English Recordings

These days, digital cameras are used all the time. I think that digital cameras are really good, but there are pros and cons to this new technology.
On the one hand, they are extremely easy to use, so anybody can take a good photo with a digital camera. You don’t need to be as good a photographer as with conventional cameras. Additionally, memory cards for digital cameras can hold hundreds of photos, unlike conventional ones. Another advantage is that it is quite easy to delete photos from a digital camera if they are not wanted.
On the other hand, digital cameras aren’t perfect and they have some disadvantages. First of all, they are very expensive, so they are stolen quite a lot. Secondly, when you have hundreds of photos, it is often difficult to look at them on your screen. And because people delete the photos they don’t like, most photos are never actually printed, which is a pity.
Finally, the photos from some digital cameras aren’t particularly good compared to photos from conventional cameras.
Nevertheless, I believe that digital technology will continue to get better and better, so I think that digital cameras will be the future of photography.

When I was a child, I was a dreamer. I liked to dream much more than now because I had an unlimited mind to believe that everything was possible. Because I was looking for who I would be when I grew up; from a very young age I always worried about my future and "what would become of me".

In my dreams there was never an engineering career, business administration, or law, rather there were dreams on which I based my tastes at that time. I loved to sing and I thought I sang well until one day I recorded myself and I was very surprised because it turned out I was actually the worst singer. Then I realized I was good at drawing. I said "I’m going to study art" until I postponed my dream for school homework. I also loved candy, so one day I said, "I want to be a chef", but little by little every dream fell apart, because I realized I wasn’t really as good as I thought I was, or I was just told that that career didn’t give me enough money to survive, which made me sad because I dreamed big and I was very excited with what I wanted to accomplish. I didn’t want to be just any artist, I wanted to be the best. I wanted to already perform in concerts and I imagined myself in the Voice Kids. Although I was smaller in height and age than I am now, I tried harder then to find what I wanted to do with my life than I do now.

My search for an identity continued when I grew up because when I was old enough to think seriously about my future. I opted for civil engineering, but in the tenth grade I realized that I really suck at mathematics. Then I thought about microbiology because I understood and loved chemistry, but in the eleventh grade I didn’t even pay much attention to the teacher. Later on, receiving the result of the ICFES tests I felt very disappointed with myself, because I had studied and tried as I had never done before, yet my score was so bad that it wouldn't serve for the career I thought I wanted.

Nevertheless, I was able to enter the first university I enrolled in, which I had already imagined, so I did not lose hope. As I had done before, as when I was little, I looked again for my dream. I decided to study English, although I had sworn a long time before not to study for a degree because, since I was little, I had never liked to get up early. I am the laziest to the last and crazy. Despite everything, I decided to be happy.

Looking at the girl I was and the woman I’m becoming, I think, even though when I was little I didn’t know much about life, I was clearer on what I wanted to be because I just wanted to be the happiest, not only grow and work, but also fulfill my goals. I think the way I’m going, I’m achieving that.

When I was a child, I was a dreamer, I liked to dream much more than now because I had an unlimited mind to believe that everything was possible. Because I was looking for who I would be when I grew up, from a very young age I always worried about my future and "what would become of me". In my dreams there was never an engineering career; business administration or law, were rather the dreams on which I based my tastes at that time,

I loved to sing and I thought I sang well until one day I recorded myself and I was very surprised because it turns out I was actually the worst singer.

Then I realized I was good at drawing. I said "I’m going to study art" until I postponed my dream for school homework.

I also loved candy, so one day I said, "I want to be a chef."

But little by little every dream fell apart because I realized I wasn’t really as good as I thought I was or I was just told that that career didn’t give me money to survive which made me sad because I dreamed big and I was very excited about what I wanted to accomplish. I didn’t want to be any artist I wanted to be the best, I wanted to already do concerts and I imagined myself in the choir. Although I was smaller in height and age than I am now, I tried harder to find what I wanted to do with my life than I do now.
My search for an identity kept happening to me when I grew up because when I was old enough to think seriously about my future I opted for civil engineering, but in tenth grade I realized that I really suck at mathematics and I would never take off. Then I thought about microbiology because I understood and loved chemistry, but in the eleventh grade I didn’t even pay much attention to the teacher. Later on, receiving the result of the ICFES tests I felt very disappointed with myself, because I had studied and tried as I had never before and my score was bad, I would not serve for the career I wanted what I thought. After all I was able to enter the first university, I enrolled in which I had already imagined, but I did not lose hope. Because as I had done before, as when I was little I looked again for my dream. I decided to study English, although I had sworn a long time ago not to study a degree because since I was little, I never liked to get up early. I am the laziest, despite everything to the last and crazy I decided to be happy. Looking at the girl I went to and the woman I’m becoming I think, even though when I was little, I didn’t know much about life I was clearer on what I wanted to be because I just wanted to be the happiest, not only grow and work but fulfill my goals and I think the way I’m going I’m achieving.

