Excel college newsletter issue 2

Newsletter January 2014 Issue 2

Contents

3…….Welcome

4…….The term in pictures

6…….Exam results

8…….Hello from Mark

9…….“A Day in the Life”

10…...Book Reviews

11…...Manchester: The Start of the Western World as We Know It

12…...World Cookbook

17…...What is Skratch My Back?

18…...What is English Beer?

19…...Interviews with our students

22…...Interview with our staff

23…...Interview with a home stay host

24…...Poetry

25…...Quizzes and Games

27…...Write a Short Story Competition

28…...The Short Story

29…...Letters to Excel College

30…...Volunteering Opportunities

31…...Adverts and Special Offers

34…...Answers for Last Term’s Quizzes and Games

36…...This Term

Welcome to Excel College’s January Newsletter. Last term saw a lot of changes. We’d

like to say congratulations to Mark, who took over from Kes as Principal of Excel College (see his ‘hello’

on page 8). Both Anna and myself have worked on this issue of our newsletter and I would like to thank

Anna for all her hard work and wish her good luck when she takes it over next term.

We had some fantastic IELTS and Cambridge exam results last term. Well done to everyone who took an

exam, you should all be very proud and wherever your exam result takes you, we wish you the best of

luck. To all students, don’t forget to tell us when you’ve taken an exam and we promise to include you in

next term’s newsletter.

There’s a lot happening in Manchester over the coming months. The one us Brits are looking forward to

the most is probably the Manchester Beer and Cider festival in January! With over 300 real ales, 75

traditional ciders & perries, a selection of bottle conditioned ales and some of the best imported beers

around, we thought it was worth organising a trip for all students and staff on the 24th January. There is

also an article about the history of real ale on page 19. It talks about why beer was first made and how it

has grown to be such a huge part if British culture, it’s a very interesting read.

Manchester’s canal system is beautiful to look at but why is it there? Read all about it in “Manchester: The

start of the western world as we know it”. The author of this article, Mark, runs a company called ‘The

Wandering Duck’ which organises trips up and down the Manchester canals. Having a trip on a canal boat

is the best way to see the English Countryside, see our adverts for more details.

Our World Cookbook is growing every day with recipes from every corner of the globe. In this issue we

have some wonderful recipes from traditional British treacle tart to Spanish croquettes. Remember to send

us photos when you make any dish from our cookbook for the chance to win £25 worth of Amazon

vouchers!

Now, we all know that the English language is a strange and wonderful language - full of rules that are

always broken, idioms that even native speakers don’t understand and pairs of words called ‘rhyming

compounds’. Confused? See this newsletter’s quizzes and see if you can work it out! For those of you

keen to see how well you did last term, the answers to last term’s quizzes are on page 35.

This term’s competition is a chance for you to practice your writing skills - win Amazon vouchers or

English lessons by writing a story using the words on page 28 and find out more about writing a short

story in an article on page 29.

We hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas and New year and we look forward to another successful term

at Excel College. If you have any photos, letters, recipes or suggestions, please email them to

[email protected]

3

Samantha Barham

Marketing and Improvement Manager

Anna Bartholomew

Admissions and Student Services

4

5

Student: Maryam

Country: Iraq

IELTS 6.0

Course: IELTS Advanced Preparation

I would like to thank everybody in Excel College for their effort and I had a good time

there.

Listening Reading Writing Speaking

6.0 5.5 5.0 7.0

Listening Reading Writing Speaking

5.0 5.5 4.5 6.0

Student: Yue Su

Country: China

IELTS: 5.5

Course: IELTS Foundation Preparation

All the people in the photo are students of Excel College. We live

together in accommodation. We always have some drinks in the pub. The reason why I have to take IELTS exam

is because my university needs it, so I came to Manchester and study English in Excel College.

Student: Felix

Country: Germany

Exam: Cambridge Proficiency in English

Score: 67%

Course: General English and CPE

There are many, many reasons why I think Excel College is great. First of all it is central and

close to Piccadilly which was good for me because I was coming by train. I also liked the

rooms and atmosphere of the college including the reception where you could always go if you

needed something with the friendliest staff you could imagine. The teachers were great and their way of teaching

never bored me. Most importantly, however, the high level of teaching helped me to improve and in the end,

I managed to get my proficiency certificate.

Student: Mahmoud

Country: Libya

IELTS 7.0

Course: IELTS Advanced Preparation

Listening Reading Writing Speaking

7.5 6.5 7.0 6.5

What a fantastic day it was when I saw my IELTS result online. After struggling, I got the

score that I was looking for which was 7.0. I'd like to say thanks a bundle from the bottom of

my heart to the teachers and staff at Excel College for being so nice. I cannot thank you

enough, as without such a great college, I could never have done it.

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Student: Ali

Country: Kuwait

IELTS: 6.0

Course: General English Upper intermediate and IELTS Foundation Preparation

Thank you Excel College, I’m now looking forward to studying at

Salford University!

Listening Reading Writing Speaking

6.0 6.5 6.0 5.5

Student: Carlos

Country: Spain

IELTS: 6.5

Course: IELTS Advanced Preparation

Listening Reading Writing Speaking

6.5 7.5 6.0 6.0

Student: Fernanda

Country: Ecuador

IELTS: 6.5

Course: General English Advanced and IELTS Advanced Preparation

Listening Reading Writing Speaking

7.0 6.5 5.5 6.0

A big congratulations to all Excel College students who took Cambridge or IELTS exams last term!

If you’re thinking about taking an exam in 2014, why not take advantage of our IELTS and Cambridge

practice tests? You can take a full exam in strict exam conditions and a full individual speaking test. This

is then followed by feedback and advice on how to improve. For more details on prices and how to book a

practice test, have a look the Excel College Website and the Excel College brochure

If you need materials to help structure your self-study time, you can borrow one of our exam textbooks

from reception. We’ve got lots of IELTS and Cambridge books with tips on how to approach different

questions and lots of practice test papers.

In addition, if you need any advice on available exam dates and test centres, come to reception and we

will do our best to help.

7

Hi everyone,

I hope you’re enjoying life at Excel College and looking forward to lots of success and exciting

developments in 2014.

For those of you that do not know, Kes got a new job. Although he really enjoyed being the Principal at

Excel, he realised that he loved teaching so much he wanted to get back into the classroom. He told me it

was because he loves helping students improve their English level, but I suspect it was because Sam,

Anna, Lynda and Leo stopped laughing at his jokes! Students are usually very polite and laugh even

when they don’t think he is funny.

I’m sure all the staff and students would like to join me in wishing Kes every success in his new job and

thanking him for all his hard work in helping to make Excel a great place to work and study.

The big change for me is that, after having taught at Excel for two and a half years, I have taken over the

role of Principal. The first six weeks have been challenging and enjoyable and I want to say a big ‘Thank

you’ to everyone for helping me settle in to the new job.

As many of you probably don’t know very much about me I thought it would be good to tell you a bit about

my background, family and interests.

I haven’t always been a teacher. My first career was in finance,

working in London for several international banks. I loved working in

London and learnt a lot about business, but after several years I came

to my senses and realised that Manchester is the best city in the UK –

so I moved here with my family. My three children (two daughters and

a son) were quite young when we moved so all of them now have

Manchester accents, although they can do a very good London accent

as well. In fact, my son moved to Canada earlier this year so he will

soon be adding a Canadian accent to his collection.

