Yolanda's blog

Did you know that El País has an edition in English? https://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html One of the many interesting features of this edition is ¿Qué?,  a podcast that tries to explain to an English-speaking audience the curious, the under-reported and sometimes simply bizarre news stories that are often in the headlines in Spain. You can subscribe through this RSS Feed or via your favorite podcast app. ¿Qué? podcast, episode two: What Brexit means for Brits in Spain El País Semanal also has an English edition. This is very interesting because, as you are familiar with the stories published you'll be able to understand the articles easily and learn new vocabulary in context.

You have recently ordered an item through the Internet, but are not happy with the purchase. Write to the company. In your letter: - describe what you purchased, - explain why you are not happy with the purchase, - tell them what you would like them to do about the situation. You have bought a new mobile phone and in a few days after purchase it has stopped working. You spoke to the company representative a week ago but the phone has still not been repaired. Write a letter to the company. In your letter - introduce yourself - explain the situation - say what action you would like to company to take. You have seen a commercial on your local television station which appeared during a children's programme. You feel that an advertisement of this type is not suitable for showing on children's TV. Write a letter of complaint to the television company, explaining why you object to it and what you would like them to do about it. You recently travelled on the local bus...

Hey! Hope you are having a nice holiday. Just in case you could't come to our last class, here is your homework: -Student's book page 43: Follow up writing -Readings: see post below (READING PRACTICE B2 BASQUE COUNTRY) -Watch the video on page 44 (student's book) and write a summary (150 words) (You have to hand in this assignments on Tuesday 8th) -Watch the video on page 45 and fill in the chart. HAPPY 2019!

A little history lesson Hogmanay is Scottish New Year, a celebration providing a unique combination of both traditional and modern customs. The exact origins of Hogmanay are unknown, but it is thought that it was introduced in the 8 th  or 9 th  century by invading Vikings. The Vikings originated from further north, so it is possible that they paid more attention to celebrating the winter solstice than to Christmas. The shortest day was a good reason for them to have a party. For nearly 400 years, from the 17 th  Century until the 1950’s, Christmas wasn’t celebrated at all in Scotland. Christmas day therefore was just a normal working day and the big celebrations were saved for winter solstice holiday, which became Hogmanay. There is a lot of debate over the origins of the word “Hogmanay”. Some linguists say it comes from the Scandinavian word “Hoggo-nott”, which was the name of the feast before the mid-winter Yule festival. Other people believe it might origin...

From explosives at the dinner table to burning letters to Santa, Siobhan Thompson looks at 10 ways Christmas differs in Britain. (Notably, they don't call them the holidays.) 1.     What do British and American people do with their letters to Father Christmas? 2. Where do British and American people put their stockings? 3. What do they leave for Father Christmas? 4. What’s a Christmas cracker? 5. What does a typical Christmas dinner in the UK include? 6. Typical desserts for Christmas in America and the UK. 7. When is Boxing Day? 8. Nowadays Boxing Day is similar to_____________. 9. What are pantomimes? 10. When is the Christmas tree taken down in the UK? Why?

This is a B2 exam from the Basque Country. You have to do the reading section over the holiday. Click here . There are four readings: SPIDEY RETURNS, HERE'S WHY CLASSROOMS HAVE BECOME WAR ZONES, HONG KONG, THE DAY WAR BROKE OUT. Here's the  KEY