Classroom exercise

Her name was Susan and she was one of his old classmates.

In the beggining she didn't know who he was. Her first sight had been polite, but without any sign of recognition. He was embarrassed to start a conversation because at secondary school they had had an affair. They had been so happy during that time!!

Sam started to remember some activities that they shared. They usually went to the cinema, played basketball and took part in a group that played amateur theatre. Most of their time together was in the last course of secondary school, and at the end of the school year a new boy appeared, a good-looking guy who was responsible for the end of their love affair.

All these memories come back to Sam before the plane took off. At his seat he continued thinking if it could be a good idea to talk with Susan. She spent her time with a book, and didn't seem very interested in all the people around her. The trip was really short and he didn't have enough confidence to say a word.

He had been shy since his chilhood. She had been his first love and, with his attitude, probably his last one.

2nd writing - Formal letter

Dear Sir,

I strongly agree that co-educational school should be the best option. I am of this opinion probably as a result of my own experience, but it is a difficult choice when the future of your children must be chosen.

To begin with, the personality and knowledge of the youth should be built since their foundation with the most appreciated materials. You should be taught with means, experimentation and research not forgetting patience, time and love. All these skills should be taught to cope with the real world. Excluding of their formation the relation with the opposite sex, probably fifty per cent of their coaching could be wrong.

I do not have any doubts that traditionally the quality of the education in single-sex schools could be excellent, normally as a consequence of the level from their equipment, resources and teachers. In addition, single-sex schools were ordinarily private and extremely expensive, which as far I am concerned was a symptom of discrimination.

However, it appears to me that the attitude from pupils and families is also a necessary value to improve the learning results. More efforts should be done to ameliorate at this point if we want to obtain the best learning.

All things considered, co-educational school was the decision that I finally took with my eighteen-year-old daughter and now, knowing the results, in my view it was the best decision I have taken.

Yours faithfully,
　
Carmen

My first 4th writing - Informal letter

Hi Peter,
How’s it going? I’m a bit disappointed with your letter, I thought that you’d made progress with your studies. Have you got any problem? If I can help you, I’ll try.

In the first place, if I were you, I would reconsider the idea of coming to Spain for the moment. You are in the middle of the course and this would mean that you could lose your scholarship.

Secondly, why don’t you take the habit of talking with Spanish people? Our friend Carlos is now in Exeter. You can call him, I’m sure that he would be glad to have the chance of speaking with you. By doing this, you could improve your speaking and he could give you some grammar and writing advice.

Besides, you should do practice by Internet in a website called "Livemocha" where you could login and do exercises, talk with other people through Skype, etc. That way was useful for me to improve my English last year.

Have you considered reading books in Spanish? You should start with a book that I love: Un barco cargado de cuentos, by Ediciones SM.

And finally, remember that you can call me whenever you want if you need it. I’ll be happy to see you in Spring break.

Kisses,

Carmen

Internet addresses:

http://es.livemocha.com
http://catalogo.grupo-sm.com/ficha.asp?IDInterno=ES21804&Fuente=2

I'm happy!

Hi mates,

I hope you all have done well with the test. I've been lucky enough to pass, and if there are places, I probably will enroll fourth in the group Monday and Wednesday, so it may we aren't in the same class. I spent a pleasant course to your side. I wish you an unforgettable summer holidays.

See you!!

Carmen

Portfolio 12 - Describing important moments

An important moment that changed my life was when my father was teaching me how to ride a bike. I was twelve, and I had finished my studies with good marks at my neighbourhood primary school. That summer I was thinking about how I could get to secondary school on September, because it was a little bit far from my house, and my family didn’t have enough money for paying the bus every school-day.

It was my saint’s day and my parents had a gift for me. They gave me a wonderful present, a folding bike, it was a BH! I was impressed even though scared, because I hadn’t ridden a bike in my life. My father, who had usually ridden when he was young, said that it wasn’t difficult and he offered to teach me.

