lectures

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NICO’S STORY

Our family vacations to Miami, Florida last year were a complete nightmare! When we arrived at the airport, Mom realized that she had left her bag in the taxi .with all our passports and money!  We called the taxi company and luckily the driver returned it. Not a great start!

Then we discovered our flight was delayed. I had taken a Spanish book on vacation, because I wanted to practice the language. When we boarded the airplane four hours later, I had read 200 pages!

The air conditioning on the airplane wasn’t so it was too hot, and when they served lunch, the food wasn’t hot enough! My brother was sick because he had eaten a lot of candy while we were waiting to board!

Our jorney was finally over, but the nightmare hadn’t finished! When we arrived in Miami there was a problem at the hotel. Dad had booked two rooms, but was only one room available. We had to change hotels and we didn’t get into our rooms until 5 a.m!

The next day, we woke up and discovered that a hurricane had hit Florida. The weather was terrible all week. We never went to the beach, we didn’t sunbathe, we didn’t take any tours, and we didn’t get to visit the Everglades National Park which I had wanted to see. We stayed in our hotel rooms and watched movies all day.

ARE PROMS OUT OF CONTROL?

The High School Prom is one of the most important events in an American teenager’s life. It is a night of celebration at the end of senior school year. Today, proms are extravagant events, but in the past the used to be very different!

In the early 1900s, proms used to be formal school dances. Only the oldest students in the school were allowed to attend the dances, where they used to drink tea and eat cookies. The students didn’t use to buy new clothes for the dances but they could wear their  “Sunday best” –formal jackets, shirts, ties and pants for the boys, and formal dresses for the girls. Proms were an important lesson for the students where they learned how to behave as an adult.

However, students weren’t allowed to come without a parent. Parents and teachers taught the students how to eat and socialize properly.

Nowadays, proms have become expensive, all-night events with a DJ and live bands. Elegant evening clothes, flowers, and limousines are all popular prom items. Some girls are allowed to spend hundreds of dollars on their prom dress! The prom starts eith a parade when the students show their elegant clothes and vote for a Prom King and Queen. Then, the students sit down to a formal dinner and the celebration continues through the night with after-prom parties and next-day breakfasts.

Some teachers and parents think that the proms are getting out of control and they are starting to regulate them. In many states in the U.S, “locked-down” proms are popular. In these events, students are not allowed to leave the supervised prom. If they leave, the teachers tell their parents. Other schools have rules about behavior and dress codes, for example girls can’t wear dresses that are very short. Teachers send students home if they break the rules.

 

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the U.S. American people celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. Families usually spend the day together and they prepare a traditional meal to say “thank you” for the good things in their lives.

The tradition of Thanksgiving started almost 400 years ago with a small group of religious people called Puritans. The Puritans used to live in England, but they disagreed with the religion of the Church of England, and they decided to start a new life in a different place. In September 1620, a group of them sailed to North America on a ship called the Mayflower and they settled on the coast of what is now Massachusetts. Their first months in America were very difficult. They didn’t have much food and a lot of people were ill. By the end on the winter, 46 people had died –about half of the small population. In the spring, some friendly Native Americans helped the settlers to plant corn and other vegetables. They also showed them how to hunt wild animals. As the result they had a lot of food when fall arrived and their leader, William Bradford, decided to have a thanksgiving feast. They invited the Native Americans to he feast to thank them for all they had done.

Food is still important to Thanksgiving today. American people eat a traditional meal of turkey –they buy about 45 million turkeys for Thanksgiving –with potatoes, corn, beans, peas, and carrots. Then, for dessert, they have pumpkin or apple pie. According to tradition, these are the things that the settlers  ate at the first Thanksgiving meal.

Because Thanksgiving is on a Thursday, it is usually the start of a four day holiday. A lot of towns and cities organize events to celebrate. There are big American football games in Detroit and Dallas, and there is a very famous parade in New York with colorful clothes, balloons, and live music. About 44 million people watch the parade on TV every year.

STOP BULLYING BEFORE IT STOPS YOU!

What is bullying?

Bullying is when someone tries to make you feel afraid, hurt, or uncomfortable. Some bullies call you names or make fun of you. Others try to take your things or use physical bullying like hitting and kicking.

You’re not alone

You probable think that you’re the only one experiencing bullying, but it isn’t true. Bullying is very common and it can happen to anyone. Lots of celebrities have been victims of bullying. Pop singer Justin Timberlake experienced bullying when he was at school because of he looks. Justin says other kids made fun of him because his arms were too long and his hair was too curly.

Pop singer Christina Aguilera also had a difficult time at school. Christina had her first number one hit when she was at high school. Some of her classmates bullied her because she was famous and they were jealous. They isolated her they even beat her up!

So, next time a bully makes fun of you, calls you a name, or hits you —think of Justin and Christina. And, remember it’s the bully who has the problems —not you!

Why do kids become bullies?

Bullies come in all shapes and sizes, but, if you looked inside their heads, you’d find that they all have one thing in common —someone or something is making them feel insecure and bullying makes them feel better. Somme bullies have problems at school or at home. Others think that bullying makes them more popular and some bullies just don’t feel good about themselves.

What should you do if someone bullies you?

·        You should tell someone. Talk with your parents or a teacher. They can help you.

·        You should write down what happens in a journal. Keep a record.

·        You should ignore the bully. Walk away confidently with your head up.

·        You shouldn’t fight back —it will make things worse.

·        You should stay with your friends. They can protect you.

You shouldn’t think it’s because of you —remember that you are a good person.

LOVE CELEBRATED AROUND THE WORLD

Everyone has heard of St. Valentine’s Day, haven’t they? Traditionally, people send cards, chocolates, and flowers to the people they love on February 14^th. But it isn’t the only way love is celebrated around the world. Our reporter, Kelly Wilson, asked two young people about how and when people celebrate love in their countries.

Dia dos Namorados (Boyfriends’/Girlfriends’ Day) – Brazil

Kelly	Dia dos Namorados is in June, isn’t it Gustavo?
Gustavo	Yes, it is. It’s on June 12th.
Kelly	Why June 12th? Is there a special reason?
Gustavo	Yes, there is. It’s the day before St. Anthony’s Day. St. Anthony is the patron saint of marriages and couples in Brazil.
Kelly	And how do you celebrate?
Gustavo	It’s similar to St. Valentine’s Day. People give presents or cook special meals at home. Then there are concerts and celebrations around the country.

La Diada de Sant Jordi (St. George’s Day) – Catalonia, Spain

Kelly	In Catalonia, you celebrate love on April 23rd,don’t you Clara?
Clara	Yes, we do. It’s St. George’s Day. St. George is the patron saint of Catalonia, as well as many other countries like England and Greece. In Catalonia, we sometimes call St. George’s Day “The Day of the Rose” or “The Day of the Book”.
Kelly	You give presents to each other, don’t you?
Clara	Yes, we do. Traditionally men give women roses and women give men a book to celebrate the day.
Kelly	Why is that?
Clara	I’m not sure, but some people say “a rose for love, a book forever”.
Kelly	It’s a very popular tradition in Catalonia, isn’t it?
Clara	Yes, it is, particularly in Barcelona. We have a famous shopping street called La Rambla and on April 23rd hundreds of people sell roses and books there. Then there are street performers and musicians in the streets downtown and a lot of the book stores and cafés join in the celebrations. It’s a great day!