British Council Madrid Young Learners Yearbook by British Council Madrid

11 MADRID YOUNG LEARNERS

2011/2012 www.britishcouncil.es

Coordinator and Editor David Kavanagh

Here is a collection of key links to online resources to help you improve your English.

Assistant Editor Cassandra McHugh

SCHOOL PORTAL

Photographs Resource centre staff, Mercedes Muñoz, Martin Goosey, Lisa Morrison, John Wirnsberger, David Kavanagh, and many others. Design www.baetica.net Printing Cromograf Artes Gráficas S.A.

http://spainportal.britishcouncil.org Here you can see your progress report as well as access a wide range of self-study resources, including: Network English Network English Junior OE Suite self-study materials You can send messages to your teacher using the messaging facility on the portal. Just click on ‘messages’ to get started. To log into the portal, your username is your student number and you can get your password from your teacher. If you have any problems logging in, email: madridyl.portal@britishcouncil.es

Acknowledgements Thanks are due to Ángel Calvo and Sara Martín for a huge amount of administrative support, Alfonso Jiménez, Steve Evans and Alberto Rodelgo for technical support, to José Llanos and David Mendéz for logistical support. To Hugh Tyrell Gray and Jenny Dale for their typing and proof reading and to all the teachers who contributed their students’ work. Contacts david.kavanagh@ britishcouncil.es cassandra.mchugh@ britishcouncil.es Cover Design by: Jaime Argita. Pandas

BRITISH COUNCIL WEB SITES AND RESOURCES Learn English http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org Lots of activities, games and language practice to help you study English. Learn English Kids http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org Activities, games and lots of fun for younger learners. Learn English Parents http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/parents Advice and resources to help parents support their child’s learning. Support materials are available in Spanish to help parents use the site. Learn English Listen and Watch http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/listen-and-watch A wide range of multimedia materials for learners to download or listen to on the move.

Contents 2

Welcome

Educational Conference

Editorial

Desert Island discs

My family, my friends, and me

Staff Stuff

Food Glorious Food

Back to the Future

Halloween

Inventions and Design

Reviews

All around the world

Christmas Time in MYL

What’s the Story?

Poetry in Motion

That’s what I think!

I’m going to be a...

My Funny Valentine

104

Pocoyo

Welcome to the 2011/2012 edition of the YearBook! Madrid Young Learners’ YearBook number Eleven! Brilliant! Thanks to all the students and staff who have worked so hard to produce this fine showcase of work – great writing and fantastic artwork. What a talented bunch you are! I’m sure our devoted editor, David Kavanagh and his trusty assistant, Cassandra McHugh are just as proud of the Yearbook as I am. I would like to give a special thank you to David and Cassandra. I’m sure everyone has noticed the curious silver barriers separating us form the Palacete building, and I know a lot of you have been using our new entrance/exit onto Calle Fernandez de la Hoz. What is going on behind those barriers? Perhaps we should have a competition to decorate them with pictures or graffiti. To be slightly more serious for a moment, it is very important to follow the systems for moving in and out of our building, coming in through the right door, leaving through the right door and so on. It may seem a bit inconvenient to have to walk an extra five minutes but we have brought in these changes for everybody’s safety. Most of you have followed the rules most of the time so I would like to say a massive THANK YOU for that. Please keep it up!

I was very impressed with the excellent entries to our competitions this year. We ran the folder competition, of which you’ve seen the great results, and the Christmas card competition, the calendar competition and many more. We always enjoy seeing our students’ enthusiasm and creativity. In addition we organised seasonal activities at Halloween, Christmas and Easter and this year World Book Week lasted 11 magical days at Madrid Young Learners! The other day I was in the resource centre reading Enchanting Stories from Offsite Schools. This is the second Big Book collection of work put together by students from our partner schools SEK Santa Isabel, Colegio Valdeluz, Colegio Blanca de Castilla, Colegio San Juan Bautista, Colegio San Diego y San Vicente, and Colegio Esclavas del Sagrado Corazon de Jesús. This was great stuff. Look out for the book which will soon be on tour moving from school to school. Here’s looking forward to Yearbook Twelve. Best wishes

John Pare Teaching Centre Manager Madrid Young Learners

Editorial The yearbook aims to provide a record of the wide variety of activities that go on in Madrid Young Learners, to showcase not only the extraordinary work done in the classrooms but also the other events that the centre hosts both on and off site; from the creepy Halloween activities, displays and costumes to Christmas card and Valentine writing competitions; from Easter wall displays to Educational conferences; from “ 11Magical days” to Calendar competitions; all these are included to highlight what makes this such a vibrant centre of learning and enjoyment. Old favourites are back again this year with students giving their point of view on all sorts of issues in the “That’s what I think “ section, while music makes a welcome return in the “Desert Island Disc” section, where students tell us what songs they would bring to a desert Island and why. Photostories are back in abundance, including some examples from the summer course competitions, and students show their literary talents in the “Poetry in Motion” and “What’s the Story?” sections. The “Staff Stuff” section has all the news on new faces working in the centre and some of what teachers have been up to during the year.

Yearbook 11 provides the reader with a compendium of the results of different approaches to second language acquisition and composition used by teachers here in all of the 19 levels we teach. The exceptional work herein would not have been possible without the ideas, talent and enthusiasm of these teachers, who provided the positive, encouraging, collaborative environments necessary for this work to be produced and, of course, the inestimable commitment and hard work of all the administrative staff and management who ensure the smooth running of the centre.

Thanks are due to Cassandra McHugh who worked so hard throughout the year to get the Yearbook ready for publication and to all the students whose work is included as well as to those whose work, through constraints of space, could not be included. Entries will be accepted for yearbook 12 from the first day of the skills courses in July.

David Kavanagh Yearbook coordinator

My family, my friends, and me A Person I Admire Ernesto Gómez-Luengo Junior 5 The person I’m going to talk about is my grandfather twenty-one generations back, Ferdinand Magellan. He was born in the Tras-OsMontes region of Portugal in 1480. He was a sailor convinced that the world was round. Then he asked the first and second Viceroys if he could go on an expedition to prove it but they laughed at him. He went to Spain to ask Carlos V and he agreed and lent him five boats and crews. In 1519 he left Sanlúcar. A few weeks later they arrived in America. They had to find a way to cross it without going into Portuguese land. They went down the east coast of South America, going into all the bays to see if they could

cross, until they arrived in Patagonia where they found the Straits that have Magellan’s name. There, one of the boats returned to Spain because of the rough sea, but the others went on and arrived in an ocean which, because of its calm waters, he named the Pacific. Twelve days later they arrived in the now named Philippines where the Indians received them very well. Their leader was at war with the leader of another tribe, so Magellan tried to help him. When he arrived with fifty men, the enemy Indians received them with a hail of arrows. That was the year 1521 when he died. His second-in-command in the boat, Juan Sebastián Elcano continued the mission and returned to Spain. I admire this person because he is my ancestor, but apart from that, because he was one of the greatest captains in the history of the Spanish navy.

Marta Naranjo Tigers

Dear Daddy Diego Contreras Junior 1 (San Diego y Vicente) I’m writing this letter to wish you a very happy father’s day. Thank you for helping me study, playing football with me and loving me.

Dear Daddy Claudia Guijarro Junior 1 (San Diego y Vicente) I’m writing this letter to wish you a happy father’s day. I’m very happy because you play with me when I’m sad. Thank you for your presence. Thank you for giving me life. You are the best dad in the world.

Father’s Day Art work

My Hobby Ochando Benito Junior 4

Tigers

My hobby is photography and I like it because it helps you to preserve happy moments. The best part is you can take your camera anywhere and take photos in the street or during a trip.

Noleia Fernández with her work of art

I do photography when I have free time and I meet my best friends, who like it too. With this hobby I’ve learned to pay attention when I look around and I can always discover something new.

Elena Pérez displays her work

Guillermo Clavijo

For the last year I have been interested in analogue photography because my mother found a Polaroid, but using an analogue camera is much more expensive than using a digital one because the film is very expensive.

Rafael González Junior 1

Isabel Pozo Junior 1

On a hot summer’s day I wear a red swimming costume with sunglasses, black flip-flops and a patterned t-shirt with short sleeves.

On a hot summer’s day I wear a blue t-shirt, a green cap, flipflops, red shorts and sunglasses.

On a cold winter’s day I wear a dark raincoat, a striped red and white scarf, dark glasses and blue jeans.

On a cold winter’s day I wear a blue t-shirt with long sleeves, a jumper, a coat, gloves, a scarf, long socks, boots and a brown hat.

Paula Carrasco Junior 1 On hot summer’s days I wear a light spotted red and white short-sleeved t-shirt, shorts, orange flip-flops, a red sun hat, a blue watch, and a pendant of the earth. Daniel Muñoz Pandas (Valdeluz)

On cold winter’s days I wear a green hat, green and black gloves, a red scarf, a brown coat, brown cords, white and yellow socks, a green jacket and grey boots.

José de Reibago Junior Skills and Story Course My name is José, I am ten years old and I live in Madrid. My hobbies depend on the season of the year. In winter I like reading Mortadelo and Filemón and in Summer I like to go swimming and play in the water with all my neighbours. On Saturdays we go to visit my grandparents. They have two dogs Pez and Zara and we play with them all day. It’s very funny! I like small children but I don’t like eating vegetables. I am going to this course because my parents think it is good for me.

Marta Carrascosa Tigers My name is Marta Carrascosa. I’m 6. My favourite colour is blue. My favourite number is 3. My favourite animal is a butterfly.

My Cousin Victoria Lucena Senior 5 I’m going to write about a person who has a heart of gold. He is a kind, hard-working person, reliable and always thinking of helping other people. He is my cousin Pablo, who is named after his grandfather. He is a doctor and he has worked in the NGO, Medicins Sans Frontiers. When he was a child, he used to play at being a doctor with other children. His grandfather was a doctor as well and he used to go to his grandfather’s house to read books about medicine. He took after him and he was always interested in his grandfather’s work. As he was getting older he studied general medicine. When he finished he started to work for Medicins Sans Frontiers. He has been in places in which there have been wars, earthquakes and tsunamis. In recent years he has worked on projects in Africa and South Africa to try to fight illnesses like AIDS or malaria. When he finished his work in the NGO he came back to Spain. Now he works in a hospital in Cordoba. I look up to his work and sometimes I go to his house to hear stories about his adventures in Africa that he tells me. I get on with him.

My family, my friends, and me

Alvaro Antón Senior 4 Julián Martín Mejía is one of my best friends. I met him when I was playing in the school football team at the age of eight. Since that day we’ve been friends. Julían is fifteen years old. He was born on November 13th in Madrid. He is tall with dark hair and brown eyes. He is thin and strong. He is very extrovert and funny, but sometimes he is shy with other people (not with me). He always talks, even in class, and he is very clever. Overall he is a nice person (the soul of the party!)

Everyday Rodrigo Garaicoa Pink

Julián plays on the school football team as the goalkeeper and he is very good (not like me) but he also plays tennis and he won third place in the Madrid youth tournament (really!). Maybe I’m not as good as Julián at sports, but I beat him when we play poker!

My Weekend Malkolm Gil Red Last weekend I went to Segovia to play rugby. I played one match and I lost. It was very cold. After we returned my friend Horacio came to my house to play. On Sunday some friends came to my house to eat. I went to bed at 10 o’clock.

Everyday Pablo Rodríguez Pink

Enrique’s Family Portrait

Cristina’s Family Portrait

Enrique López Pink

Cristina Hervas Pink

My mum’s got blue eyes, brown hair and a pink face. My dad’s got blue eyes, black hair and a pink face.

My mum’s got brown eyes and straight hair and she is very good. My dad’s got brown eyes and short hair and he’s slim and short.

My Profile Blanca Gasset Junior 2 Hi! My name’s Blanca. I’m 11 years old. I go to a French school, St Chaumond. My favourite subjects are French, technology, and maths. In my free time, I like playing sports like tennis. My ambition is to be a professional tennis player. I also like taking photos, listening to music, skiing and travelling. What are my weak points? Well….I usually fight with my sister. My good point is that I help doing housework. Do you like my profile?? Why don’t you write to me at: thisemailisfalse@hotmail.com

Sofia Robledo Sánchez Junior 1

Elena García Senior 7 It was the night of New Year’s Eve. My uncle and aunt and my cousin arrived from a party at a relative’s house and they were all a little bit drunk. As my aunt was having a shower and my uncle was in the kitchen my cousin got into his parents’ bed thinking that it was his. My aunt was still in the bathroom and my cousin had just fallen asleep .Suddenly, my uncle went

Victor Martínez-Simancas Junior Skills and Stories My name is Victor and I’m nine years old. I ‘m tall and I have brown hair and brown eyes.

to his bedroom without turning the lights on. He got into bed, left his glasses on the bedside table and thought that his wife was next to him. He started caressing her and telling her cute words. My cousin had only just realised what was happening when he screamed, ”Dad what the hell are you doing?” He also shouted and they were both frightened of each other. My poor uncle put on his glasses to make sure that he was not daydreaming again. In the end my aunt came out of the bathroom and gazed at them asking what was happening. They told her and they laughed for a long time, forgetting for a while that it was very embarrassing.

My hobbies are playing paddle tennis, football and basketball, reading books and playing with play station 3. I like going to the beach, going to the cinema and playing with my friends. I don’t like omelette and soft drinks with gas. I’m attending this course because my mother wants me to learn English.

My family, my friends, and me

Laura Usero Senior 7

Nacho

María Larrea Junior 1

My name is Mafalda. I’m 6.

Álvaro Grande Senior 5 Nacho is a very good friend. He gets up at eight o’clock everyday because he has to go to his school, Agustiniano. He is in a water-polo team so he trains every day. This summer he has been to Mojácar because he always spends his holidays there.

My favourite colour is

He thinks a lot like me, for example he likes ´house´ music. He also spends five euros at the weekend. He has had ten English teachers during his life. Yesterday he was playing video games and he ate pasta. He doesn’t go to the cinema a lot but last weekend he did. His favourite actor is Leonardo Di Caprio. He has just bought a subway ticket to come to the British Council. This morning he went to his swimming pool. He lives with his four sisters but his eldest sisters are going to leave home. He has been to Portugal and France and he wants to go to Germany. He hates cucumber. He has got a hamster called ´Pistachio´.

My Favourite number is

My favourite animal is

Marta My name is Marta. I’m 6. My favourite colour is purple. My favourite number is 80. My favourite animal is the dog.

Mafalda Merladet Tigers

Food Glorious Food

Lara RodrĂguez Junior 1

Irene Torres Junior 1

Design a sandwich ﾃ］gel Dﾃｭaz Yellow (Valdeluz)

Blanca Martﾃｭnez Pandas (SEK)

ndwich

a The Big S

ard

h Yann Guic Junior1

usage, a brown sa s a h It . ig w h is very b t two yello My sandwic has also go It . s le e p n p o a as three na and it h 4 eggs and , one bana za dwich. iz p f o ig s bit the b san is h ic w and black d n a ys con, pizza, name of m e eggs, ba lik grape. The I e s u a c ndwich be apples. I like my sa carrots and , s e p ra g , anana sausage, b

The Big Hamburger. Ana Jimﾃｩnez Yellow (Valdeluz)

Hungry Caterpillar Helen Jones Pandas teacher First we read the story with the big book “The Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle using lots of repetition and concept checking questions. Then we watched the video, stopping it after each day and asking the students what the caterpillar had eaten on each day. Following this we all made mini books, illustrating the story, those students who wanted to, also wrote the days of the week and main vocabulary items on each page.

Cecilia Martínez and Laura López

When we had finished this we listen to an audio version of the book with sound effects and followed with our own personalised mini books. Following this we worked in pairs making plasticine models of the different things the caterpillar had eaten. Finally we made our own plasticine butterflies.

Pablo Villa and Jorge Gil

What the caterpillar ate on Friday and the butterfly. Pablo Villa

What the caterpillar ate on Saturday. Julia Balza

Julia Balza Isabel Rodriguez and Laura Sánchez working on the hungry caterpillar

Cecilia Martínez’ caterpillar Julia Balza’s caterpillar

Gachas Elia Raboso Senior 9 If I have to talk about comfort food, the usual always come to my mind; something very heavy that should only be eaten at weekends because after the dessert, the next stop is my bed. So there are many dishes that achieve this goal but one of my favourites is one called gachas. It’s a very important dish in my family, since we come from La Mancha and there it’s a basic of everyday life. If you look it up in Google, you won’t find a picture that really shows how good it can taste when your grandmother does it, but I promise, it’s great.

The most important thing is the way you eat it. Gachas are always accompanied with bread and you eat it from the frying pan dunking the bread in it. So you can imagine how much bread is spent on it and how much the dish fills. Another thing that you eat with it is a bunch of meat pieces like morcilla (black pudding), chorizo (spicy sausage) or bacon. Obviously, gachas are meant to be eaten in company, the more, the better since nothing must be left because it can’t be eaten for the next time. To eat gachas in my family means that someone is going to visit us, and that during the lunch stories are going to be told and jokes are going to be made about everyone. So when I go to take the digestive nap, I keep the feeling of happiness.

It’s a kind of very thick purée made out of flour, garlic, oil, salt, paprika and water. The secret of it is to keep moving it while it’s being done. So you put it in the frying pan, start to move it, add some cold water but not too much, since it must be a bit solid and when you are finished, eat it as soon as possible before it gets completely hard.

REASON a mindmap by Paula Sánchez, Rodrigo Galvez, Sara Rueda Senior 8

Ana Martín Junior 1

Food Glorious Food

Halloween

Hannah and her ghoulish Reds: Paula, Jimena, Carlos, Ricardo, Lucia, Maria, Celia and Carmen

Customer Services was a no go area at Halloween

Luca Pedidier and Nacho Castillo Pink, scaring the living daylights out of teachers in the corridors

A Halloween Story Belén Fe Senior 9 It was such a beautiful Christmas evening in the centre of Madrid and I was just hanging around the beautiful and decorated streets with some friends. We were just about to get into a warm and calm café when someone called my name. I turned around, and a weird man was staring at me, but I simply ignored him and supposed he was calling someone else. A few minutes later, when I was drinking a delightful hot chocolate and enjoying my evening so much, I noticed the man was still staring at me through the window of the café. I decided to leave that place as the situation was starting to be quite awkward. The problem got worse when the strange man started to follow us. I tried to convince myself that it was part of my imagination but I couldn’t help feeling paranoid.

Pablo Romera from Yellows terrified the school

I tried to think of other things and keep enjoying my evening so I went into a shop for a second, went to the toilet, and when I came out of it my friends weren’t where I’d left them any more. I was shocked and started to feel really nervous, but what I really didn’t expect was that the man approached me and ordered me to follow him. I tried to shout but he shut my mouth and held my hand so tight that I could barely breathe. I found myself in the middle of nowhere, with my eyes blindfolded and gasping for breath when suddenly the man whispered in my ear: “Whenever it is that you kick the bucket, you’ll track me down in Hell.” I haven’t been able to sleep since.

