WRITING 7: ABOUT AN EXPERIENCE

All started a few months ago, in winter. I met my best friend Laia for to go for a walk arround the lake. Before that, I bought four chocolate donuts, so I gave two to Laia. When we were very full up, we started to talk about everything and we had a lot of fun. All the way around the lake we were laughing about stupid things.

Everything changed for us when we saw a dog.

Laia said to me: “Don't say anything to this big dog, please!”

But what I did was the opposite, I shouted its name.

Suddently, the dog started walking to us. Then, Laia quickly went behind me because she was frightened.

I stroked the dog and it was to be a girl! She was very friendly and sweet, but she had got lost.

We called the dog “Wiwi” and we decided to bring her to the vet. There, we explained all the story to the doctor and then he said that Wiwi was a young breed dog.

After that, he looked if Wiwi had a “xip” and she had one in her neck!

Finally, the vet did a phone call to the kennel because in there they could contact with the owners of lost dogs. So the doctor said to us that in a few hours Wiwi would be with her family again.

This is the happy ending about our dog.

HISTORY OF A PRODUCT: MINI COOPER

Hy, my name's Laia and now I'm going to explain the history of the car "Mini Cooper".

The Mini is a small economy car made by the Bristish Motor Corporation (BMC) and it's successors from 1959 until 2000. Is manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in England.

John Cooper was a co-founder, with his father Charles Cooper, of the Cooper Car Company. He became an auto racing legend with his rear-engined chassis design that would eventually change the face of the sport at its highest levels, from Formula One to the Indianapolis 500. They collaborated on making a sportier Mini which was then called the Mini Cooper.

The vehicle is in some ways considered the British equivalent of its German contemporary the Volkswagen Beetle, which enjoyed similar popularity in North America. In 1999 the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th century, behind the Ford Model T.

To distinguish it from its predecessor (the 'classic Mini'), the brand name for the new car is MINI (written in capital letters). It is often called 'The BMW MINI', 'The New MINI', or simply 'MINI'.

www.mini.es is the original mini's webside and if you want you can have a look and see more mini's models and you can customize your car the way you like.

NUTTY ART 

These Picasso sculptures used to be peanuts! An American man called Steve Casino transforms them into art. Steve takes about ten hours to make a sculpture. First, he finds the right peanut. Next, he extracts the nut and then glues the shell back together. He adds arms and legs and then paints the nut. It's a cool hobby that costs peanuts! 

EYE BEAUTY 

Would you go to school with decorations glued to your eyelashes? These eye accessories are the work of Natalie Russo, a 20-year-old designer from Seattle, USA. Natalie uses beads, wire and feathers to make her fun creations. She says that they are so light that you forget you are wearing them. Are you tempted? Eye am! 

WRITING 6: AN OPINION ESSAY 

The government plans to introduce a new law which will mean that young people won't be able to ride mopeds or motorbikes unless they are eighteen. In my view, this would have some negative consequences. 

In the first place, I believe that mopeds and motorbikes are necessary because public transport is very limited in some areas. Young people can't always depend on their parents for transport. So if this law is introduced, I've no doubt that a lot of them will have difficulty in travelling from place to place. I also think that this would discriminate against young motorists, who aren't all irresponsible. 

If the aim of the government is to lower the number of road accidents, it seems to me that there's a better alternative: if they spent more money on better roads and road signs, transport in this country would be safer. 

WRITING UNIT 1: SUMMER HOLIDAYS 

Hy, my name's Laia and now I'm going to talk about my summer holidays.

-First I'm going to talk about l'Estartit.

-Second I'm going to talk about my stage for a week in Palamos with my friend Laia Gan.

-Third I'm going to talk about my holidays in Mikonos.

Let's start!

Last summer I spent a long time in l'Estartit, it's my favourite place. The firsts days we were in a summercamp with children and this year it was for three weeks.

After this two friends from Brussels came, Victor and Joséphine. I sepnt a long time with them. The girl rides a horse and she rode all the time with me and the boy, Victor, who doesn't ride a horse but he love to spend all day with us in the hipica.

And in the end it was hard to say goodbye because we spent a lot of time together. The next summer they will come again.

