This Week's News

The results of May's "pruebas de dominio" will be available on Wednesday 1st or Thursday 2nd June. Come at the normal class time if you'd like to see your exams and discuss your marks.

This Week's Technology

This is the ultimate mobile pronunciation aid. It is based on the best-selling Sounds Foundation course by Adrian Underhill and it helps you practise, study and play with pronunication wherever you are. You can download it to your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android OS devices here.

Source: Macmillan Dictionary Blog

This Week's Architecture



Artist Marta Minujin created the tower, which is 25 metres high



A new monument celebrating books has been launched in Buenos Aires. The Tower of Babel was created by artist Marta Minujin, who is well-known for creating works made from plastic. The tower includes books in more than 50 languages. Click here for the BBC Learning English article.

This Week's Photography



Amazing Places by Luke Duggleby



If you're going on holiday this year, don't forget to take your camera! Here are some breathtaking snaps taken by travel photographers. Don't forget to turn your speakers on and click on "show captions".

Source: BBC News

This Week's Environment

Land of the Thunder Dragon

Planning your summer holidays? You might be interested in this wonderful Guardian photoshow of places to visit before they disappear.

Oral Tests

Make sure you sign up for the oral exams which start soon.

Can you talk about the following themes in a fluent, coherent and correct manner?

being famous; music; business ventures; honesty; cities; the ethics of scientific experiments; the past, the present, the future; feeling good; feeling bad; things that annoy you; regrets; being Canarian, being Spanish, being European.

Week Beginning Monday 2nd May

May Exam Timetable

Writing Exam:  Monday 16th May at 6.00 pm; Tuesday 17th May at 4.00 pm. 105 minutes.

Reading Exam: Wednesday 18th May at 6.00 pm; Thursday 19th May at 4.00 pm. 95 minutes.

Listening Exam: Monday 23rd May at 6.00 pm; Tuesday 24th at 4.00 pm. 45 minutes.

Oral Exam: see timetable on class noticeboard. 25 minutes.

For the writing paper, make sure you can do the following:

write a formal / informal email or letter; write a report; write an article; discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a topic; describe a book you've read; describe your islands; complain politely.

This Week's Grammar

EOI Guía has published a very useful slideshow on when (NOT) to use "a" and "the". Click here for quick access to the blog.

This Week's Homework

Monday / Wednesday group: do Grammar Worksheet 7A; prepare Grammar Bank 7B and 7C (SB P144 - 145); read SB P104 Ex 1a and b; finish and send me your essay (SB P 113) on or before Friday 6th. Please note that I cannot accept any work after this deadline.

Tuesday / Thursday group: Grammar Bank 7B; read SB P104 Ex 1 a and b; send me your composition (SB P 113) on or before Thursday 5th.

Both groups: start preparing for the "mother" of all consolidation tests (units 1 - 7). We will do it on Wednesday 11th / Thursday 12th May. It will focus especially on grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.

This Week's In The News

The Guardian newspaper offers us a selection of opinions on the reaction to bin Laden's death in the Muslim world here; see his life in pictures here; read his obiturary here.

This Week's Advice

Some of you may be applying for a job soon. The CV is a very important first step, together with the accompanying letter that we should send with it.

If you have to write your CV in English, you might find this link from the University of Kent (UK) of use. Here you can find an example of a good and a bad CV with some constructive advice. This site also provides an example of a good and a bad covering letter.

Good luck!

This Week's Language Change



Cats and dogs make excellent companion animals



They're not to be called "pets" anymore but "companion animals". Why? According to The Journal of Animal Ethics, the former term is derogatory. Similarly, "wild animals" should now be called "free-living" or "free-roaming"; "wild" implies "uncivilised, unrestrained, barbarous". Find out more from The Guardian's article.

Week Beginning Monday 25th April

This Week's Message

Happy Mother's Day!