Cassandra´s dream

BBC L earning English: Video Words in the News: Snow in the US (26th Nov... http://youtu.be/ABUPS92n2hQ

There’s no question, Dunbar agrees, that networks like Facebook are changing the nature of human interaction.  “What Facebook does and why it’s been so successful in so many ways is it allows you to keep track of people who would otherwise effectively disappear,” he said. But one of the things that keeps face-to-face friendships strong is the  nature of shared experience : you laugh together; you dance together;  you gape at the hot-dog eaters on Coney Island together.  We do have a social-media equivalent—sharing, liking, knowing that all of your friends have looked at the same cat video on YouTube as you did—but it lacks the synchronicity of shared experience. It’s like a comedy that you watch by yourself: you won’t laugh as loudly or as often, even if you’re fully aware that all your friends think it’s hysterical. We’ve seen the same movie, but we can’t bond over it in the same way.   With social media, we can easily keep up with the lives and interests of far more than

HEAD IDIOMS EYE IDIOMS FOOT IDIOMS ARM IDIOMS An idiom is a common word or phrase with a culturally understood meaning that differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest. For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase " kick the bucket " to mean "to die"  – as well as to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context. An idiom is not to be confused with other figures of speech such as a metaphor, which invokes an image by use of implicit comparisons ( e.g. , "the man of steel" ); a simile, which invokes an image by use of explicit comparisons ( e.g. , "faster than a speeding bullet" ); and hyperbole, which exaggerates an image beyond truthfulness ( e.g. , like "missed by a mile" ). Idioms are also not to be confused with proverbs, which are simple sayings that express a truth based on common sense or practical experience.

Linking Consonant to Vowel When a word ends in a consonant sound, we often move the consonant sound to the beginning of the next word if it starts with a vowel sound. For example, in the phrase "turn off": We write it like this: turn off We say it like this: tur noff Remember that it's the sound that matters. In the next example, "have" ends with: the letter "e" (vowel) the sound "v" (consonant) So we link "have" to the next word "a" which begins with a vowel sound: We write it like this: Can I have a bit of egg? We say it like this: Ca-nI-ha-va-bi-to-fegg? Linking Vowel to Vowel When one word ends with a vowel sound and the next word begins with a vowel sound, we link the words with a sort of W or Y sound. If our lips are round at the end of the first word, we insert a W sound:

    Studies have claimed major health benefits for standing for much of the day as opposed to sitting. The difference is marked, explains Michael Mosley. Guess how many hours a day you spend sitting? Fewer than eight? More than 10? A recent survey found that many of us spend up to 12 hours a day sitting on our bottoms looking at computers or watching television. If you throw in the seven hours we spend sleeping then that adds up to a remarkable 19 hours a day being sedentary. Sitting down as much as this is clearly bad for us and some studies suggest that those who sit all day live around two years less than those who are more active. Most of us are guilty of excess sitting. We sit at work, in the car and at home, moving only to shift from one seat to another. Even if you exercise on a regular basis that may not be enough. There is mounting evidence that exercise will not undo the damage done by prolonged sitting. Our technology has made us the most sedent