some revolutionary restaurants.
The unhealthy student life by Alejandro Puente Delgado.
When I was in college my diet was unhealthy enough. The reasons were my ignorance to cook, but I often solved it by calling a takeaway restaurant.
The other reason was that I had a busy schedule and I didn't have enough time to cook lunch so I had to eat fast food restaurant. But the most important reason is:When you are a student in León, you have to hang out and, what do you eat when you are in the street? Of course, "Tapas" and most tapas are deep fried. Fortunately I got to cut down on the fast food but... Why is the tastiest food always the most unhealthy?
Vegetarians by María de la Mata
In my opinion, being a vegetarian is a good and a bad idea at the same time. It´s good for your health, you don´t kill animals and you could be slimmer. But it´s bad because maybe you don´t have enough energy for your daily tasks and you may need more carbohydrates for your body. So if you´re thinking about becoming a vegetarian, you should think first about its advantages and disadvantages. In England there are a lot of people who are vegetarian but in Spain most people eat all kinds of food. Why this? I think it´s because we have a Mediterranean diet, which is heavier than the English diet.
Rocío: Eat five times a day for a healthy diet. If we eat a variety of foods, we will have a proper intake of vitamins and minerals in our meals. We should avoid taking fats. Choose instead light meals and fish and grill or broil meat instead of deep frying. Eat foods rich in fiber and carbohydrates (grains, legumes, vegetables and fruit) and do exercise. In my opinion these are a few tips that everyone should follow for good health.
Healthy life by Alberto González García
If you want to feel happier you should begin having a healthy life ,probably you have a busy schedule and you don't have time to cook at home or go trecking every day, it's no big deal! You have to sleep at least 8 hours if you want to have energy ,also a breakfast full of carbohydrates and one piece of fruit will help you a lot. I you feel hungry during the day please don't eat sweets. Even if you're hooked on them,you have to cut down on them! For lunch you should take pasta or vegetables and a dairy product for dessert. You can take meat as well. It would be advisable to take soup or fish and you may also add a fresh salad for dinner. Don't forget to do exercise ,it's very important.
Is there any food or drink that you couldn’t live whitout? by Elena Puente
I love Italian food. I was working in Firenze for three months in 2001. Two days a week, I was eating from catering. I had to choose my meal the day before. It was healthy food. For example, pasta and rice without sauce, only with parmesano cheese. Even though it seems unbelievable, it’s very filling. Three days a week, I went to a restaurant near my workplace, which was buffet. There were fresh salads, steamed pulses, pizza, grilled meat… On the weekend, I went to a dining hall of students where you can eat for only three euros. When I had to come back, I started trying to cut down on pasta, but as much as I try, I can't live without eateing pasta once a week.
Why mood food rhymes with foot loose? By Javi Sánchez
I don't know why that question is right,
but we don't have to think all night.
Did people with loose foot use to have good mood food?
Did people with good mood food use to go walking with foot loose?
Is that a question of foot, mood, loose or food?
Or is it good?
I don't know
but that's all folks!
Is there any food or drink that you couldn´t live without? By A. Yolanda Fernández García
I couldn´t live without salt. When people grow old (people of 50 years of age and older) they normally have high blood pressure. Then the doctors prescribe them medication to lower it and doctors advise them to go on a low salt diet. Two years ago my husband had slightly higher levels of blood pressure, then the doctor asked him to eat healthy food, do exercise and try not to have too much salt in meals. From then on I usually cook a bland menu. However I can´t eat food without salt, it´s impossible for me because the food has no taste, so I always add salt to all meals.
FOR A GOOD APPETITE THERE IS NOT HARD BREAD by RUTH SANCHEZ
When I was a child I always had lunch and dinner with my grandparents every Friday. My grandmother used to cook mood food for me,because I never ate pulses or vegetables.but when I got older I realised that she had lied to me because she steamed a lot of vegetables, mixed them in the blender and turned it into a casserole with gravy sauce. Now I cook meals like she used to, because my daugther hates the same things as I did when I was a child. I think it is a good system for eating something that you don't like,J
IS THERE ANY FOOF OR DRINK THAT YOU COULDN´T LIVE WITHOUT? By Mirian Chana
I think eating without bread is quite sad. The doctor told me that I should eat oats instead of bread because I was on a diet. It was not bad but I prefer sopping up the plate with bread ti cutting it out. I love spreading butter on bread and having toast with jam for breakfast. Once I tried to eat fried eggs without bread and I got annoyed so I quit the diet. I think a balanced diet is good for your health but I think that your state of mind is more important. It is better to eat less bread than quit what you like. Yummy, yummy!.J
Is a healthy diet enough to be healthy?, by Miguel Angel Cuervo I think if you want to be healthy, it is necessary to have a healthy diet, but it isn´t enough. You have to cut down on drinking coffee and give up smoking. You have to do exercise at least three or four times a week. You need to have good friends and spend some time doing something you love. Then you might have a healthy body and a healthy mind.
FAMILY LIFE
This is your second writing task. Choose any speaking topic from this week's unit and write about 5-6 lines.
Do you think that parents should be ‘friends’ with their children….? By Tomás de Paz
Honestly, I don´t think so. The meaning of these two words is very different. In my opinion, and in a bit of a metaphorical way, the word ‘parents’ has a wider meaning than the word ‘friends’. On the one hand ‘parents’ means unconditional, and on the other hand the word ‘friends’ means conditional. Sometimes we do bad things to our parents that we wouldn’t be able to do to our friends; despite this, our parents stay with us at all times, but friends wouldn’t tolerate those things. (Teenagers sometimes are cruel with their parents). Our parents always suffer with us but our friends, in the best case, go with our feeling.
Parents should be “friends” with their children on social networking sites. I think parents should be friends with their children on Facebook when their children are very young, because nowadays people who access social networking sites are increasingly younger, so their parents should monitor the content or pages which their children access on the internet. On the other hand, I think other teenagers could choose if they want to be friends with their parents or not. For me, I don´t mind being friends with my parents or other members of my family for example my aunt, my uncle and so on, especially because some of them are living far away and I can’t see them frequently.
Do you think that parents should be 'friends' with their children on social networking sites? by Eva Fuertes. I think that parents and their children shouldn't be friends on social networks because the parents are controlling their children even more. The majority of teenagers don't want to add any members of their family. They consider that this space is for them and their friends and any comment from a friend can annoy their parents. Me, as a teenager, I'm friends on Facebook with my parents, my uncles and aunts, my cousins and even my grandmother. But I don't usually use this website, only for chatting with my kin who live in the other side of the country and I post some photos to show that I'm fine. I use other websites to interact with my friends.
Does your position in your family really affect your character? by Víctor Álvarez.
