Halloween History

1 What can you see in the picture below?

How do people make things from patchwork?

http://brbaracabrera.blogspot.com/2011/05/patchwork.html

2 Read the first sentence from a video about Halloween. What do you think the man means by ‘a patchwork holiday’?

‘From communion with the dead to pumpkins and pranks, Halloween is a patchwork holiday, stitched together with cultural, religious and occult traditions that span centuries.’

Now, watch the video to find out why he calls it ‘a patchwork holiday’.

3 Now, watch the video again, and match the different names that have been given to October 31st and November 1st.

October 31st November 1st



Samhain All Saints’ Day All Hallows’ Eve Hallowmas Halloween

4 What did each of these groups of people do regarding Halloween?
a) the Celts
b) the Catholic church
c) Irish immigrants to the USA

5 Which of the below are Halloween customs mentioned by the narrator?
* bubbing for apples
* baking pumpkin pies
* playing pranks
* asking for candies
* playing soccer
* having costume parties
* hanging jack-o-lanterns
* lighting bonfires


Halloween History - Document Transcript
From communion with the dead to pumpkins and pranks, Halloween is a patchwork holiday, stitched together with cultural, religious and occult traditions that span centuries. It all began with the Celts, a people whose culture had spread across Europe, more than 2,000 years ago. October 31st was the day they celebrated the end of the harvest season, in a festival called “Samhain”. That night also marked the Celtic new year, it was considered a time “between years”, a magical time when the ghosts of the dead watched the Earth. “It was the time when the veil between death and life was supposed to be at its thinnest”. On “Samhain”, the villagers gathered and lit huge bonfires to drive the dead back to the spirit world and keep them away from the living. But, as the Catholic Church’s influence grew in Europe, it frowned on the pagan rituals like “Samhain”. In the 7th Century, the Vatican began to merge it with the Church Sanctum holiday, so November 1st was designated “All Saints’ Day”, to honor martyrs and the deceased faithful. “Both of these holidays had to do with the afterlife, and about survival after death. It was a calculated move on the part of the Church, to bring more people into the fold. All Saints’ Day was known then as “Hallowmas”. “Hallow” means “holy” or “saintly”, so the translation is -roughly- “Mass of the Saints”. The night before October 31st was “All Hallows’ Eve”, which gradually morphed into “Halloween”. The holiday came to America with the wave of Irish immigrants during the potato famine of the 1840s. They brought several of their holiday customs with them, including “bubbing for apples”, and playing tricks on neighbors, like removing gates from the front of houses. The young pranksters were masked, so they wouldn’t be recognized. But over the years, the tradition of harmless tricks grew into outright vandalism. “Back in the 1930s, it really became a dangerous holiday, and there was such hooliganism and vandalism. “Trick-or-treating” was originally an extortion deal: “Give us candy or we’ll trash your house”. Store keepers and neighbours began giving treats or bribes to stop the tricks, and children were encouraged to travel door to door for treats, as an alternative to trouble-making. By the late thirties, “trick-or-treat” became a holiday greeting.

Big Ben becoming leaning tower of London

Surveyors have found that the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster has developed a tilt, which is getting worse every year. The top of the tower is now almost one-and-a-half feet off the perpendicular – so far off that experts say the tilt is visible to the naked eye.

If the movement was to continue uncorrected, the tower would one day topple. However, MPs can breathe easy: at its current speed it would take some 4,000 years to reach the angle of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and even longer to hit tipping-point.

In the unlikely event that the tower falls, it will land on MPs' offices over the road in Portcullis House – which may at least offer some compensation to architectural purists unimpressed by the modern building.

Civil engineers believe that the tower - known colloquially as Big Ben after the main bell it houses - is gradually "sinking" or settling into the land on which it is built. But the pattern is uneven, with the sinking occurring more quickly on the north side than the south.

The problem has been blamed on decades of building work that have gone on around the foot of the structure since it was completed in 1858, which have ranged from a sewer built in the 1860s to the District Line the following decade and an underground car park for MPs in the 1970s. When the Jubilee Line was extended through Westminster in the late 1990s, special techniques were used to create a concrete barrier under the tower, in a bid to secure it.

