Let's English

Before you start with the Listening: What do you know about Harvey Milk? Which social movement is he related with? Why was he very important? Now it's Listening time! 1. Complete the following sentences with the correct word from the listening: My name is Harvey Milk and ____________ here to recruit you. I want to recruit you to preserve your ________________ . Brothers and sisters you must come _____________;  come out to ____________  parents, come out to your friends (If _______________ they are your friends), come out to your __________________, come out to your fellow workers, ___________ and for all, let's break the myths and destroy the _____________ and distortions. For your sake, for ____________ sake, for the sake of all the youngsters who've ____________ scared by the votes from Dade to Eugene. 2. Speaking and Listening Time! What do you know now about Harvey Milk? What do you think about him and all the things that he got? What do yo...

Describing Places When we arrived in the town, we were surprised to see how rundown  it looked. The streets were littered with  rubbish. However, one building in the town centre stuck out . Its tidy window boxes and fresh paint set it apart . There was a lovely little lamp sticking out  from one corner. When we went closer we found it was the Town Museum. 1. Try to guess the meaning of the previous Phrasal Verbs in bold. 2. Complete this text using words from the opposite text. The city council are trying to improve some of the older, ________________ parts of the city. They're trying to construct new buldings which will blend _________________ with the existing architecture. There's one new building that _________________ out, which I like very much. It has a beautiful decorated façade and little statues which _________________ out from the roof, which _________________ it apart from all the other buildings. 3. Speaking and Writing...

Self-driving Google Cars Anyone driving the curves between San Francisco and Los Angeles may have recently seen a small car with a curious cylinder on the roof holding video cameras, radar sensors and a laser device to "see" other vehicles. It was harder to notice that the person at the wheel was not actually driving. The car is a project of Google, which has been working in plain view on vehicles that can drive themselves, mimicking the decisions made by a human driver. With someone behind the wheel to take control if something goes wrong, seven test cars have driven 225.000 kilometres with only two human interventions. It drives at the speed limit, which it knows because the limit fro every road is included  in its database, and it stops for lights and stop signs, Robot cars react faster than humans, have 360-degree perception and do not get distracted, sleepy or intoxicated, which saves lives and avoids injuries, the engineers argue. They also say that this tech...

People's Appearance 1. Try to guess the meaning of all the previous words that you can use to describe people's appearance 2. Compare the following people according their appearance: 3. Speaking or Writing Time!! Describe someone's appearance Describe yourself

Personal Values and Ideals I'm worried about the welfare  of the children because their parents let them a lot of time alone. You could see that they had wealth  by their expensive vacations. The school will not tolerate  girls wearing mini skirts. Patricia's failure was her disgrace . Being honest with each other is for the common good . His healthy really concerns  me. Tony achieved  his goal of becoming department head. If you're short of cash, there are other ways to contribute . Amy and Ron share  an apartment Equal rights  for homosexuals are now guaranteed by law. 1. Try to guess the meaning of the previous words in bold. 2. Write a synonym for the following words: Provide Humiliation Riches Interest Well-being 3. Speaking and Writing time! What are your ideals in life?  Do you consider yourself to be very idalistic? What things are important for you?  Some people say that the family struc...

Circular Movement: centripetal or centrifugal force? Car accidents often happen when a car is travelling around  a corner too fast. The car can go off the road and crash into  something. People usually think this is the result of centrifugal force, but is it? According to Newton's first law of motion, a moving object will travel along  a straight path unless an outside forece acts on it. So, to move in a circle, an object needs a constant force pushing it towards  the centre. This is centripetal (or 'centre-seeking') force. If you swing a ball on the end of a string above your head, you can feel the string pulling away  from you. This is the centrifugal force. However, the force which the string applies to the balls is centripetal. If the string breaks, the ball will fly off . Without a centripetal force to pull the ball into  the centre of the circle, it continues in a straight line. In a car around  a bend, the centripetal force is...

"I will survive" by Gloria Gaynor 1. Listen the song and fill in the gaps: At first I was afraid, I was petrified Kept _____________ I could never live without you by my side But then I spent so many nights thinking how you _________ me wrong And I grew strong And I _____________ how to get along And so you're back From outer _________ I just walked in to find you ____________ with that sad look upon your face I should have changed that stupid lock, I _____________ have made you leave your key If I'd ______________ for just one second you'd be back to bother me Go on now, go, _____________ out the door Just turn around now 'Cause ______________ not welcome anymore Weren't you the one________  tried to hurt me with goodbye Do you think I'd crumble Did you think I'd lay ____________ and die? Oh no, not I, I will survive Oh, as long as I know ____________ to love, I know___________ stay alive I...

