THE DANGEROUS BILLFISH.

http://www.billfish.org/education/what-are-billfish/



In General Terms­- The term “Billfish” refers to various predatory fish species typically belonging to the taxonomical family Istiophoridae. 
Their biological characteristics include a spear-like rostrum or “bill,” which is used for slashing at and stunning prey. The dorsal fin of these species runs along a large part of their body and narrow pelvic fins. Billfish can be found spread throughout the worlds oceans and are defined as highly migratory species but typically reside in tropical or sub-tropical waters.  The prey of these apex predators differs from a variety of small fishes to crustaceans and cephalopods (i.e. squid). Further examination of the various billfish reveals the plethora of biological differences between species.

BACK TO NORMAL AFTER NEPAL QUAKE LAST APRIL 2015

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32950361

Back to normal after the devastating earthquake in Nepal.

Thousands of schools damaged during April's devastating earthquake in Nepal have begun to re-open.

Many schools are being housed in temporary shelters built of bamboo and tarpaulins

More than 25,000 classrooms in some 8,000 schools were destroyed in the 7.8 magnitude quake and its aftershocks, and more than 8,000 people died.

Many have only been rebuilt on a temporary basis using materials such as bamboo, wood and tarpaulin.

Classes will initially focus on group activities to help children recover from the trauma of the disaster.

Earlier this week, the United Nations said that one month on from the quake, the world needed to provide more food and shelter for those left homeless.

Meanwhile, the Nepalese government - which has been criticised for being slow to respond - has called for more direct aid funding.

Nervous return

The government closed all schools in the Kathmandu region for the month of May, amid continuing aftershocks in the aftermath of the 25 April tremor.

In the worst-hit districts of Gorkha, Sindhupalchok and Nuwakot, it is estimated that more than 90% of schools were destroyed.

In all, the government is planning to open 15,000 temporary learning centres, according to the Asian Development Bank.

Education ministry official Lavadeo Awasthi told the Times of India newspaper that the temporary classroom structures "will have to do for the next two years, in which time the buildings should be restored".

Many children will be attending lessons in classrooms built on school playing fields or in buildings marked "safe" after inspections.

School days will be short and focus on game playing and cultural activities. The United Nations has distributed educational kits which include puzzles and picture books aimed at having an impact on children's psychology.

"The children are very happy here to engage themselves with different kinds of playing materials," said Unicef early childhood development specialist, Shiva Bhusal.

But many parents are still concerned about their children's safety.

"Aftershocks are still continuing. It is difficult not to be nervous about sending the children back to school again," Mina Shrestha, mother of eight-year-old pupil Sahaj, told AFP news agency.

"But the teachers have assured us that it is safe here, and at least his mind will be fresh if he meets his friends and studies," she added.

However, a number of schools remain closed.

"It is impossible for me to re-open right now," Lila Nanda Upadhyay, head teacher of Kathmandu's Rupak Memorial International School, was quoted as saying by AFP.

According to Unicef, Nepal's high-school dropout rate was already a major concern before the earthquake.

About 1.2 million Nepalese children between the ages 5 and 16 have either never attended school or have dropped out.

THE WEATHER IN ENGLISH

Ten Expressions to Use In Speaking And Writing

1.    It's freezing outside!

2.    It's a bit chilly. Wrap up warm.

3.    It's cold.

4.    It's Arctic out there.

5.    It's quite fresh - take a jumper.

6.    You can see your breath in the air.

7.    It's below zero.

8.    It must be minus five or more.

9.    It's pretty frosty today.

10. My car's iced up, it's that cold.

How To Use These Phrases In Your English

1 is useful when it's very cold.

2. This is advice to wear warm clothes and a coat etc because it is getting cold. We can use this for summer nights and for winter days.

3 is the basic expression you can use in all situations.

4 Arctic indicates that it is very cold - colder than normal.

5. Some people don't feel the cold - so we use 'fresh' as a positive term.

6 describes cold days when your breath forms a cloud - it's poetic!

7 indicates the temperature is very cold. Note we don't say 'under zero.'

