Binge drinking

ESL Conversation Questions:

1. How old were you when you first tried alcohol? Who were you with?
2. What is the legal minimum age for buying alcohol in your country? Do you think it is too high or too low?
3. Is there social pressure to drink in your culture? How do you feel about this pressure?
4. How do you like to celebrate good news? Is drinking a good way to celebrate?
5. What kind of alcohol do you prefer to drink?
6. Why do some people drink too much?
7. Have you ever blacked out? What went wrong?
8. Does alcohol help people to get to know each other? How?
9. Where and when do you like to drink?
10. Can alcohol make people brave? Have you ever used alcohol to help you overcome fear?
11. How can you avoid a hangover? What’s the best cure for a hangover?
12. If people do bad things while drinking, should we blame the alcohol or the person?
13. Do you know someone who gets happy, angry, or sad when they drink? How do you react to their behavior?
14. What do you like to do while you drink? Dance, sing, eat, talk, or something else?
15. Have you played any drinking games? Explain how a drinking game you know is played, if you can.
16. Could you date someone who drinks often? Could you date someone who never drinks?
17. How much alcohol can a person drink and still be okay to drive? What is a suitable punishment for someone who drinks and drives?
18. Do you respect people who can drink a lot? Why or why not?
19. What is the strangest alcoholic drink or craziest cocktail you have had or heard about?
20. Some famous artists have used alcohol while working. Do you think drugs or alcohol might help creativity?

Grammar- Used to /to be used to

Used to

Used to shows that:

• a particular thing always happened or was true in the past.
• But it no longer happens or is no longer true now:

Examples:

• David used to live in Madrid.
• She used to exercise every morning, but since she had that terrible accident she doesn't exercise anymore.
• Why don't you come and see me like you used to?

Forms of used to

Here are the interrogative, affirmative and negative forms of used to

• Did you use to exercise regularly?
• Yes, I used to go jogging nearly everyday.
• No, I didn't use to exercise on a regular basis.

Used to, be used to, get used to

1.Used to shows that a particular thing always happened or was true in the past (see examples above)
2.Be used to is used to say that something is normal, not unusual.
Examples:

• I'm used to living alone.
• Don't worry, John is used to driving for long hours. He has worked as a professional driver for 20 years.

3.Get used shows that something is in the process of becoming normal.
Examples:

• He doesn't like that small town, but he'll get used to it.
• She found the heels too high, but she got used to them.
• Since the divorce, she has become very sad. But I think she'll get used to her new life.
• I got used to living in Canada in spite of the cold weather.

4. Get used to and be used to are followed by either a noun or a gerund.

Get used to + noun	Get used to + gerund (verb+ing)
I got used to the noiseI'm used to the cold weather	I got used to waking up early I'm used to working late at night

Exercise on used to

Do the exercises below on used to, be used to, get used to and click on the button to check your answers.

Choose the correct word.

1. He used to                         be            being           fat but now he's thin
2. He isn't used to                         work            working           in these bad conditions.
3. How did you get used to                         work            working              in the middle of this mess
4. Did you                         use to             used to           write poems when you were young?
5. I need some time to get used to                         live            living           in this town.
6. Sting used to                         be            being           a teacher before he became a famous singer.
7. I'm not used to                         wash            washing           linen by hand.
8. She'll get used to                          live            living              in the extremely cold winter of Siberia.
9. My mother didn't                         use to            used to           drink much coffee. But now she has become addicted to it
10. There used to                         be            being           a lot of trees in this court yard. They have all been cut down.

 

Halloween trivia

Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers

Halloween is one of the most popular holidays of the year. But even if you have been celebrating it since you were a kid, how much do you really know about All Hallows Eve? Test your knowledge with these fun trivia questions.

Set #1 Questions:

1.    In which country did Halloween originate?

2.    Which Catholic Church holiday is Halloween linked to?

3.    What was the name of Dracula’s sidekick?

4.    From which words did ‘bonfire’ originate?

5.    What does the name Dracula mean?

6.    What was Dracula’s real name?

7.    Who was the first actor to play Wolf Man?

8.    Which phobia means you have an intense fear of Halloween?

9.    Out of which vegetable were Jack O’ Lanterns originally made?

10.  Every Halloween, Charlie Brown helps his friend Linus wait for what character to appear?

Set #2 Questions:

1.    According to superstition, if you stare into a mirror at midnight on Halloween, what will you see?

2.    From which region in the world do pumpkins originate?

3.    Who wrote the novel Frankenstein?

4.    Transylvania is a region in which country?

5.    Halloween has its origins in which ancient Celtic festival?

6.    Which actor played Dr. Frank-n-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

7.    Is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable?

8.    What is the significance of seeing a spider on Halloween?

9.    Which country celebrates the Day of the Dead starting at midnight on Oct. 31?

10.  According to superstition, a person born on Halloween has what particular ability?

Set #3 Questions:

1.    Who directed The Nightmare before Christmas?

2.    Which vampire said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m going to give you the choice I never had.”

