If you enjoyed finding out about Machu Picchu, you can read more here...
...and why not do this quiz on Machu Picchu here?
Thursday, May 15, 2008
More funny words and expressions...
rubber band
unswallowable
It's a girlie thing.
Gremlins (there are gremlins in my computer today!)
higgledy-piggledy
unswallowable
It's a girlie thing.
Gremlins (there are gremlins in my computer today!)
higgledy-piggledy
Friday, May 9, 2008
Second Conditional Interview
We answered some "what if..." questions from the textbook...
1. Where would you go if you could visit any country in the world?
Alex: I’d go to the United Kingdom. I’d look for the Loch Ness Monster!
João: I’d go to the USA.
Pedro: I’d go to England.
Leonor: I’d go to the USA.
Inês: I would go to Australia. I’d like to go to Australia to see the animals and eat chocolate bilbies.
Joana: I would go to Germany. My favourite band, Tokyo Hotel, is from there. (Isn’t it from Tokyo? – Mark)
Mark: I’d go to a south-east Asian country like Burma or Laos, or maybe Thailand. I’d like to see a Buddhist country.
2. Where would you live if you had to live in a different town?
Alex: I would go to London or maybe Copenhagen, which is the Lego Capital!
Leonor: If I had to live in a different town, I’d live in Lisbon.
Inês: I wouldn’t go anywhere! But if I HAD to, I’d go to Vila do Conde. (You could have said Gaia! – Mark)
Joana: I would live in Viana do Castelo, because I like it.
João: I would go to Sydney.
Pedro: I would go to New York. I wouldn’t like to live in London.
Mark: I’d probably choose to live in Aveiro. It’s close enough to Porto, and I like the atmosphere there a lot.
3. What would you buy if you won 100.000€ in the lottery?
Mark: I really don’t know! I’d probably buy a flat. And I’d buy a big present for my girlfriend.
João: I would buy a car!
Inês: I would buy a home for abandoned dogs.
Pedro: I’d buy a bigger house.
Alex: A new flat just to put all my Lego in!
Leonor: If I won 100.000€ I would buy a ship to travel on.
4. If you could marry any famous person you wanted, who would you marry?
Alex: I wouldn’t marry anyone. I’m only 12 years old!
Pedro: Me neither. But if I HAD to marry someone, I’d marry anyone except Margaret Thatcher!
Leonor: I don’t know.
Inês: Nobody!
Joana: I don’t know.
5. If you could meet a famous person, who would you meet?
Mark: I’d meet the Dalai Lama or Thich Nhat Hanh, who is a famous Buddhist teacher.
Alex: I’d meet Thomas Edison.
Pedro: I’d meet the vocalist of Linkin Park.
Inês: I’d meet Agatha Christie. I think she wrote good books.
Joana: I would meet Luke Prichard, the vocalist of the Kooks.
João: I would meet Thomas Chaplin, the vocalist of Keane.
Leonor: I would meet a lot of people, like...
6. What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
Alex: I would spy on the Pentagon!
Pedro: I would play pranks on my friends.
Joana:
Inês: I would rob a bank.
Leonor: I would eavesdrop on people’s conversations.
João: I dunno. The same as Pedro.
Mark: I’d be able to watch birds very very close, because they wouldn’t be able to see me. But I’d have a problem using my binoculars! They would seem to float in the air! That might frighten the birds away!
7. If you could have one wish, what would you wish for?
Joana: I would wish for more holidays.
Inês I’d ask for a thousand wishes!
Leonor: I would wish to be able to read people’s minds.
Pedro: I would ask to live in the age of the knights.
João: I would wish to be rich.
Alex: I would wish for the power to do anything.
Mark: I would wish for people to stop making wars and to live peacefully together.
1. Where would you go if you could visit any country in the world?
Alex: I’d go to the United Kingdom. I’d look for the Loch Ness Monster!
João: I’d go to the USA.
Pedro: I’d go to England.
