ONE DIRECTION

One Direction, the most popular boyband now

When the teachers of the English Department resumed the idea of preparing a blog last January, our main idea was to give you, our students, a different possibility to be in contact with the culture of the English-speaking Countries. In addition, you could read and write your opinions in English on many different topics. Two months later, we can publish a post made by one of you. Believe it or not, this is the kind of thing that makes us, teachers, feel that our work is well-worth doing and be proud of you all.

Even though we recognise that we don´t like this band, we want to publish it as a tribute to all the students that have taken part, one way or another, in this blog. Thank you all, and specially thank you, Tamara, for this fantastic work.

Have a nice holiday and... Remember, the best is yet to come!





One Direction, frequently abbreviated as "1D" is an Irish-British boyband formed in London in 2010. They became first known in the British TV show "The X Factor". During the show, the five-member band formed by Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Liam Payne received the support of Simon Cowell, owner of the program and responsible for the category of groups in this edition of the program.

At first, they auditioned as solo artists  and all of them went through to the next round of the program, called "The Bootcamp".

They all qualified to the next rounds at The Bootcamp as solo artists, until they were all eliminated before the round called "The Judges´Houses". It was at that moment when the judges of the program thought that all five could make a very good-looking band, and that with the union of their voices they could make great harmonies.

Simon Cowell called them "One Direction" and they got through to "The Judges´Houses" in the category of bands. Then, they sang Natalie Imbruglia´s song "Torn". With this song, they made it through to the final round of the show, called "The Live Shows".


In this phase of the program, they had to sing for the audience vote every week. You could tell they had little experience and they had had little time to become a band, but yet they had a good reception of audiences and the show´s judges, making them reach the final.

Finally, although they fought until the end, they could only reach the third place. Ironically, they have been more successful since then than the winner of the program. Cowell saw in them a moneymaker, and  he paid a record deal with Syco Records so that they could release their first album. In September 2011, they released their first single, "What Makes You Beautiful". It was an instant hit at the main music charts in the United Kingdom and made them become the first British band to reach number one with their first album in the history of the chart.

In 2012, the band, seeing the success of their first album "Up All Night", announced their second studio album, "Take Me Home". Then, they performed at the Closing Ceremony of the London Olympic Games.

In September 2012, the first single of their second album, "Live While We´re Young", reached number one in the iTunes store in more than 40 countries.

To finish with, we must say that, as The Beatles in the 60s, One Direction has started the new "British Invasion", a new wave of British bands which is spreading all over the world with a fantastic reception of the public.





Check this video of the song that was to be their first single if they had won The X Factor. It says the story about them and their experience in the program.

 

 

 

This article has been written entirely by Tamara Alvites (4ºB)

ENGLISH IDIOMS: LOOKING FOR THE HIDDEN MEANING

We are sure you have found some expressions in English that are difficult to understand, even if you know the meaning of all the words that are part of it. These expressions are called idioms and they exist in most languages. Even the term "idiom" is a bit confusing for Spanish speakers since it is one of the best-known examples of a false friend.

 Be careful! We are not referring to different languages but to phrases or expressions that have a figurative meaning conventionally understood by native speakers which  is not the same as the literal meaning of the idiom´s individual elements.

In other words, idioms don´t mean exactly what the words say. They have a hidden meaning. There are lots of idioms in English. Here, we are helping you to learn some related to animals. Come with us to find their secrets!





-Be a cold fish

It is applied to a person who is distant and unfeeling.

Ex: He rarely talks to his colleagues. He is a cold fish.





-Be as gentle as a lamb

It is said about kind, innocent, mild-mannered people.

Ex: She is as gentle as a lamb. That´s why everybody likes her.



-Cry wolf

To ask for help when there is really no danger.

Ex: Because he cried wolf too often, people stopped believing that he needs help.



-Curiosity killed the cat

This is a proverb used to warn people not to be too curious about something and ask too many questions because this can get you into trouble.

Ex: Alan: I wonder who killed that wealthy man?
       Bill: Curiosity killed the cat.





-Every dog has its day

It means that everyone has a time of success and satisfaction.

Ex: You may become successful in your business some day. Every dog has its day.





-Lame duck

It refers to someone who is disabled, helpless, ineffective or inefficient.

