Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus is a famous road junction in Westminster, London. The Circus is particularly known for its video display and neon signs but also for the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue of Eros.

Piccadilly Circus was created in 1819, with originally a perfect circular form. The Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in Piccadilly Circus was erected in 1893; the monument is topped by the nude statue of Eros. In 1906, the Piccadilly Circus tube station was opened on the Bakerloo and Piccadilly Lines. In 1928, the station was extensively rebuilt to handle an increasing traffic. The intersection's first electric advertisements appeared in 1910.

Nowadays, Piccadilly Circus is surrounded by several major tourist attractions, including the Shaftesbury Memorial, Criterion Theatre, and London Pavilion but it is best known for its neon signs. The most famous ads were Coca-Cola, McDonald's or Samsung, and in 2008 tourists can see at night six illuminated advertising screens occupied by Boots, Burger King and GAP.

David Le Pahun & Wikipedia
Image: Christopher Holt Ltd

Airsoft

Airsoft, or airsoft guns, are plastic replicas of weapon which fire plastic balls thanks to compressed air. Airsoft was born in Japan after World War II. The first replicas were only to collect, but they were modified in the 70’s to work with compressed air, and in the 80’s with a little electric motor.

Airsoft appeared in Europe in the 80’s, mostly in U.K, where there are nowadays a lot of active players, several magazines and an official federation. The aim of the game is to reach the objectives of the scenarios, like taking a hostage or a man-hunt. You play with airsoft guns in woods, abandoned cities or in big buildings. But all of the places where you play must be known by the authorities and exclusively reserved for airsoft players. When you are touched by a ball, you are definitely eliminated, or for a while, or you have to go to a “respawn” point.

It’s not a dangerous game if you respect some security rules, like always wearing protection glasses.

Arthur Lefort
Image: www.zendo.fr

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King was born on January, 15, 1929. He attended segregation at pubic school. At Boston University, where he met his wife Coretta Scott he received a degree to become pastor. In 1954, he became pastor at the Baptist Church in Montgomery.

King began his fight in 1955 and thanks to the bus boycott, in 1956, Negroes and Whites on buses were equal. His efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through non violent means led to the Peaceful March on Washington D.C where he delivered his “I have a dream” speech. In 1964, the “Civil Right Act” for the equality between Whites and Negroes and the “Voting Right act” for the registration of Negroes as voters were voted in 1965.

At the age of 35, in 1964 he was the youngest man who received the Nobel Peace Prize in honour to his efforts. On the evening of April, 4, 1968, on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, he was assassinated. He is a word figure today.

Camille Gaget
Photo: Editions Atlas Multimedia

Apple

Apple Computer Inc. is an American multinational corporation with a focus on designing and manufacturing consumer electronics. Established in California on April 1976, Apple develops, sells and supports a series of personal computers, portable media players, mobile phones, computer software, computer hardware, and hardware accessories.

In September 2007, the company operates about 200 stores in five countries and an online store. The iTune Store provides music, audio books, television programs, movies and videos.

This big company is directed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak who are co-founders. The company’s best-known products include Macintosh computers, the iPod and the iPhone. In January 2007, the company changed his name from “Apple Computer” to “Apple” reflecting the expansion of this multinational through its new products. Apple employs 20.000 workers worldwide and had in 2007 a revenue of 24 billion dollars. Apple has engendered a distinct reputation in the consumer electronics industry.

Edwin Morris & Wikipedia
Photo: http://cworld.files.wordpress.com

James Bond is a fictional character created in 1952 by the writer Ian Fleming. He is an agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service.

In 1962, the first movie was made and was called”Dr. No”, with Sean Connery as 007. Connery played in 6 films, then George Lazenby replaced him for one film, and Roger Moore played 007 for 7 films. Timothy Dalton replaced him for 2 films, then Pierce Brosnan played in 4 films as 007. Today, Daniel Craig is the Bond actor. He played in the last James Bond “Casino Royale”. As of 2007, there have been 21 films.

The Bond series received many homages. For example, there are two statues of Bond actors Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery in Madame Tussauds museum. Bond’s most famous car is the silver gray Aston Martin DB5.

To conclude, James Bond has a huge influence within the spy genre. When you think about the spying, you immediately think to James Bond. He is the symbol of spying. 

