READING

lunes, 28 de marzo de 2016

The Internet

THE INTERNET:

The internet is a global system of interconnected computer network that use standard protocol suite, a set of communication protocols, to serve billions of users worldwide. The internet has reshaped and redefined most traditional communications media including telephone, music, newspaper, books and others print publishing are adapting to web site technology, or are reshaped into blogging and web feeds.
The internet has enabled or accelerated new forms of human interactions through instant messaging, internet forum, and social networking. Online shopping has boomed both for major retail outlets and small artisans and traders. Business to business and finantial services on the internet affect supply chains across the intire industries.
The origins of the internet reach back to research of the 1960s, comisioned by the United States government in collaboration with private comercial interests to build robust, fault-tolerant, and distributed computer networks. The commercialization of what was by the 1990s an international network resulted in its popularization and incorporation into virtually every aspect of modern human life. As of 2011, more than 2.1 billion people, nearly a third of Earth’s population use the services of the internet.

martes, 22 de marzo de 2016

Summer Rain

SUMMER RAIN

The worst days of any summer are the rainy ones. We spend all year looking forward to nice weather and long, hot days. All of winter, with its dreary gray days and bitter cold, we dream of those endless days at the beach, laying on the sand and soaking in the bright and burning sun. And then, summer comes, and it rains. As a child, I would wake up to rainy summer days and come close to crying. It wasn’t fair. We suffered through months of school and miserable weather for those scant ten weeks of freedom and balmy weather. Any day that I could not spend at the beach or playing ball with my friends seemed like a punishment for something I didn’t even do. On those rainy summer days, I had nothing fun to do and could only sit inside, staring out at the rain like a Dickensian orphan. I was an only child, so there was no one else to play with. My father worked from home, so I was not truly alone, but he could not actively play with me since he was technically at work. It was those days that I would resign myself to whatever was on television or any books that I could find lying around. I’d crawl through the day and pray each night that the rain would not be there the next day. As an adult, though, my opinion of summer rain has changed. When you have to work every day, summer is not as eagerly anticipated. Mostly, the days run together, bleeding into each other so that they no longer seem like separate entities and instead feel like continuations of the same long day. Everything seems monotonous and dull, and an ennui or listlessness kicks in. Such a mindset makes you cheer for anything new or different. I spend the winter dreaming of summer and the summer dreaming of winter. When summer comes, I complain about how hot it is. And then I look forward to the rain, because the rain brings with it a cold front, which offers a reprieve—admittedly one that is all too short—from the torture of 100° and humid days. Rainy days are still the worst days of the summer, but summer rain today means positively beautiful—and considerably cooler—weather tomorrow.

1) The passage makes use of language that is

A. metaphorical
B. rhetorical
C. formal
D. ambiguous

2) According to the passage, summer is different for adults because

A. rain brings with it cold temperatures for the following days
B. the weather is much warmer than it is for children
C. they do not get a long time off from work for the season
D. they better know how to occupy their downtime

3) According to the passage, which of the following is a true statement about the narrator as a child?

A. He or she was often bored on summer days.
B. He or she preferred cooler weather.
C. He or she liked staying indoors.
D. He or she had no siblings.

Tools of persuasion

TOOLS OF PERSUASION

Persuasion is the art of convincing someone to agree with your point of view. According to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, there are three basic tools of persuasion: ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos is a speaker’s way of convincing the audience that she is a credible source. An audience will consider a speaker credible if she seems trustworthy, reliable, and sincere. This can be done in many ways. For example, a speaker can develop ethos by explaining how much experience or education she has in the field. After all, you would be more likely to listen to advice about how to take care of your teeth from a dentist than a firefighter. A speaker can also create ethos by convincing the audience that she is a good person who has their best interests at heart. If an audience cannot trust you, you will not be able to persuade them. Pathos is a speaker’s way of connecting with an audience’s emotions. For example, a speaker who is trying to convince an audience to vote for him might say that he alone can save the country from a terrible war. These words are intended to fill the audience with fear, thus making them want to vote for him. Similarly, a charity organization that helps animals might show an audience pictures of injured dogs and cats. These images are intended to fill the viewers with pity. If the audience feels bad for the animals, they will be more likely to donate money. Logos is the use of facts, information, statistics, or other evidence to make your argument more convincing. An audience will be more likely to believe you if you have data to back up your claims. For example, a commercial for soap might tell you that laboratory tests have shown that their soap kills all 7,000,000 of the bacteria living on your hands right now. This piece of information might make you more likely to buy their brand of soap. Presenting this evidence is much more convincing than simply saying “our soap is the best!” Use of logos can also increase a speaker’s ethos; the more facts a speaker includes in his argument, the more likely you are to think that he is educated and trustworthy. Although ethos, pathos, and logos all have their strengths, they are often most effective when they are used together. Indeed, most speakers use a combination of ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade their audiences. The next time you listen to a speech, watch a commercial, or listen to a friend try to convince you to lend him some money, be on the lookout for these ancient Greek tools of persuasion.

