lunes, 22 de enero de 2018

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. A GREAT SLOGAN. / Mantened la calma y sigamos adelante. ¡Un slogan genial!

Hi my dear friends. Have you ever seen the slogan "Keep calm and carry on"? Surely! So, today we're going to look at its origins! Do you think it's a current slogan? I hope you'll find this information interesting and curious!

Hola mis queridos amigos. ¿Habéis visto alguna vez el slogan o frase "Mantened la calma y sigamos adelante"? ¡Seguro que sí! Hoy vamos a ver sus orígenes. ¿Pensáis que es un slogan actual? Espero que  esta información os parezca interesante y curiosa.




Info: Speak Up magazine.
Photos: standard.co.uk / notonthehigheststreet.com/stashtea.com





**"Keep Calm and Carry On", a slogan dating back to the Second World War, is these days applied to merchandise including T-shirts, chocolate, deckchairs and mugs.


THE GHOST OF A POSTER   AND  A GOOD ADVICE

If you have been to Britain, you may have seen a red poster that says "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON". This message was typical of the nation's spirit during the Second World War. In actual fact, the poster was created in 1939 by the Ministry of Information and 2.5 million copies were printed. But the really strange thing is that the poster was never distributed. It was completely forgotten about until the year 2000, when a copy was found in a second-hand bookshop in Northumberland!


A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

It was now out of copyright and so the bookshop's owner made copies and started selling them. It was a success and in 2007 another entrepreneur, a former TV producer named Mark Coop, set up a rival company called keepcalmandcarryon.com which sells posters, T-shirts, mugs and other forms of merchandise.

But why has this forgotten war slogan become so popular? Mark Coop says that it's become so popular because it's such a fantastic message that is applicable to so many different situations, for instance: at work, in exams, at home, etc. "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON" covers a lot ot areas, it's definitely a good message!!!







THE PERFECT MESSAGE

It's a fact that the sales have improved during the recent economic crisis because there's always some situation associated with the slogan. A lot of people associated it with the terrorist risk that we were facing, the recession, health problems and different bad situations in general.

Moreover, the simplicity of the message is its success.  The greatest thing of "Keep calm and carry on" is that it's so simple and straight to the point. Just five very simple words that reassure and get a message across!  It is like the old saying: "Less is more" because you don't really need say any more than that, or any long-winded message; straight to the point, keep it simple!

So, KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON everbody!  Everything has a solution!

                                            ***********************************

VOCABULARY OF THE TEXT

-TO CARRY ON: seguir adelante.
-OUT OF: libre de.
-ENTREPRENEUR: empresario.
-TO SET UP: montar, iniciar.
-MUG: taza.
-TO IMPROVE: mejorar.
-STRAIGHT TO THE POINT: directo al grano.
-LONG-WINDED: extenso.


SEE YOU MY FRIENDS!!!


viernes, 12 de enero de 2018

TRINITY ISE II Practice Tests / Exámenes Prácticos de TRINITY ISE II

Hi my dear friends, today, we are going to continue with some English Practice Tests. We will do the first test of the Reading and Writing examination to obtain the Trinity College ISE II Certificate, B2 level. I hope you'll do it to know what it is about! You may need to prepare it!
The Reading and Writing Module consists of 4 different parts (Tasks) and in the real exam you'll have "2 hours to do it" 

Task 1 Long Reading (20 minutes)
Task 2 Multi-text reading (20 minutes)
Task 3 Reading into writing (40 minutes)
Task 4 Extended reading (20 minutes)



Hola mis queridos amigos, hoy, vamos a continuar con algunos tests prácticos de Inglés. Haremos la primera prueba del "Reading and Writing" (lectura y escritura") para obtener el Certificado Oficial ISE II del Trinity College, nivel B2. Espero que lo hagáis para saber cómo es por si necesitáis prepararlo. 
El módulo de Reading and Writing consta de 4 partes diferentes llamadas "Tasks" y en el examen real tendréis 2 horas para hacerlo.

