My English competence in 2009

As a conclusion of this portfolio, I will select the two documents that, in my opinion, show my level of English at the end of the second school year of Batxillerat:

- My best written evidence: London III

- My best oral evidence: 4th Oral presentation


I think this that my best written works can be found in my blog, where I have posted many writings about different topics and I have had more freedom about topics and structures. It is a hard job to find the best one, but I have chosen this post because I think it is where I have introduced more vocabulary and the length of the text has allowed me to use many linking words and connectors, avoiding repetitions as far as possible. I have also used other resorts like direct and indirect speech, modal verbs and different verb tenses.

I have chosen the fourth oral presentation as my best oral evidence because it is where my pronunciation and my body language are reflected, my use of non-spontaneous English in front of a group of people during a medium space of time. Even so, I think I could do it a bit better because this video was taken in the second term and I have been working three more months.

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My English 2007-2009

With this portfolio I can see how my level of English has changed during two years, from the first post to the last one. There are different kinds of activities and it is difficult to compare the first post (an e-mail) with the last activity (a summary of a piece of news), but we can observe them separately:

For example, the first mail (link) and the second one (link): I have improved the structure of the text because, in the first one, paragraphs are very short and simple (I + verb + complement) and the second text is longer, with fewer and longer paragraphs, and I have also used resources like conditionals (If I get the degree...), reported speech (...things which I like most...) and new linking words (despite).

From the first piece of news (link) to the last one (link) I have corrected some mistakes (a piece of news, not a new) and, maybe the most visible fact is that I have learned a lot of new vocabulary, with about five new words each time (it depends on the source of news, sometimes you learn more from a newspaper like Catalonia Today than with news from BBC)

In this portfolio there are also many examples of different structures that I have been practising these school years (descriptions, opinion essays, letters, etc.) and now I have used them for Selectivitat writings.

About the oral presentations, I think that the last one is not a good example to make a comparison, because it is very different than the others. Then, I’m going to analyse the first oral presentation (link) and the fourth one (link).

The fluency of my speech has clearly improved, in the first presentation I stop many times to think and I am very nervous while in the second one stops are shorter and I’m less static, maintaining eye contact with the audience. I think that both topics were interesting, but the content of the second one was richer, with new vocabulary and unusual structures, introducing new information to the audience. Maybe it doesn’t fit here, but I’ve learned that there are big differences between British English and American English. About the pronunciation, I have tried to make it as correct as possible and, with practise, it has improved, but I think there’s still a long way to go.

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"Battle of the bulb"

Bulbs are present in our homes and they are changing, becoming more and more efficient. The EU is doing new regulations in order to replace the old bulbs for the new ones (Compact Fluorescent Lamps), but people don’t like the colour of thir light, they think CFL bulbs are unattractive and they don’t fit into their classic lamps. They aren’t against the new bulbs, but they don’t want them for their house. CFLs have some problems which will be solved by new generation of bulbs, based on LED technology.

New words learnt:

Bulb - bombeta
Frosted – esmerilat
Phase out – retirar, deixar de produir
Retailer – minorista

News from CNN Video News.

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"UK 'set for scorching summer' "

Last summers in the UK have been very wet, with high speed winds and floods, but forecasts for this year say that this summer will be very hot. That’s good for tourism and for those who want to stay home these holidays. The weather will depend on the wind above the clouds, very fast currents that cross the country at more than a hundred miles per hour. We can only wait to check if forecasts become true.
New words learnt

Jet stream – raig d’aire
Forecast (to) - pronosticar
Scorching – abrasador, socarrant

News from BBC News, reported by Roger Harrabin.

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"UK swine flu genetics unravelled"

Researchers from the HPA (Health Protection Agency) and other scientists from around the world have been researching on some samples of the swine flu, which has recently affected many countries, in order to find a vaccine against the virus, to observe and understand the infection and the behaviour of the virus. They are alert because viruses can mutate, and they can become more dangerous. The scientific results are very positive and the responses to the possible pandemic are being so fast, with the hope that an effective vaccine will be available soon.

New words learnt:

Flu – influenza, grip
Isolate (to) – aïllar
Pandemic - pandemia
Pin down (to) - definir
Pose (to) - plantejar
Swine - porc
Unravel (to) – desembolicar, desxifrar

Article from BBC News, Friday 8 of May, 2009, written by (unknown).

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Is text messaging making our kids illiterate?

SELECTIVITAT WRITING 3: French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said that the best things people have made [the airplane, the telephone...] are all things that bring people together. Discuss this statement and say what are to your mind, the best things people have made. Would you say that internet makes our social life richer or poorer?

Human beings have crated many incredible things during the last two millenniums. Year by year, inventions are, in general, more complex and more advanced, but this fact does not always mean that they will keep people together.

It is true that new technologies like internet have allowed people to, for example, communicate like they had not done before, very fast, throughout the world, with distant relatives or with new people that, otherwise, they would not have met. But, as it happens with many relationships, they can become a problem because sometimes to have an argument is unavoidable.

Vehicles are another example. They are very useful to move from one point to another one, but there are many accidents every year, with a high number of deceases.

In my opinion, things made by people are not perfect and they can bring people closer but they can also separate them for ever. Even so, they always give us a richer social life.

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Sweet as sugar

SELECTIVITAT WRITING: Think of a profession that is dying out, for example a shepherd or a farmer. Write a dialogue with one of the last shepherds / farmers in your country. Talk about their way of life now and before.

Josep lives in the small village of Vilasacra and he is a farmer. Today we are going to talk with him in order to know some of the characteristics of his job.

- Good morning Josep.
- Hello.
- Why have you chosen to be a farmer?
- Well, I think it’s a matter of family. My father is a farmer, my grandpa was a farmer and also his father.
- Then, do you believe your son will continue the tradition?
- I don’t think so! He is only worried about cars and computers and he doesn’t want to know anything about the farm, like most of the teenagers.
- And why do you think this is happening?
- Probably because it’s a hard job, it needs a lot of hours and you work far from the city and people. It’s difficult to bear it if you aren’t used to that lifestyle.
- Thank you very much for your attention, Josep. Good bye.
- You are welcome. Bye.

MISTAKES:

Never use personal information in Selectivitat Exams.

Wellcome - Welcome

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Toxic friends

SELECTIVITAT WRITING: 1- Write about the influence of psychologists on our society. Are they well considered? Could they be the answer to our psychological necessities?

Psychologists play a very important role in our society. Their job is very helpful for persons who need somebody to advise them or a listener for their problems, but therapies don’t solve all of the psychological necessities.

On the one hand, psychologists are highly useful to give support to persons who have had a bad experience like the death of a relative or a rape.

On the other hand, there are some situations where the psychologist decides something which could be good for the person, but he could also be wrong and destroy one life. On example of this case happens when a marriage wants to improve the relationship but the story finishes with a divorce.

Because of these reasons, psychologists are very important in many situations, but sometimes they can’t do anything to help others.

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