quarta-feira, 12 de janeiro de 2011

Speak up in Class, The Isle of Mull

Please listen  to the post http://englishtips-self-taught.blogspot.com/2011/01/isle-of-mull.html after that do the exercise, for more information keep in touch and I'll give the answers E-mail: carlosrn36@gmail.com or comment here with your e-mail, I really apprecitate. 

Source: Speak Up

The Isle of Mull

Before you start

1.   Talk to a partner

1.   Can you name any island off the coast of Scotland?
2.   What do you think life is like on these islands?
3.   What is the climate like?
4.   What wildlife do you think you can see there?

Listen and answer

2.   Read listen (without reading) and choose the correct answer.

1.   The Isle of Mull is near the Hebrides.
a)  True b) False c) The article doesn’t say.
2.   It’s a very small island.
a)  True b) False c) The article doesn’t say.
3.   Tobermory is
a)  The island’s main street. b) The island’s main town. c) The name of the ferry.
4) The wildlife you can see on and around the island consists of
a) Many species of birds b) Seals, dolphins and whales c) All of these.
Read and answers
3.   Read the article and answer the questions with a partner.
1.   What do visitors like about Mull?
2.   Why is Mull home to many species of birds?
3.   How can you get to the Isle of Mull?
4.   Why did a Spanish galleon arrive in the bay?
5.   Why is tere an annual music festival on the island?
Learn it! Use it!
4.   Complete these sentences with words from the glossary. (You may have to adapt the expression to some way) e.g. change the tense, or change from singular or plural.)
1.   Let’s go down to the_______________ and buy some fish from the fishing boats.
2.   The police are___________________ for two escaped prisoners.
3.   If an egg is fresh, it will________________ in a bowl of water.
4.   The picture we bought is a ___________________painting of forests and mountains.
5.   Luckily there was nobody in the factory when the gas cylinder_______________.
6.   _____________________ are the largest sea mammals.

Take it further

5.   Complete this extract from an e-mail message Write one word for each space.
We______________ (1) at Tobermory three days ago_____________ (2) ferry. Our hotel room looks on _____________ (3) a harbor with lots of yachts and fishing________________ (4). Yesterday we _________________  (5) on a wildlife tour.  We drove___________ (6) the mountains and we _______________ (7) some golden eagles. Tomorrow we’re going_____________ a boat trip to some nearby islands. We_____________ (9) to see some whales and dolphins. Perhaps we_____________ (10) be lucky.

Write about it.

6.   Imagine you are a British tourist in Brazil. Write a similar e-mail message in a friend about the tourist location your are visiting.
Well, after you do the lesson keep in touch with and I’ll give the answer through e-mail carlosrn31@yahoo.com.br

Master of Sands



Source: Speak Up
Language level: Intermediate
Standard: American Accent


Master of Sands

“No snow? No problem! Sand Never Melts! In the US, sandboarding already has some 14.000 fans. The sport has been called a cross between “dry surfing and hot snowboarding.” Sandboarders use the same equipment as snowboarders, but you don’t need any snow, you just need a good sand dune.

Josh Tenge, 27, is a pioneer of the sport and one of the best riders in the States. He’s based in Florence, Oregon in the Pacific Northwest region and he first came to sandboarding from snowboarding. As he explains, he was in Nevada at the time:

Josh Tenge:

(Standard American accent):

My name’s Josh Tenge: I’ve been sandboarding for about six years. I got involved through some friends that were working with me at Diamond Peak Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe. I was teaching snowboarding there, and some people I rode with said, “Hey, come out and try this new sport, it’s called sandboarding, it's much like snowboarding." And so (I) came out and gave it a whirl. The second time we did a TV show and…we managed to start doing front flips at that point, and then no-one had ever done that before. So that kind of how I got into it, and she sponsors picked me up from there and then I’ve been competing ever since.

ANCIENT OR MODERN?