François Quinio, Wikipedia & Klast

Coca Cola

Coca-Cola is a cola sold in stores, restaurants and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company and is often referred to simply as Coke.

The first Coca-Cola recipe was invented in Columbus, Georgia, by John Stith Pemberton, originally as a cocawine called Pemberton's French Wine Coca in 1885. The first sales were at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886. It was initially sold as a patent medicine for five cents. For the first eight months only nine drinks were sold each day.

Asa Griggs Candler created the Coca Cola Company in 1888. In the summer of 1888, Candler sold his beverage under the names Yum Yum and Koke. In 1892, Candler incorporated a second company, The Coca-Cola Company (the current corporation). Regardless, Candler began marketing the product, although the efficacy of his concerted advertising campaign would not be realized until much later. By the time of its 50th anniversary, the drink had reached the status of a national icon for the USA. 

Erwan de Gavelle & Wikipedia

The genesis of the Blues Brothers was on 17th January 1976. John Belushi is known as Jack Blues and Dan Aykroyd as Elwood Blues. Their style was fresh, different from prevailing musical trends. In 1980 a musical comedy was released.In this film, Jake and Elwood take on "a mission from God": to save the orphanage in which they grew up from foreclosure. The film features a lot of famous people such as James Brown.

Unfortunatly in 1982, Belushi died from an accidental overdose. After his death, updated versions were performed. Finally in 1998 " The Blues Brothers 2000" was released. Elwood is released from prison, and finds out that Jake is dead. He takes a job as an announcer in a nightclub, but when he find out that the bartender can sing, Elwood resolves to put the band back together once again with his new partner and a 10-years old boy and later his half brother joins the band.

Mathilde Maupertuis

Image: http://www.zumablog.com

The Offspring is a famous Californian rock band, created in Garden Cove, California. In 1984, Dexter, a guitarist and a singer, Greg.K, a bassist, Noodle, a guitarist, and James Lilja, a drummer, formed the band "Manic Subsidal", at the age of nineteen. They became "The Offspring" in 1987, and Ron Welty joined the group as a drummer.

They recorded their first album, The Offspring, in 1986. In 1994, they released Smash, their third album, a real success in the entire world, and they played in the Vans Warped Tour for the first time in 2005. Pete Parada joined The Offspring for the Australia's Sound Wave Festival, in 2007. Today they are preparing a new album that may be complete early 2008.

The members of Offspring cite their musical influence as Nirvana, or The Police. They have released seven studio albums, one compilation and one DVD, they have sold over 32 million albums all over the world, and it's one of the most famous bands among Californian rock fans.

Aurélien Gaget
(image: http://en.wikipedia.org)

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the world’s largest coral reef system composed of 3,000 reefs and 900 islands over an area of 350,000 square kilometres. It was declared a World Heritage area in 1981. It’s the only living organic collective visible from the Earth’s orbit. The reef is located in the Coral Sea in northeast Australia near the coast of Queensland.

The Great Barrier Reef supports a diversity of life. We can see whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, molluscs, sea snakes... 1,500 species of fish have been recorded in the reef. 200 species of birds live on the reef’s islands. We also can see 400 species of coral.

Today, more than 2 million people visit the reef. So, the Government of Australia took measurements to protect it. Activities like boating, fishing, diving are permitted but controlled.

500 boats offer daily trips to the reef to discover plants, animals. You can snorkel with masks and fins or dive with airtanks, to discover the biodiversity of the reef. It’s an unforgettable experience.

Camille Gaget
(image: http://www.routard.com)

Texas

Texas is a state located in the south central part of the USA. With an area of 678,000 km² and a population of 22.5 million, it is the second largest US state in both area and population. This state is divided in 254 counties whose capital is Austin. But Houston, Dallas and San Antonio are the 3 main cities. Texas shares borders with Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico and some Mexican states.

Nowadays, republican Rick Perry is the Texas governor. It is one the most conservative US states. Texans are against homosexual weddings. The justice system has strict sentencing for criminals: the death penalty. Texas’s economic growth depends on breeding, agriculture and oil. The state is known for its love of American football, baseball and basketball. There is a big medical center in Houston which is one of the biggest all over the world.

I think Texas is a really beautiful state, Texans are cool, warm and generous. Everything is different from France and, in my opinion Texas is better.

