English Without End

EOI ALCALA CHRISTMAS CARD CONTEST WINNER 2013-14 THE HISTORY CHANNEL: Christmas Unwrapped. Watch the first 10 minutes of this video and answer the following questions: -  What’s the origin of the Christmas Tree? -  How long did the Norse celebrations last?  What were they characterized by? -  What two celebrations were there in Ancient Rome? What did they consist of? -  What does the narrator say about the date of Christian celebration? -  How did the Church adapt pagan traditions? -  What was Puritan England’s attitude to Xmas celebrations? 5 strange Christmas traditions  around the world: For older Christmas posts, click here .

INVICTUS Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. William Ernest Henley (1875) BBC History: Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013 - interactive timeline   (A remarkable life) Nelson Mandela: biography Nelson Mandela: southafrica.org Nelson Mandela: champion of freedom ( 6-minute video ) South Africa timeline South Africa fact file For a previous post on South Africa, click here . Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)

Would you like to boost your confidence in spoken English? Would you like to practise your spoken English outside the classroom but you don't know what to do or where to go? Have you ever heard of MadridBabel? Why don't you check their website? Plenty of activities to choose from, aren't there? Meet people from all over the world in Madrid, practise languages absolutely free & make new friends through our wide range of international activities: http://madridbabel.weebly.com/ Please, do remember: you cannot learn to swim without getting wet