Yet a new survey, completed in 2009 but only just published by the parliamentary authorities for London Underground and the Parliamentary Estates Department, has found that the rate of movement has accelerated in recent years.
The engineers conclude that no single known factor can fully explain the "event". Since 2003, the monitoring instruments suggest the tilt has continued to increase by 0.04in (0.9mm) a year, compared to the long-term average rate of just 0.025in (0.65mm) a year.

Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.
a) Special devices are needed to notice the inclination of the tower.
b) It is quite possible that the tower will fall in the future.
c) Some people would be glad if the tower fell.
d) There have always been uncontrolled construction works.

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) What are the possible reasons for the tilt of the tower?
b) What are the conclusions engineers have reached?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase in the text that means the same as
a) to fall over (par.2) b) to vary (par. 5) c) speed (par. 6)

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning
a) Civil engineers believe that the tower is sinking.
The tower...
b) Special techniques were used to create a concrete barrier under the tower.
Engineers...
c) The tower is tilting slowly. Yet a new survey has found that the movement has accelerated.
Although...

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

Do you think it is a good idea to build replicas to protect the originals ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onb09wiRtVA

Bear cub wanders in the veg section of a US supermarket

A little bear cub decided to go exploring and found itself in a supermarket.

Perhaps he was feeling peckish, but shoppers in Ketchikan, Alaska in the US were surprised to see the bear climbing across the fruit and veg.

The bear had wandered into the store through the automatic doors and hopped into the display.

It managed to disrupt the fruit display before a brave customer managed to catch the cub and let it free outside.

Black bears are common in this part of America and live happily in the wild but do occasionally head towards towns in search of food.

Vocabulary
decided / display / exploring / hopped / occasionally / wandered
chose something after thinking about it
searching in a place to discover things
walked slowly without any clear purpose
jumped quickly
place where things are put so that people can look at them
sometimes but not often

True or false?
1. Alaska is located in Ketchikan.
2. Black bears are often seen in Alaska.
3. The cub came into the supermarket through the doors.
4. The cub wandered out of the supermarket again.
5. The bear climbed under the fruit display.
6. The fruit display was damaged by the cub.
7. No one was brave enough to capture the bear.
8. Black bears never come into towns.

Which word or phrase means the same as the one in italics?
1. peckish
a) the same as confused
b) the same as tired
c) the same as hungry
2. common
a) the same as normal
b) the same as unusual
c) the same as scarce
3. managed
a) the same as tried
b) the same as told
c) the same as was able to
4. surprised
a) the same as alarmed
b) the same as confused
c) the same as astonished


KEY

Vocabulary

decided: chose something after thinking about it
exploring: searching in a place to discover things
wandered:walked slowly without any clear purpose
hopped: jumped quickly
display: place where things are put so that people can look at them
occasionally: sometimes but not often

True or false?

1. False
2. True
3. True
4. False
5. False
6. True
7. False
8. False

Which word or phrase means the same as the one in italics
hungry
normal
was able to
astonished

Big Ben becoming leaning tower of London

KEY

Question 1

a) False “ so far off that experts say the tilt is visible to the naked eye”
b) False “In the unlikely event that the tower falls,”
c) True which may at least offer some compensation to architectural purists unimpressed by the modern building“
d) False in the late 1990s, special techniques were used to create a concrete barrier under the tower, in a bid to secure it.

Question 2

a) The possible reasons are the construction works which have been made around the tower, including the development of the underground system and a parking space for the Members of Parliament.
b) Engineers have reached the conclusion that there is more that one factor which can explain the leaning of the tower and that the speed at which the tower is tilting is increasing every year.

Question 3

a) topple / to topple
b) ranged / have ranged / to range
c) rate

Question 4

a) The tower is believed to be sinking.
b) Engineers used special techniques to create a barrier under the tower.
c) Although the tower is tilting slowly, a new survey has found that the movement has accelerated.

We're back

At the start of another school year 2011-2012, we hope to have even more visitors and to share some useful and interesting materials and activities with you.

So let's get started with the new stuff !!!!!!!!!

