Let's English

Cinema Types of film Cinema Films are shown  on screen . In your country, films in English are either shown with subtitles  or they are dubbed . Films are set  in many different periods and places (e.g. in the future or in the 18th century). And when people talk about films, they often talk about the director  and the starts , the most important actors and actresses. Theatre Types of theatre play Theatre At the theatre you can see plays  or musicals . In a play the cast  is usually quite small, but musicals often have a very large cast. One difference bertween the theatre and cinema is that you usually book  tickets in advance  if you are going to the theatre. Another difference is that the audience clap at the end of the performance .  Describing plays and films Journalists write articles in which they give their opinion of new films and plays. They are called critics , and their articles are called rev...

Adverbs of Frequency 1. Look for the Adverbs of Frequency in the following text. Pay attention to the position of them. Reporter: So, Lily, you're majoring in journalism, right? Student: Yes, that's correct. I'm graduating next June, and I'm looking for jobs now. Reporter: Well, it is never too early to do that! Student: I know! So I'd like to ask you a few questions about what's like to work for a newspaper. Reporter: Sure, go ahead. Student: Well, my first question is a basic one. Do you pretty much do the same thing every day? Reporter: No, not really. I rarely do the same thing from one day to the next.  Student: Could you explain that a little bit more? Reporter:  Well, I mean that I always have a story that I'm working on, but the stories are always different, so I never see the same people. I visit different people, go to different places, and so many different things. My job has a lot of variety. Student: How often are ...

Boston Tea Party Despite the peace that temporarily reigned in Boston, the Sons of Liberty were continually trying to find ways to keep Parliament's power over them in check. Furthermore, the tax on tea became more and more irritating. In 1773, Parliament authorized the Tea Act. Within the Tea Act, Parliament granted the East India company a monopoly (the only business in a specific trade or product) over the American tea trade. Although the monopoly decreased the price of the tea, Americans realized that Parliament was only regulating American trade, and had the power to interfere in American business whenever it suited them. Public protest of the Tea Act grew quickly through the colonies. Fearing a revolt, several ships carrying tea destined for New York and Philadelphia returned to England without unloading tea.  On December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty, led by Samuel Adams, planned to show Parliament how they felt about the Tea Act. They boarded the British ship...

Can I use the Future after When or If?  1. Tick the correct sentence in each pair. A. When she starts her new job she'll get a company car. B. When she'll start her new job she'll get a company car.  If you miss the train you'll have to take a taxi. If you will miss the train you'll have to have a taxi. 2. Which conclusion do you come to? Is it possible to use the future after When or If? 3. Correct the following sentences. Some can be correct. If you will treat her so unfairly she'll walk out of the job. If Kathy will get in touch next week, I let you know. Let's go out for a drink after we finish these accounts. You can't drive a car in England until you will be seventeen. 4. Complete the sentences below using the correct form of the verbs. Could you phone me when _______________ (you/have) the results of the test? By the time they ___________ (arrive) the match will be over. I don't like unexpected v...

Music Kinds of music  People Beethoven y Schubert are both composers  and most of their music is played by an orchestra  which is led by a conductor . Rock music is played by groups/bands or solo artists . Many solo artists are singer-songwriters. Art Kinds of Art Painting Portrait Self-portrait Landscape Abstract paintings Sculpture If you want to see the paintings of a famous painter , you need to go to an art gallery  or museum . There you can see individual paintings and sometimes exhibitions  by one painter or school painters . Literature Kinds of Literature 1. Do you know the meaning of all the previous words? If not, you can talk with a partner o look it for the dictionary. 2. Let's Speak! What is your favourite kind of music? What do you think about the rest? Which is your favourite group? And your favourite solo artist? Do you like art? Who is your favourite painter or sculptor? Which is y...

Trojan War Here you have some information about the Trojan War explained by its characters. In A you have the Direct Speech and in B you have the Reported Speech. Let's see how it works! A. 'I love you, Helen, and I want you to come with me to Troy', Paris told Helen. B. Paris told Helen that he loved her and he wanted her to go to Troy with him. A. 'I'm going to attack Troy and get my wife back because she loves me best!' Menelaus told his brother. B. Menelaus told his brother that he was going to attack Troy and get his wife back because she loved him bes. A. 'We'll come with you to Troy and get your wife back', the Greek heroes told Menelaus. B. The Greek heroes told Menelaus that they would go with him to attack Troy and get his wife back. A. 'We've been fighting here for nine years and we want to get back to our families,' the Greeks said. B. The Greeks said that they had been fighting there for nine years ...

