Scary Halloween jelly

Cooking time

Prep: 25 mins Plus chilling

Skill level

Easy

Dracula's blood punch

Cooking time

Prep: 10 mins    Cook: 5 minsplus 4 hrs chilling

Skill level

Easy

Pumpkin halloween

Cooking time

Prep: 20 mins Cook:30 mins

Skill level

Easy

A report

A report is a formal document prepared by one person or a group of people who have been studying a particular subject. There are two basic kinds of reports:

• The first simply provides information on a topic and gives a brief conclusion or summary at the end. Example: a report on the educational system in a particular country, written to help someone research the subject.
• The second sets out to identify strengths and weaknesses in a particular situation and make recommendations for improvement. Example: a report on the library facilities in a college written at the request of the principal.

Language and register

Reports are the most impersonal kind of writing and it is usually best to avoid expressing personal opinions or feelings, except, perhaps, in the conclusion. Instead of I think that … or I found that… for example, you can use the impersonal “It” construction and a passive, eg It seems that… It was found that …

It is also advisable to avoid making very definite statements unless you’re absolutely sure they’re true. Instead of saying It is for example, you can use a modal verb eg It could/may/might be or a more tentative expression such as It seems to be or It tends to be.

Layout and organisation

Reports should have a clear factual heading and may also have subheadings which divide the writing into shorter sections. The information should be organised and presented as clearly and logically as possible, with a short introduction explaining the aims of the report and how the information was obtained and a suitable conclusion, summing up the information and making recommendations if necessary.

Useful language

Introduction:    The aim of this report is to..          It is based on…

                     This report is intended to..             It draws on

                     This report looks at / describes..     It uses..

Reporting an

observation:      It seems/appears that..                 It was found that..

                      The majority / minority of …        It was felt that ..

Quoting:    According to …     As X said…         In the words of …

Speculating:     It may / could / might (well) be that ..

Generalising:   In general       On the whole        In the main

Commenting:   Interestingly     Curiously     Oddly       Strangely

                     Surprisingly             Predictably

                     As might be (have been) expected     It is interesting that

Making a recommendation:        It is recommended that ..

                                             (Perhaps) it would be advisable for X to (do)

                                             (Perhaps) X might /should consider

Summing up:   To sum up / To summarise    On balance      In short

Study the following example carefully:

Leisure Facilities in Grimthorpe

Introduction

The aim of this report is to describe and assess the leisure facilities available in Grimthorpe. It is based on information made available by the Grimthorpe Tourist Office, and on views expressed by local people who were interviewed.

Sport

Grimthorpe has a wide range of sports facilities, both public and private. There is a large modern leisure centre in the High Street and facilities include a swimming pool, a sports hall for judo, fencing and other activities, and tennis courts. The centre runs courses in all these sports and these tend to be very popular. Membership costs £150 a year, which was felt to be rather expensive, but a special temporary membership is available to visitors. The public swimming pool on the outskirts of the town is older, less attractive and often overcrowded, but entry is only £1.50.

Theatres

There are two theatres in town, the Kings Theatre in Bee Street, which offers mainly “serious” drama and has a good reputation for its productions of Shakespeare, and the Little Theatre in Sea Street which specialises in lighter entertainment and the occasional pop concert. In general, it seems that the Kings Theatre is more popular with the older members of the community while the Little appeals more to people in their teens and twenties.

Museums and Art Galleries

The City Museum has an extensive collection of maps, pottery and other articles connected with Grimthorpe’s history. The attendants are said to be very friendly and helpful, and there is also a small café with reasonably priced home-made snacks. Interestingly, few of the local people interviewed had ever been to the museum but it was recommended highly by several tourists.

Conclusion

Grimthorpe is well provided with leisure facilities for a town of its size and these are well used by the townspeople on the whole. Sport seems to be the most popular leisure activity, while cultural activities like visiting the museum or art gallery appeared to be the least popular among the Grimthorpians who were interviewed. Perhaps the City Council should consider launching a publicity campaign to show how much these facilities have to offer.

