This blog is for the students preparing at Elzendaalcollege for the June 2011 FCE exam.
woensdag 15 juni 2011
I’m a student from class 4 at Elzendaal College. On this school we learn to work hard to achieve your goal and get the best results. Everyday, since the first grade, we have a lot of work to do. I’m going to tell you about my experience with homework and studying.
For every subject we have to learn a lot. Each lesson we learn something new and afterwards we have to remember it so we can use it. I used to do all my homework, but nowadays I can’t make it anymore. There’s too little time and too much pressure. So now, I only make the homework which is absolutely necessary.
There’s no one who tells me I have to do my homework. I tell it to myself. I feel better when I finished my homework, it feels like I have achieved something. And honestly, I really learn from it. I always try to finish all the work at once, so I don’t have to worry about it later. This isn’t always working because it’s too much, or my concentration is fading. Then I take a short break. I listen to music, watch TV or read a book.
I usually start doing my homework right after school. Mostly I’m busy the whole afternoon. It takes a lot of time and effort. After I finished, I’m very tired. So when I’m done, usually around 6 o’clock in the afternoon, I do something that I like. I try not to be busy with school the rest of the day.
Kara Drexler
4Vb
maandag 13 juni 2011
What are three big differences between your university/college life so far and your high school days?
I chose the subject college with the question: ‘What are three big differences between your university/college life so far and your high school days?’ I have not yet been participating the whole student life actually because I am still in high school but I still chose this subject because I found it interesting and one of the reasons why I go to high school for me is to reach college in the end.
But what do I expect from going to university? First of all it is going to be a whole lot of different not just for me but also for my family and other students. Because where I live there are not many (in my case) universities around. So if you move over you have got start over again with the community life. You usually do not know anyone out there; you have to search for a room and make sure you will be able to enter. That means your notes have to be at least high enough and sometimes you even have to do an entrance exam or intake conversation or so.
When you than have officially been admitted, you move over (in most cases) and your first lesson or introduction camp has finished you usually start to build up connections. One of the most enjoyable times in your life has begun. For me the most learning aspect is likely to be that you also just learn how to live and care for your self the whole day long. I guess it will be an amazing time and I already look forward to it even while I still have to entire years of high school in front of me.
Joris Claessens
4Vd
maandag 6 juni 2011
Olympics
The last Olympics were the winter games held in Vancouver in 2010. Our country won three gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Seven of those medals were for speed skating and the other one was for snowboarding. So our country is very good at speed skating.
The next Olympics are the summer games in London in 2012. The Netherlands is interested to organise the Olympic games in 2028. The main city could be Amsterdam or Rotterdam. In the summer of 2021 the IOC will announce which city will organize the Olympic Games of 2028.
The sports I like to watch during the Olympic Games are speed and figure skating during the winter games and gymnastics, athletics and volleyball during the summer games.
I think it is very sad that there are players who are using drugs. This is a very negative thing for the Olympics. The players should be very happy that they are so good in a sport and that they are allowed to go to the Olympics. Then they shouldn’t screw it up by using drugs. But the Olympic Games stay very important because it is something almost all countries in the world are participating. Now it has become also a tradition so I think it will continue for a very long time.
Evelien Jansen
Terror
People who want to achieve something like the Taliban who want that America leave Afghanistan use terror. One of the actions of terrorists that I remember was the one on 9/11 in America on the twin-towers and the bombing of the London metro on the 7’th of July. To prevent terror every government should always be looking for terrorists in their country. I am not afraid to travel when there can be a terrorist attack because when you travel on the road wit your car you have a bigger chance to die then that a terrorist attack kills you. The terrorists think that they can only reach something with scaring the people and the government. Another way of terrorism is that the terrorists make a letter and in that envelope they put a deadly virus and when you breathe it in you will die. I think terror is only justified if terror is used against you. The airline travel is because of the terrorism more secured and there are more policemen on the airfield. I think that America is winning the war on terrorism because they have killed Osama Bin Laden and they have a track of the new leader Al Swahiri or something like that. I also think that because the Americans have driven the Taliban from Afghanistan and Pakistan. The countries that everybody think they hide terrorists are Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.
