Green energy industry asks for government help to meet targets

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

The renewable power industry has warned that it needs £500m from the government over the next two years in order to meet future energy demands. Half of this amount of money will be used for developing wind power generation by installing wind turbines in the sea, while the rest will go to making wind and tidal power generation commercially profitable, because up to now it has only seen an experimental development.

This call for a large injection of public money was made by RenewableUK, a group previously known as the British Wind Energy Association, in a presentation to the energy minister, David Kidney.

RenewableUK pointed to the example of Denmark as a country that had benefited from giving strong support to this new green industry for the development of wind energy generation projects. Denmark invested £1.3bn into this sector, and as a result of this investment, renewable energy industries in Denmark are now producing benefits of £2.3bn annually.

Social care for graduates: compassionate embrace- PAU 2010 inglés Andalucía resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

You may not need a degree to work in social care, but many graduates with a desire to help the vulnerable are finding rewarding careers within the sector. Being a carer comes with emotional pressure and demanding challenges, but for some graduates working in social care has proved the most satisfying step they have ever taken.

“I was going to do my master’s, but then I realised I needed to do something meaningful and important for other people. After spending all that time studying, I just wanted to do something real,” says Colette Lotscher, a graduate with a degree in literature who now works as a personal care assistant in Greenwich, London. At present, Lotscher is working with children with mental or physical disabilities and their families, helping parents and burnt out mothers to cope with the day-to-day reality of caring for a child with special needs. “It is tough, but you grow so much, you learn how to be tolerant and to become a better person”, she says.

Social care workers are often confused with social workers, but the two are distinctly different; you need a degree to practise as a social worker, but you don’t need any particular qualifications to go into social care as a carer. Social work usually deals with case-by-case scenarios, where a situation is complex enough to involve local authorities, the NHS (National Health Service), the police or probation services, whereas social care involves delivering practical and emotional support to the vulnerable, elderly or ill – either in residential homes or to families in need.

Trick or treat! It's Halloween- PAU 2010 inglés Madrid resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos C. Madrid

Children celebrate Halloween around the world on the night of October 31st. They go out in macabre costumes of ghosts, witches or skeletons to knock on their neighbours' doors and shout "Trick or treat!" The neighbours must give them sweets; otherwise, the children will play tricks on them. Halloween is big business in the United States where people spend around seven billion dollars each year on Halloween products. Theme parks like Disneyland hold week-long festivals and many cities have parades. New York's Village Halloween Parade attracts two million people who celebrate in the streets, dressed in stunning costumes. The tradition is strongest in the United States, but interest is growing in Europe.

Actually, Halloween originated in Europe as a Celtic New Year celebration. For the Irish, in the Celtic calendar, October 3lst was Samhain, a pagan festival. The Celts believed that the dead returned to possess the living during that night, and so they opened their doors and provided food to the wandering good souls and wore costumes to scare off the evil ones.

Teen spirit: The secret life of Britain's teenage boys - PAU Cataluña 2010

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Cataluña resueltos

Nasif Mugisha lives in South London. He is full of life, seems kind, likes to run, and looks a little scary in his cadet’s uniform. Actually, Nas wants to join the Air Forces. He has wanted to be a pilot ever since he was four and first flew in a plane. At 15, he is already thinking ahead to a degree and career when all his friends talk of the pressure of exams. In the early evening, after Nas’s mum, Sophia, has made some delicious noodles, Nas and his friends go to the park.
Adults move out of the way, often giving them hostile looks. The boys feel empowered, but also annoyed at the adults’ reaction.
At 7.30 am every Sunday, whether sunny or cold, Nas stacks his newspaper trolley with copies of the local paper. “It can be very depressing when the weather is bad, delivering all those papers through the wind and the rain. But at times it’s really good.” Two years ago when he started he was paid £20 for delivering the papers, now it’s just £10 or £15 on a good day. “They don’t call us newspaper boys any more,” says Nas, “we’re called walkers. I call myself a newspaper distribution expert.”
Nas’s mother was born in Uganda, his father in Rwanda. They divorced when he was three, and yet he considers himself fortunate—both parents remarried and now he’s got two great sets of families. “My mum confides in me. When I was a child, certain things happened and mum would say, ‘Ah, you’re too young to know.’ Now that I’m older, she tells me everything.” Nas talks more formally than most of his friends; he uses full sentences and only a little slang. “There are expectations of how a teenage boy will talk and act—especially a black teenage boy,” he says.
And he adds, “African parents want you to do well and they always push you to speak properly.”
Nas is more confident than he was at primary school. “It all changed when I joined the cadets.” He learned practical skills such as map-reading and ironing. “At school, the older you get, the more fixed groups become,” he says. Because he is so busy with extracurricular activities, Nas feels left out at times. “At school there is the cool group, and then lots of other groups. The cool kids are really the ones who never make progress at school. Many of them drink and take drugs. I’d say a third of them either smoke or drink.” Nas says he doesn’t drink or smoke at all.
Why doesn’t he? “First of all, I’m Muslim. But also, I don’t see the point. I think if you’re an interesting enough person you can be interesting at a party without alcohol.”
On Monday evening Nas goes to Air Cadets; he has to take two buses and then walk. He is pleased because his group finished third out of 15 in last week’s athletics competition. They put in so much time and effort that tonight, as a reward, they don’t have to wear their uniform. Nas will give a map-reading lesson to the junior cadets, some of whom are actually older than him, and they are all extremely disciplined. The group is racially mixed, and yet the kids appear to be colour blind, as they line up orderly to salute the picture of the Queen. Nas appears to be more mature and prepared for adult life than earlier generations of teenagers. In a strange way, maybe society’s demonisation of teen boys has made them grow up more quickly.