When I moved to Manchester, I trained in Information Technology at

Salford University for three years and then got a job designing and

producing IT systems for Barclays and Accenture (a business

consultancy company). I worked in IT for many years and worked on

quite a few high profile projects but eventually decided the time was

right to change career again. I left Accenture and went back to

university to achieve the qualifications I needed to teach English as a Foreign Language. I have taught at

several colleges but I’m glad to say that I eventually arrived at Excel College (the best English school in

Manchester)!

When I’m not at work I love spending time with my family and friends, walking in the countryside or in the

hills in the Lake District, listening to live music, watching/playing sport and reading a good book. Eating

also comes high on my list of enjoyable activities, especially eating food from other countries, so I’m really

excited about some of the recipes in this newsletter.

So that’s enough about me for now. I’m looking forward to meeting more of you over the coming weeks

and months and hope that your time working with us at Excel will provide some great memories (and

photos) and help you to achieve your goals.

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A Day in the Life Congratulations to Gloria who won First prize in last term’s competition. We had lots of fantastic entries

and it really was very hard choosing a winner. Congratulations as well to Thanaphat who came second

and Fernanda who came in third place. See all of the entries on the Excel College Website.

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I was having a pleasant dream…

Suddenly, I hear a very familiar ring! It is the break bell?I open my eyes and find myself lying on my bed!

Unsurprising! I use my time to lie in a little more! Guilty pleasure, I love to sleep! Five minutes... ten

minutes more. Finally I decide to get up! A ray of sunlight enters my room! Through the window, checking

how amazing the weather is today, my feeling is that it is going to be a great day. Seeing that is actually

mild when is supposed to be cold, my day could be as colourful as the rainbow! My body starts to feel all

the energy I need to learn as much as I can and to enjoy the city! I need to feed myself pretty well! Let´s

go for a yummy breakfast!

I usually have as a cup of hot milk with coffee, chocolate and two scoop of

sugar! Life is better when it's sweet! Then a slice of bread with butter and

marmite. How bizarre the flavour of this creamy sauce that English people eat

is, I like it anyway, so after I have finished my preparation I sit on the sofa of my

living room and play with the tv!

My favourite program is on! Fantastic! Homes under the hammer! I would like

to do this one day, like to go to an auction and fight for my ideal house, after

that, within my budget, try to do my best and make up my current house.

My walk to the college takes me past Withworth Park, where you normally get

picturesque views, then the crowded University and Victorian Church which is impressive.

I like the kiosk of fresh fruit you can find in front of the University and also, when

it is a sunny day, the one that is next to it with plenty of elderly books! I love to

take a glance to the titles.

I have a short lunch break and I return at 19:30. After that I have a coffee in

Corner House with a friend.

At home I use to meet my flat mates. We watch tv together and after dinner I go

to my room. It is Skype time! My mother is ready to tell me all the gossip she

knows from the neighbourhood and I´m very keen to listen to her. She makes me feel at home for a little

while.

I read a famous and very elderly book today-The Little prince-.Some would

describe it as a classic, but I think it just an amazing story of which everybody could

learn a lot about it. So I'm going to bed with a thought from the book. My eye was

drawn to one of the quotes: ”It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is

essential is invisible to the eye.”

It is the time I have wasted for my day that makes my day so important. Let me

dream again!

Book Reviews

I, Robot

This story is set in a society where humans and robots live and work together. It was

written by Russian visionary author Isaac Asimov. You may have heard of the film with

the same title as this book. Although the story is different, the idea was based on the

book.

In the book the existence of robots is ordinary. The laws for robots are not to harm

humans and obey humans’ orders. One character, a writer interviews a robot-

psychologist, Doctor Susan Calvin, who has been working for many years for a robot

manufacturing company named US Robots. Through her story, we hear about stories of

six different types of robots. They have a range of models, for example, a nanny robot,

which can’t speak and just obeys men, and a robot which is extremely clever and

eventually becomes a mayor.

This is a readable book and consists of well-compacted stories. Each robot in each story has a unique

character. Illustrations will help you to imagine the situations in these stories. I wonder which would be

really smarter; humans or robots? Which will control and be controlled in the future? If you are curious to

look into a world robots are next to you, I recommend you read this book. You can also borrow the DVD of

the film at our school reception.

Kayo (EFL Advanced)

Extreme Skydiving

Summary

The book provides an exciting real-life story in print, audio and video. It is about

one of the most exciting activities that people enjoy "Skydiving” because they get

to fall through the sky at extremely high speeds. This story is set in the UK, in the

northern part of England at a drop zone where the world speed skydiving

championship competition was held. The story was about one man who wants

one thing, to go faster. His name is Mark Calland and his main competitor Marco

Wiederkehr, the national champion of Liechtenstein. Mark is experimenting with

various methods of increasing his speed. The aim was to reduce air resistance to

increase the speed. Mark get benefit from falcon's method in hunting. Also, he

made a special suit like a shuttlecock.

My Thoughts

I think the book is great. I like it and I felt excited because it is a real story, excited sport that is not

popular in my country. So, I get a lot of information. It is written in various voices, first, second and third.

The book includes experiments, questions for motivation, real pictures and diagrams for illustration. Also, it

teaches the reader strategies like scanning. Therefore, I highly recommend it for people who want to learn

English language or prepare for IELTS.

Zainab (IELTS Advanced Preparation)

Looking for something good to read? Our last competition asked students to write a book review of one

of the books in our self study section. Take a look at these competition entries.

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The Pelican Brief

Sometimes reading is not a boring activity. Believe me in this point please. If you

can´t trust in my advice only take this book and check it yourself. Perhaps it is not

the most common way to start a review but is totally suitable in terms of right

criticism of this book with exotic title. No soon have you opened the first page and

become deeply dived in a story which starts with the murder in strange

circumstances of two Supreme Court Magistrates. This fact cause a meddling of a

young law-student called Darby Shaw who thinks strongly that there is a too

interesting issue to let it forget with a shallow research. Suddenly, the boyfriend of

Darby is killed by a car bomb. She doesn´t give up and decide to keep on despite

the dangers that

threaten her life.

Environment, activism, corruption, power, police, bribes and some brave people are waiting for you in this

short and stunning adaptation of the homonym book of the well-known John Grisham. What can you do

when the clock is reminding you the pass of the time from the bedside table and the sleep doesn’t appear

in your bedroom? I´m not sure because I´m not a doctor. However, I must say you that read this book

won´t be good idea if tomorrow you have to weak up early!

Manuel Martiño (EFL Advanced)

Eat, Pray, Love

I would like to write a review of a book which I have read a couple of months ago that really grabbed me

untitled Eat pray love. The plot is very easy to follow: the main character, Elizabeth, is a thirty year old

American woman who finds her self in a life that she doesn't feel as hers. She blames the boredom of

her marriage so she divorces, believing that was her only way out. During her further relationship Liz

realizes that the origin of her unhappiness was in her self so she decides to travel. Her first destination is

Italy where she makes very good friends and has a splendid time but she still feels unsatisfied so she

goes to India to live in a meditation centre to find peace. After nearly a year, when she achieved the

meditation skills she desired, Elizabeth decides to go to Bali and visit a medicine man whom will teach

her how to reach interior balance.

The book is very interesting as it explains the introspective path of a woman that

gets caught in one of the biggest problems: monotony. However, the book ends

with a love escape between Liz and a Spanish fellow that she meets in Cambodia.

