Christmas caroling

Fredy and I were singing Christmas Carols on Monday with the kids, now here's a Christmas greeting from me.

I hope you all have warm and cheerful days with family and friends.

A very merry Christmas and a great start in the new year!!!

An advice because of Christmas surprise

Hello CAE- mates!

I just wanted to give you an advice for next Tuesday:
It would be better not to eat a lot before lesson 12.
Otherwise there wouldn't be enough space in your stommy for...

° an old Thanksgiving Turkey ?
° a Cappucino from the selecta box ?
° an original flabby Christmas pudding ?
° Jasmins special, healthy fruit-pie with a living cookie tase (receipe from Betty B.)
° big Chocolate Chip cookies ?
° Coca Cola Muffins ?
° a Berner Roesti ?

I will bring with me.

Who will find out first what it is?

Greetings from Betty B.

The big Santa Claus Myth

Here's a text related to the latest writing topic that I thought you might enjoy.

I think Santa Claus is a woman ... I hate to be the one to defy sacred myth, but I believe he's a she.

Think about it. Christmas is a big, organized, warm, fuzzy, nurturing social deal, and I have a tough time believing a guy could possibly pull it all off!

For starters, the vast majority of men don't even think about selecting gifts until Christmas Eve. It's as if they are all frozen in some kind of Ebenezerian Time Warp until 3 p.m. on Dec. 24th, when they - with amazing calm - call other errant men and plan for a last-minute shopping spree.

Once at the mall, they always seem surprised to find only Ronco products, socket wrench sets, and mood rings left on the shelves. (You might think this would send them into a fit of panic and guilt, but my husband tells me it's an enormous relief because it lessens the 11th hour decision-making burden.) On this count alone, I'm convinced Santa is a woman. Surely, if he were a man, everyone in the universe would wake up Christmas morning to find a rotating musical Chia Pet under the tree, still in the bag.

Another problem for a he-Santa would be getting there. First of all, there would be no reindeer because they would all be dead, gutted and strapped on to the rear bumper of the sleigh amid wide-eyed, desperate claims that buck season had been extended. Blitzen's rack would already be on the way to the taxidermist.

Even if the male Santa DID have reindeer, he'd still have transportation problems because he would inevitably get lost up there in the snow and clouds and then refuse to stop and ask for directions.

Add to this the fact that there would be unavoidable delays in the chimney, where the Bob Vila-like Santa would stop to inspect and repoint bricks in the flue. He would also need to check for carbon monoxide fumes in every gas fireplace, and get under every Christmas tree that is crooked to straighten it to a perfectly upright 90-degree angle.

Other reasons why Santa can't possibly be a man:

• Men can't pack a bag.
• Men would rather be dead than caught wearing red velvet.
• Men would feel their masculinity is threatened ... having to be seen with all those elves.
• Men don't answer their mail.
• Men would refuse to allow their physique to be described even in jest as anything remotely resembling a "bowlful of jelly."
• Men aren't interested in stockings unless somebody's wearing them.
• Having to do the "Ho Ho Ho" thing would seriously inhibit their ability to pick up women.
• Finally, being responsible for Christmas would require a commitment.

I can buy the fact that other mythical characters are men ...

• Father Time shows up once a year unshaven and looking ominous.
  Definite guy.

• Cupid flies around carrying weapons.
  Guy

• Uncle Sam is a politician who likes to point fingers.
  Ditto

Any one of these individuals could pass the testosterone screening test. But not St. Nick. Not a chance. As long as we have each other, good will, peace on earth, faith and Nat King Cole's version of "The Christmas Song," it probably makes little difference what gender Santa is.

I just wish she'd quit dressing like a guy!!!

Author unknown

Now for those men out there that beg to disagree, click here to find out why Santa Claus can never be a woman

I hope you've enjoyed this post! :-D

Practice tests

For those who couldn't come to the lesson and for those who want a bit more practice, I have a site from the IETLS where you can see, hear and do the different types of listening tasks.

You can click on each individual task and then you will find the task itself and the audio to go along with it (isn't the internet great?!)

Feel free to try out the other things there as well.

You can also see other parts of the exam such as the writing tasks.

Now I don't want to be biased, so I'll include the same information about the CAE.
There are two main places where you can see CAE materials. One is on the side bar called flo-joe and is full of practice materials, for example, the word bank.
The official site for the CAE is here.
You will see that the reading exam is there for you (including the answers) as well as the listening exam you have already taken (again, including the answers), so you can go back and do it again if you want.
The writing section begins on page 8. Have a look, compare it with the IELTS, and then I think we should begin a discussion here about which test you want to prepare for.

If you want to sign up for the CAE, you will need to know fairly soon. In fact, you should inform me by the end of January, if possible. If you aren't sure, then you can always take the IELTS as it is offered twice monthly (but only in Berne).

Parallel expressions

I here have some parallel expressions from the listening-text, we worked with last Tuesday Paper 4 Listening part 2 about the marine wildlife photographer. I promised Marina, to put these on the Wiki but unfortunatelly I didn't find out, how to do that (Illya, could you please do that for me? Thanks!) - that's why I write them down here.

most important aspect = the key to my work
right = appropriate
choose = position to select
disagrees = not everybody goes about / the opposite is true
creative = depict something new
important to find out = need to check
seas are often protected = particular place
ruined = spoiled
promising shots = potentially great photos / the photos you want
pleased = really delighted