In the middle of August, I went with my friend Laia Gan and her family in Palamós for one week because they are from Barcelona. Laia is a really good friend and she's fourteen years old.

In the morning we sometimes went to the beach, in the swimming pool...always with Oliver, the Laia's friend, he's seventeen years.

The parents of Laia are separated and she normally studies in Torroella de Montgrí with her mother. But this year for personal reasons, Laia has to go to Barcelona with her father and her mother too, and was hard again to say goodbye because this year I won't see her often.

The last week of August I went with my father, my father's wife and my sister to Mikonos in Greece for a one week. We were in hotel called Mikonian Imperial and it was really really nice! The first day we arrived at 10 o'clock in the night. The first day in Mikonos was beautiful. It's a very small island but the people are friendly, generous and cozy.

The other days were perfect, one day there was a gay party, and there were a lot of gays everywhere.

Indeed, Mikonos is the gay's paradise.

We came back to Banyoles on Saturday and after this I started the school.

WRITING 9: MY TRIP TO ITALY

Monday 3rd to Friday 7th we were in Italy, because every year the students of ESO 4th go there. 

The first day we got up at 3 o'clock in the morning because the bus was leaving at 4:15. When we arrived in the airport it was really funny because Paula fell down the stairs at the beggining of the journey. 

We arrived in Pisa aproximately at 9 o'clock in the morning. We visited "La torre de Pisa" and some representative monuments there. After this, we went to Florencia. The hotel was really nice. 

The second day we went to "La Galeria dels Uffici", after this we went to "Santa Maria del Fiore". In the afternoon I did my presentation. In the night we went to a restaurant and after the restaurant we went for a walk. 

The third day we travelled to Rome. There, we visited the Hotel. It wasn't really nice. In the afternoon we went to "La plaça de la República" and "Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri". After this, we finally visited "els Fòrums", "el Capitoli" and "the Pantenó". 

The fourth day we spent all the time in the Vatican. There we visited all the places and in the afternoon we went for a walk with the friends.

Finally, the last day we visited "el Colisseu". After this we went to the hotel and there we took all the things and returned back to Banyoles. 

It was a nice travel because I was with my friends and I enjoyed a lot!  

CULTURE 

FASHION

ICE DRESS 

Be a real ice queen in this dress. Designed by Hollywood favourite Philip Armstrong, whose clients include Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, it made a huge impresion at Liverpool's annual Ice Festival. Carved from a two-metre block of ice, it weighs 700 kilos and took 40 hours to sculpt inside a huge freezer studio! 

TV SERIES

IN AMERICA 

This is the story of a crazy road trip across the USA by two Frenchmen who hit the road for very different reasons: David to sell his "evolutive progressive hair extension" and Michel to take part in the World Sofa Dance Championship! Other than being brothers-in-law they have nothing in common: David is arrogant and ambitious, while Michel is a likeable daydreamer. The opening episodes promise plenty of laughs: the scenes of Michel practising for the dance contest at a rundown gas station are hilarious! 


DESIGN 

LENNY 

It looks like a fencing mask, but it design is actually inspired by the air funnels on boats. Either way, we love the look of this stylish new bluetooth speaker, a collaboration between the British furniture chain Habitat and the French hi-fi house Elipson.

BOOK 

PETITS VOYAGES & GRANDES HISTORIES: LONDRES, by A. Yobrégat and F. Dussourd 

An electric, laid-back guide book, the two authors take you around the capital, recounting, with humour, their observations and adventures. Piccadilly Circus, Soho, Brick Lane, Notting Hill...all the famous names are here, plus recipes, tales of vintage London, top addresses and handy survival tips! Everything but Hugh Gran, in fact! 

HOW I LIVE NOW 

REALISTIC TEENAGE APOCALYPSE THRILLER 

Based on Meg Rosoff's best selling teen novel, How I Live Now is the story of American teenager Daisy, who comes to visit her British cousins just as World War Three starts in Europe. She has a chance to return to the US but she stays because she's fallen in love with her cousin Eddie. The film starts with a bucolic idyll as an angry Daisy friends happiness in the British countryside with her cousins. But when war erupts they are forcibly evacuated: the boys to a military training camp, the girls to work farm. Daisy escapes with her much younger cousin, Piper, and they try to walk home across a dangerous, anarchic Britain.
Despite the horrors around them, Daisy's only thought seems to be of finding Eddie. This givesthe film a stragely egocentric angle. But it has a realism thaht is missing from all the other teen dystopias out there, and so it is worth a look. 

