Thursday, 11 April 2013
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
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
In most countries, the hot water is on the left and the cold water is on the right.
Cabinets
Most kitchens and bathrooms have cabinets where you can store pots, pans, dishes, and non-perishable foods.
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
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
There are several different types of flooring. This one is called tile.
Hardwood floor
When the floor is made of wood, the room is said to have a hardwood floor.
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
Rugs are often used for decoration.
Curtains
This type of window covering is called curtains.
Blinds
Blinds are another popular type of window covering.
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
This basement is “unfinished”
(Electrical) Outlet
Different countries have different types of outlet
Driveway
The driveway connects the street to the house’s garage.
Front Yard / Backyard
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
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
A deck is an outdoor floor made of wood and often elevated from the ground.
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.
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:
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.
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
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