Telecommunications Vocabulary





 allowed
(ADJ) all right for them to do it
answer a phone
(V) to accept an incoming call
banned
(ADJ) officially prevented from doing it
be on the phone
(V) the state of being in the middle of a conversation with someone on the phone
call back
(V) to contact someone through phone after they unsuccessfully tried to call you
check your messages
(V) to call your voicemail and listen to recorded messages that were left when you missed phone calls
delete
(V) remove
get a call
(V) when someone tries to reach you through the phone
get a message
(V) to receive a oral note from someone when you missed their phone call
hang up the phone
(V) to end a phone conversation by setting the phone down
ignore
(V) pay no attention
leave a message
(V) to record a message on someone's answering machine
lower your voice
(V) to soften your speech to decrease its volume
make a call
(V) to dial a number on a phone in order to talk to someone else
polite
(ADJ) has good manners and is not rude to other people
respond
(V) react to something
rude
(ADJ) impolite
screen your calls
(V) to not answer calls because you are avoiding someone or many people
selfish
(N) care only about themselves and not about other people
send a text
(V) to type a short message to another person with your cell phone
take a message
(V) to hear a message that's for meant for someone else with the intent of telling them at a later time
thoughtful
(ADJ) quiet and serious because you are thinking about something
turn off your phone
(V) to shut down your cellular device
turn up
(V) increase the amount
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English Writing-Cell Phones


Anais
I have a cell phone. I think it is very useful because you can use it for many things, make a call, send emails, searching in internet... But the most important is "Communicate".
You must use your cell phone politely, and never talk and drive!!!
For me, one problem is choose the right plan. More companies raise prices execissively, and you can pay less and do the same things with your cell phone.

Cristina

ANDROID OR APPLE?

I choose Apple. I have had an Iphone for the last two years. It´s a Iphone 4, it´s a good cell phone. You can use either Iphone or Android to call, answer the phone, send a text message, take photographs, etc… But the differences between one and the other are a lot. Iphones are more thin and light, it has a bigger touchscreen and the quality of its photos is better. In conclusion Iphones are smarter. By this reasons and similar reasons, millions of persons in the world have a Iphone. Apple sold five millions of Iphone 5 in the last year. When my Iphone will be broken, I´ll buy another again.

Aida
In my opinion the cell phones are very useful because in this moment the communication with our friends and familiars are constant. 
I have a cell phone and I need to use all the time, its a illness because I can´t be without my cell phone. It´s a new complement more in my accessories that my handbag 

Forever they need to  know that happened in all time, You can to upload a photo in your profile´s  Facebook  if you have a cell phone last generation and  in this moment all your friends can add a comment , it´s incredible the speed that I have in our days. 

In addition the cell phones to use for emergency in any time, if you need to call at 3 o ´ clock and you stand in a beach you can to call if you have a cell phone´s and you don´t need to look for a phone.

But the cell phone´s can be hazardous if you don´t use correctly, for example , if you go in your car and you receive a call you can to choose in answer the phone and to be in dangerous situation or you ignore this call and call back when you don´t to stay in your car. All information of your life that bank code, photos, contacts are in your cell phones  and if you lost it you lost secret information too.

Zulema
I think that the cell phones are the invention of this century. Today the cell phones afford it to communicate all day and all sites. Now  you don’t need to be in house or in the office for to call by phone. You can call in the street, in one airport, in the sea…;when you have a problem in the car, in the street in the night…you ever can to call. When you work out the office you can solve the problems by phone. The same with the children, you can know  your children where are!.

But the cell phone are very cheap. The Telephone Companies charge much. To have a cell phone is not expensive.

Sometime talk on the cell phone no polite, because a Think wold be banned to talk in the train, plane, cinema. I think turn off the cell phone in all places with people dreams.  
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English Writing: My Most Memorable Trip

ELENA

If I have to point out a memorable trip it would be the one I made to New York City. It was the first time I took a plane and the experience was awesome but a little bit long. During a week I saw lots of things but one of the most remarkable was when I went up to The World Trade Center. I had never been in a building so high and the views were absolutely breathtaking.