Learning from experiences I've decided to put it down to experience  instead of being upset. It's the best option to avoid the same mistake. I just want to know where I stand for him, that's all. I don't know his feelings. Your suggestions have certainly given me food for thought . Thank you for your help. I've learnt my lesson.  I will never let it happen again. I hope that wll teach her a lesson  and she'll never want to do it again. Finally he's got the message  and he is not going to do again. I saw your boyfriend with another girl. I just want to set/put the record straight. 1. Try to guess the meaning of the previous idioms related with learning from experiences 2. Complete the following conversations using an idiom: Martin: "Well, Luke has finally learnt that he can't expect everyone else to pay form him." Philip: "Yes, I think he's_________________________________" Gerry:" Well, Anne wi...

1. Underline the correct answer in the following sentences: 'Let's go to the cinema tonight,' Amy suggested/announced. She explained/told that she had been feeling unwell. Sue begged/insisted  John to give her another chance. They warned the chilldren not to go/ do not go near the river. She said she had been trying/was trying to phone you all day. 2. Fill the space with the correct answer: The judge asked the witness _________ give her more information. A. him that he     B. if he could     C. that he could     D. him whether to They asked if __________ always wanted to be a doctor. A. did she     B. had she     C. did      D. she had Did he say whether _________ lend you the money or not? A. could he     B. can he     C. he could     D. he  She couldn't tell us what _________ the money on. A. she did spend      B. did she spend ...

1. Names and numbers are relatively easy to find when scanning a text. In 30 seconds, which proper names (people, places, books, etc) and which dates can you find in this text? "Science in Fiction" By the time of his death in 2008, Michael Crichton had become the giant of the science thriller genre. He was perhaps best known for his novel Jurassic Park  - published in 1990- offs of his books. (I say 'best-known' but let's not forget that he was also the man behind the famous story of the little alien ET, who befriends a small boy.) For my money, however, his finest and most frightening novel was one of the earliest: The Andromeda Strain  published in 1969. The novel builds on  the premise that if we are ever to encounter aliens from another galaxy, they are much less likely to be little green men than microscopic life forms. On a slightly jollier note, sticking to alien life, there's Carl Sagan's Contact , published in 1985, the tale of ...

Things that go wrong in houses and flats The lights are not working; there must be a power-cut. Oh no! The bathroom's flooded ! Get a mop, quick! The kitchen door-handle 's come off. The batteries have run out . I'll have to get some more. The washing machine broke down the other day. I'll have to wash by hand. Oh dear! This chair 's broken. I wonder how that happened? This pipe's leaking . I'm sorry, your cup 's chipped . 1. Try to guess the meaning of the previous words. 2. What do you think happened to make these people do/say what they did? We had to send for a plumber. I had to call out our local mechanic. Our neighbours let us their washing machine. Come here and I'll put a plaster on it. How many batteries does it take? I'll get some for you. 3. Speaking Time!! What would you do if... you noticed your guest's glass was chipped?   one of your coat-buttons came off?   you...

The Theory of Evolution Charles Darwin based his theory of evolution on his observations as a naturalist. He noticed that animals produce more young than they need to replace themselves. He also noticed that animals of the same species can be different, and that the young inherit these differences from their parents. Imagine a bird species. One day a bird is born with a beak that is longer than the beak of other birds in the species. This longer beak might help the bird to catch more food. Because the bird can  catch more food, it is healthier than the other birds. It may  live longer as a result. The chicks inherit the gene for the longer beak. They also live longer and therefore have more chicks. The gene continues from generation to generation. Eventually, all the birds could  have the longer beak. This process must  take thousands of years. The better adapted animals are more successful. When  species cannot  evolve fast enough, it can ...

Before we start with the listening: What do you know about the history of voting? Now you have to listen the following story and choose the best answer for the questions about it: 1. She studies________ A. Literature      B. Languages     C. Latin      D. History 2. Ancient Greeks and ______________ have shaped our Western cultural today. A. Ancient Egyptians      B. Ancient Romans     C, Middle Ages     D. Vikings 3. The basis of democracy were invented in the_________ A. 5th century BC      B. 5th century AD      C. 15th century BC      D. 15th century AD 4. In Ancient Greece the vote_________ A. with ballots       B. rising their hands       C, moving to one side      D. shouting 5. What is a MP? A. Mayor Prize        B, Mayor Prime        C, Prime Minist...

