TOOL for Learning: Back on the road again in C.2.2.

2. Facing your fears: "Why I live in mortal dread of public speaking"

2.7. "Speaking Out Without Freaking Out"

Watch the video and do the activity:



“Speaking Up Without Freaking Out”, a Ted Talk by Matt Abrahams
https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_abrahams_speaking_up_without_freaking_out

A) Before watching the video, make sure you understand the meaning of the title: what does “freaking out” mean? What situations might you freak out in?

B) Watch the video and make an outline the main points in it, including main ideas and subsidiary ones. You will compare it with other students’ outlines in class.

C) Find synonyms for these words and phrases in the video:

We miss out, society misses out
85% of people feel anxious in high-stakes situations
...understanding where this anxiety comes from. Its hardwired in us
…we have to take a two-pronged approach
...we feel our heart pound.
There is a way that you can short-circuit this.
I’m afraid I’m going to forget, I’m gonna blank out
It’s a true win-win
...we need to reframe it as a conversation
this audience centric approach
if you’re pitching or protesting

D) Discuss:
Did you find the advice in the video useful? What’s your own approach to dealing with anxiety when you speak in public?

ANSWERS:

A) Before watching the video, make sure you understand the meaning of the title: what does “freaking out” mean? What situations might you freak out in?

B) Watch the video and make an outline the main points in it, including main ideas and subsidiary ones. You will compare it with other students’ outlines in class.

C) Find synonyms for these words and phrases in the video:

We miss out, society misses out
85% of people feel anxious in high-stakes situations
...understanding where this anxiety comes from. Its hardwired in us
…we have to take a two-pronged approach
...we feel our heart pound.
There is a way that you can short-circuit this.
I’m afraid I’m going to forget, I’m gonna blank out
It’s a true win-win
...we need to reframe it as a conversation
this audience centric approach
if you’re pitching or protesting

D) Discuss:
Did you find the advice in the video useful? What’s your own approach to dealing with anxiety when you speak in public?

Topic 2: Activity book

3. The Handmaid's Tale: a dystopia

1. In groups, share your answers to these questions:

-What is a dystopia?

-Why is dystopian fiction so popular nowadays? What started the trend?

-Do you have favourite dystopian novels, films or series?

-Is dystopia simply a form of entertainment or does it have a serious purpose?

2. Watch this trailer. Have you watched this series? If so, what do you think of it?




3. Read an excerpt from the book the series was based on:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ilx5__2P5eoAkNIcd43ZTrf93OxkTgSG/view

Excerpt 1:
Unseen extract 6: The Handmaid's Tale
Read the extract carefully. It is taken from The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret
Atwood which was first published in 1985. This dystopian novel portrays the
totalitarian society of Gilead, which has replaced the USA, where women’s rights
have been eroded. Handmaids exist solely for the purpose of reproduction,
bearing children for elite barren couples. They are forbidden to work, vote or
read and are given a name which includes that of the man with whom they are
reproducing. Handmaids are only allowed to travel outside in pairs and, in this
extract, Ofglen and Offred are on a shopping trip.
Sample question
Explore the significance of individuality in this extract.
Remember to include in your answer relevant detailed analysis of the ways that
Atwood shapes meanings.
Extract
A group of people is coming towards us. They’re tourists, from Japan it looks
like, a trade delegation perhaps, on a tour of the historic landmarks or out for
local colour. They’re diminutive and neatly turned out; each has his or her
camera, his or her smile. They look around, bright-eyed, cocking their heads to
one side like robins, their very cheerfulness aggressive, and I can’t help staring.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen skirts that short on women. The skirts reach
just below the knee and the legs come out from beneath them, nearly naked in
their thin stockings, blatant, the high-heeled shoes with their straps attached to
the feet like delicate instruments of torture. The women teeter on their spiked
feet as if on stilts, but off balance; their backs arch at the waist, thrusting the
buttocks out. Their heads are uncovered and their hair too is exposed, in all its
darkness and sexuality. They wear lipstick, red, outlining the damp cavities of
their mouths, like scrawls on a washroom wall, of the time before.
I stop walking. Ofglen stops beside me and I know that she too cannot take her
eyes off these women. We are fascinated, but also repelled. They seem
undressed. It has taken so little time to change our minds, about things like this.
Then I think: I used to dress like that. That was freedom.
Westernized, they used to call it.
The Japanese tourists come towards us, twittering, and we turn our heads away
too late: our faces have been seen.

There’s an interpreter, in the standard blue suit and red-patterned tie, with the
winged-eye tie pin. He’s the one who steps forward, out of the group, in front of
us, blocking our way. The tourists bunch behind him; one of them raises a
camera.
“Excuse me,” he says to both of us, politely enough. “They’re asking if they can
take your picture.”
I look down at the sidewalk, shake my head for No. What they must see is the
white wings only, a scrap of face, my chin and part of my mouth. Not the eyes. I
know better than to look the interpreter in the face. Most of the interpreters are
Eyes, or so it’s said.
I also know better than to say Yes. Modesty is invisibility, said Aunt Lydia. Never
forget it. To be seen – to be seen – is to be – her voice trembled – penetrated.
What you must be, girls, is impenetrable. She called us girls.
Beside me, Ofglen is also silent. She’s tucked her red-gloved hands up into her
sleeves, to hide them.
The interpreter turns back to the group, chatters at them in staccato. I know
what he’ll be saying, I know the line. He’ll be telling them that women here have
different customs, that to stare at them through the lens of a camera is, for
them, an experience of violation.

Acknowledgement of copyright-holders and publishers
From The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Published by Jonathan Cape.

A) Answer these questions (IGNORE THE "SAMPLE QUESTIONS" IN THE DOCUMENT):

-What is happening in this excerpt?

-There are references to the past in the text. What can you deduce from them? How was life different in the past?

-Does the scene remind you of anything?

B) Find:

-Three examples of comparison (also called "simile") in the first paragraph that make the scene more vivid, e.g "like robins"

-Three words or phrases that describe the way somebody talks.

POST FOR ANSWERS

1. In groups, share your answers to these questions:

-What is a dystopia?

-Why is dystopian fiction so popular nowadays? What started the trend?

-Do you have favourite dystopian novels, films or series?

-Is dystopia simply a form of entertainment or does it have a serious purpose?

2. Watch this trailer. Have you watched this series? If so, what do you think of it?

3. Read an excerpt from the book the series was based on:

A) Answer these questions (IGNORE THE "SAMPLE QUESTIONS" IN THE DOCUMENT):

-What is happening in this excerpt?

-There are references to the past in the text. What can you deduce from them? How was life different in the past?

-Does the scene remind you of anything?

B) Find:

-Three examples of comparison (also called "simile") in the first paragraph that make the scene more vivid, e.g "like robins"

-Three words or phrases that describe the way somebody talks.

2. Facing your fears: "Why I live in mortal dread of public speaking"

2.5. Out of your comfort zone: reading and speaking

1. Work in groups. Each of you will read one of these articles, select and prepare to tell the group about it:

The Science of Breaking Out of Your Comfort Zone

https://lifehacker.com/the-science-of-breaking-out-of-your-comfort-zone-and-w-656426705

The Science of Breaking Out of Your Comfort Zone (and Why You Should)
https://lifehacker.com/the-science-of-breaking-out-of-your-comfort-zone-and-w-656426705

By Alan Henry and Rebecca Fishbein

Routines can be stable and comforting, but they can also turn stale and confining over time. All those inspirational messages telling you to break out of your comfort zone aren’t just trying to sell you bungee cords. Doing something new and potentially frightening helps stave off burnout and is good for your brain. Still, it’s pretty hard to shake yourself out of a routine, and there’s plenty of science explaining why—and how to do it.

It’s important to push the boundaries of your comfort zone, and when you do, it’s kind of a big deal. But what is the “comfort zone” exactly? Why is it that we tend to get comfortable with the familiar and our routines, but when we’re introduced to new and interesting things, the glimmer fades so quickly? Finally, what benefit do we derive from breaking out of our comfort zones, and how do we do it? Answering those questions is a tall order, but it’s not too hard to do. Let’s get started.

The science of your “comfort zone,” and why it’s so hard to leave It

Simply, your comfort zone is a behavioral space where your activities and behaviors fit a routine and pattern that minimizes stress and risk. It provides a state of mental security. You benefit in obvious ways: regular happiness, low anxiety, and reduced stress.

The idea of the comfort zone goes back to a classic experiment in psychology. Back in 1908, psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson explained that a state of relative comfort created a steady level of performance. In order to maximize performance, however, we need a state of relative anxiety—a space where our stress levels are slightly higher than normal. This space is called “Optimal Anxiety,” and it’s just outside our comfort zone. Too much anxiety and we’re too stressed to be productive, and our performance drops off sharply.

The idea of optimal anxiety isn’t anything new. Anyone who’s ever pushed themselves to get to the next level or accomplish something knows that when you really challenge yourself, you can turn up amazing results. More than a few studies support the point. However, pushing too hard can actually cause a negative result, and reinforce the feeling that challenging yourself is a bad idea. It’s our natural tendency to return to an anxiety-neutral, comfortable state. You can understand why it’s so hard to kick your brain out of your comfort zone.

Even so, your comfort zone is neither a good or bad thing. It’s a natural state that most people trend towards. Leaving it means increased risk and anxiety, which can have positive and negative results (which we’ll get to in a moment), but don’t demonize your comfort zone as something holding you back. We all need that head-space where we’re least anxious and stressed so we can process the benefits we get when we leave it.

What you get when you break free and try new things

Optimal anxiety is that place where your mental productivity and performance reach their peak. Still, “increased performance” and “enhanced productivity” just sound like “do more stuff.” What do you really get when you’re willing to step outside of your comfort zone?

You’ll be more productive. Comfort kills productivity because without the sense of unease that comes from having deadlines and expectations, we tend to phone it in and do the minimum required to get by. We lose the drive and ambition to do more and learn new things. We also fall into the “work trap,” where we feign “busy” as a way to stay in our comfort zones and avoid doing new things. Pushing your personal boundaries can help you hit your stride sooner, get more done, and find smarter ways to work.

You’ll have an easier time dealing with new and unexpected changes. In this article at The New York Times, Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston, explains that one of the worst things we can do is pretend fear and uncertainty don’t exist. By taking risks in a controlled fashion and challenging yourself to things you normally wouldn’t do, you can experience some of that uncertainty in a controlled, manageable environment. Learning to live outside your comfort zone when you choose to can prep you for life changes that force you out of it.

You’ll find it easier to push your boundaries in the future. Once you start stepping out of your comfort zone, it gets easier over time. This same NYT article explains that as you step out of your comfort zone, you’ll become accustomed to that state of optimal anxiety. “Productive discomfort,” as they call it, becomes more normal to you, and you’re willing to push farther before your performance falls off.

You’ll find it easier to brainstorm and harness your creativity. This is a soft benefit, but it’s fairly common knowledge (and it’s easily reproducible) that seeking new experiences, learning new skills, and opening the door to new ideas inspire us and educate us in a way that little else does. Trying new things can make us reflect on our old ideas and where they clash with our new knowledge, and inspire us to learn more and challenge comfirmation bias, our tendency to only seek out information we already agree with. Even in the short term, a positively uncomfortable experience can help us brainstorm, see old problems in a new light, and tackle the challenges we face with new energy.

The benefits you get after stepping outside of your comfort zone can linger. There’s the overall self-improvement you get through the skills you’re learning, the new foods you’re trying, the new country you’re visiting, and the new job you’re interviewing for. There are also the soft mental benefits you get from broadening your horizons.



Expand Your Comfort Zone

https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/expand-your-comfort-zone

Expand Your Comfort Zone
https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/expand-your-comfort-zone

By Elizabeth Kuster

Initially, the title of this article was "Break Out Of Your Comfort Zone." But then I talked with bestselling author and fear expert Rhonda Britten, founder of the Fearless Living Institute, and she schooled me. "I'm not interested in people getting rid of their comfort zones," she told me. "In fact, you want to have the largest comfort zone possible -- because the larger it is, the more masterful you feel in more areas of your life. When you have a large comfort zone, you can take risks that really shift you."

Our comfort zone, according to Britten, is our safe place. "Whatever is your norm, whatever your life is right now, whatever you're not even thinking about changing -- that's your comfort zone," she says. "Some people call it a rut. It's not a rut; it's life. It's the things that are regular, that are predictable, that cause no mental or emotional strain and stress."

Britten says that our comfort zone is where we go to recharge in an ever-changing world. "It's our place of reprieve, where we can conserve our energy and not have to figure anything out," she says. "People often don't honor the comfort zones they've created; they think it's wrong or bad to need one. It's not! If you deny that you have a comfort zone or pretend that you don't need one, you'll be stressed all the time."


When you want to make a life change, Britten suggests you build off your existing comfort zone instead of revamping everything at once. To that end, she created a strategy she calls "Stretch, Risk and Die."

"Picture a dartboard," she explains. "The bullseye is your comfort zone. The next ring is your 'Stretch' zone, the one next to that is your 'Risk' zone, and everything outside of that is your 'Die' zone. Each time you move into a new zone, you have to go through a little fear, because you have to think differently about yourself and what you're capable of."

Here's how to use Britten's system to expand the possibilities in your own life.

GOOD: Stretch

"A stretch is something we tell ourselves we 'should' do, but just haven't done," says Britten. This zone includes all of the self-improvement moves we know we could make, if only we weren't so lazy/afraid/misguided. "The stretch zone is where we beat ourselves up the most," says Britten. "It's like, 'What's wrong with me? Why am I not doing this thing I know I should be doing? That I know I could do?' But whenever we go to actually do it, all of a sudden it feels hard. It's not in our comfort zone, and we don't now how to act when we're feeling discomfort."

