Money

The point I want to make with these two examples is that there's nothing inherently valuable about a dollar or a stone or a coin. The only reason these things have any value is because we've all decided they should. And because we've decided that, they do. Money is about the exchanges and the transactions that we have with each other. Money isn't anything objective. It's about a collective story that we tell each other about value. A collective fiction. And that's a really powerful concept.

In the past two decades, we've begun to use digital money. So I get paid via direct deposit, I pay my rent via bank transfer, I pay my taxes online. And every month, a small amount of money is deducted from my paycheck and invested in mutual funds in my retirement account. All of these interactions are literally just changing 1's and 0's on computers. There's not even anything physical, like a stone or a coin. Digital money makes it so that I can pay someone around the world in seconds.

That's because digital money isn't really mine, it's entries in databases that belong to my bank, my credit card company or my investment firm. And these companies have the right to say "no." If I'm a PayPal merchant and PayPal wrongly flags me for fraud, that's it. My account gets frozen, and I can't get paid.

We're about to enter a new phase of money. (Estamos a punto de entrar en...)

Cryptocurrencies are the first step of this evolution. Cryptocurrencies are digital money that isn't run by any government or bank. It's money designed to work in a world without intermediaries. Bitcoin is the most ubiquitous cryptocurrency, but there are hundreds of them. And these things are real money.

So what the banks used to give us -- trustworthy digital money transfer -- we can now get with a clever application of cryptography. And this means that we don't have to rely on the banks anymore to secure our transactions. We can do it ourselves.

MONEY. Vocabulary:

Invest money in / spend money on

Be in credit / be overdrawn (al descubierto)

Get into debt / get out of debt

Buy-get something on credit / pay cash for something

Get a loan / repay a loan (a la persona),

Pay back (devolver a alguien el dinero prestado) / pay off (devolverlo al banco)

 Have a good credit rating (calificación de crédito) / have a bad credit rating

Take out (contratar un préstamo, arrange to get a loan, morgage…) from a bank

Get high interest rate (tasa de interés) / get a low interest rate

Have a current account / have a saving account

Be well off / be short (of money). We also can say: be in debt

Take-get money out of an account / put money into an account

 Más formal para sacar o meter dinero: withdraw / deposit

Go down: caer. Price have gone down

Come to (ascender, precio total): The house repair come to about 1200 euros

Put down on (rebajar, dar una entrada o adelanto): He’s put 2.000 euros down on a new flat

 Come into (heredar): She came into a lot of  money when her aunt died 

Take off (rebajar): The shop took off 50 euros off the table because it was damaged 

Save up (ahorrar) Rip off (timar): $8 for an ice cream? He’s ripping people off. 

A deposite

To be rolling in Money

To be broke: estar en bancarrota = be out of money

To be bankrupt: ser insolvente. Bankruptcy: quiebra, bancarrota

Property es incontable

The equality of gender nowadays

She

She speaks very clearly

HeForShe: what we share is much more powerful than what divides us.
It is not our gender that defines us, but ultimately, our shared humanity.

A perennial American question: why has gun control failed?

(ADAPTED FROM THE GUARDIAN)

The gunman who killed 58 people and wounded 527 in Las Vegas on Sunday night qualified as a “super-owner” – one of the estimated 7.7 million Americans who own between eight and 140 guns.

Little is yet known about Stephen Paddock and his motives. But the apparent ease (facilidad) with which he acquired his arsenal – 42 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to police – has renewed the urgency of a perennial American question: why can’t the United States effect sensible gun control?

Look at Australia, which enacted  (promulgaron) a ban (prohibición) and mandatory (obligatorio, forzoso) buyback (recompra)of more than 600,000 long guns following a mass shooting (tiroteo) in 1996, effectively ending the problem of mass shootings (already rare) and halving (to halve: reducir a la mitad) gun deaths. Why can’t the United States do that?

From one angle, the answer is complicated. It involves the powerful gun lobby, political partisanship (partidismo político), the hundreds of millions of guns already in US civilian hands, the fact that mass shootings, while horrifying, represent only a sliver of US gun deaths, and a national mythology attached to guns.

