OSCARS 2019

Click HERE to listen to someone speaking about some films nominated for the Oscars this year



Click HERE to get access to a TRUE FALSE exercise. You have the Key below the exercise

Click HERE  and you can listen to the same person speaking more at length and read along at the same time. There are also trailers of the films mentioned.

ST. VALENTINE'S DAY

     HAPPY ST. VALENTINE DAY!!!!

                                    

Though it is not known for certain when or how this tradition began there are some facts that certainly contribute to it:

 ST. VALENTINE

There were at least two martyrs called Valentine but the most  known, half legend, half reality is the following:

•  Valentine was a priest who lived in the 3rd century when Rome was ruled by Emperor Claudius

•          Emperor Claudius thought that single men made better soldiers than married ones with families so he forbid soldiers to get married.
• 
  
•          Valentine thought that the prohibition was absolutely unfair and he continued to marry couples in secret.
• 
  
•          He was discovered, imprisoned and sent to death.
• 
  
•          His prison guard’s daughter used to visit him and talk to him for hours to keep his spirits up.
• 
  
•          When he was put to death on February 14^th, 269 he left his loyal friend a note signed. “ Love from your Valentine”, which started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine’s Day.

LUPERCALIA

Lupercalia was a pagan festival in mid- February in ancient Roman times, which had little to do with the pure love and romance we now associate St. Valentine’s Day with.

The Church didn’t like that festival much and in an attempt to Christianize it, it was decided to celebrate the death of that martyr, St. Valentine.

BIRD MATING

Although mid-February is a little too early for birds to start mating, English poet Chaucer in the 4^th century  didn’t mind and he was the first to link the Catholic martyr Valentine with love in his poem Parliament of Foules in 1382 and then all the birds, the parliament of foules,  gathered in the Garden of Love.

Whatever the reason , nowadays it is a day for lovers and close friends to exchange flowers, confectionery ( chocolates, candy…), greeting cards or any other kind of gifts

BONFIRE HEART

Fill in the blanks in the lyrics as you listen along on the video. Then check the KEY below.

Bonfire Heart by James Blunt

Your ____is a revolver firing bullets in the ___
Your love is like a ____, loyal till you ____
And I've been looking at the ____
For a long, long time
I've been putting out ____all my life
Everybody ____a flame
But they don't want to get ____
And today is our ____

Days like these ____to
Nights like these ____ to
Love like ours
You ____the spark in my bonfire heart
People like us
We don't ___ that much ___ someone that starts
Starts the spark in our bonfire hearts

This world is getting ____, strangers passing by
No one offers you a _____
No one looks you in the ____
But I've been _____ at you for a long, long time
Just trying to _____ through
Trying to make you ____
Everybody ____ a flame
But they don't want to get ____
Well, today is our _____

Days like .....
Our bonfire hearts
Our bonfire hearts
Our bonfire hearts
You're like the spark

People like us
We don't ____that much ____someone that starts
Starts the spark in our bonfire hearts

Days like .....
Our bonfire hearts

Days like ......

 KEY

Your mouth is a revolver firing bullets in the sky
Your love is like a soldier, loyal till you die
And I've been looking at the stars
For a long, long time
I've been putting out fires all my life
Everybody wants a flame
But they don't want to get burnt
And today is our turn

Days like these lead to
Nights like these lead to
Love like ours
You light the spark in my bonfire heart
People like us
We don't need that much just someone that starts
Starts the spark in our bonfire hearts

This world is getting colder, strangers passing by
No one offers you a shoulder
No one looks you in the eye
But I've been looking at you for a long, long time
Just trying to break through
Trying to make you mine
Everybody wants a flame
But they don't want to get burnt
Well, today is our turn

Days like .....
Our bonfire hearts
Our bonfire hearts
Our bonfire hearts
You're like the spark

People like us
We don't need that much just someone that starts
Starts the spark in our bonfire hearts

Days like .....
Our bonfire hearts

Days like ......

AIN'T NO CURE FOR LOVE

Fill in the blanks as you listen along the song on the video. Then check the KEY below to see if you have done it correctly.

I­______you for a long, long time
I know this love is______
It don't matter how it all went ______
That don't_______ the way I feel
And I can't_______ that time's
Gonna heal this wound I'm ______ of
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure for love.

I'm aching for you ______
I can't ______ I'm not
I ______ to see you naked
In your ______ and your ______
I've got you like a ______
And I'll never get ______
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure for love

There ain't no cure for love
There ain't no cure for love
All the rocket ______ are climbing through the ______
The holy ______ are open wide
The ______ working day and night
But they'll never ever ______ that cure for love
There ain't no ______ no drug
(ah tell them, angels)
There's nothing pure _______ to be a cure for love

I see you in the _______ and I see you on the ______
I see you lying ______ with me, I see you waking ______
I see your ______, I see your ______
Your ________and your brush
And I call to you, I call to you
But I don't call soft ______
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure for love

I ______ into this empty ______ I had no place else to go
When the sweetest ______ I ever heard, whispered to my ______
I don't need to be _______ for loving you so much
It's _______in the scriptures
It's _______ there in blood
I even heard the ______ declare it from ______
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure for love

There ain't no cure for love
There ain't no cure for love
All the rocket ______ are climbing through the ______
The holy _______ are open wide
The_______ working day and night
But they'll never ever ______ that cure,
That cure for love

KEY






I loved you for a long, long time
I know this love is real
It don't matter how it all went wrong
That don't change the way I feel
And I can't believe that time's
Gonna heal this wound I'm speaking of
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure for love.