Stretch yourself: First, focus your efforts. Answer the question, "In what area of my life would making positive change have the most impact?" (Maybe it's your health, or your job, or your love life...) Once you have the answer, come up with three things you've been feeling you "should" do in that area, and do one of them... today.

BETTER: Risk

"A risk is something you're not sure you'll be successful at," says Britten. "It's something you wish you could do, but never believed was possible for you. It's kind of an extension of who you are already -- it's in the same arena -- but you have an 'I can't' attitude about it. A 'what if I suck?' kind of fear." Example: Michael Jordan's (brief and mysterious) baseball career. Playing a different sport was a big risk, even for an elite athlete like Jordan. And it didn't work out too well for him, either.

Risk it: Staying on the same theme you chose for stretch, give something up. Make it difficult. Make it scary. Make it be something you never thought you could achieve. Giving up sugar (or alcohol, or meat, or caffeine, or gluten) for a month? No Sundays spent couch-potatoing it this season? No more hiding in the corner at parties... ever? Yes.

BEST: 'Die'

"A die feels like a crazy choice," says Britten. "As in, 'If I have to do that, I'll die.' You shake in your boots at the thought of it and immediately move into: 'No!' Dies bring up a huge fear of failure. They're those secret wishes hidden down deep -- the ones you'd never admit to anyone else." For many people (even Warren Buffett), public speaking is a die. So is salary negotiation. And skydiving.

Do a die: Sticking to your theme, ask yourself this question: "It would be so awesome if I could XYZ, but that's just not who I am." Then (you guessed it!) take action toward actually doing that XYZ. Quitting your job and going back to school at age 35? Chairing an important company-wide meeting? Traveling abroad alone, to a country where no one speaks English? Yes, yes and triple yes. Take steps to make it happen.

"What's a die for you may just be a stretch for somebody else," notes Britten. "It's about emotions and mindset. As you begin to stretch, risk and die, your comfort zone will grow, and you'll find that things that used to be dies to you are now just risks. Unlike typical goal-setting -- which can be detrimental because it focuses too much on outcome -- expanding your comfort zone is about motivating and inspiring yourself in a way that honors your whole person. It's not 'I'm going to be good at everything,' it's about not being scared to try."

WebMD Feature from Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.



2. Discuss:

Which ideas in the articles do you agree/disagree with?
Is it a good idea to force ourselves to get out of our comfort zones? Why (not)?
3. Select five words or phrases from the article you read that are new to you, and explain the meaning to your partners.

Post for answers:

2. Discuss:

Which ideas in the articles do you agree/disagree with?

Is it a good idea to force ourselves to get out of our comfort zones? Why (not)?

3. Select five words or phrases from the article you read that are new to you, and explain the meaning to your partners.

Activities to do by November 17

This week you need to:

1. Do the tasks in chapters 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5 of the Topic 4 activity book.

2. Upload your "How to Overcome a Fear" presentation if you haven't done it yet.

3. Start reading chapters 10 and 11 from Harari's book and answering the questions on the worksheet (21 Lessons section). The deadline for this activity is November 24th.

4. Carry on with the MyELT assignments.

I have posted the answers to the questions about Part II of Harari's book that were discussed in class today.

Have a good week.

Topic 2: Activity book

3. The Handmaid's Tale: a dystopia

3.3. Margaret Atwood's vision of the future

Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, Biennal de Pensament 2020, "Looking to the future" (English audio version)

Watch from minutes 37 to 60 and make notes about the following points:

1. The historical context of The Handmaid's Tale

2. Revolutions and dictatorships

3. Reasons for hope

4. Margaret Atwood's activism

5. The Testaments (the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale)

6. Truth

7. Covid

Post for answers:

1. The historical context of The Handmaid's Tale

The story is based on puritanism and authoritarianism in the 17th century in the US.

2. Revolutions and dictatorships

A situation of chaos and fear, people feeling desperate, lack of material resources is what leads to revolutions and right or left wing dictatorships.

3. Reasons for hope

She's hopeful about  the american election ("don't count them out")
about certain gains that have been made for women
about the young generation (¨people under 20 have discovered new forms of organisation, of working together" "they're putting a lot of energy in saving the environment")


4. Margaret Atwood's activism

She does not consider herself as an activist, because real activists devote their entire lives to the thing they're fighting for..."I'm a weekend activist, in real life I'm a writer"
She supports an organisation called "Equality Now"

5. The Testaments (the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale)

She explained in The Handmaid's Tale how this authoritarian regime started, now she wanted to explore how this regime could end.

6. Truth

She's very interested in the truth, she says it's a very annoying charactersitic to have.
She wants to make a difference between what is a fact and what is an opinion.

7. Covid

The Testaments is rubbish.

I absolutely love Margaret Atwood  and I've read several of her books. I read the Handmaid's tale years ago. Superb.

I hesitated to start the Testaments because I'd seen so many poor reviews.
Unfortunately they were right. I plowed through two thirds of it before I gave it up as a bad job. It reads like teen fiction and I wouldn't be surprised if Atwood didn't actually write it.

Incomprehensible that it won a Booker prize.

I doubted whether to use plow or plough .

I went with the American version

Topic 2: Activity book

3. The Handmaid's Tale: a dystopia

3.4. The Handmaid's Tale, excerpt 2

Read this longer excerpt from The Handmaid's Tale and do the activity in the worksheet.
Excerpt 2
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ffsxKW6ko3ubw3l9f9G7WM_XXEqrVSM9/view

Excerpt

From The Handmaid's Tale
Author Margaret Atwood

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/6125/the-handmaids-tale-by-margaret-atwood/97807710
08795/excerpt

1
We slept in what had once been the gymnasium. The floor was of varnished wood,
with stripes and circles painted on it, for the games that were formerly played there;
the hoops for the basketball nets were still in place, though the nets were gone. A
balcony ran around the room, for the spectators, and I thought I could smell, faintly
like an afterimage, the pungent scent of sweat, shot through with the sweet taint of
chewing gum and perfume from the watching girls, felt-skirted as I knew from
pictures, later in miniskirts, then pants, then in one earring, spiky green-streaked
hair. Dances would have been held there; the music lingered, a palimpsest of
unheard sound, style upon style, an undercurrent of drums, a forlorn wail, garlands
made of tissue-paper flowers, cardboard devils, a revolving ball of mirrors,
powdering the dancers with a snow of light.
There was old sex in the room and loneliness, and expectation, of something without
a shape or name. I remember that yearning, for something that was always about to
happen and was never the same as the hands that were on us there and then, in the
small of the back, or out back, in the parking lot, or in the television room with the
sound turned down and only the pictures flickering over lifting flesh.
We yearned for the future. How did we learn it, that talent for insatiability? It was in
the air; and it was still in the air, an afterthought, as we tried to sleep, in the army
cots that had been set up in rows, with spaces between so we could not talk. We had
flannelette sheets, like children's, and army-issue blankets, old ones that still said
U.S. We folded our clothes neatly and laid them on the stools at the ends of the
beds. The lights were turned down but not out. Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth
patrolled; they had electric cattle prods slung on thongs from their leather belts.
No guns though, even they could not be trusted with guns. Guns were for the
guards, specially picked from the Angels. The guards weren't allowed inside the
building except when called, and we weren't allowed out, except for our walks, twice
daily, two by two around the football field, which was enclosed now by a chain-link
fence topped with barbed wire. The Angels stood outside it with their backs to us.
They were objects of fear to us, but of something else as well. If only they would

look. If only we could talk to them. Something could be exchanged, we thought,
some deal made, some tradeoff, we still had our bodies. That was our fantasy.
We learned to whisper almost without sound. In the semidarkness we could stretch
out our arms, when the Aunts weren't looking, and touch each other's hands across
space. We learned to lip-read, our heads flat on the beds, turned sideways, watching
each other's mouths. In this way we exchanged names, from bed to bed:
Alma. Janine. Dolores. Moira. June.
II
Shopping
2
A chair, a table, a lamp. Above, on the white ceiling, a relief ornament in the shape of
a wreath, and in the center of it a blank space, plastered over, like the place in a face
where the eye has been taken out. There must have been a chandelier, once.
They've removed anything you could tie a rope to.
A window, two white curtains. Under the window, a window seat with a little cushion.
When the window is partly open--it only opens partly--the air can come in and make
the curtains move. I can sit in the chair, or on the window seat, hands folded, and
watch this. Sunlight comes in through the window too, and falls on the floor, which is
made of wood, in narrow strips, highly polished. I can smell the polish. There's a rug
on the floor, oval, of braided rags. This is the kind of touch they like: folk art, archaic,
made by women, in their spare time, from things that have no further use. A return to
traditional values. Waste not want not. I am not being wasted. Why do I want?
On the wall above the chair, a picture, framed but with no glass: a print of flowers,
blue irises, watercolor. Flowers are still allowed. Does each of us have the same
print, the same chair, the same white curtains, I wonder? Government issue?
Think of it as being in the army, said Aunt Lydia.
A bed. Single, mattress medium-hard, covered with a flocked white spread. Nothing
takes place in the bed but sleep; or no sleep. I try not to think too much. Like other
things now, thought must be rationed. There's a lot that doesn't bear thinking about.
Thinking can hurt your chances, and I intend to last. I know why there is no glass, in
front of the watercolor picture of blue irises, and why the window opens only partly
and why the glass in it is shatterproof. It isn't running away they're afraid of. We
wouldn't get far. It's those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself, given a
cutting edge.

So. Apart from these details, this could be a college guest room, for the less
distinguished visitors; or a room in a rooming house, of former times, for ladies in
reduced circumstances. That is what we are now. The circumstances have been
reduced; for those of us who still have circumstances.
But a chair, sunlight, flowers: these are not to be dismissed. I am alive, I live, I
breathe, I put my hand out, unfolded, into the sunlight. Where I am is not a prison but
a privilege, as Aunt Lydia said, who was in love with either/or.
The bell that measures time is ringing. Time here is measured by bells, as once in
nunneries. As in a nunnery too, there are few mirrors.
I get up out of the chair, advance my feet into the sunlight, in their red shoes,
flat-heeled to save the spine and not for dancing. The red gloves are lying on the
bed. I pick them up, pull them onto my hands, finger by finger. Everything except the
wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us. The skirt is
ankle-length, full, gathered to a flat yoke that extends over the breasts, the sleeves
are full. The white wings too are prescribed issue; they are to keep us from seeing,
but also from being seen. I never looked good in red, it's not my color. I pick up the
shopping basket, put it over my arm.
The door of the room--not my room, I refuse to say my--is not locked. In fact it
doesn't shut properly. I go out into the polished hallway, which has a runner down the
center, dusty pink. Like a path through the forest, like a carpet for royalty, it shows
me the way.
The carpet bends and goes down the front staircase and I go with it, one hand on the
banister, once a tree, turned in another century, rubbed to a warm gloss. Late
Victorian, the house is, a family house, built for a large rich family. There's a
grandfather clock in the hallway, which doles out time, and then the door to the
motherly front sitting room, with its flesh tones and hints. A sitting room in which I
never sit, but stand or kneel only. At the end of the hallway, above the front door, is a
fanlight of colored glass: flowers, red and blue.
There remains a mirror, on the hall wall. If I turn my head so that the white wings
framing my face direct my vision towards it, I can see it as I go down the stairs,
round, convex, a pier glass, like the eye of a fish, and myself in it like a distorted
shadow, a parody of something, some fairy-tale figure in a red cloak, descending
towards a moment of carelessness that is the same as danger. A Sister, dipped in
blood.
At the bottom of the stairs there's a hat-and-umbrella stand, the bentwood kind, long
rounded rungs of wood curving gently up into hooks shaped like the opening fronds

of a fern. There are several umbrellas in it: black, for the Commander, blue, for the
Commander's Wife, and the one assigned to me, which is red. I leave the red
umbrella where it is, because I know from the window that the day is sunny. I wonder
whether or not the Commander's Wife is in the sitting room. She doesn't always sit.
Sometimes I can hear her pacing back and forth, a heavy step and then a light one,
and the soft tap of her cane on the dusty-rose carpet.
I walk along the hallway, past the sitting room door and the door that leads into the
dining room, and open the door at the end of the hall and go through into the kitchen.
Here the smell is no longer of furniture polish. Rita is in here, standing at the kitchen
table, which has a top of chipped white enamel. She's in her usual Martha's dress,
which is dull green, like a surgeon's gown of the time before. The dress is much like
mine in shape, long and concealing, but with a bib apron over it and without the
white wings and the veil. She puts on the veil to go outside, but nobody much cares
who sees the face of a Martha. Her sleeves are rolled to the elbow, showing her
brown arms. She's making bread, throwing the loaves for the final brief kneading and
then the shaping.
Rita sees me and nods, whether in greeting or in simple acknowledgment of my
presence it's hard to say, and wipes her floury hands on her apron and rummages in
the kitchen drawer for the token book. Frowning, she tears out three tokens and
hands them to me. Her face might be kindly if she would smile. But the frown isn't
personal: it's the red dress she disapproves of, and what it stands for. She thinks I
may be catching, like a disease or any form of bad luck.
Sometimes I listen outside closed doors, a thing I never would have done in the time
before. I don't listen long, because I don't want to be caught doing it. Once, though, I
heard Rita say to Cora that she wouldn't debase herself like that.
Nobody asking you, Cora said. Anyways, what could you do, supposing?
Go to the Colonies, Rita said. They have the choice.
With the Unwomen, and starve to death and Lord knows what all? said Cora. Catch
you.
They were shelling peas; even through the almost-closed door I could hear the light
clink of the hard peas falling into the metal bowl. I heard Rita, a grunt or a sigh, of
protest or agreement.
Anyways, they're doing it for us all, said Cora, or so they say. If I hadn't of got my
tubes tied, it could of been me, say I was ten years younger. It's not that bad. It's not
what you'd call hard work.