I got up in my new bike with my father grabbed from behind and I started to ride. A bit later I listened to him more and more far from me. I turned immediately my head and he wasn’t there! Evidently I fell out. Everyone laughed around us. I was embarrassed, but he encouraged me to try it a second time. At the end of that morning I was able to ride. If my father hadn’t taught me how to ride, I wouldn’t have gone at secondary school. Probably for a lot of people could seem to be a banal matter. However, it was an opportunity for me.

PS: If I put a picture of when I was twelve perhaps you would know who I am. I prefer to remain anonymous... In this I had about six years and mischievous face... I was snacking while playing with a neighbour's tricycle.

I wish you the best for the exam... See you!!

Portfolio 11 - Telling a story

My first day working in a DIY shop is the story that I would explain. Some days before starting this job, I came across an advertisement in the newspaper that offered what I was searching. I had been searching a part-time job for having more time to looking after my daughter, who was born one year ago. I was feeling fairly frightened, because I was supposed to be responsible of a plants and flowers department, which I hadn’t ever done before.

By luck, a mate who was more expert than me at this sort of work helped me to know about the distribution of the huge warehouse, the planning of the lorry arrival and the most important items about dealing with customers and meeting deadlines.

“It is your first day, Carmen. You don’t worry about customers today. The most important thing that you must do now is know where you are and where you have to put all these flowers and plants when they arrive ". He said that was absolutely necessary do the work on time, despite the questions of customers and the usual delay of lorries that had to bring the products

However, my first day was absolutely awful. It was Christmas and the lorry arrived full of Christmas’ trees. Some of them were little trees, but half of the lorry was full of trees of more than three meters! I finished really exhausted, but happy with the results in the end. I had a part-time work, well paid and amazing, and the most interesting group of mates that I had ever had.

Portfolio 10 - Describing people

I was collaborating with an activity at my daughter’s primary school when I met Susan. It was 11 years ago and she was responsible for the children’s games at the playground. She was "Mrs Rubbish" and was teaching children how do their best with types of rubbish, recycling bins and all these things. Since then she had been one of the usual collaborator of recycling activities at some schools in my town.

At that moment we were both in our mid-thirties, although she looks younger than me. She was really thin, with short, curly and brown hair. Mine started to grey very soon, since I was eighteen. We weren’t very tall, but she was almost always noticed wherever she was. Her vitality was shown always in her brown and bright eyes and it was contagious! She loved wearing ethnic clothes. Actually, she looks like a Gypsy. She used to put on sandals and long skirts, even in winter, and also big earrings, bracelets and necklaces.

She was determined, reliable, probably a little bit rude, and sometimes stubborn, but with the kids she changed radically. With them she was patient, polite, kind and the most caring and sensitive person that I have ever known. She had always a moment to listen to them and gave some advice about whatever they asked.

I have lost usual touch with her three years ago when she left her job and moved to live to another town, but sometimes we both meet at the same places and we like talking and laughing about something or somebody. Her positive attitude towards life is still her main characteristic, and she keeps passing her happiness on to all her friends.

Reading and writing Portfolio 9

Santé Health Centre
Wallingford

Dear Sir / Madam,

I am writing in reply to your advertisement in The Times for a cook at the Santé Health Centre.
At the moment, I am working as a first cook at the Beaumont First School in Kennington. My responsibilities range from organising menus and managing the personnel of the kitchen to do their job appropriately. We have a lot of children that have to eat special diets for different reasons – medical conditions, religious beliefs, etc – and as a part of my job I must take care that all menus are adequate for their needs. I have been working at this school for teen years and I am positive that this job has taught me enough experience to do the job that you are offering very well. However, I would have a change; working with children is a very interesting experience but it has also a limitation at the possibility of variety in menus, their taste is very different from adult people.

As you will see from my CV, I love cooking and I would like to grow as a cook and increase the type of recipes that I know. Moreover, I am now teaching cooking courses for adults at a civic centre and writing a book of recipes and balanced menus for people with special needs. For these reasons, my experience, interest and knowledge would be great for the position offered.