So how long has sandboarding been around? It is possible that the ancient Egyptians slid down the desert slops on whatever was to hand. Others say the sport was invented by Brazilian surfers on a windless day, sometime in the last century, using doors, planks of woods or cardboard. In the US, some of the best sand dunes are in the seaside town of Florence, Oregon. Here, at the world’s  first sandboarding park, you can hire boards, take lessons, try out your maneuvers and buy your gear from boards to goggles, wax and T-Shirts. It’s still a small scene, so anybody who wants to can get a lesson from air master and four times world champion Josh himself, whose trophies line the wall of the shop.

THE CHAMP
Josh still divides his time between teaching snowboarding in the winter and sandboarding in the summer; that is if he’s not competing in Brazil or Peru, or practising for the World Championships in Germany. Josh is already in the Guinness Book of Records, for the longest-distance back flip. Recently, he has been sandboarding in Dubai and Egypt, to film front flips, back flips, and rail slides for the Discovery Channel. In true American spirit, Josh Tenge wants to see how far he can go:

Josh Tenge:

I feel like I’ve got a pretty good background at what I’ve been doing and I constantly try to keep pushing myself and I keep trying to learn new maneuvers, and to stay fresh. And I like to do new things with sandboarding because no-one’s really done it, so there’s no limits; and there’s no-one saying, “Oh, well, you can’t do that,” and it’s more like, what can I think of, my imagination, it's free for my imagination to run free in this sport, so it’s…it’s  really inspire to me.

Lesson One (no audio)

Our first sandboarding lesson takes place on a large dune. We watch as Josh Tenge, our instructor, comes down the school, whooshes past us and swings down the sandy slope. This is how it should look, then

Josh shows us how to rub wax onto our boards, ease our feet into the Velcro bindings and jump up and down, left and right, to soften the board. Off I go, taking Josh’s hand and slowly moving down the dune.

Thankfully, sand is much slower than snow, so you have more time to find your balance. So after a couple of false starts, I’m at least able to progress a few metres, even if it doesn’t look very graceful. The problems begin when I reach a bend and promptly fall over, landing softly in the sand. I never did mast that bend in my first session, but I definitely enjoyed myself!

History of English part II

Source: www.voanews.com


Detail from the Bayeux Tapestry in France
Photo: Getty Images
Detail from the Bayeux Tapestry in France. The cloth, over 68 meters long, tells about the Norman conquest of England, the event marking the beginning of French influence on the English language

STEVE EMBER: This is Steve Ember.
SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: And this is Shirley Griffith with the VOA Special English program, EXPLORATIONS. Today we present the second of our two programs about the history of the English Language.
(MOVIE)
STEVE EMBER: Last week, we told how the English language developed as a result of several invasions of Britain. The first involved three tribes called the Angles, the Jutes and the Saxons. A mix of their languages produced a language called Anglo-Saxon, or Old English. It sounded very much like German. Only a few words remained from the Celts who had lived in Britain
Two more invasions added words to Old English. The Vikings of Denmark, Norway and Sweden arrived in Britain more than one thousand years ago. The next invasion took place in the year ten sixty-six. French forces from Normandy were led by a man known as William the Conqueror.
The Norman rulers added many words to English. The words “parliament,” “jury,” “justice,” and others that deal with law come from the Norman rulers.
SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Over time, the different languages combined to result in what English experts call Middle English. While Middle English still sounds similar to German, it also begins to sound like Modern English.
Here Warren Scheer reads the very beginning of Geoffrey Chaucer’s great poem, “The Canterbury Tales” as it was written in Middle English.
WARREN SCHEER: Whan that aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of march hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heath