Better her than me, Rita said, and I opened the door. Their faces were the way
women's faces are when they've been talking about you behind your back and they
think you've heard: embarrassed, but also a little defiant, as if it were their right. That
day, Cora was more pleasant to me than usual, Rita more surly.
Today, despite Rita's closed face and pressed lips, I would like to stay here, in the
kitchen. Cora might come in, from somewhere else in the house, carrying her bottle
of lemon oil and her duster, and Rita would make coffee--in the houses of the
Commanders there is still real coffee--and we would sit at Rita's kitchen table, which
is not Rita's any more than my table is mine, and we would talk, about aches and
pains, illnesses, our feet, our backs, all the different kinds of mischief that our bodies,
like unruly children, can get into. We would nod our heads as punctuation to each
other's voices, signaling that yes, we know all about it. We would exchange remedies
and try to outdo each other in the recital of our physical miseries; gently we would
complain, our voices soft and minor key and mournful as pigeons in the eaves
troughs. I know what you mean, we'd say. Or, a quaint expression you sometimes
hear, still, from older people: I hear where you're coming from, as if the voice itself
were a traveler, arriving from a distant place. Which it would be, which it is.
How I used to despise such talk. Now I long for it. At least it was talk. An exchange,
of sorts.
Or we would gossip. The Marthas know things, they talk among themselves, passing
the unofficial news from house to house. Like me, they listen at doors, no doubt, and
see things even with their eyes averted. I've heard them at it sometimes, caught
whiffs of their private conversations. Stillborn, it was. Or, Stabbed her with a knitting
needle, right in the belly. Jealousy, it must have been, eating her up. Or, tantalizingly,
It was toilet cleaner she used. Worked like a charm, though you'd think he'd of tasted
it. Must've been that drunk; but they found her out all right.
Or I would help Rita make the bread, sinking my hands into that soft resistant
warmth which is so much like flesh. I hunger to touch something, other than cloth or
wood. I hunger to commit the act of touch.
But even if I were to ask, even if I were to violate decorum to that extent, Rita would
not allow it. She would be too afraid. The Marthas are not supposed to fraternize with
us.
Fraternize means to behave like a brother. Luke told me that. He said there was no
corresponding word that meant to behave like a sister. Sororize, it would have to be,
he said. From the Latin. He liked knowing about such details. The derivations of
words, curious usages. I used to tease him about being pedantic.

I take the tokens from Rita's outstretched hand. They have pictures on them, of the
things they can be exchanged for: twelve eggs, a piece of cheese, a brown thing
that's supposed to be a steak. I place them in the zippered pocket in my sleeve,
where I keep my pass.
"Tell them fresh, for the eggs," she says. "Not like last time. And a chicken, tell them,
not a hen. Tell them who it's for and then they won't mess around."
"All right," I say. I don't smile. Why tempt her to friendship?
3
I go out by the back door, into the garden, which is large and tidy: a lawn in the
middle, a willow, weeping catkins; around the edges, the flower borders, in which the
daffodils are now fading and the tulips are opening their cups, spilling out color. The
tulips are red, a darker crimson towards the stem, as if they have been cut and are
beginning to heal there.
This garden is the domain of the Commander's Wife. Looking out through my
shatterproof window I've often seen her in it, her knees on a cushion, a light blue veil
thrown over her wide gardening hat, a basket at her side with shears in it and pieces
of string for tying the flowers into place. A Guardian detailed to the Commander does
the heavy digging; the Commander's Wife directs, pointing with her stick. Many of
the Wives have such gardens, it's something for them to order and maintain and care
for.
I once had a garden. I can remember the smell of the turned earth, the plump
shapes of bulbs held in the hands, fullness, the dry rustle of seeds through the
fingers. Time could pass more swiftly that way. Sometimes the Commander's Wife
has a chair brought out, and just sits in it, in her garden. From a distance it looks like
peace.
She isn't here now, and I start to wonder where she is: I don't like to come upon the
Commander's Wife unexpectedly. Perhaps she's sewing, in the sitting room, with her
left foot on the footstool, because of her arthritis. Or knitting scarves, for the Angels
at the front lines. I can hardly believe the Angels have a need for such scarves;
anyway, the ones made by the Commander's Wife are too elaborate. She doesn't
bother with the cross-and-star pattern used by many of the other Wives, it's not a
challenge. Fir trees march across the ends of her scarves, or eagles, or stiff
humanoid figures, boy and girl, boy and girl. They aren't scarves for grown men but for children.
Copyright 1998 by Margaret Atwood

Worksheet
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ryDuRT8WUWrcslBQZ-XpulLCl7xBPpeT4c1HaU3-YTw/edit

The Handmaid’s Tale excerpt 2
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/6125/the-handmaids-tale-by-margaret-atwood/9780771008795/excerpt

Prepare to share your answers to these questions in class.

What do we learn about the past in section 1? How is it different from the present?
Who are the “Aunts”? And the “Angels”?
In part 2 there is a description of a house. How does the decoration of the house tell you about the way people live in it?
Who are the “Marthas”? What are the cultural associations this name has?
In this conversation in part 2, who does “they” refer to?

Once, though, I heard Rita say to Cora that she wouldn't debase herself like that.

Nobody asking you, Cora said. Anyways, what could you do, supposing?

Go to the Colonies, Rita said. They have the choice.

Can you imagine who the “Unwomen” might be?
Find references to physical violence (including violence against oneself) in sections 1 and 2.
What do we find out about the Commander’s Wife in section 3?

Post for Answers:

Prepare to share your answers to these questions in class.

What do we learn about the past in section 1? How is it different from the present?

The text recalls life as it had been before the new regime seized power, when there was no limitation of women's rights.

Who are the “Aunts”? And the “Angels”?
"Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth patrolled; they had electric cattle prods slung on thongs from their leather belts."
Aunts are women in charge of training and controlling the Handmaids

Angels are descibed as security agents with a double job: protecting Handmaids from the outside as well as preventing them to escape

In part 2 there is a description of a house. How does the decoration of the house tell you about the way people live in it?
"Does each of us have the same print, the same chair, the same white curtains, I wonder? Government issue?
Think of it as being in the army, said Aunt Lydia."
"Apart from these details, this could be a college guest room, for the less distinguished visitors; or a room in a rooming house, of former times, for ladies in reduced circumstances. That is what we are now. The circumstances have been reduced; for those of us who still have circumstances".

Who are the “Marthas”? What are the cultural associations this name has?
The Marthas are household servants: the cooks and the maids, who all dress in green.

In this conversation in part 2, who does “they” refer to?

Once, though, I heard Rita say to Cora that she wouldn't debase herself like that.
Nobody asking you, Cora said. Anyways, what could you do, supposing?
Go to the Colonies, Rita said. They have the choice.

Unfertile women?

Can you imagine who the “Unwomen” might be?
the lowest-ranking females in society. They are comprised of infertile women who have no purpose in society, as well as any women who refuse to abide by the laws of Gilead.

Find references to physical violence (including violence against oneself) in sections 1 and 2.

Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth patrolled; they had electric cattle prods slung on thongs from their leather belts.

There must have been a chandelier, once. They've removed anything you could tie a rope to.

I know why there is no glass, in front of the watercolor picture of blue irises, and why the window opens only partly and why the glass in it is shatterproof. It isn't running away they're afraid of. We wouldn't get far. It's those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself, given a cutting edge.

Or, Stabbed her with a knitting needle, right in the belly. Jealousy, it must have been, eating her up.

What do we find out about the Commander’s Wife in section 3?
She's got a lot of free time and she likes to spend most of it in her garden or sewing or knitting scarves.

Topic 2: Activity book

3. The Handmaid's Tale: a dystopia

3.5. "The 17 Best Dystopian Movies of All Time": reading and speaking

Check this web page with plot summaries of various dystopian movies and do the activities in the worksheet:

The 17 Best Dystopian Movies of All Time

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l43t3JcO_ErLQi2l494doO-Gq97x4trz0zMB_eKrYRI/edit#

RANKED: The 17 best dystopian movies of all time
Amanda Luz Henning Santiago Oct 5, 2017, 2:52 PM

The sequel to the cult classic dystopian film "Blade Runner," "Blade Runner 2049," will hit theaters Friday. Denis Villeneuve's new addition to Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" is already being hailed as a visually captivating sci-fi masterpiece by critics.  As the "Blade Runner 2049" hype intensifies, you might want to check out some other films with heavy dystopian themes. So we made a list of the best ones.

Here are the 17 best dystopian films, ranked:

17. "A.I. Artificial Intelligence"

Monica (Frances O'Connor) is given a mecha-prototype called David (Haley Joel Osment), a robotic boy programmed to feel love, in order to cope with her son Martin being put in a medical coma. But Martin eventually wakes from his coma, and is cured of the disease that put him in it. Things don't go smoothly from there.

"A.I.," while heartbreaking at moments, doesn't provide the most nuanced take on human-robot relationships.

16. "The Matrix"

Hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) meets wanted terrorist Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne), and is told the reality he lives in is not what he thinks it is.

The special effects used in "The Matrix" were groundbreaking, and the concept of the Matrix toyed with this important question: What happens when the technology we create becomes smarter than us?

15. "Minority Report"

"Minority Report" takes us to a future where the police are allowed to arrest someone before they commit a crime, based on future-predicting technology. When it is predicted that Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise) will commit a murder of a person he doesn't know, he tries to uncover why.

"Minority Report" proves to be an excellent warning against surveillance, and is an action-packed film that keeps you at the edge of your seat.

14. "V for Vendetta"

A man in a Guy Fawkes mask, who goes by "V," enlists Evey (Natalie Portman) to help him overthrow the corrupt British government of the future.

"V for Vendetta" is a powerful reminder of the power that citizens have over their government.


13. "The Hunger Games"

In the nation of Panem, two children from each of 12 districts are selected by lottery to battle to the death in an elaborate televised game show. The last living child is crowned as the victor of the "Hunger Games."

"The Hunger Games" is all at once visually captivating, thrilling, and disheartening. It is based off a series of young adult novels, and has several sequels based off the other books in the series.

12. "Gattaca"

In a society that ranks its members by how perfectly composed their DNA is, a genetically inferior man Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), attempts to alter his fate by stealing the identity of a man deemed genetically superior, in order to live a better life.

"Gattaca" questions the benefits and usefulness of genetic engineering.

11. "Total Recall"

Haunted by a recurring dream where he goes to Mars, Douglass Quaid purchases a holiday experience at Rekall Inc. (where memories are implanted into customers' brains). While Quaid has his holiday memories implanted, he is faced with the realization that his dreams may not just be dreams.

This nightmarish film will keep you guessing throughout its entirety, and could severely impact your ability to comfortably sleep (but it's still worth seeing).

10. "Idiocracy"

Mike Judge's satirical take on the decline of American intelligence follows Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson), who gets chosen by the Pentagon to participate in a hibernation program and ends up waking in the distant future.

The new America is in a state of despair.

Resources are suffering as vegetation and livestock rely exclusively upon a green sports drink akin to Mountain Dew called Brawndo (It's got electrolytes!) for nutrients, the intelligence level has dwindled severely, and the president (Terry Crews) wears a shirt with cut-off sleeves.

This crude and farcical tale leans on the lighter side of dystopian films, and as goofy as it may be, it deserves a watch.

9. "WALL-E"

Waste-collecting robot WALL-E wheels around an abandoned, garbage-filled planet earth, eventually making his way into space aboard a US spacecraft containing all of the humans who fled earth.

Humans on the spacecraft are sedentary, overweight, and plugged into television screens, with fast food always within arm's reach.

The endearing and sweet WALL-E takes us on a journey to show us what fate lies ahead — should humans fully give into their worst habits. WALL-E is also one of the least depressing dystopian films, and deserves praise for that alone.

8. "Mad Max: Fury Road"

Water is the main form of currency in the post-apocalyptic world depicted in "Mad Max: Fury Road," where nearly everyone is malformed from disease, and gratuitous war is always on the menu.

"Mad Max: Fury Road," while light on dialogue, delivers one of the most visually captivating films, with a surprisingly feminist message.


7. "Snowpiercer"

"Snowpiercer" is set in the future, after a failed experiment to eradicate global warming causes the world to freeze over, killing all life except for those aboard the Snowpiercer train.

The Snowpiercer is divided by class, with the wealthy at the front, and the poor in the back — until Curtis (Chris Evans) heads up a rebellion to disrupt the class divide.

"Snowpiercer" offers a poignant look at the negative impact of a sharply divided class system.

6."Soylent Green"

In the year 2022 (this film was made in 1973 mind you), the earth is overpopulated and resources are scare, forcing the general population to ration and get their nutrients from a mysterious food product known as Soylent.

When a member of the board on Soylent Industries (the company that produces Soylent) is murdered, Detective Thorn (Charlton Heston) uncovers the disturbing secret ingredient used to make Soylent.

"Soylent Green" is a dystopian classic, and will likely make you inspect the nutritional facts label on all of your packaged goods for years to come.

5. "The Lobster"

In a society that demands all adults to couple up, David (Colin Farell) is left by his wife for another man, and heads to The Hotel where he must find a romantic partner within 45 days. Should David be unable to find a partner, he will be turned into the animal of his choosing to live out the remainder of his life.

Beautifully crafted, with pockets of deeply funny moments, and a bit of violent gore, "The Lobster" is sure to be one of the most memorable films you've ever seen.



4. "Children of Men"

Humanity's extinction looms in a world where war seems endless and nearly everyone is infertile. A guerilla group known as the Fishes happens to have found the first woman to become pregnant in 20 years, and rushes to get her to a safe area unoccupied by war.

"Children of Men" offers a dim look at the future of a world that has wholly succumbed to war, and both Clive Owens and Julianne Moore deliver perfectly raw and emotional performances.

