Yolanda's blog

It's a time of celebration, but Christmas day with the family can be nerve-wracking and depressing. We offer some tips on how to cope. Visiting the extended family for the holidays? Here’s how to keep your sanity in the face of all  that good cheer. How to avoid family arguments at Christmas. Watch this video: How to behave at the office Christmas party: And finally an article from THE GUARDIAN

In most countries, Christmas begins and ends on 25th December. But in England and other Commonwealth nations, the good times  roll on  into  the next day,  known as  Boxing Day. Writer Cat Allen shares some traditions and  memories  from her  childhood .  CLICK HERE TO READ AND LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE.

0. A lawsuit claims that the Shape-Ups can cause _________________ SERIOUS INJURIES 1. The Shape-Ups are easily identified due to their ____________. 2. The toning shoes are the ___________ segment in the athletic shoe market. 3. According to Holly Ward, the ________ of the shoes has injured her. 4. In their ads, the company claims that their shoes help you __________ and __________. 5. Ms. Ward wore the shoes during her _____________. 6. Ms. Ward had fractures in both hips, near where they meet the ____________. 7. She broke both of them without being in a/an ____________. 8. It is agreed that the Shape-Ups _________________. 9. Ms. Ward’s lawyer thinks the shoes are dangerous and  the company should have made sure they _______________. 10. Most orthopedists are ____________ about the shoes alone causing fractures...

What events brought the ancient stone from the quarry to the archeologists? What details from the story suggest that the markings on the stone are writing and not art? Why might some of the symbols on the stone be familiar to archaeologists? Why do you think ancient writings such as these were connected to religion and ritual practices? Why is it now important for researchers to find additional artifacts similar to the Olmec stone? SCRIPT

How will raising the minimum wage be helpful for workers?  What are the effects of raising the minimum wage?  What pressures do small business owners feel when the minimum wage increases?  What is Edica Reese teaching her daughter about pay equity by bringing her to minimum wage rallies?  Why do some critics think that raising the minimum wage will not improve income inequality? TRANSCRIPT

If you like reading, learning about the English-speaking world, watching videos and learning a lot of vocabulary... This is your magazine.  You can sign up FOR FREE and receive an issue in your email every month. There are lots of articles about different topics. This month's issue is about New Zealand. Besides apart from reading, you can also listen to the article. In the articles you'll see there are some words which are underlined. If you place the cursor on them you have the translation. To sign up you have to scroll down the page. So, What are you waiting for?  Sing up now!    http://www.teatime-mag.com/es/  New Zealand’s geography and culture have helped the  locals   develop  a language  all their own . Native Helen Cordery helps us tell our jandals  from our  gumboots  with  no worries . Text by: Helen Cordery Country: New Zealand ew Zealand,  despite  its relatively young history, small populatio...

There are  12 zodiac signs , and each sign has its own strengths and weaknesses, its own specific traits, desires and attitude towards life and people. By analyzing the projection of the position of planets, and the Sun and the Moon on the Ecliptic at the moment of birth. Astrology can give us a glimpse of a person's basic characteristics, preferences, flaws and fears. We made it simple for you to find out what your zodiac sign is, Its complete profile and it's compatibility with other zodiac signs. By selecting your sign from the detailed zodiac sign dates list you will discover everything on the character of your Sun sign, it's  Horoscope , traits, profile, history, myth and love compatibility. Each of the 12 horoscope signs belongs to one of the four elements – Air, Fire, Water and Earth. These elements represent an essential type of energy that acts in each of us.  Astrology  aims to help us focus these energies on the positive aspects and to gain a better u...

A girl does her homework in southern Spain CREDIT: JON NAZCA/REUTERS James Badcock , Madrid 4 NOVEMBER 2016 • 7:35PM Millions of Spanish children have been called out on strike this weekend, with families and teachers asked by a national parents’ association to say no to homework. Spain’s confederation of parents’ associations (CEAPA) has asked teachers not to set homework and told families to ignore any exercises programmed on weekends during November as part of a campaign against what many see as an excessive workload on the country’s young minds. “My family will be on strike as a way of making more visible the view that the current system of homework in Spain is appallingly inefficient and socially divisive,” said Gracia Escalante, a social worker and the mother of two boys in state schools in Madrid, arguing that as well as being mind-numbing, homework deepens the gap between wealthy and disadvantaged households.   READ MORE...