Candela García Junior 1 Juliet was a little girl from Ireland. One day she died mysteriously in the castle where she was born. Now when someone goes into the castle she kills them. When you were younger what were you like? I was shy and I didn’t have any friends. What were you into? I was into killing children. Gemma Gallardo Junior 5

What were you scared of? I was scared of the sun.

Three happy witches, Natalia Aparicio, Lucía Díaz and Paula Pérez

What were you good at? Killing people and animals. What was your nickname? Bloodygirl. What was your favourite animal? It was an owl. What was your favourite restaurant? It was “The Dead Rat”.

Beatriz Alonso Junior 1. “I’ve just eaten my English teacher”

Mafalda Tigers

Interview with Marleton Elena Mataix Junior 1

Manuela Tigers

Marleton was born in 1555 in a little house lost in the mountains in America. ¡When you were younger what were you like? I was big and evil with my family but not with my friends because I didn’t have any. What were you into? I was into biting babies and little animals. I was into biting big animals too, then I let them go, injured.

Alejandra Tigers

What were you scared of? I was scared of colours and the TV. What were you good at? I was good at killing people. What was your nickname? Badinton. When you were younger did your mother love you? My mother didn’t love me.

María De Luna Junior 2

Simón Sousmatzión Junior 2

Mercedes MuĂąoz worked hard on making this hair raising display for halloween atmosphere

Ross `the countÂ´Smith

Jorge Marrero playing a scary tune to frighten Lady Dracula Marta Lara Junior 1

Scary Sara

Elisa Traver Yellow

Halloween Story

Simon Sousmatzión Junior 2

Javier Melendro Jiménez Junior 5 I was in my bedroom, lying on my bed. It was a dark night. I was thinking about things when I heard a noise. It was the window. I relaxed and lay down again. Suddenly, I looked in the mirror and in the reflection there was a dirty boy. I looked there and didn’t see anything. I got scared. A bit later, I went to the mirror and I looked at the dirty boy. Suddenly, the boy jumped out at me, held me and threw me inside the mirror. I was frightened, the boy got nearer and told me that it was a parallel world and a murderer was looking for him as he wanted to kill me. The dirty boy called Kai, said to me that if I could help him he would be very grateful. I said yes so I prepared for the battle. He gave me a strange knife but it was big and sharp. We went downstairs and looked around. There wasn’t anyone there. We went out of the house and we saw a shadow. It was coming towards us. When he was near he tried to kill Kai, but he defended himself with the big knife. They fought for 10 minutes then the murderer killed Kai so I started to run to my bedroom and jumped through the mirror. I appeared in my room. To be sure I took the mirror and threw it onto the floor. Suddenly, I heard a noise. It was my father telling me that dinner was ready. I was happy. I was at home.

Few survived their visit to Customer Services at Halloween

Alejandro was born in 1777 on a cold winter’s day in a big city, in a poor neighbourhood in Reykjavik. On the day he was born his mother abandoned him in a doorway because he was a horrible baby. Do you have a family? Yes, I have a family of monsters. They live in an underground cemetery Do you like them? Yes, I love them. They are beautiful but my sister is horrible, she looks like a human. Do you kill men? No, I don’t. I kill Pigmen, Zombienators and Vampineators. Have you got a job? Yes, I have. I’m an actor in Super 8, Avatar, Star Wars ... Have you got much money? Yes, I have a lot of money. With my money I have bought The Dead Star. Where do you live? I live in a very old castle in South America near Lake Titicaca.

Don’t cockroaches really get up your nose

Do you have friends? Yes, I have a lot of friends. My favourite friends are the Loch Ness Monster, Count Dracula, the Snow Monster, the Cyclops Polifermo, the Harpies and Casper.

Interview with a Zombie Puerto de Lorenzo Junior 2 Zomtrik was born in 1719 on a cold rainy winter day in a ghost village near Saint Petersburg. On the day he was born his father turned into a horrible vampire and his mother and he had to run away.

Halloween

Do you like being a monster? Sometimes, because the people say: Oh no! A monster! And I just want to drink a cup of tea! Do you eat people all the time? No, just for breakfast. They give me energy to begin the day. Where do you hunt? In the forest, when a person is lost in it. What taste do humans have? They are too sweet. They have too much cholesterol. Do you have a girlfriend? No, because I ate my last girlfriend. Do you like human food? Only tea, chocolate and milkshakes. Humans make food with strange things!, Where do you live? I live in a cave in the mountains. Do you work? Yes, I am a doctor for skeletons and zombies. Are you scared sometimes? No, I am never scared. How did you turn into a zombie? Another zombie attacked me and I ran to the forest and there I turned into a zombie. It was horrible.

The Old Man Eva del Rio Junior 2 One day a Russian family wanted to go to visit their grandmother. They were going by car. On the trip they saw an old man. They stopped and they talked to him: “Why are you here?” The old man said: “I’m here because I want to go to the village.” The family said that they could go with him in the car to the village and after they could go to visit their grandmother. The old man got into the car. One hour later they saw a bend in the road and the old man said: “Be careful, I died on this bend!”

The Strange Light Carlos Rodríguez Senior 9 And there I was, in the same place, at the same time as usual. I was, like every Friday night, on my bed. Midnight was about to come. It had been a good day. I had got through two difficult exams but I thought I would pass them. Later on I would discover that I hadn’t passed them and I had played basketball as usual. It seemed like a normal Friday in October. It had started to rain some days before and the sky was grey. All my family were at home, beginning to fall asleep so all the lights had been turned off a short time before. Some minutes later, all the flat was completely dark and silent. Nothing could be heard but the late night buses which were parked near the building and the waving leaves of the trees. The night before I had slept less than four hours so after seven hours of class and two of basketball, I was exhausted. But I couldn’t sleep. So, as I usually do when I can’t sleep, I listened to music. I put my on my headphones and I began to listen to “Brothers in Arms” by Dire Straits, one of my favourite songs by this band. I couldn’t hear anything but Mark Knopfler’s voice. Suddenly a little light started to shine in the middle of the hall. It

came from a wardrobe. I decided not to take any notice of it because it would probably have been a mobile phone. I turned over so I couldn’t see anything but my music playing. Some minutes later, I returned and I saw that the wardrobe door was completely open but the light had disappeared. I woke up to see what could have happened but the wardrobe was empty. I went to ask my parents what had happened but there wasn’t anybody in their room. Everything seemed so strange. One window was open so you could hear what was happening outside. I returned to my bedroom and my windows were open too. I couldn’t understand anything; the lights, the absence of my family, the open windows. But I was too tired to care about them. I went to the bathroom and afterwards I went to bed to sleep. Suddenly an increasingly strong voice started to call my name. I couldn’t recognise that voice so I started to worry. I woke up again, all the windows had been opened and there was smoke coming from the hall where the voice also came from. So I went there and I discovered what had happened. The room which is next to the wardrobe was burning and all the windows had been opened in order to let the smoke out. The voice was of a member of my family, which I can’t remember, who was trying to wake me up! And that little shining light is still a mystery.

Momius Pablo Vaquer Junior 1 Name: Momius Age: 3859 years old Body: Rotten and mostly made of ribbon Arms: Made of skeleton Head: You can see the brain Legs: Made of skeleton Eyes: He has big rotten eyes Ears: He doesn’t have ears

Adriana Sánchez Yellow

Alien Man Pablo Sánchez Junior 1 He’s green and he has four arms and two legs. He has one eye and on his hands he has three fingers. He likes eating brains and drinking blood. He’s immortal. He lives on the planet Plutonion.

The Wolfman Ana Jiménez Junior 1 He’s tall and strong. He has four hairy legs. He has a brown body, blue eyes and big pink ears. He has big teeth and big white claws.

Halloween Six Arms Rafael Muñoz Junior 1 It’s very big. It has six arms, four legs and four feet. It has a white body, green arms and orange hair. It has wolf’s legs.

Doctor X Álvaro Carmona Junior 1 He has one very big eye. He is green, tall and thin. He has orange trousers and a blue t-shirt. He is very fat and he can fly.

Trick or treat, part of the spooky halloween display at the entrance. Thanks Mercedes.

It doesn’t get much scarier than this. Lucía Garrido and Leyre Medina Pink.

One of the strange creatures seen wandering around MYL at halloween

Fátima with her reds scaring everyone

Enrique, Jimena, the two Jorges, Andres, Gonzalo and a ghost from Pandas (Esclavas)

Halloween

The lady in black, Pilar Fernández from customer services

The Clock Jorge Hernรกndez Alberto Blasco Edwin Cruz July 2

Reviews Emma Beatriz Fernández Izquierdo Senior 4 The book is about a beautiful, clever and rich woman called Emma. She has never thought of getting married herself. Instead, she tries to arrange marriages between her friends and neighbours. She lived in the village of Highbury, with her father. Her sister Isabella lived in London with her husband and five children. Emma’s mother died when she was five years old. When she was young she had a teacher, Miss Taylor, but when Emma grew up she continued to live with them until she decided to get married to Mr Weston. Emma’s best friend was Harriet. One day Harriet received a letter from Mr Martin who has written to ask her to marry him! But Emma didn’t want them to marry so she told Harriet that she shouldn’t do it. That was when Emma first began to see the possibility of a match between Harriet and Mr Elton. She told Mr Knightley about this match but he didn’t think it was a good idea. A few weeks later Emma saw that it was impossible because Mr Elton told her that he was in love with her! When she told Harriet this, Harriet was very sad and when Emma saw it she tried to help her friend and match her with Jack but it didn’t work because both of them were in love with the same person, Mr Knightley! Emma was very unhappy because Harriet didn’t know that they loved the same person. Some days later, Mr Knightley told Emma that he was in love with her so they decided to get married. But Emma felt guilty because of her friend. One day she received some news about Harriet getting married to Mr Martin, so she never felt guilty again.

Sherlock Holmes Koro López de Uralde Senior 9 As part of feature on special effects, the film “Sherlock Holmes” is a great example to consider. In one way it is a very typical Hollywood blockbuster, as the ending is happy and the actors who featured it are quite wellknown. Why is it “perfect”? The film is about a prestigious detective named Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Watson. Sherlock Holmes, portrayed by Robert Downey Junior, has to investigate a couple of clues which come about as a result of a well organized plan by a really influential gentleman. One of my favorite sub-plots is when Holmes actually pushes Watson’s wife off the side of a bridge in the middle of nowhere. Afterwards Watson talks to Sherlock really upset and devastated, but his boss is surprisingly relaxed and tells him that, in fact, everything was under-control. In this particular part of the film, the special effects are almost a prerequisite, thanks to which the spectators feel part of the action. Therefore, could we consider special effects as essential features in nowadays films?

Bad Teacher Alberto Sánchez Arjona Senior 6 The name of the film I am going to talk about is “Bad Teacher”. In this film, the very well-known actress Cameron Diaz acts as well as Justin Timberlake and Jason Segel. The director of the film is Jake Kasdan.

On the one hand, I would love to have a teacher like Cameron because we would not do anything in class and we would always be laughing. On the other hand, if there were only teachers like this, the world would become worse because nobody would learn anything. In the end, I recommend watching this film although there is one critic who says that this film is not worth it, I don’t agree with him.

The film is about a teacher named Elizabeth who wants to win the prize for the best teacher in the world. If she wins it she would get $300,000. In the end, she gets the prize with lots of difficulties and by cheating. This film is one of the best I have ever seen. If you like comedies, you should go to watch it. A critic says that “Bad Teacher” is hardly a perfect picture, but, in the context of every other comedy, it feels revolutionary and I agree with this opinion. Furthermore, in this film the other face of a teacher is shown (she drinks, she is jealous and she is ruthless, she also likes laughing a lot)

Play a mind map Patricia Igelsias, Teresa Serrano, Clara San Segundo Senior 8

Daniel Rubio Red (Valdeluz)

Reviews

Reading Circle Party. Talk with Fernando Martínez Periset as part of our celebration of our reading programme 11 Magical Days

Teachers on the July summer course, Lynne Sharrock, Ross Smith, Jan Byrne and Jacqueline Ryfka

Alice in Wonderland Beatriz Calatrava Junior 2 Alice is in the garden with her sister reading her book when she sees a white rabbit with a clock. She decides to follow the rabbit down the hall and she falls down and finds herself in a place with a lot of doors. Outside the doors there is a garden. Alice cries because she is too big to get to the garden. She drinks something that makes her smaller so she finds herself in a pool of her tears. Finally Alice makes it to the garden and there she finds some friends: the dodo, the parrot and the caterpillar. There she meets the cat and the duchess.

Celia Diez Red (Valdeluz)

The duchess brings her to the hatter’s house where she has a mad tea party. After the party she meets the terrible Queen of Hearts that wants to cut off everybody’s head. Alice is frightened by the Queen of Hearts. She goes to a trial and the Queen of Hearts wants to cut off everybody’s head again. Suddenly, she wakes up and realises that she has been dreaming.

Review - ‘Corpus Delicti’ by Juli Zeh Guillermo García-Escribano Senior 10 Being overwhelmed by the current sovereign debt crisis, several European countries have declared themselves unable to keep on financing their public healthcare systems. Accordingly, a reduction in the budget for its costs has been announced, hence the wild protests being held by a great many outraged citizens. After all, health has been ranked as one of the main worries of the population, who desire to be treated as people, different one from another, rather than as numbers that the government has to deal with. Nevertheless, how would you feel if the government started to enquire every week about the levels of glucose in your blood or the results of your urine test? And what if smoking a cigarette became a crime punishable by imprisonment? The German writer Juli Zeh tries to give an answer to those questions in the novel ‘Corpus Delicti’ by depicting a future in which health has become the main concern and greatest value of humanity. For this reason, the totalitarian government has created ‘The Method’, a system in which strict rules have been set in order to protect public health. Therefore, anyone attempting against their own health or refusing to undergo periodical medical exams will be severely punished. The protagonist of the novel, Mia HolI, is a woman who starts to doubt ‘The Method’ after her brother commits suicide in jail, as she believes that her brother should have never been arrested. Therefore, she tries to prove his innocence and, as a result, she herself confronts justice for facing the system. Be careful what you wish for, they say. Whereas in our days some citizens demand the government to get more

engaged and involved in education and health care, others ache for freedom and wish to take their own decisions. Odd as it may seem, our governments are developing into paternal states, providing us with laws that sometimes do not fulfill neither of the requests raised by the citizens. And this is in fact, the way I see it, the point that Juli Zeh wants to make with her novel. ‘Corpus Delicti’ is, without a shadow of doubt, a criticism of society. The author explains within the novel why ‘The Method’ does not differ much from our system, namely because our rules are supposed to be based on reason. However, in both cases there is a considerable number of citizens who do not conform to the exigencies of our society and consequently seek freedom. Moreover, Juli Zeh suggests that we are giving up too much control over ourselves in benefit of the government and the society itself. Unlike other dystopian literary works that feature postapocalyptic worlds, like ‘The Hunger Games’ or totalitarian states that lead their citizens to death, like ‘Battle Royale’, Juli Zeh’s ‘Corpus Delicti’ presents us a future that could even be labelled as optimistic, since health is a value that we tend to appreciate more and more these days. Nevertheless, the reader confronts the idea of seeing their rights and freedom restricted, thus wondering where limits should be set. All in all, ‘Corpus Delicti’ is a novel worth reading for the philosophical depth that it presents. Besides, the author makes it easy to identify with the protagonist and her thoughts. Consequently, the lecture of the novel is genuinely easy and ends up being a enjoyable experience.

Reviews

Chronicle of a Death Foretold Gonzalo García Senior 6 To begin with, “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” is an excellent book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Born in 1927, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” is one of his most well known, interesting and representative books. The story takes place in a little village the name of which is not mentioned. Santiago Nasar, the main character, is going to be killed and everyone knows it, although no-one tells him so. Secondly, I would like to make some comments about the story itself. The author uses flashbacks to tell us the story. He is supposed to be a man who came back to the village twenty years after the death of Santiago Nasar. The way Garcia Marquez writes elements of the present and the past of the story makes you believe it is really happening in the present. The personality of the characters are also very important. The Vicario brothers, Pedro and Pablo are Santiago Nasar’s killers. They were different, they had different personalities that were perfectly explained. One of them, Pedro was not as sure of his brother in the act they were going to do. Anyway, they are not unique characters. Fifty of them appear in the book. That is the point that I did not like very much. He talks about four or five new characters in the last chapter. It makes you a bit confused. Despite that comment, the story in general terms is very good, the setting is very good, the language is well chosen and the descriptions are done in detail. Finally, my recommendation for any literature lover is to read this book. If you appreciate the small details, you will surely enjoy this book.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog: Muriel Barbery Beatriz Álvarez Senior 8 Paloma has never been clamorous or bolshie. In fact she’s the representative image of French clichés: classy, with nerves of steel, educated in literature, politics and poetry and whose family enjoy eating fine foods and nice wine. She comes from a wealthy family, living in a bewitching, elegant neighbourhood in Paris. Despite all the comfort she might relish, Paloma isn’t keen on sharing the petty life her vain parents and spoiled sister are used and glad to live. She’s blessed with an uncommon intelligence and sympathy for those with a lower-income. You might think she had it all, but there’s something that keeps this tiny, charming girl from achieving happiness. Trapped in a family whose only aim in life is to earn as much as possible, Paloma is planning to set fire to her house, herself included inside, if she can’t find something significant worth living. That would make her parents appreciate every facility they have. On the other hand, Renée is the lovely doorman of Paloma’s neighborhood. Sick of bearing with the conceitedness of people in the building, she only talks to her Persian cat, Leon; until Kakuro drops by. He becomes the missing link in that chain of philosophical revelations, and also the master piece to stick those two soul mates together. In my opinion, this book is a way of denouncing how consumerism is killing our society, and our personal essence. Extraordinarily and bitterly written, this gripping story blew my mind in so many ways. If you enjoy philosophy and struggling with your mind through the main issues of this journey we call life, this is the perfect novel to do so.

Don’t get too close! Chiruca Baez, Rita Jiménez, Marta Torre. Yellow

The Hunger games Álvaro Rueda Senior 8 Recently, I read a trilogy named the Hunger games. The three books in the trilogy are the Hunger games, In Flames and Mocking Jay. The author is Suzanne Collins. Firstly, I will write about the plot. The whole story takes place in the future in the area where North America is now situated. In this place, some small towns produce food, devices or materials for a big city. In the city, life is easy and nobody has any economical problems or social problems. In the towns however, people are poor. Katriss, the main character lives in the twelfth sector, the coal sector. The whole story develops around some accidents that happen to her. Katriss is chosen to fight in the city. When she wins the President gets angry with her

Laura Ibarra proudly displays her erupting volcano. Yellow

Straw Tower Competition. Summer course students had to build

Lisa Morrison’s Junior 1 showing off their Aquariums

Secondly, talking about the characters, there is one characteristic that is common to all the characters: they are described extensively. The story is written with the objective of creating an intriguing atmosphere by showing the reader everything that happens from Katriss’s point of view. To conclude, I enjoyed reading the books because they were written in a way that you could not stop reading the trilogy because you wanted to know what happened next. I would recommend these three books for teenagers looking for an interesting sciencefiction story with romance and a little bit of adventure.