I would be pleased to discuss my application and all the details that you need to extend about my enclosed CV and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully

Reading and writing Portfolio 8

El Periodico de Catalunya
Letters to the Director
10, Pelai Street
Barcelona
　
One of the most important problems in my town is the heavy traffic. Montcada is crossed by three regional roads, two rivers, two motorways and three lines of train. These are many obstacles for the daily transport. Just in one of these roads there are 50,000 cars per day.

More than 18,000 people are moving from and to my town for work or studies every day. However, the costumers of the bus are less than 25,000 monthly. The private car is being used daily by too many people. The roads are absolutely crowded at rush hour. Although people are pressed by time and there are little accidents almost every day, they don’t choose to leave the car at home.

However, the solution isn’t to extend the roads. Probably we will be able to improve this issue with an important increase of public transport. More train-convoys might run at rush hours. Furthermore the frequency of buses can be increased. Can you imagine all the people leaving your car at home? The current public transport can’t be able to move so many people. I think the problem is not the price even though a better planning by the companies of public transport will be done.

Yours faithfully,

Second reader review

Tittle of the book: Sense and sensibility

Author: Jane Austen

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Stage: 5 Nº of words: 24,345 - 1800 Headwords

Ten new words that I have learnt and their translation

eager: vehemente / entusiasmado

stepmother: madrastra

to deserve: merecer

sorrow: pena / dolor

cheerless: triste / sombrio

restless: inquieto/a

bachelor: soltero

fierce: feroz / intenso

scoundrel: canalla / sinverguenza

unwounded: ileso

Sense and sensibility was the first ever published story by Jane Austen in 1811, but it wasn't the first novel that she wrote, - Pride and prejudice - published in 1813, which was the most famous. The main characters are two of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. Their relations with Eduard Ferrars, Willoughby and colonel Brandon are an important part of the plot. The younger sister, Margaret, and other relatives and friends have a little role.

The story takes place in some sites in the Southwest of England - Sussex, Devonshire - and during three chapters in London because an unexpected invitation by Mrs Jennings. I think that the title refers to the opposite attitude of the two sisters, faced with their life, friends and family. The book tells the story of the relationship between them and their opposing temperaments and it shows the importance at this period of the social behaviour, basically of women. This question demonstrates that they weren't valued either by their knowledge or by their abilities.

To me, the book talks about a story that reflected the way of life of the author. Although it was one of her first books, it shows the reality of her existence: she never got married, she always lived with her parents and she dedicated her life to write and read obsessively. A I see it, the plot tells that people who have the traits of selfishness or conceit at the end they have what they deserved, but not in all cases the good-behaviour will get a good reward.

Portfolio 7, my first ever post!!!

Dear Fernando,

The first thing that you need to do is pick up the key at Mrs. Marsden’s house. It is the 2nd door at the first floor. Don’t worry if you arrive in the evening, she is always at home. Only try to avoid being too late, normally she gets to bed at 10 p.m.

As you know, your new flat is a domotic flat, so the key is an identity card. Make sure that you put the ID into the lock door as I show you in the picture. If you don’t do it correctly the door will not open.

Remember that, as we have talked last week, I have programmed the system to recognise you, so you must say your first name when you get into the house. Don’t forget to do this step each time. If you don’t do that, the alarm will blow.

All the household appliances are controlled by the system. If you want to change the temperature of the air conditioning or any other thing, you will do that with the laptop. It is over the desk in my room and I have written all the necessary instructions. Whatever you do don’t restart the system because you will need to put the password and I have forgotten to write it.

The room with a blue door is your room. You have clean sheets and two blankets inside the wardrobe, which is completely empty for you, as all the drawers.

You will not need to do shopping for these days, I have left some basic things in the kitchen (bread, butter, milk, eggs, vegetables and some fish and meat inside the freezer).

Welcome home Fernando! I will come back on Sunday afternoon.

PS If you want something to consult, call me. My mobile number is…..you know it.

I will see your comments. Be generous with me.

See you!!