Well, after listening to a brief review and checking what the book says, I think I agree. I´m the oldest child in my family and it´s true that I´m sensible (I must take care of my young sister), very responsible and, above all, I think I´m very ambitious, I´m always thinking about my future. On the other hand it´s true that I´m sometimes a bit anxious. But, in spite of that, I don´t think we could generalize on this topic: I know a lot of oldest children who are not very responsible or hard-working and my sister, who is the youngest one, is not disorganized or immature, as the book says. Personally, I think we should not judge anyone for the position in the family he or she has, as it’s something we don’t get to choose.J
THE FAMILY!!!!! by patricia garcia blanco
For me family is very important. I have one sister and a lot of cousins, so when we celebrate Christmas, birthdays and other events we are very happy. Every day I see one member of my family because we live in the same place, but we don´t eat together every day, only at the weekends, because we have different schedules and I don´t have time to spend with my family. Internet is important to stay connected with the families who live somewhere else. There are many different family traditions in our country. One of them is meeting on Sundays and eating paella and chicken. In my house this day is the perfect occasion to meet.J
The family by Francisco Taboada
Probaily everyone sees life differently, it just depends on the person. When I was young, many years ago, family relationships were very important for me, our lives revolved around family, it was the center of our life.Nowadays young people want to be more independent, which is positive because they learn how to deal with life from an early age. On the other hand I think it's negative because the family is one of the most important pillars of our lives.Nowadays everybody should spend more time with the family, getting to know each other better and having great times together.J
The Family by Marta del Canto.
If you talk with anyone, most people will tell you that the family is the most important thing in life. But, what family? Because for some people the best family is the family that you choose, like your friends or your partner. However i think that everyone needs to have a strong support and, in my opinion, this support can only come from your immediate family, that is, your parents, brothers and sisters, because, even if you have arguments with them sometimes, they will eventually always be there for you, helping you and giving you love in good and bad times.J
Who is looking after Who? by Carlos Quintans.
Nowadays, the concepts of traditional family and home life are changing in our country; there are new models and different habits. On the one hand, most parents work outside their homes, so it is very normal, when we walk along the streets to see lots of prams and strollers which are pushed by grandparents. On the other hand, unfortunately young families have lost their jobs and they cannot pay their mortgages, as a result of this they are coming back to their parents´ home. I dare not make a prediction but I hope the current economic climate will improve.J
Do you think that families should have a meal together every day? (By Vanesa Domínguez)
I think that family is very important. I like large families with many children, cousins, nephews, nieces and grandchildren. I love family and especial family gatherings. I believe they are necessary to keep in touch with all members of the same family. Perhaps I think this way because I can't enjoy my parents, brothers and sister because we live apart, about three hundred kilometres away and I see them about only once a month.Cultures and customs are different in each country. In large cities life is more stressful because people have to rush everywhere. However, in my opinion, people who live in the same house should have a meal together evey day and take advantage of the opportunity to talk about everyday life. I know kids who don't see their parents during the day because their schedules are incompatible and I think this is detrimental to both. What a pity!, but life is hard in many cases.J
Do you think elderly parents should live with their children when they are too old to live alone? by Estefania Glez.
I think elderly parents both shouldn't and should live with their children, it depends. If their children have time to look after their elderly parents, they should live with them, but if their children don't have enough time to look after them, elderly parents should live in nursing homes because they will be better taken care of and will have all their needs covered.For example, if my grandparents have lunch at 13:00 and my mom didn't come home until 14:30, my grand-parents would be alone and hungry, and in this case it is better to be in a nursing home.Finally, I think nursing homes are good for elderly people because in addition to providing good care, they can interact with other people.J
Do you have brothers and sisters, or are you an only child? What`s your position in the family? By Mónica Domínguez
I have a brother. I’m the oldest child. I think it is positive to have brothers or sisters. I remember good moments when I was a child. My brother and I shared the same bedroom and we played together. We sometimes argued but now we get on very well.I think the oldest children are responsible people because they often have to look after their younger brothers or sisters and only children can be a bit selfish or spoilt because they don´t have to share with anyone but maybe other reasons can influence your personality, not only your position in your family.J
Birth Order. By Sergio Cantón.
I didn't know that birth order affects our personality. It’s a fact that your personality, relationship with other people and behavior have to do with your position in the family. So, if you are the first born, there are some adjectives that define you such as ambitious, insecure, responsible and anxious. However, if you are the youngest child, you are rebellious, immature and charming. In my case, I am an only child; it is said that only children are spoilt and selfish but also independent and sussed. There are some Internet sites where only children are defined as more mature, intelligent and creative. I definitely think that birth order doesn't matter; there are many things that define our personality or our behavior . Birth order is just another one and maybe not the most important.J
The most important thing is the family. By Rubén Llamas.
I think so. We don't choose our family but the love family provides is unconditional. We choose our friends and sometimes they let us down. Some friends are with you just for the interest. Family will always support you in the best times and in the more difficult times. Parents educate their children, teach them how to live life and give everything for them. I think that the eldest brothers or sisters should look after their little brothers or sisters and elderly parents should be looked after by their children when they are too old to live alone.J
Do you think that families should have a meal together every day? By Sonia Garcia.
I think it is important that the family has at least one meal together every day because it is a good time to talk about work, school or daily routine.However, it is sometimes difficult because each member in the family has a different schedule.I live with my husband and we have two daughters. Normally we have dinner together every day and we have breakfast together at the weekend. It’s a relaxing moment because normally at the weekend we aren’t in a hurry trying to rush to work or school.J
Do you think that families should have a meal together every day? By Lorena Pacios
I think that families (father, mother and children) should have a meal together every day, or most of the days, because in these moments you can share information about your own daily routine. It can be either at lunch or at dinner, it doesn't matter. The only important thing is to be together and to share a good moment while we eat. As for the rest of the family (your parents, brothers, sisters or your family-in-law) I think once a month is enough. All families need to spend some moments together and have a good time.J
With and Without you:The Family. By Francisco T Garcia.
We are Spanish and like other countries with Greco Roman influence on our culture, the family has been always a great support in our day to day life. This feature in our culture is more important in these difficult moments, particularly in Southern Europe where many people have lost their jobs; nevertheless these people are surviving because of their families are providing a great financial support. On the other hand, the same cultural feature has a dark side: striving to get on well with the whole family, so we get very enthusiastic sometimes and we end up arguing due to stuff like inheritance for instance. At the end of the day, this is our destiny, it is like the fish that bites its tail. We are Latinos and Bedouin at the same time.J
Families should have a mear together every day. By MariaJ. Nowadays people have a different timetable and busy schedules, but I think eating together is an important part of family. One thing in my house that makes me happy is eating together at least once a day. I think this is a good time to talk about different things that happened to you at school or at work. We never watch TV while we eat. Normally I eat alone because my oldest daughter lives in Leon. My husband works in another city, even my youngest daugther eats at school, so we still have a meal together at the weekend.J
Close Family by Leandro Morán de la Torre
Not many people think that the bigger a family is the less close it is. It can be true if you don't follow a simple rule: spending time with family regardless of size, especially if there are children. In my case, with three brothers, one sister, five nephews, four nieces, one great nephew and one great niece, which makes up my extended family, following this rule can be a hard type of life experience.Obviously, during Christmas this little crazy town is not very relaxing. Tears, weeps, and bites wake up very early. Smiles, jokes and plays; that is the best definition of a family.J
Importance of the family. By Seve.