Text adapted from The Guardian

Can Africa be saved? - PAU inglés Andalucía 2010 resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

Africa is the earth’s second-largest continent. With a population of approximately 1 billion, it is also the world’s second most crowded continent, accounting for 15 percent of the global population.

Those who travel to Africa are captivated by its beauty. From majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, to the exotic savannas of the Serengeti, to the giant Great Rift Valley, to beautiful Lake Victoria, to the mighty Nile River, to the imposing pyramids, to the beauty of Table Mountain, Africa leaves a permanent mark on many visitors. It has both the world’s longest river and largest desert. Dozens of animals not typically found elsewhere abound in Africa. It is simply a unique continent.

Furthermore, Africa is fabulously rich in natural resources, more than any other continent. It has 50 percent of the world’s gold and diamonds, along with large unexploited oil reserves. Its fertile fields have the potential to feed not only itself, but also many other countries. Its lakes and rivers are capable of producing 40 percent of the world’s supply of hydroelectric power. Moreover, Africa’s massive rainforests have the potential for maintaining or destroying the equilibrium of the earth’s atmosphere and ecology. For example, massive deforestation could destroy the world’s ozone layer and affect negatively Earth’s climate.

Yet, despite these riches, most Africans live in societies troubled by war, instability, corruption, poverty, hunger, disease and early deaths. The United Nations said that Africa has the largest number of poor countries of any continent. Tragically, as many as 50 percent of Africans live on less than $1.25 a day. Wars devastate the continent. Since 1981, at least 28 nations in sub-Saharan Africa have been at war. Deadly diseases like AIDS and malaria cause devastation throughout nations.

The world’s richest countries have provided billions of dollars in aid, but with no effect. Indeed, Africa is poorer now than when it first achieved independence from the colonial powers some 50 years ago. As the international community considers the dilemmas of this troubled continent, the question must be asked: “Can Africa be saved?”

Linkshänder - Die Welt falsch konstruiert . Alemán B2 EOI Aragón

Nicht nur Barack Obama macht alles mit links. Experten schätzen, dass die linke Hand bei etwa zehn bis 20 Prozent der Weltbevölkerung dominant ist. Doch immer noch scheitern deutsche Schüler wegen Linkshändigkeit.

Am Computer sitzt der Ziffernblock auf der falschen Seite. Am Geldautomaten wird der
5 -
Karteneinschub zur akrobatischen Fingerübung. Und aus der Gitarre wollen keine harmonischen Klänge herauskommen. Wenn es um das Bedienen technischer Geräte und das Spielen von Instrumenten geht, fühlen sich Linkshänder bisweilen, als ob sie gleich zwei linke Hände hätten. Ihr Problem: Fast alle Automaten, aber auch sämtliches Werkzeug oder Musikinstrumente sind für Rechtshänder konstruiert. Auf Benachteiligungen im Alltag, die für Linkshänder bestehen,
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macht der Weltlinkshändertag an diesem Donnerstag aufmerksam.

 

Alltagshürden eines Linkshänders 

Die Diskriminierung von Linkshändern fange schon in der Kindheit an, sagt Matthias Wüstefeld. Er ist Linkshänder, wurde jedoch in der Grundschule wie viele andere linkshändigen Kinder gezwungen, mit rechts zu schreiben. Erst vor knapp zehn Jahren – im Alter von 43 – begann Wüstefeld, sich auf seine eigentlich dominante Hand zurückzuschulen. Heute werde ihm
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schwindlig, wenn er mit rechts schreiben müsse, sagt er. Beruflich hat Wüstefeld als Feinmechaniker begonnen. Doch die für Rechtshänder konstruierten Maschinen und Werkzeuge ließen ihn an seine motorischen Grenzen stoßen. Wüstefeld sattelte um, studierte Sozialpädagogik und betreibt heute in Münster eine von bundesweit 76 Beratungsstellen für Linkshänder.

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Mit links mehr Schulerfolg

Vor zwei Jahren erschien Alexandra Marschner mit ihrem Sohn Felix in der Beratungsstelle. Felix hatte damals erhebliche Probleme, in der Grundschule mitzukommen, erzählt Marschner: „Felix war immer sehr unkonzentriert.“ Dass ihr Sohn es nach der Grundschule auf das Gymnasium schaffen würde, daran hatten sie und ihr Mann schon fast nicht mehr geglaubt. „Wir haben zu Felix gesagt, wenn er es auf die Hauptschule schafft, ist das gut.“

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Inzwischen ist von Hauptschule keine Rede mehr. Nach den Sommerferien geht es für Felix am Gymnasium weiter. Innerhalb von zwei Jahren hat der Elfjährige einen erstaunlichen Leistungsschub hingelegt – nach Überzeugung der Eltern ist die 2007 begonnene Rückschulung ihres Sohnes auf links der Grund.

