jueves, 30 de abril de 2015

221. Women the weaker sex!!! No way Jose






















Who says that women are the weaker sex? No way, Jose!
It´s plain to see by looking at the photo that women are not weak at all.
Of course, it´s not necessary to have this body.
Women are stronger than men in many ways.
They are stronger emotionally, they are more level-headed, suffer from less illnessesand are better at langauges.
I´m pretty sure that men are the weaker sex.
This belief that women are weaker was perhaps a long time ago when women didn´t work.
Their mission in life was to have children, look after them, take them to school, to the doctor, be a housewife, clean the house and prepare the meals.
Men simply come home after work and say, “I´m dog tired”. “It was a long day”.
Now, the tables have turned. More and more women are working in all kinds of professions.
In many cases, women are far better professionals then men.
In fact when it comes to politics, women take their job more seriously than men, and I´m sure the majority of women are more honest and less corrupted and greedy than men.
So, who says that women are the weaker sex!
Women are now economically independent, and they decide when they want to get married and have children or not.
In many countries, women are better educated than men.
In nearly 40% of American marriages, the wife earns more than the husband.
At school, girls get better grades than boys. Thus, there are a lot more women who continue their studies and obtain a degree.



There are also studies which show that the rate of male newborns has declined.
In the years to come, women will outnumber men, and they will also be healthier than men.
There will be more women world leaders in top positions, not only in governments, but in large corporations as well.
The future is theirs…and perhaps one day the world will be a better place to live, and wars and corruption will be something of the past.
It is very possible that Hillary Clinton may be the first woman president of the United States.
Perhaps what Spain really needs right now is a strong and honest woman president to make Spain a better country.

 Vocabulary

-       Weaker  = mas debil
-       No way Jose  = de ninguna manera
-       Plain =  evidente
-       At all = en absoluto
-       Ways = maneras
-       Level-headed = equilibradas
-       Illnesses = enfermedades
-       Pretty = bastante
-       Belief = creencia
-       A long time ago = hace mucho tiempo
-       Look after = cuidar
-       Meals = comidas
-       Dog tired  = hecho polvo
-       Tables have turned = papeles han cambiado
-       Far better = mucho mejor
-       In fact = de hecho
-       Comes = hablamos
-       Greedy = caraduras
-       Earns = gana
-       Get = conseguir
-       Grades = notas
-       Show = mostrar
-       Newborns = recien nacidos
-       Declined = disminuido
-       Outnumber = superan en numero
-       Larges = grandes
-       Right now  = ahora mismo
-       Better  = mejor

A song by Kelly Clarkson called "Stronger"

domingo, 19 de abril de 2015

220. "THE THREE HAIRS"













A very wise woman got up one morning and  went to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror.
She saw that she only had three hairs on her head.
“What can I do”? "Well, I think I will make a braid she thought to herself"
She left her home to do some things, and she had a wonderful day.
Next morning she went straight to the bathroom to wash her face and look into the mirror.
“Oh no, now I only have two hairs on my head”.
“What am I going to do”, she said to herself”?
"I think I will comb my hair with a line in the middle".
She later went out to do several things,and of course, she had a another very happy day.
When she woke up on the third day, as usual she went into the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror.
"I can´t believe it. Now I only have one hair left"
"No problem. I will make a ponytail with my one hair".
And again, she had another fantastic day..
Next morning, she went running to look at herself in the mirror.
"Holy Moses!.  Now I don´t have any hair on my head”.
“I´m completely bald
The curious thing was that she wasn´t sad at all seeing her bald head.
She happily said to herself, "How nice"!
"I won´t have to comb my hair anymore"
She opened the door to her house and went out into the world, determined to enjoy every single second of the day.

The moral is:
A lot of things that happen to us in our lives isn´t really so important.
What is important, is our attitude to the things that happen to us.
There is no need to wait until the storm passes.
What is important, is to learn to dance under the rain.
Simply accept what happens. Be happy to live another beautiful day in your life under the sun, a blue sky and the stars above.

