Use of English - until December

Modal verbs
Solutions
Advantages and disadvantages
Comparatives
Participle clauses
Purpose clauses
Conditionals
Future tenses

Phrasal verbs
Idioms

Obamacare, Clintoncare and Trumpcare

Obamacare vs Trumpcare

Health insurance vocabulary

Health Systems

US health system


Where does health care come from?
Who pays for research?
What's different about the way they provide health care?
Who pays for health care insurance?
What does it cover?
What other 3 ways of getting medical care exist?
Who spends more on health care, the government or the private sector?

Answers:
Most heath care is provided for by the private sector.
Private and public sources
How they give access to their system. 15% of people were uninsured
60% of people get health insurance from their employer
Preventive care, care if you get sick and prescriptions
Medicare (for old people), Medicaid (for the poorest), Tricare (for the military)
The government pays 2/3 of the bill but only covers 1/3 of the people


NHS in Scotland


Health System in Spain

Sicko - The US health system exposed

Watch the trailer

If you want to know more, watch the full documentary

Pharmaceutical industry

True or false?


1.Intellectual property ensures researchers get investment
2.In the US a patent has a limit of 20 years
3.It takes about 20 years to develop a new drug
4.Companies establish strict controls to ensure safety
5.Pharmaceutical companies invest massively in R&D
6.New products are being rapidly copied
7.Profits from patented drugs are invested in new research
8.Medicines go through the same controls as other patented items

Answers: 1T, 2F, 3F, 4F, 5T, 6F, 7T, 8F

Structure of a hospital

Organizational structure of_a_hospital from Ed Alzona

Health and safety at work

Learn more about work environment risks/health and safety hazards

Office hazards

Teachers's occupational hazards

Antibiotic crisis

Check the transcript

Do you know what you eat?

Watch the following video and complete the blanks

1. The last years have seen more changes in our nutrition than in the previous 10,000
2. Modern agriculture has focused on growing faster, fatter, bigger and cheaper
3. Much of our industrial food basically consists of rearrangements of corn
4. You can get 2 hamburgers for the price of a vegetable
5. It's unbelievable that meat  without any labelling can be purchased
6. The average consumer feels powerless
7. There is proof that an industry's irresponsible behaviour can be changed
8. Consumers have the power to get companies to produce good wholesome food

As usual, the answers are written in white. Select the blanks to see them.

What causes cancer?

Processed meat causes cancer?

Guide to avoid carcinogens

Bigorexia

Benefits of sport

Health and safety at work

Causes of work-related illness

Eco-cities

Watch this video about the city of Hamburg and complete the information below

1.Fewer cars would mean a reduction of exhaust fumes
2.Hamburg’s target is to slash house gas emissions by 40%
3.Solar power boats show us that we can make do without coal and nuclear power
4.In the summer a membrane prevents too much heat buildup
5.The new neighbourhood tries to meet the highest environmental standards
6.A problem for cyclist is that the cycle lane network is underdeveloped
7.Sustainable mobility should encourage the use of non-motorised transport
8.A green energy plant is located on top of a former rubbish tip

Answers written in white. Select the text above to see them.

Transcribe the first minute:
A big field, goal posts, a pond and more benches and trees. They shouldn't build any grey schools; they feel so lonely; they should be bright and colourful. Fewer cars, becasue the exhaust that comes out of the back is unhealthy and it's bad for the environment. And it's not just the children at st catherine school in Hamburg who want more greenery, better buildings and fewer cars. The city has embraced those aims too. Over the next decade hamburg plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to 1990 levels; a target far more ambitious than those of most european cities. But hamburg is not an idyllic backwater. It's a large industrial centre and its harbour and major transport hub. So lots of people are asking how they aim to achieve these objectives: with lots of individual projects and by everyone doing their bit according to Enno Isermann

Urbanization: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad City

Learn more about this topic

Idioms

What do these mean?

• everything but the kitchen sink
• get your own house in order
• be on the house
• have a roof over your head
• build castles in the air
• throw money down the drain

Solutions to Global Warming

True or False?

1. Climate change has an immediate effect on us
2. A small fee on CO2 content would be paid for by consumers
3. Every citizen would get the same share of money from the fees
4. This money must be spent on improving home energy efficiency
5. Other countries will have to adopt the same policy
6. Clean technologies will increase unemployment in jobs related to fossil fuels

Answers: 1F, 2F, 3T, 4F, 5T, 6F

Let's pollute

Watch the following video (Best Short Film, Oscars Animated Nominee) and complete the blanks:

1. Pollution is our heritage
2. Nowadays polluting is better and more convenient than ever
3. Even before the Industrial Revolution we were polluters at heart
4. After hundreds of years man needed an allay
5. Machines were a wonder of waste
6. Some of our past habits were counterproductive
7. Our ancestors would envy our toxines and contaminants
8. Remember to always buy the latest trendy gadgets
9. Corporations produce tons of cheap crap for you to buy
10. Ask your congressman to eliminate all environmental restrictions
11. Prepackaged and processed food has minimal nutritional value
12. The best food for you is the one that has been sprayed with herbicides

Select the sentences to see the answers.
Leave a comment: Are we really like this?