Vocabulary: Personality

Positive aspect

ambitious	ambicioso
attentive	cortés
audacious	audaz
calm	calmo
charming	encantador
cheerful, amusing	divertido
considerate	considerado
courageous, brave	valiente
creative	creativo
curious	curioso
determined, b-willed	decidido
energetic	energético
extroverted	extrovertido
frank	franco
friendly	amigable
generous	generoso
gentle, kind, polite	amable
honest, truthful	honesto
humble	humilde
ingenious	ingenioso
likable / likeable	agradable, simpático
loyal, faithful	leal
mature	maduro
obedient	obediente
optimistic	optimista
organized	organizado
passionate	apasionado
patient	paciente
polite	amable
practical	práctico
realistic	realista
reliable, trustworthy	confiable
respectful	respetuoso
responsible	responsable
self-confident	seguro
sensible	sensato
sensitive	sensible
sincere	sincero
sociable, outgoing	sociable
strong	fuerte
sympathetic	compasivo
thankful, grateful	agradecido
tolerant, patient	paciente
understanding	comprensivo
zealous	entusiasta

The Royal Baby - First Birthday

At 4.24 p.m. on July 22nd a baby was born in London. But not just any baby! This baby boy is a prince and will probably one day be the King of England.

The Royal Family and the golden couple

The British Royal Family are more popular than ever. 69% of the population think Britain would be "worse off" without a royal family, and only 10% would prefer to vote for the next Head of State. So what explains this pro-royal feeling? Well, perhaps it has something to do with the popularity of Prince William, and his wife Catherine (Kate for short). Since their romance began at university, the couple have provided constant interest and entertainment for the British media and their fans in the general public. Now, with the arrival of their baby, who is third in line to the throne to be the future King of England, excitement is higher than ever.

A royal wedding

Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement in 2010, and the wedding took place in April 2011. The Queen declared the wedding day a national holiday in the UK. There were street parties all over Britain, including one in Downing Street hosted by the Prime Minister David Cameron. The media talked obsessively about every detail of the day; the wedding dress, the guests, the route to Westminster Abbeey, the kiss on the balcony ... everything was analysed carefully. You couldn't open a newspaper or a magazine or switch on the television without seeing the happy royal couple.

A fairytale princess?

For people from countries who do not have a royal family, maybe the idea of marrying a prince and becoming a princess seems like something from a fairytale. But is it really a dream come true? What is life really like for Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge? On the one hand she lives a celebrity lifestyle of exotic travel, beautiful clothes, the best restaurants and spending time with famous people. On the other hand, she actually works very hard. She supports several charities, appears at official events and has the eyes of the world on her at all times. It can't be easy knowing that every step you take is beig photographed and reported by the press and later examined by your adoring fans.

The royal baby

Kate and William's son was born on July 22nd 2013 and has made Prince Charles a grrandfather for the first time. The Queen is now a great-grandmother! As the royal couple arrived at the hospital there were already hundreds of reporters from around the world waiting outside to hear the news.

Buckingham Palace announced the birth by putting a notice outside by  the palace gates on a fancy-looking golden stand. Immediately hundreds of people arrived at the palace to celebrate the news. There was a party atmosphere on the streets of London and news reports went out around the world to tell everyone about the arrival of the baby prince. Other cities around the world joined in  the celebrations too; Niagara Falls in Canada was llit up with blue lights, as were other landmarks around the world. The day after the birth of the prince the front pages of all the major newspapers carried  the story. One paper, The Sun, even changed its name to The Son for the day! Others published special souvenir editions. One online newspaper, the Guardian, gave their readers two options on their website - to see the news with or without reports of the royal birth. This was welcomed by many who find the hype and media attention a little too much.

The life of a prince

What sort of life will the little prince have? Kate and William will no doubt try to keep his childhood as normal as it possibly can be. But this won't be easy with the world's media following your every move from even before the moment you are born. Princess Diana faced the same challenge with her sons, William and Harry. She tried to ensure that they did some of the same things as other children of their age llike go to theme parks and play outside. Only time will tell what sort of life this prince will lead. For now it seems the nation are enjoying welcoming him into  the world and whether you're a keen royalist or not, there's not a lot you can do to avoid hearing the news about  this new arrival. Congratulations to Will and Kate!