1) As used in paragraph 2, what is the best antonym for credible?

A. unintelligent
B. boring
C. dishonest
D. amazing

2) Amy is trying to convince her mother to buy her a pair of $200 shoes. She says: “Mom, the shoes I have are really old and ugly. If I don’t get these new shoes, everyone at school is going to laugh at me. I will be so embarrassed that I will want to die.” What form of persuasion is Amy using here?

A. pathos
B. ethos
C. logos
D. a combination of ethos, pathos, and logos

jueves, 17 de marzo de 2016

Employers

What are employers looking for?

Most employers say that they wish to employ the right person for the right job. A recent report by Britain's independent Institute of Manpower Studies, however, disagrees with this. The report states that most employers wish to avoid employing the wrong person. Rather than looking for the rightperson, they are looking for applicants to turn down.

The report also suggests that in Britain and in many other parts of the world, the selection methods used to identify the right person for the job certainly do not match up to those used to evaluate a piece of new equipment. Recruiters used three main selection methods: interviewing, checking curriculum vitae or application forms against predecided criteria, and examining references. Most of the recruiters consulted in this survey stated that these selection methods were used more for "weeding out" unsuitable candidates rather than for finding suitable ones.

Interviews were considered to be more reliable than either curriculum checks or references from past employers. Research, however, proves otherwise. Interviewers' decisions are often strongly influenced by their previous assessment of the written application. Also, different recruiters interpret facts differently. One may consider candidates who have frequently changed jobs as people with broad and useful experience. Another will view such candidates as unreliable and unlikely to stay for long in the new job.

Some employers place great importance on academic qualifications whereas the link between this and success in management is not necessarily strong. Some recruiters use handwriting as a criterion. The report states that there is little evidence to support the validity of the latter for assessing working ability. References, also, are sometime unreliable as they are rarely critical, whereas checks on credit and security records and applicants' political leanings are often the opposite.

The report is more favourable towards trainability tests and those which test personality and personal and mental skills. The report concludes by suggesting that interviewing could become more reliable if the questions were more structured and focused on the needs of the employing organisation.

Reading for meaning

When you read an article, you can often guess the words you do not know from the context.

Find words or expressions in the above article which have the following meanings:

Logo

What's in a logo?
What attracts customers? Obviously the quality of a product does, but visual images contribute a great deal. It is not only the image provided by the packaging that counts but the whole corporate identity of the company. There are now many products and services on the market which are similar in content though produced by different companies. It is vital, therefore, for a company to distinguish itself from its competitors by having a strong company image which is immediately recognisable. Logos are part of this image. They are symbols which often include a name or initials to identify a company. The logo establishes a visual identity for the company, just as different groups of young people express their identity through hairstyles and clothes. All groups from all cultures and throughout the ages have used colours and symbols to show their identity. In different cultures, different colours carry different meanings. Some colours may be connected with coldness in one culture and with warmth in another; some colours represent life in one culture but death in another. International companies have, therefore, to make sure sure that their logos will not be misunderstood or misinterpreted in different countries. The logos of large international companies are instantly recognisable throughout the world. One of the most famous logos is that of Coca Cola. The design of the words "Coca Cola" has not changed since 1886, although the surrounding design has been changed from time to time. Many companies have, over the years, renewed their logos to fit in with contemporary design and to present more powerful images. Company logos can be emotive and can inspire loyalty by influencing the subconscious. Some logos incorporate an idea of the product; the steering wheel in the Mercedes logo, for example, and the aeroplane tail of Alitalia. Logos are used on letterheads, packaging and brochures as well as on the product itself. They may also appear in newspapers or on television as part of an advertising campaign. Companies need to have a strong corporate identity. The logo helps to promote this image and to fix it in the minds of the consumers. Logos, therefore, need to be original and to have impact and style.

Take Care of Yourself

This is the first text we have to work:

1- Look for the meaning of the vocabulary you don't know.

