SONG: HERO

READING...

Javier Luceño was the first student to tell us about the book he has just read. He spoke about the Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde. Javier did it really well and we participated asking him questions about the story.

The heroes at Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Would you risk your life for other people? Well, some people do. They are real heroes. The heroes at Fukushima have just been awarded the Prince of Asturias.
Read about them and enter comments with your opinion.




The 2011 Prince of Asturias Award for Concord has been bestowed on the “heroes of Fukushima”. The Jury for the Award announced its decision today in Oviedo.

This group of people represent the highest values of the human condition by trying to prevent, through their sacrifice, the nuclear disaster caused by the tsunami that struck Japan from multiplying its devastating effects, disregarding the grave consequences that this decision would have on their lives. Their courageous and exemplary behaviour has earned them the international epithet “heroes of Fukushima”.

Following the massive earthquake and tsunami that occurred in north-eastern Japan on March 11, 2011 and which caused around 28,000 deaths and displaced some 350,000 people, Fukushima nuclear power plant suffered significant damage resulting in hydrogen explosions and fusion of nuclear fuel. The International Atomic Energy Agency and the Japanese government initially placed the alert levels between 5 and 6 on a scale of 7, and finally at 7, as after the Chernobyl accident.

Despite major uncertainty regarding the development of the nuclear emergency, the different groups that worked for weeks in Fukushima did so under extreme conditions (high radiation, continuously rotating shifts and only a few hours of rest, and limited supplies of food and drinking water). Despite these grave consequences, they continued to participate in the efforts to regain control of the nuclear plant, aware of how essential their work was to prevent a catastrophe of even greater magnitude.

The work was carried out by different groups of people: employees of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant’s operator; of its 130 workers, 50 volunteered, as did some workers who had already retired or were nearing retirement, and, after increasing the number of rotating shifts and the needs for personnel, additional staff was hired (by May 3, 1,312 workers had intervened in Fukushima); fire fighters from various prefectures, especially from Tokyo, who participated in the work of cooling the reactors, a key task to restore control of the plant; and the police forces and Self-Defence Forces of Japan, whose work cooling the reactors by launching water from helicopters, inspecting the damage from the air, cordoning off the exclusion area and evacuating people when the reactors emitted very high doses of radiation was very important.

The behaviour of these people has also embodied the values most deeply rooted in Japanese society, such as the sense of duty, personal and family sacrifice for the greater good and dignity in the face of adversity, humility, generosity and courage.

http://www.fpa.es/en/press/news/the-heroes-of-fukushima-2011-prince-of-asturias-award-for-concord/

Do you remember the Chilean miners?

The Chilean miners were rescued a year ago, in October 2010. Do you remember the story. Here you have a summary. Please, read it and then enter you comments telling how you and your family followed this shocking accident with a happy ending. After reading, answer the following questions:

a)What happened?
b)When did it happen?
c)Where did it happen?
d)How long were the miners trapped?
e)What did everybody fear?
f)What did the government do to find the miners?
g)How did the miners communicate they were alive?
h)When were the miners rescued?

"The 2010 Copiapó mining accident, also known as the "Chilean mining accident", began in the afternoon of Thursday, 5 August 2010 as a significant cave-in at the troubled 121-year-old San José copper–gold mine. The mine is located deep in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest regions in the world. The buried men, who became known as "Los 33" ("The 33"), were trapped 700 meters (2,300 ft) underground. The mixed crew of experienced miners and technical support personnel subsequently survived for a record 69 days deep underground before their rescue. During this time the world feared that the workers had probably not survived the collapse or would have starved to death before they were found, if ever.

The nation's tremendous outpouring of public concern for the 33 lost miners led the national government to take over the faltering search and rescue operation. Eight exploratory boreholes were hastily drilled. Seventeen days after the accident, on 22 August, a note written in bold red letters appeared taped to a drill bit when it was pulled to the surface after penetrating an area believed to be accessible to the trapped workers. It read simply "Estamos bien en el refugio, los 33" (English: "We are well in the shelter, the 33"). The nation of Chile erupted into a wave of euphoria and demanded that Chile's leaders find a way to bring the trapped workers safely home to their waiting families.

Once the government rescuers knew that the men were alive, Chile implemented a comprehensive plan to both nurture the workers during their entrapment and to rescue the miners from the depths. After 69 days trapped deep underground, all 33 men were brought safely to the surface on 13 October 2010 over a period of almost 24 hours."

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

TEST 1 REVISION

How did you do in Test 1? Here you have some general information and tips:

A. Vocabulary. Most of you had problems with the word bank. This exercise is very demanding and you have to prepare (=practise and study)the new words. My advice is that you make sure you have the correct meaning of all the words in the workbook word bank. And, of course, you have to study. Anyway, this was the first test and I'm sure you'll do better next time.

C. Questions. Some people had problems to write correct questions. Don't panic! This is quite common. The only secret is practice. So, here you have a website to practise asking questions.
You also have an exercise to download and practise in our 3º ESO site. This is for homework.

D.E. Some students don't know how to write "WHICH". Pleeeaaase! And some forgot the "s" with the 3rd person singular. Typical! "A doctor is a person who cureS ill people."

F. Did some of you forget to revise the photocopy with adjectives and definitions? I think so.

G. When using adverbs the problem was the use of verb tenses really. Some of you wrote: "Maybe I go to the cinema" instead of "Maybe I will go to the cinema" (future). But you can use it with present when describing people (Maybe she is a bit shy) or abilities (Maybe she can speak Spanish), etc.
If you feel you have problems, don't miss the British Council explanations and practice.

H. Reading. This was the first reading and we have to practise... a lot! We have to learn how to form correct answers without copying the whole text. Don't worry. We'll do it.

I. Writing. As with the reading, we have to practise our writing to avoid some problems such as too elementary mistakes, too short compositions, repetition, copying from the texts and these sort of things. And YES, you have to be able to write 100 words about... anything.

YES, WE CAN!

Present simple or present continuous

Here you have some verb tenses practice. Have fun!
Exercise 0
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

5 TIPS TO BECOME A GOOD STUDENT

Do you consider yourself a good student? Do you think you could be a better one? Is it possible to learn? Read these 5 tips to become a good student and give your opinion.