6 Oct 2016

READING: BUCKET LISTS

“Are bucket lists a good idea?”

            The phrase “bucket list” derives from "kick the bucket", an expression meaning “to die” of unclear origins, but which quite likely relates to the bucket kicked away at a hanging. It was popularised by the 2007 film The Bucket List, in which characters played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman meet in a cancer ward of a hospital, then travel around the world, packing in experiences.
 As in that story, some people start these lists when diagnosed with incurable illnesses. Swimming with dolphins, mountain-climbing, meeting pop stars or throwing tomatoes at the Tomatina festival in Spain are just a few of the popular items on the lists of things people want to do before it is too late. Bill Clinton, Jane Fonda, and Cameron Diaz have spoken of having a list. It can be useful to have defined goals, of course, but the lists seem to encourage consumerist behaviour. There is an acquisitive note to many of the lists, which usually include so many items to be obtained that they look like a shopping list.
There is also an innate air of competition to bucket lists, of trying hard to get the better of yourself, but also of others. In some ways it is no surprise that they have risen in popularity in a showy age when we are all encouraged to exhibit ourselves, treating our Facebook pages as a shop window for our achievements. Psychologist Linda Blair says that pursuing big experiences is worthwhile if you enjoy the whole process. "But if you're constantly living in the future, ignoring what's going  on right now because you're always trying to achieve difficult goals, you're not really living."

I * COMPREHENSION
ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-3 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS.
1. In what sense do bucket lists encourage consumerism?
2. Why isn’t the writer surprised at the popularity of bucket lists nowadays?
3. What is the danger of these lists, according to psychologist Linda Blair?

ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES
FROM THE TEXT, OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS.
4. The expression “to kick the bucket” comes from the film The Bucket List.
5. According to the text, many American celebrities are said to have a bucket list.

II * USE OF ENGLISH (3 points; questions 6-9, 0.25 points each; 10-13, 0.5 points each)
6. GIVE AN ADJECTIVE WITH THE SAME ROOT AS “specify” (verb).
7. FIND IN THE TEXT ONE SYNONYM FOR “aim” (noun).
8. FIND IN THE TEXT THE WORD WHICH HAS THE FOLLOWING DEFINITION: “sufficiently important, rewarding, or valuable to justify time or effort spent”.
9. WHICH WORD DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME MEANING? help / aid / assume / assist
 PRODUCTION
WRITE A COMPOSITION OF APPROXIMATELY 120 WORDS ABOUT THE TOPIC PROPOSED AND FOCUS STRICTLY ONIT:

What experiences would you like to live before you are old, and why?

2 Jun 2016

Traditional Clothing From Around The World



WATCH THE VIDEO AND WRITE YOUR OWN DESCRIPTION OF THE SPANISH TRADITIONAL CLOTHES

6 Mar 2016

Avril Lavigne - Things I'll Never Say [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Complete the song using the verbs in the present simple or continuous (V+ing)
care, feel, go, search, show, stare, try, turn, want (2), wish
I'm tuggin' at my hair, I'm pullin' at my clothes
I'm ………………….to keep my cool, I know it ………….
I'm ………….. at my feet, my cheeks are …………....….. red
I'm ……………….. for the words inside my head
CHORUS
I'm …………………. nervous
Tryin' to be so perfect
'Cause I know you're worth it
You're worth it, yeah
If I could say what I…………….. to say
I say I wanna blow you away
Be with you every night
Am I squeezing you too tight?
If I could say what I……………. to see
I want to see you go down on one knee
Marry me today
Guess I'm …………….. my life away
With these things I'll never say
It don't do me any good, it's just a waste of time
What use is it to you what's on my mind?
If it ain't comin' out, we're not ……………….anywhere
So why can't I just tell you that I ……………….?
'Cause...
CHORUS
What is wrong with my tongue?
These words keep slippin' away
I stutter, I stumble
Like I've got nothin' to say
'Cause …
CHORUS



4 Mar 2016

8 Feb 2016

ADVERBS OF MANNER (II)

                                                      Worksheet 1

                                                      Worksheet 2