Humans are very weak when they are born, even more than other mammals. In fact, we can´t survive without family until we are 18 years old more or less. Educating people takes a long time. In addition to food, protection, love and so on, people need learning a lot of rules to live in society. The family gives everything, even the genetic heritage. States have sometimes tried to replace the role of the family, but they have always failed. When we are adults our behaviour replicates what we have learned in our childhood. No one can change that. For this reason progress in society depends largely on family situation, as we can see in different cultures and countries.J
Are you going to have a new nephew soon? By Elena Puente
Yes, I’m going to have a new nephew in January. He will be my first nephew and the first grandson for my parents. My sister’s parents-in-law don’t have any grandchildren so this baby will surely be very spoilt. The whole family is very excited about the birth, but my sister and my brother-in-law live in Madrid so that’s why we won`t see the baby as much as we would want. My brother is going to be the godfather. He feels very excited because he loves to play with children. He studied to teach children from 6 to 12 years old and he works as a teacher. He thinks that nowadays, children are more independent and selfish and this may be explained because they are only children. So, he wants my sister to have more children.J
Modern families by Carmen Calvo
Traditionally families have father, mother, sons and daughters, grandfather and grandmother and other extended family members, and everybody knows their role but reality around families has changed fast in the last 50 years.The mother used to work at home taking care of the family but nowadays she woks outside and the family reality has been changed: with emotional (less time for children) and nourishing implications (nobody cooks at home).The father has lost his family role and he´s still looking for it. Grandparents have no place at home and in the best cases they´re in an old people’s home. J
Is Linda Blair a Blair witch or ex-prime minister Tony Blair’s wife? By Javi Sánchez
Well, last Wednesday in English class, when we were reading the conclusions of "Birth order" by Linda Blair, no matter what we talked about, the only thing I could think was: who was the self-confident, organized, impatient, selfish and spoilt only child of Mr. and Ms. Blair now? My first thought was she was a desperate housewife of a retired politician, with a lot of time to think, to drink and to write. Her children had grown up and it was time to talk about that.My second chance was she was the one from "The Blair witch project". Who knows more about children than a Witch? But that's a different history.J
Adults that are living at home with their parents by A. Yolanda Fernández
In Spain it is very typical for young people aged 18 to 30 or even older to still stay living with their parents. I think a decade ago this situation was already common, but since the financial crisis started in Spain (in about 2008) the number of adults that are still living at home with their parents has increased considerably. Young people can’t become independent because they are unemployed and don´t have money to start a life by themselves, even when they are highly qualified. Nowadays many young people must go abroad to find work. This situation is called "flight of brains". Even whole families who have children returned with their parents because they lost their jobs. I think it is common for families to help their sons, daughters, sons in-law, daughters in-law and grandchildren. But I also think the governments should have social programmes to help families without resources.J
Many people have a meal with their immediate family every day. By Lorena Arias
I can´t understand this comment very well... having meals with your family is the norm, isn´t it? Unless I have gone with my friends to a fast food restaurant or something like that, I always have meals with my immediate family, and I think everybody should do the same.Maybe people who have different work schedules can´t eat together, so I guess it isn´t entirely their fault. But people who don´t work or have the same schedules haven´t got any excuse. I think lunch or dinner time isn´t just time to eat, it´s also time to talk to your family and tell them how your day went. It´s important to spend time with family.J
We can’t choose our family !! by Begoña Glez
My godson has been an only child until he was a teenager; far from being a spoilt and selfish one, he was a charming and loving boy, his life was idyllic….but suddenly, this changed...His father died and some years later his widow mother got engaged with a man who was older than her. In addition, she got a baby girl adopted. From then on he had a stepsister and a stepfather. They both lived in their mother’s house because they couldn’t afford to live on their own as well as they did it there.Nowadays, their situation is getting worse. From now on they’ll have to work hard because their mother is going to be in prison for years obviously, It`s the least traditional family I've ever known !!!J
MONEY
Choose any speaking topic related to money that we have discussed in class and write a few lines about it.
MONEY by Patricia Garcia Blanco
In my opinion lending people money is a very serious thing. They have never asked me for a lot of money, about 10 or 20 euros or so, but this has always been quickly paid back from people whom I trust. I think money is to important to play with it so if anyone ever asks me for a large amount of money I would try to find another solution to try to understand what their problem is. I am not in favour of lending money because it is a big commitment and often these people take their time to pay back, and when they do you feel as if you were asking for it.J
SAVING MONEY. By Marta Fuertes
Nowadays saving money is very difficult. The prices go up all the time, but the salaries are the same, so going to the supermarket to buy food for the week gets most expensive every year. Other products like water, electricity, gas, and diesel… increase their price every year too, so saving money gets more and more difficult. We should try to cut down our bank charges to save money, but if our salary is very low, this could be impossible. At any rate, we could save money by cutting unnecessary charges. For example we could go out less often or waste less money. In addition, there are other things that we can do to save money, like going to the supermarket with a shopping list and on a full stomach, working with natural light, reducing shower time, wearing more layers of clothes,…Despite everything, saving money could be very difficult today.J
HAVE YOU EVER LOST A CREDIT CARD OR YOUR WALLET? by Mónica Domínguez
I lost my wallet five years ago. It fell out of my backpack when I was on a bus. It had my credit cards and money in it. Fortunately somebody found it and a week later the police phoned me and I went to get it. It still had all my cards and photos in it except the money. I was amazed.J
HAVE YOU EVER WON ANY MONEY? By M. Lucía Pérez Arias
Yes, I have. It happened 10 years ago, when I was studying my degree, in Zamora. I'm a blood donor and one day I went to the hospital to donate as usual, and one month later I received a phone call and a woman from the donation told me that I had won a credit card with 150 euros to spend on whatever I wanted!!! They had written my name and my address on a paper which was put into a box with other donors’ details an I had won the prize. After that, I went to some different shops and I bought several presents for my family and for me, of course. Although that amount of money wasn't enough, it made me happy to be the winner for one day.J
IF I WERE A RICH WOMAN. María de la Mata Renilla.
"Dear God, you made many, many people poor. I realize, of course, that it´s no shame to be poor...but it´s no great honor either. So why would it be so terrible if I had...a small fortune?"- That´s what the principal actor of "Fiddler on the Roof" said to God. I think I like him in most things that he said. You could be happy with little money but if I were I rich woman, what would the difference be? I think everybody wishes to be rich, because if you have a lot of money you can buy everything you want because you can get it. If you don´t have too much money, you might be able to borrow money from the bank, like a loan or a mortgage, and you have to pay it back as soon as you could. Or you could feel bad if you owe friends money and you can´t pay back because you have spent all your salary. Definitely, being rich is easier.J
Have you ever been ripped off? By Tomás de Paz
Honestly, I think we have been ripped off a lot of times. I actually think we are constantly being scammed. Some examples of it are: when you go to the TIV (Technical Inspection of Vehicles) and you have to pay 60 € per 15 minutes (so 240 € per hour) and they don't repair your car, they only inspect it. Another rip off is when you go to a petrol station and you have to pay 1,30 per litre of diesel, so 90 € for a full petrol tank and, as you know, the price of the oil barrel is dropping and it's around $80. Another scam is that you are working longer hours than before and your salary is frozen. And what about the electricity bill? And what about our taxes? ...J
Shopping online by Carlos Quintans.
