CNN Student News - Loads of activities to improve your listening comprehension skills!

Dear all,
today we bring you a series of activities for you to improve your listening comprehension skills. It's a 10-minute program aired on CNN on May 24th, 2010. So, the pieces of news you'll be working with are relatively recent.
Hope you find the exercises both interesting and useful!

EXERCISE (answers included)




Kind regards,
Prof. Mariano Ignacio
Centro Univ. de Idiomas

2010: Year of the Bicentennial

2010 is an important year of bicentennial celebrations in the Americas. Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico all commemorate 200 years of independence.

Following is the video message and transcript of Secretary Clinton on "Year of the Bicentennial":



This year, people across our hemisphere will celebrate the “Year of the Bicentennial.” Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico are marking 200 years of independence. All of us across the Americas are joining together to honor our shared history and the values of democracy, diversity, and tolerance that form our common heritage.

In the last year, our hemisphere has been challenged -- from Honduras to Haiti to Chile. And our ability to respond to these crises as a community has been tested. But we have met these challenges together, with faith in our institutions, confidence in our values, and compassion for our friends and neighbors.

We must strive to carry that same spirit of cooperation beyond times of crisis in order to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities facing the people of the Americas. There is so much we can learn from each other and so much we can accomplish together. We can encourage broad-based prosperity, champion democracy and human rights, and ensure that every child born in the Americas has the opportunity to fulfill his or her God-given potential.

This “Year of the Bicentennial” is a time to honor our past while we look to the future -- as we continue on our common journey to create better lives for our citizens and even stronger ties between our nations. On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, congratulations and best wishes.

Toronto's Spa Train: The Road to Relaxation

Dear all,
in Unit 3 you must be working already (or may well be about to) on the analysis of some Top Cities (page 38 - Total English.)
Today we offer you a short report on a Spa Train in Canada.
This is the video for you to watch, and below you will find the transcription just in case you find some words difficult to understand either because of their meaning or their pronunciation.
And now... sit back, relax and enjoy the video clip!

Prof. Mariano Ignacio
Centro Univ. de Idiomas

______________________________

City life doesn't have to be so stressful, especially if you take a particularly relaxing excursion from Toronto. Canada's largest city is like the Big Apple on Prozac, as every day in Toronto feels like New York on the weekend -- relatively quiet, civilized, and manageable.

It's no wonder Toronto offers a getaway that can help mellow you out even more, on a fast track to total relaxation onboard Via Rail's Spa Train.

The Spa Train is an escape within a couple hours' ride that takes you to any of a number of Ontario train stations where a shuttle whisks you off to your choice of 15 spas in the area.

One of the areas with a high density of spas is the Niagara Falls region. It is very close to beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake, a town designated as a National Historic Site. These spa in the vicinity of several wineries feature vinotherapy.

The 100 Fountain Spa, at Vintage Hotel's historic Pillar and Post, offers an 80-minute "Purple Feet Pedicure," using locally-harvested wine-based products that might put your tootsies over the legal limit.

Most of the spas are associated with a hotel, so besides treatments, packages can include accommodations and meals along with return transfer to the train station.

The Spa Train package at Pillar and Post starts at $300 per person based on the exchange rate at press time. It includes room for one night in one of three Vintage hotels, roundtrip train tickets from Toronto to Niagara as well as hotel transfers, plus a $100 Spa credit per person. This is based on double occupancy through April 30.