Self Evaluation

Yes, yes... so here we finally are. It's already the end of Batxillerat, the end of two long years with loads of new experiences and things we have learnt...
Well, what can I say about the English classes during all this time? First of all, and I think I've already said that a few times, I'm sure that the year we started Batxillerat was nearly the best time to start with such a "project for innovation", just because I think that we couldn't have continued with the "ESO-like" activities for much longer. From my point of view, this project had many advantadges, thing which we can see in the majority of our blogs and portfolios. I think that the main point was starting to talk more English in class and also starting to do things like Orals. I truely must admit that it was not always easy to find time to do everything, specially last year, when everything was so new for us; but a part from that I also have to say that I have really learnt a lot and that it's now pretty much easier to talk in English than three years before. I know that we have been like "guineapigs" and so I can understand why everything was still a little chaotic and disorganized last year...
I think the activities which best show our level of English are things like speakings or Orals, just because in my opinion it's more important to know how to speak correctly English and how to communicate with others than to learn grammar and do nothing else as book activities.
Also writings show your level of English: a good and correct use of the main writing rules is also important.
The activities which really useful were speaking activities, as I said before, for example with Annika. Reading books, music and watching films were also important.
Maybe the thing that was not so useful, at least for me, was the moodle, but basically because I never really found time to go there.
Hmm... what have I enjoyed? Well, the first thing is the different activities we have done, I mean, it was not always the same routine and we did a big variety of exercises. I also enjoyed somehow the presentations, basically because it was something different and because we learnt a lot looking up for information and so on.
Well, that's it more or less... To sum up I'd like to thank our teachers Lourdes and Sònia, who have really helped us a lot in these two years and who somehow made our classes much funnier than those we had years before. I wish you the best for the following years, continue like that ladies and take care!!

Writing: Informal letter

17 Park Avenue
LN78X2
London
England

18th April

Dear Nathalie,
Do you remember that I promised writing to you as soon as I arrived at my new home? Well, you know me and I use to keep my promises, right? So here I am, I arrived at my new flat in London after about two hours of being in a plane, what a horrible trip, by the way... But anyway, London is so beautiful! I haven't seen many things yet, but for now I'm very excited about my new sorroundings. My neighbours are also fantastic, not as bad as I thought, everyone has helped me a lot these days and Mrs. Fairforx, from above, has shown me nearly the whole town already. My parents also feel quite well here and I think they are quite happy to have done a little change in their lives.
The people here are quite different than in Spain, but quite similar to Germans. On one side, they are much more serious than the Sapnish ones, but on the other side they have something very interesting and I really enjoy talking with them. But anyway, I miss you all a lot and I'm not sure if I can be happy enough without you by my side... Anyway, how is your life going on? Are you still working or have you finally decided to take a degree?
Well, my dear, I have to leave you. I send you a few pictures of my first week in London.
I hope you come to visit us this Summer!
I wish you the best!
Lots of love,

Jenny Olbrich
xxx

Pride and Prejudice

1- Pride and prejudice. Explain the title: who's got pride? who's got prejudice?

Elizabeth Bennet got both. She's a very pride person and of an inferior rank, which is a prejudice for her and her relation to Mr. Darcy and her family also, indue to one of the girl has to merry as soon as possible in order to not loose their properties.