STEVE EMBER: Chaucer wrote that poem in the late thirteen hundreds. It was written in the language of the people. The rulers of Britain at that time still spoke the Norman French they brought with them in ten sixty-six.
The kings of Britain did not speak the language of the people until the early fourteen hundreds. Slowly, Norman French was used less and less until it disappeared.
SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: The English language was strongly influenced by an event that took place more than one thousand four hundred years ago. In the year five ninety-seven, the Roman Catholic Church began its attempt to make Christianity the religion of Britain.
The language of the Catholic Church was Latin. Latin was not spoken as a language in any country at that time. But it was still used by some people.
Latin made it possible for a church member from Rome to speak to a church member from Britain. Educated people from different countries could communicate using Latin.
Latin had a great effect on the English language. Here are a few examples. The Latin word “discus” became several words in English including “disk,” “dish,” and “desk.” The Latin word “quietus” became the English word “quiet.” Some English names of plants such as ginger and trees such as cedar come from Latin. So do some medical words such as cancer.
STEVE EMBER: English is a little like a living thing that continues to grow. English began to grow more quickly when William Caxton returned to Britain in the year fourteen seventy-six. He had been in Holland and other areas of Europe where he had learned printing. He returned to Britain with the first printing press.
The printing press made it possible for almost anyone to buy a book. It helped spread education and the English language.
SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Slowly, during the fifteen hundreds, English became the modern language we would recognize. English speakers today would be able to communicate with English speakers in the last part of the sixteenth century.
William Shakespeare's portrait on the First Folio edition
Getty Images

William Shakespeare's portrait on the First Folio edition
It was during this time period that the greatest writer in English produced his work. His name was William Shakespeare. His plays continue to be printed, acted in theaters, and seen in motion pictures almost four hundred years after his death.
STEVE EMBER: Experts say that Shakespeare’s work was written to be performed on the stage, not to be read. Yet every sound of his words can produce word pictures, and provide feelings of anger, fear and laughter. Shakespeare’s famous play “Romeo and Juliet” is so sad that people cry when they see this famous story.
The story of the power-hungry King Richard the Third is another very popular play by Shakespeare. Listen as Shep O’Neal reads the beginning of “Richard the Third.”
SHEP O’NEAL: Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths; 
Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;
Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings,
Our dreadful marches to delightful measures


SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: The development of the English language took a giant step just nine years before the death of William Shakespeare. Three small British ships crossed the Atlantic Ocean in sixteen-oh-seven. They landed in an area that would later become the southern American state of Virginia. They began the first of several British colonies. The name of the first small colony was Jamestown.
In time, people in these new colonies began to call areas of their new land by words borrowed from the native people they found living there. For example, many of the great rivers in the United States are taken from American Indian words. The Mississippi, the Tennessee, the Missouri are examples. Other Native American words included “moccasin”, the kind of shoe made of animal skin that Indians wore on their feet.
This borrowing or adding of foreign words to English was a way of expanding the language. The names of three days of the week are good examples of this. The people from Northern Europe honored three gods with a special day each week. The gods were Odin, Thor and Freya. Odin’s-day became Wednesday in English, Thor’s-day became Thursday and Freya’s-day became Friday.
STEVE EMBER: Britain had other colonies in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and India. The English language also became part of these colonies. These colonies are now independent, but English still is one of the languages spoken. And the English language grew as words from the native languages were added.
For example, the word “shampoo” for soap for the hair came from India. “Banana” is believed to be from Africa.
Experts cannot explain many English words. For hundreds of years, a dog was called a “hound.” The word is still used but not as commonly as the word “dog.” Experts do not know where the word “dog” came from or when. English speakers just started using it. Other words whose origins are unknown include “fun,” “bad,” and “big.”
SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: English speakers also continue to invent new words by linking old words together. A good example is the words “motor” and “hotel.” Many years ago some one linked them together into the word “motel.” A motel is a small hotel near a road where people travelling in cars can stay for the night.
Other words come from the first letters of names of groups or devices. A device to find objects that cannot be seen called Radio Detecting and Ranging became “Radar.” The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is usually called NATO.
Experts say that English has more words that explain the same thing that any other language. For example, the words “large,” “huge,” “vast,” “massive,” and “enormous” all mean something really “big.”
STEVE EMBER: People often ask how many words there are in the English language. Well, no one really knows. The Oxford English Dictionary lists about six hundred fifteen thousand words. Yet the many scientific words not in the dictionary could increase the number to almost one million.
And experts are never really sure how to count English words. For example, the word “mouse.” A mouse is a small creature from the rodent family. But “mouse” has another very different meaning. A “mouse” is also a hand-held device used to help control a computer. If you are counting words do you count “mouse” two times?
(MUSIC)
SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Visitors to the Voice of America hear people speaking more than forty different languages. Most broadcasters at VOA come from countries where these languages are spoken. International organizations such as VOA would find it impossible to operate without a second language all the people speak.
The language that permits VOA to work is English. It is not unusual to see someone from the Mandarin Service talking to someone from the Urdu Service, both speaking English. English is becoming the common language of millions of people worldwide, helping speakers of many different languages communicate.
(MUSIC)
STEVE EMBER: This Special English program was written and produced by Paul Thompson. This is Steve Ember.
SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: And this is Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program, on the Voice of America
.