My name is Tommy. I'm 13 years old. I'm from Canada, and I live in Toronto. I like hockey. I play hockey every week. I can skate very fast, and I score a lot of goals. My hockey team is called the River Heights Cardinals. I go to hockey practice on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I play games every Saturday and Sunday. My favourite hockey player is Wayne Gretzky. My favourite professional hockey team is the Montreal Canadiens.​ I love this sport. I want to be a professional player when I grow up.

How Can Some Animals Talk Like Humans?
Many animals, such as parrots, songbirds, beluga whales and dolphins have the ability to mimic humans. They may sound like they are talking, while in fact, they are just great copycats!
Animals mimic human speech!
These animals have a special circuit in the frontal lobes of their brains, making them vocal learners. Only a handful of animals have these circuits, which gives them the ability to mimic human speech and other sounds they hear around them. These circuits play a role in helping these animals learn new noises from
their surroundings and recreate them using the muscles in their vocal tracts.
Some animals in captivity (that are vocal learners), such as chimpanzees, also learn to communicate with humans by copying noises and actions. Studies have shown that these actions come out of loneliness and a need to socialize. They pick up social cues from humans around them and copy them.
With some vocal learners, especially parrots, you may feel as though they understand what they are saying. However, all these noises are simple mimicry recreated with their vocal chords.

I’m at the Giant’s Causeway, or Giant’s Causey, as it’s called here, in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Made up of around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, this is the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom as well as a UN World Heritage Site. It also happens to be an extremely popular tourist attraction.
The structure is estimated to have been formed 50-60 million years ago due to severe volcanic activity and subsequent cooling down. Not that this in itself isn’t interesting enough, but the place has an even more interesting legend associated with it. Legend has it that the columns are actually the remnants of a causeway built by a giant.
After the National Trust took over its care in the 1960s, tourism flourished and the site has been popular with tourists ever since. There are plenty of interesting structures to see here, including the very innovatively designed Giant’s Causeway Visiting Centre, which blends perfectly with the landscape. It boasts beautiful glass walls supported by basalt columns, with award winning interior design. There are 4 stunning trails to choose from, with varying difficulty levels ranging from babies and pet-friendly to challenging coastal hikes. In fact, there’s a newly accessible cliff top walk for people with disabilities as well! Definitely a cool place to visit if you’re ever in Northern Ireland.

Once upon a time... there lived an unhappy young girl. Unhappy she was, for her mother was dead, her father had married another woman, a widow with two daughters, and her stepmother didn't like her one little bit. Unhappy Cinderella. All the nice things, kind thoughts and loving touches were for her own daughters. And not just the kind thoughts and love, but also dresses, shoes, shawls, delicious food, comfy beds, as well as every home comfort. All this was laid on for her daughters. But, for the poor unhappy girl, there was nothing at all. No dresses, only her stepsisters' hand-me-downs. No lovely dishes, nothing but scraps. No nice rests and comfort. For she had to work hard all day, and only when evening came was she allowed to sit for a while by the fire, near the cinders. That is how she got her nickname, for everybody called her Cinderella. Cinderella used to spend long hours all alone talking to the cat. The cat said,

"Miaow", which really meant, "Cheer up! You have something neither of your stepsisters have and that is beauty."

It was quite true. Cinderalla, even dressed in rags with a dusty gray face from the cinders, was a lovely girl. While her stepsisters, no matter how splendid and elegant their clothes, were still clumsy, lumpy and ugly and always would be.

