Video: Curitiba - Brazil's dream city

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In 2010, the city of Curitiba in Brazil won the Globe Sustainable City Award. In a 2007 poll, ninety-nine percent of its inhabitants said they were happy to live there. A lot of Curitiba's success is attributed to Mayor Jaime Lerner, In this video from Youtube, you will hear about some of the innovative ideas he had and see the results of these initiatives. Video time: 15 minutes. Activity time; 20 to 35 minutes.
 

Task:  Watch the video and say if these statements are true or false.

1  Jaime Lerner demolished buildings and widened city streets.
2  Cars are like mother-in-laws.
3  Lerner is still Mayor of Curutiba today.
4 The three main issues for cities are mobility, sustainability and availability.
5 The number of passengers on public transport is eighty times higher than at the beginnning.
6  Public transport is free.
7 The city has four times the recommended green space per inhabitant.
8 The slums are cleaned by city workers.
9 The new houses are designed and built by the people who will occupy them.

Go to the video here.

Check your answers here.

Video: Low-cost airline launches new initiative

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The low-cost airline Westjet, based in Canada, has found an original way to reduce its operating costs. Video time: 1 min 26 seconds. Activity time: 5 to 20 minutes

Task: Watch the video and answer these questions:

1  What is the new idea?
2  What's the advantage for guests (passengers)?
3  How does it save money?
4  What do we call April 1st in English?


Go to the video here.

Check your answers here.

For another innovative new service from Westjet, go here.

Audio:Two faces of tourism

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Anita is from Prague in the Czech Republic. In this activity from the elllo site, she talks about the impact of tourism on her country. Audio time: 2 minutes 24 seconds. Activity time: 10 to 30 minutes


Task:  1 Play the audio without looking at the script. Listen for the words  below. Which words are used to describe the good side of tourism, and which ones describe the bad?

money  -  experience the history  - beer tours  - Japanese tourists  - Tijuana, Mexico  - scribbling on the wall

2 Read the audio script and listen again. If you click on the expressions in blue, you can hear a definition and some other examples in context.

 Go to the activity here.

Vocabulary: Applying for a job

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In these activities from The BBC Learning English site, you will learn and practise vocabulary associated with searching for a job. This includes words and expressions used in job advertisements, to describe professional qualities and abilities, and to talk about the selection process. There are seven different exercises. Activity time: 15 minutes to 1 hour

Task: Follow the instructions for each exercise.

Go to the activities here.

(Note that there are also sections on CVs, cover letters and job interviews on this site. Go to this page to see the complete menu)

Video: The Lifesaver

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It was disturbing stories on TV news that gave Michael Pritchard the idea for his product, the "Lifesaver". In this video from TED , you will discover what the product is and how it works.
(NB there are subtitles available in many different languages, including English)  Video time: 9 minutes 29 seconds. Activity time: 15 - 45 minutes

Task: Watch the video and answer the following questions:

1  What stories in the news gave him the idea for the Lifesaver?
2  What does the product do?

3  How does it work?
4  How can it be used?

Go to the video here .

For more information about the Lifesaver, go to the website here.

Expressions: Business emails

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This activity gives you practice in using typical email expressions in context. You will also see the difference between a more formal email style, used for initial contacts or official correspondence, and a more informal style for communication with people you know better. Activity time: 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Task: 1 Go to the first exercise and practise using some typical expressions in context.
2  Study the printable list of email expressions and complete the matching exercise that follows. (the answers are at the bottom of the page)
3  Go to the gapfill exercise and complete the missing words in the formal and informal emails. Use the list of expressions in 2 to help you.

Go to the first exercise here.
Go to the list of email expressions here.
Go to the gapfill exercise here.