I have never bought things at auction sites. I used to think they would play a trick on me if I bought on the internet but I discovered three months ago that if we buy on safe websites, we could save money, because we may choose loads of items and different prices. The method is easy and fast, (without going into details) we have to stick to a plan step by step. First, we have to create an account, then we choose one item or more and of course we have to give our delivery address and our payment details such as our credit card number and its expiry date. Be careful!! Do not do this at work, you could be sacked.J
THE GREAT RIP OFF. by Francisco Tomás García Martínez
First of all when a person has borrowed money from the bank, he has to keep in mind that he must pay it back to the bank. Because of this, the debtors ought to try to reach a balance between their income and their expenses in order to be able to pay back the loans; otherwise, the bank will execute its rights and the debtor might lose his home or some property. However, what happens when the bank is the debtor? Experience shows that in this bankrupt situation, the state will rescue the banks. Because of that, I consider this a great rip off, because this leads to higher taxes, social cuts and the most important thing, you feel like a puppet on a string.J
Have you ever wasted money on something you´ve never used?Who hasn’t wasted money on something which they haven’t used some time later? Sometimes we see something in a shop but we are not sure whether to buy it or not. Then we might leave the shop with the item we have bought because we think we can use those objects, clothes or whatever at some point.The object or clothes will stay in the wardrobe with the price tag on them, when we could return them or change them for other things.I think that the best thing is to be sure before buying it. This way we won’t be wasting any money.J
Spend or save? by María Isabel Martínez Villares.
Life is full of options: we can do a lot of things with our money, spend, save or invest. One of life’s greatest pleasures is spending money. Another option is to save our money in the bank, in stable current accounts. The third option is to invest (this isn´t for conservative people because it carries a risk). It’s up to us to make decisions and choose the best way to make the most of our money, although people keep on thinking that money was created for spending it. This may be the whole point but nowadays there are many different alternatives. J
A difficult situation (By Vanesa Domínguez)
At present in Spain, people are living a difficult situation. Many people haven't got a job because the unemployment is very high here. In many cases people have a mortgage or other loans and they can't pay them, so the banks are driving them from their homes and they are coming back to live with their parents once again. I think it is very unfair because politicians have badly managed done and are still badly managing this country and the citizens aren't guilty of this. So now people survive with money that they had saved or on the charity of others. Even so, we must be positive and think that this situation will change soon but in my opinion, when we have a job we must save some of the money that we earn and not spend it all.J
Money by Begoña Glez.
“Money, money, money makes the world go around….” , says a cabaret song.Whether you like it or not, you have been keeping in touch with money since you were born…When you’re a baby, you only need nappies, milk, clothes; you grow and your needs and desires increase too but you don’t mind because you still live off your parents, they have to pay for these things. When you are in your early 20s, things could change for you if you started to earn a salary. At that moment, you can decide between saving or wasting it; or maybe you are an ambitious person and you prefer to invest it for a long time and after that you’ll make a lot of money but you should be very careful because it may have the opposite effect ….and you’ll get into debt !!J
MONEY,Mariaj.
I'm afraid that I live on only one salary, so I'm not good saver. Nowadays saving money is very difficult. In my opinion if you can save money after pay your pay bills, mortgage, tax, water, electricity, gas, phone, internet connection and diesel, you are a lucky person. I have a good tip to save money. When you want to buy something which is expensive, shop around, be careful with your credit card, to make sense. Ifyou pay with your credit card you spend your money like water. Write a shopping list, then stick to your list. I' m sure you'll buy things that you really need.J
When was the last recession in your country? How long did it last? by Víctor Álvarez
Well, the Spanish economic crisis began in the early 2008s, when banks, which have been lending money without control for years, couldn´t earn the loans that people owed them. As banks didn´t give money, people couldn´t pay their debts and mortgages, so the banks kept these people´s houses. Banks had then lots of houses and no one who wanted them so prices began to fall down. All the people who have invested their money in houses to resell them with higher prices lost it, and millions of workers, including many young people who left their studies, lost their jobs. This started an extremely deep recession, which has destroyed millions of jobs, increased poverty and made thousands of well-qualified experts emigrate abroad, to the rich countries of northern Europe, like Germany or the UK.J
Is money important? by Francisco Taboada P.
I think it is. Nowadays we live in a society where everybody needs money.Most people want to live a better life, but we have to take care of several expenses, such as mortgages, taxes and all kinds of bills (electricity, children's school fees, etc.).Therefore we need money. Some people can live better than others, because they've inherited money from their families and they don't struggle to afford these expenses. There is also a small part of society who has invested in the stock market with success, too.J
Are you a spender or a saver? by Estefania Glez.
In the past I considered myself a spender because I wasted money in many things such as clothes, shoes or make up. I enjoy spending money on my hobbies, but nowadays I'm a saver because Spain's economy has fallen, and life is very difficult. I can't afford things that I could before. I have been saving money in the bank for 2 years because I would like to buy a car and I don't like loans. In the future I would like to invest some money in my own deal.J
To get save money by A. Yolanda Fernández García
When I go shopping and I see something which is very expensive I don’t normally buy it, because I don´t like wasting money on something that I don´t need. When I go with my husband he tells me: buy it!, Don’t be stupid, I’m a saver and I prefer spending money on important things. Women normally love to buy clothes, I am not an exception and I also like them, but I try to save money. When you have a job you can afford to buy a whim because you have a salary, but when you are unemployed you have to learn to prioritize and spend money on necessary things. The first thing that you have to pay is the mortgage, after that electricity bill, telephone bill, heating bill, water bill....and finally you check that you have spent more money than you have earned. Spanish people for the most part can´t afford to save money, but nowadays you watch the news and you get depressed when many politicians and people with high positions are stealing money, even when they are rich, but they always want to have more money because they are ambitious.J
Wasteful consumerismby Ángel Fernández de la Torre
Nowadays we live in a consumer society. A lot of people spend too much money in stupid things because they are happy while they are shopping but this problem is still more important when they can´t afford the bills. While they are shopping, they pay with their credit cards but when the end of the month comes all the bills are charged to their accounts and this is even worse if the people have a mortgage. A common mistake in this situation is asking for a loan to pay debts because in the future you have to pay more money. The best way is to be aware of your own circumstances and don´t spent the money which you haven´t got.J
Money. Money. Money. Mª Soledad FernandezAparicio
Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man's world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man's world
ABBA was right in 1976. Nowadays the rich man’s world continues ruling the world.It must be very nice to look from above the Managerial Advice for Competitiveness (CEC). One group from the18 Spanish biggest companies wrote and presented a report entitled "creating employment " in Spain in 2018. It intends to fight black economy effectively by increasing the number of labor inspectors, and by providing fiscal incentives to formal contracts. It also intends to improve the public accounts to fight against tax evasion, the improvement of the educational level, with major resources and specialized qualification.The big companies are again saying that those who have to make more effort to get out of the crisis are those who have already made a lot of effort in the last few years.J
Has money been damaging originality or has originality been saving money? By Javi Sánchez.