Reviews

Reviews Mónica García Red (Valdeluz)

Pride and Prejudice Sofía del Barrio Junior 4 Elizabeth Bennet is a 21 year old single girl and her family wants her to marry because of her status. One day a new neighbour comes to the neighbourhood with his friend, Mr Darcy. Bingley, the neighbour, and Lizzie’s sister, Jane, fall in love and Lizzie and Darcy hate each other because of their pride and prejudice.

For this reason, Bingley’s sisters and Mr Darcy convince Bingley not to marry Jane. Lizzie’s cousin proposes to her but she refuses him so he then proposes to Lizzie’s friend, Miss Lucas. After a few months, Lizzie comes to visit them and there she meets Darcy, who confesses his love and asks for her hand in marriage. But she refuses him because of her prejudices again. When they see each other again, Mr Darcy becomes very kind to her and her uncles. During that time, Lizzie receives a letter from her sister Jane

saying that Lydia (another sister) had eloped with an officer. Lizzie and her uncles go to Bennet’s house and Darcy helps them to find Lydia and the office and he convinces them to get married. Soon after, Lady Catherine goes to Bennet’s house to tell Lizzie not to marry Darcy. But a few days later, Darcy asks for her hand in marriage and she accepts. So they get married and then they go to live in Pemberley with his sister. Jane and Mr Bingley also get married and go to live near them.

Limitless Titanic Paloma Guaita Senior 5 This film is about Rose’s life, who tells her experience on the Titanic, and how she lived one of the most important tragedies in human history. In 1912 she was aboard the incredible transatlantic ship. She was very rich, being in the first category of the ship. She was the fiancée of a very important, but very smug man, so she wasn’t happy because she wasn’t free. One night she met Jack, a poor boy with nothing to offer and while they were getting to know each other and spending time together they fell in love. But on the night of April 14th the transatlantic ship crashed into an enormous iceberg. The whole ship vibrated and a big split made the water start to get in. While that was happening the bad fiancé put a very valuable necklace that he had given to Rose in Jack’s pocket so everyone could think he was a thief. The boat was sinking and people were putting on their life jackets and boarding the life boats. Rose didn’t have any doubts about Jack and she ran to save him. Once he was free they quickly had to go up to the highest level in the ship because the water was flooding everything. They tried to catch a boat but it was very late. There were no more boats. Suddenly it was the end and all the entire ship went down deep into the ocean. The people fell into the sea and started to freeze. Rose raised herself up on a plank and they both waited until people came to save them. But when this happened Jack was already frozen. Rose lived all her life being a very strong woman, marrying and having children but always keeping that amazing story in her heart until that moment, when the people listening could tell the story to their grandchildren.

Alberto Jaen Senior 10 Limitless is a film about the life of a writer Eddie Merra. Eddie Merra is played by Bradley Cooper. The film tells the story of how a writer without inspiration or goals in life turns into an incredible thinker without limits. The story begins when Eddie runs into an old friend in the street called Vernon. Vernon talks to Eddie about a new pill that is going to be introduced on the market in a year. Vernon doesn’t describe the pills effects and leaves one on the table before leaving. Eddie swallows it out of curiosity. Suddenly Eddie knows what to write in his book and spends the whole day writing. The next day, Eddie amused by this pill goes to find the Vernon. When he arrives at Vernon’s flat he is dead and the apartment is a mess. After a long search he finds a bag of pills in the oven which he takes for himself. Eddie then begins to always know what to do. He starts to invest in the stock market and starts to make a noise. In a few days he is in a stock exchange company but he has drawn too much attention to himself. A man has started to follow him, he obviously knows what he is looking for. After coming out of a number of set backs alive he decides to stop talking the pills. One year later he has stopped taking the pills, he is far more intelligent than before, and he is promoting his new book. The first time I saw the preview of this film I knew that I would love it and I had to see it. I strongly recommend this film, it had me hooked until the end.

FRIENDS

After reading The Talented Mr Ripley, Laia drew a comic to show what happens in the introduction to the story. Laia Castella Junior 5 (Valdeluz)

Laura Martínez Senior 8 Since 1994, the comedy series FRIENDS has became a great television phenomenon. Who does not like FRIENDS? Friends is a typical American comedy series which makes me laugh every time I watch it. What I really appreciate is its sophisticated humor. People are still watching Friends’ chapters and almost everyone chooses them as they favorite TV show of all time. The first thing I would like to consider is the never-ending stories and love adventures the main characters live. A group of friends share life in the Manhattan area of New York City. Three women and three men try to succeed in their careers, relationships and generally in life. This would be a good summary. One thing that has been brought to my attention is that this group of friends is always together, whatever happens. One interesting thing is that it is easy for anyone to relate to one of the six main characters. Monica Geller is the neat freak, a chef who lives in an apartment with her friend of high school, Rachel Green. Rachel is the cute one. Chandler Bing, a computer programmer lives across the hall with the funny but not very intelligent actor, Joey Tribbiani. Phoebe is the eccentric one; she occasionally sang her own compositions. And the last one is Ross Geller, a paleontologist who has got married three times. Do you find it easy to choose which actor you like more? It turns out to be that, in my opinion, it is impossible to say which one of these

marvelous characters I like more. All of them are very different, but they have something in common: friendship. Friendship is the most important thing in this series, that’s why this TV show was called FRIENDS. This is an entertaining series that would appeal to most teenagers and adults. If you get a chance to get all the chapters in DVD, don’t miss it! To summarize, I strongly recommend watching FRIENDS especially if you are a comedy.

Fernando Martínez Periset attended the July Upper Intermediate Reading and Writing Skills Course, and was inspired to write a novel, the first chapter of which we are pleased to publish.

Fernando Martínez Periset is pictured here with librarian Gabriela Saez to whom he presented a copy of his first novel

Chapter one:

THE CAPTAIN OF “THE DOOMED” ‘There was once an important battleship called “The Doomed”. “The Doomed” had hundreds of cannons. It was the terror of the Caribbean. “The Doomed” moved around the Caribbean Sea, it was the most powerful pirate ship in those waters. But what is a good ship with a bad captain? That question can be easily answered. For a successful pirate ship like “The Doomed” you need a great captain, like John Hathaway. During the 16th century, when the great Spanish Empire was ruled by Charles I and Philip II, “The Doomed” already owned the Caribbean waters. All the people and the viceroys of the islands, who lived in the Caribbean, feared those pirates and tried to make them happy. But time passed and great Captain John was getting old and ill (he was fifty five), so he told his daughter Anne Hathaway, who was twenty six, to be prepared to take over as Captain when he died. Nevertheless, John Hathaway was very ambitious, so he decided to sail from his headquarters in Jamaica and explore new seas to conquer and terrify. Obviously, he left some of his most trustful members of the crew in Jamaica to control the island and the conquered waters of the Caribbean. John Hathaway and his crew crossed some unexplored waters of the Atlantic. It was a long trip with very bad weather. Luckily, “The Doomed” did not sink. Meanwhile, in the Caribbean, with time the people were less afraid, because, although the members of the crew who stayed in Jamaica were very powerful, most of the pirates, including the captain and his daughter, had gone, so the viceroys of many islands began to plan a dreadful

plot to defy Captain Hathaway’s control of the Caribbean. The plot was simple: enter Hathaway’s headquarters in Jamaica with lances, swords, guns, catapults, big stones and torches and burn the fortress with Hathaway’s followers inside. To be sure that “The Doomed” couldn’t come back to the Caribbean waters again, the plotters decided to post a letter to Hathaway’s worst enemy, the terrible Lord James captain of the “Soul Keeper”, asking him to blow up “The Doomed”. Finally, the viceroys would build a wall to protect Jamaica with the money that Hathaway had buried on the island. That way, the island of Jamaica would become stronger and the viceroys could conquer some new territories. Viceroy Martinez of Jamaica told the rulers of the Caribbean Islands his plan of the mutiny. They all wanted to be free from Hathaway, so they all agreed. Haiti was the last one to agree, but they finally did because they feared the Jamaicans and their leader, the powerful Viceroy Martinez. If they didn’t, they’d be rivals and the Jamaicans wouldn’t hesitate to kill them as soon as they got the power. Now rush to the library where there is a copy of the book and find out what happens!!

Reviews

36 Literal version videos with Ross Smith. Elena Morente, Angela Garrido, Elena Fernández, Gonzalo, Jorge Fernández and Álvaro Montejo 6 Senior working hard during 11 Magical Days in April

Love Actually and New Year’s Eve Laura Torres Senior 10 “New Year’s Eve” and “Love Actually” are two great movies. Both movies have intertwined stories closely related by friends of friends, family or neighbours. They try to explain different ways of getting through the Christmas holidays and more particularly New Year’s Eve. “Love Actually” is a romantic comedy based on people’s feelings. The characters are always falling in love, falling out of love, meeting the right people and not so good people. The characters are of all ages not just teens or adults. As I mentioned before all these characters are in some way related and living in the same city: London. At the end of the movie you can appreciate that all the main characters end up in Heathrow (London’s airport) where they finally find love or lose it forever.

Ángel Ramos Red (Valdeluz)

New Year ’s Eve is a comedy based on different lives and what these people are planning to do on the last night of the year in the most amazing city in the whole world: New York city in the United States of America. All of them (characters) have different lives and hobbies but all of them are related in some way. The most interesting stories inside the main one (the movie) are that of a postman who decides to help a woman make all her dreams come true. Also there is a great story of an old man that his only desire is to stay alive one more night. He would love to see the famous ball of Times Square drop one more time. Both movies have a great variety of well-known actors and actresses such as Robert de Niro, Ashton Kutcher, Michelle Pfiffer or Sarah Jessica parker and both movies are set in a Christmas environment. In conclusion, these two movies are well-known all over the world and I think that they are great comedies as they are both funny and exciting to watch with all the family together. The Christmas holidays are a good time for watching them because they are recorded at Christmas time.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Carla Ortiz Senior 6 At Christmas, I read a very interesting book. It was: “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”, by Mark Haddon. This is an original and funny story but sad at the same time. It is told from the point of view of the main character, Christopher Boone. Christopher is a fifteen-year-old boy who has Asperge’s syndrome. This mental illness makes him different from the others. At first, you may think the book is for little children but, in fact, it is not. When Christopher found Wellington, the neighbour’s dog, murdered, he decided to figure out who murdered him. As the story goes on, you can see the consequences of Christopher’s illness and the story of his life. Being motherless is such a difficult situation and more so if you are ill like Christopher. This syndrome keeps Christopher from knowing very much about human beings. He doesn’t relate with others, he doesn’t like being touched and he doesn’t like talking to strangers. However, he is very good at maths and he likes science very much. While the story is being told, the narrator includes all kinds of different things separate from the main story. The boy tells us about science, experiments, movies, about other books and he analyses them. Also he includes interesting maths problems, all of them solved. In my opinion, this is a new type of book as I have never read anything like this before. I found it fascinating and exceptional. The book has won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award, and I understand why. To conclude, I suggest you read this book as you will find it quite a rewarding read.

The House at Riverton Elena García Senior 7 “The House at Riverton” by Kate Morton is a romantic mystery novel set in England, in the twentieth century. The story centres around Grace, an elderly woman who tells us of her life at Riverton as a servant. Grace is the last witness of what had happened at the mansion. This is why she is required to supervise Ursula’s filming, a film director who wants to reconstruct the mysteries of Riverton and the Hartford family. In my opinion, the story is just excellent. The plot encourages you to read page after page without stopping. Although the book is full of flashbacks, Kate Morton manages to join all the pieces of the puzzle together in a perfect unit. If you do not fancy historical books like me, when you start reading “The House at Riverton” you first think that you will not be able to enjoy reading it, however, Kate Morton evokes the atmosphere of an Edwardian house and the England of the First and Second World War and the Post War period, bringing us from that time to a relative present. The book is perfect if you are stressed or very tired as it has brilliant descriptions of places and characters. Two of the main characters that I did like the most were Grace and Hannah. Hannah was very significant for me and I identified with her deeply as she is quite an enigmatic character, creative, enthusiastic and passionate. Hannah is always attracted to dangerous, forbidden and impossible ideas. One thing that I admired about Grace was her sense of responsibility and loyalty. Having read “The Forgotten Garden”, by the same author, I would say that I prefer “The Forgotten Garden” more than “The House at Riverton”. However, I am looking forward to reading “The Distant Hours” to see if Kate Morton manages to surprise us.

Stormbreaker by Alex Rider

Gladiator

Patricia Narvaéz Senior 7

Elvira Delgado Junior 4

Alex Rider is a school orphan with an ordinary life who lives with his uncle. Everything changes when his uncle dies in some curious circumstances. He discovers his uncle was not a simple bank manager but a super spy.

Maximus is a good general of the Roman army but he dislikes it, he only wants to go home and stay there with his son and wife.

Suddenly he is involved in a mission after being blackmailed by a man called Alant Blunt to work for MI6. His charge is to investigate the intention of Herod Sales, a multimillionaire who is going to launch his new computers to the children of London schools. If he doesn’t carry out the operation he will be sent to an orphanage.

The old Emperor wants to begin a new Republic but his son, Comodus doesn’t like the idea. He wants to be an Emperor and he kills his father to become a young Emperor of Rome. Commodus hates Maximus so he kills his family and he tries to kill him. But Maximus is a brave soldier and saves his life. Soon, Maximus is a prisoner, then a slave. He is in a school of fighters. He fights in the arena and soon, he becomes a gladiator.

So Alex starts his mission after three weeks of a training course. He solves the mystery of the Stormbreaker computer of the rich man. The machine has a kind of virus that puts the English children in a very dangerous situation. Then Alex manages to communicate with Britain the problem with the computers. He finally manages to save the country from the evil plan of Sales. I read this book because it was a recommendation by friend. I personally don’t really like adventure stories but I appreciated this one. My first thoughts on the book were negative because I started thinking it was a story for children. In fact, it is not a book for adults but it is actually rather entertaining. The book is exciting and maybe too easy to read. The reading level is not too easy but it is just my level. Reading this story I developed my imagination, thinking I could be a character of the book. Then again, I think Alex is a very likeable guy who seems like James Bond on younger.

The Emperor Commodus, organises some games. Maximus goes there as a gladiator but he really wants to kill Commodus. Maximus fights like a good Gladiator and when Commodus is talking with him, all of the crowd are shouting insults at the Emperor. They want Maximus, the man that made the crowd get angry with Commodus. They dislike their Emperor. Lucila, the sister of Commodus, wants to help Maximus to defeat Commodus and she makes contact with him. They make a plan: Maximus will ride to Ostia the place where there are the old soldiers from his army. He brings them to Rome and together they defeat the Emperor. But their plan went wrong and Maximus was captured by Commodus. Commodus fights against Maximus. Commodus had a sword and he makes a cut in Maximus´s arm. He is injured but with his last effort he kills Commodus with a knife. Maximus dies killing Commodus and the Roman army are free again.

Ocean’s Eleven A. Student 7 Senior Las Vegas – luxury, glamour and wealth, three casinos and eleven men ready to rob 150 million dollars. This is the situation for “Ocean’s Eleven”, and action film that holds your attention from beginning to end. This film is blessed with gifted actors like Brad Pitt, Matt Damon or Julia Roberts. The main plot is about robbing a casino owned by a rich man played by Andy García. However, to carry out the robbery it is necessary to join a group of professional thieves. There are also many sub-plots playing nicely at the same time. Each robber plays a part in the robbery and, as usual, although everything is planned problems appear giving twists to the story and creating comical situations. However, the best thing about “Ocean’s Eleven” is the unexpected end in which the audience realises that it has been cheated in the same way as the owner has been because the robbers have a double plan. When the police discover there is only some paper inside and the police escape dressed up as policemen with all the money

Carlos and Pedro Yellow (Esclavas) Gadea Aguilla Junior 1 did this great work after watching Magic with Tony during 11 Magical days

Reviews

Christmas Time in MYL Laura Rodrigo Yellow

Christmas Laura Rodrigo Yellow Last Christmas I went to my village. I saw my friends and my family but I didn’t see my cousin. The three kings gave me a lot of toys. I ate cake and I went to the park everyday. I saw the Christmas parade. I had a great time and next year I’m going to go again.

Auntie Loli at Christmas Ana Martínez Senior 6 Some Christmases ago, there were only twelve of us in my village. There are usually around twenty five of us celebrating Christmas there. But, this year, all of the people who were not with us last year were having a great time elsewhere. It was Christmas Day and both of us, my granny and I were preparing a soup for lunch. The rest of the family took the whole morning to wake up, everybody except Auntie Loli. At lunch all of us were sitting around the table waiting for Auntie Loli but she didn’t come either for lunch or coffee. Everybody was worried about Auntie Loli, so we decided to go and look for her. When we arrived at her house, nobody answered the door, so we got in with an emergency key.

After looking around the whole house we found a bathroom closed with the key and somebody asking for help inside. At seven o’clock, we were finally able to open the door and there was Auntie Loli. She was locked in the bathroom without a mobile phone so she could not contact any of us. At night, we had another family meeting because Auntie Loli had not been with us at lunch, and we had a really great time.

Christmas Poems Junior 2 Alba Mohedano and Clara Marten

María Pedrote and Diego Penedo

Winter feels like an angel entering our hearts

Winter feels like smooth snowballs

Winter looks like a family decorating a Christmas tree

Winter looks like a white snowman

Winter sounds like children singing Christmas carols

Winter sounds like Christmas carols at the door of your house

Winter smells like freshly baked delicious cakes

Winter smells like a snowy cold day

Winter tastes like sweet grapes on New Year’s Eve

Winter tastes like a piece of turrón in your mouth

Gonzalo Ortega, Pablo Puche and Jorge Argibay

Susana Iguacel, Patricia Muñoz and Irene García Winter looks like trees with little snowflakes

Winter feels like a tree bathed in snow Winter sounds like Santa Claus laughing

Winter sounds like reindeer bells coming to the houses Winter smells like freshly baked cookies

Winter looks like the snow falling on the ground

Christmas Eve Inés Rubio Senior 9 Christmas Eve is a very special evening for my family. First and foremost, the whole family meet in my grandparents’ house. We gather in the sitting room until the King´s speech is over. Once we are ready, we sit down around a big dining table. It’s not only because of the fact that we are a large family and we don’t want to be tight, but also it’s due to the large amount of food eaten. A toast is then made by the eldest grandson in order to conclude the eating ceremony. This event is followed by a show which has been prepared by the young ones. We sing Christmas carols, we dance, we tell some silly jokes. This actually brightens the night up. All our hard work for the show is not in vain when you see every adult smiling and having fun.