Leonor: I’d go to the USA.
Inês: I would go to Australia. I’d like to go to Australia to see the animals and eat chocolate bilbies.
Joana: I would go to Germany. My favourite band, Tokyo Hotel, is from there. (Isn’t it from Tokyo? – Mark)
Mark: I’d go to a south-east Asian country like Burma or Laos, or maybe Thailand. I’d like to see a Buddhist country.
2. Where would you live if you had to live in a different town?
Alex: I would go to London or maybe Copenhagen, which is the Lego Capital!
Leonor: If I had to live in a different town, I’d live in Lisbon.
Inês: I wouldn’t go anywhere! But if I HAD to, I’d go to Vila do Conde. (You could have said Gaia! – Mark)
Joana: I would live in Viana do Castelo, because I like it.
João: I would go to Sydney.
Pedro: I would go to New York. I wouldn’t like to live in London.
Mark: I’d probably choose to live in Aveiro. It’s close enough to Porto, and I like the atmosphere there a lot.
3. What would you buy if you won 100.000€ in the lottery?
Mark: I really don’t know! I’d probably buy a flat. And I’d buy a big present for my girlfriend.
João: I would buy a car!
Inês: I would buy a home for abandoned dogs.
Pedro: I’d buy a bigger house.
Alex: A new flat just to put all my Lego in!
Leonor: If I won 100.000€ I would buy a ship to travel on.
4. If you could marry any famous person you wanted, who would you marry?
Alex: I wouldn’t marry anyone. I’m only 12 years old!
Pedro: Me neither. But if I HAD to marry someone, I’d marry anyone except Margaret Thatcher!
Leonor: I don’t know.
Inês: Nobody!
Joana: I don’t know.
5. If you could meet a famous person, who would you meet?
Mark: I’d meet the Dalai Lama or Thich Nhat Hanh, who is a famous Buddhist teacher.
Alex: I’d meet Thomas Edison.
Pedro: I’d meet the vocalist of Linkin Park.
Inês: I’d meet Agatha Christie. I think she wrote good books.
Joana: I would meet Luke Prichard, the vocalist of the Kooks.
João: I would meet Thomas Chaplin, the vocalist of Keane.
Leonor: I would meet a lot of people, like...
6. What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
Alex: I would spy on the Pentagon!
Pedro: I would play pranks on my friends.
Joana:
Inês: I would rob a bank.
Leonor: I would eavesdrop on people’s conversations.
João: I dunno. The same as Pedro.
Mark: I’d be able to watch birds very very close, because they wouldn’t be able to see me. But I’d have a problem using my binoculars! They would seem to float in the air! That might frighten the birds away!
7. If you could have one wish, what would you wish for?
Joana: I would wish for more holidays.
Inês I’d ask for a thousand wishes!
Leonor: I would wish to be able to read people’s minds.
Pedro: I would ask to live in the age of the knights.
João: I would wish to be rich.
Alex: I would wish for the power to do anything.
Mark: I would wish for people to stop making wars and to live peacefully together.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Michael Ivy
A couple of weeks ago, we wrote to Michael Ivy, who runs the Rome Metrozine, amongst other things, to ask him some questions. Here is our letter, and Michael's answers!
Dear Mike,
We have some questions for you. If you don’t mind, could you answer them? Thanks!
Carolina, Inês, Leonor, Alex, João, Pedro
Personal Questions
Where do you live? What type of house do you live in?
I live in the San Giovanni district of Rome. I live in an apartment building in the “Società Cooperative per le Case Economiche”. These were originally built for the railway workers at nearby Termini Station according to the father of a girl I went out with, who lived there himself when he was a student. But now all kinds of people live there. The parents of the singer Luciano Battisti used to live upstairs.
Where are you from? London.
Are you married? Have you got any children? No to both questions for the time being!
How old are you? Fifty-four.
Do you wear glasses? Yes.
Have you got a mobile phone? Yes. It is an old Nokia 6350 i. The battery lasts an amazingly long time between charges.