Ex: These are the symptoms of a lame duck governor.





-Let the cat out of the bag

To reveal a secret, usually accidentally.

Ex: She wasn´t supposed to know about it. Someone must have let the cat out of the bag.






-Lion´s share

To get or receive the majority, a large or generous portion of something

Ex: The gang stole a lot of money from the bank. But the lion´s share of the money went straight into the leader´s pocket.



-Rain cats and dogs

It is used when it is raining heavily.

Ex: How come are you going out in that storm? It is raining cats and dogs.



-The straw that broke the camel´s back

It refers to that small and seemingly insignificant addition to a burden that makes it too difficult to bear. It is the small thing that causes failure, inability or unwillingness to endure any more of something.

Ex: The boss saw him coming late to work. That was the straw that broke the camel´s back and he fired him immediately.





As we said before, there are many other examples of English idioms, either related to animals or to other things. Share with us those that you know!

THE BEST ENGLISH FOOTBALL PLAYERS EVER

Although there are so many lists as people doing them, we want to show you some of the best football players England has produced in history. Let´s see the six players we have chosen. Have you got any other suggestion?



BOBBY MOORE

The captain of the England team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup, he was cited by Pelé as the greatest defender that he had ever played against, and he is considered to be one of the best defenders of all time, if not the best

He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and won a total of 108 caps for the English National Team at a time where national teams didn´t play as usually as they do nowadays.

SIR "BOBBY" CHARLTON

This miedfielder who played all his football career for Manchester United is widely regarded as one of the greatest miedfielders of all time and an essential member of the England team that won the World Cup in 1966, year in which he also won the European Footballer of the Year Award.

Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore celebrating the 1966 World Cup

One of the survivors of the Munich air disaster of 1958, he has scored both for Manchester United and for England more goals than any other player. He was outstanding for his attacking instincts and passing abilities, his pace and his extraordinari long-range shot.

GORDON BANKS

Considered to be the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century after Russian Lev Yashin, he played his team football mainly for Leicester City between 1959 and 1967. He moved to Stoke City where he would play for a further four years.

Gordon Banks, the best English goalkeeper ever

He established himself as England´s number one goalkeeper and played every game of the nation´s 1966 World Cup victory. He was specially renowned by the great save he made to prevent a Pelé goal in the 1979 World Cup.

GARY LINEKER

He is regarded as one of the all-time best English strikers and was top scorer in the 1986 World Cup. He remains England´s top scorer in World Cup finals with ten goals, for a total 48 goals in all international matches he played.

Gary Lineker scored goals galore wherever he played

Having started his professional career with Leicester City, he then played for Everton. F.C. Barcelona signed him in 1986 where he didn´t disappoint, winning one Spanish Cup and one European Cup Winners´Cup in the three seasons he played for the Spanish team. He returned to England to play for Tottenham Hotspur, where he kept on scoring lots of goals.

PAUL GASCOIGNE

Despite his troubled personal life, Paul Gascoigne was quite simply the most skilful player to wear an English shirt in the modern era. At his peak nobody could come close to "Gazza" as he bossed the midfield for both club (Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur or Lazio in Italy) and country, dribbling players with ease and scoring goals from almost any position.

Paul Gascoigne, a football genius

The iconic image of Gascoigne crying during England´s Italy´90 semi-final against Germany after a yellow card which ruled him out of the final will be remembered by English fans for years to come.

DAVID BECKHAM

Even though many of you may think that he doesn´t deserve to be in this list, we consider him to be the most important English player in the last twenty years. Surely he is the most popular worldwide, although this popularity can owe to reasons that have nothing to do with football.

David Beckham has played more international
 matches than any other outfield player.

Nevertheless, we cannot forget that he has played for the English National Team 115 times and that he has played for some of the best teams in the world, mainly Manchester United (6 Premier Leagues and one Champions League), Real Madrid (1 Liga), or Milan AC. He will always be remembered by his almost perfect curling free-kicks, his pin-point passes and his tireless effort.

Well, this is our list. We are certain we have forgotten important names such as Matthews or Finney before the sixties, K. Keegan in the seventies, Shearer, Robson, Shilton or J. Barnes in the eighties, M. Owen or P. Scholes in the nineties or finally W. Rooney or S. Gerrard in the first decade of the twenty-first century.

