The truth behind 10 of the biggest health beliefs

Read the whole document, do the activities and the vocabulary part. (KEY on Monday)

Diseases Vocabulary

Check spelling and pronunciation of words such as: 

Diabetes /daɪ.əˈbiː.tiːz/         Asthma /ˈæs.mə/ 

Earache /ˈɪə.reɪk/                 Nausea /ˈnɔː.si.ə/ 

Diarrhoea /ˌdaɪ.əˈriːə/          Pneumonia /njuːˈməʊ.ni.ə/

Dementia /dɪˈmen.ʃə/

Advanced Listening Practice with Lucy

 Pdf document here.

Verb + Preposition List (Revision)

You can check it in pdf format here.

Highlight the difficult ones for you and make sentences with them.

C1 Vocab Revision

Check how many words / phrases you can remember from previous modules:

Look up the new ones in the dictionary and make true sentences for you with them.

KEY to Silent Letters

Silent Letter Day (or here) and Silent Letter Maze.

More about Silent Letters here.

C2 30 Writing Phrases

News in English EL PAÍS

"A hurricane of fire"

Dear readers,

As L.A. continued to grapple with several simultaneous fires, two of which are already the most destructive in the city's history, we sent reporters to Malibu and Pasadena to get first-hand testimony from residents there, many of whom have lost their homes.

This week we also covered unfolding events in Canada, where Justin Trudeau announced his resignation, and in Venezuela, where tension is at an all-time high ahead of the presidential inauguration on Friday, as not everyone is certain which president will be sworn in.

In other news, we looked at a study exploring the memory capabilities of non-neural cells, and explored why all the new super-wealthy jet-setters are heading for Madrid.

We hope you enjoy this selection of stories from EL PAÍS USA Edition.

You can also read:

• Trump sentenced to unconditional discharge, making him first president to be a felon
• Trump’s expansionist threats herald a stormy relationship between the US and its allies
• Climate crisis breaks records in 2024: ‘The future is in our hands’
• Renée DiResta: ‘The problem is people who only want information that makes them feel happy’
• Why it’s a good idea to make New Year’s resolutions, even if most of them fail
• A visual tour of Chernobyl: A disaster of biblical proportions, now compounded by war

Silent Letter Day

Watch the video and make a list with the words containing the Silent Letters he mentions in his show. (KEY on Monday).

Then write ten more words containing Silent Letters.

Do this maze too! (KEY on Monday too)

Thanks for sharing, Isabel!

Cartagena Town hall Visit in English (Palacio Consistorial)

Dona Libros DANA

Recogida de material escolar para coles de Malawi y Madagascar

Puedes donar: 

Lápices, gomas, colores, estuches, libros en francés, babis, pelotas, ordenadores, tablets, mochilas, bolígrafos, sacapuntas, juegos.

Toda la info AQUÍ.

The truth behind 10 of the biggest health beliefs

‘Eight hours’ sleep! And you must eat breakfast!’ Should we really be aiming to walk 10,000 steps a day, or drink two litres of water? 

By Joel Snape 4 January, 2023 © Guardian News and Media 2023 First published in The Guardian, 4/1/2023

Here are some widely held dietary and healthbased beliefs:

1. ‘Lifting weights will give you big muscles’
2. ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day’
3. ‘You should walk 10,000 steps a day’
4. ‘You need eight hours of sleep’
5. ‘You should aim to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day’
6. ‘You need to drink two litres of water a day’
7. ‘A daily glass of wine is better than abstinence’
8. ‘Abdominal exercises will give you a six-pack’
9. ‘Dieting will slow your metabolism’
10. ‘Red meat is bad for you’

Be ready to talk about these issues next Tuesday with Tim in class. Try to find some evidence (medical scientific data) to support --or not-- some of the points mentioned. 

• Do you actually do any of the mentioned points? 
• How far do you agree with them?
• Can you think of any other health belief not mentioned here?

We'll be reading the answers the author of this article gives and what science says now about these statements in class! (You can read the article on the blog next Friday)

Formal Letter Writing

Review Formal Letter Writing on Tomeu's blog. Thanks for sharing!

C2 Contronyms (2)

If you want to inquire about Contronyms further, read this article. See more contronym words here.

EOI Murcia C1 Students' Samples

Read and listen to samples of Written Production and Co-production, and Spoken Production and Co-production in real exams. Check the three different assessments: A+, C and D.

News in English EL PAÍS

Terror strikes ahead of Trump's return

Dear readers,

Authorities are investigating possible links between the New Orleans truck attack in the early hours of New Year’s Day and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck in from of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, and exploring whether these acts have ties to terrorism. Both episodes come with less than three weeks to go before Trump's inauguration.

As the new year begins, we bring you an interview with an investment fund manager who discusses the opportunities available in small and mid-cap US stocks, and a list of tech trends to watch out for in 2025.

In recent days we also embarked on a journey to the frontiers of climate change, and spoke with scientists whose experiments with protocells leads them to assert that "there is no breath of divine life."

