1.Order the paragraphs to describe the process of carving a pumpkin.
A.
Work slowly to avoid cutting yourself and keep drying the knife so it’s less slippery. If you cut an opening in the top, try to angle the blade towards the centre of the pumpkin so you create a little ledge to support the lid. Scoop out the seeds, then cut into the flesh until it’s about 2.5mm thick in the area you wish to carve.
B.
You can keep the seeds for toasting. Sketch out your design then draw on the pumpkin with the pen or use your sketch as a stencil, lightly piercing the outline with an awl.
C.
Choose a suitably shaped carving pumpkin with a flat bottom. Protect your work surface then, using a marker pen, draw a circle around the stalk, for a lid.
D.
To extend the life of your pumpkin, soak it for 15 minutes in a bucket of diluted bleach (approx one tablespoon of bleach to a litre of water), drain then dry thoroughly inside and out. Use tea lights or battery-operated fairy lights inside a glass jar to light up your design.
E.
Then, cut a hole either in the base or at the back. Make sure the hole is big enough to get your hand inside to scoop everything out. A short, sharp, serrated knife with a point is best for sawing through the flesh.
2.Find synonyms for the following words in the paragraphs
a.Remove, take out (paragraph A) b.Gently, a little (paragraph B) c.Appropriately (paragraph C) d.Immerse in liquid (paragraph D)
e.In one end and out another (paragraph E)
KEY
1.C, E, A, B, D
a. scoop out b. lightly c. suitably d. soak e. through
If there’s one thing that newcomers to London learn first, it’s that the tube isn’t usually the place for striking up a conversation. Our head-down commuter style means we avoid eye contact at all costs, let alone engage in a stop-and-chat with a stranger.
Londoner Chris Zair is trying to put a stop to the communal silent treatment by creating #HappyToTalk badges. Anyone who’s up for a natter can pin one on their jacket, and the hope is that strangers will start approaching each other to talk.
The idea came to Chris after a 20-minute conversation with a stranger on the Victoria Line last year. Like most of us, he didn’t make a habit of speaking to randomers – but the encounter lifted him up for the day and #HappyToTalk is his way of spreading the message that the occasional chat might benefit us all.
But wait: hasn’t this been tried before? You may remember a similar ill-fated campaign a few years ago. Jonathan Dunne, who had moved to London from a small town in Colorado, US, dished out ‘Tube Chat?’ badges to commuters in 2016. His intention was to inspire Londoners to indulge in daily conversations with strangers. Instead, the badges mainly resulted in a huge number of parodies. If there’s one thing that really brings Londoners together, it’s taking the mick.
Given the increasingly fragmented society in which we’re now living, Chris hopes that his latest attempt to get the city chatting won’t be met with the same ridicule. Early signs are positive: more than 400 badges have been ordered already. Each costs £5, with 40 percent from each badge going to Run Talk Run – a mental health support group that organises friendly group runs – and the rest or the profit to another charitable cause at the end of the tax year.
The new tube chat badges are available now, so if you’re up for connecting with strangers on a deeper level, order yours via Happy To Talk.
Question 1: Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.
It is easy to start a conversation in the tube in London
Chris Zair used to engage in chats with strangers
The initiative in 2016 was not taken seriously
Chris is making money out of the odea.
Question 3: [1,5 POINTS] Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given.
to start (par.1)
to attach (par.2)
to cheer up (par.3)
to distribute (par.4)
to tease (par.4)
Salto de página
KEY
FALSE “the tube isn’t usually the place for striking up a conversation”
FALSE “he didn’t make a habit of speaking to randomers”
TRUE “Instead, the badges mainly resulted in a huge number of parodies.”
FALSE “Each costs £5, with 40 percent from each badge going to Run Talk Run – a mental health support group that organises friendly group runs – and the rest or the profit to another charitable cause at the end of the tax year”
Watch the video and then read the text and answer the questions
The late George Michael’s estate has loaned the piano on which John Lennon wrote “Imagine” to the Strawberry Field exhibition in Liverpool. The Steinway piano, bought at auction by Michael back for £1.45m in 2000, will be able to go on public display.
Lennon wrote and recorded the 1971 ballad “Imagine” on the instrument, which Michael later used to record the song “Patience”. When he bought the piano originally, Michael described the object as a “symbol of peace”, and said: “It’s not the type of thing that should be in storage somewhere or being protected, it should be seen by people.”
His estate has loaned the piano to celebrate what would have been Lennon’s 80th birthday. The Beatles star was famously shot dead outside his New York home on 8 December 1980.
Lennon’s sister Julia Baird, who serves as the Honorary President of Strawberry Field, said: “Bringing John’s piano to Strawberry Field for the first time to mark what would have been his 80th birthday is a wonderful gesture – one that will bring joy to the hundreds of thousands of people who visit Liverpool every year to get closer to the history of The Beatles and John’s legacy.
“Strawberry Field played a pivotal role in John’s childhood as one of the first places that sparked his young imagination whilst living on nearby Menlove Avenue. It’s fitting therefore that this piano should find a new home here, where The Salvation Army continues to do such good work with young adults with learning difficulties.” Funds raised by paying visitors to the exhibition will go towards helping young people with learning difficulties.
The George Michael Estate said in a statement that it is “proud to be associated with Strawberry Field and the work that the Salvation Army do at the centre to help young adults with learning difficulties acquire the skills and experience they so badly need to get employment which work is even more vital today than it was when the Centre first opened.”
After being shown around the site, estate representatives “did not hesitate” in agreeing to the loan. According to the statement, the prospect represents “just the type of association that George would have wanted for this unique piece”.
It continued: “We know that the piano will be a source of hope and inspiration to all who come to see it and to the young people who attend Strawberry Field not only during these difficult times but for many years to come in the same way that it inspired George since he bought it some 20 years ago.”
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) George Michael bought it only for himself.
b) George Michael used the piano to compose songs.
c) People will be able to see the exhibition for free.
d) The George Michal State has shown their pride to be linked to the Salvation Army.
Question 2 [2 POINTS] Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) Why was Strawberry Fields important in Lennon’s life?
b) How does The Salvation Army help young adults?
Question 3: [1,5 POINTS] Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given.
a) public sale (par.1)
b) hapiness (par.4)
c) crucial (par.5)
d) to gain (par.6)
e) fundamental (par.6)
KEY
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) FALSE: “It’s not the type of thing that should be in storage somewhere or being protected, it should be seen by people.”
b) FALSE: “Michael later used to record the song “Patience”
c) FALSE: “Funds raised by paying visitors to the exhibition will go towards helping young people with learning difficulties.”
d) TRUE: “The George Michael Estate said in a statement that it is “proud to be associated with Strawberry Field”
Question 2 [2 POINTS] Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) Strawberry Fields, which was quite close to where he lived, was important because it was a source of inspiration during his childhood.
b) The Salvation Army helps young adults by trying to give them the abilities they need to get a job.
Question 3: [1,5 POINTS] Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given.
Somos un grupo de profesores de Cantabria: Carmen A., Lorena B., María B., Blanca D., Belen G., José Ramón L., Inés O. y Lola R.
Nos reunimos cada dos semanas para subir al blog las actividades y materiales que vamos elaborando y que están dirigidos al alumnado de Secundaria y de Bachillerato.
Esperamos que lo encontréis útil para vuestras clases.