Vocabulary
-Wise  = sabia
-Got up  = levantó
-Mirror = espejo
-Saw = vio
-Braid = trenza
-Left = salio
-Straight = directamente
-Comb = peinarse
-Line = raya
-Went out = salio
-Several = varias
-Of course = por supuesto
-As usua  = como siempre
-Left = quedaba
-Ponytail = coleta
-Holy Moses! = Dios mio
-Any = ningun
-Bald = calva
-How nice! = que bien
-Anymore =  ya no mas
-So = tan
-There is no need = no hace falta
-Storm = tormenta


Listen to Coldplay sing "A sky full of stars"



viernes, 17 de abril de 2015

219. TEST - Niveles: B1 / B2 / C1 Pre-intermedio / Intermedio /Avanzado

Check your English- Elegir la respuesta correcta 

Los "TESTS, los hago yo. Debajo de la cancion están las respuestas



1. …………………..this week? No, she´s on vacation

A. Is Paula working           B. Does Paula work         C. Is working Paula

2. I don´t know the meaning of this word.  Well, .................

A. Look up it            B. Look for it          C. Look it up     D. look for it

3. How...............now ? Better than before ?

A. you are feeling          B. do you feel      C. are you feeling   D. you feel    

4. I can see you´re out of breath ..................... exercise ?

A. Have you done              B. Did you do                C. Have you been doing

5. They´re very good friends. They.............each other since they were kids

A. are knowing                  B. knew             C. know            D. have known

6. It´s about three years......................Susan

A. that I don´t see             B. since I didn´t see     C. since I last saw

7. We were..................T.V. all night

A. looking at                      B. watching                  C. seeing the       D. looking the

8. We´re late. The movie...............by the time we get to the cinema

A. will already start    B. will be already started   C. will have already started

9. Don´t worry……………………late tonight

A. when I am        B. when I´ll be         C. if I´m           D. if I´ll be

10. You´d better take an umbrella. It..............rain later this evening

A.  can                  B. may                     C. going to          D. shall

11. I wish you……………………..me earlier

A.  had called               B. calling            C. did call        D. have called

12. I´m not so tired to go to bed. I wouldn´t sleep if I............to bed now

A. go                     B. will go                 C. had gone      D. went

13. The plane………………take off at 9 o´clock, but it´s already 11 o´clock

A. was supposed to              B. is supposed to              C. supposed to

14. If I were you, I ……………those shoes. They are way too expensisve  

A.  won´t buy         B. hadn´t bought       B. wouldn´t buy      C. don´t buy

15. We would have gone out last night if we..........................so tired

A.  weren´t                 B. wouldn´t have been           C. hadn´t been

16. Peter ...................a second hand car

A.  suggested I buying     B. suggested me to buy     C. suggested I to buy

17. There´s plenty of time. You…………….hurry

A. needn´t             B. don´t need         C. mustn´t       D. shouldn´t

18. We..................by a loud noise in the middle of the night

A. woke up        B. were waking up     C. were woken up    D. woked up

19. Do you know where Linda...........? No, she didn´t say.

A. goes                  B. had gone          C. was going        D. has gone

20. I tried to be serious, but I couldn´t help...................

A. me to laugh        B. to laugh           C. laughing           D. I laughing

21. They can´t stop me.............what I want when I know it´s right

A.  to do                 B. do                   C. that I do            D. doing

22. I´m really tired today. I´d rather………………this evening

A.  not to go out     B. not going out     C. not go out         D. don´t go out

23. Susan................in Boston when she was a child

A. is used to living        B. used to live     C. used to living   D. use to live

24. Shall I stay home and wait? I´d rather....................with us

A.  you would come       B. you coming    C. you will come      D. you came

25. I told them…………….anything yet

A.  not send           B. don´t send         C. not to send        D. not sending

26. I´m sure I turned off the computer. I clearly remember................

 A.  turned it off      B. turning off it   C. having turn it off     D. turning it off

27. I´m living in London for 2 years, but I still can´t get .........on the left

A.  use to drive      B. use driving       C. used to driving    D. use at driving    

28. A friend of mine phoned...................me to a party

