//TEST// English

A Test on English Proverbs

Q1. Below are sentences that are the paraphrasing of proverbs.

In each case, encircle the proverb that matches with the paraphrasing best :( 2 marks for each item)

1. Usually people of the same type tend to be together.

(a) A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

(b) Birds of a feather flock together.

(c) Every bird likes his own nest best.

(d) Eagles catch no flies.

2. Sometimes things are not as valuable as they appear to be.

(a) All that glitters is not gold.

(b) Liberty is better than gold.

(c) Today gold, tomorrow dust.

(d) Where gold speaks every tongue is silent.

3. You must always try not to plan the successful results of something

until those results actually occur.

(a) Divide and rule.

(b) Life is not a bed of roses.

(c) Good finds good.

(d) Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.

4. One should take care of one's own family, friends, or fellow citizens

before helping other people.

(a) You reap what you sow.

(b) Nothing hurts like the truth.

(c) Charity begins at home.

(d) It takes two to tango.

5. Don't form an opinion about something based on appearance alone.

(a) We soon believe what we desire.

(b) Don't judge a book by its cover.

(c) Seeing is believing.

(d) Two wrongs don't make a right.

6. When there is evidence of a problem, then there probably is a

problem.

(a) Where there is smoke, there is fire.

(b) A burnt child dreads the fire.

(c) Of two evils choose the least.

(d) Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

7. People in general think that nothing can be accomplished without

effort.

(a) Look before you leap.

(b) No man can serve two masters.

(c) No pain, no gain.

(d) To run one's head against a stone wall.

8. When you hurry too much, you are likely to do a poor job, and you

may waste time doing it over.

(a) It is hard to please all parties.

(b) Necessity knows no law.

(c) Misfortunes never come alone.

(d) Haste makes waste.

9. When a group of people with the same goals work together, they can

accomplish more than individuals can do.

(a) Misery loves company.

(b) Too many cooks spoil the broth.

(c) In unity there is strength.

(d) Two's company, but three's a crowd.

10.It's better not to try to improve something that is already satisfactory.

(a) Make hay while the sun shines.

(b) Leave well enough alone.

(c) Strike while the iron is hot.

(d) Don't cry over split milk.

Q2 Complete the following: (3 marks for each item).

1. Actions speak louder than words.

2. If you can't beat them, join them.

3. Easy come, easy go.

4. You can't teach an old fox new tricks.

5. A friend in need a friend indeed.

6. One man's meat is another man's poison.

7. A cat has 9 lives.

8. Blood is thicker than water.

9. When the cat's away, the mice will play.

10.No news is good news. 

To take private lessons or not to

In my opinion private lessons will never be harmful. In any case you learn new things and you improve your knowledge. If you’re not that good at any subject or you need to improve it the best way is to take private lessons. But taking private lessons is not free and is not that cheap especially when you’re taking private lessons for university. So what should we do? Is everyone ready to pay that much money for just a single private lesson. Are our parents ready to spend all their payment for private lesson? 

Well, I think there is a better way to improve you’re knowledge… You can always study yourself. It’s cheap, even free, you can take lessons anytime and anywhere you want and you can study however you want. And sometimes it’s even fun, not as serious as usual private lessons. Let’s be honest, none of us likes private lessons, and pupil who take private lessons do it because their parents make them to, or they are not good enough for exams, but no one likes private lessons, it’s boring. In my opinion studying yourself is the best way.

Everyone can study himself, no matter how old he is, what education he had before, what ability he has, the main thing is that he should be capable, motivated and study hard.
You can study yourself by reading books, watching films, reading newspapers, watching videos, doing tests and so on.
I do study myself, I promise IT’S FUN.

How we can overcome the difficulties in 1-1 laptop classroom

When we were just starting to use laptops instant of books and notebooks I was really excited and I was expecting better education, better lessons with laptops, but unfortunately there are some difficulties of studying in a 1-1 laptop classroom and sometimes it's even hard to study with laptops. First of all it hurts my eyes. I've noticed that some students play games or visit some other web pages at the lessons and they forget about the lesson and play games or do other thing. I totally understand them, it's hard to concentrate on lesson when there are thousands of your favorite games in front of you. And the student who plays games at lessons makes other good students to play games with them, so at the end the whole classroom is playing games.
So what should we do? What should teachers do with that? How can we overcome the difficulties in 1-1 laptop classroom? These are hard questions.
It's hard to make the whole classroom to stop playing games or visit other social web-pages.
I think it'd be good if the web pages that students visit were limited and restricted. After that children will pay more attention to what teacher says than what the game says on their computer screens. 