2- View the trailer of the film and write what they say

Man: YA!
Bennet Girl: He is here!!
Mrs. Bennet: is he amiable?
Bennet Gril: Is he handsom?
Bennet Girl: He is single!
Mr. Bennet: I believe so.
Bennet Girls: AAAAAAAAAH!!!
Mrs. Bennet: Oh my goodness!! everybody behave naturally!!
Mr Collins: Mr Collins at your service
M;asculine Voice: In an era when marrying a rich man was the most a woman could hope for, Elizabeth Bennet was way ahead of her time
Mr Collins: I single you out as the companion of my future life
Female voice: Sir...
E. Bennet: I cannot accdept you!
Mrs. Bennet: Don't worry Mr. Collins!! Tell her you insist upon her marrying!!
E. Bennet: Papa please...
Mrs. Bennet: you will have this house!!
E. Bennet: I can't marry him...
Mrs. Bennet: you will save your sisters from destitution.
E. Bennet: you cannot make me!!!!
Mrs. Bennet: (crying)
Masculine voice: from Jane Austen, the beloved author of emma and and sens and sensibility...
Mrs. Bennet: This is Mr. Darcy...
E. Bennet: He looks miserable poor soul.
Jane Bennet: miserable may be but not poor you most sadly he's not.
E. Bennet: do you dance Mr. Darcy?
Mr. Darcy: Not alike now but..
bennet girl: what have you done to poor Mr. Darcy?
E. Bennet: I have no idea!
Mr. Darcy: I don't have the talent of conversing easily with people i have never met before
E. bennet: Perhaps you should practice
Mr. Darcy: May I have the next dance Miss Elizabeth?
E. Bennet:It would be most inconvinience since i just want to loathe him for all eternity! // May I. // He's so rich!
Voice: Up of heavens how a snob you are!
masculine voice: This for a focus features presents the story of a modern woman.
L. Catherine: Mr. Darcy is engaged to my daughter. you think this union could be prevented by a young woman of inferior birth
Masculine voice: discovers the one person she cannot stand is the one man she may not be able to resist
Mr. Darcy: do you expect that your rejoice and your inferiority of your circumstances
E. Bennet: From the first moment i met you aren't have realized that you are the last man i could ever marry
Mrs. Carpenter: Do you not think him a handsome man?
E. Bennet: Yes I dare say he is.
Masculine voice: from the producers of bridget jones diary and love actually
e. Bennet: He's been a fool (...) I think so have I
Charlotte: We are all fools in love
Masculine Voice: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blathyn, Donald sutherland and Judi Dench
Mr. Darcy: you have bewitched me body and soul
Mrs. Bennet: I thought she didn't like him
Jane Bennet: and so did I, and so did we all
Masculine voice: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE


3- Life in the Jane Austen's times (bonus material)
Comment on some differences that caught your attention.

Jane Austen is the author of Pride and Prejudice. She lived during 18th century.
The most impacting thing is that she used to hide for writing because she didn't wanted to be seen, yet in her eyes it was not a good thing to do.
something not strange for the era but for our society is that she had to marry a man she didn't like at all. The search of real love and the fact that she had to marry as she didn't wanted influenced deeply in her writing.

4- The State homes
Choose one of the houses where the film was set. Look up basic info, a picture and a moment in the film you particularly like.
Chatworth house
Burghey house
Basildon park
Groombridge place
Wilton house

Groombridge Place

Its the house of the Bennet's but its actually the property of Mr. Collins, The next servant from Lady Catherine De Bourgh, the aunt of Mr. Darcy of Pemberley.

There have been manor houses on the site of the present Groombridge for centuries. The earliest mention of one of these is from 1239, when the Lordship of Groomsbridge was granted to William Russell. William and his wife Haweis built a small moated castle at Groombridge, and, later that year, were granted a charter by Henry III of England to build a chantry. When William died in 1261, lordship was granted to Henry de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham, heir of the influential Kentish family, the de Cobhams.
The is also a secret garden were the owner of Groombridge Place died while reading a book. He's buried at the same place.

There are many ghost stories at Groombridge Place. The ghost reported most often is the ostler. The ostler is reported to have drowned in 1808 and is usually seen wearing a rust coloured smock and standing in the doorway the cottage that backs onto the moat. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle describes his encounter of a ghost in his book "At the Edge of the Unknown".

5- Dating traditions (bonus material)

*What do you do when you meet people for the first time? Are there any accepted social norms?

We shake hands and give a kiss on each cheek. No actually there aren't any norms, I think it depends on each person, everyone acts different when they meet someone, some start talking about work, others about how cool they are, others about their life... it's up to everyone.

*Answering these questions may help you:

1. Where did people go in order to find a good husband / wife? They used to go to a ball at other people's houses or villas.

2. Who went dancing? Daughters and Sons who want to marry.

3. What were the rules of behaviour for a man when a lady walked in a room? They had to be polite, stand up, of course.

4. When did people have the opportunity to talk with the person they were interested in alone? After talking to her parents

5. Describe the first time Darcy touches Elisabeth. It happens during a dance, it's the only way they can touch each other.

6. CONCLUSION: Should there be some basic social norms for dating? I don't really think there should be any norms. I think the best thing by meeting or dating a person is to be yourself and be natural. It's bad when you pretend to be extremly "cool" just for impressing the other one.