Christmas Time in MYL

Christmas Procession Carla Ortiz Senior 6 Looking back at my childhood, what I remember the most is when I took part in the procession of the Three Wise Kings on the 5th of January. When I was eight years old, my uncle rented a very big car and with my cousins, we participated in the procession.

At four o´clock, we were already prepared. Dressed in angel costumes, we were very excited. What is more, we were given a lot of sweets to throw to the other children who would come to see the procession. At the end of the day, I remember I thought that the experience was like a dream. That night, I fell asleep quickly as the next morning I would have a lot of presents waiting for me.

2nd runner up: Iciar García, Yellow

1st runner up: Juncal Bachiller, Senior 5

Christmas Time in MYL

Winner: Nora Zarrie Pérez, Yellow

New Year’s Resolutions Laura Martínez Senior 8 This year I’ve been thinking of some ideas to improve my life in some way. My resolutions to live a healthier life are to start doing exercise and quit eating chocolate. Sometimes I feel I don’t help my parents so this year I’ll make my bed every morning and I’ll do the washing up. In school, I’m planning to try harder in Science and I’m going to start doing all my homework. I’ll play with my sister, and I’m going to show my family and friends how much I need them. This year I will keep recycling and I’ll try to encourage people to use public transport.

43 Manuel García 2 Junior

Christmas Ana Martínez García Senior 6 Some Christmases ago, there were only twelve of us in my village. There are usually around twenty-five of us to celebrate Christmas there. But, this year, all of the people who were not with us last year were having a great Christmas elsewhere.

At lunch, all of us were sitting around the table waiting for Auntie Loli, but she didn’t come either for lunch or coffee. Everybody was worried about Auntie Loli, so we decided to go look for her, when we arrived at her house, nobody answered the door, so we got in with an emergency key.

At six o´clock in the morning, I heard a strange noise coming from downstairs, but I was too scared to go downstairs in the dark. So, I waited until the sun came out. When I came near the chimney I saw the fire had not died yet, so I supposed that the noise I had heard at night was the wood.

After looking around the whole house we found a bathroom which was locked and somebody asking for help inside.

It was Christmas Day and both of us, my granny and I, were preparing a soup for lunch. The rest of the family took the whole morning to wake up, everybody except Auntie Loli.

At seven o´clock, we were finally able to open the door and there was Auntie Loli. She was locked in the bathroom without a mobile phone, so she could not contact any of us. At night, we had another family meeting because Auntie Loli was not with us at lunch and we had a really great time.

Poetry in Motion

Candela García Junior 1

Andrés Varela Junior 1

Clerihews

Lara Rodríguez Junior 1 Sarkozy He likes cheese He has a dog And a frog

Barak Obama He likes bananas He lives in France He likes to dance

Mateo Ferrada Junior 1 Mateo Ferrada Likes Navacerrada His brother Martín Is very mean

Elena Mataix Junior 1 Fernández Luis Was born in Paris He likes computer games And has lots of nicknames

Guillermo Lluva Junior 1

Sofía Barbosa Junior 2

Begoña Sánchez Junior 2

Mesut Özil Went to Brazil And Higuaín Likes the colour green

Bruno Mars Likes fast cars He takes part in a festival Because he’s so musical

Katy Perry Eats a cherry Her favourite animal is a mouse She sings in her house

Iker, Iker Is the best goalkeeper And in his room He trains with a balloon

Elena Díaz Junior 2 Pau Gasol Plays the ball His brother Marc Goes to the park

Riddles Lucía Murga and Raquel Sequeros Junior 3 My teeth are bigger than a mouse My body is longer than a ruler My teeth are as dangerous as a sharp knife My skin is similar to a fish My ears are more pointed than a needle I breathe underwater I am carnivorous No wonder people are scared of me What am I?

(A crocodile)

Lucas Oliveras Junior 2

Nuria Martínez Junior 2 Mariano Rajoy Is a good boy He is elastic And he is fantastic

He’s taller than a bed He’s bigger than a chair His hair is more beautiful than other animals His feet have got a metallic object He has got a lot of hair It’s a very beautiful animal (A horse)

David Bisbal His clothes aren’t original He plays football And he is very tall

David Tarancón and Diego Martínez Junior 3

I’m more intelligent than a rabbit I’m shorter than a shark I’m more beautiful than a monkey I’m quieter than a wolf I’m more harmless than a fly I’m very sociable I’m a good friend for men (A dolphin)

Borja Medina Junior 2

Eugenio Ramol Junior 3

Limericks

Luis Sanz Junior 2 (Esclavas) There was a silly boy from Spain He thought he could fly like a plane He tried hard to fly But he suddenly died And his enemies opened up some champagne.

Ines Vilamiel Junior 3 (San Juan) Oh, I’m feeling low, Haven’t seen her for three weeks, Haven’t met her since last month, Haven’t sent her an email since January, She hasn’t called me for two weeks, Oh, I miss her, Who’s that at the door? Wow, it’s you!!

Paula de las Heras Junior 2 (Esclavas)

There was an old dog from Spain He was tired and wanted to go by train He went into some bars And he saw the stars Because he drank a lot of champagne

Marina Gil Junior 2

Tongue Twisters

Andrés Varela Junior 1 Peter Parker picks pink peas.

Raul Gallego Junior 1 The king kicked the kid’s kite.

María Galmés Senior 7 The guy breaks bricks with picks and sticks.

Carlos Piña Junior 1

Alicia Méndez Senior 7 Why do we whine when we wanna win when we win when we won’t whine?

Irene Torres Junior 1 Mary married Mark in March.

Guillermo Lluva Junior 1 Charlie choked on Chinese chips.

Javier González Red (Valdeluz)

The Sound of Madrid Marta Palau María García Senior 4

Lucía Recoletos Red

The sound of Madrid is like the ambulances going to the hospitals and the traffic lights which chirp like birds when you’re crossing the road. The sound of Madrid is people talking about their things. The sound of fountains with birds on the trees.

Carlos López Red

The sound of Madrid is dogs barking in the streets when they’re happy or angry.

The mouse and the lizard went to the beach In a beautiful snow white box They took some parrots and plenty of carrots Wrapped up in some big clean socks

The sound of Madrid is people kissing in the parks or arguing about strange things and children running and laughing in the schools. The sound of Madrid is, finally, the sound of the pubs, bars, the buses, the cars and the metro transporting people to different places.

Laura Vaquero Red (Valdeluz)

The Sound of Madrid Clara Parralejo Inés Mattarranz Senior 4 The sound of Madrid at night is the silence Of people dining on the terrace with the family And going to a party afterwards The sound of Madrid is stressful When you go to work in the morning you listen To the music from the parties which started the night before

Class 26 Ă frica Hernando Marta Bravo Victoria Lucena Junior 4

I’m going to be a... María Pink (Colegio Sagrados Corazones)

Teacher Claudia Guijaro Junior 1 (San Diego)

English Teacher Lucía de Diego Junior 1 I want to be an English teacher because I like to write on the whiteboard. It’s a very good job and you have to know two languages. To be a teacher you have to be good at school. You have to have an imagination and you don’t have to study Chinese. This job is fantastic.

English Teacher

I want to be a teacher because I like to write on the Blackboard and I like to explain to the children all the exercises. To be a teacher you have to study a degree and you have to be very good at mathematics, languages and all subjects. You don’t have to clean the floor.

Cristina Canedo Junior 1

My Perfect job

Police Renata Junior 1 San Diego I want to be a police officer because I want to catch lots of bad people and animals but I want to have a beautiful world. To be a police officer you have to be a very strong person. You don’t have to speak any more languages.

My Job Mateo Ferrada Junior 1 I want to be a teacher because I love punishing and failing children. I like giving lots of homework and mistreating children. A teacher works inside. Teachers don’t have to wear uniforms. To be a teacher you have to be cruel and I practice with my brother.

Astronaut Pedro Rodríguez Yellow

Luis Hernández Junior 4 I would like to be a basketball coach. I think it would be the perfect job for me because I love basketball. I also think it’s a good job because you earn a lot of money and you will become famous. However, the job has some disadvantages. It isn’t a job for a long time, because if you aren’t good you’ll end up without a job. Moreover, this job needs some qualities, for example being friendly, patient, intelligent and fast- thinking. I think I’ll be a good basketball coach because if I have an opportunity I will be all of these things. You don’t need to have specific preparation. You have to do the best you can and if you’re lucky and some team calls you, you have to work very hard and you must take every opportunity. In conclusion, I think I’ll be a good basketball coach, because I’ll work very hard and because I love basketball.

This is a singer Ana Manzanero Junior1

Singer Yolanda Rubio Junior 1 (SEK) I’d like to be a singer because I like to sing all the time, in the street, in the bathroom, in the kitchen. I also like to sing on the wii with a game called “We sing UK hits” and this game has lots of songs to sing.

Lawyer Marta Torres Yellow

Forensic Anthropologist

I’m going to be a lawyer. I’m going to work in an office. I’m going to wear a uniform. I’m going to solve cases. I’m going to use a computer.

Verónica González Junior 1 (San Diego) I want to be a forensic anthropologoist. To be a forensic anthropologist you have to work very hard, study for a long time and you have to like this job. You don’t have to sing or dance. It’s very interesting and you can enjoy yourself in this job.

She has a cowboy hat. She has eyes made of stars. She has the teeth of a vampire. She has short trousers and big boots that look like football boots.

Juan Pink (Colegio Sagrados Corazones) My drawing shows many things used by nurses. They can help people when they are sick. They usually work in hospitals.

Lucía Bezares Junior 1

Children’s doctor Nuria Roldán Junior 1 (San Diego) I want to be a children’s doctor because I like children and I like to study. To be a children’s doctor you have to study medicine. You don’t have to be an athlete.

Dolphin trainer Alba Ágreda Junior 1 (SEK) I’d like to be a dolphin trainer because I can swim with the dolphins in a show or I can play with them and stay as long as I want, and because I love the animals of this world.

My future job Celia Cuadrado Junior 4 When I get older, I want to be a famous writer. I like literature and history; by reading we learn new things, and develop the imagination. My dream is to travel around the world to visit different places and meet new people with their customs and culture in general. I think that every place, every person, has their own story with a past, present and future. I would like to know all those stories and tell them in my novels that would be part fiction and part reality. It would be great if my stories were translated into all languages so that my work was read in all countries.

I’m going to be a...

Vet Ariadna Alarcón Junior 1 I want to be a vet because I really love animals and I want to help them. To be a vet you have to be very intelligent and also study a lot. A vet must not be afraid when she sees blood. Of course you must not be afraid of animals. You don’t have to speak English, do sport or travel a lot.

Party In the Class! Ana Cortés, Lara Rodríguez Alicia Herrero Junior 1

My Funny Valentine The First Look, the First Kiss, the First Love Carmen Begara Senior 7 The first love. Everyone has had a first love and everyone remembers it. Maybe it’s because of the good memories of it or maybe because of the sadness they have felt about it, but everyone remembers it as the beginning of a new age. When you first loved somebody and you were so afraid to tell him. You tried to look him in the eyes but you turned your face because you didn’t want him to notice your love. You couldn’t even talk to him without making a silly smile. Remember the moment when he first touched your hand and you stopped breathing and no words came out of your mouth.

You’re my Valentine poem Emilio Mora Junior 4

One day he came and asked you for a date. You counted the days on your fingers until the big day. The day of your first date. You couldn’t sleep at night. A lot of questions crossed your mind. “What’s it going to be like? “What’s going to happen?” “What is he thinking about?” The day had come. The big day. I’m sure there are a lot of stories about first dates. Happy stories and sad stories, but there’s one thing that everyone always feels the same about, the feelings of the moment when you saw him coming to your first date. At this moment a new period of your life arrives.

You’re as sweet as sugar. You always make me smile. When I’m with you I think that I’m the luckiest person in the world. The first time I met you I was as quiet as a mouse, but now I’m very outgoing because you make me happy. Each time I see you my heart beats 100 times per minute. I think that I’m going to die! I am sending this letter because I want to tell you that you’re the most beautiful thing in the world. Because I love you, I only know how to say one thing….. That I love you!!

Bad Advice Lucas Oliveros Alejandro Fernández Manuel García Junior 2

The bad boy and the swot Guillermo Lluva Mateo Ferrada Junior 1

Love Poems Irene Blázquez Senior 8 I love you so much But we have to split up I tried really hard But now I just give up Love is not like a train Once it passes you You cannot catch it again

Marián Rueda Senior 8 Let me tell you why For you, I would die Because with your smile You brighten my sky

Guillermo Agnado Senior 7 Your eyes are so big That I can see the flames Of your love behind Your hair is so long That I can see the greatness Of our love through its waves I have fallen in love And you too And that’s forever

Elena García Senior 7 I have always loved you but you didn’t seem to care You knew that you fancied me but just said “don’t you dare” We didn’t want to admit it But finally couldn’t avoid That we were thinking of the daring Of giving love a try We were eclipsed by a shooting star And our dreams went so far That we couldn’t imagine what was going to come I adored you, cried, suffered, laughed and smiled because of you You always understood, helped and told me what to do Sometimes we went round again and again Just to finally obtain only pain Yes, we are pig-headed Paula San Millán But what is inevitably true Senior 8 Is that all I need in the world I can’t breathe when you’re staring at me Is you Your eyes are like arrows that hurt my soul And now I wonder what I’ve done wrong This is not what love is supposed to be

Eduardo Catalinas senior 8 I know a girl Who lives inside my dreams Her eyes are dark Like the depths of the sea If only I could say her name If only I could touch her hair If only I could take her out of my dreams I don’t mind if it’s a dream I want her silhouette for me And if I have to fight against All the hurts and pains I will fight

Mar del Barrio Senior 7 If every day was a heart Every second would be a smile If every day was a smile Every second would be a sweet If every day was a sweet Every second would be love If every day was love Every second would be you

Falling in and out of love Begoña Sánchez Elena Díaz Federico Perojo Junior 2

The 2011 British Council Teachers’ Conference

at Madrid Young Learners: Practical Classroom Activities Every year, Madrid Young Learners hosts a British Council teachers’ conference, and 2011 was no exception. Local educators often ask us for practical advice, ideas and teaching tips, and the conference is a way to bring people together: this time we decided to call it ‘Practical Classroom Activities’. Over 300 local teachers registered, and if you were passing by last September 24 you might have wondered what was going on, as hundreds of people drank coffee in the sun, browsed the publishers’ stands in the patio, read the free ‘Warmers and Fillers’ booklet we gave them all, or eagerly waited to see if they’d won a raffle prize. It wasn’t all hard work… Inside our classrooms, however, once the sessions were underway, our visitors were treated to a whole host of training sessions, with ideas from British Council teachers as well as guest speakers from the Bilingual English Project schools, publishers, and other organisations. As one intention of this event is to allow teachers from Madrid Young Learners an opportunity for professional development, we were glad to see our teaching centre well represented. Speaking in familiar classrooms were Jonny Frank, with a talk entitled ‘Can you stop asking me to repeat that, please?’; Hannah Ciborowska, who questioned ‘What’s next?’ after Phonics; and Richard Pickup, looking at ‘Drama and communicative skills’ – indeed Richard’s ‘practical exploration of resources’ was so popular, he was asked to repeat his talk for a second group of enthusiastic teachers. Meanwhile, the day had kicked off with John Liddy, Sonia Contreras and Cristina Sánchez at home in their Resource Centre, illustrating the good things they’d done for World Book Week last year (you

can read about those events elsewhere in the Yearbook). Moreover, we had talks from teen coursebook authors Samantha Lewis and Helen Hadkins: Sam worked at Madrid Young Learners on summer courses last year, and Helen is a tutor on our Trinity Diploma (teacher training) course, so they’re good friends of the centre; indeed, Sam works for the British Council Alcalá, and Helen in the Adults centre, so they demonstrated that educational expertise is shared throughout British Council Spain. Further talks were given by staff from Somosaguas, Alcobendas, Segovia, Las Rozas, and the Exams department. Helen’s talk was also webcast live to watching teachers around the globe (there were viewers from as far afield as Asia and the Middle East – even Portugal!) through our livestream channel, www.livestream.com/britishcouncilspain. They were more webcasts on the day by Joanna Marriott from Somosaguas, Bilingual teacher Anna Amin from Zaragoza, and educational technology expert Nicky Hockly, who came down from Barcelona for the day to take part. Nicky’s talk on ‘Digital Literacies’ taught us a lot about how teachers can improve their classes and excite learners by using technology in the classroom. You might have noticed several teachers trying out new technologies this year. With a new online registration system ensuring that all the talks were well-attended, while none were over-subscribed, and a new professional development blog set up to support the event (http://blog.britishcouncil. org/waltersplace/ - named Walter’s Place in honour of the first Director of the British Council in Spain, Walter Starkey), we also used technology to experiment, and to

keep Madrid Young Learners at the cutting edge of educational development. We look forward to an even bigger and better event this year. If you teach or are involved in the education professional, join our Teacher Training mailing list to get advance warning of the 2012 conference. Just ask Customer Services, and they’ll happily take your name.

Can you stop asking me to repeat that please, Jonny Frank giving his session Hannah Ciborowska gave her session on teaching phonics for primary students

MYL teacher Richard Pickup gave a very well recieved session called Drama and communicative skills a practical exploration of resources Sonia Contreras, Cristina Sánchez and John Liddy, pictured here, gave a session on planning and implementing a programme for book week

Participants enjoying Richard Pickup’s session

Desert Island Discs

Javier Domenech, Cristina Talavera and Celia Ramos Senior 5 enjoying Richard Pickup’s session Drama exploration using the graphic novel the arrival by Shaun Tan during 11 Magical Days

How to learn to play a musical instrument Ignacio Montes. Carlos Camaño. Senior 5 Start by finding the right teacher. Take every opportunity to play it. Try not to let your instrument go

out of tune. Avoid the temptation to play your musical instrument like John Lennon. It will be impossible. Make sure that you have the best instrument to play and try to learn to play it slowly. You might be nervous the first time, but you will be able to control your nerves. If you don’t control them, you will have to think of a way to do it. You should buy a guitar because, to my mind, it’s the

best instrument to start to play music with. Always remember to bring your instrument with you so you can play it wherever you want. It’s important to be focused when you play it. Be careful not to get distracted while you’re playing. Try to perform a concert and enjoy it a lot.

Alicia Luis Senior 8

“A Thousand Miles” Ronan Parke You probably won´t know Ronan Parke, but he’s well known in the U.K. as he finished in second place in the TV programme “The X Factor” at only 12 years old. He has now recorded an album where he sings songs from different singers, amongst them, A Thousand Miles. The original song is from Vanessa Carlton, but I’ve chosen Ronan’s version because I love his voice and I think it’s amazing that a boy of his age can sing so beautifully and with such strong feeling.

“Grenade” Bruno Mars I love all of Bruno Mars’ songs, but if I had to choose, this would be my favourite one. I was introduced to this song by a friend some months ago, but I always feel the same when I listen to it: the pain and disappointment in Bruno’s voice as he would do anything for the girl he loves, but she doesn’t feel the same for him.

