Reading of the week: Travel Chaos at British Airport

London’s Heathrow Airport is at the centre of criticism for its virtual shutdown during recent heavy snow in England. Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports, yet it failed to deal with snowfall of 9 centimetres, even 3 days after the snow fell. Airport authorities cancelled more than 3,200 flights, leaving thousands of frustrated passengers stranded in the terminal buildings. The situation is made worse as the Christmas holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year for air travel. What has been frustrating travelers most is the lack of flight information and basics like food and water. Passengers who have spent days sleeping on the airport floor are perplexed as to why only one third of flights are leaving, mainly long haul, when there has been no snow for three days.
Colin Matthews, chief executive of British Airports Authority, is facing a storm of criticism over this problem. Mr Matthews could not give any real answers to journalists’ questions about the mess. He said in an interview with BBC radio: "I am really sorry…We are going to crawl over every aspect of these last few days when we've got every passenger in the right place.” Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has added his worries that the airport should not come to a standstill because of snow. He said: “I'm frustrated on behalf of all those affected that it's taking so long for the situation to improve.” Mr Cameron offered the help of Britain’s Army to help clear the snow from the runways, but the airport declined, saying they already have 200 volunteers.

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).
a. London’s Heathrow Airport totally shut down for 3 days due to snow. T / F
b. Heathrow is the world’s busiest airport. T / F
c. Over 3,200 flights were cancelled. T / F
d. There was plenty of food and water for stranded passengers. T / F
e. The airport CEO answered all journalists’ questions. T / F
f. The British Prime Minister said he was not worried about the situation. T / F
g. The Prime Minister said he understood people’s frustrations. T / F
h. The airport turned down help from the British Army. T / F
2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.
1. criticism a. upset
2 deal with b. halt
3. frustrated c. impacted
4. lack d. disapproval
5. perplexed e. proper
6. real f. manage
7. aspect g. refused
8. standstill h. shortage
9. affected i. part
10. declined j. puzzled
3. PHRASE MATCH (match and translate): (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)
1. at the centre a. the runways
2 recent b. information
3. it failed to deal c. haul
4. the lack of flight d. come to a standstill
5. long e. of criticism
6. chief f. journalists’ questions
7. answers to g. all those affected
8. the airport should not h. heavy snow
9. I'm frustrated on behalf of i. with snowfall
10. clear the snow from j. executive

Song of the Week: HAPPY CHRISTMAS, WAR IS OVER by John Lennon

And this week it could not be other way, we have a Xristmas Carol from the 1970s written by the most famous member of the Beatles, John Lennon. He wrote this song to protest against the USA war againt Vietnam during the decade of the 1970s. He was great pacifist who worked to promote peace and love in the world.

I hope you like it!!


MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY STUDENTS THIS YEAR!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8ks5fcle6A




HAPPY CHRISTMAS YOKO, FELIZ NAVIDAD YOKO,
HAPPY CHRISTMAS JULIAN FELIZ NAVIDAD JULIAN

SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS, YA ES NAVIDAD,
AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONNE Y ¿QUÉ HAS HECHO?
ANOTHER YEAR OVER, OTRO AÑO SE ACABA
AND A NEW ONE JUST BEGUN. Y UNO NUEVO VA A EMPEZAR.
AND SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS, Y YA ES NAVIDAD,
I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN, ESPERO QUE TE DIVIERTAS
THE NEAR AND THE DEAR ONE, EL QUE ESTÁ CERCA Y EL QUERIDO,
THE OLD ONE AND THE YOUNG. EL VIEJO Y EL JOVEN.

(CHORUS) (ESTRIBILLO)
AND A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS Y UNAS MUY MUY FELICES NAVIDADES
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR Y UN FELIZ AÑO NUEVO,
LET´S HOPE IT´S A GOOD ONE DAR ESPERANZA ES BUENO,
WHITOUT ANY FEAR. SIN NINGÚN MIEDO.

AND SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS, Y YA ES NAVIDAD,
FOR WEAK AND FOR STRONG, PARA LOS DÉBILES Y LOS FUERTES,
FOR RICH AND THE POOR ONES, PARA LOS RICOS Y LOS POBRES,
THE WORLD IS SO WRONG. EL MUNDO ESTÁ TAN MAL.