Environmental issues

Watch and match




1. Raw material hunger
2. Atmospheric pollution
3. Waste formation
4. Forest destruction
5. Desertification
6. Water pollution


A. Effects of intensive farming
B. Greenhouse effect and forest destruction
C. Limiting the use to compensate for shortages
D. Space at the cost of nature
E. Technologies that reduce energy waste
F. The end of landfills
G. The price of progress
H. Sorting to counter overconsumption of raw materials

Answers: 1G 2E 3H 4D 5A 6C - Extra: B, F

Paris climate summit

Watch another video about this summit

Green homes

Sustainable squatting

Watch the video and answer the questions below:
1.What was the place like when she first arrived there?
2.Why did she settle for it?
3.Where did they find the building materials?
4.How did she transport them?
5.Where did they get food? And clothes?
6.Why did she decide to live this way?
7.How does she say she pays for her rent?
8.Why did she leave the kitchen wall open?
9.What’s her favourite piece of recycling?
10.How did she avoid confrontation in the house?
11.What are the gardens used for?
12.Where did the plants come from? And the marble for the paths?

Answers written in white. Select below to see them:
1.The place had no doors, windows the cables ripped out 2.She saw potential in it. She chose the house because of the light from the east and west 3.The building material was found in the neighbourhood 4.She used a trolley to bring things 5.She got her food from the Covent Garden market. The clothes came from jumble sales or charity shops 6.She could make a home for herself 7.She paid the rent with her work 8.She left the wall open in the kitchen because she likes the light and she wanted to see the lath, the muscles of the house 9.Her favourite piece of recycling is an 1937 oven 10.To avoid confrontation in the house she built kitchens 11.The gardens were an outlet for their creativity 12.They bring the plants from other peoples gardens. They brought marble from a factory nearby

Causes and effects of Climate Change

Adapt to climate change?

What is art?

Is this art? Watch and find out the definition of art according to the presenters



What is art for?



Have a look at different definitions of art

The Tate Modern is 10!

Watch the first part of a BBC documentary about the Tate Modern and choose the correct answer:

1.The Tate Modern… the connection between size and art
a.exploits
b.invented
c.downplays

2.In the gallery there is a metal container where you can experience
a.light from the sun
b.fear
c.mind expansion

3.The higher floors in the Tate Modern Gallery contain
a.installations
b.a permanent exhibition
c.a theme park

4.You might find Henri Matisse
a.less avant-garde than Gerhard Richter
b.less comprehensible than No-Ghost-Just-a-Shell artists
c.less accessible than contemporary artists

5.Nowadays the Tate Modern is considered… ordinary people
a.a baffling experience for
b.an integral part of the life of
c.an overrated activity for

6.Years ago modern art was
a.praised in the media
b.accessible for non-intellectuals
c.a high-class experience

7.…was/were the first to popularize modern art
a.The Tate Modern
b.Saatchi Gallery
c.Independent artists

8.Tate Modern is a symbol of
a.elitism
b.a new society
c.mainstream art

Answers written in white. Select this line to see them: 1a, 2c, 3a, 4a, 5b, 6c, 7b, 8b

Leisure time

Watch the video and answer these questions:

What’s obligation time?
Time spent on things you have to do
What’s leisure time?
Something you do without having to do it
What was important for people in the 50s?
Relaxing when you had time off and the family
Why were the 70s the golden decade of leisure time?
Because there was a growing population, with a growing income and with a growing amount of time
What changed in the 90s?
The telephone was used to talk to other people
New target groups developed
Who uses technology for leisure the most nowadays?
People with higher education
What influences middle aged people in their use of technology?
Work and marriage
How do people’s habits differ from their wishes?
People are looking for social activities but they dedicate more time to other activities
How is lack of time affecting leisure activities?
People do the activities faster, less accurately and combine activities

Discussion - Entertainment and technology

Discuss and then leave a comment on one or more of these statements:

• There's nothing wrong with parents banning their children from watching TV and/or using the internet.
• Using the internet for entertainment will remain the preserve of young people.
• Young people are ignorant of the dangers of revealing their personal data and private lives online.
• Downloading movies and music for free, without permission, is a criminal act deserving prosecution.

Eating in the dark

Eating in the dark? Would you dare?