 

Lehrer sind nicht ausreichend geschult 

Felix sei kein Einzelfall, erklärt Wüstefeld. Viele Kinder blühten regelrecht auf, wenn sie damit
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begännen, ihre dominante Hand zu gebrauchen. Sie gewännen an Selbstsicherheit und fühlten sich ausgeglichener. Im Gegenzug bringe das zwangsweise Drillen auf rechts gravierende Probleme mit sich: „Mögliche Primärfolgen sind Konzentrationsschwierigkeiten, Lese- und Rechtschreibschwächen oder auch Sprachstörungen wie Stottern.“ All dies könne dazu führen, dass sich die Kinder immer weiter zurückzögen oder sozial auffällig würden. Auch Inkontinenz sei
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eine mögliche Auswirkung. Viele Jahrzehnte wurden linkshändige Kinder in deutschen Schulen zum Gebrauch der rechten Hand erzogen. „Noch bis vor Kurzem stand in den Lehrplänen einiger Bundesländer, dass Lehrer versuchen sollen, leicht linkshändigen Kindern das Schreiben mit rechts beizubringen“, beklagt Wüstefeld. Inzwischen werde das Problem in der Lehrerausbildung zwar behandelt, allerdings
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nur stiefmütterlich.

 

Aufstand lohnt

Eine gezielte Förderung von linkshändigen Kindern finde etwa in Nordrhein-Westfalen nicht statt. „In Düsseldorf ist man der Ansicht, eine solche Förderung braucht man nicht im Lehrplan. Die Lehrer wüssten, was zu tun ist, und andere Sachen seien wichtiger“, kritisiert Wüstefeld. NRW sei aber nicht das einzige Bundesland, das hinterherhinke. Ganz anders sehe der Lehrplan von
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Bayern aus. Dieser sei in Bezug auf die Förderung von Linkshändern sehr gut. Die noch immer allumfassende Dominanz der Rechtshänder erklärt der Münsteraner Experte mit dem Unvermögen der Linkshänder, sich Gehör zu verschaffen. „Das Problem der Linkshänder ist, dass sie es nicht schaffen, sich als Gruppe zusammenzutun und zu sagen, wir legen jetzt mal alle unsere Probleme auf den Tisch. Auch viele Linkshänder meinten: ‚Ach, dafür lohnt sich doch
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der Aufstand nicht.´“

© FOCUS

London restaurants - EOI Aragón inglés B2 resuelto

A. Anchor & Hope

Great things at friendly prices come from the open kitchen at this packed, no-reservations, leading gastropub on the Cut in Waterloo: pot-roast duck and chicken pithivier (puff pastry pie) are two standouts. It's cramped, informal, and highly original, and there are great dishes for groups, like slow-roasted leg of lamb. Expect to share a table, too.

B. Boxwood Café

Attached to the Berkeley and in the Gordon Ramsay stable, the Boxwood is the best uptown but relaxed place to dine in Knightsbridge, with opulent marble, brown, and greens. The New Yorkstyle restaurant is open late (until midnight Thursday-Saturday) and set lunch is useful at £28. Favorite dishes range from Orkney scallops to yellowfin tuna, and veal burger to treacle tart. Service is top-notch, and you'll find a fashionable buzz.

C. Great Queen Street

Expect crowds and a buzz at Covent Garden's leading gastropub that showcases classic British dishes in a burgundy and bare oak-floor-and-table setting. Old-fashioned dishes like pressed tongue, mackerel and gooseberry, and mussels and chips may be revived from a bygone era, but Londoners adore them. Dishes for the whole table—like venison pie or seven-hour shoulder of lamb—are highly convivial. There's little for nonmeat eaters, and no dinner Sunday.

D. Skylon

Located in the Royal Festival Hall, Skylon is the Southbank Centre's destination restaurant/bar/grill. Spacious, attractive, and with huge picture windows with spectacular views of the Thames, Skylon guarantees a classy pre- or post-performance meal in the '50s Festival Hall.

Against a background of dancing and music, concertgoers sip lush cocktails at the central bar and dine on lamb and harissa at the grill, or Anjou pigeon, spelt risotto, and sea bass with bok choy in the restaurant. The food is accomplished, and the setting impressive.

E. Yauatcha

It's a superbly lighted slinky Soho classic. Well designed by Christian Liaigre—with black granite floors, aquarium, candles, and a starry ceiling—the food is a match for the seductive setting.

There's wicked dim sum (try prawns or scallops), crispy duck rolls, silver cod, fancy cocktails, and tea and colorful cakes in the first-floor tearoom. Note the quick table turns, and ask to dine in the more romantic basement at night.

F. Cecconi's

Enjoy all-day buzz at this Italian brasserie opposite the Royal Academy on Burlington Gardens.

Between Savile Row and New Bond Street, clients pitch up for breakfast, brunch, and Italian tapas (cichetti) at the bar, and return for something more substantial later on. Ilse Crawford's green-andbrown interior is a stylish background for classics like veal Milanese, Venetian calves' liver, and tiramisu. Note: it's a nice pit stop during a shopping spree.

G. Scott's

Scott's is so hot that it's where the A-list go to celebrate. Founded in 1851, and recently renovated and reborn as a glamorous seafood haven and oyster bar, it draws beautiful people who pick at Cumbrae oysters, Red Sea prawns, and Stargazy pie. Standouts like cod with chorizo and padron peppers are to die for. Prices are high, but you're dining at the hippest joint in town.

H. Tayyabs

City finance boys, Asians, and medics from the Royal London Hospital swamp this high-turnover halal Pakistani curry canteen in Whitechapel. Expect queues after dark, and bear in mind it's BYOB, jam-packed, noisy, and mildly chaotic. Nonetheless, prices are dirt cheap and you can gorge on minced meat shami kebabs, skewed beef seekh kebabs, karahi chicken, or marinated lamb chops.