Money, such a problem! We had been reading in the English book it makes young people stupid but not old people. Now we know if we are a spender or a saver and what a millionaire's secret is or who a ghost-writer is. But what have we been learning? English? It doesn’t matter. They know it. The truth is we still have to spend time to pay bills. Is that an original way of life? It doesn’t matter, this is the way of life we lead.J
.Saving money? By cristina Paz
Nowadays saving money is impossible for me. Although I earn a salary every month, I have a mortgage, this is the problem. The bank lent me money when I signed the mortgage seven years ago, so every month I have to make my mortgage payments. Salaries are the same as five years ago but life is more expensive. Water, electricity, diesel bills... are very high. If you want to save money you cannot waste it. I think that you need to work to live. If you are a reliable person you might never have problems when you need money.J
Challenges
Write about:
- a challenge you faced
- interesting challenges that a person can do
- a challenge that you would like to try
My personal challenge by María Isabel Martínez Villares
The challenge I would like to face in my life would be to be able to spend a year traveling through various countries of the world without money. Reaching a country, walking around the cities and towns, getting to know the culture of the place, helping families with their daily work and then eating their food (through doing volunteer work in exchange for room and board) . This is a good way to learn languages and to communicate with people who lead very different lives; sharing with others any means of transport. Definitely, without traveling dates, times and just being able to enjoy the trip. J
A challenge you faced by Víctor Álvarez Martínez
Well, last year a group of mates and I were talking about Star Wars. It was a saga which seemed to be great, but I had never seen its films so I decided to watch them. The first thing that surprised me was the number: there were 7 Star Wars films! I realised I couldn't watch them with classes and studies and I waited until summer. Then, I rented one of the films every weekend in the video-club and I spent a month and a half to watch all of them. It was kind of a tough challenge but I spent a great time with them, so I recommend this saga to everyone.J
The hardest challenge I’ve faced (by Vanesa Domínguez)
I am sure that everyone has to rise to the challenge in some moment of their lives. The hardest challenge I’ve ever faced in my life was doing the public exams to be teacher. I had to study a lot, about eight hours every day, but I got it. Now I have a fresh challenge, which is to pass the public exams to work as a teacher in other countries but as I am very happy working here too I don't devote much time to it. I love travelling abroad, getting to know other countries and cultures and this new challenge is a way to do it, so if I get it I will get two objectives at the same time.I believe embracing challenges is very important because by doing so life will be more exciting.J
Is it a challenge or a dream? By Carlos Quintans
Travelling from New Orleans to Chicago, driving from dawn till dusk to live my own “road movie” has been a major challenge for ages that I cannot afford. I would like to get to Nashville where I could listen to midnight blues in some clubs, but let´s face it! Firstly, I am afraid this journey is very expensive, I should save money and this is a new challenge for me. I wish I were rich! Secondly, I often have second thoughts about it, because the US is a large and strange country to me. On the other hand it would be exciting and a dream come true.J
A challenge that I would like to try by Estefania Glez.
I would like to try to open my own restaurant! I love cooking and I admire many chefs such as Jordi Cruz, Quique Dacosta, Pedro Subijana or Dani Garcia. I have loved cooking for as long as I can remember, and my love has increased since I saw Master Chef. I would like to go to university in Pais Vasco (Basque Culinary Center) but it's a private university and I can't afford it. Lately. I've been saving money because in the future I will go to the Basque Culinary Center to become a good chef and have my own restaurant with some Estrellas Michelin.J
My challenge, by Lorena Pacios
I took on a challenge four years ago: to learn English and get the B1 certificate, because I need it for my job.It´s a real challenge for me.When I was studying at high school, I hated English and I didn't sometimes pass my exams.Although I don`t like English, I try to study it and do the homework, but I'm sometimes lazy and I prefer doing the ironing, for example. If I pass my exam in June or in September, I`ll go to a hotel with spa for a weekend.J
Which is the challenge of your life? By Ruben Llamas
In order to answer this question it is necessary to think about what we would change to improve our current life. There are always people who meet their challenges and people who don’t rise to their challenges. Many people want to live in the present and be happy but they sometimes relive the past or are worried about their future. Although in some aspects of life we don't know what we want, the most important thing is to know what we don't want.In order to face the challenges it is necessary to leave the past behind, be motivated and committed and fight against the fear of failure and against people who don't believe in you. All good things start with a little fear.J
My small/big daily challenge by Begoña Glez.
Everyday when I wake up I spend some minutes thinking: What little/big challenge will I rise to today? (e.g. cut down on sweets, do some sport for one hour, help to my co-worker, speak in English class, not waste money…or simply be delighted). I choose one of them. I pledge myself to tackle it and…. Go for it!I don’t mind if it is a kind o tough challenge, it’ll be my target for that day so I’ll deal with it until I’ll get it, I won’t give up.My tip is: The more challenges we overcome, the more we believe in ourselves. J
A challenge that I would like to try by Emilio José
I would like to be able to run the 101 Km race in Ronda, because some of my partners ran it several years ago and they told me that it was a pleasing experience, but that the truth is it’s very hard, because you have to finish it in 24 h. maximum. And having to run all those kilometres well at night is very hard because it is very cold and you don’t carry a flashlight so you can’t see anything, and, as you run through the mountains, it is easy to fall and have an injury. Last year a partner pulled his calf muscle and had go to the next checkpoint and there a legionnaire covered him with a blanket and he told him "once you grab a blanket, it will not let you go" and it was true because he couldn't keep on running .In spite of this, it's an interesting challenge to embrace,knowing how much one's body can endure and it would be an experience to tell people if I manage to finish the race. Training for the challenge will be long, intense and hard but thanks to the training I will be able to overcome the challenge. J
Life is a challenge, by Tomás de Paz
I think life itself is a real challenge and people must enjoy their daily challenges. For me, there are basically two kinds of challenges, the compulsory ones and the voluntary ones. The compulsory ones determine your position in life and they normally become hard. The voluntary ones allow you to enjoy yourself and they are delightful for people. My last one was walking on foot all villages and towns of León province (around 1460 including the deserted villages) doing a photographic report. It took me four years, I did thousands of Kms and hundreds of hours away from home. J
A challenge that you would like to try, by Mariaj.
I think we all have small challenges or perhaps we need to face a challenge in some moment in our lives, because each day we need to overcome difficult situations. My major challlenge that I would like to try is doing to St James Way as a pilgrim, from Roncesvalles to Santiago. I'm not a religious or spiritual person, although I have a motivation: "obtaining my compostela". I would like to do this on foot alone, otherwise " no one walks alone on the way". I need to spend a month without responsibilities, I don't know when I'll be able to take this on but I'm sure it's worth it. J
A "really big" challenge. By M. Lucía Pérez Arias.
