ENGLISH VIRTUAL LEARNING

NELSON MANDELA

2012-02-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

Nelson Mandela was the most significant black leader who stood against racism and apartheid in South Africa, while many in the world were silent. He dreamt of a democratic and free society in which people live together in harmony with equal opportunities. His words, ''the struggle is my life'', give a glimpse of the determination he fought with against apartheid and racism in South Africa, the goal he had set almost four decades back. Mandela has held numerous positions in the ANC: ANCYL secretary (1948); ANCYL president (1950); ANC Transvaal president (1952); Deputy national president (1952) and ANC president (1991). Despites several roadblock and barriers in his path, Mandela succeeded in bringing quality and justice to his people for which he was awarded the honorary Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

Childhood & EducationNelson Mandela was born in the Transkei on the 18 July 1918. He lost his father, who was a councilor- at the age of nine when he died of tuberculosis. Hearing the elder’s stories of his ancestors’ bravery during the wars in defense of their fatherland, he dreamed of making his own contribution to the freedom struggle of his people. He was the first member of his family to attend a school and was given the English name ‘Nelson’ by his teacher. After receiving primary education at a local mission school, he enrolled at the University College of Forte Hare for the Bachelor of Arts Degree where he met Oliver Tambo and the two became lifelong friends.

At the end of the first year of the college Nelson became involved in a boycott by the Students’ Representative Council against the university policies, and was told to leave the college. Then he went to Johannesburg to complete his BA via correspondence and entered politics while studying there by joining African National Congress in 1942. After completing his B.A. he started with his law studies at the University of Witwatersrand. During this period Mandela lived in Alexandra Township, north of Johannesburg. Later, when he was in prison, Mandela studies for a Bachelor of Laws from the university of London external programme. Mandela has honorary degrees from more than 50 international universities and is chancellor of the University of the North.

Political Activities
Mandela’s approach was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. Nelson Mandela was elected as the secretary to the youth leadership in 1947. The ANCYL aimed at the attainment of full citizenship, direct parliamentary representation for all South Africans. The policy making process paid special attention to the redistribution of the land, trade union rights, education and culture. Mandela as an important co – author of the policy document aspired to free and compulsory education for all children, as well as mass education for adults. When the ANC launched its Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws in 1952, Mandela traveled to places to discriminatory legislation as Volunteer-in-Chief. Though Mandela had constantly advised their followers to avoid violence, he was charged and brought to trial for his role in the campaign.

Following which he was convicted of contravening the suppression of communism act and given a suspended prison sentence. He was also prohibited from attending gatherings and confined to Johannesburg for six months. In 1952 Mandela and his followers prepared an organizational plan that would enable the leadership of the movement to maintain dynamic contact with its members without recourse to public meetings. The plan was called M-Plan, which was named after him. Apart from it, during early fifties Mandela played vital role in leading the resistance to the Western Areas removal and to the introduction of Bantu Education. In the late fifties he made efforts to curb the exploitation of labour, the pass laws, the nascent Bantustan policy and the segregation of the open universities.

In1961 Umkhonto we Sizwe(translated as Spear of the Nation, also shortened as MK), was formed with Mandela as its commander in chief. He coordinated a sabotage campaign against military and government targets, and made plans for a possible guerilla war if sabotage failed to end apartheid. He left the country unlawfully and traveled abroad addressing the conferences and was warmly received by top leaders of many countries. During this trip Mandela, anticipating an inevitable armed struggle, began to arrange guerrilla training for members of Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Mandela also raised funds for MK abroad, and arranged for paramilitary training, visiting various African governments. Initially committed to a non-violent mass struggle, Mandela explains the move to embark on armed struggle as a last resort, when government left him no choice. Increasing repression and violence from the state convinced him that many years of non violent protest against apartheid had achieved nothing. Soon after his return to South Africa he was arrested for illegal exit from the country. Mandela decided to conduct his own defense. He was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment.

A life devoted to justice
Nelson Mandela has received more than hundred awards over the past four decades for his struggle for democracy, equality and learning. He never answered racism with racism. He won international respect for his advocacy for reconciliation of white and black. Leading a life that symbolizes the triumph of the human spirit over man’s inhumanity to man, Nelson Mandela accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 on behalf of South Africans who suffered and sacrificed so much to bring peace to the world. His life is an inspiration to all oppressed and deprived and to all who are opposed to oppression and deprivation

GLOBAL WARMING

2012-01-26T05:47:00.000-08:00

What is global warming?

Global warming is when the earth heats up (the temperature rises). It happens when greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap heat and light from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This hurts many people, animals, and plants. Many cannot take the change, so they die.

What is the greenhouse effect?

The greenhouse effect is when the temperature rises because the sun’s heat and light is trapped in the earth’s atmosphere. This is like when heat is trapped in a car. On a very hot day, the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot. This is because the heat and light from the sun can get into the car, by going through the windows, but it can’t get back out. This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth. The heat and light can get through the atmosphere, but it can’t get out. As a result, the temperature rises.

The squiggle lines coming from the sun are visible light and the lines and arrows inside the car are infrared light.

The sun’s heat can get into the car through the windows but is then trapped. This makes what ever the place might be, a greenhouse, a car, a building, or the earth’s atmosphere, hotter. This diagram shows the heat coming into a car as visible light (light you can see) and infrared light (heat). Once the light is inside the car, it is trapped and the heat builds up, just like it does in the earth’s atmosphere.

Sometimes the temperature can change in a way that helps us. The greenhouse effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on. Without it, the earth would be freezing, or on the other hand it would be burning hot. It would be freezing at night because the sun would be down. We would not get the sun’s heat and light to make the night somewhat warm. During the day, especially during the summer, it would be burning because the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter it, so people, plants, and animals would be exposed to all the light and heat.

Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it, if there gets to be too many gases, the earth can get unusually warmer, and many plants, animals, and people will die. They would die because there would be less food (plants like corn, wheat, and other vegetables and fruits). This would happen because the plants would not be able to take the heat. This would cause us to have less food to eat, but it would also limit the food that animals have. With less food, like grass, for the animals that we need to survive (like cows) we would even have less food. Gradually, people, plants, and animals would all die of hunger.

What are greenhouse gasses?

Greenhouse gasses are gasses are in the earth’s atmosphere that collect heat and light from the sun. With too many greenhouse gasses in the air, the earth’s atmosphere will trap too much heat and the earth will get too hot. As a result people, animals, and plants would die because the heat would be too strong.

What is global warming doing to the environment?