8 We use 'minus' with a number to give the exact temperature.

9 Frosty mornings are quite common in winter.

10 When there is ice on your windscreen, we use this expression.

Weather Vocabulary

Word		Meaning	Example Sentence
airconditioner/airconditioning noun		machine that cools down the air in a home or building	The airconditioner keeps the office comfortable even when it's very hot outside.
avalanche noun		a dangerous slide of snow down a mountain	The skiers were warned about an avalanche.
below freezing preposition/adjective		temperature less than 0 degrees Celsius/(32F)	It's supposed to go below freezing before the weekend.
blizzard noun		a storm with lots of snow and wind	The airplane couldn't take-off because of the blizzard.
boiling hot adjective + noun		common expression for describing a very hot day	It was boiling hot, so we all jumped into the lake.
breeze noun		light wind	There is always a breeze near the ocean.
Celsius noun		measurement of temperature (0 degrees is freezing/100 is boiling)	In the summer, the average temperature here is 20 degrees Celsius.
chilly adjective		cold	It's a bit chilly today, so I think you should wear a coat.
clear adjective		when the sky is blue because no clouds are blocking the sun	On a clear night you can see the stars.
cloud/cloudy noun/adjective		water in the sky that appears as a white or grey mass	It may look cloudy in the morning, but the sun always comes out by afternoon.
cold spell adjective + noun		a period of colder than average weather	They're calling for a cold spell, so we put off our camping trip.
cool adjective		temperature in between warm and cold	The days were boiling hot, but the nights were cool and comfortable for sleeping.
degrees noun		measurement for temperature	I don't feel the heat until it's about forty degrees Celsius outside.
drizzling continuous verb		raining slightly	I think I'll take the dog for a walk. It's only drizzling now.
drought noun		a long period with no rainfall	Forest fires are a serious danger during a drought.
Fahrenheit noun		measurement of temperature (32 degrees is freezing/212 is boiling)	It was 100 degrees Fahrenheit when we got to San Francisco.
flood noun		overflow of rain water	The flood was so bad, our basement was full of water.
flurries noun		very light snowfall	There are a few flurries but the snow isn't sticking to the roads.
fog/foggy noun/adjective		thick water vapor that blocks one's vision	We couldn't see the bridge because there was too much fog.
forecast noun/verb		the expected weather for the future	According to the 5 day forecast, it's going to rain on our wedding day.
freezing cold adjective + noun		common expression used to describe a very cold day	It was a freezing cold day for the Three Wise Men  parade.
frost noun		ice crystals on a frozen surface	Some flowers are so strong they can withstand frost.
frostbite noun		a skin condition caused by over exposure to the cold (typically reddish skin with white spots)	I lost my hat while I was skiing, and I ended up withfrostbite on my ears.
hail noun		small pieces of ice that fall during a storm	There was so much hail that some of the trailer homes were destroyed.
heat stroke noun		a flu-like condition one can acquire after spending too long in the sun	Bring lots of water and wear a hat to avoid heat stroke in this weather.
heat-wave noun		extremely hot weather that is much higher than average--usually lasts a short time	During the heat-wave we cooled our beds down with ice packs.
humid/humidity adjective/noun		moisture in the air	It feels a lot hotter than it actually is because of thehumidity.
hurricane noun		a tropical storm with very strong wind and rain (from Atlantic Ocean); from Pacific Ocean it is called a "typhoon"; from Indian Ocean it is called a "cyclone"	Half of the buildings on the island were flattened by the hurricane.
icy adjective		slippery because of ice	The roads are icy so please avoid driving down any hills.
lightning noun		electric flash caused by two clouds hitting	The outdoor pool always closes when the lifeguards suspect lightning.
mild adjective		temperature that is warmer than average(in a cold season)	It's quite mild out so I didn't bother with a hat or mittens.