Out: March 12
Director: Kevin Macdonald 
Stars: Saoirse Ronan, George Mackay
Story: a girl searches for the boy she loves in war-torn Britain. 

WRITING 5: ABOUT ME AND MY VIEW OF THE WORLD

My name is Laia and I'm studient in Banyoles, Catalonia. I'm interested in music and horses. Some of my friends are into hores too. The people who spend most time with are my friend Laia Gan. The thing wich I like best is going outside with the horses on a sunny day.

I don't think that the world is a bad place, although I think we could improve it if we share things more with each other. There aren't many things that make me angry, but one thing that annoys me is when people are stupid or ignorant.

As far as the future is concerned, it sometimes worries me that we won't have peace. I find it a bit frightening that there's always a war somewhere in the world. I'm fairly optimistic about my own future though. In a few years' time, I see myself travelling around the world on a horse with my best friends.

 

WRITING 4: HISTORY OF A PRODUCT 

In 1973 the empresary of denim parma hired Nitin Shantilal Shah, who worked at a gas station, to sell jeans. Shah knew well the world of fashion. 
Nitin started his own way, and with the help of his brother Arun and Milan opened its first store: Sholemay Ltd, Pepe Jeans.They called it "Pepe" because it was a short name and its easy to remember. 

In 80 years, the company gained popularity in Europe. The song "Heart and Soul" by T'Pau and How Soon is Now? The Smiths were used to promote the brand in 1987 and 1988.

The current logo of the company dates back to 1992. The company is controlled by the group Torroeal investment group of Spanish entrepreneur Juan Abelló Gallo. The company owns the brand all over the world except the United States, wich belongs to the founders. 

WRITING 3: PLANS FOR A VISIT 

Hi, Judit

I'm just writing to check that everything's OK for your visit.

I think you'll like Barcelona. On Sunday morning, we're doing a bus tour with my grandparents because they really want to show you the city. We'll be free in the afternoon, so we'll probably meet some of my friends, and we could either walk around the town or go to a museum. It's up to you. I expect we'll end up in one of the cafés in the shopping centre.

On Monday, we could get a bus or train somewhere. There are some typical Catalan villages around here, like Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Roca del Vallès. We can do a lot of things there. I'll get some photos and you can have a look.

We're going to meet you at the Flaça's station tomorrow, so can you remind me what time does your train get in?

Looking foward to seeing you.

ASK FOR ADVICE ABOUT A RELATIONSHIP 

Hi Marc

We've been on holiday here in Portugal for a week now and I've just met this guy, Mateu. He's absolutely gorgeous, but I'm not sure how I feel about him. I need your advice.

I met him on the skate park and he invited me to play tennis. Both of us were having a real laugh and then Mateu invited me to a café with his friends. When we were there, he basically ignored me and started flirting with a Portugal girl. But when I said goodbye, he walked to the train station with me and neither of us could stop talking.

I've been thinking about things a lot since then. I'll probably see him later, but I'm not sure what to do if he asks me out. He seems very different when he's with friends. What do you reckon?

WRITING UNIT 2: ACCOUNT OF A DECADE

The 2000s was a decade wich people will remember for many reasons. Specially for the new music, a lot of good things happened in football, and unfortunately, for many important disasters, too.

In the world of music, there were a lot of pop artists in the charts, for example Avril Lavigne, Michael Jackson, Shakira, Beyoncé...About the sports there were a lot of important wins. For example FC Barcelona won six titles in the same season, including his firs Intercontinental Cup. The three most popular films in the decade of 2000 were: The Lord of the Kings, Gladiator and The Dark Knight. 

On fashion women prefer fresh fashion but with a modern twist, little makeup, natural hair but combining structured hairstyles fashion little 1960 and the mans more adventurous and fun.