3. "A Clockwork Orange"

When notable gang leader Alex (Malcolm McDowell) is arrested and put into jail for his crimes, he volunteers for an unconventional science experiment that promises to correct his sociopathic tendencies in exchange for a shorter jail sentence.

"A Clockwork Orange" dissects the replications of violent and sinister punishments, no matter how well-deserved they are.

2. "Blade Runner"
.
In future Los Angeles, human-like robots known as replicants have been deemed illegal, and a division of police known as the Blade Runners is in charge of finding and destroying them. Former Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), is asked to come out of retirement to find four replicants who revolted and stole a ship.

Deckard, while on his quest to destroy the four delinquent replicants, meets a replicant that makes him question the level of humanity that replicants can possess.

The universe created in "Blade Runner" is impressively detailed and dark. The battle between humans and replicants begs the question of how we are truly able to assess sentience.

1. "Brazil"

Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is a mere cog in the machine of the bureaucratic future society in "Brazil," but when he tries to correct a clerical error that resulted in the arrest of an innocent man, Lowry finds himself in the midst of his own criminal investigation.

"Brazil" provides a dim look at what the future has in store for us should bureaucrats and technocrats gain total power. One of the most innovative and creative films of its time, "Brazil" is a film you should not miss.

https://www.businessinsider.com/best-dystopian-movies-ranked-from-worst-to-best-2017-7


Worksheet
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iXSkty6bOh0rNjOekXF9u2Yh58B41NoGIKOBBKWKKiM/edit

The 17 Best Dystopian Movies of All Time
https://www.businessinsider.com/best-dystopian-movies-ranked-from-worst-to-best-2017-7


Find words and phrases in the text that describe the quality of the films,  e.g. visually captivating (introduction)

Prepare to share your answers to these questions in class:

Have you seen any of these films? If so, what did you think of them? Give reasons why you liked them or disliked them.
Which of the films that you haven’t seen would you be interested in watching? Why?
Are the future scenarios that these films present realistic? Which is the one that in your opinion is most likely to happen? And which is the most unrealistic movie among them?

Post for answers:

Worksheet
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iXSkty6bOh0rNjOekXF9u2Yh58B41NoGIKOBBKWKKiM/edit

The 17 Best Dystopian Movies of All Time
https://www.businessinsider.com/best-dystopian-movies-ranked-from-worst-to-best-2017-7


Find words and phrases in the text that describe the quality of the films, e.g. visually captivating (introduction)

Prepare to share your answers to these questions in class:

Have you seen any of these films? If so, what did you think of them? Give reasons why you liked them or disliked them.

Which of the films that you haven’t seen would you be interested in watching? Why?

Are the future scenarios that these films present realistic? Which is the one that in your opinion is most likely to happen? And which is the most unrealistic movie among them?

"How I Overcame a Fear" oral presentation 18:30
Join Flipgrid to post your oral presentation. You'll find the instructions there.

"How I Overcame a Fear"
Imagine that you have been invited to contribute a short audio or video (2-3 minutes long) to an online forum called "How I Overcame a Fear". The purpose is to help others face their insecurities by sharing inspiring personal stories.

You have to post at least one recording or a response to another participant. Try to use some of the language that you have learnt in Topic 2.

The dealine for this activity is November 17.

For recycling

First part of the speech mentioned in my last post


When I was a child my parents were always too busy to take me out on holidays.

More than this, they didn’t really like holidays at all, other that visiting  their native towns from time to time, which was boring to death.

But my uncle Cinto and my aunt Montse were completely different as they were always eager to visit new places, to purchase cutting edge cars and gadgets, as well as to practice trendy sports.

My aunt Montse was a very sensitive  person who noticed I’d be willing to spend my holidays on the road with them. Hence she asked my parents for consent, and they gave it at last.

That summer I had a real good time swimming, biking, playing tennis, and going to places all along the Costa Brava.  

But when school’s first quarter was over.....winter was coming!!  

On Christmas afternoon I left home with my uncle, my aunt and my 5 cousins, destination Andorra.

I remember I was so thrilled about steppong  on snow for the first time. But thrill turned to panic as soon as I was told they were taking me to the ski resort the next day.

I had recently watched on TV a scene of a ski accident which had impressed me so deep that made me swear I’d never go skiing. And then.....I was right on the threshold of my nightmare. I could barely sleep that night, I woke up frequently, my body shivering, my shirt soaking wet.

Although I tried to fake illness to stay home, they put me on the car anyway. As we were driving up to the resort, I remember staring  from my window at  those frightening snowy mountain peaks, getting closer yard by yard, scaring the hell out of me, poor little boy.

Once in the resort, think it was Arinsal, I was saved by the bell, as my uncle decided to leave me alone at the base camp, due to my unexperience, while they took chairlifts to get to the upper trails.  

I felt so relaxed that I tried to put my skies on /  I was so unexperienced that a lady nearby had to help me through this. / Finally, I spent all morning long falling and standing up, standing up and falling, completely unable to control my skiis, till my family came down to go back home.

New day, same routine. Stranded at the resort, left to my own devices....However much I tried I did not succeed......Suddenly I could slide on the Snow longer than 5 meters..........but backwards, falling finally into a pod full of freezing water!

Completely wet I sought for a place where to take off my ski suit and quickly found shelter on a Red Cross refugee, where the rescue patrols  let me stay close to the fireplace while my suit was drying.


At closing time I suddenly heard my cousins shouting my name out load “Joan Ramon, where are you?”. I immediately jumped off my seat, walk to the window and yelled “Hey, I’m here!”.

When they saw me waving my arms from the Red Kross House, they freaked out as they thought I could have had an accident, kind of breaking my leg or something. And I felt this like a  sweet revenge”.

The following day uncle got to come down to Barcelona for urgent surgery – he was an anaesthesist – and my Aunt went back with him. So, when my elder cousins asked me to get ready for the resort, I kindly refused.  

I spent all morning and afternoon roaming the village streets and  eating some pastries in a coffee shop. Uncle and aunt came back at night, she was very disappointed at my behaviour.   Therefore she ordered me to go next day on my own earlier than the rest, and ask for an ski instructor who was a family acquiantance.

It was such a relief to take an hour with that guy as he taught me the two or three Golden skiing rules, specially how to stand still on snow. Soon after the training my relatives arrived at the resort and panic was back when my aunt told me to take a chairlift to the top. She told me not to be afraid, “You’re going to be with us”.

Shortly after we had reached the top, my aunt told me suddenly they were all running down to the base camp for a delicious breakfast. “We will be there waiting for you, my sweet little boy”. And they all left.    

I remain stuck at the top, my body trembling ice cold, my eyes wide open staring at the neverending steep slope laying at my feet. After a long moment of hesitation “Flight or freeze” I finally decided to fly.

I took a breath and started my long  and rough descent back, falling down every 20 yards. Such an unskilled performance caught  quickly other people’s attention. Every time I ended up on all fours there was someone – always gentle ladies  - stopping by to teach me, helping me find my way back. Everybody was wondering “How the hell did someone take a beginner child to the top leaving him helpless?”  

When I finally made it to the base camp, I entered the restaurant and found my relatives, long after they had finished breakfast. I was very angry   but  my aunt stared at me, smiled sweetley and said “Hi, come sit down and take a cup of punch!”
And that’s all I did in a silent way. As soon as I felt the warmth of the first sip, my mood changed instantly!  

So, every time someone or something deters you and becomes a serious hurdle in your life, I advise you to seek always for experienced help and then....FACE YOUR FEAR.

Thank you for your attention, and God bless you Aunt Montse..

You’ll find what I’d put in brackets. . Please remember you’re asking somebody who speaks Scouse to correct something in English.

Intruder escribió:First part of the speech mentioned in my last post


When I was a child my parents were always too busy to take me out on holidays. (take me on holiday)

More than this, they didn’t really like holidays at all, other that visiting  their native towns from time to time, which was boring to death. (other than)

But my uncle Cinto and my aunt Montse were completely different as they were always eager to visit new places, to purchase cutting edge cars and gadgets, as well as to practice trendy sports.

My aunt Montse was a very sensitive  person who noticed I’d be willing to spend my holidays on the road with them. Hence she asked my parents for consent, and they gave it at last.

That summer I had a real good time swimming, biking, playing tennis, and going to places all along the Costa Brava.   (biking =cycling/ mountain biking)

But when school’s first quarter was over.....winter was coming!!   (quarter = term)

On Christmas afternoon I left home with my uncle, my aunt and my 5 cousins, destination Andorra.

I remember I was so thrilled about steppong  on snow for the first time. But thrill turned to panic as soon as I was told they were taking me to the ski resort the next day. (steppong = stepping)

I had recently watched on TV a scene of a ski accident which had impressed me so deep that made me swear I’d never go skiing. And then.....I was right on the threshold of my nightmare. I could barely sleep that night, I woke up frequently, my body shivering, my shirt soaking wet.

(So deep ….. = so much I’d promised myself that I’d never go skiing)

Although I tried to fake illness to stay home, they put me on the car anyway. As we were driving up to the resort, I remember staring  from my window at  those frightening snowy mountain peaks, getting closer yard by yard, scaring the hell out of me, poor little boy. (on the car = in the car)

Once in the resort, think it was Arinsal, I was saved by the bell, as my uncle decided to leave me alone at the base camp, due to my unexperience, while they took chairlifts to get to the upper trails.   (unexperience = inexperience

I felt so relaxed that I tried to put my skies on /  I was so unexperienced that a lady nearby had to help me through this. / Finally, I spent all morning long falling and standing up, standing up and falling, completely unable to control my skiis, till my family came down to go back home. (Inexperienced) (

New day, same routine. Stranded at the resort, left to my own devices....However much I tried I did not succeed......Suddenly I could slide on the Snow longer than 5 meters..........but backwards, falling finally into a pod full of freezing water! (pod = pool)

Completely wet I sought for a place where to take off my ski suit and quickly found shelter on a Red Cross refugee, where the rescue patrols  let me stay close to the fireplace while my suit was drying.
( in a Red Cross refuge.)


At closing time I suddenly heard my cousins shouting my name out load “Joan Ramon, where are you?”. I immediately jumped off my seat, walk to the window and yelled “Hey, I’m here!”. (Load = loud) (walked)

When they saw me waving my arms from the Red Kross House, they freaked out as they thought I could have had an accident, kind of breaking my leg or something. And I felt this like a  sweet revenge”. (kross = cross) (sweet revenge???)

The following day uncle got to come down to Barcelona for urgent surgery – he was an anaesthesist – and my Aunt went back with him. So, when my elder cousins asked me to get ready for the resort, I kindly refused.  

I spent all morning and afternoon roaming the village streets and  eating some pastries in a coffee shop. Uncle and aunt came back at night, she was very disappointed at my behaviour.   Therefore she ordered me to go next day on my own earlier than the rest, and ask for an ski instructor who was a family acquiantance. (Acquaintance)

It was such a relief to take an hour with that guy as he taught me the two or three Golden skiing rules, specially how to stand still on snow. Soon after the training my relatives arrived at the resort and panic was back when my aunt told me to take a chairlift to the top. She told me not to be afraid, “You’re going to be with us”. (to take = to spend an hour with.).

Shortly after we had reached the top, my aunt told me suddenly they were all running down to the base camp for a delicious breakfast. “We will be there waiting for you, my sweet little boy”. And they all left.    

I remain stuck at the top, my body trembling ice cold, my eyes wide open staring at the neverending steep slope laying at my feet. After a long moment of hesitation “Flight or freeze” I finally decided to fly. (remain = remained) (trembling ice cold = trembling with fear??)

I took a breath and started my long  and rough descent back, falling down every 20 yards. Such an unskilled performance caught  quickly other people’s attention. Every time I ended up on all fours there was someone – always gentle ladies  - stopping by to teach me, helping me find my way back. Everybody was wondering “How the hell did someone take a beginner child to the top leaving him helpless?”   (caught quickly = quickly caught)

When I finally made it to the base camp, I entered the restaurant and found my relatives, long after they had finished breakfast. I was very angry   but  my aunt stared at me, smiled sweetley and said “Hi, come sit down and take a cup of punch!” (Sweetley = sweetly)

And that’s all I did in a silent way. As soon as I felt the warmth of the first sip, my mood changed instantly!   (take a cup .. = have a cup of … )

So, every time someone or something deters you and becomes a serious hurdle in your life, I advise you to seek always for experienced help and then....FACE YOUR FEAR. (Seek always = always seek help from somebody more experienced than you and then)

Thank you for your attention, and God bless you Aunt Montse..

.

Thank you Shanks, many mistakes were just typing ones....

Intruder escribió:
2) Mi ordenador está empezando a fallar, y a veces me ha dejado colgado, y aquí en el foro voy creando una especie de "back-up" ordenado..........menudo invento......utilizar el foro azkena como aula de estudio...blas estará satisfecho....

A mi me da igual, ahora eso si, hay herramientas muuucho mejores y mas fiables que el foro. Yo te recomendaría Gmail o Google Drive. Aunque sea solo por su buscador

Blas escribió:

Intruder escribió:
2) Mi ordenador está empezando a fallar, y a veces me ha dejado colgado, y aquí en el foro voy creando una especie de "back-up" ordenado..........menudo invento......utilizar el foro azkena como aula de estudio...blas estará satisfecho....

A mi me da igual, ahora eso si, hay herramientas muuucho mejores y mas fiables que el foro. Yo te recomendaría Gmail o Google Drive. Aunque sea solo por su buscador

Welcome Blas to the english learning thread!

Lo que dices de Gmail o Drive no lo veo.........lo que he buscado aquí, aparte de un respaldo en caso de petar mi ordenador sin tener un backup actualizado, es PRINCIPALMENTE una forma de ordenar materiales de diferentes formatos, por ejemplo, videos de youtube, contenidos en word, contenidos en pdf...........Vamos, es como un álbum viejo estilo, donde voy "pegando" fotos, pero también algunas postales, entradas de concierto o cines, billetes de avión.....