meteorologist noun		a person who studies weather patterns	Themeteorologistpredicted that the cold spell would be over by now.
minus/negative adjective		indicates that a temperature is below zero	It was minustwenty degrees at the top of the skil hill.
overcast adjective		no sun is visible	The sky is overcast this morning, but the sun is supposed to come out by late afternoon.
partly cloudy adverb + adjective		term often used in a weather forecast to indicate that the skies are sunny and cloudy at the same time	Tomorrow's forecast is partly cloudy with clear skies by nightfall.
precipitation noun		rain or snow that falls on an area	There is very littleprecipitation in the desert.
puddle noun		collection of rain water	Children love to splash in puddles when they are wearing rubber boots.
rain/raining/rainy noun/continuous verb/adjective		water that falls to earth	My hair is all wet and messy from the rain.
raindrop noun		a single measurement of rain	I love catchingraindrops on my tongue.
rainbow noun		a band of colours found in the sky after a rainfall	According to legend you can find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
raining cats and dogs idiom		raining heavily	They cancelled the football game because it was raining cats and dogs.
scorching/a scorcher adjective/noun		extremely hot temperature/a very hot day	It was a scorcher, so the whole family slept in the cool basement.
season noun		time of year characterized by certain weather Winter,Spring,Summer,Fall (or Autumn)	My favoriteseason is Fall, because I love to watch the leaves changing colours.
shower noun		quick/light rainstorm	They've been calling forshowers all week, but so far it's been dry.
sleet(similar to hail) noun		rain that freezes as it falls	All-weather-tires are best if you have to drive in sleet.
slush/slushy noun/adjective		snow on the ground that has been rained on	The snow turned to slush as soon as it started to rain.
smog noun		heavy,dark cloud cover caused by pollution	You really notice the smog downtown in this type of humidity.
snow/snowy/snowing noun/adjective/ continuous verb		frozen water that warms slightly as it falls to earth	It is already snowing up in the mountains, so the ski season should be great this year.
snowstorm noun		large amounts of wind and snow	All of the schools were closed because of thesnowstorm.
sun/sunshine/sunny noun/noun/adjective		the gassy star that warms the earth	We hope to have sunshine on the day of the beach picnic.
sunburn noun		painful red/pink skin caused by being in the sun too long	The bald man got a sunburn on his head.
sunglasses/shades noun		dark eyewear that protects you from the sun	I forgot my shades and I was driving right into the sun.
suntan/tanned noun(also verb)/adjective(also verb)		brown/golden skin caused by long periods of sun exposure	I got a suntan on the cruise, but it has already faded away.
sunscreen/suntan lotion noun		cream that protects your skin from sun damage	Don't forget to reapply yoursunscreen when you get out of the lake.
temperature noun		how warm or cold the air is	Can you check thetemperaturebefore we get dressed for our walk?
thermometer noun		instrument for measuring the temperature of the air	When I checked the temperature this morning, the thermometer said it was already thirty degrees Celsius.
thunder/thunderstorm noun		the crashing of clouds (often followed by a strike of lightning and heavy rain)	Let's close all of the windows. It looks like a thunderstorm is coming.
tornado/twister noun		violently spinning windstorm	The tornado picked up everything in its path, including animals and cars.
umbrella noun		held over one's head and body for rain protection	I always keep an umbrella in my car in case of rain.
UV (ultra violet) rays noun		the damaging rays from the sun	Ultra violet rays can cause skin cancer if you don't wear sunscreen.
wind/windy noun/adjective		blowing air outside	It's too windy to play golf today.
wind chill factor noun		when the wind makes the air feel colder than the actual temperature	It's minus two, but with the wind chill factor it's minus fifteen.

