30 ---- More London news

Today you can do a little listening!
Go to:
http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/04/29/verjee.uk.cabbies.obama.cnn?iref=videosearch
(Go to the top of the computer page and type this address into the address bar, or just click on the address above and be patient)

You will be in London.

Questions:
1. There are 4 taxi drivers: Lee, Nigel, Vincent and Bob. How long have they been driving a taxi in London?

2. What question does the reporter Zain Verjee ask the cabdrivers?

3. What is Zain Verjee carrying when she isn't inside the taxi? Why?

4. What big problem would Nigel like Obama to solve?

5. Who do Barack Obama and Michelle Obama meet in London in this video?

6. At the end of the video we see Obama with the new member of his family. Who is it?

7. Bob gives Obama some advice at the end of the video. What does he say to Obama?

After you see the video, you can decide which is easier: my American accent or the London taxi drivers' accents!

Jane
_______________________________________________

cabdrivers = taxi drivers
solve = to find a solution
advice = des conseils

29 ---- Oxford Town Hall Visit

I have just received more photos from other students who went to Oxford. Here are

Chantal D.'s pictures of Oxford's Town Hall.

And she writes:

We visited the Oxford Town Hall with the Lord Mayor Susanna Pressel, who spoke in very good French. It was very interesting to learn about the role of the Lord Mayor in a city in England.

Here are a few photos.

28 ---- Day 3 More photos Oxford Town Hall

Thank you Dany and Anne Marie.

More photos of our wonderful reception at Oxford's Town Hall coming soon.

27 ---- Day 3 Photos : Oxford Town Hall Reception

Thank you Dany for these photos.

26 ----- Day 3 OXFORD TOWN HALL RECEPTION

A late morning tour of the town of Oxford; a quick lunch; a tour of Trinity College early afternoon, then off we went to the Town Hall. We were invited by U3A = Oxford's University of the Third Age. (I add a big thank you to Jean Burrell from U3A who organized the get-together.)



It's time for the students who went to London to be the reporters. Their photos will follow later.



Marie Odile writes:

UIAD AT OXFORD'S TOWN HALL

We were invited by the Lord Mayor, a nice woman, Susanna Pressel, who amazed us when she asked us if we preferred to listen to her speech in English or in French. She really spoke French very well. Before visiting the Town Hall, we had teatime in the big reception room with the Lord Mayor and another young woman who is the choir leader of Oxford. This event was for me one of the most moving things we did during our trip to London. On Saturday, our first day back in Grenoble, I went with my husband to a concert which was given by Oxford's choir (Oxford is Grenoble's sister city) and an orchestra with a choir from Grenoble (Interludes).

Marie Odile

And Dany writes:



OXFORD


The time we spent at Oxford was too short, of course, to see all the interesting places….but the parts that we visited were very beautiful. We visited Trinity College. It was as in the Harry Potter films (!) with its chapel, its dining hall and its impeccable green quadrangles (quads). We saw a man who was cutting the grass along the edge of the lawn with a long pair of scissors. (Very funny!)
But what we appreciated most was the Town Hall where the Lord Mayor herself, Susanna Pressel, received the group. We visited the main hall, the courtroom, the council chamber and the little town museum; it is a very beautiful monument.
During the reception, we also met Mel Houldershaw, the choir director (chef de choeur) of The Oxford Choir…and we were able to see her again in Grenoble the following weekend, Easter weekend, when she came with her choir for three concerts performed with “L’Ensemble Vocal Interlude”, a Grenoble choir! It was a great concert.

More reports will follow, and photos too. Keep checking the blog!

Jane

25 ---- Day 3 Oxford, The Bridge of Sighs

Yes, this is Oxford, not Venice!!

Here you can see Hertford Bridge which links together the Old and New Quadrangles of Hertford College. It was completed in 1914. It is often called the Bridge of Sighs. However, it was never intended to be a replica of the Venetian bridge.

As you can see, we all took the same photo!

And did you know that there is also a Bridge of Sighs at Cambridge? It is a covered bridge belonging to St John's College at Cambridge University and was built in 1831, a long time before Oxford's Hertford Bridge! It crosses the River Cam. It is one of Cambridge's main tourist attractions and Queen Victoria is said to have loved it more than any other place in the city.

Go to Wikipedia "Bridge of Sighs Cambridge" to see a picture and you can compare the two bridges!

______________________________________________________

quadrangles = In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular (square or oblong), the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building.

There are many "quads" at colleges and universities.

24 ---- RETURN TO DAY 2: Dinner at The Silver Cross

I hope that you are enjoying Oxford. You will soon see photos of Oxford's Town Hall.
But, in the meantime, go back to Day 2, Dinner at The Silver Cross. Marie Odile took some nice photos inside the pub. Do you know the students in the photos??
Thank you Marie Odile.

Jane

_______________________________________________

in the meantime = en attendant

23 ---- Day 3, OXFORD photos from Dany

22 ---- Day 3, OXFORD photos

A quick glimpse at Oxford. Here are just a few photos from Anne Marie.

More to follow soon.

21 ---- Day 3 OXFORD photos

Many bloggers are waiting for photos of Oxford.
But, have you completed the first Oxford quiz?
Photos will be coming soon, but for now, here is a postcard of Oxford for everyone.
Can you memorize the text on the postcard? (This is HOMEWORK for Jane's students!)

