martes, 28 de febrero de 2017

ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND EXERCISES / Gramática y Ejercicios.

Hi my dear friends, today we are going to practice some grammar exercises. First, an article to complete and then another one to choose the best option. Are you ready? Let's go!

Hola mis queridos amigos, hoy vamos a practicar algunos ejercicios gramaticales. Primero, un artículo para completar y después otro para elegir la mejor opción. ¿Estáis preparados? ¡Pues vamos!



EXERCISES

1.- DECIDE WHICH OF THE CHOICES BELOW WOULD BE BEST TO COMPLETE THE ARTICLE IF INSERTED IN THE BLANKS. Circle the appropriate letters.

                                                 

                                             TOO MUCH FAST FOOD?

According to a recent survey, Hong Kong consumers (1)______ more money on convenience foods since the economic downturn. Because companies are trying to make do with fewer staff, employees (2)_____harder than ever before.  More women (3)____ the workforce as well.  They (4)____ less time to prepare nutritious home-cooked meals for their families.  Instead, families (5) ____out or (6) ____ convenience foods, such as frozen pizzas and instant noodles.
These foods (7)____ more fat, salt and sugar than home-cooked meals.  Experts say that eating too much of them (8)____ the risk of serious health problems, including diabetes and heart disease.

However, the trend towards convenience foods (9)____ some business sectors.  Supermarkets (10)____ to the higher demand for quick, easy-to-serve meals by increasing their selection of convenience and pre-packaged foods.  These products often (11)____ for higher prices than fresh food.  Restaurants also (12)____ from the trend:  most Hong Kong people now (13)____ out at least once a day.

Is convenience food just a fad or is home-cooked food (14)____ a thing of the past?
How is this trend (15)____ our health?

1 A are spending  B will spend  C spent  D spends
2 A be working    B are working C works  D worked
3 A is joining  B are joining  C will join  D joining
4 A have had  B had  C having  D have
5 A be eating  B eats  C eat  D eating
6 A bought  B buying  C buy  D be buying
7 A containing  B contains  C contained  D contain
8 A increased  B increases  C increasing  D increase
9 A are bebefitting  B benefitted  C will be  D is beneffiting
10 A responding  B are responding  C responds  D will respond
11 A sells  B sell  C selling  D sold
12 A be progiting  B profit  C were profiting  D profits
13 A were eating  B have eaten  C eat  D ate
14 A becoming  B become  C became  D is becoming
15 A affect  B affecting  C affected  D affects




2.- CHOOSE THE CORRECT FORM FOR EACH VERB

1 Marie-Claude isn't a Canadian. I _______ she comes from France.
A believe  B am believing

2 Look!  Junko _____ into the water.
A jumps  B is jumping

3 I ____ you're crazy!
A think  B am thinking

4 Don't give Jan any cheese.  She _____it!
A hates  B is hating

5 I _____ to Toronto next Thursday.  Do you want to come?
A go  B am going

6 Once a week, I____ to an art class at the college.
A go  B  am going

7 I_____ lunch in the cafeteria every day.
A have  B  am having

8 Peter is rich, he _____a Mercedes.
A drives  B is driving

9 You won't find Jerry at home right now. He _____ in the library.
A sudies  B is studying

10 It ____ quite hard. Perhaps we shouldn't go out tonight.
A snows  B is snowing.

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



AND NOW THE SOLUTIONS

EXERCISE 1
1 A      2 B     3 B     4 D     5 C     6 C     7 D     8 B     9 D     10 B     11 B     12 B     13 C

14 A     15 B

EXERCISE 2
1 A    2 B    3 A    4 A    5 B    6 A    7 A    8 A    9 B    10 B


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

HAVE A NICE DAY!!!

SEE YOU!!!

jueves, 16 de febrero de 2017

STAR WARS AT TUSSAUDS IN LONDON / STAR WARS EN EL MUSEO DE CERA DE MADAME TUSSAUD DE LONDRES

Hi my dear friends. Are you fond of Star Wars films and memorabilia? Today we are going to see a Wax Museum, one of the most important wax museums in the world "Madame Tussaud's" in London and we will look at Star Wars!