A.  inviting            B. to invite           C. for inviting       D. for to invite

29. She has to work six days..............week

A.  in                   B. at                     C. the                  D. a

30. We asked people the way to the square but........of them knew anything

A.  neither          B. nobody               C. none                D. either

31. The more electricity you use, .........................

A.  higher will be your bill  B. the higher your bill will be  C. your bill will be higher

32. We haven´t seen her for.............

A.  so a long time             B. a such long time     C. such a long time

33. They are very kind to me. They treat me................their own son

A.  as if I were        B. like I am        C. as if I was       D. as if I am

34. We travelled..............6.45 train, which arrived at 8.30

A.  in the                B. by the            C. with the             D. on the

35. The accident was my fault. I had to pay for the damage.....the other car      

A.  of                      B. to                  C. for                 D. at

36. I wish I were good……………..repairing things

A.  in                      B. on                  C. for                 D. at

37. Some people prefer tea.............coffee

A. than                   B. to                   C. for                 D. over

38. Who is Mr. Jonson? I have no idea. I´ve never heard…………him

A. from                   B. about              C. on                 D. of

39. He´ll be away ………………week

A. in the complete          B. every    C. from the week     D. the whole

40.  We saw your friends.............the concert this Saturday

A.  on                  B. at                    C. in                   D. to

41. The bus service is quite good. There´s a bus.............ten minutes

A.  each                    B. at every            C. every             D. at each

42. You don´t know where the boss is, ................ ?

A.  do you                 B. don´t you         C. are you          D. aren´t you

43. In fact, I don´t remember............ him arrive this morning

A.  to see                  B. to seeing           C. seeing           D. see

44. As it has rained a lot, there isn´t a .................of water

A.  scarce                  B. waste               C. shortage         D. few  

45.  I´ve always...............you as my best friend

A.  thought                B. regarded           C. thought about    D. think

46. Don´t make such a ...........! It´s not going to hurt at all

A.  complaint             B. trouble               C. fuss              D. problem

47. I´ll give you my spare keys in case you ............to the office before me          

A.  got                      B. get                     C. will get         D. would get

48. ..............teaching English, she also writes books

A.  Apart                   B. Although             C. As well as     D. Besides to

49. My boss is screaming……………………….murder

A. Pink                  B. blue                    C red               D.black

50. People usually spend a lot of money.............food          

A.  in                         B. on                      C. for               D. about

51. I need this report by Friday................the latest

A. on                         B. at                        C. in                D. for

52.  I´m sure she´ll.............her disappointment in a few days

A.  get through           B. get by                 C. get over      D. get away

53. We opened the window to see what was………….outside in the street

A. going on              B. were going in         C. going at       D. going around

54. Are you interested…………….working for us ?

A. on                       B. in                          C.for               D. at

55. ................I get in touch with them or not ?

A. Will                      B. Would               C. Shall            D. Must do I

56. Did you………………that story about your parents?

A.  make over           B. make in            C. make up        D. make about

57. I can´t help you. I´m...........busy right now

A.  too much             B. to much            C. too                D. to

58. She ……………………me of my sister-in-law

A. remembers           B. reminds to        C. reminds         D. remembers to

59. ...............I told you the other day, we need to convince them

A. How                      B. Like                  C. As                 D. What

60. It ................it´s going to rain

A. looks as                 B. looks at            C. looks like       D. looks that

61. ..................do you know him ?

