Ryanair may charge £ 1 for lavatory use

Ryanair may charge £ 1 for lavatory use
Ryanair is considering charging passengers £1 to use the lavatory on its flights, according to chief executive Michael O’Leary. In an interview on BBC television this morning, Mr O’Leary said that the low-cost airline was looking at the possibility of installing a coin slot on the lavatory door.
Ironically, in a light-hearted survey conducted by Telegraph Travel last November, we asked readers which service they thought no-frills airlines might start charging for in the future. 56 per cent of readers said that a charge for "using the loo" would be the most likely; while 31 per cent chose "reclining seats" and 11 per cent opted for "sick bags".
Mr O’Leary said that Ryanair was determined to make air travel easier and more affordable. “I don’t think there’s anybody in history gone on board a Ryanair flight with less than a pound,” he added. Later, Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said: "While this has been discussed internally, there are no immediate plans to introduce it." "However, this highlights Ryanair's continuing obsession with lowering costs and passing these savings on in the form of lower fares.” "Passengers using train and bus stations are already accustomed to paying to use the toilet so why not on airplanes?
The Dublin-based airline has gained a reputation for its high booking fees and additional charges. The carrier charges £30 to check in a bag, £10 to pay for flights with a credit card, £60 to check in sports or music equipment, £15 for each kilo of excess baggage, £50 to change a flight and £100 to change the name on a ticket.
A spokesman for rival low-fare carrier easyJet said: "We have no plans to charge passengers £1 to use our toilets.”Inflation appears to have gone crazy if it now costs £1 to spend a penny."
Question 1 (2 points)
Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.
a) Michael Leary announced on television today that Ryanair had decided to ask passengers to pay one pound for going to the toilet.
b) Mr Leary says that Ryanair passengers get on the plane with money.
c) People waiting to get on some trains or buses already have to pay to use the toilet.
d) Ryanair’s idea will be used by Easy Jet.
Question 2 (2 points)
Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) What predictions did Telegraph readers make in the survey?
b) What extra charges do you have to pay if you travel with Ryanair?
Question 3 (1.5 points)
Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.
a) not serious (paragraph 2)
b) cheap (paragraph 3)
c) draw attention to (paragraph 3)
Question 4 (1.5 points)
Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a) Telegraph Travel asked readers to say what services airlines might charge them for in the future.
Readers ……………. what services they ….
b) Ryanair charges for extras, so fares are low.
If
c) "Inflation appears to have gone crazy if it now costs £1 to spend a penny." said an Easy Jet spokesman.
An Easy Jet spokesman said that .....
Question 5 (5 points)
Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:
• Travelling helps us understand the world.
Self-Access Group Ciefp Santander

Letter of application

Task:

Wtite a letter of application, answering the following advert,

You have seen the following job advertisement in a magazine:

SUMMER CAMP ASSISTANTS Wanted!
(July to September 2009)
Summer Fun Ltd. is looking to recruit six Camp Assistants to work with children aged 11-16 from a number of nationalities. Priority will be given to applicants who:
• have a special interest in Drama, Sports, or Arts and Craft
• are responsible and can cope in a crisis
• can speak at least two languages

If you would like to be considered for the post, please apply in writing. (References are essential.)
Write your letter of application to the school owner. (around 120-180 words)
Ideas for writing
Ask yourself the following questions to help you get started:
• What information can you put in your letter to show that you have a special interest in one of the areas required?
E.g., I am a student in my final year of a Sports Science degree...
• How can you show that you are responsible and able to cope in a crisis?
E.g. recently attended a First Aid course, which has given me the confidence to deal with emergency situations.
• Can you prove that you can speak two languages?
E.g. I am a native speaker of French and I recently passed my First Certificate in English...
• Are you available for the dates given? Make this clear in your letter. In addition, you will have to supply references so you could mention this at the end:
E.g. Both of my referees are happy to be contacted immediately...
• Drafting and proofreading your work
You should look at your first draft of the task and decide:
Have you answered the question?
Is the letter organised in a clear and logical way?
Is the language correct with a good range of structures?
Is the style OK for a formal letter?
If the answer to any of these questions is 'no' you will need to do some more drafting!

or click here to find a list of jobs which might be suitable for you, then write your letter of application

Ridiculous Complaints Made by Holidaymakers

Have a look at the 20 Most ridiculous complaints published by the telegraph

"It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England it only took the Americans three hours to get home."