Let's speak! Have you ever listened the story of the Magic Pot? What do you know about it? Listening Time! 1. Complete the following part of the listening with the suitable word: So he brought the pot back home and ____________ it in secret. From that day ________ he used the pot to satisfied his needs. So _____________ he wanted a cloth, he would ________ a piece of cloth and he will get cloth __________ for him to make his clothes. Whenever he was _____________, he would put a ___________ in that pot and he would get a __________ fruits back from the pot. That way, gradually he _____________ becoming rich, but the farmer __________ an honest farmer. He never _________ the magic of the pot for satisfying his greed. 2. Answer the following questions about the listening: How many times does the farmer go to the farm? What did he find? What happened after his lunch? When did he realize the pot is magical? How did the neighbours know about the magical pot?...

Everyday Problems with Machines There 's something wrong with the TV. The shower 's not working properly . The telephone is out of order In the home Paul dropped  a cup yesterday and it broke. He got another cup, made a coffe, and then spilt it. It ruined  his T-shirt because there was a large stain  on it. He decided to make some toast, but he burnt  the first piece, then realised he 'd run out of  bread. He did not leave home in a good mood. 1. Try to guess the meaning of the previous words related with everyday problems. 2. Speaking time! Say or write logical answers for each of these questions. Use the previous vocabulary. How did you break that glass? Why can't we watch TV? How did you cut your knee like that? I'm cold. What's wrong with the central heating? Where's your homework? What's wrong with this radio? Why can't you use the public phone in the station? Answer the following questio...

1. Complete the following text using Past Simple or Present Perfect: Climate Change At the moment, scientists agree that the world's climate _______________ (become)  warmer over the past 50 years, but they disagree about the causes. Some believe that human activities ______________ (cause) climate change. They argue that for 1.000 or 2.000 years before 1850, when records ____________ (begin) ,  the temperature was more or less stable. Short warm or cold periods _____________ (occur) during that time, but the climate always ___________ (return) to the same level. However, since the Industrial Revolution, human being ____________ (burn) more and more fossil fuels, such as coal and oul. In 1800 the atmosphere ______________ (contain) around 280 parts per million of carbon dioxide (CO2). Since then there _________ (be) an increase of about 31%. This extra carbon dioxide ______________ (raise) the world's temperature because of the greenhouse effect. Other ...

The Outdoor Centre Opening times Water sports:  10 am- 6 pm Play Park:  10 am- 5.30 pm Entrance/Car park fees Low season: Weekdays $2.00 per car       High season: 23 July- 11 September                            Weekends $3.00 per car                      Weekdays and weekends $3.00 per car Fees are for car with four people. Each extra person is 50p. Fees to be paid at main office. The centre is not a private club; it is an organisation whose aims is to provide outdoor sport and recreation facilities for all members of the public. Group visitors are requested to inform the centre in advance of their intended visit. Windsurfing -- One day course Beginner windsurfing courses are offered on Saturdays and Sundays when the weather is good enough. Learning to windsurf is a lot of fun. The excitement when you...

1. How do you pronounce the following verbs in Past Simple? You arrived in England last week. My mum studied Russian at university. I phoned you yesterday, but you weren't at home. Last night, Marga and Alice planned their holiday. Tom invited us to his birthday party. The children carried the books to the classroom. We finished the exam at half past three. I chatted to Jane about films and fashion. 2. Complete the text with the correct form of the verb in Past Simple and  try to pronounce it correctly A young man aged 13 .............................. the Simpson Bank in Motown yesterday night. (rob) He ........................... his toy gun and ............................. by his father's red BMW. (use | travel) He ........................... the money in his sister's school bag. (carry) The young man ..................... to his grandma's garden to hide the money there. (hurry) When he .......................... the garden, he could see a policem...