Asi doy contenido al curso, y luego.....

1) Consigo que angeles como Jojo y Shanks vengan en mi ayuda cuando cuelgo textos....

2) Quien lo desee puede seguir el mismo curso de C2 gracias a los posts

3) Hay descubrimientos muy interesantes para cualquier forero, con independencia del curso, como los libros de Yuval Noah Harari (21 lecciones para el siglo 21) o de Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale) que me parecen buenísimos...

Long Live ForoAzkena!

Activities to do by November 24

You need to do the following:

1. From the Topic 3 activity book, chapters 1.1 and 1.2.

2. Answer the questions about chapters 10 and 11 of 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. You don't need to post them anywhere. You'll just share your answers with other students in class.

3. If you came to class on November 17, do the group writing activity in Topic 2 ("Write a dystopian movie logline and synopsis"). As we said in class, you must choose the link to your group's document and work there. Your text should be finished (or nearly finished) before the next class.

If you didn't come to class on November 17, you can't do this activity for now. You'll have the chance to do a different task related to this topic later on.

4. Try to finish the Unit 2 assignments on MyELT,

Have a good week.

Topic 3: Activity book

1. First impressions: speaking

Share your answers:

A) Look at the infograph. Does the data there coincide with your experience?
Infograph
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ksWvytUo_jGNeA3GUeID5CgcrhLmbI0R/view

B) Share your answers to these questions:
1. What do you pay attention to when you meet someone for the first time: their appearance, their manner of speaking, their body language? Something else?

2. Do you believe first impressions of people are a good indication of their character? Why? Why not?

C) Now click on this link and do the task:

First impressions
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lzGqRpCTZWWWUxLLuTVDYwwU98an7vBS/view

C) Pairwork: in each group one student should read article 1 and the other article 2. Both contain advice on how to create a good first impression. Take some time to read and understand the text, underlining new words and looking them up if necessary. After reading, you'll need to do the following:
1. Summarize the main points in your article for your partner (take turns).
2. Together, decide which are the most and least useful pieces of advice in both articles.
3. If you have time at the end, teach each other some new words that you have learnt through reading your article.

Article 1
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-make-a-great-first-impression-2017-5

I went on 100 dates in a single year — here are my top 4 tips to make a great first impression in any situation
By Emyli Lovz

In 2011 and 2012, I went on 101 dates with 52 different men. It was part of a social experiment that I designed while in school at UC Berkeley.
One of the greatest takeaways from my experiment is that first impressions matter a lot.

If a date starts off on the wrong foot, it can be hard to recover from there. On the other hand, if you start off strong, both of you will be much more relaxed for the rest of the date. The same logic applies to the first time you meet anyone, even a potential client.

Today, I'm a dating coach, and these are the tips I give my clients for making a great first impression. But they work just as well whether you're trying to attract your perfect partner or close a business deal.
1. Pay attention to the details of your appearance
I can't stress it enough: The small stuff matters.

I'm not saying go out and spend your life savings on new clothes, a fancy watch, or an overpriced new car. What I am saying is clean up the scuff marks on your shoes and iron your clothes before you go out. If nothing else, you'll be confident that you look polished and put-together, so you can focus on the interaction instead of your insecurities.

It helps, too, to master your own "signature style." For example, I met date #14 at a fancy bar in the financial district of San Francisco. Dressed in a fitted business suit complete with skinny tie and black-rimmed glasses, he seemed to have mastered the tall, dark, and handsome archetype. It's not a look every guy can pull off, but he'd made it work — and that really increased his appeal.
2. Prolong your eye contact
One of the most important ways to pique someone's romantic interest is to make — and hold — eye contact. It's another way to make a great first impression before you even start talking.

Case in point: I met date #26 at a nightclub in San Francisco. I was standing at the top of a flight of stairs, talking with my friends when he walked past. For a second, we locked eyes and there was this undeniable chemistry — no words required. He walked across the room to where his friends were standing and looked back at me.

What struck me about him was his prolonged eye contact — it was so intense. He was smiling and watching me from across the room and when I looked at him, he didn't look away, but rather, smiled even more and maintained his eye contact.
In my experience, most guys look away after a second or two, but #26 never did. The prolonged eye contact sent a clear message that he was both confident and interested. Thanks to #26, one of the first things I teach my clients is to extend their eye contact and pay attention to others who reciprocate it.

Even when you're meeting someone in a platonic context, your ability to sustain eye contact is crucial. Let's say you're at a professional conference and you spot someone you'd like to meet. See if you can hold their gaze for at least three seconds. (You can smile politely so it doesn't seem creepy!) If they look right back at you, you can walk over and introduce yourself.
3. If you're on the shyer side, roll with an outgoing wingperson
There's a story I like to share with my clients who are somewhat quiet. The lesson is that, even if you are naturally shy and don't like to be forward, you can ask one of your outgoing friends or colleagues to be your wingman. Not only will you learn from them, but they'll help you create more opportunities to meet people.

I met date #21 at work, when I was a server at a steakhouse in San Francisco. He was there with his friend, Sam, an outgoing guy who told me he had recently gotten married and was expecting his first child. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that Sam was flirting with me, but as it turned out, he was just a really good wingman.

#21 was quiet as a mouse. I had no idea he was even interested in pursuing me until the end of their dinner, when Sam got up to use the restroom and told me #21 was interested. I thought it was kind of cute that he was so shy — and he was smart to go out with such an outgoing friend. So I gave him a chance.

If you're going to a networking event, and you have the option of bringing someone with you, consider inviting someone who seems charismatic and loves talking to new people. It will make you feel more comfortable approaching complete strangers, and will give you a sense of how to introduce yourself and start conversations in the future, when you're on your own.
4. Make the person feel comfortable in their environment
Date #70 and I met at a coffee shop on campus that I was very familiar with. He made a great first impression by doing research on my online dating profile and choosing a location in my neighborhood — a place I already felt safe in.

After we ordered coffee, we decided to take a stroll around campus. Walking with him in my own environment felt comfortable and familiar. It seemed to create an association between my feelings for him and my feelings about the environment we were in. My first impression of him was one of comfort and familiarity — the same feelings I felt for my school campus.

If you have a date or a meeting with a new acquaintance coming up, try scheduling the meetup in an environment you know the other person will be comfortable in. If you can't meet them in their office, at least offer to meet them in the neighborhood where they work.This is a great way to make a positive — albeit somewhat subconscious — first impression on the other person.


Article 2
https://hbr.org/2016/09/how-to-make-a-great-first-impression
How to Make a Great First Impression
by Rebecca Knight September 12, 2016

The saying “You only have one chance to make a first impression” holds true in many situations, from job interviews to sales calls. How can you make sure that you start off on the right foot in any of these scenarios? What should you actually say? And what’s the best way to follow up?
What the Experts Say

First impressions matter so much because they happen fast, and they are stubborn, says Whitney Johnson, the author of Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work. “We make judgments [about other people] in a nanosecond.” And once that impression is formed, it’s “very, very hard to change it.” Simply put, your relationships and interactions will be a lot easier if you’re able to immediately start off strong. “You get the benefit of the doubt,” says Dorie Clark, the author of Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future. “So then if you ever say the wrong thing, make a mistake, or arrive at work late, the other person is more likely to assume the best.” A strong first impression, she says, “gives you more latitude to be human.” Here are some strategies to help ensure others see the best in you from the beginning.

Prepare talking points

Before meeting someone new — whether it’s a potential employer or a new client — do your homework. Know who you’re meeting, what he cares about, and what he might need from you. Your goal, says Johnson, is to “show that you understand the problem the other person is trying to solve and how your skills put you in a position to help.” Clark suggests preparing “two or three talking points that you feel are important and that you want to get across during the meeting.” These talking points will vary, depending on the situation, but in general they should showcase your knowledge, strategic planning abilities, and “grasp of the business.” Ideally the points will crop up “organically” during the course of your discussion, “but if you get to the end of the conversation, and they haven’t emerged say something like, ‘Before we leave, there are few things I want to make sure I mention.’”
Be aware of your body language
When meeting someone new, it’s normal to be nervous but you don’t want your anxiety to show. Your body language should be “confident and comfortable,” says Clark. That advice is easier preached than executed, of course, so Clark suggests, “using the methodology of power posing [before the meeting] to tamp down your cortisol levels.” Take long strides. Sit up straight. Walk with your chest held high. Even if this isn’t your natural way of being, you can assume simple poses that will increase your confidence. For particularly high-stakes meetings, it may also be worthwhile to videotape yourself ahead of time so you can see how the other person will view you, adds Johnson. Observing yourself in this way will help you identify how you can improve your delivery.
Play to your strengths
It’s useful to have a “trusted cabinet” of friends and colleagues who can help you understand “how you come across to the world,” says Clark. Ask them what they see as your “strengths, your winning traits, and the most likable things about you,” and then try to emphasize those things when you’re meeting someone new. Johnson suggests thinking about compliments you’ve received from coworkers and bosses. “You might dismiss compliments for things that come naturally to you — but in fact, those are the things that you’re best at” and what you should highlight when you’re trying to make a good impression. The next task is to translate those compliments to something measurable. If, for instance, colleagues say you are a great people manager, seek out metrics to support that idea. Perhaps your direct reports tend to get promoted faster or your team is more productive. “Don’t toot your own horn. Present evidence that toots it for you,” adds Clark.
Find something in common
Another way to build rapport is to, “find a bond or a point of commonality,” says Clark. The bond needn’t “be profound”— it could be that you “attended the same university, have kids the same age, or have read the same book recently.” The goal is to create a connection on a human level. Finding out what you have in common with the person might require a bit of detective work on your part. Look for clues about things like a devotion for a certain sports team, a love for a region of the world, or an admiration for a particular historical figure. “In this day and age, it’s perfectly normal to have researched someone on LinkedIn” which often provides conversational fodder, says Johnson. The point is, “don’t discount small talk. It’s often conversational gold.”
Engage and be engaging
“The most common mistake people make when trying to make a good impression is that they think they have to impress the other person with their vast knowledge,” says Clark. But the fact is, your aim is “not to wow and dazzle” but rather “to create a conversation that’s memorable” and engaging. So try to draw out the other person. And listen to what they have to say. “The better you make the other person feel, the more they’ll be inclined to have a positive impression of you,” says Clark. Keep in mind that people love to talk about themselves so ask thoughtful, open-ended questions such as, “What are you most excited about right now?” Doing so “allows you to tap into what the person is passionate about.” It could be a new assignment at work, upcoming travel, or a new product lineup. There’s also “a lot of power in having a very good conversation around your respective areas of expertise,” Johnson says. “The camaraderie develops naturally.”
Follow up
Even when the conversation is over, your job isn’t yet done. To ensure your first impression sticks, it’s wise to “write a personalized note of sincere appreciation,” says Johnson. The note ought to “recap the conversation” in a way that “shows you’ve thought about it or learned some new insight” from it. “If the person is on social media, convey that you want to connect,” she says. Share a blog that he has written on LinkedIn. Tweet an article that mentions him or his company. Read his book and send him a note about it. You want to show that your conversation had an impact on you while also “bringing yourself to the table”.

Post for answers to previous post:

Topic 3: Activity book

1. First impressions: speaking

Share your answers:

A) Look at the infograph. Does the data there coincide with your experience?
Infograph
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ksWvytUo_jGNeA3GUeID5CgcrhLmbI0R/view

B) Share your answers to these questions:
1. What do you pay attention to when you meet someone for the first time: their appearance, their manner of speaking, their body language? Something else?

2. Do you believe first impressions of people are a good indication of their character? Why? Why not?

C) Now click on this link and do the task:

First impressions
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lzGqRpCTZWWWUxLLuTVDYwwU98an7vBS/view

C) Pairwork: in each group one student should read article 1 and the other article 2. Both contain advice on how to create a good first impression. Take some time to read and understand the text, underlining new words and looking them up if necessary. After reading, you'll need to do the following:
1. Summarize the main points in your article for your partner (take turns).
2. Together, decide which are the most and least useful pieces of advice in both articles.
3. If you have time at the end, teach each other some new words that you have learnt through reading your article.

Topic 3: Activity book

1. First impressions: speaking

1.1. Reading: How accurate are our first impressions?

Read this article about dating and first impressions and answer do the following tasks:

A) Answer the questions according to what is said in the article:

1. How are first impressions influenced by gender?

2. How are first impressions influenced by culture?

3. Is there anything in the article that does not match your own experience?

B) Find synonyms for the words and phrases highlighted in the article.

How accurate are our first impressions?
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190401-is-there-such-a-thing-as-love-at-first-sight

How accurate are our first impressions?
By William Park
3rd April 2019
We appraise people in a snapshot – and those judgements are powerful but misleading. If you are looking for love, here are the most important things to bear in mind.

The science of first impressions is complicated, influenced by things outside of our control, neurological processes we don’t understand and inaccurate stereotypes. But if we can better understand what is going on, we might stand a chance of finding the one.
There is evidence that we are able to make an assessment of someone’s attractiveness in the blink of an eye, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that those assessments are accurate. By discounting some people in an instant we might also be missing out on far more suitable suitors.
Our environment, personalities and the emotions of the people we meet all contribute to the likelihood that we hit it off. So what is going on when we make a good romantic first impression? And how might apps have changed modern dating?
First impressions
It takes less than 1/10th of a second to form an assessment of someone’s face. These first impressions predict all kinds of important characteristics, not just attractiveness. For example, people’s snap judgements of a politician’s competence, based solely on their appearance, can predict their success in an election – even when the audience has no knowledge of who the politician is. These impressions we make in a split second are not random; they tend to be shared by the majority of the people surveyed. But it doesn’t necessarily make them correct.
“A first impression could be misleading,” says professor Alexander Todorov, author of Face Value: The Irresistible Influence of First Impressions and an academic at Princeton University. “Trying to figure out what a person is like from a simple exposure is basically ridiculous. We only make first impressions about strangers. So naturally they are superficial.”