AND SO HAPPY CHRISTMAS Y UNAS FELICES NAVIDADES,
FOR BLACK AND FOR WHITE, AL NEGRO Y AL BLANCO,
FOR YELLOW AND RED ONES, AL AMARILLO Y A LOS ROJOS,
LET´S STOP ALL THE FIGHT. QUE SE PAREN TODAS LAS LUCHAS.

(CHORUS) (ESTRIBILLO)

WAR IS OVER, LA GUERRA A TERMINADO,
IF YOU WANT IT SI TÚ LO QUIERES
WAR IS OVER NOW! LA GUERRA HA TERMINADO...

S.O.A.D. S.O.A.D. S.O.A.D. S.O.A.D. !

System of a Down (también conocida como System o más frecuentemente por su acrónimo,SOAD) es una banda de metal alternantivo de ascendencia armenia formada en Glendale, California, en el año 1995. En un comienzo se llamaron Soil, pero luego adoptaron el nombre System of a Down inspirados por el poema Victims of a Down, escrito por el guitarrista Daron Malakian. Son famosos por realizar canciones en cuyas letras se manifiestan en contra del maltrato infantil, la violencia, la guerra, la pornografía violenta y machista, el predominio de los intereses materialistas en la sociedad, las desigualdades sociales, físicas e ideológicas, la intolerancia o la discriminación, entre otros.

Está compuesta por Serj Tankian (composición, voz, teclado y ocasionalmente guitarra),Daron Malakian (composición, guitarra y voz), Shavo Odadjian (bajo) y Jonh Dolmayan(batería).

So i felt like the biggest asshole.
felt like the biggest asshole?
When I killed your rock and roll.
Mow down the sexy people!

Every time I look in your eyes,
Every day I'm watching you die.
All the thoughts I see in you.
About how I

So I felt like the biggest asshole.
felt like the biggest asshole?
When I killed your rock and roll.
Mow down the sexy people!

Every time I look in your eyes,
Every day I'm watching you die.
All the thoughts I see in you.
About how I

Eat all the Grass,
Eat all the grass that you want,
Accidents happen in the dark.
Eat all the grass that you want,
Accidents happen in the dark.
Eat all the grass that you want,
Accidents happen in the dark.
Eat all the Grass that you want,
Accidents happen...

Reading of the week: Original Basketball Rules Sell for Record

PRINT, READ AND DO THE ACTIVITIES BELOW. THEN ADD THE ANSWERS TO ONE OF THE ACTIVITIES BY MEANS OF A COMMENT AND YOU WILL GET AN EXTRA POINT FOR SATURDAY'S DINNER! PLEASE, SEND THE ANSWERS OF ONLY ONE EXERCISE PER PERSON, YOU CAN ONLY GET ONE POINT

A little piece of basketball history was made yesterday. The original rulebook for basketball was sold at an auction for $4.3 million. This is a record for any kind of sports memorabilia or history. The historic document outlined the rules of basketball in 1891. It was written by Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian. He drew up the sport’s first 13 rules on two pages and signed them both. The buyers were David and Suzanne Booth, two avid basketball fans from Kansas, USA. The document was sold by Ian Naismith, 71, the grandson of Dr. James Naismith. He told reporters: “After expenses, about $3.8 million will go into the Naismith International Basketball Foundation.” He was clearly very proud of what his grandfather achieved, saying: “We gave the game to the world.”
James Naismith originally wrote the rules to create a new winter sport for boys at a school in Massachusetts, where he was a physical education teacher. He had a two-week deadline to think of a new sport. He was more than a little surprised at how quickly his sport took off. He lived to see it introduced at the 1936 Olympics. His grandson expressed how jaded he had become at the game’s commercialization. He told reporters: “I’m tired of all the lying…The game is about integrity, sportsmanship…The game now is being hurt by money. Nobody ever has enough.” He frowned on current salaries in the sport, particularly with “coaches making $5 million a year”. The previous record for sports memorabilia was $3 million for the baseball hit by Mark McGwire when he broke the single-season home run record in 1998.

