St. Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards                                                                          (Wikipedia)                                                                                                                      

Jobs

Finding the right job is not an easy task. As we have discussed in class, there are lots of different and interesting jobs for you to do. Here is a quiz to help you choose the right job in the future.

Job quiz

How to fix a computer

A video made by Hélder. Here we can see how the Cef students fix and assamble a computer that was not working properly.

The students try to find out what's wrong with the computer but they discover that it's not possible to solve the problem.

Barack Obama 2009 Presidential Inauguration

The 2009 presidential inauguration of Barack Obama will take place on January 20, 2009, under the provisions of the Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The inauguration will mark the commencement of the four-year term of Barack Obama and Joe Biden as President and Vice President, respectively. The inauguration is expected to draw a record-setting crowd of over two million people. The theme of the inauguration is "A New Birth of Freedom," commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.
The program by the Congressional leaders includes music by vocalist Aretha Franklin, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriela Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill. Some of the musical selections are by composer John Williams. Poet Elizabeth Alexander will speak. Other inauguration participants include the "The President's Own" (the United States Marine Band) and the United States Navy Band. The San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus will also perform. Evangelical pastor Rick Warren is scheduled to deliver the invocation,while civil rights activist Joseph Lowery of the United Methodist Church is scheduled to deliver the benediction for the inaugural ceremony. (Wikipedia)

New Year

So we are back to school... A new year begins and we feel things can be beter. It's like a fresh start.
I hope you are up to a good beginning and full of energy to start working hard again.
Here are some fun exercises to begin the school year in a nice way.

Happy 2009 and have fun learning English!

grammar exercises

Who was Santa Claus?

Father Christmas is based on a real person, St. Nicholas, which explains his other name 'Santa Claus' which comes from the Dutch 'Sinterklaas'. Nicholas was a Christian leader from Myra (in modern-day Turkey) in the 4th century AD. He was very shy, and wanted to give money to poor people without them knowing about it. It is said that one day, he climbed the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney. It landed in the stocking which a girl had put to dry by the fire! This may explain the belief that Father Christmas comes down the chimney and places gifts in children's stockings.

Christmas traditions

From November onwards, it is impossible to forget that Christmas is coming. Coloured lights decorate many town centres and shops, along with shiny decorations, and artificial snow painted on shop windows.
In streets and shops, 'Christmas trees' (real or plastic evergreen 'conifer' trees) will also be decorated with lights and Christmas ornaments.
Shopping centres become busier as December approaches and often stay open till late.Shopping centre speaker systems systems will play Christmas 'carols' - the traditional Christmas Christian songs, and groups of people will often sing carols on the streets to raise money for charity. Most places of work will hold a short Christmas party about a week before Christmas. Although traditional Christmas foods may be eaten, drink (and plenty of it) means that little work will be done after the party!
By mid-December, most homes will also be decorated with Christmas trees, coloured lights and paper or plastic decorations around the rooms. These days, many more people also decorate garden trees or house walls with coloured electric lights, a habit which has long been popular in USA.
Christmas Tree
In many countries, most people post Christmas greeting cards to their friends and family, and these cards will be hung on the walls of their homes. In UK this year, the British Post Office expects to handle over 100 million cards EACH DAY, in the three weeks before Christmas.

Christmas fun

Why not doing some exercises while on holiday?
Some of these exercises are really easy so you can get great results.
Have fun!

Christmas exercises

Food

Have fun doing some of these exercises related to food.
Some are more difficult than others.
You are supposed to do the best you can..

Food vocabulary

The Present Simple

As you know we have been learning the Present Simple.
During classes some of you don't work as hard as you should...So here is some help to solve some of your doubts and difficulties.
Don't forget to let me know how it is all going!
Good work!

The Present Simple
The Present Continuous