6- Keira Knightley

She plays one of the most important female roles in literature. What is your view Ms Elizabeth Bennett? Is she a heroine? How different is she from her sisters?

I think Ms. Elizabeth Bennet is a great example of female power, and as great way to show this conflict between the old social norms, which are obvious in his parents' and family's way of thinking. I do think she symbolizes something like a heroine because she is quite brave and goes against the decision of her parents, thing which was not very common for the other girls in the era she lived in. Others would have married Mr. Collins, just to do what the parents wanted. But Lizzie is different, because she has a character and she knows what she wants and wants to fight for it. All this things make her different from her sisters.


7- AlternativeUS ending: Why is a different ending required? Which do you prefer?

I think people wanted a different ending for this film because the first was a kind of "open ending" and I think that most people were waiting duting the whole film to see this final happy end between Lizzie and Mr. Darcy, this finaly kiss which shows their deep love.
I must admit that I also prefer this new ending to the first one, but this does not mean that the British version is not good. I think for this film it's probably better a closed ending, just because of this "final kiss" ;-)

8- Views on marriage. Write your opinion in 100 words: "Happiness in marriage is a question of chance"

Every little girl is dreaming about marriage, and for many people marriage is something like an aim, and also like a dream: the dream of a perfect happy life with the person you love. But does a long marriage really mean happiness?

On the one hand it's obvious that many people are not sure if the person they marry is really "the one" they want to spend their life with. This is what makes some marriages break down, and that's also the reason for so much untrueness in this kind of relationship. From my point of view, even if it is quite difficult to talk about this because it's more a personal decision, it is definitely important to know a person well when you want to marry him or her, and it would be also good if you have already lived with this person; so you may have no surprises.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that happiness in marriage IS possible, but it really depends on the people. I'm sure that knowing each other well is not an obstacle for being happy together, but it also could be. It's true that by looking at people's actions you can really say that happiness in marriage is a question of chance, depending not only on yourself, but on the person you're with as well.

Writing I

Imagine you are a journalist for Blue Earth magazine. Write an interview with the leader of a Tuareg clan about their way of life in the desert.

The water problems our society has had during the last years are every year increasing more and more. In Blue Earth's January edition Sarah Parker interviewed the Spanish Minister for the Environment about this problem, and also in our last edition we talked about it in an article called "Green Sahara".
Today we are going to interview Mr. Fallak abd-el Hassik, the leader of one of the best known Tuareg clans in the desert our team visited.

Q: Good evening, Mr. Fallak, thank you for coming.
A: Oh it's a pleasure to be here.
Q: So, Mr. Fallack, as I understood you are the leader of a Tuareg clan.
A: Yes, that's right.
Q: And could you tell us how long you have been in such a clan?
A: Hmm... well, I've actually always been a Tuareg and I've always lived with them. But I've been the leader of my clan for about years, since my father's death. He also was a leader, you know?
Q: Aha, I see... And what do you have to do as a leader?
A: Well, basically you need to controle and organize your clan, and help them to learn how to survive in a desert.
Q: So you are a bit like a mum..!
A: (laughs) Well... Maybe a little bit, yes.
Q: Ok (smiles), and what about your way of life? Isn't it difficult to live in a desert?
A: Yes, definitely. But you get used to it, after a time.
Q: And where do you get your water from?
A: Normally from the cities, or when we come across a village. It depends. But we always use to have water with us, even if we can not abuse on it.
Q: Yeah, I suppose that. What about the extreme temperatures?
A: Oh... It's difficult, yeah. It's really hot during the day and it's sometimes almost impossible to continue walking. The sun really shine bright and strongly, so you must be really careful by choosing your clothes, you must try to cover nearly your whole body..!
Q: And does it ever rain there?
A: Rain? What's that?! (laughs). No, no, I'm joking. But honestly, it's really difficult to see rain there. I think I've only seen it once in my life!
Q: Only once? That's incredible!!
A: Well, for me it's normal.
Q: And could you imagine to live in a normal city, giving up your life as a Tuareg?
A: Hmm... actually not, no. But I'm sure that I'll have to do it in the long run, if the climate continues changing that much...
Q: Yeah, that's a problem everyone will need to face, sadly. Anyway, thank you very much, Mr. Fallak!

