Dialogue

Elisenda and Laia's dialogue:

L: Do you remember the day when we were to the beach last summer?
E: (surpirsed) would you say ont he firsts of summer?

L: No,no! at the end of August! that we met...

E: Ah YES! LOL! you are saying the day that we met those boys..are you?

L: Yeah! they've sent me a letter, and they are comming soon!

E: Really? And what have they said?

L: They are going to come in July and they invite us to be with them in their campiste.

E: it's fantastic! have they sent you a picture?

L: Yes...that one that we were toghter with those two pretty boys..

E: (with a lovely eyes) It was a great night but it was a shame that it was the last because they had to come back home =(...

L: So, will we accept the invitation?

E: Of course! Let's go to call them!

Video and text of the Oral P.

Elisenda and Laia's presentation:

Helpless dogs

We’re going to talk about abandoning pets because we believe it is a worrying problem of nowadays that nobody talks much about it.
Specifically, we’re going to talk about abandoned dogs as it is the most common, because is the most sold pet and also, it is the animal that more people have at home.

Each year it occurs nearly to 200,000 animals’ abandonment. The 47% of these abandons of pets are in summer.
They are workers that search these pets and they take and carry them to the special centres where maybe someone could buy or take one or if the pet are very ill they sacrifices the animal.

¿WHY?
Because it’s when the people go on holidays, go on a trip, and leave home and they have nobody to take care holidays, do trips, and go out of home ant they haven'of their pets and they leave it in the street, in a prayer or in a land. The other causes are that sometimes the animal is aggressive or with destructive behaviours, it has born a baby in the family and they are jealous or also if the animal is ill, people don’t go to the veterinary and they abandoned the pet.
Also because sometimes people want to buy a little baby of a dog and when it has grown they don’t want to continue feet and pay attention to it.

Possible solutions of nowadays?
There are associations to prevent this problem and to sensitize all people who have pets on their responsibility and avoid it during the summer months. Also, these associations have made centres: canine residencem of the animal because also iss, e people have at home, and you only have to pay a tan per cent and they take care of them. The other thing that helps to improve, it’s that there are some places or accommodations which permit to bring the pets there. These accommodations have a special zone for the animals because they could do their necessities without disturb people like some campsites, rural houses…

Despite the seriousness of this problem is trying to intervene through partnerships to reduce it, is still large number of dropouts per year. However, people are not aware that this act is punished by the law of Domestic Animal Protection, believes that abandoning or mistreating an animal is a "very serious infringement", which is punishable by fines of between 1,500 and 15,000 euros and which can lead to a ban on acquiring other animals within one to ten years.

Consequences:

The future of an abandoned dog or cat is sad, painful and uncertain, because apart from hunger, thirst, disease, exhaustion and a great physical and psychological deterioration, many are used in wild fights or just hit the road, which besides the suffering of the animal, can cause fatalities to occupants of the vehicle. But… not only is a problem of the animal because also population can be affected, either by traffic accidents or bacteria, germs and diseases that can carry these animals can infect persons.

Final evaluation

- Can you see an improvement on your level of English since September 2007?
Yes, I think that I’ve improved a little bit my English level, because at the time to write in the portfolio or in the blog, I’ve had to search new words and new expressions and also, the new vocabulary or grammar that I have learnt in class, I have applied them in my redactions.

- Which activities best shows your level of English?
I think that the redactions, exercises in class or for homework and the oral presentations are the activities which shows better our level of English.
The redactions can be the better activity to know what the pupil knows in English, because there he applies all his knowledge.
The oral presentation is the activity which shows the pupil’s pronunciation and the vocabulary and grammar that he knows.