Finding a Solution Robert  faced up to  the fact that he would have to do the important presentation himself, so he immediately contacted his personal assistant to ask him to see about  postponing his meetings for the next day. As for the thefts, he realised that the solution to finding the office thief lay in working out exactly who could have been in the office when each of the thefts took place. So he came up with  a plan that enabled him to check who had been there at each of the times concerned. That narrowed down  the suspects to two people. He questioned them both and the guilty one soon confessed. 1. Try to guess the meaning of the phrasal verbs in bold related with finding a solution. 2. A father is talking to his son who he thinks is very lazy. The underlined expressions have got mixed up. The particles are correct, but the verbs are incorrect. Put the correct verbs n(Maybe you need to review the previous post Solving Proble...

Read the text below and choose the correct word for each space: How to become more intelligent Many scientists believe that people __________(1) do a variety of activities can improve their intelligence. It doesn't __________ (2) how old you are, the more you learn, the stronger your brain can become. __________(3), scientists also think the opposite is true. _________ (4) a person stops learning new things, their brain stops growing. You can improve your brain in different __________ (5). For example, you can read a book _________(6) a writer you haven't read before. You can __________ (7) up a new hobby such a painting, cooking, writing stories or photography. Visiting new places is __________(8) an excellent thing to do. Read a __________(9) books on the subject before you go or look up information on the Internet. If you start doing new things now, you'll soon __________(10) a difference. You'll have more to talk about and _________ (11) will think you...

-- ACCOMODATION -- Near the town centre - Single rooms available: SUNNINGDALE HOTEL French, German, Spanish and Russian spoken $200 per week single room or $36 per day with English breakfast and dinner. Double room $160 each person per week, $33 daily. Half price for children under 14. The Sunningdale Hotel was built in 1913 and opened by Princess Louise. It has provided excellent service for people from all over the world and people of all ages and nationalities have stayed here. During the past 80 years over 50,000 guests from 174 different countries have visited Sunningdale. The hotel is on one of the main roads leading to the town centre. It is about 20 minutes by bus from the centre town and buses to many other parts of the town stop outside the hotel. Guests should be careful not to travel on buses with the blue sign Express  on the front because they do not stop near our hotel. An underground station is less than 100 metres away. The main b...

Specific Colours 1. Link the following colours with the correct image: Scarlet      Ginger     Beige     Auburn    Crimson     Navy     Mousy    Pitch Black     Turquoise Chestnut      Jet Black     Shocking Pink      TIP: Some of the previous colours are specific for hair, such as jet black, ginger, mousy, chestnut and auburn. 2. Think about any object or person that have all the previous colours. You can do it Writing or Speaking

Geography There are a lot of interesting phenomenon in the geography of the Earth. Here you have some examples: The deepest spot in the oceans is called the Mariana Trench and is 35.979 feet deep in the Pacific Ocean. That's deeper than the height of the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, which is 29.002 feet high. Lake Titicaca in Peru is the highest navigable lake in the world. It is about 12.500 feet (3.810 metres) above the sea level. The lowest lake is the Dead Sea (it's considered a lake but it's called a sea), which is in the Jordan Valley of Israel. The surface of the water is 1.302 feet below sea level. It is also the saltiest lake in the world. Almost nothing can survive in it besides some special green algae. Lake Superior is the freshwater lake that covers the greatest surface area in the world, It covers over 82.000 km2 of land. The largest ocean in the world, the Pacific Ocean, covers a third of the Earth's surface. The small...

Just the way you are  by Bruno Mars 1. Listen the song and fill in the gaps: Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like _______________ not shining Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her _______________ She's so beautiful And I ________________ her everyday. Yeah, I know, I know when I compliment her, she _______________ believe me And it's so, it's so ________________ to think that she doesn't see what I see But every time she ask me __________ I look okay? I say When I see your face __________________ not a thing that I ______________ change 'Cause ________________ amazing Just the way you are And when you smile The _______________ world stops and _______________ for a while 'Cause girl, _______________ amazing Just the way you are Her lips, her lips, I ______________kiss them all day if _______________ let me Her laugh her laugh, she ______________ but I think it's so sexy She'...

