ESL News New Zealand

ESL News New Zealand is a site to listen to news, spoken slowly and clearly, using easy vocabulary. The news mainly revolves around what is happening in New Zealand and in that part of the world. The audio file is downloadable and there is always an accompanying transcription of each news item.

In ESL News New Zealand lower level English students can read and listen at the same time, or just listen to practise listening comprehension, or listen then read and listen again.

There is also a glossary which helps with some difficult words, expressions and cultural references. 

Everyday conversations

Practice everyday conversations with these short lessons from ShareAmerica, a site managed by the Bureau of International Information Programs within the U.S. Department of State.

Everyday conversations offers sixty lessons plus through around everyday situations (making suggestions, greetings, invitations, advice, expressing opinions) and topics (the environment, recycling, hobbies).

The lessons all follow the same format: Learners listen to a short dialogue (from one to three minutes) the transcript of which is available. Some of the vocabulary items and phrases in the dialogue are highlighted because an explanation of their meaning and use is given.

Everyday conversations is a wonderful site for students at elementary and early intermediate level, although stronger students will also benefit from some of the vocabulary and idiomatic expressions that come up in the conversations.

 

Pronunciation of -ED by Woodward English

A few weeks ago Woodward English published this video in which they look at the 3 different ways of pronouncing the ending -ED at the end of regular verbs in English.



They go into detail about the rules necessary to know the correction pronunciation of any -ED ending: These rules are  for regular verbs in the past tense, for regular past participles and for adjectives that end in ED.

There is a special section about voiced and voiceless (or unvoiced) sounds in English.

You will also find the Woodward -ED Pronunciation chart where you will hear how each each word is said.

You can find more details about the correct pronunciation of ED at the end of words in English here.
Pronunciation of ED in English Game (20 questions).
Pronunciation of ED in English Game 2 (50 questions).

The international flag of Earth

A student has solved what will be one of the biggest problems facing the human race in the next 100 years: How we'll look when we inevitably conquer the galaxy. To help avoid any inevitable arguments between nations, student Oskar Pernefeldt has designed "The International Flag of Planet Earth".



What could the flag of the planet earth look like? Would it illustrate the planet itself? Or is it a symbol of the inhabitants of earth - a reminder that we should all stand united. Celebrate life itself. Remind us that all life is connected in one way or another. But life wouldn't be possible without the water on earth. Therefore it would be relevant for the blue planets flag to be blue. But what kind of blue? A flag like this would mainly be used while representing earth in outer space. It should be a clear contrast to the black of outer space. Also to the white of the space suits and shuttles which it would be placed upon. Light blue would disappear into the white and dark blue would disappear into the black. Therefore a brighter blue would be more fitting.

There are a lot of different ratios or proportions for flags. A few of them would be conceptually interesting for a flag like this. For example the one to one ratio is a perfect square, fitting a circle or a planet if you will. Five to eight is the golden ratio, a mathematical ratio that occurs in lots of mystical ways in nature. The most common flag ratio in the world is the two to three ratio.

All of these options were taken into consideration during the design process of the international flag of planet earth. Resulting in a flag that reminds us to take care of each other and the planet we live on.

Deep English

Learn English with interesting stories at an intermediate level while listening to a weekly lesson at three different speeds with Deep English. Full transcript provided.

Sound Grammar

A few weeks ago Jeffrey Hill informed on The English Blog about Sound Grammar.

This is a site that offers grammar lessons (so far 31) in an original way. The grammar point is introduced in a short dialogue at the beginning. A listening comprehension check follows together with some short explanations about the grammar point in question. Finally there's a grammar practice activity.

Most of the lessons come complete with a video where the grammar point is also explained and Sound Grammar allows you to download the audio file of the conversation. A transcript is also available.

The layout of Sound Grammar reminds us of elllo, which is always a guarantee of quality and originality.

Intermediate students will greatly benefit from the site, although some of the lesson are also within the grasp of lower level students.