- Which activities were really USEFULL for you to improve your English?
Watching and listening films or songs because you get used to the pronunciation and you can learn new words; doing exercises in class or at home to practice the things that the teacher is teaching in class; writing redactions about new things that you are learning in class; doing oral presentations because you learn new words and new expressions about the topic that you have to talk…

- Which activities did you not find useful to learn English?
I don’t find useful to put the podcasts, dialogue or oral presentations, in the portfolio because it takes up a lot of time. Apart, not everybody knows how it has to done (for example: me).
Another thing that takes up a lot of time is writing 10 posts in the blog… At the end I hadn’t got ideas to say there, so… some of them aren’t too much interesting.

- Which activities did you enjoy doing and would like to do again next year?
I enjoyed and would like to do again the following things:
- Reading a book, watching its film and then comparing both (the different things between the book and the film)
- All activities that we can do in Language room are OK.
- …

No more to say!! Bye*

Opinion of my 3rd Oral Presentation

In my opinion, my oral presentation with Elisenda was normal but I was very nervous, like the other presentations; the nerves are a little piece of me...
Apart of nervous, I’m a little shy and talking in front of people is one challenge that I have to overcome.

In my third oral presentation, I read a little bit because I took the paper and it is a temptation. But, if I take the paper with the dialogue of the oral presentation seems that it gives me more confidence at the time to talk.

Only in the first presentation I didn’t read because I hadn’t the paper with me and, in addition, I think that this oral presentation was better than the other two: I didn’t read, I remembered all the things that I had to say, maybe I used more connectors… but I talked slower because I had to think what I had to say... well, this is my opinion. However, the first and the second presentation (in this, I also read a little bit at the beginning, no more) I had the same mark less in third (a half point less).

Well, I will try to improve a little bit my pronunciation, use time expressions and more connectors.

2nd Opinion essay:

“Too much importance is given to taking exams at school”.

Do you agree?

I agree with this assertion because a lot of people think that doing the exams at school is the most important, and it is wrong.

I think doing the exams at school is very important because it allows knowing to the teacher what the pupil has understood. But, it isn’t the only important thing to do, it’s also important that the pupil does his homework, taking part in class and being responsible.

I believe that maybe, there are a lot of exams in each term and it is a problem for us, but we have to think that there are ten subjects, so the pupils have to have some notes from each subject to evaluate their level.

In conclusion, an exam can worry the pupil because it can be difficult and they can have bad mark (or the opposite), but it is a good way for the teachers to have information about pupil’s knowledge.
In short, if the pupil studies hard for the exams and he has done all his homework, he is going to have a good mark.

Kate & Leopold

Well, this term I haven’t watched any film in English class room because we haven’t got time, but I’ve summarised one film which I’ve watched three times and I would watch it again, because I like this film so much.
The fact happens in the 21st century in New York but it begins and it finishes in the 19th century with a pretty history of love.
Here you have the summary:

Kate & Leopold

Kate McKay and her brother Charlie live in the 21st century in New York.

Stuart, her ex-boyfriend lives above her apartment and he is interested in eighteen hundreds. Stuart goes to 19th century and takes pictures of Leopold, the man who invented the elevator and he was duke of Albany. Leopold sees him, and he wants to know who this man is, he decides to follow him and suddenly, they both ended in 21st century in New York.

At fisrt, Leopold is confused and thinking that he has been kidnapped; he immediately takes a strident and defensive stance against Stuart. Stuart explains him the situation that Leopold must stay inside the apartment until the portal opens again a week later to go back to 19th century.
Kate McKay, Stuart’s ex-girlfriend, comes to the apartment and she meets Leopold. She is surprised for Leopold’s dresses and she thinks that he can do a commercial for her job.
Later, he ruins her dinner date with her boss, J.J, and Kate to get angry with him. Leopold is sad because he fell in love to Kate and now she doesn't want to speak with him. Next day in the morning, he decides to invite her to a romantic dinner to apologize. She accepts and they fell in love in the middle of the night.
But now, the problem is that Leopold must go back to 19th century (the past) and they must split up.
Kate must choose between the current time and job or the 19th century with Leopold. Stuart and Charley convince her because she goes there and they can live together.