One of my favourite hobbies is completing jigsaws and many of them are a challenge for me. As a major challenge, at the present time I’m completing the most enormous jigsaw that I’ve ever built. Its name is “Life” and it has more than 24.000 pieces, really small pieces. It measures 4,28 m long and 1,57 m wide (I don't have a room large enough to do this). It shows a complete fantasy landscape of the world with the depth of the sea, different animals and the sky with planets and stars. I began it 9 months ago and I hope to finish it before the new year. There’s nothing as satisfying as putting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and seeing it finished. J
How to face life´s challenges.. By Francisco T García.
Everyday we face our individual challenges and the way that we face them makes our difference with the rest of the people. Overall there are two types of people regarding facing challenges. In the first group we will have people showing fear to new challenges, and in the second group, we are going to see self confident and strong people who don´t have fear to face new challenges. Of course it’s clear that the first group is extremely vulnerable to life problems and challenges. The moment they fail they believe that something went wrong instead of realizing that success is all about trying things that don’t work until something that works is found. J
The loneliness of the long distance runner by Leandro Morán de la Torre
Anyone who has played any kind sport for years knows how hard it can become, even more if a injury crops up and seriously compromises your future in this sport. This was my case when a trauma specialist doctor told me that I would never be able to run a long distance race again. My challenge was to recover almost completely from my damage knee through long physiotherapy sessions and a proper strength work in the gym. One year later, I ran a half-marathon and I crossed the finishing line. J
A daily challenge by Seve
Nowadays my real challenge is around happiness and getting to face some small challenges. That means I must do little things for others or for myself properly. I can make a tasty meal, fix a breakdown at home, tend the garden or invest in stock markets. When I´ve accomplished these challenges (the electrical appliance works, the flowers grow, my family tastes the meal or I make some money) I feel satisfied. Rising to each challenge brings up different emotions in me. I can feel a bit cleverer, more hardworking, a whole lot more generous o a tiny bit more artist depending on each one. After that, I try to face new challenges next day. J
Challenges, Dr. Challenges I suppose. By Javi Sánchez
I have to write about:
- a challenge I faced
- an interesting challenge that a person can do
- a challenge that I would like to try
and I have 5 minutes, so it's become a challenge!Hurry up! Time goes by quickly. This is a challenge that I have never faced, an uninteresting challenge that people can try and a challenge that I wouldn't like to try again. Maybe it wasn't the question but it has been the challenge. It's too late. I've written too slowly so I have no time to write about form of Transports, I miss them all. Sorry, I didn’t rise to the challenge! J
My personal challenge by Sonia Garcia.
I am going to talk about a personal challenge I faced three years ago. I was afraid of skating and I had never skated before when I was a child.But when my daughters starting to learn skating I decided to learn to skate too. I bought a pair of skates and I began to practice. The first timeI went very slowly and needed more than one hour until I could keep my balance. I practiced several times until I got my balance and a few weeks later then I learnt to skate. Nowadays I often go out skating with my daughters in a sport center. I think it is a good sport to be in good shape. J
FORMS OF TRANSPORT
This time choose any conversation question from the handout on transport and write about 5-6 lines.Forms of transport, by Tomás de Paz.
I can’t find the handout on transport, but I'm going to write about transport. For me the best way to travel is by car. It makes you independent. If you like traveling abroad you can rent a car in the airport, you set the satnav and you can visit everything you want, even places which are off the beaten track or on the outskirts and experience the real atmosphere in interesting places. I don't like city breaks, despite being fashionable. I think it's a short trip and you don't get a feel for a city, also you can't get an overall picture of a city. I think city-breaks are rather a trendy and sophisticated form of traveling. J
Transport by María Isabel Martínez Villares.
My favourite means of transport is the plane, because you can be transported across the world in no time. The dream of flying goes back to prehistory, and as far as I’m concerned, it has always amazed me how you can be thousands of meters above the ground. The plane is the fastest means of transport and the most expensive, but also highly safe as it records a lesser number of accidents. Airports have ground terminals where aircrafts take off and land. When I start a trip ,I love airports because it is the beginning of an adventure, but when I return from a journey, airports seem to me unbearable boredom rooms. J
Forms of transport, by Víctor Álvarez
In my opinion, means of transport should account for a great part of a country's national budget. In addition to being a necessary service to supply to the population, a good transport network generates a lot of money and jobs. For example, the Spanish AVE, the national high-speed train, is one of the most successful transport programs currently. It has already exceeded the plane in number of travellers and it's probably a great way to generate income for the country. I also think transport is a good way to increase the number of foreign tourists, more specially so in countries like Spain, which is very dependent of tourism, as it can be a great jobs - generator. J
Forms of transport. By Francisco T García
In my opinion all means of transport have a good side and a bad side, but overall if you compare them with fifty years ago, all of us will agree that the improvements on the forms of transport have been great. I personally prefer to travel by train because I consider it is the most comfortable and safest form of transport despite of the last enormous crash which took place in Spain two years ago. In addition, I would say that investments on transport infrastructure always generate profit for the country; not only in terms of material wealth but they also improve the country image specially in foreign countries, It is also important for expanding social networks and possibilities of personal development. J
Better public transport by Carlos Quintans.
I you wanted to save money or to look after the environment, you could try other ways of travel other than driving your car. I often travel to Madrid and I used to go there by car, but I don´t any more. It was dear, you know, petrol, tolls, hotel car park... Now I always travel by train, in my opinion it´s the most relaxing way to travel, we can read or look through its windows. In a big city I prefer to take the subway, it enables you to go faster and avoid the heavy traffic on the surface. When I am on holiday I enjoy walking along the large or narrow streets getting a feel for the city. J
Transports by Marta del Canto.
Talking about transport, I think that most people share the same view. There are a lot of cars, there are a lot of buses, there are a lot of motorbikes... Of course it's true that means of transport make our life easier. Thanks to them we can move faster than in the past, when travelling lasted too long. For example, if you wanted to go China in the past, the trip took around many months. Nowadays you can get there in a matter of a few hours. Obviously this is a great improvement. But, in my opinion, the situation in the big cities has worsened because the massive traffic is too uncomfortable, and it's our fault. We complain about getting stuck in a traffic jam and, as I have just said, we are part of the problem, for using our cars for everything and not using public transport instead. This is a problem with a difficult solution, because until we understand that the solution is in our hands, it will keep getting worse. J
Forms of transport,by Francisco Taboada.
When I go on holiday abroad we prefer to travel by plane, because in my opinion it's faster and more comfortable than the train or the bus, but some people hate travelling by plane, so they have to travel by car, bus, etc. For me it's very tiring and a bit stressful, because you set off early to avoid road works, traffic lights and getting stuck in the traffic jams. Also you have to go very slowly everywhere, because the police has many speed cameras on the roads and if you exceed the speed limit, you might get fined. J
Times change by A. Yolanda Fernández García
At present there are several means of transport. Fifty years ago many people never travelled by plane, or by boat, but nowadays most people have been using all of forms of transport at any time in their life. Fifty or even forty years ago, in the small villages with a population of under a hundred residents; a lot of people didn´t have a car. They went to work or to the Health Center on foot, although they needed to walk a lot of kilometres. In those days it was very common to go on foot everywhere. Nowadays it is very different, for example, most of the children are driven to school by their parents. I think it is better that we can choose among different forms of transport, but people have become very lazy and we use the car for everything, even to go to the gym... J
Public transport by Estefania Glez.