VOCABULARY EXERCISES A CROSSWORD AN ARTICLE FROM THE US EMBASSY

Top 2016 Halloween Trends from National Retail Federation

This is the textbook we are going to use this year: Cutting Edge Upper-intermediate Third edition (Pearson) ISBN: 9781447936985 (student’s book with DVD-ROM) ISBN: 9781447906773 (workbook with key) Recordings from the workbook: CLICK HERE

Some say it was invented in 14th century Germany. Others credit the Blackhawk tribe of Illinois. Still others point to a Kentucky farmer in the 1800s. Whatever its origins, the game cornhole emerged as a favorite pastime in Cincinnati about 15 years ago and soon spread like wildfire to back yards, beaches, breweries, and campgrounds across the United States, even here in the Empire State. In 2011 the New York Times declared that the Midwest’s favorite game is ‘’sweeping the Northeast.’’ If you’ve been to a professional football game and walked past pre-game tailgating parties in the parking lot, you probably saw people playing a version of the game, often called tailgate toss. That’s because fans of the Cincinnati Bengals introduced cornhole to fellow tailgaters from opposing teams, and it spread from NFL parking lot to NFL parking lot after that. Today cornhole games are sold everywhere in every imaginable form. In addition to traditional boards decorated with sports teams, fam...

An amazing set of personal tips on how you might live your days more gracefully till you get aged. Do you agree with them ? Leave your comments, your feelings on this! Source: CBC Radio

Discover how and when Americans celebrated Independence Day in the past. Although Benjamin Franklin thought we'd celebrate the 2nd of July; the 4th of July is closest to our hearts. Did you know New York City has the biggest fireworks display in the United States and that three U.S. presidents died on July 4?

Some of you have asked me about activities or programmes to improve your speaking skills during the summer. Well, this is one of the options available here in Santander, and... free: HABLAMOS is an agreement between the UIMP and our EOI to promote conversation exchanges among students.  One of my students took part in these exchanges and she was really kind to write an essay describing her experience to encourage other students to participate. CLICK HERE to read it. So, what are you waiting for? Click on the image and sign up.

Two famous authors, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, had a deep friendship. CS Lewis helped JRR Tolkien get published, but Tolkien admitted he didn’t even like Lewis’ work, especially "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe," which he thought was terrible. Both were Christians and heavily influenced by Christian ideology. Tolkien says "Lord of the Rings" was a deeply Catholic book, while Lewis was more influenced by writers of the Renaissance who were fascinated by Pagan mythology. Listen as this radio story explores the two authors' friendship and motivations. Listening Comprehension Questions: What impact did Tolkien have on Lewis’ personal religious belief? How was Lewis responsible for Tolkien being a published author? Lewis was a fan of Tolkien’s work. How did Tolkien feel about "The Chronicles of Narnia" by Lewis? How did Lewis and Tolkien see fantasy differently? What other time periods and legacies influenced Tolkien? What influenced L...

Is it the end of language teaching and language learning as we know them? Meet the PILOT: Being lost in translation has happened to everyone while traveling, even us, and that's exactly how the idea was born. Waverly Labs is at the convergence of wearable technology + machine translation, developing the world's first smart earpiece language translator. Using the latest technologies in speech recognition, machine translation and the advances of wearable technology, our smart earpiece allows wearers to speak different languages but still clearly understand each other. Simply put, when one person speaks, the other hears it in their language. Science fiction has called it many things, but we call it Pilot. 

A Palestinian man says he was tricked into selling a mural by the artist, Banksy, that is estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Rabie Darduna told the BBC he was given less than $175 (£118) for the image drawn on the only remaining door of his house in Gaza. It was one of thousands of homes destroyed during last year's conflict. Yolande Knell reports.

