March 31- Eiffel Tower Opens

A little bit of history  for those travelling to Paris .
On March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower is dedicated in Paris in a ceremony presided over by Gustave Eiffel, the tower's designer, and attended by French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard, a handful of other dignitaries, and 200 construction workers.
In 1889, to honor of the centenary of the French Revolution, the French government planned an international exposition and announced a design competition for a monument to be built on the Champ-de-Mars in central Paris. Out of more than 100 designs submitted, the Centennial Committee chose Eiffel's plan of an open-lattice wrought-iron tower that would reach almost 1,000 feet above Paris and be the world's tallest man-made structure. Eiffel, a noted bridge builder, was a master of metal construction and designed the framework of the Statue of Liberty that had recently been erected in New York Harbor.

video
Click here to read more and watch the video.

Monday Morning Blues

Monday Morning Blues  (laugh it out.com)

I am sure you can understand the meaning of "blues"with  these pictures, if not, look it up in the dictionary.

How to Tackle the Monday Morning Blues

We all do it. We get a little sick feeling in our stomachs on Sunday evenings when we realize that the weekend is over and we have to go back to work on Monday morning. Why can't the weekends last longer? Why do they go so fast and why do the weeks seem to drag on forever?

How can we joyously anticipate Mondays instead of agonize over them? How can we look forward to the week like we look forward to the weekend? How can we have an attitude that declares, "Thank God, it's Monday!"

Here are a few helps to turn your dread into joy.

Aftermath- The Japanese Tsunami

Here is a video about the tsunami in Japan. We have recently  been more concentrated on the nuclear problems than in the victims , we cannot forget them. Indeed, our thoughts are with them.



from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
Click here for more information

Doris Day -¿Qué Será, Será?

Que Será, Será  (Whatever Will be,Will be) , first published in 1956 , is a popular song written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans .
The song was introduced in Alfred Hitchcok´s 1956 film The Man Who Knew Too Much with Doris Day and James Stewart.
With this song you can practise the direct and reported speech.
I hope you sing and learn the lyrics almost by heart.



When I was just a little girlI asked my mother, "what will I be?
Will I be pretty? Will i be rich?"
Here's what she said to me:

"¿Qué será, será?,
Whatever will be, will be;
The future's not ours to see.
¿Qué será, será?,
What will be, will be."

When I was just a child in school,
I asked my teacher,
"what will I try?
Should I paint pictures?
Should I sing songs?"
This was her wise reply:

"¿Qué será, será?
Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
¿Qué será, será?
What will be, will be."

When I grew up and fell in love
I asked my sweetheart,
"What lies ahead?
Will we have rainbows day after day?"
Here's what my sweetheart said:

"¿Qué será, será?
Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
¿Qué será, será?
What will be, will be."

Now I have children of my own
They ask their mother,
What will I be?
"Will I be handsome?
Will I be rich?"
I tell them tenderly:

"¿Qué será, será?
Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
¿Qué será, será?
What will be, will be."

Reported Speech

 REPORTED SPEECH

Sample Presentation Hoangminh

View more presentations from hoangminh171081





Click on the activities below to do some practice.

• Exercise 1 
• Exercise 2
• Exercise 3
• Exercise 4

Visit THIS PAGE ON LINE and ANOTHER ONE  to practise everything seen before.

Don´t forget there are more links on the right ,ENGLISH TENSES

Who Was St. Patrick? March 17th

                       

                       Ireland´s Patron Saint 

Saint Patrick lived in Britain in the early fifth century, when it was still part of the Roman Empire. He was captured and sold into slavery in Ireland when he was only 16.
He eventually escaped slavery and turned to a life of religious devotion. He trained to become a minister and set out to spread Christianity throughout Ireland. After 30 years as a religious leader, Patrick died on March 17, 461.

Saint Patrick’s Day is always celebrated on March 17. In Ireland, it is an official holiday.To know more click on

                                                            this link

Read this popular Irish saying:

May your blessings outnumber

The shamrocks that grow.
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.



Watch this video about Ireland and answer the questions

1. How many provinces has Ireland got?
2. What happened in 1840?
3. Why is Ireland called the"Emerald Isle"?
4. Why were Shamrocks used by St.Patrick?
5. What about the symbol of the country?

If you are interested in St.Patrick´history, go to about. 
Watch this video and write at least 10 things you didn´t know about

St.Patrick and you know now.