From another angle, the answer is simple. The United States could, in fact, adopt gun control – if the public felt strongly enough about it. “If public opinion does not demand change in Congress, it will not change,” Barack Obama said in June 2014.

A majority of US gun owners – 74% – say the right to own a gun is “essential” to their freedom, while only 44% believe that the ease with which people can legally obtain guns contributes at least a fair amount to gun violence. The disagreements only expand from there.

In the wake of the most deadly mass shooting in the United States, here are key features of the American gun control debate.

How outrage fizzles (desaparecer, esfumarse)

Opponents of gun control feared new restrictions after the killing of 20 six- and seven-year-olds at Sandy Hook elementary school in December 2012. The national outrage was intense, and legislators who previously were not interested in gun control measures suddenly were.

Two senators, Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Pat Toomey, sponsored a bill (proyecto de ley) that would have imposed universal background (antecedentes) checks for commercial gun purchases, including at gun shows and over the internet. Eighty-four percent of Americans favor such a law.

But after participating in initial negotiations over the bill, the National Rifle Association came out in strong opposition and falsely claimed the bill would lead to a national gun registry.  “The gun lobby and its allies willfully lied about the bill,” Obama said in a furious Rose Garden speech.

‘Successes’ at gun control

While the national focus on gun control always intensifies after mass shootings, mass shootings account for only a small proportion of US gun deaths annually. Gun violence instead is concentrated in the country’s poorest, most racially segregated neighborhoods, with African Americans, who represent 13% of the total population, making up more than half of overall gun murder victims.

Is it all the NRA’s fault?

Obama said that senators who had not dared to support the bill have the worry that that vocal minority of gun owners would come after (perseguir) them in future elections.

NRA members are known for being politically active – showing up at public meetings, bombarding congressional offices with telephone calls, and for voting.

What kind of gun control?

One hurdle (obstáculo) to effective gun control measures in the United States is a disagreement over what kind of action is needed. Focus on a new military-style weapons ban may detract from a potential ban on high-capacity magazines, which may be the more effective measure to limit the terrible toll of mass shootings. Researchers also call for (exigen) more investment in threat assessment (evaluación) and intervention programs. Community advocates urge more funding (financiación) for local programs that have been shown to reduce gang-related murder. Health experts urge the public to recognize that mental health is a serious factor in gun suicide.

Are there simply too many guns are out there?

There were about 265m, at last count – more than one for every adult American. That means that any new gun control measure in the United States advances against an ominous (amenazante) reality, of a country already flooded with guns. That reality is the core of gun advocates’ claim that new legislation to limit gun ownership would not increase public safety while funneling (to funnel: canalizar, encauzar) gun possession toward lawbreakers.

The American gun mythology

Debate rages as to whether  (se ha desatado un debate en torno a) the  framers (legislador, artífice) of the constitution drafted the second amendment, which enshrines (recoge) the American right to bear (tener) arms, as a hedge against private militias; as an affirmation of the country’s revolutionary roots; as an acknowledgment (reconocimiento) of a divine individual right; or as all of the above. From the revolutionary war to the genocide of Native Americans to the taming (to tame: domesticar) of the western wilderness (tierra salvaje) to the ratification of the code of anti-government American individualism, US history is filled with guns. The future may be, too.

A review

How to write a review:
Puede ser de una película, un libro, un restaurante...
Es importante pensar a quién va dirigido para encontrar el tono (audience)
Se escribe en estilo informal
Al comienzo hay que captar (capture /kápcha/) la atención del lector.
La crítica puede ser positiva, negativa o equilibrada (balanced)
Se debe escribir en 4 párrafos:
- Primero: introducción con los datos generales
- Segundo: the plot. Se cuenta el argumento en presente. No se deben revelar datos del final.
- Tercero: comentarios especiales del autor sobre los efectos especiales,, la calidad de los actores o de los personajes si es un libro
- Cuarto: recomendación o no de verla y razones. Es la opinión personal a modo de conclusión.