You can have your own list. Give us the names you think we should have never left out!

HE´LL ALWAYS BE "THE KING". ELVIS PRESLEY

Elvis Presley, "The King".

Despite the fact that Elvis Presley died almost 36 years ago ( August, 16, 1977), he is still considered "The King of Rock and Roll". Widely regarded as one of the most important figures of 20th century popular culture, his name, image and voice are instantly recognisable around the globe.  Now we want to pay tribute to him from our blog.



Elvis marked the birth of rock and roll

 

 

He started to sing in the 1950s and became the most important popularizer of rockabilly (a fusion of country and rhythm and blues). His first single, Heartbreak Hotel (1956) was a number-one hit. His energetic interpretations of songs and his uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular. In that same year (1956), he made his film debut in Love Me Tender.




 

 

Elvis promoting Jailhouse Rock

After military service (1958), he relaunched his career with some of his most commercially successful work, including so poular songs as Jailhouse Rock, It´s Now or Never, Can´t Help Falling in Love or Return to Sender.Then, in the sixties, he devoted much of his time to making Hollywood films and soundtrack albums.

Unfortunately enough, addiction to prescribed drugs such as barbiturates made his condition decline quickly in a short time. After some years of such a big abuse of these drugs, his health deteriorated inexorably and he finally died in August 1977 at the age of 42. A legend was born at that moment.

Elvis in Alloha From Hawaii,
the first global concert satellite broadcast (1973)

 

 

With no doubt, he is one of the most popular musicians of the 20th century. He had a versatile voice and succeeded encompassing many genres, including country, pop ballads, gospel and blues.He is still the best-selling solo artist in the history of pop music and we can state that it is impossible to think about popular music without recognising his awesome importance and influence.

Elvis´grave in Graceland

 

 

It´s really quite difficult to select Elvis Presley´s best songs. Here you have the six we prefer, although it doesn´t mean there aren´t many others which we could have chosen. Tell us which ones you prefer.

"I Can´t Help Falling in Love With You"

"Love Me Tender"

"Always on My Mind"

"Blue Suede Shoes"

 

 

 

"It´s Now Or Never"



 

 

"Jailhouse Rock"

THE SIMPSONS: SPRINGFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

You probably know Springfield Elementary School

We are sure you know Springfield Elementary School. It is probably the most famous school in the world. Yes, you´re right, it´s the school where Bart and Lisa Simpson study.

It is a grossly underfunded school which suffers from the incompetence and apathy of its administration, teachers, staff and students. It is an overt satire of publicly funded schools and education in the United States. We would like you to see with us the main characters who work at the school. In a following article, we´ll pay attention to Bart, Lisa and their schoolmates. So, come with us to visit Springfield Elementary School.





PRINCIPAL SKINNER

Seymour Skinner is the principal of the school. He struggles to control the crumbling school and is often engaged in a battle against its inadequate resources, apathetic teachers, and often rowdy and unenthusiastic students, especially Bart Simpson. A strict disciplinarian, he has a militaristic attitude that comes from his years in the United States Army during the Vietnam war. This is also the cause
of a postraumatic stress disorder.

Principal Skinner

SUPERINTENDENT CHALMERS

A strict and largely humorless man, his general manners and personality are like those of a military officer. Whenever he visits the school, some kind of disaster happens. He produces extreme anxiety in Principal Skinner and even paranoia when he hears his usual catchphrase (recurrent words): "SKIN-NER!!!!!" or "SEYMOUR"!!!!!

Superintendent Chalmers often visits the school

EDNA KRABAPPEL

She is the teacher of Bart Simpson´s 4th grade class. She represents the most clear caricature of the American public school system. In a chapter, it is revealed that she was once a very optimistic person who genuinely wanted to help her students, but it finally seems that years of frustration thanks to the school, and particularly Bart Simpson, wore that enthusiasm away. She is divorced and looks desperately for a romantic partner. Of special importance are her relationships with Principal Skinner which move between passion and disdain.

Miss Krabappel, Bart´s teacher

ELIZABETH HOOVER

The teacher of Lisa Simpson´s 2nd grade class. Like Miss Krabappel, She is single and hates the school. Although she seems to retain an enthusiastic attitude towards her job on some ocassions, she eventually seems to be overwhelmed with stress, looking for whatever remedies that can alleviate it. She is sometimes seen smoking and even drinking on the job.

