MAGAZINE:

Airline for pets:

Omaha, Nebraska, America's first pets-only airline is here! The Omaha-based Pet Airways offers pet owners a safe service for transporting their animal friends to five destinations at present: Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles. For a one-way fare of 149 pounds, the animals are flown in individual crates in lighted, pressurized aircraft, and are checked every 15 minutes by an attendant. Owners can track the flights online and can even earn frequent-flyer points.

MAGAZINE:

Emma Watson, a model student

Emma Watson, 19, who plays swotty Hermione in the Harry Potter movies, is also a brain in real life. The British actress is now studying at the prestigious Brown University on Rhode Island, one of the oldest universities in the USA. The university is expensive but gives financial aid to those who need it. Still, as the new face of Burberry, that shouldn't be a problem for Watson, who could be the best-dressed student on campus.

A DIARY:

February

Week 1:
This week we have done a biology exam. It was really difficult, but I think I'll pass it. The others days we haven't done any exams, but we've got a lot of homework, like always. At the weekend, I've been to La Masella to sky. The weather was really good and the snow too. Next week is Carnival!!!

Week 2:
On Tuesday we did a Maths exam and I had a 6. I've improved in Maths, because before I always fail the exams. The biology teacher hasn't give us the biology exam yet. On Thursday we went to the cinema with the class to see Invictus. First I found it a bit boring, but at the end it was great. At the weekend, I went to Carnival in Banyoles. It was really cold, but it was very funny!.

Week 3:
We did a Spanish exam and I found it easy. On Thursday and Friday, Second and Third of ESO were skying at La Vall de Núria, so, in the school, we were only us and First of ESO. On March, we will go to Italy. It will be great. At the weekend I went to Barcelona to a friend's house. It was his birthday and it was great. Next week we have got the first exams week, but they're easy. We've only got, on Tuesday, an English exam and on Wednesday a Catalan exam.

Week 4:
We have began the exams week. We have done an English exam, and I think it was very difficult. On Wednesday we did a Catalan exam and I think I'll get a good mark. Next week will be very hard, because we've got an exam every day.

A DIARY:

January

Week 1:

The Christmas have been very short. Now we have to study again and be very concentrated because the second term will be very hard. We have got a lot of homework and next week a Socials exam.

Week 2:

The socials exam was very easy and I think I'll get a notable or excellent. We also have got a lot of homework, like always. We had not got any exam. Next wednesday I have to recitate a poem in catalan class. I'm not very nervous.

Week 3:

I recitate the poem without any problem. On thursday we went to the "Expojove". I was happy because we didn't do biology and Maths. At 1:30 we were again at school. It was a bit boring, but there were other students from different high schools.

A DIARY:

DECEMBER:

Week 1:

This week have been the first without any exams so we could relax a bit. Next week, in Monday and Tuesday, we won't go to school. We will have to go to school only three days. In two weeks we will finish school and it will be Christmas.

Week 2:

This week has been very short because we only went to school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We had an exam of Technology and it was easy. This weekend I'm going to sky in La Masella. It will be great. Next week we have a Maths exam and Spanish exam.

Week 3:

On Monday we did the math's exam and the next day the teacher had corrected them! I had a 6.8 so this is a good mark for me. Next Tuesday we will finish school and we won't go to school for two weeks.

Week 4:

We only went to school on Monday and Tuesday. All the students of ESO had a breakfast on Tuesday. Every student had to take something to breakfast, like cacaolat, cakes, cookies, etc. And later we watched a film. It was great. And to finish, the teacher gave us the first term marks.

WRITING:

A letter: explaining a problem

I've had a problem recently. Two of my friends are going out, and the boy is really in love with her. But on the other hand, the girl isn't really interested in the relationship. On fact, I've seen her sometimes flirting with others. I'm worried because if the boy knows that she's flirting with others, he will be very angry and he's capable of everything. I think that they've to talk calmly and solve their problems. The inconvenient is that he's really in love with her and he doesn't realize. But maybe I shouldn't worry or interfere. I'd really like some advice because if they don't do something, they will have a big argument.

WRITING:

A discussion essay

The internet is a better invention than books. Discuss

I think that Internet have changed the world since his invention. In my opinion it's very important for our society, because now people can find information easier. Before the Internet was invented, people had to find all the information in the books, so it was a slow process. The relationships between people were better also, because they hadn't got much to do. On the other hand, with the Internet, people can do a lot of different things, like chatting with others or going to social networks as Facebook and Twitter. The Internet is also used with the ambit of education. This application is increasing more and more every day. When the Internet was invented, it was very slow. These days, however, it's very fast. Books help you to improve your language and they are a fountain of culture. You can learn a lot of different things with books. The disadvantage is that they need a lot of paper and it harms the trees. On balance, I think that the Internet is a better invention, because it will help the society to evolve and I think it's a change for the world.

WRITING:

A profile of a band

Sum 41 was formed in Canada in 1996. The original members were Deryck Whibley (vocal and guitar), Cone McCaslin (bass and second vocals) and Steve Jocz (battery and percussion). The songs are written by Deryck Whibley.

