Merry Christmas!

Ashlie and Stephen are getting ready for Christmas. They need to buy presents and decorate the tree, but there's still time for a bit of ice-skating... Click here to watch the video and do some activities.
Learn some vocabulary about the holiday here.

It's Christmas morning! Ashlie's got a lot to do to cook dinner for the family, but can she get Stephen to help? Watch the video here. Learn some vocabulary about the food and present simple and continuous here.



 And here's a slow version of the classic by Mariah Carey

 

Click on "Christmas" in contents and have a look at old posts about the holiday.

Endangered animals

Click here to learn some vocabulary and read a text about endangered animals.

This is a listening activity about Animal Species 'extinction crisis'.

Are zoos a good thing? Click here to read a text about it.

Listen to an interview with a zoologist and answer some questions about it.

Click here to listen to the activity about poaching in the photocopy I gave you in class.

Natural disasters

Click here to see some vocabulary.

How to talk about natural disasters.



Watch a video about natural disasters and what can cause them.

Listen to two people talking about extreme weather in Australia in 2009. You can read the script.

Listen and do the matching exercise. The script is at the bottom of the page.

Best audio/video news websites

The best audio/video news and current affairs websites to learn English. The image below is interactive. Click on the icon and read what each website has to offer. 

Cristina Cabal

Television

1. Listen to a conversation and choose the right answer.

2. Is TV a bad influence? Listen and choose the right answer.




Read a text about Reality TV.

Information overload

Listen to the interview and fill in the gaps using between one and four words. Check your answers in comments.

There's an introduction to the interview first.

- According to The Economist, Americans spend over 12 hours a day _______________________ (1)

- Manoush Zomorodi's been exploring this topic and has a project called "Infomagical: Making _______________________ (2) ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­."

- It’s not just journalists, nowadays many people has access to an _______________________ (3).

- There’s a great word to describe this _______________________ (4)(the compulsive desire to check or accumulate news and information); also described as FOMO - _______________________(5).

- The effects of information overload are really just starting to be studied. But when we feel overwhelmed, _______________________(6) go up. Our brains have a finite number of decisions they can make before they get depleted and become less discerning - so this is called _______________________(7).

- There are other consequences. We also _______________________(8) in cycles and what we're finding is _______________________ (9) is a slippery thing.

- When we keep taking in information, we lose the capacity to _______________________ (10) from it.

- According to a preliminary research we only use about _______________________ (11) of the information we take in every day.

- With this project they want to help people become their _______________________(12), to find focus more easily and discover what we're calling the magic of clear thinking.

- So first, when you sign up, you'll be asked to pick one of five _______________________ (13)and then next week, you'll only try to consume information that gets you _______________________(14).

If you sign up to do the project via text, you'll be part of our data set and we'll be measuring what effect  _______________________(15) an information goal has on participants' information overload.

Watch this funny video and answer the questions. Check your answers in "comments".

1. What did Billy use to be like?
2. When did he change?
3. What was Donna?
4. What happened to Sarah?
5. Who does this syndrome affect?
6. What are some examples of exabytes?
7. What does the brain do to deal with this new information?
8. What disappears first? 
9. What happens after that?
10. What does finally happen?
11. How does he describe the syndrome?
12. Is there anything we can do to help Billy?

Click here to read an article with some tips for staying informed without suffering media burnout.

The Media

Click here to review some vocabulary.
Newspaper vocabulary
TV genres
How to describe a TV programme

Click on "media" in contents to do more activities related to the topic.

News reports

Click here to see old posts about the same topics. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pronunciation of -ed in past regular verbs

Click here if you want to see more videos related to the same topic.

Improve your writing- AN IMPERFECTLY PERFECT DAY

Photocopy "An Imperfectly Perfect Day"

1. Try to match these phrasal verbs with the definitions in the photocopy:

PHRASAL VERBS

ANSWER ( ) BACK             BLOW UP                       BREAK DOWN

BRING UP                            BUMP INTO                   CLOCK IN

COME INTO                        END UP                           FALL THROUGH

FIND OUT                           GET AWAY WITH          GET OFF                 

GET OVER                          GO ON / GO AHEAD         

HAVE A GO AT ( ) / TELL ( ) OFF                              LAY ( ) OFF             

LET ( ) DOWN                      MAKE UP (FOR...)

