viernes, 30 de diciembre de 2011

READING / GHOSTS IN GLAMIS CASTLE (Scotland) / Lectura / Fantasmas en el Castillo de Glamis (Escocia)

Hi my dear friends, here you can see a curious reading about ghosts and a castle.  Enjoy it!

Hola queridos amigos, aquí podéis ver una curiosa lectura sobre fantasmas y un castillo. ¡Que la disfrutéis!

GLAMIS CASTLE'S GHOSTS

If you are thinking of going to Scotland, do it between April and October and  be sure to visit "Glamis Castle" because it is the home of one of Scotland's oldest families and also one of the most haunted castles in Scotland!!!

Glamis Castle was the family home of the mother of Queen Elizabeth II of England.  The queen's sister Princess Margaret, was born there.  The main part of the castle was built in the 17th century and the oldest part of the castle is an ancient fortress.


IF YOU GO,  stay near the guide, do not stay alone because you cannot be sure  WHO  or WHAT you will meet!!!



BLOOD ON THE FLOOR

In the past, it wasn't easy to be a king of Scotland.  They had a lot of enemies...
In 1034, King Malcom II was killed in Glamis Castle.  For hundreds of years HIS BLOOD marked the floor.  It couldn't be cleaned or washed so finally the floor was covered with new boards.  Now, the marks can't be seen, but every year on the anniversary of the crime, the boards make noises!!!

THE HAUNTED CHAMBER

One of the most cruel lairds (noble escocés)   is responsible for a lot of the ghosts in the castle.  One night, some members of the Ogilvy family, came to ask for refuge from their enemies.  The laird said that he would help them but he took them into the castle and brought them to a room.  So, the cruel laird blocked the door and left them to starve (morir de hambre)!!!  This room is called the Haunted Chamber and you can hear horrible noises at night...

A GHOST IN THE CHAPEL

The chapel, has supernatural manifestations too!  However, this ghost is very gentle and quiet.  Many people have seen a lady in grey who prays (reza) there.  She looks very sad (triste). 



MORE INFO:   Glamis Castle opens every day from early April to mid-October from 10.30 am.

BUT REMEMBER:  Stay near the guide, don't stay alone when the other tourists leave (se marchen)!  Or who knows...


HAVE A NICE DAY!!!

SEE YOU!!!

lunes, 26 de diciembre de 2011

CHRISTMAS TIME / NOËL/ NAVIDAD

**Hi my dear friens, I want to wish you MERRY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012.

I hope you'll spend these days happily and with your family and friends.

It's Chrtismas time, so it's time to be with the people you love, to share a lot of things and to forget family problems or arguments because  it's sure  that our families are THE BEST.  In many occassions we are worried about non-important things. So, forget the past and look into the future with a Smile!

HAVE A GOOD  CHRISTMAS TIME!

I whish you THE BEST for the New Year 2012.



**Salut mes chers amis.

Je vous souhaite JOYEUX NOËL et BONNE ANNÉE!

J'espère que vous serez avec votre famille et vos amis ces jours-ci.  Il faut oublier les problèmes et penser au future seulement.

Sois heureux!  Amusez-vous bien!  Ne pensez  pas aux mauvaises choses et commencez l'année 2012 de la meilleure manière possible!

Je vous souhaite une Année 2012 pleine de bonheur!


**Saludos mis queridos amigos.

Espero que estéis pasando estos días tan especiales en compañía de vuestra familia y amigos.

Es preciso olvidar los problemas y pensar solo en el futuro.

A pesar de las discusiones  que a veces pueden surgir entre la familia o amigos, hay que olvidar lo malo y quedarse solo con lo bueno, así que os deseo UN AÑO 2012  lleno de felicidad, amor y  trabajo.  Y que los malos momentos se vayan y aparezcan los mejores.


¡FELIZ NAVIDAD   y   ¡FELIZ AÑO 2012 !

miércoles, 21 de diciembre de 2011

TO LIVE IN A HOUSE ON A TREE/ Vivir en una casa en un árbol.