In my opinion it is a frivolous way of ending such a profound story about a woman

that finds the strength of changing her life but giving a general outlook the book is

touching but is also followed by entertaining and funny chapters, in other words,

it's worth reading

Laura (EFL Proficiency)

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Email, facebook or tweet us and let us know!

11

I’m sure your mother is always telling you that “things were different when she was

young”. She would be right. Even 10 years ago there was no such thing as an

iphone. But let’s go back further than that. I mean, what about before factories,

before we had any industry at all. How did we get here? Well, before the industrial

revolution, everything we had was made using “The Domestic System”. To put it

simply, back in the 1750’s people either worked the land, or produced goods by hand

in their homes. Back then, goods could only be produced in very small quantities.

With a growing population, Britain needed to find ways to produce goods quicker

and in much larger quantities. At this time the roads were terrible. It would take two

weeks to travel from the top to the bottom of the UK. Horses could only carry 2 tons

of cargo, and if goods were to be produced quicker, then we needed a better solution for the

transportation of raw materials.

In 1760 the Duke of Bridgewater owned coal mines in Worsley (now part of Greater Manchester). Coal

was an important raw material. The Duke sold his coal throughout the North West to fuel steam engines.

He had recently taken a trip to France where he had seen the Canal Du Midi. He decided it would be a

good idea to build a canal from his coal mines at Worsley in to

Manchester (at Castlefield Basin).

His project was a huge success. The Bridgewater canal was the

first major canal in the country. Now 30 tons of coal could be

transported into Manchester by 1 horse, instead of 2 tons by road.

The price of coal halved overnight. Following this success, an

entire national canal system was to be built over the next 100

years, transforming the speed at which large quantities of raw

material could be transported. Of course, there were many ingredients that allowed for the industrial

revolution to start in Manchester, followed closely by Birmingham. However, many people acknowledge

that without the canals this would never have happened when and where it took place.

There are now 2200 miles of canals and rivers, most of which connect with one another, throughout

England. You can still travel from Manchester to London by canal boat. Today road and rail have taken

over from the canals. These methods of transport are, of course, far quicker than the canal system.

However, behind the fast pace of today’s modern world, the canals are being used by more boats than

ever before. They are now used almost exclusively for leisure. Surrounded by beautiful countryside,

pubs, and a wealth of outdoor activities, they are now a haven from which to escape our modern fast pace

of life.

How ironic therefore that the canals which have helped build

today’s industrialised world, now offer an escape from that very

same world they created.

Mark Bratt

Wandering Duck

The Canal Boat Experience

The Motorola DynaTAC, 1983:

The first commercial cellphone,

priced at US$3,995!

A horsedrawn canal boat carrying cargo (taken around 1900)

Manchester: The Start of the Western

World As We Know It

12

World Cookbook Hundreds of students come through our doors from countries all over the world and we love to

learn about different cultures; their celebrations, holidays and, of course, their food. English recipes take ideas from many different countries thanks to our diverse and ever-changing culture

and we want to create a cookbook that celebrates the food of our students and our staff. Please send your recipes and photos to [email protected]

and join the discussion on twitter #Excelcooking

13

Ingredients Rice (about 50g/person) Chicken drumsticks (thighs or breast can also be used) Grated carrot Almonds and pistachios cut into thin slices Orange peel sliced Dried barberries Saffron Salt Tomato puree Saffron Black pepper Butter Sugar Olive oil Fried onion for decorating

Zereshk Polo by Farnaz This is a fantastic Persian dish, very colour full and with loads of different flavours. It is one of my favourites to cook as there is lots to do.

Method First, cook rice with a little salt and olive oil. Chop the onion very small and fry in olive oil. Add the chicken, stir, then add two glasses of water Stir in salt, pepper, tomato puree and saffron. Cover and cook on a medium heat for 45. Make sure it doesn’t dry out. Chop the orange and the nuts so that they are the same size (see the picture) then soak them in boiling water. After two minutes, change the boiling water for new boiling water and soak again for two minutes. Do this three times. Drain the orange and nuts and then fry with carrot and butter and sugar for three minutes. Wash the barberries and fry with a little bit of sugar and butter. Pour saffron in a small cup then pour boiling water (three tablespoons) in the cup. After five minutes mix with rice, then decorate same as the picture. Finally, you should sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon on your dish.

Hi there, I’m Chef Derek from Barburrito and this is a recipe for our famous guacamole. This is great as a dip for crisps and vegetables, use in a burger or in fajitas and tacos. When made, you can keep in the fridge for 3 days - just make sure you cover it or it will go brown!

14

Ingredients

For the croquettes: (Makes about 24) 90g/3½oz butter 50g/2oz thinly sliced Spanish air-dried ham, roughly chopped 110g/4oz flour, plus 75g/3oz extra for coating 500ml/18floz full-fat milk 75g/3oz cooked chicken breast meat 1 tsp salt 1 medium egg, hard-boiled, peeled and finely chopped 2 free-range eggs, beaten 200g/7oz fresh white breadcrumbs, made from crust-less, day-old bread left out overnight vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For the salad: 1 head of crunchy lettuce, such as Little Gem, 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges or sliced 4 spring onions thinly sliced 8 spears canned or jarred asparagus, drained 1 x 200g/7oz can or jar of tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil salt, to taste 2 free-range eggs, hard-boiled, quartered

Method

For the croquettes, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, add the ham and leave to cook gently for a minute or two to soften.

Stir in 110g/4oz of the flour and cook for one minute, then very gradually stir in the milk, a little at a time, beating well so that the mixture becomes silky smooth.

Bring to the boil, and leave to cook gently, whisking constantly, for five minutes. Stir in the chicken and one teaspoon of salt, or to taste, then stir in the hard-boiled egg. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least six hours until firm. When you are ready to make the croquettes, lightly flour the palms of your hands and for each croquette shape 1½ tablespoons of the chilled mixture into a ball, and shape.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile wash and prepare the lettuce and spread the leaves over four medium-sized plates. Arrange the tomatoes, onion and asparagus on top and scatter the flaked tuna over the centre of each plate.

Whisk the red wine vinegar and olive oil together with the salt to taste and drizzle over the salads. Garnish with the hard-boiled eggs and green olives. Heat some oil for deep-frying to 190C/375F Put the remaining 75g/3oz flour, egg and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls.

Dip the croquettes into the flour, then the beaten egg and then the breadcrumbs. Lower them into the hot oil and cook for not quite two minutes until crisp and lightly golden-brown. You can tell when they are done because as they cook they begin to make a different noise in the fryer.

Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside on plenty of kitchen paper to drain briefly. Serve while they are still hot. To serve, pile the hot croquettes straight onto a plate with a spoonful of salad alongside.

Enjoy :)

Serrano ham and chicken croquettes with salad by Gloria

Nothing is ever wasted in the Spanish kitchen, and nothing proves this better than croquetas. Different types of croquettes, filled with ham, chicken or even cheese are served in every bar or restaurant in Spain. The one with ham is known as ‘la reina de las

croquettes’ (the queen of the croquettes). Prepare the mixture in advance, then just a few minutes frying is all it takes for a delicious light meal of hot crisp croquettes served with sharp, crunchy tuna salad. Serve while they are still hot.