Global warming is affecting many parts of the world. Global warming makes the sea rise, and when the sea rises, the water covers many low land islands. This is a big problem for many of the plants, animals, and people on islands. The water covers the plants and causes some of them to die. When they die, the animals lose a source of food, along with their habitat. Although animals have a better ability to adapt to what happens than plants do, they may die also. When the plants and animals die, people lose two sources of food, plant food and animal food. They may also lose their homes. As a result, they would also have to leave the area or die. This would be called a break in the food chain, or a chain reaction, one thing happening that leads to another and so on.

The oceans are affected by global warming in other ways, as well. Many things that are happening to the ocean are linked to global warming. One thing that is happening is warm water, caused from global warming, is harming and killing algae in the ocean.

Algae is a producer that you can see floating on the top of the water. (A producer is something that makes food for other animals through photosynthesis, like grass.) This floating green algae is food to many consumers in the ocean. (A consumer is something that eats the producers.) One kind of a consumer is small fish. There are many others like crabs, some whales, and many other animals. Fewer algae is a problem because there is less food for us and many animals in the sea.

Global warming is doing many things to people as well as animals and plants. It is killing algae, but it is also destroying many huge forests. The pollution that causes global warming is linked to acid rain. Acid rain gradually destroys almost everything it touches. Global warming is also causing many more fires that wipe out whole forests. This happens because global warming can make the earth very hot. In forests, some plants and trees leaves can be so dry that they catch on fire.

What causes global warming?

Many things cause global warming. One thing that causes global warming is electrical pollution. Electricity causes pollution in many ways, some worse than others. In most cases, fossil fuels are burned to create electricity. Fossil fuels are made of dead plants and animals. Some examples of fossil fuels are oil and petroleum. Many pollutants (chemicals that pollute the air, water, and land) are sent into the air when fossil fuels are burned. Some of these chemicals are called greenhouse gasses.

We use these sources of energy much more than the sources that give off less pollution. Petroleum, one of the sources of energy, is used a lot. It is used for transportation, making electricity, and making many other things. Although this source of energy gives off a lot of pollution, it is used for 38% of the United States’ energy.

Some other examples of using energy and polluting the air are:

Turning on a light

Watching T.V.

Listening to a stereo

Washing or drying clothes

Using a hair dryer

Riding in a car

Heating a meal in the microwave

Using an air conditioner

Playing a video game

Using a dish washer

GOLD MUSEUM

2012-01-24T06:38:00.000-08:00

A unique collection of golden masterpieces!

The Banco de la República Gold Museum, in Bogota, Colombia, displays an extraordinary selection of its pre-Hispanic goldwork collection - the biggest in the world. Together with other pottery, stone, shell, wood and textile archaeological objects, these items testify to the life and thought of different societies which inhabited what is now known as Colombia before contact was made with Europe

The purchase of this Quimbaya poporo by the Banco de la República in 1939 constitutes the first serious effort to be made in Colombia to put an end to the destruction of pre-Hispanic goldwork, and safeguard an essential part of the nation’s historical heritage. A masterpiece of metalwork, cast in two pieces by the lost-wax process, this item was the foundation stone of the Gold Museum’s collections

ENGLISH SONG FESTIVAL

2011-09-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

TENSES

2011-07-29T14:23:00.001-07:00

Tenses

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PASSIVE VOICE - NINTH AND TENTH GRADE

2011-07-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

U 11 Passive Voice Past

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MY LOVE

2011-07-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

EIGHTH GRADE/ NATURAL DISASTERS

2011-05-03T05:42:00.000-07:00

AP/The Huffington Post

A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control.

Hours later, the tsunami hit Hawaii and warnings blanketed the Pacific, putting areas on alert as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast. In Japan, the area around a nuclear power plant in the northeast was evacuated after the reactor's cooling system failed.

Police said 200 to 300 bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai, the city in Miyagi prefecture (state) closest to the quake's epicenter. Another 88 were confirmed killed and at least 349 were missing. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of the disaster.

The magnitude-8.9 offshore quake unleashed a 23-foot (seven-meter) tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0.

Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the epicenter. A large section of Kesennuma, a town of 70,000 people in Miyagi, burned furiously into the night with no apparent hope of the flames being extinguished, public broadcaster NHK said.

"The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference.

SEVENTH GRADE /COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

2011-05-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

Countable and uncountable nouns some any 2

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NINTH GRADE-GOING TO

2011-04-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

Future tense

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SEVENTH GRADE -present continuous

2011-04-04T05:43:00.000-07:00

Learning the Present Continuous Tense

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EVERYTHING I DO I DO IT FOR YOU

2011-03-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

PRESENT PERFECT

2011-03-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

PRESENT PERFECT

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IRREGULAR VERBS

2010-08-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

U 11 Passive Voice Past

2010-08-09T16:25:00.001-07:00

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U 11 Passive Voice Present

2010-08-09T16:24:00.001-07:00

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Past Perfect

2010-08-05T15:03:00.001-07:00

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Past Perfect

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Past Continuous Form And Use

2010-04-29T17:00:00.001-07:00

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Chapter 01: English Grammar Made Easy

2010-03-17T15:17:00.001-07:00

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Comparatives n Superlatives

2010-02-08T14:37:00.001-08:00

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EVERYTHING I DO I DO IT FOR YOU

2010-02-03T15:20:00.000-08:00

SIMPLE PRESENT

2009-08-20T08:04:00.001-07:00

Simple Present

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HERE I AM BY AIR SUPPLY

2009-08-05T17:45:00.000-07:00

Sena Ingles Para Todos Los Colombianos

2009-07-30T13:56:00.001-07:00

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WE ARE THE WORLD

2009-07-15T21:49:00.001-07:00

MARCO POLO

2009-07-13T13:05:00.001-07:00

Marco Polo was born in 1254, in Venice, Italy. His father, Niccolò Polo was a merchant who traded with the Middle East, achieving considerable wealth and prestige. Niccolò and his brother Maffeo set off on a trading voyage, before Marco was born. In 1260, Maffeo and Niccolò resided in Constantinople, where they foresaw a political change and liquidated their assets into jewels to move away.According to The Travels of Marco Polo, the brothers traveled through much of Asia, and met with the Kublai Khan.

Meanwhile Marco Polo's mother died, and he was raised by his aunt and uncle. He was well educated, and learned merchant subjects including foreign currency, appraising, and handling cargo ships, although he learned little or no Latin.

Voyages

The Polo family arrives in a Chinese city.In 1269, Marco Polo's father and uncle returned to Venice, meeting Marco for the first time. In 1271, Marco Polo (at seventeen years of age), his father, and his uncle set off for Asia; their extensive adventures were later documented in Marco's book. In 1295, 24 years after they started their journey, they returned to Venice with many riches and treasures which the Khan had given them. They had probably traveled nearly 15,000 miles (24,100 kilometres).