About Ireland

Ireland is divided into thirty two counties, but it has two main parts: the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The north, also known as Ulster, is part of the United Kingdom (so its currency is the pound) and its capital is Belfast. However, the republic (or Eire) is independent, and its capital is Dublin. Therefore, its currency is not the pound, but the euro.

Ireland is the third largest island in Europe, with a population of around 6.5 million! To the west of the island lies the Atlantic Ocean, to the south is the Celtic Sea and to the east is the Irish Sea. The Irish flag consists of three vertical stripes in green, white and orange. Green represents the Gaelic, Catholic population of Ireland, with orange representing the Protestants under William of Orange, and white symbolising peace between the two groups. The people of Ireland mainly speak English, but around 25% of the population also speaks Irish Gaelic. Although well-known sports such as soccer, golf and hockey are very popular in Ireland, the Irish also have their own sports such as hurling and Gaelic football.

Popular symbols of Ireland include the harp, the Celtic cross and the shamrock. Saint Patrick, who is the country’s patron saint, introduced the Celtic cross to Ireland, and used the three-leaf shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – three parts of one body. Another symbol of Ireland is the leprechaun, an elf who lives in the forest. According to myth, he hides his pot of gold, and will only give it to the person who catches him!

A popular piece of jewellery in Ireland is the claddagh ring, which comes with an interesting story! Claddagh is a small fishing village in Ireland, and the legend takes place there around 500 years ago. A family of fisherman were at sea when they were captured by pirates, who took them to Africa and kept them as slaves for goldsmiths. Some of the men died there, and some accepted their fate as slaves, but the youngest man was determined to return home to a girl he had fallen in love with. Every day, he stole a little piece of gold so that he could make a ring for his love, and eventually he escaped to Ireland with it. The girl had waited for him, and he gave her his ring – the Claddagh ring. On the ring is a heart, which represents his love for her. The heart wears a crown, which symbolises his loyalty to her, and it is held by two hands which represent their friendship. The ring is now very popular in Ireland for engagements and marriages, and it is often passed down through families. If the lady wears the ring with the heart pointing out, it means she is looking for her love, but if the heart points in, she has already found him!

Ireland is a wonderful country, and if you come to visit, you will meet many friendly people who love to sing songs and dance, and they will tell you lots of stories like the legend of the claddagh ring…

What do I think about Internet

The idea of Internet was first developed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (Britannica, 2002). ARPA, which was under the Pentagon, had an objective to build a network that would allow scientists at different locations to share their information and work together on military and scientific projects. 

The Internet is a very good place to book, to communicate, to read, to write, to watch movies, to learn something, to listen to music,to buy, to play games and so on.

Every day I use the Internet, I can't imagine my life without it. Without Internet I couldn't play games, listen the songs I want to listen, I wouldn't make friends from different countries and my life would be horrible and boring. Even my homework I do with The Internet.

The main advantage of the Internet is that communication is made very easy. Two people on opposite sides of the world may communicate with each other much easier than in real life. But sometimes, when people use Internet too much for  communication they get scared when they talk with people in real life.

The Life of Pi

The Life of Pi is a very popular book and now it is also going to be a 3D film.

Show

The book and its author

“The Life of Pi” is about a teenage boy from India, called Pi, who travels across the Pacific Ocean in a lifeboat. His companion in the lifeboat is an enormous tiger. It was written by the Canadian author Yann Martel, and has sold seven million copies worldwide.

The story

At the start of the book, we learn about Pi’s childhood in India. His father is a zookeeper and the family live in a house in the zoo. Pi and his brother help their father in the zoo and learn to look after the animals.

When Pi is sixteen, his family decide to close the zoo and move to Canada. They sell some of the animals to zoos in North America and the family take the animals with them on a ship to Canada. On the way, there is a terrible storm and the ship sinks. Pi finds himself in a lifeboat with a hyena, zebra, orang-utan and a tiger. When he sees the animals, Pi is scared and he jumps into the ocean. Then he remembers there are sharks in the ocean and he climbs back into the lifeboat. Sadly, Pi’s family and the ship’s sailors die in the storm. One by one, the animals in the lifeboat kill and eat each other, till only Pi and the tiger are left alive. Luckily for Pi, there is some food and water on the lifeboat, but he soon needs to start catching fish. He feeds the fish to the tiger to stop it killing and eating him. He also uses a whistle and his knowledge of animals from the zoo to control the tiger.