Technologies and English, part I


Good morning dear readers,

Today I decided to write about English tips, and how much it can be used for English learners and people interested to keep in touch with the Language. Speak English is not difficult; it depends on your willpower and dedication. This days I talked about how much the technologies could be useful approach each other and make friends around the world is easier due this technology.

As matter as fact, this technology have been used and continues used in order to improve and practice a language, in particular English. Thanks to this language communication became easily after the Babel Tower Fell down a long time ago. You cannot figure out, if we don’t have English for communicate how much difficult would be?

Anyways, change a bit of subject I’m so glad when I receive comments thankful for sharing my tips, articles, videos and websites and blogs’s tips. Teach by yourself known as Self-taught today is not difficult. You can use MP3, iPods, Notebooks using podcasts in order to improve your English, as well as access websites and blogs in English.

This blog receive a lot of visitors from Asia, mostly are friends, bloggers and teachers, of course students worldwide. I always encourage them to continue practice English overcome his/her difficult.

Finally, I have no words to describe how much happy is when you come, share, comment or suggest me, thank you so much Insya Allah (For God willing) we’re meeting tomorrow and the day after tomorrow until the day I dying. Next topic I’m going to talk about and share why did I decide to practice English and how I did that, what methodology I used for. See you tomorrow. 

The Genesis Band




Source: Speak Up
Language level: Basic
Standard: British accent




The Genesis Reunion

Genesis are back. The 1970s rock heroes have reunited for the first time in many years and, after successfully touring Europe in the summer, Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford are now bringing their “Turn It On Again” tour to North America.

The band haven’t released a new album since 1991, and they last toured in 1992. Now, these are set to be Genesis’ final US, concerts: as Collins says, “Basically, it’s the last time we are doing it.”

PROGRESSIVE

Genesis were a progressive rock band in the 1970s, when they enjoyed cult success with albums like Selling England by the Pound. Vocalist Peter Gabriel was a spectacular performer who wore bizarre costumes during their live shows. Yet they had their had their greatest success in the 1980s after drummer Phil Collins replaced Gabriel as vocalist. The band revoluntionised their live shows by introducing hypnotic drums machine and incredible lighting. Although fans acused Genesis of selling out, the group became a worldwide success with the 1983 album Genesis and songs like “Mama.”

OUR FANS

Why have Genesis reunited now? Phill Collins says, “Well, we certainly don’t need the money. It’s rewarding to know that so many people still like us.” Initially, they wanted to re-form the 1970s line-up, with Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett, and perform their legendary concept album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. Unfortunately, Gabriel had other commitments and Hackett refused. In the end, they decided to tour with Phil Collins as vocalist.