Glastonbury Festival - much more than music

Glastonbury festival is one of the most vibrant, colourful and energetic events of the British summer and tickets sell out minutes after going on sale. It als is the world's largest open air musical festival, as 180,000 people flood (sometimes quite literally) to Worthy Farm in the heart of the Somerset countryside. Every June, thousands of tents, caravans and stages pop up over night for a weekend of brilliant live music, art and merriment. The festival covers 1300 acres of farmland and uses the same amount of electricity as the city of Bath - the Main Stage alone has over 250 speakers! Last year Glastonbury celebrated its fortieth birthday - let's find out how and why superstars, hippies, and music lovers all still head to the mother of all music festivals.

Glastonbury began life as the "Pilton Festival" and was unrecognisable from the town-sized event we see today. Michael Eavis, the festival's founder, was inspired by the hippies of the 1960s and local New Age Travellers to host an open air music concert at his farm. In 1970 tickets only cost £1 and a more 1500 people attended. "T-Rex" headlined the festival and free milk from Eavis's frm was available to everyone. Eavis remains in charge today and unbelievably the land goes back to being a working farm when the festival is over. Tractors fitted with giant magnets are used to pick up left over tent pegs before cows and pigs return to the fields.

Wizards, Druids and Hippies have always attended the festival bringing tai chi, yoga, meditation, vegan food and messages of peace and harmony to Glastonbury's Healing Fields. This gives the festival its relaxed and alternative atmosphere. Walking around the festival can feel as though you are on another planet or have gone back in time! The festival lies on ancient pagan Ley Lines, believed to channel elemental and powerful energies. There is even a megalithic Stone Circle - a smaller version of Stone Henge. The festival is involved in campaigns to highlight worldwide social problems; such as climate change and human rights issues. As a large amount of Glastonbury's profits go to charity, the festival relies on volunteers and artists often perform at the festival without being paid.

Despite Glastonbury's impressive ethics the festival has a long history and of people sneaking in to enjoy the festival's legendary music and atmosphere for free. Over the years "gatecrashers" have tried everything to get in without a ticket. These include smuggling theselves in on delivery vehicles, bribing a corrupt official or even pretending to be a celebraty! Most popular, however, is attempting to break through, climb over or dig under the outside fence. After a major breach in the fence in 2000, people attending the festival reached over 250,000 even though only 100,000 tickets had been sold. So, in 2002, the "super-fence" was introduced: a 6 mile long, 15 foot high stainless steel barricade that is dug 3 feet into the soil, making it nearly impossible to gain illlegal entry.

Glastonbury is renowned for one more thing - the mud. Although it takes place at the height of summer, the Great British weather means that it usually rains at some point over  the four days. As the festival is in a valley, fields turn to mud surprisingly quickly. 1997 and 1998 are famous for being particularly muddy years, with huge areas of  the site being reduced to knee-high sloppy gloop. In 2005 two months worth of rain fell in 3 hours, causing flash floods across the valley. Tents, bars and stages were all underwater and many left the festival early. However, last year unbroken sunshine shone throughout the weekend and the temperature was above that of Spain, Brazil and California. Glastonbury is the perfect example of the unpredictable British weather!

Of course you can't talk about Glastonbury without talking about the music. In recent years Glastonbury stages have been graced by Lady Gaga, Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen (who played for two and half hours which broke the 12am curfew and cost organisers £3000 in fines). This year saw Beyonce close the Main Stage on the Sunday night. A diverse range of music is one of Glastonbury's greatest appeals and you can listen to everything from blues to jazz, from electro to classical, from folk to punk and even ear splitting techno until 7 o'clock in the morning. If this has convinced you to try for a much sought after ticket next year, I am soorry to disappoint you - Glastonbury is having a year off in 2012. The festival often has "fallow years" to allow the fields and farm to get back to full health. It is also rumoured that as the date would clash with the London Olympics there would not be enough fencing, police and portable toilets available!