One day, beautiful new dresses arrived at the house. A ball was to be held at Court and the stepsisters were getting ready to go to it. Cinderella, didn't even dare ask, "What about me?" for she knew very well what the answer to that would be:

"You? My dear girl, you're staying at home to wash the dishes, scrub the floors and turn down the beds for your stepsisters. They will come home tired and very sleepy." Cinderella sighed at the cat.

"Oh dear, I'm so unhappy!" and the cat murmured "Miaow".

Suddenly something amazing happened. In the kitchen, where Cinderella was sitting all by herself, there was a burst of light and a fairy appeared.

"Don't be alarmed, Cinderella," said the fairy. "The wind blew me your sighs. I know you would love to go to the ball. And so you shall!"

"How can I, dressed in rags?" Cinderella replied. "The servants will turn me away!" The fairy smiled. With a flick of her magic wand... Cinderella found herself wearing the most beautiful dress, the loveliest ever seen in the realm.

"Now that we have settled the matter of the dress," said the fairy, "we'll need to get you a coach. A real lady would never go to a ball on foot!"

"Quick! Get me a pumpkin!" she ordered.

"Oh of course," said Cinderella, rushing away. Then the fairy turned to the cat.

"You, bring me seven mice!"

Cinderella with poor dress and beautiful dress

"Seven mice!" said the cat. "I didn't know fairies ate mice too!"

"They're not for eating, silly! Do as you are told!... and, remember they must be alive!"

Cinderella soon returned with a fine pumpkin and the cat with seven mice he had caught in the cellar.

"Good!" exclaimed the fairy. With a flick of her magic wand... wonder of wonders! The pumpkin turned into a sparkling coach and the mice became six white horses, while the seventh mouse turned into a coachman, in a smart uniform and carrying a whip. Cinderella could hardly believe her eyes.

"I shall present you at Court. You will soon see that the Prince, in whose honour the ball is being held, will be enchanted by your loveliness. But remember! You must leave the ball at midnight and come home. For that is when the spell ends. Your coach will turn back into a pumpkin, the horses will become mice again and the coachman will turn back into a mouse... and you will be dressed again in rags and wearing clogs instead of these dainty little slippers! Do you understand?" Cinderella smiled and said,

"Yes, I understand!"

When Cinderella entered the ballroom at the palace, a hush fell. Everyone stopped in mid-sentence to admire her elegance, her beauty and grace.

"Who can that be?" people asked each other. The two stepsisters also wondered who the newcomer was, for never in a month of Sundays, would they ever have guessed that the beautiful girl was really poor Cinderella who talked to the cat!

When the prince set eyes on Cinderella, he was struck by her beauty. Walking over to her, he bowed deeply and asked her to dance. And to the great disappointment of all the young ladies, he danced with Cinderella all evening.

"Who are you, fair maiden?" the Prince kept asking her. But Cinderella only replied:

"What does it matter who I am! You will never see me again anyway."

"Oh, but I shall, I'm quite certain!" he replied.

Cinderella and the Prince had a wonderful time at the ball... But, all of a sudden, she heard the sound of a clock: the first stroke of midnight! She remembered what the fairy had said, and without a word of goodbye she slipped from the Prince's arms and ran down the steps. As she ran she lost one of her slippers, but not for a moment did she dream of stopping to pick it up! If the last stroke of midnight were to sound... oh... what a disaster that would be! Out she fled and vanished into the night.

The Prince, who was now madly in love with her, picked up her slipper and said to his ministers,

"Go and search everywhere for the girl whose foot this slipper fits. I will never be content until I find her!" So the ministers tried the slipper on the foot of all the girls... and on Cinderella's foot as well... Surprise! The slipper fitted perfectly.

"That awful untidy girl simply cannot have been at the ball," snapped the stepmother. "Tell the Prince he ought to marry one of my two daughters! Can't you see how ugly Cinderella is! Can't you see?"

Suddenly she broke off, for the fairy had appeared.

"That's enough!" she exclaimed, raising her magic wand. In a flash, Cinderella appeared in a splendid dress, shining with youth and beauty. Her stepmother and stepsisters gaped at her in amazement, and the ministers said,

"Come with us, fair maiden! The Prince awaits to present you with his engagement ring!" So Cinderella joyfully went with them, and lived happily ever after with her Prince. And as for the cat, he just said "Miaow"!