I've learnt these words:

- Kidnapped= segrestat

- Against= contra/en contra de

- Apologize= desculpar-se

Opinion essay

“We have almost learnt to respect our world. Do you agree?”

I don’t agree with this assertion entirely, because most people don’t respect the world; they aren’t interested in protecting the world and, in the future, to have a healthy and stable life. They aren’t conscious about what could happen.

Some people have tried to show us which things are important to prevent bad conditions and bad changes in our world and our life. These people have given us some advice like: not contaminate, don’t throw the rubbish on the floor above all, the inorganic wastes which pollute, throw the minimum toxic gases in the air from the industries, classify the rubbish in their corresponding skip… But many people are carrying out them. So, the pollution is every time worst and I think that, if we want to save the world, we should solve it before it will be too late.

Besides pollution, which is bad for our health and the environment, also it produces global warming: the climate has changed because it is warmer than some years ago, the glaciers are melting, and it doesn’t rain in a lot of areas in the world, so there isn’t enough water to live. One problem creates another and they aren’t finish.

In addition, I believe that the rich countries are the most problematic about the pollution and the other problems, because they are countries which contaminate more for their industries; because they use a lot of energy; and because they are the countries where their people consume more.

In conclusion, I think that our situation nowadays is not very well and we are responsible for it. Yes, humans are the problem because we aren’t conscious of our acts and we haven’t done anything to prevent the evil future that waits for us. So, everybody has to think about it and help to improve the world’s problems.

If each person tries help a little, we will achieve that we respect our planet.

3rd new (last term)

Gastronomy

Ham is the pig’s hind leg, treated and cured to achieve its characteristic aromas and flavours.
There are many kinds of ham, but the best one is the ham from Iberian pigs fed with acorn. The leg of this animal is cured for eighteen months in a very specific temperature and humidity levels.

Now, with more extensive international sales, the ham is more widely available than ever. However, Iberian ham’s quality and unmistakable flavour have made this product outside of Spain, one product very popular. So, it recommends to try it in his native land: Spain.
In addition, Iberian ham is ideal for snack and for health because helps to reduce levels of bad cholesterol (it was shown by scientific studies).

In the most zones of Spain serve the ham thin slices on a plate called “tapa” and with a good glass of wine.
This one is one of the most typical Spanish appetizers and it is perfect to whet the appetite.

Link: Bahia magazine, nº51, April 2008

I've learnt these words:

- unmistakable = inconfusible

- flavour = sabor

- acorn = gla

2nd New (last term)

Water is vital, but how much should you drink?

The water is a fluid very important in our life because without it we wouldn’t alive.
Our body is made up of a 60 percent of water. It seems that the water in our body is essential to permit our basic functions.
The water in our body not only moist the tissues like the mouth, eyes and nose; it also cushions our joins, regulates our body temperature, helps our body gets nutrients, and flushes out waste products.
Because our body can realize all these functions it’s very important to consume enough water each day. But how much water we should drink everyday?

The general guideline is:
- To pay attention to your thirst because if you drink according to your thirst, you will stay hydrated.
- As hotter your surroundings, more fluids you will needed to consume.
- Exercise, illness, pregnancy and breast feeding are also factors that increase our bodies' need for fluids.

There are other liquids which can substitute the water because they also towards hydration. Some examples of the other liquids are: tea, coffee, fruit juices, milk, soups and things like that.
These fluids can also be found in water rich food like fruits and vegetables, which are great for your body because they keep you healthy and hydrated.

Link: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/05/16/hfh.water.guidelines/index.html
Date: 17/05/08

I've learnt these words:

- Moist = humitejar
- Tissues = teixits
- Flushes = tirar
- Breast feeding = amamantar

1rst New (last term)

Life in Barcelona is as expensive as New York.

This year, the Catalan capital called Barcelona is the 20th city with the most expensive prices in the world (eight more positions than last year) and New York is 18th on the list.