The Helenic American Union is an educational public charity based in Greece with an international focus. It is dedicated to providing opportunities for a diverse range of audiences to encounter and benefit from innovative educational programmes and cultural events.

As part of its online learning resources the Helenic American Union offers a number of podcasts for lower-intermediate to advanced students divided into four levels: Pre-intermediate, intermediate, upper-intermediate and advanced. There are ten podcasts per level with topics ranging from video games and the history of beer (pre-intermediate), to yoga and balcony gardening (intermediate), gossip and restaurants (upper-intermdiate) and cigarette lawsuit and anorexia (sdvanced), to name just a few.

The podcasts come complete with transcript and activities.

The new tube for London

Watch this video from Transport for London about the plans for new trains London's underground.

Self-study activity:
Watch the video and complete the blanks in the transcript with the missing information. The activity is suitable for Básico 2 and Intermediate 1 students.



Across the Underground trains, stations and (1) ... are being modernized. But with London’s population growing rapidly we need to do even more.
In the upcoming decade, we will introduce the New Tube for London, which will mean faster, more frequent and more (2) ... journeys on the Piccadilly, Central, Bakerloo and Waterloo & City lines.
Modern signalling and train control systems will mean the new trains can run faster and more frequently boosting (3) ... on the Piccadilly line alone by up to 60 per cent.
Our design vision is for a train that both echoes the best of London’s transport heritage and (4) ... the latest modern technology. The (5) ... spacious and comfortable new trains will have walk through carriages to increase capacity and will have all double (6) ... to speed up boarding and alighting.
Automatic trains are already in service on several lines and many Metros around the world are now introducing fully automatic trains with centralised monitoring and control to (7) ... improve customer service and efficiency. The new trains will (8) ... real time information and for the first time on the deep level Tube, trains will be air-cooled making journeys more comfortable for customers.
Platforms will be modified to improve (9) ... and modern Platform Edge Door technology, already introduced on the Jubilee line, will be progressively deployed to (10) ... improve safety and reliability. When the new train (11) ... service it will have an operator on board. But as these trains will (12) ... London for over 40 years they will be designed and built to be capable of fully automatic operation.
The New Tube for London is designed to meet London’s needs, making life better for customers and providing a service of which Londoners can be proud.
For more information go to www.tfl.gov.uk/newtube

Key:
1 track 2 reliable 3 capacity 4 utilises 5 250 6 doorways 7 further 8 provide 9 accessibility 10 further 11 enters 12 serve

How the Panama Canal was built

BBC News tells us the story of the construction of one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

Self-study activity:
For Básico 2 students, without watching the video (just minimise the window or scroll the screen down, so that you can't see the images), note down all the numbers and figures that are mentioned in the video.

For intermediate students, watch the video and complete the blanks in the transcript below with the missing words.



It has been a hundred years since the first ship sailed through the Panama Canal. In 1881 France began what would become one of the most challenging engineering projects ever (1) ...  . But disease plagued the French (2) ...  and up to a third of workers fell ill. After almost a decade, work (3) ... to a halt.
The canal was sold to the US 15 years later. The French suffered a considerable financial (4) ... . But by the (5) ... of the 20th century, medical knowledge was finally capable of controlling (6) ... of tropical disease.
The American opted for a new elevated lock system which would hoist ships above sea level. Upon (7) ... , the canal had cost a massive $639m, enough to build 85 Titanics. But after 33 years of construction the canal had (8) ... the lives of more than 25,000 thousand people. More than three quarters of these under French control. That’s 500 deaths for every mile of canal, and some believe this (9) ... to be even higher.
It was a colossal (10) ... , a journey from the west coast of America to Europe was cut virtually in half, and from Shanghai to New York by 14%. Two foreign nations were responsible for its construction, but the canal was finally handed over to Panama in 1999. Uniting two oceans for the first time, the canal has played a place in history as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

Key:
1 undertaken 2 workforce 3  ground 4 loss 5 dawn 6 outbreaks 7 completion 8 claimed  9 toll  10 achievement

Self-driving car

Centraal Beheer Achmea is one of Holland’s biggest insurance companies. They have come up with this funny ad for their 2014 campaign.

