More Keys!!!

Pedro asked me to post the keys for some exercises in the book.

They are on pages 88 and 89.

#1. to be swaying; to leave; to burn; to land; to listen; to hate; to go; to buy/buy; appear; singing; making; to see.

#2. 1... I agrree; 2Ok; 3They agreed that fighting...; 4Ok; 5They always agree with each other on...; 6Ok; 7Is this plan agreed by everyone?; 8They agreed with me about the time...

#3. 1He persuaded his mother to lend...; 2Ok; 3Ok; 4You'll never persuade me to take up...; 5... I was persuaded by all their arguments.

#4. 1used; 2are thinking of; 3wanted; 4suggested that he; 5see him; 6promised not; 7were you forced into; 8helped me.

#5. 1to get the job/her on getting the job; 2about her car/her to get her car serviced; 3about missing the bus/her a lift; 4that they were making too much noise/they were making a lot of noise; 5to be home by midnight/not to let her out for a month if she wasn't; 6him of making all the mess/for making the mess; 7of having to speak in public/him to take deep breaths before he starts; 8of climbing right to the top/to prove it.

#6. 1ing; 2ing; 3inf; 4ing; 5inf sth; 6inf sth; 7inf sth; 8ing; 9ing; 10inf (- to).

That's it!! If you need any other support... keep me posted!!

Janine

Keys

Stop & Check 2

I- 1. destruction; 2. deployment; 3. threat; 4. fame-cultural-exposure; 5. sinking.

II- 1. sheet; gold; 2. feather; 3. wind; 4. horse-fish; 5. sieve.

III- 1. to slim, to lose, eating, drinking, replacing, getting, breaking/having broken, eating; 2. doing, to say, having, to fix, to cause.

IV- 1. Beth's boss accused her of stealing/having stolen...
2. Tony suggested having...
3. ZZ apologised for head-butting...
4. The overweight footballer refused to...
5. The old lady threatened the noisy neighbour to call...
6. Tessa encouraged her sister to answer...

V- 1. b; 2. c; 3. d; 4. a.

VI- 1. strongly; 2. quite; 3. seriously; 4. perfectly.
(If you have any doubts about the sentences you can either leave a post here or check right before the test.)

Stop & Check 3

I- 1. must; 2. would; 3. had to; 4. might; 5. should; 6. could; 7. would; 8. can.

II- 1. Marcie, whose father is an architect, decided to follow his footsteps.

2. That's the house where Shakespeare was born.

3. Nelson, about whom much has been written, is a charismatic leader.

4. Had he understood the question, he would have answered it.

5. I wish I had told him the truth.

III- 1. b) moon-feet; 2. c) gourgeous long black silk; 3. a) kept; 4. off.

Its and bits about remote places!!

Dear students,

I am positive you'll be able to find amazing info about the places you're in charge of.

I was intrigued by the question that puzzled you all: Why Greenland is GREEN? And I could find something related to that here:

http://www.skepticalscience.com/greenland-used-to-be-green.htm

Check it out!

Anyway, while surfing the net, I came across these videos that might be worth watching and showing in your presentations.

Hope you enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/my_playlists?p=BBA95571E5944DB1

Moreover, my students in a previous group found this video about Greenland, ...

http://mastertwoci.blogspot.com/2009/11/greenland-breath-taking.html

... and this presentation about Zanzibar!

See yah,

Janine

Lost in Lost

The award-winning TV series comes to its 6th and final season, leaving many of his fans increasingly confused or disappointed. There are rumors that the creators of the show would be lost more than spectators.
The Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 broke in half and crashed into the Pacific Ocean, leaving 48 passengers alive and stranded on a remote South Pacific island. The survivors are a group of people with different ways of life: a doctor, a fugitive, a coup, a torturer, a Korean couple and a man confined to a wheelchair who is now healed and many others. As the survivors try to get home, flashbacks and flashforwards illuminate their problematic lives. During that time, the island where they are trapped slowly begins to reveal its mysterious nature. Faith, reason, fate and free will collide as the island offers opportunities for both corruption and redemption. But is that its real purpose? This is the greatest mystery of all.
So far the fans aren't absolutely sure about anything. The end is increasingly unpredictable, unlike what is usual on TV. Maybe this is why it have so much success. What we find is that, after all, nobody can stop watching.

Art super fan!!

Hi guys!!

Instead of commenting Cláudia's and DiOgo's posts, I'll do it in mine, ok?! So there you go!

DiOgo, I loved the idea of the Bonsai trees art. I never thought about them that way, but you are 100% right! I found this site on the web where you can see dozens of Bonsais with many different types, colours, and shapes. Check it out!!
www.bonsaibrasil.com.br/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=50
I bought a Bonsai once as a gift to my mohter-in-law. However, she didn't manage to master this skill of shaping it, and eventually it died. I, myself, would never have the serenity and discipline to grow one of my own. Hope to see yours someday.