The man who founded Apple, Steve Jobs, dies

Steve Jobs, the man behind gadgets like the iPod and the iPhone, has died.

The 56-year-old had been receiving treatment for cancer and stepped down as the boss of Apple in August as he had been unwell for several years.

Apple, the company he co-founded, said in a statement that it had lost "a visionary and creative genius".

Steve was also interested in animation and founded Pixar which produced films like Toy Story and Monsters Inc.

President Obama called him one of the great American innovators.

He said he was "brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it".

Earlier this year, Stephen Fry, paid tribute to him, saying his legacy would never be forgotten.


True or false?

1. Steve Jobs had headed up Apple since August.
2. Steven Fry said that Jobs’ accomplishments would be remembered.
3. Jobs was one of the people who started Apple originally.
4. President Obama had no comment on Jobs’ death.
5. The iPod and iPhone are both made by Apple.
6. Toy Story was a film made by Pixar.
7. Monsters Inc. is an animated film.
8. Stephen Fry paid tribute after Jobs died.

Match the words and the definitions

animation / creative/ gadget/ genius/ talented / tribute / visionary

small device or machine
person who can imagine what the future will be like
having original or unusual ideas
someone who is very smart
making films using drawings, not real photographs
very skilled or capable
something you say to show you respect and admire someone


What is the missing word?

The 56-year-old had been ___________ treatment for cancer.
Steve was also interested in animation and ___________ Pixar.
He had been ____________ for several years.
He said he was ____________ enough to think differently.



KEY


False / True / True / False / True / True / True / False

gadget small device or machine
visionary person who can imagine what the future will be like
creative having original or unusual ideas
genius someone who is very smart
animation making films using drawings, not real photographs
talented very skilled or capable
tribute something you say to show you respect and admire someone

receiving
founded
unwell
brave

PS3 Network back up and running

Good news for PlayStation Network users - the system's back up and running in the UK after being turned off for four weeks.
The network was closed on 20 April after hackers broke into players' accounts, stealing personal info.
Gamers are being asked to reset their passwords.
Loads of people tried to log on after the restart at the weekend - which meant the network had to be turned off for 30 minutes to clear the queue.
The network is being started up region by region - and the US and Europe is back online now.
It's thought about 100 million users had their details taken after the hacking attack on the PlayStation Network and the Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) PC games network.
Sony is still looking into how the security breach was possible. The hacking is worrying because information from the accounts could allow someone else to buy an item using a credit card, even though it's not their own.
The games company says it has now put in "new and additional security measures" that would give users with better protection.

Match each word to its definition

breach / details / hackers / measures / protection / queue / region

people who break into other people’s computers without permission
line of people who are waiting for something
particular area or part of the world
information about someone or something
when someone breaks into something that is supposed to be guarded
ways of achieving something, or methods for dealing with a situation
method of keeping someone or something safe from injury, damage or loss

True or false?

1.The network breach was limited to the UK.
2.The hackers stole credit card information.
3.Sony knows how the hackers broke in.
4.Sony has not changed its security measures.
5.Two Sony networks were affected by the attack.
6.Few people tried to log into the network once it was restored.
7.People play games on the network.
8.Sony restarted the network all at once.

What is the missing word?

1.Gamers are being asked to __________ their passwords.
2.Sony is still looking into how the security breach was __________ .
3.It has now put in "new and __________ security measures".
4.Loads of people tried to log on after the __________ .



KEY

hackers people who break into other people’s computers without permission
queue line of people who are waiting for something
region particular area or part of the world
details information about someone or something
breach when someone breaks into something that is supposed to be guarded
measures ways of achieving something, or methods for dealing with a situation
protection method of keeping someone or something safe from injury, damage or loss

True or false?
1.False
2.True
3.False
4.False
5.True
6.False
7.True
8.False

What is the missing word?
1.reset
2.possible
3.additional
4.restart

Lost pyramids spotted from space

Lots of pyramids, tombs and ancient settlements, hidden under the ground in Egypt, have been spotted - from SPACE.

17 pyramids and over 3,000 ancient settlements were found using satellites more than 400 miles above the Earth. The satellites had powerful infra-red cameras that enabled them to see the underground buildings.