Also I visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was enormous, so I had to choose what period of art I was going to see. Finally, I chose the Ancient Egypt. The masterpieces were fantastic, all of them: statues, coffins and temples were magnificent. Another day, I decided to see the famous musical “Cats” which was overrun with tourists every night. I really enjoyed the show even I couldn’t understand it very well.

In hindsight, I blew a lot of money on this trip but it was beautiful. I visited the most popular places like Central Park, Empire State building or Times Square, but if I come back again, I would like to wander off the beaten and look for unknown places.

BEGOÑA

When I was young I used to rough it in each travel I did. That's way the trip to the Riviera Maya, in Mexico, was one of the best I've taken, as we were lodged in a 5 stars beach resort, and that was completely new for me at that time.
We took a nonstop flight, from Madrid to Cancun. When we arrived to the hotel I went directly to the beach. The sightseeing over the turquoise sea was magnificent. We could dive several times during the week and see so many different multi-coloured aquatic species. It was really incredible.
We also visited several Maya archaeological sites, so we learned a lot about this culture. Some of the sites were in the middle of the jungle, hence we had also some of adventure in our trip : we passed a valley by a cord (tirolina) and we could swim inside a cenote. It was really great.
We had also time to visit some cities, as Merida and Valladolid, and shopping the autochthonous crafts.

HECTOR
My favourite travel (paradoxically) was in september 2001 (tragic date). Three friends and me traveled round Europe in 21 days in my first (and only until now) Interrail experience, and were a memorable days. We started on Switzerland, and visited Austria, Hungary, German, Czech Republic and Dennmark later. I think it´s the best way to know Europe if you are a student, don´t want blow money on and don´t care rough it. We booked one month before to start, but decided in each case how time we were in countries choosen.

Obviously, the biggest moment was when we knew what happened something terrific in New York. We were on Switzerland, near to come Zurich, and our cellular phones started to shine with sms. Nobody in Spain knew what was there, so we tried to take it easy (we were in the best country in the world to place if a war started). My friends and me were in these times seasoned traveler, and loved rough it and bum around, so we decided to go on and to see how different people faced up to something that nobody lived before.

Maybe some people think that this kind of to visit remote places is to blow money on, but to life a turbulent experience has some of adventure; you have fend for oneself because you can´t to phone a agency travel if there are some kind of difficults; and, like is not a organized trip, you don´t need to go to overrum places, where everybody knows.

DAVID
It was a weekend that my friends and I went to practice risky sports. We exit from Madrid on Friday afternoon to a remote town in Pirineos, near river Noguera-Pallaresa. We had planned to practice rafting, canyoning and riding horses, all in one day! After eight hours driving our cars we arrived al that place. As it was a dark night, we felt that we were wandering off the beaten path. The next morning we realized that it was overrun with people expecting to do the same as us.

First stage, rafting. We were excited for sailing the turbulent waters of the river. It was breathtaking when we passed through some dangerous rapids without falling off the boat. It was a very good start for the weekend. After a quick lunch, we went to our next challenge, canyoning. It seemed to be a run-of-the mill activity. But we didn´t take into account the weather factor. We started walking by the river. It wasn´t very deep. But, suddenly, a turbulent storm began to fall over us when we were at the middle of the activity. The water raised and we were trapped in a whirlpool. Our monitors tried to be cool. They began to take us out of the river and when all of us were out they told us we had been in trouble deep.

In hindsight, I would never repeat a plan like this. A lot of hours driving, a lot of activities in a day,... From this time on, we planned our trips better. We didn’t rough it anymore, and we book comfortable hotels even we have to blow our money on it. Despite of all, I think this was one of the most memorable trip I have ever had.

JOSE
This memorable travel was in 2007, it was an american west tour. I visited many cities, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. 
This travel didn´t begin good, I had my passport in order, but It wasn´t an electronic passport, when I tried to enter the airplane, They said me that I must changed my 
passport, I had to return to the police station in the airport and pay the urgency passport. I think I haven´t run more in my life. 
 