15

Ingredients For the Pastry 90g unsalted butter 110g icing sugar 2 small egg yolks 150g plain flour For the tart: 225g golden syrup 50g dark treacle 220g double cream 75g oats or fresh white bread-crumbs (I prefer oats!) 2 eggs, beaten 1tbsp lemon juice

Method

First make the pastry. In a food processor, mixer or by hand, cream the butter and icing sugar together until they are light and fluffy.

Add the egg yolks, mix well then fold in the flour. Press the dough into a ball and refrigerate it for an hour or so. On a floured table, roll out the pastry to about 2cm thick. Then grease and line 4 x 6-7cm individual tart

cases (you could use foil disposable tart cases or make a large one). Leave to rest in the fridge for one hour. Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC/320F/Gas mark 3. Meanwhile mix the golden syrup, treacle, double cream, oatmeal and

beaten eggs together then stir in the lemon juice. Fill the flan ring and bake for

40-50 minutes then leave to cool.

Serve warm with some good, extra thick or clotted cream, custard or ice-cream.

Treacle Tart by Charlotte

This is a recipe my Grandma taught me how to make and it is a family favourite. My Grandma was always very good at making pastry but I’m not so I usually buy it ready-made! You can either make one big tart or lots of little tarts. I prefer to make one big one and me and my friends just grab a spoon each and eat it!

Ingredients 1/2 pint chicken stock 1 400g tin coconut milk 1 tbsp. palm sugar 2 stalks lemon grass 3 shallots 2 coriander roots 3 birds eye chillies 10 slices galangal 5 kaffir lime leaves 8 oyster mushrooms 2 chicken fillets, chopped 3 tbsp. fish sauce 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1tsp dried chilli 1 tbsp. coriander leaves

Chicken and Galangal Soup by Na This is a traditional Thai soup that is nice and spicy and has lots of flavour. If you do not have palm sugar, any sugar is ok. I like my food very spicy so I use 3 birds eye chillies but you can add less if you like. If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, put the ingredients in a bag and squash gently with a spoon of the back of a knife.

Method Fry onions in oil or butter until soft. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock and salt and pepper and bring to

the boil slowly. Bruise the lemon grass, coriander roots and

chillies in a pestle and mortar. Add this to the stock. Add the galangal and live leave and simmer for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms, chicken

and fish sauce then crumble in the dried chilli.

Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

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It is difficult these days to find websites that look

secure and trustworthy for posting jobs. What

makes SkratchMyBack different is that the users

can create a profile with a photo of themselves

along with information about their skills and

location. This is what we believe will encourage

people to join our network. You can check a

person has the appropriate skills, rating and

feedback review before responding.

For SkratchMyBack to work it has to feel fair. So

we are using points to reward people who help

you. Essentially you need points to get help - so if

you use all yours up you’ll need to earn some

more by helping someone else.

We believe that SkratchMyBack will thrive in local

communities, so why not try and get all your

friends, family and neighbours signed up?

You can register for free at

www.skratchmyback.com We appreciate all

feedback on what we can do to improve our

Skratch network at [email protected], and

don’t forget to follow/like us on twitter/facebook -

@skratchskratch /SkratchMyBack

Selina

What is SkratchMyBack?

Regulars

Favour

Founder

To swap

Ideal

To sign up

Keen

Fair

Can you match the words from the article to

the definitions?

Someone who establishes a

business or organisation (n)

Perfect or the best possible (adj)

To be given something and to give

something else instead (v)

To register (v)

Excited and enthusiastic about

doing something (adj)

A kind action that you do for

someone (n)

Treating someone in a way that

is right or reasonable, or treating

a group of people equally (adj)

People who often go to the same

event or place (usually a pub) (n)

17

Steve Taylor, one of the founders of SkratchMyBack,

describes how they thought up the idea. ‘I was in my

local pub and was listening to the regulars chat

about the small jobs they needed doing. They were

swapping favours and offering to help each other

out. I immediately began to think how could we

make this work in a wider arena and the internet

seemed to be the ideal vehicle for spreading the

idea.’

People like to help each other but it’s sometimes

hard to know who needs what type of help and what

help others can offer.

This is where SkratchMyBack comes in. We’ve

harnessed the power of the digital world and social

media to build a free service that connects those

needing help with those offering it.

All you have to do is sign up and let people know

how you might be able to help, or what help you

need. Other people do the same and we can build a

community where we connect people – just like in

your local pub, library or café.

Whilst you may not be able to do anything specific

for the person who helps you, you can help someone

else within the community, so everyone benefits.

SkratchMyBack is designed for people to help each

other for free so the jobs will tend to be small ones

needing only a few hours of someone’s time. It’s

currently in beta testing and we're keen to get

people’s feedback on what they like and don't like,

so we can keep improving.

If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours… SkratchMyBack is a new social enterprise started by two experienced entrepreneurs. The aim is to create a network to ‘help people help people’ with favours / jobs based in Manchester.

I don’t mean American Beer (lager), German Bier

(lager), Italian Birra (lager), Spanish Cerveza (lager)

French Biere (lager) I mean British Beer, also called

`Ale’, good proper ale made in the same way as it

has been for years on this island.

Across the world records tell us that beer has been

brewed for over 3500 years since the first harvesting

of cereals began. Beer was used to honour the dead

in Ancient Egypt, in China and there are records of

brewers selling their ale in Babylon.

What is English Beer? In January, the National Beer & Cider Festival is coming to Manchester. But what is English beer?

In the middle ages in Britain, that is during the

period ranging from 500AD to 1400AD brewing of

beer was usually carried out by the women, these

women were called `brewsters’, and almost every

other house in a community brewed and served its

own beer. These were effectively the first taverns

or pubs and each developed its beer to their own

taste. Many also offered rooms to travellers

becoming known as inns and thus the fame of

different brews of beer travelled across the country.

One of the main reasons for this number of

brewsters is that the water was not particularly safe

to drink and throughout history beer or ale has

often been consumed as a healthier alternative to

water. The process of brewing killed a great deal

of the harmful bacteria in the water.

In previous centuries, up until the 1800s, after the

first brew was created, another batch of water was

added to the same mix and a further brew taken

and then a further batch of water add and a further

quantity of ale brewed. As more water was added

to the mixture, the alcohol content lessened until

the final brew was of very low alcoholic strength.

Even children were allowed to drink this final brew

– called ‘small beer’. Breakfast for youngsters was

often bread and small beer—safer and tastier than

a glass of water!

The Oyster Bar—one of the oldest pubs in Manchester The Oyster Bar—one of the oldest pubs in Manchester

The use of natural ingredients earned beer its

reputation as ‘liquid bread’. It is very high in

nutrition and was a staple in the diet of every

man, woman and child. Many farm workers

were even paid in ale; Batemans Brewery in

Lincolnshire has records that say, "On Fair Day,

which was held twice a year, the farmers would come

to Salem House to pay for the beer their workers had

consumed over the previous six months. Once

payment had been made, we would invite the farmers

into our kitchen for a massive feast. This tradition

continued until 1930”. Real ale is still very popular

today. It is believed that there are over 1000

breweries in the UK and these between them are

regularly producing over 5500 ales.

Brewsters still pride themselves on the fine

ingredients and processes used to create their

brews. It is the mix of barley from different parts of

the country, different flavours of hops, local water

with its own unique taste and the individual

brewer’s yeast recipe which creates the vast array

of flavours, smells and strengths of the brews of

beer around Britain.

