Choose the option you didn't write in the exam. You have to hand it in the first day of class, that is, the 31st March.
OPTION
A:Write an email to a friend who wants to come to stay
with you in July. Explain what you can do in Las Rozas / Madrid and how to get
around.
OPTION
B:A
students' magazine is going to publish anecdotes that happened when you were
younger. Write your anecdote including the following information.
●Where and when it happened.
●Why you were there, what you were doing and who you were with.
St
Patrick’s Day is a global celebration of Irish culture on or around
March 17. It particularly remembers St Patrick, one of Ireland’s patron
saints, who ministered Christianity in Ireland during the fifth century.
What Do People Do?
St Patrick’s Day is celebrated in many parts of the world, especially
by Irish communities and organizations. Many people wear an item of
green clothing on the day. Parties featuring Irish food and drinks that
are dyed in green food color are part of this celebration. It is a time
when children can indulge in sweets and adults can enjoy a “pint” of
beer at a local pub. Many restaurants and pubs offer Irish food or
drink, which include:
Irish brown bread.
Corned beef and cabbage.
Beef and Guinness pie.
Irish cream chocolate mousse cake.
Irish coffee.
Irish potato champ, also known as poundies, cally or pandy.
Irish stew.
Irish potato soup.
Some people plan a pilgrimage to St Patrick’s Purgatory, which is
commonly associated with penance and spiritual healing since the early
13th century. It is on Station Island in Lough Derg in County Donegal
where St Patrick had a vision promising that all who came to the
sanctuary in penitence and faith would receive a pardon for their sins.
St. Patrick's symbols:
Symbols
The most common St Patrick's Day symbol is the shamrock. The shamrock
is the leaf of the clover plant and a symbol of the Holy Trinity. Many
people choose to wear the color green and the flag of the Republic of
Ireland is often seen in St Patrick’s Day parades around the world.
Irish brands of drinks are popular at St Patrick’s Day events.
Religious symbols include snakes and serpents, as well as the Celtic
cross. Some say that Saint Patrick added the Sun, a powerful Irish
symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic
cross. Other Irish-related symbols seen on St Patrick’s Day include the
harp, which was used in Ireland for centuries, as well as a mythological
creature known as the leprechaun and a pot of gold that the leprechaun
keeps hidden.
Mindfulness is a psychological technique which is said to help combat stress. But should it be widely introduced in schools?
The
practice of mindfulness - which draws on Buddhist thinking - has become
increasingly popular in recent years. There have been calls for
brain-training techniques, using breathing to achieve mental clarity, to
be introduced in schools.
In October, the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group said the practice should be made more widely available
and recommended the Department for Education designate three schools to
"pioneer mindfulness teaching and disseminate best practice".
Political author and former head of Wellington College Anthony Seldon has called for daily "stillness sessions" in schools, saying a decline in traditional religious assemblies has left pupils with little space for reflection in the school day.
So
can mindfulness meditation really help pupils concentrate amid the
distractions of 21st Century living? A group of BBC School Reporters
from Connaught School for Girls in Leytonstone, east London, decided to
investigate for the project's 10th annual News Day.
Hannah,
14, says students wanted to establish whether mindfulness meditation
could help. "We wanted to find out how it could be beneficial for our
GCSEs and help us in situations where we might be very stressed.
Don't forget that today we have to go directly to El Septimo Oficio (El Burgocentro de las Rozas) to see the film Suffragette.
I'll be there at about 4.30 for the first session and when it finishes I'll see the ones in the second group. I will also be there at the end of the film, so we can make some quick comments about it.
I'm taking some extra tickets in case anyone who didn't buy one would like to join us.
Leap
Day, on February 29, has been a day of traditions, folklore and
superstitions ever since Leap Years were first introduced by Julius Caesar over 2000 years ago.
According
to an old Irish legend, or possibly history, St Brigid struck a deal
with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men – and not just the
other way around – every four years.
This is believed to have been introduced to balance the traditional roles of men and women in a similar way to how leap day balances the calendar.
Gloves Hide Naked Ring Finger
In
some places, leap day has been known as “Bachelors’ Day” for the same
reason. A man was expected to pay a penalty, such as a gown or money, if
he refused a marriage proposal from a woman on Leap Day.
In many
European countries, especially in the upper classes of society,
tradition dictates that any man who refuses a woman's proposal on
February 29 has to buy her 12 pairs of gloves. The intention is that the
woman can wear the gloves to hide the embarrassment of not having an
engagement ring. During the middle ages there were laws governing this
tradition.
Leap Day Babies World Record
People born on February 29 are all invited to join The Honor society of Leap Year Day Babies.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, there are Leap Day World Record Holders
both of a family producing three consecutive generations born on
February 29 and of the number of children born on February 29 in the
same family.
Unlucky in Love
In Scotland, it used to be considered unlucky for someone to be born on leap day, just as Friday 13th
is considered an unlucky day by many. Greeks consider it unlucky for
couples to marry during a leap year, and especially on Leap Day.
St Oswald’s Day
Leap
day is also St Oswald’s Day, named after the archbishop of York who
died on February 29, 992. His memorial is celebrated on February 29
during leap years and on February 28 during common years.