2- Identify the main verbs, and when and why do they modify?

3- Try to understand what is the text about. Start with the first paragraph and try to understand it.

Take Care of Yourself

Valerie studies at a big university. At the same time, she maintains a full-time job so that she can pay for her tuition and her living expenses. So Valerie spends most of the day at the office, then goes to class three days a week. She also stays up late at night to study for her classes.

Valerie does not do any physical exercise. Between work and university, she is so busy that she thinks she does not have time for any physical activity.

Sadly, she rarely eats home-made meals. She usually just grabs a bag of chips or a hamburger as she leaves her office to take the bus to university. Since she is convinced that she does not have time to make a healthy dinner when she gets home, she eats lots of pizzas that she orders over the phone.

After dinner, she starts studying and preparing her assignments. Valerie does not sleep very much because of it. She feels grumpy when she wakes up early in the morning, and she is irritable at work. After her long day, she feels tired in class, and it is hard for her to concentrate.

To make matters even worse, Valerie keeps getting sick. This makes her miss work and class. She is miserable! She just wants to feel good. Her grades start to go down because of her illnesses. As she thinks about her whole life situation, she gets so frustrated that she does not even want to study anymore.

During her mid-year break, Valerie decides to make some big changes. First, she learns how to make some easy, healthy recipes. She actually finds that she saves a lot of money by preparing her food herself, and the food tastes much better too! After an early dinner and some quiet reading, Valerie goes to bed early every night. Now she really feels refreshed in the morning.

Then she decides to give something else a try. Her office is not really so far from her university, so one day after work she tries walking there. As she walks down the street, looking at all the people, the shops, and the movement in the city, she remembers how much she hates being stuck on the bus in traffic. In fact, she finds that she can get to class almost as fast by walking. And she is so much happier when she arrives!

When the semester begins, Valerie maintains her healthy habits. She sets time aside on the weekends to study and do her assignments. Because she is sleeping and eating better now, she can finally concentrate and needs to spend much less time studying.

It is a huge improvement. Valerie saves money on food and transportation, she has much more energy, she feels less stressed, and her grades are better. She is glad she finally started to take care of herself. Now she finally enjoys all of her different activities and feels happy about her life.

lunes, 14 de marzo de 2016

DRUG EDUCATION

DRUG EDUCATION:

My Ecstasy Story

My name is Kendall. I have always thought of myself as a good friend, a good daughter, and generally a good person. After I finished high school, I stayed at home living with my mother and my younger brother. I worked as a waitress to help my mother pay the bills so that my younger brother could finish school. He always said I was his role model and that he wanted to be just like me when he got older.

Sometimes I felt like working full time to help with the expenses at home was too much for me, and I just wanted to forget everything and everyone. I have always been social, so when my friend Irene invited me to a rave, I decided to go with her. She explained that a rave is a big party with loud electronic music where people go to dance under bright, flashing lights and even take illegal drugs.

When we arrived, she introduced me to a guy she had met recently. His name was Matt, and he seemed very nice. He was also handsome and funny. "I have something really special to help you both have an amazing time tonight," he said with a big smile. He handed us each a small, pink pill with a little diamond on it.

I was nervous, but Irene told me the pill was called ecstasy. She said she had tried it the weekend before and had the best time of her life. "You are going to love it," she said. "You will feel so good that you will forget all about your work and daily problems and just think about what a great party this is."

She was definitely right about forgetting all about my work and daily problems. I felt amazing at the party, and I danced all night long. I was not thinking about my demanding boss or my long hours! Matt was dancing alongside us. He kept smiling at me and I felt like we really connected.

I was supposed to work the next day, but I missed my shift. I did not get home until 5:30 in the morning, and I slept all day. When I woke up, I felt sad and empty. Why did I feel so awful when I had felt so amazing at the rave? I sent Irene a message and asked her when we could take ecstasy again. She told me to meet her at the same club that night at 10:00pm.

I called my boss and told him I was sick. I was too sad and confused to go to work anyway. This time Matt gave us yellow pills with dolphins on them. Irene said she wanted two. Matt asked her for some money, so we both paid him and took our pills. We danced all night long.

After a while, the only thing I could think about was the next time I would get high on ecstasy with Irene and Matt and dance all night. I started to miss more shifts at work because I often felt depressed and just wanted to go to a rave. Even when I did go to work, I made lots of mistakes with the guests' orders. My memory became terrible! I couldn't remember what the guests wanted, and I had a really hard time with the math when I had to give them their change. My boss eventually told me that he couldn't let me work that way. He fired me! I couldn't believe it.