                                                          *****************************

TRINITY ISE II - B2  OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE


Reading and Writing module.
Task 1 - Long Reading.  Read the following text about "Little people with big problems" and answer the 15 questions.

Paragraph 1.  No one knows exactly how many of them there are, but estimates suggest that between one quarter and half a million pygmies live in Central Africa, in and around the Congo rainforest. Together the various groups of Congo Pygmies make up the largest population of traditional hunter-gatherers left on Earth. They survive off the wild products, the animals and plants, as nature puts in the environment around them. Or, at least, they used to before we interfered. Now the pygmy people are being forced out of the rainforest by both the Bantu and the men from the West.

Paragraph 2.  The term "pygmy" was originally used by the Ancient Greeks to describe a group of small people they believed lived in Ethiopia. Many hundreds of years later, when European explorers arrived in Central Africa, they used this same term to label the small forest people they found living there. These jungle people were not only very short in height  (typically under five feet tall) but also very small in build. In contrast, the other native Africans, the Bantu, were similar in both build and height to the Europeans themselves.

Paragraph 3.   It is known exactly why the pygmies developed such small body frames. One theory suggests it was due to the lack of natural light in the rainforests. This meant the forest people did not get enough calcium for proper bone growth so they developed smaller skeletons. Another theory claims the pygmies are small because they have naturally adapted to forest live over hundreds of years. It is after all, easier to travel through thick jungle if you are short and thin. One thing that's not small, however, is the pygmy love of music. In fact, this is enormous. Music is a huge part of daily life and not just for entertainment purposes; there are songs for specific events and for activities, such as hunting, too.

Paragraph 4.   The Baka Pygmies of Cameroon, one of the largest pygmy groups, have little to sing about these days, though. They, like the most of their people, are under attack. Deforestation is one big issue. For this, both the Bantu and the European are to blame. Thousands of pygmies have been forced from their homes, only to see the forests and their way of life destroyed. And then there is war. The pygmies are often caught in the middle of fights between rival Bantu groups.

Paragraph 5.   Struggling pygmies are forced to move into built-up areas. Here, in the larger villages and towns of Cameroon, they can only find the lowest-paid jobs. They live in poverty and are often victims of unfair treatment by the locals. To make matters worse, the pygmies have been exposed to new diseases here too, causing the population further harm. And they have little access to medical assistance, which makes the  situation even more serious. It is not just the Baka Pygmies that are in crisis, either. Pygmies across Africa are facing there same issues. Their jungle home is being destroyed at an alarming rate so is their culture and way of life.



QUESTIONS  1-5.  Choose the best title for each paragraph from A-F. There is one tilte you don't need.

Paragraph  1 ____     A. Suggestions for how the pymy people developed and an important part of                                        their culture.
Paragraph  2 ____     B. How the pygmy people got their name and what they look like.
Paragraph  3 ____     C. Important parts of pygmy culture and their different animal-hunting methods.
Paragraph  4 ____     D. How the pygmy people are struggling to adapt to the threats they face.
Paragraph  5 ____     E. Where in Africa the pygmy people live and their traditional way of life.
                                  F. Serious threats facing one specific group of pygmies in Africa.

QUESTIONS 6-10.  Choose the five statements from A-H that are TRUE according to the information given in the text.

6 ____ A. The Bantu people of Africa are much shorter than Europeans.
7 ____ B. The Baka Pygmies don't like music and they don't sing.
8 ____ C. Pygmies in urban areas have low incomes.
9 ____ D. Fighting between different groups of pygmies has harmed their way of life.
10____E. Pygmies are typically shorter and thinner than Bantu people.
            F. There is not an accurate figure for the number of pygmies living in Africa.
            G. The cutting down of forests where pygmies live is the fault of both local Africans and                      Europeans.
            H. One theory for why pygmies are short suggests it may be because there is not much                        sunshine in the forests where they live.