I did never have a personal experience with a terrorist or a terrorist action.
Maarten Mosch
Migration
Migration
Even though I have a Dutch passport, I still consider myself a foreigner as I was born in Singapore. The definition for foreigner given by the dictionary is: One who is from a foreign country or place. But to become a foreigner, you have to migrate. A subject which always creates discussion, especially when it comes to politics. But why do people migrate? And does migration cause problems?
People mainly migrate for money. My parents immigrated to Singapore in 1990, because my dad got a job there. Sixteen years and three kids later, my parents immigrated back to Holland, yet again for a job. This is very common. But something that is also very common is for people who have less, to immigrate to countries that are seen as wealthy. They see it as an option to find a job, but that’s almost never as easy as they had hoped. It’s tough to get a job, especially with the economy that we have these days, and for people with a low, or even no education, the search for a reasonable job can take years, or never even end.
But migration doesn’t only happen for work. There are also people who migrate for fun. Because they don’t enjoy living in their own country, or are just ready for something new, an adventure of some kind.
As you can see there are many different reasons to migrate. And though it doesn’t work out for everyone, most people seem to be content with their decision.
Sasha Brouwer
maandag 23 mei 2011
If I could be an animal, I would be a...
I first thought of other animals like: mermaids, unicorns, griffins, a dragon, etc. But a mermaid is half human, half fish so that’s not really an animal. A unicorn is too girly and a griffin isn’t as cool as a phoenix. The choice between a dragon and a phoenix was hard, because I found a dragon awesome too. The phoenix won from the dragon, because of his abilities.
Although it doesn’t exist, it would be fun to be one. You can fly and reborn again. I would love to fly. You would be free and see the most beautiful views. It’s also said that the cry of a phoenix is like a beautiful song. If I could cry like a beautiful song, I would cry forever.
Silly Questions
If I could be an animal, I would be a…
A griffin is a combination of a lion and an eagle. It’s head and wings are an eagle, and the rest of his body is a lion. Griffins of course don’t exist, but is know from many fairytales. Even though it doesn’t exist it would be cool to be one anyway, one of the reasons I would want to be a griffin is because of the fact that they can fly!! I would love to be able to fly because of the fact that it would really bring independence to your life because you can go and do whatever you want, you don’t need your parents to drive you you can simply fly anywhere you like. Also you would be really special. No one has ever seen a griffin before (except perhaps for some lunatic people who claim they have) so they would really want to see you!
So this is my reason why I want to become if griffin if this would be possible somewhere in the future.
My life so far
My first memory is about my grandfather. I can remember us playing games in the garden. I also remember my first day at elementary school. I had been looking forward to it for weeks. When I finally got there, I was a bit disappointed. It wasn’t that different from the playgroup I went to before.
The neighborhood where I grew up is the same as where I live now. We moved when I was about five years old, but we only moved a couple of streets away. This shows that my parents were satisfied with the area they live in, and so am I. It’s an ideal area for a child to grow up. There are a lot of playgrounds and the cars aren’t driving too fast.
My hobbies are dancing and playing the German flute. I started taking dancing lessons when I was four years old. I have played the flute for four years, but then I quit because I didn’t have the time to practice anymore. Nowadays I still play the flute for fun, and I still dance about three hours a week.
Clothes and fashion
Dogs and Cats
I do can imagine that people don’t want any dogs or cats, because they are a lot of work. They are very energetic, and cost a lot of money. They have to be fed and you have to walk them out sometimes. If people are very busy with work, they don’t have much time for their pets. With dogs that can be a bigger problem, because they have to go outside, but cats don’t. So if you do want a pet, but don’t want to spend a lot of time, then I would recommend a cat.