That just made me more depressed, and all I wanted to do was go get high with Irene and Matt. I did not even tell my mother that I had lost my job. I did not think I could handle seeing her and my little brother so disappointed in me. I was spending all of my money on ecstasy, and I was worried that I would not be able to help my mother much longer with the bills at home.

The night after my boss fired me, Irene and I decided to take seven pills each. The sad truth was that as time went on, we each needed to take more to get the same high we could get from one or two pills when we started. One of the huge problems with ecstasy is that you never know exactly what is in it. Every time you take a pill, it's a gamble, but we had no choice. We were too deep inside.

Irene got so high that night that she did not drink enough water. Her body's natural defenses were misguided by the drug. She just kept dancing. Her body became so dehydrated that she blacked out. I could not believe my eyes when I saw my best friend drop to the floor, unconscious!

I cried for help! The club manager hurried over to us. "Please help her!" I shouted.

He shook his head and started to drag Irene outside the club. "You will need to get your own help, I'm afraid."

Shocked and terrified, I searched for Matt in the crowd. There he was! "I am sure he will help us," I thought. "I know he cares…"

Matt looked at us for a long moment, and then disappeared back into the club. I couldn't believe it. We were completely on our own. No help was coming. "I can call an ambulance," I thought, "but what will I tell them?"

That was my big wake-up call. It made me realize what a disaster my life had become. I did finally call an ambulance and I spent that night at the hospital with Irene, but I couldn't give the doctors any helpful information. I was scared that I would get in trouble.

When I woke up the next day, I felt horrible. A doctor told me that my body and my mind were being damaged by the ecstasy. He told me that Irene came very close to dying and that what we were doing was terribly dangerous. I just broke down and cried. Everything seemed so dark and hopeless.

The nurses at the hospital put me in contact with a rehab (rehabilitation) center. This is a place that helps people overcome their addictions to drugs.

I felt horribly guilty for making my mother and brother go through that terrible experience. My mother had a lot of financial problems because I had lost my job, plus she needed to help pay for the cost of my rehab. I was in the program for weeks, and it was the most challenging experience of my life. I am so lucky that my family stayed by my side and helped me to overcome my addiction.

The saddest part of my story is that Irene decided not to go to rehab. She hated what her life had become, but the only way she thought she could feel good was by going to raves and taking more and more ecstasy. She started to work with Matt at the clubs, selling ecstasy to young people and getting them addicted.

Later that year, she and Matt were arrested with a large quantity of illegal drugs and were sent to prison. I cannot believe that my best friend is in jail, but I am just thankful that she did not die as a result of her addiction to ecstasy. I hope that her time in jail, where she obviously can't use any drugs, will help her overcome her addiction. I write her letters to try to encourage her even though she never writes back.

Today, my mind is still slow, and I sometimes feel depressed. My doctor says that I did permanent damage to my body, my mind, and my emotional health because of my drug abuse, but I still have hope of regaining my old self, when I was social and optimistic.

I remember that at first my mother and brother were very disappointed in me. I remember my brother crying when he visited me at rehab. But over time, they realized how hard I was working to overcome my addiction, and they are proud of me now.

I know that my brother learned from my terrible mistakes, and he will never take drugs. I am so proud of him for how hard he works. He recently graduated from high school and was accepted to a good college, and my mother and I are thrilled for him. I am working again, and I hope someday I can go to college, too. I used to be my brother's role model and inspiration, but now he is mine.

Exercises

Vocabulary Questions

1. What are "drugs"? (source: Why Do People Take Drugs?)

a) Drugs are essentially poisons. The amount taken determines the effect. A small amount acts as a stimulant (speeds you up). A greater amount acts as a sedative (slows you down). An even larger amount poisons and can kill.
b) Drugs directly affect the mind. They can distort the user's perception of what is happening around him or her.
c) Drugs can lift a person into a fake kind of cheerfulness, but when the drug wears off, he or she crashes even lower than before.
d) All of the sentences above are true.