Captivity
On their return, Venice was at war with Genoa, and Marco Polo was held prisoner in 1296. He spent the few months of his imprisonment dictating a detailed account of his travels in the then-little-known parts of China to a fellow prisoner, Rustichello da Pisa. These stories incorporated tales of his own, as well as other collected anecdotes and current affairs from China, and became know in English as The Travels of Marco Polo. Depicting and detailing Polo's journeys throughout Asia, it gave Europeans their first comprehensive look into the inner workings of China, India, and Japan, among others.

Marco Polo was finally released from captivity in August 1299 and returned home to Venice, where his father and uncles had bought a large house in the central quarter named contrada San Giovanni Crisostomo with the company's profits. The company continued its activities and Marco soon became a wealthy merchant. Although he personally financed other expeditions, he would never leave Venice again. In 1300, he married Donata Badoer, the daughter of Vitale Badoer, a merchant. Marco would have three children with her: Fantina, Bellela and Moreta.

english language

2009-06-08T21:55:00.001-07:00

Parts of the House

2009-06-08T16:22:00.001-07:00

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I WANT IT THAT WAY

2009-02-26T13:41:00.000-08:00

I WANT IT THAT WAY (BACK STREET BOYS)

Yeah
You are my fire
The one desire
Believe when I say
I want it that way
But we are two worlds apart
Can't reach to your heart
When you say
That I want it that way
[Chorus:]
Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a heartache
Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a mistake
Tell me why I never wanna hear you say
I want it that way
Am I your fire
Your one desire
Yes I know it's too late
But I want it that way
[Chorus] Now I can see that we're falling apart
From the way that it used to be,
yeah No matter the distance
I want you to know That deep down inside of me...
You are my fire
The one desire
You are You are, you are, you are
Don't wanna hear you say
Ain't nothin' but a heartache
Ain't nothin' but a mistake (Don't wanna hear you say)
I never wanna hear you say
I want it that way Tell me why
Ain't nothin' but a heartache
Tell me why Ain't nothin but a mistake
Tell me why I never wanna hear you say
(Don't wanna hear you say it)
I want it that way I want it that way

MARTIN LUTHER KING

2009-02-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

MARTIN LUTHER KING

¨YOU SEE THINGS AND YOU SAY WHY? BUT, I DREAM THINGS THAT NEVER WERE AND I SAY WHY NOT?¨

Martin Luther King Jr. has now been dead longer than he lived. But what an extraordinary life it was.

At 33, he was pressing the case of civil rights with President John Kennedy. At 34, he galvanized the nation with his "I Have a Dream" speech. At 35, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. At 39, he was assassinated, but he left a legacy of hope and inspiration that continues today.

Later that year King was a principal speaker at the historic March on Washington, where he delivered one of the most passionate addresses of his career. Time magazine designated him as its Person of the Year for 1963. A few months later he was named recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. When he returned from Norway, where he had gone to accept the award, King took on new challenges. In Selma, Ala., he led a voter-registration campaign that ended in the Selma-to-Montgomery Freedom March. King next brought his crusade to Chicago, where he launched programs to rehabilitate the slums and provide housing.
Death came for King on April 4, 1968, on the balcony of the black-owned Lorraine Hotel just off Beale Street. While standing outside with Jesse Jackson and Ralph Abernathy, King was shot in the neck by a rifle bullet. His death caused a wave of violence in major cities across the country.

However, King's legacy has lived on. In 1969, his widow, Coretta Scott King, organized the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change.

RODOLFO LLINAS

2009-01-26T12:34:00.000-08:00

Autor: Carlos Enrique Parra Bösenberg (especial para Universia)

Considerado como uno de los padres de las neurociencias modernas, el colombiano Rodolfo Llinás Riascos se ubica en la cima de la investigación científica en el mundo. Cuarenta años estudiando el cerebro humano y el funcionamiento de las neuronas le han valido cinco doctorados Honoris Causa, así como un sinnúmero de premios y reconocimientos.

Perfil elaborado en noviembre de 2005

El cerebro es el órgano vital más importante que tenemos los seres vivos, ya que registra toda la existencia. Retiene, recuerda y asocia, nos dice qué hacer y cómo, nos da la capacidad de soñar, es nuestra conciencia, determina quiénes somos y en qué nos convertiremos, nos guía si estamos en peligro o cuando experimentamos alguna sensación agradable, reconocemos el mundo exterior a través suyo y efectuamos todas nuestras acciones de acuerdo con sus órdenes.

“La comunicación neuronal es la encargada de construir nuestra vida, lo que es demostrable hoy en día por medio de aparatos con altísimos niveles tecnológicos como el electroencefalógrafo, el cual es capaz de medir y registrar la actividad y funciones del cerebro”, explica el científico colombiano Rodolfo Llinás.

De niño, creció en un ambiente que le permitió desarrollar la creatividad, el pensamiento lógico y el razonamiento por inducción y deducción, postulados que hoy defiende como único camino para alcanzar una buena educación en las escuelas y colegios y para que los jóvenes desarrollen niveles de comprensión lógica para desenvolverse mejor en el mundo.

Desarmaba todo cuanto podía para saber cómo funcionaban los objetos, siempre motivado por su curiosidad insaciable y la complicidad de su padre y de su abuelo, quienes le abrieron las puertas del universo científico al llevar a la cotidianidad del hogar los temas de la medicina y de la psiquiatría, que eran sus respectivas profesiones. Ambos se encargaron de darle los espacios para desarrollar su inquietud personal sobre el funcionamiento del cuerpo, de la mente humana y de las causas y efectos de los fenómenos naturales.

Dr. Llinás, the chairman of neuroscience and physiology at the N.Y.U. School of Medicine, believes that abnormal brain rhythms help account for a variety of serious disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, tinnitus and depression. His theory may explain why the technique called deep brain stimulation — implanting electrodes into particular regions of the brain — often alleviates the symptoms of movement disorders like Parkinson’s.

The theory is far from widely accepted, and most neurosurgeons say the mechanisms behind deep brain stimulation remain a mystery. Still, surgeons like Dr. Kelly are excited about the research, saying it suggests new targets for treating a variety of disorders.

“It’s a mystery to me why it took me so long to get what Rodolfo was saying,” Dr. Kelly said. “I’d like to latch on to the excuse that I was too busy. In truth, I was too dumb to listen. Now I tell my younger colleagues, ‘Listen to this man.’ He’s on to something that can revolutionize neurosurgery and our understanding of how the brain works.”

Dr. Llinás (pronounced yee-NAHS), born in Colombia 73 years ago, has long followed his own instincts.