3.    How many people were hanged during the Salem Witch Trials?

4.    Who is said to haunt the White House Rose Garden?

5.    Pumpkins can be orange, white, green, or what other color?

6.    In The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, how many people are killed with a chainsaw?

7.    What’s the body count for the film Halloween?

8.    Which year was the movie Freaks made?

9.    In the original Alien film, how many alien eggs were made for the egg chamber inside the downed spacecraft?

10.  How many Oscars was Psycho nominated for?

Halloween- Festivals and activities

October may not be as festive as the months that come after it, but it’s one of the most popular as it features the much-awaited Halloween. Most people would only think of trick-or-treating when Halloween becomes the topic of conversation, but there is a rich and vibrant history behind this centuries-old tradition.

#1 - The term Halloween is derived from the phrase, “Hallow’s Eve” or “Hallow’s Evening” which means the evening before All Hallow’s or Hallowmans celebrated every 1st of November known in the Christian world as All Saint’s Day.

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#2 - Halloween has been around for 6000 years now. The celebration was believed to have begun around 4000 BC.

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#3 - Ireland is generally believed to be place where Halloween originated from.

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#4 - The Halloween colors of orange and black symbolizes Fall harvest and darkness or death respectively.

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#5 - The first Jack o’ Lanterns were not made from pumpkins but from hollowed-out turnips that were believed to fend off bad spirits and ghosts during Samhain holiday.

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#6 - The Halloween tradition was carried to North America by Europeans who continued celebrating Fall harvest around bonfires while sharing ghost stories, dancing, singing, and fortune telling activities.

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#7 - Halloween is the second most popular holiday in the United States, with Christmas being the first.

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#8 - Almost 50% of kids who go trick-or-treating prefer receiving chocolates, whilst 24% are partial to non-chocolate candies and 10% who prefer gum as treats.

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#9 - As Ironic as this may sound, there are people who suffer from fear of Halloween or Samhainophobia

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#10 - Jack O’ Lantern was derived from an Irish legend about a man named Stingy Jack who deceived the devil so many times that he was forbidden to enter both heaven and hell. Due to his deception, he was condemned to wander the Earth for all eternity waving a lantern leading people away from their paths.

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#11 - The practice of trick-or-treating came from Celtic tradition of placing food offerings and treats for spirits who were believed to roam and haunt the streets during Samhain, an occasion that marked the end of the Celtic calendar year.

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#12 - It was in 1927 in Blackie, Alberta, Canada that trick-or-treating was first celebrated.

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#13 - Candy corn, one of the most popular treats given out during Halloween is made from the same recipe for making Jelly Belly Candy. It is made from three basic ingredients namely sugar, corn syrup, and marshmallow. Thirty pieces of candy corn is equivalent to 140 calories.
There are approximately 9 billion kernels of Candy Corn manufactured each year and are being given out during Halloween.

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#14 - The Hershey’s Company bags the most revenues during Halloween. Based on data from 24.7 Wall Street, the company reels in $510 for Reese’s sales, $500.82 million for M&M’s, and $456.91 million in the sale of Snickers bars for Halloween.

Feelings and emotions-Vocabulary

Fancy taking part in this contest??? Pretty short of time

IV convocatoria del concurso "Objetivo Europa"

Dirigido a estudiantes de bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Ciclos formativos de Grado Medio de los centros educativos cántabros, "Objetivo Europa" busca reflexionar  sobre el proyecto de integración europeo.

Organizado por la Dirección General de Economía y Asuntos Europeos, en colaboración con la Dirección General de Innovación y Centros Educativos, el concurso ‘Objetivo Europa’, publicado hoy en el BOC, busca promover una mejor comprensión de la Europa comunitaria, de la diversidad de su cultura y de los valores comunes a través del impacto real que sus políticas tienen en Cantabria y en su ciudadanía.

Esta convocatoria, en régimen de concurrencia competitiva, permite participar a todos los Centros Educativos que imparten Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Ciclos Formativos de Grado Medio de Cantabria. El trabajo consistirá en la creación de un vídeo cuya temática será "La Unión Europea en mi región". Los  grupos participantes (de un mínimo de 8 y un máximo de 15 componentes), supervisados por un profesor responsable, presentarán este único trabajo, no habiendo límite para el número de grupos que se puedan formar en cada centro educativo.