Self-study activity:
Watch the video and fill in the gaps in the transcript with the missing words.

The activity is suitable for Básico 2 and Intermediate 1 students.



Introducing the (1) ...-... self-driving car. It does the driving for you, so you (2) ...   ... on the more important things in life. It automatically takes the right (3) ... , (4) ... avoid (5) ... obstacles and recognizes red lights (6) ... in advance, (7) ... you a perfectly safe journey every time. The self-driving car, technology is ready for it and so are we.
Centraal Beheer car (8) ... .

Memory test:
Watch the ad through and try to remember all the accidents in the video due to the distractions of drivers and passers-by when seeing the self-driving car.

Talking of distractions when driving, watch the Volkswagen Eyes on the road ad. Stop the video at 00:58" and try to predict what's going to happen next.



Key:
1all-new 2 catch up 3 turns 4 effortlessly 5 unexpected 6 farther 7 ensuring 8 insurance

Madrid Teacher: Guess where I went on holiday

A group of Madrid Teachers are playing the yes/no game. They are trying to find out where one of them went on holiday by simply asking yes/no questions.

This is a fun video for students at intermediate level, but strong Básico 2 students may benefit from it, too.

To begin with, watch the video through to get the gist of the conversation and the game. Watch the video through more than once, if necessary.

Now watch the video more carefully and note down the questions on the video. You may need to pause the video so that you have the time to write the questions down.

Once you've got all, or most of the questions, see if you can remember what the answers were.

Finally, get together with a friend or group of friends and guess where everybody went on their last holiday by asking yes/no questions.



Did you fly to this holiday destination?
No, I did not.
Ok. Is it in the United States?
No, it is not.
Is it in North America?
No, it is not.
Is it in Spain?
It is.
OK. And is it a location by the ocean, by the beach?
Yes.
Is it on the beach?
For some of the time.
Did you stay, stay in a city?
Also for some of the time.
Ok. And did you swim?
Yes.
Did you, did you do other kinds of water activities?
Mm-mm.
Water sports?
No.
OK.
Is it on the peninsula? The place, is it on the peninsula or on one of the islands? The Iberian peninsula?
Yeah. Yes. Sorry. The Iberian peninsula. The mainland. Mm-hm.
OK. And did you stay in a hotel?
No, I did not.
Were you camping?
No, it was in between. I stayed in lodging houses.
Ok
Did you go alone?
I went alone, yes.
Did you come back alone?
No, no, I didn’t.
Did you, you didn’t fly so, did you take a bus?
I did.
OK.
Did you meet some friends there?
In the beginning, yes, and then I made some friends.
Was the night life good?
Also in the beginning, yes!
OK.
But not at the end?
No, at the end it wasn’t a night life thing.
And did you go there for a special occasion?
Huh, not special occasion like we normally think of but, that was the time to go.
Was, was there, like, a festival going on there?
You know, it’s Spain. I’m sure there was. But that’s not why I went.
OK. Is this, is this place historically significant?
Yes, many of the places were historically significant.
OK. So, we’re talking about more than one destination.
Mm-hm.
OK. OK.
So, did you tour several locations?
I did.
But it’s in one region in Spain?
Yes.
One specific . . .
Yes. To be honest actually four regions.
OK. Wow!
Did it take a weekend?
No, much more.
A week? A month? Two weeks?
Three weeks.
Three weeks.
Did you do it last August?
No, I did it last July.
OK.
Did you visit museums during your trip?
That’s a good question. I don’t think so.
Did you visit any bars?
Yes, yes, I did.
Did you do any dancing?
Yes, I did, in the beginning.
Ok
Did you try anything different, like new food?
Oh, yeah. The whole thing was different, new food, new activity. Yes.
And was there a particular activity you were doing?
Yes.
For example, was it a cycling tour?
Close.
OK, skateboard?
Now, you’re getting further.
OK.
Motorcycle?
No.
Backpacking?
Yes.
Did you walk on the Santiago, El Camino de Santiago?
You’ve got it, brother.
Ah!
From Irun to Unquera, which is on the border of Cantabria and Asturias.
Cantabria. . . Asturias. Yeah, it’s beautiful. So you, you walked on the north coast? Did you enjoy it?
Thoroughly.
Do you recommend it?
Thoroughly.
Do you feel that you have changed as a person?
I did. I certainly did while I was there, but then you get back and slip into your normal routine once again.

