STORYTELLING

“Were they going to dash from such a grim place?” He asked himself hopelessly. And then, unexpectedly, Luis took his filthy hand and a groan was pronounced from the deepest place of his throat:

“I slept with your mother” he shouted in a loud tone.

These six words, vocalized in a horrible way made Jes tremble with fright.

“For God's shake!” Jes cried out. “Are you deranged?”.

At this point of the story the author must explain some details which will help the reader make a clearer and vivid idea of the scenery. It was nightfall, the wind was blowing fiercely between the dullness windows and the rat, from the second line of the first paragraph that's now missing, was eye bleeding because of the novelist's insane imagination.

It was a fact nobody could deny that the haunted house turned people who invaded it to madness. Again, Luis repeated the sentence with harshness:

“I slept with your fucking mother.”

This time the vile words produced a panic feeling on Jes. He was at the edge of paranoid. He could commit a horrible crime against his friend. He could see it clearly. Deeply and nastily shocked he would had liked not to come inside the house that afternoon. But now it was too late to change this. It was evident that Luis had fallen into evil ways. He now assumed that the fact of getting out the house safe and sound wasn't worthless. It was only under his own behavior. He had to control his temperament and persuade Luis in order to help him leave the dark side he was into.

Jes talked to his friend in a firmly and calmed way:

”Come on dad, let's go home.”

CONNECTING PEOPLE DESPITE CONNECTED PEOPLE

Imagine a world free of power. No electricity to run our electronic devices at home nor at work. The result would be a science-fiction world completely different from the technical one we are used to. The lack of energy would lead our society to struggle for it and governments would have to tackle the problem seriously.

Well-known is it that great corporations who own energy resources rule the world. Nobody could argue the fact that politicians nowadays are used by companies as benefactors.

Being conscious of this huge problem is gradually achieved by society. Little by little awareness is growing among citizens. Non-governmental organizations, non-profit associations, trade unions and residents associations are creating nets to spread ideas in order to fight against corporations that manipulate our lives and make profit and money from us.

First of all, the main goal would be to reduce consumption. Secondly, it would be of great importance for us to consume by thinking about sustainability and bearing in mind helping local economies. This would be an important step to start solving the problem. And last but not least: reuse before buying and always recycle if you can. So the target would be triple.

As the African saying goes: “Many small people in many small places, doing little things can change the world”

FIRST COLLEGE ORIENTATION WEEKEND FOR NEW STUDENTS

Considering the fact that new students need plenty of information about our college in order to adapt properly, I will suggest some activities which would be useful to be taken into account.

First of all, an introductory talk offered in the arrival morning and held at the conference hall would be essential. The speech, given by the headmaster, would cover some information such as college regulations, timetables, teachers and organization staff. Students have to be given a piece of advice about how and when to use the library, the computer room, the sport fields... It would be extremely helpful for the newcomers.

Secondly it would be important to offer leaflets with a map in which there would not only be the situation of the college itself but the village and its surroundings. The pamphlet would be drawn by a school member and specifically designed to the students’ needs. It would include means of transport and schedules.

And last but not least I would consider a meeting with elder school mates. They would chat about local facilities, students societies, clubs an leisure.

In conclusion I think that this orientation weekend would be the best way to achieve a nice security feeling and a quick way to learn about the college life for new residents.

A LETTER

Dear sir/madam,

I am writing with reference to the article published in your newspaper in January about girls’ performance in single-sex schools. It is said the results and targets accomplished by them are better than the ones achieved in co-educational centres according to recent research.

There are obvious reasons which would explain it. Firstly, we could mention the fact of the ratio. While in co-educational centres the number of students in each class is more than twenty, this figure is extremely uncommon in single-sex schools. Attending a small group of students is, by far much easier than teaching a large one.

Secondly, education professionals have a good chance to adapt their teaching methods to the girls’ learning attitudes, interests and motivations. In single-sex classes they are more confident and I am convinced that the security environmental feeling created is better and favour their learning process.

Another reason why girls’ performance in single-sex schools is better would be the competitive mess arisen among pairs. The focus on the group would be to become the best and every effort would drive to achieve high marks in the subjects studied.

On the other hand, we have to bear in mind that this kind of education is not a real one. Benefits of co-education all along the world are widely spread. In co-educational schools boys take advantage because usually they learn skills acquired earlier by girls. I mean that in mixed classes boys perform better than in mixed ones, which is just the opposite in the girls’ case.

Under my own point of view based on twenty years of teaching English as a foreign language in Spanish primary schools I would recommend co-education for some reasons. One of them would be the chances education must offer to all of us. We have to be able to give same opportunities. Our duty is to educate for the real life, and this means much more than teaching. This is the main reason why I will always defend co-education.