Saint George Day Acrostic

Strong and proud he made his way
And saved a princess on a well-known day
It's more than a myth,
Not only a legent;
The Saint George Day is something more special than that

George saved a young princess from an
Evil dragon. From the creature's blood grew
Oh! What a surprise! A
Rose symoblyzing his act and the power, the
Great power of love that will last
Eternetly

Video News II

Baby born with two faces

People in a small indian village are surprised by the new baby of one of their neighbours. Just a few weeks ago there was born a baby with two faces, this means it has four eyes, two mouths, two noses and two ears, all of them perfectly working! Questioned people from the village believe the young girl is the reencarnation of an Indian Goddess, which was famous for their strenght and fighting spirit. If this baby will ever be old enough to fight or two lead a normal children's life is not so sure for the experts, because they're sure that there will be a lot of health problems, strating with an incorrect working of her brain.

To watch the video click here

Video News I

Suicide and Internet

This video news, taken from the cnn website, talks about one very important problem of our society. It's the problem of publishing sites in the Internet which tell people how they can commit suicide, divided in some sections like "painful", "quick", and so on. Talking is a man who has lost his 15 year old son this way and who didn't know about such terrible websides before, and he works now to warn people from those pages and to prevent young people from suicide themselves.

To watch the video click here

OneStepForwardBatxillerat: Dialogue

Choose one of these videos (both for extra points ;-) ) and write an appropiate dialogue... XD
remember what you said about dialogues:

FOR THE BIRDS

Gregory: Oh what a patience and grace
Sverre: Oh i'm tired....
Gregory: Hey what the www are you doing here! this is my place ¬¬'
Sverre: well i was tired and...
Gregory: you punched me!!!!
Sverre: But i didnt' want to...
Gregory: YOU PUNCHED ME!!!!
Sverre: I'm sorry ok?...
Gregory: NO NOTHINGS OK!! YOU PUNCHED ME!!!!
Tatsuhiko: bff childish birds...
Sverre: I SAID I'M SORRY!!!!
Gregory:OKKKK
Tatsuhiko: don't punch me.... plz
Gregory: I'M SORRY OK?!?!!?!?!?! IT WASN'T MY FAULT!!!!!
Tatsuhiko: A little respect.... plz
Paolo: ?! What have i done?!?!!?!
Tatsuhiko: you can't touch me....
Paolo: But i haven't done anything!!!!!
Gregory: STOP PUNCHING ME!!!!!
Sverre: IDIOT!!!
Tatsuhiko: You are disgusting!!!
Paolo: ?! Oo
Ingemar: Don't punch me!!!
Lord Byron: HEY!!!!
Shakespeare: ?!?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE NAME OF LOVE!
Aretha: ARRRRRRRRRRGGGG
All the birds: I HATE YOU!!! STOP TOUCHING ME!!! I KILL YOU!!!!!! >_<'''''''''''''''''''' (all the birds are shouting excited and just a minute before fighting...) Timmy: HEY! Birds: (everyone looks at Timmy) oO Timmy: Hello fellows!!! :D Aretha: ?! (whispering) Who's that....?? All the birds: (looking wired) oO Timmy: Hi :D Gregory: (whispering in a decadent tune) cool hair... (imitating) Hi!!:D Sverre: hahaha The other birds: hahaha Paolo: he looks like a spaghetti hahahaha All the birds: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (loud laughing) Timmy: BIIIRDS :D Birds: ?! oO Timmy: Can I come? :D Birds: (run away) who's that?? (start whispering, hearing voices everywhere) Shakespear: Were does this lord come from? Is he real or just a dream? My midsummernight dream... Aretha: A little respect please Tatsuhiko: he looks strange... Timmy: (flies near the other birds) OHO!! :D (sits in the middle of the birds, still discussing) Hello!! :D the Birds: GO AWAY YOU ARE TO FAT!!! Tatsuhiko: stop touching me... plz... Timmy: I was justr flying around when i saw icecream ^^ very tasty :D don't you thing so too?? :D Paolo: mama mia!!!! perhaps thats why we are were we areee now!!! Sverre: go away please please!! Timmy: icecream... I LOVE ICECREAM my favourite flavor is marshmallow with chockolate sprinkles... and yours? hihihi ahhh what a nice day... :D birds: go away!!!!!!!!! (sverre piks Timmy) Gregory: I'm done with it................... Aretha: yes....... me too Tatsuhiko: fall fall fall fall fall fall fall.... (the other birds start screaming too) Timmy: fall fall fall fall DOWN LordByron: STOP SUCH TERRIBLE STRUGGLE! OUR LIFE IS IN TROUBLE AND NOW WONDER WILL HELP US THROUGH HELL!!!!! The others: *oops* ohhh... shit... STOP PIKING HIM!!!!! Timmy: OH THAT WAS FUNNY!!! :D AND YOU ARE NAKED!! THE NAKED CHEF :D (birds falling down) Timmy: (laughing heavily) Birds: WE'RE NAKED!!!! >___<