A. How much time     B. How long time    C. How long    D. How many time

62. I still need some time to...............before making a decision

A. think it about      B. think it around     C. think it over    D. think it out

63. The client has ...................us to sort out the problem

A.  asked to           B. applied                 C. requested        D. replied

64. You risk...........fired if you always arrive late to work

A.  getting             B. to get                   C. in getting         D. getting be

65. It´s no use..........to the cinema. I´m sure all the tickets are sold out

A.  to going           B. to go                    C. go                   D. going

66. ………….far as I know, he won´t come to work this afternoon

A.  How                B. As                         C. Like                D. What   

67. The client told me that he regretted..............angry

A.  getting            B. to get                C. on getting       D. for getting

68. How long will it..........to arrange all the paper work ?

A.  last                 B. cost                  C. spend             D. take

69. The meeting was............for another day

A.  put out            B. put away          C. put off           D. put up

70. I can´t help............if they were able to find all their luggage

A.  thinking           B. to think             C. think            D. thought

71. They are late..................

A.  like usually       B. like usual           C. as usual       D. as usually

72. Many people now……………..paying their bills as long as posible

A.  put away          B. put off               C. put on          D. put in

73. We moved the tables to................room for everyone

A.  do                    B. making              C. make           D. made

74.  It´s difficult to concentrate .......my work when everyone is talking

A.  at                     B. in                     C. on                D. to

75. When you´re reading a good book it´s difficult to................

A.  put it down        B. put it away        C. put it off      D. put it on

76. I would appreciate your................on this matter

A.  advices              B. compliments      C. thoughts     D. thinking

77. I................to finish all my work by 6.00 o´clock

A.  could            B. succeeded           C. managed        D. can

78. Our company is going to.............a complaint

A.  sue               B. form                   C. submit            D. file

79. I can´t find my wallet ! You.........left it at the restaurant

A.  had better         B. can have         C. ought to        D. must have

80. .........the report carefully, you would have caught all these minor errors   

A. If you would have checked    B. If you checked     C. If you had checked

81. We don´t recommend.............the shares for the time being

A.  to sell                B. selling          C. to selling        D. on selling

82. You look serious. What are you thinking……………?

A.  on                     B. about           C. of                  D. in

83. In the end Thomas appllied.........a job at a factory

A.  for                      B. in                C. on                 D. about

84. Can I use the phone .............a call ?

A.  for making       B. to do                C. to making      D. to make

85. I had a wonderful time. ………………..

A.  We too             B. So we did          C. So did we      D. We did also


Miranda Lambert sings "A heart like mine"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyL78Jy867Q





Answers

1.   a  2. C  3.c  4.c  5. d  6.c  7.b  8.c  9.c  10.b  11.a  12.d  13.a  14.b 15.c  16. B  17.a  18.c  19.d  20.c  
21. d  22.c  23.b  24.d  25.c 26.d 27.c  28.b  29.d  30.c  31.b  32.c  33.a  34.d  35.b 36.d  37.b  38.d 

  39.d  40.b  41.c  42.a 43.c  44.c  45.b  46.c  47.b  48.c  49.b  50.b  51.b  52.c  53.a  54.b  55.c  56.c  57.c  58.c  59.c 60.c  61.c  62.c  63.c  64.a  65.d  66.b  67.a 68.d  69.c  70.a  71.c  72.b  73.c  74.c  75.a  76.c  77.c  78.d  79.d  80.c  81.b  82.b  83.a 84.d  85.c
























miércoles, 8 de abril de 2015

218. By Bike




It´s fun to ride a bicycle









BY BIKE”.....significa “En bici”.

La palabra “By”,se pronuncia (bai) y TIENE MUCHOS usos y significados
Por ejemplo:
I like to go by bike around Valencia” = Me gusta ir en bici porValencia
Suena igual que el verbo comprar “BUY” (bai) y para decir adios, “Bye” (bai)
Explicaré mas cosas acerca de la palabra“By” mas abajo