PULL OUT (OF )                  PUT ( ) THROUGH        PUT UP WITH

RUN OUT (OF)                     SET OFF                         SET ( ) UP     

SORT ( ) OUT                       STORM OUT                  TAKE ( ) ON            

TAKE ( ) UP                          TURN ( ) DOWN            TURN OUT 

WORK OUT

2. Try to complete the story using them in the correct tense.

3. Click here: check the story and do the activity at the bottom of the page to check if you matched phrasal verbs and meanings correctly.

Improve your writing

This is the key to the photocopy I gave you.

SYNONYMS
Jump- Leap / Use- Employ / Hide- Conceal (formal) / Finish- Complete / Break- Smash / Hate- Loathe / Stop- Cease (formal) / Look- Glance / Choose- Select / Put- Place / Cry- Weep (formal) / Find- Locate / Kill- Slay (literary) / Think- Ponder (formal) / Help- Assist (formal) / Show- Display / Watch- Observe (formal)

SAY / TELL
Whispered / Shouted / Declared (say sth officially and publicly) / Recommended / Replied / Groaned (to make a long deep sound because you're annoyed, upset or in pain or with pleasure) / Insisted / Informed / Mentioned / Announced / Responded /  Stated (say sth formally in a careful and clear way) / Notified / Muttered (say sth in a quiet way because you're angry or annoyed) / Revealed / Asserted / Added / Remarked (to comment) / Exclaimed / Suggested / Answered / Sighed

GO
Wandered- Casually / Shot- Quickly / Slid- Secretively / Hurried- Quickly / Marched- confidently / Jumped- Abruptly / Strolled- Casually / Burst- Abruptly / Sneaked- Secretively / Rushed- Quickly / Crept- Secretively

ADJECTIVES
Packed: very crowded / Deafening: very loud or noisy / Ancient: very old / Fascinating: very interesting / Exhausted: very tired / Excruciating: very painful / Flawless: Absolutely perfect / Stunning: very impressive or beautiful / Spotless: very clean / Filthy: very dirty / Petrified: very frightened / Boiling: very hot / Freezing: very cold / Brilliant: very clever / Furious: very angry / Starving: very hungry / Tiny: very small

How to prepare "Pears with wine"

Victoria Romero (19M)

Good!
Check the pronunciation of the following words: pears, ripen, ingredients, such aS.
Be careful with these grammar mistakes: "I have invented some days ago" should be "I INVENTED some years? ago"; "those ingredients" should be "THESE ingredients"; "If you have..., you'd be able to" should be "If you have..., you WILL be able to..."; "fill THE pears";  "a dessert spoon OF sugar".
I'm afraid I don't understand what you want to say with "appears in this way".
Instead of "describe you a recipe" I would say "show you how to prepare a recipe"; Instead of "fill them with sweet wine" I'd say "pour some sweet wine over them".
Thank you!

Telling a story: structure

Click here to see the whole lesson about the video we watched in class. This is an example of a "free lesson" by Oxford. There are many more here: oxfordonlineenglish.com

Narrative tenses / Linking words / Stories

Click here to listen and read about the use of linking words in stories. There are also some activities to practise.

Click here to do some activities about narrative tenses.



Read the script here.

Listen to three stories and check your understanding (main idea- mediation).

How to change a worn bike chain

Juan Manuel Hidalgo 

How to cook a delicious lasagna

Sofía Jiménez Claramonte

Excellent video!
Be careful with the pronunciation of "vegetableS, salt, done and stir". It should be "2 eggplantS" and "the final steps". I think it's more common to speak about "lasagna sheets" or "pasta noodles".

Thank you very much!!

66 days lost at sea

Watch the video and answer the questions. Check your answers in "comments".


1. What caused the accident?
2. What happened to the boat?
3. What were the damages?
4. How did he survive?
5. What did he pray for?
6. When was he rescued?
7. Who rescued him?
8. What was the first thing he do? What did he tell him?
9. Why didn't her sister lose hope?
10. What was he treated for at hospital?
11. What did her mother tell the reporters?

Extreme Survival

Listen and read two extreme survival stories.

Teen who survived a plane crash

Click here to do a listening activity.

Happy Halloween!

Click here to read an article and do some activities about this holiday.

How to use flipgrid with a mobile phone

Mobile phones

Are you addicted to your mobile phone?

I Forgot My Phone from Miles Crawford on Vimeo.

• Have you ever used your mobile phone in any of the ways you so in the film when you were with another person?
• How do you feel when other people use their mobile phones when they're with you?
• Which of the things do you find most annoying?