Cláudia, I haven't watched this film yet, but it's already on my must-see list. I like this allegoric plots a lot, we see reality through fantasy. It is less painful but similarly striking.
As for your post about art, it inspired me with mine, since I love Bowie, as well, and one of my favourite movies from my younger years is his 'Labyrinth'.
Labyrinth is very diverse in terms of art, gathering music, dance, acting, scenery, make-up, and loads of imagination. As I've mentioned last class, Bowie is of vital importance in this film. The soundtrack was entirely composed, produced and recorded by him, except for one song, Chilly Down, which was recorded by David Alan Barclay, Karen Prell and Rob Mills.
You can have further information about the film, the cast, etc at this website: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091369/
The two parts of the film I like best are the costumes ball and when Sarah, Jennifer Connely's character, solves the labyrinth, defeating Jareth, the goblin king, played by Bowie. Here are these videos.





I also found another part that is quite groovy and funny at YouTube. This is the link, if you fell like seeing it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViftZTfRSt8&feature=related

Jennifer Connely reminds me of another film that won 4 Oscars, among other prizes, and absolutely love: A Beautiful Mind. She plays the role of Alicia Nash, the wife of John Nash (Russell Crowe), a schizophrenic math prodigy who managed to overcome his mental illness by rationalizing the inexistence of his imaginary friends. Although I always cry desperately in this film, I can prevent watching it every now and then.
You can see the cast and other info about it here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268978/

Russell Crowe is present in many great Hollywood productions, for instance 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World', again with Paul Bettany, 'Proof of Life', with Meg Ryan, and 'Gladiator', with Joaquin Phoenix.

I consider the latter a masterpiece; no wonder it won 5 Oscars and earned $US34.82 million on its opening weekend, only in the US. Check out!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172495/

Still talking about films, I love 'Mary Shelley's Frankenstein'. Steph Lady and Frank Darabont masterfully adaptated Shelley's novel into this film. It was directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also played the doctor, Victor Frankenstein. I am a great fan of Branagh, who is an expert in directing and acting in films adapted from literature classics, such as some Shakespearean plays and stories.
Besides Branagh, the cast still has names as De Niro, who excelled giving life to the Creature and Helena Bonham Carter, currently performing the Red Queen in Tim Burton's 'Alice In Wonderland'.
On top of it, we can also mention the settings and costumes carefully developed to take us back to the turn of the XIX century.
You can learn more about this film at this website: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109836/fullcredits#writers
And you can also watch the trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTWbosQ-9gA

Taking one step back to the connection between films and music, I'd like to refer to a #1 band, which I mentioned last class, Pink Floyd. They have shot 'The Wall', which is a mix of creativity and hallucination. It is shocking, but sensitive and, to a certain extent, beautiful. Check a snnipet of it here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_bvT-DGcWw

What brought Pink Floyd to our discussion last class was a performance of the band shot in Pompeii, in which the ruins of the city and the remains of the deads are shown, mainly the artistic paintings they had on their walls and the scultures. I'm adding this video so that you can have an idea of the whole film.



When I think about music, films and video clips, Michael Jackson pops up in my mind, for his great and pioneer contribution in this field. His 'Thriller' was a turning point in terms of video clips, followed by other video hits like 'Black or White' and 'Remember The Time'. Not only they very well executed but also they count on outstanding people, namely Macaulay Culkin, Tyra Banks, Eddie Murphy, Iman, and Magic Johnson.
If you fell like watching them, just use their respective links below!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe88N1sWpgs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqZnxvAPkL8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMSDgNtBD8o

Hope you enjoy the info, the pictures, and the videos I've posted.
See yah, Janine

This is my favorite peace of art: the Bonsai

Although people say that it came from Japan, actually it has been created in China in the third century B.C..In fact, the Japanese perfected the technique by including it in their art and culture as objects of worship and meditation.

This is not a specific plant, but a technique used on trees in order to "miniaturize" it by drawing on existing forms in nature. There isn`t Bonsai tree, but trees that become a Bonsai. In practice, it is the art of selecting and transforming trees that have the potential to look like a replica in nature.

The aesthetic aspects are fundamental in the execution of a Bonsai. The aesthetic importance is undoubtedly much greater than botany, though that is crucial. The aim of Bonsai art is to create an artistic composition using the nature of trees as raw material, transforming them into art through aesthetic harmony.

I've been cultivating Bonsai for three years and I can say it is an art that requires particular planned growth, nobility, style, commitment, perseverance, serenity, calm, concentration and seriousness.

Someday I'll post pictures of my "children" so you can see them.

Sorry for grammatical mistakes.

Cya

Film Review

District 9 was one of the movies nominated for Best Film in the last Oscar ceremony. When they made the announcement of the 10 movies in the category, I thought it was a little awkward because District 9 is a low-budget film and the Oscar usually only cares about the blockbusters.

But District 9 deserves to be among the best movies. It does you think without being too didactics. If you have never heard about segregation in South Africa, the Apartheid system, you probably will not understand one important side of the script, but OK, you can still have fun with the action sequences.

With the support of Peter “Lordoftherings” Jackson, the young director Neill Blomkamp created an allegory in which black people are substituted by aliens. With their space ship damaged they can’t get back home and are imprisoned in a ghetto, called District 9.

Oh yes! We don’t see a happy ending, but only a sign of hope. So, if you are aware of an adult movie, you will like it.