Tuesday, 22 April 2014

H.G.WELLS: "THE FATHER OF SCIENCE-FICTION"

                                                   
                                                                       



Herbert George Wells wrote an important number of novels and short stories. He is nowadays best-remembered for those belonging to the science-fiction genre, to such an extent that he is usually considered to be, along with Jules Verne, the father of science-fiction.

Wells' works are not only composed of adventures. They are also full of political, social or philosophical reflections which give his novels even greater importance.





THE INVISIBLE MAN





It all starts when a mysterious stranger arrives at the town of Iping, all wrapped up in bandages. After some days working in his hotel, people start to get suspicious: Who is this disguised man? Is he a criminal hiding from the police? Or is he horribly disfigured? Read the book to discover the truth!


                                                               

THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU







Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man is rescued by a boat and left on the island of Doctor Moreau, who plays to be God creating human-like beings from animals via vivisection. Prendick soon finds that the only way to survive is to bring madness over the island., a thing he wishes would never have happened.

                                                                           
THE TIME MACHINE









This 1895 novel popularized the concept of time travel by using a vehicle that allowed to travel to the time in history the person selected. The protagonist of the novel will travel to the year 802,701, where he will find a world very different to ours.

                                                                            
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS








The story, set in the early 20th century, narrates the invasion of Earth by Martians. This is one of the most influential works in science-fiction history. 

The origin of many film, TV, comic or radio adaptations, the most famous one was the 1938 radio broadcast narrated and directed by Orson Welles which led to panic to many listeners who believed that the events narrated were true.



                                                                         2005


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Friday, 4 April 2014

YORK. A CITY WITH ROMAN AND VIKING MEMORIES.


On Tuesday 8th April, 21 students and 2 teachers of the IES Álvaro Yáñez will be travelling to York to spend there one week. They will carry out a complete programme of activities including conversation lessons, touristic visits to places like Whitby or Liverpool and free-time activities. We´ll keep you informed about this travel.



Some students of IES Álvaro Yáñez will be visiting York
from 8 to 15 April.



York is called "The Capital of the North"
or "Chocolate City"

We are continuing showing you some of the most beautiful cities in Britain. Now we go from Bath to York, travelling north to find this beautiful city of about 200.000 inhabitants which was founded by the Romans in 71 AD, under the name of Eboracum. It is placed in the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England.







 
Aerial view of the City of York
In 866, the Vikings captured the city and made it the capital of  their new territory in Northern England. They renamed it as Jorvik. Their legacy is still visible in the names of streets, since many of them have the suffix -gate (like Micklegate, Skeldergate), which comes from the Viking "gata", meaning simply "street". The area remained under Viking dominance until the Battle of Hastings in 1066, when the Normans invaded England.








 
A map of the city centre
Therefore, we are in a city full of history, where every corner of every street in the old part of the city reminds you of its past. But it´s not only a historical city. Nowadays, York is a lively city, with a vibrant café culture, a lot of talented street entertainers and hundreds of shops, bars and restaurants.

The Shambles is a medieval street full of shops
  
During the 19th and 20th centuries York has become an important touristic city with an important university. Among the main sights we can stand out York Minster, which is the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe; York Castle or  The Medieval Walls; The Shambles, which is a narrow medieval street lined with shops and tea rooms. There are also many museums and galleries, the most important ones being The Yorkshire Museum or the JORVIK Viking Centre, where life in Viking times is reproduced.

At Jorvik Centre you can see how Vikings lived