North American cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and more have lost between 10 and 15 places on the ranking of the most expensive cities of 2005, 2006 and 2007.

The cause of this phenomenon has been the dollar’s developed with the Euro's entry. This new coin since 2000 has become the only currency in these last years, and now the live in Europe it’s very expensive. So, the first eleven most expensive cities are European.
Barcelona is in 24th position which is quite low in the ranking of 2005, in connection with buying property and prices and salaries.

I think the Euro, in general, hasn’t been a good change in Europe because this new coin is more expensive than the last (the “pesseta” in Spain) and it has been a problem to the society. Yes, because everything has risen in price and it has made life more expensive.
Well, the Euro can be an advantage and easier at the time to travel in Europe than before, but there is much difference between the Euros’ value and pesseta’s value.

We have to go careful and to pay attention when we go to shopping!!

- Link:

One magazine called Amigos - 03/2008

- I've learnt the word coin (moneda), dollar's devalued (la pèrdua de valor del dolar) and currency (the same that coin=moneda).

The Acrostic:

Well, next 23rd of April is Saint George's Day and like every year, in our high school, we celebrate it doing workshops for a few hours of this day.

Also, we can take part in one contest of Catalan, Spanish or English Lenguage and Dressing, if we give our work.

In English Lenguage we have to had done an acrostic. I've done this work with Elisenda and here you can see its:

Love is sunshine bright
Or also a feeling sad
View you far away,
Ever broke me inside.

And I would see you
Next to me so hight
Dreaming about what for live.

Remeber all too nice
Or take a pice of mine
Send you it throw'n e-mail
Escape of present now
See you always in my life.

3rd Term

Here, I start my work of 3td term ;)

Abandon of the pets

Each year a lot of pets are abandoned, especially in summer or when it begins the holidays. Theses animals abandoned use to be cats and dogs because they are the pets commonest.
This abandon of the animals by the families, sometimes are when the families go to trip because they can’t take its, or nobody can look after of them; and sometimes, the reason of the abandon is when the pets’ owner ill-treat them, then the animals fell ill, they go around the streets and nobody help them.
Now, there are some received homes (cases d’acollida) which take care theses abandoned animals.

Theses houses or dog’s home look after the abandoned animals, but theses Centres need financial help because there are a lot of expenses:
- The animals when they arrive are nervous, irritable, starved, scared and often very ill. So the animal Centre needs a veterinary.
- All organization dependant on their members and their helpers for they make it.
- The animals are fed and help in pens until they can find new owners for them. This is a very costly.
- The home has all the other normal costs, insurance, repairs, spare parts, electricity, telephone, petrol costs and the staff payments.

There are various ways of helping; a donation to help pay for new cages or adopt theses needed animals. With theses acts a lot of animals will have a better live.

Dialogue

Some months ago, in the Language room, Neus, Marina, Elisenda, Anna and me wrote a dialogue about Spice Girls.
The dialog is an interview to the Spice Girls but now they aren’t five girls because one of them died.

Our characters are:
INTERVIEWER: Neus Pagès
GERY: Laia Saló
EMMA: Elisenda Lladó
VICTORIA: Anna Genís
MERCI: Marina Julià
MELBY: : (

- Neus: Good evening, welcome to MTV, today we have four guests, they are “Spice Girls”, but they are only four because one of them has died.
A round of applause!

- Gery: Hello everybody!
- Emma: Hiya!
- Victoria: Hi guys!
- Mercy: Hello Snow (Neus xD)

- Neus: I’m sorry for your loss, she would be glad; you decided to get back together. And…

- Gery: Thank you for your support, since her dead we feel stronger and united on stage.
- Emma: It’s nice to be together again, but isn’t the same four than five, but will do that we can.
- Victoria: Yes it’s nice because I have less time to go shopping and stay with my husband and my sons.
- Melcy: Oh Victoria! You’re a posh! One of your best friends has died and you only think of going shopping…
- Victoria: I’m a posh because I can.
- Emma: Girls, girls, girls! PEACE AND LOVE please :)

- Neus: Thanks Emma, and now it’s the advertisement time.

