English in Madrid

In one of last week's classes we saw the expression to "take a chance". As with many expressions, you can relate it to a famous song. Some hadn't heard of this ABBA one, or at least the way that I sang it. :-) "Taking a chance" is "taking a risk"; so in the song they are really saying "be with me - I'm worth the risk ". Source : YouTube (abbavevo) Key words: take chance on me If you change your mind , I'm the first in line Honey I'm still free Take a chance on me If you need me, let me know , gonna be around If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down If you're all alone when the pretty birds have flown Honey I'm still free Take a chance on me Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie If you put me to the test , if you let me try Take a chance on me (That's all I ask of you honey) Take a chance on me We can go dancing, we can go walking, as long as we're together Lis...

Source: Wikipedia LOL is a common abbreviation; you will have seen it at the end of a funny comment. What does it stand for ?                LOL stands for Laugh Out Loud. What does "laugh out loud" mean?       When you find something very funny, you LOL - you don't contain your laughter. We use "stand for" to say what an abbreviation represents. In the UK, the PM David Cameron thought LOL stood for Lots of Love. He used to exchange texts with Rebekah Brookes, the editor of NOTW (News of the World). Read the story here . UK stands for United Kingdom. What does GB stand for? PM stands for Prime Minister. Politicians in the UK are referred to as MPs. What does MP stand for? TVE stands for Televisión Española. Do you know what BBC stands for? LOL is used in texting, e-mails and so on  . Can you guess what the following abbreviations stand for? Hi...

Image source: Certo Xornal (Wikipedia)       a fine : money that has to be paid as a punishment for not obeying a rule or law   to fine sb for sth : to charge sb as a punishment for not obeying a rule or law   to get a fine : I got a fine for speeding. = I was fined for speeding.   to put give sb a fine : They gave him a €100 fine for dropping litter. = He was given a fine.   a strong heavy fine =  a severe punishment   an on-the-spot fine = one that is given to you at the time of breaking the law.    What things can you be fined for?   What can you get an on-the-spot fine for?   Do you think fines are too lenient ? Should they be increased?   Or maybe you think some of them are harsh ?   Have you ever got a fine for something?   Have you ever refused to pay a fine? Have you ever argued with a traffic warden ? Did you win the arguement?...

Source: Wikipedia (Elisardojm) Spain Prestige oil spill disaster case in court The trial has begun in northern Spain of the captain of the Prestige oil tanker that sank in 2002, causing the country's worst environmental disaster. Apostolos Mangouras, who is Greek, is being tried with two other crew members and a Spanish official in La Coruna. Some 50,000 tonnes of oil leaked into the Atlantic when the Prestige broke up off the north coast, polluting thousands of miles of coastline. Lawyers took nearly eight years to investigate the disaster.  The case has taken a further two years to reach trial.  Investigators said it was complicated by the range of nationalities involved. The ship flew under the Bahamas flag, but was insured in UK as part of a Swiss fleet with a largely Greek crew.  It is expected that Tuesday's hearing will be dominated by procedural questions, with the accused unlikely to take the stand until next month.  Prison term sought   Mr...

1.6m people aged 20-40 'living with parents' More than 1.6 million people aged 20-40 are still living with their parents because they cannot afford their own home, a report suggests. More than 5,000 people were surveyed by YouGov for housing charity Shelter. Source: BBC News        listen to ‘Back home with Mam and Dad’ on Audioboo    Vocabulary :   to afford -   to survey -   according to... -   to save up for stg -   a deposit -   the housing ladder -   to put the brakes on -   a lack of stg  -   the root of the problem -   grateful (adj) -   the norm -   to soar -   out of reach -   affordable (adj) -   to get on in life -   a survey -   to be faced with ... -   barely (adv) -   huge (adj) -   a mortgage -   to struggle - ...

Source: Wikipedia 'I had to eat piece of my friend to survive': Torment of 1972 Andes plane crash survivor still haunted by his ordeal 40 years later He trekked 10 days through icy wilderness to get help 'Through the eyes of our society it was a disgusting decision' Forty years on from the plane crash that changed his life forever, Dr Roberto Canessa still vividly remembers having to eat the flesh of friends to survive. He was one of 16 men who escaped death when their chartered aircraft smashed into the bleak Andes mountains between Chile and Argentina on October 13, 1972. They were rescued 72 days later after Dr Canessa, then a 19-year-old medical student, and another survivor trekked for 10 days to get help. Source: Daily Mail   Vocabulary :    to haunt - wilderness - to smash - bleak (adj) - to grab - to swallow - huge (adj) - to shroud - mist (n) - an ordeal - an avalanche - a source - heat (n) - ...

You are very lucky, and one of the few, if you are flying away somewhere this holiday weekend. Source: Wikipedia     Here is the second part of the Flying Vocab: a meal tray - on schedule - a one-way trip - overbooking - the overhead compartment - refreshments - a roundtrip - a row - the runway - the scales - a seat - a seatbelt - a shuttle bus - a steward / a stewardess - (to have) a stopover - a suitcase - a take-off - to take off - to taxi - a trolley - Here is Part 1 .