Thursday 11 April 2013

Tuesday 9 April 2013

IN THE BEDROOM


























HOUSING: WORDS AND DEFINITIONS

You probably learned words like bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen in your first year of English class. But how about these more advanced English words for parts of a house?

Faucet / Tap

Learn English Words - Faucet
In most countries, the hot water is on the left and the cold water is on the right.
The faucet or tap is the part of the sink where the water comes into the sink. At the bottom of the picture, you can see the drain (where the water goes out).

Cabinets

Learn English Words - Cabinet
Most kitchens and bathrooms have cabinets where you can store pots, pans, dishes, and non-perishable foods.

Drawer

Learn English Words - Drawer
A drawer is another place to store things. Many houses have a “junk drawer” where you put random items that don’t fit anywhere else.

Counter

Learn English Words - Counter
Most kitchens and bathrooms also have a counter - this is a flat area where you prepare the food. It can be made of wood or stone. The one in the picture is made of a type of stone called granite.

Tile

Learn English Words - Tile
There are several different types of flooring. This one is called tile.

Hardwood floor

Learn English Words - Hardwood
When the floor is made of wood, the room is said to have a hardwood floor.

Carpet

Learn English Words - Carpet
A carpet is a floor covering that is made of fabric. A carpet covers a large area (usually the whole room), differently from a rug, which covers a smaller area.

Rug

Learn English Words - Rug
Rugs are often used for decoration.

Curtains

Learn English Words - Curtains
This type of window covering is called curtains.

Blinds

Learn English Words - Blinds
Blinds are another popular type of window covering.

Attic

Learn English Words - Attic
The attic is the space between the ceiling of a room and the roof of the house. Most people use this space for storage.

Basement

Learn English Words - Basement
This basement is “unfinished”
The basement is the underground space below the ground floor of the house. Basements can be “finished” (meaning they are decorated nicely like the other rooms of the house) or “unfinished” (meaning they look like the one in the photo, with pipes and wires exposed and not such a nice floor or walls).

(Electrical) Outlet

Learn English Words - Outlet
Different countries have different types of outlet

Driveway

Learn English Words - Driveway
The driveway connects the street to the house’s garage.
Driveways can be paved (with a smooth, even surface) or unpaved (with dirt or rocks).

Front Yard / Backyard

Learn English Words - Front Yard
The yard is the area around a house. The front yard is the area in front of a house, and the backyard is the area behind a house.

Patio

Learn English Words - Patio
A patio is a small area next to the house that is used for eating outside. It usually has a floor and is covered to protect it from sun and rain.

Deck

Learn English Words - Deck
A deck is an outdoor floor made of wood and often elevated from the ground.

HOUSING: WORDS WE SHOULD KNOW


THE WORLD OF INSECTS






























Monday 8 April 2013

WRITING: A REAL EXAM ANSWER, C2 LEVEL

TASK: Write 250-270 words on the following subject.  
You have 90 minutes.

This is a real exam answer which was singled out by the teacher:



The University. An exhausted institution?

I am writing to reflect on the worrying situation of the University as an institution in this country. Some weeks ago, I was reading through a survey from an American magazine that had made a ranking of the top universities worldwide and I learned that no Spanish Universities were even close to the top 100. I must admit that the information did not take me by surprise, for it is widely acknowledged that the quality of University in Spain leaves much to be desired.

As we all know, the international recession, together with a crisis of our own have forced most autonomous governments to increase enrolment fees dramatically. In some cases, fees have gone up by as much as 40% in a country that is facing a record high 26% unemployment rate. Never before has unemployment shown such figures and therefore, never before have the Spanish people had so little money in their pockets to afford paying for these rising university fees.

I strongly advise our autonomous governments to reconsider their position on this issue. Education is the future of any developed country worthy of the name and, by increasing fees and applying cutbacks, we are seriously jeopardising the viability of the Spanish University and of the educational system as a whole. Severe cutbacks in university budgets are bound to affect quality standards, as our best professors will be tempted to seek better career opportunities in other European or international universities, where they can get a fair salary and where research funding is respected. Should this happen, a whole generation of Spaniards would be condemned to an education of mediocrity and the Spanish University would become an exhausted institution, unable to form competent professionals for the future.

Consequently, I seriously doubt that we will have any university making it into the top 200 if the autonomous governments do not change their policies.


 Ángel Alonso Cabirta, C2. March, 2013 


WRITING PRACTICE, C2 LEVEL

TASK: Write 250-270 words on the following subject. 
You have 90 minutes.

This is a real exam answer which was singled out by the teacher:


THE UNIVERSITY – AN EXHAUSTED INSTITUTION?

The first universities mushroomed during the Middle Ages in the heart of Old Europe. A strong need to share wisdom and to create knowledge was the seed of important institutions such as the Sorbonne University or Salamanca University. For the first time, a group of students could follow an operation in the magnum room at Bologna faculty of Medicine.
Buildings to teach different specialties were developed together along with some lodging and sport facilities. The concept of university campus appeared as a place to cultivate our souls and bodies, remembering the satiric Roman writer Juvenalis statement ‘mens sana in corpore sano’. Universities in modern times have become a melting pot, a place not only to learn but to enrich lives through personal contact with other students and members of staff.
On the contrary, some universities are severely overcrowded nowadays. High rates of unemployment have put aside young people into universities, especially in places such as Sicily or Andalusia.
Suddenly a new model of university has appeared with the new Millennium. The revolution of Internet has completely changed the learning process and the way of communicating. Universities such as UOC or Udima, just to name a few, have skyrocketed their number of students in the last years. Notwithstanding the distance, pupils may follow their lessons and work in groups.
But is the old model of university an exhausted institution? There are some pros and cons for each model of institution. A traditional university on campus may foster long lasting relationships since physical contact is very important in the development of our own personality. It is also necessary for scientific specialties in order to carry out some tests or experiments. On the other side, on-line universities are doing well in teaching arts-related specialties. They are also appropriate to create a more proactive approach of the students towards the learning process.
In the near future we will see traditional and on-line universities teaching happily together.



José María Jiménez, C2. March 2013