Wiecznie młodzi! O współpracy z Uniwersytetem Trzeciego Wieku

Bardzo miło poinformować nam, że zakończyliśmy szkolenie językowe dla słuchaczy Uniwersytetu Trzeciego Wieku będące częścią programu finansowanego przez Samorząd Województwa Wielkopolskiego w ramach projektu "Wiecznie młodzi ".

Warsztaty miały formę praktycznych konwersatoriów, podczas których w formie przeróżnych ćwiczeń, dialogów i sytuacji omawiane były najprzydatniejsze angielskie zwroty i wyrażenia zapewniające swobodną komunikację w sytuacjach takich jak np.: podróż samolotem/pociągiem, towarzyskie spotkanie w kawiarni, zakupy czy zwiedzanie miasta.

Cieszymy się, że warsztaty zostały bardzo dobrze przyjęte przez słuchaczy. Oceniono je jako "niezwykle przydatne, wzbogacające słownictwo, praktyczne i o przyjaznej formie". Gratulujemy postępów!

News about Britain: VALENTINE'S DAY OR.... LOVE IS IN THE AIR!

Drodzy Uczniowie!
Happy Valentine's Day! Dużo miłości, czułości i radości w Dzień Zakochanych i na każdy dzień w roku :) Wszystkiego dobrego!
Wykorzystajmy tę miłą okazję by nauczyć się kilku nowych wyrażeń po angielsku i poćwiczyć reading comprehension! Jak zwykle na Wasze odpowiedzi do ćwiczeń pod tekstem czekam pod adresem openmind@poczta.onet.eu

XOXO!

BBC Learning English
News about Britain
February 2009

It’s that time of the year when couples show their love for each other by sending cards, flowers and chocolates. But Valentine’s Day is not only about public displays of affection: in recent years it has also become big business. In the UK alone, more than £20 million is spent on flowers, whilst in the United States over $1 billion is forked out on chocolates.

Although Valentine’s Day has become a global industry with more than 80 million roses sold worldwide, the origins of the day are unclear and hidden in the mists of time. Nobody knows exactly who St Valentine was, although some historians suggest he was a Roman martyred in the third century AD by a Roman Emperor. It is said that the first recorded Valentine’s card was sent by the imprisoned Duke of Orleans in 1415. It is believed that he sought solace from his confinement by writing love poems to his wife.

Valentine’s Day, or its equivalent, is now celebrated in many countries around the world. However, the traditions often differ from place to place. In Japan, for example, it is customary for the woman to send chocolates to the man, whilst in Korea April 14th is known as ‘Black Day’ and is when the unfortunate men who received nothing on Valentine’s Day gather to eat noodles and commiserate with each other.

Technological developments have also played their part in keeping Valentine’s Day relevant in the 21st century. Valentine’s e-cards have been all the rage in recent years. However, internet security experts urge web users to be wary as malicious hackers could use e-cards to spread viruses and spyware.

Valentine’s cards can also be used for less than romantic purposes. Police in the UK city of Liverpool sent Valentine’s cards to criminals who failed to appear in court or have not paid fines. The cards contained the verse, “Roses are red, violets are blue, you’ve got a warrant, and we’d love to see you.” Who says romance is dead?

Vocabulary

public displays of affection- showing your feelings of liking or love for someone in public

forked out- forced to spend (colloquial)

hidden in the mists of time- too old for anyone to remember/confirm/clarify

martyred- killed because of his beliefs

recorded- known, documented

imprisoned- put in jail

sought solace- tried to find comfort

confinement- imprisonment

equivalent- here, a special occasion that has the same meaning and purpose

customary- normal, usual

commiserate with- show sympathy for

e-cards- short for electronic cards, i.e. virtual cards that are sent via the internet

all the rage- very popular

wary- here, careful

malicious hackers- people who access other people's computers with bad intentions (e.g. to look for their personal information, like credit card details, or to stop their computers working properly)

viruses- here, computer programs which can make copies of themselves, preventing the computer from working properly

spyware- computer programs that reveal the identity of a computer user

warrant- a document that gives police specific powers, e.g. the right to search or arrest somebody

