Sunday 23 December 2012

EXÁMENES 1ª EVALUACIÓN.




NIVEL AVANZADO 1 GRUPO A (TURNO DE NOCHE):

LUNES 21 Y MIÉRCOLES 23 DE ENERO PRUEBAS ESCRITAS

LUNES 28  EXÁMENES ORALES (PROBABLEMENTE HAYA QUE HACERLOS EN DOS DÍAS).

 

APROVECHEN LAS VACACIONES.

Saturday 22 December 2012

LINKING WORDS IN ENGLISH






Linking words help you to connect ideas and sentences, so that people can follow your ideas.

Giving examples

For example
For instance
Namely

The most common way of giving examples is by using for example or for instance.
Namely refers to something by name.
"There are two problems: namely, the expense and the time."

Adding information

And
In addition
As well as
Also
Too
Furthermore
Moreover
Apart from
In addition to
Besides

Ideas are often linked by and. In a list, you put a comma between each item, but not before and.
"We discussed training, education and the budget."
Also is used to add an extra idea or emphasis. "We also spoke about marketing."

You can use also with not only to give emphasis.
"We are concerned not only by the costs, but also by the competition."

We don't usually start a sentence with also. If you want to start a sentence with a phrase that means also, you can use In addition, or In addition to this…
As well as can be used at the beginning or the middle of a sentence.
"As well as the costs, we are concerned by the competition."
"We are interested in costs as well as the competition."

Too goes either at the end of the sentence, or after the subject and means as well.
"They were concerned too."
"I, too, was concerned."

Apart from and besides are often used to mean as well as, or in addition to.
"Apart from Rover, we are the largest sports car manufacturer."
"Besides Rover, we are the largest sports car manufacturer."

Moreover and furthermore add extra information to the point you are making.
"Marketing plans give us an idea of the potential market. Moreover, they tell us about the competition."

Summarising


In short
In brief
In summary
To summarise
In a nutshell
To conclude
In conclusion

We normally use these words at the beginning of the sentence to give a summary of what we have said or written.

Sequencing ideas

The former, … the latter
Firstly, secondly, finally
The first point is
Lastly
The following

The former and the latter are useful when you want to refer to one of two points.
"Marketing and finance are both covered in the course. The former is studied in the first term and the latter is studied in the final term."
Firstly, … secondly, … finally (or lastly) are useful ways to list ideas.
It's rare to use "fourthly", or "fifthly". Instead, try the first point, the second point, the third point and so on.
The following is a good way of starting a list.
"The following people have been chosen to go on the training course: N Peters, C Jones and A Owen."

Giving a reason

Due to / due to the fact that
Owing to / owing to the fact that
Because
Because of
Since
As

Due to and owing to must be followed by a noun.
"Due to the rise in oil prices, the inflation rate rose by 1.25%."
"Owing to the demand, we are unable to supply all items within 2 weeks."
If you want to follow these words with a clause (a subject, verb and object), you must follow the words with the fact that.
"Due to the fact that oil prices have risen, the inflation rate has gone up by 1%25."
"Owing to the fact that the workers have gone on strike, the company has been unable to fulfill all its orders."
Because / because of
Because of is followed by a noun.
"Because of bad weather, the football match was postponed."
Because can be used at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. For example, "Because it was raining, the match was postponed."
"We believe in incentive schemes, because we want our employees to be more productive."
Since / as
Since and as mean because.
"Since the company is expanding, we need to hire more staff."
As the company is expanding, we need to hire more staff."

Giving a result

Therefore
So
Consequently
This means that
As a result

Therefore, so, consequently and as a result are all used in a similar way.
"The company are expanding. Therefore / So / Consequently / As a result, they are taking on extra staff."
So is more informal.

Contrasting ideas

But
However
Although / even though
Despite / despite the fact that
In spite of / in spite of the fact that
Nevertheless
Nonetheless
While
Whereas
Unlike
In theory… in practice…

But is more informal than however. It is not normally used at the beginning of a sentence.
"He works hard, but he doesn't earn much."
"He works hard. However, he doesn't earn much."

Although, despite and in spite of introduce an idea of contrast. With these words, you must have two halves of a sentence.
"Although it was cold, she went out in shorts."
"In spite of the cold, she went out in shorts."