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).
a. The first ever set of basketball rules were sold for $43 million. T / F
b. The rules of basketball were written in 1891. T / F
c. The man who invented basketball was from Los Angeles. T / F
d. The great-grandson of basketball’s creator sold the rules. T / F
e. Basketball was originally devised as a winter sport. T / F
f. The man who thought up the rules of basketball did so in two weeks. T / F
g. The man’s grandson is disillusioned with basketball today. T / F
h. The previous record for sports memorabilia was for a soccer shirt. T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.
1. piece a. enthusiastic
2 outlined b. preceding
3. drew up c. obviously
4. avid d. time limit
5. clearly e. bit
6. create f. became popular
7. deadline g. charted
8. took off h. created
9. integrity i. devise
10. previous j. honesty

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)
1. A little piece of basketball a. week deadline
2 a record for any kind of b. basketball fans
3. He drew up the c. very proud
4. two avid d. history was made
5. He was clearly e. winter sport
6. create a new f. on current salaries
7. He had a two- g. sports memorabilia
8. His grandson expressed how h. for sports memorabilia
9. He frowned i. sport’s first 13 rules
10. The previous record j. jaded he had become

Song of the week: SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT by Nirvana.

And this week we have a song from the early 1990s. It´s a symbol of Grunge music, born in USA. I Like it very much, but I don't really know what the hell this song is about, it's very weird, like the singer himself (poor Kurt....)
Now I invite you to listen to it on the Internet, read the lyrics, and please tell me what could be the meaning of it, if there is any...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg


LOAD UP ON GUNS
AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS
IT´S FUN TO LOSE
AND TO PRETEND

SHE´S OVER BORED
AND SELF ASSURED
OH NO, I KNOW
A DIRTY WORD

HELLO, HELLO, HELLO, HOW LOW?
HELLO, HELLO, HELLO, HOW LOW?
HELLO, HELLO, HELLO, HOW LOW?
HELLO, HELLO, HELLO

WITH THE LIGHTS OUT
IT´S LESS DANGEROUS
HERE WE ARE NOW
ENTERTAIN US
I FEEL STUPID
AND CONTAGIOUS
HERE WE ARE NOW
ENTERTAIN US

A MULATTO
AN ALBINO
A MOSQUITO
MY LIBIDO
YAY YEAH

I´M WORSE AT WHAT
I DO BEST
AND FOR THIS GIFT
I FEEL BLESSED

OUR LITTLE GROUP
HAS ALWAYS BEEN
AND ALWAYS WILL
UNTIL THE END

HELLO, HELLO, HELLO, HOW LOW?
HELLO, HELLO, HELLO, HOW LOW?
HELLO, HELLO, HELLO, HOW LOW?
Letras4U.com » letras traducidas al español
HELLO, HELLO, HELLO

WITH THE LIGHTS OUT
IT´S LESS DANGEROUS
HERE WE ARE NOW
ENTERTAIN US
I FEEL STUPID
AND CONTAGIOUS
HERE WE ARE NOW
ENTERTAIN US

A MULATTO
AN ALBINO
A MOSQUITO
MY LIBIDO
YAY YEAH

AND I FORGET
JUST WHY I TASTE
OH YEAH, I GUESS
IT MAKES ME SMILE

I FOUND IT HARD
IT WAS HARD TO FIND
OH WELL, WHATEVER
NEVERMIND

HELLO, HELLO, HELLO, HOW LOW?
HELLO, HELLO, HELLO, HOW LOW?
HELLO, HELLO, HELLO, HOW LOW?
HELLO, HELLO, HELLO

WITH THE LIGHTS OUT
IT´S LESS DANGEROUS
HERE WE ARE NOW
ENTERTAIN US
I FEEL STUPID
AND CONTAGIOUS
HERE WE ARE NOW
ENTERTAIN US

A MULATTO
AN ALBINO
A MOSQUITO
MY LIBIDO

SONG OF THE WEEK: WHERE IS THE LOVE? BY BLACK EYED PEAS

Listen to this song in

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot6PC0ynL48

and read its lyrics in Spanish. I consider it is a great song because of the great messages it sends... I love it.
You can also read the lyrics in English and then send a comment with your favourite sentence or sentences... An example of one of my favorites is:

Selfishness got us followin the wrong direction
(el egoismo nos atrapa y nos hace seguir la dirección equivoacada)

There are many more messages and good sentences in this song, share them!