The Old School (no audio)

Genesis were formed in 1967 by Peter Gabriel and keyboard player Tony Banks when they were still schoolboys at the exclusive boarding school, Charterhouse, in Surrey, England. They were discovered by record producer Jonathan King, another former Charterhouse student, who gave the band their name. Phil Collins who came from a more modest background, joined the group in 1970 as their drummer. Gabriel left the group in 1975 because the other member felt insistence on bizarre costumes made it impossible to perform serious music. Ironically, the band then became a commercial success, while Peter Gabriel continued as a cult solo artist. In 1966 phil Collins left Genesis: Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford tried to replace him with new vocalist Roy Wilson, but the band finally broke up in 1998;

Mr. Collins

Phil Collins is the most famous former member of the band, thanks to his solo career and hits like “In the Air Tonight” and “Another day in Paradise.” He worked as an actor. He appeared in the American TV series Miami Vice and played a gangster in the British movie, Buster.today he’s an award-writing songs for Disney films like Tarzan, which he has recently adapted as a Broadway musical.  The other band members admit their envy of Collins’s success, but Tony Banks says, “we joke about how short he is: he’s a very short man, you know?” The band still hope to reunite with Peter Gabriel next year. 

Family Album, 27



Source: Family Album

Marcos Pontes, the first Brazilian Astronaut

Source: www.maganews.com.br

Special Interview
Marcos Pontes, the first Brazilian astronaut

In this interview with Maganews he reveals what he thinks about a variety of subjects


Maganews – What was the most unforgettable [1] moment during your stay at the ISS?
Marcos Pontes – It was when I saw the Earth down there. The view of the planet from space is incredible. 
Maganews – Has the experience of having spent eight days in space changed the way you are or the way you think?
Marcos Pontes – Yes. Up there [2] we can se how small man is and how short our life is. We cannot waste [3] time on the small stuff [4].
Maganews – You have always loved music and even learned to play the guitar and piano. Is there a guitar up there on the ISS?
Marcos Pontes – I like the guitar a lot and I wish I had more time to practice. Up there on the ISS there isn’t a guitar. But even if there were, there would be no time to play it. There was a lot of work to be done there. I had just 6 hours to sleep and even then I only slept three hours. For the rest I was watching the Earth from up there.
Maganews – In 1993 you had guitar classes at CTA. You had a very old guitar. Do you still remember it?
Marcos Pontes – I do (laughs) [5] and I miss [6] it. Today I have a new guitar here, but a new guitar is never the same as an old one (more laughs).
Maganews – What is your life in Houston like, the city that is home to NASA?
Marcos Pontes – I have lived in Houston since 1998. It is a city of over 4million people. From time to time my family and I go to a Brazilian restaurant.
Maganews – What should Brazil do to become a force in the scientific area?
Marcos Pontes – Brazil should invest much more in education. This investment would result in a lot of benefits for the development of our science and technology. The government and private companies must also strike partnerships in scientific projects.
Maganews – Do you cook [7]? What is your favorite dish [8]? Do you like sweets?
Marcos Pontes - Yes. Like all military men, we have to learn to get by [9]. I like simple things likefried breast of chicken [10]. I loved it when my mom made it in the skillet [11]. As for sweet, I’m not a big fan.
Maganews – What do you like to listen to?
Marcos Pontes - I listen to everything, from classical to metal.
Maganews – What religion are you?  Do you pray [12] before you sleep?

Marcos Pontes – I’m Catholic, and I pray. I put my life in God’s hands all the time.
Maganews – If you had to choose another profession, what would it be?
Marcos Pontes – I would do anything involving design, music, or literature.

Neste dia 09 de Janeiro, Dia do Astronauta, reproduzimos aqui esta entrevista feita com o primeiro astronauta brasileiro (matéria publicada na edição de número 32 da revista Maganews).

Vocabulary
unforgettable – inesquecível
up there – lá em cima
to waste - desperdiçar
small stuff – coisa pequena
laughs – risos
to miss – aqui = sentir falta
to cook – cozinhar
dish – prato
to get by – se virar
10 fried breast of chicken – peito de frango frito
11 skillet. – panela
12 to pray - rezar