Hi my dear friends, to buy or rent a flat or an appartment is more and more difficult every day, so  here you can see this idea that an English young man is suggesting.  Don't miss it!

Hola queridos amigos, comprar o alquilar un piso o un apartamento es cada día más difícil, así que aquí podéis ver esta idea que nos sugiere un joven inglés.  ¡No os la perdáis!


A CURIOUS ALTERNATIVE TO LIVE!
AN ENGLISH SUGGESTION! (from Speak Up magazine)

Nick Weston is a young Londoner who is very conscious about the green lifestyle, so he lived in a tree house in the English countryside for six months.
He caught his own food from the forest.

He grew his own vegetables, caught fish from a local river and he even hunted for his meat!

He built his tree house which had a bed, a balcony and a wood-burning stove (fuego de leña).

He didn't have any electricity so he used solar power to charge his mobile phone and had a radio.

However, everything took a long time in the forest, dinner preparations, making a cup of tea, etc.
Weston thinks that we could all become more eco-friendly and that we don't have to leave our jobs or homes.

He has also written a book about food called "Wild in the Woods". 

He didn't go to work, he hunted and washed his clothes in a river!

                                
                             

But if you would like to do it in Spain, you can!  It's possible to spend a weekend or some holiday by living in a treehouse !  You can try it and if you finally like it, go on and do it!  why not?
More info:  http://www.xakata.net/

**Could you tell me your opinion about this idea?
**Would you live in a tree house?
**Would you spend a weekend or more time in a tree house?

HAVE A NICE DAY!!

SEE YOU!!

lunes, 12 de diciembre de 2011

ENGLISH REVISION -GRAMMAR/PHRASES - REVISIÓN DE INGLÉS -GRAMÁTICA Y FRASES

Good morning my friends, today and to start our week, we're going to check some grammar concepts and do some sentences. Let's go!

Buenos días amigos, hoy y para empezar la semana, vamos a revisar conceptos gramaticales y a hacer frases. ¡Vamos!

**FREQUENCY ADVERBS  - Adverbios de frecuencia.
Son: sometimes (algunas veces), usually (usualmente), always (siempre), never (nunca) often ( a menudo), normally (normalmente), hardly ever (apenas).
Se colocan en la frase:  SIEMPRE DETRÁS DEL SUJETO.  Excepto con el verbo TO BE.  En este caso los adverbios de frecuencia van inmediantamente después del verbo.

WRITE in English.
1.- Yo nunca leo cienca ficción.
2.- Algunas veces veo la tele por la noche.
3.- A menudo ella va a trabajar por la noche.
4..- Normalmente, los domingos ellos cenan a las 6.
5.- John siempre va al cole en coche.

**MUCH: mucho/a  (con nombres en singular) >There isn't much light here: Aquí no hay mucha luz.
**MANY: muchos/as (con nombres en plural) > There are many chairs: hay muchas sillas.

WRITE in English.
1.- Hay mucha nieve en las montañas.
2.- Tengo muchos estudiantes en mi clase.
3.- No hay mucha leche en el frigo.
4.- ¿Tienes muchos libros?

**PREPOSITIONS: preposiciones.

PLACE: de lugar. by: en, (al lado), opposite: en frente de, next to: al lado de, on: en, on his/her : de, outside: por (fuera de), in: en, at: en (de lugar).

Write in Spanish
1.- by the reception desck:
2.- opposite the railway station:
3.- next to the post office:
4.- on his way to work:
5.- on her way back from school.
6.- outside the window.
7.- in England;  in New York;  in Park Street;  in a flat;  in a big house, in the living room.
8.- at 23 Road Street.
9.- on the second floor.