It is easy to see that British real ale is an

incredibly diverse product. The many different

styles of real ale vary from malty, lightly-hopped

milds to dark and bitter stouts and porters. It is

worth trying the wide range of flavours available:

you can get chocolatey stouts or light floral golden

ales, ales with or without a frothy head, cloudy or

clear ales, fruity or nutty ales. Just like wine,

beers have their own unique characteristics

depending on where and how they were made.

Tasting beer can be as complex as tasting wine

too. Just forget about spitting it out!

Vanessa Barham

18

Interviews with our students

First Name: Romina

Age: 28

Nationality: French

Course studying at Excel College: IELTS Foundation Preparation

How long have you been in England? 3 Months

Why did you choose Manchester? Because my partner has a job here.

Where's your favourite place to go in Manchester? MOSI – The Museum

of Science and Industry.

What places have you visited in the UK? Wales, Edinburgh, London

and Liverpool.

What's your favourite thing about the UK? The people are very polite.

What's the worst thing about the UK? The weather!

What's your favourite British food? Fish and Chips

Why are you studying English? To pass the IELTS Exam.

What do you think is the best thing to do to improve your English? It is important to learn other

languages.

Why did you choose Excel College? I think it is good.

First Name: Maria Chiara

Age: 26

Nationality: Italian

Course studying at Excel College: IELTS Advanced Preparation

How long have you been in England? 1 year, 8 Months

Why did you choose Manchester? Because my uncle has lived in Greater Manchester (Bolton)

since 1995.

Where's your favourite place to go in Manchester? The Lowry and MOSI– The Museum of Science

and Industry.

What places have you visited in the UK? Liverpool, York, Chester, Blackpool, Oxford, Cambridge,

Bath, London, Sheffield and Edinburgh.

What's your favourite thing about the UK? The organisation and efficiency in public offices and

the people’s tolerance of immigrants.

What's the worst thing about the UK? The unpredictable weather.

What's your favourite British food? Roast beef.

Why are you studying English? Because I would love to enrol on a

Masters degree course in English and also because I want to be able to

communicate everywhere in the world.

What do you think is the best thing to do to improve your English?

To live in an environment where people speak

English, listen to the radio and read as much as you can.

Why did you choose Excel College? Excel College was

suggested as one of the best English Schools in Manchester.

We asked some of our students about Manchester, England and why they are here. Our students come to

study for many different reasons and each of them have different reasons for liking (or disliking!) the UK.

Let us know what you think on Twitter #excelstudents

This is me

19

First Name: Ji Young

Age: 27

Nationality: South Korean

Course studying at Excel College: General English, Pre-intermediate

How long have you been in England? 2 Months.

Why did you choose Manchester? Manchester is a University town. So

many young people live in Manchester but it is a quieter city than London.

Where's your favourite place to go in Manchester? The city centre and the

library.

What places have you visited in the UK? None yet!

What's your favourite thing about the UK? The gothic buildings.

What's the worst thing about the UK? Some streets are very dirty and lots of people smoke in

the street.

What's your favourite British food? Roast Chicken and boiled vegetables.

Why are you studying English? I want to go to university in the UK so I need to study English.

What do you think is the best thing to do to improve your English? Lots of writing.

Why did you choose Excel College? Excel College have an IELTS course (I need IELTS) and it

is cheaper than some other colleges.

20

First Name: Carlos

Age: 30

Nationality: Spanish

Course studying at Excel College: IELTS Advanced and Upper

Intermediate General English

How long have you been in England? I arrived in Manchester on 30th

September so I have been living here for three months.

Why did you choose Manchester? Some friends recommend me to

come to Manchester. Also, I thought it would be cheaper than cities such

as London or Bristol.

Where's your favourite place to go in Manchester? I love going to

Oyster Bar or Footage Bar to have a beer. Moreover, I like to walk around

the Christmas markets in Albert Square.

What places have you visited in the UK? I have visited Chester, York

and Liverpool. I am going to visit Edinburgh and London at Christmas.

What's your favourite thing about the UK? The language, of course. I love the music culture and

urban culture as well.

What's the worst thing about the UK? Perhaps the prices of specific things such as transport or

food is a problem for me. They are usually more expensive than in Spain.

What's your favourite British food? Roast potatoes, potato pie and British sandwiches.

Why are you studying English? I want to get a good score in my IELTS test or, at least, I have to

achieve an advanced level in the short term.

What do you think is the best thing to do to improve your English? Well, I think if you want to

improve your level, you should watch movies in English (sometimes with subtitles). Also, I think that

reading some English articles from the BBC or The Guardian is useful as well.

Why did you choose Excel College? Excel College has good prices in comparison with other

schools. Also, they have specific courses to prepare IELTS test, so for me this was an advantage.

21

First Name: Anna

Age: 24

Nationality: Russian

Course studying at Excel College: Advanced General English

How long have you been in England? 3 months.

Why did you choose Manchester? My boyfriend lives here.

Where's your favourite place to go in Manchester? A part of the

Manchester University (building on Princess Street). This is the view from

my window.

What places have you visited in the UK? London, Liverpool,

Sheffield, York and Chatsworth.

What's your favourite thing about the UK? Amazing music on the

radio.

What's the worst thing about the UK? Too much people in a street

(especially in London).

What's your favourite British food? Fish and chips (with curry sauce).

Why are you studying English? To have opportunity to study in Manchester University.

What do you think is the best thing to do to improve your English? Speaking with native speak-

ers, listening to BBC radio and watching English films with subtitles (or without).

Why did you choose Excel College? Because statistically it is one of the best colleges in

Manchester.

First Name: Maya

Age: 34

Nationality: Bulgarian

Course studying at Excel College: Upper Intermediate General

English

How long have you been in England? 2 years.

Why did you choose Manchester? My husband chose Manchester! He

was invited to work here.

Where's your favourite place to go in Manchester? The Trafford

Centre or the Arndale Centre.

What places have you visited in the UK? Edinburgh, York,

Birmingham, the Peak District and the Lake District.

What's your favourite thing about the UK? Traditional pubs.

What's the worst thing about the UK? The weather.

What's your favourite British food? I’m not sure. Muffins?

Why are you studying English? I’m studying English to improve my speaking skills so that I

can find a good job.

What do you think is the best thing to do to improve your English? Practise lots and meet

native speakers.

Why did you choose Excel College? The price and the place.

Name: Mike Eastick

Job title: English Language Teacher

Favourite food: Thai food

Favourite drink: Beer

Favourite place: Goodison Park (The home of Everton FC)

Special skills: Cooking and drinking!

Why did you become a Tefl teacher?

So that I could work and travel at the same time.

Tell us about your first ever teaching job.

I worked weekends at an expensive language school in a Bangkok suburb. I taught mostly young lads and

private students.

In what countries have you taught?

Thailand and the UK.

What is your best teaching memory?

Teaching the kids in a Thai school. One lesson, I re-enacted the scene from Titanic with Jack and Rose

when they’re on the prow of the ship. I did the dialogue, played Celine Dion and built a mock Titanic on the

desk. The kids loved it! It went down a storm.

What's your worst teaching memory?

Turning up at the wrong company for a private contract in Bangkok!

Where's your favourite place in the UK and why?

The Lake District for the amazing scenery and the good walks.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

You have to engage with the students– it’s stimulating and not at all like an office job. You can talk about

anything and it’s still learning!

Interview with our Staff Every term we will be interviewing a different member of staff and finding out what they did before

they came here, what they do in their spare time and finding the most amusing picture we can find of

them! This term we have interviewed one of our teachers, Mike. Let us know what you think on Twitter

#excelstaff

This was taken at the party my pre-intermediate

class had at the end of term– the students brought

in food from their own country and it was delicious!