Unlike neuroscientists who study the brain’s outer layer, or cortex, he has focused his attention on the thalamus, a paired structure in the midbrain. He has found that each walnut-size thalamus has 30 or more nuclei, each of which specializes in one type of information collected from the senses — sights, sounds, movements, external touches, internal feelings and so on.

Each nucleus sends its message to a specific area of the cortex for initial processing. But then the information is shuttled back down to the thalamus, where it is associated with other senses. And then it is returned to the cortex in a richer, multisensory form that is constantly elaborated, reverberating into a symphony of life experiences.

The thalamus and cortex work dynamically by passing loops of information back and forth, Dr. Llinás said. “If you think of the brain as an orchestra, the thalamus is the conductor. The players are in the cortex. When the conductor makes a move, the players follow. The conductor then hears their sounds and makes new moves, resulting in a continuous dialogue.”

Cells in the thalamus and cortex rely on intrinsic electrical properties to keep the music going. “Groups of neurons, millions strong, act like little hearts beating all their own,” Dr. Llinás said. They can oscillate at multiple frequencies, depending on what is happening in the outside world.

When the brain is awake, neurons in the cortex and thalamus oscillate at the same high frequency, called gamma. “It’s like a Riverdance performance,” Dr. Llinás continued. “Some cells are tapping in harmony and some are silent, creating myriads of patterns that represent the properties of the external world. Cells with the same rhythm form circuits to bind information in time. Such coherent activity allows you to see and hear, to be alert and able to think.”

But at day’s end, cells in the thalamus naturally enter a low-frequency oscillation. They burst slowly instead of firing rapidly. With the thalamus thrumming at a slower rhythm, the cortex follows along. You fall asleep. Your brain is still tapping out slow rhythms, but consciousness is suspended.

Dr. Llinás believes that these disrupted rhythms can be set off by a variety of causes — faulty genes, brain injury, chemical imbalance. In the case of his colleague Dr. Kelly, a small portion of the auditory cortex was damaged by helicopter noise. Dr. Llinás spotted it in the MEG machine — a spot oscillating as if in light sleep.

Tinnitus and other dysrhythmias can be treated with deep brain stimulation, drugs or tiny surgical lesions that return brain oscillations to normal, he said. The goal is to wake up parts of the brain that have fallen into low-frequency sleep mode.

THE NEW YORK TIMES, SCIENTISTS AT WORK, DECEMBER 1 2008

DECIMO GRADO/ TENTH GRADE

2008-10-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

SMOKING

We all know smoking is bad for you, but new research reveals it's even worse for you than was previously thought. Smoking turns your hair gray, accelerates your aging, depletes your body of vitamins and minerals and reduces the effectiveness of prescription drugs, among other devastating effects.

Details

Cigarette smoking harms the body by raising cholesterol levels and blood pressure, as well as increasing the risk of cancer and cataracts.

Tobacco smoking reduces the effectiveness of medications, such as pain relievers, antidepressants, tranquilizers, sedatives, ulcer medication and insulin.

With estrogen and oral contraceptives, smoking may increase the risk of heart and blood-vessel disease.

Smoking causes an increased stress in the whole body even though there seems to be a lessening of stress when the body gets its 'fix' from the nicotine.

Driving skills are negatively affected for both the smoker and those who breathe the passive smoke.

Smoking has been linked in medical studies to more than 25 diseases, including heart disease, strokes, respiratory illness and several forms of cancer.

The nicotine is bad because it is one of the most addictive drugs out there. The list of 599 additives approved by the US Government for use in the manufacture of cigarettes is something every smoker should see. Over 4000 chemical compounds, are created by burning a cigarette, many of which are toxic and/or carcinogenic

Original source:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=9705

welcome

2008-10-09T11:44:00.001-07:00

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THE BEATLES

2008-07-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Those of us in our forties and fifties today remember with fondness and excitement the atmosphere created by four young guys from Liverpool, England. As all of us remember where we were during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, we likewise remember being transfixed in front of our small black & white television sets on February 9, 1964, when the Beatles made their first American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show.

In preparation for their appearance, the CBS Television office on West-Fifty-Third Street in New York was overwhelmed by more than 50,000 requests for tickets to a studio that held 700. During their appearance, the Beatles sang five songs in the following order: All My Loving, Till There Was You, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, and I Want To Hold Your Hand. On this night, seventy-three million people watched the Beatles. Their appearance had such an impact that most normal activities in America came to a standstill watching their performance. Criminal activity in most of the major cities and towns in America was put on hold, and getting a taxi or bus in New York was almost impossible, until their performance was over. Mass hysteria resulted wherever the Beatles appeared, and Beatlemania was created. Two days later, on February 11, 1964, the Beatles sang their first concert in the United States, at the Washington Coliseum. Being from Baltimore, I waited with great interest for their arrival. The Beatles only came to Maryland once, when on September 13, 1964, they performed two shows at the Baltimore Civic Center (now the Baltimore Arena).

The world’s number one rock group consisted of John Winston Lennon (b.10/09/40 -d.12/08/80), whose middle name came from his parent’s admiration of Winston Churchill; James Paul McCartney (b.06/18/42); George Harrison (b.02/25/43 -d. 11/29/2001); and Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey 07/07/40).

During the Beatles recording career from 1962 to 1970, they would release twenty-two singles (45rpm) in the United Kingdom, and thirty-three in the United States. Their first UK single was Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You, released October 5, 1962, on EMI/Parlophone Records. The first USA single would be Please Please Me/Ask Me Why, which they released on February 25, 1963 on Vee Jay Records. Although the Beatles were big in England, they had not yet caught on in the United States. Following their first USA single, came From Me To You/Thank You Girl, which was released May 27, 1963 on Vee Jay, followed by She Loves You/I’ll Get You on Swan Records. Finally on December 26, 1963, Capitol Records decided to release I Want To Hold Your Hand/I Saw Her Standing There, which went to number 1 on the Billboard Charts on January 18, 1964, and stayed there for seven weeks. As luck would have it, the Beatles first US visit planned for February 1964 with their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show had been booked almost six months earlier. Only by accident did the Beatles I Want To Hold Your Hand happen to be at #1 the same time as their first US visit. One could not have asked for better timing. On January 30, 1964, following the success of I Want To Hold Your Hand, Vee Jay Records re released Please Please Me, only this time with From Me To You as the B-Side.

Interestingly, many singles released in the UK had different B-Sides from those released in the USA. During this time in recording history, all recording artists used the A-Side as the hit, and the B-Side was just about any song used merely as a filler, except the Beatles. The Beatles were the first and only group in recording history to release a hit song on both sides of a single 45 rpm record. Also, the Beatles are the only group in recording history to have twenty songs reach number one.