Tibetan Dog 'sold for $2 million' in China

Watch this short episode about a Tibetan mastiff puppy sold in China at an astronomical price.

Self-study activity:
Watch the video and fill out the gaps in the transcript.

The activity is suitable for Básico 2 and Intermediate 1 students.



A Tibetan mastiff puppy has been sold in China for almost $(1) ... , a report said Wednesday, in what could be the most expensive dog sale ever. A property developer paid 12 million yuan ($[2] ...) for the one-year-old golden-haired mastiff at a “(3) ...” fair Tuesday in the eastern province of Zhejiang, the Qianjiang Evening News reported. “They have lion’s (4) ... and are top-of-the-range mastiff studs,” the dog’s breeder Zhang Gengyun was quoted as telling the paper, adding that another (5) ... canine had sold for 6 million yuan. Enormous and sometimes ferocious, with round manes lending them a passing resemblance to (6) ... , Tibetan mastiffs have become a prized (7) ...  among China’s wealthy, sending prices skyrocketing.
The golden-haired animal was 80 centimetres ([8] ... ) tall, and weighed 90 kilograms (nearly 200 pounds), Zhang said, adding that he was sad to sell the animals. Neither was named in the report. “Pure Tibetan mastiffs are very rare, just like our nationally (9) ... pandas, so the prices are so high,” he said. One red mastiff named “Big Splash” reportedly sold for 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) in 2011, in the most expensive dog sale then recorded.
The buyer at the Zhejiang expo was said to be a 56-year-old property (10) ... from Qingdao who hopes to breed dogs himself, according to the report. The newspaper quoted the owner of a mastiff breeding website as saying that last year one animal sold for 27 million yuan at a fair in Beijing. But an industry insider surnamed Xu told the paper that the high prices may be the result of insider agreements among (11) ... to boost their dogs’ worth. “A lot of the sky-high priced (12) ... are just (11) ... hyping each other up, and no money actually changes hands,” Xu said. Owners say the mastiffs, descendants of dogs used for hunting by nomadic tribes in central Asia and Tibet, are fiercely loyal and protective.

Key:
1 2 million  2 1.9 million 3 luxury pet 4 blood  5 red-haired 6 lions 7 status symbol 8 31 inches 9 treasured 10  developer 11 breeders 12 deals

New York City Guide

Watch this short Lonely Planet travel video on New York City and fill in the blanks in the transcript with the missing words.

The activity is suitable for Básico 2 and Intermediate 1 students.



