English Can Be Weird

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The Cíes Islands

(Reblogged from Travels)

The archipelago of the Cies, located at the entrance of the ria de Vigo, consists of three main islands and smaller islets. The Cies Islands offer nature, good walks and trails, spectacular views and beaches and a haven of tranquility. It’s an incredible maritime-terrestrial National Park and one of the most beautiful in the country, hence the Romans put them ‘islands of the gods’ name.

Cies form part of the Atlantic Islands National Park: a paradise of beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters, with a natural setting that makes it an Observatory of flora and fauna unique.

From North to South the Islands son:br Monteagudo or North, island of medium or lighthouse, South Island or San Martiño. The first two are United by a barrier of sand caused by ocean currents, called Beach das Rodas, on the Western side is called two Nenos saltwater lagoon.

The West coast of the Islands is sown and abrupt cliffs that may exceed 100m in height. It also has numerous caves originated by marine erosion, while the East coast have mild slopes that reach the beautiful beaches of fine sand. They include the mentioned beach of Rhodes, selected as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world by the British newspaper “The Guardian”.

Cies Islands, were declared “Natural Park” in 1980 and belong to the National Park of the Atlantic Islands, developed in 2002.

A visit to Cies is ideal for hiking in the family to a break in search of Virgin and quiet beaches. You can make a day boat trip to Cies or rent a yacht in Vigo. Or, if you prefer, spend a weekend in Cies campsite. In addition, it is an exceptional place for diving in the Vigo river and, with luck, you can swim surrounded by arroaces (local dolphins, of smaller size).

Can only access the archipelagos of the National Park from the sea, by the means of maritime transport services of passengers who fly on specific dates or, with prior authorization if it’s a private boat. Currently, several shipping companies provide regular services at Easter, weekends of May and summer to visit the islands of Cíes and Ons. Access is restricted to a maximum of 2200 people per day.

To preserve the environment the number of visits is regulated as well as activities within and around the Islands.

Here are some things to keep in mind when visiting the Cíes Islands:

– It is not recommended to approaching the cliffs, can be dangerous.

– It is recommended to travel on public roads.

– Please always take plenty of water and sunscreen.

– You never leave trash, take it with you.

– Is not permitted to camping except in the permitted areas.

– It is not allowed to pull up plants or disturb the animals.

– Anchoring of boats without authorization is not permitted. Click here to request authorization.

– Diving in the vicinity of the Islands without permission is not allowed. To request permission please click here.

– Is not allowed to light fires.

– Is not permitted sport fishing.

– Is not allowed the entry of animals on the Islands, with the exception of dogs Guide for visually impaired.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

'Mind the gap' announcer Phil Sayer dies aged 62

(Reblogged from The Guardian)

Voiceover artist was heard on London’s tube network and railway stations across the country

The man who voiced some of London Underground’s “mind the gap” announcements has died.

Phil Sayer, 62, whose voice was heard daily on the capital’s tube network, as well as on many automated PA systems on railway stations across the UK, died on Thursday from cancer.

His wife, Elinor Hamilton, made the announcement on Facebook, writing: “Phil Sayer – voice of reason, radio, and railways. A dearly loved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. We are sorry to announce that this service terminates here.”

Phil Sayer appearing on This Morning in 2014. Photograph: Ken McKay/ITV/Rex/Shutterstock

Twitter

Sayer worked as a BBC presenter in the 1980s before setting up a company with he and Elinor working as voiceover artists. He retired from doing voiceovers in April after his health declined.

In 2007, Sayer old the BBC: “These days, most of my work is as a voiceover artist, though I still present live shows and conferences for corporate clients from time to time. It’s my voice on most of the automated PA systems on railway stations across the UK. As a result, I’m heard saying ‘Sorry…’ quite a lot.

“The company I run with my wife Elinor also provides PA announcements for large parts of the London Underground. We’re quietly proud that our two-person company from the north-west of England beat off competition from the big boys in London to win this lucrative contract.

“Lastly, at the grand old age of 54 I’m the proud dad of two-year-old twin boys. Silly old fool, eh?”

The mind the gap announcement was introduced in 1968 after it became impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The warning was also painted on the edge of the platforms.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Filming on your smartphone

Tips for filmmakers on how to get the most out of your smartphone.

(Reblogged from BBC Academy)

Smartphones mean that everyone can be a filmmaker.

Arthur Haynes is part of the BBC Production Talent Pool and is a seasoned smartphone filmmaker. In this video, recorded on a smartphone (iPhone 5), Arthur shares his tips for filming on your smartphone.

"My advice is to go out there and have a play. You never know what you might create."

– Arthur Haynes

Setting up

1. Set your phone to airplane mode so that you don’t have any interruptions when recording.
2. Adjust your brightness. Set it to high so you can see clearly what you’re filming.
3. Always film in landscape so that the format is set correctly when you playback.

Now for the actual filming…

Before you start filming, think about what your story is and then think about the shots that will best tell the story.

1. Set the scene.  Have an establishing shot and make sure you introduce your characters to your audience pretty early on.
2. Don’t just stick to one shot. Use different types of shots to make your story more interesting.  Change the angle of the camera to give different points of view.
3. Zooming in when filming on your smartphone is a big no-no! It’s always best for you to physically move with the camera instead.
4. Blurry footage is of no use to anyone so make sure you focus before you start filming. Hold down the square box on your screen to focus on your subject.
5. Exposure - smartphones have this built in. Tap on your subject and then adjust your settings according to what you want.
6. There’s nothing worse than having great footage but having the sound let you down. Make sure you know where the microphone is on your phone so as not to cover it up when filming. If you’re filming in a quiet area then the phone’s own microphone might be enough…
7. …. But you can always use the phone’s headphones as an additional mic.
8. You'll want to stabilise your shots and limit movement so that you don't have shaky shots. Depending on what you’re filming, holding the phone in your hand might work. If you’re going to be filming for a while, you might want to think about leaning the camera on something or even etting a tripod and a mount.