PAST PERFECT

2008-07-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

Past PerfectFORM
[had + past participle]
Examples:

You had studied English before you moved to New York.
Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
You had not studied English before you moved to New York.

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.

Examples:

I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Past Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past.

Examples:

We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years. >

Example:

She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:
You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.
Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:

George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license. Active
Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license. Passive

EXERCISE
Simple Past / Past Perfect

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses,

I can't believe I ______________(get) that apartment. I ___________(submit) my application last week, but I didn't think I had a chance of actually getting it. When I ___________(show) up to take a look around, there were at least twenty other people who______________ (arrive) before me. Most of them______________ (fill, already) out their applications and were already leaving. The landlord said I could still apply, so I did.

I ___________(try) to fill out the form, but I couldn't answer half of the questions. They _________(want) me to include references, but I didn't want to list my previous landlord because I ________(have) some problems with him in the past and I knew he wouldn't recommend me. I ___________(end) up listing my father as a reference.

It was total luck that he ___________(decide) to give me the apartment. It turns out that the landlord and my father___________ (go) to high school together. He decided that I could have the apartment before he ______________(look) at my credit report. I really lucked out!

YELLOW SUBMARINE

2008-06-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

IRREGULAR VERBS

2008-06-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

2008-06-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

JOSE AQUILINO DURAN SCHOOL

2008-06-04T21:47:00.000-07:00
WE ARE GOING TO WORK HARD TO LEARN ENGLISH.
THIS IS OUR ENGLISH´S BLOG!!!

REGULAR VERBS( DECIMO GRADO)

2008-06-04T21:46:00.001-07:00
Regular Verbs List

There are thousands of regular verbs in English. This is a list of some regular verbs. Note that there are some spelling variations in American English (for example, "practise" becomes "practice" in American English).
accept ______________
add
admire
admit
advise
afford
agree
alert
allow
amuse
analyse
announce
annoy
answer
apologise
appear
applaud
appreciate
approve
argue
arrange
arrest
arrive
ask
attach
attack
attempt
attend
attract
avoid
back
bake
balance

WHAT DO YOU DO EVERYDAY?

2008-05-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

HOMEWORK OCTAVO

2008-02-21T18:16:00.000-08:00
Reading

1. Read about the Ellis family. Do you know a family like this?

A Family Business

In most families, the parents go off to work every morning and come home at night. The children go to school all day, and then hang out with friends or go to after-school activities. The Ellis family is unusual. The children and the parents work in the family business every day. They have a flower shop called Flowers by Ellis and they all have jobs to do.
The parents, Howard and Heidi Ellis, spend all day at the store. Howard drives the delivery truck. He also takes phone orders and talks to customers. Heidi arranges the flowers into beautiful bouquets. She is also the business manager. She keeps business records and does the banking.
Sixteen-year-old David is the after-school delivery person. On weekdays, he picks up orders at the store and delivers them to customers. He just got his driver’s license last month and he likes driving. He also helps unload the delivery trucks that bring the flowers to the store.
Twelve-year-old Tara is the cleaning person. Every day after school she cleans the floor and collects the trash. She washes the windows once a week. At 6 o’clock the store closes, the family goes home and has dinner together. The children do their homework and the parents take care of household duties. David says, “We all work hard. We know that each one of us is important to the success of the business. We are proud of what our family has done.”

ACTIVITIES

I. Write the name of the person(s) who does each job.

1. Tara collects the trash
2. ________ arranges flowers
3. ________ calls customers on the phone
4. ________ washes the windows
5. ________ delivers flowers to customers
6. ________ keeps business records

II.MAKE A LIST OF VERBS
III. TRANSLATE INTO SPANISH

Postcards 3, Unit 1
Copyright 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use. page 1

BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS

2008-02-05T13:47:00.001-08:00
I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But It's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of broken dreams
When the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's th' only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Till then I walk alone

Ah-Ah Ah-Ah Ah-Ah Ahhh-Ah
Ah-Ah Ah-Ah Ah-Ah

I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line of the edge
And where I walk alone

Read between the lines
What's fucked up and every thing's all right
Check my vital signs to know I'm still alive
And I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's th' only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish a someone out there will find me
Till then I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone!

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of broken dreams
When the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Till then I walk alone

GREEN DAY HISTORY

2008-02-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

Childhood friends Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar,lead vocals) and Mike Dirnt (bass, vocals; born Michael Pritchard) formed their first band 'Sweet Children' when they were 14 years old in Rodeo, California. By 1989, the group had added drummer John Kiftmeyer (aka: Al Sobrante) and changed their name to Green Day after one of their songs. That year, the band independently released their first EP, 1,000 Hours, which was well received in the punk scene. The band soon signed to local independent label, Lookout! Records (run by Larry Livermore) and their debut album "39/Smooth" was also released that year. Shortly after its release, Kiftmeyer announced that he was going to college and suggested his former drum tutor Tre Cool (born Frank Edwin Wright, III) to take over as the band's permanent drummer(vocals too). Throughout the early '90s, Green Day continued to cultivate a cult following, which only gained strength with the release of their sophomore album, 1992's 'Kerplunk'.

The underground success of 'Kerplunk' led to a wave of interest from the major record labels. Eventually the band decided to sign with Reprise Records and their major label debut 'Dookie' was released in the spring of 1994. Thanks to relentless touring and somewhat surprising MTV support for initial single "Longview," Dookie became a mainstream hit. The album continued to gain momentum throughout the summer, with the second single "Basket Case" spending five weeks on the top of the American modern rock charts. At the end of the summer, the band stole the show at Woodstock '94, which helped the sales of Dookie increase. By the time the fourth single "When I Come Around" began its seven-week stay at number one in the modern rock charts in early 1995, Dookie had sold over five million copies in the US alone. Eventually this figure would top eight million records sold in America, and selling over eleven million copies internationally. Along with Dookie's commercial success, the band also received critical acclaim when they won the 1994 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance.

Green Day quickly followed Dookie with 'Insomniac' in the fall of 1995. Prior to the album's release they again hit number one again on the U.S. modern rock charts with "J.A.R.," (a tribute to their friend Jason Andrew Relva, which appears on the soundtrack to the film 'Angus'). 'Insomniac' performed well initially, entering the US charts at number two and selling over two million copies by the spring of 1996. However, none of the subsequent singles -- including the radio favourite 'Brain Stew/Jaded' -- were as popular as those from Dookie. In the spring of 1996, Green Day abruptly cancelled a European tour, claiming exhaustion. Following the cancellation, the band spent the rest of the year resting and writing new material. The end result is what many call the best album of their career: 'Nimrod'.