Tell your students to choose one of them and ask them to write a letter of complaint to the travel agent

It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated.
Alec Bourne

Winston Churchill didn't really exist, say teens

Winston Churchill didn't really exist, say teens

A fifth of British teenagers believe Sir Winston Churchill was a fictional character, while many think Sherlock Holmes, King Arthur and Eleanor Rigby were real, a survey shows.
The canvass of 3,000 under-twenties uncovered an extraordinary paucity of basic historical knowledge that older generations take for granted.
Despite his celebrated military reputation, 47 per cent of respondents dismissed the 12th-century crusading English king Richard the Lionheart as fictional. In contrast, a series of fictitious characters that have featured in British films and literature over the past few centuries were awarded real-life status.
King Arthur is the mythical figure most commonly mistaken for fact - almost two thirds of teens (65 per cent) believe that he existed and led a round table of knights at Camelot.
Holmes, the detective, was so convincingly brought to life in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels, their film versions and television series that 58 per cent of respondents believe that the sleuth really lived at 221B Baker Street.
Fifty-one per cent of respondents believed that Robin Hood lived in Sherwood Forest, robbing the rich to give to the poor, while 47 per cent believed Eleanor Rigby was a real person rather than a creation of The Beatles.
The study also shows a marked change in how people acquire their historical knowledge these days. More than three-quarters of those polled (77 per cent) admitted they did not read history books, and 61 per cent said that they changed channels rather than watch historical programmes on television.
Paul Moreton, the channel head of UKTV Gold which commissioned the poll, said that while there was no excuse for demoting real historical figures such as Churchill, the elevation of mythical figures to real life showed the impact good films could have in shaping the public consciousness.
"Stories like Robin Hood are so inspiring that it's not surprising people like to believe these characters truly existed," he said.

Question 1 Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text:
a) All the people interviewed were not older than 19.
b) Richard the Lionheart was a famous soldier.
c) 221B Baker street was the home of a real detective
d) Nowadays people read more about history rather than watching historical documents.

Question 2 Answer these questions in your own words:
a) Who ordered the survey and what did the results show?
b) What effect can films have on our perception of history?

Question 3 Find a word or phrase in the text that means the same as:
a) par. 2 survey
b) par. 3 appeared
c) par. 7 considerable

Question 4 Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning
a) Despite being a mythical figure, almost two thirds of teens believed King Arthur.
Although………………………………………………………….
b) 47 per cent believed Eleanor Rigby was a real person.
Eleanor Rigby was ……………………………………………………..
c) "Stories like Robin Hood are so inspiring that it's not surprising people believe these characters truly existed," he said.
d) He said that ……………………………………………………………………

Question 5 Write a short essay (120 to 150 words) on the following topic:
 What is the best way to learn about history?
Self-Access Group. Ciefp Santander

Agatha Christie’s grey cells mystery

Agatha Christie’s grey cells mystery

The mystery behind Agatha Christie’s enduring popularity may have been solved by three leading universities collaborating on a study of more than 80 of her crime novels.
Despite her worldwide sales of two billion, critics such as the crime writer P D James pan her writing style and “cardboard cut-out” characters. But the study by neuro-linguists at the universities of London, Birmingham and Warwick shows that she peppered her prose with phrases that act as a trigger to raise levels of serotonin and endorphins, the chemical messengers in the brain that induce pleasure and satisfaction.
“Christie’s language patterns stimulate higher than usual activity in the brain,” said Dr Roland Kapferer. “The release of these neurological opiates makes Christie’s writing literally unputdownable.”
The study — The Agatha Project — involved loading Christie’s novels onto a computer and analysing her words, phrases and sentences.
One finding was that she used a very limited vocabulary. “It means that readers aren’t distracted and so they concentrate more on the clues and the plots,” said Dr. Danielsson.
Despite the grisly theme of her novels, researchers say that much of her vocabulary is pleasing and gentle.
Favourite words or phrases, repeatedly used, help to stimulate the pleasure-inducing side of the brain. They include she, yes, girl, kind, smiled and suddenly. Common phrases include “can you keep an eye on this”, “more or less”, “a day or two” and “something like that”.
However, Mathew Prichard, Christie’s grandson, was sceptical of the research. “It’s not really a mystery. She was simply a writer of great plots,” he said.

