Rage rooms: can smashing stuff up really help to relieve anger and stress?

Read the Article (Key next Sat.)

Ways of Crying

Hustle culture is destroying our clients. It’s time they let their impossible standards crash to the ground

Check your answeers HERE.

EL PAÍS (News in English)

NATO: filling in the gaps

Dear readers,

The NATO summit this week further underscored the rift btween the United States and its European partners. As a result, European allies and Canada are moving to fill the gaps in Europe’s security umbrella as the US scales back its commitment. A group of 12 countries is preparing a new mission to strengthen maritime security in the North Atlantic and the Arctic, according to alliance sources.

Back in the Americas, tension is growing over the US role in the Ismael El Mayo Zambada case. Mexico is demanding further explanations about the role US agencies may have had in the transfer by plane of the drug leader from Mexico to US territory, and accusing the former ambassador of lying about it.

Our interviewees this week include Danny Elfman, the composer behind most of Tim Burton's best-known movies (as well as the theme for The Simpsons), and British pop superstar Robbie Williams, who is releasing a new album with a title meant "to wind up the right people."

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

You can also read:

• The rise and fall of millennial icons: From Facebook and Arcade Fire to American Apparel and Buzzfeed
• Ireland: A journey to Europe’s wildest economy
• Which national soccer teams have the world’s best players?
• The lucrative business of the World Cup: How FIFA secures millions in profits, while host nations take all the risks
• Obesity is inherited: How genes shape our relationship with food
• Spain’s stock market is in the hands of foreign funds: these are the real owners of the Ibex 35
• Why are we so willing to believe the incredible?

La pérdida de auxiliares hace retroceder una década la formación en inglés en los colegios valencianos (Las Provincias)

Los centros valencianos dispondrán el próximo curso de un centenar de auxiliares de inglés frente a los 1.400 de años anteriores ... (keep on reading)

The problem is not only for our Comunidad Autónoma

Types of Paper

C1 Phrasals with GET

If you are at C1 you have to know (and use) ALL these phrasal verbs.

Which would you rather visit right now?

 Reason your answer...

Human Actions & Sounds

Advanced Speaking Tips

You should use these Advanced Speaking Phrases naturally, without hesitation and pronounce all of them quickly and confidently. 

If you don't, rehearse them.

Money Names 2

2.5 Million Visits 🎉Thank You!

Today, our blog reached 2,500,000 visits. A huge thank you to everyone who has visited, shared, commented, and helped this project grow. We still have many more milestones ahead! 2.5M visits and counting. 

Thank you for being part 

of this learning🚀journey!

¿Por qué la Región de Murcia se queda sin auxiliares de conversación? (La Opinión)

(By Enrique Nieto) Durante más de cuarenta años he sido profesor de Inglés en la enseñanza media.

Homographs vs Homophones vs Homonyms

Homophones

vs

Homographs

vs

Homonyms

Types of Sitting

Hustle culture is destroying our clients. It’s time they let their impossible standards crash to the ground

Read the article (Key next Sat.)

Out of the blue? How the colour of light could be used to treat mental illness

Check your answers HERE

EL PAÍS (News in English)

No sympathy for Venezuelans

Dear readers,

Not even a natural disaster of still-incalculable proportions has inspired Donald Trump’s administration to pause its effort to carry out what it calls the largest deportation campaign in history. The Venezuelan community is demanding that the government reinstate TPS for the nearly 600,000 migrants at risk of being sent back to a devastated country.

Meanwhile, the richest and most prestigious university in the US is also fearful of what's in store as it faces a new wave of threats from the Republican administration. Harvard Prof. Randall Kennedy has just finished writing a book about what the university has experienced over the past 15 months. The manuscript already has a title: The Siege of Harvard.

And a professor at another Ivy League institution, Roberto Serrano of Brown University, recently told EL PAÍS about a case of mass cheating on one of his economics exams, and how university officials did nothing about it. "Academic integrity is at risk," he says.

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

You can also read:

• Which national soccer teams have the world’s best players?
• Spain’s stock market is in the hands of foreign funds: these are the real owners of the Ibex 35
• Carles Lalueza-Fox, geneticist: ‘We each have more than one doppelgänger somewhere on the planet’
• Kyiv’s two worlds: Between celebration and war
• Over 1,000 people may have died from June heatwave in Spain
• How TikTok’s algorithm is affecting you, from the content you see to what you can do to regain control
• Photo essay: The beauty in small things

False Cognates (aka False Friends)

False cognates (or "false friends") are words that look or sound similar in English and Spanish but have completely different meanings. They can easily trip you up, but learning them helps you avoid embarrassing mix-ups.

