A new way to meet your Mr or Miss Right

Students' Corner,

Sent by Estela Alvarez, a fourth year student.


A long time ago single women who had a romantic meeting always went with a chaperone who kept an eye on the couple, whereas nowadays people can flirt from their personal computer while they are surfing the Internet because there are websites where they chat possible partners up. It seems incredible, but there are people who go out with someone without having ever seen them .
Certainly, we live in a stressful world and some people are too busy to look for love. As a result, new ways of meeting the person of your dreams are coming along. Actually, travel agencies arrange special trips only for single people and TV programmes organize blind dates for their contestants. But one of the most original systems to meet your Mr or Miss Right is a speed date, which is becoming more and more popular in different countries, especially among young people.
It consists of a group of people, where there is the same number of men and women, who are gathered together in a room where they have a few minutes to find out as much information as they can about each other in order to see if some of them is their perfect soul mate. At a speed date a person talks one to one to a member of the opposite sex during a while and as soon as a bell rings the participants have to move on to the next person and then, they start a conversation again. At the end of the event they submit to the organizers a list with people they fancy and they would like to see again because they believe they could be compatible. If the other person also feels the same attraction the organizers will get them in touch .
In Spain a sort of “speed date” is becoming fashionable between university students, although this way to meet a possible pick-up is slightly different. It is called «traffic lights party» and it is usually celebrated in discos. It consists of wearing a sticker with the shape of a traffic light in the lapel and the colours of the signal have different meanings, so if you are wearing the green light switched on, it means you are not engaged; the yellow light means you are single but you are not especially interested in meeting anybody; and the red colour means you already have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Funny , isn’t it?

Do you like reading?

Reading, Resources

Here is a very interesting site to visit. Here you can practice reading and do comprehension exersises.

You can choose to select:
The story: as provided by CNN SF and CBS 5. Intended for adults with moderate reading and speaking comprehension skills including advanced ESL or non-native English speakers.
The Abridged Story: Modification of original story text by simplifying complex ideas and sentences, exchanging advanced words with less difficult ones, and change difficult concepts into precise terms. Intended for adults with low reading comprehension skills including beginning ESL or non-native English speakers.
Story Outline: Outline summary of basic edited story elements.
And what is more, along with the text you can see the video.

Scones

Cooking, ,

Cooking is one of my passions although I have to confess I’m not as good at it as family and friends tend to believe. Today I’m going to show you how to bake one of my favourite British recipes “Scones”. Bur first of all, where does the word “scone” come from?


This Scottish QUICK BREAD is said to have taken its name from the Stone of Destiny (or Scone), the place where Scottish kings were once crowned. The original form was triangular-shaped and it was made with oats and griddle-baked. Today’s versions are more often flour-based and baked in the oven. They come in various shapes including triangles, rounds, squares and diamonds and you may add raisins, cheese, walnut…

Golden Scones Recipe:
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g soft magarine
25g soft brown sugar
1 tbsp of golden syrup or honey
1 egg + milk
Preheat oven to 220-deg. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
(A) Put flour and baking powder in a bowl, add magarine and rub it in with your fingertips till the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
(B) In a separate bowl, crack egg into a measure, lightly beat it and then make up to 150ml with milk. Beat thoroughly egg mixture, sugar and syrup till well-blended.
Stir in (A) into (B) to a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured table, knead lightly and then roll out to 1/2 inch thickness.
Cut into rounds with a cutter to make an approx. 10-12 scones. Place them, spaced, onto a large baking sheet; brush the tops with a lil milk and bake for about 10 minutes or till golden brown. Remove scones and leave to cool on a wire rack!
A suggestion..? They are just lovely with clotted cream and strawberry jam if you don’t mind the calories. Anyway, let me know if you ever make up your mind to try them.

The Pyramids of Egypt, a Masterpiece of Architecture

Students' Corner,

Kindly sent by Estela Alvarez , a fourth-year student at the EOI
Humanity has achieved amazing exploits for thousands of years. For example, the control of fire and the invention of the wheel in the primitive communities or the sophisticated trips to the outer space nowadays. But if I have to choose one of the most outstanding achievements of mankind, it’ll the Pyramids of Egypt. I find them absolutely fascinating because they are still surrounded by mistery in spite of their age. Actually, nobody knows exactly how these extraordinary structures were built. Although it is thought that ramps, levers and pulleys could have been used to move the huge stone blocks which pyramids were made of, the fact is that archaeologists, engineers and other experts don’t fully agree about the way they were constructed.What I find particularly impressive is the perfect geometry on their slants. Moreover, the pyramids face towards specific stars, so it is a proof of the vast knowledge of Astronomy the ancient Egyptian civilization had. There are people who think that this famous monument is a vestige of an alien colony in the Earth built by creatures from another planet. I respect the beliefs each person has, but from my point of view, these people have seen the film «Stargate»far too many times. Anyway, I’m a bit more agnostic and I agree with the scientific research which has shown the pyramids were simply tombs of pharaohs.

These excepcional pieces of architecture were symbols of status and power in the ancient Egypt and only kings and queens of this civilization could be buried in these peculiar burial chambers when they died. Their bodies were mummified and the richness which belonged to the pharaohs was placed next to their mortal remains so that they could use their wealth beyond their death -they had faith in this sort of beliefs-. It is incredible to think about the wonderful treasures which may be still hidden under the sandy desert. Archeological excavations have been looking for hieroglyphics, old vessels, arks and other antiques along the Nile river bank for ages. However, I believe there are still a lot of marvellous things concealed there.
In my opinion, the Pyramids of Egypt are an admirable masterpiece. In fact, several months ago there was a survey in different countries to choose the new Seven Wonders of the World and millions of people voted for the Pyramids. They are the only wonder which was in the original list before the opinion poll and it is still standing after the survey. Definitely, if I save enough money to travel to Egypt one day, I won’t miss the opportunity to visit the Pyramids.