Once upon a time... there lived an unhappy young girl. Unhappy she was, for her mother was dead, her father had married another woman, a widow with two daughters, and her stepmother didn't like her one little bit. Unhappy Cinderella. All the nice things, kind thoughts and loving touches were for her own daughters. And not just the kind thoughts and love, but also dresses, shoes, shawls, delicious food, comfy beds, as well as every home comfort. All this was laid on for her daughters. But, for the poor unhappy girl, there was nothing at all. No dresses, only her stepsisters' hand-me-downs. No lovely dishes, nothing but scraps. No nice rests and comfort. For she had to work hard all day, and only when evening came was she allowed to sit for a while by the fire, near the cinders. That is how she got her nickname, for everybody called her Cinderella. Cinderella used to spend long hours all alone talking to the cat. The cat said,

"Miaow", which really meant, "Cheer up! You have something neither of your stepsisters have and that is beauty."

It was quite true. Cinderella, even dressed in rags with a dusty gray face from the cinders, was a lovely girl. While her stepsisters, no matter how splendid and elegant their clothes, were still clumsy, lumpy and ugly and always would be.

One day, beautiful new dresses arrived at the house. A ball was to be held at Court and the stepsisters were getting ready to go to it. Cinderella, didn't even dare ask, "What about me?" for she knew very well what the answer to that would be:

"You? My dear girl, you're staying at home to wash the dishes, scrub the floors and turn down the beds for your stepsisters. They will come home tired and very sleepy." Cinderella sighed at the cat.

"Oh dear, I'm so unhappy!" and the cat murmured "Miaow".

Suddenly something amazing happened. In the kitchen, where Cinderella was sitting all by herself, there was a burst of light and a fairy appeared.

"Don't be alarmed, Cinderella," said the fairy. "The wind blew me your sighs. I know you would love to go to the ball. And so you shall!"

"How can I, dressed in rags?" Cinderella replied. "The servants will turn me away!" The fairy smiled. With a flick of her magic wand... Cinderella found herself wearing the most beautiful dress, the loveliest ever seen in the realm.

"Now that we have settled the matter of the dress," said the fairy, "we'll need to get you a coach. A real lady would never go to a ball on foot!"

"Quick! Get me a pumpkin!" she ordered.

"Oh, of course," said Cinderella, rushing away. Then the fairy turned to the cat.

"You, bring me seven mice!"

"Seven mice!" said the cat. "I didn't know fairies ate mice too!"

"They're not for eating, silly! Do as you are told!... and, remember they must be alive!"

Cinderella soon returned with a fine pumpkin and the cat with seven mice he had caught in the cellar.

"Good!" exclaimed the fairy. With a flick of her magic wand... wonder of wonders! The pumpkin turned into a sparkling coach and the mice became six white horses, while the seventh mouse turned into a coachman, in a smart uniform and carrying a whip. Cinderella could hardly believe her eyes.

"I shall present you at Court. You will soon see that the Prince, in whose honor the ball is being held, will be enchanted by your loveliness. But remember! You must leave the ball at midnight and come home. For that is when the spell ends. Your coach will turn back into a pumpkin, the horses will become mice again and the coachman will turn back into a mouse... and you will be dressed again in rags and wearing clogs instead of these dainty little slippers! Do you understand?" Cinderella smiled and said,

"Yes, I understand!"

When Cinderella entered the ballroom at the palace, a hush fell. Everyone stopped in mid-sentence to admire her elegance, her beauty and grace.

"Who can that be?" people asked each other. The two stepsisters also wondered who the newcomer was, for never in a month of Sundays, would they ever have guessed that the beautiful girl was really poor Cinderella who talked to the cat!

When the prince set eyes on Cinderella, he was struck by her beauty. Walking over to her, he bowed deeply and asked her to dance. And to the great disappointment of all the young ladies, he danced with Cinderella all evening.

"Who are you, fair maiden?" the Prince kept asking her. But Cinderella only replied:

"What does it matter who I am! You will never see me again anyway."

"Oh, but I shall, I'm quite certain!" he replied.

Cinderella had a wonderful time at the ball... But, all of a sudden, she heard the sound of a clock: the first stroke of midnight! She remembered what the fairy had said, and without a word of goodbye she slipped from the Prince's arms and ran down the steps. As she ran she lost one of her slippers, but not for a moment did she dream of stopping to pick it up! If the last stroke of midnight were to sound... oh... what a disaster that would be! Out she fled and vanished into the night.

