Easter Day is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon in March. This day is between 22 March and 25 April. It is an important day for Christians because on Easter Day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Before Easter there is a period of time in the Christian calendar called Lent (Cuaresma). It lasts for forty weekdays. The Day before Lent starts is called Shrove Tuesday (martes de Carnaval).
In Great Britain Shrove Tuesday is also called Pancake Day because it is traditional to eat pancakes (thin, soft, flat cakes made of flour, milk and eggs and served with sugar). In some places there are pancake races and people run and toss pancakes in a frying pan and trying not to drop them as they run
In America Shrove Tuesday is called Mardi Gras, which means “Fat Tuesday” in French. There is a very famous carnival in New Orleans. There are celebrations and parades with amazing costumes for twelve days before Mardi Gras and thousands of people go to this carnival every year.
The traditional Easter meal is roast lamb, new potatoes, peas and other vegetables. Children get chocolate eggs … some of them with a surprise inside! Hot cross buns are also typical on Good Friday (Viernes Santo) in Britain. They are small, sweet cakes with a cross on top.
The origin of the celebration has to do with some pagan traditions to celebrate spring and to remind people that nature is coming alive again after winter. The word “easter” may be related to Eastre, the goddess of nature and fertility. When Christianity became important, it gradually replaced pagan festivals but some of its symbols still remain: flowers and eggs for new life and rabbits for fertility.
This year we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth. He was one of the greatest British writers of all times but, what do you know about this famous author? I propose a challenge to you.
Try to answer the following questions and then read the information below.
Esta película necesita Flash Player 7
Charles Dickens was one of the most influential and greatest novelists born during the Victorian period. He was born on 7 February 1812 in Landport (Portsmouth, England) and he was second of the eight children in the Dickens family.
Charles’ family moved to London in 1814 when he was just two years. His parents taught him reading and writing and also helped in developing his intellectual capabilities. From an early age, Charles was interested in reading books and had his won small collection in his room. Among others, “Robinson Crusoe” or “Don Quixote”.
He attended school for about two years but when he was 11 he had to leave it because of the poor economic situation of his family. Due to this, he began to work in a blacking warehouse in very hard conditions and, since he was just a child, this affected his life and future works.
After two years, he went back to school where he studied until he was 15. Then, he began to work as a parliamentary reporter and at the same time, he started to write short stories, essays and sketches which he signed under the pseudonym of “Boz”. Perhaps the most popular are “The Pickwick Papers” and “A Christmas Carol”.
In 1836 he married Catherine Hogarth and they had 10 children.
In 1837, Charles began to write novels which were published in small parts in newspapers. The most important ones include “Oliver Twist”, “Nicholas Nickleby”, “David Copperfield” (considered the most autobiographical of his works), “A Tale of Two Cities”, “Great Expectations” and “Hard Times”. All of them reflect his personal experience and denounce social injustice and the hypocrisy of his society.
Charles Dickens died on June 9, 1870 in Kent. He was buried at the Poet’s Corner in Westminter Abbey.
In a printed epitaph that circulated at the time of the funeral one could read: “To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England’s most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England’s greatest writers is lost to the world.“
Once more, the news of the sudden death of a young artist has reached us. She was a great star but she led a troubled life. Let’s read some facts about it.
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born into a musical family on 9 August 1963, in New Jersey, the daughter of gospel star Cissy Houston, cousin of singing star Dionne Warwick and goddaughter of soul legend Aretha Franklin.
She began singing in the choir at her church as a young child and by the age of 15 she was singing backing vocals professionally. Her debut album, ‘Whitney Houston’, was released in 1985 and became the biggest-selling album by a debut artist. The album sold 3 million copies in its first year in the US and 25 million worldwide, winning her the first of her six Grammies.
Her next album, ‘Whitney’, which included the hits ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’ and ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, became a new success but it was the film The bodyguard (1992) which made her one of the best-selling artists of all time. Although the movie and her performance in it were not very good, the soundtrack album and the Dolly Parton song ‘I Will Always Love You’ topped the singles and albums charts for months and sold 44 million copies around the world.