Miss Hoover is Lisa´s teacher

GROUNDSKEEPER WILLIE

A Scottish immigrant, he is the head groundskeeper at the school. He is almost wild in nature and is immensely proud of his homeland. He is easily identifiable by his flaming red hair and beard, as well as his aggressive temperament and strong Scottish accent. He is depicted as incompetent, slow-witted and a heavy drinker. He shows antipathy to both his employer, Principal Skinner and to Bart Simpson, who plays pranks on him.

Short-tempered Groundskeeper Willie

OTTO MANN

He is the school bus driver. He is famous for his maniacal driving style, his love of heavy metal music, drugs and his propensity to act as a perpetual 1980s teenager.

Otto is the School bus driver

To end with, some videos. In the first one, The Simpsons sing Chuck Berry´s blues School Days. In the second one, Bart has a nightmare about what life would be like if his poor test results caused Springfield Elementary to close.

TORNADO ALLEY. ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS AREAS IN THE WORLD.

A tornado in Oklahoma

We are sure you have seen images of some horrific and devastating tornadoes either on TV or in movies. Don´t worry! They are usually images which come from the United States, and more particularly from a specific area corresponding to the plains between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalacchian Mountains where this atmospheric phenomenon is more frequent. This area is called Tornado Alley.



A diagram of Tornado Alley ´s rough location (red) and its contributing weather systems

 

Tornadoes or twisters are violently rotating columns of air that are in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud. although it´s not the normal thing, the most extreme tornadoes can reach wind speeds of more than 483 km/h and stretch about 3 kms across.

Though no state is entirely free of tornadoes, we can say that Texas is the state which reports the biggest number (they had 8.049 between 1950 and 2009). Kansas and Oklahoma were second and third respectively.

Tornado activity in the United States

 

 

 

Tornadoes can happen at any time of the year but they most often occur in spring and early summer. They usually leave chaos and destruction behind them. As recently as April 2011 a tornado outbreak which went through the Tornado alley caused 358 deaths. The number of victims is astonishing even though it is far from that of the deadliest American tornado, the so-called Tri-State (Missouri, Illinois and Indiana) which caused 695 deaths on March 18, 1925.




A sequence of images showing the birth of a tornado
 

We show you now two breathtaking videos about tornadoes. The first one is from one of the main tornadoes research projects existing in America and the second one was recorded inside a tornado occurring in Aurora, Nebraska. They are really startling. Aren´t they?

 

 

"YOU´LL NEVER WALK ALONE". MUCH MORE THAN A SONG.

 

The words are also in the club crest on the Shankly Gate entrance to Anfield

 

If you are a football fanatic, surely enough you have listened to the song "You´ll never walk alone" more than once. But even if you don´t like football, you could have sometimes seen images of Liverpool F.C supporters singing it when the beginning of a match comes near.

Originally composed for the Broadway musical "Carousel", the song had immediate success and it has been recorded by many artists, such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley or Johnny Cash.

In the United Kingdom, the song was released in 1963 with notable success by the Liverpool band Gerry and the Pacemakers and it quickly became the anthem of Liverpool Football Club and it is invariably sung by the team´s supporters before the start of each home game. When you are in Anfield (Liverpool´s stadium) no matter what team you support, you can´t help having goose bumps or feeling a shiver through your body at the moment supporters at The Kop stand start to sing.

Here are the lyrics of the song: 

When you walk through a storm
hold your head up high,
and don´t be afraid of the dark;
at the end of the storm there is a golden sky
and the sweet silver song of the lark

Walk on through the wind,
walk on through the rain,
tho´ your dreams be tossed and blown.

Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart,
and you´ll never walk alone,
you´ll never walk alone.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart,
and you´ll never walk alone,
you´ll never walk alone.

And here you have two videos where Liverpool F.C. fans sing "You´ll never walk alone" at Anfield.

 

 

 

This is one of the oldest recordings we have of the tune(1970)

 

 

 

 

The song has also been adopted by other teams such as Celtic Glasgow in Scotland. We have also included a video of this team´s supporters singing "You´ll never walk alone".