The Manchester Beer and Cider festival January 2013,

students and staff both went, it was a great evening out. I’m

very much looking forward to the next one in January 2014!

22

Who do you live with?

I live with my husband Lurenza and two daughters Aleshanee (3 years old) and Anoushka (9 months old).

How long have you been hosting students?

We have been hosting since June 2012.

What is the best thing about hosting?

We love meeting new people and making new friends, many students we

have hosted have kept in touch and sometimes come and visit.

What is the worst thing about hosting?

I wouldn’t say it’s the worst, but the language barrier for some students

can be a problem. We want to make sure they are comfortable in our

home, it can be hard for both us and the students when communicating

but we have a lot of patience and time to listen to them.

What food do you like to cook?

As my husband is Jamaican, we eat a lot of Jamaican food, chicken, rice

and peas, pumpkin soup, fried dumplings and chicken, curried goat and

rice. We also eat a lot of pasta and vegetables, pizza ( mainly at the weekends as a treat). I don’t think

there have been any complaints to date! The main chef is my husband. We cater to every diet, Halal,

vegetarian etc.

What is the best thing about where you live?

We are close to everything, supermarket, cinema, restaurant, parks, library, bakery, newsagents, internet

café. It is also a nice neighbourhood, everyone is very friendly and helpful.

What is your favourite thing to do in Manchester?

I enjoy going to church, St Clements in Openshaw, and also I love shopping with my friends and exploring

different parts of Manchester.

What is the most interesting thing you have learnt from hosting?

We have learnt a lot about different cultures and beliefs, we have adapted to different cultures and also

cooked foods from the student’s country. They have been very impressed with this!

What is your favourite hosting memory?

We had a student from Spain called Alicia, who attended Berlitz college. She stayed for one month last

summer, we are now like sisters and we skype regularly and message on whatsapp. She came to stay

with us back in July for 3 weeks. Yeliz from Excel was with us at the time. We had a great 3 weeks. We

visited Blackpool together, we also went to the Caribbean carnival and made the most of the girlie

company. We had a great summer and it helped me return to work

after maternity leave and

finished off my summer nicely. I

would also like to add, every

student has been great and

understanding with our children.

Aleshanee remembers all the

names and for a 3 year old, that

is great!

Interview With a Homestay Host This term we interviewed Roxanne. Roxanne has worked with us for over a year now, and we only ever

hear good things from our students. We thought we’d like to find our more about how she is finding hosting

international students and we thought you would too!

23

Perfect art

In the museum of the wandering lives

The vivid colour of your gleaming eyes still survives

The glinting memories of a blooming spring

Beat the dark of this wrecked heart

Under the weather, though reluctant to sink

Breathing the sweetest aroma of your perfect art

Our rendezvous at your idyllic restaurant

When our gazes exchanged a passionate glow

You were the food of my soul

The enlightening nectar that taught me the art of the blind love

Luis Fernando

If the weather is bad, I always stay in bed but if the weather is good, I always go out for food. So if I eat out I don't go to the take away I eat in a restaurant and let the time lapse away. Sleeping and eating is sure not enough now i will do some sophisticated stuff. Let's got to the museum and pretend to be smart and look at some pictures of colour and art.

Hans-peter

Living in Manchester

In Manchester no matter the weather we can enjoy the museum together

eat good food in the city centre

or fish and chips in a cheaper restaurant.

Whatever, learning of the brightest colour is at Excel college forever!

Fernanda

Poetry Being able to write poetry in a language other than

your native language is an extremely impressive

skill. It requires you to not only understand the

meaning of words but to think of words as sounds

that have meaning. Not all poetry has to rhyme, in

fact most modern poetry doesn’t, but there has to

be a rhythm, a music to the words.

These poems all contain the words weather,

museum, food, colour and restaurant and I think

they are all extremely creative. Remember to send

your poems and stories to :

[email protected]

24

Quizzes and Games

English has lots of rhyming compounds: words of two rhyming parts. Can you put these

examples of rhyming compounds into the following sentences?

Namby-pamby (adj) Hoity-toity (adj) Argy-bargy (n) Lovey-dovey (adj)

Fuddy-duddy (adj) Higgledy-piggledy (adj) Hotchpotch (n)

1. The house was a complete mess. Everything was ………………….. and in the wrong place.

2. “Don’t be so …………………..! Go and swim in the sea! It isn’t that cold!”

3. There was some ………………….. in the kebab shop late on Saturday night. One man started

arguing with another and they nearly ended up in a fight.

4. His clothes are so ………………….. And his hairstyle is really old-fashioned too.

5. Lucy and her boyfriend are always holding hands and kissing in public. They’re a really

………………….. couple.

6. She’s very ………………….. She only shops in the most expensive department stores and thinks

she’s more important than everyone else.

7. The city was very multi-cultural. It was a ………………….. of different languages and religions.

Itsy-Bitsy Higgledy-Piggledy Rhyming Compounds

Pub Quiz The National Beer Festival is coming to

Manchester in January. So how much do you

know about pubs and beer?

1. Which of Manchester’s pubs claims to have

the smallest bar in Europe?

A Peveril of the Peak

B Circus Tavern

C Oyster Bar

2. What is the closest pub to Excel College?

A The Bulls Head

B Moon Under Water

C The Paramount

3. In the Middle Ages people drank more beer

than water. Why?

A They only worked until 13.00 and went to the

pub every afternoon.

B It was safer—the alcohol in beer killed any

diseases in the water

C It tasted better.

4. Which of these is not a type of beer?

A Stout

B Lager

C Porker

5. Beer is one of the three most popular drinks in the

world. What are the other two?

A Tea and water.

B Water and coffee.

C Coffee and wine.

25

Winter Crossword Across

1. A sport you can do on 3

Across

3. Frozen water

4. Tree with green spiky

leaves and

red berries

6. 25th De-

cember

Down

1. A winter mountain sport

2. You wear them to keep

your hands warm

5. You wear it around your

neck

7. The colour of your nose in

winter!

8. White stuff that falls from

the sky

4

Can you decode these anagrams? They’re all places in

and around Manchester.

1. FWLOLLADFIE 2. FROSALD

3. RUHOSMLE 4. CKPOSOTRT

5. SDYBDIUR 6. TENHRNOR URAQTRE

7. FLDIACSTLEE 8. TALRICHMAN

How many of them have you visited?

Do you recognise these

Manchester landmarks?

1

4

3

2

ANSWERS

Pub Quiz. 1B. 2A. 3B. 4C. 5A. Rhyming Compounds. 1. Higgledy-

piggledy. 2. Namby-pamby. 3. Argy-bargy. 4. Fuddy-duddy. 5. Lovey-

dovey. 6. Hoity-toity. 7. Hotchpotch. Landmarks. 1. Manchester town

hall. 2. Salford Quays. 3. Afflecks in Northern Quarter. 4. Manchester Art

Gallery. Crossword. Down: 1. Skiing. 2. Gloves. 5. Scarf. 7. Red. 8. Snow.

Across: 1. Skating. 3. Ice. 4. Holly. 6. Christmas. 9. Cold. Anagrams. 1. Fal-

lowfield. 2. Salford. 3. Rusholme. 4. Stockport. 5. Didsbury. 6. Northern

Quarter. 7. Castlefield. 8. Altrincham.