New Yorkers like to think their home is the (1) ... of the world. And who can (2) ... them? Home to over eight million people, the city is (3) ... and fast and pulsates with energy. America's biggest city can be overwhelming for visitors, but you'll find street names make (4) ... easy. And those yellow cabs are a great way to get around.
Manhattan is the (5) ... and soul of ‘the big apple’, and within its neighbourhoods there's a distinct style and (6) ... . Lower Manhattan, the city's financial district, bustles from Monday to Friday. The neon of Times Square and Broadway (7) ... bright in midtown while dominating the Upper-East and West sides, are Central Park, (8) ...  boutiques and those famous brownstone homes.
Make your way down to New York (9) ... , and jump on a ferry to Liberty Island. Take in the views of the statue of Liberty, a (10) ... from France commemorating the centennial of the Declaration of Independence. It's been the beacon of freedom to immigrants arriving in New York since (11)  ...  .
New York is one of the cultural hubs of the world. Don't miss the city's famous art museums: the Museum of Modern Art, or "MOMA", the Solomon R. Guggenheim museum, and the Metropolitan museum of Art. And look to the South Bronx and Queens, where a new (12) ... of artists are making their mark on the street.
New York has always been a thriving home for music. Check out the beach in the Bronx, the (13) ... of hip-hop, or (14) ... to Greenwich Village, for New York's jazz (15) ... . From jazz clubs to Broadway extravaganzas, and the (16) ... Chelsea bars, in the city that never sleeps there are plenty of reasons to stay out late well into the night.

Key:
1 center 2 blame 3 loud  4 navigation 5 heart 6 pace 7 burns 8 high-end 9 harbour 10 gift 11 1886 12 wave 13 birthplace 14  head 15 scene 16 latest

Madrid Teacher series: Tell me about your last vacation

Two Madrid teachers are discussing the last holiday of one of them.

Self-study activity:
Watch the video through and note down the questions the boy asks the girl.
Watch the video again and note down the girl's answers.

The activity is suitable for strong Básico 2 students and for Intermediate 1 students.

You can read the transcript below to check your answers.



Tell me about your last vacation.
Well, my last vacation was in Vietnam. I was in Vietnam for three weeks.
And how was it?
It was fantastic. It’s a beautiful country.
And what did you do?
Many things. Vietnam is a country that is very diverse, so the south is very different from the north. In the south, you can go to the beach and I went swimming in the ocean. It’s very hot. In the north, I went to the mountains where it’s very cold and I went hiking.
And how was that?
It was beautiful. It was the scenery was beautiful, and they have many different ethnic groups in the north. So, it’s very interesting to meet all the different people.
Did you go alone?
No, I went with a friend.
And, what, who did you meet along the way?
We met many families and children. We met many people who were farmers. They were working in the rice fields. We also were lucky to have a tour guide, who was from the local area and could show us all of the sites of the local area.
So, did you pay a guide?
Yes, yes we did.
And how did you do that?
He gave us, he gave us a standard rate of how much we had to pay. And so, we went to the, to the cash machine and we took out the money and we paid it to him.
And was the entire trip very expensive?
No, Vietnam is not an expensive country. I think for a three-week holiday we only spent around one thousand five hundred dollars, US dollars.
One thousand five hundred?
Yes.
Plus transportation to get to and from Vietnam?
Plus, yes, yes, plus the cost for the flight.
And where did you stay at night?
It’s very easy to find accommodation in Vietnam. So, each time we arrived in a new city, we asked at the bus station or the train station, and someone took us to a, to a hostel.
You always stayed in a hostel?
We, we always stayed in a hostel or, or a, a, a cheap hotel.
And did, did you eat the local food?
Yes, we did. It was delicious. They have very fresh ingredients. And, I like the Vietnamese food, I liked the Vietnamese food very much because it’s not very fried, it’s very fresh. We ate a lot of salad and these kinds of things.
Did you get sick?
No. Both of us were very lucky. We didn’t get sick, and we ate a lot.
Do you recommend it?
Yes, I thoroughly recommend it. It was a wonderful trip.

Madrid Teacher series: How My Parents Met

In today's Madrid Teacher video Laura tells us the story of how her parents met.

Self-study activity:
Watch the video and complete the blanks in the transcript with the missing words.

The activity is suitable for Básico 2 and Intermediate 1 students.