Archaeologist Dr Sarah Parcak and her team in the US made the discoveries. "I couldn't believe we could locate so many sites all over Egypt," she said. Sarah travelled to Egypt to see if excavations of the sites could be done to uncover what her photos were showing.

In the area of Saqqara in Egypt, the authorities weren't interested in Sarah's findings at first. But after making test excavations, they now believe it's one of the most important archaeological sites in the country.

Match the words below to their definitions

Archaeologist / authorities / excavations / findings / settlements / tombs

large stone buildings or underground rooms where people are buried
places where people live
someone who studies how people lived in the past
places where people dig to find things from the past
government officials who enforce rules
information which is discovered during a study

True or false?

1. This is the first time that pyramids have been discovered in Egypt.
2. You can see things from space that you can’t see when you are on the ground.
3. The team also discovered ancient sites in the US.
4. The authorities made test excavations at the sites Sarah found.
5. Authorities already knew about the sites and so weren’t interested.
6. Sarah could not get permission to travel to Egypt.
7. Some of the sites the team found were in Saqqara.
8. Many of the ancient sites that were found were buried.


What is the missing word?

1. The satellites had ___________ infra-red cameras.
2. I couldn't believe we could ___________ so many sites.
3. The authorities weren't ___________ in Sarah's findings at first.
4. It's one of the most ___________ archaeological sites in the country.





KEY

True or false?
1. False
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. False
6. False
7. True
8. True

Vocabulary

tombs large stone buildings or underground rooms where people are buried
settlements places where people live
archaeologist someone who studies how people lived in the past
excavations places where people dig to find things from the past
authorities government officials who enforce rules
findings information which is discovered during a study

What is the missing word?

1. powerful
2. locate
3. interested
4. important

Twelve giant panda cubs born in China

Twelve giant panda cubs born in China have been shown off to the public for the first time.

The furry friends were brought outside to enjoy a bit of sun at the research centre where they live.

The centre breeds the black and white bears to encourage their survival. Giant pandas are endangered animals because of forests being destroyed where they live.

The research centre was started in 1987 with just six pandas, but the new arrivals bring the total up to 108. The staff also breed red pandas and monkeys which are also threatened in the wild.

They may look small here but giant pandas can grow up to 1.8 metres in length!



Are these statements TRUE or FALSE?

1. No one has seen the panda cubs so far.
2. Pandas are endangered in the wild.
3. Giant panda cubs don’t have any fur.
4. The centre only breeds giant pandas.
5. The number of pandas at the centre has grown since 1987.
6. Giant pandas live in forests.
7. Giant panda cubs are small.
8. Giant pandas are the only type of panda.

Match the words to the definitions

arrivals survival endangered breed research

when someone or something continues to live or exist
detailed study of something
babies which have been born recently
describes animals or plants which may not exist in future because there are very few alive now
keep animals so you can produce young animals

Which word or phrase means the same as the one in italics?

forests
a) the same as forages
b) the same as fields
c) the same as woods

destroyed
a) the same as defamed
b) the same as protected
c)the same as wiped out

encourage
a) the same as discourage
b) the same as promote
c) the same as ensure

threatened
a) the same as protected
b) the same as at risk
c) the same as lost

KEY

FALSE / TRUE / FALSE / FALSE / TRUE / TRUE / TRUE / FALSE

survival when someone or something continues to live or exist
research detailed study of something
arrivals babies which have been born recently
endangered describes animals or plants which may not exist in future because there are very few alive now
breed keep animals so you can produce young animals

WOODS / WIPED OUT / PROMOTE / AT RISK

CU after summer

Now that the "busy days" are coming, here are our last posts of this school year.
Hope that you find Our Blog useful. We'll see you again in September.
In the meanwhile, let's listen to some music to get ready for the summer hols.



“Summercat” – Billie the Vision & The Dancers

I kissed you good bye at the airport. I held you so close to me. I said ‘So here we are now and I can’t stop from crying Lilly’. And you said ‘Hey hey hoo, you know this is the way to go. You will forget about me when I’m on that plane. Forget about me when I’m on that plane.’

Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you tonight

The plane took off and my love went with it. The chilly wind whipped my both cheeks hard. And the man next to me said ‘Everything is gonna be alright’. I said ‘Nothing is gonna be alright, but thank you anyway’. And then I saw your face in the airplane window. I waved my hands and I shouted to you:

Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you tonight

I wore a T-shirt and my worn out hat. Abandoned as a summer cat. And as I stood there as a broken hearted I realized you got the car keys still. So I broke into my own old car. I fell asleep on the passenger seat. I dreamed of summer sex with you and you whispered in my ear:

Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you tonight

Why can’t you leave me tomorrow instead?

And above the clouds she said to herself ‘I can’t believe how naive a man can be. That’s why I love you so and that’s why I can’t be with you…’

Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you Tonight tonight tonight tonight
I wanna be with you tonight

..... and some others for you to enjoy.

Holiday snaps

What’s on your computer screen?

Would you put any of these images on your screen?

Taking photos

Match each word to the correct definition:
a photograph
b photographer
c photography
d wallpaper
e portrait
f scene
g snap


1 A view that you can see in a picture.
2 A person that takes pictures with a camera.
3 A picture taken with a camera.
4 The image that appears in the background of your computer screen.
5 The process of taking pictures with a camera.
6 A photo taken without professional equipment, usually on holiday.
7 A drawing, painting or photo of someone, especially of their face only.


In Spain, people say ‘patata’ when they are posing for a photo. Do you know which word we say in English?
cheese!
(Try saying ‘cheese’ – notice how your mouth opens wide!!)


http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/gallery/2010/feb/28/charles-veley-worlds-most-travelled#/?picture=359797622&index=0

http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/trails/tipper-of-the-week-archive.jsp

Key
1 f 2 b 3 a 4 d 5 c 6 g 7 e

Holiday snaps of 'smiling' three-ton hippo 'Otis' become web hit

When Jay Parker told his wife Lauren to say ‘cheese’, it seems someone else was listening, too. Otis the hippo pressed his face against the glass of his tank and produced what appears to be a beaming smile.
And when the couple exchanged positions, the three-ton beast duly obliged with another grin for the camera next to her husband. The Parkers, from Little Rock, Arkansas, took their extraordinary photographs during a holiday visit to San Diego Zoo in California.

'We took the picture on holiday at San Diego Zoo, my wife is a big fan of animals so we always try and visit somewhere when we are away,' said Mr Parker.

'Actually the week we were there the zoo had just put two hippos together for the first time in the tank. Hippos are not usually that friendly and the two they had in the tank - the male Otis and the female Funani - had been having a bit of a fight with each other that day. Mr Parker said 'When I look at his face I think he looks pretty tired by it all, or maybe he's having a happy dream - either way it's a great picture.'

To add another dimension to the memorable snap, the picture has become an internet hit after Jay posted them on the internet and pops up on blogs and chatrooms from USA to China. Mr Parker, 35, from Little Rock, Arkansas, even gets fan mail from people far away telling him he is their computer screensaver or Facebook profile picture.

He said: 'It's kind of strange to think there are people out there with a picture of me on their computer, but I guess I'm just the hippo man as far they're concerned.’


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) Jay Parker appears in the first photograph of Otis in San Diego. b) Lauren likes animals a lot.
c) Otis has always had company in his tank. (
d) Mr Parker received emails from people all over the world.

Question 2 [2 points] Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) When and where were the photos taken?
b) Who has used the photos of Mr and Mrs Parker and how?

Question 3 [1.5 points] Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.
a) very wide and happy (paragraph 1)
b) animal (paragraph 2)
c) to appear (paragraph 5)

Question 4 Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a) The Parkers, from Little Rock, Arkansas, took their extraordinary photographs during a holiday visit to San Diego Zoo in California.
The extraordinary photographs ……..

b) My wife is a big fan of animals so we always try and visit some when we are away.
If my …….

c) Mr Parker said: 'It's kind of strange to think there are people out there with a picture of me on their computer, but I guess I'm just the hippo man as far they're concerned.’
Mr Parker said that it …………

Question 5 Write a short essay (between120-150 words) on the following topic:
‘Nowadays, the internet makes it possible for everyone to be famous’. Do you agree? Is it always a good thing?