 The first city that we visited was Los Angeles, the first day I was very tired, I remember I felt the jet lag, this was not my first travel to USA but I visited the east of 
America and It was different for me. In Las Vegas We knew the casinos, the attractions, I didn´t play but I enjoyed a lot with this visit. In Las Vegas the last day my 
mother and my sister went shopping, my father and me tried to find a comic shops, we finished this search in a remote place, and when We found the shop it was 
closed, my father wanted to kill me, but I think it was like an adventure. For the next cities we chartered a funny person, he was a seasoned traveler, the sightseeing 
with this man was very good. In the Grand Canyon we hired the helicopter visit but my sister forgot to recharge the camera, the view was breathtaking. The last city 
was San Francisco, I think It is a good city but for me I think It´s a little sad. 

 In hindsight I had to know better the new conditions of travel for America, because my mother suffered a lot the first day, but I remember this travel how a great 
experience, I knew a lot of places, people. The only bad experience that I suffered was a robbery in my room of a hotel in Santa Maria , they stole me a mp3 player. 
The only thing that I couldn´t do was wath a Nba match.   

NATALIA
The best travel I had ever taken and which will be always memorable happened when I had the opportunity to accompany the Spanish National Youth Orchestra in a fifteen day musical tour across Spain. This trip was not a run-of-the mill experience but an extraordinary and special one considering that I followed the Spanish National Youth Orchestra, with its current artistic director and composer José Luis Turina and all the crew working in the musical archives of the National Auditorium, and that was the celebration of the twenty five anniversary of the constitution of this young orchestra which includes the most brilliant Spanish musicians. Besides for this unique commemoration many music teachers, musicians and composers, who belonged in the past to that orchestra, and who work now in prestigious national and international musical orchestras, were also invited in conferences and meetings during the trip. The travel was booked and was planned that I assisted in the musical proofs of the younger composers, that I was in close participation with the musical archive team and I attended the final fantastical musical performances in the diverse Auditorium of Oviedo, León, Asturias, El Escorial and Madrid.   

Moreover we passed through breathtaking landscapes and had the sightseeing experience to contemplate cathedrals and monuments, even if was summer and was overrun with tourists, we stayed not in remote places, neither we roughed it, as the hotels were very nice and comfortable. I had not in mind blowing a lot of money, because the travel and food costs were included in it. This didn’t a not stop travel, as we stayed a few days in each city. That trip was full of many surprises, as when they put me in charge of taking pictures of the young musicians during the musical proofs in the auditoriums and of the Spanish conductor’s orchestra Pablo González, also I was delighted with the conversations with other composers as Juan José Colomer and it was a real privilege to be present in all the ovations the orchestra received. It was also unforgettable, when the musicians played in the hotel rooms until midnight, when they participated in a costume night party creating original clothes of la fabada, or when in a whirlwind afternoon in front of La Catedral de Segovia, a very strong wind force us to find all round the city clothespins to grip the scores in the lecterns that the concert could take place full of enthusiastic public and didn’t transform into a desolated reception.

In hindsight, the travel was an exceptional chance not only to visit emblematic cultural and historical locations of the Spanish cities we saw but overall the experience to live close with the musicians and his way of learning music. I discovered different musical symphonies, the life and perspectives of renowned composers and the interaction between the musicians and the public in the astonishing performances in these magnificent auditoriums.  





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English Writing: Should Elderly Children live with their parents?

JOSE

I think it is a good idea that your parents live with you, whenever you don´t force them and they want to move. One of this reason is probably your parents could live better in your home than a nursing home. I remember when my grandparents went to a nursing home, and they said me that it was not a good experience, the came back after a month. Other reason is when you are kid, they took care of you, now when they are elderly you must take care of them, they probably paid your education, they saved some money for you. You are in debt to them. The last reason is selfish, if you have children they may help you with them. Now in Spain is very usually to see the grandparent play in the park with their grandchildren. 

 For these reason I think you must accept your parents in your home. But in the other hand there could be some problems. If your wife or husband has not a good relation with your parents, this reason make it more difficult the coexistence. Perhaps sometimes they feel like a nuisance, they don´t understand that now they must be cared.