What type of gadgets have you got? I’ve got a very old Handspring PDA. I keep all my phone numbers on it, as well as my expenses.
Have you got any pets? No.
Why do you live in Rome? Because I teach at the British Council here. How long have you lived in Rome? Ten years.
What’s your favourite food? Difficult: it’s a choice between “foie gras” and spaghetti alle vongole” – a seafood spaghetti.
Do you like animals? Most of the time as long as they don’t give me any grief. What’s your favourite animal? Difficult. I quite like cats and monkeys, some dogs and snakes. Perhaps one of my favourites is the owl. You can have conversations with them at night.
Hobbies and Interests
What do you like doing in your free time? Taking photographs, going on bike rides, editing my photos on the computer, and, lately, hiking in the hills in my new boots.
What kind of music do you like? Rai, rock and roll, soul, jazz, blues, classical, African. What is your favourite? One of my favourites is the Algerian singer Cheb Khaled. Though I also admire Italian singers like Roberto Murolo, Mia Martinio, Mina and Pino Daniele.
What kind of film do you like most? All kinds: adventure, surrealist, thrillers… What is your favourite film? One of the best ever was “Doctor Strangelove”. Stanley Kubrick was a brilliant man. Also most films by the Spaniard Luis Bunuel.
Do you play any musical instrument? No I am afraid not. I regret this.What is your favourite instrument? Acoustic (classical) guitar. Also the saxophone.
Do you like sport? Football up to a point (I am not really a fan) and cycling. Which sport or sports do you play? I used to play squash until a few years ago.Do you like yoga? I probably would do if I knew more about it. Mark does! What’s your favourite football team? Ummm. Used to support Napoli when we had Maradona. Now I am not sure.
Work Questions
How long have you been teaching? For about thirty years.
How long have you been posting students’ work on the internet? For about ten years.
Why did you decide to create the Rome Metrozine? To give my students a means of expressing themselves online. But I think we now need a new formula. I am proposing to drop the Metrozine, which is very Web 1.0. It is better to use a blog or similar site where students can post their work directly. That’s giving the user control over the content – very Web 2.0. Where does the word ‘Metrozine’ come from? Metro(polis) (Maga)zine.
Do you work at the weekend? Not unless it’s unavoidable.
Did you do something else before you created the Rome Metrozine? Yes, I created an online magazine for students in Naples. It has vanished now.
Why did you become a teacher? Partly in order to travel. I could have gone all round the world. But I arrived in Naples, and two years became nearly twenty. It often happens like that.
Other
Have you ever been to Porto? Yes, several times. Why? Because I have quite a close friend there called Paula. She lives in Matosinhos and she is an architect. She studied under a famous architect called Alvaro Vieira Siza. When? Last time was five years ago.
Have you ever lost a shoe? Yes, I once lost a pair at an ice rink.
Have you ever found something valuable? Never, I am afraid.
Have you ever eaten something strange, like sheep’s eyes? Yes. When I lived in the Sahara I ate goats’ testicles.
Do you like pasta? Yes, I love it. It's our national dish.
What’s your favourite funny expression in English? “You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can’t wipe your friends off on your pants.”
Thanks very much indeed, Michael, for taking the time to answer all these questions.
Students - do check out Michael's latest project, 'Thank Blog it's Friday'.
Dear Mike,
We have some questions for you. If you don’t mind, could you answer them? Thanks!
Carolina, Inês, Leonor, Alex, João, Pedro
Personal Questions
Where do you live? What type of house do you live in?
I live in the San Giovanni district of Rome. I live in an apartment building in the “Società Cooperative per le Case Economiche”. These were originally built for the railway workers at nearby Termini Station according to the father of a girl I went out with, who lived there himself when he was a student. But now all kinds of people live there. The parents of the singer Luciano Battisti used to live upstairs.
Where are you from? London.
Are you married? Have you got any children? No to both questions for the time being!