Marie Fauvel

Eurotunnel

At the end of the 20th century, the French and English signed an agreement to build a tunnel. The Eurotunnel project was adopted and it started in 1987. It consisted of digging three tunnels : two used for trains and one used for security. The building sites were in Sangatte on the French coast and Shakespeare Cliff on the English coast because it's the shortest distance between the 2 countries (33.5 km). They first joined up in 1990. England was not an island any more.

The inauguration was in 1994. The first travellers were the Queen of England and F.Mitterrand. There are 3 types of trains used in the Eurotunnel:
- the Eurostar: the equivalent of the TGV under the sea. It connects Paris, Brussels and London.
- the Shuttle: the train where you park your vehicle and it transports it to England.
- the goods Shuttle: these trains transfer merchandise.

Nowadays there are 360 trains a day. That's 1 train every 4 minutes!

Pierre Blanchard

JK Rowling

Joanne Murray, better known as JK Rowling, is a British novelist, author of the Harry Potter fantasy series.

As a child Rowling already enjoyed writing fantasy stories. In 1990 the idea of a story about a young boy attending a school of wizardry came into her mind. She began to write immediately. Then she endured a very difficult period of her life : she was unemployed and lived on state benefits. She sometimes had to fast to feed her daughter.

In June 1990 Bloomsbury published the first tome of the Harry Potter series. It was immediately successful. Then came the sixth other volumes that have all broken sales records. The title of the seventh and final Harry Potter was revealed on December 21st 2006 to be Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Rowling is not planning to write an eighth Harry Potter but she won’t stop writing. Since she has become famous Rowling has devoted herself to philanthropy. She helps charities that fight against poverty and social inequalities.

Camille Chotel
source: http://blog.ndreams.org

The Simpsons

"The Simpsons" is an animated American sitcom created by Matt Groening. It is a soft-satirical parody of the “Middle American” lifestyle. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield. Since its debut on 17th December 1989, the show has aired 403 episodes over 19 seasons.

Homer, the father, works as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant ( a strange job according with his buffoonish personality!). Marge,his wife, is a stereotypical American housewife and mother. They have three children: Bart, a ten-year-old trouble-maker, Lisa, a precocious eight-year-old activist, and Maggie, a baby who never speaks. The show uses catchphrases which are famous like: “D'oh!” for Homer, for example, when he does a stupid thing.

On 27th July 2007, a film “The Simpsons” was released, it was a succes for a film based on a series, it took the top of the box office. To conclude, we can say “The Simpsons” is one of the most important series in American.

François Quinio

"Technology is everywhere. Whether at home, in the office or on the go, gadgets and gizmos of every shape, size and ring tone constantly surround us. But which ones do you feel are truly needed? Rank your favorites and see how they compare with other CNN.com users."

This is your web space!

Just like last year, you will be required to give an oral presentation in class. Then you will publish a summary of your presentation here, perhaps with a small illustration.

Check out last year's Première page!

Etudes en Angleterre? TPE?

Voici un site bilingue qui pourrait intéresser des élèves de sections européennes. Ce site est réalisé par une étudiante française qui a suivi une section européenne en France et continue ses études à l'université de Notthingham en Biologie de l'environnement. Elizabeth sera ravie de répondre aux questions que peuvent se poser nos élèves pour poursuivre leurs études en Angleterre. http://aboutbamboo.free.fr 

New Online Exercises

I highly recommend this site for your FCE practice: English Gateway - free online vocabulary topics, with exercises on idioms, phrasal verbs and collocations.

Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov is maybe the best chess player of the world because his style is aggressive and dynamic.

This Russian chess grandmaster has Armenian and Jewish origins. He became the youngest World Chess Champion in 1985, when he was 22. He holds the record for most consecutive professional tournament victories with 15 victories from 1981 to 1990, the record for the longest time as the first rated player and the record for the highest ELO rating ever achieved. He is also known for being the first World Chess Champion to lose a match against a computer, Deep Blue, in 1997. He announced his retirement from professional chess in 2005 to devote his time to politics and writing. He is currently very active in Russian politic because he leads the anti-Putin party called United Civil Front. 

Simon Debreuille

Mean Girls

Mean Girls was produced in 2004 by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. Its cast includes Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron, and Rachel MacAdams as Regina George. It relates the story of a teenager of African origins who arrives in a school in Chicago and face school life. She has trouble making friends, then she meets people and becomes the most famous girl of the school.