News Article II

Courageous creations

This article talks about the female photographer Lee Miller and about her pictures, which are on show in Barcelona until April 22.
Miller was multifaced and multitalented. She started working as a model for the magazine "Vogue", but in 1929 she met the photographer Man Ray in Paris, who had a lot of influence in her work and who actually brought her to photography.
Planty of the photographs which are shown in the exhibition were discovered after Miller's death, stored in boxes in the attic of her house.
The exhibition is divided into four sections and one of them shows the pictures Miller took during the Second World War, basically of the several destructions. This photographer was also famous for her photos of Pablo Picasso, Antoni Tàpies, Joan Miró, Charlie Chaplin and Marlène Dietrich.

For more informartion go to Lee Miller's oficial website

News Article I

Good people of Spain vote to dance the "Chiki-chiki"

This article talks about the man who is going to represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrad, Serbia, on the 24th May this year. The man is called Rodolfo Chikilicuatre and he is actually known thanks to the late night comedy show called Buenafuente. His song is called "Baila el chiki-chiki" ('Dance the chiki-chiki') and it splits society. Some people think that the song contest is getting every year weirder, so the "chiki-chiki" might have success. But others think that he will be an embarrassement for Spain.

Click here to watch the "Chiki-Chiki" music video.

Oral Presentation 2nd Term: My Research Project

This is the second oral presentation I did this year. I talked about my research project called "The Holy Grail - from its origins to the present". I hope you like it ;-)

Visit from Belfast!

Hi!
In this post I'm going to explain Sarah Hannity's visit a few weeks ago. Sarah is one of Annika's friends, and she's Irish. She did a kind of oral presentation about herself, her interests, the degree she's taking, her country, and so on. I think it was very nice to listen to an Irish accent like the one she had, because, in fact, it is quite different to the normal british english we learn at school. I'm sure it was very useful, mostly because it helped to see if we were able to understand a different accent.
So, thank you for organizing this!

Writing III

Description of a place

I still remember the place were my grandparents lived ten years ago and I still remember the feeling I got everytime I went there. It was not only this beautiful old house or its big green garden. No, it was also the forest right beside the building; a magical place which I surely never forget.
This forest was not a usual one at all; for me it was MY forest, MY place were I could disconnect from everything and where I could feel free. I remember that I always felt like I was in the middle of a fairytale while I walked through the trees, listening to the silent sound of a summer brise and hearing the birds singing happily during nearly the whole day. The air was full of the smell of nature, of trees and leaves which were just fallen down on the ground.
One of the best things of the forest was the area in front of it: a quite large zone covered nearly completely with grass, where, only in some seasons, the moles looked out of their holes. Right behind this area was the place where I nearly always used to enter the wood. Once you have passed the first trees you start to notice how the light slowly gets darker, although you still can see the colourful leaves of the trees and the brown tones of the normally wet ground. If you are lucky, you can see rabbits or foxes coming out of their warren. I always used to watch them, hidden behin a tree, while they were looking for food.

A few years ago people started constructing new houses there, to make the small village, where once my grandparents lived, bigger.
The birds have flown away, searching a new home. The forest has now disappeared, and all its magic with it.

Writing II

Should we do the research-project in Batxillerat?

Stress, work, hundreds of papares, books, information, meeting your teacher at break time, running up and down with your work trying to get the missing information information... These and more are the typical skills of a Batxillerat student in Catalonia between the first and second year, the skills of people who are doing the well-known research paper. Many students aks themselves: "Is it really necessary to do it? Isn't it unfair that Catalonia is the only part of Spain where this muste be done?