Francés B1 EOI Aragón - Une dernière lune de miel avant les couches

La Babymoon débarque en France. Un break romantique quelques semaines avant la naissance d'un bébé.

 

Vous l'avez sans doute déjà fait sans même savoir que vous étiez tendance. Des vacances en tête à tête avec le père de votre futur enfant, histoire de faire un break romantique quelques semaines avant la naissance du bébé. Jusque-là rien de très nouveau pensez-vous. Sauf qu'aux États-Unis, ça porte un nom. On appelle ça une « babymoon ».

Et oui, après les honeymoons (lunes de miel), voici les babymoons, un concept marketing juteux au succès grandissant outre-atlantique. À l'origine, le terme babymoon évoquait plutôt le temps privilégié que les parents passaient avec leur bébé juste après sa naissance. Rhabillé par les professionnels du voyage, il désigne maintenant des packages « all included », tout compris, proposés aux futurs parents soucieux de se « retrouver », au calme, avant l'ouragan... Une honeymoon dopée aux hormones en quelque sorte.

Selon l'industrie du tourisme, 6 millions d'Américains se laisseraient tenter chaque année par la formule qui peut aussi séduire des femmes très avancées dans leur grossesse, même si les gynécos jugent évidemment que le deuxième trimestre est la meilleure période pour aller se faire papouiller dans des hôtels et des spas spécialisés dans l'accueil des ventres ronds. Une envie subite de crème glacée à 2h du mat ? Pas de problème, grâce au room service 24/24, l'homme n'a même plus besoin de courir les rues désertes en pleine nuit.

Le moindre désir de la femme enceinte est devancé, tous les services sont adaptés à son état physiologique (pas de hammam ni d'huiles essentielles par exemple). Tout est fait pour qu'elle se sente divine, qu'elle oublie (un temps) ses vergetures, ses hémorroïdes et les brûlures d'estomac (qui a dit que la grossesse était un moment formidable ?). Pour madame, massages prénatals, drainage lymphatique, yoga, pédicure (vous avez déjà essayé de la faire vous-même à 7 mois de grossesse quand vous arrivez à peine à apercevoir vos orteils ?), pour monsieur un peu de sport (ah ! ces fichus kilos de la couvade), et bien sûr dîners aux chandelles et virées shopping pour trouver le trousseau de naissance ou les fringues qui permettront de rester glamour en allaitant (si si, il paraît que ça existe...). Tout ça n'est évidemment pas toujours donné, surtout si on part au bout du monde, dans un

resort luxueux sur une plage de sable blanc. Mais c'est au nom de la sauvegarde de la vie de couple, alors on ne va pas commencer à mégoter !

Comme souvent, le concept a traversé l'Atlantique et l'on commence à voir des agences et des hôtels proposer des week-ends « babymoon » en France. Dans des contrées vertes et zen comme Evian, Vittel, la Provence, ou encore le Bordelais et la Champagne. [...]

Difficile de prédire si les babymoons connaîtront le même engouement qu'aux États-Unis. [...]

Mais à bien y réfléchir, les Françaises étant championnes de la natalité, avec un taux de fécondité de deux enfants par femme, en grande partie grâce à une politique familiale certes loin d'être parfaite mais que nous envient pas mal de femmes dans le monde, pourquoi ne pas suggérer que ces vacances antepartum ne soient un jour remboursées par la Sécurité Sociale ? Au nom du renouvellement des générations ! Tiens par exemple quand Nicolas Sarkozy aura enfin terrassé les paradis fiscaux et que la France pourra jouir des 40 milliards de l'évasion fiscale...

Laure Watrin © www.slate.fr 

14/11/2009 (566 mots)

A magician with numbers - EOI Aragón inglés B1 resuelto

Daniel Tammet has an extraordinary gift for mathematics. 

He can also speak 10 languages as well as his own invented language, "Mänti". 

Daniel’s mathematical abilities are so extraordinary that it took a long time for them to be recognised. He struggled at school. He got a B at Maths GCSE. He wasn't diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome until three years ago, at 25. Sooner would have been better "both for me and my parents".

 “As a child I didn't speak very much. I used to put my fingers in my ears to feel the silence. It was hard for me to find my voice because I was, for so long, absorbed in my own world," says Daniel "I had to teach myself to look in somebody's eyes," he explains. "Before that, I used to look at their mouth, because it was the part of their face that was moving."

Daniel's condition brings him great riches: his visualisation of numbers means he can perform extraordinary mathematical achievements. Daniel's world is a rich and strange one, where every number up to 10,000 has colour, texture and emotional resonance. More remarkable still, he has described it all in Born on a Blue Day, his memoir of his life with a rare form of Asperger's; consciousness-raising is part of his motivation for writing his book. "My condition is invisible otherwise."

Scientists at California's Center for Brain Studies were amazed when, two years ago, they discovered his facility for discerning prime numbers. They had assumed he must have been trained to do it. But to him, it is more like an instinctive process.

"The scientists and researchers come to me so I can help them design the parameters of their experiments," he says. It is important to Daniel that he uses his gifts responsibly, perhaps for science, perhaps for teaching: he is already devising a new system of visualisation to help with language learning and dyslexia.

Daniel was lonely. Forming relationships was difficult. "I was desperate for a friend and I used to lie in bed at night thinking about what it would be like. My younger brothers and sisters had friends and I used to watch them playing to try to work out what they did and how friendship worked. Then, I would have traded everything for normality”.