'Nimrod' was well received by fans and critics alike, managing to land at #10 on the Billboard charts having sold 80,000 copies in it's first week. However, Green Day's comeback single "Hitchin' A Ride" only made it to #5 on the modern rock charts despite being placed in heavy rotation on MuchMusic and MTV. In response to this the band released what is arguably their most successful single ever. Although it would not make it to number one in the mainstream charts (it's highest position was #2), "Time of Your Life" is now probably the most well known song Green Day have ever written. Featuring Billie Joe on acoustic guitar & vocals, and Petra Hayden (of That Dog) on violin, "Time Of Your Life" became the song to play in any remotely sad situation. The song was even used on the last ever episode of the hit TV show Seinfeld (the most watched finale in the history of TV). Along with Seinfeld, the song was also played during two different episodes of hit drama E.R, making it possibly the most heard song that year on television. Despite gaining the band more critical respect than they would have received with another Dookie or Insomniac, 'Nimrod' only sold about two million copies, and was seen as a commercial flop in comparison. During the 'Nimrod' era the band also vastly improved their live show and even one "Best Live Performance" at the Kerrang awards.

After nearly two years out of the media spotlight Green Day returned in late 1999 to play Neil Young's "Bridge School Benefit Concert", their first live acoustic performance. Green Day began recording their follow-up to "Nimrod" shortly after, which would eventually become "Warning:". Early in the recording process, the band decided to fire producer Scott Litt, and produce the album themselves. This would be the first time since "Kerplunk" that anyone other than Rob Cavallo had produced the band. After they finished recording, Green Day decided to do something else they hadn't done before and headlined the 2000 Vans Warped Tour. Green Day played an amazing set and brought more fans to the tour than any other year in Warped's history (their Toronto performance alone attracted 7,000 more fans than they had any other year).

Released in the fall of 2000, "Warning:" was by far Green Day's most ambitious album to date and first single "Minority" sat at the top of the Billboard Modern Rock Chart after just four weeks. Although "Warning:" contained some of the band's best songs to date (in particular the excellent third single "Waiting"), many fans didn't take too well to the band's new punk-folk sound. Although it has since been certified platinum sales status, "Warning" is arguably Green Day's least successful album. After "Warning:" the band released a greatest hits album entitled 'International Super Hits' and a b-sides compilation called "Shenanigans" as well as their first DVD 'International Supervideos" which chronicles the band's music videos thus far. The band subsequently embarked on a huge 'Greatest Hits' world tour which lead to many people believing the end was nigh for Green Day seeing as most bands only release a "Greatest Hits" albums near the end of their career.

However, these rumours soon died down when after another long hiatus the band announced that a new album was in the works. "What's It Going To Sound Like?" people wondered from all over the Green Day community. "Is it going to be another 'Warning' or are they going to go back to their Punk Rock roots?". Those questions have recently been answered with the explosive new single "American Idiot" which incidentally is also the title track to the new album. For the first time in Green Day's history, Billie Joe has let loose some great politically motivated lyrics and from what we have heard of this album already it looks like Green Day might have made the best album of their career!

In 2005, Green Day toured in England. The tour was called "Bullet in a Bible". Green Day rocked over 300,000 people. Green Day got the name "Bullet in a Bible" from a bible in a war museum that had a bullet stuck in it.

Green Day has released a single called "Working Class Hero". The song also has a video.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS EXERCISE

2007-11-07T02:46:00.000-08:00
Simple Present / Present Continuous
Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses, then click the "Check" button to check your answers.
A Trekking Journal

November 12, 1997

Today (be)------ the second day of my trek around Mount Annapurna. I am exhausted and my legs (shake)-------- ; I just hope I am able to complete the trek. My feet (kill, really) me and my toes (bleed)-------- , but I (want, still)------------ to continue.

Nepal is a fascinating country, but I have a great deal to learn. Everything (be) so different, and I (try)------- to adapt to the new way of life here. I (learn)------ a little bit of the language to make communication easier; unfortunately, I (learn, not)___________ foreign languages quickly. Although I (understand, not) much yet, I believe that I (improve, gradually)___________ .

I (travel, currently)_________ with Liam, a student from Leeds University in England. He (be)________ a nice guy, but impatient. He (walk, always)________ ahead of me and (complain)______ that I am too slow. I (do)_______ my best to keep up with him, but he is younger and stronger than I am. Maybe, I am just feeling sorry for myself because I am getting old.

Right now, Liam (sit)_____ with the owner of the inn. They (discuss)______ the differences between life in England and life in Nepal. I (know, not)______ the real name of the owner, but everybody (call, just)__________ him Tam. Tam (speak)_________ English very well and he (try)__________ to teach Liam some words in Nepali. Every time Tam (say)________ a new word, Liam (try)_________ to repeat it. Unfortunately, Liam (seem, also) _______ to have difficulty learning foreign languages. I just hope we don't get lost and have to ask for directions.

TECHNOLOGY

2007-11-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

SOME PICTURES

2007-10-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

FREQUENCY ADVERBS EXERCISE

2007-10-22T13:50:00.000-07:00
Rewrite the sentence putting the adverb given in brackets into its proper position.

Example: He plays on the computer. (always)Answer: He always plays on the computer.

1. He listens to the radio. (often)____________________________________________

2. They read a book. (sometimes)_______________________________________________

3. Pete gets angry. (never)____________________________________________________

4. Tom is very friendly. (usually)_____________________________________________

5. I take sugar in my coffee. (sometimes)______________________________________

6. Ramon is hungry. (often)____________________________________________________

7. My grandmother goes for a walk in the evening. (always)
____________________________________________________

8. Walter helps his father in the kitchen. (usually)
______________________________________________________

9. They watch TV in the afternoon. (never)
_____________________________________________________

10. Christine smokes after dinner. (seldom)
_____________________________________________________

2.Put the adverbs in the box onto the scale in the correct order.

always occasionally sometimes
hardly ever often usually
1.__________ 2.__________ 3.__________ 4.__________ 5.__________ 6.__________ never

FUTURE TENSE EXERCISE

2007-10-17T15:25:00.000-07:00
Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses,

1. A: Why are you holding a piece of paper?

B: I (write)___________ a letter to my friends back home in Texas.

2. A: I'm about to fall asleep. I need to wake up!
B: I (get)________ you a cup of coffee. That will wake you up.

3. A: I can't hear the television!
B: I (turn) _____________ it up so you can hear it.

4. We are so excited about our trip next month to France. We (visit) Paris, Nice and Grenoble.

5. Sarah (come) __________ to the party. Oliver (be)___________ there as well.

FUTURE TENSE

2007-10-17T15:15:00.000-07:00
Simple Future has two different forms in English: "will" and "be going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very different meanings. These different meanings might seem too abstract at first, but with time and practice, the differences will become clear. Both "will" and "be going to" refer to a specific time in the future.