QUESTIONS 11-15.  Complete the sentences with an exact word, phrase or number from the text (maximum 3 words).
11. Some _____________ put the figure of Congo Pygmies that live in Central Africa as high as one quarter and half a million.
12. _________________ gave the pygmies their name when they first visited Africa.
13. A lack of calcium may have caused pygmies to develop __________________.
14. Destruction of forests is a _______________ for the Baka Pygmies.
15. Pygmies in built-up areas have suffered from _____________ they never had before, damaging their health and population numbers.

                                                          *****************************



SOLUTIONS

**Questions 1-5.  1 E  /  2 B  /  3 A  /  4 F  /  5 D

**Questions 6-10.   6 C  /  7 E  /  8 F  /  9 G  /  10 H  /

**Questions 11-15.  11 estimates  /  12 European explorers  /  13 smaller skeletons  /  14 big issue  /  15 (new) diseases.



SEE YOU AND THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE!!!
                                   

martes, 9 de enero de 2018

B2 English Tests / Pruebas de Inglés nivel B2

Hi my dear friends, today we're going to do some English tests to practice the B2 level. 

Hola mis queridos amigos, hoy vamos a hacer algunas pruebas de Inglés para practicar el nivel B2.



USE OF ENGLISH

Exercise 1
Read the following text and decide which answer A,B,C or D best fits the gap. 

THE PRICE OF FAME

Rachel Grant looks like a normal teenager, but she is far from average. She has an extraordinary voice. Her fans stand in (1)_____ for hours to get tickets for her concerts and she is often on television. Rachel's singing (2)_______began when she acted on a TV show at the age of 10. The director of a record company was so impressed by her voice that he (3)____ her up on the spot. Her first album rose to number one in the charts.

Rachel still  goes to school in her home town when she can. (4)_____, she is often away on tour for weeks at a time. She doesn't miss out on lessons because she takes her own tutor with her! She (5)____ three hours every morning with her. Her exam marks in all the (6)____ she studies are impressive.

But how does she (7) ____ with this unusual way of life? She (8) ____  that she has the same friends as before. That may be true  but she can no longer go into town with them because everybody stops her in the street to asf for an (9)____  . It seems that, like most stars, she must learn to (10)____  these restrictions and the lack of privacy. It's the price of fame!

1 A rows    B queues    C ranks    D files
2 A profession  B  job  C labour  D career
3 A signed  B wrote  C made  D picked
4 A Although  B While  C For  D However
5 A takes  B utilises  C spends  D uses
6 A titles  B materials  C subjects  D lessons
7 A cope  B adjust  C bear  D tolerate
8 A denies  B refuses  C insists  D complains
9 A signature  B autograph  D sign  D writing
10 A look down on  B make do with  C put up with  D run out of






EXERCISE 2
Read the text below and think of the word that best fits the gap. Use only ONE word in each space.

HOW TO FIND ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING

You're searched all over the house but you still can't find your keys and you're late. (11)________this sounds familiar, follow this advice to make sure it never happens again. Stop and think about where to start looking. Don't start searching (12) ________any idea of where the lost item could (13)_____.

Lost items are often in the place they should be. Have a look in the place where it's supposed to be first. Someone might (14)______put it away for you.

Relax and take another look. When you're in (15) _____agitated state of mind, it's quite possible to see the item you've lost but (16)_____ notice it. Take a deep breath and look properly.

Look under everything. The item you're looking for could be hidden from view, it may be under a newspaper (17)_____ it may have fallen off the table. Check carefully in, under, on and beside the place where the object is usually kept.

Retrace your steps. Take a few moments (18)______ to think about when and where you last had the object. Go back to that place and search it thoroughly.

Ask for a little help. Check that (19) _______ else hasn't taken it. You'll (20)______ yourself valuable time and lots of effort searching when something isn't really lost, but has been "borrowed".

                                         ****************************************





SOLUTIONS

EXERCISE 1

1 B   /   2 D  /  3 A  /  4 D  /  5 C  /  6 C  /  7 A  /  8 C  /  9 B  /  10 C

EXERCISE 2

11 if
12 without
13 be
14 have
15 an
16 not
17 or
18 to
19 someone
20 save

HAVE A NICE DAY!

SEE YOU!