Sum 41's first album, "All Killer No Filler", was released by a record company called Island records. Their first single was, "Fat Lip", was a success and it was the number 1 during one week. Their second album was called "Does this look infected?". In this CD there were new singles, like "The hell song" or "Still Waiting". It has sold more than seven million copies.
Sum 41 play both rock and heavy metal. Some of their best-known songs are "The hell song", "With me", "In too deep", "Pieces"...

In my opinion Sum 41 is a great band, not my favorite, but it's a good band. They have a lot of good songs.

WRITING:

A formal letter

83 Farga Street
Banyoles
17820
16th December 2009

The Community Fund

16 Suffolk Street
London
SW1Y 4NL

Dear Sir or Madam
I am writing to enquire about lottery fund for a community project in our town.
Banyoles is a town in El Pla de l'Estany, in Catalunya. There is a beautiful lake and there are a lot of trees. But we haven't got any places to get funny. We didn't have any cinemas or a bowling. For that reason we would like to build a centre there. In thius centre would be cinemas, bowling, shops, restaurants, etc. It could be great and people would love it.
I would be grateful if you could send me informations about lottery grants. If you have any questions about our projects, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours faithfully,
Pol Masvidal

Pol Masvidal
Banyoles, Pla de l'Estany
Centre committee

HEALTHY LIFE

What is your favourite dish? My favourite dish is Macarroni.
Do you cook well? I cook some dishes, but not many.
How often do you cook? I cook once a week.

1- Can you cook spaghetti carbonara? I think I can't.
How To Make Spaghetti Carbonara

• What are the ingredients for this recipe? The ingrediens for this receipe are:

• 200 g dried spaghetti
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 bacon slices, chopped
• 2 egg yolks
• 35 g parmesan cheese
• 4 tbsp cream
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 2 saucepans

• Write down the steps to make spaghetti carbonara
  

Step 1:

1. Prepare a pan of boiling water and season with salt. Place the pasta into the pan and push it down with your wooden spoon, so that all the spaghetti is submerged under the water. Add half of the oil and cook for roughly 7-10 minutes.

2. Step 2:

   Meanwhile, into a warmed second pan add the olive oil, then the chopped bacon. Stir and let it render, stirring for a few minutes. To render simply means to melt the fat. Then turn the heat off.

3. Step 3:

   Place the egg yolks into a bowl, then the cream and the parmesan cheese. Combine it all together.

4. Step 4:

   When the pasta is cooked, transfer it into a colander, then place the colander back on top of the saucepan to drain the excess liquid.

5. Step 5:

   Once the pasta is thoroughly drained, quickly place it back into the pan of bacon fat and stir well to coat the pasta. Then pour in the egg mixture and mix thoroughly.

6. Step 6:

7. After mixing thoroughly, season with salt and pepper and add the chopped parsley. Use the tongs to place a generous helping onto each serving plate.

   2- Choose 1 recipe from these videos and write down the ingredients and the process.

   CHOCOLATE BROWNIES:

8. Ingredients:
9. • 250 g caster sugar
   • 180 g plain chocolate drops
   • 180 g soft butter
   • 110 g plain flour
   • 1 vanilla extract
   • 3 eggs
   • some butter for greasing
   • 150 g walnuts
   Process:
   
   

   1. Step 1:

      Grease the side of the tin by rubbing with a kitchen towel dipped in a little soft butter. Line with a square of baking parchment.
      
      Turn on the oven, and set it to 160 degrees Celsius, or 320 degrees Fahrenheit.

   2. Step 2:

      Fill the saucepan with a little water, and sit a heat proof bowl on top. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water, and definitely not the bottom of the saucepan. Remove some of the water if this is the case.
      
      Cut the butter up into small pieces. Place them in the bowl and add the chocolate.

   3. Step 3:

      Put the saucepan over a low heat. Make sure the saucepan handle is facing away from you, so you don't knock it. The chocolate and butter will gently melt over about 10 minutes. Don't be tempted to stir! This will solidify the chocolate, and you won't be able to melt it again after that.

   4. Step 4:

      When completely melted, stir gently with a wooden spoon. Turn off the heat, remove the bowl from the pan and leave it to cool.

   5. Step 5:

      Put the 3 eggs, 250 grams of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract into a large bowl. Whisk together

   6. Step 6:

      Fold in the cooled chocolate mixture

   7. Step 7:

      Now add 110 grams of plain flour. Use a method called cutting and folding to mix it, moving the spoon in a figure of 8. This helps to keep the mixture light and airy. If you would like, add 150g chopped walnuts, again using the cutting and folding action.

   8. Step 8:

      Put the mixture in a tin and smooth the top over evenly. Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 20 to 30 minutes. If you can, set a timer to make sure they don't over cook. Check after 20 minutes. The chocolate brownies should still be soft but not springy.

   9. Step 9:

      Remove the chocolate brownies from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes.

