English in Madrid

Source:  Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash Why Turkeys And Other Birds Make Great Therapy Animals  The woman who made headlines after bringing her pet turkey on a plane shares her side of the story. Most mornings start the same for Jodie Smalley. She wakes up, gets ready for the day, kisses her 25-pound Wild Turkey goodbye, and drives to work. Like any loyal pet owner, it’s not easy for her to leave her animal alone for the entire day. But what makes it more challenging is that the turkey, a female named Easter, is Smalley’s emotional support animal, or ESA. “It must be how parents feel leaving their kids home with a babysitter,” she says. Smalley has owned Easter, a broad-breasted bronze, for almost two years. The full story of how the turkey fell into her lap is a long one, but here’s the short of it: It was Easter Sunday in 2014 and two of Smalley’s friends were driving to her home in Duvall, Washington, just outside Seattle, when they saw an abandoned turkey chick on the roa...

Painting matching fresco that became 'Monkey Christ' resurfaces   Woman whose restoration attempt went badly awry may attend unveiling of Elías García Martínez painting in Zaragoza  Four years ago, 81-year-old Cecilia Giménez noticed that the fresco of a scourged Christ that adorned the wall of the Santuario de la Misericordia in the Spanish city of Borja was looking a little tired, and she decided to do something about it. Her decision to reach for her paintbrushes was well intentioned but spectacularly misguided . Giménez’s less than expert efforts ruined Elías García Martínez’s fresco, transforming his Ecce Homo into a work dubbed the “Monkey Christ”, unleashing countless memes and setting a new global standard for botched restorations. However, fears that the divine countenance had been obliterated forever appear to have been premature. This week the original painting that García is thought to have used as the model for the fresco resurfaced in Za...

Source:  NASA en Unsplash Professor Stephen Hawking says humans will be WIPED OUT in 1,000 years unless we find new planet The world's most influential scientist says humans must continue to go into space to find a new place to live or otherwise face mass extinction Professor Stephen Hawking says humans have less than 1,000 years on Earth before we are wiped out by extinction. The celebrated physicist said humans will only survive if another planet was found to live on. The 74-year-old said unless this happens then humans will be wiped out in a mass extinction.  Speaking at the Oxford Union, he said: “We must also continue to go into space for the future of humanity. "I don’t think we will survive another 1000 years without escaping beyond our fragile planet.” Hawking has previously warned that humans survival is at risk from nuclear war, genetically engineered viruses and global warming, the New Zealand Herald reported. Speaking recently, Hawking sa...

Here are some sentences from the formal letters that you wrote for homework. Can you spot the mistakes? Is the register formal enough? Make any appropriate improvements. In addition, he was the responsible of the trainees. He has a deep experience in teaching. When it comes to teach young people, he manages to keep students motivated. Furthermore. he is a really good public speaker. She uses to spend a month each year in an English speaking country. That's one aspect that I think it would be recommendable to take into account. I have known Sergio for eight years, more or less. I think that students will not get bored in his classes, it is more, they will find them very enjoyable. In my personal opinion, he is a very close person. This openness to new places and cultures might come very useful. He is a self-reliant character who is used to face multiple challenges. ... so he would be capable to control different groups of children. ...so I consider I know her pretty w...

Here are some sentences from the formal letters that you wrote for homework. Can you spot the mistakes? Is the vocabulary formal enough? Make any appropriate improvements. He has asked me to write a recommendation's letter. I have known Mateo since ten years old when he began to work at Pullmantur as holiday representative. He was the responsable of hotels and clients in Asia. ... which I consider very important, specially when dealing with large groups. To finish, I just would like to add that Andrés is eloquent and charismatic. When it comes to deal with teenagers, he is supportive and empathetic. She is extremely used to be in touch with her pupils. She showed good skills for languages like French and English. She always has been good considered by her classmates. I am sure that she will make an excellent work. I know her for ages. She has a friendly character which makes her get on with people. Along these years she has developed many social skill as good plannin...

Source:  Annie Spratt en Unsplash Spain parents urged to put children on weekend homework strike   Parents associations group calls for month-long boycott by state schools pupils in protest against "unacceptable" workload   Parents in Spain are being urged to go on a weekend homework strike this month in protest against the “unacceptable” amount of after-school tasks their children are given. The homework load of Spanish children has long been a sore point with some parents, who argue that the burden is too great, places too much pressure on pupils and eats into family time. According to a 2012 study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Spanish 15-year-olds have 6.5 hours of homework a week compared with an average of 4.9 across the 38 OECD countries. The Spanish Confederation of Associations of Mothers and Fathers of Students (Ceapa) has decided that enough is enough and is calling on parents whose children attend Spa...