That same year she married the singer Bobby Brown, with whom she had her only child, a daughter, in March 1993. It was about this time that her drug use began and by 1996 she was a daily user
Her 1998 album, ‘My Love Is Your Love’ was well reviewed but the drug abuse began to affect her reputation and press reports at the time said that she was becoming difficult to work with, if she turned up at all. She was dropped from a performance at The 72nd Annual Academy Awards(2000) (TV) because she was “out of it” at rehearsals. Her weight fluctuated wildly - she was so thin at a ‘Michael Jackson’ tribute in 2001 that rumors circulated the next day that she had died - and her voice began to fail her. She was twice admitted to rehab and declared herself drug-free in 2010 but returned to rehab in May 2011.
Her 2009 comeback album ‘I Look To You’ was positively received and sold well, but promotional performances were still marred by her weakened voice. Her final acting performance was in Sparkle (2012) released after her death.
She was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel room on 11 February 2012.
Los verbos modales expresan el modo de un verbo: Los modales expresan el modo de un verbo: la capacidad, la posibilidad, la necesidad, la obligación u otra condición del verbo principal. Son especiales por muchas razones. Échale un vistazo a la presentación que aparece a continuación si quieres empezar a conocerlos
As you know, hundreds of tourists visit London every year. They try to improve their English, they go shopping and of course, they go sightseeing. Here are some of its most famous sights. I’m sure you’ll recognise them all.
The English department is planning to go to Pravia to see a theatrical performance on March 6th. The play we are going to see is A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare.
It is a comedy full of magic and funny situations. The fairies play an important part in it and, as you’ll see, love is in the air. But love is neither easy to find nor to recognise. As the poet says:
“The course of true love never did run smooth” (Act I, Scene I)
“The lunatic, the lover, and the poet are of imagination all compact.” (Act V, Scene I)
Do you believe in ghosts? Is there life after death? Are you afraid of the dark side of life? Are you sure that the answer to all these questions is “no”?
Well, we’ll see… Maybe you won’t feel so brave and confident after reading these stories. They are ghosts stories but don’t worry, they are not only terrifying, they are also terrific!
A young boy and a girl appear in an old house. Miss Dodson and 12-year-old Sally live there but only Sally can see them. They’re trying to find something. What?
Harry, 13, is frightened because a mysterious ghostly priest appears in his school dormitory at night. “Pray for the priest!” the ghost orders. Why?
Sarah moves to a new house. A ghostly girl with a cruel laugh appears in an old mirror in the attic. Sarah covers the mirror with blankets but the laugh continues…
Well, here we are again! Christmas is back and so are the traditional carols. But, have you heard Justin Bieber’s latest song? It’s called “Mistletoe” and it’s worth listening to it.
It’s the most beautiful time of the year
Lights fill the streets spreading so much cheer
I should be playing in the winter snow
But Imma be under the mistletoe.
I don’t wanna miss out on the holiday
But i can’t stop staring at your face
I should be playing in the winter snow
But Imma be under the mistletoe.
With you, shawty, with you
With you, shawty, with you
With you, under the mistletoe.
Everyone’s gathering around the fire
Chestnuts roasting like a hot july
I should be chillin’ with my folks I know
But Imma be under the mistletoe.
Word on the streets santa’s coming tonight
Reindeer flying thru the sky so high
I should be making a list I know
But Imma be under the mistletoe.
With you, shawty, with you
With you, shawty, with you
With you, under the mistletoe
Yeaaa.
With you, shawty, with you
With you, shawty, with you
With you, under the mistletoe.
Hey love the wise men followed a star
The way I followed my heart
And it led me to a miracle.
Hey love don’t you buy me nothing
’cause i am feeling one thing
Your lips on my lips
That’s a merry merry christmas.
It’s the most beautiful time of the year
Lights fill the streets spreading so much cheer
I should be playing in the winter snow
But Imma be under the mistletoe.
I don’t wanna miss out on the holiday
But i can’t stop staring at your face
I should be playing in the winter snow
But Imma be under the mistletoe.
With you, shawty, with you
With you, shawty, with you
With you, under the mistletoe.
With you, shawty, with you
With you, shawty, with you
With you, under the mistletoe yeah.
Kiss me underneath the mistletoe
Show me baby that you love me so
Oh oh oh oh oh oh.
Kiss me underneath the mistletoe
Show me baby that you love me so
Oh oh oh oh oh oh