PLAYING WITH GEOGRAPHY

Are you good at Geography? Can you find the States of the European Union on a map? Here you have a challenge: “Where is this country...?” Look at the name in the box and click on the right country on the map. Good luck.

MOTHERING SUNDAY

Mothering Sunday is the British equivalent of Mothers’ Day in other countries. Mothering Sunday is always the fourth Sunday of Lent. Children give their mothers a present and a card. Mothering Sunday has been celebrated in the UK since at least the 16th century. What about giving a card to your mother? Click here to choose a coloring card and print it put.

In the past, mothers in Britain used to make a special cake on Mothering Day, the “Simnel cake”. The Simnel cake is a fruit cake, it has a flat layer of marzipan (sugar almond paste) on top of it and it is decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the apostles minus Judas. The cake was not eaten on Mothering Day because of the rules of Lent, it was saved until Easter. Click here for a recipe for Simnel Cake.

INTRODUCING YOURSELF

Here you are a video from a BBC course: Business English portfolio. It looks a bit old but I am sure some of the students in the beginners' group can enjoy it.

Mark Gungor - Men's Brain Women's Brain

Here you have two versions of a very funny, although not always true, idea about men's and women's brains.
The first versions is subtitled in Spanish, the second version is an extended non-subtitled one. I hope nobody gets annoyed, it is just a simplified description of male and female brain. Scientists say that there are plenty of women who compartmentalize their thinking and plenty of men who are emotive thinkers.

A funny ad

I like advertisements a lot. I think this one for Australia's lottery is good, funny and very easy to understand. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it as much as I did.


Click here if you fancy reading what they are saying.

SOLVE THE MYSTERY

Do you like solving mysteries? Here there is one. Click on the picture to go to “TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN MUMMY” at National Geographic Kids website. Take a lamp and look for the sparkle of gold, click on it to photograph an artifact. When you have collected all the artifacts click on the Egyptians and try to guess who is buried in the tomb. Good luck!

Forests

Do you like forests? Here you can see and read about the most impressive forests in the world. “Forest Gallery” will take you to each of them.

"Blowin' in the Wind"

Bob Dylan’s song "Blowin' in the Wind" was released on his 1963 album "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan". The song makes no reference to a specific event. It became one of the most popular anti-war songs during the 1960s, its message is still necessary today.


"Blowin' in the Wind" became world famous when it was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary (often called PP&M), a musical group from the United States who were one of the most successful folk-singing groups of the 1960s.

Here you have both versions.






How many roads must a man walk down,
before they call him a man,
how many seas must a white dove sail,
before she sleeps in the sand,
and how many times must the cannonballs fly,
before they are forever banned,
the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,
the answer is blowing in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist,
before it is washed to the sea,
how many years can some people exist,
before they're allowed to be free,
and how many times can a man turn his head,
and pretend that he just doesn't see,
the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
the answer is blowing in the wind.

How many times must a man look up,
before he can see the sky,
and how many years must one man have,
before he can hear people cry,
how many deaths will it take till he knows,
that too many people have died,
the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,
the answer is blowing in the wind.
Bob Dylan

HAPPY NEW YEAR

-Script-
Harry: I've been doing a lot of thinking. And the
thing is, I love you.
Sally: What?
Harry: I love you.
Sally: How do you expect me to respond to this?
Harry: How about you love me too?
Sally: How about I'm leaving.
Harry: Doesn't what I said mean anything to you?
Sally: I'm sorry Harry, I know it's New Years Eve, I know
you're feeling lonely, but you just can't show up here, tell me
you love me and expect that to make everything alright.
It doesn't work this way.
Harry: Well how does it work?
Sally: I don't know but not this way.
Harry: Well how about this way. I love that you get
cold when it's seventy one degrees out, I love that it takes you an hour
and a half to order a sandwich, I love that you get a little crinkle
above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts, I love that
after I spend a day with you I can still smell your perfume on my clothes
and I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go
to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because
it's New Years Eve. I came here tonight because when you realise you want
to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of the
life to start as soon as possible.
Sally: You see, that is just like you Harry. You say
things like that and you make it impossible for me to hate you.
And I hate you Harry... I really hate you. I hate you.
(They kiss and make up.)
Harry: What does this song mean? For my whole life
I don't know what this song means. I mean, 'Should old acquaintance be forgot".
Does that mean we should forget old acquaintances or does it mean if we happen to
forget them we should remember them, which is not possible because we already
forgot them!?
Sally: Well may be it just means that we should remember
that we forgot them or something. Anyway it's about old friends.
(They kiss and make up, once more.)
Harry (Voice over): The first time we met we hated each other.
Sally (Voice over): No, you didn't hate me, I hated you.
And the second time we met you didn't even remember me.
Harry (Voice over): I did too, I remembered you. The
third time we met, we became friends.
Sally (Voice over): We were friends for a long time.
Harry (Voice over): And then we weren't.
Sally (Voice over): And then we fell in love.

I SAW THREE SHIPS

“I Saw Three Ships” is a traditional and popular Christmas carol from England. Here you have two different versions. Which version do you like the most, Sting’s or the Chieftains’s?
Can you help us to fill in the gaps with the right word in Sting’s version? Add your answers to “comments”. Thanks.

Sting


Chieftains Marianne Faithfull


Bethlehem (x2), angels, ring, sailing(x2), rejoice, morning, bells, day (x3), heaven, three (x2)

SAW THREE SHIPS
I saw three ships come 1_______ in,
On Christmas day, on Christmas 2_____
I saw three ships come 1_______ in
On Christmas day in the 3_______.

And what was in those ships all 4______?
On Christmas day, on Christmas day
And what was in those ships all 4______?
On Christmas day in the morning.

Our Saviour, Christ, and His Lady,
On Christmas day, on Christmas 2 ______
Our Saviour, Christ, and His Lady,
On Christmas day in the morning.

Pray, whither sailed those ships all three?
On Christmas day, on Christmas 2_____
Pray, whither sailed those ships all three?
On Christmas day in the morning.

O, they sailed to 5____________,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day
O, they sailed to 5__________,
On Christmas day in the morning.

And all the bells on earth shall 6______
On Christmas day, on Christmas day
And all the 7______on earth shall ring
On Christmas day in the morning.

And all the 8_______ in heaven shall sing,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day
And all the angels in 9________ shall sing,
On Christmas day in the morning.

And all the souls on earth shall sing,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day
And all the souls on earth shall sing,
On Christmas day in the morning.

Then let us all 10______ and sing,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day
Then let us all rejoice and sing,
On Christmas day in the morning.

READING

Click here if you feel like reading a short Christmas story. I promised it to Mondays group but you all can read it.

Let’s have some fun!

Do you like Monty Python?
What about watching their sketch “The Ministry of Silly Walks”?
First, watch it silently.


What is going on?
What do you think they are saying in the conversation?
Play it again with sound for confirmation.
Did you guess right?
Did you understand much?
If you want to read the script now, click here.
Tell us your opinion about what happens in the sketch.