Singer Laura Segura, Beatriz Calatrava and Begoña Gil Junior 2 You have to wear cool clothes. You have to practise a lot. You must have a good voice. You don’t have to be a celebrity. You don’t have to be married. You don’t have to do silly things. You mustn’t miss classes. You mustn’t sing out of tune.

During the whole song Bruno expresses the strong feelings he has for this girl, he could even die for her, but she has treated him badly from the beginning of their relationship and she doesn’t care how much he’s suffering.

You mustn’t drink very cold drinks.

“Someone Like You” Adele I came across this song some weeks ago and from the first time I listened to it I fell in love with it. It’s a song about a break-up, and the following attempt to try to find someone new. It was written by Adele and, as it’s a true story, you can hear the pain in her voice as she sings it. However, for me, this song brings good memories, as it reminds me of an exchange I did between my school and a French secondary school, and the people I met there. I don’t know why we chose this song, but the last day we were there we had a party, and at the end we sang this song all together as a farewell song because we wouldn’t see each other again for 3 months, when they’ll come to Spain. There were people who even cried that night!

Amelia Rodriguez. Senior 8

Rise Against I’ve been a huge fan of Rise Against since I was eleven and a friend lent me one of his CDs, and this song, even if it’s recent, has become one of my favourites. The thing about this band is that it’s one of the few that started playing after the initial punk movement during the 60´s and 70´s that keeps their lyrics politically engaged and witty, defending views I’d consider to be like my own. This song in particular hits a bit close to home, perhaps far too much for my liking, given that any kind of violence directed towards any individuals of any ethnical group, sexuality, gender or lack of thereof, political views, plain hobbies, for goodness’ sake! is wrong in every way imaginable. It doesn’t evoke any kind of environment around me, but rather, the idea of this ongoing reckless attitude towards other human beings makes me see red, though at the same time, the plea for help, and how people have collaborated in both this video and the It Gets Better campaign gives me hope for future generations. I first found out about this artist, and this song in particular, through the film Third Star, which came out last spring. I reckon the reason it caught my eye (or metaphorical ear) for the first time was the fact that it fit the plot of the film perfectly, which doesn’t happen often. Later on, of course, I’d learn that it was written specifically for the role, but that’s beside the point at the moment. James’ voice is a wonder, gentle, even, and the way the lyrics talk about dying slowly, and fading away but doing so with a smile and patiently waiting for your friends to join you in their own time really gets to me, for some reason I can’t fathom. The imagery this song puts into my head is quite similar to the one in the film itself: Barafundle Bay. The sand scratching away on your skin, and a shallow breeze chilling you to the bone. Muted colours in a sunset, fields of grain growing wild because there aren’t any kind of reapers anymore. It’s just a tender, wonderful way to broach this topic, touchy as it is, and I’m glad someone managed to put it into words.

“Anarchy In The UK” The Sex Pistols I’ll finish this entry with one of the most revolutionary pieces known to man, the British punk-rock anthem along with the Sex Pistols’ Anarchy in the UK: London Calling. I feel compelled to add this to my list of significant songs because it was probably the first thing I ever listened to that felt mine. Perhaps I should go deeper into that statement: The same way my Mum had Elvis and my Dad had the Beatles, music they adored, of which they knew the lyrics to and sang their hearts out to, and I associated the said bands to them, this is what The Clash, and this record in particular, felt like to me. I can’t even remember when I found out about it, I probably heard it on the radio and the presenter commented on it. I like the way the lyrics keep mocking the way everything was viewed back in the day, how the country’s youth did nothing to help society, and they kept rebelling against the established Status Quo. You can practically see desperate teenagers running around the city, rioting, hoping it would make a difference someday. How it’d all seem like a nuisance until one day someone would see that they didn’t crave destruction that they were asking for help, for something to look forward to when they grow up. It’s two decades and a social movement summed up in a catchy song, a crooked smirk in Strummer’s face daring the world to do something about the situation, daring them to stay put. And it’s the fact that it worked eventually, that setting social canon aflame has given us a remarkable amount of freedom, makes me grin like an idiot for hours on end, and happier than I’ve ever been.

Guillermo Ocaña Senior 8

“System Of A Down” Toxicity

“Moonlight Shadow” Mike Oldfield

“Exogenesis Symphony” Muse

This one is my second choice for my desert island disc 2012.

The main reason I’ve chosen this song is because it has a memory attached to it from my childhood.

Exogenesis-part 1 Exogenesis-part 2 Exogenesis-part 3

It does not have an impressive heart-warming story behind it, however I have developed great affection for this song.

If I had to choose eight songs to carry with me to a desert island one or two of them would be from Muse. I simply love Muse so it is very difficult for me to make up my mind to pick a single song however in this case Exogenesis symphony comes naturally.

It was about 6 years ago when I found a forgotten folder in the depths of my old computer, this folder had a windows playlist inside of it which nobody from my family requested ownership so it was alone and scared in the world.

This is not the most played song on my Ipod but I sometimes need to listen to it. What I first loved about this band were noisy electric guitars and screams like Supermassive Black Hole or Hysteria. Anyway Muse has a lot of influence from the romanticism music (this makes Muse’s music different) and this song shows that. It is a very long song, divided in three parts; I personally prefer the second part I find it livelier than the others. It hasn’t got any electric guitar but pianos and violins, it relaxes me a lot, calms me down when I am nervous and cheers me up when I am sad. It talks to me deep in my soul. I love it, there is nothing else I can say.

The playlist was composed by a dozen of songs from different bands. I can´t remember now but one of them really got my attention, it was this song; “Toxicity”. At first I didn’t like it, but it was classified as Metal and, at that age, listening to this type of music wrote “badass” on your forehead for other people so I made it mine. Later I really started loving the song and it introduced me to this magnificent band (SOAD) which carved my actual music preferences; I love the song because of its alternate rhythm and tone change, I must admit it does not have a clear meaning but that’s the last thing I search for in a song.

We have to travel 8 or 9 years back in time, when my father used to take me to my swimming training on Saturday mornings; on the return journey he always tuned the same station which played 80s music, and this song was played almost every time. I wonder if I associated the song with the feeling of exhausted peace after intense exercise in the pool because I started loving this song even without knowing its meaning. When I gave up the training I totally forgot about it and it wasn’t until a few years ago when I listened to it randomly that I returned to that happy childhood without worries so it finally became mine. Now I can fully understand the lyrics and I can point out they are influenced by John Lennon’s assassination. Enjoy!

66 Maria Elsuso Senior 8

“The Call” Regina Spektor The first time I listened to this song was when I was at the cinema watching “Narnia”. And I really liked this song. Many people tell me that this song reminds them of me, because I was always singing it. I sang it at a concert at my music school, and it was the first time I sang alone in front of a lot of people. And it was unforgettable. It was incredible, I can’t explain what I felt while I was singing on stage. For me it was like the best feeling in the world. Every time I hear it, I remember that moment and it makes me smile. And when I think about that moment I feel safe, and I think “if I could sing in front of a crowd, I can do more.” And it helps me to keep on going when I am stuck.

“Last Kiss”. Taylor Swift “Run” George Strait I’ve chosen this song because of my best friend. He lives in Cadiz so you know, sometimes we feel like we need each other, because we have to talk about our problems. And every time I listen to this song I think of him. Because it is what I want to tell him. This songs basically talks about the need to be close to a person you love who is so far away. And that’s what I feel, I need him “in a rush” because he is my best friend and I want him to catch a train, a bus or a plane. It doesn’t matter, I just want him to be here with me because I need him to help me. And it doesn’t matter if we don’t find a solution to the problems we have, the fact is that he is here with me, listening to me, and that makes me feel better. I discovered that song when I was nine and I’ve always loved it.

This song means the world to me. I really admire Taylor because she is an excellent singer and songwriter, and she is my favourite singer ever. The first time I listened to this song was two years ago, in early September. I bought her new CD and the first time I heard this song I cried. The melody is beautiful but the lyrics make me remember a long-distance relationship I had with a boy who always supported me in everything I did. The lyrics of this song represent our story. One night, we were at a party with our friends and they put a slow song on and he asked if I wanted to dance with him, and the problem was that I don´t think I’m good at dancing, but he said “please come on!” so I stood up and started dancing with him. I tell you that because there’s a part of “Last Kiss” that says: “I do remember the swing of your step. The life of the party, you’re showing off again and I roll my eyes and then you pull me in. I’m not much for dancing but for you I did.” When I listen to this song, I feel that Taylor wrote it for me.

Paula Espinosa Senior 8

“We Found Love” Rihanna I’ve chosen this song because I really like most of Rihanna’s songs. We found love is very special because in December, my boyfriend and I went with some friends to her concert and it was great but this song was the last one so it was amazing. We really had a great time like the all the people who were there.

“Levels” Avicii

“If I Was Your Man” Joe

I’ve chosen this song not because I love it like “We Found Love”, but it reminds me of a great time with some friends in a party. There were a lot of people and we were shouting, dancing, singing and it was incredible. I think this song is very famous because in all the pubs and discos that you can go to, the DJ puts this song on and the people go crazy, like in my case.

“If I Was Your Man” I think is the most important and special song of the three. It is very special and I always cry when I listen to it because one day when my boyfriend had to go on a trip for two months, he had prepared dinner for me. You are thinking why is this so special because it is only a dinner, but it wasn’t. The dinner was great because I felt very comfortable and also like a princess but when we finished he put this song on and we started to dance.

I usually listen to this song when I’m very happy or when I want to dance at home.

Everybody Backstreet Boys Rebeca Martínez Romero Senior 8 One Friday night when I was a little girl I was watching TV, channelhopping to be honest and I suddenly ended up in a music programme on the Nickelodeon channel. They were about to say the number one of the week, this song. I didn’t miss any Nickelodeon music programmes that week I just loved the song and the videoclip, I found it so funny and original… the rhythm, the dance, the fact that a vampire and a mummy were dancing that sexy… you have to imagine a smaller version of me with bigger eyes stuck to the TV, hypnotized by that song. Later on, at Christmas my parents surprised me by giving me the Backstreet Boy´s CD of course, they were my very first favourite band. They really remind me of my childhood and I still love the way the vampire moves… that has not changed at all.

I know that is not strange but I don’t have words to describe my feelings. I only know that when I listen to this song I feel special. Maybe I won’t ever forget this song in my life.

Desert Island Discs

Almudena Martín Senior 8

“Here Comes The Sun” The Beatles I have chosen this song because it reminds me of a film that I used to watch when I was around ten years old and I used to love it. The other reason for choosing it, is because of the lyrics. To me, the meaning of the song is that if you are blue, feeling like things aren’t going to get better and really unhappy… you just have to wait and everything will be alright because the sun always rises, because here comes the sun.

“Vanilla Twilight” Owl City I started listening to this song just because I found the name very nice for a song and because I had heard another song from this group that I liked a lot. Very quickly, I discovered that it really was good. What I like the most is that the singer has a smooth voice that gives you goose bumps and the lyrics are so deep. The more you hear it, the more you like it. And as a whole, the voice and the lyrics make a fantastic song so that’s why I have chosen it. Five Colours In Her Hair Mcfly This song brings back good memories. I remember that one of my best friends told me to listen to this group because she had already discovered it and she really liked them. So, I started hearing it and it graced my ears. When they came to Spain, we went together to the concert and enjoyed it a lot, singing and dancing all the time. From then on, Mcfly has been one of my favourite groups and I love all their songs and it’s very difficult to choose only one but this is one of their best, and first, songs.

Leyre Echevarria Senior 8

“Viva la Vida”Coldplay I was introduced to this song by my sister. For a long time she had this song as her mobile alarm, so those days it used to wake me up one hour before I had to. As a result, I hated it, but now…I love it!! Every time I listen to it, this song reminds me of my sister. I couldn’t listen to it without thinking of her. The lyrics do not make sense to me, but I like the music. It is one of my favourite songs, that’s why I have chosen this song.

“Titanium” David Guetta In general I like all David Guetta’s songs but especially this one. In fact, I really don’t know how I came across it, maybe I was introduced to it by a friend. The song reminds us that, in life people might hurt you, criticize you, shoot you down, however we have to get up and go forward. It reminds me of a friend of mine because every time we are together we listen to it.

“Rolling in the deep” Adele I was introduced to this beautiful song by a friend when she came back from London because it was a great hit there. I have loved this song since the first time I listened to it. The same can be said of another of Adele’s song called,”Someone like you”. With such an amazing voice, this song would grace everyone’s ears. Although they are sad songs, I have had real fun with them. I never thought it would become so famous.

Staff Stuff We have a few new faces joining the teaching team this academic year. Stephen Morris and Louise Desmier are continuing to work with us having taught on the summer courses, and Laura Geddes is a regular summer teacher who’s working on Fridays with us year round. Louise is looking forward to the challenge ahead of being our Primary Coordinator, and Stephen has just finished his Masters in TESOL. Sarah Dann is new to Madrid having previously worked in state schools in the UK and China

….and not joining the teaching staff but a welcome new face for the academic year is Mercedes Vázquez who is now part of the Customer Services team, but was once one of our students, blossoming under the tutelage of our very own Steve Owen, Helen Roebuck, Hamish Minty, Stuart Gibb, Cheryl Kirkland and John Wirnsberger. (Not all at the same time, of course).

Laura Geddes

Clara Parralejo, Marta Montalbán Inès Matarranz Senior 4 On Thursday the 10th of November, our teacher Zoe couldn’t teach our class, but she wasn’t sick! Some teachers have a secret life when they’re not teaching. She was on the radio with her band Loot! When she came back the next week, we interviewed her about it….. Here’s what she said. Were you nervous before singing? Yes, I was quite nervous because I had never been on the radio before and I arrived fifteen minutes late!

Sue Lloyd the co-creator of Jolly Phonics gave a session to primary teachers in September

Mercedes Vázquez

Sarah Dann

The Blanca de Castilla off-site teaching team Helen Jones, Helen Roebuck, Janet Prior, Mick Green, Jacqueline Ryfka and Nicky Marriot Primary teachers Simon Harwood, Holly Albert and Ian Atkins at Sue Lloyd’s Jolly Phonics session

Hannah Norwood and Richard Pickup enjoying the staff christmas party

Stephen Morris

Did you make mistakes when you were singing? Yes I made some mistakes.

What is your favourite song? It’s a song called “Too terrified to look down”.

How many songs did you sing? I only sang one song, “On the sidelines”, but I have more. The song I sang wasn’t my favourite.

How many people are in the band? There are three people in the band, the guitarist and pianist Sebastian Loix , the drummer Juan Porta and the singer, me, Zoe Owen

What is the song about? The song is about somebody who wants to be a famous person, a singer, but they never sing and it’s so frustrating. Is the song on the CD? The song is on the CD but it’s not the most important one. On the CD there are many different singers.

What was the best feeling? It was nice to know that all your friends and family are listening to you. What was the place like? The place was big with big glass windows. The rooms are sound proof. It’s a creepy place.

Louise Desmier

When will your next concert be? The next concert will be next Saturday in Lavapíes.

Teacher Zoe Owen on Radio 3

Back to the Future Cities will get larger (The village is a thing of the past) Celia Cuadrado 4 Junior What are cities and villages going to be like in the future? Where will people prefer to live? Some people think that in the future, villages are going to disappear because people will prefer to live in big cities. They also think that in cities, there will be higher buildings (with more than 50 floors), wider streets and a lot more shops, cinemas and parks. They think it will be possible to go wherever you want in buses or cars that circulate in the air. Other people think that there will be more villages than cities because more and more people will prefer to lead healthier lives. Moreover, they don’t think there will be tall skyscrapers or buses and cars circulating in the air. However, transport will continue advancing. They also think that in the future, the environment will be very important in our lives. In my opinion, in the future cities will be business centres where all types of companies and services will be located, and people will go there only to work. However, people will live outside the cities, in small villages, in contact with nature and trying to have a more relaxed and healthier life. With respect to transport, I think technology will advance and we will see how far it can go.

My Idea of the Future Ana Garcia Junior 4 In the future there will be lots of technological machines. People will live for a hundred years and they won’t have diseases. In the future children will have computers from the age of four, they won’t have books and they’ll have robotic teachers. The school bus will like all the cars in the future. Computers and robots will do things that we don’t like to do like take the rubbish out or clean our house. People will have intelligent machines, incredible mobiles…All bad and horrible things will be done by robots and computers and our life will be more comfortable than it is now.

Ekaterina Studenaya, Enrique Hidalgo and Sergio Mérida watching attentively while Richard Pickup gives his session during the reading programme 11 Magical Days

Nuria Broco, Elena Palencias, Maria Ramiro 7 Senior

Will there still be teachers in the future? Barbara Perez Junior 4 I don’t think that in the future there will be teachers. I think that there are going to be teachers in poor schools in Africa because they don’t have enough money to buy a computer for every single student. I think that lesson will be taught through computers and new technologies. You will have to do your homework on the computer and there will be robots to teach you. For example: you might have to search on Google “Lesson 7 Science Year Eight” and you will have to click on a keyboard and it will teach you and resolve your questions. About schools I think some people will still be going to school and other people will take the lesson at home with the computer. I think computers and new technologies are really good but I think that we still have to go to school and have teachers and friends.

Will there still be schools and teachers in the future? Marta Izard Junior 4 I think that in the future there won’t be any schools or any teachers. New technologies will allow students to stay at home instead of going to the school everyday. Students will use computers to receive lessons online. Each student will have a webcam so that the teacher can see all the students on the screen. If somebody has a question, he will ask the teacher with a microphone. And what if a student gets sick? He won’t miss the lesson; he could record the lesson so as not to miss anything. There won’t be any paper books. Teachers will give students pdf files with all the lessons like paper books.

Mercedes brightened up the centre with this beautiful display

In conclusion, it would be better than a normal school and it would be easier for teachers and students.

The Future Marta Martín Junior 4 In the future, we will live in big houses, using robots for everything (we will use them when we cook, when we read, when we travel…). We will travel in flying cars and they will work with solar panels so they’re good for the environment. We will go from place to place immediately. It will work with solar panels too. It will be a small cage which carries you from your cage to another one. People want to have to go out of their houses. They will talk with other people through robots and webcams. Maybe in the future we won’t read magazines anymore, because paper will have disappeared and we will read them on the internet. So, the future will be really different to now.

Will it be possible to live forever?

What it will be like in the future

Lucía Rodrigo 4 Junior

Carmen Herrero 6 Senior

Imagine that a genie says to you:” you can ask for a wish because I’m going to make it come true”. One of the answers that crosses your mind is:” I want to live forever” But if you think about it slowly you can find two sides to your idea: the advantages and the drawbacks.

I think that in fifty years time we will have many more means of transport. Cars will be powered by solar energy and the roads will take energy from the friction between the cars and the pavement to distribute it to the rest of the city. There will be large tubes around the city to send us to the place we want to go.