*** Consejos para escribir a book review:
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/writing-tips/writing-tips-for-teens/how-to-write-a-book-review/

Letters To The Editor

How to write a LTTE: https://www.wikihow.com/Write-Letters-to-the-Editor
Informal - short

To the editor of Diario de Cádiz/Dear Editor,
Sincerely

Job

Texto para que quede claro el concepto career. Contiene buenas ideas para el tema:
http://www.fredonia.edu/cdo/c-c1.asp
para repasar vocabulario thw WORK and JOB:
https://quizlet.com/214787425/learn

Absolutamente imprescindible

Vídeos en inglés sobre temas muy diversos. Todos son interesantísimos y se pueden poner con subtítulos eligiendo el idioma. Me encanta el de el padre de Malala (con mucho acento, pero en inglés correcto y hablado muy lentamente) y el de Isabel Allende:
http://www.ted.com/topics

Consejos

Esta página da consejos muy buenos sobre el writing y el speaking. Incluye errores comunes a evitar y temas recurrentes en los monólogos con pistas para prepararlos:
http://lawebdelingles.com/writing-nivel-b2-ingles/

Más exámenes de certificación para el B2 con pistas:
https://inglesensagunto.es/2015/02/19/modelos-de-examenes-b2-de-la-escuela-oficial-de-idiomas/


OJO. VÍDEOS INTERESANTÍSIMOS a los que sepuede poner subtítulos en inglés. Es imprescindible el de Isabel Allende o el de el padre de Malala.Textos sobre temas muy diversos para descargar y practicar:
http://www.ted.com/topics

Aquí hay un ofrecimiento de un profesor experimentado para corregir los writing (cobra 0,05 por palabra):
http://lawebdelingles.com/te-corrijo-tu-writing/

y este también es para corregirlos (creo que es gratis):
http://www.essayforum.com/

Having a pet

Es interesante leer este texto:
http://positivemed.com/2013/08/16/10-benefits-of-having-a-pet-2/

Y este:
http://therealscottcarter.com/are-pets-slaves/

2. Families

Talk about  advantages and disadvantages of the different types of families. Talk about the role of the parents and relationship among siblings.

The second topic we are studying is about family. This topic may involve:

-reading, listening, speaking and writing about family, different types of family, an important person in your life, etc.

With respect to speaking, below you will find some of the most important monologues in the PUC speaking cards from 2012 to 2015 related to this second topic:


FAMILY MONOLOGUES


a. Make an oral exposition about the pros and cons of the different types of family shown in the pictures below. Talk about the role of the parents and relationship among siblings

b. Prepare and deliver a monologue about the changes and evolution in the family structure. Explain the differences in relationships among relatives nowadays. Provide examples to support your reasons

c. Talk about an important person in your life, What role does this person have in your life? What are the reasons why you have chosen him/her? Tell an anecdote or memory you share with this person


Regarding the possible FAMILY INTERACTIONS for this topic, I must say to you that there have been no interactions related to this topic. So we will focus just on the monologue task.


rol /roul/

Para los tipos de familia:
http://www.slideshare.net/ebenschaeffer/april-19-types-of-families

Para repasar toooodos sus posibles miembros (incluye ejercicio de repaso):
http://www.vocabulary.cl/english/family-members.htm

Es interesante leer este texto para entrar en materia (hay también un vídeo que puede servir de listening):
http://study.com/academy/lesson/nuclear-family-definition-advantages-disadvantages.html

Otro texto acerca de nuclear family frente a extended or joint family: http://womennow.in/nuclear-families-advantages-and-disadvantages/

Y aquí ideas para argumentar (con audio, para practicar pronunciación y listening!):
https://quizlet.com/79368882/child-development-types-of-families-advantages-and-disadvantages-flash-cards/

USO DE LAS COMAS EN INGLÉS

Aquí se repasa bastante bien:
http://elblogdelingles.blogspot.com.es/2011/10/cuando-usar-comas-en-ingles-reglas-de.html