The smartphone problem. 
This is the video we watched in class and it's on your photocopy.

Technology

Women in Technology
Watch a video and do a comprehension activity.

Driverless cars
Click here to watch a video and do some activities.

3D printers

Watch a video and answer the questions. Check your answers in "comments".


1. How do some people call 3D Printing?
2. What materials can 3D printers use?
3. What do they print?
4. Mention two examples of things you could print.
5. What do they say about 3D printers and design? How is that good for prosthetic limbs?
6. What can high-end machines print? What does that allow?
7. What could you do if you could print tissue?
-
-
8. Would we have one at home soon?

GIVING INSTRUCTIONS

Click here to read some tips on how to give instructions.

Listen and read an example here.



More vocabulary and exercises about kitchen utensils here.

Library cards

Los alumnos matriculados de años anteriores pueden ya solicitar renovaciones de carnés caducados o extraviados.  Si alguien solicitó el carné el año pasado y no lo recogió, no tiene que volver a solicitarlo, sino ir a Secretaría directamente y recogerlo.

     Y ya en la primera semana de noviembre podrían empezar a solicitarlos los alumnos de nueva matriculación. 

INSTRUCCIONES PARA SOLICITAR EL CARNÉ DE LA BIBLIOTECA EOI 

Curso Académico 2018-2019

Para acceder al servicio de préstamo es necesario presentar el carné de la biblioteca EOI Albacete. Se puede seguir utilizando el carné de otros años si no ha caducado

Para solicitar el carné sigue los siguientes pasos: (excepto alumnos de That´s English: soliciténlo a su profesor) 

1. Manda un correo electrónico a la siguiente dirección: bibliotecaeoi@gmail.com

En el mensaje indica tu nombre completo, apellidos, NIF y el curso al que perteneces. Indica también si solicitas el carné por primera vez o es una renovación.

2. Espera a recibir un email de confirmación (entre una y dos semanas)

3. Una vez recibido, recoge tu carné en SecretarÍa (consulta horario) y lleva en el momento una fotografía tamaño carné

4. Una vez sellado en Secretaría ya puedes venir a la Biblioteca y pedir material en préstamo. 

¡Te esperamos!

Paz Córcoles

Responsable Biblioteca Eoi

How to...

How to...

Biblioteca

HORARIO DE PRÉSTAMO DE LA BIBLIOTECA Curso académico 2018-2019

IMPORTANTE: Para acceder al sistema de préstamo es imprescindible presentar el carné de biblioteca de esta EOI. Gracias.
NOTA: El servicio de préstamo de esta biblioteca es atendido por profesores de esta EOI.

LUNES	De 13:00 a 14:00             De 16:00 a 17:00
MARTES	De 21:00 a 21:30
MIERCOLES	De 16:00 a 16:45
JUEVES	De 11:00 a 12:00             De 20:00 a 21:00

30 Examples of 30-Day Challenges

Click here to read an article.

Try something new for 30 days

 GRAMMAR 

1 Complete the following questions using the correct past participle. Then answer the question below.

1 Have you ever (take) ______ a photo every day?

2 Have you ever (eat) _______ something unusual?

3 Have you ever (bike) ________ to school or work?

4 Have you ever (climb)______ Mount Kilimanjaro?

5 Have you ever (learn)_______ to play a musical instrument?

6 Have you ever (write) _______ a novel? 

7 Have you ever (give up) _____ sugar?

2 Are these questions about a specific time in the past, or your experience up to now?

3 VIDEO 

Watch Matt Cutts talking about his 30 day challenges. Which of the activities in exercise 1 has he done?

 4 Watch the video again and choose which 4 things Matt Cutts says he learnt from the challenges.

A             Doing a challenge helps him to slow down and appreciate his life.

B             Achieving something new made him feel better about himself. 

C             He is not really a very adventurous person.

D             Anything is possible for a short period of time.                                                                                  

E             He has the ability to be a great novelist.                                                                                                                

F             It isn’t a good idea to try to do something very difficult.

  

5a VOCABULARY Look at some examples of idiomatic language from the video. Can you guess the meaning?

1             A few years ago, I felt like I was stuck in a rut….

2             So I decided to follow in the footsteps of the great American philosopher, Morgan Spurlock* and try something new for 30 days.

3             …instead of the months flying by, forgotten, the time was much more memorable.

4            Every November tens of thousands of people try to write their own 50,000 word novel, from scratch, in 30 days.