Despite and in spite of are used in the same way as due to and owing to. They must be followed by a noun. If you want to follow them with a noun and a verb, you must use the fact that.
"Despite the fact that the company was doing badly, they took on extra employees."
Nevertheless and nonetheless mean in spite of that or anyway.
"The sea was cold, but he went swimming nevertheless." (In spite of the fact that it was cold.)
"The company is doing well. Nonetheless, they aren't going to expand this year."

While, whereas and unlike are used to show how two things are different from each other.
"While my sister has blue eyes, mine are brown."
"Taxes have gone up, whereas social security contributions have gone down."
"Unlike in the UK, the USA has cheap petrol."
In theory… in practice… show an unexpected result.
"In theory, teachers should prepare for lessons, but in practice, they often don't have enough time."


EXERCISE ONE
EXERCISE TWO
EXERCISE THREE 

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Monday 17 December 2012

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

The use of a Christmas tree indoors appears to have begun in Germany. German Christians would bring trees into their homes to decorate. In some areas evergreen trees were scarce so the families would build a Christmas pyramid, simple wooden structures which they decorated with branches and candles.
The tradition of the Christmas tree eventually spread through out Europe. The English Royalty help popularize the tree in England by decorating the first Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1841. Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, decorated the first English Christmas Tree with candles, candies, fruits, and gingerbread.
When the German immigrants went to American they also brought along their Christmas trees. In the 1830's most Americans still considered the Christmas tree an oddity. One of the first public displays of a Christmas tree was set up by German Settlers in Pennsylvania. At the time many still considered the tree to be a symbol of pagans and it wasn't until the late 1800's that Americans began accepting the Christmas tree.
Early Christmas trees were often decorated with apples, nuts, cookies, colored popcorn and candles. The invention of electricity in the early 20th century and use of electrical Christmas lights helped spread the use of the Christmas tree.
It is now common in most communities through out the US to feature public displays of Christmas trees. Every year the President of the United States lights the National Christmas Tree in Washington and in New York skaters spin beneath the lighted tree of Rockefeller Center. Through Europe and the rest of the world the Christmas tree has also become readily accepted and adored.



A beautifully decorated evergreen tree, with colored lights ablaze inspires in many warm memories of Christmases long past. The Christmas tree has become one of the most beloved and well know holiday symbols.
The tradition of a holiday tree has been around since ancient times and has played an important part in winter celebrations for many centuries. Many pagan festivals used trees when honoring their gods and spirits. In Northern Europe the Vikings considered the evergreen a symbol and reminder that the darkness and cold of winter would end and the green of spring would return. The Druids of ancient England and France decorated oak trees with fruit and candles to honor their gods of harvests. At the festival Saturnalia the Romans decorated trees with trinkets and candles.
There have also been many legends surrounding the lore of the Christmas tree. In one story Saint Boniface, an English monk, came upon a group of pagans who had gathered around an oak tree and were preparing to sacrifice a child. To stop the sacrifice and save the child, the Saint flattened the oak tree with one blow of his fist. A small fir sprang up in its place, which Saint Boniface told the pagans was the Tree of Life and represented the life of Christ.
Another legend tells of Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant religion, walking through the woods late one night. As it was clear, many stars were shining through the branches of the trees giving the impression of twinkling lights. Luther was so inspired by the beauty of the sight that he cut down a small evergreen and brought it home. He recreated the stars by putting candles on the tree's branches.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

IDENTITY THEFT

Identity theft

Your identity is one of your most valuable assets. However, criminals can use a number of methods to find out your personal information and will then use it to open bank accounts, take out credit cards and apply for state benefits in your name. If your identity is stolen, you can lose money and may find it difficult to get loans, credit cards or a mortgage until the matter is sorted out.

What signs should I look out for?

There are a number of signs to look out for that may mean you are or may become a victim of identity theft. These include:
  • You have lost or have important documents stolen, such as your passport or driving licence.
  • Post from your bank or utility provider doesn’t arrive.
  • Items that you don’t recognise appear on your bank or credit card statement.
  • You apply for state benefits, but are told you are already claiming.
  • You receive bills or receipts for goods or services you haven’t asked for.
  • You are refused financial services, credit cards or a loan, despite having a good credit rating.
  • You receive letters in your name from solicitors or debt collectors for debts that aren’t yours.