My mom lived in a little town about (1) ... an hour from the city where my dad  (2) ...   ... . And… it’s in the same educational district, so a lot of times the high school sports teams will play each other. And… my dad was a baseball player. He was… he’s always loved to (3) ... things, and so when he was in high school, he played… he was a pitcher for the baseball team. And he was a crazy pitcher. He had a little (4) ...  controlling his arm and his throws. Sometimes his throws went a little wild, and they were very fast. So… one day, high school, baseball (5) ... . My mom’s high school baseball team and my dad’s high school baseball team have a (6) ... . And my mom is a scorekeeper for her school’s team. So she’s sitting on the side, taking notes… if someone’s out, if someone gets a home run, I don’t know. I don’t know what scorekeepers in baseball do. And my dad, it’s time for him to pitch, and one of my mom’s players is up to bat. And my dad lets loose one of his crazy pitches and nails my mom’s friend in the (7) ... with the baseball, and leaves, like… he leaves the imprint of the… of the ball… you could see the stitches of the ball in… in this guy’s (8) ...! And all the mothers from my mom’s high school… they were in shock, they were yelling, they were so (9) ... , they were, like, “That boy! Get him out of here! He (10) ... our child!” Or, whatever mothers yell when their children get hit with balls. And… so yeah, the first time my parents met, my dad… hurt one of my mom’s friends. But they didn’t know it until much, much later, so it didn’t hurt their relationship at all.

Key:
1 half 2 grew up 3 throw 4 trouble 5 season 6 game 7 shoulder 8 skin 9 upset 10 hurt

Madrid Teacher: William's Personal Information Video

Bill, from MadridTeacher.com, gives elementary students (Básico 1 and Básico 2) a good revision of wh- questions, yes-no questions and the present simple.

Just watch the video and follow his instructions to practise these grammar points.



Hi, I’m Bill Christensen and I’m from MadridTeacher.com.  This is an activity of elementary English.
I'm going to ask some questions, you right down the questions.
What's my name?
What date is today?
How old am I?
Where am I from?
Am I married?
Where’s my wife from?
What's her nationality?
How many languages does she speak?
How many languages do I speak?
How old is my wife?
How old am I?
What's my wife's job?
Do I have any children?
How many children do I have?
Does my wife have any children?
How many children does she have?
What does she do?
What do I do?
Does my wife like her job?
Do I like my job?

Hello, I’m Bill Christensen, from MadridTeacher.com.
Today is April 5th 2007.
I'm fifty-four years old.
I'm from three places:  Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Now I live in Madrid.
I’m married.
My wife is from Peru. She is Spanish.
I speak two languages, Spanish and English.
My wife speaks three languages, Spanish, English and Quechua.
My wife's age is… sorry, she has for children.
She works for the Spanish tax service.
She likes her job
I work for MadridTeacher.com.
I like my job. Students are fun, the people are nice.
It's very cold here because it's early spring.
I’ll be talking to you later. Bye!

Hello again. These are the questions and that the answers
What's my name?
My name is Bill Christensen.
What is the date?
The date if April 5th 2007.
How old am I?
I’m 54.
Where am I from?
I’m from Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Am I married?
Yes, I am.
Where is my wife from?
She's from Peru.
What languages do I speak?
I speak Spanish and English.
What languages does my wife speak?
She speaks three languages, she speaks Spanish, English and Quechua.
What's my wife's name?
My wife's name is Betsy.
How old is she?
I don't know.
What does she do?
She works for the tax service in Madrid.
What do I do?
I'm a teacher, I'm a teacher at MadridTeacher.com. 
Do I have any children?
No, I don’t.
Does my wife have any children?
Yes, she does.
How many children does she have?
She has four children.
Do I like my job?
Yes, I do.
Do I like being a tourist in Madrid?
Yes, I do.
But do I live in Madrid?
Yes, I live in Madrid.
Do I like accordion music?
Yes, I live accordion music very much.
Do I like bells?
Yes, I like bells very much.
It's a beautiful day today. Nice talking to you. Bye!

