What
images come to mind when you hear the word Ireland?
The
island of Ireland is divided into two parts. What are their names?
What are some differences between the two?
What
is the capital of Ireland?
What
are some other Irish cities?
Do
you know any Irish people and/or people who have lived in Ireland?
What
is your idea of a typical Irish person?
What
is the food like in Ireland? What are some typical dishes?
What
type of government does Ireland have?
What
do you know about Irish politics?
What
are some good things and bad things about Ireland?
What
is Ireland famous for?
What
do you know about Irish history?
What
do you know about Ireland’s culture?
Have
you visited Ireland? If so, talk about it. If not, would you like to
visit it?
Do
you think Ireland is a good tourist destination?
What
are some famous Irish tourist sights?
What
money do they use in Ireland?
What
do you think about Ireland?
What
has Ireland given to the world?
What
languages do they speak in Ireland?
Would
you like to live there?
What
do you know about Irish music?
What
do you know about the economy of Ireland?
Who
are the most famous Irish people you know?
How
different is Ireland from other European countries?
What
do you think Ireland will be like 50 years from now?
Does
your country have good relations with Ireland?
What
does your country have in common with Ireland?
What
things about Ireland do you think Irish people are proud of?
What
do you know about Ireland’s geography?
What
do you know about Ireland's weather?
What
do you know about Irish sports?
Have
you ever been to an Irish pub?
Can
you describe the flag of Ireland?
What
public holidays are observed in Ireland?
Who
is Ireland's patron Saint?
What is a four leaf clover and what does it have to do with Ireland?
Do
you know the expression, 'the luck of the Irish'? What do you think
it means?
What
is a leprechaun and what does he have to do with a pot of gold?
Ireland
is the third largest island in Europe? Which two islands are larger?
What
would you like to ask an Irish person about Ireland?
Below
are some examples of Irish slang and expressions. What do you think
they mean?
How
are you keeping?
How's
she cuttin'?
Whats
the craic?
Grand
Brilliant
Savage
Come
here
Deadly
Hole
in the Wall
Snogging
Minerals
The
guards
A
bad dose
Jacks
Knackered
Shattered
Scarlet
Jo
maxi
P.S. If you are in Spain, another question could be, 'What Spanish historical figure had Irish ancestors?' The answer is General Leopoldo O'Donnell, 1st Duke of Tetuan.
Read
the following brief biography of Bill Gates and fill in the gaps
using one of the verbs below:
1. donated 2. dropped
out 3. announced 4. founded 5. enrolled 6. played7. displayed
William
Henry 'Bill' Gates III is a world famous inventor, business
man and philanthropist who ................... a
major role in the
development of the personal computer. Born in Seattle, Washington, in
1955, he first ................... an interest in computers as a
teenager. At 18 he ................... at Harvard University but
................... in 1975 to devote his energy to Microsoft, a
company he had ...................that same year. Microsoft eventually grew to become one of the world's most valuable
companies. In 2006 Gates ................... that he would transition
from full-time work to part-time work at Microsoft in order to focus on
philanthropy. His last full-time day there was June 27, 2008.
He remains at Microsoft as non-executive chairman but devotes most of
his time to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has as its
mission bringing innovations in health, development, and learning to
the global community. He has ................... over twenty-eight
billion dollars to charity.
Question: What do you know about Bill
Gates charitable work?
Listening:
Matthew
Herper interviewed Bill Gates for a Forbes Magazine article and talked in the
video below about some of the things he learned about what Gates is doing with his life now. Before
you watch the it, guess if the following will be true or false according
to the video:
Herper
wanted to write about investments Gates has made in the stock market.
T / F
Gates
is mainly interested in fighting world hunger. T / F
Gates
thinks the number of deaths caused by infectious disease should be
reduced greatly. T / F
Gates
gives more than money to his foundation. T / F
Gates
thinks his charitable work and his work at Microsoft are totally
different. T / F
Gates
is focused on numbers more than people. T / F
People
are not making much money on vaccines currently. T / F
Gates
is innovative in his charitable work. T / F
Watch
the video again and answer these questions:
How
much is Bill Gates worth?
What
two diseases are mentioned?
Why
did Bill and Melinda Gates choose health care as one of the focuses
for their charitable work?
How
has Bill Gates helped to create a market for vaccines?
What
does he say is the reason presidents and prime ministers are willing
to meet with him?
What
does he tend to talk a lot about?
Why
does he say it is "great for us" that "a lot of people
are making money on vaccines right now?"
What
is groundbreaking about his approach?