And finally, a lot of disasters happened. In 2003 earthquake in Iran, in 2005 attack on the London underground, in 2004 Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, in 2006 the war crisis between Israel and Lebanon...

NEWS UK

CAT CAFÉ 
London 

Happy new for cat lovers - London is to get its first cat café after Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium finally secured planning permission. Inspired by Tokyo's popular cat cafés, The Emporium will offer Londoners the chance to play with its resident felines over tea or a latté. The café already has a waiting list of 6,000...and that's before it has any cats! 

COMMENT: A cat cafe in east London has moved a step closer to opening after planning permission was granted. At Lady Dinah’s, visitors will have the opportunity to kick back and relax with a cup of tea and spend time in the soothing company of our purring feline friends. We are currently preparing our exciting new venue in Shoreditch, East London.

We are a home for our rescued cats. Our greatest and most important duty is to ensure the happiness and well-being of London’s soon to be most loved felines.

Our venue is designed with the emotional and physical needs of our resident rescue cats in mind and our induction process for the cats is long and gradual to help give them the time, space and resources they need to form a harmonious household. We provide a safe, comfortable place to live and a home where they can exhibit their full range of natural behaviours. Cats will have free choice at all times to stay indoors with patrons, or relax outside for some time-out in their private two-story, cats-only garden.

CHOOSE ONE ITEM OF NEWS and...
What's the headline? Cat Café 

Is there a video/image you can include? Yes. (Down) 

Can you explain it in your own words? In London there is the first Cat Café called Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium and it have a big waiting list and it's before it has any cats! 

Add 3 new words you have learnt
1. Waiting list: llista d'espera
2. Permission: permís 
3. Purr: ronc

Why is it relevant to you? Because is a strange notice. 

How is this connected with other news that have an impact on our world? It connects to the world because now the animals are more in the human world and there is more consideration for them. 

NEWS USA

BANSKY FOR SALE 
Beverly Hils, California

Banky's "Flower Girl" mural is to be sold at an auction in Beverly Hills this month, along with four earlier works. The piece, wich appeared on a Los Angeles gas station wall in 2008, is expected to go for $300,000. The final price, though, could be much more. Another mural by the British artist, "Slave Labour", found behind a shop in London, sold recently for 750,000 pounds. 

COMMENT: Banksy is a pseudonymous United Kingdom-based, graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.

His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stencilling technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world

Asked about his technique, Banksy said:

I use whatever it takes. Sometimes that just means drawing a moustache on a girl's face on some billboard, sometimes that means sweating for days over an intricate drawing. Efficiency is the key.

Peter Gibson, a spokesman for Keep Britain Kiddy , asserts that Banksy's work is simple vandalism, and Diane Shakespeare, an official for the same organisation, was quoted as saying: "We are concerned that Banksy's street art glorifies what is essentially vandalism."In his column for The Guardian, satirist Charlie Brooker wrote of Banksy "…his work looks dazzlingly clever to idiots."

"Flower girl"

A mural taken from the side of a Hollywood gas station by famed street artist Banksy has fetched more than $200,000 at a Beverly Hills auction.

The 9-by-8 foot artwork titled "Flower Girl" sold for $209,000 at Julien's Beverly Hills Gallery on Thursday. The winning bid came from a Los Angeles buyer who requested anonymity.

The mural shows a little girl holding a flower basket under a surveillance camera planted atop a tall stalk. The work was painstakingly removed from its original location and placed in an aluminum frame. 

CHOOSE ONE ITEM OF NEWS and...
What's the headline? "Banky for sale"

Is there a video/image you can include? Yes. (Down) 

Can you explain it in your own words? Banky is a famous graffiti artist wich is famous for the style of graffiti that he paints. One of the most famous works is "The Flower Gril (mural)". He finally sold it for  $ 300.000. 
Add 3 new words you have learnt
1. Fech: anar a buscar
2. Surveillance: vigilància
3. Atop: a sobre

Why is it relevant to you? Because is different from the other artists, and he paint diferent and ironic themes for each work. 

How is this connected with other news that have an impact on our world? Because he paints ironic themes of reality and he criticizes society.