I’ve had bad experiences with cats, so I wouldn’t take a cat. But I can imagine that people do love cats, because they can be very sweet. When I was little, a male cat bit me, and that hurt a lot. That’s why I don’t really love them, and why I prefer dogs. Whoever wants any company, I would say, take a pet!
Stefanie Veenhuizen
Music
The subject I’ve chosen is Music. The reason why I’ve chosen music, is that I love music, and it’s a really important thing in my life. I don’t really have a favourite style if you look over the last months. I mostly have periods where I have a favourite style, and at this moment I love listening rock and reggae. A style I also really like is jazz and blues, and I like it even more if it’s music from the sixties seventies or eighties. As you can see, is my taste at music very various.
I not only like to listen music, but I also love to make music. I play the piano and the guitar, and since a year I also have singing lessons. The singing lessons are going very well, and I can say that in my opinion, singing is the nicest way of making music. I also have been dancing for a couple of years, and I like that very much too.
I always listen to music when I’m making my homework. The song has to be a bit unknown, because otherwise I’m going to sing along with the song. Though, I can’t learn when I’m listening to music, because of my concentration.
A thing I also love to watch, are musicals. If I had the potency to play in a musical, I certainly would. It’s only too bad that my parents find musicals too expensive (which I can understand if you see these ridiculous prices) to go to.
Thank you for your attention, and I hope I’ve informed you enough about my music and me.
Manon Hendriks
Basketball
For this paper I have chosen to write about the sport I practice, basketball. Basketball is a team sport. The teams have at least five players in them, as the game is played with five players of both teams on the court. In the game there are three positions you can play: one guard, two centers and two forwards. The guard is the person that chooses the strategy that will be used and he makes sure that it will be carried out. The centers usually are the longest people on the team, so they can be passed to fairly easy when moving around under the basket. The forwards help the guards by always being open to passes. A game is made up out of four quarters of ten minutes each and is judged by two to three referees.
In the game you are not allowed to touch the ball with anything under your waist, so you are allowed to pass the ball with your head, but not with you thigh. You can dribble the ball with your hands. When you hold the ball after dribbling, you are not allowed to start dribbling again. If the ball goes out of bounds, the team that didn’t touch the ball gets the ball. If the ball gets stuck between the board and the ring, the team that threw the ball gets the ball. If you try to take the ball from the opponent and you touch the opponent, the opponent gets the ball.
That are pretty much the basic rules of basketball.
Animals
We have three pets. They are all dogs. The oldest dog is called Sam and is around 10 years old. Our second dog is a year and a half old and is called Floor. The youngest dog is just one year old and is called Amy. We got them al three from a breeder. Sam is from another breeder than Floor and Amy. Those are crossings between Maltese and Chichi’s. Amy is black and white, and Floor is totally white. The oldest, Sam, is a golden retriever. I play with them a lot, especially with the young ones, but they don’t listen very well and don’t do any tricks.
All my live I’ve been living with pets. Until my sixth we’ve had a dog called Grietje. It was a very sweet dog and she listened well. She died when she was seventeen years old, I was six years at that moment. Later my parents got me a rabbit. It was a really big one, a French lop. It was so big that I barely could do anything with her. I was scared of her and that’s why we did her to a sort of petting zoo.
I love to have pets, because they are always there when you come home. You can play and hug with them. When I am grown up I want pets. I think it’s also good for kids. It’s a good way to learn them responsibility.
Karlijn Dievelaar
writing assignment week 20 flo-joe
In this report I'm going to consider witch of the ideas that were introduced on the meeting of 25 March is the best for our home town.
The idea first proposed is building a new sports stadium with the best facilities. For the local economy is it a smart thing to do. A lot of visitors will go there to take a look at the sports and they all pay tickets to go there. For the local people it's also nice because it brings a lof jobs.
The second idea to update the museum of local and national history is not really a good idea. Using extra money for a educational centre for children is not a smart thing to do, because children simply don't like history. They think a museum is boring so they won't go there and the money will only be spilled.