Vocabulary:
Choose
a synonym from the list below to replace the underlined words:
1. fundamental 2.
champions 3. looking back 4.
applying 5.
motivation 6.
innovative7.
overall8.
remarkable 9.
advantage 10.effective
Bill
Gates has become one of the biggest proponents
for a technology that a lot of people take for granted in fighting
infectious disease.
He
really has a big
picture
view of how it might be possible, if we could get the shots that kids
get in the U.S. to the rest of the world more effectively, we could
save millions and millions of lives.
People
really forget how foundational
to our civilization vaccines are.
We
had to choose what the most impactful
thing to give the money to would be.
Picking
health, in
retrospect,
was pretty obvious.
One
of the striking
things in your story that I think that's quite different, you talk
about the way he has created a market for these vaccines that never
existed before.
The
humanitarian impetus
and good old Adam Smith style competition really has dramatically
reduced the cost of those vaccines.
Now,
here's a guy who's bringing
to bear
incredible resources, incredible drive, incredible focus, some of the
same kinds of skills that he applied as a software engineer.
He
brings a particular approach to these dollars that really is
groundbreaking.
The
constant thinking of how do we save, looking for projects where you
can get the most leverage,
where you can save the most lives, for the smallest investment really
is a rigorous and a pretty powerful way to do this.
Discussion
questions
What
do you think are the most striking things about Bill Gates?
The
mission of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is to
bring innovations in health, development, and learning to the global
community. Do you know of any other impactful things it has done?
Do
you think you would like to work for the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation? Why or why not?
Do
you believe rich-world companies have an obligation to do something
for people in poor countries?
Think
of another successful multinational. What do you think is fundamental
to its success?
Do
you know any scientists or business people who have played a major
role in Spain's history?
Can
you think of anyone who has a big picture view of things?
Do
you know of any groundbreaking work being done in health care right
now?
What
skills do people bring to bear in your line of work?
Do
you think that a good way to leverage money today is investing in
property?
Do
you know anyone else who dropped out of high school or university and
became successful?
Is
there anything you would be a proponent for if you were very wealthy?
Warm-Up: Who
are some of your favorite English language writers?
Do
you know of the writer James Joyce? If so, what do you know about
him?
Read
the text about James Joyce and fill in the gaps using the correct
tense of the words below.
movegoattendget
marriedtraveldie leave have meetend up
James
Joyce was born in 1882 in the Dublin suburb of Rathgar. He ______ to
school in Clane, County Kildare until he was 10. Later he
______________ school in Dublin.
In
1904 he ______ Nora Barnacle. He was 22 years old. They became lovers
but did not _____________ until 1931. They ___________ two children,
a son named Giorgio and a daughter named Lucia.
In
1905 he __________ to Trieste to teach English. His first book,
Chamber
Music,
a collection of poems, was published in 1907. He wrote five novels,
three books of poetry, one short story collection and one play.
In
1920 Joyce __________ to Paris for a week long visit, but he
_________ staying there for 20 years. In 1940 he ___________ Paris
for Zurich to escape the Nazi occupation of France. He ________
in1941, just a few weeks before his 59th
birthday.
Today,
he is considered to be one of the greatest writers of the 20th
century.
Comprehension:
Are these sentences true or false? Correct the false ones.
1)
James Joyce was born in Clane.
2)
He didn’t go to school.
3)
He got married at 18 years old.
4)
He got married to Nora Barnacle.
5)
He had five children.
6)
He was an English teacher.
7)
He died in 1940
Preposition
Check: fill
in the spaces with the correct preposition.
1)
James Joyce was born ____ 1882.
2)
Where did he go ____ school?
3)
He got married ____ 1931.
4)
He moved ____ Zurich shortly before he died.
Ask
questions to go with the answers.
1
When _________________________________________?
He
was born in 1882.
2
Where _________________________________________?
He
was born in Dublin.
3
Where _________________________________________?
He
went to school in Clane and Dublin.
4
When _________________________________________?
He
got married in 1931.
5
How many _____________________________________?
He
had 2 children.
6
When _________________________________________?
He
moved to Trieste in 1905.
7
How many _____________________________________?
He
wrote five novels.
8
When _________________________________________?
He
died in 1941.
Make notes below about an ancestor, then talk about him / her using complete sentences.
His
/ Her Name:
Born
(Year & Place):
School/Education:
Married:
Children:
Occupation:
Died:
Discussion
What
kinds of books do you like to read? Why?
Talk about the last book you read. What was it about? Did
you like or dislike it? Why? Who wrote it? What do you know about the writer?
Do you have a favorite writer? If so, who is it? Why do you like his/her books? What is your favorite book by him/her? What is it about? What do you know about his/her life?
Who are some famous writers from your country? What do you know about their lives? What kind of books do / did they write? Can you talk about some of their books?
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