Coromoto

EFFECTIVE MEDIA COMMUNICATION: AN APPROACH

It would be wrong to disagree against a fact recently stated in “The Newspaper Magazine” in which we could read that nowadays we communicate less effectively despite having more means of communication. According to an early research, conducted by Dr. Mackenzie at the American University in Colorado, the study concluded highlighting the great influence technology, social media and mobile devices put into our society nowadays.

Despite adolescents using telephones to achieve goals such as development, which includes socializing with peers, understanding the world or trying on their own identities and acquiring independence, these aims are not always accomplished.

Emails are currently used for different purposes, including work and leisure matters, such as text messages do. These main means of non-attendance conversation are widely spread all over our society. In addition to this, it has been reported that telephone usage, which is absolutely decreasing according to another recent research, dealt among people in their forties.

Unfortunately, it has been demonstrated that written language produced carelessly and in a hurry is easily misunderstanding. It would be natural the recipient to misread it. The advice would be for the speaker to reread it and usually rewrite the message in order to make sure it is properly adequate.

Whereas in a telephone interaction, a meeting or a reunion communication is naturally established by its members, their gestures, stares and body language, which help to maintain a meaningful dialogue. Unfortunately, talking face to face is seen as out of fashion by youngsters and, in addition to this, many people feel uncomfortable and disrupted. They prefer to keep in touch with friends or costumers through screens.

We should not let texting and surfing on smartphones replace dialogue. It would be a pity and particularly a lack of in our relationships.

TOYS AND GAMES

When I was a child I didn't get any presents at Christmas. In my family the tradition was that children received money from adults. My grandad, who was the richest, gave my sister and me a big silver coin every Christmas Eve which we collected with pleasure.

I received toys on January the 5^th at night. The presents were hidden all around the house by the Three Wise Men and I had to look for them. It was really thrilling! Previously I had written a letter asking for the presents I would pretend to obtain. I had to tell them about my behavior all along the year.

I specially remember, when I was six, a green eyed and red-headed doll who could do somersaults. She was obviously named “Volteretas”. Another present I was elated with was a drum. I can clearly remember the moment when I found it on a stair's step. I did played it for hours and end! And finally a toy I have happy memories of is a West Gun. It made a realistic sound when you shot it and even it produced some smoke!

When I was a child I can remember me playing all the time with my sister. We mainly used to role-play: doctors, shop-assistant, actors, teachers, families... This kind of games are creatives and you only need daily devices and common objects to play, no toys at all.

I think games and toys are not essentially different nowadays from those of three decades ago. Maybe the material is different but that's all. (As long as electronic gadgets didn't exist in those days.)

I'm afraid I must disagree with the statement “children play less than they used to”. Under my point of view they play the same time but with different toys and to different games in other places.

I would swear the most popular game nowadays are those children can play with their computers on line on the web.

About playing with adults I wouldn't recommend it. I would suggest to socialize children with their pairs, the same age or not, but specially when role-playing an adult wouldn't be better than a pair.

In conclusion, games and playing are essential for every child to grow-up and become a human being.

RECOMMENDATION LETTER

To whom it may concern,

I am writing this character reference letter recommendation for my friend Sonja Johnson which I had the pleasure to meet ten years ago at The Annual Tourist Convention. Since then, we have been in contact and have worked closely whenever our companies have decided so.

Because of her experience as a hostess, she is naturally sussed, always acting comfortable dealing with aspects such as contacting people or socializing among different kinds of groups. She possesses an outgoing character feature: she is kindly in manners.

In addition to all this, she has a remarkable historic and cultural background and knowledge. She studied History . She has got her Barcelona University bachelor's degree. Her final thesis was about “Roman culture in Mallorca” for which she received a “cum laude”.

Another aspect I would like to highlight is her hard-working attitude which is combined with an affable way of doing it. These two features makes her fit properly in either a team or enable her to create a new high-spirited one.

I am conscious that her age (almost 56) could be a drawback but, nevertheless, she is extremely youthful and I'm sure she will be more capable and more proactive with tourists than younger candidates.

For these reasons, I am more than confident about Sonja. She is the perfect candidate to occupy the position of a tourist-guide.

ENGLISH AND ME

To begin with this topic I would like to narrate my first contact with the English language at the age of twelve.

My dear mum enrolled my old sister and me in a small English class with a Navarrian teacher (I mean from Pamplona) married to an English man.