ADVERTISEMENT

- Neus: We’re here again! And for finished the show girls are going to say some Goodbye song sentence in Melby’s memory.

- Gery: Goodbye, my friend…

- Emma: I know you're gone

- Victoria: You said you're gone
- Melcy: But I can still feel you here. It's not the end…
- Gery: I hope that you come in all our concerts! : )

Frankenstein

I haven’t known the Frankenstein’s story until this year in English class, because in the second term, we have had to read a book called “Frankenstein” and we made a test about it. Then we watched the film of this book and we found some different between the book and the film.

Some of these different are here:

B: book / F: film

B: Victor and Henry Clerval have been friends since their childhood.
F: The first time they met, it was in the university.

B: Victor has got two little brothers.
F: Victor has got only one little brother, William.

B: The family of the forest which Frankenstein helps, the two younger people, Felix and Agatha are only a couple of brothers.
F: Felix and Agatha are married.

B: Elisabeth has got blond hair and blue eyes.
F: Elisabeth has got brown hair.

B: Frankenstein is 2’5m tall.
F: Frankenstein isn’t 2’5m tall of course; he can’t be tall like the monster of the book because there aren’t people with this high.

B: Frankenstein, during his travel, saved the girl in the river and then the girl’s father shoots him
F: This act not appears.

B: Henry, the best friend of Victor, dies.
F: Henry doesn’t die.

B: Victor is accused about the deaths and he rests in the tribunals for a few hours.
F: Victor isn’t accused about the deaths.

B: The monster kills Elisabeth: it strangles her.
F: Frankenstein (the monster) kills Elisabeth: he takes out the heart of the Elisabeth’s body.

B: When Elisabeth dies, Victor wants to kill the monster.

F: After Elisabeth’s death, Victor reconstructs the body of the Elisabeth because she can revive.

Country Holidays

Country Holidays

Get away from the crowded coastal resorts and enjoy the peace of the countryside. An increasing number of people are spending their holidays in Catalonia with its natural beauty and Mediterranean charm.
The province of Girona has attracted these tourists because it offers two types of holidays, sun, sea and sand or mountains, nature reserves and such like People of all ages, whether they enjoy sport or simply want to relax in peace and quiet are discovering rural holidays in Catalonia.
Here, there is a wide spectrum of activities to offer: near to the beach you can practice sailing, diving, surfing and if you can have a bird’s eye view of the Costa Brava, you can parachute out of the plane in Empuriabrava, the place where a lot of parachutists from all over the world go; and to the mountain you can practice hiking, climbing, cycling or BTT, and in winter you can skiing in Puigcerdà. And more sports.

Costa Brava offers rustic farmhouses, camp sites, small country hotels and apartments near to the beach. The landscape with the climate, the culture and the food attract a lot of people.
In the summer, a lot of towns like St. Pere Pescador, which has got seven camp sites, welcome a lot of tourists from many countries around the world.
In the winter St Pere Pescador there are a few people, approximately 3500, but in the summer the number is bigger, the town reaches to have 60.000 people.

Some Costa Brava’s towns are: Llançà, Port de la Selva, Cadaqués, Roses, Empuriabrava, Sant Pere Pescador, L'Escala, L'Estartit, Pals, Begur, Tamariu, Llafranc, Calella de Palafrugell, Palamós, Sant Antoni de Calonge, Platja d'Aro, S'Agaró, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Tossa de Mar, Lloret de Mar, Blanes.

The sales

Each Catalan will spend 250 euros in the sales.