2. What does "bills" mean?

a) letters you get in the mail
b) money you pay at the store for food
c) money you pay for services like electricity, gas, and water
d) official reports from your bank

3. What does "social" mean?

a) a person who likes to eat a lot of food
b) a person who likes to spend time with other people
c) a person who likes to read
d) a person who wears beautiful clothes

4. What does "thrilled" mean?

a) very excited

b) very worried

c) very confused

d) very angry

5. What does "addiction" mean?

a) when a person cannot sleep

b) when a person is very stressed

c) when a person has difficulty understanding things

d) when a person is unable to stop using a drug

6. What does "shift" mean?

a) the amount of time it takes you to go to work

b) a report of the work you have done

c) the time during which you have to work

d) when you change your job

Expressions Questions

1. What does "wake-up call" mean?

a) something that makes you feel excited

b) something that makes you realize you have a problem

c) something new and interesting

d) something you hear from someone else

2. What does "working full time" mean?

a) when a person works seven days a week

b) when a person works alone

c) when a person works in an office

d) when a person works forty hours per week

3. What does "illegal drugs" mean?

a) mind-altering substances that are against the law

b) medicines that are very expensive

c) laws that regulate substances and medicines

d) medicines that only a doctor can recommend

4. What does "get high" mean?

a) when a person drinks a lot of alcohol

b) when a person uses a mind-altering substance to achieve a fake kind of cheerfulness

c) when a person listens to loud music

d) when a person dances all night long

5. What does "role model" mean?

a) a person who is an inspiring example for others

b) a person who is very rich

c) a person who knows a lot of people

d) a person who works as an actor or actress

6. What does "body's natural defenses" mean?

a) a person's skin

b) weapons that people use to protect themselves

c) the systems that regulate a person's body to maintain health

d) warm clothes people wear to protect themselves from the cold

Grammar Questions

1. I stayed _________ home living with my mother and my brother.

a) in
b) on
c) of
d) at

2. My brother _________ never take drugs.

a) has
b) won't
c) will
d) have

3. Matt and Irene _________ arrested with a large quantity of drugs.

a) was

b) had

c) am

d) were

4. I write her letters to try to encourage her, even _________ she never writes back.

a) though

b) when

c) if

d) despite

5. The _________ part of my story is that Irene decided not to go to rehab.

a) sadder

b) most sad

c) saddest

d) more sad

6. I was scared I _________ get in trouble.

a) would

b) will

c) do

d) can

Comprehension Questions

Read the story and watch the video at the top of the page about ecstasy. Then answer the following questions.

1. According to the video, what are three negative side effects of using ecstasy?

2. According to the video, what is especially dangerous about synthetic, or man-made, drugs like ecstasy?

3. How do the people in the video say they felt the morning after they took ecstasy?

4. In the story, why does Kendall need to work full time?

5. Why did Kendall start using ecstasy?

6. What was Kendall's big wake-up call?

Essay Questions

1. Of all the negative effects of ecstasy that are described in the video and the story, which do you think is the most serious? Why do you think so?

2. Imagine that you are with Kendall and Irene on the first night they go to the club and meet Matt. When he offers you ecstasy, what do you do? How do you react? What do you say to your friends, Kendall and Irene?

Liza:	Please mum, can I use the computer?
Her mother:	No, dear you can't. It's time to go to bed.
Liza:	May I read a story before I sleep?
Her mother:	Sure! But try to sleep early.
Liza:	Thanks a lot mummy.

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lunes, 28 de marzo de 2016

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Expressing Feelings

Asking about Feelings

Expressing Feelings

Vocabulary about feelings

Expressing condolence

How to express condolence in English

Shopping expressions

Shopping for a T-shirt

Asking about and giving directions

Giving directions

Apologizing

Making apologies:

Accepting apologies:

Remember:

How to express your opinion

Expressing opinion

Agreeing or disagreeing

Agreeing with an opinion:

Partial agreement:

Disagreeing with an opinion:

Expressing thanks and gratitude

How to respond to thanks

Ways to accept thanks

Suggestions

Making suggestions:

Accepting suggestions:

Refusing suggestions:

Things to remember about suggestions:

Making invitations

Inviting:

Accepting invitations:

Declining invitations:

Asking for and giving permission:

Asking for Permission:

Giving Permission:

Refusing to give permission:

Dialogue:

Comprehension:

Comprehension:

Comprehension:

jueves, 17 de marzo de 2016

Reading for meaning

This is the first text we have to work:

Take Care of Yourself

lunes, 14 de marzo de 2016

DRUG EDUCATION:

My Ecstasy Story

Exercises

Vocabulary Questions

Expressions Questions

Grammar Questions

Comprehension Questions

Essay Questions