FASCINATING FESTIVALS

…but if you go, don’t wear new clothes!

Read the text while you listen to it. Then record yourself and compare your recording with the original. This will improve your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills!!

THE TOMATINA

The Tomatina festival takes place on the last Wednesday in August in Buñol, Spain. The ‘tomato battle’ starts at 11 o’clock in the morning, and continues for two hours. During the Tomatina 35,000 people throw 125,000 kilos of tomatoes!

THE CARNAVALE D'IVREA

In January (the exact date changes every year) you can go to Ivrea in Italy and take part in the Carnevale d’Ivrea, where people throw oranges at each other. If you don’t want people to throw an orange at you, you have to wear a red hat!

THE WATER FESTIVAL

Thailand has a Water Festival (Songkran) every April to celebrate the New Year. It starts on 13th April and lasts for two days. People throw water at each other all day and also at night.

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MY DAY

Listen to Jaquie talking about her day.



Everyday I get up at seven o´clock. I have a shower and I get dressed. I have breakfast at quarter past seven. I usually have a big breakfast: cereal, toast, fruit and coffee. I get to work at quarter to nine. I work at a sports centre. I answer the phone at reception and give people the keys to the changing rooms. I start work at nine o'clock. At quarter past one I have lunch with my colleagues in the cafeteria. I usually finish work at six o'clock. Sometimes I stay late at the centre to do some exercise. I get home at quarter to eight. I have dinner at half past eight. Then I watch TV. I go to bed at half past eleven.

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And now, read the text and record yourself. Then listen to your recording, you can compare with the original and repeat it as many times as you want. Come on, don't be shy! This is good speaking practice.

THE MYSTERY OF OKINAWA

In Okinawa people live a very long time. They are hardly ever ill. Many people live to be 100 – more people than in other parts of the world. Why? What is their secret?
 
Read the text while you listen to it. Then record yourself and compare your recording with the original. This will improve your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills!!

A healthy diet



The Okinawans eat vegetables, fruit, fish, soya, and rice. They usually have seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day. People don’t usually drink much alcohol or smoke. They don’t eat much meat or fast food.

Exercise



Physical activity is very important for the people of Okinawa. Martial arts, walking, traditional dancing, and gardening are very popular with people of all ages.

Low stress



In many countries people have healthy diets and do exercise. But the unusual thing about the people in Okinawa is that they are not stressed. They are relaxed and take their time. Buses are hardly ever on time, and people often arrive an hour late for meetings. Every evening hundreds of people, young and old, go to the beach to watch the beautiful sunset. People often meditate to relax.

Always active



Another important thing is that people often work until they are 80 – sometimes until 90! In the Okinawan dialect there is no word for ‘retired’. They are busy and active all their lives. Old people don’t stay at home – they go out and meet friends.

When journalists ask people ‘What is the secret of your long life?’, they answer ‘We are happy, we are always positive, and we are never in a hurry.’

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LORRAINE'S DAY

Professor Parker, a stress expert from the University of London, looks at Lorraine's typical day and tries to help…

Lorraine, a single mother, works as a guide at the National Gallery in London and she lives with her son George, aged 9.



6.30
I get up and I make George’s sandwiches. Then I do some housework. Then I wake up George and make his breakfast. I’m always in a hurry and I don’t have time for breakfast at home.

8.00
We cycle to school because the bus is expensive. Then I cycle six miles to work.

9.00
I have a sandwich for breakfast in the canteen, and then I start work. My first tour is usually at 9.30. I like my job but I don’t earn much money and I stand all day.

5.00
I finish work and I go to pick up George at 5.30. We go shopping.

6.30
I cook dinner and help George with his homework. After dinner I do more housework or answer e-mails. I don’t go out in the evening because a babysitter is very expensive.

9.00
George goes to bed and I read him a story. Then I go to bed – I’m really tired!

Professor Parker’s advice:
Have breakfast with your son. Do all the housework in the evening. Don’t cycle, get the bus. It’s important to see other people. Invite a friend for a drink once a week.
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*6 miles = 9.8 kilometres
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DOUBLE LIFE

Listen to the interview. Read the text while you are listening. Then record yourself and compare your recording with the original. This will improve your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills!!


1 What do you do?
I’m an artist. I draw and paint pictures for magazines, books, CD covers – all kinds of things.

 
2 Where do you work?
I work at home. I have a room just for working in.

 
3 How many hours do you work?
I normally work about eight hours a day, from 9.30 to 5.30. Sometimes I work again in the evenings or at weekends, when I’m in a hurry to finish a picture.

 
4 Do you earn a lot of money?
It depends. I earn from about £250 to £3,000 for a picture. Sometimes I have a lot of work but sometimes I don’t. That’s a problem. And I don’t have paid holidays.