Going by bike is a lot of fun. Do you remember the first time you got a new shinny bicycle when you were a kid, perhaps for your birthday or for Christmas?
Your very first bicycle, and probably with two small wheels on the backside to learn how to balance yourself and not fall off.
Then the moment comes, when you take off one of the wheels, and soon after, the other wheel comes off too.
And the next step, with the help of your father or your uncle as they run along side you and holding you so you don´t fall down.
Who taught you how to ride a bicycle?
And at last the big moment comes when you are riding your bike by yourself.
Just imagine, a new world opens up because you can go riding with your friends to play football, go to school, or just go to the park or the swimming pool......by bike.
Going by bike around Valencia is great.
 It´s the one of the best cities in Europe for bicycles. And why?
Well, first of all, the weather in Valencia is usually very nice and sunny.
There are also a lot of bike ways. So, you can go anywhere all around the city.
There are so many different kinds of bicycles you can buy or rent. A lot of people buy old vintage bicycles. They repair and paint them.
You just have to find the one that is perfect for you.
If you don´t live very far, you can even ride your bike to work.
It´s a good way to start and end the day.
There are a lot of places to go in the city.
You can go by bike to the beach, to the Albufera lake in the Saler, ride along the dry river bed for kilometers and kilometers in a green area, or you can simply go by bike in the old Carmen neighborhood with it´s narrow streets and quaint little shops and coffee shops.
It´s the best way to get to know Valencia.
And of course, going by bike is a good way to exercise your body, as well as your mind.
If you by chance live in Valencia, then you already know it´s a nice place to ride a bicycle.
In my opinion, and as I said before in another article, "the city center must be only for pedestrians and cyclists".
This way, the air will be cleaner, everyone will be happier enjoying a nice walk or bike ride, and I´m sure all the shops will do more business.
Let´s hope that one day, bicycles can fly with some light wings.....simply by using our own energy by pedalling.
Then we could go anywhere...like in the movie E.T.

 Vocabulario:
  • A lot of fun = muy divertido
  • Time = vez
  • Got = recibiste
  • Shinny = brillante
  • Kid = chaval
  • Wheels = ruedas
  • Backside = la parte de atrás
  • Fall off = caerse
  • Take off = quitar
  • Too = también
  • Step = paso
  • Run along side = corren a tu lado
  • Fall down = caerse
  • Taught = enseñó
  • At last = por fin
  • By yourself = solito
  • Great = fantástico
  • Best = mejores
  • First of all = primeramente
  • Nice = agradable
  • There are = hay
  • Bike ways = carriles de bici
  • Anywhere = cualquier parte
  • So many = tantas
  • Kinds = clases
  • Just = simplemente
  • Even = incluso
  • There are = hay
  • Along = por
  • Neighborhood = barrio
  • Narrow = estrechas
  • Quaint = pintoresco
  • Best way = mejor manera
  • Get to know = llegar a conocer
  • Of course = por supuesto / desde luego
  • As well as = igual como
  • By chance = por casualidad
  • Already = ya
  • Must = debe
  • Let´s hope = esperamos
  • Wings = alas
  • Could = podríamos
  • Like = como

 Otros significados de “By”:
- I sometimes go to work by bus = A veces voy al trabajo en autobus
- I will be home by eleven o´clock = Estaré en casa antes de las once
- You can sit by me = Puedes sentarte a mi lado
- The bookshop is by the post office = La librería está al lado de correos
- This book was written by Hemingway = Este libro fue escrito porHemingway
- She walked right by me without saying anything = Pasó de largo sin decirme nada
- It is made it by hand = Está hecho a mano
- He is Canadian by birth = Es Canadiense de nacimiento
- That´s fine by me = Por mi no hay problema
- Is it all right by you if I smoke? = Te importa si fumo?
- A lot of people are paid by the hour = Mucha gente les pagan por hora
- You can come in one by one = Podeís entrar uno por uno
- You have to learn step by step = Tienes que aprender paso a paso
- The water bill has gone up by 25 percent = La factura del agua ha subido en un 25 por ciento
- I want to be by myself for a while = Quiero estar a solas un rato
- I made this cake by myself = Yo solito hice esta tarta
By in large = Por lo general
- Let me by = Dejame pasar
- The apples are sold by the dozen = Las manzanas se venden por la docena
- The living room is 20 meters by 30 = La sala de estar mide 20 por 30

También hay algunas expresiones:
By the way = A propósito
By any chance = Por casualidad
By all means = Por supuesto
By fair means or foul = Por las buenas o por las malas
By hook or by crook = Por las buenas o por las malas
By the look of things = Según parece / por lo visto
By the same token = Del mismo modo
By what right? = Con que derecho?
By word of mouth = De boca en boca
By a long shot = Con gran diferencia
Little by little = Poco a poco
Stand by me = Quedate a mi lado


Here´s a great song by Queen "I like to ride my bicycle"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWJ8_B9BVxo