Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2012
Some Christmas links: Carols Christmas time
Let's think of the New Year!!!
A New Year's resolution is a promise you make to yourself about changes you want to make in your life.
Try to write your resolutions regarding these topics or others, you can change the verb I'm suggesting if you want. You can post your resolutions under comments (don't forget to write your name)! I am giving you some examples:
English
I will (a promise!) ...
My job
I am going to (intention) ...
Sport
I would like to ...
Love
I hope to ...
Travel
I am thinking about ...
Money
I will not ...
Food/Diet
I've decided to ...
Friends
I intend to ...
TV
I am going to watch ...
School
I promise I will ...
Examples:
I would like to do a two-week English course in the UK, Ireland or America.
I am going to find a job.
I am going to leave home and get my own flat.
I promise I will cut down on surfing the Internet.
I am thinking about starting a new Japanese course.
I've decided to give up smoking.
I intend to live a healthier life.
Are you superstitious? Read this information to find out why Tuesday 13th is an unlucky day for Spanish and Friday 13th for English. Today is Tuesday 13th but next month we will have Friday 13th.
Why Tuesday?
This day dates back to the middle ages when on Tuesday May 29, 1453 the city of Constantinople fell, which was a huge blow to potential Christians and since then Tuesday came to symbolize the war with the pagan gods and as such, bad luck. Also Marte, is the god of war and reflects destruction, blood and violence and that one legend states that Tuesday the 13th caused the confusion.
FRIDAY THE 13TH - how did Friday the thirteenth become such an unlucky day? The two unlucky entities combine to make one super unlucky day. There is a Biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to the Last Supper. A particularly bad Friday the 13th occurred in the middle ages. On a Friday the 13th in 1306, King Philip of France arrested the revered Knights Templar and began torturing them, marking the occasion as a day of evil. In ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of 12. The 13th was believed to be the devil. Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose. It is traditionally believed that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday. Tradition also has it that the Flood in the Bible, the confusion at the Tower of Babel, and the death of Jesus Christ all took place on Friday. Numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles of Jesus. In exceeding 12 by 1, 13's association with bad luck has to do with just being a little beyond completeness.
NUMBER 13 - how is fear of the number thirteen demonstrated? More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor. Many airports skip the 13th gate. Airplanes have no 13th aisle. Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13. Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery. On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half. Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue.
Watch the following video about superstitions:
Try to avoid any of these before your exam: - Walking underneath a ladder. - Breaking a mirror. - Spilling salt. - Opening an umbrella indoors.
Anything else?
Instead you should: - meet meet a black cat. - touch wood. - find a clover plant with four leaves. - put a horseshoe over the door. But the horseshoe needs to be the right way up. The luck runs out of the horseshoe if it is upside down. - put money in the pocket of new clothes.
The exam results really depend on you, but could any of these help???
Discussing what someone was doing at momentous historical times is a classic conversation topic.
These events have had great relevance:
- Franco's death on 20th November 1975. - Tejero's coup on 23rd February 1981. - The fall of the Berlin Wall on 3rd October 1990. - The terrorist attack in Madrid on 11th March 2004.
Activity: Get together with an English speaking friend or relative and discuss what you were doing when you were told about any of the above-mentioned events or other events you can think of.
World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.
More than 90,000 people are currently living with HIV in the UK and globally an estimated 33.3 million people have HIV. It is one of the most destructive pandemics in history.
Today, many scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment, there are laws to protect people living with HIV and we understand so much more about the condition. World AIDS Day is important as it reminds the public and Government that HIV has not gone away – there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education. What is AIDS? DOs and DON'Ts in the family of an HIV+ person Quizz Listening with exercises