The film describes quite well the principal problems of our society based on reputation, relationships and fashion. I chose this subject because it shows and explains with humour the problems we can really face in our lives.

Amandine Malherbe

The Ford Motor Company

Started by Henry Ford in 1903 and still headed by his great-grandson William Clay Ford, this company is the symbol of the American automobile industry.

In 1908 Ford introduced the Model T, called the Tin Lizzy, priced at $850. It was an immediate success. In 1913 Ford set up an assembly-line systeme of production, in which each worker performed only one specialized task. One year later, Ford astonished the buisiness world by more than doubling the minimum wage of his workers to $5 a day. He reasoned that if his employees earned more, the company would sell more cars to them and keep employees loyal. By 1916 Ford had lowered the price of the Model T to about $350, making the cars affordable to all workers.

Paul Gillet & Encarta.msn.com

The Daily Telegraph is the most published newspaper in Great Britain. The first edition, launched by the Colonel Arthur Sleigh, hit the streets on 29th June 1855. The printer, Joseph Levy, took over the paper in August, and he re-launched it with the slogan, "the largest, best, and cheapest newspaper in the world". In this way, sales increased rapidly and within one year the new paper was outselling The Times. Little by little, The Daily Telegraph supported the conservative Party, and set against the capital punishment.

In 1937 the paper became the main newspaper and its sales increased over 1 million a day after the 2nd World War.

Today, the newspaper, owned by the Barclay brothers, is the biggest selling broadsheet in Britain with a circulation of about 925,000 per day. It offers home and international news coverage, a business section, and a compact daily sport section.

To conclude, The Daily Telegraph had a quick development in this last century, and stays in the British minds as the newspaper of the records.

David Le Pahun

Scotland

Scotland is one of three nations with England and Wales that compose Great-Britain. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, but the biggest city is Glasgow. The other big towns are Stirling, Inverness, Aberdeen, and Dundee. Scotland is made of 800 islands. There are many mountains which are not higher than 1400. There are also many lochs (Scottish word for lake), but forests are quite rare.

Over 5 million people live in Scotland, on 79000 km2; that represents 64 people per km2. Every year, in August, there are traditional games, called the Highlands Games, where the strongest big men have to show their strength. For example they throw a trunk of 6 meters long and the goal is that it has to touch the ground vertically. The symbols of Scotland are the thistle which is a plant, and the kilt, which looks like a skirt but it is worn by men. To conclude, Scotland is a country with its own culture and its own history. 

Raphaël Stevens

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol was born in 1930 and died in 1987. He is the most famous American artist of pop art. After a career as advertising agent, he decided to make some art.

He was interested by mass reproduction, the effect produced by the repetition of an image. He compares himself to a machine which make many reproduction of a serigraphy. The main idea is to make a satire of the industrial world, to put out all emotions. Andy Warhol treats everything on the same stage: President Kennedy’s murder, Campbell’s soup, stars, Elvis Presley, or the atomic bomb. But whereas media make gods of the stars or politicians, Warhol removes any personalit : he aligns them like bottles of cola in a supermarket. For example, Marilyn Monroe’s faces are like a product of mass consummation.

Andy Warhol is the icon of pop art. Nowadays his painting are very famous and even fashion uses his paintings (to make tee-shirts, bags,…). Now he is still very famous.

Marion Strohl

Hayden Panettiere

Hayden Panettiere was born on 21st August 1989 in New York. She started her carrier by appearing in commercials when she was very young. Her first role was as Sarah Victoria in One Life to Live. Than she played lots of roles, her most known is Claire Bennet in Heroes. She was nominated in 1999 for the Grammy Award. In 2007 she has got the Teen Choice Award.

But this talented celebrity can also sing very well...as her success can make us think. She's actually working on her first album Fallen Love which is going to be released in 2008

But next to this star's life, she still lives with her family and her young brother.
So this exceptional celebrity can both stay herself and be really talented. That's why I really like this actress-singer.

Amandine Malherbe

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is in the Southern coast of Spain opposite Africa so we talk about the Straits of Gibraltar (14,4 km). The territory covers 6,543 square kilometers. The highest point is the Rock of Gibraltar with 426 meters of altitude. The Rock  is covered by a nature reserve, which is home to 230 Barbary Macaques, the only wild monkeys in Europe.

