Halloween

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

NI1 - Halloween

View more presentations from Sergio Viñ.

Let's have breakfast!

Traditionally many Britons have started the day with something called a 'full English breakfast'. This typically comprises of the following things: toasted bread, spread with butter, jam, marmelade or honey; followed by a 'fry-up' or cooked breakfast of fried bread, sausages, bacon, mushrooms, eggs and tomatoes. Served with hot tea, with milk added.
However, with todays fast lifestyle and an increasing awareness of healthy eating this traditional breakfast is now largely eaten only at the weekend, and has been replaced by another in most British households.
A typical moder breakfast comprises: fruit juice, toast and jam, cereal and tea.

1. Watch the video in order to know how to cook a proper English breakfast.

Money, money

Unlike most other members of the European Union who use the euro (€), the unit of currency in the United Kingdom is the pound sterling (£). It is divided into 100 pence (p). Here are some details of individual coins and banknotes.

• Coins:

1 penny = 1p
2 pence = 2p
10 pence = 10p
20 pence = 20p
50pence = 50p
1pound = £1
2pounds = £2

• Banknotes:

There are £5, £10, £20 and £50 banknotes in circulation. The last one is fairly rare, and sometimes difficult to spend. Many shopkeepers won't accept it because of the large number of forgeries in circulation.

1. Choose one of the links below to sing a song.

'Money' from the film Cabaret (Lyrics)
'Money, money' from the film Mamma Mia (Lyrics)

Smokefree law

Why smokefree?

There are a number of reasons why it is important that environments have become smokefree.

The new smokefree law helps to improve health in many ways. There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals in the form of particles and gases - some of these chemicals are dangerous poisons. Secondhand smoke is bad for health - it is known to cause cancer as well as many other serious health problems. Just thirty minutes exposure is enough to reduce coronary blood flow.

In 2004 the Choosing Health White Paper on public health was released, which highlights how the public can make healthier and more informed choices in regards to their health. It was from this that the government set out a clear strategy to tackle smoking and its effects on health. The Health Act, or 'smokefree law', passed by Parliament in 2006 makes virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces smokefree. This law came into effect on July 1st 2007.

Smokefree law:

• recognises a person's right to be protected from the harm of secondhand smoke and to breathe smokefree air
• helps people trying to give up smoking by providing supportive smokefree environments
• reduces illness and the number of deaths from medical conditions caused by secondhand smoke
• improves life expectancy because fewer people will take up smoking in the first place

1. If you are interested in this topic, follow the link. There is a list of activities you can do in order to improve your writing and reading skills. 'smoking activities'
   

14th February: Saint Valentine's Day

Millions of Brits will celebrate Valentine's Day tomorrow. Cards, roses, chocolates and champagne are the order of the day for most of the Britain lovers. But it is very different in other parts of the world.
What do you think about it? Is Saint Valentine's Day the business of love? Can money buy love?

1. Follow the link and read the text. You can also listen to it. 'Valentine's Day, or Love is in the Air'
   
2. Afterwards, there is a list of activities you can do in order to improve your reading skills. Activities
3. Listen and sing The Beatle's song Can't buy me love. Do you think they are right?

Rain, rain, everywhere

Misconception: It always rains in Britain

When people think of Britain, we all tend to immediately think of bad weather. We see rain, clouds, wind, fog and storms. However, compared with many other parts of the world, Britain enjoys comparatively pleasant weather.

Why does Britain have a reputation for bad weather? Most likely because winters tend to be longer than summers, most artwork of Britain depicts the weather based on expectation and we all like to dwell on a period of bad weather, even if the weather is generally good.

The weather can vary greatly from day to day, but generally summer (June-August) is a hot 14-30 C, and winter (December-February) is a cool 1-5 C. There is quite a difference in temperature between Scotland and Southern England. Generally, the further south, the warmer it is likely to be.

A bit of Britain

This video shows a bit of Britain, the ancient and the new. You probably recognize some features and images as the Scottish men wearing a kilt (traditional skirt), theatres, famous writers, castles, outdoor markets, huge museums, art galleries, popular singers, music, landscapes, cities, etc.

All those features are amazing, but there is one which is probably the most interesting: multiculturalism. If you take a good look at the video you will see a huge amount of different ethnics living all together in the same island. Where are people from?

Multiculturalism is a relevant topic in Britain and all around the world, because it is the doctrine that several different cultures can or at least should co-exist peacefully and equitably in a single place.

As you can see, people from all cultures and ethnicities can be found in every corner of Britain and each person in his or her own way has contributed to make Britain the place it is today.

Looking at the map

Misconception: Britain is a country
While Britain or Great Britain does refer to the general area, neither of them refers to a country. Britain is a general term for Wales, Scotland and England collectively, while The British Isles also includes Ireland (Northern and the Republic). Northern Ireland is part of the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland' which differentiates between the part of Ireland that is governed by England.
England is most often incorrectly named in this way. However, English people are often referred to as British, which is technically correct, because they belong to the isle of Britain. So the English, Scottish and Welsh are also British people.

1. Try to identify these images with their respectives names. (solution)
   

Britain or Great Britain: Wales, Scotland and England.

United Kingdom: Northern Ireland and Britain or Great Britain.

British Isles: The Republic of Ireland (Eire) and the United Kingdom.