More interesting videos at HISTORY.COM

JAPAN

SOS in Japan. It appeared on the top of a roof written by a 24-year-old woman. She, with other people, was there for quite a long time after the earthquake had devastated her town.
On March 11th,2011, an earthquake struck off the coast of Japan. A devastating tsunami swept over cities in the northern part of the country.
Recorded as 8.9 on the Richer scale, it was upgraded to 9.0. According to officials more than 10.000 people  have died. Apart from making effort to rescue people, the nation is also facing the worst nuclear emergency since Chernobyl. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from a 20-km radius of the Fukushima nuclear power plants due to leaks.
This morning workers return to damaged plant.
Watch the news on Channel4




 A reading with questions in breahingnewsenglish.
OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH THE VICTIMS OF THIS TERRIBLE DISASTER

This is in our very NEAR future

An advertisement : awesome, wonderful or awful?

Watch "A Day Made of Glass" and take a look at Corning´vision for the future with specially glass at the heart of it.

• Is this going to happen soon?
• Are you sure we will watch it?
• Would you like to have something like that?
• Could you get used to a future like that?
• A touch screen TV all the time?
• Cleaning again and again?
• Will kids break easily?
• Too many clicks?
• A word of consumption?
• Will it take too much time for an average person to get it?
• For or against it?

Conditionals again

I hope with this wonderful song you finally know how to use the second conditional .
It is a song picture video with 2:41 minutes of music. By looking at the pictures and listening to the song you have to write the words of this popular song.

The full lesson can be seen in http://www.teflclips.com/?p=105 

Let´s Go To The Movies

Once again a film is going to be shown at Compañia Maria School on Thursday 10th March.
The film chosen for this month has been "Stagecoach", La Diligencia. It is an American Western film directed by John Ford.

Action , Drama, Romance, all these things in this wonderful film made in 1939.
A group of people traveling  on a stagecoach through dangerous Apache territory.
It was a complicated journey because of the presence and threat of Geronimo. Among them,a prostitute,an alcoholic doctor, a woman looking for her officer husband and a whiskey salesman.
The director John Ford , famous for his westerns and 20th century American novels, was awarded for Best Director. Needles to say, most of his films were silent,however, this one was his first sound western.
It was produced by Walter Wanger.
John Wayne played an important role, excellent John Wayne. Next to him Thomas Mitchell, as a drunken doctor, won an Oscar.

                        John Wayne


Directed by : John Ford
Stars : John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Thomas Mitchell and Andy Devine.
Country: USA
Language : English
Release Date : 2 March 1939
Filming Locations : Beale´s Cut, Newhall,California.
Genres : Action, Drama, Romance; Western
Runtime : 96 min.
Color : Black and White

Watch the trailer



It is thought Orson Welles watched this film dozens of times to prepare himself for Citizen Kane.

2011 Oscars: Live Performance By Celine Dion - Smile

As the film  Stagecoach won an Oscar, it is time for us to watch the Oscars won this year 2011. Live Performance by Celine Dion- Smile.We will be able to see many stars from different years,really nice idea.

Mardi Gras "Carnival "



MARDI GRAS MASK

 "Mardi Gras" is French for “Fat Tuesday”. It is the name of a celebration that takes place on the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the 40-day period of Lent. Mardi Gras is the final day of a three-day period, which starts on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. In Catholic countries, people fast during lent. People eat well the day before Ash Wednesday and hold celebrations. These can be wonderful, colourful carnivals all over the world. The most famous are those in Rio de Janeiro, New Orleans and Venice. The tradition of Mardis Gras goes back hundreds of years in Catholic Europe. Explorers, settlers and missionaries exported the tradition worldwide.


Today, Mardi Gras is a riot of colour, street carnivals, marching bands, dancing and all-night partying in the streets. Many people dress up in spectacular costumes and wear beautiful masks. The biggest Mardis Gras carnivals are in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Thousands of people from all over the world visit these cities to join in the fun. Venice is home to one of the oldest carnivals in the world, called Carnevale di Venezia. This dates back to 1268. Thousands of mask-wearing revelers fill the Venetian streets and attend special masked balls. In Sydney, Australia, Mardis Gras is celebrated by the city’s gay and lesbian community with street parades and costumes.

• Click on the link above to put into practise what you have just read.

• History of Mardi Gras in video.

     
        
         More links below

• Facts,figures,floklore about Mardi Gras.
• Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
• Mardi Gras Quiz from My English Page.
• BBC audio Notting Hill Carnival.