In my area, the public transport system is very bad. In many cases there aren’t many available transfers, and you have to wait a long time between one and another one and it's a bit expensive. For example, the bus in Leon is very awful. People in wheelchairs cannot use this means of transport because it hasn't got ramps or any infrastructure to allow this people to use it. I think public transport should be made more accessible to people with disabilities. J
Do you ever use your car when you could walk, run or use public transport instead? By Sergio Cantón
I never use my car if I can go on foot. I lived in León for seven years and I used to go to University by bus. Nowadays in Astorga, where I live, you don’t need a car to go wherever you want. We don’t have any public transport in our town but it’s also known that we don’t need it because Astorga is a small town. I think it’s very important to have a good public transport system in large cities so that people could travel on it and don’t need to use their own cars. J
How often do you use public transport? By Lorena Pacios
I usually use public transport once a week, when I visit my grandparents. They live in a village near the mountains and the road is really dangerous, so I prefer to go by train.I think it´s a great deal safer than other forms of transports. In fact, when I go by train I can have dinner there because the last train is at 11:00 p.m. When I was six or seven, I loved to go by train, because if I went by bus or by car I felt bad and in the train I could play or draw. J
Means of transport. By Mariaj.
I live in Astorga so I usually go on foot, I only use my car when I go to the supermarket and I have to carry heavy bags. I often travel to Gijon and I normally travel by bus. If you get a resident card, you pay 0,82€ for each trip and if you are under 13 you can travel free. Other than that, in my opinion travelling by public transport is faster and more convenient. It helps you save money for parking. And petrol. It is easy to reach all areas in town. On the bus stops you can look for information on lines, timetables, frequency and bus routes. J
Forms of transport. By Sonia Garcia.
I am going to talk about forms of transport. In my opinion it is very important to have a car when you live in a small village. I personally need to drive my carseveral times a day, for example to go to school, go to work, go shopping, go to the bank or go to the Health Center. For me it is very difficult to use public transport because in my village you can take a bus only at nine o´clock in the morning and come back at two o´clock and at three o´clock in the afternoon, and come back at six o´clock. So that’s why I have a car to make my life easier. J
Animals on the motorway By Cristina Paz
When I travel alone I prefer to use public transport. However, if I travel with family I always travel in my car.One year ago I was driving my car on the motorway from Madrid to Astorga, and suddenly my car crashed against a bull. It was terrible. I was afraid while my car crashed against both sides of the motorway. The car was a write off. When I got to stop my car I got out and I called the emergency number. I was wearing the seat belt, which is very important. It is also very important to observe the traffic rules such as the speed limit, and not to use the phone while you are driving... J
Forms of transport by Begoña Glez.
In my daily life I have to commute by car because I live in a small city where there isn’t enough public transport but, if I lived in a bigger place, I’d use means of transport such as the bus, the underground or the train much more or I’d share the car with people who would have the same schedule. I think that it is, overall, the best way to save money and time.On the other hand, when I get to a new city, I wander around on foot because I’m sure it’s the best option to get a feel for a place but….. many times, I end up getting lost. No big deal!! J
TeleTransportation or Transporting or Trainspotting. By Javi Sánchez
Now we gonna talk about the electron transport chain inner mitochondrial membrane and how cells use their protein complex to carry electrons from food.Ha, ha it has been a joke, the real thing is we are gonna tell the same old story about forms of transport: Do we miss the train or is the train which has been missing us?Well, let’s be serious, does the train know the meaning of "to miss"? I don't think so. So, who is guilty of this? Is it the train driver?Yeah: The train driver is guilty! J
Public transport (by Vanesa Domínguez)
Public transport is very important for society. In the cities, people who don't drive need to go to work by bus or subway, for example. It is cheaper than going with their own car, and it is less polluting. If we can go to work walking or cycling we must choose this option because it is healthier. Public transport is also very necessary to travel. If there weren’t any planes or high-speed trains, we wouldn’t have enough time to know other countries. All forms of transport are an evolution of society. J
STEREOTYPES. Choose any of the speaking topics that we have discussed in class over the last few days and write a few lines about it.
Women are better at multitasking than men by Eloy Carro
How might you know this? Only if you compare women and men in the same situation. This could simply be explained by the fact that multitasking performed by women is more simple and it needs less concentration. Only in an experimental situation in which you place men and women to do the same things with the same training, you could have an accurate answer. J
WOMEN WORRY MORE ABOUT THEIR APPEARANCE THAN MEN by Mónica Domínguez
I think nowadays men worry about their appearance the same as women. If you go to the gym, you can see more male members than females. They care about their body image and they sometimes wax their legs or they enjoy going to a spa to get some treatments done for their skin. It is true most women usually wear make up when they go out, go shopping and do exercise but men like being fit or well groomed too. J
Spanish Stereotypes. By Ruben Llamas
Many foreign people think that Spanish people dance flamenco or sevillanas, like bullfighters or that our only song is La Macarena. However, this depends on each region and each person. They also think that Spanish people are lazy and sleep a nap daily. The nap is our invention but we only sleep a nap when we can. Another Spanish stereotype is that we are always having parties. It is true that any excuse is a cause for celebration in Spain and we have many bars and many festivals in villages, but that doesn't mean that we attend all of them. But there are true stereotypes: Spanish people are very familiar, cook well (and healthy food) and like everything which is free. And with that I say goodbye and as a good Spaniard, with a couple of kisses. J
Women worry more about their appearance than men. by Lorena Pacios.
I completely disagree with this statement because nowadays there are a lot of products for men such as lotions, creams, shampoos for different types and styles of hair...And all of them are selling well.More and more men are worried abour their appearance and they usually go to the hairdresser, but they always go to the same hairdresser, because they agree with him, and they ask for fashionable haircuts. J
Spanish & wine by Mª Elisa Macho
Spain has very good wine such as Ribera del Duero, Cigales, Rueda, Bierzo... I think that for this reason the Spanish like to drink wine. In my opinion this isn't a stereotype because this is a fact.Nowadays, the Spanish go out at night and they drink a glass of wine because this makes them feel good. The problem comes when they have to drive back home. My advice: cut down on wine if you have to take the car. J
Stereotypes by Carlos Quintans.
