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.