TIME : tiempo.     AT: a, a las ;  FROM... UNTIL:  de ... hasta ; 
1.- at half past seven: a las siete y media.
2.- from nine until a quarter to six: de nueve a seis menos cuarto.
3.- on Saturdays: los sábados.
4.- at the weekend: en fin de semana.
5.- in the morning:  por la mañana ; in the afternoon: por la tarde (después de comer) ; in the evening: por la tarde/noche ; at night: por la noche (a partir de las 10).

TRAVEL: viaje.
by bus: en autobús;  by car: en coche;  on holiday: de vacaciones;  on the underground: en metro (en Inglaterra) ;  by subway: en metro (USA); by plane: en avión;  by train: en tren.

SPECIAL EXPRESSIONS
-At home: en casa.                                       
-at work: en el trabajo.
-at school: en el colegio.
-in bed: en la cama.

**LIKE AND DISLIKE:  gustar y no gustar.
to like (+ verbo terminado en -ing para indicar hobbies, gustos): gustar
to dislike: disgustar. (también podemos usar el verbo To like en negativo)
to hate (+ 1verbo terminado en -ing): odiar

- I like Greek statues: me gustan las estatuas griegas.
- I hate shopping:  odio comprar.
- Do you like travelling? : ¿te gusta viajar?

Write in English:
1.- No me gusta en absoluto la música clásica.
2.- ¿Te gusta esquiar? Depende.
3.- A todo el mundo le gusta la música.
4.- A nadie le gusta la lluvia.
5.- Odio viajar en autocar.

**QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Write in Spanish.
1.- Where do you live? In Madrid.
2.- Where do you work? In a shop in George Street.
3.- Which newspaper do you usually read? The Independent.
4.- What kind of books do you like?
5.- Are you interested in politics? No, I'm not.
6.- How many times a week do you go swimming?
7.- When are you going to come?  On Sunday.
8.- What do you do? I'm a teacher and you?
9.- I am an engineer.
10.- How are you? Very well thank you and you?

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


SOLUTIONS

Write in English.
1 I don't like classical music at all!
2 Do you like skiing? It depends.
3 Everybody likes music.
4 Nobody likes rain.
5 I hate travelling by coach.

Write in Spanish
1 ¿Dónde vives? En Madrid.
2 ¿Dónde trabajas? En una tienda en la calle George.
3 ¿Qué periódico sueles leer? El Independiente.
4 ¿Qué clase de libros te gustan?
5 ¿Te interesa la política? No.
6 ¿Cuántas veces a la semana vas a natación?
7 ¿Cuándo vas a venir? El domingo.
8 ¿En qué trabajas? Soy profesor ¿y tú?
9 Soy ingeniero.
10 ¿Cómo estás? Muy bien gracias ¿y tú?

SEE YOU!!

miércoles, 7 de diciembre de 2011

A HOMAGE TO AUSTRALIA / VIAJES / UN HOMENAJE A Australia

Hi my friends, today we are going to know a bit more about Australia,   and specially THE RED CENTRE a place far from  almost everywhere but very interesting to go and see.  I haven't visited it yet but I would like to, so it's a question of planning a beautiful travel to such a  special part of the Planet!

Hola amigos, hoy vamos a conocer un poquito más sobre Australia, y especialmente EL CENTRO ROJO, un lugar lejos de casi todas partes pero muy interesante para ir y ver.  Yo no lo he visitado todavía pero me gustaría, así que es solo cuestión de planificar un bonito viaje  a una parte tan especial del planeta.



In memory of the victims of the terrible fires (people and animals) and all the grattitude to the brave firemen and volunteers!



IN THE RED CENTRE

**What it is known as The Red Centre is The Uluru (Ayers Rock), a massive (macizo)  348-metre-high sandstone monolith.  First it appears black-red, then purple-red, then orange-red but always red.

**The Red Centre is in the heartland of Australia and it is a desert region which lies (se extiende)  at the southern end of the Northern Territory, in the middle of the country.  The Red Centre is the spiritual heart of Australia.

