English in Madrid

Source: videojug.com   In the above video (you can turn on the subtitles), you have some dos and donts for the office Christmas party. Check out www.videojug.com to listen to advice for all sorts of things. Have you had your Christmas party yet? Is it something you look forward to or something you dread ? What advice would you give on how to behave at the party?

KLM To Offer Mile-High Dating Via Facebook KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has taken blind-dating to new heights by launching an initiative that will allow customers to pick their seat-mates on Facebook. The pilot programme is being praised for those people who are sick of being stuck next to crying babies or the passenger from hell - or for those simply looking for mile-high love. The airline announced its plans to start a "meet and seat" service early next year that will link travellers' Facebook and LinkedIn profiles to their check-in information. Source: Sky News Vocabulary : a blind date - to take to new heights - to pick (your seat-mate) - to praise - to be sick of stg - to be stuck next to sb - to check stg/sb out - to turn to sb - a recipe for disaster - creepy (adj) - matchmaking - to stalk sb - to work out - What to you think of the idea? Would you like to pick the person you sit next to? O...

Complete the following sentences with a suitable word.  I think bullfighting should be b_____ . It’s cruel and barbaric. I am really stressed out. I need a holiday to u_____ . The Rubik’s Cube was a c____ in the early 80s. I can give you a l___ to work until you get your car back from the mechanic’s. You don’t need to leave a t__ if you are unhappy with the service. A lot of men worry about going b___ as they get older. You should always s____ hands with the interviewer at the end of the interview. Can you p___ up my suit from the dry cleaner’s when you are there? I won’t k___ you. This will just take a couple of minutes. That’s me finished -I ’m o__ home. See you tomorrow. You don’t need to pay. I’d prefer to s____ the bill. You look very smart but there’s no need to d____ up for me. I’m tired. I don’t f___ l___ going out tonight.  I haven’t heard from her for a___ . I wonder what she is up to. News quickly s_____ about his resignation. By the e...

Source:  Akin Cakiner en Unsplash Italian cat inherits €10m fortune Tommaso, a four-year-old, one-time stray from Rome, is thought to have become the world's richest cat. Since the death of his 94-year-old mistress last month, he has become a property magnate — or perhaps mog nate — with flats and houses worth an estimated €10m scattered from Milan in the north to Calabria in the south. In a handwritten will, signed on 26 November, 2009, Tommaso's mistress — the childless widow of a successful builder — gave her lawyers the task of identifying "the animal welfare body or association to which to leave the inheritance and the task of looking after the cat Tommaso". One of the lawyers, Anna Orecchioni, told the Rome daily Il Messaggero they considered several organisations without getting adequate guarantees of the cat's future comfort and welfare. In the meantime, the old lady met a fellow cat-lover – named only as Stefania – in a park. "Sometimes I'd go t...

Spanish royal family hit by fraud scandal The once squeaky-clean Spanish royal family has become immersed in a growing fraud scandal that reveals how members of King Juan Carlos's family may have cashed in on the monarchy's good name. At the centre of the scandal is the king's son-in-law Iñaki Urdangarin, a former Olympic-medal-winning handball player who became the Duke of Palma after marrying Juan Carlos's sporty daughter, the infanta Cristina. Urdangarin and his business partners are the subject of daily leaks from a fraud investigation involving millions of euros of public money as Spain's royal family struggles to hold on to its popularity.  Police have raided the offices of his private companies and of a foundation he once presided over, taking away documents.  El País newspaper reported this week that prosecutors believe Urdangarin, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, will be named as a formal suspect in the case within two months. That could b...

Source: Erik-Jan Leusink on Unsplash Liking a lie-in in people's genes, researchers say People who like a lie-in may now have an excuse - it is at least partly down to their genes, according to experts. Experts, who studied more than 10,000 people across Europe, found those with the gene ABCC9 need around 30 minutes more sleep per night than those without the gene. The variant is carried by one in five Europeans, they say in their study, published in Molecular Psychiatry. + The researchers said the finding could help explain "sleep behaviour".  Over 10,000 people took part, each reporting how long they slept and providing a blood sample for DNA analysis.  People's sleep needs can differ significantly.  At the extreme, Margaret Thatcher managed on four hours of sleep a night while Albert Einstein needed 11.  Fruit flies   People from the Orkney Isles, Croatia, the Netherlands, Italy, Estonia and Germany took part in the study.  All were asked about...

Are the following sentences right or wrong? Correct them if needed. Could you borrow me the car for the weekend? I'll drive carefully. Would you mind to close the window? It's a bit cold in here. I'm going to relax at home this weekend. I've had a tiring week. A: Do you mind if I sit here? B: No, not at all. Do you feel like going to the theatre on Saturday evening? A: Damn! I've broken my watch. B: Let me have a look. I'm going to try to fix it. What are you doing for Christmas? It's normal for colleagues going for a drink after work. Young people tend don't to dress up when they go to the opera. Graham: I want to speak to your superior. Telefonica operator: Ok, he will call you back later today.