I'M OFF TO BRAZIL....RIO AND BUZIOS..
I promise not to think of work for six days!
SUMMARY ANIMAL FARM
Animated version of Animal Farm. I think it's very clear and concise. Please leave comments.
Thanks.
Miss Christine
THE PORTRAIT OF DORIAN GRAY
Dorian Gray wishes for eternal youth. But at what price?
REVIEW OF ANIMAL FARM CHARACTERS
An extremely clear review of the characters of Animal Farm. Read on..
ANIMAL FARM
Here is a very interesting video short on Animal Farm and its connections with Stalin's Russia.
DICTATIONS FIRST SENIORS (7,8,9)
Everyday Life for the Mayas
Maya women rose and started the fires before 4 a.m. Women made breakfast toasting leftover cornmeal pancakes. By 5 a.m., the men had finished eating and left for the fields with their sons. There they harvested their maize. At mid-afternoon, men and boys used to return from the fields and sometimes hunt or check their traps along the way. They used to kill birds with blowpipes and clay pellets. Sometimes they also hunted with spears. When the men got home they had hot baths waiting for them. Some cities had community baths. After bathing, men had dinner but their women didnt eat with them. The women had to serve the men and then eat their dinner later. Dinner included cornmeal, black beans, meat, maize, rabbit and turkey.After dinner, men usually worked at making wooden and jade objects which were sometimes used in trading. The women would spin cotton and weave.
Ants
Ants are small, dark and silent, and live underground where they cannot be seen. They are venomous and bite, move in legions, and are ugly. But ants are the most successful organisms in evolutionary history. There are over 8,000 species, distributed everywhere on Earth, except in the polar regions. The greatest number of ant species are found in tropical rainforests and savannahs.
Ants, unlike termites, cannot be eaten, because of the formic acid in their bodies, which makes them indigestible, although they can eat us.
Ants are so successful because they have the division of labour built into their system. The colony is almost exclusively female, and the males remain in the nest until the time of their fatal nuptial flight. They mate once, and then die. Ants waste no time and do not play.
Igloos
Every five-year-old knows what igloos look like from the outside, but what are they like inside? And what would it be like to live in one? Imagine yourself inside a hollow dome made of snow and ice, with more ice underneath you. Would it be too cold to sit down comfortably? Would you be able to stand up, or would you have to crawl around on your hands and knees? Could you light a fire? Wouldnt the fire fill the igloo with smoke and start melting the walls?
The first thing you notice after crawling down through the entrance tunnel is that the igloo is bigger than it looks from the outside. It is also quite warm inside. this is partly because the snow blocks provide very good insulation, and partly because of a stone lamp burning seal oil. To prevent the drips from the snow wall there are animal skins hanging across the ceiling and down the walls. Theres also a small hole which allows the smoke to escape, so that the people dont suffocate.
TIPS FOR STUDYING DICTATIONS
1. Remember that practice makes perfect. Only practice (and repetition in writing words) can help improve your spelling. There’s no easy way to do this. Some people have better visual memories than others. But most people need to practise, practise and PRACTISE!
2. Try to visualise the difficult words in your mind as you read the dictation to yourself. Close your eyes, imagine the word written, then open them and compare with the dictation. Count the letters the word has.
3. Don't try to study a dictation at the last minute. Try to do this over several days. Also remember that comprehension is important, as it forms part of the unit test. Try to understand what the dictation is about. Don't write mechanically. Get someone to dictate the most complicated words to you. Read the dictation aloud to yourself.
Remember I'll be thinking of you the day before a dictation.
Good Luck!
PRESENT PERFECT ....PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
Links to exercises for Second Seniors
Present Perfect
http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/omexercise/tiemposverbales/unit13.htm
http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/omexercise/tiemposverbales/unit14.htm
Question Tags
http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/omexercise/preguntas/unit26.htm
EXPERIENCE THE TOWER OF TERROR AT MGM DISNEY
Can you imagine free falling 12 floors?
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DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (4,5,6,7,8)
Carnivorous Plants
Plants are supposed to be eaten by animals, not animals by plants! It sounds like a reversal of nature. But in fact, just as you can find bird-eating spiders in the jungles of America, so you can find carnivorous plants all over the world.
There are about six hundred species and sub-species of carnivorous plants known to man. These plants attract insects, capture them, kill them and eat them. The best known is probably the Venus Flytrap, which captures flies, ants, other insects and spiders in its sticky leaves before digesting them at its leisure. The largest carnivorous plants are vines which grow to twenty or thirty metres long and have been known on rare occasions to kill vertebrates such as birds, mice and frogs.