What's wrong with the world mama?
People living like aint got no mamas
I think the whole worlds addicted to the drama
Only attracted to the things that bring you trauma
Overseas yeah we tryin to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin
In the USA the big CIA the Bloodz and the Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And if you hatin you're bound to get irate
Yeah madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
You gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love y'all

People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the love2x)

It just ain't the same all ways have changed
New days are strange is the world the insane?
If love and peace so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations dropping bombs
Chemical gases filling lungs of little ones
With ongoing suffering
As the youth die young
So ask yourself is the loving really strong?
So I can ask myself really what is going wrong
With this world that we living in
People keep on giving in
Makin wrong decisions
Only visions of them livin and
Not respecting each other
Deny thy brother
The wars' going on but the reasons' undercover
The truth is kept secret
Swept under the rug
If you never know truth
Then you never know love
Where's the love y'all?(I don't know)
Where's the truth y'all?(I don't know)
Where's the love y'all?

People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father father father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the lovex2)

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm getting older y'all people get colder
Most of us only care about money makin
Selfishness got us followin the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting their young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what the see in the cinema
Whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness and equality
Instead of spreading love, we're spreading anomosity
Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feeling under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feeling down
It's no wonder why sometimes I'm feeling under
I gotta keep my faith alive, until love is found

People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(fade)

UN PUNTO EXTRA PARA...!!!

Como veo que todo funciona mejor con incentivos y que os lo he pedido más de una vez en clase y no me habéis hecho ni caso... Le daré un punto para aquella famosa cena a aquel que:
Teniendo la cuenta caducada, haga un comentario en este artículo demostrando que aún así puede escribir, o bien, si no le es posible comentar porque ya tiene la cuenta caducada, me mande un mensaje a mi correo electrónico (anacopa@hotmail.com) diciendome que no puede comentar porque se le ha caducado la cuenta.

thanks very much!

Cure for Common Cold Close

VOCABULARY: WikiLeaks Releases Flood of Iraq War Files

WikiLeaks Releases Flood of Iraq War Files

Now it's time that you read the text you printed and search for new vocabulary related to the semantic field of WIKILEAKS.

Mistakes in the text about Hollywood.

We go on with the competition about the mistakes in your writings. This time, I suggest that you correct your partners' mistakes AND that you EXPLAIN the mistake too.
In addition, you will have a time limit to introduce your comments, that is, you will only have one day which will be 27th October.

Hurry up! Time is running!

Chilean Miners' Vocabulary

After having read the text which I gave you about the 33 Chilean miners, I suggest that you all examine the text again and get the most important vocabulary related to that matter. This will help you learn vocaburaly related to current issues, which, as you know, will be of great use for your exam of PAU in June. This vocabulary can also include words which you had to look up in order to write your compositions. I will start this task introducing the first words:
MINE = Mina.
COME OUT OF = Salir de (la mina)

Key to verbal tenses

Here you have the solutions to the activities about verbal tenses.

Open publication - Free publishing - More verbal

REVISION OF VERBAL TENSES

Open publication - Free publishing - More verbal

LAST DAYS TO MAKE YOUR COMMENTARIES!

Remember to make your commetaries about your writings. You still have today, friday 15 and tomorrow, Saturday 16 to make it. COME ON QUICK!

Qué se hace!?!?!?!

Tíos, es no mola nada!

Mistakes in your test about Fernando Alonso

Did you have any mistake in your writings about Alonso? Would you like to take advantage of it? Then, let's play a game. You are going to write a sentence you wrote with only one of your mistakes and your partners will have to find it out. If a person finds out the mistake and say the correct sentence, then he or she will get a point, if they don't, then you will have the point. Let's see who is the person with the more points!...
In order to make the commentaries, you have to write your sentence with one mistake OR type the nickname of the person you are correcting if you are correcting other person's sentence and then write the correct sentence.
(by the way, this is classroom work, so it counts for the final mark!)