pcsi news

Advice before the curtain drops

2009-06-25T12:23:00.003+02:00

Next year, at the "Concours" you will be expected to know about what happened in the world over the past 12 to 24 months in all possible fields .

I suggest you get a page on your computer like my yahoo where you can receive all the information that could help you keep up with the world.

For instance on my Yahoo page, I receive articles from the New Scientist ( I chose nanotechnology and robots ), the New York Times etc.... You will add the Guardian for Englishness...

You can choose to receive written documents as well as audio or video ones.

Anyway, you can tailor this page to your needs and tastes.

Make the most of the Internet.

Luck and work blend well.

Good luck! The work is yours entirely.

Grammar colle 13

2009-04-18T21:13:00.002+02:00

Hi guys!
When you read this I hope you will have had fun and charged your batteries for another crazy term session!!!

Here is the latest grammar test to be operational on May 4th.
Tokyo is the largest city in Japan.
She is the most popular singer in our country.
He is taller than his brother.
They have more children than us/ than we have.
Mary is the younger sister of the two.
He is twice as heavy as me.
She is as tall as her mother but not so tall as her sister.
It is the same film as last week.
It is getting hotter and hotter.
She is getting worse.
I can’t go any further.
I’d like further details.
Her elder son is married.
We use the latter more than the former.
He is the least mature of my students.
The more, the merrier.
The older this wine (is), the better it tastes.
The more money he earns, the more money he wastes.
The less you eat, the less energy you have.
The fewer students there are, the fewer subsidies.
It is all the more amazing as English is his/her favourite subject.
The sooner, the better.

Stand by me

2009-04-06T11:29:00.001+02:00

Stand By Me from David Johnson on Vimeo.

Swiss Spaghetti Harvest 1957

2009-03-31T21:20:00.001+02:00

April's fool for you.

future colle 10

2009-02-20T12:10:00.000+01:00

1. The train leaves at 3.20 p.m./twenty past three.
2. In a week’s time, I’ll be skiing.
3. The plane is about to take off.
4. They are saving: they are going to buy a house.
5. Don’t move: I’ll answer the phone.
6. We are leaving after breakfast/lunch.
7. They will have reached the top by 12.
8. We are to go to Italy in May.
9. When will you call him?
10. He won’t give up.
11. Jim would agree.
12. How would you have reacted?
13. I will call you when you are in Rome.
14. He said that he would leave as soon as he had finished.
15. I’ll talk to them as soon as we arrive.
16. I will be able to book the tickets once I have the timetable.
17. I’ll borrow this video when you have watched it.
18. I’ll learn to kitesurf while I’m on holiday.
19. We’ll go out as soon as we’ve finished.
20. I can’t tell you when I will call you.

When I'm sixty four

2009-02-19T21:40:00.001+01:00

Now, guys, pay attention to the tenses and remember: no future after when.
So long!
Have a nice holiday.

The island of flowers

2009-02-04T14:51:00.001+01:00

Dark flowers grow on this island.
This video was recommended to me by one of your classmates. It is definitely worth watching.
Humour and despair.

Death Sentence at Chinese Tainted Milk Trial

2009-01-22T10:38:00.000+01:00

Two men have been given the death penalty for their involvement in China's contaminated milk scandal.

The former boss of the Sanlu dairy at the centre of the scandal was given life imprisonment.

They are among 21 sentences being handed down by the court in northern China, where Sanlu is based.

The scandal, in which melamine was added to raw milk to make it appear higher in protein, led to the deaths of six babies and made some 300,000 ill.

It caused outrage in China and has tainted the image of the country's food industry both at home and abroad.