Hola mis queridos amigos. ¿Sois aficionados a las películas de Star Wars y todo lo que hay a su alrededor? Hoy vamos a ver un Museo de Cera, uno de los Museos de Cera más importantes del mundo, "el Museo de Cera de Madame Tussaud" en Londres y miraremos a Star Wars.


Information from Speak Up magazine




STAR WARS AT TUSSAUDS  /  AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE.

May the force be with you! This is because a galactic adventure has landed in London.  An exhibition at Madame Tussauds is an absolute must for "Star Wars fans".  This multi-million pound attraction showcases some of the most famous scenes and characters from the iconic movie series (particularly episodes I-IV)

The attraction was created in collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm.  A team of 180 sculptors, hair artists and colourists worked intensively over the course of a year.  The result is an entertaining interactive experience featuring authentic walk-in sets and 16 of the famous heroes and villains in exact wax replicas.  Visitors can pose for selfies with all of them, from the tiny Yoda in his swampy home, to the Wookiee giant Chewbacca.

The phenomenal success of the Star Wars  film series with the most recent edition, has inspired this permanent Star War exhibit.

Madame Tussauds is famous for its amazingly life-like wax figures so it was a challenge for the museum to create all the intricate details that the fans know and love about Star Wars.  The Chewbacca, for instance, was recreated with real yak hair and all those hairs are individually inserted so it took a team of six over a thousand hours to complete that figure.

The scenery is also impressive because everything is absolutely accurate at Madame Tussauds so they are the exact size that those people were in the movie, hair, eye colour, skin colour, obviously from Yoda, he's not human, so  h'es like a little three-foot tall creature.  Everything is absolutely authentic to the movies, so you'll feel like you're being immersed into those scenes.

The attraction isn't only a feast for the eyes because one of the most amazing things is the sound. They've got all the original scores from the movies and those iconic soundtracks that people know so when you enter the attraction, you're in the Duel of Fates' scene.  There's a double-height fibre optic tower that represents the large plasma, pulsing electricity cylinders. You can sit in the Cantina Bar and you get the very famous Cantina Bar music in there, there's fog effects, mist effects, there's smells in Dagobah...
In Jabba's Palace, the floor vibrates and the pattern on there is an exact replica of the one used in the movie.


THE DUEL OF THE FATES

The "Star Wars Madame Tussauds" attraction covers two floors with 11 separate sets.  The largest replicate is the epic lighsaber battle involving Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Wader (the Duel of the Fates)


THE FRENCH CONNECTION

The Star Wars exhibit was launched last May. It was an interesting addition to a collection that has been entertaining Londoners since the early 19th century.  Marie Tussaud began making wax models of the decapitated heads of victims of the French Revolution.  She later took these models on tour around Europe and ended up in London, where she opened a museum (in Baker Street)  in 1835.  The emphasis gradually shifted to celebrities.  Today the nine themed areas include "Party" (with, for example, Nicole Kidman, George Clooney and Brad Pitt), "Film" (with Terminator Arnold Schwarzeneger, among others)  and "Royals" (Her Majesty Queen Elizabethh II, of course).



ONLINE

Madame Tussauds has been on Marylebone Road for over 100 years.  It's just a few minutes walk from the Baker Street Underground station.

Entry to Star Wars at Madame Tussauds is included in the main admission price.

You can book online, too : www.madametussauds.com/london 


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


VOCABULARY

-TO SHOWCASE:  exhibir.
-HAIR ARTIST: peluquero.
-WAX: cera.
-SWAMPY: pantanoso.
-ADDITION: incorporación.
-TO SHIFT: cambiar, desplazar.
-TO OVERCOME: superar.
-LIFE-LIKE WAX FIGRE: figura de cera realista.
-SCORE: partitura.
-SOUNDTRACK: banda sonora.
-FOG EFFECTS: efectos de niebla.
-MIST: neblina.

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

HAVE A NICE DAY MY FRIENDS!

SEE YOU  IN LONDON   AT MADAME TUSSAUDS!!!