Mnhesacetr Anagrams

26

Write a story using these words

explore, tail, darkness, boat, sunshine

And win an English course for you or a friend!

1st Prize £50 Amazon Voucher OR 15 hours of English Lessons

2nd Prize £25 Amazon Voucher OR 9 hours of English Lessons

3rd Prize £15 Amazon Voucher OR 6 hours of English Lessons

Terms and Conditions

All entries must be in English and must be suitable for all audiences.

Any entries that arrive after 23:59BST 14/03/2014 will not be counted

If you win, you will be asked to confirm whether you would like English lessons or Amazon Vouchers. You will not be able to change your

decision once you have confirmed.

If your visa is refused, you will not receive a cash alternative, however we will be happy to keep your hours for a future course and advise you

on how to improve your visa application.

If you use the English hours as part of a longer course and your visa is refused, you will receive a refund for the part of the course you have

paid for as per the terms and conditions on our application form. Alternatively, we will be happy to keep your hours for a future

course and advise you on how to improve your visa application.

English hours apply to group classes in the morning, afternoon or evening and cannot be swapped for one-to-one lessons or practice tests.

Amazon vouchers will be emailed and no cash alternative will be given.

Results will be emailed and posted on social media sites on the 27/03/2014

The judge’s decisions are final and no debate will be entered into.

Short Story Competition

Maximum 500 words

Closing date is the 14th March 2014

Please email all entries to

[email protected]

27

The Short Story

Authors

Alice Munroe

Vladimir Nabokov

Edgar Allan Poe

Terry Pratchett

Guy de

Maupassant

Claire Massey

Bernie McGill,

John Burnside

Ian Fleming

Anton Daudet

Collections

“The Best British Short Story Collection”

“The American Short Story”

“An Anthology of Stories From Five Continents”

“The World’s Greatest Short Stories”

“Great American Stories: An ESL / EFL Reader: Book 1”

http://www.short-stories.co.uk/

http://www.fishpublishing.com/short-stories-to-read-online.php

Websites

http://www.classicshorts.com/author.html

(although you know the story is finished and you

can get up, make a cup of tea and have a biscuit)

you’re left thinking and asking questions about it

for the rest of the evening!

Writing a short story

When writing short stories, authors focus on their

unique use of language. “It was very cold”,

although not wrong, is not enough. “It was so cold

the grass snapped under her feet as she walked”

is a much clearer image. Word choice is also

important. Because short stories are just that-

short, there is no point using 10 words to describe

something, when one will do. For example “he ran

for the door as quickly as he could” could be “he

bolted for the door”. This is where a thesaurus

comes in handy!

Don’t try to cover years, months or, in some cases,

even weeks of a character’s life, as, unless not

much happens during that time, you won’t have

room to talk about it. It’s best to pinpoint a moment

in a character’s life and focus on that.

Reading short stories.

You wouldn’t know how to speak if you didn’t

listen, so how would you know how to write if you

didn’t read? The great thing about short stories is

that you can easily read one a day without it taking

up a lot of your time. The difficulty with reading

short stories is, unfortunately, the complexity of the

language and how they play with word order- it

can sometimes be confusing. There are a couple

of collections for EFL students but you really have

to search for them!. Have a go though and I

promise you will find stories that you will

remember for the rest of your life.

This term’s competition is to write a short story.

The short story is a completely different genre to

the novel, it’s like trying to compare a Land Rover

to a Lotus; although they are both cars, they were

designed to do different jobs.

Discovering the short story

Before I went to university, I had never read any

short stories. I always preferred novels; novels

that weighed my bag down and strengthened my

wrists when I read them. Long books meant I

could spend my summer lounging on my sofa,

completely absorbed by the world the author

created only to reach the final page and realise

that I should perhaps do some washing up and

have a shower!

In my Creative Writing class at university, we

were given a reading list that was full of authors

I’d perhaps heard of, but ignored because they

wrote these short stories that, in my mind could

never hold a candle to the ‘J.R.R. Tolkiens’ and

‘John Fowles’ of the world.

The first collection I read was by an author called

Vladimir Nabakov, a Russian-born author

probably most famous for writing Lolita. I read

‘The Dragon’, about a young dragon who wakes

up after a long sleep following the death of his

mother. A very sad and beautiful story and one

that, despite only being a few pages long, left me

so full of emotion that I could not cope with

reading anything else that evening. And that’s the

thing about short stories; somehow they manage

to pack so much into so little space that,

28

We receive lots of lovely emails and letters from our students and are proud of how many good

things they have to say about our staff and their experience at the college itself. Here are a couple of

our favourites from last term.

Send us your letters for a chance to win:

£25 in Amazon Vouchers

Every term we will choose one letter to be our star letter. That person will win a £25 Amazon voucher.

See here for terms and conditions

Email [email protected]

Letters to Excel College

Hi Excel College,

How are you doing? I hope all the staff and students at Excel College are well.

I'm writing today to let you know that I tried one of the recipes in

your first newsletter. I tried Kes' Cheese Puffs recipe because it

looked simple.

I made a half quantity of the recipe. As he mentioned, they are not healthy! But

cheesy, easy and yummy! I think they are good with beer!

Hi Excel College,

We wanted to tell you about our volunteering activity at Etihad

Stadium (the home of Manchester City Football Club), we've been

working there for two months now, it's really useful for us to put

our English skills into practice . Normally we work before “kick

off”,

making the stadium tidy and neat. We've been helping them with

the pre-match ceremony including holding the giant flags, lifting

and moving them and we try to help them to create a great

welcome for MCFC.

We've been living and studying here for six months. We are from Venezuela which is located in South

America. Every day has been a new experience for us. The UK has stunning places that are really

interesting to find out more about, beautiful scenery and unpredictable weather conditions.

Normally when we talk with our friends and colleagues from Venezuela and other countries as well, the

first aspect which we recommend them is to bring to the UK a big umbrella. Trust me it'll be really useful

here.

Both of us are professionals in different fields, Engineering and Health Science, so we need to improve

our spoken English, so we will be able to start a Master's at The University of Manchester. So we’ll

keep working hard and take advantage of each moment in The UK.

29

Volunteering opportunities

All EU students are allowed to volunteer.

If you need a visa to study in the UK,

you need to check your visa for information on what work you

can and cannot do.

Can you volunteer?

The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) TCV is an environmental charity which works to improve green spaces in and around Manchester. Every Wednesday and Thursday (9.30 – 16.00), TCV picks up volunteers from Manchester city centre and takes them to work on conservation projects. Activities include cleaning ponds, building fences, planting trees and much more. Volunteers need to wear clothes that they don’t mind getting dirty but can borrow boots, gloves and tools from TCV.

Volunteering is a great way to practice your language skills and meet people who live in the Manchester area. These are just some of the charities we are working with at the moment. If you are interested in volunteering, come and see us in reception or email [email protected] for more information.

Already volunteering? Tell us about it. Write an article about your organisation or what you do there on a typical day and send to [email protected]

Booth Centre – Help for Homeless People The Booth Centre is a day centre for homeless people which works to reduce the number of people living and sleeping on the streets. They are looking for volunteers for a variety of roles: they want people who can support sports, IT and creative activities at the centre, provide translation services, support people who are searching for a job and serve soup and food in the centre’s café. In addition, they need volunteers to sit and chat to new visitors. Full training is given for volunteers and there are various induction days throughout the year.