Grammar colle 7

2009-01-10T17:27:00.002+01:00

1. She works on a computer every day.
2. She has worked hard all day.
3. He made two films. Both(of) his films/ both of them were flops.
4. The two brothers live in different parts of the country.
5. I have read neither book. You can lend me either book.
6. Each gambler staked 50 francs.
7. Every gambler wants to win.
8. She needs a few dollars.
9. I’ve got few friends.
10. We’ve got a little time before our train.
11. Hurry up ! We’ve got little time.
12. She hasn’t got many friends.
13. She hasn’t got much money.
14. I drink lots of tea.
15. A lot of people agree on that.
16. You’ve made a good many mistakes.
17. Most cameras are made in Japan.
18. Most of the cameras I saw were expensive.
19. There must be another solution.
20. The other three victims are children.
21. You have another two days to wait.
22. We meet every other day.
23. Any student can do that.
25aCan I have some tea?
25b.Can I get any tea?
26.These days. In those days.
27.Not all students filled in the questionnaire.

Will.i.am

2008-11-20T13:49:00.002+01:00

Obama has won

2008-11-06T16:35:00.001+01:00

Watch Obama's victory speech.

key campaign issues on video

2008-10-16T22:06:00.001+02:00

See what Barack Obama and john McCain have to say on key issues: on video!

Learn your vocabulary easily thanks to "j'aime les langues"

2008-10-05T14:23:00.001+02:00

Here is a progam that can help you memorise your vocabulary lists!!
It is called "j'aime les langues"
"J'M Les Langues est un logiciel qui a pour but de faciliter l'apprentissage de listes de vocabulaire pour les cours de langues. Vous rentrez votre vocabulaire dans différentes listes, qui appartiennent à des dictionnaires de listes. Pour l'apprentissage de ces listes, il y a 4 types d'exercices: click, écrit, dictée et interro. Il est possible de n'être interrogé que sur certains mots, choisis ou aléatoires. ..."

European Day of languages

2008-09-25T15:17:00.004+02:00

September 26th is the European day of languages. Here is the oppportunity to learn their names.

Luxembourg French, German, Luxemburgish
Ireland Gaelic
Denmark Danish
Austria German
Finland Finnish
Belgium Dutch, French
Netherlands Dutch
United Kingdom English
Germany German
Sweden Swedish
France French
Italy Italian
Spain Spanish
Greece Greek
Slovenia Slovak
Cyprus Greek, Turkish
Malta Maltese
Portugal Portuguese
Czech Republic Czech
Estonia Estonian
Hungary Hungarian
Slovakia Slovak
Lithuania Lithuanian
Latvia Latvian
Poland Polish
Bulgaria Bulgarian
Romania Romanian

Many other regional languages are spoken in Europe!
Three cheers for Breton
Kenavo Dor

Grammar one

2008-09-25T15:10:00.002+02:00

1. He works in a bank.
2. He is studying the effects of nuclear radiations on pigs.
3. How long does the film last?
4. She comes from Scotland.
5. “What is she doing?” “She is hailing a taxi.”
6. He’s always smoking a pipe! (I’m sick and tired of it)
7. The match starts at 3.
8. I’m leaving tomorrow.
9. We‘ve rented a car.
10. It’s the first time I’ve eaten oysters.
11. I’ve just finished.
12. He has drunk two bottles of wine.
13. He has been drinking again!
14. He has worked here for 2 years
15. He has been working for hours.
16. They have been here since May.
17. We’re staying here a week.
18. I’ve been here since 2004.
19. He's (*has)been out of work for almost a year.
20. He’s (* is) out of work at the moment/on the dole.

Here starts 2008-2009

2008-09-25T15:06:00.002+02:00

Welcome to the class blog. You will find information about classwork but also tips, bits of news, interesting links.

Buy a car. Get a gun in the bargain

2008-06-09T21:49:00.003+02:00

Listen to the owner of the Max Motors dealership explaining how successful his offer for a car and a gun or a $250 gas card is at this address in the audio part of the article.

Multiplication maya

2008-06-08T19:13:00.001+02:00

Multiplication maya
Vidéo envoyée par Roma-eterna

Multiplication Maya
Matematicas principio tzeltal (maya antiguo)!

