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10/05/2017 |
Emmanuel MACRON
France Elects a Pro-European Union President - Text + Audio + Pictures - 8 May 2017
"Emmanuel Macron won a big victory over National Front candidate Marine Le Pen.
European officials see France’s vote as a win for the EU as it prepares for Britain’s exit from the group.
French legislative elections are planned for June."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
France Elects Macron, Rejects Le Pen - 8 May 2017
"Voters in France have elected pro-EU centrist Emmanuel Macron as the country’s new president,
rejecting the anti-EU, anti-immigrant policies of nationalist Marine Le Pen.
Macron won 66 percent of the votes compared to 34 percent for Le Pen."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
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TRUMP
Trump Fires FBI Director - Text + Audio - 10 May 2017
"U.S. President Donald Trump has fired FBI Director James Comey. In a statement, Trump says Comey's firing "will mark a new beginning" for the FBI. The White House says the search for a new FBI director will begin immediately."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
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VOCABULARY
Learning Chocolate - a Vocabulary Learning Platform - Pictures with sound
(learningchocolate.com)

50 Foreign Terms That Aren’t Foreign
"English is a very welcoming language, adopting terms indiscriminately from other tongues.
Many publishers observe a distinction between naturalized words and those still considered foreign,
honoring the assimilation of the former by refraining from using any visual emphasis and italicizing those in the latter category.
The careful writer will honor this distinction, but how is one to know to which class a particular word or phrase belongs?
Adopted words will appear in the dictionary, while words or phrases that have not received a green card remain relegated to a print dictionary’s appendix, if any. Or, check out this virtual cheat sheet, which lists words and phrases (with brief definitions) that do not merit italicization."
ex.: à la carte, bona fide, doppelgänger...
(dailywritingtips.com)
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TELEWORK
Telework: The Pros and Cons - Text + Audio + Quiz - 8 May 2017
"For many jobs, workers no longer need to be in a fixed office building.
People can telework: they can work from home or anyplace where they can access the necessary technology.
For example, I wrote this story on a backyard porch in the mountains of West Virginia."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
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LESSON PLAN
Swearing can make you physically stronger (May 08, 2017) - a lesson plan with AUDIO
"Researchers have discovered that swearing and using bad or profane language can increase one's physical strength."
Try the same news story at these easier levels: Swearing - Level 4 or Swearing - Level 5
Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities,
crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)
(breakingnewsenglish.com)
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GENDER
How equal are you?
"Type your country into the search box to find out how it ranks for gender equality.
The figures are based on the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s annual Global Gender Gap report,
which measures countries according to where women are more likely to be able to participate fully in political and economic life
and enjoy the most equal access to education and healthcare."
(BBC)

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DESIGNER BABY
A designer baby
"is a human embryo that has been genetically modified, usually following guidelines set by the parent or scientist, to produce desirable traits.
This is done using various methods, such as gene therapy or PGD. This technology is the subject of ethical debate,
bringing up the concept of genetically modified "superhumans" to replace modern humans."
(Wikipedia)
Design your baby by Isabelle Destat - a padlet
(padlet.com)
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CLASSIC WORKS
Tons of Classic Works Are Available for Free Download
"Open Culture has this incredible resource of free ebooks to download and read at your own pace.
This collection contains 800 eBooks covering works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
You have different options to download and read them: you can read them on Kindle, iPad/iPhone, computer or online.
Simply click on the option you want and follow the instructions provided...
For those of you interested in classics, this page from Bartleby titled ‘The Harvard Classics The Shelf of Fiction’ features tons of classical works of the 20th century. It is one of ‘The most comprehensive and well-researched anthology of all time comprises both the 50-volume “5-foot shelf of books” and the 20-volume Shelf of Fiction’."
(educatorstechnology.com)
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LESSON
Drawing dictation
"This lesson is for teenagers or young adults with a language level of A2-B2 and focuses on using prepositions of place to describe and draw a picture."
Level A2 - B2
Time: 50-60 minutes
(teachingenglish.org.uk)
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UK SLANG
'You're having a giraffe!?' A starter guide to UK slang
"Are you moving to the UK for study or work? The British Council's Sophie Cannon explains some of the weird and wonderful words and phrases
you might encounter."
'Hiya, mate, fancy a cuppa and a chin-wag?' 'I can't. Sorry, pal. I'm skint – so gutted!'
(britishcouncil.org)
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LONDON
Experience London Above and Below
"With limited time, we chose to experience London through two different dining experiences – one nine stories above the ground with a view
of the all-encompassing London skyline and one in a subterranean basement with no view at all.
Both meals conveyed the kind of magic that you can only experience in London."
(2foodtrippers.com)
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08/05/2017 |
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MODELS
France bans extremely thin models - 6 May 2017
"A law in France banning the use of unhealthily thin fashion models has come into effect...
The health ministry says the aim is to fight eating disorders and inaccessible ideals of beauty...
Employers breaking the law could face fines of up to 75,000 euros (£63,500; $82,000) and up to six months in jail."
(BBC)
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2017 MALDON MUD RACE
2017 Maldon Mud Race - in pictures - 8 May 2017
"Since 1973 the race has taken place on a course through the Blackwater river in Essex at low tide. It’s called the Blackwater for a reason..."
(theguardian.com)

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Zachary TAYLOR
Zachary Taylor: Brief - Text + Audio + Pictures + Video
"A political independent, Taylor died only 16 months into his presidency."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)

Zachary Taylor at the Battle of Buena Vista
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SLAVERY
Statues, Monuments Connected to Slavery Are Removed - Text + Audio + Pictures
New Orleans has removed the first of four statues connected to the Confederacy. The Confederacy lost the Civil War, which took place from 1861-1865. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says the Confederacy’s support of slavery means it does not deserve a place of honor in his Southern city."
(learningenglish.voanews.com)
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05/05/2017 |
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SLANG
Slang Words Ending in “O”
"Among the more curious classes of slang words is that of terms ending in the letter o, the topic of this post."
(dailywritingtips.com)
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