Here is a good site to brush up on your business English. You can enroll for free and you'll get help through your mail. It's an excellent resource site for many other areas as well!
http://grammar-teacher.com/free-business-english-lessons-by-mail/
English can be learned and practised in many ways. One fun way of doing it is through games and interactive activities. Here are a few links to interesting things. Remember that third Senior students will have to sit a SIMCE English exam this year, at the end of October. Start improving your skills from now, especially Listening and Reading Comprehension.
http://www.english-online.org.uk/games/gamezone2.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/games/games.html
http://www.world-english.org/games.htm
http://www.languagegames.org/la/english.asp
http://www.manythings.org/daily/
This is a ’flotel’. In a news report on Yahoo I came across the word ’flotel’, which I had not heard of before but which makes sense! It is a floating hotel, actually a sort of barracks on a barge, destined to house the workers who are helping to lcean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This permits the workers to be near their working site, and saves their employers having to transport them long distances to and from their worksite.
Here is a selection of language games which will help you learn more about the language.
http://www.bradleys-english-school.com/online/concentration/collnoun.html
http://www.bradleys-english-school.com/online/concentration/collnoun2.html
http://www.sporcle.com/games/common_english_words.php
http://www.eslgamesworld.com/members/games/grammar/index.html
http://www.eslgamesworld.com/members/games/vocabulary/index.html
I've been very, very busy lately and haven't had much time. I'll try to make up for the silence! Here's a memory test in three parts which you can do and find out in what condition your memory is.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/tmt/instructions_1.shtml
Silent Spring, a book by Rachel Carson which was published in 1962, contained warnings about the effects pesticides had on human lives and wildlife. People began to notice what was happening to their world because of chemical products and ecological ideas became more widespread. There was a lot of controversy worldwide due to this book, and the chemical industry reacted strongly. A few years later, the media reported intensely on environmental problems and pollution in different areas. A dramatic oil spill in California opened the eyes of many to the problems this caused on wildlife along the coast, and caused the greatest impression on Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin. He had the idea of creating Earth Day, and contributed to an environmental protest, called an environment teach-in.This event took place on April 22nd, 1970, and it is believed that about 20 million Americans participated in their communities all over the USA. Forty years have passed and the Earth is in greater danger than ever before. It is important to crete a mass conscience of contribution to everyone's welfare, and there are many ways in which YOU can cooperate.
http://www.earthday.org/earthday2010
Carolina Gana Skinner and Rodrigo Echeverría Cortéz
Universidad de los Andes
April 14th, 2010
English Speaking Union Public Speaking Event 2010
Main hall - Registration of Schools
Carolina and Rodrigo awaiting their turn to speak in the auditorium of the Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de los Andes.
Carolina: ’Don’t worry, but be careful’
Rodrigo : ’One Step at a Time’
Rodrigo and Carolina relaxing after lunch in the snack area.
Yesterday, April 14th, Carolina Gana and Rodrigo Echeverría went to Santiago to take part in the annual ESU Public Speaking Event, acompanied by their English teacher, Christine Evans. The event was extremely interesting and they enjoyed themselves immensely. It was wonderful to see what other people of their own age are capable of in an area as difficult as speaking in public with no notes or other aids. They did very well, and although did not win a prize, felt the satisfaction of having given a very good speech. Carolina’s was, ’Don’t worry, but be careful’, and Rodrigo’s had as a title, ’One Step at a Time’. The general topic was ’Reflections on the Future’. St Paul’s is very proud of their participation!
If you want to practise your verb tenses, scroll down this page to the bottom, where you will find in the section ’ENLACES’ a direct link to my FCE moodle. Or link directly to it via the following :
http://christine.moodlehub.com (Enter as a guest user. You will not need a password)
St Patrick's Day is coming up. On March 17th, Irish people all over the world celebrate this event, in many different countries. You may ask, Who was St Patrick? Below is a summarised story of his life and work.
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.
It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. (There is some dispute over where this captivity took place. Although many believe he was taken to live in Mount Slemish in County Antrim, it is more likely that he was held in County Mayo near Killala.) During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.)
After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God's-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.
To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. (Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.)
Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. (Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries-spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life.
http://speedtest.10-fast-fingers.com/
Try this site, it’s really addictive! You’ll keep on going, trying to improve your average. There are other activities offered too. Have fun!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/english/writing/story_plan/play.shtml
I’m sure you’ll have fun doing this!
Since my last article, our country has been struck by a tremendous earthquake. Fortunately my family and friends have had only minor problems but many of my countrymen and women are having a very difficult time to say the least. In my own city, Viña del Mar, many buildings, some of them brand new, have been declared unfit to inhabit, meaning their dwellers have had to be put up by relatives or frineds. Further south, a tidal wave swept over the seafront along the coast, causing the death of many and others who have disappeared. Whole seatowns have disappeared, houses have been swept away and ships and boats have been washed ashore, some of them deposited hundreds of metres inland. Unfortunately, all this situation has caused the worst of human nature to come to the fore in groups of people, and looting has devastated already quake-shocked homeowners and shopkeepers. A curfew has been established in several cities and towns, and this has helped contain vandalism. This had never been seen before, and I feel ashamed to think that some Chileans would behave in this manner, taking advantage of the misfortune of others. Stern measures are beginning to be taken, and I think the country applauds this firm action against looters and vandals. Many good people have gone out of their way to help their compatriots, and it seems so shocking to see people act against those who show human kindness.
I’m looking forward to seeing you all again on Monday! I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday and is dying to get down to work. I’m sure we’ll find lots to do, and lots to talk about when we see each other. 
English, as we all know, is an all-important item in our cultural baggage. If you can’t communicate in English, you’ll always find yourself a step behind, figuratively speaking, from those who do manage it, with varying degrees of competence. It goes without saying that depending on your fluency in this language, your chances of job success in life are better or not as good.
I have always been a firm advocate of learning English and I have given good reasons to do it to many generations of pupils. I would love to know the reasons you have for learning the language, and would really enjoy reading your comments on this topic.
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_wooden_on_the_difference_between_winning_and_success.html
This wonderful talk reflects lots of aspects I completely agree with and have tried to put into practice during my teaching life. Mr. Wooden is an example of real, old-fashioned (the kind we were brought up on) and down-to-earth wisdom, values and life principles. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Now that it is holiday time, reading can be a wonderful source of fun, learning and entertainment. This link will take you to a long list of titles to choose from. I am sure you will find something to your taste. You can read all of these online.Good reading!
http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/title.html
In our country, Chile, holiday time has begun for all schools and universities. Almost two months of fun and relaxation! Classes will begin again in March. In the meantime, you might find that you'd like to keep up with your English, because you're missing school (!!!) or because you really don't want to forget things you've learned so far. So, thinking of your well-being and in your best interests, I'm including a few links to activities and games to keep your intelligence and interest going.
http://www.learnenglish.de/gamespage.htm
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/literacy.html
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/games/
http://www.marks-english-school.com/games.html
http://www.english-online.org.uk/
http://activities.bradleys-english-school.com/
http://www.teflgames.com/interactive.html
Now that New Year is coming up, it it time to reflect on the year that is about to end, and consider making a few resolutions to improve life for you and those around you in 2010. Some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions are the following:
a. Spend more time with family and friends.
b. Take more time to pamper yourself, with exercise which will make us feel much better with our own body and appearance.
c. Stop smoking if you smoke and/or other addictions.
d. Enjoy life more (remember we only have one)
e. Pay off your debts and remain out of debt.
f. Learn something new.
g. Help others.
h. Get organised.