Sad but unfortunately true

Have you ever heard a high number of couples split up after going on holidays together? 
Not surprisingly, spending the whole day with your love one can be the source of rows and trouble, and make you realize this is not what you really wanted.
Breaking up is hard and when it comes to how to do so, it seems there's no easy way to face it.
If you find yourself in such a situation, you may find this video really helpful, and funny as a matter of fact. 
Try to do the fill-in-the-gap activity below and you'll get some useful tips.

The right to know

Wikileaks and Julian Assange were just the beginning of an issue that's been causing a huge fuss all over the world, with Edward Snowden in the spotlight right now: Our right to know.
How far should we go in requiring our governments to hand over any information, no matter what about?
And how far should governments go to guarantee national security?
It's not that easy to set limits but we are all getting the feeling that everything we do is public whereas we know less and less about what politicians and powerful groups do.
I've chosen part of an interview with Julian Assange, confined in the Equadorian Embassy, to go a little bit further into this matter. Watch the video and do the multiple choice exercise below. You can get the whole interview transcript by clicking 'TRANSCRIPT' on the toolbar of the activity.

Sick and tired of the crisis?

The word 'crisis' has been present somehow or other every single day for some years now and I guess we're all fed up with it, if not worried sick about all the unwelcome changes it's brought into our lives. But I'm one of those people who believes that making fun of trouble helps to lighten the burden so here you are a really ironic video that explains what we all should know by now: those who caused the crisis will not pay for it!
Have a few laughs doing the fill-in-the-gap activity below, and learn some useful vocabulary. You can click here to get the KEY.

Definitely, he's not just handsome!

After hearing George Clooney addressing the Senate over Sudan crisis, I couldn't help feeling relieved to realize that some celebrities  use their popularity not just to get a table at the most exclusive restaurant or a room in the most luxurious hotel for free.
He seems to be aware that, unfortunately, the world will pay more attention to his words than to any activist's, so he's making the most of this fact.
In my view, that turns him into something else than a mere "pretty face".
This is part of an interview he did for the PBS Newshour. Watch it and complete the transcript below by clicking the arrow in each box and choosing the right option to fill in the gap. Then, click "CHECK" at the bottom.

I'm tired of using technology!

I can't deny it! I'm hooked on new technology though I'm not an expert.

Milow whinged "I'm tired of using technology" in his song (do you remember?) but even though I sometimes feel overwhelmed by so many innovations, the wonder of this new world has won me over.

A colleague and friend of mine sent me this killing sketch that makes fun of technology using plays on words (double meanings and homophones). Try to fill in the gaps to complete the transcription and then click in the link above to learn some vocabulary. This is the key with all the answers.

I hope you'll enjoy it!

Start with yourself

Consonant clusters (a combination of two or three consonant sounds) may be difficult to pronounce, especially if it is a combination that is not common in our language.

Three-consonant clusters at the beginning of words always begin with s, e.g. scream /skriːm/.

Three-consonant clusters at the end of words are often plurals (girls /ɡɜːlz/), third person singular verbs (wants /wɒnts/) or regular past tenses ( asked /ɑːskt/).

To practise this combination of consonant sounds I've chosen a song that reminds us that the real change is inside ourselves, that we can't close our eyes and only see misery and poverty at Christmas time. Listen to it and do the gap-filling exercise while listening. All the missing words  contain a consonant cluster. Then, you can check the answers clicking the link KEY on the activity.

Something is changing around the world

I don't know if the protests that started in Madrid on 15th May will result in a future presence of the protesters in the political arena but, at least, they seem to have awoken the citizens' awareness all around the world. 

To learn something about how these protests have arisen in London, watch this item of news and do the fill-in-the-gap activity. 
You can check your answers clicking the key.

The King's Speech

Do you like cinema? 

The King's Speech

I love it and one of the best fims I've recently seen is "The King's Speech". Actually, I'd recommend you to go and see it if you haven't so far, of course in original version since it's a fine example of British English and you'll surprise yourselves by discovering you can understand more than you expected.

If you've already seen it, I'd like to know you personal opinion about it. Write your comments below.
Now, let's practise listening comprehension doing a gap-filling activity. You can check your answers clicking here to download the KEY.

Earth Hour

You know last Saturday 26th a large number of countries around the world, among them Spain, participated in a big switch-off to call the citizens and governments' attention to the need to save energy and reduce emissions.

Read this article published in the Guardian and do the comprehension exercise below.

Then, watch the video which offers you some tips to save energy. Do you already do any of them? What else do you do to help the Earth? What do you think you could do? Write your comment below.

Earth Hour »

How To Save Energy in the Home on Howcast