One of the first advantages that you think of is that if you can live forever you are not going to die so you can do all the things that you want to do. An example is: you can jump off the 108th floor and you are going to be safe and sound. A disadvantage of living forever is that everyone you know will die before you and your life will be empty of people. Are the scientists going to look for something that makes you able to live forever? I have no idea but if I were a scientist, I wouldn’t research that area because I think living forever isn’t necessary and I don’t want to live forever.

I think that rails will have magnets and we will have some kind of skates, also with magnets, so we will float. Engineers will have invented mini-airplanes and we will travel by air, as well as by water, with solar powered canoes. Our holidays will be awesome! People who like water will go deep in the sea with submarines. Down there we will go to special houses with glass walls so we can see what is happening around us. Other people may prefer spending their holidays in outer space. A space shuttle will take us on a space cruise. We will travel to mars, the moon and even to other galaxies. Other people might fear all this so we will still have the classic trips to other countries.

The tell tale Andrés Perez Simón Sousmatzian David Mañas Junior 2

Inventions and Design John Viper

Technology Man

Álvaro Jiménez Junior 1

Paula Carrasco Junior 1 Name: Technology Man Nationality: Spanish Secret Identity: Michael Trumans, a millionaire Special Powers: He’s got secret weapons. He’s very fast and he can control the computer with his mind. Helpers: Alex is very clever and Maria is very sporty. They are friends. Worst Enemy: Dr. Wood, he destroys all technology.

Name: John Viper Nickname: Viper Nationality: Nobody knows Secret identity: AC/DC guitarist Special powers: He throws poison. He’s very fast like a viper. He’s got fantastic reflexes and he’s very strong. He’s got knives in his fingers. Worst enemy: Jack School

Transportista Ana Isabel Delgado Martínez Junior 1 Name : Transportista Nationality: Spanish Special Powers: I can transport myself around the world. Secret Identity: Ana Delgado Worst Enemy: Jimena, the destroyer

Sofía Robledo. Junior 1

My Ideal School Uniform Elena Vilanueva Junior 1 This is my ideal school uniform. The shirt is white. The skirt is green and black. The socks are green. The shoes are black. The jacket is blue.

Crazy Fashion

My Ideal School Uniform

Ana Manzanero Junior 1

Eva GimĂŠnez Junior 1 (Esclavas)

This is a singer. She has a cowboy hat. She has eyes made of stars. She has the teeth of a vampire. She has short trousers and big boots that look like football boots.

This is my ideal school uniform. The uniform is blue. The skirt, I love it with the necktie but the uniform I like because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not showy. The sporty uniform has a shirt with short sleeves for boys and girls. They wear shorts and their shoes are trainers. The clothes are similar.

Crazy Fashion! Alejandra Perea Junior 1 She has got screws and she has got a hat with a fork. Her glasses are stars. Her necklace is an eye. Her shirt is broken. Her skirt is a hamburger. Her socks have got hearts on. Her shoes are rollerskates.

My Ideal School Uniform Claudia Montes Junior 1 This is my ideal school uniform. The shirt is blue, green and red. The skirt is pink and blue. The boots are black and white. The jumper is blue. The coat is blue and white. The socks are blue.

Jetword Beatriz Infante Junior 3 My invention is an automatic translator. You say a word in a language and the machine translates it into another language. You don’t have to look for the word in the dictionary. You don’t have to write! You only have to speak! The invention has a system like a big ear. The big ear is connected to a little machine. The little machine is a cube. The cube is a computer connected with two cables to a loudspeaker. (Then the loudspeaker speaks). I think it can be used in schools, in museums or in other countries because a lot of people travel to other countries. They can’t learn a new language in a moment and they can’t be with a lot of books or dictionaries. With my invention you don’t need to look for words in books or study a lot. This invention is useful because you don’t have to look for a word on a lot of pages. You only need to say a word or a sentence. The invention is simple because you only have to say a word into a special microphone. The word goes to a little machine. The little machine translates the word and it goes to a loudspeaker. The loudspeaker says the word to you. I think that it will change the world and help a lot of people too.

Double Decker Car Luís Vaca, Carlos Anton Santiago, Oscar Izomor

This is my robot Juan Hernández Junior 1

Paul the robot

His name is Cleaner 9000. 1. He can do my homework. 2. He can play with me. 3. He can take the rubbish out. 4. He can go to school with me. 5. He can make my breakfast.

Yann Guichard Junior 1 This is Paul the fantastic home robot! My robot can do these things for you: do your homework, clean the floor, wash the clothes, do the cooking, make the bed… And he can fly, he can speak and he can roll. Paul is light blue, dark blue, red, yellow and grey.

Steve Jobs Jorge Gutiérrez Senior 9 Steve Jobs was more than a billionaire. He was not just a businessman; he was also one of the icons of the technological revolution. In addition he created a way of life, which, to my mind, is full of power. Steve Jobs managed to place a computer in every home all over the world. Furthermore, Steve Jobs was an example of getting ahead on your own. Sincerely, Steve Jobs has changed the world. Obviously, my world. Who could ever think now what life could be like without computers? As a future engineer, I would say Steve is an inspiration for me. He has also changed my daily life. Three years ago I bought an I-touch and it still works as it did the first day. Today I followed the iPhone 4S presentation and I really missed Steve. Apple won’t be the same without him.

Just Don’t Do It! A. Student Junior 3 Are you tired of doing your homework? Cooking all the meals? Making your bed? We present you with the new Slave Robot! It’s only 200 Euros! Call 902 425382 now and you will get a second robot for 50% less. If you are between 11 and 16 you will get the robot for only 200 Euros!

The DFO Carlos de Orueta Junior 3 My invention is a simple automatic system to open the door of your car. It looks like two red eyes. This invention helps you to open the door with only a finger. The DFO is red, white and grey and is made of metal. To work it you must put your thumb in the centre of the DFO and then the door will open automatically. It is very useful because before, you had to pull and now you

only have to press one thing with your finger and the door can be opened. It can change the world and it is very easy and it is safe. The DFO can only work with the thumb of the owner of the car. If you want you can install one in the door of your house but it is very expensive. The name of the invention means door finger open.

Chocolate Pencil María Fernández 3 Junior The chocolate pencil is a new and revolutionary invention. The pencil writes with chocolate and when you finish writing you can eat the text. If you are doing your homework and you make a mistake… don’t use the rubber, EAT YOUR MISTAKE! I got the idea one day when I was writing, I felt hungry and I thought, maybe I can eat my homework! Why not? And this was the start of the chocolate pencil. This invention is for people who like chocolate very much; with this invention you can eat chocolate all the time! You can buy this on the internet (www. chocolatepencil/maria.com). On our internet website you can choose the flavour (white chocolate, chocolate with milk and black chocolate). You can buy them for only 5 Euro.

The Elevating House Miriam López Junior 3 This is a machine that detects humidity in the Earth. The machine is fitted around the house. When it detects a high degree of humidity, the house will start to go up. If there is a lot of water, the house will continue the elevation until it reaches a safe level. I had this idea when I was going to sleep. It is good for saving a lot of lives and it will prevent damage from tsunamis and floods. You can buy it at JeJe store and it will cost about 3,000 euros with the city council’s help.

The Writing Machine Diego Rodríguez Junior 3 My invention is a machine which can write letters on a paper with perfect calligraphy and without mistakes. It is like a mechanical arm with a pen and it works with a motor. The machine has a microphone and when you talk it writes. The machine has batteries and it works by a solar panel too. Students, teachers, engineers…everyone can use it. It is very useful because it’s comfortable. You don’t have to recharge their batteries and it doesn’t make mistakes. If any company would like to take one of these machines, the company can take a machine which is bigger than the first machine. The big machine has six mechanical arms and it has perfect calligraphy without mistakes and it works faster than the small machine. It will change the world because all the languages can be translated by this machine. This machine will make communication easy.

TV Watch

Rich people will use it too because it is a little bit expensive. It’s very useful because you can know the time and watch the TV at the same time.

Carlos González Junior 3 This is a watch you can wear on your wrist. With this invention you can know the time and watch your favourite TV programme at the same time and wherever you are. It looks like a typical watch, but it is a little bigger. With it you can watch the TV better. The clock is a GPS too. If you don’t know the way to go to some place you can use your TV

watch and the watch will take you to this place. You’ll never arrive late at a place if you have your TV watch. It has five buttons; one to play the TV, two to change the TV channel one to tell the time and one to play the GPS. Young people will use it because they always want the latest fashion.

The Magic Pen Miguel Gavina Junior 3 The magic pen is a pen that writes words that people have in their minds without using their hands. It works with two earphones or headphones that you put in people’s ears. Automatically the pen writes what the people have in their head. Everybody can use it. It will change the world because it works very rapidly. It is very useful for people that are ill. It is made of metal and plastic and it has a small computer inside. The headphones are very long because they have to connect your head to the pen. Animals can use it too; for example we can know what dogs think or what dolphins think. It is an important invention because it will help communication in the world.

You can use the GPS if you are lost in the world. It works very quickly because it has a connection to a world wide network in the air. It will change the world for young people because all the young people will want to have a TV watch. It will be fantastic.

The Tidy Up Robot Isabel Escobar Junior 3 This is a tidy up robot. It looks like a big washing machine. It has two arms, two legs and two eyes. Its mouth is the washing machine door. Its feet are like roller skates. It is very big and it has the advantage that it doesn’t talk and it is cheap to maintain because it works with electric energy and a rechargeable battery. It tidies everything. If you give it an order it obeys immediately. For instance “Robot, tidy my room!” so it goes to tidy my room. Everybody will use it because it is a fantastic invention. It will cost about thirty-five thousand pounds. If somebody invented this, because now it is just in my head, it would be useful for everyone but especially for old people who live alone, for the ones that are ill and for families who have messy children. People will have more time to do what they want to do instead of tidying.

All around the world Who hasn’t ever dreamt of travelling to Alaska?

Pure magic with Toni during 11 Magical Days

OUR ADVICE:

Marta Santiago, Alba Jiménez Senior 4

Ndj h]djaY igVkZa a^\]i WZXVjhZ i]Z Zfj^ebZci l^aa WZ egdk^YZY by the company. I]Z adY\^c\ VcY [ddY ^h ^cXajYZY# Ndj¿aa WZ add`^c\ [dglVgY id hiVgi^c\ i]^h [VciVhi^X VYkZcijgZ#

This is the opportunity that you can’t miss. The trip will be the best experience you’ve ever had. A unique trip is offered to you in this icy paradise for two weeks.

If you’re interested in this trip you can call us at: 629 28 13 16 or send an e-mail to: martalba@britishcouncil.com. More information can be found on our website: www.alaskatrip.britishcouncil.com

YOU WILL DEFINITELY ENJOY IT!

BRING ON YOUR ADVENTURE EXPERIENCE!

You will be picked up by our private air plane and from the moment you arrive in Alaska you will be amazed by its charm. If you aren’t sensitive to the cold you will lodge in a traditional igloo. Are you ready to live and survive like an Eskimo? Some activities you will be able to practise with animals are: ;^h]^c\ ^c i]Z ^XZ l]ZgZ i]ZgZ VgZ V adi d[ Çh] VcY then you could cook it and eat. DcZ d[ i]Z YVnh l^aa WZ heZci hXjWV Y^k^c\ ^c i]Z frozen Arctic Ocean. There are a lot of different kinds of exotic animals like seals. 6cdi]Zg YVn ndj XVc Vahd iV`Z V ig^e dc V haZ^\] pulled by huskies and watch polar bears close up. And if you are lucky you will probably see one of the most amazing phenomena in the world, the “Aurora boreal”

Juan Donate Junior 1 (Blanca Castilla)

Asturias María Leal Senior 4 The best place I have ever visited is Asturias. I have been going to Asturias almost every summer in August with my family. I get there in my parent’s car in silver Volvo. The weather has been fantastic because some days it is a little bit cold and other days it is hot. I stay in a beautiful apartment in the town of Villaviciosa, near Gijon. Villaviciosa is a beautiful and traditional town but it

also has a modern part with a skating park, surf shops and lots of bars. Gijon is a beautiful city on the coast so it has a beach. The city is traditional and beautiful. In the city I went shopping and I visited the cathedral. I got around the city on foot and sometimes by car. One strange thing I saw when I was in Gijon was a man stealing a car.

name now. I only went there to go for a walk at night. I also went to a shopping centre called Parque Principado. I ate traditional Asturian food in a restaurant in Villaviciosa called Vicente’s house. Some traditional food is Asturian cheese and milk.

The three best places I visited in Asturias were Rodiles beach near Villaviciosa where I surfed. It’s a beautiful wide beach with lots of waves. I also visited another fantastic beach but I can’t remember the

Maldives Island Daniel Fernandez Juan Quintero Senior 4 Get ready for the best trip you’ve ever taken.

Maria Heras Junior 3 (Valdeluz) Hi Miryam, How are you? I’ve already read your email. So, I’m very excited because I’m in Paris, the city of love.

We are offering you the possibility to make your dreams come true. Visit the Maldives Island where you’ll be able to find the best beaches and you’ll be able to do a lot of activities. According to the people who have been there it is much better then expected and it is the most suitable place to go in summer. We are sure you will be able to cope with diving, surfing and fishing!

I’ve already met a French boy. I’m in love. The weather is good. It’s sunny. We’ve been to Calais, Nantes, to Marseille and to Normandy. We haven’t visited the Champs Elysees yet. Yesterday we went to the Louvre. It was amazing. Now we are going to a French restaurant to eat frogs. I’ve just bought a baguette. Well, it’s time for dinner – I can’t wait because I’m going to try the frog. Love Mary P.S I’ve already bought your great present – it’s a mini Eiffel tower. I hope you like it!

Greece Isabella Ballarín Senior 4 The best place I have ever visited is Greece. I went there in the Summer with my family and my friends. We have a sailing boat so we travel in it. I went to many little islands and then we left the boat in a port and we went to visit Athens. I visited the Pantheon and the biggest museum I have ever seen. It has many things of the old Greek people. Later I saw some smaller temples than the Pantheon. The Pantheon is amazing and very tall. You can’t imagine how people managed to build it without machines. It’s a little bit damaged now. We stayed in Athens for just one day because later we returned to our boat and we went around some other islands. The islands were incredibly beautiful because they had white sand and a light blue sea. I ate lots of octopus, clams, fish, Greek salad, suvlaki (it’s a type of meat), pita which is the Greek kebab and also tsatsiki.

Blanca Sánchez Junior 1 (Blanca Castilla)

All around the world

One day when we were in the port the wind started to blow very strongly – at about 54 knots so our boat started to turn over and the police told us that we had to get off the boat quickly and just take our money and our passports. My two friends and I had to go and sleep at a stranger’s house. In spite of this last adventure I highly recommend all my friends to visit Greece.

Canada Andrea Grisolia Senior 4 The best place I have ever visited is Canada. I was in Canada when I was ten years old just at the end of the summer.

Madagascar Mariana Cerezo Junior 3

Palma de Mallorca Paula Ruiz Serna Junior 3 The best place I have ever visited is Palma de Mallorca. I went there in summer in August. I went by plane but it was horrible because I hate flying. I was only there for a week but the weather was good, it was sunny and hot. When we were there we stayed in a house with two floors and a swimming pool. It had three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a garage, a kitchen, and a living room with a big table where we ate. When we wanted to visit the island we took the car and drove to the beach. It was so beautiful. The water was very clean and transparent but the sand was

hot. Then we went to a square with lots of flowers and some strange structures but it was beautiful. Then we went to the promenade where there were a lot of people walking and lots of boats and ships. The food was good; seafood and meat but more fish than meat because they have the sea. I travelled by car the entire holiday. When I was on the promenade my brother went into the water and swam between the wood of the promenade and the boat. It was funny! I would recommend this place because it was interesting, beautiful and you have a lot of culture that you can learn about. It was a great place to visit!

I got there by plane. The trip was terrible; I was on the plane for fourteen hours. When I was in Canada I stayed at my auntâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house for one month or more. There I went to school but at weekends I visited the city. I visited Niagara Falls. It was very nice; enormous and wonderful. I also visited a very interesting museum. It was very big and there were lots of things there. I also visited a very big lake, the water was very clean and the sun was shining all day. I then visited a National Geographic zoo because my uncle was working there. I caught a spider and a snake in my hands. It was very exciting and great fun. I had lunch in a French restaurant and I ate a very disgusting snail cake. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember how I got around the city because I was always with my aunt. One day I got lost in a very big furniture shop but eventually my aunt found me. I thought that Canada was a very nice country. There are lots of houses with gardens but also there is a modern part with big blocks of flats.

Mojacar Marta Santiago Senior 4 I will never forget my visits to Mojacar Beach. It is one of the best beaches I have ever seen. Mojacar is in Almeria in Spain. I like going to this beach because it has nothing in common with other Spanish beaches. I think it is one of the reasons why my parents decided to buy a beach house there. I always spend my holidays there. I don’t mind going to the same place every holiday because I always have a great time. In the future I would like to carry on going to Mojacar. I love sunbathing and being in this place because I have a lot of friends who I am looking forward to seeing again. When I was younger I used to go to Mojacar with my parents but now I usually spend my time with my friends. I love going with them above all to “chiringuitos” on the beach every night where we are always laughing, singing, playing the guitar… to sum up, having fun. I have been going to Mojocar since I was born but the last two years have been the most enjoyable because my mother allows me to go out at night. That’s why I’m very excited because when I finish the British Council course I’m going to Mojacar. I recommend you go.

Accommodation for visitors in Madrid Lorena Caracue Senior 9 Madrid is one of the most visited cities in the world, since it has a lot to offer. Every year, the capital city of Spain attracts millions of tourists that may find trouble in choosing their accommodation. Consequently, we’re going to explain some aspects of this point, thus making your stay in Madrid an unforgettable experience DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACCOMMODATION. It’s well known that the city provides a good number of hotels placed in the most emblematic places, that’s why this option is perfect for almost everyone. However, by no account should we forget the existence of hostels all over the city. What is more, there are families willing to open the door of their house to visitors for a reasonable price. They will share the knowledge about the place and help the tourist get in touch with the culture. WHICH TYPE OF ACCOMMODATION SUITS YOU THE MOST? For those families with little children who would enjoy

meeting other kids and playing, choosing an open place with a good offer of activities is a must. Without doubt the best option for them and for those whose priority isn’t to watch over their economy during the trip is to book a room in a hotel. If you aren’t thinking of spending too much money on your accommodation, then you should rent a room in a hostel or stay with a host family in lieu of any other consideration. This will be perfect if you come to Madrid in groups of young people, couples, or if you just don’t worry about being closer to other people instead of isolating yourself for a higher amount of money. HOW TO FIND AND BOOK THE ACCOMMODATION BEFORE ARRIVING IN THE CITY? Any information that you may need about your accommodation can be found on the internet. Madrid’s official website will provide you with many details about what to do in case you’re not sure about which option to take. Take it for granted, all the hotels and hostel have their own website. Try booking the best one for your situation in www.madrid. org. Of course, the tourist office is open from 9am to 8 pm and will help anyone to plan their stay perfectly. Madrid is waiting for you!