The third and last idea is to move the existing arts centre. We already have such a centre 3 kilometers ago but the plan is to move it to a more central place. Such a centre is really nice and brings a lot benefit for the peaople and for the economy. But there is already one not far away and you can even walk to it. So I think it's not really necessary to transfer this accommodation to the centre.
I think the first idea is the best idea. It's good for the economy and for the people. And it wil also make more people go aporting and that's really necessary in this time when people only get fatter and fatter!
Tessel van Dijk
256 words
Cats and Dogs
Which do you like best, cats or dogs? I prefer dogs. That’s because I have a dog myself, her name is Snuffie. Another reason is that dogs are more reliable than cats. Cats do often walk away and don’t come back, when dogs walks away they mostly come back. Dogs listen to you and you can teach them something, I’ve never heard of a cat who listen as good as dogs. People keep cats and dogs because they can give them company.
There are countries where people eat meat of cats and dogs. Especially in Asian countries people eat dogs. I will not eat dogs and cats meat if I can’t eat other food. On the contrary I do understand why in some counties people eat it for it's meat. We eat cows and pigs for its meat and there the people eat cats and dogs. I think it’s in the culture.
There are many breeds of cats and dogs. My dog is a Jack Russell combined with a Fox. So it’s not a pure breed, but that doesn’t matter for me. She’s very energetic and that’s in the breed. You’ve also breeds that can help people who are blind that are breeds like golden retrievers and Labradors. Further there are shepherds, that are dogs who help the police. I don’t know so much about cat breeds, but there are very many breeds.
So the conclusion is: I love dogs an I prefer them above cats.
Anke Nabuurs
Crime!
I think the penalty part is not as good as the preventing part. Preventing crimes will not only make our country safer but it will also contribute in the cohesion! The main reason we use punishments is fear, but fear will only prevent crimes from happening for only a few people in this society we live in, which is not good enough. Penalties are okay, as long as they are fair and suitable for the crime. However, I don't think fines are fair, because some people can simply afford more than other people, which isn't fair at all.
I don't think we should let policemen carry guns. This will be more dangerous for all of us, as it frightens the possible thiefs more, which ends up in more stupid and deadly situations! Guns will become easier to get and look at America, that's not a good thing! Defending the law should not make an exception.
I'd like to hear your opinion!
Daan
Drugs
Alcohol and drugs
Drugs are a very sensitive subject to talk about these days. In this text, I give my personal opinion about drugs and alcohol.
I think alcohol could be considered as a drug. If it would be considered as one, I think it should be marked "softer" than marijuana.
People get addicted to everything nowadays, alcohol included. I think most alcoholics in The Netherlands are between 16 and 30 years old, because they are old enough to buy alcohol legally, and they just want to go on and on. The biggest problem with alcoholics is that they don't know their own limits. I believe the best remedy for alcoholism is group therapy, because most people get addicted to alcohol because they feel lonely and abandoned.
Marijuana is legal in The Netherlands, and I think it should stay this way. If you make marijuana illegal, some people will always smuggel it into the country. Another thing that could occur, is that people will start using hard drugs instead of marijuana, because both are illegal.
Tobacco is considered legal in almost every country, because it doesn't affect the behavior of people as much as drugs or alcohol. Another reason for tobacco being legal, is the fact that millions of people are addicted to it, and it makes a shipload of money. if you would ban it, you would make millions of people angry and the governments don't like making citizens angry.
dinsdag 4 januari 2011
Make a child smile
First of all, I want to wish all of you a very good year. Should you feel bored in the Christmas holidays, you might want to spend some time writing a mail/card to a sick child. This website gives you information on children who would really welcome your mail. Please be careful to read the dos and dont’s that are also listed on the website.
This is the website I came across: www.makeachildsmile.org
Wouldn't it be great if you make a child happy and learn English at the same time?