   10. Step 10:

       Cut into squares with a sharp knife. Lift the baking parchment from the tin, and use a pallet knife to transfer the chocolate brownies to a serving plate.

       
       

3- Prepare the recipe for your favorite dish: paella, tortilla...?
Take pictures or make a video of the process. Enjoy your meal!

My favorite food is the chips tortilla. These are the ingredients for this meal:

- 180 g plain white flour

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp dried yeast

- ½ tsp caster sugar

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 120 ml warm water

- polenta for dusting

And these are the steps to prepare this dish:

1. 
   

   Step 1:

   Place the sieve over a bowl, add the flour and gently shake it through.

   Step 2:

   In the medium bowl, combine the salt, yeast and caster sugar. Make a hole in the centre, add the olive oil and warm water and mix in well. Give it a quick, final mix by hand to create a rough paste.

2. Step 3:

   Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto the chopping board. Knead the dough for roughly 3-4 minutes, using the heel of your hand. Keep kneading until it has formed a smooth ball.

3. Step 4:

   Transfer the dough into a large clean bowl, cover with some cling film, and leave it to rise for approximately two hours or until it has doubled in size.

4. Step 5:

   Uncover the bowl and sprinkle the dough with flour. Remove it from the bowl and place onto a flat surface. Sprinkle some more flour over the dough and roll it into a circle. Dust with flour again, turn it over and roll the other side.

5. Flour the base of the circular baking tray. Place the dough over the tray and push it outwards into a rustic circle.

If you aren't going to bake it straight away, it needs to be wrapped in cling film and kept in the fridge, for a maximum of 24hours.

ORAL
Describe a typical dish from your country:
You should say:
- What it looks like
- What it tastes like
- When people usually eat it
And say if you like it or not

A typical dish in my country is "pa amb tomàquet". People of other countries think that is a strange dish because the tomato is smeared on the bread. In my opinion it is very good and it's very easy to prepare it. You can also combinate it with other food. People usually eat it every day, the children on the schools, at dinner, etc.

2. Describe something you often eat
You should say:
- What it looks and tastes like
- When you usually eat it
- What you usually eat it with
And say if you think it is healthy to often eat that thing, and why

I often eat pizza every friday. I think that is a complet dish and it's very good. The types of pizza which I like most are: hawayan, barbacue and chesse pizza.

3. Describe a food you really like:

You should say:
- Why you like it
- If most people you know also like it
- How you prefer to eat it
And say if you have always liked this food or not

I really like spaghetti carbonara. I like it because I love pasta and bacon. I know a lot of people who like this dish. I think that I've always liked this food.

4. Describe the recipe you've prepared
the ingredients and steps in the process
BE ARGUIÑANO FOR ONE DAY!!!

I've prepared this dish: a chips tortilla.

The ingredients you'll need are: oil, salt, one egg, chips (lays, for example).

These are the steps:

1- Put oil in a paella and wait that it boils.

2- While you wait, break the egg, and start beating it.

3- Put the the trodden egg into the paella

4- Add chips to the tortilla

5- Put it in a dish. And ready to eat!

Here's the video I've done:

Are you eating properly and healthily? Or ar you a fast-food addict?

Find out!

I think that I'm eating healthy because in the school we always eat vegetables and fruit.

I think that I've got a healthy diet because I eat vegetables, fruit, etc. I sometimes eat fast food, but not many times because I always lunch at school. I should drink more water because I often drink cocacola, fanta, nestea, etc.

SPEAKING:

Invitation and excuses

Pol: Hey look, Marc. Dj Sisu is playing again this weekend.
Marc: Yeah? Where's he playing?
Pol: At Pont Aeri on Saturday.
Marc: Right. I'm definitely going to that. Would you like to go with me?
Pol: I'd love to, but I'm afraid I can't. My parents wouldn't be very happy about it.
Marc: Go on! They wouldn't mind.
Pol: No sorry. I'm supposed to be going out with them that night anyway.
Marc: That's a shame. Oh, well, do you fancy going out another night?
Pol: I'll think about it, OK?

SPEAKING

Describing an object

Pol: Excuse me, I've lost my mobile phone. Has anyone handed on it?
Marc: A mobile phone? What type of mobile phome? What does it look like?
Pol: It's an I-phone. It's black.
Marc: A black I-phone. Hold on a minute. I'll go and have a look.
Pol: OK, thanks.
Marc: No, sorry. I'm afraid we haven't got anything like that. Where did you last have it?
Pol: I think I left it in the games room.
Marc: OK. Well, leave your name and number and I'll contact you if it turns up.
Pol: Thank you.

SPEAKING:

Returning a product

Marc: Excuse me.
Pol: Hello. How can I help you?
Marc: I'd like to return this CD, please.
Pol: OK. What's the problem with it?
Marc: Well, I bought it for my sister but she doesn't like it.
Pol: Do you want another CD?
Marc: No thanks. My sister will come tomorrow to chose one.
Pol: OK. Have you got a receipt?
Marc: Yes, here you are.
Pol: Thanks. Here you have the money.
Marc: OK. Bye!