The Prince, who was now madly in love with her, picked up her slipper and said to his ministers,

"Go and search everywhere for the girl whose foot this slipper fits. I will never be content until I find her!" So the ministers tried the slipper on the foot of all the girls... and on Cinderella's foot as well... Surprise! The slipper fitted perfectly.

"That awful untidy girl simply cannot have been at the ball," snapped the stepmother. "Tell the Prince he ought to marry one of my two daughters! Can't you see how ugly Cinderella is! Can't you see?"

Suddenly she broke off, for the fairy had appeared.

"That's enough!" she exclaimed, raising her magic wand. In a flash, Cinderella appeared in a splendid dress, shining with youth and beauty. Her stepmother and stepsisters gaped at her in amazement, and the ministers said,

"Come with us, fair maiden! The Prince awaits to present you with his engagement ring!" So Cinderella joyfully went with them, and lived happily ever after with her Prince. And as for the cat, he just said "Miaow"!

This document is a black and white photograph taken in 1941. It has no title and we don’t know who took it. (= the photographer is unknown / it’s anonymous.) It takes place in a labour camp during World War II.

It depicts an inspection tour of the camp.
On the left, we can see Himmler, one of the leading members of the Nazi Party. Around him, there are German soldiers in uniform.
On the right, there is a prisoner. He is standing up in front of Himmler and the soldiers. He is shirtless but he is wearing trousers and a hat. He looks determined or angry.
Behind him, we can see other prisoners. They are sitting on the ground and looking at the scene. In the background, we can see a long building. It may be the prisoners’ dormitory or some administrative building.
The soldiers and the prisoners are separated by barbed wire. In the foreground, there is a trunk that forms a parallel with the standing prisoner.

We can imagine that the prisoner is standing in front of Himmler to show his defiance. He doesn’t seem to be afraid, quite the opposite. He is the only prisoner who is shirtless, so we can suppose that he took off his shirt to show that he doesn’t respect the nazi soldiers. I think he is really courageous because his provocation could cost his life! As he is very close to the trunk, we can associate his strong character with the solidity of a tree. I think the photographer wanted to emphasize the bravery of this prisoner.
There are some contrasts in this picture.
First of all, there are physical contrasts. The soldiers are wearing a uniform while the standing prisoner is half-naked. We can see his bones, he is skinny. In front of him, Himmler is fit.
His skin is very pale, and it is in opposition to the dark colour of the uniforms.

There is also a contrast in numbers: in the picture, there are more prisoners than soldiers.
But the standing prisoner is standing alone, in front of a group of soldiers.
Nevertheless, he doesn’t look scared. Himmler seems to have no reaction.
Finally, this picture symbolizes freedom versus imprisonment and it is delimited by the barbed wire.
I don’t really like this photograph because it reminds me of the atrocities the Nazis committed during World War II. It makes me think of pictures we studied during History lessons. However, I think that the prisoner is very courageous and I hope that he survived in this labour camp.

Let's play a game! Can you guess what these jobs are?

Ready?

It is someone who wears a uniform and who works in contact with people. He or she protects and defends people and arrests dangerous individuals. He or she often carries a gun. He or she must be very strict and passionate to do this job.
What job is it?

It is someone who works outside in contact with nature. He or she takes care of plants and flowers. He or she sometimes works in a garden or in a park.
What job is it?

It is someone who works in a room with a group of children. He or she prepares lessons and encourages children to participate. He or she plays an important role in educating children but he or she must be very patient and flexible to do this job!
What's the job?

It is someone who works with customers. He or she sometimes wears a white shirt and a black tie. He or she asks people what they want to eat or drink and serves people. He or she works in a pub or in a diner. It is important to be organized and enthusiastic to do this job!
What job is it?

It is someone who wears a uniform. He or she saves or helps people in danger. He or she extinguishes fires and must be very courageous because it is a very dangerous job.
What job is it?

become became become
beat beat beaten
build built built
break broke broken
buy bought bought
come came come
drink drank drunk
eat ate eaten
do did done
get got got
go went gone
have had had
leave left left
lose lost lost
know knew known
make made made
meet met met
read read read
run ran run
see saw seen
sell sold sold
sit sat sat
speak spoke spoken
take took taken
think thought thought
win won won
write wrote written