English in Madrid

Source:  Random Institute on Unsplash Shanghai Metro 'dress code' warning sparks debate A Shanghai Metro microblog post urging women to ''pay attention to how you dress'' to avoid sexual harassment has sparked protests and strong reactions. The metro operator posted a picture of a woman in a see-through dress on its Twitter-like Weibo account, saying: "It's no wonder that some people get harassed if they dress like this." This drew criticism for discrimination and sexism from irate women. But in an online poll, most agreed that women should dress more conservatively. The post published by Shanghai No 2 Subway Co on Wednesday added that there were many perverts on the subway and asked women to ''cherish'' themselves. This set off a flurry of comments online, with many decrying the suggestion that women were to blame for sexual harassment by dressing scantily. "According to this logic, all men can harass ...

Photo Source: User- Golderak voanews.com (Wikipedia) Germany's 'psychic' pets concern animal rights group Germany has upset animal rights activists with its latest attempts to predict the outcome of Euro 2012. Two years after the death of popular pundit Paul the octopus, a range of pets are now being deployed to "predict" which football team will win. However, Yvonne the cow, Kasimir the alpaca and Xaver the bulldog have upset German animal rights activists. Source: BBC News Vocabulary : to concern - to upset - an outcome - a pundit - a range of - to overuse - varying (adj) - a degree of - to threaten - to take exception to - a stripe - for the sake of - to make a name for yourself - to hit the headlines - to land a job - a string of - a mussel - a string of - to step down - 

Source: Acdx (Wikipedia)   (to go) abroad - (irse / viajar) al extranjero We plan to go abroad for our summer vacation (to stay in) accommodation - (alojarse en) alojamiento We stayed in comfortable accommodation by the beach. barefoot / in your barefeet - descalzo She loves walking barefoot on the sand. bat and ball - juego de palas They played bat and ball on the beach all afternoon. a bathing suit - un bañador Don’t forget to pack your bathing suit for the trip. a beach bar - un chiringuito We had lunch at a beach bar with a beautiful sea view. a campsite - un camping They set up their tent at a nearby campsite. crowded (adj) - lleno de gente, abarrotado The beach was crowded during the holiday weekend. (to go on) a cruise - (hacer) un crucero We are planning to go on a cruise next summer. a deck c...

Source: Petr Novak (wikipedia) Do you know the difference between see , look at and watch ? They all talk about different ways we use our eyes. When we say see , we are normally talking about things we can't avoid . As soon as we open our eyes we see things: I saw my ex-girlfriend at a party last weekend. I can't find my keys. Have you seen them anywhere? When we say look , we are talking about things we see with an intention , usually for a short time: Look at the board! Can you find the mistakes in these sentences? Look! It's snowing. When we say watch , we are talking about things we intend to see, usually things that are moving or changing : I didn't watch  the news on TV last night. I was too busy. Are you going to watch the football match tonight? Exception : with films we usually use see not watch, as we refer to those that we have already seen or ask if we have seen a certain one. Complete the sentences with one of the above verbs ...

Grandfather who watched £1,000 cash blow away after he tripped outside bank stunned as kind strangers return almost every penny Onlookers - mainly teenagers and young people - began grabbing the notes and managed to collect all but £20 Grandfather says the kindness shows 'there is still some decency' in the world Source: Daily Mail Vocabulary : to blow away - a passer-by - an onlooker - to grab - to trip - to stop in your tracks - to scramble - to swirl - to run off - to head - to hand back - faith (n) - in this day and age - a labourer - to withdraw cash - to fall flat on your face - grip (n) / to grip - to clutch - scores - to drop - a lad - to chase - a bloke - a youngster - a fistful - crumpled (adj) - lap (n) - as far as I'm concerned - to get stick - Do you think the same thing would have happened here? Do you think people are generally honest? 

Source:  jurien huggins en Unsplash See  A-M to peel - /pil/ She carefully peeled the potatoes before boiling them. to pour - /pɔːr/ He poured the batter into the cake tin. to remove - /rɪˈmuːv/ She used tongs to remove the hot cookies from the oven. to rinse - /rɪns/ Before cooking, it's important to rinse the rice to remove any excess starch. to roast - /rəʊst/ The chef roasted the chicken until it was golden brown and crispy. to roll out - /rəʊl aʊt/ She rolled out the dough to make the perfect pizza crust. to sauté - /səʊˈteɪ/ He sautéed the onions until they were soft and translucent. to scoop out - /skuːp aʊt/ They used a spoon to scoop out the flesh of the avocado. to season - /ˈsiːzən/ Remember to season the soup with salt and pepper before serving. to serve - /sɜːv/ She served the pasta with a sprinkle of fresh herbs on top. to shake - /ʃeɪk/ Shake the salad dressing well before pouring it over the greens. to sieve - /siːv/ After mixing the dry ingredients, she sie...