FORM Will[will + verb]
Examples:

You will help him later.
Will you help him later?
You will not help him later.

FORM Be Going To

[am/is/are + going to + verb]

Examples:

You are going to meet Jane tonight.
Are you going to meet Jane tonight?
You are not going to meet Jane tonight.
Complete List of Simple Future Forms

USE 1 "Will" to Express a Voluntary Action

"Will" often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily. A voluntary action is one the speaker offers to do for someone else. Often, we use "will" to respond to someone else's complaint or request for help. We also use "will" when we request that someone help us or volunteer to do something for us. Similarly, we use "will not" or "won't" when we refuse to voluntarily do something.

Examples:

I will send you the information when I get it.
I will translate the email, so Mr. Smith can read it.
Will you help me move this heavy table?
Will you make dinner?
I will not do your homework for you.
I won't do all the housework myself!
A: I'm really hungry.
B: I'll make some sandwiches.
A: I'm so tired. I'm about to fall asleep.
B: I'll get you some coffee.
A: The phone is ringing.
B: I'll get it.

USE 2 "Will" to Express a Promise
"Will" is usually used in promises.Examples:

I will call you when I arrive.
If I am elected President of the United States, I will make sure everyone has access to inexpensive health insurance.
I promise I will not tell him about the surprise party.
Don't worry, I'll be careful.
I won't tell anyone your secret.

USE 3 "Be going to" to Express a Plan

"Be going to" expresses that something is a plan. It expresses the idea that a person intends to do something in the future. It does not matter whether the plan is realistic or not.

Examples:

He is going to spend his vacation in Hawaii.
She is not going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.
A: When are we going to meet each other tonight?
B: We are going to meet at 6 PM.
I'm going to be an actor when I grow up.
Michelle is going to begin medical school next year.
They are going to drive all the way to Alaska.
Who are you going to invite to the party?
A: Who is going to make John's birthday cake?
B: Sue is going to make John's birthday cake.

USE 4 "Will" or "Be Going to" to Express a Prediction

Both "will" and "be going to" can express the idea of a general prediction about the future. Predictions are guesses about what might happen in the future. In "prediction" sentences, the subject usually has little control over the future and therefore USES 1-3 do not apply. In the following examples, there is no difference in meaning.

Examples:

The year 2222 will be a very interesting year.
The year 2222 is going to be a very interesting year.
John Smith will be the next President.
John Smith is going to be the next President.
The movie "Zenith" will win several Academy Awards.
The movie "Zenith" is going to win several Academy Awards.

IMPORTANT
In the Simple Future, it is not always clear which USE the speaker has in mind. Often, there is more than one way to interpret a sentence's meaning.

No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the Simple Future cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Simple Future, Simple Present is used.

Examples:

When you will arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Not Correct
When you arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

You will never help him.
Will you ever help him?
You are never going to meet Jane.
Are you ever going to meet Jane?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:

John will finish the work by 5:00 PM. Active
The work will be finished by 5:00 PM. Passive
Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. Active
A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight. Passive

MY SCHOOL

2007-09-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

MY CLASS

2007-09-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

2007-08-14T13:40:00.000-07:00
PRESENT PERFECT

Fill in the verbs in brackets in the Present Perfect.

Example:
I ___________ my father's car. (to wash)
Answer:

I have washed my father's car.

1. Karen ________an e-mail. (to send)
2. Dave and Pat___________ the museum. (to visit)
3. They_____________ already ________their rucksacks. (to pack)
4. I __________at the pet shop. (to be)
5. Markus_________ an accident. (to have)
6. We__________ the shopping for our grandma. (to do)
7. I _______just ________my bike. (to clean)
8. Emily ____________her room. (to paint)
9. Lisa and Colin___________ to a concert. (to go)
10. My friends __________smoking. (to give up)

JOSE AQUILINO DURAN SCHOOL

2007-08-08T14:14:00.000-07:00
HI DEAR STUDENTS

LET´S WORK ON THIS INTERESTING READING, THE SYNONYM´S EXERCISE AND REGULAR VERBS .

JOSUE JAIMES C

1930: FIRST FIFA WORLD CUP IS HELD IN URUGUAY

2007-08-08T14:13:00.000-07:00
1930: FIRST FIFA WORLD CUP IS HELD IN URUGUAY

In 1930, the first FIFA World Cup Football (soccer) Championship was held in Uruguay, with the final match being played in the country's capital, Montevideo, between the host nation Uruguay and their South American neighbours Argentina. Uruguay trailed 2-1 at half-time, but scored 3 goals in the second half to win 4-2 and become the first World Champions. The FIFA World Cup is now held every 4 years and is one of the world's most popular sporting events, with the final match regularly watched by over 2 billion television viewers.

SYNONYMS

2007-08-08T14:02:00.000-07:00
Synonym Similarity of adj beautiful 3 senses of beautiful

Sense
1 beautiful (vs. ugly) => beauteous => bonny, bonnie, comely, fair => dishy => exquisite => fine-looking, good-looking, better-looking, handsome, well-favored, well-favoured => glorious, resplendent, splendid, splendiferous => gorgeous => lovely => picturesque => pretty => pretty-pretty => pulchritudinous => ravishing => scenic => stunning => fair, sightly

Here are the two synonyms used in sentences:
The wall was made of rocks.
The wall was made of stones.

Synonyms Practice
Directions: Read each sentence. Circle the letter of the answer that has almost the same meaning as the underlined word in the sentence.