How old are you? Fifty-four.
Do you wear glasses? Yes.
Have you got a mobile phone? Yes. It is an old Nokia 6350 i. The battery lasts an amazingly long time between charges.
What type of gadgets have you got? I’ve got a very old Handspring PDA. I keep all my phone numbers on it, as well as my expenses.
Have you got any pets? No.
Why do you live in Rome? Because I teach at the British Council here. How long have you lived in Rome? Ten years.
What’s your favourite food? Difficult: it’s a choice between “foie gras” and spaghetti alle vongole” – a seafood spaghetti.
Do you like animals? Most of the time as long as they don’t give me any grief. What’s your favourite animal? Difficult. I quite like cats and monkeys, some dogs and snakes. Perhaps one of my favourites is the owl. You can have conversations with them at night.
Hobbies and Interests
What do you like doing in your free time? Taking photographs, going on bike rides, editing my photos on the computer, and, lately, hiking in the hills in my new boots.
What kind of music do you like? Rai, rock and roll, soul, jazz, blues, classical, African. What is your favourite? One of my favourites is the Algerian singer Cheb Khaled. Though I also admire Italian singers like Roberto Murolo, Mia Martinio, Mina and Pino Daniele.
What kind of film do you like most? All kinds: adventure, surrealist, thrillers… What is your favourite film? One of the best ever was “Doctor Strangelove”. Stanley Kubrick was a brilliant man. Also most films by the Spaniard Luis Bunuel.
Do you play any musical instrument? No I am afraid not. I regret this.What is your favourite instrument? Acoustic (classical) guitar. Also the saxophone.
Do you like sport? Football up to a point (I am not really a fan) and cycling. Which sport or sports do you play? I used to play squash until a few years ago.Do you like yoga? I probably would do if I knew more about it. Mark does! What’s your favourite football team? Ummm. Used to support Napoli when we had Maradona. Now I am not sure.
Work Questions
How long have you been teaching? For about thirty years.
How long have you been posting students’ work on the internet? For about ten years.
Why did you decide to create the Rome Metrozine? To give my students a means of expressing themselves online. But I think we now need a new formula. I am proposing to drop the Metrozine, which is very Web 1.0. It is better to use a blog or similar site where students can post their work directly. That’s giving the user control over the content – very Web 2.0. Where does the word ‘Metrozine’ come from? Metro(polis) (Maga)zine.
Do you work at the weekend? Not unless it’s unavoidable.
Did you do something else before you created the Rome Metrozine? Yes, I created an online magazine for students in Naples. It has vanished now.
Why did you become a teacher? Partly in order to travel. I could have gone all round the world. But I arrived in Naples, and two years became nearly twenty. It often happens like that.
Other
Have you ever been to Porto? Yes, several times. Why? Because I have quite a close friend there called Paula. She lives in Matosinhos and she is an architect. She studied under a famous architect called Alvaro Vieira Siza. When? Last time was five years ago.
Have you ever lost a shoe? Yes, I once lost a pair at an ice rink.
Have you ever found something valuable? Never, I am afraid.
Have you ever eaten something strange, like sheep’s eyes? Yes. When I lived in the Sahara I ate goats’ testicles.
Do you like pasta? Yes, I love it. It's our national dish.
What’s your favourite funny expression in English? “You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can’t wipe your friends off on your pants.”
Thanks very much indeed, Michael, for taking the time to answer all these questions.
Students - do check out Michael's latest project, 'Thank Blog it's Friday'.
Music
Recently, we talked about our favourite musicians and pieces of music... or at least about music and musicians that we like a lot! Here's what you wrote about the musicians you like:
Tom Chaplin
His real name is Thomas Oliver Chaplin. He was born on 8 of March 1979 in Battle, England.
His father name is David Chaplin and his mother’s name is Sally Taylor. He is the vocalist of the band Keane. He plays piano too.