Explore the most common deceptive ones below:

For a deeper dive into hundreds of other confusing terms, you can review the full Berlitz Guide on False Cognates or test your skills with the SpanishDict False Cognates Guide.

Types of Fish (most of them translated)

Traditionally, the English (and the British in general) use cod and haddock for fish and chips. These are white, flaky fish with a mild flavour that work very well with batter rebozado and deep frying. 

• Cod bacalao is the most common choice in many parts of England. It has a mild taste and a firm, flaky texture. 
• Haddock eglefino is especially popular in Scotland and parts of northern England. It has a slightly sweeter flavour than cod. 

Other fish sometimes used include: Plaice platija Pollock abadejo o colín de Alaska Whiting pescadilla o merlán Hoki hoki o merluza azul.

If you order fish and chips in a traditional British "chippy", the server will often ask:"Cod or haddock?" because these are the two classic options. 

La Región de Murcia se queda fuera del programa de auxiliares de conversación de Inglés nativos en los colegios (y EEOOII)

El Ministerio ha llegado a un acuerdo con otras 14 comunidades para salvar el plan, que la Comunidad descarta

Today in La Verdad

Auxiliares extranjeros, en una foto de archivo durante la recepción en el Romea. Guillermo Carrión/AGM

What we are missing next academic year:

• Authentic language exposure: Language Assistants provide students with direct contact with native or near-native language, helping them improve pronunciation, listening comprehension, and natural expressions.

• Cultural enrichment: They bring first-hand knowledge of their countries and cultures, fostering intercultural awareness and making language learning more meaningful and engaging.

• Increased oral interaction: They encourage students to speak more in the target language through conversation, debates, role-plays, and other communicative activities.

• Greater motivation and confidence: Their presence creates a dynamic classroom environment, helping learners gain confidence in using the language in real-life situations.

The English We Speak (from BBC Learning English)

The English We Speak is your chance to catch up on the very latest English words and phrases. In under 3 minutes, we help you stay ahead of the pack by giving you 'must have' phrases that you can use in your everyday conversation.

Sure you will learn more than 3 or 4  new expressions or words!

Swearing and taboo expressions (from Cambridge Dictionary)

 

Swear words and taboo words can intensify what is said, but they can shock or give offence.

Expletives

Sports Vocabulary

 The World of Sport

Matrícula Curso 26-27 EOI Cartagena

Alumnos Oficiales (que promo-cionan o repiten)

Alumnos Nuevos

Types of Talkers

Out of the blue? How the colour of light could be used to treat mental illness

Read the article. (Key next Sat.)

Amazed and Grateful: Celebrating Our Blog’s Incredible Growth

I’m absolutely delighted—and, to be honest, still a little amazed—by the incredible growth this blog has experienced over the past months.

What began as a space to share ideas and resources has blossomed into something far bigger than I ever imagined, and it’s all thanks to you.

Looking back at our milestones fills me with pride and gratitude:

- First blog entry: 1st November 2007

- First 100,000 hits on 30th April 2013

- We made half a million visits on 29th October 2019

- Later, we reached 1 million visits on 7th March 2025

- Then 1.5 million visits on 8th April 2026

- And, incredibly, 2 million visits on 4th June 2026

Seeing these numbers climb so quickly has been both astonishing and inspiring.

The recent traffic has been simply extraordinary. Last month alone brought 326,939 visits, and this June we’ve surpassed half a million visits (554,167). We're about to reach 2.5M visits... These figures are not just numbers—they represent readers, educators, learners, and a vibrant community that continues to grow every single day.

I feel deeply grateful for every visit, every comment, every shared post. Your support keeps this space alive and motivates me to continue creating, sharing, and improving.

Thank you for being part of this 🚀 journey!

C1 & C2 Reading and Vocabulary Activities for July

Next week and the first two weeks of July (on Mondays) I'll be posting an article by The Guardian / onestopenglish for you to read and do the activities.

Keys will be available on Saturdays. Enjoy them —they deal with interesting topics.

A Language of Pride: Understand the Terms Around LGBTQ+ Identity

June is Pride Month in the US and around the world. Pride is a recognition of LGBTQ identity, affirmation of equal rights, and celebration of visibility, dignity, and diversity in the LGBTQ community. 

Understand the Terms Around LGBTQ