Category Archives: General

By the year 3000…

The Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is such an important issue I couldn’t let it go by without saying a word or two about it. One hundred and ninety-two countries have signed the climate change convention and more than 15,000 people are expected to attend .


Global warming and climate change is something we should all be giving a thought and what’s more… we should be asking ourselves what we can do to contribute to stop global warming.
There are lots of very easy things one can do to help the Earth… ‘cause I need it to last longer than me and longer than my children . I want my great great grandchildren to remember who I was and how I lived and to be able to do this ,they need to be given the chance to be born .
Let the big ones decide on the big issues and let us help our Planet before it’s too late by doing very simple things, by adopting a more responsible lifestyle.
Replacing a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb saves about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Another very easy thing to do is to be careful about leaving things on like the television, the computer or the lights and not to leave appliances on standby, using the “on/off” function on the machine itself.
Carpooling ,which is driving with someone to a place that you are both going to, minimizes the amount of greenhouse gases put into the air by a car, as it obviously does ,walking to school, using public transport or the bike. Recycling also helps. Easy things such as covering your pot while cooking saves a lot of energy needed when preparing a dish, taking a shower instead of a bath, reusing your shopping bag, buying fresh food instead of frozen food , airing your house,by opening the windows for only a few minutes,using the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full,using a clothesline instead of a dryer…etc

When I saw this video the first time I could only consider the funny side of it; the second time I could only consider the fact that funny though it might seem , I still won’t be able to see it. There is no way I would ever live to see the year three thousand , not even my children ( who, by the way were born in the previous century , just like me) but maybe my grandchildren and I hope definitely my great gran would be enjoying these mod cons. And , this funny side of the future , helps me forget the sense of grim foreboding I have for it. God forbid!

 

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Food for thought

Foof for thought II

The Earth is breathing

 

 

Birth order

According to what we have discussed in class, the order in which you are born in the family seems to shape your personality. I have done some research on the internet and many experts do not agree on this statement. Scientists say that at least two other variables should be considered; these are: family size and the socioeconomic status of the family. For example, large families are generally lower in socioeconomic status than small families. Hence third born children are not only third in birth order, but they are also more likely to come from larger, poorer families than firstborn children. If third borns have a particular trait, it may be due to birth order, or it may be due to family size, or to any number of other variables. Consequently, there are a large number of published studies on birth order that vary widely in quality and are inconsistent in their conclusions. Therefore, we cannot say that birth order will have such a tremendous effect on shaping our personality.

Regardless of this, there are some characteristic traits that could be applied to each birth order:

* Characteristic traits of the oldest sibling: The oldest sibling is the most independent and also the most responsible of the group. They are natural born leaders and like to be in control. They strive for perfection, and thrive on approval of authority figures, like for example, their parents. They tend to do well in school, their careers, and life in general. The oldest child is also the most likely to be the most successful of the bunch, and might make more money as an adult than other siblings. The first born might end up in an occupational area such as engineering, architecture, or accounting.

Famous first borns include: Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, J. K. Rowling, and Sylvester Stallone.

* On the other hand, the middle child, who feels deprived of attention and worries about being over-looked, tends to be more rebellious as a youngster. But as an adult, they become the compromisers of the world and enjoy pleasing others. They enjoy working in groups and love feeling like they belong. They are good at making friends and getting along with others. They are also laid back, patient and loud. These children tend to flock to occupations that are more people oriented than their older siblings.

Famous middle borns include: Bill Gates, Richard Nixon, Cindy Crawford, Donald Trump and Julia Roberts.

* Finally, the youngest child generally is the most artistic of the group. They are also most likely to be the class clown, since they will do just about anything for attention, and usually are characterized as the show-off of the family. But, at the same time, they are very affectionate and caring.

Famous last borns include: Jim Carrey, Billy Crystal, Cameron Diaz and Danny deVito.

Kindly sent by Maria Angeles Tamargo, a student in the Advanced Level

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Some help with pronunciation

I know some of you, dear readers, have problems with English pronunciation. No wonder!!! English pronunciation is , arguably, unpredictable. Maybe some of you won’t agree with me that much if you have never experienced the frustration of not being understood but if you don’t believe me , read this article I published last year https://www.cristinacabal.com/?p=295 where I challenged my advanced students to read it without mistakes … the prize? Not taking the final oral test.Actually, the title of the post was I am feeling generous . Only one of them accepted the challenge,( dear Mario I hope you’re reading this ) and I still take my hat off to him (what a hard slog it must’ve been looking up all the words ) but he only managed to read two paragraphs and this, with some mistakes.
Anyway , some of you have been asking me how to improve pronunciation. I advised you to borrow books from the library with audio to listen and read along and here I’m going to show another nice way to improve pronunciation should you get tired of reading in the traditional way. This comes from a well-known site where there are plenty of things to do, should you have some time to spare.

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If  you want to do some more go to http://www.manythings.org/listen/ and help yourself.

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Can you help me?

Dear students
I want to create a very simple exercise but for this, I need your help. I know you’re all willing to do so and that you need no further encouragement, so I’m going straight to the point. We have been working with relative sentences and I think it could be a good idea if we could all together build a Multiple Choice exercise (you know, the one where you choose a, b, c, and sometimes d). Well, the idea is that you send me something like this:

A lawyer:
a. is someone who loves his family
b. is someone who practises law
c. is someone who cuts the lawn

A teapot
a. is something you use to drink tea
b. is something you use to make tea
c. is something you use to plant tea.

A butcher’s
a. is a shop where you can buy brushes
b. is a shop where you can buy buns
c. is a shop where you can buy meat

As you can see , nothing too complicated .The thing is for you to use relative sentences giving three options . Only one should be the right definition.
To send a comment, you have to click on “Can you help me? “And then fill in” Leave a Reply”  Come on!! What are you waiting for???

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Great!!! Thanks!!! You’re amazing.

Relative sentences Quiz I

Relative sentences Quiz 2

Relative Sentences Quiz 3

Grammar related link : relative sentences