Generally speaking, I am afraid stereotypes are the best way to discriminate against someone. Although we could choose between a wide variety of subjects, I am going to list some common stereotypes, which range from gender differences to external appearance. For instance, blue is for men and pink is better for women, men must be keen on football and they cannot cry or black people are good at sports, women have to put on make up or they multitask better than men. I´d like to hazard a guess, we should propose new ideas and points of view about a more equal treatment for men and women. J
Stereotypes by Sheila Martínez
Nowadays, stereotypes are part of our life. You can see this easily during Christmas. The catalogue of toys has many stereotypes, all toys for girls are pink, and on the other hand the toys for boys are blue or green. It is very difficult to find a covered wagon that is not pink, and it is also uncommon to find photos where the girls play with cars or the boys play with dolls. Our culture gives us a lot of stereotypes, which are very difficult to eliminate. I think that everybody has a duty to try to eliminate stereotypes. J
Stereotypes (by Vanesa Domínguez)
I think that many stereotypes aren't true. It is very common to hear a man talk bad about how badly women drive, however, women have less accidents than men and that is what really matters. Another stereotype about men is that they can't do several things at the same time but it isn't real. I think stereotypes have a certain length of time and they change with the evolution of society, therefore they are not quite real. So we must accept that it is part of our culture but we can't give it much importance. J
Stereotypes by Marta del Canto
Since I was a little girl I've heard that men come from Mars and women come from Venus because of the differences among us and, of course, because of the social stereotypes such as women worry more about their appearance then men, women spend more time talking about their problems than men, women don't have interest in sports etc. Beliefs like these are responsible for discrimination in some cases. So, separating women and men is not a very wise thing to do, in as much as time has shown that, in spite of the fact that women and men have different points of views about certain things, we can be the same relating to work, likes, and many other things. For that reason, in my opinion, stereotypes are only that, stereotypes. There may be a grain of truth in them, but in general they are clichés. J
Stereotypes by Sonia Garcia.
In my opinion we experience stereotypes since the moment we were born. Parents have always brought up their sons and daughters differently. When a baby boy is born the parents usually buy him cars, balls, excavators or helicopters but when it is a baby girl, they usually buy her dolls, strollers for dolls or hairdryers for dolls. I think it is important that the children can play with allkinds of toys irrespective if they are boys or they are girls. On the other hand I think it is very difficult to change society nowadays. J
Men find it more difficult than women to talk to their friends or family if they have a problem. By Mariaj.
Men find it more difficult than women to talk to their friends or family, including when they have a problem as well. I think women are generally more talkative, women solve problems in a crisis by talking about them. They will usually want to discuss the situation and their feelings, while men themselves don't like asking for advice or discussing their problems. And they try to solve them by themselves. This difference is one of the main causes of conflict between male and female in relationships. That's true: men and women’s brains work completely differently. J
Stereotypes nowadays by Víctor Álvarez
I think stereotypes are in general true but lots of them, specially referred to men or women, are a bit out-of-time. In a relatively traditional society like the Spanish one 50 years ago, these stereotypes were common and accepted but now they are completely false. You can find women playing football or leading enterprises, men taking care of their children, etc... However, some stereotypes are not untrue: it's undeniable that in general men are more interested in football or cars and fashion and gossips are common in women chatting. You should find a mid-term: Stereotypes can be true, but you should not judge anyone in base of them. J
Stereotypes by Estefanía Glez.
If you are a woman, experts say that you cannot talk for two minutes about football or cars. I think this is wrong! I can talk about these topics perfectly, more than two minutes. For example, I'm a very avid football fan, my team is Real Madrid and I think that now we have the best football players in the world. Iker is considered the best goalkeeper, Ramos, Pepe or Varane are the best defenders and obviously we have the best striker in football history. However, I can talk about cars too. I love cars, high range cars. My uncle has an Aston Martin and a Porsche and when he visits me he always lends me his car and it's awesome. J
Stereotypes : Men & Women by María Isabel Martínez Villares.
I think the first thing is to accept that men and women are different. From here, it is understood that there are both stereotypes which are true and which aren’t. Scientific advances have shown that there are real stereotypes which science can explain. Some examples:
1 - Women are the weaker sex (women feel more pain because they have more sensors in the skin that men).
2 - Women love to talk, men are silent (there are areas in the brain responsible for language and they are 17% larger in women than in men).
3 - Women get drunk more easily than men (the body of a man is made up of approximately 61% water, and a woman’s body accounts for 52%, the relationship between water and fat is different in the bodies, therefore alcohol affects differently).
4 - Women cannot drive or park (boys exceed girls in spatial ability in a ratio of 4-1. Girls can perceive only 2 directions in his brain, while boys can see a third dimension). J
Stereotypes by Elena Puente
Stereotypes can be of: sex, social class, race, age, religion … In fact, I think that stereotypes are prejudiced. For instance, the ones claiming that women have to know cooking, cleaning, being sensitive, patient, whereas men have to be hard working, intelligent, strong, they are not supposed to cry, they have to be brave, aggressive… As for old people, the stereotype is that they are disabled, dependent, sickly and they don’t think clearly. Nowadays, there are rascal politics, and this is becoming a stereotype. In my opinion, most stereotypes are wrong. J
Stereotypes should be eliminated, by Tomás de Paz
A stereotype is a way to describe a group of people. As usual it’s said that they are labelled. Stereotypes describe a group of people featuring a characteristic that, supposedly, is common to all of them. Frequently the stereotype is negative. There are many types and they often are wrong, e.g. the Spanish man is like a Iberian male, men from Madrid are cocky, Catalans are mean and hard working, Andalusian people are lazy, truckers are fat and surly, gypsies are thieves, dark people stink… Stereotypes are transmitted from generation to generation and it’s very difficult to eliminate them. Only with education things can be changed. J
Stereotypes by A. Yolanda Fernández García
Spanish have become used to judging people by a lot of things: appearance, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, age....We believe that we are always right when we judge someone who was born in another place. For example, if we go to Andalucía we normally say that they are lazy, people who live in Madrid are arrogant, Basques are rude, Catalans are mean, gypsis are thieves...and we could come up with a long list with a lot of adjectives which aren´t true. But when we talk about foreigners we are sometimes cruel. I think Spaniards are a little racist, especially with Muslims, people from South America and Eastern Europeans. I am surprised when I see young people being disrespectful to foreigners because I can´t believe that they had been educated with values. J
Stereotypes by Begoña Glez
I sort of believe stereotypes are prejudices about people who have the same race, sexual orientation, appearance or another thing in common, overall, physical. Although some of them are positive, such as... Africans are good at running, women are good at multitasking....; they are usually negative and not true enough e.g only children are spoilt, teenagers are interested in nothing .... Furthermore, they can become a kind of discrimination; at least, I think so. Because of this, everybody should avoid having these thoughts when we meet a foreign person or when we arrive in a new place. J
Stereotypes by Seve
Stereotypes traditionally tend to show an absolute truth or a grain of truth about someone or something. But nowadays we are living an age of big changes. Rich men quite often live as poor men and the other way round. Anybody can be hard working, creative and so. Moreover new technologies and means of transport are clearing differences among cultures, countries and lifestyles, especially in big cities. Because of that jokes based on stereotypes have no sense. All of us should know what is happening over the world and not hurt other people for free. J
Stereotypes by Cristina Paz
The other day I read an article in a newspaper about that subject. The journalist wrote about women and jobs and he said that nowadays women want to do the things men do so women work in jobs such a firefighters, police officers, airplane pilots ... and it isn´t possible. I don´t agree with the journalist and I am angry with this article. Despite the limitations between male and female, this article is sexist and doesn´t reflect reality. J