He is tall and thin, he has got a pale and round face. He has got straight, brown hair and a thin nose. He isn’t a very strong person because he had some problems with drugs nd alcohol. He has got a girlfriend. He is a wonderful singer. - João
Tim (António Manuel dos Santos Lopes) was born on the 14th April in 1960 in Ferreira de Alentejo. He has been playing the contrabass since he was 15 years old. Now, he makes part of the Portuguese band “Xutos e Pontapés” ( in English “Kicks and Kicks” with two different words for “kicks”) as the vocalist (he also plays the contrabass) and I believe that this band is the mother of the Portuguese rock (the father is Rui Veloso) Tim has played and sung in “Rio Grande”, “Cabeças no Ar” and in “Resistência”. He has a solo career too. - Carolina
Mark Hoppus
Mark Hoppus was born in 1947. He is an American musician and a record producer. He was a member of the band Blink 182, one of the vocalists. He plays also bass guitar. His band has more than twenty albums and had finished in 2004. My favourite music of them is ‘All the Small things’. - Inês
The Kooks
The band formed at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music, where they were all students. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Luke Pritchard got bassist Max Rafferty involved in a college project, which formed the base of the band. - Joana
Mark O’Connor is a violinist and a composer. He was born in Seattle, Washington in 1961. His birthday is on the 5th of August. He started to play the guitar when he was six. When he was eleven he started to study violin. At twelve he won his first national prize. Today he is 46 years old. - Alex
Linkin Park is a rock band from Agoura Hills,Callifornia. Since they were formed in 1996, they have sold more than fifty milion albums and won two grammy awards.
I think their best pieces of music are One Step Closer, Bleed It Out and In The End - Pedro
Shakira
Shakira was born in 1977. She is Colombian and Lebanese.
She is a singer and dancer in concert.
She’s currently the 4th richest singer in the world. And also the 4th most successful singer in the world. - Leonor
Tom Chaplin
His real name is Thomas Oliver Chaplin. He was born on 8 of March 1979 in Battle, England.
His father name is David Chaplin and his mother’s name is Sally Taylor. He is the vocalist of the band Keane. He plays piano too.
He is tall and thin, he has got a pale and round face. He has got straight, brown hair and a thin nose. He isn’t a very strong person because he had some problems with drugs nd alcohol. He has got a girlfriend. He is a wonderful singer. - João
Tim (António Manuel dos Santos Lopes) was born on the 14th April in 1960 in Ferreira de Alentejo. He has been playing the contrabass since he was 15 years old. Now, he makes part of the Portuguese band “Xutos e Pontapés” ( in English “Kicks and Kicks” with two different words for “kicks”) as the vocalist (he also plays the contrabass) and I believe that this band is the mother of the Portuguese rock (the father is Rui Veloso) Tim has played and sung in “Rio Grande”, “Cabeças no Ar” and in “Resistência”. He has a solo career too. - Carolina
Mark Hoppus
Mark Hoppus was born in 1947. He is an American musician and a record producer. He was a member of the band Blink 182, one of the vocalists. He plays also bass guitar. His band has more than twenty albums and had finished in 2004. My favourite music of them is ‘All the Small things’. - Inês
The Kooks
The band formed at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music, where they were all students. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Luke Pritchard got bassist Max Rafferty involved in a college project, which formed the base of the band. - Joana
Mark O’Connor is a violinist and a composer. He was born in Seattle, Washington in 1961. His birthday is on the 5th of August. He started to play the guitar when he was six. When he was eleven he started to study violin. At twelve he won his first national prize. Today he is 46 years old. - Alex
Linkin Park is a rock band from Agoura Hills,Callifornia. Since they were formed in 1996, they have sold more than fifty milion albums and won two grammy awards.
I think their best pieces of music are One Step Closer, Bleed It Out and In The End - Pedro
Shakira
Shakira was born in 1977. She is Colombian and Lebanese.
She is a singer and dancer in concert.
She’s currently the 4th richest singer in the world. And also the 4th most successful singer in the world. - Leonor
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