Paris María Martín Junior 3 The best place I have ever visited is Paris. I went to Paris two years ago, in October of 2010. I travelled by plane with my family (my mother, my father and my sister). The weather was terrible; it was raining the whole week that we were there. We stayed in a hotel near the Disneyland resort Paris. It was a four star hotel. Every morning we went to the theme park and in the afternoon we went to visit the most important places in the city. We went to the Eiffel Tower (it was very high), the cathedral of Notre Dame (it was enormous) and the Louvre museum (there you can find the best paintings in the world). When we went to visit the city we had dinner there in some restaurants. The food was delicious. I think the best food I have tried is the food of Paris. My favourite food was the croissant which is delicious when you have it with milk for breakfast. We travelled around by taxi when we wanted to visit some place in the city.

Scotland Lucía Alonso 3 Junior The best place I have ever visited is Scotland. I went there in the summer of 2000. I travelled by plane. It wasn’t the first time I had been on a plane. When I arrived it was raining a little bit so we picked up a car and we went to Edinburgh. We stayed in a hotel with very beautiful views. The first thing that we saw was the castle of Edinburgh. It was very big and so beautiful. When we left it started to rain a lot. We saw the Highlands and then we saw Loch Ness. After that we travelled to Liverpool and I saw the Beatles museum. When we were in the city we moved around on foot but for long trips we went by a rented car. When I was in the Highlands I saw cows with lots of hair. They were like cows with a fringe.

The food was very good. I liked it because at breakfast we ate fried eggs, haggis, mushrooms and bacon. At lunch we always had a sandwich and for dinner we went out to a restaurant. One thing that happened to me was when I was on the beach. While I was looking at some seats on the beach, my parents left the beach and took the car. They abandoned me on the beach! After half an hour they realised I wasn’t with them and came back for me. When I got into the car I laughed so much. I recommend this place because it is so beautiful and interesting. There are lots of castles, many of them in ruins but they are interesting too. In Scotland there is a lot of green grass and lots of funny sheep. It was raining most days but it was beautiful when it was sunny.

One day we were coming back to the hotel after an excursion when it started to rain. We had to take a taxi but we got lost in the city. We arrived at the hotel at twelve o’ clock. We slept soundly all night. Finally I would like to say that I will never forget this trip. I recommend it to all my friends. If you love culture and good food then you have to travel to Paris.

Ruth McNamara with her 8 Seniors at her session The Whale Rider as part of our celebration of our reading programme 11 Magical Days in April

What’s the Story? A Disease with a Marriageable Ending Carla López Senior 6 That morning George woke up earlier than he should have on holidays. George had been alone for three hours with his girlfriend’s parents, so George urgently needed to get out of the car to breathe some fresh air and feel better. The reason why George was making that journey with his parents-in-law was because Celine, his girlfriend, was very ill in a hospital which was in Puente Genil, Celine’s village. When George and Celine’s parents arrived at Puente Genil the village looked really different from what George had remembered because Puente Genil looked sad and dark. George walked fast along Puente Genil’s streets to find

the hospital in which Celine had been taken to because George wanted to see how Celine was at that moment. When George arrived, he was really frightened because George thought that Celine was worse. However, and to his surprise, Celine was really well. At that moment, Celine had no temperature and she looked like a healthier person. Celine and George talked for two hours and then George decided he wanted to tell Celine something. At first, Celine couldn’t imagine anything wrong or right, but when George began to speak with a ring in his hand, Celine discovered what he wanted. Without thinking, Celine said, “of course, yes!” George couldn’t believe Celine’s words and he started to jump up and down with happiness. One year later, and with Celine recovered from her disease, Celine and George got married in the best church in France.

Daniel drew a comic about a dog called Ronaldo and his daily routine. Daniel Encinas Pink (Valdeluz)

The Magic Treasure Alba Mancheño Lucía Forjanes María Fernández Junior 2

Sollanum

“ALARM!

Alex Relloso Senior 6

CODE 1! ALARM!” Then a huge explosion happened. Martin was very frightened.

As soon as he got of the car; Martin felt uneasy. It was his first day in his new job in the Wexford Medical Institute. He arrived at the building’s hall, and a very nice secretary asked him his name. “I’m Martin Connors”, he said nervously. “Of course, we were waiting for you,” she answered smiling. Martin felt more relaxed. After that he started doing a tour of the Institute. “In the W.M.I we study the most advanced medical Technologies. We are at the top of the industry”, the guide said. “Now we will see the room where all this Amazing discoveries take place.” Martin was completely amazed. In front of his eyes he saw lots of scientists and people working very hard. “The last innovation of the W.M.I is a new chemicals hormonal stimulator called “Sollanum” which will give to the person extraordinary strength and the ability to fly. However, it has not been tested yet.” Suddenly Martin heard:

“ALARM! The Sollanum is out!” Martin started feeling very strange. He fainted. When he woke up a lot of people were staring at him. They were all whispering. Finally, an old man, who seemed to be a scientist, said to him: “Hi boy, I’m Professor Marcus Wordlville, nice to meet you.” Martin was confused. “Nice… nice to meet you”, he said too. “Ok, now I’ll explain to you what has happened. You have received an extraordinary power. Now, “Sollanum” is inside you. You are now like a real superhero! And remember: “A big power leads a big responsibility”, Martin heard that, and before he fainted again, he thought: “What a wonderful first day on the job.”

Julia San Román, Miguel de la Roca, Daniel Ferrando Junior 4 with their teacher John Liddy reading William Allingham’s poem The Fairies in a flash read during 11 Magical days in April

Marta Torres Yellow

Mario Alonso Yellow

The Robbery Gonzalo García de Fernando Senior 6 As soon as he got out of the car, Martin felt uneasy. He knew for a long time this moment would arrive, however, he had never before thought about it. That day he and his friends were going to rob a bank. Although they had been planning the robbery for several months, Martin had never realised what he was going to do.

´Here´s Nacho´s comic strip about a lion called King. Nacho Soli Pinks (Valdeluz)

At first, when he got out of the car, he saw a family getting into the bank. He began to think and he suddenly started feeling uncomfortable. The view of the mother with her children had had an enormous change of mood on him. “Could it happen to my wife and my son?” he asked himself. He looked at his friends and as they seemed not to panic like him, he tried to forget his own feelings. They entered into the bank. In spite of calming himself and relaxing, as soon as the time went by he was becoming more and more anxious. He managed to behave normally, however he could not. And then he saw the mother with the children again, and he fell on his knees. His friends came to ask him if he was alright, and he told them he could not commit the robbery of the bank. He had destroyed the operation they had been planning for months. Finally, he got out of the bank. His friends thought they were able to do the robbery without Martin’s help; however they were caught by the police. Since then, Martin has not even thought of going to the bank again.

Marta Torres Yellow

Story Football Pablo Junior 5 (Valdeluz) Julia knew that this would be the happiest day of her life. She and her professional football players were going to play against the current champion of the league. They were so excited and they seemed careless about what was going to happen that day. “We can do it,” encouraged the coach. “But be careful with the players from the other team,” he advised. The match was going to be played at eight o’clock. And finally the match started so it wasn’t expected that the

ball was always in the others teams hands they were moving, passing and kicking it until they scored a goal. They moved so quickly and it was impossible to stop them. The other team seemed very bubbly. But as each minute passed they were more tired and Julia’s team started getting the ball. The other team made Julia angry. But Julia stated that they were kicking and punching her to the referee. “That is a foul,” she claimed. “No, it’s not,” denied the referee. Julia was so angry she caught the ball, kicked it from the centre of the court and did an amazing shot. It was an incredible goal and she suggested to the other team to shut up and stop making fouls. She was very excited.

Ignacio Arqueros Senior 6 As soon as he got out of the car, Martin felt uneasy. They had seen him, he was totally sure, but what was even worse he wasn’t able to escape, and by now every man would be looking for him. He needed to disappear and quickly. He got in the car again and started driving, but as he was accelerating his car he couldn’t think of anything but one word: guilty. And it kept coming time after time, soon cold sweat started to cover his back. He couldn’t feel guilty, but actually was. That death was horrible, but Patrick was also a horrible person, wasn’t he? And Martin started to remember: Patrick had arrived directly from the poor part of the country, and everybody loved and respected him because he was poor, or that was what Martin thought. And as Patrick’s popularity was increasing, Martin’s was getting lower and lower. Patrick had been evil with him, and he paid for it, or that was Martin’s point of view at first. But suddenly he could remember how Patrick had helped him in certain moments, and that he didn’t mean to bother him in any way. He finally understood how cruel he had been with Patrick and how his jealousy had made him act in a violent way. Eventually he slowed down the car until it stopped. He was able to see the police car getting closer and closer until falling dead because of a crime he committed or did he?

Mar Leyra produced a lovely comic about a little cat and what it does on a typical day Pinks (Valdeluz)

The Wizard’s Secret Pablo Míguez Nacho García Junior 5

That’s what I think! Adverts

Lucía Martínez and Marta Aroyo Red

Juan Alburquerque Senior 9 The advert I remember the most is one about beer. Curiously, I am not capable of saying exactly which beer brand but I am pretty sure it was Carlsberg. It was about a couple who had a purchased their now home, some friends of theirs came to pay them a visit so the couple played the role of guides. Naturally, the man led all the men and his girlfriend and the other women. The point was that when the women saw the huge dressing room they started to yell as if they were teens in love. At that moment, the men were contemplating the fridge which was full of beers and they began to cry exactly the same way. So then, the most evident feature of the ad is that it was funny but it has a lot hidden. It is stereotyping both men and women in two ways which have nothing to do with each other. Women are presented as we could say, posh, but I think that the best word is stupid. Men are introduced as alcoholics but in a funny way which doesn’t bother anyone.

Anyway, I think that humour in ads is a brilliant technique, if not the best. But Spaniards, when joking, are very prone to stereotype which I regard as a problem. Other ads, especially ones related to kitchenware are usually chauvinistic, we only see so-called housewives (they are usually actresses) and no men. I deeply think this should be banned since ads have a great influence in society, especially in children. These kids when they are older, could have this fixed stereotype that only women do the washing up.

Lately, a lot of charismatic or wellknown celebrities are appearing in ads. This is catching up a lot, for example, George Clooney in Nespresso’s or Carmen Lomana in Burger King. Maybe these ads could influence society more, as we all want to be like them and we do emulate them. I humbly believe that advertisements do have an effect on society and people.

Are you an Internet Addict? Monica Gordo Villanueva Senior 7 Do you worry about the internet thinking about your last connection or bringing forward your next session? Do you need to use the internet everyday? Do you frequently neglect work, study and leisure activities to spend some time surfing the internet? Has your mobile phone got the internet because you can´t live without it? Do you chat with your friends when you are in class, at work or even in a family meeting? If the answer is yes, then you may well be an internet addict. An internet addict is someone who can´t resist the urge to use the internet everyday at every moment. The main symptoms are the need to surf the internet or chat which takes precedence over everything else, and withdrawal symptoms if the person isn’t able to use the internet, such as agitation, stress, insomnia and an ability to concentrate. Other problems include dreams about the internet, anxiety and obsessive thoughts about what will be happening on the internet at the moment. Due to the absence of the internet, the person feels a deterioration and an uneasiness in their social life at work. The root of the problem is the need to increase the time using the internet in order to get satisfaction. According to the experts, internet addiction is increasing in our society, especially among the young. So what can you do if you think you may be an internet addict? The key is to demonstrate to yourself that you would be able to live without the internet. Make a schedule with your connections and be very strict carrying them out. Spend more time doing other leisure activities and being with your family and, above all, don’t forget that in the past, people could live without the internet.

Family Events Jorge López Senior 9 Family events, at least in my opinion, are just boring, so I feel happy that they take place just once or twice a year, usually at New Years´ Eve. At least the food isn’t bad. When we have a family dinner we usually go to my mother’s little brother’s house, where up to twenty five people can meet all of my uncles, aunties and cousins are in the same room. I can not stand most of them. From the small hyperactive devil that can’t stop running to the grumpy uncle who is constantly complaining about something. But despite that, they’re still my family, so I love them. The dinner, when we’re all sitting together, is when you can listen to the others talk about things you don’t care about and its surprising the amount of crap they say: they criticise the family who are not present, show their ignorance and talk like they know everything, when they’re usually wrong and hardly ever right. There is also that awkward moment when the table is separated into two groups one arguing with the other and they ask for your opinion. Most of the time I act as if I had no opinion about that but it`s just to avoid problems so I keep my opinion to myself. But things get worse. After dinner, people start drinking, dancing…but not to normal music. They dance to Spanish folklore or Christmas carols, so at that moment I make an alliance with my father who feels more or less like me, and with an excuse to go home, where I can be really comfortable.

Laughter: The Best Medicine Gonzalo Martínez Junior 3

Fun in my life Itziar Pizarro Junior 3

Try to laugh a lot, develop a sense of humour and watch funny films. Also, if you go to the circus and see the clowns, you can laugh a lot.

Fun is important because it is healthy. If you laugh lots of times in your life you will live longer. I think that I will live a lot because I am always laughing. At the British Council I always laugh because my friend Paula is very funny! She always makes me smile. I´ve had lots of beautiful days because I love smiling and making funny faces and other things.

Why do people say that “Laughter is the best medicine?” The answer for this expression is because when you laugh you can resolve a difficult problem. Laughter is good for the body and the mind.

My friends are very funny. I always laugh when I´m with them. For example, last Saturday I went to the cinema with my friends and when I was going to my seat and fell over and everybody started to laugh (me too!) I always fall over and I don’t know why.

But why am I a good laugh?

Then the film started. We were watching a comedy but at the end, one of the characters died. And I started to laugh again. It was a funny day.

Some things that you can do to have fun are:

I’m a good laugh because I think that I tell good and funny jokes, I worry when my friends aren’t happy or they have problems with their family and others. I make people smile when they aren’t happy

To have fun I do lots of things: play basketball, watch films, meet my friends etc. My friends say that I´m not normal because they don’t know anybody who laughs more than me. I have met someone who is funnier. She is called Paula. She is always laughing! That´s not normal!

Fun Sara Lucía Moncayola. Junior 3 I think having fun is important because when you laugh you feel better and forget all your problems. Laughter is good for your heart and your blood circulation, too. I have had fun on many occasions. I laugh with my family and with my friends. My friends always do stupid or funny things like tell jokes or make funny faces. My family sing and dance crazily and tell jokes. With my friends I laugh a lot. One4 day, in summer, one of my friends started to make funny faces and she didn’t stop for one hour! I laughed a lot that day. I laugh watching comedy programmes too because they are so funny. When I laugh I feel better than before and I have a good time. I think that people must laugh more because if they laugh, they will feel better and forget their problems.

Fun María Florez Mora Junior 3 Having fun is very important for me because it helps me to forget the bad things in my life. I always have fun with my friends because they make funny faces all the time. I like making a fool of myself to make people laugh because people (my friends, family) have a good time and I enjoy that and it makes me happy. A few days ago I had the best time of my life, I think. I was with my sister and I was sad because I had a bad mark at school. My sister started to make a fool of herself and she didn`t stop for one hour. She made me laugh a lot and she helped me to forget the bad mark and I forgot all the bad things. Fun and laughter are the best things in my life and they are the best things free in our lives.

Globalisation good news or bad? José Antonio Fernández Senior 10 Today, globalisation is considered to be the main objective of our economic system. The point is: do we know exactly what the word “globalisation” stands for? When society comes to think about its definition, the vast majority of people mention a few statements which are perfectly right. However, several important meanings are unknown and left apart. The actual definition is a process by which businesses or other organisations start operating on a global scale. However, are we really aware of all the benefits and drawbacks that globalisation carries? Undoubtedly, the first thing which should be taken into account, as the most remarkable global element, is the way Internet is influencing our trading and communication habits. By now I quite agree with this technological change as almost everybody is able to shop in just a few clicks. Actually it is with global networking resources we all have on the palm of our hands. Unsurprisingly, over five hundred million people are already signed up on. What social networking implies is that, for instance, Wang Zu, from China can be easily good friends with Jake who is from the States even though there are thousands of miles between them. Clearly, this fact eases our lives exponentially.

Moreover, everything seems more positive than it is because globalisation is one of the main problems that several countries have. As it is well known to everyone, China is becoming more and more important in the European economy. This fact is due to their industrial production costs which are significantly lower in comparison to Europe or America. What is more, some European corporations which were mainly focused on textile production have gone bankrupt. Additionally, while western companies have been gradually disappearing, Chinese businesses have been growing more and more. Obviously, something which, in my view, should be strongly revised and regulated. In terms of culture, globalisation is the best that could have happened to the world. Thankfully, the utopian idea of having a common culture, available everywhere in the world, has now become a reality. Spain was never given allowance to show art work from the Hermitage Museum in Russia. Now The Prado is hosting one of the best displays of art in the world, which is a magnificent event. All things considered, it could be said that globalisation is a brilliant concept. Nevertheless, we do have to be concerned about what “worldwide” implies, especially in economic terms because, after all, are we not ruled by an international organism?

The last time I was in the limelight Virginia Saloedo Senior 7 The last time I was in the limelight was during my graduation from high-school that’s the reason why I decided to call it “the last.” Everything started when the headmaster suggested that I should give the final speech, the most important one, in which I’d have to face the teachers as well as my mates and friends. If I could have just rejected it, I’d have done so, but that’s not the point, the point is that I do hate speaking in front of crowds because I usually get nervous or start trembling. However, I had to face facts, I’d have to give that speech, so I tried to convince myself that I was able to do it. The day of the graduation finally came, I got to the school where the event was held, and in a blink of an eye I was on the stage. I had tried to be calm but at first it wasn’t possible due to the people taking pictures, and the pressure of the families, friends and teachers watching me. I started summarising some of the most important points of the year, by then, I was feeling sick, I really needed to get out of there. I even felt worried about people hating my speech. However, eventually I became more self confident and when I got to the part where I had to thank teachers and the headmaster for their hard work, I was relieved, because in the end it hadn’t been that difficult and it had finally ended.

Hornimans Tea Report In The Limelight

Estefanía Reinares Senior 8 The following report will address the current Hornimans situation. I will talk about how to increase sales of this tea company mentioning new flavours and also marketing strategies. Sales of Hornimans tea in Spain have dropped over the last few years. Right now, this company has a lot of different flavours, such as classical (which attracts a large variety of consumers) strawberry and chocolate which is aimed at young people), mint (for adults enjoyment) or peach (which is directed towards old people). However, it would be a bright idea to launch a new flavour: tutti-frutti as it will attract a lot of people (despite their age), because it is a flavour that would remind us of beautiful moments and of course because it is one of them that

would never be unfashionable. Who has never experienced a wonderful moment testing the pure and fresh flavour of tuttifrutti? A good point to have in mind is the marketing strategies. Nowadays we instantly choose the product which is more visually attractive and not the one that has the best flavour. To increase sales, Hornimans should sell the tea in cute boxes with bright or pastel colours (depending on the flavour).furthermore a good slogan would help to sell it for example: drink it, enjoy it, live it).This would attract more people. Having considered all of these points, I think that the best option would be to try new things such as the tutti-frutti flavour and the packaging, including the slogan.

