Final reflection: My English Competence in 2010

These are my best oral evidence and my best written evidence.

I have chosen this oral evidence because I think that in spite of the pronunciation which wasn't perfect, I expressed myself clear and the oral presentation was very well structured. Also I used some specific vocabulary that I had never used before so I think that it is my best oral presentation, in addition in the others I was a bit nervous so this is the one I was more quiet.

Regarding my best written evidence, I have chosen this one because I think that I used some good arguments, it was well structured and I used some connectors.
I really don't know which essay to choose, because I think that this one is quite good too. I didn't choose the others because they are shorter or not as well structured as these ones.

Final reflection: My English progress.

I'm going to compare my first composition with my last composition. What I can see is that I used to use short sentences and I didn't link much of them with any connector or post-fillers:"I like going to the mountains a lot so I go to summer camps/routes...". Nowadays I make longer sentences with connectors, as you can see in the second paragraph:"On the one hand, it's clear..... pushing the others to the abyss.".
Regarding the oral presentation, I think that my first oral presentation was quite good because I talked about an experience I had. The structure was right, the language used had some new vocabulary I learnt in Scotland, the presentation, the fluency and the pronunciation could improve but they were quite good. My last oral presentation was the one made in London so I think that it wasn't much better that the first I did, because it wasn't as prepared as the other. Despite that I think I have made a progress in the way I make the oral presentations because now I have more experience and I have learnt some useful things. My compositions have also improved, now I try to use as many connectors as I can, and I also try to use some phrasal verbs and new vocabulary.

Opinion essay: Mind-body therapies.

In our country mind-body therapies are becoming popular. Yoga, relaxation and group therapy classes are done in lots of centres and they are taking importance among the population. In my opinion, mind-body therapies must have something special, if not, people wouldn't go.

I believe that our mind must have some kind of connection with our body, so our body reflects our mind state. That's why I think that mind-body therapies can improve our health. In the same way we feel bad when we are depressed, when we are happy and optimist, our body has more energy and feels better.

In conclusion, I don't agree that mind-therapies are a waste of time because it's obvious that our mind and our body are connected and the state of one or the other affects ourself.

Discussion essay: Minority languages are likely to die soon in a global world.

In the last years our world has experimented some radical changes which could have fatal consequences. One of these is globalization. There's some people who believe that globalization will kill minority languages, but others defense that there's still hope.

On the one hand, it's clear that a global world makes and important pressure to minority languages because, as you know, English is becoming the most important language in the world, pushing the others to the abyss.

On the other hand, minority languages won't die till all the speakers die. So, it's a long process before a language disappears. Furthermore, there will be always written evidences, that will remain throughout the years, but really a written language is not as a spoken one. See the example of Latin.

To sum up, minority languages are under pressure but despite that, they will be always there. What is clear is that time will tell us what will happen eventually.

Formal letter: Unfair agriculture.

From: desmondhume@gmail.com
To: presidency@unitednations.org

Dear secretary-general,

My name is Desmond Hume and I am an Intermon Oxfam supporter. I am writing this e-mail in order to complain about the unfair situation the African agriculture suffers. Our NGO would like to see UN doing something on that affair. The Africans are working hard in the fields and European companies make the most of them just paying a miserable amount. Besides, those companies sell these products in modern countries with high prices. Therefore it is needed to implant fair trading rules on those countries.

Yours faithfully,

Desmond Hume.

Podcast: Mr. Darcy's description

Formal letter

38C Kingston Street
Miami
99V56Z
12th January 2010

Great Avenue
Memphis
57F002

Dear Mr. Clooney,

I am writing in order to explain that I am worried about the future of our planet. In the last summit did not decide anything important so I wish this year you would decide something important to change the fate of the planet.

Personally I am quite optimistic and I think the whole world should be as optimistic as I am and start acting.

Politicians should enforce laws to decrease carbon dioxide levels of the atmosphere and protect more natural zones. Although, people can also help recycling their rubbish.

Professionally, as a biologist I will become, I will be able to help protecting the habitats of endangered species and studying in which way can we help improve their existence.

I would like you to transmit my ideas in the next summit. Thank you very much for your time.
Yours sincerely

Oriol Llorà

New Year's Resolutions

My New Year's resolutions are:

I hope I will pass Selectivitat exam and get enough mark to study what I want. Then if I get enough mark, that I'm sure I will because the needed mark it's not high, I will start my degree.

Also I will try to travel as much as I can and visit interesting places. In a future I would like to do Camino de Santiago because I love trekking so I think that maybe in one or two years time I will do it. This year I'm going to London so I hope to make the most of the experience in company of my friends. In addition, surely at the end of the course, after Selectivitat, we will go somewhere to celebrate the end of Batxillerat and it will be a kind of farewell.

And also I would like richest countries doing something to help the world, reducing the pollution, the poverty and those problems from what we are responsible.

HUMAN RIGHTS

1. What are human rights?
Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled.
2. When did human rights start?
The human rights were made by the United Nations General Assembly on 1948.
3. Why were they created?
They were created as a response to Second World War to protect the rights and freedoms of people.
4. How many human rights are there?
There are 30 human rights.
5. Which human right were you not familiar with?
I wasn't familiar with the article 14 which says that everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. I think that sometimes this right could be very useful for people who have done any crime.
6. Choose one human right and discuss:
I think that article 3:Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person is the most important one because is which preserve the essence of a human. So I've chosen this right. I think that in my country it's respected as you can see in this link. When there was Franco's dictatorship it wasn't respected surely and nowadays is not complied in some countries with dictatorship gorvernment.
7. Are Human rights relevant in the world today?
I think they would be relevant if in every country are complied.
8.Participate on Facebook.

Are paper books dead?

Nowadays paper books are still used but e-books have appeared. E-book is a nice invention that will change the world of books: you can download books, modify it, write on it,etc. In my opinion paper books will never disappear because there will be always people who prefer paper books because of their special characteristics.

I would say that paper books can't be replaced by e-books because they have an special smell, touch an other characteristics which e-books could never have.

Furthermore, how will writers earn money if we are able to download books from Internet? That's a big problem to solve and there's just a solution: pay to download books. Although printers are going to be unnecessary so we have to think what's better for our society. I've decided what's better, and you?

In conclusion, it's clear that in some years e-books will be the usually way to read a book, but as I said those characteristics I said before are the essence of book and e-books will never have them.

A Joke