A very good practice for units 2 & very close to the kind of vocabulary and writing asked...

English for Hotel Staff (EnglishClub.com)

in the exam. Have a look at the link before and to this one!

This one for unit 3

Also this one is very good for some topic dealing with the next semester...

A radio program on tourism

Something to Declare: programme 1

Do you have any mp3 player with you? Now you can listen to a specilized radio on tourism and travelling or even download it into your mp3 player, or mobile phone or whatever...

It is called "Something to declare" and it seems to be a good way to listen to English for tourism while being on the underground, train, travelling by car, etc...

I will try to add a link on the right of our blog anyway.

Good English Good Job - CV Preparation

Good English Good Job - CV Preparation

Here you are a good site to find c.v templates. You may have a look at them in order to tell us something about you in our "Páginas Personales" in the virtual course... Could you find anything useful related to tourism?

Typical Spanish food.

Galician cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients found in the cuisine of the Galicia, a region of Spain. These include shellfish, empanadas, polbo á feira (a dish made of octopus), the cheese queixo de tetilla, the ribeiro and albariño wines and orujo liquor.
Compared to the wide variety of food in the cuisines of France and India, for example, Galician cuisine could be considered to be fairly simple. In Galician cuisine, neither the cook or the recipe really matters; what is being served is the central part of the cuisine.
In Galicia, a wide variety of sea
products can be found in traditional dishes, due to the province's long shoreline
and traditional fishing economy. Agriculture products such as potatoes, maize and wheat are also a staple in the Galician diet, along with dairy and meat products from animals such as cows, sheep and pigs; Galicia's grasses and shrubs are green year-round and are excellent for grazing.

What other types of typical spanish food do you know? Please, could someone tell us about the mediterranean cuisine? Or tell us about the cuisine in your region. What about an exchange of recipes? It could be very interesting!

The Cambridge Guide to English Usage - Cambridge University Press

The Cambridge Guide to English Usage - Cambridge University Press

Many time you ask me which is the best dictionary to study this subject. I have always used (Activator by Longman) but I have just received this one that seems to be rather good and updated.

Writing task. Unit 3. Promoting Spanish products...

This weekend, I have been visiting a medow where pure Iberian pigs are feed in order to produce Iberian ham and other selected Iberian products. One of the most beautiful areas was the one devoted to the lactation and breeding of the little ones so that I took a picture for you... These little pigs will be later feed on natural products from the medows: acorns, taken from cork oaks and holm.

Write a composition using "comentario" promoting Iberic ham in a foreign country. If you want to do it more real, using this demo-template.

You could read also page 58 from your book in order to be more precise on your writing. Have a look also to this website written either in English and Spanish to acquire new vocabulary and structures on this topic.

St Pancras International, the 21st century's first mega-station

St Pancras International, the 21st century's first mega-station

Atocha? Sants? Santa Justa? Switch on your speakers and watch at this!!

Any comments afterwards?? Use "comentario"...

Could trains replace airplanes?

By reading this article from the British journal "The Independent", you will realize that, not only high speed trains has meant a train revolution communication in Spain, but also in most countries of Europe. In this article you'll find a list of the top 20 destinations connected by high-speed trains (no presence of Spain, by the way...). Don't you think many fight connections will disappear because of this new revolution? Think of the Spanish situation. Imagine that you are a businessman living in Barcelona. Do you think you will travel by AVE instead of travelling by plain to Madrid? Why? (Have a look at page 42 from your textbook to answer to this questions by clicking "comentario").

One more attraction to see in the Valley of the Kings

Tutankamon's face is presented to the public 85 years afer its discovery. To tell the truth, I was rather shocked with this announcement. For those of you who haven't seen any information yet, here you are a video, a picture and some articles taken from National Geographic. Would you like to be the tourist in the video? Would you like to see the mummy face to face? Do you think it would be something to keep away from people and reserved just for researchers? (Have a look to pag 42 in your textbook to justify your answer).
Don't forget to click on "comentario" to write your answers...;)

What do you think?? Your opinions in English, please.

