English in Madrid

Image Source Chocolate 'may help keep people slim' People who eat chocolate regularly tend to be thinner, new research suggests. The findings come from a study of nearly 1,000 US people that looked at diet, calorie intake and body mass index (BMI) - a measure of obesity. It found those who ate chocolate a few times a week were, on average, slimmer than those who ate it occasionally. Source: BBC News Vocabulary : to tend to - findings (n) - calorie intake - loaded with - weight loss - rather than - to boost - to lower - by chance - a link - proof (n) - to mop up - harmful (adj) - to damage - to feed (fed,fed) - a trial - a chocolate bar - there's no harm in stg - a treat - likely to - Grammar Point : Even though chocolate is loaded with calories, it contains ingredients that may favour weight loss. Despite boost ing calorie intake, regular chocolate consumption was related to lower BM...

  Source: Hush Naidoo Jade Photography on Unsplash Spain's dilemmas over 'Eurovegas' mega casino plans Spain's two great rival cities, Barcelona and Madrid, are vying to attract a mega casino project planned by US multi-billionaire mogul Sheldon Adelson. Dubbed "Eurovegas", the vast 16bn euro ($21bn; £13bn) complex of hotels and casinos will, say Spanish officials, generate up to 200,000 jobs. For a country with a struggling economy and high jobless rate, the temptations are clear. But Mr Adelson's investment comes with conditions, and some argue he should have to play by the same rules as others in Spain. The contest to win over the 14th richest man in the world has become a casino version of the El Clasico derby that Spaniards are more used to witnessing on the football pitch.   Barcelona, the Catalan capital, has beaches and a port where cruise ships dock on a daily basis. Madrid, the national capital, has the bigger, and better-con...

Source: dylan nolte on Unsplash You've won £10, shopkeepers told Lotto winner... then they claimed his £157,000 prize for themselves When Gwyn Badham-Davies checked his lottery ticket at his local newsagent’s, he was delighted to hear he had won £10. But the hearty congratulations offered by shopkeeper Anne Jeevarajah as she handed over the cash concealed a cynical plot to steal the small fortune he had actually won. Jeevarajah had discovered her loyal customer’s ticket carried five winning numbers and the bonus ball – worth £156,659. A week after lying to Mr Badham-Davies, she and her husband Alfred contacted Camelot and tried to claim the prize.   Officials became suspicious, however, because of the length of time that had passed since the winning ticket had been registered on the National Lottery computer in their shop.  Police were called in and found the Jeevarajahs could not confirm where and when the ticket had been bought.  They have now been jailed...

Image source  Add a letter to  "_ear" to male a word that fits the following sentences: eg There are usually 365 days in a _ear . 2012 is a leap _ear so it has 366 days. answer: year eg A _ear is a greenish-coloured fruit.      If a plan goes _ear-shaped , it fails. I had planned to go away at Easter but it all went _ear-shaped . answer: pear 1.  The _ear is the symbol of Madrid. There is a statue of one in Puerta del Sol.      I can't _ear the suspense. Please tell me if I've passed. 2.  I have a _ear of heights . What are you afraid of?  3.  You should  be in fifth _ear  when you are driving at 100kph. 4.  That was a _ear miss - you almost hit the bicycle. 5.   _ear Rachel,       I'm sorry I haven't written before now.       I like the restaurant but it is very _ear . The one next to the office is ...

Image Source  Today many countries around the world celebrate Women's Day . International Women's Day highlights hurdles obstruction equality Domestic violence against women, pay inequality and abortion rights among issues raised International Women's Day was marked amid a mood of anger that the struggle for equality is far from being won. In Istanbul, the Ukrainian women's rights activists, Femen, staged a topless demonstration in bruise-like makeup to protest against domestic violence hours after a man in the Turkish capital shot dead a female relative because she left home following an argument with her husband. In Cairo, hundreds of women marched for equal rights and a gender balance in Egyptian politics.  In France, Nicolas Sarkozy visited female workers at a bra factory whose jobs had been under threat, Carla Bruni was due to appear on a TV current affairs show to discuss women's rights and the Socialist frontrunner in the presidential race, François...

Source: You Tube (tatosha delfina) Key Words: Egyptian Bangles Walk like an Egyptian - The Bangles All the old paintings on the tombs They do the sand dance, dont you know If they move too quick (oh whey oh) They're falling down like a domino. All the bazaar men by the Nile They got their money on a bet Gold crocodiles (oh whey oh) They snap their teeth on your cigarette. Foreign types with the hookah pipes say: Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh Walk like an Egyptian. The blonde waitresses take their trays They spin around and they cross the floor They've got the moves (oh whey oh) They drop your drink, then they bring you more. All the school kids so sick of books They like the punk and the metal band When the buzzer rings (oh whey oh) They're walking like an Egyptian. All the kids in the market place say: Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh Walk like an Egyptian. Slide your feet up the street, bend your back Shift your arm, then you p...

What on-line dictionary do you use to look up a new English word? I bet that it is a bilingual English-Spanish one. Am I right? Well, you should really be using a monolingual English-English dictionary too. It helps to see how to use the word you have looked up correctly. I think you are  more likely to remember the word if you read the definition in English. The more time you spend with the word, the more you absorb it. Don't worry if you don't understand a word in the definition - click on it and you will see its definition too. Let's take a look at some of the dictionaries you can find on-line. 1. Cambridge It has a Learner's dictionary (simpler definitions), British and American English dictionaries, a Business English dictionary and a Span-Eng dictionary. 2. Oxford The usage notes at the end of the definitions are particularly useful. 3. Merriam-webster It also has a thesaurus and an English-Spanish dictionary. 4. Reverso It...