Glossary:
Unputdownable:so interesting or exciting that you do not want to stop reading it.
from The Sunday Times December 18, 2005

Question 1 Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text:
a) Critics dislike only the way Agatha Christie wrote.
b) The less variety of vocabulary, the more you focus on the story.
c) Her vocabulary has nothing to do with the kind of plots she wrote.
d) Agatha Christie’s family agrees with the result of the study.

Question 2 Answer these questions in your own words:
a) What is the main conclusion of the study?
b) How does the repetition of words and phrases affect us as readers?

Question 3 Find a word or phrase in the text that means the same as:
a) Main par 1. b) something that produces an immediate result par 2. c) series of related events par. 5

Question 4 Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning
a) The mystery of her enduring popularity may have been solved by three leading universities.
Three...
b) Despite the grisly theme of her novels, researchers say that much of her vocabulary is pleasing and gentle.
Although...
c) “It means that readers aren’t distracted and so they concentrate more on the clues and the plots,” said Dr. Danielsson.
Dr. Danielson said that it...

Question 5 Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:
What do you prefer  - a good book or a good movie?


Self-Access Group. CEP Santander

Man trapped in bowling club toilet for four days

Man trapped in bowling club toilet for four days

A retired teacher survived on tap water after getting trapped in a freezing bowling club toilet with no food or mobile phone for four days. David Leggat was trapped at Kittybrewster and Woodside Bowling Club after the door to the gents jammed behind him.
The 55-year-old spent 16 hours of each day in darkness and, in a desperate bid to keep warm in the freezing building, he dipped his feet in hot water. "I did a survival course once and knew I had to keep my feet warm, so I kept running a basin of hot water and putting my feet in, to send the heat through my body," he explained to the Aberdeen Evening Express. Mr Leggat was eventually freed after Cathy Scollay, the club's cleaner, heard his cries for help.
Mr Leggat's ordeal began last Monday afternoon when he entered the bathroom and the inside handle to the door jammed. A few days earlier the outside handle had fallen off. The bowler said he quickly realised he was in for a long wait as the club is rarely used in winter. Mr Leggat, who recently retired from Kemnay Academy, where he taught English and history, said: "I was lucky to get three hours' sleep a night."
Ms Scollay, who keeps her cleaning equipment in the gents, discovered Mr Leggat on Thursday morning. She said today: "I put on the light as normal, pushed the door and just heard a voice shouting 'you can't get in here, I have been locked in here for four days'. I just couldn't believe it." Ms Scollay could not manage to free Mr Leggat, so she called club secretary Bob Ewing, who used a screwdriver to open the door. "David looked awfully grey and shaky when he came out," Ms Scollay said. "But he managed to walk up the road to his house." "Nobody had been looking for David. A wife may have wondered where he was but he is not married," she said.
Mr Leggat told the Evening Express: "At least there was a toilet to use. The only thing I regret is not getting trapped behind the bar."

Question 1 Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text:
a) Mr Leggat went to the bowling club after his lessons.
b) When Mr. Leggat went into the bath room there was a handle on the door
c) He expected to get out in a short time.
d) He didn’t need any help to get back home.

Question 2 Answer these questions in your own words:
a) How did Mr Leggat manage to survive?
b) How did he get out?

Question 3 Find a word or phrase in the text that means the same as:
a) Men’s toilet par. 1
b) Rescue par. 2
c) Nightmare. par. 3

Question 4 Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning
a) Mr Leggat said: “I was lucky to get three hours’ sleep a night”.
Mr Leggat said that ………………………………………………………….
b) Bob Ewing used a screwdriver to open the door.
A screwdriver ……………………………………………………..
c) A wife may have wondered where he was but he is not married.
If David had……………………………………………………………………

Question 5 Write a short essay (120 to 150 words) on the following topic:
You can always learn from experiences