Pero el resumen sería en cuanto a diferencias básicas:

- En una enumeración, si la lista es larga se pone coma ante AND (los americanos la suelen poner siempre aunque la lista no sea larga). Con BUT y con OR pasa igual, se suele poner coma ante but cuando separamos dos oraciones largas pero no si son cortas (They are poor but honest. It has two or three rooms)

- Se ponen comas para separar palabras o expresiones que interrumpen el desarrollo normal de la oración (however, believe it or not)

- Para presentar un diálogo en estilo directo se pone entre comas SHE/HE SAID, (en español pondríamos dos puntos detrás): Looking very sad, she said, "There is no way I can get over this loss".

- Se pone coma cuando hay una oración subordinada que comienza la oración. Vamos, como en español y lo que hemos visto con las condicionales cuando la parte condicional va delante.

- No se usan comas en oración que indican oposición como cuando se dice "On the other hand...", "On the contrary", siempre deben llevar delante punto. I'm not upset. On the contrary, I'm very happy.
- No se usan comas para separar decimales: es 8.4

Consejos para el writting

Cada tipo de texto tiene una estructura. Hay que recordar los diferentes encabezamientos y despedidas para una carta formal o informal.

Los conectores siempre suman puntos en un escrito. Aquí dan muy buenos consejos acerca de cómo usarlos, no tienen desperdicio los ejemplos que ponen de textos sin conectores y luego con ellos:

http://aprendeinglessila.com/2013/05/escribir-en-ingles-conectores/

Página con muchas propuestas de WRITING, planteamientos de posibles textos y soluciones:
http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/writing/makeover/index.htm

Página con consejos sobre los diferentes escritos (llegar al final para elegir el tipo de texto):
http://elblogdelingles.blogspot.com.es/2012/09/como-aprobar-el-writing-del-first.html

A formal/informal email

En este enlace hay muy buenas indicaciones sobre cómo hacer el formal email y ejercicios de preparación:
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing-skills-practice/more-formal-email

Dear Mr/Ms + el nombre, (Si no sabemos el nombre Dear Sir/Madam)
use why you are writing
Use indirect questions to ask information politely (I will be grateful if you could...)
Use firstly, secondly, finally
Use I look forward to hearing from you
Yours sincerely (Si pusimos dear Sir/Madam, nos despedimos yours faithfully -fielmente-)

Y en este otro para el informal email: http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing-skills-practice/informal-email

- Hi + nombre,
- Thanks for your email. It's great to hear from you
- Use I'd prefer to (mejor que I want to)
- Use informal words and expressions
- Use a variety of structures for giving advice: Why don't you...?/ You should...:
- Best wishes

Conectores

En esta página se explica todo muy bien y se pueden hacer ejercicios:
http://www.curso-ingles.com/aprender/cursos/nivel-intermedio/conjunctions/conjunctions
A tener en cuenta:
- Es importante recordar que hay que poner coma tras un CONECTOR, pero although no la lleva.
- However siempre va al comienzo de la oración.
En verde voy a poner los de uso neutro y en granate los formales

TEMPORALES:
Nowadays: hoy en día
At present,these days, now
A long time ago: hace mucho tiempo

PARA SECUENCIAR IDEAS:
First, then, at the same time, finally, in the end
Firstly, secondly, thirdly (estos son más formales)
Eventualy: al final. And eventually, the introduction of video into the film industry has seduced some video art makers to try their luck in the world of cinema.
And last but not least: al final pero no menos (importante)

PARA AÑADIR INFORMACIÓN O ARGUMENTOS:
Also/ too, and, what is more, as well (también), besides (además):
         I don't have a car. What is more, I hate driving
Pero su uso y significado no es exactamente igual.

AS WELL AS: tanto como/no solo sino también
Today men AS WELL AS women are... 
She speaks German AS WELL AS French
She has invited Jill AS WELL AS Kate
They like walking AS WELL AS skiingç

¡Ojo! No hace que el sujeto sea plural: John, AS WELL AS Mary, wantS to drop the course.