Pi and the tiger spend 227 days in the lifeboat. They live through terrible storms and are burnt by the Pacific sun. They are often hungry and ill. Sometimes, Pi is happy and hopeful, but sometimes he feels sad and lonely. Finally, they arrive at the coast of Mexico, but you will have to read the book to find out what happens in the end!

The First Woman in my Life

The First Woman in my Life

by Levi Tafari 

A woman's work is never done
If you don't believe me ask my mum
She worked her fingers to the bone
To provide us with a decent home
If she lived in Ancient Rome
She could of built that city on her own
She cooks, she cleans
She does everything
She irons decorates and does the shopping
She chastised us when we were rude
But never sent us to bed with out food
Everyday she would change our clothes
If we had colds she would wipe our nose
Or if we went to mum with a problem
Mum would always help us solve them
We didn't want for anything
We got the greatest gift mum's loving
You can have ten aunties and scores of lovers
But remember you only have one mother
I remember when someone pointed a finger
Mum said I was Black, beautiful and I had culture

She always made sure we went to school
Because in this life you can't be a fool
You can see people will ride you like a mule
It was mum who taught me to be cool
So mother there's something I want you to know
I love you mum, I love you so
You taught me to survive in the ghetto
You can have my last ROLO

If it was not for you then I would not exist
So here it comes for you a kiss
Yes you was the first woman in my life
But one day I will take a wife
Then hopefully she'll become a mum
A woman's work is never done.

© Levi Tafari
March 1983

Easter

What does it mean?

Easter is a spring festival of new life. As a pagan tradition it is the beginning of growth and new life after the cold, winter months. The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn and spring - Eostre. For Christians, Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and practising Christians attend special church services at Easter time. Easter celebrates life and rebirth, which is why we see lots of symbols of new life and fertility at Easter, like eggs, chicks and rabbits.

When is it?

Unlike Christmas, Easter isn’t on the same date each year. It takes place on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. Schoolchildren and students have a holiday at Easter time. It’s also the first public holiday after Christmas and everyone looks forward to their Easter break as a moment to relax, have a short holiday or visit family and friends.

Chocolate eggs

For most British children Easter means chocolate Easter eggs. The shops are full of bright Easter displays decorated with chicks, rabbits and flowers, all with the objective of selling chocolate eggs in huge numbers. And it works! Ninety million chocolate eggs are sold in the UK each year, and each child receives on average eight chocolate eggs. The eggs are sold in cardboard boxes and sometimes there’s more packaging than chocolate!  Some people believe that too much chocolate is eaten at Easter time and most doctors and dentists would advise people to eat Easter eggs in moderation.

Other “egg-straordinary” traditions

In the UK, chocolate is definitely the most popular way to enjoy eggs at Easter. But there are some less sugary traditions, too. Chickens’ eggs are painted and decorated to give as presents, and eggs are also hidden for children to find as part of an “egg hunt”. Some places even hold competitions to see who can roll an egg down a hill without it breaking! Hot cross buns are typical cakes that are made at Easter time. They are like spiced bread rolls with raisins and they always have a cross shape on top. They are delicious served hot with butter.

course http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/english-skills-practice/life-uk/easter

Who was William Shakespeare?

William Shakespeare is known across the world as the writer of plays such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, and as one of the most famous British people ever. Sometimes known simply as ‘the Bard’, he lived over four hundred years ago – not bad for the son of a man who made a living from making gloves.

Part of the fascination is that despite being so well-known we don’t actually have much information about him; even his name is spelt differently each time it appears, ranging from ‘Shak-peare’ to ‘Shaksper’. Over the years people have argued long and hard about whether he wrote the plays, although these days he’s generally accepted as the author of about thirty eight plays, some of which were written in partnership with others. He also wrote lots of famous poetry.

Baptised on 26th April, 1564, his actually birthday isn’t known but conveniently England’s national day, St George’s day, is the 23rd of April so over the years this is when his birth has been celebrated. Whether or not this is true he certainly died on this same date in 1616, having made a successful career in London first as an actor with a group called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and then as a writer.

In the UK Shakespeare is taught throughout school, making it easy to forget that lots of the plays are actually very funny; some parts are also incredibly rude which means they’re sometimes not covered in lessons. At the time they were written plays were enjoyed by rich and poor alike - it was like going to the cinema - and only later on did the theatre become more exclusive.