What can I do if I'm a victim of identity theft?

If you think you are a victim identity theft or fraud, act quickly to ensure you are not liable for any financial losses.
  • Report all lost or stolen documents, such as passports, driving licences, credit cards and cheque books to the organisation that issued them.
  • Inform your bank, building society and credit card company of any unusual transactions on your statement.
  • Request a copy of your credit file to check for any suspicious credit applications.
  • Report the theft of personal documents and suspicious credit applications to the police and ask for a crime reference number.
  • Contact CIFAS (the UK’s Fraud Prevention Service) to apply for protective registration. Once you have registered you should be aware that CIFAS members will carry out extra checks to see when anyone, including you, applies for a financial service, such as a loan, using your address.
CIFAS – The UK’s Fraud Prevention Service

Thursday 8 November 2012

MIXED CONDITIONAL EXERCISES



THIRD CONDITIONAL.





 

Third Conditional: no possibility

EXERCISE ONE

EXERCISE TWO 

EXERCISE THREE 

The first conditional and second conditionals talk about the future. With the third conditional we talk about the past. We talk about a condition in the past that did not happen. That is why there is no possibility for this condition. The third conditional is also like a dream, but with no possibility of the dream coming true.
Last week you bought a lottery ticket. But you did not win. :-(

condition result
Past Perfect WOULD HAVE + Past Participle
If I had won the lottery I would have bought a car.
Notice that we are thinking about an impossible past condition. You did not win the lottery. So the condition was not true, and that particular condition can never be true because it is finished. We use the past perfect tense to talk about the impossible past condition. We use WOULD HAVE + past participle to talk about the impossible past result. The important thing about the third conditional is that both the condition and result are impossible now.
Sometimes, we use should have, could have, might have instead of would have, for example: If you had bought a lottery ticket, you might have won.
Look at some more examples in the tables below:
IF condition result
past perfect WOULD HAVE + past participle
If I had seen Mary I would have told her.
If Tara had been free yesterday I would have invited her.
If they had not passed their exam their teacher would have been sad.
If it had rained yesterday would you have stayed at home?
If it had rained yesterday what would you have done?
 
result IF condition
WOULD HAVE + past participle past perfect
I would have told Mary if I had seen her.
I would have invited Tara if she had been free yesterday.
Their teacher would have been sad if they had not passed their exam.
Would you have stayed at home if it had rained yesterday?
What would you have done if it had rained yesterday?

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Monday 5 November 2012

ST SNDREW´S FLAG


Why is the Tenerife flag the same as Scotland's?
 
The Tenerife flag, as you can see, seems to be the same as the Scottish one. There are several possible explanations for this. I'll leave you to decide which to believe.
1. They are the same, because Scotland and Tenerife share the same patron saint - Andrew, or, as he's known on the Canary isle, San Andres. The story has it that the saint arrived on the island just as the new wine was being produced. Andres was keen to make a good impression with the locals and took part in the celebrations with gusto, ending up a little worse for wear. While in a drunken stupor, the local children played a joke on him, tying pots and pans to his clothes. Whenever he moved in his sleep, they made an almighty clatter, waking him up. The children, no doubt, thought this extremely funny, but I doubt that San Andres was amused.
Nowadays, on the eve of his saint's day, November 29th, local children collect tin cans of all shapes and sizes, tie them together and drag them through the streets in his honour. Quite commendable, but it don't half make a racket!
2. They are not the same at all, as the two backgrounds are slightly different shades of blue. (That one's quite boring, isn't it?)
3. San Andres is the patron saint of Tenerife and he was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Hence the "X" on the flag.
4. In 1797, the British Navy attacked the port of Santa Cruz, Tenerife, led by Rear-Admiral Nelson. Unusually for one of the finest battle tacticians of his day, Nelson, along with his fleet suffered a humiliating defeat. The flag, a white saltaire on a navy blue background, was captured from one of the ships and eventually adopted by the victorious Tinerfeños as their own.

A SONG TO ENJOY...

BREATHLESS BY THE CORRS