Eating in the Dark

Watch the video and say if these statements are true or false

1. Onoir is a French restaurant
2. You are served by blind people
3. It takes 2 weeks to get a reservation
4. Someone in the owner's family was blind
5. His friends and family were the first ones to eat in the dark
6. There are 3 restaurants in the US
7. The waiter tells you where the cutlery is on the table
8. This kind of business helps promote the sightless world
9. Some people dislike the feeling of helplessness
10. Even the bar is in the dark

Answers written in white: 1 F, 2 T, 3 T, 4 F, 5 T, 6 F, 7 F, 8 T, 9 F, 10 F

Unit 1 - Personal information, education and work

These are the elements included in this unit:

Topics
Personal qualities
Objectives of education
Education system and educational issues
Future of education
Education and success
Job hunting, application and interviews
Types of jobs and conditions
Work issues
Grammar
Revision of tenses and modal verbs
Other functions
Speaking about solutions
Writing a letter of application
Writing a report

Working conditions

Have a look at information about different countries and times:

Working conditions in the Netherlands
Working conditions in Spain
Working conditions in England in the 18th C.

Video Curriculum

Check this job offer.

Steve Jobs' Speech at Stanford

Tuning in to dropping out

Discrimination at the workplace

Listen and choose the correct answer.


1. The speaker will talk about
a) women discrimination
b) general gender discrimination
c) men discrimination

2. Women discrimination manifests itself
a) in the ability to get a job
b) in terms of opportunities to succeed
c) in the number of women dismissed

3. Women basically suffer
a) sexual harassment
b) pregnancy discrimination
c) all kinds of discrimination

4. At the heart of gender discrimination is
a) the difference in salaries
b) unequal daily schedules
c) promotion opportunities

5. The Walmart case was
a) the first filed by women
b) the first to be won by women
c) the largest action by women

6. Boeing had to pay its female workers
a) 1.6 million
b) 72 million
c) 75 million

7. The main cause of the violation of equality laws is
a) little employment decisions
b) gender prejudice
c) macro inequities

8. The book Getting Even
a) collects data from 10 major cases
b) shows that women's choices creat discrimination
c) reveals that discrimination is based on archaic prejudices

Answers written in white: 1.a, 2.b, 3.c, 4.a, 5.c, 6.b, 7.b, 8.c

Job interview questions

Watch the video and complete the blanks:

Frequently asked questions:

1. In an interview you should anticipate, practise and show your passion
2. Only speak about yourself for 30 seconds
3. When speaking about your strengths, don't be modest, be careful but not boastful
4. When speaking about your weakness explain the steps to improve them you've taken.
5. Mention your career goals to justify why they should hire you
6. Explain why you are better, different or more valuable than other candidates
7. Avoid mentioning a direct amount of money

Answers: Select the sentences to see them.

Education in the future

Watch this video and try to get information about:

slide - ipad - digital paper - human interaction -  flipped classrooms

   textbooks - games - hands-on approach

Answers written in white. Select the text below to see them:

There will be slides instead of stairs and ipads instead of computers

We will write on  digital paper

Human interaction is positive to share ideas and solve problems

In flipped classrooms students do homework at school and learn through videos at home

Textbooks will be online

You can play fun games

Technology favours a hands-on approach. Students can learn independently by doing things

Education challenges nowadays

What do you think is the most important educational issue that needs to be addressed in Spain?

Bullying   -   school failure   -   dropout rates   -   academic performance/achievement motivation/demotivation (unmotivated students)   -   absenteeism

Can you think of any solution?

College degree vs life skills

Watch this video about the relationship between education and success and answer the questions below

1. What is more important than a degree for some Americans? To be skilled in aspects of life
2. Why are degrees necessary according to Robert Franek? To prepare you for your future job
3. What abilities are companies looking for? Ability to lead a team, fresh ideas…
4. How does a degree help your career according to Jack Hough? It is the door to get a job
5. Is tuition affordable? Yes, at public schools you could study for $18000 a year
6. Why are companies overlooking degrees? Because people with degrees lack other necessary skills
7. What’s more important than a degree according to Jen Lee? Talent

Answers written in white above. Select the questions to see them.

Getting to know you

READ FOR ME: http://www.fluentu.com/blog/language-learning-techniques/

What do/would you like to do for a living? What does this job consist in?
Will learning English help you achieve your goals?

What smell reminds you of home?
Who has had the most influence in your life?
What grown-up job did you want to have when you were a child?
What is the story behind one of your scars?
What do you "know now" that you wish you "knew then"?
What is the best invention during your lifetime?
What is a good place to travel but you would not want to live there?
What do you feel strongly enough about to protest?
What motivates you to exercise?
When in your life have you had a "now or never" moment?
When was the first time you realized you are good at your job?
How easy would it be for you to take a year off?
Would you double you commute if it meant you could double the square footage of your home?
Which one of your responsibilities do you wish you could get rid of?

from: http://www.gettoknowu.com/NewQuestions/NewQuestions_03.php

Circular Economy

Inside Job: The Biggest Heist Ever

Pronunciation challenge

Click the photo to read the poem

To Brexit or Not Brexit

Read more

The Big Short

What is short selling? Find out here