We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from EL PAÍS US Edition.

You can also read:

• Fridge sociology: Your icebox can reveal if you think like a rich person (and even, if you’re on your way to becoming one)
• From Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck to Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum: The celebrity breakups of 2024
• X, the new paradise for anorexia
• Stamp-sized microchip that imitates the human brain could speed up treatments for Alzheimer’s
• The pink elephant test: What your visual imagination predicts about your ability to control your thoughts
• The other side of Egypt: Much more than the pyramids
• Acapulco’s cliff divers: 90 years of challenges, rituals and shows

Stars of ELT examine 10 of the biggest “truths” in English language teaching … but how true are they?

Fact of Fiction? Read a long article written by authors who knew what they were writing about and check how right (or wrong) they were.

What to expect in 2025, and some reasons to be cheerful

Read this article by The Times and say which predictions were new to you.

Merry 2025!!!

How to Be an Alien

Yes, I know the book was not published very recently... but it could be a good read for Christmas. It's short, it's fun and you will learn about the British... Try some first pages here and if you want to carry on reading, pop into your favourite bookshop and get it.

Crossing the hell of the Darién jungle

Dear readers,

In the first 10 months of 2024, over 280,000 migrants crossed the Darién jungle, including Venezuelans, Ecuadorians, and people from countries as far afield as Vietnam, DR Congo, and Afghanistan. EL PAÍS followed a group of these travelers as they made the treacherous journey, and shared their difficult stories.

We also looked at the furor sparked by Donald Trump's demands that Panama reduce the fees for U.S. shipping crossing the Panama Canal or return its management to the United States.

Other highlights from this week include an interview with 'Squid Game' director Hwang Dong-hyuk, a feature report into Colombia's mercenary network and an infographic special into whether it's possible to manipulate the weather.

We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from EL PAÍS USA Edition

You can also read:

• ‘Squid Game 2′: ‘I won’t do this again. I lost several teeth in the process’
• When your language faces extinction: A photographic exhibition highlights over 120 endangered languages in the US
• When the surgeon chooses the wrong organ: A more frequent error than previously thought
• From Platonic love to Stoic endurance: Everyday expressions we stole from Greek philosophers
• Why do we see ourselves as morally superior to other historical eras?
• Robin Dunbar: ‘A good network of friends increases your life expectancy’

Day of the Holy Innocents

On December 28th, Spain celebrates Día de los Santos Inocentes. This holiday, similar to April Fools' Day, encourages pranks and jokes, known as inocentadas. April Fool’s Day is celebrated on 1 April in many countries around the world. On this day, people traditionally play practical jokes on each other and have fun trying to make other people believe things that are not true.

Do this activity to find the vocabulary used on this day:

When you've finished, find the answers here.

Going Christmas shopping?

Do you know what a mystery shopper is? Check here.

Boxing Day

Do you know what Boxing Day is? If you want to learn, visit this website and do the activities.

Merry Christmas !!!

C1 C2 Christmas Quiz ANSWERS

A Christmas Read

A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens [By courtesy of AAEOICT (Asociación de Amigos y Alumnos de la EOI de Cartagena)]

11 keys to the Gisèle Pélicot case

Dear readers,

‌Dominique Pélicot and 50 other men have been found guilty in what is perhaps one of the most high-profile, shocking, and globalized trials of the last decade. We go over the keys to a case that leaves nobody indifferent.

This week we also bring you a one-on-one interview with Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Rally, as she faces a make-or-break moment that could soon lead her to the Élysée, or to prison.

EL PAÍS also interviewed the American philosopher Judith Butler and the actor Jude Law. Other featured stories this week include an analysis of the group leading change in Syria, a look at Madrileños who can't afford rent and live in capsules, and a look back at Playgirl magazine's legacy.

We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from EL PAÍS USA Edition

You can also read:

• 2024: A bleak year for hunger and poverty, with an unexpected ray of hope
• Meet the Madrileños who move into Toyko-style capsules when they can’t pay their rent
• Claudia Goldin, 2023 Nobel Prize winner in Economics: ‘Feminism became a very bad word in the United States’
• Travel ideas: A holiday home to relax like a hobbit
• Vintage ‘jamón,’ the foodie luxury fetching up to €80,000
• We haven’t seen you in a while’: Duolingo’s passive-aggressive strategy for keeping users hooked

Catch up with / on your English!!!

We always have extra time for what we really enjoy doing on  holiday.
- Try to find a few minutes a day to catch up on those aspects of your learning you feel weaker at.
- Or devote more time to that specific topic / field you want to know more about...
- Or just re-read that post / note you weren't able to find time for earlier in the year.
- Buy an English magazine / Find a website dealing with a topic you're interested in or get a novel you feel like reading or re-reading (in English).
- Download the lyrics of your favourite songs (and sing along!)
- Listen to the English news (BBC or SkyNews ...)

Do post comments with other suggestions you might find useful to review and share them with your mates!!!