weather forecast (easy level) http://youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZAYPGz7bsC

Link:

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-32929019?SThisFB




A woman, whose brother was killed in a traffic accident, has met the man who was given his face in a pioneering transplant operation.

'Tragic loss'

Transplant recipients do not normally meet the families of their donors.

But Ms Aversano, from Maryland, came face to face with the man who received some of her brother's facial tissues and structures.

She touched his face and said: "This is the face I grew up with."

Her brother, Joshua Aversano, had been killed in a road traffic accident, at the age of 21.

The decision to donate his face had been difficult, but would have been what he wanted, said his mother Gwen Aversano in a separate interview with CTV News.

She said: "Knowing our son he would have wanted someone else to go on with their lives if he wasn't able to.

"After meeting Mr Norris, seeing him and speaking to him we can definitely see our son in him.

"We were just so pleased we were able to help Mr Norris even though we had such a tragic loss," she added.

The extensive transplant surgery took place at the University of Maryland three years ago. It lasted more than 36 hours.

Mr Norris had lost his lips and nose in a shotgun accident and had limited movement of his mouth.

Comments:

This is an amazing story. Just imagine you lose a brother in a car accident and his face is donated to someone else who needs a face transplant and then you are able to meet the transplanted person with your brother's face.The emotional charge behind the whole picture must be unbelievable!

CAN/ COULD AND BE ABLE TO


I've never been able to... scuba-dive

I really wanted to learn. Maybe it was because of that scene in one of the very first James Bond films, where a beautiful actress comes out of the sea looking fabulous, with oxygen bottles on her back- I could see myself looking just like her. So, two years ago I booked a holiday which included a week's intensive course. On the first day of the course I was incredibly excited. First we had two hours of theory and then we went into the sea to put it into practice. 
But as soon as I went under the water I discovered that I suffered from claustrophobia . I just wasn't able to do it. After about half an hour I gave up . Every evening for the rest of my holiday I had to listen to my scuba-diving classmates talking about all the wonderful things they had seen that day on their diving excursions. Not being able to join the conversation was very frustrating.

I still love swimming and snorkelling, but I think that I have to accept that I will never be able to scuba- dive.



Learn do dance

I have always  wanted  to dance salsa, and when I was working in Ecuador there were free classes, so I joined. But the art of salsa, is to keep your arms still and move your hips, and I just couldn't do it. When I hear music my arms start moving, but my hips don't. 

After about ten hours of classes I was able to dp the basic steps, but I was dancing like a robot! I didn't give up, but soon everyone in the class was dancing and I was just slowly moving from side to side and counting out loud 'one, two, three, four" I was a bit embarrasing. I was sure that one day I would suddenly be able to do it- but that never happened. I can still remember the first two steps and I still try to dance when I hear a salsa tune- as long as nobody is watching!

...................

...... speak Japanese
Complete with the correct for of be able to (+,-,?).

Her mobile has been switched off all morning, so I haven't been able to talk to her yet.

I don't like noisy bars. I like to be able to have a conversation without shouting.

I 'll be able to leave home when I get a job.

We are having a party next Saturday. Will you be able to come?

You need to be able to swim before you can in a canoe.

I'm going to France next week, but I don't speak French. I hate not being able to communicate with people.

Fortunately, firefighters were able to rescue all of the people trapped inside the burning house.

I am very sorry, but we won't be able to go to your wedding next month. We'll be on holiday.

I'm feeling a bit worse. Have you been able to contact the doctor yet?

The manager isn't able to see you right now because he's in a meeting.
 

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

There are three main uses of the present continuous relating to our topic of talking about the present. 

The main use of the present continuous is to talk about actions or events that are temporary, not permanent, and actions or events that have started but are not finished.

a) these may be actions or events taking place at the moment of speaking, e.g. He’s playing football.

b) or they may be actions or events taking place around the moment of speaking but not necessarily in progress at the time of speaking. Also actions or events that take place for a limited period of time.

 They are selling everything for half usual price this week.

2    We also use the present continuous to talk about changes and situations or events that are developing even though the process may not be temporary

They are increasing the production of food because of the growth in the population. 

3   And the present continuous is used with particular time expressions (forever, always, constantly, continually) to talk about habitual actions. We use the present continuous when we want to show that the action is annoying or to stress the repetitiveness of the action

He’s always leaving the fridge door open.

We usually don’t use the present continuous with state verbs regardless of whether the state is permanent or current or temporary. For example, we can’t say: I’m not knowing the answer.

Germs and Bacteries

This is a blog under construction, we are working on it! Thanks.
Este es un blog en proceso, estamos trabajando en ello. Gracias.
És un blog en procés, hi estem treballant. Gràcies.





Hi, this is a video about Germs and Bacteries.
Este video habla de gérmenes y bacterias

You will find attached the link to it and the transcription just below.
Os dejo el link más abajo y podréis ver los subtítulos de la transcripción.