Some of the images displayed below are masterpieces of abstract art, created by great artists. The rest were painted by an ape. Can you tell which is which? After each picture indicate what it is. Hit the Submit button when done. The quiz will be graded and you will see the correct answers. TAKE THE QUIZ: CLICK HERE

Germany's national railway company, Deutsche Bahn, plans to test small drones to try to reduce the amount of graffiti being sprayed on its property. The idea is to use airborne infra-red cameras to collect evidence, which could then be used to prosecute vandals who deface property at night. READ MORE

It is certainly the case that in usage these two adverbs are often confused and can sometimes be used with the same meaning. specially - for a particular purpose However, when  specially  is used to mean for a particular purpose, this form of the adverb is the norm: This shower gel is  specially  designed for people with sensitive skins. This computer programme is  specially  for children with learning difficulties. My father made this model aeroplane  specially  for me. especially - particularly / above all We tend to use  especially  for emphasis, meaning  particularly or  above all : These butterflies are particularly noticeable in April and May,  especially  in these meadows. You'll enjoy playing tennis at our local club,  especially  on weekdays when it's not so busy. Before adjectives,  especially ,  meaning  particularly,   is more usual: The road between Cair...

I was reading The Guardian and this headline struck me as odd: Queen's birthday honours: Angelina Jolie made dame in thousand-strong list US actor receives honorary title for anti-rape campaign as gender-balanced awards span 19- to 99-year-olds   READ MORE... I didn't know that actor can be used to refer to a woman. In this podcast from the BBC, you'll learn about the history of these terms and why actor is preferred over actress. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN.    You can also read the SCRIPT

Present and Past Modals of Deduction with Sherlock Holmes from David Mainwood A GAP FILL EXERCISE A MULTIPLE CHOICE EXERCISE

Click here to do a listening exercise on crime in America. Crime in Spain Spain’s crime rate is among the lowest in Europe: according to figures released by the Spanish Interior Ministry in 2006, Spain has an incidence of nearly 50 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants, the lowest in the EU apart from Portugal and Ireland. In the UK, figures are 105 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants and in Germany, 80.   READ MORE

WHO IS SADIQ KHAN? It's the rags-to-riches story of a poor boy done well. Sadiq Khan is the son of a London bus driver and a seamstress. He grew up on a government funded housing estate in a poorer area of the city and attended a local state school. But what is behind the rise of the likely new mayor and what will he do as chief politician of one of the world's most powerful cities?

Circadian Rhythm Circadian rhythm refers to the natural 24 hour biological cycle that affect many living things including plants, animals, fungi, and of course humans. Our body goes through a cycle each day that determines when we naturally want to go to sleep and wake up. Light is a major factor in the the  circadian rhythm  of most living things. For some reason, this doesn't seem to affect the night owl.  In this article I will explain the benefits of being a night owl versus being an early bird . Are you a Night Owl? Your Circadian Rhythm May be to Blame Do you have a hard time getting to sleep at night? Do you find that you have to drag yourself out of bed each morning regardless of how early you go to bed? Are you sleepy throughout the day and find yourself in need of some sleep in the middle of work? If so, then you are probably a night owl. This is probably due to your circadian rhythm. There happen to be different levels of night o...

TRANSCRIPT

Why do we have a lesson on a writer who died hundreds of years ago? Don't worry. There's method to my madness! The poet and playwright William Shakespeare has had a big influence on the English language. Many of he words and expressions that he invented are still in use today, and we often don't realize it. In this lesson, you will learn about some of the most common expressions which first appeared in print hundreds of years ago and are still used today. So come on. Break the ice, and watch the lesson!