Holiday snaps of 'smiling' three-ton hippo 'Otis' become web hit

Key

Question 1
a) False - And when the couple exchanged positions, the three-ton beast duly obliged with another grin for the camera next to her husband.
b) True – ‘my wife is a big fan of animals so we always try and visit somewhere when we are away,'
c) False - 'Actually the week we were there the zoo had just put two hippos together for the first time in the tank.
d) True - Mr Parker, 35, from Little Rock, Arkansas, even gets fan mail from people far away telling him he is their computer screensaver or Facebook profile picture.

Question 2
a) Jay and Lauren Parker come from Little Rock, Arkansas. While they were on holiday, they took some photographs at San Diego Zoo in California in front of the hippopotamus tank there.
b) The photographs have become extremely popular on the web after Jay Parker uploaded them. Afterwards, American and Chinese blog and chat users have used it, as well as others who use it as wallpaper on their computer or as the photo for their Facebook profile.

Question 3
a) beaming
b) beast
c) pops up/(to) pop up

Question 4
a) The extraordinary photographs were taken during a holiday visit by the Parkers, from Little Rock, Arkansas, to San Diego Zoo in California.

b) If my wife wasn’t/weren’t a big fan of animals, we would not always try and visit some when we were away.

c) Mr Parker said that it was kind of strange to think that there were people out there with a picture of him on their computer, but he guessed he was just the hippo man as far as they were concerned.’

The Spy Who You May Have Met

Most of us think of spies as people who work in foreign countries gathering information. But there’s another kind of spy – one that you may have even encountered without knowing it. Shopping spies are hired to go into a shop, bank, restaurant or other business pretending to be ordinary customers. Their goal is to see what kind of service they receive. Afterwards, they tell the managers of companies how well their employees did.

The results of the shopping spies’ reports can have a big impact. One shopping spy went to a restaurant that had an extremely dirty toilet. She went to tell the waiter, who refused to help`, and told her that he wasn’t going to work any harder than he had to. The manager heard about the problem, and the employee was fired a few days later. Although workers have lost their jobs based on visits like these, shopping spy Sandra Smith stresses that most workers shouldn’t’ feel threatened. ”We’re not inspecting them. I’m not trying to trick them,” she said. “The client wants to know what the average citizen sees when he or she walks into the establishment. I just want to see if the workers are doing their job. That’s pretty much it.”

There are some benefits to being a shopping spy such as free meals at restaurants. Occasionally the shoppers even keep the items they buy. However, most jobs in this field are part-time – sometimes as little as two days a month – so shopping spies don’ t generally take the job for the benefits of the money. Rather, they are entranced by the excitement, fun, and perhaps even the opportunity to improve the business world just a little bit.

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.

1. All of us have met shopping spies.


2. The spy at the restaurant complained because the toilet was a mess.


3. The people who employ spies want to know what the employees do in the break.


4. As a benefit of their job, shopping spies get high pay.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

1. What information does a shopping spy gather?


2. What motivates most shopping spies to do their job?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. to collect (par.1) b. filthy (par.2) c. delighted (par.3)

Question 4 ( 1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. The employee was fired a few days later. They ……………………………………

b. “I just want to see if the workers are doing their job. Sandra Smith said that ……………………………………….

c. One employee was fired because he refused to help. He wouldn’t ……………………….........

Question 5 (3 points)
Write a short essay (about 120-150 words) on the following topic:

Where do you like to do your shopping? Give reasons.

The Spy Who You May Have Met

Question 1

1. False. “one that you may have even encountered without knowing it.”
2. True. “One shopping spy went to a restaurant that had an extremely dirty toilet. She went to tell the waiter, who refused to help`, and told her that he wasn’t going to work any harder than he had to. The manager heard about the problem, and the employee was fired.”
3. False.” I just want to see if the workers are doing their job. That’s pretty much it.”
4. False. “ so shopping spies don’ t generally take the job for the benefits of the money.”