Buzz Lightyear trains for NASA mission

2008-06-02T22:01:00.001+02:00

Interesting piece of news, isn't it!

Fairgame: World Of Warcraft

2008-04-28T10:54:00.001+02:00

May 10th is Fair Trade day.

Fair trade May 10th

2008-04-28T10:50:00.003+02:00

To what extent are you a fair trade consumer?

Try this quiz to know.

Learn also about microcredit, made popular by Mr Yunus when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Aviation English

2008-04-05T09:54:00.002+02:00

If you are interested in learning Aviation English visit the Macmillan site. They have just released a new method.
Plus here : the ICAO Rating Scale.

Relative clauses

2008-03-28T13:47:00.005+01:00

Here is the end of the exercise:

The film deals with a child whose father was killed during the war.

Arthur Miller, whose fascinating biography I read, died in February 2005.

Here is the book (that) I was telling you about/ I was talking about.

We met a lot of women, most of whom had never heard about the disease.

The town, a third of which was destroyed during the war, has a beautiful gothic church.

He lacked courage, which surprised me.

What surprised me was his lack of courage.

I remember the day (when) we met.

He read all that he could lay hands on/ whatever he could.

Sustainable food

2008-01-31T14:00:00.000+01:00

COWS UNITE!!!!

Visit this interesting site devoted to sustainable food.

You can read information like:

"A recent poll conducted for Food & Water Watch indicates that 80 percent of consumers want milk from cows not treated with the hormone to be labeled “rBGH-free" but Monsanto, the manufacturer of rBGH, has asked for such labels to be restricted."

You bet!! Who stands to gain?

Organic war

2008-01-21T22:31:00.000+01:00

A very imaginative view of organic food vs junk food.

Antismoking ads

2008-01-15T21:57:00.000+01:00

Watch and listen to this great antismoking ad by Stynx: Why do you keep running boy?

b

Hey, whatcha sayin', boy,
Fancy gettin' jiggeh?
Hey, whats the problem, boy?
The smell of my exhale
I want you there, boy
I wanna hold you close
Is it my breath? My hair and stinky clothes?
You disappear, right outta sight
When I say, "Have you got a light?"
Why do you keep on running, boy?
Can't run so fast, got a pain in my chest (oh!)
Why do you keep on running boy (Runnin' boy)
I wish you'd stop, cos I'm so out of breath
*puff* *wheeze* *takes another drag*"

The Meatrix

2008-01-15T12:05:00.000+01:00

The Meatrix is an imaginative pastiche of a famous movie, denouncing industrial farming.
Have fun.

Ecological Footprint

2007-11-12T16:52:00.000+01:00

Try this amazing quiz.

The quiz is based on national consumption averages and is meant to give you an idea of your Ecological Footprint relative to other people in the country you live in.

I was amazed to learn that, environmentally-conscious though I may be, if everybody lived like me we would need THREE planets!!! How appalling! I'll have to act.

I'll see what I can do to offset my household's carbon emissions.

Plant new trees?

Commemorations

2007-10-17T15:46:00.000+02:00

What is the use of commemorations? What should be commemorated? Is there a "time limit" beyond which events ought not to be commemorated any longer?
That was the gist of the article we started studying in class on Tuesday, about the 9/11 commemorations this year.
For "comic" relief here is an amazing piece of sticky news to read : the Boston Molasses Disaster.

Preterit song

2007-09-12T19:05:00.000+02:00

Learn grammar through songs: mouth-watering, isn't it???
Have fun.

Rugby sequel

2007-09-12T18:41:00.000+02:00

Here is another truly fascinating site about Rugby, its history, the art it inspired etc...

Rugby World Cup

2007-09-10T13:17:00.000+02:00

One of the most awesome aspects of rugby is Haka performed by the All Blacks, New Zealand's team. If you visit the All Blacks site you will get plenty of insight into the game. I enjoyed the videos.