A superstition says that if the monkeys ever leave, so will the British.

The Rock is a popular tourist attraction, particularly among British tourists. The monetary unit of Gibraltar is the pound sterling. The euro isn’t officially accepted in Gibraltar, but a post offices can give you some pounds. The official language is English but most residents also speak Spanish. The main form of transport is the car but motorbikes are popular. Unlike the other British territories, traffic drives on the right but Bobbies help the circulation! There is also a cable car which runs from ground level to the top of the rock.

Simon Dubreuille

The Triskele

The triskele is one of the most popular Irish symbols. It is made of two parts, the heart and the three legs. These two have had two meanings in the History of Ireland: during the Celtic times, the heart was the symbol of the world and the legs represent the three biggest elements of the Irish culture, fire, water and the sky. These three elements were rolling around the world as if they governed it.

But after the Christianization of Ireland, the Triskele had a different meaning. The heart still symbolized the world but the three legs were an image for the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Today, the Triskele is mostly used as a commercial symbol and it has lost a part of its real meaning. But some North Irish give to it a political meaning; for them the triskele symbolizes the unity of Ireland and the fight against England supremacy.

Guillaume Bellanger

California

California borders the pacific ocean, Oregon, Nevada, and the Mexican state of Baja California, with an area of 411000 km2. It' s the third largest state in the USA.

California's geography ranges from sandy and rocky beaches, to the Sierra Nevada or to desert areas. California was marked by the gold rush of the 1850s. It's also one of the richest states because of Orange County and Hollywood. It has long been promoted as a kind of paradise. But California has also got a western culture, people own ranches,cows, goats... that part of California is often forgotten by the rest of the world.

There's a big racist problem there. Mexicans are trying to get in the Californian life. Because of that a part of the population speaks Spanish. California's food is influenced by Mexico too. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios, the word "Hollywood" is often used as a metonym for the American cinematography industry.

Mathilde Maupertuis

Dreamweaver

It's the name of the web editing tool you will be using to design and create web sites this year.

Nvu

This is the name of a free web editing programme which is like Dreamweaver but simpler. It is easy to create web pages rapidly, without any HTML experience or a technical background. You can download it at this address: http://www.nvu.com

Mario

Mario is a video game character created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, and he is the official mascot of Nintendo.

The name "Mario" was first used in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, and then in the 1993 feature film Super Mario Bros. Mario's basic appearance has changed little over the years: a short, stubby man wearing a hat with an 'M' on it, brown hair, black moustache, white gloves, and overalls. He normally wears blue overalls on top of a red shirt. Mario first appeared in the video game Donkey Kong as a character named "Jumpman”. Since the first game, Mario usually has the role of saving the princess Peach kidnapped by Bowser. Originally, he had to rescue his girlfriend Pauline in Donkey Kong from the clutches of DK.

In conclusion, Mario is the most popular character in the world. It’s my favourite character and it is the first video game character to be honoured with a wax figure in the legendary Hollywood Wax Museum.

Nicolas Wallet & Wikipedia

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English band whose blues, rhythm and blues and rock and roll-infused music became popular during the "British Invasion" in the early 1960s.

The band was formed in London in 1962 by original leader Brian Jones, but eventually led by the song writing partnership of singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Pianist Ian Stewart, drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman completed the primary line-up.

The band have released 55 albums of original work and compilations, and had 32 U.K & U.S top-10 singles. They have sold over 200 million albums worldwide.

In 1971 Sticky Finger began a string of eight consecutive studio albums at number one in the United States. In 1989 the Rolling stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. During the 1969 American tour, tour manager Sam Culter introduced them as "the greatest Rock and Roll band in the world".
Paul Gillet

The Web Ellis Cup

The Web Ellis Cup is the World Rugby Cup. On day, in the public school of Rugby, in England, a football player took the ball with his hand and went inside the goal. His name was Web Ellis.

The first cup, in 1887 was organized by the New-Zealand and the Australia. It was won by the All-Blacks (the New-Zealander) against France 29-9.

