THESIS STATEMENTS 

• I think that University exams are a weak and incorrect way of evaluating students´ knowledge and progress.

• I think that technology is benefiting people´s daily lives not only for pleasure but also for working.

• I think that novels today are not so deep as they used to be in the past because they usually deal with present apparent problems.

• I think that poetry nowadays is not considered as valuable as it actually is due to the emergence of other types of readings. 

• I think that King Felipe VI is an intelligent person who is representing Spain the best way he is able to.

• I think that eviction should be forbidden by every legislation because it is causing extreme poverty.

• I think that Catalonia will regret from getting independent if they achieve their goal one day. 

GLOBAL WARMING

PROBLEM/SOLUTION PARAGRAPH

Our planet is getting warmer and warmer again due to the actions that human beings are performing on it. The Earth is being polluted by residual products from all types of people´s activities. Moreover, humans are contaminating not only the land and the water, but also the air and, consequently, the atmosphere with the use of sprays which expels a kind of dirtying gases. Regarding the land, mountains and landscapes are being changed, transformed and urbanized. At the same time, we are destroying natural reserves with thousands of living things inhabiting them. Finally, our most valued treasure which is the water that gave us the life is being also poisoned by ourselves.

If we want our future generations to live in our precious Earth, we should look after it avoiding actions which contaminate it. We need to decrease the use of materials such as plastic, paper and so on in order to also reduce the amount of rubbish which has to be burned or poured everyday. It is necessary to use eco-friendly machines and mechanisms too to cut down the volume of harmful gases that the Earth is absorbing nowadays. All in all, it is up to us caring the Earth and preserving it for our children and grandchildren.

PROBLEM / SOLUTION PARAGRAPH 

 CLOTHES SIZES 

Clothes sizes are becoming smaller and smaller in some popular shops. This issue, particularly, is a problem for young boys and girls who are concerned about their bodies and their appearances. Firstly, you cannot know what your right size is because every shop has a different measure of the same size. Secondly and more important, young people are starting to slim down because they feel that their bodies are not perfect because they do not use small sizes. Consequently, they believe that they are putting on weight all the time.   And, finally, eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia are increasing throughout teenagers because they do not feel confident about their bodies. 

In order to overcome these problems, one thing clothes producers can do is standardizing sizes. One solution is that producers made some patterns according to the size, so that every shop used them for manufacturing their garments and people could have a clear knowledge of what size they wear. There won´t be so many health problems related to eating disorders if publicity and shops show the normal standard of a body.

Camino de Santiago - The Way

To my mind, the best and, at the same time, the worst holiday I have ever spent is walking this path to the city of Santiago de Compostela. We did the French route due to the fact that the expedition leader was our French teacher from high school. Since we carried our heavy backpacks, we embarked on a wonderful trekking holiday and we had many surprises coming to us. Especially, there were many unspoiled parts of Northern Spain waiting for us to be discovered. 

Once we had spent a long overnight journey by bus from Murcia to the town centre of Logroño, we took a taxi to get to the first shelter to stay in. It was a surprise  for us to find out the huge amount of snow that there was in our first destination. Furthermore, the shelter´s owner was getting married inside it, so we had to continue our journey by taxi to our second destination, Zubiri. 

In the next morning, we were ready for the adventure, particularly because we were wearing warm clothes, windproof coats and so on against the cold weather.  However, every time we reached a shelter, we had to get over our tiredness to keep on walking the next day. 

Nevertheless, on our forth stage, while we were trekking the steepest hill, it started raining and the weather was so stormy that it did not allow us to continue walking up. Forecasts had predicted snow for weeks, consequently, we had to sadly give up our Way.

The return journey was full of tears and sadness, however, in this holiday, we had the chance to enjoy  open and natural spaces away from the crowded cities. All in all, every time I remember this trip I can feel what a hair-raising experience we were able to live. Besides, we all felt completely changed after it. 

Although I am a keen photographer, I could not reflect on my photos the beautiful and breathtaking scenery that we could enjoy these days, excepting this photo below!