Falling in love with Neil has changed everything. They have been together for six years. Now his emotional life is more like everyone else's. "Neil is very patient with me, and the routines I need to have to help with my anxieties," says Daniel. "I don't know what I'd do without him."

Generally, Daniel feels he is progressing all the time towards "outgrowing" his autism." He is getting steadily better at social interaction. "Every experience I have I add to my mental library and hopefully life should then get easier." I've learned that being different isn't necessarily a bad thing." In this, he seems to sum up the progress we all hope for.

Logement idéal . Francés A1 Graduado ESO

Le logement idéal des Français doit être lumineux (30% des personnes interrogées) et chaleureux (30%). Surtout les femmes et les retraités donnent priorité à la luminosité du logement. La pièce préférée est le salon, surtout pour les 15-34 ans, puis la cuisine, la chambre et enfin la salle à manger.

Autre révélation de cette enquête, 52% des Français rêvent d’une maison de campagne. 32% aimeraient vivre dans un chalet et 27% dans un corps de ferme.

Déménager pour avoir un meilleur logement 1 Français sur 5 ne souhaite pas déménager de son logement. Parmi les Français qui souhaitent déménager, les raisons qui motivent le changement de résidence sont : Une meilleure localisation pour 32% des sondées (notamment l’accès aux transports publics (12%), aux commerces et aux services (12%), un environnement moins bruyant (11%) et plus sécurisant (3%)).

Texto adaptado de : Le partenaire européen  (255 p.)

Twilight . Inglés A1 Graduado ESO

Stephenie Meyer was born on 24th December 1973 in Connecticut. This American author, who is known for her vampire romance series, grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and was one of six children. She met her husband, Christian in high school, but they did not marry until after she graduated from Brigham Young University. They have three sons. Her husband has now retired to take care of the children. She is Mormon.

During one mad summer, while her husband and three young boys slept, Stephenie Meyer wrote a mountain of pages about a romance between a smart 17-year-old girl and a handsome vampire. In 2005, she published her first book, Twilight. Following the success of Twilight (2005), Meyer expanded the story into a series with three more books: New Moon (2006), Eclipse (2007), and Breaking Dawn (2008). The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition, won multiple literary awards and sold over 85 million copies worldwide, with translations into 37 different languages around the globe. Meyer is also the author of the adult science-fiction novel The Host.

In August 2009 USA Today revealed that Meyer broke JK Rowling's record on their bestseller list. The four Twilight books have spent 52 weeks on the top 10.The books have also spent more than 102 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List.

Text adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephenie_Meyer

(219 words)

The boy in the striped pyjamas . Inglés A1 Graduado ESO

On Christmas Day Father wore his brand-new uniform, the starched and pressed one that he wore every day now, and the whole family applauded when he first appeared in it. It really was something special. Compared to the other soldiers who came in and out of the house, he stood out, and they seemed to respect him all the more now that he had it. Mother went up to him and kissed him on the cheek and ran a hand across the front of it, commenting on how fine she thought the fabric was. Bruno was particularly impressed by all the decorations on the uniform and he had been allowed to wear the cap for a short period, provided his hands were clean when he put it on.

The boy in the striped pyjamas by John Boyne

James Cameron et son film «Avatar» . Francés A1 Graduado ESO

Avatar, c’est le dernier film du réalisateur James Cameron et le plus cher de l’histoire du cinéma.

James Cameron est né au Canada mais il fait ses études à l’Université de Californie. Il a aimé toujours le cinéma mais il travaille au commencement comme mécanicien et conducteur de camions. Nous savons qu’il s’est marié cinq fois et qu’il a trois enfants. Avant de tourner Avatar, il a réalisé des films bien connus comme Terminator, Rambo II, Abyss ou Titanic. Films de grand succès.

Avatar sort en décembre 2009, mais James Cameron a travaillé dans le projet pendant quatorze ans.

Avatar c’est un film d’aventure et science fiction, mais le plus important c’est que le film est tourné en 3 dimensions, avec des effets spéciaux magnifiques, grâce aux technologies modernes.

On peut voir le film dans toutes les salles de cinéma du monde, mais il y en beaucoup qui ne sont pas encore équipés pour le voir en 3 dimensions.

Avec Titanic, qui a gagné 11 Oscars et le grand succès d’Avatar, James Cameron devient le réalisateur le plus rentable de l´histoire du cinéma devant Steven Spielberg.

A night of terror - EOI Aragón inglés B2 resuelto

Patricia Morgan and Carlo Fraizzoli had had a hectic week in Baltimore. But now, aboard Carlo's sailboat they were heading for a scenic cove 25 miles south on the Magothy River. 

Morgan saw that clouds to the north had darkened the skies over the city. She asked Carlo to put the motor on and head to shore as two lightning bolts crackled behind the boat. Within seconds, the sunlit sky above them had turned dark. Whitecaps sprang up on the water, and sheets of rain began to batter the boat. Morgan jumped up to get a life jacket from the cabin. Before she could grab one, a powerful gust slammed into the boat, tilting the sloop onto its side and sending the mainsail into the water. As the boat tipped, Morgan lost her balance and tumbled onto the rail. Looking facedown into the waves and fearing the boat was capsizing, she made a split-second decision—"I'll be safer in the water" and jumped into the bay.

As Morgan floundered in the waves, Fraizzoli righted the boat. He threw her a life preserver. It slipped through her hands as the current began to pull the boat away from her. Fraizzoli started the motor and steered the boat toward the sound of her voice. She missed it, and the motor stalled. Morgan watched the powerless boat drift away and out of sight. It was after 9 p.m.

