Thursday 25 November 2010

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the USA!



Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is a holiday to express thankfulness, gratitude, and appreciation to God, family and friends for which all have been blessed of material possessions and relationships. Traditionally, it has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. This holiday has since moved away from its religious roots.
In the United States, Thanksgiving Day falls on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada it is celebrated on the second Monday in October.
The precise historical origin of the holiday is disputed. Although Americans commonly believe that the first Thanksgiving happened in 1621, at Plymouth Plantation, in Massachusetts, there is strong evidence for earlier celebrations in Canada (1578) and by Spanish explorers in Florida(1565).


The majority of the dishes in the traditional American version of Thanksgiving dinner are made from foods native to the New World, as according to tradition the Pilgrims received these foods from the Native Americans. However, many of the classic traditions attributed to the first Thanksgiving are actually myths introduced later.

A traditional Thanksgiving dinner


Roast Turkey is nowadays the usual dish in USA


Tuesday 23 November 2010

Angry Birds switches from mobiles to games consoles


One of the most successful smartphone games ever is making the switch from mobiles to consoles.


Angry Birds has been downloaded 36 million times by people using Apple's iPhone and the Google Android operating system.
But not content with that, developers Rovio are working on a version for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii.
Its chief executive Peter Vesterbacka says that kind of switch will become more and more common.
He said: "The smartphone gaming platform is actually turning out to be the biggest and most played out there.
"So it's starting to beat the traditional games on consoles and PCs."

Sunday 21 November 2010

Tiny chihuahua set to join Japan police

  A chihuahua named Momo (Peach) has passed the exam to become a dog in the police force in western Japan, in what seems to be a first.
The 3kg (6.6lb) dog is set to become part of a search-and-rescue team used for disasters such as earthquakes.
Its small size means it will be able to squeeze into places too narrow for dogs such as German Shepherds.
Chihuahuas, named after a Mexican state, are one of the the smallest breeds of dog.
"It's quite rare for us to have a chihuahua work as a police dog," said a police spokeswoman in Nara, western Japan.
"We would like it to work hard by taking advantage of its small size."
Momo, aged seven, will begin work in January.

Friday 19 November 2010

Chinese pandas arrive in Taiwan


So cute!

Two giant pandas from China have arrived in Taiwan and have begun settling in to their new home.
Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan were offered as a gift from Beijing to the self-governing island it considers part of Chinese territory.
A spokesman in the Taiwanese capital Taipei, said the gift symbolised another major step forward in building relations.

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Royal wedding: Prince William gives Kate his mother's ( Diana) ring


Prince William has spoken of his and fiancee Kate Middleton's happiness, as the newly-engaged couple faced the cameras for the first time. 


The pair met as students at St Andrews University, Fife.
The couple, both 28, will marry next spring or summer after he proposed while on holiday in Kenya in October.
The prince said: "The timing is right now. We are both very, very happy."
He has given Kate his mother's ring. He said: "It's very special to me. As Kate's very special to me now, it was right to put the two together."
Speaking as they stood arm-in-arm before photographers, Prince William said giving Kate his mother Diana's distinctive sapphire and diamond engagement ring was "my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today and the excitement".
Miss Middleton admitted joining the Royal Family was a "daunting prospect" but she added: "Hopefully I'll take it in my stride."
The couple will marry in London in 2011 and live in north Wales, where Prince William, second in line the throne, is serving with the RAF.

Sunday 14 November 2010

The Simpsons to return for 23rd series

Award-winning US cartoon The Simpsons is to return for its 23rd series, Fox Television has announced
The show, the longest-running comedy on US TV, has won a total of 27 Emmy awards since it began in 1989.
The adventures of Homer Simpson, his family and neighbours have become a firm favourite with both UK and US audiences.
The show - created by Matt Groening - is broadcast in more than 100 countries and 50 languages.
"Like many 22-year-olds, The Simpson is extremely happy remaining at home, on Fox," said executive producer Al Jean.
The show, he continued, "hopes it doesn't have to go out into the real world for many years to come."
The Simpsons started out in 1987 as an animated insert on Tracey Ullman's US comedy show that was subsequently developed into a half-hour programme.
Simon Cowell and Ricky Gervais are among many celebrities to have made cameo appearances on the show.
Last month it made headlines in the US for featuring a controversial title sequence designed by British graffiti artist Banksy.
The minute-long sequence featured downtrodden sweatshop workers in a warehouse painting cartoon cells and making Simpsons merchandise.