HECTOR
Always come a moment in the live when is necessary to decide if elderly parents have to live with their children. To star with, there are so many questions to answer, as if they can look after themselves, because they could be ill or to have serious difficults to move. Furthermore, there is an ethical or biological responsability. The common sense point at obligation to take care of the elderly parents when their lives are on the last stage. But it´s possible that would be impossible because of space problems or others logistical difficults, in a spite of your wish be to stay with them. But can be parents didn´t want to be a burder and prefeer by this to live alone instead of plan differents solutions. A residential home should be the last resort. In additional, there is a big advantage to live with elderly parents, and it´s they look after the grandchildren if their parents have very busy employment. In conclusion, elderly parents have to live with their children, if it´s really possible, by a principal reason: an ethical obligation and natural order. 

BEGOñA
Old parents should live by their own while they can. Most ancient people prefer to live in their own house, having their things and items with them, and deciding what to do in any moment: watching TV, reading, having a coffee with a neighbor or simply looking by the window are things very important for them, since they are their own decisions. They like the company of their children but they want to take control of their own life.

If they need some help to live because they cannot move with agility, a household could be the solution to help them cooking, cleaning the house or shopping, always having regular contact with their families (children and grandchildren)

In case of they need real help because a disability or reduced mobility, they should move to live with their children having their care and love. They will lose independence and control of their life and they will not be happy for it, but it can be compensated with the company of their families and their love.

But some elderly people cannot stand the simply idea of being a burden. In these cases a nursing home could be the solution. They are usually very comfortable, having all medical cares elderly people need and they can find other people to share experiences and activities with.

I think it is very important to analyse each case, having in count the wishes of the ancient, his health and the circumstances of the family, to take the best decision. 

ELENA
I think parents should live by themselves if they can handle it. They have been living alone for many years and they are used to their own customs and start a new life sharing a house with their children’s family it is a huge change for both parts. For that reason, we need to think about different options which are going to depend on each situation.

For instance, if one of the members is healthy enough, he could take part of the responsibility and take care of the other one. That would be a perfect outcome, but unfortunately is not the most common. They usually have health problems or diseases which need a special attention. In this case, they should have someone who help them, like a nurse, or who stays at their children’s house, provided that the illness is in a low phase and parents don’t need hospital attention. Furthermore, we have to consider the situation of the children: if they have a job, have space at home and the most important thing, if they have enough time to look after them.

Finally, the last situation that could happen is taking your parents to a residence. It is always a hard solution, but at the same time is the best option. Professionals will be looking after them constantly and you can feel more relief knowing that there is always a doctor or a nurse for any problem that might happen. Moreover, they are more stimulated doing specific exercises and other activities, which main target is improve their disease. At this point, I would like to remember that having your parents in a residence doesn’t mean that you can forget about them. You can visit them whenever you want, and even if they couldn’t recognize you, I’m sure they will enjoy your company.

Natalia
Elderly parents should live with their children, because it’s often a benefit for the grandfathers, children and grandchildren. The elderly parents who live with their children receive a better take care and more attention from their children, who know them, than in a nursing home. They feel more independent and more active in that way than in a nursing home with norms and schedules. For most families nowadays living with the children it’s cheaper than having to pay for an expensive institution. Besides, elderly parents, if they have not a serious illness and have still all the capacities, can be a help for the parents in the household, for taking care of their grandchildren and a source of knowledge and mutual company. In conclusion, living together constitutes a practical way of living for the economic and affective support of all the members of the family.

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Trips and Journeys Vocabulary



Terms
Definitions
blow money on
spend a lot of money on something (informal)
book
buy tickets, or to arrange to have or use something at a particular time in the future such as a table at a restaurant or a hotel room.
breathtaking
extremely exciting, beautiful or surprising
desolate
completely empty with no people or pleasant features in it
memorable
unforgettable
overrun
invade in great numbers
primitive
from earliest times; ancient
remote
located far away
rough it
travel in a simple and not comfortable way
run-of-the-mill
average, ordinary
seasoned traveler
one who has traveled much.
wander off the beaten path
go to unknown or different place where most tourists don't
in hindsight
the ability to understand something after it has happened
fend for oneself
take care of oneself without help from anyone else
whirlwind
a very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement; a series of events where lots of things happen very quickly.
sightseeing
visiting interesting places while traveling
turbulent
disorderly, chaotic, violent; stormy
charter
contract or hire someone do to take you somewhere in a boat, bus, or plane.
bum around
be lazy or idle
constructively
in a constructive manner
putting off
procrastination
take it easy
relax and not worry about anything
take time off
stop work for a day or more for rest or any other personal activity
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English Writing Divorce