In those days, I am talking about thirty-two years ago, English was considered almost an exotic language, at least in a small village located in the Iberian inland. We were twelve students and I can clearly recall the first words I listened in the strange idiom. They were: “Meet Sandy and Sue”. Believe it or not, it was later on when I discovered the way these enigmatic sounds were written...

At the age of twenty I started to study in order to become an English Primary teacher. I was really motivated with the English subject. Fortunately, in my second year I had an English teacher who taught us didactic and phonetics aspects of English language acquisition ( also rhythm and intonation). She developed on me the hidden teaching vocation. In addition to this I discovered the great pleasure to read English authors in their original. In those days I enjoyed Patricia Highsmith's novels, Roald Dahl's short stories and the overnight success literary work Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

I was able to achieved success finishing the teacher career in six years which is not really a great success considering other students completed it in three years. For me, in those days, that was good enough.

Later on, in 1994, I managed to gain the position of Primary teacher in the Balears competitive exams.

This academic year I have decided to make a pause in my profession. I really needed to slow down for a long period of time, considering I was director of studies in a school during six years. This is the main reason I have decided to continue with my English training and must finally say I am really happy with the classes!

HIGHLY AMBITION-FLYING HIGH

There's a world of difference between my own expectations and my parent's. Since I was a child I had a strong desire to became a pilot. I wish I could try to achieve this dream harder. I didn't and that's why I now regret... Only my mum helped a little by letting me study languages in case I would need them in the future. She said: “just in case you would get a job as a stewardess”, which is actually my occupation.

I'm sure that right now is high time I deserved to jump at the chance.

First of all, I have a lot of experience in the air navigation field. It runs in my family: my dad was a pilot during the Spanish civil war and, in addition to this, I've been working for the Iberian company for the last twenty years.

In the second place, I will point out my outstanding health. It has been years since I last visited my doctor. I'm in an amazing physical condition.

And last but not least, I would like to emphasize the intellectual and psychic balance everybody assures I possess.

I'm convinced I will become the best senior pilot with the help of your Masterclass teachers who will be delighted to help me to fulfill my high ambition. As the saying goes: “the sky is the limit”.

MURKY ADS ON PRIME TIME

The purpose of this report is to analyze broadcast advertisements on Spanish public television channels produced by governmental organizations and those promoted for private companies and firms. It also highlights the effect on teenagers and aspects to be amended.

A random survey among one thousand youths aged between 12 to 17 has been applied . The study has revealed that 20% were accidental television viewers, 70% were common telly watchers and 10% were considered as “coach potatoes”. Their average screen time was around 25 hours a week.

The research has based our arguments to assure children deeply internalize advertisements although they are not always fully able to catch the message. Occasionally they are not engaged with the plot, sometimes feel uncomfortable at watching scenes or even don't pay attention to the weirdest contents. Previous studies concluded that spots were quickly forgotten by youngsters and they didn't always care about them . We have find out these researches are not accurate at all.

The strongest point, revealed from our survey, is that youngest participants interviewed were uneasily influenced and better knowledgeable by gloomy spots rather than older ones regardless their screen time.

In the light of the results, the conclusion is that advertisements wield an outsize influence on young viewers. We are able to claim, drawn from the study held, that images, situations and symbols publicity promotes are incredibly sprawling on child's mind. Advertisements could grow up insane and mentally sick people.

It is strongly recommended to take up measures in order to shift contents from Spanish advertisements. We are aware that the market is the target and the clout is under laid but...

"if we don't care about childhood right now, they wouldn't care for us in the future".

MY DREAM HOUSE

If I had the choice, I would like to live in a cottage surrounded by unpolluted air and unspoilt countryside. These would be the main conditions to build nest my house in.

I dream up of an idyllic place, dramatic scenery, astonishing views... From each window it would be possible to admire all the different shades of greens combining with the bluish sky and the whiteness of clouds. A tiny shelter placed in the very heart of the nature where the smell and perfumes of the canopy trees and flowers could be perceived.

The most dazzling feature of the place would be the sound of silence, interrupted from time to time by the noises of the birds singing and the little creatures eating, walking, hunting... Now and then I would like to hear from my house the wind blowing, a storm in the middle of the night or the rain falling.

My dwelling would have a porch flanked by two wooden rocking chairs. As you enter from the main door to the hall there's a life-size room, warmly and cosyly decorated. It is ideally furnished with utterly comfortable sofas located in front of a fire-place. There's a huge dinning table with a heavy fruit bowl in the middle. The light and airy kitchen is always neat and tidy.

Upstairs there are the bedrooms. One of them, devoted to sleep, is provided with a big Japanese bed with lots of brightly colored pillows on it. The other one is the library. A quiet place to read, listen to music, paint or... study English!