Self-Access Group. CEP Santander

Red Nose Day

Do something funny for money

red nose day

The Grand Canyon walkway

Take a stroll, 4,000ft above the Grand Canyon

Standing over a U-shaped glass walkway that juts 70ft over the edge of the Grand Canyon is a strange sensation. But that is the experience developers hope will lure visitors to a new attraction at the Grand Canyon.
David Jin, originally from Shanghai, is giving the walkway to the Indian tribe, the Hualapai, on whose land it has been built. He will share the profits with the tribe for the next 25 years.
The designers promise that with thick glass, shock absorbers to prevent wobbling and enough space to hold 120 people at a time, the new attraction is very safe. The walkway is said to be able to survive winds of more than 100mph, as well as an eight magnitude earthquake within 50 miles.
Mark Johnson, the architect, said the Skywalk could hold the weight of several hundred people.
The development was proposed in 1996 by Mr Jin and construction began in 2004. But the project has split the impoverished 2,200-strong Hualapai tribe.
Some members, who believe their ancestors emerged from the earth of the canyon, claim that it intrudes upon sacred land. "We have disturbed the ground," said Dolores Honga, a tribal elder who regularly performs traditional dances at the canyon edge. Workers on the walkway, which is surrounded by sacred archaeological and burial sites, often complained to her about nightmares. "Our people died right along the land there. They blend into the ground. It's spiritual ground. This is why they're awakened," she said. Don Havatone, 46, a tour guide and member of the tribe, said most of the Hualapai were opposed and that the walkway had "shaken up the community".
The tribe did not accept the "commercialisation" of their land and he at first rejected the idea.


Question 1 Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text:
a) The walkway can resist severe weather conditions.
b) The walkway can’t hold more than 120 people.
c) The Hualapai are a wealthy tribe.
d) The majority of the tribe disliked the idea of the walkway being built.

Question 2 Answer these questions in your own words:
a) Why does Dolores Honga believe that the workers had nightmares?
b) Why is the walkway a safe place?

Question 3 Find a word or phrase in the text that means the same as:
a) tempt (par. 1)
b) divide (par. 5)
c) affirm (par. 6)

Question 4 Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning
a) David Jin is giving the walkway to the Indian tribe.
The Indian tribe...
b) They blend into the ground. Our people died along there.
They blend...
c) It’s spiritual ground; that’s why they are awakened.
If it weren’t...

Question 5 Write a short essay (120 to 150 words) on the following topic:
 What is your favourite way of travelling and why?


Self-Access Group. CEP Santander

Google tracks flu

The internet search engine company Google has launched a new online tool to help track the spread of influenza in the United States. The company found that Americans falling ill searched for advice about flu online using its web facilities before they sought help from a doctor. Now the internet search engine Google has come up with a tool designed to register search requests for common phrases such as "flu symptoms" or "muscles aches".
"Our team found that certain search queries tend to be very common during the flu season each year," Google said in their official blog on the topic. "We compared these queries to data provided by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and we found that there's a very close relationship between the frequency of these search queries and the number of people who are experiencing flu-like symptoms each week."
Traditional survey techniques employed by the CDC take about two weeks to precisely identify outbreaks, and Google hopes that its data will serve as an early warning system that the CDC can then act upon.
There are also plans to roll out the system in other countries around the world. The new web tracker known as "Google Flu Trends" could act as an early warning system for internet users: if there are a lot of flu cases in your area, then you could take preventative measures such as have a flu jab. Early tests of the new web tool show it can detect regional outbreaks up to ten days earlier than the US health authorities.
A senior health expert from the United Nations told the BBC, Google Flu Trends would have to prove its reliability over time. But he added it could be very useful in nations where health authorities don't have a reliable database of infectious diseases.

Question 1 (2 Points)
Indicate whether the following questions are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.
a) Some people look on the internet before they make an appointment to see a doctor.
b) The methods used until now mean that the authorities know about increases in the number of diseases in a week.
c) The Google system has not yet demonstrated that it can be trusted.
d) Every country in the world has precise information on illnesses.

Question 2 (2 Points)
Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) How does Google Flu Trends identify areas where there are a lot of cases of flu?
b) How does the text suggest you can avoid catching flu?

Question 3 (1.5 points)
Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions below.
a) to create: paragraph 1
b) make available: paragraph 4
c) steps: paragraph 4

Question 4 (1.5 points)
Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a) Google has launched a new online tool to help track the spread of influenza.
A new online tool ……………………………………………….
b) Google said: "We found that there's a very close relationship between the frequency of search queries and the number of people who are experiencing flu symptoms each week."
Google said that …………………………………………………
c) Early tests of the new web tool show it can detect regional outbreaks up to ten days earlier.
When the web tool was tested, it………………………………………

Question 5 (3 points)
Write a short essay (120-150 words) about the following topic.
Many people say that the internet is the most important invention ever. Do you agree?

Self-Access Group. CEP Santander