5            So why not think about something you have always wanted to try, and give it a shot for the next thirty days?

*Morgan Spurlock is an American film-maker, well-known for documentaries where he tries something for 30 days.

Transcript

Fill in the gaps using between two and four words.

A few years ago, I felt like I was stuck in a rut. So I decided to follow in the footsteps of the great American philosopher, Morgan Spurlock and try something new for 30 days.

The idea is actually pretty simple. Think about something you’ve always wanted to _____________________________ (1) , and try it, for the next 30 days. It turns out that 30 days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit, or subtract a habit, like _____________________________ (2), from your life.

There’s a few things I learned while doing these 30 day challenges. The first was, instead of the months flying by, forgotten, the time was _____________________________ (3). This was part of a challenge I did to take a picture every day for a month. And I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day.

I also noticed that as I started to do _____________________________ (4) 30 day challenges, my self-confidence grew. I went from desk-dwelling computer nerd to the kind of guy who bikes to work... _____________________________ (5). Even last year I ended up hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have been that adventurous before I started my 30 day challenges.

I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days. Have you ever wanted to write a novel? _____________________________ (6) tens of thousands of people try to write their own 50,000 word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out all you have to do is to write 16,667 words a day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to _____________________________ (7) until you’ve written your words for the day. You might be sleep deprived, but you’ll finish your novel.

Now, is my book the next great American novel? No, I wrote it in a month, it’s awful! But, for the rest of my life, if I meet John Hodgman* at a TED party, I don’t have to say, ‘I’m _____________________________ (8).’  No, no, if I want to, I can say, ‘I’m a novelist.’ 

So here’s one last thing I’d like to mention. I learned that when I made small, sustainable changes, things I could keep doing, they were more _____________________________ (9). There’s nothing wrong with big, crazy challenges. In fact, they’re a ton of fun. But they’re less likely to stick. When I gave up sugar for 30 days, day 31 looked like this…

So here’s my question to you, ‘What are you waiting for?’ I guarantee you the next 30 days _____________________________ (10), whether you like it or not. So why not think about something you have always wanted to try, and give it a shot for the next thirty days?

* John Hodgman is an American author and humourist.

Check your answers in "comments". Click here to see the script.

Personality

Selfies

More people die from selfies than shark attacks.

Click here to listen to the story and do the multiple choice test. Check your answers in "comments".

1.	Who, besides travellers, needs to note a new danger?	6.	What website detailed the selfie deaths?
	a) shark experts b) tour guides c) scared people d) camera-phone lovers		a) MSN b) BBC.com c) Wikipedia d) Google
2.	How common in our life is this new danger?	7.	What were two Russian men taking a selfie with?
	a) not at all common b) it's ubiquitous c) quite common d) not so common		a) a hand grenade b) a tank c) a rifle d) a missile
3.	How many times as lethal as shark attacks are deaths due to selfies?	8.	Where did three Indian students die?
	a) 5 b) 4 c) 3 d) 2		a) in a shopping mall b) in a university c) on train tracks d) on the beach
4.	Who does the article say people strike a pose with?	9.	What did an American woman fall to her death from?
	a) poseurs b) sharks c) friends d) tourists		a) the roof of her house b) a cliff c) a tower d) a shopping mall
5.	How many people died in 2015 from unprovoked shark attacks?	10.	At what world-famous site did a Japanese toursit die?
	a) 9 b) 8 c) 7 d) 6		a) Taj Mahal b) Eiffel Tower c) Sydney Opera House d) Empire State Building

Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Watch the video and answer the questions. Check your answers in "comments".

1. What was very clear to her?

2. What other two things did she find interesting? Why?

3. What does smart economy recognize?

4. Who inspired her? Why?

5. What happens in the English-speaking world according to her?

6. How is this different in other countries?

7. How does she describe science?

8. What did she want to be? When did she know it?

9. What’s her piece of advice?

My hero

Click here to do a listening activity about inspiring people. Do the preparation exercise before you listen and then the rest of the activities to check your understanding.

LISTENING PRACTICE

I. SINGLE PARENT BASICS
You will hear an interview with Jodi Seidler, founder of Single Parent Network, talking about single parents.

Click here to listen to the interview and here to see the task, answers and script.

II. TODAY’S NEWS
You will hear some news bulletins.

Click here to listen to the news bulletins and here to see the task, answers and script.

Click on "Exam Practice" in "contents" and find more exercises about different skills. Good luck!