 
5 Do you like your job? Why?
Yes. I love it, because every day is different, and I like using my imagination.

6 What don’t you like about your job?
It’s stressful when I need to work fast and the ideas don’t come. And sometimes it’s lonely when you don’t work with other people.

 
7 How do you relax after work?
I play the bass in a band called International Airport. We play at weekends in pubs and clubs.

TYPICALLY BRITISH?

Four foreigners in Britain talk about the people and the country...

Listen to what they say. Read the text while you are listening. Then record yourself and compare your recording with the original. This will improve your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills!!
 

Nicolae from Romania works in a pub in Manchester


‘British people like children but not in restaurants or pubs. In my pub we have a rule: ‘No children under 12’. People in Britain drink a lot of coffee – cappuccino and espresso are really popular. They drink a lot of beer too – men and women.’

Alexandra from Russia is a student at Bristol university


‘This is not a good country for smokers! Many coffee bars and restaurants are ‘no smoking’. I live with three British students and they don’t smoke. When I want a cigarette I go into the garden.’

Carlos is a tourist from Spain


‘People read the newspaper everywhere – on the train, on the bus, at the bus stop. And the newspapers are really big! Cars stop in Britain when you stand on the zebra crossing – it’s incredible! Cars don’t stop for you in Madrid.’

Marília from Brazil works as an ‘au pair’ in Cambridge


‘I think my British family is typical. The woman doesn’t cook – she just puts a pizza in the microwave. But she watches cooking programmes on TV every day! The man cooks at the weekend – he makes fantastic Indian curries. Their child has a terrible diet. She eats ‘fish fingers’ and chips and she goes to Burger King every week.’

WHERE ARE ENGLISH WORDS FROM?

 Read the text while you listen to it.

 

Where are English words from?

From Old English
Many basic English words come from Old English, e.g. England, house, woman, man, child, bird, water. They sometimes have irregular pronunciation.

From Latin
Other English words come from Latin, e.g. family, wine, number, school, educate.

From French
Some English words come from French, e.g. royal, hotel, menu, beef.

From other languages
Today English is an international language. Thousands of English words come from other languages, e.g. siesta (Spanish), judo (Japanese).

New words
Every year hundreds of words come into English from new technology, e.g. Internet, text message, e-mail, modem.

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And now, why don't you read the text and record yourself? Then compare your recording with the original. Go ahead!!!!

COUNTRIES, LANGUAGES AND NATIONALITIES

Remember the saying 'Practice makes perfect', so listen to talkingpeople.net talk about countries, languages and nationalities. This is really good practice!

Listen to the audio. You can downlod it from here




You can read and/or download the script from here

 

RHYMES TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH

These are 64 easy rhymes with words and pictures to practise speaking, reading, and listening in English. And to improve or revise your vocabulary aswell. Play the video and listen to the rhyme, then stop the video and record yourself, compare with the original and you can send it to your teacher via email, if you want, of course!!!




Record yourself as many times as you want. Remember the formula

PRACTICE + PATIENT = SUCCESS!!!!

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO ...

In a few hours the Oscars Awards Ceremony will take place in Hollywood. Actors, actresses, producers, scriptwriters, choreographers, people from the film industry in general, cinema lovers, journalists, photographers and, of course, some nosy, busybody people will not miss the event. Two films are the favourites, Avatar,directed by James Cameron and The Hurt Locker, known in Spain as 'En Tierra Hostil', directed by Kathryn Bigelow. 

I will tell you about these films:

AVATAR

It's the year 2154 in Pandora. The human people are in conflit with the na'vi, the humanoide people that live in Pandora, because they have a mineral the Earth needs, the unobtainium. Jake Sully, a marine, participates in the programme Avatar. This programme transports the mind of the scitentists to an artificial na'vi body to have better relationships. Jake goes to Pandora. But colonel Quaritch wants the war if it is necessary. Jake follows his orders but then he falls in love with a humanoide, Neytiri, and he forgets about his mission. The war is imminent and Jake has to decide if he wants to fight with the humans or with the humanoides. In the end the soldiers have to leave Pandora but Jake's mind is traspassed to the Tree of Souls.

THE HURT LOCKER
Iraq. 2004. William James, a veteran, becomes a team leader in a unit specializing in explosives. He has two workmates, Sanborn and Owen. When James goes to disarm the bombs they communicate with him via radio and proctect him with their riffles. He has very unorthodox methods and there is a lot of tession between them. One day James can't disarm a bomb that an Iraqi has in his chest because he doesn't have time and the bomb explodes. Sanborn tells him that he is going to leave Iraq and wants to start a family. James leaves Iraq too and returns to his wife and son.One night he speaks to his son, and tells him that there is only "one thing" that he knows that he loves. In the end he goes to Iraq again.

NOTE: The title is slang for being injured in an explosion.

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Do you have a favourite film? Which is your favourite film? Titanic? Star Trek? Harry Potter? Precious? Up in the air? Nine? Tell us what it is about!!!!

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