          Running is healthy AS WELL AS making you feel good
          She draws AS WELL AS designing clothes.


BOTH: ambos. Va en oraciones AFIRMATIVAS.

          BOTH (OF) si va seguido de sust pl.: BOTH (OF)his parents are from France

         si le sigue un pronombre es obligatorio poner OF: BOTH OF them...

         BOTH...AND: Cuando relaciona dos atributos. Deben ser de la misma categoría gramatical:

                                            She is BOTH pretty AND clever

                                            I like BOTH beer AND wine

                                            He can both swim AND drive.

NEITHER: ninguno
            NEITHER OF: si va seguido de sust. pl. con artículo o posesivo (¡ojo! Verbo Sg)

                        Neither OF my sisters is married. Neither OF them have a car
            NEITHER OF: con sustantivo singular. I'm afraid neither day is convenient.

            Como ADVERBIO significa tampoco: I don't sing. Me, neither = Neither do I.

             NEITHER....NOR para relacionar 2 conceptos negativos ni...ni

                          I speak neither French nor German. I neither smoke nor drink.

EITHER: cualquiera

            EITHER OF: seguido de sut. plural.

                    You can use EITHER OF the bedrooms
                    Ask Tom or Jim. Either of them is able to help you.(Vb.SG)

            EITHER OF: seguido de sust. singular EITHER DAY is convenient.


            Como ADVERBIO significa tampoco. Se usa con verbos en negativo

                    I don't sing. I don't sing either.

            EITHER... OR: para escoger entre 2 posibilidades de la misma categoría

                    You can EITHER come with me OR wait here

                    You can have EITHER tea OR coffee

            Si el verbo es negativo, su significado cambia a ninguno, ni...ni (= neither...nor)

                     I speak neither French nor German = I don't speak French or German

EJERCICIO BOTH, EITHER, NEITHER      

As for: en cuanto a Regarding: en relación con + sustantivos
In addition: además (éste es + formal)
Moreover: además
Furthermore: es más. Va al principio y se pone coma después. Furthermore, it may be...
Not only....but also: no solo...sino también

Ejemplos:

I don't like go to the beach in the summer. In addition, it's always crowded. Furthermore, sometimes people are sitting very close to you. Not only, you can listen to their conversations, but also you can even smell their sunscreen lotions. 

PARA EXPRESAR CONTRASTE ENTRE LAS IDEAS:

Actually (es un falso amigo, recuerda que su traducción es "en realidad"),
   The weather was awful. Actually, it rained every day.
In fat: a decir verdad, de hecho
As a matter of fact: por cierto, de hecho. 

To tell the truth: para ser sincero
However (al ppio,  en medio o al final), sin embargo, entre comas. (sin coma: aunque)
Even so: aún así
On the one hand, On the other hand; in contrast, by contrast
In reality(es+ formal)
Although: aunque + Oración
Though: aunque, sin embargo. + Oración
              The neighborhood isn't very interesting. I like the house ,tough (Though va al final de la frase con una coma cuando el uso es informal)
Even though: aunque
In spite of/despite + noun: no obstante, a pesar de (+gerundio) (Al ppio. o en medio de la sentencia)
but

    Ejercicio

Despite:(+ noun) a pesar de 
Instead of: en lugar de. You should do something about the problem, instead of complaining.
Whereas: mientras que. While She likes coffe, whereas he likes chocolate. Whereas they go  to swimming, we prefer skiing. (Suelen introducir la frase)

    Ejercicio
    Otro ejercicio, pero quizás con demasiados conectores

Happily, fortunately, unfortunately, sadly

Practicamos hasta aquí: ejercicio


PARA INTRODUCIR EJEMPLOS:
Such as, like, this means that: Paintings by the Impressionist such as Monet and Manet can be seen in The Orsay Museum in Paris
Namely
For example, in other words (+ formal)
Apart from: aparte de

PARA INDICAR RESULTADO O CONSECUENCIA:
So, consequently, Va seguido de la cláusula: I was tired, so I went home
Therefore: por lo tanto.(+ formal) = As a result = for this reason
In order to: con tal de, para.
Anyway: de todos modos
Obviously:
Ejemplos: podemos decir I'm going to Madrid TO visit my family, pero también I'm going to Madrid in order to visit my family
De hecho, IN ORDER TO es más común usarlo con verbos estativos: He left work early in order to be at home with the children

CAUSA OR REASON:
Because:  I don't like go to the beach in summer because it's always crowded. In order to avoid the crowd, I go to the beach after 6pm.