Estefanía Reinares enjoying a cuppa with Beatriz de Navacues, Nerea Morencos and Ana Navarette

Paula Otero Senior 7 I have been dancing ballet since I was three years old. I can’t remember when I started to want to be a dancer but I’m sure I have never thought about any other option. I am going to talk about the day of my exam to enter the Imperial Royal Ballet Academy. It was the 6th of May, it was raining outside and I was dressed in my ballet costume, waiting for my turn. There were about fifty girls like me, maybe one or two years older. Some of them were scared, others were smiling stupidly and others were talking with their parents. I was trembling. I am not shy but this exam scared me to death. When my turn arrived and I came into the room and I saw that all the teachers’ eyes were on me, I was in the limelight. I walked to the centre of the stage and I started the Choreography that I’d been preparing for months. Sincerely, it was not as bad as I had expected. I could see on their faces that I was doing it right and at the end of the dance they told me I was accepted into the academy. I was really excited. I have written about this experience because it was one of the days I felt the most nervous about being the focus of attention, but on the other hand, it was one of the best days of my life.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet Myriam Cañedo- Argüelles. Junior 4 Nowadays almost everyone in the world has had contact with computers. I think using the Internet has more advantages than disadvantages. First of all, the Internet provides access to a lot of information. Some of it is very useful in your job and some is useful for your hobby. Searching the net with Google, you can find everything you want. You can also do your shopping using the Internet. Of course there is no point in buying a roll, but if you need something inaccessible, you will be able to buy it in an Internet shop. The next advantage of the Internet is e-mail. Internet e-mails get to their destinations in a few seconds. Of course you can not only send texts. You can e-mail whatever you want-movies, photos, songs, computer programmes etc. Beside a lot of advantages, the Internet has some disadvantages too. The first of the disadvantages is that people who spend too much time sitting in front of a computer can easily get ill. Radiation emitted by a computer screen is harmful to our eyes. The second disadvantage is that the Internet can be addictive. Some people just can’t live without it. They have no real friends and when the Internet is down they get furious. The Internet has some opponents but more and more people treat the Internet like a radio or a telephone. They use it for fun and work, and I think at present, living without the Internet would be quite difficult.

Tobacco Marta Ocaño Junior 5 Nowadays it’s really popular to see many people smoking and they look happy. It’s really easy to see the smokers outside their office for example because they cannot smoke inside because it’s banned but in the near future they won’t be able to smoke in any public place. Tobacco gives lots of jobs to many people and thanks to it they earn money. Also people enjoy smoking and in a week, for example, they pay a lot of money, some of it goes to the Government, for example tax, so they’ll never ban it completely. However, there are negative things about tobacco because people who grow and make it are probably in the street looking for a new job because in the tobacco factory they have put some machines that do all the work and they don’t need any employees. Another bad thing is that smokers have a shorter life than other people because smoking is really unhealthy. Also it’s more difficult to concentrate and do sports. Moreover they depend on tobacco and the worst thing is that they can die. To conclude I think that tobacco is really bad. I’m not at all in favour of smoking. I know that many people of my age have started to smoke already and I think that it’s the worst thing that they could do. I know that smokers think that tobacco makes them feel better and I think that it’s really sad because you can feel better doing sport or talking with your friends.

Reading

Languages

Inés Pajares Senior 9

Sergio Juan Alburquerque Senior 9

Nowadays, people no longer read books, instead they watch T.V.

How do I feel about language? Strange question, I must say. I have never thought about it before.

When people are tired, they just sit on the sofa and watch TV, which isn’t bad at all but we should try to read as well. In my opinion, when you have had a bad day, we should open a book and start reading, by doing this, not only do we forget about our problems but we also relax and feel we are in a different world where the characters of the story are our neighbours, friends or family. And, as recent research has discovered, this improves our imagination.

In my opinion, language is the culmination of the evolution of human beings. It is the way we relate to each other, express ourselves and it allows us to live and mature. A language is born, usually from another one, and spreads throughout a territory. It evolves and finally it can die, last forever (which is extremely difficult) or it can evolve so much that it becomes another language.

Also, years ago, people would get a book to find information whereas these days we just have to click and all the information we could possibly imagine appears on the screen. Although we don’t waste time looking for information, the fact that everything comes instantly makes people impatient, and children, for example, will assume that everything comes without making an effort, which is completely the opposite outlook compared to years ago. By stopping reading, we are forgetting our culture, our general knowledge. We should all read the classics, such as books written by Shakespeare, Cervantes or Jane Austen, or biographies which will make us see things from the author’s point of view. We can learn from the writers’ mistakes and enjoy the experiences they once lived. As Groucho Marx once said, “I find television very educational, every time someone switches it on, I go to another room and start reading.” This phrase should convince us that we should all read a bit from time to time.

Regarding Spanish, I have to say that it appeals to me. It sounds sweet, well not as sweet as English does, but not as abrupt as German. What Spanish from Spain lacks is a bit of intonation. In America and the South of Spain it does have a certain tune. But Spanish, in general, is very rich when describing the moment when something has happened, just by changing the verbal tense. With regards to the second language I am learning, I should write about English. I am also learning French and German but given that I am writing this in English it´s the one I know the most about, it seems that it is the most reasonable choice. And why do I study English? Well, actually, I don´t know. Everybody says that it is to get a job and I suppose it is logical but the truth is that everybody who is well educated is capable of speaking English. Anyway, if one is studying English to find a job, then he should study another language to have a real advantage with respect to other people. The main reason why I study English is because I am keen on it. When I started to study English seriously I hated it a bit because I found it boring and I did it unwillingly. But then I travelled to London and it was a beautiful sensation, because I could understand people and communicate with them so in that trip I was bitten by the English bug. It happened more or less the same way as French. I didn’t like it at first but as time has gone by, I´ve grown to like it. And that is how I feel about language. We must make a good use of it.

The Status of Languages These Days Lorena Caracuel Mateos Senior 9 Human beings and language are two concepts intimately related. Aristotle had an explicit conception of humans: he put forward the theory that every man is a social animal. Actually, the truth of this statement is widely demonstrated. We have always thought of society as a requisite, given the need for perpetuating the species and interacting between us. And how do human beings communicate with each other? By using language. Nowadays, t’s estimated that 6,900 languages exist in the world. What is more, many of their speakers have a good command of at least two of them. Moreover, parents focus on their children’s education, encouraging them to become polyglot and gaining knowledge of the predominant cultures. Globalisation plays an important role in this fact, as the supremacy of languages such as Chinese, Spanish or English - the dominant lingua franca - entails the disappearance of many other languages. Not in vain, scientific research and sociological analyses show up the importance of having a good grasp of a lingua franca. Not only does it mean reaching more possibilities in our professional future, but also more ease at dealing with problems wherever we are in the world. All of these points lead us to the conclusion that as we tend to think in our mother tongue, no matter how widely it’s used, the general inclination is to contribute to the preponderance of a few languages, especially those controlling the financial market and the technological development. Thus, we’re doomed to increase the expansion of the dominant languages to the detriment of the weaker ones, in a system where globalisation stands out as the main cause.

My dream house Paloma Camemero Senior 4 My dream house, would be a house on a Hawaian island. That’d be really interesting, because the house would occupy the entire perimeter of the island, and the rest of it, would be my garden, so the garden would be a jungle where I could hunt some species. If my island had a river or a lake, I could use it as a swimming pool, and that would be amazing. If I had all of that, I’d be the queen of my space, like a city or like a country. I could experiment with nature, and when I’d be walking by the zones of the island, I could discover the true meaning of life. The decoration would be modern and exotic, and I’d have servants working for me, so I wouldn’t do anything. My door would be near the beach, just next to the sand of the beach, because I’d wake every morning and go to the beach, and relax all the time. The transport? That’s not a problem on an island, so I’d have a ship for moving to other islands and meeting people like me, that is to say, the richest people in the world. The kitchen would have a lot of food, it’d be big so for me it’d be the best and the most important part of my house, because, if you eat well, you’ll be happy :) My living room would be near to the kitchen, and would be modern like the rest of the house, it’d have a TV and speakers, because I love music so much. My bedroom would be the only room in the house which would be totally pink, because I love pink! It’d be really, really, really big, it’d have a lot of mirrors and a dresser where I could put my clothes, my shoes, and other things. My house must have a catwalk because I love it, and I’d spend all my free time walking on it whilst wearing my best costumes and dresses.

Memory Sara Mozo Senior 5 When you have a good memory it means you can remember things more easily than other people. Maybe you can study for your History exam in only one hour or remember how many tables are in your grandmother’s house, you can even learn how to draw just by looking at pictures. Having a good memory is very useful for studying. Some people need an hour to learn two pages but people with a special memory can learn it in half an hour so they have more time to study more things and relax. When you have to remember facts and information it’s very useful to write them a few times, or say them out loud. Other techniques are making a diagram of what you have to study. Other qualities that are useful are, for example, being intelligent

because you can understand better what you’re studying and it can make it easier. Also, having concentration lets you study quietly and better. Having enough sleep helps your brain to work better and faster. As I said before, copying and observing are very useful exercises to remember things, even if you haven’t got a good memory. I have a lot of problems when I study, because I haven’t got enough concentration to study and I waste a lot of time starting at the book. But I have two good qualities: I can remember things remembering the drawings on the pages. The other good skill I have is when I have an exam I don’t get nervous, I am always relaxed, even if I didn´t sleep well. In my opinion, having a good memory isn’t enough to get good marks. You have to be motivated and have a little bit of concentration.

Public Speaking Inés

del Caz. Senior 7

I had never thought about participating in a maths quiz, so when a group of people and I were asked to enter the UCM Spring Quiz, I was really surprised. At first, I did not feel like going to preparation classes every week, but after doing the first exam successfully, I realised it was a good opportunity to do something different. So I participated, with the idea that I had no chance of winning. There were lots of people who seemed they had been doing that kind of thing since they were born. I got out of there having answered 18 out of 25 questions. Two weeks later my teacher phoned me and said I was one of the winners. I thought he was lying, but it was true. I felt really excited. Then he told me that I had to give a speech in the school. That was good, but I didn’t want to talk in front of more than 150 people, and I didn’t have enough time to prepare. The day arrived and I was so nervous that I regretted having done the quiz. I just wanted to go back to my normal life. But when I started to speak, I thought “this will probably never happen again” and I became more confident. When I finished, everyone clapped and smiled. A lot of people congratulated me and I realised that these things are really great if you decide to make a little effort.

Stress Can Be Reduced by Playing Sport Almudena Blanco 6 Senior I’d like to begin this essay by saying that I fully agree with the title which shows us the importance of playing sports to get rid of stress. Doing physical exercise is important because it makes you relax and feel peaceful and rejuvenated after doing it. In my own case when I suffer from stress because of exams or friendships, I get doing taekwondo every Monday and Wednesday or having a shower to relax. However, doing taekwondo can cause stress when I participate in some competitions and I have a really demanding trainer. In addition, there are of course other ways of relaxing such as reading a book, watching an entertaining film, hanging out with your friends, going for a walk, sunbathing…furthermore there are some sports which are particularly good for helping to avoid stress such as boxing, running, swimming and many more. In conclusion, therefore, I believe that distracting yourself by practising sports or other interesting activities can help us to avoid feeling stressed out.

My Ideal House Julia Ochando Senior 4 All of us dream of an ideal house. Mine is not situated in a very big city. I prefer to live in England where each family has their own house, with a little garden in front and two floors. My future house is a comfortable place. The outside is more important for me because I’ve lived in a flat for many years. The house has a garden; I’ve always wanted a vegetable garden so I can plant my own fruit and vegetables. The garden is not too big, I just want a quiet place to have breakfast in the morning, read a book or play with water in the summer. At the front of the house there is a porch to stay on in the warm evenings, with a few steps to the door. Inside there is a big kitchen, one or two bathrooms, a room to study or work and a living room with a fireplace for freezing cold winter. My room is in the attic where I can see the sky from the bed and I have my own bedroom.

Panda Picture Dictation Blanca Jouve Jaime Martínez Raquel de las Peñas Hannah Norwood’s Pandas were asked to: Draw a table. Draw a red train on the table. Draw a green car under the table. Draw a blue bike next to the table. Draw a yellow sun in the sky. Here are some of the extraordinary results:

Blanca Jouve

Jaime Martínez

My house is not too big, but I prefer it like this, I just want a nice place to spend happy moments and to remember when I’m older. Raquel de las Peñas

The book of your life Clara Veja Senior 9 These days, technology is being developed very quickly and each day there is something new to learn about in this amazing world. However, everything has its price and the creation of e-books, televisions, computers etc might mean the disappearance of an endangered species. A book is a box full of stories about pirates, lovers, spies and princes who become frogs. Reading a book is more than moving your head slightly or leafing the pages carelessly: a book is a little piece of who you are. How many times have you seen a person in the metro reading one of your favourite books and you have sensed a touching feeling about that person? Readers are all connected by a web created by the writer, who gives us the opportunity to dream about a universe far from our routine and our problems. We lend them to our friends, we search for them in a library and we study what they have to teach us. E-books are just a cold imitation of what a book is meant to be. You can devour a book, taste their words slowly or just smell the pages and touch the printed letters you´ve just read. Nevertheless, an e-book is slow, you have to charge it and you might have it stolen before finish paying the fortune they cost. In conclusion, I don’t think that in a few decades books will be confined to an old book shop whilst computers take over the world. Paper will always win this war because technology will never be able to copy the feelings of a good reader enjoying a new book; unique and special.

Paula Maldonado Senior 8 Introduction My main aim of writing this report is to show the strategy with which I am going to increase the sales of Hornimans tea in Spain.

The sales strategy I have been studying all the information of Hornimans and I have found an interesting fact about why the majority of young people don’t drink tea. Unconsciously they see tea as a drink for old people, it could be because it´s a hot drink or due to their ingredients, but everyone knows the reality. So I think it would be a good idea if we create a new line of tea only for the youth and if it has good results; another for adults and senior people.

Choice and amazing new flavours Why we have dropped in sales is the question that every Hornimans employee has to ask himself. My answer was that we don’t connect with our customers so I have requested people of different ages to get to know which flavours they prefer. The fruity and the strong ones were chosen by the young people. The classic and the weak ones are the best according to adults. And the apple, and surprisingly the passion raspberry are the favourite flavours of the seniors. Furthermore, I want to suggest putting new flavours like three chocolates or cherry and apricot.

Marketing strategies The advertisement campaign is fundamental to connect with the customer, so I am going to suggest some ideas for it. The campaign targeted at the younger market could be an eighteen year old boy who has had a horrible day and had an all night party and when he drinks tea he feels incredibly revitalized. To adults it is similar but the effect of the tea would be the opposite it makes them feel relaxed and comfortable after a day of hard work. And the senior campaign is about an old sporty person who drinks tea after an amazing day.

Conclusion To sum up this report I want to recommend my strategy to increase the sales and a new slogan; “It does not matter how you feel, with Hornimans you will feel at home.”

The two bad boys Gonzalo Bendala, Jaime Serrano Gabriel Cuesta Junior 2

Pocoyo Pocoyo, Elly and Pato came to visit the pandas and tigers because Pocoyo started his English studies enrolling at Madrid Young Learners!

ATCM Sheona Gilmour presents Primary folder designer Juan Hernández with his prize

Madrid Young Learners collaborated on the TV series “Let’s go Pocoyo” which is using Pocoyo and his friends to give 2-5 years olds their first encounter with English. Watch out for the credits at the end of the programme, it says “in collaboration with the British Council”.

Pocoyo gets some attention from a young admirer

Sheona Gilmore ATCM Madrid Young Learners Pocoyo does a little dance to amuse his friends

Pato chats to friends Junior folder design winner Sara Garrido with her creations

Senior folder design winner Álvaro López proudly displaying his creations

Pocoyo, Pato and Elly and their friends say Bye, Bye

Senior Quiz Senior 10

1. In what month did Extremaduro release their latest album? A) January B) March

C) May D) June

2. Who was shown a red card in the 2011 Champions League semi-finals? A) Pepe B) Ramos

C) Arbeloa D) June

3. Which Spanish city was visited most during 2012? A) Madrid B) Barcelona

C) Seville D) Zaragoza

4. Who won the Best Goalkeeper Award from the UEFA in 2011 Champions League? A) Casillas

C) Manuel Neves

B) Petr

D) Valdés

5. Which of the following songs is sung by “The Pretty Reckless”? A) Misguided ghosts

C) Lithium

B) Make me wanna die

D) Half-truism

6. How many British Council centres are there in Spain? A) 10 B) 11

C) 12 D) 13

7. Which song doesn’t Lady Gaga sing? A) Marry the night

C) The way you are

B) Judas

D) Born this way

8. Which of these teams scored the most points in the regular league in 2011? A) Madrid

C) Malaga

B) Barcelona

D) Salamanca

9. When did the North Korean dictator die? A) 18 December

C) 18 November

B) 19 December

D) 19 November

10. What number did Fernando Alonso have when he achieved his first victory? A) 16

C) 5

B) 8

D) 7

11. What is the name of the official Eminem CD? A) Hell the Squell

C) Recovery

B) Bod meets Evil

D) Relapse

12. Which member of Pink Floyd came to Madrid with “The Wall”?

A) David Gilmourd B) Roger Waters

C) Sting D) Bruce Springsteen

13. What is the name of a big river which passes through the southern part of the Madrid Autonomous Region? A) Ebro

C) Tajo

B) Guadalquivir

D) Miño

14. Which is the highest mountain in Spain? A) Gata

C) Picos de Europa

B) Teide

D) Mulhacén

15. Which of these athletes earns the most money? A) Cobe Bryan

C) Cristiano Ronaldo

B) Tiger Woods

D) Pau Gasol

16. How many sports are going to be included in the 2012 Olympic Games? A) 43

C) 27

B) 35

D) 22

17. Who founded facebook? A) Mark Zuckerburg

and Eduardo Saverin B) Mark Zuckerburg

C) Steve Jobs D) Gent Feleboss twins

18. Which of the following directors made Terminator 2? A) James Cameron

C) Quentin Tarantino

B) George Lucas

D) Francis Ford Coppola

Answers 1) C - 2) A - 3) A - 4) D - 5) B - 6) D - 7) C - 8) A - 9) B - 10) A - 11) B - 12) A - 13) B - 14) C - 15) B - 16) B - 17) C - 18) A - 19) A

MADRID YOUNG LEARNERS Pº General Martínez campos, 31 28010 Madrid

www.britishcouncil.es

T 91 337 3593 F 91 337 3600 e-mail: madrid.jovenes@britishcouncil.es