Morgan wasn't a strong swimmer and wasn't wearing a life jacket. She started swimming toward dim lights on the shore, about two miles away. Then, directly ahead of her, she saw an enormous looming shape: a 200-foot barge, being towed by a tugboat. She'd been pulled into the middle of a shipping channel.

The barge is going to run her over, Fraizzoli thought. The mainsail was in tatters, shredded by the repeated pounding of 60 mph winds. The docking line was now wrapped around the propeller of the outboard motor, jamming it. Fraizzoli had left his ship-to-shore radio at home in Baltimore. Suddenly, he remembered Morgan's cell phone and dug for it in her purse. He punched in 911. Fraizzoli was unsure of his location but rescuers would determine the coordinates of the boat by tracking the cell phone signal.

Morgan, meanwhile, swam away from the barge. After the hulking vessel passed her, she began a frenzied crawl stroke, knowing that in the darkness, another ship could run her down. But the waves kept coming at her. She tried diving underneath them. Her arms burned, her legs dragged, and her heart hammered so hard in her chest that she gasped for air. She felt fear gnawing at her. Morgan spotted the lighthouse off Gibson Island. Thinking there might be a ladder, she headed toward it. But the ladder was set high above the water to deter vandals. In the distance, she could see lights along the shore. She headed for them.

By 10 p.m. rescue boats were nearing Fraizzoli's sloop. Fraizzoli described to the rescue crews the last place he thought he'd seen Morgan. They assumed Morgan had attempted to swim toward shore, so they steered the boat slowly back and forth along the two-mile-wide strip of water between the shipping lane and Gibson Island, stopping every few minutes to look and listen.

A fireboat scanned the waves with a handheld spotlight. The water temperature was a survivable 60-plus degrees, but the relentless pounding of the waves was sure to exhaust even an experienced swimmer. Morgan would have been in the water for nearly two hours by now. Fire officials were preparing to switch the mission from a rescue to a body retrieval. Suddenly someone shouted, “I think I heard somebody scream.” They stopped the engines. The men strained to hear.

Morgan had seen the boat's searchlight and yelled. But her strength was failing.

The men shut down the motor twice more so they could listen. Finally, the spotlight shone on Morgan's head. The men shouted and held out the boat hook so Morgan could reach the life jacket they had hung from it. She grabbed at it but missed. Morgan summoned a final bit of strength and paddled toward the boat. They dropped her a life ring, then reached toward her and grabbed her arm. Three men were able to maneuver her along the side of the boat to the swim platform at the stern. They hauled her on board, where she collapsed. Taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, Morgan was treated for dehydration and exhaustion and released after a few hours.

Fraizzoli and Morgan did marry, two months after her rescue, at the Baltimore city courthouse. He credits the near tragedy for bringing the two of them closer. "I realized I didn't want to lose her again."

Alexander von Humboldt – Der Vermesser der Welt . Alemán B2 EOI Aragón

Alexander von Humboldt war ein Universalgenie. Sein Denken war grenzenlos. Aber er war auch Lebemann, der die Geselligkeit in den Salons liebte. Sein Bruder Wilhelm warf ihm einmal vor, zu sehr pariserisch zu werden.

Alexander von Humboldt konnte so ziemlich alles. Er war kein Spezialist, sondern in den meisten naturwissenschaftlichen Disziplinen zu Hause. Er genießt, wie sein zwei Jahre älterer Bruder Wilhelm, eine hervorragende Ausbildung. Dafür investiert seine Mutter sehr viel Geld. Die besten Hauslehrer werden engagiert, alle folgen dem aufklärerischen Gedanken dieser Zeit. Der Mensch soll sein Leben und Denken selbst bestimmen und sich nicht an Zwängen der Obrigkeit orientie-ren. So wächst Alexander auf. Saugt alles, was ihn interessiert, wie ein Schwamm auf. Studiert Staatswirtschaftslehre, Altertumswissenschaften und Medizin, Physik, Mathematik, Botanik.

Vermessung der Erde Alexander von Humboldt interessiert als Naturforscher weniger das Detail als vielmehr die Frage, wie das Ganze, das gesamte Ökosystem Erde funktioniert. Doch dafür muss er die Details kennen und verstehen. Die Bedeutung der Astronomie, der Geologie, Mineralogie, Klima-forschung oder der Ozeanographie. Dass er dafür nicht in Berlin bleiben kann, weiß Humboldt schon recht früh. Er knüpft Kontakte zu Wissenschaftlern, die die Welt bereisen. Georg Forster ist einer von ihnen. Mit ihm unternimmt Humboldt seine erste Expedition. Von Mainz geht es über den Niederrhein nach England. Und diese kleinere Forschungsreise weckt in ihm den großen Wunsch, die Welt zu erobern, sagt der Humboldt-Biograph Manfred Geier. „Das Schlüssel-erlebnis findet statt, als er mit Georg Forster, dem Weltreisenden das Meer sieht. Und dieses Meer lockt ihn in die Ferne.”