Some famous quotations from Shakespeare include now common phrases which he probably invented such as the ‘green-eyed monster’ (meaning jealousy) mentioned in The Merchant of Venice and the idea of being ‘eaten out of house and home’ for someone who’s got a greedy guest from Henry IV. There’s also some imaginative insults such as saying someone is ‘like a toad; ugly and venomous’ in As You Like It or ‘fat as butter’ in Henry IV. The most famous quote of them all is of course the much more serious ‘To be or not to be’ from Hamlet. Basically whether you want witty one liners or grim drama Shakespeare has something for everyone.

Today you can still visit the house where he was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, as well as where his wife Anne Hathaway was born. In London you can watch plays staged at Shakespeare’s Globe which is a reconstruction of the theatre he worked for. Not only is the theatre partly open to the elements but you can get ‘groundling’ tickets and stand just in front of the stage like the poorest would have done in the 16th century.

source
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/2013/03/19/who-was-william-shakespeare

April Fools' Day

April Fools' Day is celebrated in many countries. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when people make jokes  on each other.

When and what is April Fool’s Day?

April Fool’s Day is on April 1st. It‘s the custom in the UK to play a trick or a joke on someone on this day. If the person falls for the joke then they are called an ‘April Fool’. In fact it’s only half a day because April Fool’s Day finishes at midday. No more jokes after lunchtime, please!

What kind of tricks do people play?

Here are some April Fool’s tricks from around the world:

• In the 90s Burger King published an advert in the magazine USA Today offering new ‘Left-handed Whoppas’ for the 32 million left-handed Americans! Thousands of customers ordered the new burger in the restaurants!
• A zoo in Japan said that they had a giant penguin that was 165cm tall and weighed 80 kilograms! In fact it was a man dressed up in a penguin suit.
• Last year in the UK a children’s news programme said that scientists had invented a ‘Brain Band’. It was a coloured head band that you put on your head and it helped to make you more intelligent! In an on-line poll, 47% of the children who heard the news wanted to buy a ‘brain band’!
• In 1949 a radio presenter in New Zealand told listeners that there were millions of wasps coming to invade. He told viewers to wear their socks over their trousers and to put honey on their doors. Millions of listeners believed him!
• In 1976 a very famous British astronomer told radio listeners that at 9.47am the earth was going to experience a feeling of less gravity. He said that Jupiter and Pluto would cross and if listeners jumped in the air at exactly 9.47am they would feel the sensation of having no gravity! Hundreds of listeners phoned the radio to say they had jumped and floated in the air!
• Ikea announced that the shop had launched a dog highchair (highchairs are usually for babies!) named 'HUNDSTOL' (Swedish for dog chair). 
• The free London newspaper, The Metro, came up with a novel idea to deal with the problem of litter on the underground (unfortunately it was only a joke). They said that the newspaper was now edible – ‘the only paper that you can eat after reading’.
• A British newspaper announced that Portugal had 'sold' Cristiano Ronaldo, the footballer, to Spain for €160million. Why? To try to clear its national debt. It was a joke of course.

source

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools'_Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools'_Day

http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/english-skills-practice/life-uk/april-fools-day

What is 3D

In the 20th century everything changed for cinema. First came silent movies, then ‘talkies’ (films with sound) and then colour films. The 21st century has also seen a new step forward in film technology: the 3-D revolution.  Just five years ago it was very rare to see a 3-D film at a mainstream cinema, but in 2010 50% of the ten highest grossing films of the year were 3-D. What caused this sudden change? Is it a good thing? Are 3-D films here to stay?

The first 3-D film was shown to a paying audience in 1920, but throughout the 20th century the technology remained a gimmick – a clever trick to enjoy at Disneyland, and nothing more. In the 1980s, as technology improved, 3-D became more popular in mainstream cinema. However, it was only low-brow films, such as Jaws 3D, which made use of the new technology. Then, in 2009, there was Avatar. At $237 million, Avatar is one of the most expensive films ever to be made, but it’s also the highest grossing one. As well as being popular with cinema-goers, the film pleased critics, and was nominated for nine Academy Awards (it won three). Avatar’s huge success started the 3-D revolution, and in 2011 alone 42 different 3-D films will be shown in cinemas across Britain and America.

3-D films are obviously very popular. The technology truly immerses you in the film and makes you feel like you’re part of the action. It can make you believe that you’re on Avatar’s planet Pandora when in fact you’re actually just sat in the cinema on a wet Tuesday afternoon. 3-D films reach out to the audience (quite literally, in some cases) in a way that perhaps normal 2-D films do not. Audiences worldwide have shown they enjoy being more involved in a film and the popularity of 3-D films has helped improve box-office sales during the economic crisis, when people don’t usually spend extra money on entertainment. Even if you don’t like 3-D films, you should perhaps still be grateful to the technology for making studios money during the recession, enabling them to carry on making great cinema in both 2-D and 3-D.