In case you cannot read the postcard:

WHY STUDY?

The more I study
The more I know

The more I know
The more I forget

The more I forget
The less I know

So why study???

Back to classes this week. It's time to study!!

Jane

20 ---- Day 3, OUR DAY AT OXFORD + OXFORD QUIZ Part 1

I am asking the students who went to London to do a write-up of their day in Oxford.
You can send it to me and I will put it on the blog.

My job: Here's a quiz for everyone. How much do you know about Oxford?
Some are easy; some are more difficult. See if you can find the answers.
Choose a, b or c.

Part 1:

1. Oxford is an important __________________ town.
a. industrial b. university c. fishing

2. Oxford is _____ kilometres from London.
a. 83 b. 121 c. 37

3. Oxford's greatest rival, which the Oxonians call "The Other Place", is _____________.
a. Cambridge b. Harvard c. Eton

4. The motto on the coat of arms of Oxford, "Fortis est Veritas" means:
a. Truth is forever b. Strong in faith c. Truth is strong

5. Which American president was a student at Oxford?
a. Obama b. Clinton c. Kennedy

6. The academic year at Oxford is divided into 3 eight-week terms. They are called:
a. Winter, Spring, Summer b. One, Two, Three c. Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity

7. The Thames and its tributary, the Cherwell, are the two rivers which go through Oxford. But, in Oxford the Thames is called the ______________________
a. Isis b. Little Thames c. Enlightened Water

8. Our group had a very special tour of _____________________.
a. Blackwell's (bookshop) b. Town Hall c. Trinity College

(Ask a student from the group)

9. At Oxford University there are _______________ colleges.
a. 19 b. 27 c. 38


10. Jane wanted to see the Sheldonian Theatre at Oxford because

a. she had been in a Shakespearean play there, many years ago!
("Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore art thou, Romeo?"....)
b. she loves the bearded heads outside the theatre!
c. her maiden name is Sheldon!

I hope that you are enjoying this. More to follow later!

Jane

PS. Curious to know if you have found all the correct answers?
Go to Post Number 46 in the list of May entries.
________________________________________________
VOCABULARY

a write-up = un compte rendu

Oxonians = people who live in Oxford or a person who studies or has studied at Oxford
University

motto = une devise

coat of arms = un blason; des armoiries

terms = des trimestres

tributary = un affluent

"Wherefore art thou Romeo?" = "For what purpose are you called Romeo?"
From the great balcony scene in Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet

Later on, in this soliloquy Juliet continues:
" A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called."

Beautiful, isn't it?

19 ---- COMING SOON: DAY 3, April 8th, OUR DAY AT OXFORD

18 ---- Day 2, Dinner at The Silver Cross

Our first pub experience. What an evening!

Pubs are a very important part of British life. People go there to have a beer, to have a meal, to see friends and to hear the local gossip. Pubs are open from 11 in the morning to about 11 at night. (Ask Jean about closing time!)

Who were responsible for the first pubs? Monks! They were the first publicans.

The oldest pubs have religious origins. Monks offered food and shelter in hospices to the pilgrims who were travelling to local shrines. Today, many pubs are owned by breweries.

Pub food is simple but delicious. You can eat soups, salads, sandwiches, tarts, fish and chips, and sometimes roasts with vegetables or jacket potatoes. You can ask for ketchup (!) to put on your chips, but the English usually put salt and vinegar on them. Beer is the most typical pub drink. But you can get other drinks too, of course. Except for one: most pubs do not serve tea...(This is what I read; I learned something new!)

People do not just eat and drink in pubs. Many people play darts and snooker. Snooker is similar to billiards: it is played with 21 coloured balls on a large table. Pubs often organize tournaments. Many pubs propose different activities too: quiz nights, karaoke nights, DJ nights and live music nights.

PUB NAMES AND SIGNS: LONDONERS, WHAT CAN YOU TELL OUR READERS ABOUT THE NAMES AND THE SIGNS YOU SAW???

WHAT CAN YOU WRITE ABOUT OUR EVENING AT THE SILVER CROSS??

WHAT DID WE EAT?

WHAT DID WE DRINK?

WHAT DID WE DO???

AND THE JOURNEY BACK TO THE HOTEL??

Can you share more photos?

_____________________________________________

gossip = commérage

monks = moines

publican = aubergiste / tenancier de bar

shelter = abri

shrines = lieux de pèlerinage

own (verb) = posséder

breweries = brasseries

roasts = rôtis

jacket potatoes.....who can explain this one???

darts = fléchettes

karaoke nights and live music nights????

____________________________________________________________

I'm looking forward to your comments.
Jane

17 ---- Day 2 A few of Simone's photos

I really like the photo of the Millennium Bridge which was taken from The Tate Modern, where you have a beautiful view of St Paul's Cathedral.

London's Millennium Bridge, originally opened in June 2000, is the first pedestrian river crossing over the Thames in more than a century. It is a 325 metre steel bridge linking the City of London with the Tate Modern at Bankside.

But WHY IS IT CALLED "THE WOBBLY BRIDGE" or "THE WIBBLY-WOBBLY"? (The bridge had to close and didn't re-open until February 2002.)
WHO CAN GIVE US THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION?

SECOND QUESTION: What do you see in the third picture?

THIRD QUESTION: WHO ARE THOSE THREE WOMEN????

16 ---- Day 2 Anne-Marie's photo