From my point of view, the research paper is a very interesting work which can also bring you many advantatges for your future. On the one hand, doing a research project, as we do, is definitely something which you only do once in life. Doing all this process of looking up information, reading about something you like and about what you want to know more is an incredible experience and can, as I said before, bring you many advantatges.

The only problem: time! It is obvious that second batxillerat students have more difficult and complicated exams and that they hardly can find time to do everything. Furthermore, it is completely unfair, in my opinion, that only us, from Catalonia, have to do this amount of work, while people from other parts of Spain can concentrate themselves on their exams. What's more, it is a fact that these students have one subject less than us, minimum!

Nonetheless, it is important to say that research paper tutors are normally very strict and want their poupils do as much as possible. In my experience, sometimes tutors do not really care about the time you have and they only want you to finish as soon as possible.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that second Batxillerat students should not do the research project, even if it is very interesting and makes you learn a lot. It is just too much to do in the time they give us, basically because we have got enough work by preparing our exams and because, of course, we need a minimum of free-time.

One Step Forward Batxillerat: Your mum speaking

These are the exercises about the video "Your mum Speaking":

1. Which expressions can you understand?

Get out of bed, brush your teeth, make your bed, you gotta feed the cat, hurry the bus is here, eat the food I put up on your plate, your i-pod - my i-pod...

2. How many of these expressions sound familiar to you?

Many of them, in fact, but which I hear the most are make your bed, tidy your room, hurry the bus is here, you'r gonna be late, do something, clean the dishes, are you hungry? are you sure that you've eaten enaugh?, are you cold, are you hot, be careful, don't arrive late, etc, etc.

3. Are these sentences necessary to raise a child?

I believe that many of these expressions are necessary because, of course, a child needs to know what he has to do and what he should better not try. But anyway, it's important to say that mothers don't abuse on these expressions. Children can also get used to it if they hear the same sentences too many times, and it also happens a lot that, the more you forbit something, the more your children try to do it. So it's important to not be too strict with them, and also give them a minimum of freedom.

4. List must and mustn'ts on how to educate a child today in your opinion/experience


MUSTS:

- Try to be stict only if it's REALLY necesary.
- Don't shout at your children.
- Until they're about 6 or so, when you want to talk with them, go down on your knees to be on their height, to look in their eyes, there's more confidence this way.
- Make them do easy work, like bringin the rubbish outside or tidy their room. You have to tell them that their room belongs to them and that they have to take care of it.
- Make sure that theyr do their homework regullary, that they go to school and try that they
enjoy learning.
- If parents argue, try that children aren't in the room.
- Don't be too nice either. If children do something wrong, they must be punished a little, but don't be too strict, but it's important that they learn what to do.
- They have to say 'please' if they want something and 'thank you'.


MUSTN'TS:

- Shout on your children.
- Force your children too much to do something they don't want to do
- Let your children go out too many hours
- They mustn't stay out when it's dark
- Don't let them go with unknown people
- Don't be too strict
- Never hit them!!
- Don't be unfair with your decisions and punishments
- They don't have to stay too many hours watching TV or playing Computer games. You have to know about the programmes they watch.


5. "Children are not properly educated by their parents today" State your opinion in 100 words.

To bring up your children is one of the most important problems of our society. More than half of the population are in the middle of these situation, and a lot of other couples already feel like having their first baby. But which is the correct way to raise them? Are a few expressions really enough to make them see what is right or wrong or to show them how they have to behave in the best way?

On the one hand, it is definitely important that you tell your children regullary what they probably better do not have to do for a correct live in society, but on the other hand it is essencial that parents don't abuse on these sentences, because a child can soon get used to them and consequently stop listening to their parents advices. Furthermore, we can prove that many kids sooner or later do what they want and don't really care about their parents advices or prohibitions.

Nonetheless, it can also be good if you leave your child to make his own experiences, with fire for example, instead of saying "NO" to everything. A kid will need to see what happens if they really touched this "so dangerous" flames, so this will probably be the best way for them to learn what's right or wrong.