It may help your kids to learn some English words eventhough the pronunciation is quite a hard one and the speaker goes really fast.

Es un video interesante sobre gérmenes y bacterias, y puede ayudar a los niños a familiarizarse con palabras nuevas en inglés a pesar de que el protagonista habla muy rápido. 

Enjoy it!!
¡Espero que os guste!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD8MAl-HsBw


Transcription:

Hello guys, glad to meet you!  Do you know who I am?  I'm part of an army that's everywhere.  What? You don't see us around you!  Ah! We're very very tiny!  You can't see us with open eyes.  You can only see us under a microscope.  But we're everywhere, on the door knob...  ... on the table, on your skin, everywhere.  We're also called microbes, as we can only be seen under a microscope.  And some people call us germs too. 

"Germs", yes, "germs", we can cause many diseases. Eh! Stop! Don't run away! If you wanna avoid us... ...first, understand us! The more you understand us, the more healthy you can be.GOOD! First, let me show you my body. I'm a little complex. But let me tell you in a very simple way. My outer shell has got a capsid; it's a protective protein coat. Inside, there is nucleic acid. It can be RNA or DNA. Confused, ok! Let me be more simple. I have an outer coat and some material inside called NUCLEIC ACID. How do I make a person sick? Ah! let me tell you a secret. When we enter the human or animal bodies... ...I make copy of myself. That means I multiply myself. Let me show you how I do it! A virus like me can enter your body through you nose, mouth or from broken skin. After that we enter your body cells, we remove our coat... ... then our nucleic acid gets mixed up with human body cell manufacturing factories. And then, we do our dirty magic. Your body cell then starts making copies of us. Yes, human body cells starts producing viruses. These viruses then start attacking other human body cells. And that is how a virus makes you sick. Hah! Hah! Scared again! Don't worry; we can't make you sick everytime we enter your body! Your immune system has white blood cells. They're like police for guarding your body against us. Once they find or see us, they whistle and they name us antigens. And they send antibodies to kill us. Sometimes, you get a fever! Your body temperature goes up ... ...and your viruses are killed due to hot temperature. So a fever can protect you from viruses. Yes, you can also get vaccinated! Vaccines produce a lot of antibodies in your body! And when we enter your body these antibodies help your immune system to kill us. And yes, you can avoid us! You should always wash your hands! You should cover any wound with a bandage! And you should not shake hands with somebody who is already sick Common cold, chicken pox, flu, cholera, yellow fever... Hi guys, I am bacteria. You find us everywhere. We help you a lot. The yoghurt that you eat, we help you to make it! The nitrogen is fixed in the soil by us! We are also in your digestive system. We help in digesting the food! We are very tiny! Like viruses, we are also called microbes as we are too small and most of us can only be seen under a microscope. Few people call us "germs", but that is wrong! We are so helpfull! We should not be called germs! Yes, a few of us are bad, but most of us are good for humans. Let me tell you a very strange thing about us. Strange yes! You know, we also have a target in life. We just want to double, we keep doubling, doubling and doubling! This way we keep increasing. Now, a few of us are really bad for you. Bad bacteries are called "pathogens". They cause a lot of diseases! Pathogens can cause pneumonia,tuberculosis, cholera, plague, rickets... ... and more. Bacteria can enter your body through your nose, mouth or from broken skin. Hah! hah! Scared? Don't worry! We can't make you sick every time we enter your body! Your immune system has white blood cells; they are like police for guarding your body against us! Once they find or see a bad bacteria they whistle... and they name us antigens and they send antibodies to kill us. Sometimes you get a fever! Your body temperature goes up! and enemy bacterias are killed due to high temperature! So fever protect us against from bacterial infections. Yes, you can also get vaccinated! Vaccines produce a lots of antibodies in your body..., ... and when they enter your body these antibodies help your immune system to kill bad bacteria. You can also take antibiotics and capsules. They kill the enemy bacteria! And yes, you can avoid us! You should keep washing your hands! You should cover a wound with a bandage! And you should not shake hands with somebody who is already sick!