Saturday 13 November 2010

Eggs with the oldest known embryos of a dinosaur found

 Paleontologists identified the oldest known dinosaur embryos, belonging to a species that lived some 190 million years


  An artist's impression of what the dinosaurs might have looked like
The eggs of Massospondylus, containing well-perserved embryos, were unearthed in South Africa back in 1976. The creature appears to be an ancestor of the family that includes the long-necked dino once known as Brontosaurus.
The researchers used the embryos to reconstruct what the dinosaurs' babies might have looked like when they roamed the Earth.
Having studied the fossilised eggs, the team, led by Professor Robert Reisz of the University of Toronto Mississauga in Canada, discovered that the embryos were the oldest ones ever found of any land-dwelling vertebrate.
"This project opens an exciting window into the early history and evolution of dinosaurs," said Professor Reisz.

Thursday 11 November 2010

Harry Potter is back! Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows


Harry Potter fans brave rain for 

premiere of latest film


Harry Potter fans camped out in the rain in London's Leicester Square ahead of the premiere of the penultimate film.
The cast, including the main stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, will all be walking down the red carpet on Thursday evening.

Tuesday 9 November 2010

Is texting a teenage health risk?

Parents have been warned to watch out for signs of excessive texting in their children, amid concerns it poses a new health risk.
Teenagers sending 120 text messages a day are more likely to drink, smoke and have sex, claims a US doctor.
Scott Frank told a US conference that extreme texting and use of social media is linked to higher levels of risky behaviour.
A UK expert said internet addicts are at risk of other bad habits.
Dr Scott Frank, a physician and public health expert at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, surveyed about 4,000 high school students, aged 13 to 18, at 20 local schools on their texting and social media habits.
Almost 20% were classified as hyper-texters - sending more than 120 text messages on a school day.
Taking into account lifestyle factors and income, they were more likely than other students to have smoked, drunk alcohol, used drugs and had sex, research presented to the American Public Health Association meeting in Denver suggests.

Sunday 7 November 2010

What makes cheetahs so fast?

Read the following text and then watch the video.
Just AMAZING!


The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is an atypical member of the cat family (Felidae) that is unique in its speed, while lacking strong climbing abilities. The species is the only living member of the genus Acinonyx. It is the fastest land animal, reaching speeds between 112 and 120 km/h (70 and 75 mph) in short bursts covering distances up to 460 m (1,510 ft), and has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 103 km/h (64 mph) in three seconds, faster than most supercars Recent studies confirm the cheetah's status as the fastest land animal.
The word "cheetah" is derived from the Sanskrit word citrakāyaḥ, meaning "variegated body", via the Hindi चीता cītā.
  
Conservation status

Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
A. jubatus
Binomial name
Acinonyx jubatus
(Schreber, 1775)
Type species
Acinonyx venator
Brookes, 1828 (= Felis jubataSchreber, 1775) by monotypy
Subspecies
See text.
The range of the cheetah

Friday 5 November 2010

Thursday 4 November 2010

Comments


Dear pupils!
If you want to leave your comments you must send them to my e-mail to be corrected first, Ok?
Sorry but the last comment had a serious mistake so I didn't post it.
 Your English teacher
Mª Dulce Branquinho

Results of the Formative Tests 7th B class

7TH B- TESTS RESULTS


Nr 1- Não Satisfaz-    20%                 Nr 13- Muito Bom-       92%   
Nr 4- Satisfaz-          67%                 Nr 14- Bom- Bom-        84%
Nr 5- Satisfaz mais-   74%                 Nr 15- Satisfaz-           56%
Nr 6- Não Satisfaz-    48%                 Nr 16- Satisfaz pouco-  54% 
Nr 7- Satisfaz            69%                 Nr 18- Satisfaz pouco- 55,5%
Nr 8-                                               Nr 19- Satisfaz-          65,5%
Nr 9- Satisfaz pouco-  54,5%              Nr 20- Satisfaz pouco- 55%
Nr 10- Satisfaz mais-  70%                 Nr 21- satisfaz pouco- 54,5%
Nr 12- Satisfaz pouco- 52,5%