In conclusion, for a correct education it is important that parents always treat their children with fairness, with some punishments, yes, but without being too strict with them. Children must also have a minimum of freedom, as I said before, and it's necessary that they make some of their experiences on their own.

Writing I: Selectivitat dialogue with the last shepherd

Interviewer: Good Morning Mr. Adamson. I'm from the cultural magazine "People" and we're very interested in your hard work, just because we know that you're one of the last shepherds of our country. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?

Shepherd: Oh, of course not! I'll answer everything I can, if this helps you.

I: Oh, thank you a lot Mr. Adamson! So... can you tell us a little about your lifestyle nowadays? I mean, has it changed a lot during the last years?

S: Yes, it has, in fact. Specially because there are evry day less people doing the same as I do. When I started working as a shepherd I was really depressed firstly... I could never really sell anything and many of my sheep suffered hunger during many days... it really was a disaster!

I: Aha, I see... And how did you come out of this situation? It must have been really difficult!

S: Well, it wasn't! I soon lernt about how to take care of my animals and how to organize my life.

I: And what has changed since then?

S: Hmm... It's probably difficult to understand (laughs) but being one of the las shepherds has also many advantatges. I sell more since the last shepherds have stopped working, much more people buy my products.

I: And why do you think are so less people working as a shepherd now?

S: Hahaha... Oh, my dear, this is because times have changed! It's very difficult to work as I do... Just because many products are created with chemical materials, so every day less people are interessted in what I sell.

S: Well, you can never know what is waiting for you in the future...But I will continue with my work for the moment. I really love it (sights). You know, it's just an incredible feeling being the whole day at the fresh air, hearing the sound of the birds singing... I'ts maybe the best job I coul have...

I: Ok, thank you Mr. Adamson and good luck for your future!

S: Thank you!!

News Article III

Chaplin in the spotlight

A new exhibition in Caixa Forum in Barcelona wants to give a view of the long, troubled life of Charlie Chaplin, a man who became a Hollywood icon. The main idea of this exposition called "Chaplin en imatges", which runs until the 27.04.2008, is to show the different sides of this complex character. The exposition brings together different materials such as posters, images or documents in different sections explaining and showing the way of this actor from fame to the political exile in Switzerland because of the Second World War.

CATALONIA TODAY, December 20th, 2007

News Article II

Local road deaths decline 7% in 2007

This article talks about car accidents in Catalonia in 2007, which is 7% lower than in 2006.
Generally, road deaths have declined a lot in the last years, even if the number of these road deaths were still 357 in 2006, it climbed up to 608 in 2000.
This problem could have been reduced thanks to stricter fines and even prision sentences for driving violations.
For Spain, in general in 2007 there have been the lowest number of traffic accidents in fourty years.

CATALONIA TODAY, Thursday, January 10th, 2008

News Article I

The London Duck Tour

This article talks about an interessting touristic activity in London. It's called "The London Duck Tour". This tours are done with a very special vehicle called "Duck" which is amphibious, this means that it can travel on land and on see as well.
So, during the guide, tourists visit only together with a few people, the most important landmarks of the city, like the Big Ben or the Buckingham Palace, and they also plunge with the vehicle into the river Tahmes for a 30 minutes trip up to the river.
These "Ducks" exist since the Secopnd World War and they've been rebuilt and reconstructed for several times since then.

From the magazine "Speak up"

About the film Match Point...

1) The film subtitles are passion, obsession and temptation, and during all the film we can see how Chris, the main character, goes through these feelings... But WHAT does he exactly feel?

Passion...
Passion is definitely an important element in this film, it's basically the reason why everything ends on how it ends... It's this important passion which makes Chris cheat on his wife, this passion which makes him be untrue and become a liar. Passion is also the reason why he can't completely leave Chloe, his wife, for Nola, his affaire. He loves this feeling of having this special secret, even if in the end this makes him kill his real love...
Also Nola feels this passion for Chris, and you can really see in the film how much he loves him.