The 1991 edition was won by the Wallabies (the Australians) against the English in London. The 1995 edition was the first time that South Africa was admitted in an international competition, and they won, against the All-Blacks. The 1999 edition was the second time the Wallabies won the cup. They defeated the French in Twickenham. The 2001 edition was the first time a northern rugby nation won the cup. The English defeated the Wallabies in Sydney.

The 2007 edition took place in France. There were 20 nations : New-Zealand, Australia, South Africa, France, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Georgia, Japan, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Argentina, U.S.A., Canada, and Namibia.

Thibaud Guilard

Mickey Mouse

In the beginning, Mickey Mouse was created to replace Oswald, because Walt Disney didn't have copyright on him. So he created a mouse called Mortimer, but Walt Disney's wife thought that Mickey was a better name.

His first cartoon was Steamboat Willie, released on 18th November 1928. First he was quite ugly: his body looked like a pear. He also played bad jokes : he was a naughty mouse. But Walt decided to change him: he was redrawn and became a better mouse.

Mickey mouse is not just a mouse, he plays the piano, he washes his car ... He represents a perfect person, but in a mouse's body.

Mickey is nothing without his friends : Minnie, his girlfriend who appeared in Steamboat Willie. Pluto his dog; first he appeared as Minnie's dog called Rover, but in another cartoon, we saw him as Mickey's dog. There is also Goofy his friend, who represents someone quite idiotic and clumsy...

Now, everybody knows Mickey, he has became a symbol!

Charles Boiret

Linkin Park

Linkin Park is an American rock band created in California. Hip-hop, traditional classic rock, metal and electronic vibes composed the traditional music of the group.

They began to be famous thanks to their breakthrough album "Hybrid Theory", recorded in 2000. The band officially announced the production of a new studio album in December 2002, "Meteora", with one of their most famous title, "Numb". In 2004, Linkin Park released two other albums," Live in Texas", and "Collision Course", with the voice of Jay-Z. They began a tour with Snoop-Dog and Korn, before helping to raise money to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina, in 2005.

Recognized for their adaptation of the neo metal style in" Hybrid Theory" and "Meteora", they moved away from this and explored a variety of other styles in their latest studio album, "Minutes to Midnight". Since their formation in 1996, the group has sold more than fifty million albums and won about 15 awards.

Aurélien Gaget
Image: http://www.150db.com

Amy Winehouse

Amy Jade Winehouse is an English singer-songwriter, known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including soul, jazz and R&B. She was born on 14th September 1983 in Enfield, London to a Jewish family who shared her love of jazz music.

At the age of ten, Winehouse founded a short-lived rap group called Sweet 'n' Sour with childhood friend Juliette Ashby. She was trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School when she was twelve years old but was allegedly expelled at fourteen for "not applying herself" and for piercing her nose.

Winehouse has created media buzz apart from her singing. Her distinctive style, most notably her former signature beehive hairstyle, has spawned imitators and been the muse for fashion designers, most notably Karl Lagerfeld. The singer's struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, as well as self-destructive behaviour, have become regular tabloid news since 2007. She and her husband have also been plagued by legal troubles that have led to the cancellation of several tour dates.

Wikipedia & Nicolas Wallet
Image: Wikipedia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia, an American state, is situated on the Atlantic coast. There are seven million inhabitants in Virginia for less than fifty thousand square miles. Sir Walter Raleigh discovered it in 1584. He was English and gave the name of Queen Elizabeth I to the area. She was known as the 'Virgin Queen' because she never got married.

This state has been a Republican state for a long time although the Governor is a Democrat. Eight presidents of the USA were Virginians, that's why one of this state nicknames is 'Mother of Presidents'. But it has got others like 'Old Dominion' referring to King Charles II.

The most interesting places to visit in Virginia are museums, the 35 state parks and the beach of Virginia Beach. I have never been there, but I'm going to Virginia Beach this summer and I hope I'm going to discover the American way of life.

Mathilde Jacob
Image : www.virginia.org

Basketball

Basketball was created by James Naismith in 1891. He wanted a sport practicable indoors for the winter and where physical contacts would be less than in football or in baseball. The first match in history was on 21st December 1891. In 1946 the NBA was created to ensure meetings between the best professional teams of the world. Nowadays it's the most important basketball association in the world.

The first basketball championship took place in Argentina in 1950 and in 1989 the first dream team, comprised of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, consolidated the USA's domination on this sport.