Human Circus at the London Arts Centre The show was fully booked up  for weeks, and when it opened last night, the public poured in  and very soon the London Arts Centre was packed out.  But why? What had they come to see? Human beings who take off  circus animals, with men in cat suits who stand in  for  the real lions and tigers. The show was put on  by its creators to protest against traditional circuses and to send a message about cruelty to animals. The show was timed to tie in with  the National Protection of Animals Week. It was a good idea, but the standard of the performanes was third-rate and an embarrassing number of people simply walked out  before it ended. There were some amusing moments when the performers sent up typical circus folk, but overall it was a dismal show. Despite the large turnout for the show's first night, I doubt it will attract many people during the rest of its seven-day run. 1. Try to guess the m...

Listen the following song and complete the lyrics: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Picture yourself ________ a boat on a river, ________ tangerine trees and marmalade skies. Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly, A girl _________ kaleidoscope eyes. Cellophane flowers ________ yellow and green, towering _________ your head. Look _________ the girl with the sun in her eyes, and she's gone. Lucy _______ the sky with diamonds, Lucy _______ the sky with diamonds, Lucy _______ the sky with diamonds... ahh Follow her _______ to a bridge ________ a fountain, where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies. Everyone smiles _________ you drift past the flowers, that grow so incredibly high. Newspaper taxis appear _______ the shore, waiting ________ take you away. Climb ________ the back with your head _______ the clouds, and you're gone. Lucy _______ the sky with diamonds, Lucy _______ the sky with diamonds, Lucy _______ th...

Complete the folowing text with the correct form (A, B or C) Stars and Planets When you look into the night sky, you may not be able to tell the difference between stars and plants, but planets are (1)_________ to Earth. However, they are still very far away, and a journey to Mars would be about nine months, (2)_________ than a journey to the Moon (about three days). Even if your future space ship was (3)_________ the simple space probes we have now, it would still take you a couple of years to get to Jupiter, which is (4)________ Earth - more than 1.300 times, in fact, and it's more than 300 times (5)________ Jupiter is a giant ball of gas and the atmospheric pressure is (6)_________ it is on Earth. If you could land there, you would be (7)________ - more than twice as much. The whole planet is (8)________ Earth as well, and scientists think that the centre of the planet may be as hot as 10.000ºC. Interestingly, the day on Jupiter is (9)________, and only lasts about ten ...

Following a Dream Gabriel Just north of Fregate I met two manta rays. They were seven or eight feet wide massive out-stretched fins that seemed like rubberized wings. The water was murky, rich with plankton that attracted the giant rays that filtered it through their wide mouths. They treated me with caution, maintaining a constant distance if I turned towards them, but were content to let me swim on a parallel course, as if I too was feeding on the plankton. For a few minutes we were companions, until, circling and shifting shape against the depths, they became faint black shadows in the gloom and were gone. The deep blue of the Indian Ocean has captured my heart and drawn me back again and again to these pure shores. On Praslin there were dolphins off-shore and a pair of octopus, sliding accross the coral as they flashed signals to one another with changing skin tones as remarkable as - but much faster - than any chameleon. At Conception, close to Mahe, giant rocks formed an...

Read the text below and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct, and some have a word which should not be there. Correct the mistakes. Why I dislike computers Almost everyone says that computers are wonderful and that they are changing our own lives for the better by making everything faster and more reliable, but I'm not so much sure that this is the case. The other day I was standing in a large department store until waiting to pay for a couple of films for my camera when the assistant announced that the computer which controlled the till it had stopped working. I didn't think this was a big problem and I set myself off to find another counter, but of course, all the machines are one part of the same system. So there we were: a shop full of customers, money at the ready, waiting to make our purchases, but it was quite clear  that none out of the assistants knew what to do. They weren't allowed to take our money and give to cus...

Here you have some of the most common verbs related with clothing: He undressed/ got undressed , throwing all his clothes on the floor. She quickly dressed  the child. I love dressing up for parties a I normally wear jeans. Can I try on  those brown shoes in the window? The skirt is too tight and too short. It needs letting out and letting down . The dress is too loose and too long. It needs taking in and  taking up. She took off her shoes and put on  her slippers. He changed out of  his weekend clothes into his uniform. Red usually doesn't sui t  people with ginger hair. Her black bag matches  her shoes. Those shoes don't fit the boy any more. He ' s grown out   of them. 1. Try to guess the meaning of the previous clothing verbs. 2. Complete the following sentences with a suitable verb: Could you ______________________ the waistband of these trousers, please? I seem to have put on some weight since I last wore them. ...