Question 2

1. They gather information about the service they get in the different places and about the workers’ job.
2. They usually take the job because it’s a funny, exciting job and they also try to make the service received in the different businesses better.

Question 3

1. gathering / to gather
2. extremely dirty
3. entranced

Question 4

1. They fired the employer a few days later.
2. Sandra Smith said that she just wanted to see if the workers were doing their job.
3. He wouldn’t have been fired if he hadn’t refused to help.

Father of the CD” Dies

The pioneer of the compact disc (CD) Norio Ohga has died aged 81 of multiple organ failure in the Japanese capital Tokyo. Mr Ohga was president and chairman of Sony between 1982 and 1995. He is credited with pioneering the use of the CD. Sony sold the world's first CD in 1982. Mr Ohga was responsible for its size. He recommended a disc should be 12 cm in diameter because it contained enough space to store Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which is 75 minutes long. The size of CDs has remained unchanged since and became the format for DVDs. CD sales in Japan overtook record sales within five years of their introduction. Ohga was an avid music enthusiast and studied to become an opera singer in his youth.

Sony's current chairman, Sir Howard Stringer, paid tribute to Mr Ohga’s leadership and vision. He said the former chairman transformed Sony from a company that sold radios and electronics into a global entertainment giant. Ohga rose through the Sony ranks at a speed highly unusual for a Japanese company and was an executive by his 30s. Ohga moved Sony into new directions, making them an international player. He was key in the purchase of Hollywood studio Colombia Pictures and the record company CBS. He also oversaw the launch of Sony’s highly successful PlayStation game console. Mr Stringer said: “By redefining Sony as a company encompassing both hardware and software, Ohga-san succeeded where other Japanese companies failed.”
(25th April, 2011)

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.

a. The pioneer of the CD died from cancer in Tokyo
b.The former Sony chairman once trained to be an opera singer.
c. Mr Ohga bought a Hollywood movie studio and record company.
d. He had very little part to play in the launch of the Sony PlayStation.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.
a. Why do CDs are the size they are?
b. What contributions did Mr. Ohga do to Sony?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.
a. innovation (par.1) b. fan (par.1) c. to include (par.2)

Question 4 ( 1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a. CD sales in Japan overtook record sales within five years of their introduction.
Record sales ………………………………………………
b. The size of CDs has remained unchanged since 1982
The size of CDs hasn't ……………………………………..
c. : “By redefining Sony as a company encompassing both hardware and software, Ohga-san succeeded where other Japanese companies failed.”
Mr. Stringer said that …………………………………...

Question 5 (3 points)
Write a short essay (about 120-150 words) on the following topic:
How many different ways are there to keep your music? What’s your favourite?

Father of the CD" Dies

Key

Question 1

a. False. “The pioneer of the compact disc (CD) Norio Ohga has died aged 81 of multiple organ failure in the Japanese capital Tokyo.”
b. True. “ Ohga was an avid music enthusiast and studied to become an opera singer in his youth.”
c. True. “ He was key in the purchase of Hollywood studio Colombia Pictures and the record company CBS.”
d. False. “He also oversaw the launch of Sony’s highly successful PlayStation game console. “

Question 2

a. CDs are the size they are because Mr. Ohga wanted a CD to store as much length of music as Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has, which is 75 minutes. That meant the CD should have a diameter of 12 cm.
b. Mr. Ohga turned Sony into an international player. He bought a Hollywood film studio and a record company and he supervised the launch of the PlayStation.

Question 3

a. pioneer
b. enthusiast
c. encompassing / to encompass

Question 4

a. Record sales were overtaken by CD sales in Japan within five years of their introduction.
b. The size of CDs has never changed / hasn’t changed since 1982.
c. Mr. Stringer said that by redefining Sony as a company encompassing both hardware and software, Mr. Ohga-san had succeeded where other Japanese companies had failed.

Google launches Latin translation tool

Google Translate, a service that can instantly translate entire web pages or chunks of text in to another language, has added Latin to its list.
Google Translate supports more than 50 languages, including minority languages such as Welsh and Haitian Creole, and the addition of Latin is sure to please scholars and traditionalists.