Two teams of five active players try to score points against one another. The game is divided in four quarters of 10 minutes each, times out last 1 min and middle time lasts 11 min. The ball has to be advanced by dribbling and players can do some fouls like double dribbling. Personally I really enjoy basketball because I think it's a good way to exert yourself and to make good friends.

Anaëlle Rollé-Tesson and Wikipedia

SpongeBob Square Pants

SpongeBob Square Pants is an American animated television series. It was created by Stephen Hillenburg in 1996. The series is set in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom, in the Pacific ocean. Bikini Bottom is like a real city with a downtown, coastal areas and its own airport. Jellyfish are the equivalent of bees, underwater worms bark exactly like dogs and fish act as the citizens of the community.

The main character, SpongeBob, is a sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea with his house-pet, a snail named Gary. His best friends are Patrick, a pink starfish, and Sandy, a squirrel.

This series became so popular with adults and teenagers that it was broadcast on MTV and SpikeTV. Because of this success, “SpongeBob Square Pants, The Movie” was made in 2004. More than 10 video games were developed and there are lots of shops in which you can buy merchandise based on the show.

Marie Fauvel & Wikipedia
Image: http://scienceblogs.com

Aston Martin

Aston Martin was created in 1913 by Lionel Martin who gave his name and the name of a race he won, the Aston Clinton, to his brand. He bought his first car the same year to compete against Bugatti. After the First World War the brand was saved by a rich Polish man called Zborowski. In 1922 Aston Martin won the world record by driving their car for 16h30 at 125 km/h. In 1926 Aston Matin was bought by Augusto César Bertelli. In 1932 Aston Matin won the 'Tours du Mans'. After that Aston Martin will be bought by many companies. In 1959 Aston Martin started to build its DBR series which will make the reputation of the brand. But in 1987 Ford bought the famious English brand and 10 years later the brand produced a lot of very famous models like the DB7, the Vanquish or the Vantage. In 2007 Ford resold the brand to other companies. 

Pierre Blanchard

The Ray-Ban Wayfarer is a design of sunglasses manufactured by Ray-Ban since 1952. Wayfarers were designed by Raymond Stegeman and their design was a radically new shape. They were particular with their distinctive trapezoidal frames and the material used to make it: in fact Wayfarers marked the transition between the period of thin metal frames and the new era of plastic frames. As soon as they were introduced by Ray-Ban the Wayfarer rose in popularity. They were worn by numerous celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, J.F Kennedy or Andy Warhol. Designers unaffiliated with Ray-Ban produced several sunglasses inspired by the Original Wayfarers.

After the Wayfarers’ heyday in the 50s and the 60s, sales declined. They reappeared in the 80s when Ray-ban signed a deal to put Wayfarers into movies and TV shows. Wayfarers were the decade’s sunglasses of choice. In the 1990’s the frames became unpopular again and Wayfarers were significantly re-designed. Today Wayfarers have come back into fashion. 

Camille Chotel & Wikipedia
Image: Australiafair

Apple

Apple is an American High technology company, created by the “Two Steves”, Jobs and Wozniak. Apple's success really began with the Apple I, in 1977, which was a great success because it was one of the first made for the public and not only for universities. After this wonderful success during the 80’s, Apple decided to bring out two new models, Macintosh and Lisa. The first was also created for the public whereas the second was aimed at high schools.

During the 90’s Apple went through a very difficult period, because of the competition with Microsoft and its very cheap model (95) and the lack of originality of Apple models. So it was only in 2005, with the creation of the Intel Processor and later with the success of the iPod and its new design, that Apple found widespread popularity once again.

As a conclusion, I would say that Apple is really one of the symbol of the “NAHT” (New Age High Technology) because of its wonderful design and its very practical interface.  

Guillaume Bellanger

Hamburgers

A hamburger is a sandwich, made of bread, mince , salad and dressing . The word " hamburger" comes from the German word, the inhabitant of Hamburg.At the beginning, cooks used roasted porc, but now, we principally use minced beef. The recipe had been known in the USA since the 19th century. Nowadays in American, the word "hamburger" means the sandwich and also the steak. But there is no link between real ham and hamburgers. Now, the hamburger is known all over the world, thanks to famous fast food restaurants. The hamburger is quite a symbol, linked with internationalization.

