Equestrianism and some nice idioms

As some of you may know: the World Equestrianism (having to do with horses) Games are being held at the moment. On a website I saw the following news about Adelinde Cornelissen (by the way, a former English teacher, and her horse, who were eliminated while doing their test. I think the article contains some very nice idioms and therefore I want you to see it.

"The Grand Prix team competition at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, which resumed today with the second group of riders, has taken several dramatic turns so far similar to a tragic opera. The Netherlands' number two rider, Adelinde Cornelissen, who is a strong contender for the individual medals, was eliminated because her horse Parzival bit the tip of his tongue and blood showed in his mouth. It happened right in front of the judge's box at C during the rein back. Cornelissen was excused from the class and sadly for her the 2010 World Equestrian Games are over."

www.eurodressage.com

Juliette

Hi everyone,
Please let me introduce myself, my name is Juliette Snijders. I was born in Boxmeer where I've lived ever since, together with my parents. I go to the Elzendaal College in Boxmeer and I'm in class 4Vb.
My favourite hobby is horseriding. When I was 11 years old, I got my own pony. Together we compete in dressage and we jump on the side. Since 4 months, I'm also riding 3 other horses. They're not mine but I ride and compete with them at the request of their owners. It's a bit busy at times but I still love it!
Math isn't really my strongest subject at school, I'm better at Economics and at History.
Italy and America are my number 1 holiday destinations. Two and three years ago I've been to Rome and to Venice. Both of the places where beautiful! Especially the Piazza Navona at Rome was amazing! I've never been to America, but I've got an unkel who lives there. Next holiday I'd love to go there.
When I've finished school, I'd like to study law in Nijmegen or in Maastricht.
Greets,
Juliette

Idiom Test 3000

Dear all,

For this year the word list will be divided into three parts.
First test (tw1) = A-D.
Second test (tw2) = E-M
Third test (tw3) = N-S

So no time to waste.

Idioms and the Oxford 3000

For learning the Oxford 3000 list, it seems that somebody has already done major work for us: http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/oxford3000/

Here you can find not only an explanation of the words, but also pronunciation and loads of examples.

The flo-joe website

One of the best websites to help you work your way towards the exam is the Flo-Joe website. You can find it at www.flo-joe.co.uk. Good luck and enjoy!

My story

Hi, all

I'm Joris and I live in Boxmeer it's a village near the river the Maas. I also was born in Boxmeer and still live in the same house (about 4 month's elder than me) as where I was born. I live in a freestanding house, with a nice garden around it, in a neighbourhood called Luneven. We live in this house with my mom, dad, my two little sisters called: Eline and Anneke and me of course. My hobby's are doing taekwondo and athletics, I really like doing them both. When I've got some spare time I like gaming/hanging around with my friends. My favourite food is Chinese food. I go to Elzendaalcollege and I'm in class 4VD. My favourite subject is History and I like some subjects wich look a bit like it. My worst subject is Mathematics, that's just not my cup of tea at all. My nicest holiday ever was this year when we went to America. We have just seen so many different\abnormal things. France, Spain, Greece, Germany, Switserland, Austria, England, Schotland and Italy were very nice too. When I've finished school I would like to do something with Economics, History or Politics.
This was my little story, I hoped you enjoyed reading it.
Greetings, Joris

This is me, Max

Hi,
My name is Max Lintjens. I was born 15 years ago in Nijmegen at the 27th of august 1995. These days I live in Gennep, a small city in the north of the province Limburg. I live there with my mother and father. I'm an only child, so I don't have any brothers or sisters. Nor do i have any pets, so its always quite calm around the house. I really like to play basketball. I play basketball at the Cougars, Gennep's basketball association. I train once a week and usually have one match every weekend. I also like to play games on the computer and hang around outside with some friends. I work at the Albert Heijn in Gennep, where i work two to three days every week. My favourite subject is PE, becous I like to do sports. My worst jubject is Dutch, becous I think Dutch is the most difficult language I know. When I grow up I want to be an architect.
I hope we'll have a lot of fun this year.
See you later,
Max

Frank

Hi everyone, I’m Frank. I’m 15 years old now and I was born here in Boxmeer, at the 28^th of February 1995. I still live in Boxmeer with my mum and dad, I’m an only child so no brother or sisters. I do have a cat, pookey. One of my favorite hobby’s is to play baseball, which is also my sport. We train once a week and we also have a match every week. At school my favorite subjects are physical education and Biology, but I also like English. My worst subjects are definitely mathematics and physics, in which I’m really bad. My other hobby’s are to play games, listen to music and to do a lot with friends. I don’t really like school and I’m already counting down to the next holiday. This holiday I went to Thailand, which was actually a lot of fun. We’ve did a lot of activities such as sleeping a night in the jungle and go riding on an elephant. But my best memory is still the holiday to America. But, enough about that now, cause I have a lot of words already and I also have to type about what I’m going to do after I finished VWO, well, actually I have no idea about what I’m going to do.