Write 3 paragraphs about divorce.  Give statistics about divorce in Spain and write the pros or cons of divorce.  You can also write about both pros and cons.  Remember to keep it organized and focused.  Each paragraph should have a main idea and details to support it. Keep your ideas clear and double check that your sentences make sense.

---------------------------------------------
DAVID
Homework from David Jiménez: Divorce in Spain
In Spain there is a Law of Divorce since 1981. After 32 years, while three marriages are
made, almost two are broken. Spain is the European country with higher average of
divorces, close to Belgium and Hungary. Cataluña, Andalucía and Madrid have rates ten
times higher than Cantabria, Navarra and La Rioja. Of course, rates of population are
similar to the rates of divorces between the first Autonmical Comunities and the last
ones.
It seems that relationships are not as solid as they were years ago. People get married
easily than our parents or grandparents, for example. Therefore, the foundations for the
relationship are not as good as they might be. So, the only way out is getting divorced.
Today there is no dialogue to solve problems. Why? We break our commitment and
everything is solved. It is useless trying to convince the other part of your ideas.
Nobody accepts anybody else ideas.
In my opinion, when people can´t live together the best thing they can do is living apart.
It has no meaning to live arguing all the time, without being happy. The problems begin
when there are children in the middle of battlefield. They are often used to harm the
other one. It doesn´t matters whatever the children feel. The important thing is to defeat
the other part getting the house, the car and…the children. They look like they were
another thing bought years ago.
Crisis also has influence in the number of divorces. People don´t get divorced because it
is very expensive. They prefer to get separate without legal procedures. That´s why
divorce rates have fallen a little since 2010. But this is only a standby situation. They
are waiting until crisis ends to get finally divorced, or not? Who knows, perhaps this
could be a second chance for some people to know better each other.

Jose D.
I think the divorce is a problem in Spain. There are many couples that use this easy way, when they should resolve the conflict. I think the problem is people get married without a good knowledge of his couple.
It´s a big problem when there are kids in the family, because they only want to see their parents together and happy. It´s very important if the parents get divorced, they should have a good behaviour before their kids.
The INE (National Institute of Statistics) said that in 2011, the divorces were going down by the crisis, in this year the divorces reduced a 24% compared with 2006. But it´s obvious that there are many divorces, in this year
the number of divorces was 103.604. In 2005 there were many divorces because in this year the government aproved by law the express divorce. But now The parents think in the allowance that they should pay if they get divorced.
Finally I think the divorce has pros and cons, the pros are these are very useful in violence cases, when there is not a solution, they are always fighting, they are not in love. But in the other hand the cons are they used this
way easily without thinking in the consequences, they don´t think in their kids. It´s a dificult question to talk because it´s private but it´s clear that it´s a problem and we should find a good solution.

Begoña

The Divorce
Since 1981 we have the possibility to get divorced in Spain. Before that, under the dictatorship of the General Franco, it was not possible. An unhappy couple was obliged to stay together "till dead do you part".
Today, in opposite, many couples get divorced too easily; a minimum of incomprehension in the couple is enough to take the decision to separate. The most disadvantaged are the children, sometimes used as a weapon against the former partner.
What is better? The second option without any doubt because everybody must have the freedom to choose how and with they want to share their life.
Once the decision is taken, if there is not an agreement between the couple, a Justice Court must decide how divide the assets of the couple and the children's custody. Many couples don't want to divide their assets, since they have just a small house with a mortgage, and so they chose to remain together, as a "couple" even if they don't feel any more love for each other. I think this is also a bad situation for children who grow up feeling this "lack of love" from their parents.
Analysing all these situations, I am not surprised that more and more people each day, choose not to get married nor even to live in a couple.