Raus in die Welt Als seine Mutter 1796 stirbt – Alexander ist 27 Jahre alt – erbt er ein großes Vermögen. Damit kann er sich den Traum, die Welt zu bereisen, endlich erfüllen. Er quittiert sofort den Staatsdienst und bereitet sich drei Jahre lang auf seine große Forschungsreise nach Amerika vor. Sein Begleiter ist der Botaniker Aimé Bonpland. 1799 starten sie ihre „Vermessung der Welt”. Mit an Bord die modernsten Instrumente, die es zu dieser Zeit gibt: unter anderem Sextanten, Teles-kope, diverse Fernrohre, eine Längenuhr, ein Hyetometer, Elektrometer, Hygrometer, Barometer und verschiedene Thermometer.

In einem Brief schreibt er: „Ich werde Pflanzen sammeln, mit vortrefflichen Instrumenten astrono-mische Beobachtungen machen können (...). Das alles ist aber nicht Hauptzweck meiner Reise. Auf das Zusammenwirken der Kräfte, den Einfluss der unbelebten Schöpfung auf die belebte Tier- und Pflanzenwelt, auf diese Harmonie sollen stets meine Augen gerichtet sein!”

Expedition Amerika Von Spanien aus geht es über die Kanarischen Inseln nach Kolumbien, Ecuador, Mexiko, Kuba, Venezuela und Peru. Er durchwandert die Anden, Monate lang, tausende von Kilometern. Ein Höhepunkt, sagt Manfred Geier, sei der 20. Juni 1802 gewesen, als er den Vulkan Chimborazo besteigt, der damals als der höchste Berg der Welt galt. „Er war zusammen mit seinen Begleitern fast oben. Es kam ihm schon das Blut aus den Augen, er war über 6000 Meter hoch, bevor er an eine Spalte kam, 70 Meter breit und 170 Meter tief, über die sie nicht hinweggekommen sind.” Alexander von Humboldt und sein Begleiter Bonpland geraten mehrere Male in Lebensgefahr. Doch eine von Humboldts Maximen lautet: „Selbst erleben, selbst erleiden”. Dazu gehören auch die ein oder anderen skurrilen wissenschaftlichen Selbstversuche. Für seine „Versuche über die gereizte Muskel- und Nervenfaser” fügt er sich Wunden zu und bringt sie mit allerlei giftigem Zeug, wie Zink oder Silber in Berührung.

Humboldt wird zum Wissenschafts-Star Am 3. August 1804 betreten Humboldt und Bonplan wieder europäischen Boden. Sie landen in Frankreich und werden frenetisch gefeiert. Humboldt entscheidet sich, erst einmal in Paris zu bleiben, das preußische Berlin lockt ihn nicht. Sein Bruder Wilhelm ermahnt ihn schließlich, wieder nach Deutschland zurückzukehren. Das tut Alexander - wohl auch, weil das Geld knapp wird. Das preußische Königshaus bietet ihm die zu nichts verpflichtende aber gut bezahlte Stelle des königlichen Kammerherrn an, zum außerordentlichen Mitglied der Akademie der Wissen-schaften wurde er bereits während seiner Amerika-Reise ernannt. Auch in Berlin ist Alexander von Humboldt bis zu seinem Tod ein Star der Gesellschaft. Er wird gefeiert und verehrt wie ein Popstar. Humboldt verbringt den Rest seines Lebens damit, die unzähligen Pflanzen, Tiere, Fossilien, Steine und die Berge von Daten und Aufzeichnungen auszuwerten, die er aus Amerika mitgebracht hat. Sein berühmtes, mehrbändiges Werk „Der Kosmos” wurde schon kurz nach Erscheinen zum Bestseller. Alexander von Humboldt stirbt 90-jährig am 6. Mai 1859 in Berlin.

© DW 

Le consul, la France et Salem - PAU francés 2010

>Exámenes selectividad francés Cataluña resueltos

Salem ne pouvait pas croire qu’on lui dise une chose pareille: «Salem Berlgourch, ce n’est pas un nom très français! Pour les Américains, la France, c’est Édith Piaf, le camembert, la tour Eiffel… Je ne sais pas si vous allez convenir». Le consul de France à Seattle, venu recruter des candidats pour un stage parmi les élèves en troisième année à Sciences politiques*, s’interrogeait tout haut. «Monsieur, la France, ce n’est pas un nom, ce sont des valeurs, l’appartenance à une identité collective, à la même République. Et je suis né ici!», lui a répondu le jeune homme, piqué au vif* et persuadé d’être refusé à l’examen. Trois semaines plus tard, le verdict tombait: Salem avait son passeport pour les États-Unis. Le consul avait seulement voulu le tester.
Salem Belgourch, 22 ans, maintenant en quatrième année en master de finances à Sciences politiques, raconte cette anecdote comme le reste  sans émotion particulière, se contentant de décrire les faits. Né dans une famille marocaine arrivée en France dans les années 1960 et qui a habité un bidonville* à Nanterre*, Salem est le dernier de dix enfants. Au collège, ses résultats sont «catastrophiques». Mais des profs exigeants, rencontrés quand il a dû recommencer sa troisième*, lui donnent l’envie d’étudier. En seconde*, au lycée Guy-de-Maupassant de Colombes*, il assiste à une réunion d’information.
Une chance : «Je pensais que Sciences politiques*, ce n’était pas fait pour nous. Mais mes frères et soeurs m’ont encouragé. Je ne perdais rien à essayer». Il avait même tout à gagner: en septembre 2004, après avoir passé un examen, il entre dans la prestigieuse école de la rue Saint-Guillaume. «Les débuts ont été terribles. La charge de travail, tout d’abord. Et puis, je ne me sentais pas du tout à ma place: passer de Colombes* au VIIe arrondissement, c’est un décalage énorme! Je me sentais très différent des autres: on ne parlait pas de la même façon, on ne s’habillait pas de la même manière. Les différences sociales étaient énormes. Et puis, j’ai appris, j’ai montré mes capacités et j’en suis sorti grandi .»
Cet été, Salem effectue un stage à la banque HSBC. Il vit toujours chez ses parents, à Colombes*, où il entraîne une équipe de football junior. Depuis mars dernier, il est également conseiller municipal: «Je veux garder un lien concret avec mon quartier. Je ne vais pas attendre d’avoir 40 ans pour tenter d’apporter mes réponses». À 23 ans, il sortira diplômé de Sciences politiques*, et compte alors s’inscrire à la Faculté de Droit de la rue d’Assas, une autre institution réputée élitiste. «Mais, cette fois, je n’aurai plus rien à prouver aux autres…»