Madrid Teacher: Thomas telephone information

Thomas and a friend of his are making arrangement on the telephone for an evening out.
Listen to their conversation and answer the questions below.

The activity is suitable for Básico 2 and Intermedio 1 students.



1 Where's Thomas's friend going?
2 What are they going to do there?
3 What time does it start?
4 Why should Thomas get there early?
5 At what time?
6 How many people are going in total?
7 What time will Thomas's friend get there?
8 What underground line should Thomas take?
9 Where are they going after that?
10 Who has Brian invited?

To check your answers, you can read the transcript below.

Hello?
Hey Thomas, how’s it going?
I’m alright. How are you?
Alright. Erm, hey, we’re going to the cinema later. Do you fancy coming along?
Right on, man, what are we seeing?
Well there’s the, er, latest Woody Allen film. Er, I think it’s called Whatever Works.
Oh, that’s with Larry David, right?
That’s right, yeah. [He’s] From Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Excellent.  I like that guy.
Yeah he’s cool. So… I think the film starts at six. Erm, I was going to say, can you get there before and get the tickets?
Yeah, what are you thinking, like, ten to six?
Erm, well, I think you probably need to get there a bit before, because, er… as it’s Saturday [it’ll] probably be a bit crowded. So if you can get there, maybe 5:30? And, erm-
Sure.
Jeff and Sandra are coming, so, can you get four tickets?
You got it.
And we’ll give you the money when we get there.
Alright.
I can’t get there till about ten to six.
That’s fine. So, I’ll see you there.
Listen, what’s the nearest underground?
Erm, Baker Street. It’s the, erm, Ideal Cinemas on, er, Marlow Street. I think it’s number sixteen or something.
OK.
[It’s] Just on the corner of, erm, Coventry Street.
What line goes through that?
Er it’s line, erm…the Baker line, Baker- Bakerloo Line.
Oh, yeah, of course. Right, right.
Er, OK. So, I’ll see you there. I’ll be there about ten to six, OK?
Yeah, erm, are going to go out afterwards? Should I wear something?
Yeah, you should, I mean, yeah, wear some clothes. Ha, ha. Yeah, we’ll go out later, yeah.
Good idea. I think, erm, Brian’s having a party later so we could-
Oh, excellent.
Yeah, his parties are always worth going to, aren’t they?
Oh yeah.
Yeah, I think he’s invited some nurses from the nursing college.
Oh, I know what to wear tonight.
Yeah, ha, ha.
Put your best doctor’s uniform on, yeah?
You got it.
Alright, OK. Well, I’ll see you later.
Yeah, take it easy.
Bye.
Bye.

Madrid Teacher series: Thomas' personal information

This week's Madrid Teacher series post is intended for lower-level (elementary) students. Thomas is asked some personal questions.

Before you watch the video, here are Thomas' s answers. What are the questions?

Thomas.
Boston.
I’m 23.
I’m a teacher.
Yes I do, I have a sister.
She is… twenty-eight.
She’s a manager of a café.
The Fresh Pot Café.
She, er, sorts out timetables and takes care of orders and stocking and general maintenance of the café.
Erm… the Godfather.
Because it’s a long story that includes, er, interesting characters, and has a fantastic plot. And it takes place in my hometown, New York. Ah, very interesting.
Yes I am.
The book is called the House of Leaves.
It’s about a family that moves into a house that has many, many more rooms than anybody could have imagined.
My father’s name is Donald and my mother’s name is Pamela.
Erm… Donald is retired, and my mother owns a teashop.

Now watch the video and check whether you got the questions right.