Obsession...
Also obsession is very important in this film, and also this feeling can basically be found on the main character Chris. He feels osbsession for Nola, he loves her, yes, but he is not ready to leave his wife Chloe for her. He has an obsession for his affaire and he's not able to leave her nor his wife... It's maybe a kind of frightened feeling that Chris has, because he can't and doesn't want to stay alone, thing which makes him act how he does, playnig with both of the women.
Also Nola feels this obsession for Chris, but compared to him she is ready to give up everything for being and having a child with him

Temptation...
Also this feeling of temptation can be found in Chris. Temptation is basically the relationship between Chris and Nola, this feeling from Chris when he thinks about Nola and has this desire to be with her, even if he knows that he's married to Chloe and that a divorce with her would break her heart. Nola, for Chris, is also like a way to hide and escape from his normal live, to do something forbidden...

2)

This scene takes place when Chris and Nola meet for the first time. It happens in Nola and her husband's house, while she is playning table-tennis. Nola is talking first, Chris is just to impressed of her beauty that he doesn't really know what to say or to think.
From their words we notice that there is an incredible attraction between them and that both, Chris and Nola show it with what they say... Also their facial expressions and movements show that they're definitely interested in each other. The director presents these two characters in a different way than the other characters. Nola looks like a very sensual woman, but she also looks a little confused, just because the viewer knows that he's the wife of Chloe's brother. Chris looks completely impressed and also quite confused. Both of them take notice of this at
traction between them...

The scene translated:

Nola: Well, who's my next victim? (...) you?
Chris: I haven't played table-tennis for a long time.
Nola: You wanna play at 1000 pounts the game/match?
Chris: How did I get myself into this?
Nola: And how did I get MYSELF into this?
Chris: It's like this. (...) Can I?
Nola: Please.
Chris: You have to bend down and follow the ball.
Nola: I was playing quite well before you appeared.
Chris: Oh... my eternal destiny.And tell me, what does an american beauty like you mixed up with the hight british class?
Nola: have they ever told you that you play a very aggressive game?
Chris: have they ever told you that you have a very sensual mouth?
Nola: (...) Very aggressive...
Chris: I like competitions... is this a bad thing?
Nola: I'll have to think about it for a while...

3)

Chris: Obsessed, he doesn't really know what he wants, selfish, doesn't think about the consequences of his acts.
Nola: mysterious beauty, afraid, quite ambitious but too nervous in her auditions.
Chloe: innocent, trusts too many people and too quickly, obsessed.
Tom: serious, trivial, active.
The mother: strict, obsessed,rich.
The father: he's a good man, rich.

4)

a) Irish: Chris
English middle class: Chloe, Tom and their family.
London Cockney:
American: Nola

b) London Cockney accent: This accent is typical from britain, it's not as much as "relaxed" as the accent of the USA or Canada, who's speakers talk quite quicklier. Nonetheless, cockney speakers belong to the worker class, and speak in a colloquial way. For example he says things
or expressions like "me mum" or "in them days".

Wales, swansea accent: Native speaker from Wales talk in a quite different way. For example they don't pronounce /r/ like for example americans do, maybe similar to the scottish accent.

Australian accent: those speakers speak maybe quicklier than amercian people, they don't really talk with breaks.

5)
I think this scene is very important for this film and it describes exactly what happens to Chris. It shows that there are moments in life when everything can turn completely different as you had expected. These kind of moments like a tennis match, when the ball hits the net and everything depends on where it falls. Chris explains us that in life it's more important to be lucky, than to be good. Which is, from my point of view, quite true. It shows that if you win or loose in life can completely depend on one single moment, on one split of second...
The director also retakes this scene at the end, when Chris throws the stolen jewells into the river. Also this moment is very important, because the ring doesn't fall into the water, it hits the fence and falls to the ground, which makes that someone finds it and is discovered by the police and suspected for the murder.

6)
The expression "Match Point" is used in tennis when one player only needs one point more to win the match. I think the director uses this expression for his title to describe that everything, win or loose for Chris, depends on one single action he had to do: the important decision of leaving Chloe for Nola or staying with her.


7)
What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet.

WOODY ALLEN

This expression from Woody Allen has catched my atention. Well, the truth is that it was quite difficult to find one of his expressions that I liked... But in the end I chose this one because it made me think. The first impression you get when you read this is that it's quite funny, but in the end you start thinking about it. What if it's true that nothing really exist, that everything is illusion? Maybe the carpet we buy isn't as we see it, maybe he hasn't got colours, or different ones... Or maybe it doesn't exist and everything is a dream..! However, we can not really know about this and I think science won't be able to discover it...