So, that’s it for the introduction, and I managed to get (well over) 150 words. Okay, I hope you enjoy reading it and I will see you all soon in the next Cambridge lesson.

Yannick

Hello, my name is Yannick Sijtsma, and I'm in class 4Vb. I'm sixteen years old and I live in Boxmeer.
I live together with my mum, dad, brother and sister. My oldest sister moved out of the house a few months ago.
I play Hockey 3 times in a week and I also do Judo. I also play the piano and the guitar.
My other hobbies are listening to music and playing games. My favourite food is mexican food.
I work at the Jan Linders in Boxmeer and I also deliver advertisment papers. My favourite subject is PE, because you don't have to learn anything. My worst subjects are Math and Dutch. We've been to austria a lot, because it's very nice there. We often went and climb mountains there. When I've finished school I have no idea what I'll do, because I don't know what I want to become yet.

Greets,
Yannick Sijtsma

Daan

Hey, what's up you guys!

Well, my name's Daan.
I live in Sambeek, with my parents and my little sister, her name's Lisa.
I've got a busy life, with a lot of hobbies. I like to play games on my PC while listening to nice music... and ofcourse I got addicted really fast. I also play football, about three times a week, with a footballmatch every saturday. I'm playing percussion at my local music-club: Semper Unitas. I love watching my favourite series and movies every evening aswell. Unfortunately I got no pets anymore: my hamster passed away a few months ago.
In the future, I want to become a lawyer, or at least something in that direction.

See you guys around!
Daan

Anke

Hello everybody,

My name is Anke Nabuurs. I’m 15 years old and I’m born in a village called Sint Anthonis. I still live in Sint Anthonis now. I live there with my father, mother, little sister and my little brother. My hobby is volleyball by Activia and I play at a nice team. I’ve got a dog, her name is Snuffie. This holiday I’ve been to France for a week. We went to Normandy and the weather there was not so good. But it still was a really nice vacation. When I’m finished with school I don’t know what to do exactly, but I hope that I’ll know it at the end of this year.

Stefanie

Hi Everybody,

My name is Stefanie Veenhuizen and I'm 15 years old. I live in 'the big city' Vortum-Mullem. I've got two older brothers. My hobbys are playing hockey, riding horse and playing on my saxophone. I've had an own horse for years, but I had to sell him because I didn't have much time the last couple of years.
I think that class 4vb is going to be a really nice class because the people are really friendly.
Further, I went on holiday to Friesland with my family for a week. The weather was a little bit disappointing so the vacation wasn't as we planned to be, but still it was a nice vacation.
Further, I still don't know what I want to do when I finished school, but one thing I really want to do is studying in England for a couple of years, so I'll learn the language much better. That's the reason I chose Camebridge instead of regular Englisch.

Greetz,
Stefanie

Tessel

Hello everybody,

My name is Tessel and I'm 15 years old. I'm born in Nijmegen and I live in Ottersum. I've got two older brothers. At home we have a lot of horses so my hobby is (not a surprise) horseriding. I also like to be with my friends and go shopping. My class is 4Vb and I think it's a really nice class. This vacation we didn't go on a holiday, that's impossible because of all the animals. I haven't even flown on a plain in my whole life, so that's really something I wanna do. I don't know what I want to do when I've finished school, but I hope by that time I know it!

A big steaming pile of me.

Hello,

I'm Bart van den Dool. I was born in Gouda 15 years ago. Now I live in Oeffelt a little village near Boxmeer. I live here with my parents and my two sisters. Two months ago my brother lived here aswell, but he moved to Groningen for his study. I play hockey, that is my favourite sport.

I love Afrika, especially Zambia (I lived there for 1 year). I'm in class 4vd. I really like biologie but my best subject is historie. My worst subject is without a moment of doubt mathematics. I've been to a lot of different countries, but I don't have enough words for them. When I finnish school I'll probably go to the university of Maastricht to do university college or medicine. I hope you like me.

Cheers

Featuring Mike...