This is why: esta es la razón por la que

Before
Since : ya que (además de significar desde). I'll cook dinner, since yo're so busy.
As: As he lives near me, I see him quite often.
For: (más formal). He said nothing, for he knew she would not listen.
PURPOSE (PROPÓSITO):
So (that) + clause: (para que, y así). Drive carefully so that you will  arrive safely. 

PARA CONCLUIR:
In short, briefly
In conclusion (+ formal)

PARA GENERALIZAR:
In general:
Mostly: normalmente, mayoritariamente


Some exercices:
http://www.ejerciciodeingles.com/ejercicios-cohesion-discursiva-conectores/
http://www.ejerciciodeingles.com/ejercicios-conectores-registro-discursivo/

Repaso muy claro con muchos ejemplos:
http://curso-gratis-ingles.euroresidentes.com/2014/03/conectores-de-contraste-but-although.html

Usos de verbo + Infinitivo con TO/ gerundio -ING

Listado de verbos para consultar dudas: aquí

Se utiliza el INFINITIVO CON TO:

Después de ADJETIVOS: It's important not to be late

Después de QUESTIONS WORDS: I don't know where to go and what to do

Para explicar la FINALIDAD con que se hace algo o se va a algún sitio:
I came to this school to learn English

Después de determinados verbos que se construyen con esa preposición:
want to: I want to catch the six o'clock train
need to: He needs to find a job
would like to: I'd would like to learn English 
offer to: I offered to wash up
try to: Try  not to do it again
decide to: She's decided to go to France for her holiday
forget to: She forgot to turn her mobile phone off
hope to: I hope to see soon
learn to: He learned not to lie to his boss again
plan to: They're planning to rent a flat
pretend to: He pretended to be ill
promise to: I promise not to came late
remember to: Remember to bring your dictionaries
star to: I thing it'll start to rain

Regla nemotécnica para recordarlos:  todos entrarían + ó - en la frase: 
I need to, I want to, I pretend to, I plan to, I decide to, I try to, I would like to, I hope to, 
I expect to, I manage to, I promise to 
buy a car because I DESERVE to,
 but
 I remember  to, I forgot to, 
 you
 offer to, promise to, buy 

. + start que puede ir con To+Inf. ó con -ing 
OJO:  I remember going to Venice as a child,
          I always forget seeing the canals
         I try calling Miriam on her mobile
         The car need cleaning (= pasiva)

Se utiliza el verbo en gerundio (-ING):

Cuando es el Sujeto o el Complemento de una oración:
- Eating outside in the winter makes me feel good
- Hapiness is eating outside in the winter

Después de una preposición: He left without saying goodbay

Después de determinados verbos:

Hate, like, love, don't mind, spend, feel like (apetecer), enjoy
start (tb. seguido de TO + inf.),  finish, go on (continuar),
stop (*con diferente significado: he stopped to smoke: paró para fumar)
It hasn't stopped raining yet (Todavía no ha parado de llover)

Regla nemotécnica: I like, love, hate don't mind, feel like, enjoy reading a good book and then, when I finish, I go on reading and I don't stop. +start

Some exercices

Para estudiar los casos en que verbos como try, stop, remember, forget pueden usar -ing o to + infinitivo con cambio de significado podemos ver la teoría aquí:
http://www.ejerciciodeingles.com/uso-infinitivo-gerundio-ingles-puntos-avanzados/
Y ejercicios aquí:
http://www.ejerciciodeingles.com/ejercicios-verbos-doble-determinacion-infinitivo-gerundio-quiz/