Whether our predictions are accurate or not, we make them quickly and we stick to them. Even if we are given more time than 1/10th of a second to judge the attractiveness of a face, we are unlikely to arrive at a different conclusion.
There are three universal qualities that people infer from a face: attractiveness, trustworthiness and dominance

And in this snapshot, we make an assessment of a lot of different characteristics. There are three universal qualities that people infer from a face: attractiveness, trustworthiness and dominance. Evolutionarily, this makes sense. Attractiveness is a mating cue, trustworthiness implies useful social characteristics, like being able to care for children, and assessing dominance is useful to avoid conflict.
“Qualities like dominance are closely linked to masculinity,” says Professor Todorov. “In these first impressions, men and women are not judged equally. Women who appear masculine are evaluated negatively whereas men would be evaluated positively. This applies to both genders, so men and women [both] make negative assessments of masculine-looking women.”
First impressions of faces are superficial, general and can be inaccurate. If we think about this in the context of dating apps we also have to factor in the effects of how a photo is taken. A lot of research on faces will use composite photos. These photos are computer-generated "averages", mixing together a lot of components from real faces and usually presented like a passport photo. Hardly the sorts of faces we might see when browsing people’s dating profiles.
Photos of real people are heavily affected by their composition. For example, portraits taken from a low angle are more likely to be judged as dominant, which is positive for men and negative for women. Whereas the reverse is seen in portraits taken from a high angle.
All of your hard work to curate the perfect gallery of photos might be in vain

In any case, the photos we choose to publish on dating profiles are heavily curated to present ourselves in the best light. Not just chosen for attractiveness, they are also there to reflect personality and social cues, like adventurousness or generosity. People often use photos of themselves doing charity work, for example.
However, all of your hard work to curate the perfect gallery of photos might be in vain just because of who else you appear alongside. This is called a sequence effect. In dating apps, it is a case of love at second sight. When asked to rate the attractiveness of potential partners, if the preceding face was attractive you are more likely to rate the next face as attractive and vice versa. Therefore, we might discount attractive people because they came after an unattractive face, or if the following person was also attractive, we overvalue that second person’s attractiveness because of the sequence effect. (Read more about why this means you don’t really have a “type”).
First impressions are rapid but shallow and mutable if you have better information, like when your date starts speaking. “The only way to tell whether two people will really like each other – they have to talk. People don’t make good predictions for compatibility without talking,” says Professor Todorov.
First conversation
In a study of the language we use when speaking to potential dates online, researchers categorised all the conversational strategies we might use to assess which led to a second date. From the opening line all the way up to when they planned to meet for a first date, they gathered messages and then followed up with the couples to see if they would go for a second date.
“We didn’t find any differences based on the first pick-up line – most people use something fairly innocuous like ‘Hey’, but their choice did not make a difference to the final outcome,” says assistant professor Liesel Sharabi from West Virginia University. “People have low response rates. So it makes sense that if your message might not get a response then you might not commit to a personal message.
“The traditional dating script is that men approach women and we largely found that it was men who approach women online, too,” says Sharabi. “But the most interesting part is how few gender differences there were in the types of strategy used. Men and women are more similar than they are different. And the few differences might be explained by people conforming to gender expectations, rather than the effectiveness of their strategies.”
Being open about the type of person you are looking for is more effective than talking about your wealth, status or whether you are looking for love
In all, the researchers described 18 different subcategories of dating strategy. Once couples had moved beyond the opening line, the most effective topic of conversation that led to a second date was to talk about partner preferences. Being open about the type of person you are looking for is more effective than talking about your wealth, status or whether you are looking for love. Perhaps it helps to manage expectations before meeting in person. The least effective strategy was to discuss dates with other people.
“Something that is unique about online dating is that you have a longer time to figure out if your date is going to meet your expectations,” says Sharabi. “Sometimes with online dating you have a tendency to build people up in your head which can lead to disappointment. We can idealise people when we don’t have a lot of information to go on.” (Read more about the surprising benefits to being blinded by love).
First date
We have made an assessment of someone’s attractiveness, and we have maintained a conversation long enough to arrive at a first date; what next? We need to make an assessment of some more complicated characteristics.
The desirability of the people whom we can contact through dating apps and our own interpretations of self-worth predict who we ask on dates. We tend to match with people whom we deem equal in self-worth, physical attractiveness and popularity. Again, this is a common strategy for both men and women. People who value their self-worth highly might be more likely to choose other people with high self-worth because they are more optimistic about a successful outcome.
Men will say that they are attracted to intelligent women in a hypothetical scenario, but they are less attracted to an intelligent woman in practice – perhaps because of their own insecurities
One issue with measuring our dating intentions is that people tend to be quite inaccurate when they are asked about their preferences. Men, for example, will say that they are attracted to intelligent women in a hypothetical scenario, but in practice will be less attracted to an intelligent woman when they meet face to face – perhaps because of their own insecurities about their intelligence.
This is called the hot-cold empathy gap and affects not just our abilities to talk about attraction. People tend to anticipate their decisions in a cold state in a rational way. But then when they are in the situation they are influenced by their emotions. In reality, you might be attracted to someone who doesn’t meet your predefined criteria once you meet face to face.
Speed-dating is a particularly useful way to explore dating behaviours because it represents a realistic way that we interact with potential new partners. “There are a lot of situations in everyday life where we meet potential partners in a quick way,” says Karen Wu from California State University, Los Angeles. “You might meet someone at a bar, a meeting, in passing. People don’t always take an hour to meet someone new.”
In a speed-dating scenario, if daters were feeling happy after one encounter they were less likely to choose the next interaction partner as a potential match at the end of the evening. This is called a contrast effect, where we have the opposite reaction to how we are feeling.
Men are more affected by contrast effects. But this can’t be explained by a desire specifically for the previous person. Being in a positive mood at the beginning of the evening had the same effect. So, it is not only the emotion that is caused by meeting the previous partner that turns you off to subsequent people; your general mood state has an effect too.
If men feel negative they attribute this to their interaction partner – Laura Sels
“Generally, the more positive someone is the more open they are and the more they judge that other people are in line with their mood,” says Laura Sels from KU Leuven in Belgium. “If they feel negative they are more critical. So, you would expect that feeling positive will make you happier when you meet someone new. But what we’ve seen is that people use their emotion as a reference point for comparison. If they are feeling positive, their opinion of a potential partner is contrasted against that emotion, meaning they are judged more poorly. Men seem to be more affected by negative moods.”
Sels suggests this reflects how men and women process emotions. “Men externalise their negative emotions whereas women have more internalising negative emotions. If men feel negative they attribute this to their interaction partner.”
The importance that we put on certain character traits is also culturally dependent. “In the West people are attracted to narcissists,” says Wu. “People in the West look for extroversion and high self-confidence. Narcissists are also better at grooming themselves so they are better looking because of that. I felt I didn’t relate to this phenomenon – that someone has to be confident to be a good candidate.”
Wu studies dating behaviours in Asian-American communities who put a different emphasis on certain values. “More collectivistic cultures tend to value self-interest less,” she says. “Western cultures value individual goals more than group goals. Collectivistic cultures might value niceness more because you’re interested in group benefits rather than individual benefits.”
Characteristics like kindness predict speed-dating success in Asian-Americans. However, for both men and women, the most important factor was still physical attractiveness.
Considering this, it is a miracle that we ever find someone who is as attracted to us as we are to them. The conversation your potential partner had directly before meeting you, their general mood, their cultural background, the angle at which they are looking at you, whether they deem themselves to be more popular than you - all these factors could influence whether you hit it off seems endless.
Having said that, there have been several marriages from these speed-dating studies, so there must be some logic in there, says Sels: “Some people now have children so it produced some nice results.”

Post for answers:

Read this article about dating and first impressions and answer do the following tasks:

A) Answer the questions according to what is said in the article:

1. How are first impressions influenced by gender?
“Qualities like dominance are closely linked to masculinity,” says Professor Todorov. “In these first impressions, men and women are not judged equally. Women who appear masculine are evaluated negatively whereas men would be evaluated positively. This applies to both genders, so men and women [both] make negative assessments of masculine-looking women.”
Photos of real people are heavily affected by their composition. For example, portraits taken from a low angle are more likely to be judged as dominant, which is positive for men and negative for women. Whereas the reverse is seen in portraits taken from a high angle.
“But the most interesting part is how few gender differences there were in the types of strategy used. Men and women are more similar than they are different.
In a speed-dating scenario, if daters were feeling happy after one encounter they were less likely to choose the next interaction partner as a potential match at the end of the evening. This is called a contrast effect, where we have the opposite reaction to how we are feeling. Men are more affected by contrast effects.
Men seem to be more affected by negative moods: “Men externalise their negative emotions whereas women have more internalising negative emotions. If men feel negative they attribute this to their interaction partner.”
We tend to match with people whom we deem equal in self-worth, physical attractiveness and popularity. Again, this is a common strategy for both men and women.

2. How are first impressions influenced by culture?
The importance that we put on certain character traits is also culturally dependent. “In the West people are attracted to narcissists,” says Wu. “People in the West look for extroversion and high self-confidence. Narcissists are also better at grooming themselves so they are better looking because of that.
Wu studies dating behaviours in Asian-American communities who put a different emphasis on certain values. “More collectivistic cultures tend to value self-interest less,” she says. “Western cultures value individual goals more than group goals. Collectivistic cultures might value niceness more because you’re interested in group benefits rather than individual benefits.”
Characteristics like kindness predict speed-dating success in Asian-Americans. However, for both men and women, the most important factor was still physical attractiveness.

3. Is there anything in the article that does not match your own experience?
No

B) Find synonyms for the words and phrases highlighted in the article.
appraise = to examine someone or something in order to judge their qualities, success, or needs / TO VALUE, EVALUATE
in the blink of an eye =extremely quickly:
missing out on = to not use or to not have an opportunity to experience something good / TO LOSE THE CHANCE
hit it off = to like someone and become friendly immediately:
snap =  done suddenly without allowing time for careful thought or preparation: / SUDDEN, IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT
misleading = causing someone to believe something that is not true: / DECEPTIVE
snapshot = photograph
curate = to be in charge of selecting and caring for objects to be shown in a museum or to form part of a collection of art, an exhibition, etc. / SELECT
cue= a signal for someone to do somethig / SIGNAL They started washing up, so that was our cue to leave the party.
mutable = able or likely to change / CHANGEABLE
innocuous = completely harmless (= causing no harm)/ HARMLESS
commit = to promise or give your loyalty, time, or money to a particular principle, person, or plan of action:/ TO PROMISE
figure out = to understand someone or something, or to find the answer to something by thinking / TO IMAGINE
deem = to consider or judge something in a particular way / CONSIDER, JUDGE
subsequent = happening after something else:/ FOLLOWING
poorly = not well, ill
trait = a particular characteristic that can produce a particular type of behaviour:/ CHARACTERISTIC, FEAUTURE
groom = to make yourself ready to be seen; put in order:

Topic 3: Activity book

1. First impressions: speaking

1.2. "How to speak so that people want to listen"

Watch the TED talk "How to speak so that people want to listen" and do the tasks in the worksheet below:



Worksheet
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x1YXh1C5Beue29YRQW3pIiUI-5S8BHuHs-QJE83QhP8/edit#heading=h.8dez35dgh613

How to speak so that people want to listen
https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_how_to_speak_so_that_people_want_to_listen

Watch the video and answer these questions:

What are the “seven deadly sins” of speaking according to Julian Treasure?

In the context, what is the meaning of the word “embroidery” (minute 1:54)?

What three meanings of the word “hail” does the speaker refer to?

Define the following terms in your own words:

Register
Timbre
Prosody
Pace
Pitch
Volume

Words like “blamethrower” (minute 01.41) or “sodcasting” (minute 7:04) are examples of linguistic blending. In each case, what parts is the word formed by? What is the meaning of the parts and of the whole word?

For more information and examples of blended words, read this article:

Mansplaining, Chillax and Brexit: Blended words in English

Opinion questions to share with other students in class:

Do you agree with the speaker’s definition of the main mistakes we make when we speak? And with his advice?

Have you ever needed to train your voice? Would you ever consider going to a voice coach?

Post for answers

Watch the video and answer these questions:

What are the “seven deadly sins” of speaking according to Julian Treasure?
1 - gossip = speaking of somebody who's not present
2 - judging
3 - negativity = it's hard to listen when somebody is so negative
4 - complaining
5 - excuses
6 - lying = embroidery, exaggeration
7 - dogmatism = confusion of facts with opinions

In the context, what is the meaning of the word “embroidery” (minute 1:54)?
exaggeration, adding imaginary details to the story

What three meanings of the word “hail” does the speaker refer to?
1) small hard balls of ice that fall from the sky
2) to greet enthusiastically
3) to acclaim enthusiastically

Define the following terms in your own words:

Register
Timbre
Prosody
Pace
Pitch
Volume

Words like “blamethrower” (minute 01.41) or “sodcasting” (minute 7:04) are examples of linguistic blending. In each case, what parts is the word formed by? What is the meaning of the parts and of the whole word?

For more information and examples of blended words, read this article:

Mansplaining, Chillax and Brexit: Blended words in English

Opinion questions to share with other students in class:

Do you agree with the speaker’s definition of the main mistakes we make when we speak? And with his advice?

Have you ever needed to train your voice? Would you ever consider going to a voice coach?