However, what’s good for film studios isn’t always good for audiences. 3-D film tickets do cost more than normal cinema tickets, and you must decide if seeing a film in 3-D is worth the extra money. While some people say that 3-D technology makes films more involving, surely that’s the purpose of the script, acting and direction? If a film’s budget is being spent on 3-D then less is being spent on these three things, which used to be all a film needed to make it involving. What’s more, several films are being turned into 3-D after they have been made in 2-D, rather than being made in 3-D from the start. This produces a weaker effect and can be seen as a way of studios cashing in on the popularity of 3-D whilst actually creating an inferior product. For example, why did Disney need to re-release The Lion King in 3-D? How much did the new technology add to a film that was already fantastic? Was it enough to justify the higher ticket prices? Not only are some studios charging higher prices for lower quality films, but many people get headaches from wearing 3-D glasses, which ruins the experience. It’s possible that the new, popular technology is still not advanced enough to be more than a passing craze, and film-makers that misuse the technology and produce weak films will lessen the popularity of 3-D.

Although it is clear that there are problems with 3-D, both with the technology itself and the way it is used by greedy studios, many hope that these are just teething problems. In terms of mainstream cinema, 3-D technology is still very young, so it’s understandable that there have been (and still are) issues with it. It is important to remember that films with sound and colour were once new, exciting and uncertain technologies, but they both survived! Furthermore, even if a film is released in 3-D, most cinemas will also show it in 2-D, so that those who prefer the good old cinema experience can still enjoy the film in the ‘normal’ way. 

from http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/2012/02/20/3d-or-not-3d-question

Slang

Slang is very informal language which is often used by young people. It's hard to keep up to date with slang, but this article will help you learn a few words that your teacher may not know!

Language changes all the time. New words and phrases appear and evolve. The words and pronunciations used by young people in the UK can be very different to those used by adults. Living in a multicultural society has an effect on language, especially on young people, whose friends are often from a mix of backgrounds. TV and music also have a big impact on the language of the young. Often UK singers sing in American accents without realising.

Young British people use lots of language that you usually can’t find in most dictionaries. These extremely informal words and expressions are known as ‘slang’. It is not possible to make a complete list of modern British slang. By the time the list was finished, it would be out of date! New words come and go like fashions. However, here are a few examples:

• Safe, sorted, sound, cool or wicked all mean 'That’s good' or 'I understand'.
• Instead of using different tag questions like …isn’t it?, can’t you? or don’t they?, people useinnit (e.g., It’s hot here, isn’t it? = It’s hot here, innit!, He can dance really well, can’t he? = He can dance really well, innit! or They always say that, don’t they? = They always say that, innit.).
• Instead of saying very, really or completely use well (e.g., I’m well tired or You got it well wrong!).
• Whatever means I don’t care (e.g., A: But the teacher says we can’t leave until we’ve finished. B: Whatever. I’m going).
• He’s fine or He’s fit both mean He’s good-looking. Fine and fit can describe a boy or a girl.
• A hoodie is a young person who wears a jacket with a hood (a hood keeps your head dry in rainy Britain!). It is a negative word and suggests that the young person might be a troublemaker or even a criminal.

Not everybody uses slang and not everybody likes it. A school in Sheffield, in the north of England, recently instructed its pupils to stop using slang words such as hiya (hello), cheers and ta (both mean thank you). The head teacher says that if young people learn to speak ‘correctly’ this will help them get a place at university and a good job.

When British people use language like this, it’s no surprise that some students say they can’t understand native speakers. But perhaps learners don’t need to worry about communicating with native speakers so much. Research shows that most of the English spoken in the world today is spoken between non-native speakers of the language. In fact, when we think about “International English”, there is no such thing as a native or non-native speaker.

So, how important is it to understand these slang words and expressions? If you watch films or TV in English, read magazines in English, chat online in English or are interested in English song lyrics then understanding slang can be very useful. You probably won’t see much slang in your English exam though.