In a blog post, written entirely in Latin, Jakob Uszkoreit, a senior engineer at Google, said that Latin was far from a “dead language”. “There are many Latin language learners,” he wrote. “Over 100,000 American students take the National Latin Exam every year and many more learn Latin all over the world. And there is a wealth of information originally written in it.”

He said that while Google recognised that the Latin translation tool would rarely be used to decipher emails or captions on YouTube videos, it would enable web users to read many of the crucially important philosophical and scientific texts originally written in this language. “There are tens of thousands of scanned books written in Latin on Google Books, and many more contain Latin quotes and proverbs,” he wrote.

Google expects translations to and from Latin to be among the most accurate offered by its Google Translate tool. “Unlike any of the other languages Google Translate supports, Latin offers a unique advantage: most of the text that will ever be written in Latin has already been written, and a comparatively large part of it has been translated in to other languages. “We use these translations, found in books and on the web, to train our system.”
Google has also added a Latin text-to-speech function, too, to help people with their pronunciation.

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) Google Translate can be used to produce translations of stretches of language.
b) Only widely spoken languages are available on Google Translate.
c) The Google engineer wrote his message in American English.
d) There is no possibility of listening to Latin on Google Translation.

Question 2:[2 POINTS] Answer the following questions in your own words.

a) Is Latin studied these days?
b) Why will Google Latin translations be particularly reliable?

Question 3:[1.5 POINTS]Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a) To make happy (paragraph 1).
b) a large amount (paragraph 2).
c) extremely (paragraph 3).

Question 4:[1,5 POINTS] Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a) Over 100,000 American students take the National Latin Exam every year and many more learn Latin all over the world.
The National Latin Exam …… and Latin ……

b) “What lessons do you have this morning, James?”
I asked James ……………………………………………………………

c) Many important philosophical and scientific texts were written in Latin People want to read these texts.
People want to read the

Question 5:[3 POINTS]Write a short essay (120 - 150 words) on the following topic:
‘Not everything that we have to study at school is useful.’ Do you agree?

Olympic stadium almost finished!

Construction work on London's Olympic Stadium has finished and it's almost ready to go!

International inspectors laid the last piece of turf on the field of the stadium, just under three years after building work began.

Inspectors will now begin a check-up of preparations for the London 2012 Games.

But it's not completely finished and ready for action yet... there are 700 rooms inside the venue which still need some final touches.

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: "We wouldn't want anyone to run away with the idea that this stadium is ready to stage an Olympic track and field championship tomorrow."

He added: "With one year and a few months to go, this is a great place to be."

The surface of the running track will be laid later this year at the stadium, which is to be taken over by West Ham football club once the Games are over.

This is so the track is not damaged by cranes which may have to be used to install equipment for the Games and its ceremonies.

True or false?

1. All the grass in the stadium has been put in place.
2. Building work on the stadium began over three years ago.
3. Lord Coe said that he didn’t want people to run at the stadium.
4. The running track has not been completed yet.
5. No one knows what to do with the stadium once the Olympics are over.
6. The stadium will be used for track and field events.
7. Lord Coe is chairman of the 2012 Olympics.
8. The track has been damaged by cranes.

Match the words below to their definitions

ceremonies / construction / cranes / inspectors / stage / surface / turf

when you work to build something
people whose job it is to officially examine something
ground with grass on it
organize an event
top layer of a field or track on which sports are played
tall metal structure used for lifting heavy objects
formal acts done on important occasions

What is the missing word?

1. This stadium is ready to stage an Olympic track and field ______ .
2. The surface of the running track will be ___________ later this year.
3. There are 700 rooms inside the ___________ .
4. Inspectors will now begin a check-up of ___________ .

KEY

True or false?

1. True
2. False
3. False
4. True
5. False
6. True
7. True
8. False

Vocabulary

construction when you work to build something
inspectors people whose job it is to officially examine something
turf ground with grass on it
stage organize an event
surface top layer of a field or track on which sports are played
cranes tall metal structure used for lifting heavy objects
ceremonies formal acts done on important occasions

What’s the missing word

Championship
Laid
Venue
Preparations