Lo último
Hotel, puro hotel17/10/2007
Texto de Vicky Vilches
Ilustración de Mikel Jaso Hoy en día ya no es suficiente con ofrecer en el desayuno zumo exprimido al instante de naranjas orgánicamente cultivadas. Ni siquiera basta con que los productos de aseo para el baño estén elaborados con aromáticos aceites naturales. La búsqueda de la pureza ha llegado hasta el aire que respiramos, sobre todo ahora que las alergias proliferan al mismo ritmo que crece sin cesar la obsesión por el bienestar físico.
Por este motivo los establecimientos hoteleros que se precian de estar en vanguardia de esta moda empiezan a ofertar a sus clientes las denominadas pure rooms. Se trata de una nueva categoría de habitaciones de asepsia garantizada. Es decir, que no sólo se han limpiado, sino que también se han purificado. Para conseguirlo, se las ha sometido a un proceso especial de desinfección integral que elimina cualquier virus, germen o rastro infeccioso que haya podido dejar en la cama, en el aire o en el cuarto de baño el huésped anterior. Lo que empezó siendo una opción destinada esencialmente a las personas con problemas de alergia ha encontrado ahora una demanda inesperada en un sector de viajeros cada vez más preocupado por los virus globales que en un solo día pueden viajar desde Manila hasta Nueva York. Asia y Estados Unidos son los escenarios preferentes para esta nueva demanda de habitaciones purificadas. Por ello, algunas importantes cadenas hoteleras como, por ejemplo, Marriot, Four Seasons, Mandarin o Crowne Plaza las ofrecen ya en algunos de sus establecimientos.
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Edinburgh

Edinburgh, Scotland's Capital City

Why start your Scotland holiday in Edinburgh
There are enough attractions to visit and holiday activities to do in Edinburgh and the surrounding area to keep you busy for your entire holiday. But more importantly, Edinburgh is a great base from which you can explore the rest of Scotland. Edinburgh is only an hour's drive from Glasgow, Scotland's largest City and 2-3 hours from the Highlands -- and that says a lot of the size of this country. You can take a bus tour from Edinburgh or rent a car for a self drive tour cross half the country in one day!

How is Edinburgh different from other European capitals?
Edinburgh is a capital in miniature compared to the other famous European capitals. It's not even the largest city in Scotland! With population of only 500,000, everything is within reach.

Traffic congestion is not as bad as in bigger cities like London either.Edinburgh's unique features include two extinct volcanoes, one of them right in the City Center onto which Edinburgh Castle is built. How many other capitals can pride themselves with that?

Edinburgh at a glance
Edinburgh's hills and volcanoes are excellent natural vantage points and not just for photography but for the City's fireworks displays in August and New Year.

Tourist highlights in Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh is also known as the 'Athens of the North'. It is one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe. Its distinctive and unique skyline follows closely that of Venice and makes for fantastic photography at dusk or dawn.

The historic City of Edinburgh preserved over the years its own medieval atmosphere. Every corner of the city has its own story -- or legend -- which awaits to be uncovered. For example, no tourist should miss a visit to the vaults beneath the City which uncover spooky stories of ghosts and mystery.

Despite its well preserved history, Edinburgh is by no means medieval. The year-round events -- like the Edinburgh Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Edinburgh Hogmanay -- make it a vibrant city and can be quite overwhelming for a tourist dying to cover it all.

The bottom line about Edinburgh, Scotland
Great food, great music, great shows, really great pubs, incredibly friendly people and above all, enough attractions to keep even the most energetic tourist busy.On the downside, Edinburgh can be quite expensive in terms of accommodation and food if you don't have some local knowledge. However, with the proper information, any tourist, no matter the budget, can have the holiday of a lifetime.

Why not listening the radio while reading/writing this blog?

I have just added some radio station links to the rights lists in this blog. One of the best way to train your ear in foreign languages is by listening to the L2 as long as possible. I have suggested only two (British accent) but if you know more, please, let me know and I will add them too.

Happy Halloween!