Rise Against

Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Zach Blair (lead guitar, backing vocals), Joe Principe (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Brandon Barnes (drums, percussion).

The band is known for its political lyrics and activism. All of the group's members are vegetarians and active supporters of PETA, an animal rights organization.

Endgame is the sixth studio album by Rise Against, it was released on March 15, 2011. As of January 2012, the album has sold around 252,000 copies in the US alone.

Now listen to a song by Rise Against and then you can do the exercise to check what you remember.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DboMAghWcA

Rise Against is an American punk rock band from ________, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Zach Blair (lead guitar, backing vocals), Joe Principe (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Brandon Barnes (________, percussion).

The band is known for its political lyrics and activism. All of the group's members are __________ and active supporters of PETA, an animal rights ___________.

Endgame is the ________ studio album by Rise Against, it was released on March 15, 2011. As of January 2012, the album has ________ around 252,000 copies in the US alone. 

10 Fun & Easy Ways to Learn English Faster

We’ve all heard a thousand times that the only way to really learn English is to be totally immersed in the language, completely surrounded by it everywhere you go. But we wanted to go deeper than that and find quick and easy ways to start getting immersed. So our research team put together 10 steps that you can follow, in this order, to make learning English faster and a whole lot more fun.

#1: Find some English radio stations and podcasts in iTunes
There are tons of podcasts about all topics imaginable these days: entertainment, politics, news. A good way to find one is to look for a podcast from a TV channel you usually watch in your cable TV. Look for one that interests you and listen to it in your car while driving. You’ll train your ear that way!

#2: Check out the Top Videos on YouTube and watch for at least a few minutes
Most of them are hilarious! It will be so worth it. Try looking at the comments to pick up some words and sentences you aren’t familiar with, but be careful there is all kinds of bizarre stuff in YouTube comments.

#3: Talk and sing to yourself in English
When you are alone at home, or of course in the shower, start talking! Sing a song in English the way it sounds to you, talk about the weather or any other topic. Do this frequently and your pronunciation will drastically improve – guaranteed!

4#: Do you have an English-speaking idol? Go to YouTube and watch all of his/her interviews in English
You can spend hours doing that listening to interviews and it sure won’t feel like studying. But it is! It helps you a great deal.

5#: Sit near people who are speaking English on the bus or in the park. Listen in…
Okay now don’t be a creepy eavesdropper! But, see what words you can pick up and listen to the flow of the conversation. How much did you understand? What general topic were they talking about? Did you hear an interesting word you might want to look up after?

#6: Pay attention to billboards, signs, advertisements, magazine stands and establishment names
Look and think about what these ads mean. How many words do you recognize? Did you see that same word elsewhere? Make up sentences about what you’re seeing.

#7: Love music? Try figuring out the words/lyrics of your favorite songs
Watch video clips with lyrics on YouTube and sing along. Read the translation and build up your vocabulary. Listen to “clean” versions of songs and try to figure out what dirty words were taken out. It’s fun!

#8: Watch TV clips, episodes or soap operas in English
It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand what they’re saying, watch anyway! Try to understand why something is funny or sad . If the joke is related to the word itself, then maybe that is why the joke does not make sense in your native language. What would be the best translation into your language then?

#9: Engage in a conversation on Facebook with friends who post in English
When you have English speakers in your timeline, you see their posts daily and get inside information about news and viral videos in English. Your friends can be your teachers! Their timeline basically sort out the best material for you to study.

#10: Produce, produce, produce. No matter how shy you are or how much you don’t “get” English, force yourself to speak
Help out a tourist who looks lost. They won’t mind you struggling with the language while you’re doing them a favor! After class, talk to your teacher about how things are going and what you need help with in English. When traveling, ask around for directions in English, even if you don’t need them! Try purchasing things online and by phone, or using customer support in English.
It does not matter if you talk slowly, you are learning, that’s only natural!

BONUS TIP: When seeing a new movie look up the original title on IMDB.com
The translation sometimes does not correspond directly to the original. Find out what the original title really means. Ask yourself how the translation makes sense.  What is the relation to the movie? You will never forget a new word that once it’s associated with an unforgettable movie. Works every time!

Joaquín Prat

Joaquin Prat got up at 6.00 this morning. He had a good breakfast, and then he left the house. Joaquin usually takes the bus to work, but it was a nice morning, so he decided to walk. He went through the park, and started to cross San Martin Street. Unfortunately, he didn’t pay attention, and while he was crossing the road a man, who was skateboarding, ran into him. Joaquin fell down and hurt his leg and his hand.

His wife gave him lunch in bed, and after lunch   Doctor Davila came. He looked at Joaquin’s leg and hand, and said: “I’m sorry, Mr Prat, but you must stay in bed for a week”.

“A week?” asked Joaquin

“Yes, “said the doctor. “I’m sorry”.

But Joaquin looked happy. ”Sorry?” he said. “I’m not sorry, I’m very happy. It’s the Tennis Master this week. Roger Federer is going to play. Now I can watch it at home on the TV!”

 1.   What time did Joaquin get up?__________________________________________________

2.   What kind of breakfast did Joaquin have?____________________________________________

3.   What did he do after breakfast?__________________________________________________

4.   How does Joaquin usually get to work?_______________________________________________

5.   Why did he walk this morning?__________________________________________________

6.   Where did the accident happen?_________________________________________________

7.   How did the accident happen?__________________________________________________

8.   What happened to Joaquin when the skateboarder hit him?________________________

9.   ____________________________________________________________________    

10.  Where did Joaquin have lunch?____________________________________________________

11.  Who made lunch?_______________________________________________________

12.   What happened after lunch?______________________________________________________

13.   What did the doctor say?______________________________________________________

14.   Was Joaquin sorry?________________________________________________________

15.  Who’s going  to play tennis?_______________________________________________________

an experience abroad

When I was 16 years old I went to the United States: I was a student then and that was the first time I left home.

I went to Boston to live with an American family for two months only. How exciting! - I though. How scared I felt! But I went all the same.

One of the things I remember quite clearly was my arrival: to start with, I missed the train from New York to Boston! That was trouble, although the family was there to greet me.

            When I arrived at the family house, I lost my voice, so nervous I felt. For three days I did not say a word. Now I know that was an unconscious way to get familiar with the English they spoke.

            Fortunately, after one week I felt more confident, I started to speak a little and the people in the house began to understand me.

How nice and enjoyable the second week was!

            The big morning breakfast, a snack at lunch time and early dinner at 6:00 p.m. became a routine. The shops were interesting, the vanilla ice-cream was wonderful, the sports were attractive and in a short time new friends were like the old ones.

            This experience was unforgettable!

1)_ Who did wait to Mariza arrive in Boston?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

2)- How old was Mariza when she went to the United States?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

3)- What became a routine to Mariza?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

4)- Circle the verbs in simple past and give the infinitive form of them. (DO IT IN YOUR NOTEBOOK)

8)- Use the simple past tense.

a)- I ________ more confident after some days. (to feel)

b)- He ________ home to live in Los Angeles. (to leave)

c)- We ________ at 6 o’clock yesterday. (to arrive)

d)- the student ________ his homework before lunch. (to do)

e- She ________ English with the American family. (to speak)