Activities about 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
3. Part III, Despair and Hope

1. Watch this video:


Discuss:
How far do you agree with Harari's views in this video? Can you find any flaws in his arguments?

2. Now read chapter 10, "Terrorism", where he elaborates on the ideas expressed in the video, and chapter 11, "War".

3. Answer the questions:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jxLZeGGVFwBfbVBuKJCDvuwKHP6TLw7igVsRYV6Advc/edit

Chapter 10: Terrorism
Why, according to Harari, do governments take a softer approach to domestic and sexual violence than to terrorism?
How does he argue the state should deal with terrorism?
How big a threat is nuclear terrorism according to the author?

Chapter 11: War
Harari claims that “in 2018 successful wars seem to be an endangered species” (p, 201) What reasons does he give for this?
Does Harari rule out the possibility of a successful war in the twenty-first century? Why?
In his view, how much should we fear a world war?

Discuss:
Some of Harari’s views on terrorism and war are potentially controversial. Can you find “holes” in his arguments? Are any of his views questionable in your opinion? Or do you think they are sensible and grounded on facts?

Post for answers:

How far do you agree with Harari's views in this video? Can you find any flaws in his arguments?
First of all, I think he is a bit tricky when he compares deaths caused by terrorists with deaths caused by obesity-related diseases, because both dangers coexist, and we should fight against them at the same time. Besides, while we can take of our own obesity issues, I'm afraid that preventing terrorism is not in our private hands. And that is the reason why we fear terrorism more than eating fried eggs: we can control diet, we can't control terrorism.
Later, he shows a limited knowledge of how human mind work, by saying "terrorists kill a handful of people and cause millions to fear for their lives, which leads governments to react with a show of security".
This is just how lottery works worldwide, only few people win the price, out of millions who are thrilled to win it. It's just the same mechanism, just changing poles.
I also disagree with him considering terrorists just like harmless flies, because they are often financed by the richest monarchies of the Middle East or self-financed with smuggling of drugs, guns and humans

2. Now read chapter 10, "Terrorism", where he elaborates on the ideas expressed in the video, and chapter 11, "War".

3. Answer the questions:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jxLZeGGVFwBfbVBuKJCDvuwKHP6TLw7igVsRYV6Advc/edit

Chapter 10: Terrorism
Why, according to Harari, do governments take a softer approach to domestic and sexual violence than to terrorism?
Becuse despite the impact of movements such as #metoo, rape  does not undermine the government’s legitimacy, which, in contrast, has been built on a promise to tolerate no  political violence within its borders.(193)
How does he argue the state should deal with terrorism?
According to Noah, the most efficient answer to terrorism might be good intelligence and clandestine action against the financial networks that feed terrorism. (195)
How big a threat is nuclear terrorism according to the author?
According to Noah, while present-day terrorism is mostly theatre, future nuclear terrorism, cyberterrorism or bioterrorism would pose a much more serious threat.(196)
He also believes that we just cannot prepare for every eventuality. Accordingly, while we must surely prevent nuclear terrorism, this cannot be the number one ítem on humanity’s agenda (199)


Chapter 11: War
Harari claims that “in 2018 successful wars seem to be an endangered species” (p, 201) What reasons does he give for this?
He argues that the most powerful countries seem to understand that the most succesful strategy in present times is to sit on the fence and let others do the fighting for you.
Does Harari rule out the possibility of a successful war in the twenty-first century? Why?
No, he does not rule it out, as long it’s a limited war, because he realises that military power cannot go far in the 21st century, and that waging  a succesful war means waging a limited war.(205). He refers to the russian invasión of Ukraine as the only exception  so far.
Today the main economic  assets consist of technical and institutional knowledge rather than wheat fields, gold  mines or even oil fields, and you just cannot conquer knowledge through war. (207)
In his view, how much should we fear a world war?
He thinks that our best guarantee of peace is that major powers aren’t familiar with recent examples of succesful wars. (209).
Even if wars remain an unprofitable business in the 21st century, that would not give us an absolute guarantee of peace.(209)
He thinks that It would be naive to asume that war is impossible. Even if war is catastrophic for everyone, no god and no law of nature protects us from human stupidity.(211)


Discuss:
Some of Harari’s views on terrorism and war are potentially controversial. Can you find “holes” in his arguments? Are any of his views questionable in your opinion? Or do you think they are sensible and grounded on facts?

First of all, I think he is a bit tricky when he compares deaths caused by terrorists with deaths caused by obesity-related diseases, because both dangers coexist, and we should fight against them at the same time. Besides, while we can take of our own obesity issues, I'm afraid that preventing terrorism is not in our private hands. And that is the reason why we fear terrorism more than eating fried eggs: we can control diet, we can't control terrorism.
Later, he shows a limited knowledge of how human mind work, by saying "terrorists kill a handful of people and cause millions to fear for their lives, which leads governments to react with a show of security".
This is just how lottery works worldwide, only few people win the price, out of millions who are thrilled to win it. It's just the same mechanism, just changing poles.
I also disagree with him considering terrorists just like harmless flies, because they are often financed by the richest monarchies of the Middle East or self-financed with smuggling of drugs, guns and humans

WAR - He tells us that in the past, economic assets were mostly material, so itwas relatively straightforward to enrich yourself by conquest, while today the main economic assets consist of technical and institutional knowledge rather than natural resources.
I think he is partially right because he forgets about the importance of resources like water, gas or petrol, whose availability is strategic for all countries. He has outlined the importance of technical knowledge but……what are micro processors and graphic cars made of? Where does these materials come from?



flaw - a fault, mistake, or weakness, especially one that happens while something is being planned or made, or that causes something not to be perfect:
confront - to face, meet, or deal with a difficult situation or person:
coexist - to live or exist together, esp. in peace, at the same time or in the same place:

Disculpad que me entrometa con algo tan básico, pero no se distinguir en que situaciones debo utilizar estas dos preguntas:

-How about…?
-What about…?

Ambas me suenan bien en todas las situaciones.

Enric67 escribió:Disculpad que me entrometa con algo tan básico, pero no se distinguir en que situaciones debo utilizar estas dos preguntas:

-How about…?
-What about…?

Ambas me suenan bien en todas las situaciones.

Hola, para mí tienen significado idéntico, aunque tengo más interiorizado el "What about" por la costumbre....

Intruder escribió:

Enric67 escribió:Disculpad que me entrometa con algo tan básico, pero no se distinguir en que situaciones debo utilizar estas dos preguntas:

-How about…?
-What about…?

Ambas me suenan bien en todas las situaciones.

Hola, para mí tienen significado idéntico, aunque tengo más interiorizado el "What about" por la costumbre....

Ok. Pensaba que dependían de la situación o el tema.

Gracias.

Enric67 escribió:

Intruder escribió:

Enric67 escribió:Disculpad que me entrometa con algo tan básico, pero no se distinguir en que situaciones debo utilizar estas dos preguntas:

-How about…?
-What about…?

Ambas me suenan bien en todas las situaciones.

Hola, para mí tienen significado idéntico, aunque tengo más interiorizado el "What about" por la costumbre....

Ok. Pensaba que dependían de la situación o el tema.

Gracias.

Siempre que tinguis qualsevol dubte o consulta, endavant! Estaré encantat...

Sí que hay diferencias. Se usan en contextos gramaticales diferentes, y con significados diferentes.


Semánticamente:
How about es para hacer una SUGERENCIA, what about es para poner un PERO.
- How about going to the movies tonight?
- I'd love to, but what about the kids?

Sí que hay casos en que son similares y se usan indistintamente: cuando le pides a alguien que responda a algo que tú acabas de afirmar, en plan "I think Coltrane is better than Miles, what about you / how about you?" o para preguntar si alguien está incluido (Pink Floyd suck, yes, but what/how about Dire Straits?"


Entonces, semánticamente:

How About suggests an action or opens possibilities.

What About refers to an object or implies potential problems.

Gramaticalmente:

How About is followed by a present participle (GERUNDIO) verb or a pronoun and an infinitive

What About is followed by a noun or a noun phrase.


Aquí te explican:
https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-how-about-and-vs-what-about/

Salud,
z

David Z. escribió:Sí que hay diferencias. Se usan en contextos gramaticales diferentes, y con significados diferentes.


Semánticamente:
How about es para hacer una SUGERENCIA, what about es para poner un PERO.
- How about going to the movies tonight?
- I'd love to, but what about the kids?

Sí que hay casos en que son similares y se usan indistintamente: cuando le pides a alguien que responda a algo que tú acabas de afirmar, en plan "I think Coltrane is better than Miles, what about you / how about you?" o para preguntar si alguien está incluido (Pink Floyd suck, yes, but what/how about Dire Straits?"


Entonces, semánticamente:

How About suggests an action or opens possibilities.

What About refers to an object or implies potential problems.

Gramaticalmente:

How About is followed by a present participle (GERUNDIO) verb or a pronoun and an infinitive

What About is followed by a noun or a noun phrase.


Aquí te explican:
https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-how-about-and-vs-what-about/

Salud,
z

¡Gracias por la aclaración!

Yo lo estudié como indiferentes....

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/how-what-about

y atendiendo lo que dicen los parlantes nativos....

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/what-about-how-about-going.3480095/#js-post-17664096

Activities to do by December 1

This week you should:

Do the activities in chapters 2, 2.1 and 2.2 of the Topic 3 activity book.

Carry on with the Unit 3 assignments on MyELT

Go on reading 21 Lessons. As we said in class, there is a forum about parts II, III and IV of the book where you should post at least one message by January 10.

Explore the pronunciation resources that we talked about in class (in the Resources section on Moodle). There are two optional worksheets on vowels and diphthongs, as well as activities on various websites that you may try.

Have a good week.

Topic 3: Activity book

2. Advertising

2.1. The 4 Ways Sound Affects Us

Watch the video



and do the listening comprehension tasks.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WOXCZOqGNnV2dk5_qrR7N9o_MSzLMsBe/view

Key

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EwAijvXQadim7eotmQtHtMz0MrurVe99/view

Topic 3: Activity book

2. Advertising

2.2. Multi-sensory marketing: reading

Multi-sensory marketing text
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xNn_QNarMJcTE-ijw15It5-TR9OBnETT/edit

Multi-sensory marketing
Much of the conversation that a company has with its customers is conducted through words and images. This is nothing new and it has only been reinforced by the rising share that online sales now play in retail, online   being essentially a visual experience. But there is a growing realization among marketers that by ignoring the part that the other senses can play in promoting sales – touch, smell, taste and hearing – companies are missing an important trick.

The use of multi-sensory marketing is much less widespread   than one would imagine given that persuasive research into its influence on customer behaviour has existed for some time. As long ago as 1982, Ronald E Milman found a striking link between the music played in retail environments and sales. In his paper ‘The Influence of Background Music on the Behaviour of Restaurant Patrons’ Milman showed that the average restaurant bill was 29 per cent higher when slow, soothing music was played to diners compared to when the background music was fast. A similar trial in a supermarket yielded even better results.

There is more recent compelling evidence. The Harvard Business Review produced a report in 2010 showing that people negotiating the price of a car offered 28 per cent more if they were sitting in a soft, comfortable chair rather than a hard, uncomfortable one. A London restaurant Le Noir saw an increase in bookings when they launched their ‘eat in the dark’ experience. The idea was that the diners’ appreciation of the food’s taste and smell would
be heightened if visual stimuli were removed.

When it comes to visiting a store, a customer’s sensory experience will determine how long they stay, what their feelings are while they are there, and crucially, how much they spend. Nike found that the introduction of pleasant fragrances in the stores increased a customer’s intention to buy by as much as 80 per cent. Las Vegas slot machine players spent 45 per cent more in a scented environment than when placed   in an unscented one. Clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch also exploit sensory stimuli, using loud music, dim lighting and strong scents in their shops. These features may sound unappealing if, like me, you are in your forties, but with their target market of younger adolescents, they clearly hit the mark.  

But there is a wider issue here than simply the use of novel marketing tools. What all this shows us is that too many retailers are underestimating the value that the ‘bricks and mortar’ side of their business can bring. The sorry state of some of our town centres bears witness to this. Too many businesses view stores as a sales channel just like any other – but one with high attendant costs. Some are even so convinced that the online sales channel is the optimal
route, that they model their stores on the customer’s online experience. But instead of rushing towards the   low-cost holy grail of e-commerce, big brands could be focussing on enticing customers back to the high street with an exciting multi-sensory experience. That could be
an attractive proposition, for retailers and consumers alike.

In future this multi-sensory experience will extend   beyond the retail environment, believes Charles Spence, a psychology professor from Oxford University, who has helped British Airways develop a music playlist to accompany its in-flight meals. He says that a lot of brands are looking for ways to bring the experience right into consumers’ homes. ‘Everyone now is selling experience,’ he says. ‘In five years’ time,’ he says, ‘when you go into a wine store … you’ll be able to scan the label on the bottle and get the matching music for your wine.’

(Keynote Proficient Student’s U.3)


Multi-sensory marketing tasks
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_ehZzf_e10TO-VZLgc1zqkrLMdHneAI5/view

Key
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_kI2PgCDIz5UNXAzCG6xuH3Jm4qG2mJF/view

Topic 3: Activity book

2. Advertising

A) Prepare to discuss these questions in class:

1. What are your feelings about advertising? Do you find commercials annoying or do they engage your attention?Do you find them useful, interesting, entertaining?

2. Do you remember a particular advert that infuriated or offended you? Why did you feel that way?

3. Read this extract from 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Chapter 17, "Post-Truth". Do you agree with Harari's opinion of advertising?

Extract (p. 277)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HSxRT6AarZGyHVTlo9Ni_P0cl8xsote6/view

B) Watch this video and answer the questions in the worksheet:



Worksheet
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TNklFBEn-8wFThHli1z_SeQaBrvYwDV4760jHoeGLaY/edit#heading=h.94b53oyziy8e

Worksheet
What product does each commercial advertise? Is this clear from the start, or is the advert misleading to begin with?

