English Recordings

listening to music
playing tennis
playing football
riding a bycicle
singing
playing videogames
horseriding
surfing
watching TV
running
reading
swimming

8 May. — [...] I only slept a few hours and got up. I had hung my shaving glass by the window, and was just beginning to shave [when] suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, and heard the Count's voice saying to me, "Good morning." [...]I had not seen him [although] the reflection of the glass covered the whole room behind me. [...] I had cut myself slightly, but did not notice it at the moment. Having answered the Count's salutation, I turned to the glass again to see [...] there could be no error, [because] the man was close to me, and I could see him over my shoulder, but there was no reflection of him in the mirror! The whole room behind me was displayed, but there was no sign of a man in it, except myself.

[...] I saw that the cut had bled a little, and the blood was trickling over my chin. [...]. When the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat. I drew away and his hand touched the crucifix. Then he withdrew without a word. [...]

I went into the dining room, breakfast was prepared, but I could not find the Count anywhere. So I breakfasted alone. It is strange that as yet, I have not seen the Count eat or drink. He must be a very peculiar man!

Hi everyone, my name is Toby, I'm a TIGER and I am running for school mascot!
My colors are orange and purple and I defend the values of courage, friendship and honesty.
I think you should vote for me because I am funny, bold and very supportive.

Go Tigers!
Vote Toby the Tiger!

adjective, adult, afternoon, air, airport, alive, animal, apartment, apple, April, arm, army, art, artist, attack, August, author, baby, back(body), back(direction), bad, bag, ball, banana, band, bar, bathroom, beach, beard, beat, beautiful, bed, bedroom, beef, beer, bend, beverage, bicycle, big, large, billion, bird, black.

« Hi, my name is Hannah. I am 16. I live in Chicago and I go to Chicago High School. In the morning, I get up at 6.30 and I take the bus at 7.20 to go to school. My day starts at 8.05. Every morning, all the students meet in the Great Hall to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. We put our right hand on our heart and we recite the text in front of the flag. That's very specific to the US. It is a tradition : even young children in primary school recite the Pledge. Then the bell rings and every student has to go to class. Between each lesson, we can go to our locker to take our school things. Lockers are very popular in the US because students decorate them according to their tastes. In mine, I put some family pictures. The break starts at 10 and finishes at 10.15. We have lunch at noon : we can bring our pack lunch or we can choose to eat in the canteen. I enjoy this moment because I can spend time with my friends. In the afternoon, I just have one lesson and then I often have sports activities. My favorite school subject is Maths. I am good at it. On the contrary, I really don't like PE and Geography. Well, you know, I like my school, and my friends ! »

Doug: Hello, this is Doug.
Susan: Hi Doug. This is Susan.
Doug: Hi Susan. How are you?
Susan: I'm fine. I have a question. Do you have a moment?
Doug: Certainly, how can I help you?
Susan: I'm driving to the warehouse later today. Could you give me directions?
Doug: Sure. Are you leaving home?
Susan: Yes.
Doug: OK, take a left onto Bethany street and drive to the freeway entrance. Take the freeway toward Portland.
Susan: How far is it to the warehouse from my home?
Doug: It's about 20 miles. Continue on the freeway to exit 23. Take the exit and turn right onto Broadway at the stoplight.
Susan: Let me repeat that. Take the freeway to exit 23 and turn right onto Broadway.
Doug: That's right. Continue on Broadway for about two miles and then turn left onto 16th Ave.
Susan: OK.
Doug: On 16th Ave., take the second right into the conference center.
Susan: Oh that's easy.
Doug: Yes, it's very easy to get to.
Susan: How long does it take to get there?
Doug: If there's no traffic, about 25 minutes. In heavy traffic, it takes about 45 minutes.
Susan: I'm leaving at 10 in the morning, so the traffic shouldn't be so bad.
Doug: Yes, that's right. Can I help you with anything else?
Susan: No that's it. Thanks for your help.
Doug: OK. Enjoy the conference.
Susan: Thanks, Doug. Bye.

Gothic literature can be described as a mixture of horror literature and romantic literature.

In Gothic novels, the atmosphere is easily recognizable as it is filled with horror, anxiety, gloom and mystery.

The characters are also nearly always faced with the supernatural, therefore, they can encounter creatures such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, werewolves, zombies, or undead beings in general.

As for the settings, the plot usually takes place in haunted houses, or old castles, which are also haunted, in places in a state of decay, in a graveyard.

It is also usual for nature to play a big role in Gothic literature with elements such as storms, thunders, or fog often being present in Gothic works.

Dear students, if you elect me class president, I will make sure that we study in a peaceful environment. If you elect me, I will be the voice of the class, I will talk to the teachers for all of you.
If you elect me class president, I will also organise fun events during the year.
Vote for me!

Hardly had the sun risen when the first passers-by appeared on the road.
Scaresly had we entered the shop when I noticed the blue blouse I was dreaming about.
No sooner had the travellers got to town than it got dark.
Hardly had James seen the letter when he understood everything.
I was telling my brothers what had happened to me.
Scarcely had the story finished when I was asked to remember another story.
No sooner had the plane taken off than the captain addressed the passengers.
Hardly had I come to the door when I heard some strange voices.
Scarcely had I answered the question when more hands rose in the classroom.
No sooner had the car stopped than two policemen came up to it.
Hardly had the music begun playing when everyone started dancing

Topic: Living in large cities today poses many problems for people. What are these problems? Should governments encourage more people to live in smaller towns?

Model answer:

More and more people live in cities today than at any point in the past, and this trend will likely continue in the future. This has resulted in many problems including extreme overcrowding, and governments should take measures to make living outside cities more attractive.

There are a wide range of drawbacks associated with the rise of modern cities, but one of the most obvious issues is related to population density. The large number of people crammed into a relatively small area has caused expensive housing, increased traffic and severe pollution. For example, apartment prices in mega-cities, such as Tokyo and New York, have soared to the point where only the wealthiest inhabitants can afford decent living standards. Regardless of financial status, all city dwellers have to deal with more and more traffic jams as the population increases while the area of cities remains fixed. Finally, all these people living and travelling in one place puts a tremendous strain on the environment and some cities, like Beijing in China, have become dangerously polluted.

In my opinion, governments have a duty to encourage citizens to move to more rural areas. If cities continue to expand unabated, then the above problems will only get worse. We might one day find ourselves living in densely packed, heavily polluted cities that resemble scenes from a dystopian science fiction film. In order to prevent this from happening, the government can give tax breaks to companies that choose to locate offices and production facilities outside the city. This will provide more jobs for people who are willing to live in the countryside.

In conclusion, the concerns related to overcrowding in cities can and should be somewhat countered by governments incentivising living in rural areas. If this is done then we may still face problems related to cities in the future, but at least they will not be as serious.