Van Gogh's Bedroom at Arles There is a picture next to this text. It's a famous painting by Van Gogh of his bedroom at Arles. It's a small room. There is some furniture in the room. For example,  there is a bed on the right of the picture. It's a bed for one person. Above the bed, there are some pictures on the wall. Next to the door, on the left, there is a chair. There is another chair between the table and the bed. The table and the chair are below the window. On the table there are some objects - a jug, a glass and a bowl. Next to the door on the right there is a towel on a peg. Behind the bed, there are some more things on the wall but it isn't easy to see. Of course, there are any modern things in the room and it is very comfortable. 1. Can you find all the times that appear There is or There are in the text? 2. Can you explain when we use each of them? 3. Describe the next picture, explaining everything that you can see. Don't...

What if the British Empire Reunited Today? Before starting with the listening, let's talk: What do you know about the British Empire? Let's start with the listening part. You have to answer the questions below with the information of the listening. 1. After which war the British Empire spanned 35.500.000 km2? A. Second World War B. American Civil War C. First World War D. Cold War 2. Which percentage of the surface area of the moon it would take up? A. 95% B. 94% C. 84% D.9% 3. Which was the last British colony? A. Hong Kong B. Yemen C. Ghana D. Bahrain 4. How would be the population of the Empire? A. Very rich B. Very poor C. Richer than Brunei D. Poorer than Namibia 5. Their biggest cities would be located in.... A. Europe B. Asian C. Africa D. America 6. Which would be the most spoken language? A. Hindi B. Arabic C. Urdu D. English

Work Ellen: "Frances, do you think you could fix up a staff meeting for me?" Frances: "Yes, I'll do that. When were you thinking of?" Ellen: "Well, let's pencil it in  for Friday morning and see whether everyone else is free then." Veronica: "Why are you back home already? Did you knock off  early today?" Jim: "I wish I could say that. The truth is I've just been laid off ." Veronica: "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Bob: "Did you ever follow up  that phone call you had with the oil company?" Keith: "No, I really should do something about it." Mona: "It's amazing how much we can get done when we all pull together , isn't it? Ricky: "Yes, although sometimes it's also good if people just leave  you to  it." 1. Try to guess the meaning of the previous Phrasal Verbs related with the Work. 2. Write or tell someone suitable ...

TV, radio, music, video I watch TV every evening.  Did you watch/ see   the film about President Kennedy's wife? I listen to   the radio every morning. I love listening    to music.  What programmes  do you like best on TV? Activities at home A lot of young people play computer games  every day. Do you use the Internet ? I really like cooking. Do you like gardening ? We grow flowers and vegetables  in our garden. I live in a flat. I don't have a garden, but I have a lot of house plants. Reading I read  a lot at home. I like to read novels . She has a lot of books about  history. There are magazines about  rock pop and sport. Do you read a newspaper  every day? Time with other people Sometimes we invite friends around/ have friends around. I often have people/ have friends to dinner. My best friend comes to stay  sometimes. I talk to my friends  on the...

Geography quizz 1. What is the capital of Iran? Tabriz       Esfahan       Kabul       Tehran 2. Where are the Atlas Mountains?  México        Morocco       Ethiopia       Argentina 3. Which is the highest mountain in Africa? Everest        Kilimanjaro        Mount Kenya        Annapurna 4.    When did the Halley comet appear last time over the Earth? 1967        2001        1890        1986 5.   In which US state is the Grand Canyon located? Nevada       Arizona        California         Florida 6.  How does the moon affect the oceans activity on Earth? It affects the oceans tides        It doesn't affect anything       It affects th...

Before starting with the song, What do you know about Metallica and this song? Now, let's listen. You have to complete the lyrics with the correct word: New blood joins this __________, And quickly he's subdued. Through constant pained disgrace The young boy __________ their rules. With time the child draws in. This whipping boy ____________ wrong. Deprived of all his thoughts The young man struggles on and on he's known A vow unto his own, That never _______ this day His will they'll take away. What _______ felt, What I've known Never shined through in what I've ________. Never be. Never see. ______ see what might have been. What ________ felt, What I've known Never shined through in what I've __________. Never free. Never _________. So I dub thee unforgiven. They dedicate _________ lives To running all of his. He ________ to please them all – This bitter man he is. Throughout his life the same – ___________ battled constantly. This ...