El vídeo, original e inédito, no podrá exceder los cinco minutos de duración y se presentará acompañado de una memoria justificativa que describa y explique el trabajo y su finalidad. En las propuestas presentadas se valorarán la originalidad y calidad técnica, la adecuación a los objetivos previstos, la claridad expositiva y corrección en cuanto a expresión oral y/o escrita del vídeo y la memoria. Además, se valorará igualmente la presentación del trabajo en una lengua diferente de la española.

El plazo de presentación de los trabajos comenzará el 25 de Septiembre y finalizará el 19 de Octubre de 2015.

`Objetivo Europa´tendrá un único ganador. El premio será un viaje a Bruselas para los alumnos y profesor integrantes del mismo donde se visitarán las Instituciones Europeas y se presentará el trabajo en la Oficina que el Gobierno de Cantabria tiene allí. La Resolución y notificación del premio se dictará en un plazo máximo de un mes y medio a partir de la finalización del periodo de presentación de los trabajos y será publicada en el Boletín Oficial de Cantabria y en el tablón de anuncios de la Dirección General de Asuntos Europeos.

Documentos relacionados:

• Convocatoria BOC IV Objetivo Europa.pdf (PDF) - 0,344 MB
• Solicitud IV Objetivo Europa.doc (DOC) - 3,232 MB

Columbus Day 2015

Questionnaire:

1. When and where did Columbus arrive with his explorations?
2. How many trips did he do?
3. When did the first inhabitants live in America?
4. Who was Leif Erickson?
5. What were the names of the ships in the expedition?
6. When and who declare it a national holiday in America?
7. Where and why did he want to go with his voyage?

:

Columbus Day

Oct 09, 2014If you want a holiday named after yourself, here's a tip - discover some new land. That's the reason Columbus Day is celebrated. The holiday is in honor of the explorer who first came to the New World on October 12, 1492. Since 1920, it has been an annual holiday.President Franklin Roosevelt set aside October 12th as Columbus Day in 1937. Later, President Richard Nixon declared Columbus Day a national holiday to be celebrated on the second Monday in October. In 2014 Columbus day is October 13^th. 

Columbus Day: Holiday with Many Names

In the States there's always a parade down New York's Fifth Avenue. Smaller towns and cities also have parades and put on plays. In the last several years, the holiday has been rejected by many people. Columbus wasn't the first person to visit America and because of this, some places call the holiday Native America Day. Many Latin American countries call it Dia de la Raza - Day of the Race. Another name for it is Indigenous Peoples Day.

Columbus Day: A Very Brief History Lesson

On August 2, 1492, Christopher Columbus set out from Palos, Spain to find India. He went in search of spices, silks and wealth. Columbus took three boats with him, the Santa Maria - the biggest one, was 80 feet long and carried 40 men. The Pinta carried 26 men and the Nina had 24 men.  After stopping at Canary Islands, Columbus and his men didn't see land for a many months. When they did, they sailed along the shoreline for a while. They established some camps along the way and met the natives - some friendly, some not. Columbus thought he had discovered India but it was really North America. The "newly discovered" land became known as the New World.

Good job!!!

Web Activity: Summer jobs. http://w ww.kidsturncentral.com/summer/summerjobs.htm

  

Which job would you choose if you …?

1.   like animals

2.    want to throw away things you don’t need

3.    like organizing activities for children

4.    love babies

Weird jobs:

1. WHAT DO THEY DO? 2. WHERE DO THEY WORK? 3. ARE THERE LOTS OF ….? 4. SALARY 5. WHAT DO THEY NEED TO WORK? 6. AN EXAMPLE 7. WEIRD FACTS 8. MY OPINION and I WANT TO BE...

Nationalist win Catalonia vote

Nationalists win Catalonia vote

BBC LEARNING ENGLISH. EPISODE 150928 / 28 SEP 2015

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Step 1: Listen

You're going to hear a genuine BBC news report. Before you listen, read these three summaries.

a) Catalonia has become an independent state separate from the rest of Spain.

b) People who want Catalonia to be independent say they now have the authority to try to separate from Spain.

c) The Spanish government has agreed to have a national vote to decide if Catalonia should become an independent state.

Now listen and decide which one is correct. Listen again if you need to.

Step 2: Learn the key words and listen again

How was that? Try listening again. Here are definitions of three key vocabulary items which may help you.

separatist partiespolitical groups which want independence from the current state
mandatethe authority gained from winning an election
referenduma vote by all the people in a certain region or country on a single issue