D’après L’Express (31 juillet 2008)

Haiti in ruins after huge earthquake

Television pictures are slowly beginning to show the damage in Haiti following the huge earthquake on Tuesday. A magnitude 7.3 quake, just 16km from the capital, hit the Caribbean nation as people were going home after work. It was the worst earthquake to strike Haiti in more than two centuries. Many major buildings in the capital Port-au-Prince have collapsed, including the Presidential Palace and the UN headquarters.
Haiti's President Rene Preval described the scene in the capital as "unimaginable" and fears "well over 100,000 people" may have died. The Red Cross says up to 3 million people have been affected. Haiti's ambassador to the USA, Raymond Joseph, said there was "no way of estimating" how many casualties there were.

Countries around the world are acting quickly to send whatever help they can to Haiti. US President Barack Obama has promised America will do all it can to help. He vowed "unwavering support" following a “particularly cruel” disaster. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. More than half its people live on less than two dollars a day. The nation was still trying to recover from being hit by four deadly hurricanes in 30 days in 2008. Its economy is in ruins and it has a long history of corruption and coups.

Adapted from http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com

Why do teenagers drink alcohol?

Teenagers consume alcohol for a number of reasons, and there is not just one dimension to this situation. Since teenagers are at an age when they want to experiment with everything, the curiosity to consume alcohol sometimes leads them to alcohol addiction. Teenagers can sometimes go through rough patches which can be due to relationship problems or something to do with their parents, and in the end, they are unable to cope with these issues and tend to get depressed.
Such conditions encourage teens to consume alcohol. As teenagers often witness their parents fighting and verbally abusing each other, this also affects their mental state. In fact, one of the main things which leads teenagers to drink is their parents getting divorced, and whenever such a thing happens, teenagers can be known to seek solace in alcohol and drugs. It is important to keep the home environment positive for teens as many of them are highly sensitive and take things very personally.
You cannot blame the teenagers for their addiction. Rather it is the situation that encourages them to turn to alcohol. Also, another reason to drink alcohol is that teenagers want to impress their friends. They want to be cool in front of them, and they believe that drinking alcohol is a way of being adult-like and trendy.

Chocolate is good for your heart

A study carried out in Germany over eight years has found that chocolate may be good for your heart. They compared how much chocolate was in the diet of almost 20,000 people to the number of heart attacks and strokes people had. Lead researcher Brian Buijsse said: "Chocolate is not as bad as we used to think, and may even lower the risk of heart disease and stroke." Mr Buijsse's team found that dark chocolate was the healthiest kind to eat; milk chocolate has fewer effects and white chocolate no effects.
The German study showed that people who ate the most chocolate reduced their risk of having a heart attack by 27 per cent. The risk of suffering a stroke was cut by 48 per cent. Nutrition experts believe that natural compounds in chocolate called flavonols are good for our heart. Flavonols also help reduce blood pressure. They are found in cocoa beans, and this is why dark chocolate, which has more cocoa, contains more of them than milk chocolate, which has more fat. Buijsse warns people not to suddenly eat lots of chocolate: "Eating higher amounts will most likely result in weight gain. If people start eating small amounts of chocolate, it should replace other high-calorie sweets or snacks."

(Adapted from http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com )

Skating was a mode of transportation for war and hunting in Northern Europe

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Galicia resueltos

Skating was a mode of transportation for war and hunting in Northern Europe: it was a quick way to cross frozen lakes, rivers and streams. Skates were first made from bones, and later from iron and steel. By the 16th century, skaters were transporting goods across frozen waterways. Thus, like other winter sports, figure skating grew from necessity.

In 1892, the International Skating Union was founded. Six years later, the first official event was celebrated, and the Union’s organisers hoped it might soon become an Olympic sport. After a great deal of work over the next decade, figure skating was added to the Olympic programme for the 1908 Games.

There are four Olympic Figure Skating events: women's singles, men's singles, pairs, and ice dancing. The singles event consists of two sections: the short programme, and free skating. The short programme combines eight prescribed elements such as a number of jumps. In the free skating programme, skaters perform original techniques to music of their choice. As judges deduct points for too many or too few jumps, a balanced programme is important. The pairs event also consists of a short programme and free skating. The couple works as a unit, performing many manoeuvres.

In ice dancing, the focus is on the complex steps in time with the music, in which the skaters maintain physical contact with each other. Ice dancing consists of three sections: compulsory, original, and free dances. In compulsory dancing, the couple must perform one pre-determined dance. Original dances must follow selected rhythms, although the pair can choose their own music and interpretative steps. In free dancing the pair freely express their interpretation of the music they have chosen.