Monday, March 31, 2014

Men and Shopping Addiction

Men and Shopping Addiction

More Men Hooked on Shopping

More Men Hooked on Shopping

Different Types of Advertising


Fair Trade | Podcast #123

Fair Trade | Podcast #123

In Focus: Coffee. What is Fair Trade?

 In Focus: Coffee. What is Fair Trade? Podcast

Fairtrade


Fairtrade is a way of buying and selling products to make certain that the original producer receives a fair price. 

In this programme BBC reporter Barbara Colins talks to some English shoppers, a retail analyst who studies what people buy and a fairtrade expert from the international development charity, Oxfam. 

Before you listen to the programme look at these comprehension questions. You'll hear the answers during the programme. 

What is most important for the English shoppers? 

What percentage of people say they want to shop ethically next year? 

Do shoppers think there is enough choice of free trade items? 

I Love To Shop, But Do I Have A Shopping Problem?


The high cost of shopping addiction


Compulsive shopping


Shop "til you drop": Battling compulsive shopping

Shop 'til you drop': Battling compulsive shopping

What is compulsive shopping and spending?


Compulsive shopping: When spending is like substance abuse


Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Age Of American Consumerism May Be Over


IELTS Writing Task 2: money and consumerism

IELTS Writing Task 2: money and consumerism

Consumer society


Effects of Advertising on Children


The Influence of Advertising

The Influence of Advertising

Future of Newspapers: Anne-Marie Tomchak, BBC World News

On a day when The Washington Post was sold to Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, World's Newsroom looks at how newspapers are faring elsewhere and asks how will they survive in a rapidly changing media landscape. Presenter Anne-Marie Tomchak speaks to Bozorgmehr Sharafedin of BBC Persian TV and Amber Shamsi of BBC Urdu about the newspaper industry in Iran and Pakistan.

Future of Newspapers: Anne-Marie Tomchak, BBC World News

Monday, March 3, 2014

Talking about art and exhibitions

Bob Dylan Artwork on show in Cardiff Bay



Watch the video and practise the following conversation either recommending or not the exhibition.
Conversation 1: Recommending an exhibition
I went to an exhibition in Cardiff Bay last Saturday.
Oh, did you? what was it?
It was a collection of graphics by Bob Dylan.
Oh really? It sounds quite interesting. What was it like?
Quite good, actually, the drawings were really great./I didn't think much of it myself.
So, would you recommend it, then?
Yes, you should go and see it./ No, I'd give it a miss, if I were you- unless you really like that sort of thing, of course.
Other expressions you can use:
It's OK if you are into that sort of thing./It's a must/ I really recommend it/it's well worth a visit
It's not worth the entrance fee/ It's not really my cup of tea/It's not my kind of thing/I just don't understand this stuff

The Carder method can teach anyone to paint


David Wilson explains how the Carder method can teach anyone to paint.
Listen to him and complete the gaps.
Painting is nothing more than (1)……………………….paint, (2) ........................... the colours, and reproducing them on (3)…………………………………. .
But for a naked eye and the untrained hand that’s difficult to do.
What makes the Carder Method so different?
You don’t have to trust your own judgment when you mix and apply colours to the canvas instead you (4)…………………………………………… called color checker
It’s a device that duplicates the color you see in your still life into mix paint on a palette.
Anyone can do this simply, hold on your color checker and ask yourself some very simple questions, like which color is more red or darker, then (5) ……………………………………. colour accordingly.
Simple colour mixing rules tell you exactly what to do.
But you are saying to yourself, how do I (6) ……………………………………………..of the subject to be painted, if I can’t draw? You don’t need any drawing ability or knowledge of mathematics.
With the small end of the proportional divider you (7)……………………………………………………….you want to draw then flip the proportional divider over and the large end tells you where to place points on your canvas.
After you’ve pointed enough points, it’s just a matter of connecting them.
It’s revolutionary, even people with no (8)……………………………………………………….. can paint

A review of a concert you’ve been to




A review of a concert you’ve been to (based on First Certificate Expert Pearson/Longman)
(include information about the band or singer, the music, and say whether you would recommend it or not.
Paragraph 1: Catching the reader’s attention
Have you heard/seen…..?/ I have to tell you about my favourite singer/band/musician…/ they’ve made one of the best ………………………
Paragraph 2: Describing the performers
On stage……………………..
Paragraph 3: saying what like
Paragraph 4: saying what you don’t like
The only thing I wasn’t really happy about was….
I must admit that …………..
Paragraph 5: conclusion/recommendation
Judging from the show, ……………………… is one of the best …………
If you like (disco music of the 1980s) you’ll love …………….
You really should /must ( buy the CD/ try and watch one of his/her/their shows.
MadonnaPop star Madonna thrilled fans with a dance spectacular in Manchester on Saturday night
She performed wearing black hot pants, a sequined silver top and knee-high black boots before a packed MEN Arena.
The show featured moving video screens, conveyer belts, a ballroom dance sequence and an electric chair.
The singer wore a kilt and a t-shirt proclaiming "Brits do it better" later in the show.
The 45-year-old performed songs from early in her career such as Holiday and Material Girl, as well as tracks from her most recent albums.
She also included a cover version of John Lennon's Imagine.
She has not played in Manchester since 1984 and such was the demand for tickets for her return that an extra date was added.
Reviews
Absolutely mind-blowing. The energy was non-stop for two hours and most of the songs had been reworked to some extent and sounded fantastic. I never realized how strong her voice was and the piper almost stole the show with his dancing (bagpipes in hand). Not one dull moment all night. Definitely worth the ticket price. Puts many other artists to shame. Obviously months of hard work were needed to put this awesome spectacle together. Superb!

It was fantastic, the best concert I have ever seen. The atmosphere was excellent and you could tell that everyone enjoyed themselves. She is amazing, If I could go again I would. We had £75 seats and the view was great. Worth the effort of going definitely.

The show was amazing and worth every penny. She is fantastic and shows that if you have a dream you should just go for it and not be told that you can't. In her own words "don't ever tell me to stop". Fabulous
Having been a fan ever since I can remember, Sunday night's concert just blew me away and was everything I hoped Madonna would be, and more. The show (which is what it was) was bright, vivid, electric and engrossing. Madonna sounded fabulous; it was high energy from start to finish.

Sample Review of a CD




Sample of Music review (from Premium B2 level Coursebook ed. Pierson/Longman)
Music Review of the week

Sandi Thom recorded her first album Smile …. It confuses people in 2006, and it quickly went to number one in the album charts. The hit single I wish I was a punk rocker from the album also got to number one.

I think this is a really beautiful album with some catchy pop tunes. Sandi is a good singer and her voice is different from most other singers at the moment.
My favourite track is I wish I was a punk rocker, which is lively and has very interesting lyrics. The only negative thing I would say about the album is that the backing band is a bit weak.

This CD gets better the more you listen to it. I would definitely recommend buying it and watching out for any further albums of this talented artist.

Paragraph 1: gives some information about where and where the writer got the CD
Paragraph 2: gives some information about the CD and singer
Paragraph 3: gives the writer’s opinion about the CD (both positive and negative)
Paragraph 4: gives a recommendation about whether to buy the CD or not