Vocabulary and ideas for your opinion essay (Squatting)

Squatters who live in an unoccupied property should not be forced to leave it 

Vocabulary

Well-organised movement

Alternative lifestyle

Anti-political movement

A new class of squatters

Act out of necessity

Rise in unemployment

Cuts in social welfare programmes

To undergo a repossession

High rents

Lack of affordable houses

Empty / vacant / unoccupied houses

Derelict / Run-down buildings

Deprived areas

Property speculators

Homeowners

Evictions / to evict

To report / to file a report / a police report

Housing is a right and a need / an issue of human rights

Click here to read an article about Spain's housing crisis.

Another article about the Corrala movement in Spain. 

Here the latest news about the new laws in Spain.

Ideas and vocabulary for your opinion article (DOWNLOADING)

Downloading music or films without paying is as much of a crime as stealing from a shop

Some vocabulary:

File-sharing networks

A victimless crime

Get free access to

Copyright infringement

Intellectual property

Protect creators’ rights to profits

Audio streaming platforms (eg. Spotify)

A monthly fee / Pay a fair price / a subscription

Legitimate sources of entertainment online

Loss of jobs

The music industry

Some ideas

-          There is a drop in music sales.

-          A loss of jobs in the music industry.

-          It denies musicians the right to profits.

-          There is no incentive to produce new things

-          Illegal downloading places your computer at high risk. Infected files can result in loss of data, slow Internet connection and even identity theft.

-          CDs are obsolete and too expensive- not everyone can afford them

-          You cannot restrict access to ideas, expression, culture

-          Musicians become more popular and more demanded (concerts, shows, merchandising).

-          It is for personal use, you are not redistributing it.

-          It is very convenient.

World Water Day

World Water Day, on 22 March every year, is about focusing attention on the importance of water. 

This year’s theme, ‘Leaving no one behind’, adapts the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that as sustainable development progresses, everyone must benefit.

Sustainable Development Goal 6 is crystal clear: water for all by 2030. By definition, this means leaving no one behind. But today, billions of people are still living without safe water – their households, schools, workplaces, farms and factories struggling to survive and thrive. Marginalized groups – women, children, refugees, indigenous peoples, disabled people and many others – are often overlooked, and sometimes face discrimination, as they try to access and manage the safe water they need. This World Water Day, 22nd March, is about tackling the water crisis by addressing the reasons why so many people are being left behind. Get familiar with the issues – why are people being left behind without safe water and what can be done to reach them? 

Explore this year’s theme and browse our collection of stories to find out more: www.worldwaterday.org

 

London and the rise of violent crime

Watch the news report and fill in the gaps. Check your answers in "comments".

1. 17-year-old Tanesha Melbourne became last night the fifth person _______________   _______________   in the 

capital this year. 42 others have died of knife _______________. 

2. One woman told the reporter privately her son had told her about the postcode wars going on between 

_______________   in the neighbourhood.

3. A local man showed her where his car had been _______________   by a _______________   last year.

4. He says even the police can`t _______________   it.

5. 22-year-old Kobi Nelson was _______________   yards from his home.

6. Also a 16-year-old boy became the sixth _______________    _______________   this year.

7. The local MP has talked to Newsnight about how _______________   have impacted local policing.

8. She says she has stood up in parliament and _______________ and pleaded ministers to give them the police officers 

they have lost to get community intelligence.

9. The number of murders in London have led to _______________   comparisons with New York, a city which has 

dramatically cut its _______________   numbers since the 90s.

10. New York City and London have very similar numbers of officers and _______________.

11. As part of a new serious violence strategy the government recently launched a series of adverts aimed at 

_______________   _______________   crime.

12. It’s also looking into new laws against defensive _______________.

13. The person in charge of a community boxing club says that none of the latest victims were _______________   

_______________ gang members or criminals.

14. He also says it’s easy to blame the government or the parents but it takes a village to _______________   a child.

TELLING LIES

Click here to do a listening activity.  




Listen to Dan and Kate discuss how to tell if someone is lying, how you can cheat a lie detector test and when it might be OK not to tell the truth.

Crime and Punishment

I. Click here to see vocabulary about this topic.

II. Vocabulary and examples here

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3



Listen to an exchange between a police officer and a criminal and answer the multiple choice questions. 

Listen to another audio passage and answer the multiple choice question.

Calendario Pruebas Específicas Certificación

Click here to check the dates for the exams in June and September.