Around 30.000 stores in Catalonia opened their doors to the public giving between 30% and 50% discounts.
This year, approximately, the Catalan consumers have spent around 250 euros each one, an increase of 5% of the last year.
Due to the lower temperatures this winter than other years, there hasn’t been enough winter stock of coats and there has also been a lack of sizes.
More than ten million shoppers were predicted to visit the larger stores in all the State.
According to a study, 27% of purchases have made last(durar) the sales.
Also, the study shows that 40% of the interviewed shops agree in changing the length of the period of the sales, whereas it is(sigui) after the 15th January.

At the beggining of the year, always the sales have a lot of clientele. I like go to shopping, but when is the time of sales I don't like it, because always when I like some clothes there isn't my size. And an other problem is that there are a lot of people to shopping and it is very stressful for me. I know that the price of clothes are cheaper but I preper go to shopping tranquillity.

Plastic bags

The Fight against Plastic Bags

I hadn’t been in Lidl (a supermarket) before last weekend, and when we went to pay the buy there, we had to buy a plastic bag too. It was the first time that we had to pay a plastic bag because the supermarket that I use to go, I haven’t to pay the bag. Well, since this time I have informed about plastic bags and now I put here a little information about that.

The plastic bags arrived here 40 years ago, approximately. Only in Spain to make 92.000 tones and the families consume 15.330 millions in the year-350 for person-. And the alarm is only the 10% of plastic bags finish in the bins. They are very polluting for the environment, although we continue to use it, maybe because we aren’t aware the problems that plastic bags cause... but we would to think about that.
Every week, the Catalan consumers use 10 million plastic bags, used just to transport goods once, from shop to home, and in the end up in the rubbish bins in Catalonia. There are some people that re-used for domestic waste products but the vast majority are binned or thrown away in the countryside. This means that over 190.000 tons of unnecessary plastic waste is being produced each week and, of course, this increases in the summer.
This happens because the bags are free in the most of shops and supermarkets.

For this reason, I think that like the Lidl supermarked does, to pay the bags to take the buy; it is a good solution to avoid a bit this problem. Others solutions can be to go to buy with wicker basket or to committed to re-used bags like material or paper.
The Government wants that the consumption of plastic bags falls a 50% until 2010, an idea that ecologists are very agree but the supermarkets and the plastic factory reject.

3000 new teachers

3000 new teachers so foreigners can learn Catalan

The lasts years, It has arrived a lot of foreigners from around the world, and the schools are desperate because there aren’t enough teachers to teach so many pupils and students.

This new people don’t speak the national language, so the children and theirs families have to learn Spanish or Catalan in Catalonia.

That is a big problem, and for this reason The Ministry of Education will crate 3000 new posts to help foreign students to learn Catalan.

500 schools, which have a high percentage of foreign pupils, have been selected with the hope of achieving language and cultural integration.
In the last seven years the number of foreign students in Catalan schools has risen from 2% to 13%, on average but some schools as high as 50%. Therefore, it is extremely important to teach Catalan and so integrate them into that society.

We know this problem because we live this situation in our High School, like an others of the around of Castelló d’Empúries.

Lack of waiters

Last day, I watched on TV the problems that waiters have at the time to work, and now I want to tell you something about this topic.
Here, I leave a little introduction about waiters’ world:

Working as a waiter in Catalonia is difficult because the season is so short. This means that it is difficult to find staff. So, the town’s restaurants and bars are understaffed.
The Institute of Hoteliers calculates that on the Costa Brava around 1000 restaurants are desperately needed. It became obvious last year that few people wanted to work in this sector for different reasons.
One can see this both by their inability to speak languages and the quality of service.
Some restaurants use students or workers from Spanish speaking countries, although there are a lot of restaurants which have foreigner staff at height of the tourist season.
From the point of view of the people at the time to work of waiter is that there are two main problems for anyone:
- Long hours, which include bank holidays and weekends.
- The low pay, it is around 935 euros for month (the average).

I think that the lack of waiters is a common problem, not only in Catalonia, because the conditions which have the people are the same in the most of places.

That's all... Bye