Northmoor Community Association Northmoor Community Association run a local community centre which includes a laundrette, a café and an IT suite. The centre provides ESOL classes, healthy living classes and help with applying for jobs for local residents and a homework help club for children. They are looking for volunteers to help out at the café, in the launderette, with general administration and / or with various classes.

International Society – Rocketworld The International Society run a programme where international students go into schools for a day to teach primary and secondary students about their countries. The activities are very interactive and a great opportunity for international students to practice their

English and get some experience working with children.

30

PINK 10 Reflexology

“your feet are in good hands”

PINK 10 REFLEXOLOGIST 20% discount for Excel College students and staff. ONLY £16.00 per treatment. Ring Lynda for an appointment on 07909700199 Based in Salford M6

Do you have an IELTS or Cambridge (FCE, CAE or CPE) exam soon?

Why not take our E-Support writing practice tests

Email feedback on every test taken

Comments and advice for improvement

E-Support Options

1x Full Test Script £15

3x Full Test Scripts £40

5x Full Test Scripts £60

Evening Classes Mondays and Wednesdays

6pm– 9pm

General English– Higher and Lower levels

IELTS Preparation– Advanced level

One week, 6 hours only £50!

If you’re looking to meet new people in Manchester, join Meet Up! You can find lots of different groups in the city who host regular activities, with something for every interest: hiking, reading, international exchange, dancing and cycling to name a few! You can also keep up-to-date with Excel College social activities by joining our Meet Up group— http://www.meetup.com/Manchester-Excel-College/

Just email [email protected] or see our Excel College brochure for more information

Our CPE course is designed to help you develop your language skills in interesting and stimulating ways. This will include the use of multimedia, role-plays and discussions as well as covering all the vocabulary and grammar needed to pass the Cambridge Proficiency Exam.

English proficiency classes

CPE Preparation

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Want to see your advert here? Prices start from just £30 for 1/4 page.

Email [email protected] for more details

Watch films in English with English subtitles

A new film every week

Bring your friends

All films shown on the projector

Want to see your advert here? Prices start from just £30 for 1/4 page.

Email [email protected] for more details

See our Events calendar for details

Film Club

Tuesday 7.30pm John Eddlestone Centre Main Street Billinge Wigan

Friday 7.30pm Ryu Do Karate & Fitness Academy

Landgate Lane Ind Est Ashton In Makerfield

Wigan

All Are Welcome. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch!

Aikido (Way of Spirit and Harmony) is a Japanese martial art unlike any other. Rather than relying on strength and power, Aikido relies on technique , timing and using an attackers aggression against them. Through the use of throws, joint locks and strikes, you will learn something that is much more than a regular fighting art— Aikido is a “Budo” (Way) dedicated to improving the well being of all.

No Physical strength Required –Suitable for all

Promotes and improves fitness and flexibility

Improves self defence skills and Promotes self confidence

Weapons classes available (Sword / Staff / Knife)

No prior experience required –

Affiliated to Aikido Headquarters, Hombu, Japan

www.wiganaikido.com

For More Information Speak to Matt on 07754 765 739 Or Email [email protected]

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Address: 27 Withy Grove, Manchester, M4 2BS | Tel: 0161 385 8080 | Mob: 07889723075

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A full breakfast always has sausage, bacon and eggs, but what other ingredients can you have in a fry-

up?

English

A traditional full English breakfast includes bacon, poached or fried eggs, fried or grilled tomatoes, fried

mushrooms, fried bread or toast with butter, sausages and baked beans, usually served with a mug of

tea. Sometimes, you also have black pudding and fried mash potato.

Scottish

A Scottish ‘fry-up’ has bacon, sausages, egg, black pudding, sliced sausage and tattie scones. It also

includes fried or grilled tomato and/or mushrooms and occasionally haggis, white pudding, fruit

pudding or oatcakes.

Irish

The same starting points- bacon rashers, sausages, fried eggs, toast and fried tomato but with the

addition of white pudding, black pudding and brown soda bread or potato farl. Sautéed mushrooms are

also sometimes included, as well as baked beans and, even more occasionally, liver.

Neeps and Tatties are traditionally served with Haggis on Burns night. What do

we call neeps and tatties in English?

Tatties = potatoes

Neeps = Swede or turnip

Traditionally you boil the neeps and the tatties in water until soft and then mash

together with butter, cream, salt and pepper.

What county is Manchester in?

Greater Manchester.

What is ‘The Curry Mile’ The name given to the part of Wilmslow Road that is home to

over 70 south Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants.

Where is it? Rusholme

Thanks to http://bogglesworldesl.com/crosswords.htm

Last term’s answers

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A few months ago I was walking down the street when I bumped into an old friend. We used to be close

friends, but we had a falling out. a few years ago and we haven’t seen eye to eye since.

Anyway, we started chatting and I could see he was upset about something, so I suggested

going for a coffee. Very soon we were having a real heart to heart and I found out what was wrong.

In a nutshell, he was having serious money problems, which was creating such problems at

home that he thought his marriage was on the rocks. The main problem was that he had quit his

well-paid job as a lawyer and become a teacher. So he used to have money to burn but now was

struggling to make ends meet.

He was also finding teaching quite stressful, but couldn’t face the idea of going back to his old company

with his tail between his legs.

To be honest I don’t think anything I said was very useful, but it made me glad I wasn’t in his shoes, and

at least it felt like we had put our argument behind us and could make a fresh start to our friendship.

Guess the idioms in Kes’ head…

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Student Cards now available at

Excel College For only £10!

The ISIC card is an internationally recognised student card giving you over 40,000 discounts in the UK and overseas as well as access to exclusive discounted student airfares when booking flights through STA Travel.

These cards usually cost £12 but are available to Excel College students studying 6 or more weeks for only £10! You can either order it when you book your course or when you arrive in the UK to start saving money. See http://www.isic.org/benefits/, email [email protected] or come to reception for more information

What’s happening this term? Happy New Year and welcome back to Excel College! Here are just some of the exciting things that will be happening in the spring term. Excel College has a brand new website! The website will make it easier for present, past and prospective students to find out about Excel College, our courses, accommodation and social activities. It’s online now so have a look and tell us what you think. We are welcoming two new teachers to the Excel College team—Loretta and Phil. Both Loretta and Phil have recently returned to the UK from teaching overseas (Loretta in the Philippines and Phil in Vietnam) and we’re looking forward to introducing them to all the friendly people at Excel College. Manchester will be as busy as ever. The National Beer & Cider Festival and the Spanish & Latin American Film Festival are coming to the city. We will also be celebrating Chinese New Year, St Patrick’s Day, Pancake Day and Easter. (Look out for the Excel College Easter Egg Decorating Competition at the end of term.) We will be going on more trips to famous Manchester sights including the Football Museum and the Manchester Museum. We will also be going on a bowling trip and for afternoon tea as well as enjoying the usual Film Club, Wii Club and 5-a-side football matches. We want to get more past and present students involved in writing for the newsletter this term. Put your writing skills to the test! Want to review a book, film or restaurant? Love or hate some-thing about Manchester? Want to give a big thank you to your favourite teacher? We’d love to hear from you. Send any submissions to [email protected] To all students returning to Excel College after the holidays or starting classes for the first time, we hope you have a fun-filled and successful spring term!

Email your stories, poems,

photos, recipes, exam results and

news articles to

[email protected]

for a chance to appear in next

term’s newsletter

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