Many carnivorous plants are extremely beautiful, and just as there is a market for exotic pets, so it is perfectly possible to buy a Venus Flytrap, although it is complicated to properly take care of a plant like this.
Fire
Before he discovered fire, man was much more vulnerable. Other animals were bigger, faster, stronger and more dangerous. Fire changed all that. Fire was man’s discovery. No other animal could produce and control it. It frightened away all the fierce beasts and attracted other people: men, women and children now stayed closer together. Fire gave them warmth and security and made them feel comfortable. Now during the long, lonely hours man had a friend. In the evening, when the sun set and it became colder, everyone would gather around the warm, protective fire, their eyes fixed upon the flickering flames. Now it was possible to cook meat so that it tasted better and it became natural to share meals. Perhaps it was by a fire that language first developed.
Sandcastles
A true beach lover knows there’s nothing more relaxing than feeling the sun on your back, the wind through your hair, and wet sand on your hands as you build a fairy-tale castle fit for a king.
Although you may not believe it, there is an art to castle-making, and there are contests, websites, and even newsletters dedicated to this area.
The first step to a successful sandcastle is a good water source. Dig a hole or get yourself a good bucket. Then it’s all a matter of carving. Experts generally carve sandcastles from mounds of sand, rather than trying to build from the bottom up and making walls and towers which won’t last very long. They get themselves a nice pile of wet sand and carve it down to castle shape. The secret is to go slowly and carve just a little bit at a time. If you get impatient and scrape off a big piece, you’ll have to start all over again. Relax, get into the mood, and watch your dream castle slowly appear. But remember, it won’t last longer than the wave that washes it away!
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used medical procedures in the world. It originated in China over 2,000 years ago, and became better known in the USA in 1971, when a reporter on The New York Times wrote about how Chinese doctors had used it to ease his pain after surgery.
Acupuncture involves the stimulation of anatomical points on the body by a technique which involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the acupuncturist.
Most people experience no or minimal pain as the needles are inserted. Some people feel energized by it, while others feel relaxed.
Acupuncture is one of the key components of Chinese traditional medicine, in which the body is considered as a balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang. Yin is the cold, slow or passive principle, and yang is the hot, active principle. The Chinese believe that illness is because of an imbalance of these two elements. which produces a blockage of chi, or vital energy.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is a thick, creamy sauce or dressing which is made of oil, egg yolks, lemon juice and seasonings. It is an emulsion, which is a mixture of two liquids that normally cannot be combined. Oil and water is the classical example of an emulsion. Emulsifying is done by slowly adding one ingredient to another while simultaneously mixing rapidly. This disperses and suspends tiny droplets of one liquid through another. However, the two liquids would quickly separate again if an emulsifier were not added. Emulsifiers are liaisons between the two liquids and serve to stabilise the mixture. Eggs and gelatin are among the foods that contain emulsifiers. In the case of mayonnaise, the emulsifier is the egg yolk.
Mayonnaise was invented in 1756 by the French chef of the Duke de Richeliu, who had just won a battle at Port Mahon. As the chef had no cream to add to some eggs to make a sauce, he substituted it for olive oil, and mayonnaise was born. He named the new sauce ‘mahonnaise’ in honour of the Duke’s victory.
DICTATIONS FIRST SENIORS (4,5,6)
Black Holes
Black holes are places where ordinary gravity has become so extreme that it overwhelms all other forces in the universe. Once inside, nothing can escape a black hole’s gravity - not even light.
Yet scientists know that black holes exist. They know how they are born, where they occur, and why they exist in different sizes. They even know what would happen if something or somebody fell into one. Black holes obey all the laws of physics, including the laws of gravity. A black hole can range from the size of a marble to the size of the entire solar system. What is inside a black hole? Scientists believe that all the matter in a black hole is piled up in a single point in the centre. To properly understand a black hole centre requires comprehension of quantum gravity, but how this theory works is still unknown, and this is one of the most important unsolved problems in physics.
Blimps
You’ve probably seen advertising blimps in the sky above your city at some moment in your life. Blimps are a type of lighter-than-air craft, called an airship. Like a hot air balloon, blimps use a gas to generate lift, but, unlike a balloon, blimps can move forward through the air under their own power, like airplanes. In the past they used hydrogen gas, but after the explosion of the Hindenburg in 1937, they use helium instead. They can hover like helicopters, travel in all kinds of weather and stay aloft for days. Some blimps are equipped with lights for night advertising.