Hello, my name is Mike Ebiowei. My mother is Dutch but my father is Nigerian, that's why I have a different colour. I was born here in the Netherlands, in a city called Nijmegen. A couple of months ago I moved to a small city called Gennep. I have seven brothers and two sisters, and of course a mom and dad. My dad lives in England with my little brother and sister, though. The rest of my brothers and sisters moved out of the house since they were old enough to take care of themselves. I like to play basketball and I fitness a lot. But my passion lies in the art of thai-boxing. I like animals and have a dog myself. Chicken is my favourite food, therefore my favourite "restaurant" is the KFC. I go to a school called Elzendaal College in Boxmeer, I'm sure you already knew that. I'm in class 4Vb. I don't like school very much, but I do like learning english, it's the only subject besides PE that I really enjoy. The reason why I chose Cambridge instead of regular English, is because I want to go to college in California after I graduate. I hope to be an international lawyer some day.That's why I want my english to be at a high enough level to study in America. I hope you guys liked reading my introduction, even though I didn't manage to write it with only 150 words.

Hi everyone,
I'm Liza Karami. I was born in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. I lived there for five or six years. Now I live in boxmeer, with my mom and two sisters. We don't have pets, because my mom is allergic to lots of animals. I like to go shopping and doing fun things with my friends and family. I like to draw things, so drawing is my favourite subject on school. During the holidays I have stayed home. I hope I'll go next year to France or Greece. In the future I definitely want to live in France for a year or two , because it's a beautiful country.
Kind regards,
Liza

Laura

Hello,

I’m Laura Coenen and I’m 15 years old. I was born in Boxmeer but now I live in a tiny village called Vierlingsbeek. I live there with my little sister, my little brother, my dog, my mum and my dad. I play the saxophone for about 7 years now. I also play in a harmony. My favorite subject is history. I really hate math because I’m really bad in it. I’ve been to France this summer. It was close to the coast so I swam a lot. When I’ve finished school I think I want to study for defense attorney. I don’t know yet where I want to study.

Willem

Hello,

My name is Willem Boumans and i am 14 years old.
I was born in Nijmegen but currently I live in a little town called Sint Anthonis.
I live there with my Mum, Dad and little sister. I like listening to music, playing videogames and hanging out with friends. I don't play any sports at the moment, but I am trying to find a sport I like. My favourite subject at school is chemistry, because I like learning stuff about atoms and moleculs. This summer we stayed at home, because we needed to paint the house. It was a bit boring, but I guess I've got to live with it. When I have finished my school, I'd really like to emigrate to Australia.

Tim

Hey,

Well I'm Tim Jansen, I'm 15 years old and I live in a town known as Gennep. Before I moved to Gennep 3 years ago I had lived in all sort of cities like Hengelo, Almelo and Enschede. I live together with my mum, dad, sister and Joek, my dog. My hobbies are playing soccer, listening to music and hanging out with friends. My favorite subject is physical education and my worst is german which I find quite challenging. This year's holiday I went to the Czech Republik. The holiday was kind of boring since it rained all the time, we had like 4 sunny days in the 4 weeks we stayed there. When I finish school I dream of becoming a fighter pilot.

Hi everybody

My name is Evelien Jansen and I am 15 years old. I'm born in Beugen. I still live there with my parents and with my brother Jeroen. He works a lot so he isn't much at home. I love playing volleybal. I do this three times a week. I also like shopping and do nice things with friends or family. My favourite subjects at school are Frenche and biology. I also like English. This summer I've been to Zeeland with my parents. The weather was good so we had a nice vacation. I don't know what I'm going to do when I have finished school. I hope I'll find out!

Sophie

Hi everybody,

My name is Sophie van Zwieten and I’m 15 years old. I live in a tiny village called Oploo. I have two brothers who have both moved out. Jon is working at the moment and Wouter is studying at the KMA, so it’s really quiet at home. I have a dog called Rosa. My hobbies are dancing , playing the French horn, reading, watching television and of course doing stuff with my friends. My favorite subject is History and I like English too. I absolutely hate chemistry so luckily I don’t have that anymore. After school I wish to study abroad, I guess in England.

karlijn

hi!

My name is Karlijn. I live in a small village, Oeffelt. That's also my place of birth. I live with my parents, my two older brothers and my three dogs called Amy, Floor and Sam. I don't want to stay in Oeffelt for the rest of my life. A big town seems so much more fun to me. My hobbys are playing piano and guitar, dancing and talking with my friends. I play piano for like 8 years and guitar just a half year. I dance since I was 6 years old. First classical ballet for young children, later streetdance for about 6 years and now I do combination dance.

Remco

Hello Everybody.

My name is Remco van Ginkel and I am 15 years old. I was born in Boxmeer at the 9th of december 1994. Now I live in Gennep, a village near Boxmeer. I live there with my parents and my little brother, whose name is Frank. I play keyboard, once a week. I don't play any sport and I don't have any pets. My favourite food is lasagne. Of course I like doing things with friends and I also like watching tv . My favourite subjects at school are French and Greek. My best subject last year also was Greek, because my mark was a 10 on my last rapport. I've been to france for two weeks this summer. I really liked it. When I've finished school I'd probably become a doctor. But I'm not really sure at this moment.