**The Uluru was named after a South Australian politician in 1873 but it has been a sacred site (lugar) for indigenous people for far longer.  It is estimated that the first tribes arrived here more than 20,000 years ago.

**In 1958 the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park was founded and indigenous tribes were forced out of the zone and relocated 450 kilometres away.  In 1985 and after a long land claim (reclamación), the park was restored to Aboriginal ownership.

**Uluru remains sacred to local tribespeople so arguments (discusiones)  continue over whether to allow visitors to climb the rock, which is a popular goal (objetivo)  for many of the 400,000 tourists who go there each year.  In November  2009, a raised  (elevada) viewing platform   was opened to offer stunning (sensacionales)  views of the rock from a distance.




WILDLIFE

*The Red Centre appears to be dusty (polvoriento) , lifeless (sin vida)  and very dry but however, although temperatures can rise above 40 degrees Celsius, this landscape is inhabited (habitado)  by over 500 species of plants,  180 different kinds of birds, 70 types of reptiles and 25 different mammal species.

*Residents include marsupials such as the red kangaroo, large flightless birds like the emu and small lizards (lagartijas)  like the incredible thorny (espinoso)  devil (diablillo) , which resembles a miniature dinosaur!!

*Lying 50 kilometres west of Uluru, Kata Tjuta  is a gigantic natural arrangement (disposición)  of 36 different rock domes.  This is also a sacred Aboriginal site.

*Alice Springs  is a modern town of around 30,000 people and the largest settlement in the Red Centre.



WATARRKA NATIONAL PARK, KING'S CANYON

*Watarrka is 320-kilometre drive southwest from Alice Springs.

*You can find there a   270-metre-deep canyon.

*From the palm-filled chasm (sima repleta de palmeras) of the "Garden of Eden" to the red sandstone domes (montículos de arena)  of the "Lost City", Watarrka is another world.  Sheer (escarpado) cliffs (acantilados) rise high (se elevan)  above lush (exuberante)  vegetation, waterholes (charcas)  and trails (senderos).  Ancient Aboriginal paintings can be found etched (grabadas) into rock faces.  And, like the rest of this mysterioous region, everywhere is coloured in RED.

**IF YOU GO...

- the best time is between May and September, when temperatures are less extreme.

- You can go by plane  to AYERS ROCK AIRPORT or with the legendary THE GHAN rail service to Alice Springs: http://www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au/

- Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Watarrka National Park are linked by the Red Centre Way, a 300-kilometre driving route that takes visitors from Alice Springs through the MacDonnell Mountain and onto Autstralia's most famous desert landscapes.

- A three-day pass to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park costs  AU$ 25.
www.environment.gov.au/parks/ulutu
http://www.australiasouthback.com/

DID YOU KNOW?

*Uluru is the world's largest rock, measuring 3.6km long, 2km wide and with a circumference of 9.4km.

*Uluru is 348m high but llike a giant iceberg extends for around 6 kilometres beneath the surface!

*Kata Tjuta is estimated to be around 500 million years old.

*The Red Centre is home to the world's oldest river -The Finke River has followed its present course for 100 million years, but parts of it date back 340 million years, before dinosaurs evolved!


HAVE A NICE DAY!!

SEE YOU!

viernes, 2 de diciembre de 2011

EASY ENGLISH /MEANINGS OF LOOK/ GRAMMAR AND EXERCISES/

Good morning dear friends, today we're going to look at the verb TO LOOK and the different meanings of it that you can find or need about it.

Buenos días amigos, hoy vamos a mirar al verbo TO LOOK y a los diferentes significados que podáis encontrar o necesitar sobre él.








**TO LOOK:  parecer.
**TO LOOK AT:  mirar
**TO LOOK BACK:  mirar hacia atrás.
**TO LOOK FOR:  buscar
**TO LOOK AFTER:  cuidar.
**TO LOOK LIKE: parecerse
**TO LOOK OUT:  tener cuidado de
**TO LOOK FORWARD TO (+ verbo terminado en ing): esperar con ilusión.