1. Reading Quiz
Are these sentences true or false? Or is the answer not given in the text? Circle the correct
answer.
1. St Valentine was a famous Roman Emperor who was famous as a romantic.
True / False / Not given
2. The very first Valentine’s card was sent over 500 years ago.
True / False / Not given
3. Disappointed Korean men who have received no Valentine's cards eat a special dish in April.
True / False / Not given
4. Some Valentine’s cards are now sent through cyberspace.
True / False / Not given
5. Lonely policemen in Liverpool are looking for love by sending out many Valentine’s cards.
True / False / Not given

2. Love idioms: guess their meanings!
See if you can match these commonly used idioms connected to love with the correct definition:
1. to be head over heels in love
2. to fall for
3. to tie the knot
4. to have a crush on someone

a. to be attracted to someone without publicly showing it
b. to get married
c. to fall in love to with somebody
d. to be very much in love

Now try and complete the following sentences using one of the above idioms in the
correct form:

1. My fiancée and I have been engaged for nearly a year so we’re going to ________ in the summer.
2. I ________ one of my workmates but I’m too shy to tell him.
3. She is __________ in love with her new boyfriend. She talks about him all the time. It’s getting quite boring now.
4. I ________ my girlfriend the first time I saw her and I’m still crazy about her now.

Read and listen to the story online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/britain/090210_valentine.shtml

REFLEKSJE PO LEKCJACH OTWARTYCH

Z prawdziwą satysfakcją kończymy pierwszy semestr nauki w roku szkolnym 2008/ 2009. Serdecznie dziękujemy wszystkim Rodzicom przybyłym na lekcje otwarte! Cieszymy się z tak ogromnego zainteresowania. Dla Dzieci to wielka frajda móc pochwalić się swoją wiedzą, dla nas lektorów, najlepsza okazja by podzielić się z Państwem swoimi spostrzeżeniami na temat postępów Waszych pociech. Pamiętajmy, że Dziecko jest świetnym obserwatorem i naśladowcą- jeśli dostrzeże jak ważna jest zarówno dla Rodziców, jaki i dla nas Jego językowa edukacja- również będzie traktował ją serio! Jednoczmy zatem siły by wspierać motywację Dzieci w ich językowych odkryciach!

NEWS ABOUT BRITAIN - SOAP OPERAS

Dear students!
Zaczynamy naukę języka angielskiego z BBC. Dziś o popularnych w Wielkiej Brytanii tzw. soap operas (operach mydlanych). Czy Brytyjczycy oglądają te same co Polacy telenowele? Skąd pochodzi termin "soap opera"? W jakich okolicznościach narodził się pomysł tworzenia ich i dla kogo są kręcone? O tym w dzisiejszym materiale. Znaczenie wyróżnionych słów znajdziecie w słowniczku pod tekstem. Zachęcam do wypełnienia ćwiczeń- to świetny sposób, aby utrwalić słownictwo! Swoje odpowiedzi kierujcie na adres : openmind@poczta.onet.eu
Nagranie do tekstu znajduje się tutaj: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/britain/index.shtml
Have fun!

Watching TV is a very popular pastime in the UK. But what kind of programmes do British people like to watch? Well, the most-watched TV programmes every week are very popular dramas that are usually on at least four times every week. They are dramas based in one neighbourhood that try to depict ordinary life in the UK - we call these dramas ‘soap operas’ or ‘soaps’.

In the early days of TV, there were often dramas on during the day. Back in those days, it was
traditional for the husband to go out to work and for the wife to stay at home and look after the house and the children. Most of these daytime dramas were aimed at entertaining the housewives who would traditionally be at home, probably doing the washing. Companies selling washing powder would advertise their products at times when these dramas were on, and sometimes those companies would even sponsor the drama. Hence the word ‘soap’.
So what about the word opera? Well, that’s because these dramas are often an exaggeration of real life. They are supposed to represent ordinary lives but, to make them entertaining, lots of dramatic events, like murders, divorces, affairs etc., all happen probably much more regularly than they would in a normal neighbourhood.