Sasha

My name is Sasha Brouwer and I'm 15 years old. I was born in Singapore and lived there for eleven years. I went to an English and to a Dutch school. I really miss Singapore and would love to go back any time. After that I moved to Beugen, because my dad works in Boxmeer. I live with my mom, dad, sister Meike and brother Koen. We have two rabbits, a cat, fish and chickens. I play hockey twice a week and do streetdance once a week. When I'm finished with school I would like to became an event planner and live in a foreign country.

Hey

Hey everybody!

My name is Aletta. I'm 14 years old and live in Boxmeer. I was born here, but I haven't lived here all my life. We moved to Milton Keynes when I was 5, because of my parents' work, and then moved back after 3 years. I have an older brother and sister. My brother lives in Utrecht and my sister lives in Arnhem. In the weekends they come to Boxmeer to visit us. It's a lot more quiet when they're gone! This year we went to Indonesia with the whole family. I loved it! Not only because of the beautiful country and the great climate, but also because my brother and sister went with us this year. I don't get to see them that often, so this was very special for me. I love shopping with my friends, dancing and making music! I'm not sure what I want to do when I've finished school, but I've got enough time to figure that one out!

Who's that girl?

9th September 2010

Dear friend!

I'm Daniguinan van de Braak. When I was younger I lived near Amsterdam. After that we went to Nieuwerkerk a/d IJssel. Now I live in Boxmeer, a little village. I absolutely love being here. But my biggest dream is to pack my bags and go to the United States and work there for a fashion magazine or something like that. Well, it sounds a little bit unrealistic. But I've got the motivation to accomplish my goals. Sometimes people think it's just a teenage dream, no it's more than that! I love my family and friends. I also have a younger sister, her name is Nadeche. My mum and dad are very important for me, they will support me at every time. I also have a little dog. She's a cutie. I always want to try something new. Life is just too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So I am a very optimistic person. I hope you know me a little bit more.

Best wishes
Daniguinan

Meet Kara

Hi there, my name is Kara. I'm a fifteen year old girl who lives in Boxmeer. I'm born in Venray, but we moved to Boxmeer because of my parents' work. I live with my mum and dad. I'm an only child. Mika, my cat, also lives with us. Twice a week I play hockey, I’ve been doing it for 5 years already. When I'm not at school I like being with me friends, watching TV or go shopping. My favourite subject at school would be Biology. I always liked it. As for the rest I don't have a subject that I really hate or something, I just like it not that much as Biology. This vacation I went to Malaysia. It was a journey of about 25 hours. But when we finally got there, I really enjoyed it! I don't know what I want to do when I finished school yet, but I'll find out. That's for sure.

About me!

Hello everybody!

My name is Carlijn Driessen. In this introduction I would like to tell you something about my family situation. I also want to tell you a few of my plans for the future.
I live in Siebengewald with my parents. I've got a sister too, she moved out last week and now she lives in Breda. She has to go to school there. I still have to get used to it, because it's very quiet without her!
In the future I really want to travel the world, and also live somewhere far away from Holland. I think that Spanish is a beautiful language, so I definitely want to learn it. To live in a country where they speak Spanish is, because of that, a great dream of mine!

My introduction

Hey everyone!
My name is Manon van Zinderen and I'm 15 years old. I live in Boxmeer with my parents and my little sister named Lotte. We've got two dogs, Job and Sam. My hobby is dancing. I do this about three hours a week. Of course I also like going shopping, and things like that. I don't have a favourite subject in school but I don't have one I really hate either. I love sunny holidays, I've been to Greece and Spain. When I've finished school I'd like to go to a university where it's also possible to do a year of your study in a different country.

Your first writing assignment

Welcome to your blog! We would very much like to get to know you and that is why we are asking you to write a post with an introduction of yourselves.

Use at least 100 words, but no more than 150.

Include some information on the following 6 items.
Imagine you are writing to a pen-friend providing the best possible impression of who you are.

1. From: place of birth, where you live, town or village, accommodation,

2. Family life: mum, dad, brothers, sisters.

3. Hobbies and favourites: playing soccer, going shopping / pets / foods

4. Your school: class, favourite subject, best or worst subject; teachers
(motivation)

5. Holidays and best memories: when? different countries you visited……

6. Future: “When I’ve finished school I’d like to…”.(motivation)

The Bikeman and the teach look forward to reading about you lot!