New year in September!

2007-09-06T17:47:00.000+02:00

For Airlines, Hands-On Air Traffic Control

Back to school!
An interesting site for all those who prefer movies to paper....
Cheer up guys, think of all the interesting discoveries we will make together!

We Have Moved to a New Home

2007-07-07T17:35:00.000+02:00

We Have Moved to a New Home
Here is a fantastic site for you to try. Podcast it or listen to it with or without the script. It will help you to make real progress in oral comprehension during the holidays.

Comics writers: that's you, folks!

2007-07-01T22:02:00.000+02:00

Want to do some amusing writing chore for a change? Go to this site and fill in the speech balloons... Have fun!

art quiz

2007-06-07T21:49:00.000+02:00

Si vous voulez les solutions au quizz sur l'art en Europe il faut me les demander par courriel car je ne peux pas attacher de fichier.

Take the bull by the horns! Revisions for DS 4

2007-05-14T13:55:00.000+02:00

*Grammaire:
Revoir les fiches de grammaire ainsi que les exercices portant sur tout ce qui a été vu jusqu'à maintenant, en insistant sur le preterit et le past perfect modal (après wish, 'd rather, if, it's high time), les subordonnant et les subordonnées relatives et circonstancielles, les comparatifs et superlatifs.

*Vocabulaire:

-Le vocabulaire des textes proposés par vos camarades: "Dutch Firm Pays Ivory Coast", "Malaria-resistant mosquito developed", "Distract and Disenfranchise ".
-Les fiches "Idioms"

Et aussi :

-Tout le thème de l'environnement, l'effet de serre, le changement climatique, les énergies renouvelables, les moyens de lutter contre la pollution, les décharges, les espèces en voie de disparition, etc...

Grammar for colle 13

2007-04-10T20:57:00.000+02:00

"The sooner, the better" or "the more, the merrier," comparatives are always dazzlingly useful, aren't they?

Here are the "phrases de thème":

Tokyo is the largest city in Japan.
She is the most popular singer in our country.
He is taller than his brother.
They have more children than us/ than we have.
Mary is the younger sister (of the two).
He is twice as heavy as me.
She is as tall as her mother but not so/not as / tall as her sister.
It is the same film as last week.
It is getting hotter and hotter.
She is getting worse.
I can’t go any further.
I’d like further details.
Her elder son is married.
We use the latter more than the former.
He is the least mature of my students.
The more, the merrier.
The older this wine (is), the better it tastes.
The more money he earns, the more money he wastes.
The less you eat, the less energy you have.
The fewer students there are, the fewer the subsidies.
It is all the more amazing as English is his/her favourite subject.
The sooner, the better.

Have fun.

See you in May.

Panem and Circenses

2007-04-09T19:09:00.000+02:00

The article Marouane will deal with is called "Distract and Disenfranchise" by Paul Kruger and can be found on the blog called 'Ecomomist's view'.

Auxerre, a Typical French Town for the New York Times

2007-03-29T18:35:00.000+02:00

The New York Time published an article about Auxerre, which is said to epitomize the attitudes French people have about the upcoming presidential elections. Interesting, isn't it?

Malaria-resistant mosquito developed

2007-03-26T14:32:00.000+02:00

Nafissatou will deal with this thought-provoking topic -malaria- tomorrow.
You'll find information about the disease in the site.

Here is a map of the regions of the globe affected by malaria.

Nafissatou's IHT article can be found there . A short video can be watched on the BBC News website where you can see the beautiful fluorescent green eyes of the "beast".

This hi-tech solution to the deadly disease has advantages and drawbacks. What do you think they are?

Biopiracy

2007-03-19T18:18:00.000+01:00

A lot of information about biopiracy, which doesn't mention the claim of the "Indigenous Coalition Against Biopiracy "by the way.