A blimp controls its buoyancy in the air in the same way a submarine does in the water. It rises because of the helium gas inside its tanks, and when the pilot wants to descend, he fills other tanks with air. Air is heavier than helium, so the blimp starts going down.
Fairy Tales
A fairy tale is a story featuring characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. The fairy tale is a sub-class of the folk tale. These stories often involve royalty, and modern versions usually have a happy ending.
In the beginning, fairy tales were part of an oral tradition, which means they were told from one generation to another. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, fairy tales were associated to children’s literature. Actually, fairy tales are more about princes, princesses and dragons, involved in combat, adventure and romance than fairies themselves. Fairies had a secondary role.
According to a 2004 survey among 1,200 children, the most popular fairy tales are Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood and the Town Musicians of Bremen.
A BIRD WHICH UNDERSTANDS ENGLISH!
How many of these orders do you understand?
THE EARTH AT NIGHT
What a wonderful photo! But... are you helping your planet to save energy? Do you remember to turn off lights when you're not using them? Who knows what the future holds for you and your descendents. Let's try to do our bit in the conservation of energy and energetic resources.
ASSORTED CARTOONS
WEIRD BUT TRUE
OFFICIAL! WORLD'S FUNNIEST JOKE 
LONDON -The British Association for the Advancement Of Science, in its largest ever scientific study into humor, asked Internet users around the world to submit their favorite jokes and rate the funniness of other people's offerings.
After a year of more than 40,000 jokes from 70 countries and two critiques later, this is it:
Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other pulls out his phone and calls emergency services.
He gasps to the operater: "My friend is dead! What can I do?"
The operator in a calm, soothing voices replies: "Take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead."
There is a silence, then a shot is heard.
Back on the phone, the hunter says, "Ok, now what?"
- Reuters.
| The Sultan Who Owns 350 Rolls Royces | |
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TIME FOR A FEW LAUGHS
Ghosts in the White House
One night, George W. Bush is awakened by George Washington's ghost in the White House. Bush asks, "George, what is the best thing I could do to help the country?""Set an honest and honorable example, just as I did," Washington advises.
The next night, the ghost of Thomas Jefferson moves through the dark bedroom. "Tom," W asks, "what is the best thing I could do to help the country?"
"Cut taxes and reduce the size of government," Jefferson advises.
Bush isn't sleeping well the next night, and sees another figure moving in the shadows. It's Abraham Lincoln's ghost. "Abe, what is the best thing I could do to help the country?" Bush asks.
Abe answers, "Go see a play."
Scottish Student
A student at an English university, by name of Donald MacDonald from the Isle of Skye, was living in the hall of residence during his first year.
After he had been there for a month, his mother came to visit, no doubt carrying reinforcements of oatmeal.
"And how do you find the English students, Donald?" she asked.
"Mother," he replied, "They're such terrible noisy people! The one on that side keeps banging his head against the wall, and won't stop.
The one on the other side screams and screams and screams away into the night!"
"Oh, Donald! How ever do you manage to put up with these awful noisy English neighbours?"
"Mother, I do nothing, I just ignore them! I just stay here quietly playing my bagpipes!"
How smart is your right foot?
This will keep you busy for a while, trying to outsmart your foot, but you can't.
1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand.
Your foot will change direction. . . . . . and there's nothing you can do about it!
The Blind Man -- A True Story
A man was flying from Seattle to San Francisco. Unexpectedly, the plane stopped in Sacramento along the way. The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft, the plane would re-board in 50 minutes.
Everybody got off the plane except one gentleman who was blind.
The man had noticed him as he walked by and could tell the gentleman was blind because his Seeing Eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of him throughout the entire flight. He could also tell he had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached him, and calling him by name, said, "Keith, we're in Sacramento for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?"
The blind man replied, "No thanks, but maybe my dog would like to stretch his legs."
All the people in the gate area came to a complete standstill when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with a Seeing Eye dog!
The pilot was even wearing sunglasses. People scattered. They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!
I hope everyone had a wonderful day at the beach!
SNOOPY PUZZLE
Click on the link and you will be able to play with an interactive Snoopy puzzle. If you want to rotate the pieces, hold down the ALT key and click on the piece.
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/peanuts/fun_and_games/puzzle/puzzle.html
MORE PEANUTS
PEANUTS FOREVER!
Peanuts is my favourite cartoon strip. Charles M. Schulz was a genius! Just enjoy yourself reading the following.