AFAIK:	As Far As I Know
AFK:	Away From Keyboard
ASAP:	As Soon As Possible
ATK:	At The Keyboard
ATM:	At The Moment
A3:	Anytime, Anywhere, Anyplace
BAK:	Back At Keyboard
BBL:	Be Back Later
BBS:	Be Back Soon
BFN/B4N:	Bye For Now
BRB:	Be Right Back
BRT:	Be Right There
BTW:	By The Way
B4N:	Bye For Now
CU:	See You
CUL8R:	See You Later
CYA:	See You
FAQ:	Frequently Asked Questions
FC:	Fingers Crossed
FWIW:	For What It's Worth
FYI:	For Your Information
GAL:	Get A Life
GG:	Good Game
GMTA:	Great Minds Think Alike
GR8:	Great!
G9:	Genius
IC:	I See
ICQ:	I Seek you (also a chat program)
ILU:	ILU: I Love You
IMHO:	In My Honest/Humble Opinion
IMO:	In My Opinion
IOW:	In Other Words
IRL:	In Real Life
KISS:	Keep It Simple, Stupid
LDR:	Long Distance Relationship
LMAO:	Laugh My A.. Off
LOL:	Laughing Out Loud
LTNS:	Long Time No See
L8R:	Later
MTE:	My Thoughts Exactly
M8:	Mate
NRN:	No Reply Necessary
OIC:	Oh I See
PITA:	Pain In The A..
PRT:	Party
PRW:	Parents Are Watching
QPSA?	Que Pasa?
ROFL:	Rolling On The Floor Laughing
ROFLOL:	Rolling On The Floor Laughing Out Loud
ROTFLMAO:	Rolling On The Floor Laughing My A.. Off
SK8:	Skate
STATS:	Your sex and age
ASL:	Age, Sex, Location
THX:	Thank You
TTFN:	Ta-Ta For Now!
TTYL:	Talk To You Later
U:	You
U2:	You Too
U4E:	Yours For Ever
WB:	Welcome Back
WTF:	What The F...
WTG:	Way To Go!
WUF:	Where Are You From?
W8:	Wait...
7K:	Sick:-D Laugher

Friendship

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” 
― William Shakespeare

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.

I have many friends, some of them are close to me, some are not that close, but I love them all. 
WE are choosing our friends, so we have to find a friend who will be with us forever and always. A friend who is your friend today, but tomorrow he's gone is not a real friend. He's just a friend who was just using you.
Friends are the people with whom you can share your happiness, sorrow, excitement and wonderful memories of your life.

 True friends are more than just good friends. They will support you even when they are in problem, without expecting anything in return.
But losing friends is more difficult than finding them. Sometimes friends become enemies, but it's worse when they become strangers for us.

There are big ships and small ships.  But the best ship of all is friendship.  

Languages

How many languages can you speak? British people are generally not very good language learners. In a recent survey, 62% of the population only speak English! 

If you’re reading this, then you’re probably studying English. Maybe you speak a couple of other languages too. What are the British like when it comes to learning languages?

Statistics

Brits are famous for not speaking foreign languages. According to a survey published by the European Commission, this bad reputation is totally justified. The results of the survey state that the British are officially the worst language learners in Europe! Let’s look at some statistics:

• 62% of people surveyed can’t speak any other language apart from English.
• 38% of Britons speak at least one foreign language, 18% speak two and only 6% of the population speak three or more.
• The European Union average showed that 56% speak at least one foreign language, 28% speak at least two and 11% speak three or more. The survey confirmed that English was the most widely-spoken foreign language. 51% of EU citizens can have a conversation in English.

School

Learning a foreign language is not a popular option at school in Britain. In UK schools it is common for children to start studying a foreign language at the age of 11 and many students give up languages completely at 14. So why don’t young people continue with languages at school? Research suggests that students think that it is more difficult to get good grades in languages than in other subjects such as science or history. The British government is now looking at different ways to improve language learning at school. One idea is to start much younger; there are plans to introduce foreign languages from the age of 5.

Which languages?

Another plan is to give school children more choice. The languages traditionally studied in British schools have been French, Spanish and German. Now the government is encouraging teachers to expand the range of languages taught to include Arabic, Mandarin and Urdu.

Mandarin Chinese is predicted to become the second most popular foreign language learned in UK schools. It is already studied by more children than German or Russian. Only French and Spanish are more popular.

It may be an ambitious task to change the Brits’ attitude to learning languages but the government is determined to try!

from http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/english-skills-practice/life-uk/languages

Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, "the Day of the Festival of Patrick") is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland.

Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick, his death and entrance into heaven, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. In addition, the Irish as well as Irish heritage and culture is celebrated in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians also attend church services and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.

Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world; especially in Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.