What is the joke in each commercial? What technique does each one use to create humour?

Which commercial did you find the funniest? And the least funny? Why?

Read this paragraph from a web page with the title “Is Humour in Advertising Effective?”. Do you agree or disagree with what is said here?

On the most basic level, something that connects all humans is laughter.

Laughter is an important part of human psychology. It gives us a way to process all kinds of information, from funny stimuli to a situation where laughing is the only possible reaction because circumstances are tough.

Humor grabs our attention, and that’s why it’s often used in advertising.

With people constantly using smartphones or distracted by conversation with others, TV advertisers have turned to humor with more frequency to catch the attention of consumers. Once the consumer is watching, the hope is that he or she enjoys the humor and remembers the product in the future.

Many companies opt for bold, humorous TV advertising campaigns in front of a big audience, such as the Super Bowl or season finale of a popular show.

Ultimately, a long humorous advertising campaign becomes part of pop culture and enters  our daily vocabulary.

https://online.pointpark.edu/public-relations-and-advertising/humor-in-advertising/

Post for answers previous exercise:

A) Prepare to discuss these questions in class:

1. What are your feelings about advertising? Do you find commercials annoying or do they engage your attention?Do you find them useful, interesting, entertaining?

2. Do you remember a particular advert that infuriated or offended you? Why did you feel that way?

3. Read this extract from 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Chapter 17, "Post-Truth". Do you agree with Harari's opinion of advertising?
Extract (p. 277)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HSxRT6AarZGyHVTlo9Ni_P0cl8xsote6/view

B) Watch this video and answer the questions in the worksheet:

Worksheet
What product does each commercial advertise? Is this clear from the start, or is the advert misleading to begin with?
Haynes baked beans - not clear from the start
If it's clean, it's got to be Tide (Tide cleaner) - not clear
There's nothing like Australia - not clear, looks like a movie ad at first sight.
Simplicity is king. REMA 1000:Only low prices - not clear
No shells, sometimes naked is better (Pistacchios) - not clear
Speak the language like you've always wanted to (Babbel) - not clear
Create Your Stunning Website today, it's easy & free (Wix) - clear
Old Spice, she nose best - not clear
Have a break, have a Kit Kat
Make a meal of it (KFC) - not clear
Avocados from Mexico - not clear


What is the joke in each commercial? What technique does each one use to create humour?
Old Spice, she nose best - really means "she knows best"
Avocados from Mexico - wrong food makes people turn mad?

Which commercial did you find the funniest? And the least funny? Why?

Read this paragraph from a web page with the title “Is Humour in Advertising Effective?”. Do you agree or disagree with what is said here?

On the most basic level, something that connects all humans is laughter.
Laughter is an important part of human psychology. It gives us a way to process all kinds of information, from funny stimuli to a situation where laughing is the only possible reaction because circumstances are tough.
Humor grabs our attention, and that’s why it’s often used in advertising.
With people constantly using smartphones or distracted by conversation with others, TV advertisers have turned to humor with more frequency to catch the attention of consumers. Once the consumer is watching, the hope is that he or she enjoys the humor and remembers the product in the future.
Many companies opt for bold, humorous TV advertising campaigns in front of a big audience, such as the Super Bowl or season finale of a popular show.
Ultimately, a long humorous advertising campaign becomes part of pop culture and enters  our daily vocabulary.

https://online.pointpark.edu/public-relations-and-advertising/humor-in-advertising/

Activities to do by December 15

Here are the activities for the next two weeks:

1. Take part in the vote in Topic 2, "Which is the best logline/synopsis?", and optionally, justify your choice in the "Reasons" forum.

2. From the Topic 3 activity book, do chapters 2.4, 3, 3.1 and 3.2.

Also, there are some texts about multi-sensory marketing in chapter 2.3 (activity C) that I meant to use in class, but in the end we ran out of time. You may read them if you like, but this is optional.

Of course you need to carry on doing the assignments on MyELT and reading 21 Lessons.

Despite all this work, I hope you'll enjoy your weekend. See you on December 15.

Topic 3: Activity book

2. Advertising

2.4. Symbols: listening

Symbols listening task with key
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xnRVK9eSX4qYK4HkFKMB0My6I_TY-DNP/view

Audio
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13h9DYmwbiBexjXED6_NvEA-KBo9u1GJl/view

Topic 3: Activity book

3. Music and sentiment: listening and speaking

Watch the Ted talk by Mira Calix, "Music and sentiment" and do the activities on the worksheet:



Worksheet
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zcEfCCURxShduFMZ3A2X-QUMU7BPrOdnV6KzEhrgGT4/edit#heading=h.gp5ba8oaqg28

“Music and sentiment”, a TED talk by Mira Calix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX6SSwZsUhI&feature=emb_title

A) What is the exact meaning of the word “sentiment”, used in the title of the talk? Is it synonymous with “feeling”?

B) Make notes about these two points in the talk:
Mira’s project for the city of Bath
Her collaboration with Intel Labs

C) What do the words in bold mean in the context? Write definitions in English or synonyms:

to transform this into an alluring space
it’s triggered by the traveller as they walk through the tunnel
colouring that audience’s perceptions
the rules of engagement are so subjective
I need to coax them and guide them
this one’s a bit of a mashup
brief emotional singular motifs
D-minor is generally accepted as a melancholy key
I’d be pinging the files back and forth
the purpose of the sound was to give you a picture of miserable
all contribute to our emotional responses but that how remains elusive
I haven’t understood a bar of music in my life

D) Prepare to discuss these questions in class:

Can the emotional effect of a piece of music be predicted? Are there any common patterns that elicit similar responses in everyone?
What did you think of the speaker’s project for the city of Bath? Would you like to experience it? Why?

Post for answers previous post:

A) What is the exact meaning of the word “sentiment”, used in the title of the talk? Is it synonymous with “feeling”?
a thought, opinion, or idea based on a feeling about a situation

B) Make notes about these two points in the talk:

Mira’s project for the city of Bath
It opens next week
It’s a site specific permanent installation
It takes place in a Victorian train tunnel, over a mile long.
It’s open up to the general public for ¿commuting? and leisure.
It’s very old, very cold, very dark and very humid, and it’s an uncomfortable situation for most.
Twenty light sculptures , each has unique musique
Triggered by the travellers, as they walk through the tunnel
Once the music is in situ, the technology, the sculptures themselves and the environment will play part in colouring that audience’s perceptions.

Her collaboration with Intel Labs
It’s an Intel’s creators  search programme
Developing future emotion with technology
The Project invites the audience to classify shade images by using 16 sentiment classifications.
Color and sound are used to make these choices, but also create a personal musical arrangement.
She had no conclusive rules to follow when she was making “brief emotional singular  motifs”
“There always be someone who feels differently”
“The sound can be used to trigger an emotion, and / or, specially in this case, to represent an emotion”

C) What do the words in bold mean in the context? Write definitions in English or synonyms:

to transform this into an alluring space
attractive, exciting
it’s triggered by the traveller as they walk through the tunnel
to cause something to start:
colouring that audience’s perceptions
influencing
the rules of engagement are so subjective
the fact of being involved with something:
I need to coax them and guide them
to persuade someone gently to do something or go somewhere, by being kind and patient, or by appearing to be:
this one’s a bit of a mashup
a type of recorded music or video that consists of parts of different songs or images that have been combined (collage?)
brief emotional singular motifs
a pattern or design
D-minor is generally accepted as a melancholy key
a set of musical notes based on one particular note
I’d be pinging the files back and forth
¿testing?
the purpose of the sound was to give you a picture of miserable
but not to evoke misery itself
all contribute to our emotional responses but that how remains elusive
difficult to describe, find, achieve, or remember
I haven’t understood a bar of music in my life
one of the small equal parts into which a piece of music is divided, containing a fixed number of beats

D) Prepare to discuss these questions in class:

Can the emotional effect of a piece of music be predicted? Are there any common patterns that elicit similar responses in everyone?
The musician says “The challenge of my work is to engage the audience emotionally, but the rules of engagement are so subjective  that, despite analysis and research, they remain really enigmatic”
“I don’t know what is going on when I hear music”
What did you think of the speaker’s project for the city of Bath? Would you like to experience it? Why?
I do really love it because it combines preservation of historial heritage with its use for communication, leisure and cultural purposes.
Of course I’d like, because I love to visit places I’ve never been before. The setting of this tunnel reminds me of a handful of places I’ve been before  (the underground caves of a winery in Mexico, a trip to the heart of a silver mine also in Mexico, the aísles of an underground city in Turkey) but then there were no music….

Topic 3: Activity book

3. Music and sentiment: listening and speaking

3.1. Music: listening comprehension

1. Watch the video and answer the questions in the worksheet:


Worksheet
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hwA5q4q0GHIFZDUgzx9pgd9_-EODlDV-FxucmtXHN5s/edit
How Does Music Affect Your Brain?

A) Watch the video and make notes about the following points:

1. How the brain behaves when listening to music
2. How a performer’s brain behaves
3. The effects of playing music on children’s brains
4. Physiology and the frisson caused by music
5. Music, pleasure and high-pitched sounds
6. Aphasia and singing
7. What happens in the brain when making music
8. The experiment with Fantastic Negrito
9. Improvisation and survival
10. Science and music

B) Prepare to discuss these questions with your partners:
1. Have you personally experienced any of the phenomena described in the video? Which ones?
2. If you had a say in how the education system in your country is organized, would you increase the importance of music subjects in it? Why?


2. Music listening comprehension with key
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HHf3Rl4Gtkww9P1W-Q3oe0P3Qbtdp7dP/view

Audio
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14lV5iNkb32HPtrutk22Eym23tWyJqQA1/view

Post for answers previous post

Worksheet
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hwA5q4q0GHIFZDUgzx9pgd9_-EODlDV-FxucmtXHN5s/edit

How Does Music Affect Your Brain?

A) Watch the video and make notes about the following points:

1. How the brain behaves when listening to music
Music activates every aerea of the brain  When music enters and then gets shuttled off to different parts of the brain,it starts specialized processes  in units like the auditory cortex, visual cortex, motor cortex, cerebellum or hippocampus are activated.
2. How a performer’s brain behaves
Playing a piece of music engages so many things, motor systems, timing systems, memory systems, hearing systems…it’s a kind of brain activity habit.
3. The effects of playing music on children’s brains
Music training over the course of five years benefits cognitive skills and decision-making , also has benefits in social behaviour, and changes in brain structure: Children who study music  have stronger connections between the right and left hemispheres, that can make them more creative.
4. Physiology and the frisson caused by music
The pathway which connects brain’s emotional region with the outer region is stronger in people who have chills.
5. Music, pleasure and high-pitched sounds
Pre-frontal cortex
6. Aphasia and singing
Aphasia is inability to speak as a result of brain damage.  Left hemisphere controls language but there are many other parts of the brain that have music access. Therapists teach their patients use these other pathways to regain language..
7. What happens in the brain when making music
Some areas that control motor skills and sounds are activated
8. The experiment with Fantastic Negrito
They see that areas that were active when playing are even more active, They see that the prefrontal cortex appears to be shutting down, and this is the area which cares for effort for planning and conscience of monitoring , this area becomes less active.
9. Improvisation and survival
.
10. Science and music.
There’s a limit to what science can tell us about music. “ Just when I discover the answer to one thing, five new questions pop up. Music is more mysterious than ever”

B) Prepare to discuss these questions with your partners:

1. Have you personally experienced any of the phenomena described in the video? Which ones?
There are a handful of songs that always give me the chills every time I listen to them, for instance Come Away Melinda by Uriah Heep or Baby It’s You (acoustic) by London Grammar.

2. If you had a say in how the education system in your country is organized, would you increase the importance of music subjects in it? Why?
Of course I would. I would follow the experts who have tested that music training benefits cognitive skills and decision-making , also has benefits in social behaviour, and changes in brain structure. Children who study music  have stronger connections between the right and left hemispheres, that can make them more creative.

Topic 3: Activity book

3. Music and sentiment: listening and speaking

3.2. Poetry and emotion: a poem by Gary Snyder

A) Share your answers to these questions with your partner:

1. Do you read poetry in your own language? Why? Why not?

2. Do you find poetry difficult? Why? Why not?

3. Have you ever read a poem in English?

B) Gary Snyder is an American poet who started out as a member of the Beat Generation. If you want, you can find out more about him here:

Gary Snyder
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/gary-snyder

Now read one of his poems and answer the questions on the worksheet:

December in Yase

A poem by Gary Snyder
Read this poem and answer the questions:
1) What do you think the poem is about? Choose the best description:
a) Lost love
b) Growing old
c) Fate
d) All of the above
2) What emotions does it express?

December at Yase
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C2Uc89752Gufnq6N8jB7_9N3MKypg_vLbqHC_sk5saE/edit#

You said, that October,
In the tall dry grass by the orchard  
When you chose to be free,
“Again someday, maybe ten years.”

After college I saw you
One time. You were strange.  
And I was obsessed with a plan.

Now ten years and more have  
Gone by: I’ve always known
         where you were—
I might have gone to you  
Hoping to win your love back.  
You still are single.

I didn’t.
I thought I must make it alone. I  
Have done that.

Only in dream, like this dawn,  
Does the grave, awed intensity  
Of our young love
Return to my mind, to my flesh.

We had what the others  
All crave and seek for;
We left it behind at nineteen.

I feel ancient, as though I had  
Lived many lives.

And may never now know  
If I am a fool
Or have done what my  
      karma demands.

Gary Snyder, “Four Poems for Robin” from The Back Country. Copyright 1968 by Gary Snyder. Reprinted with the permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation.
Source: No Nature: New and Selected Poems (1992)