1. That is a giant ant!
A. ogre
B. huge
C. pretty
5. The cat stole the food from the dog .A. ate B. took C. shoved
2. Please throw me the ball. A. toss B. bat C. slam
6. Many children enjoy homework! A. like B. want C. need
3. Santa has a sleigh pulled by eight tiny reindeer .A. car B. cart C. sled
7. When I touched the car it felt very warm. A. rough B. hot C. hard

REGULAR VERBS

2007-08-08T13:39:00.000-07:00
Regular Verbs List
There are thousands of regular verbs in English. This is a list of some regular verbs. Note that there are some spelling variations in American English (for example, "practise" becomes "practice" in American English).
accept
add
admire
admit
advise
afford
agree
alert
allow
amuse
analyse
announce
annoy
answer
apologise
appear
applaud
appreciate
approve
argue
arrange
arrest
arrive
ask
attach
attack
attempt
attend
attract
avoid
back
bake
balance
ban
bang
bare
bat
bathe
battle
beam
beg
behave
belong
bleach
bless
blind
blink
blot
blush
boast
boil
bolt
bomb
book
bore
borrow
bounce
bow
box
brake
brake
branch
breathe
bruise
brush
bubble
bump
burn
bury
buzz
calculate
call
camp
care
carry
carve
cause
challenge
change
charge
chase
cheat
check
cheer
chew
choke
chop
claim
clap
clean
clear
clip
close
coach
coil
collect
colour
comb
command
communicate
compare
compete
complain
complete
concentrate
concern
confess
confuse
connect
consider
consist
contain
continue
copy
correct
cough
count
cover
crack
crash
crawl
cross
crush
cry
cure
curl
curve
cycle
dam
damage
dance
dare
decay
deceive
decide
decorate
delay
delight
deliver
depend
describe
desert
deserve
destroy
detect
develop
disagree
disappear
disapprove
disarm
discover
dislike
divide
double
doubt
drag
drain
dream
dress
drip
drop
drown
drum
dry
dust

LAS REDES Y EL APRENDIZAJE DE LENGUAS

2007-08-03T13:03:00.000-07:00
Por qué aplicar las redes al aprendizaje de lenguas?

Una de las grandes preocupaciones de los docentes de lenguas extranjeras consiste en la búsqueda de fórmulas adecuadas para motivar a nuestros estudiantes. Muchos intentamos convencer a nuestros alumnos de la trascendencia de los idiomas en el contexto cada vez más globalizado de nuestras sociedades, en lo económico, pero también en lo social y en lo cultural.

Otras veces nos apoyamos en el enriquecimiento que el contacto con otras culturas les puede aportar en el terreno personal y en la importancia del aprendizaje de lenguas para fomentar valores como la paz y la cooperación entre los pueblos. Aún así, no deja de ser complicado conseguir este objetivo en lugares alejados de las rutas turísticas de nuestro país, como en el que escribo, en los que la relación con personas que hablan otros idiomas es tan esporádica que muchos alumnos no acaban de ver la necesidad inmediata del conocimiento de otras lenguas.
Numerosos estudios coinciden en el aporte extra de motivación de las NN.TT. Lo cierto es que la motivación sólo se puede garantizar ofreciendo tareas interesantes, que aporten a los alumnos satisfacción y retos a su medida(4). Muchos creemos que las NN.TT. pueden contribuir de manera significativa a este objetivo. Más concretamente, la cercanía con los hablantes de otras lenguas que han traído las redes proporciona un aliciente inmediato al aprendizaje de lenguas(5). Además, las redes permiten ofrecer entornos creíbles de utilización del idioma en situaciones naturales, lejanas de la artificialidad del libro de texto.
Una segunda área de presencia de las NN.TT. está en el apoyo que proporciona a la atención a la diversidad del alumnado, permitiendo atender simultáneamente a diferentes estilos de aprendizaje, capacidades y velocidades, y potenciando el trabajo en equipo. Las redes constituyen un potentísimo igualador social y cultural. Las consideraciones sociales de raza, género, imagen personal y otros prejuicios sociales desaparecen en el entorno de las redes(6). Como nos recuerda I. Palacios, en el DCB se nos insta a descubrir fórmulas que nos permitan diseñar programas para atender la diversidad en el aula, es decir, para satisfacer las necesidades objetivas y subjetivas de los alumnos en su aprendizaje(7). De ello se derivará la potenciación de su aprendizaje autónomo, con el fin último de favorecer la responsabilidad del alumno en su propio aprendizaje(8).
Pere Marqués desarrolla la siguiente tabla con las ventajas y los riesgos de las redes para la educación:
VENTAJAS
- Posibilidad de comunicación (sincrónica o asincrónica) con todo tipo de personas: compañeros, profesores, expertos...,
- entorno propicio para un aprendizaje cooperativo: entre estudiantes, entre profesores y entre estudiantes y profesores,
- entorno propicio para el trabajo cooperativo en la realización de proyectos y en la resolución de problemas,
- desarrollo de las habilidades básicas de lectura, escritura y expresión,
- posibilita la reflexión conjunta del profesorado en temas educativos,
- acceso fácil y económico a un inmenso caudal de información multimedia de todo tipo,
- conocimiento de otras lenguas y culturas,
- oportunidad de practicar con otros idiomas, especialmente el inglés,
- desarrollo de habilidades de búsqueda, selección y organización de la información,
- difusión universal de las creaciones personales,
- incentiva la construcción compartida del conocimiento,
- acercamiento interdisciplinar e intercultural a los temas,
- posibilidad de contactar con las personas que han elaborado la información que se está consultando para pedir nuevos datos o compartir opiniones,
- proporciona una doble interactividad: con los materiales del medio y con las personas,
- familiarización con esta tecnología, sus lenguajes y protocolos.
RIESGOS
- A veces se pierde mucho tiempo para localizar la información que se necesita (nos perdemos navegando por el inmenso mar informativo de Internet),
- existe mucha información poco fiable (y alguna hasta poco recomendable) en Internet, ya que cualquiera puede poner información en la red,
- no todas las personas utilizan las normas de netiquette (comportamientos y buenos hábitos que facilitan la convivencia entre los usuarios y el buen funcionamiento de la red).

EL AUTOR

2007-06-13T22:10:00.000-07:00
un nuevo blog para enseñar y aprender Inglés .Vamos a utilizar los medios electrónicos para tener a nuestros estudiantes al dia con la tecnología y el idioma.

JOSUE JAIMES CRISTANCHO

INFORMATION

2007-06-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

Information
I was given your name by Mr Fisher.
We are interested in your samples.
I was interested to hear/know/see that ...
There is much demand for ...
Would you kindly send us model 4DC ?
We would be grateful for further details about youroffer.
Please let us know the current freight rate for sea/rail /air/ road transport.
In addition I would like a valid price list.
Would your company be able ...?
Please get in touch with our secretary, Mrs Barnes.
Please reply without delay/by return of post

LEARNING ENGLISH

2007-06-13T21:39:00.000-07:00
Present Perfect - Use

1) Result of an action in the past is important in the present
I have cleaned my room.

2) Recently completed actions
He has just played handball.

3) Actions beginning in the past and still continuing
We have lived in Canada since 1986.

4) together with lately, recently, yet
I have been to London recently.

Signal words
just, yet, never, already, ever, so far, up to now, recently, since, for

Form
have/has + past participle
Examples

Affirmative sentences:
I have played football.I've played football.
You have played football.You've played football.

Negative sentences:
I have not played football.I've not played football.I haven't played football.
You have not played football.You've not played football.You haven't played football.

Questions:
Have I played football?
Have you played football?

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