Elena
In 1981 it was the first time that you could get divorce in Spain. Since that day, divorces have been more and more common every year, especially in 2005 when the government approved a law called “Express divorce”. Like it was expected, that year, the number of divorces took off around 42%.  But nowadays the situation is totally different.

Now, we are surrounded by the word crisis everywhere we look around and so are divorces. The bad economic situation, in which we are living, has made divorces cut back on the 24%. People don’t want to spend their money in this long process, and most of the couples, try to change their divorce conditions because they can not support their own children pensions. In some cases, it is really hard to assume their part of the deal when the parents don’t have a job.

It is expected that, when this terrible situation will be over, the number of divorces is going to rise again like it did before the crisis began, but for that moment we need to wait patently.

Maria Jose
It’s obvious that when someone decides to get married never thinks in a divorce but unfortunately love is not forever and one day runs out.
Under Franco the only way for a couple to end their marriage was legal separation but when he died, 71% of Spaniards were in favour of divorce and it was legalized in 1981 in spite of the opposition of the religious organizations who disagreed.
The number of divorces grew up 0,7% in 2011 compared with the previous year, but now the the number of divorces has fallen dramatically due to economic crisis.
I’m in favour of a divorce because it’s clear that a couple living unhappy and arguing is not the best option to look after their children and I consider that a divorce can be the way to solve their problem. It’s clear too that children need both parents but to get divorced doesn’t mean losing their father or mother.
A lot of people think that couples should try to keep married because it’s the best for their children, but in reality it’s an error. In my opinion children should never hear their parents argue because it can be really unhealthy for them. On the other hand a couple divorced can have a better relationship after the divorce and consequently they can raise their children better too. Even though it may seem that a divorce can be negative for children, in reality they understand quickly that they don’t lose their parents’ love. Actually they have two houses instead of one and maybe other brother or sister.
Hector
The divorce in Spain

Acording to oficials numbers from Spain´s National Stadistic Institute, the quantify of divorce grew in 2011 only 0,7% opposite the year before (2010). Specify, it was 110.651 ends of married, 30.000 less than years before the beginning crisis (for example, it was 145.919 in 2006). Experts considerer that people have now more economic´s problem, so they are not sure to take a important decision, and maybe the couples with problems try to solve them by another ways.

Every couple has their own circunstances. The recently spanish divorce's law, known as "Divorcio express", allow to put finish a marriage in only three month after to wedding, and it´s no now necesary to separate as a previously condition. This regulation is the principal adventage to avoid a seriously problems about living together.

If a couple got wrong (a mistake) because they were too young, or not knowing about themselves, the "Divorcio Express" is  the best way for to avoid more problems. But there is another side. The process of divorce can be very hard in the case the couple had a children. Unfortunately they are the principal argument in front of judge to try convince him that you,re on the right side, you have the reason. Lawyers and psycologist agree that childs are who most suffering. The distance between the love and the worst hate is a thin line.

Alberto
The first time that the spanish law talk about divorce was in 1932, at times of de II Republic. Since 1936 to 1981, divorce was abolished. The second law of divorce is one of 1981 and next is which has been called “Ley divorcio Express” of 2005.

In 2011, the spanish courts received 117.179 divorces. This figure is very high if we compare it with one of 2000 were the figure was of 40.000. It is a fact, this law pretend to stimulate divorce in Spain. In my opinion, divorce is something very serious, because to be marriage or to live with your partner is the decision of more depth. Because is this, I think divorce would be the strange and not the common.
In Spain, there are to ways of divorce: one is when the two parts of the couple agree the divorce and the other one is when is only one parts which seeks divorce at any cost.
Finally, divorce increases in Spain every year. I do not agree with this, because I think we must educate our children in the importance of commitment and not in the “now yes, now not”.
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Writing a Restaurant Review

For your review you should talk about the tastes, textures, smells, presentation and enjoyability of the food at the restaurant.  You should also talk about the staff and how they treat customers, the speed of service and the general impression of the restaurant. 

Take a look at these samples of restaurant reviews to get some ideas on how to write yours. Bon Apetit!

Fodor's
Barcelona Restaurants
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