Easter

 

 Easter

I imagine most people are enjoying the Easter break (ok, so some of you are studying hard for the looming exams) and we’re lucky enough to be enjoying some fantastic sunshine here. So, what is Easter all about?

It’s one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world, and its origins are a fascinating mix of ancient traditions, seasonal change, and religious meaning. Long before it became a Christian celebration, spring festivals were held all over the place to welcome the return of longer, warmer days. These early festivals often included symbols of new life, such as eggs, flowers, and rabbits, many of which still make an appearance in Easter celebrations today. Go to any supermarket in the UK and you’ll see shelf upon shelf of chocolate eggs and bunnies, and a popular handicraft at school is egg-painting.

The name “Easter” is believed by some to come from Eostre, an ancient Germanic goddess of spring and fertility, though historians can’t quite agree about this. What’s clear is that by the second century, early Christians began using springtime to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, linking their faith to a time of hope and renewal. In many cities, Sevilla being a prime example, there are processions which reenact the Passion and Death of Christ.

However you choose to spend these days, I’m sure you’ll make the most of them to rest and enjoy some quality time with family and friends!

                          Easter Parade, Judy Garland and Fred Astaire

 

 

Giving unusual answers to usual questions

Today's C1 Open Cloze is inspired by a news item I heard on the radio this morning - King Charles joined the London Vegetable Orchestra to play the carrot recorder.

I had never heard of this ensemble, and as I dug a bit deeper, I found out that the original idea came from the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra, founded in 1998.  To my astonishment, I read that the band has released 5 whole albums!

Whether you would rather eat your veggies than play them, you have to admit that this is an original concept.  As I have mentioned before, the exercises here, or in any text book, contain ideas and information that you can use in your writings and speakings.  How delighted the examiner would be if, to the question, 'Have you been to any concerts recently?' you described a gig by the Vegetable Orchestra.  It would also be an excellent way to include some different vocabulary. Remember, what you say or write does not have to be true! I've said it before, and I'll say it again - make use of all that vocabulary you have learnt throughout the years!  The examiner won't know what you know if you don't prove it.

You'll see I've made some reading exercises, too - let me know what you think of them.  Also, if there are any topics you'd like me to cover in the Cloze and Open Cloze sections, I'm open to ideas! Have a great Friday!

                                 The Cure, Friday I'm in Love (1992 - unbelievable!)

The Spring Equinox

 

 

                                             Shunbun no Hi, Japan

 

At last the spring equinox has arrived!  Some locals may be feeling a little deflated, since the annual festivity of Las Fallas here in Valencia finished last night, but I’m looking forward to longer days (the clocks go forward on 29th March) and some brighter weather than what we have had of late.

You probably know that the word equinox comes from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night), referring to the equal length of day and night. This happens because the sun is directly above the Earth’s equator, resulting in nearly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. In the northern hemisphere, the days get longer and longer until the summer solstice, on 24^th June.

Throughout history, many cultures have celebrated the spring equinox as a time of rebirth. In ancient Persia, Nowruz, or Persian New Year, coincides with the equinox and symbolizes renewal and prosperity. The Mayans built El Castillo, a pyramid in Mexico, where the sun creates a serpent-shaped shadow on the stairs during the equinox. In Japan, Shunbun no Hi is a national holiday that encourages people to connect with nature and honour ancestors. And in Wiltshire, England, hundreds gather at Stonehenge to see the sunrise.

This time of renewal is also the perfect moment to remember those New Year’s resolutions that you gave up in February.  You can take them up again now  - it’s like getting a second chance! In the UK, many people tackle the task of spring cleaning.  This involves getting rid of, or donating, stuff you don’t use any more, and giving your home a thorough scrubbing to leave it sparkling.

There’s a lot happening in the garden too, as flowers and trees begin to bloom and the air fills with wonderful scents.  Animals also emerge from hibernation and there’s a general sense of energy and freshness in the air.

All in all, the first day of spring is a cause for celebration!

                                     Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England

                               

                                  

                                        It's a fine day, Opus III, 1992

Whether the weather

                                    Crowded House, Weather with you.
 

It's a cliché that Brits love to talk about the weather, but as with most clichés, it's true.  And the same goes for where I live, in Valencia. Whatever the weather, I can hear people protesting, 'No es normal'. So I've come to the conclusion that 'no es normal' is the normal weather condition here.

What is certainly true here on the east coast is that we have a huge number of sunny days, so the forecast is slightly less varied than one you might see or hear in the UK.

When I tune into a radio show (usually Radio6 music) and happen to catch the forecast, the presenter more often than not talks about sunny spells and patchy rain. There might be showers or outbreaks of rain, heavy rain or blustery weather; the day might be wet and windy and temperatures might plunge to -5 Celsius, with a windchill factor of -10ºC (when rugging up is definitely advisable). There might be gale force gusts and even some snow flurries. Winters can be mild or harsh

What is less common is to see temperatures climbing to 25ºC, with boiling/scorching/sweltering temperatures.  What most Brits appreciate is glorious sunshine and a light breeze, and most people would prefer an occasional downpour than neverending drizzle. When Spaniards go to the UK, what gets them down is the overcast/grey skies, constant cloud cover, when there isn't a patch of blue sky to be seen for weeks on end.

If you are asked to write an article/email about weather conditions in your country, feel free to embellish the truth a bit, to make your writing more interesting. No one is going to mark you down for not telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!

                            Weather in the UK is usually no laughing matter!

 

Try this tongue-twister

Whether the weather be cold,
Or whether the weather be hot,
We'll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not!

 

Practise, practise, practise!

 

Practice makes perfect (or if not perfect, certainly better!)

The more you practise anything, the easier it gets. Repetition is key! Ask any tennis player or golfer how they got so good at their skill and they'll tell you they just kept at it, even when they didn't feel like it.

It's the same with language-learning.  And the good thing is that you don't need to sit down for long periods of time to do a Use of English exercise. Keep your text book handy, have a link in 'bookmarks' on your computer that'll take you to a good website with exercises (and answers). It's much easier to actually get down to doing an exercise when you tell yourself it'll only take ten minutes tops. You'll always learn, or reinforce, something. Oh, and you can try exercises that are just above the level you are studying for, then you'll be well equipped to answer the slightly more difficult questions in your exam.  Today I've posted an Open Cloze exercise about Casinos, basically so I could insert Motörhead's brilliant 'Ace of Spades'! A great head-banging song!

Making the most of the information you find in the exam exercises.

I've just posted a C2 level article, made into a word formation (WF) exercise.  It's one of those double whammy exercises I like to provide my students with as not only can they practice the different parts of the Cambridge exam, but they can also get some ideas and vocabulary in case they have to write something similar. If you have been doing Cambridge exams for some time, you'll see that they stick to certain topics, which can be found across the different parts of the exam, be it B1, B2, C1 or C2. For that reason it's essential, whatever you level, to have a great, and organized, notebook to which you can add vocbulary and chunks when you come across them.

I've started adding songs to some of the exercises too, as music is so much part of our different cultures and, frankly, it's fun for me!

This is the one that accompanies the C2 Word Formation exercise about AI. Kraftwerk's 1978 'Robots'.

 

Well, I've got the hang of making pages and posting. For each worksheet you just have to scroll down and you'll find the answers.  As always, if you have any alternative answers that you think might be acceptable, let me know. I'll sometimes add a video or a song to the worksheet, so that the topics I've chosen are brought to life, and not simply words on a page.  Let me know if you have any suggestions! If you are on your mobile phone, open the blog in web version to see the exercises.

To get the hang of - to understand how things work and handle them easily. 

To bring something to life - to make something more real and interesting.