"I HAVE A VICE"

Somewhere in Murcia, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a dreaming girl was born some years ago. Shanghai, Beijing, Istanbul, London, New York, Paris, Moscow, Cairo, Mexico City, Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Saint Petersburg, Giza… That is me and this is my dream. I would love to travel worldwide, since one of my vital needs is visiting new places. I do not mind traveling by boat, train, ship, car, plane or funicular. Even, I would enjoy riding a bike or a horse. But I want to achieve my dream, I would like to know new cultures, to go sightseeing, to visit museums and monuments, to meet people from all over the world, to understand our past through the knowledge of historical places, to wander the planet looking for mysteries and to stand by the most beautiful landscapes ever seen. 

Comparison/Contrast Paragraph

(Point by point organization)

Rostropovich and the Sex Pistols

Both Rostropovich and the Sex Pistols are musicians. Likewise, both of them find their living in music. Similarly, Rostropovich is as famous as the Sex Pistols group in the music field. They both have fans who follow them. However, the Sex Pistols normally play rock music while Rostropovich plays classical music. So the music style of the Sex Pistols is different from the music style of Rostropovich. The Sex Pistols perform in casual clothes, in contrast, Rostropovich always wear smart formal clothes, such as suit, shirt and tie. A member of the Sex Pistols band plays the electric guitar. On the other hand, Rostropovich plays the cello. Although the Sex Pistols and Rostropovich love music, both musicians are very different from each other. 

OPINION PARAGRAPH:

UNCONDITIONAL BASIC INCOME

There´s an economic system which some governments have developed called unconditional basic income; and I strongly believe that it is a good idea that every citizen is ensured a fixed monthly income for surviving, because it is a constitutional right to have a decent life (a home, some food…). If everybody had some money per month, we could finish with poverty, hunger and other horrible circumstances happening in our country. However, people must be responsible of their lives. I mean, I totally agree with this basic income, but it must be a symbolic amount of money that must be complete with a salary from the post or job that you undertake. As a result, we should have covered only our basic needs with this basic income.

FIRST LESSON 

PRÁCTICAS DE REDACCIÓN

CHOOSE A TOPIC: Carnival Festival in London City.


BRAINSTORMING (MAKING A LIST):

- Nothing Hill.
- Music: different types of music (salsa…)
- Parade.
- Fancy dress / Dressing.
- Colours / colors (colorful).
- Dancing.
- Show / Performance.
- Happiness / Atmosphere.
- Equality.
- Party.
- Streets.
- Children and adults.
- Tradition / Culture.

MAPPING:

WRITING A TEXT:


[…]

GIANTS CAUSEWAY

This place is not only amazing but also shocking. Firstly, it is a natural view of a wonderful landscape that makes you feel surrounded by beauty. This area is called the Giants Causeway and it is situated in Northern Ireland (UK). In this picture, I can see some waves crashing against the basalt hexagonal rock columns. At the background, there is a green hill leading with a cloudy blue sky. On the right, however, it can be seen an unforgettable path of particular rocks by the sea where I would like to relax some day. This scenery gives a feeling of relaxation, relief and comfort.

THE BEST PLACE I HAVE EVER VISITED

I had the opportunity of visiting some places over the world during my life, but there is one which keep on my mind as a static and wonderful image. The best place I have ever visited is The Cliffs of Moher. As the name says, it consists on five  miles of cliffs which are about seven hundred feet tall. They are located on the west coast of the Republic of Ireland and it is one of the main tourist attractions in the country. The Cliffs of Moher offer a breathtaking view of the endless sea from many feet above the Atlantic Ocean. I visited the Cliffs of Moher in 2009 and I still haven´t come back; however, I´m sure I will return and enjoy the impressive sights again. The reasons why I would recommend going to this place are: it is a place where you can breath pure air; you can meditate and relax yourself; and you will be able to enjoy the nature´s soothing sound. To say it briefly, it is the most beautiful landscape I have ever spotted. 

THE GUERNICA

When I watch the Guernica picture by painter Picasso, the only emotion that comes to my mind is a feeling of helplessness and anger. First of all, because the population of the Spanish town of Guernica suffered some years ago, one of the biggest cruelty and brutality of all times aimed to a determined group of human-beings. Secondly, those people in charge of this"duty" were unpunished from the harm and damage that they caused. Besides, it is widely known that every building in Guernica was destroyed by the exploding bombs and the following fire and survived people had to start reconstructing their new lives. Finally, it is a fact of rejection and repudiation that innocent people have to die because of a maze of politics ideas. As a result, I feel myself impotent when I wondered why these catastrophes continue happening in the same way as they did it when we were  an undeveloped civilization.