What’s your name?
Thomas.
And where do you live?
Boston.
How old are you?
I’m 23.
And what do you do?
I’m a teacher.
Have you got any brothers or sisters?
Yes I do, I have a sister.
How old is she?
She is… twenty-eight.
And what does she do?
She’s a manager of a café.
And what’s the name of the café?
The Fresh Pot Café.
And what does she do in the café?
She, er, sorts out timetables and takes care of orders and stocking and general maintenance of the café.
OK thanks. Erm, what’s your favorite film?
Erm… the Godfather.
And why do you like it?
Because it’s a long story that includes, er, interesting characters, and has a fantastic plot. And it takes place in my hometown, New York. Ah, very interesting.
Erm, are you reading a book at the moment?
Yes I am.
What’s the name of the book?
The book is called the House of Leaves.
And what’s it about?
It’s about a family that moves into a house that has many, many more rooms than anybody could have imagined.
Ah, interesting. Erm, what are your parents’ names?
My father’s name is Donald and my mother’s name is Pamela.
OK. And what do they do? Erm… Donald is retired, and my mother owns a teashop.

Ford: The amazing self-parking car

Ford is developing a new automated parking technology that could enable drivers to park with only the push of a button from inside or outside of their car.

Self-study activity:
Watch the clip and complete the blanks in the transcript with the missing words.

The activity is suitable for Básico 2 and Intermediate 1 students.



Parking in a tight (1) ... is the bugbear of every driver. And it’s not just that (2) ... spaces can make it hard to get out of the car. They can also leave you with scrapes and dents that are expensive to (3) ...  . So imagine a car that does the dirty work itself.
Engineers at Ford have developed the (4) ...-... car. It first finds a parking space and then manoeuvres into it. The driver doesn’t even need to be inside.
Researchers have now (5) ... in installing the technology in a real car. The next step is to make it available to the drivers as a (6) ...  on a production vehicle.
With perpendicular parking, it’s trying to help someone (7) ... into that tight space, and allow them to have some automated help within their vehicle to help them (8) ... a driving manoeuvre that they’re going to have to do frequently in their lives.
It’s estimated that there are more than 30 million off-street parking spaces in Europe. And although average car (9) ... has increased by 16% over the past 20 years, many parking spaces are still the same size. Which means the new technology is also useful when leaving a space. The motorist doesn’t have to (7) ... into the car. They just press a (10) ... and the car drives out itself.

Key:
1 spot 2 narrow 3 repair 4 self-parking 5 succeeded 6 feature 7 squeeze 8 achieve 9 width 10 button

Madrid Teacher series: There is and there are

Our Madrid Teacher series this week is intended for Básico 1 and Básico 2 students and deals with questions with the verbs there is and there are.

Before you watch the video, list as many types of shops in English you can think of.

Now watch the video and check which of the shops you thought of are mentioned.

Watch the video for a second time and note down all the questions with there is or there are the girl is asked.

Now answer the same questions about yourself.



Is there a swimming pool near your house?
Yes there is.
And where is it?
It's just around the corner from my house.
Okay. Is there a supermarket near your house?
Yes, there is.
And where's the supermarket?
The supermarket is down the road from my house.
And do you go shopping there?
Yes, I do.
Is there a library near your house?
Not very near to my house, no.
Where is it?
It's in the next suburb.
Ok. And do you ever go there?
Yes, sometimes.
Ok. Is there a train station near your house?
No, there isn't.
Is there a post office near your house?
Yes, there is.
And where is it?
It’s in the shopping centre near my house.
Ok. And is there a bank near your house?
Yes there is.
And where is the bank?
The bank is across the road from my house.
Okay, good. Where do you go for your food… where do you go shopping for your food?
I go shopping at the supermarket.
Ok. Are there any butcher’s or greengrocer’s or shops like that near your house?
Yes, there is a butcher, a butcher shop just around the corner from my house.
And do you ever go there?
Sometimes, but I prefer to buy meat at the supermarket.
Ok. Is there a cinema near where you live?
No, there isn’t.
So where do you go when you want to watch a film?
Usually I go and I hire a film from the video shop near my house.
Oh, ok. And where’s the video shop?
It’s also in the shopping centre near my house.
Everything's in the shopping center.
Yes.