The Office

Often TV shows that are very successful in one country are sold to other countries' TV stations. They are then changed somewhat to suit the audience of that country. Here's an example of a show called The Office, originally produced in the UK.

First take a look at the British version.

Now, take a look at a shorter clip of the American pilot episode.

How do they compare? Is one easier to understand than the other? Are you able to understand the humor (of one more than the other)? Which do you like more? Why?

A commuter's life .

" A commuter: someone who travels a long distance every day between work and home, especially by train"

I wish I had the option of walking or cycling to work but, unfortunately, I don't. My two daily journeys last about 45 minutes . That's when I am lucky; sometimes it is more like two hours ! Like today. I got stuck (1) in a tunnel because of a problem with the catenary ( the overhead power lines). I got to work late and stressed out (2) .Can't wait for the journey home ! In these situations I always make a complaint (3) I may only be able to claim for the price of a single fare (4)but it is the principle that counts !.Because most commuters are travelling at the same time of day , commuting causes a morning and evening "rush hour” (5) with congestion (6) on roads and public transport systems. This makes the cost of commuting in petrol and pollution high and can also cause health problems.
According to an article in Business Week commuting is associated with “ raised blood pressure (7), musculoskeletal disorders ,increased hostility , lateness (8) , absenteeism (9) and adverse effects on cognite performace” in other words...extreme stress. I feel lucky to be alive !Stress expert Dr.David Lewis conducted a study that says that a commuter can experience greater stress than fighter pilots going into battle. Dr Lewis said” the difference is that pilots have things they can do to combat the stress that is being triggered (10) by the event but commuters, particularly on a train , cannot do anything about it at all. Dr Lewis has identified a syndrome he calls “commuter amnesia” where people forget large parts of their journey because of stress.

Music by the Beatles. "I am only sleeping ".

The average journey is between 45-60 minutes , so people switch off their minds and turn into zombies for 90 minutes a day. According to this study commuting makes people feel “frustrated, anxious and despondent (11)“ and most consider their journey to work as an ordeal (12) ,some describe it as a nightmare. I certainly agree !!
But how can workers avoid the stress of commuting ?Travelling to work outside peak hours (13) , carpooling (14) or working from home are some alternatives but if this is not possible Dr Lewis suggests a brisk (15) walk between the end of the journey and arriving at the office to “burn up (16) the hormones released and build up (17) the cardiovascular system “.

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How do you get to work? Is it really as stressful as Dr Lewis' study suggests ?Does your journey to and from work send your blood pressure through the roof ? How do you avoid the stress of commuting ? Tell us your story !

Vocabulary building
1- get stuck: unable to move (atascado)
2-stressed out: feel very nervous and worried.(estresado)
3-make a complaint: formally say that something is wrong or not satisfactory
4-fare:the money that you pay for a journey on a vehicle such as a bus or train
5-rush hour : the busy part of the day when people are travelling to work or home .
6- congestion:roads and towns where there is too much traffic
7-raised blood pressure: (tensión alta)
8- lateness:(happening or arriving) after the planned, expected, usual or necessary time
9-absenteeism: not being at school or work when you should be
10-trigger: to cause something bad to start
11-despondent:unhappy and with no hope or enthusiasm
12-ordeal:a very unpleasant and painful or difficult experience
13 peak hours: when most people are using or doing something (hora punta)
14-carpooling :a group of people who travel together, especially to work or school, usually in a different member's car each day
15-brisk: quick,energetic and active.
16-burn up :to use energy by doing a lot of physical exercise
17-build up: increase

English Listening Exercises

I have found a nice website, called English Listening Exercises, by an Englishwoman called Caroline Brown. There are several subjects you can choose from. Each subject has several types of listening activities. As you know, listening comprehension is essential to learning a language, so give it a try! Click on the name to go directly to the website.

Stonehenge

Located near Salisbury in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside, Stonehenge is probably the most important prehistoric monument in the whole of Britain. Watch the video and try to answer the following questions:
1-Why was Stonehenge built ?
A-To worship the sun B- It was a calendar C-We don't know.
2-The workers pulled the stones upright to form ...
A- a square B-a circle C-a perfectly horizontal stone.
3-The trilithons (two large stones set upright to support a third)were placed:
A-inside the circle B- outside the circle C- round the circle.

Script: Salisbury plain in southern England 2500 BC the same time as the pyramids in Egypt are under construction , workers here complete the outer circle in Stonehenge.
They haul huge rocks (Arrastran rocas enormes) some weighing up to 45 tons across rough terrain .
They work each granite-like stone into shape , then pull them upright (poner de pie) to form the great stone circle
Thousands of people work on this massive project … when they complete this phase ... an inner horseshoe (herradura interior) of five great arches will be enclosed by a ring of 30 stone uprights and topped by a circle of perfectly horizontal stones called lintels(dinteles)
But while we know this was an incredible feat (hazaña) of engineering… who these people were and why they built Stonehenge has remained one of the great unsolved mysteries of the ancient world.. .

What is Stonehenge and what was it used for ?
According to Professor J.C Atkinson “There is one short, simple and perfectly correct answer; we do not know,and we shall probably never know ”. Anyway, several theories have been proposed to explain Stonehenge. These are the most common:
a-It was a temple for sun worship.
b-It was a sacred site for the burial of high-ranking citizens
c-It was a centre of medicine with the circle’s creators believing that the stones had magical powers .

d-It was a calendar and observatory . The stones are aligned with the summer and winter solstices-the longest and shortest days of the year.
e-A centre of mystical lines of energy that cross Britain.
f-A launching point for spaceships.…

What do you think it is? What was it used for ? What is so special about Stonehenge ?