English in Madrid

Columbus likely Spanish and Jewish, study suggests Famed explorer Christopher Columbus was likely Spanish and Jewish, according to a new genetic study conducted by Spanish scientists that aimed to shed light on a centuries-old mystery. Scientists believe the explorer, whose expedition across the Atlantic in 1492 changed the course of world history, was probably born in western Europe, possibly in the city of Valencia. They think he concealed his Jewish identity, or converted to Catholicism, to escape religious persecution. The study of DNA contradicts the traditional theory, which many historians had questioned, that the explorer was an Italian from Genoa. Columbus led an expedition backed by Spain's Catholic Monarchs seeking to establish a new route to Asia - but instead he reached the Caribbean. His arrival there was the beginning of a period of European contact with the Americas, which would lead to conquest and settlement - and the deaths of many millions of indigenous people t

 Spain looks to immigrants to drive economy A group of Sub-Saharan African men are playing bingo in a conference room of a hotel near the northern Spanish city of León. They laugh and celebrate when their numbers are called out , but many of these asylum seekers have harrowing stories. Among them is Michael, who fled Ghana to escape a violent feud that saw his sister and father killed. After travelling by land to Morocco, he paid a trafficker who put him on an inflatable boat crammed with people which took him to the Canary Islands. “I was so happy, because I knew all my troubles, and the people trying to kill me, were behind me,” he says. “Because once you are in Spain you are safe.” In Ghana he worked as a petrol pump attendant and a storekeeper . He also started studying human resource management, which he hopes to be able to continue in Spain once he has settled . “Spain is one of the most respected countries in the world,” he says. “Being here is an opportunity for me.” Aro

  Here are week four's Word of the Day. Click on the tweets to respond to them and write some of your own example sentences. SPOIL #WOTD spoil (plan, fun) - estropear - The coast has been spoiled by development. - It will spoil your appetite. (children) - mimar - Grandparents like to spoil their grandchildren. (un)spoilt (adj) - He is a spoilt brat . (mocoso) - I love the unspoilt beaches. (prístino) pic.twitter.com/6MOidX4hZG — English in Madrid (@madteacher72) March 18, 2019 Answer any of these questions: Can you give examples of how a parent spoils a child? What is something that has been spoilt for you recently? How did you feel? Have you ever had an important event spoilt by bad weather? What happened? What do you think spoils a good friendship? Can too much money spoil someone's character? Why or why not? What do you think spoils a nice meal at a restaurant? In your opinion, what spoils a good vacation? Do you think people spoil their pets too much? Why or why not? ROUGH