EXERCISE 1 .- Write in the blanks the verbs  look, look like, look at, look after, look for .

1- You _______ tired.
2- Mrs Smith _______ a businesswoman but actually she's a  teacher.
3- Why don't you ________ your dog? It's yours!
4- Please, __________ your school bag. I can't find it.
5- You __________ your father.
6- Don't __________ the sun! It's dangerous!
7- Mary has to __________ her grand-mother every weekend.
8- A camel _________ a dromedary.
9- __________! It's snowing.

**THE ARTICLES:  a/an  /  the.

*A: un, uno, una (cuando la siguiente palabra empieza por consonante).
*AN: un, uno, una (cuando la siguiente palabra empieza por vocal)
*THE: el, la, los, las.  Este artículo definido, lo ponemos en Inglés cuando especificamos.  Si hablamos en sentido general NO ponemos este artículo.  Ejemplo:  Trains are comfortable: los trenes son cómodos (en general).  The Express Train is very comfortable:  El tren expresso es muy cómodo (hablamos del Expreso).

EXERCISE 2.  Write a, an, the or "no article".

1- My husband is _____ engineer.
2- What time is _____ next flight for London?
3- He lives in ____ nice  flat on ______ fourth floor of ____ old house.
4- I'd like half ____ litre of ____ red wine.
5- What is ______ your telephone number?
6- Mary is ______ Paul's sister.
7- What is ____ date today?
8- Just ____ moment.

READ.  TRUE OR FALSE!  (Verdadero o Falso) YOU DECIDE (vosotros decidís)

* There is a tree in California  that is 4,500 years old.
*  A cat in Devon lived to the age of 36.
* On June 19, 1944, a dog in Pennsylvania had 23 puppies.
* Human fossils found in Tanzania are about 3,600,000 yeas old.
* Living bacteria dating from 1,500 years ago have been found in a Cumbrian lake.

**INTERROGATIVE WORDS / PALABRAS INTERROGATIVAS

WHAT?:  ¿qué?
WHERE?:  ¿dónde?
HOW?:  ¿cómo?
WHEN?:  ¿cuándo?
WHO? : ¿quién?
HOW MUCH? : ¿cuánto es? ¿cuánto cuesta?
HOW MANY? : ¿cuántos/as?
HOW OFTEN? : ¿con qué frecuencia?
HOW LONG?:  ¿cuánto tiempo?
HOW FAST? ¿ a qué velocidad?
HOW FAR? : ¿a qué distancia?

EXERCISE 3 . TRANSLATE   into Spanish/ TRADUCID al español

1-What are you doing?
2-Where are they going?
3-How do you know it?
4-When do you want to come?
5-Who did you see yesterday?
6-How much is this?
7-How many times a week do you go to the gym
8-How often does Mary go to the dentist?
9-How long have you waited for me?
10-How fast does the AVE go?
11-How far is it your house from a subway station?

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

SOLUTIONS

EXERCISE 1
1 LOOK
2 LOOKS LIKE
3 LOOK AFTER
4 LOOK FOR
5 LOOK LIKE
6 LOOK AT
7 LOOK AFTER
8 LOOKS LIKE
9 LOOK

EXERCISE 2
1 AN
2 THE
3 A  /  THE  /  AN
4 A  /  ____
5 ____
6 _____
7 THE
8 A

EXERCISE 3
1 ¿Qué estás haciendo?
2 ¿Dónde van?
3 ¿Cómo lo sabes?
4 ¿Cuándo quiers venir?
5 ¿A quién viste ayer?
6 ¿Cuánto es esto?
7 ¿Cuántas veces a la semana vas al gimnasio?
8 ¿Con qué frecuencia va Mary al dentista?
9 ¿Cuánto tiempo me has esperado?
10 ¿A qué velocidad va el AVE?
11 ¿A qué distancia está tu casa de la estación de metro?

HAVE A NICE DAY!

SEE YOU !!!