Most soap operas these days are shown in the evening. Each show will have several different
storylines happening at once that continue over several shows. The same cast members will appear in every show, too.
There are lots of different soaps on in the UK on different channels but there are three main popular ones. ‘Coronation Street’ has been on since 1960. It is set in a suburb of Manchester and it’s supposed to represent working class life in the north of England. Then there’s ‘Eastenders’ which started in 1985, set in the East End of London, and ‘Emmerdale’, which is set on a farm in Yorkshire, in the north of England. The BBC even has a soap opera to help you learn English - so if you want to experience one of these dramas in English, ‘The Flatmates’ would be a good place to start - go to www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/flatmates.
News about Britain © British Broadcasting Corporation 2009

Glossary
pastime – what you do outside work for enjoyment, e.g. a hobby
neighbourhood – an area where people live rather than work or do shopping
to depict – to describe, to show, to represent
housewives – women who work at home, doing the cleaning, cooking, etc., and who usually have no other job
washing powder – laundry detergent; a cleaning substance in powder form used for washing clothes
advertise – show short television commercials to promote
sponsor – here, pay for filming
hence the word ‘soap’ – this is how the word 'soap' became part of the expression
an exaggeration – showing or representing something in a more dramatic, serious or shocking way than it really is
affairs – here, intimate relations outside marriage
at once – here, simultaneously, at the same time
cast members – actors in a particular film or TV series
it is set in a suburb of Manchester – the action takes place in an area near Manchester (people from suburbs usually work in the city which they are close to, however there are usually very few or no businesses within a suburb itself)
it’s supposed to represent – the intention is to show; it's meant to show


1. Reading Quiz
Are these sentences true or false? Or is the answer not given in the text? Circle the correct
answer.
1. People don’t like to watch TV in the UK.
True / False / Not given
2. The word ‘soap’ in ‘soap opera’ refers to washing powder used by housewives to do the
washing.
True / False / Not given
3. The word ‘opera’ in ‘soap opera’ refers to the classical singing you hear in the dramas.
True / False / Not given
4. Soap operas have lots of continuing storylines happening over a few shows.
True / False / Not given
5. Coronation Street has been on British TV since 1985.
True / False / Not given

2. TV expressions: guess their meanings!
See if you can match these commonly used TV related expressions with the correct definition:
1. a couch potato
2. reality TV
3. channel hopping
4. a telly addict
5. the box

a. someone who is always watching the TV (the telly) and can’t live without it
b. another word for television
c. someone who sits on the sofa all day eating and watching TV
d. TV programmes following real people in real life situations
e. going from channel to channel with the remote control (the remote) and being unable to decide what to watch

Now try and complete the following sentences with one of the above TV expressions:
1. “__________ is boring. I can see people in real life situations every day – I would much rather watch a drama.”
2. “What’s on __________ tonight?”
3. My brother is such __________. All he does is sit at home and watch TV.
4. The problem with TV these days is that there are too many channels to choose from. I’m always __________ and I can never decide what to watch.
5. I love watching TV – I watch it all the time. I don’t think I could live without it – I need to watch it for at least three hours every night. I’m such ____________ .

Read and listen to the story online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/britain/090127_soaps.shtml

ZAPROSZENIE NA LEKCJE OTWARTE

Szanowni Państwo,
Drodzy Rodzice!

W związku z zakończeniem semestru zimowego nadszedł czas na podsumowania. W imieniu własnym i Dzieci mamy przyjemność zaprosić Państwa na zajęcia do naszej szkoły. Będzie nam bardzo miło gościć Państwa na otwartej lekcji, podczas której będziecie mieli Państwo możliwość podziwiać swoją Pociechę, porozmawiać z lektorem, a także odebrać Kartę Postępów w Nauce. Naprawdę warto dostarczyć sobie kolejnych powodów do dumy!

Zapraszamy na zajęcia w tygodniu od 10 do 13 lutego na lekcje według harmonogramu w szkołach Państwa Dzieci.

Do zobaczenia!
Karolina Grabowska
z Zespołem