Everybody loves hamburgers, nevertheless, some people include it in junk food... Like the hot-dog, it contains a lot of calories ... Some fast food restaurants are accused by fat or ill consumers or families that eat too much junk food.The hamburger is really a culture in USA, you don't know what a hamburger is if you have not tasted an American hamburger!

Charles Boiret

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was born on 26th October 1947, in Chicago, Illinois. She studied in the prestigious Yale law school, then she became a lawyer and in 1975 she married Bill Clinton.

In 1978, when Bill Clinton became the Arkansas governor, she became the first lady of Arkansas. From 1995 on, she wrote a weekly column entitled "Taking it over", in which she talked about her personal life experiences.

In 1992, she became the first lady of the country because  her husband became the USA president. On 7th November 2000 she was elected by all New York State as it s senator with 56% of votes. At this time she was the first lady of the country to have been elected to an official post. In 2006 she was reelected with 68% of votes. On 20th January 2007 she announced her candidacy to the presidential elections.

I think she has her chance but there is big competition ... In my opinion she is one of the most important women in the world and also a symbol for all women.

Anaëlle Rollé-Tesson
(image: http://news.filefront.com)

Warhammer

Warhammer is a model-making wargame based-on strategy. It was created in the 80’s with some others wargames by the studio “Games Workshop”, situated in Nottingham, in the United Kingdom. But Warhammer is an international game, with players in more than ten countries, including France, Canada and Japan.

There are three types of Warhammer:

Warhammer Battle, which unfolds in an imaginary Middle-Ages, with magic, dragons and monsters;

Warhammer 40,000 which unfolds in a futuristic vision of our galaxy;

Warhammer Lord of the Rings, directly inspired by the Tolkien’s world, with all of the characters of the books.

All three parts of the games are centred on the battle between good and evil, and you can choose one of the different armies to defend your interests.

Warhammer is not only a game because, before play, you have to assemble and paint your figurines according to your taste, and a lot of people collect Warhammer just for this aspect of the hobby.

Arthur Lefort
image: www.games-workshop-fr.com

Kent

Kent, an English county, is situated in the southeast of London. There are 1,5 million of inhabitants for less than 4 thousand squared kilometers. It has been one of the most invaded places of England.

The most important places to visit are Deal castle, Leeds castle, Walmer castle and gardens, Upnor castle, Dover castle and its white cliffs. The heart of Canterbury is the most important religious place in Great Britain, and Maidstone is the county town of Kent.

Ramsgate and Margate, two of the most beautiful towns, are known for their beautiful beaches and their harbours.

Kent is widely known as "the garden of England" and it has provided inspiration for several notable writers and artists. I have already been there and it’s realy wonderful.

Mathilde Jacob (text & photo)

Linux

Linux is a computer operating system. With Linux, you don’t need Windows on your computer. Linux is free, you can download it or buy a CD with the operating system and a lot of software on it. It can work with different kinds of hardware, not only a personal computer, but mobile phones or supercomputers. It never crashes.

There is a Linux community, known as Linux User Groups: some members want to improve Linux, others want to help beginners. Linux is very fast and evolves often because many users improve it in communities.

The mascot of Linux is called Tux. Tux is often dressed or portrayed differently, depending on the context and many Tux fans create their own Tux, for example, when Tux represented the “PaX security algorithm”, he wore a helmet and brandished an axe and shield, and his eyes were red. Recently, Tux has been redrawn to blend into desktop themes.

Finally, Linux is a free operating system which evolves often and which can compete with Windows.

Erwan de Gavelle

http://www.anglaisfacile.com

http://e-anglais.com/index.php

a4esl.org/a/v.html (6 levels, from Easy to Very Difficult)

Cours web, informatique... www.siteduzero.com
Le site du Zéro. Le Zér0 ? : c'est vous ;o)

Guidelines for Designing a Good Web Site

The Web Language Lab propose des ressources audio avec exercices pour travailler la compréhension orale. Dans la "Learning Zone" on trouve des exercices gradués utilisables en ligne pour le collège, le lycée et l'enseignement supérieur.

www.learnthenet.com/english/quiz/01quiz.htm

www.albion.com/netiquette/netiquiz.html

www.learnthenet.com/english/html/100crossword.htm

Practise your computer vocabulary with Francis David's online activities: The Words of Computers

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