I'm aching for you baby
I can't pretend I'm not
I need to see you naked
In your body and your thought
I've got you like a habit
And I'll never get enough
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure for love

There ain't no cure for love
There ain't no cure for love
All the rocket ships are climbing through the sky
The holy books are open wide
The doctors working day and night
But they'll never ever find that cure for love
There ain't no drink no drug
(ah tell them, angels)
There's nothing pure enough to be a cure for love

I see you in the subway and I see you on the bus
I see you lying down with me, I see you waking up
I see your hand, I see your hair
Your bracelets and your brush
And I call to you, I call to you
But I don't call soft enough
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure for love

I walked into this empty church I had no place else to go
When the sweetest voice I ever heard, whispered to my soul
I don't need to be forgiven for loving you so much
It's written in the scriptures
It's written there in blood
I even heard the angels declare it from above
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure for love

There ain't no cure for love
There ain't no cure for love
All the rocket ships are climbing through the sky
The holy books are open wide
The doctors working day and night
But they'll never ever find that cure,
That cure for love

WARNING:

It don't matter  and that don't change are utterly incorrect and they are just acceptable in songs!!!!!

SOME HELP WITH VOCABULARY:

gonna = going to ( informal and conversational)

heal= restore to health ( sanar)

ain't = isn't ( informal and conversational)

aching = suffering

pretend = make believe ( simular)

rocketship = spaceship ( cohete, nave espacial)

holy books = libros sagrados

drug = medicine

subway  (Am.)= underground (Br.)( metro)

forgiven = past participle of forgive = pardon ( perdonar)

If you are interested in Leonard Cohen, check HERE

SHOPPING IN THE UK

Watch the video and fill in the chart with the missing information in the blanks and boxes and then check KEY below.

Pay attention to the following vocabulary:

Shoppers can browse their favourite labels Glass-roof top 10-screen cinema Brand names

Precious materials Luxurious, exclusive, unique Exciting and entertaining place Convenience and choice

Shopping in the high street

…….% of town centre shops are empty

Shopping centres ……..%
	where	when	Originally for	size
The Oracle			xxxxxxx
The Burlington Arcade			……. & …. ……

Shopping online …….%

Now check KEY:

Shopping in the high street

14% of town centre shops are empty

Shopping centres 31%
	where	when	Originally for	size
The Oracle	Reading	1999	xxxxxxxxx	80,ooo square metres
The Burlington Arcade	London	1819	Jewelry& fancy articles	Almost 200 metres long

LONELY PLANET

This is a video about the creators of Lonely Planet. Watch it and fill in the blanks in the following sentences with one or two words and then check the key below.

1.     Tony and Maureen met in London in __________ and a year later they__________.

2.      For their __________they decided to travel across ­­­___________and __________ as far as their finances could take them.

3.     First they drove to Afghanistan and then they went by bus, train and ­­­­­__________to Bali.

4.       They sailed by __________ to Australia where they arrived in 1972 with just__________.

5.       In Sydney people wanted to know how they managed their __________so they   decided to create a book.

6.       One week after its publication they had sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet __________.

7.       Today the company has __________ in Melbourne, Auckland and London.

8.       They publish destination__________, phrase books, pictorials and travel __________.

9.       Through all these __________ Tony and Maureen have changed the way people travel.

10.   They have inspired and enabled countless __________ to get under the surface of a place, to connect with ____________ and to journey in a responsible sustainable way.

KEY

1.       Tony and Maureen met in London in 1970 and a year later they were married.

2.       For their honeymoon they decided to travel across Europe and Asia as far as their finances could take them.

3.       First they drove to Afghanistan and then they went by bus, train and ferry to Bali.

4.       They sailed by yacht to Australia where they arrived in 1972 with just 27 cents.

5.       In Sydney people wanted to know how they managed their journey so they   decided to create a book.

6.       One week after its publication they had sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born.

7.       Today the company has offices in Melbourne, Auckland and London.

8.       They publish destination guides, phrase books, pictorials and travel literature.

9.       Through all these creations Tony and Maureen have changed the way people travel.

10.   They have inspired and enabled countless travellers to get under the surface of a place, to connect with local people and to journey in a responsible sustainable way.

PRONOUNS AND DETERMINERS

Subject pronouns	Object pronouns	Possessive adjectives	Possessive pronouns	Reflexive pronouns
I YOU HE SHE IT WE YOU THEY	ME YOU HIM HER IT US YOU THEM	MY YOUR HIS HER ITS OUR YOUR THEIR	MINE YOURS HIS HERS OURS YOURS THEIRS	MYSELF YOURSELF HIMSELF HERSELF ITSELF OURSELVES YOURSELVES THEMSELVES