Art in Europe : test your culture

2007-03-18T22:18:00.000+01:00

On March 26th we will celebrate the 50 th anniversary of the treaty of Rome which laid the foundation of the E.U we live in today.

Here is a wonderful quiz about art in Europe.

http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/languesLP/anglais/arteuropeconcours.htm

Test your knowledge.

Dutch firm pays Ivory Coast to settle Toxic Waste

2007-02-18T22:08:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday Mustapha will tell us about the unbearable consequences of dumping toxic waste. If you go the IHT site, you will be able to listen to the article, with an American accent, on top of reading it. Interesting, isn't it?

$100 computer

2007-02-13T15:20:00.000+01:00

I found this interesting slide show about the $100 computer. Amazing isn't it?

Sismographe ou sismomètre? Who can help us decide?

2007-02-12T14:17:00.000+01:00

We had an argument in class about the translation of 'seismometer'.
Can anybody help us?

Here is the article I have found in a Canadian dictionary when I got no answer for 'sismograph'.
The word 'sismomètre' is not to be found in my version of the Robert dictionary (in French).

Domaine(s) : - astronautique
- instrument

français
anglais

sismomètre lunaire n. m.
lunar seismometer

Définition :
Le sismomètre lunaire fait partie de l'équipement sélénographique d'Apollo. Il enregistre l'heure, la durée, l'amplitude et les principales caractéristiques des secousses sismiques lunaires ou « tremblements de lune ». Ces données fournissent des renseignements sur les propriétés physiques de l'écorce et de l'intérieur lunaires. Le sismomètre lunaire diffère peu des sismomètres terrestres, mais il est plus sensible et comporte un dispositif radio permettant l'envoi vers la Terre des données recueillies. Les secousses enregistrées après le départ du module lunaire d'Apollo 11 révèlent la présence d'un noyau central en fusion. D'autres secousses de faible amplitude seraient dues à des glissements de terrain provoqués par l'expansion des roches sous l'effet du rayonnement solaire. Les études fondées sur les signaux recueillis révèlent l'existence de plusieurs couches stratifiées et d'une écorce solide d'environ 12 milles d'épaisseur.

February 14th: Happy Valentine!

2007-02-11T21:15:00.000+01:00

Wednesday 14th February : Valentine Day!!!!

Can you believe it? Shouldn't you all be wearing something red to celebrate that day? What do you think?
Here is a photo that I took last year in Curaçao on Valentine day to show you how popular this day is in lots of countries, the Caribbean Islands for instance, not to mention England.

More seriously, we will be having a half-term test which isn't going to be a bed of -red-roses as usual unfortunately .

Révisions:
*Grammaire: tout depuis le début de l'année jusqu'à la futurité et le futur dans les subordonnées de temps
*Les exposés des élèves: "Where the Tuna roam", "Plastic Paper", "Ship spilling oil and cargo off England" "mission to the moon", "radiation tests after spy death"
*Class themes: Food, the food pyramid, health and nutrition, the trans-fat and smoking cartoon,genetics, Gmos.

OGM en français

2007-02-08T21:39:00.000+01:00

Here is the French article about GMOs if you find it the one in English too hard to understand.

Dilemma

2007-02-05T16:02:00.001+01:00

Picture from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:TIME_cover_july_31_2000.jpg

What is your personal opinion on this issue?

Genetic Engineering

2007-02-05T15:25:00.000+01:00

Want to understand how Genetic Engineering works? Here is a quick and easy way

Try listening to this!

2007-01-29T22:21:00.000+01:00

Here you will find an article to listen to about the topic dealt with by Khalil on Tuesday January 30th 2007.

Ship spilling oil and cargo

2007-01-29T11:19:00.000+01:00

Khalil's topic this week is the recent oil spill after the Napoli was towed near the coast of Devon. Looters, scavengers had a feast. Are they allowed to keep the goods they found on the beach, this huge BMW, for instance.