Click here to watch the video.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Labor Walk of Fame 4.2

Since the second term has come to an end, we want to congratulate those students who did best during these three months. And those are:

ESO 1A: Javier Pintos González (9.29)

ESO 1B: Laura Conde Lema (9.42)

ESO 2A: Sofía Lago Castro (9.13)

ESO 2B: Diego Rodríguez Riobó (7.77)

ESO 3A: Lucía Díaz Cameselle (9.62)

ESO 3B: Raquel Cordeiro Canosa (9.14)

ESO 4A: Álvaro de Prado Saborido (9.14)

ESO 4B: Marta Rivas Ramallo (8.46)

And the best overall ESO student of English in the 2nd Term is Lucía Díaz Cameselle, with an average mark of 9.62. Congratulations!

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Learn the Cockney accent with Jason Statham

Ok... We couldn't afford Jason Statham, so we got what we could afford! Learn aspects of the Cockney accent and even take a little test at the end!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Bolsas de Inmersión Lingüística 2016

A Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria convoca 682 prazas para realizar actividades de formación en linguas estranxeiras no ano 2016.

Poderá solicitar estas axudas o alumnado de centros sostidos con fondos públicos da Comunidade Autónoma de Galicia dos cursos que aparecen na seguinte táboa.

Acceso ao texto da Orde de convocatoria

Acceso ao cartel informativo

Acceso á guía para cubrir a solicitude (aplicación axudasle)

- Lémbrase a necesidade de achegar, xunto coa documentación, a fotocopia de todas as páxinas cubertas do libro de familia ou, de non dispor deste, da documentación que xustifique o número total de membros da unidade familiar.

- Para as personas que non empreguen a aplicación (que obrigará a cubrir esta información), indícase a importancia de facilitar, alomenos, un teléfono de contacto, procurando cubrir todas informacións indicadas na solicitude en letra lexible.

- No caso de remitir a solicitude vía Correo Postal (o Anexo I debe selarse e datarse por Correos), o enderezo de envío é:

Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria

Dirección Xeral de Educación, Formación Profesional e Innovación Educativa

Edf. Administrativo de San Caetano s/n

15781 – Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña)

 Prazo aberto dende o 29 de marzo ata o 28 de abril (incluído)

						Achega das familias (€)
	MODALIDADE	DURACIÓN	RÉXIME ALOXAMENTO	Nº PRAZAS	CUSTO POR PRAZA (€)	GRUPO A	GRUPO B	GRUPO C	GRUPO D
2º BACHARELATO	Inglés en Galicia	1 semana	Residencia	33	800	100	180	300	350
1º BACHARELATO	Inglés en Galicia	1 semana	Residencia	59	800	100	180	300	350
4º EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA OBRIGATORIA	Inglés en Galicia	2 semanas	Residencia	90	550	70	125	220	275
3º EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA OBRIGATORIA	Inglés en Galicia	2 semanas	Residencia	120	550	70	125	220	275
2º EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA OBRIGATORIA	Inglés en Galicia	2 semanas	Residencia	190	550	70	125	220	275
1º EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA OBRIGATORIA	Inglés en Galicia	2 semanas	Residencia	190	550	70	125	220	275
			Total prazas:	682

CONSULTAS

Web da convocatoria: http://www.edu.xunta.es/axudasle

Enderezo electrónico: axudasle@edu.xunta.es

Atención telefónica:  981957296 - 881997497 - 981957538 - 981546503

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

2013 Best Graduation Speech, by Alejandro Penín

ESO 4 Students,

We give you here an example of a brilliant graduation speech by Alejandro Penín. In just 382 words, with acute wit and joyful humour, he has addressed all the points a good valedictorian speech should cover. Superb effort. Congratulations, Alejandro!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

2015 Best ESO 4 Graduation Speeches.

ESO 4 Students,

Here you are the two best 2015 graduation speeches, by Andrea Aguado and Andrea Cobo, so that you can get some ideas and inspiration. Enjoy both their contents and spirit.

ANDREA AGUADO OLIVEIRA

Good afternoon everybody! 

Thanks to all of you for coming. Teachers, here we are again. Parents, hi, mum and dad! And classmates, you are the best.

Eight years ago in third grade primary, I never thought I would be here standing in front of you giving my graduation speech, but now it’s very exciting for me to be here.

Write music, by Gary Provost

This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.

Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important.

So write with a combination of short, medium, and long sentences. Create a sound that pleases the reader's ear. Don't just write words. Write music.

This Sentence Has Five Words on Vimeo.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

April Come She Will 2016

At LEZ we have posted 2 songs by Simon Garfunkel: I am a rock and 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night. We give you now another of their masterpieces, 'April Come She Will.' Whatever happened to poets and musicians like them?

April, come she will

When streams are ripe and swelled with rain.

May, she will stay

Resting in my arms again.

June, she'll change her tune,

in restless walks she'll prowl the night.

July, she will fly

and give no warning to her flight.

August, die she must,

the autumn winds blow chilly and cold.

September, I'll remember

a love once new has now grown old.

This brilliant, beautiful video clip illustrating the song is by a young American genius, Justin Ho. Keep his name in mind: Sooner or later he will become a very famous film director.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.