At Leisure   When  Florence does have spare time, she likes to relax. She usually hangs out with friends she was at school with. They have knocked around together for years and love   whilling away their days off, going round the shops or just chatting at one of their homes. Sometimes they go away for a weekend and muck about at Florence's aunt's cottage in the countryside. Last time they did that, a colleague of Florence's   latched on to   them. The others didn't really like her at first, especially as they always had to hang on while she got ready, but now they all like her very much.     1. Try to guess the meaning of the phrasal verbs in bold in the previous text.             2. Correct the mistakes with the phrasal verbs in these sentences: We had to wait an hour for the next train, so we went for a walk to while off the time. A young French woman latched to me at the party last night...

Part II Complete the following text with the words which best fits each space: SHARKS For anyone who wants either to film ____________ study great white sharks, Australian expert, Rodney Fox, is the first contact. Fox knows exactly ___________________ the sharks will be at different times of the year; and can even predict _________________ they will behave around blood, divers and other sharks. He understands them as well as _______________ else alive. In fact, he's lucky to be alive; a 'great white' once ____________________ to bite him in half. Three decades ____________________ this near-fatal attack, Fox still carries the physical scars, but feels __________________ hate for his attacker. Instead he organices three or four trips ___________________ year to bring scientists and photographers to the kingdom of the great white shark. __________________ main aim of these trips is to improve people's understanding of an animal _________________ evil reputa...

"Lost" Lost is an American television drama series that originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) from September 22, 2004, to May 23, 2010, over six seasons , comprising a total of 121 episodes. Lost is a drama series containing elements of science fiction and the supernatural. It follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet, flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. The story is told in a heavily serialized manner. Episodes typically feature a primary storyline set on the island, augmented by flashback or flashforward sequences which provide additional insight into the involved character(s). Season 1 Season 1 begins with the aftermath of a plane crash, which leaves the surviving passengers of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 on what seems to be an uninhabited tropical island. Jack Shephard , a doctor, becomes their leader. Their survival is threatened by a n...

  Types of weather 1. Link these photos with the suitable noun:                       Sun                                                  Rain                               Cloud                     Snow                       Fog                      Wind                     Lighting 2. In exercise one you have the names of the weather but, what are the adjectives? Reorder the following letters to know it: uetnrhdy ogfgy snhnyi ywson oyuldc wdnyi iaynr nnuys ...

Social Studies Population means the number of people who live in a particular are. The population of the world doesn't stay the same. At the moment it is growing at an increasing rate. In fact, scientists believe that the world population will increase until 2200, and then stop growing. However, things are not the same in all parts of the world. At present in many Western industrial countries the population is falling. This is happening because families are small, and health conditions are good. In developing countries, on the other hand, the population is rising sharply. In Ghana, for example, most families hace several children. Many children in Ghana die from illness, so it is important to have lots of children, They earn money for the family and look after their parents in old age. 1. Which of the previous verbs are in Present Simple? And in Present Continuous? Present Simple                           ...

Before you start with the listening, let's talk a little: What do you know about Hamlet's story? Do you know any other Shakespeare's plays? Now it's time to listen: 1. Answer the following questions: What does Hamlet discover when he returns from university? Who was the ghost? How did the King die? Who is Ophelia? What is Hamlet's plan? Does it work? Who was behind the curtains? What is Claudius' plan? 2. Complete the following paragraph of the listening with a suitable word: The ghost ____________ Hamlet to take ____________ on Claudius for murdering his father. Hamlet ____________ believe that his mother _____________ marry the man who murdered her husband. He _____________ depressed and he thinks of killing ______________; to be or not to be _____________ is the question.  Hamlet decides to pretend to be mad _____________ he tries to find out if King Claudius really ______________...

Behaviour 1. Try to guess the meaning of the following idioms: IDIOM MEANING Ann often looks straight through you , but I think it may be because she’s short-sighted. I’m sorry I’m leaving you in the lurch , but I’ve got to get to a meeting by 10 a.m. The teacher will give me a tough/hard/rough time if you don’t finish the book. Rolf’s been trying to keep a lid on his emotions, but every now and then  his anger erupts. Sophie used to be so elegant, but now she’s really let herself go . The newspaper have blown the dispute out of all proportion. 2. Which of these sentences describe positive and negative behaviour? Mark looked straight through me when I walked into the hall. Rachel left me in the lurch as she usually does. Sam has really let himself go since his wife died. Rita's husband has blown the argument out of all pr...