Shakespeare and Don Quixote author Cervantes died 400 years ago: both their deaths are recorded on 23 April 1616. Can you distinguish between their quotes – or is thou a cream-faced loon?  TAKE THE QUIZ

Read Guy Kewny's account of the story. CLICK HERE

Kyle's Blog   CLICK HERE

Where kids are concerned, TV and movies get a bad rap, but with healthy viewing habits and parental supervision, limited “screen time” can be a positive experience for children. Here some ways children can benefit from watching TV and movies: 1. TV can help kids learn about a variety of subjects. If there’s a subject your child enjoys, more likely than not, there is a TV show, movie, or educational DVD that explores the subject in detail. You might be even be surprised to find out how many kids watch and love educational shows aimed at adults.Rachael Ray, for example has a huge following among kids and tweens, and her primetime show often features kids in the kitchen. Children’s shows, whether they bill themselves as “educational” or not, may offer opportunities to spark learning. For instance, was your child wowed by the Red Eyed Tree Frog on Go, Diego, Go!? Go online to look at pictures and read about the frog. In this way, kids are able to see how fun learning can be and establish...

Children who watch too much television have disrupted sleep patterns, do less well in school, and have an increased risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes. If you’re worried about how much telly your family is watching, this article should help you to take control over your kids’ viewing habits. 1. Get the TV out of the Bedroom! Having a TV in the bedroom may keep your kids quiet, but you lose control over what and how much they watch. A recent study found that children who had a TV in their bedroom watched more TV and performed worse in school tests. If your child already has a TV in their bedroom, you may have a job on your hands to get it out. We recommend that you just remove the TV and explain your reasons to your child. Be prepared for protests, but remember that you are acting in the best interests of your child, and that you are the boss! READ MORE...

SCRIPT:  http://www.euronews.com/2016/04/04/

Father's Day, whenever it is celebrated around the world, is an opportunity to recognize fathers for their contributions to their families and to society.  Each country sets its own dates for Father's Day and has some of its own traditions around the opportunity to show love to Dad at home and in the community. Traditions vary for Father's Day celebrations around the world, according to a  Time  magazine article in 2015.  For example, some countries link Father's Day to the Feast of St. Joseph, which celebrates Joseph of Nazareth, father of Jesus, which is on March 19.  In Germany, Father's Day is celebrated by men loading wagons with beer and heading off into the woods.  In Russia, Father's Day overlaps with their Defender of the Fatherland Day. So, while fathers are honored, many of them march in military parades in their home towns on the same day.  Father's Day is celebrated in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and i...

Purpose Clauses from englishatchabacier Fancy doing an exercise? CLICK HERE

If you feel like doing an activity, click here

Join us on our journey into the year 2050. What will influence everyday reality then? Frank Appel, CEO Deutsche Post DHL: "Only those who think about alternatives can devise robust strategies."

We have all heard of the midlife crisis -those feelings of worry, doubt or dissatisfaction that some people experience when they reach middle age and reflect on what they have, or have not, achieved in their lives. But for some time now, people have also been talking about the quarterlife crisis, which affects many young people between the ages of 18 and 35. Listen to five people talking about que quarterlife crisis and match the statements a-h to the speakers 1-5. Three of the statements are not required. a-I share my problems online with people in a similar situation. b-Many twentysomethings are envious of their friends. c-Young people are too demanding. d-My expectations have not been met. e-The problems are not specific to twentysomethings. f-Life used to be easier. g-Teenagers have and easier life than twentysomethings. h-Having a range of options makes life interesting. KEY: a-speaker 5 c-speaker 3 d-speaker 2 f-speaker 4 h-speaker ...

Yes, we all know it’s the right thing to do. But Michael Kimmel makes the surprising, funny, practical case for treating men and women equally in the workplace and at home. It’s not a zero-sum game, but a win-win that will result in more opportunity and more happiness for everybody.

Grey hair could be banished forever after scientists found the gene responsible, which they believe can be turned off. George Clooney may embrace his grey hair, but for the millions who cover up the end of dyeing could be in sight   Photo: Getty Spotting the first grey hair is a disheartening rite of passage for most people. But a major breakthrough by British scientists could mean that future generations will no longer suffer the inevitable indignity of the ageing process. Researchers at  University College London  have discovered the gene responsible for  grey hair  and are confident that it will be possible to create drugs or cosmetics to switch it off. Grey hair  is caused by the depletion of melanin, which is responsible for the pigment in hair, skin and eyes, making blondes lighter and brunettes darker. READ MORE...