Story

An unexpected gift

Carla looked at the car in surprise. Her best friend’s car was outside the school full of presents. She couldn’t believe her eyes and she screamed with joy.

“Oh, my God.”

She was really touched and astonished.

Two years ago, she had moved to a very small village far away from the city. Since then, she had been working in the school, as a teacher. She loves all her students very much and she remember the way that the villagers welcomed her and how perfectly they behaved towards her. They’re friendly, helpful and very kind. She had told her best friend about these things and also revealed to her that she wanted to do something special to show them her appreciation. Her friend had a brilliant idea. With some help, she managed to collect some money and buy loads of presents for the students.

One day, she put them in her car and all of a sudden she appeared in the village. She hadn’t told Carla that’s why she was really surprised. The car was full of different colourful boxes with toys and books. Carla thanked her friend and gave out the presents. The kids laughed, hugged and kissed their teacher.

How do we celebrate Easter?

Easter

 

Easter lasts a fortnight; during it each family wants to be with their relatives and acquaintances, so they visit them in a distant place in order to celebrate together the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

Holy Week starts actually after the Palm Sunday. On that day we go to church where we are given palm leaves which are made in different shapes. In that way we honour the time when Jesus Christ enter Ierosolima and the faithful were applauding him throwing palm leaves. That’s why that day is called “Palm Sunday”. Moreover people who fast during Lent eat only fish dishes avoiding the dairy products and generally meat.

 

At Holy Week we follow some acts in order to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For instance, we spend time in a meadow picking flowers to make wreathes and decorate the epitaph with them. We also make traditional sweets and Easter cookies for approximately a whole day. Furthermore, in the Easter tradition, on Good Thursday we dye eggs in particularly red color. That symbolizes the blood that was poured from Jesus Christ when He was crucified. On Thursday evening, Christians got to church. The wreathes are collected and the priest leads the service and everyone mourns Christ’s crucifixion.

 

On Good Friday morning, people go to church again to kneel in front of the epitaph. The epitaph is decorated with flowers and looks stunning. Everyone pays their respects to Jesus Christ. In the evening, the priest leads the main service, as well. Now the epitaph is brought around the town with everyone following. In addition, that day people usually eat octopus and generally fish dishes.

 

On Good Saturday housewives stay at home and cook a traditional soup called magiritsa. At night, we all put on our best clothing and take candles with us to the church. (The tradition is the godmother or the godfather to give to their godchildren their candle.) Furthermore, many people’s candles have flowers and other ornaments on them. That day we celebrate Anastasi (Resurrection). The priest wears colorful clothing. Afterwards, everyone lights their candles and slowly the flame passes from person to person until everyone’s candle is burning. At midnight, Christ is resurrected. There are fireworks and fire crackers and there is a big celebration. We also burn Judas. After that, everyone goes home to eat the magiritsa and other delicacies. We also crack the red eggs exchanging Easter wishes. We all hug and kiss each other.

 

On Easter Sunday, in the morning, we get out to bed a little late because we are all tired from the night before. We gather and we eat lettuce salad and kokoretsi while we wait for the lamb to be roasted on a spit. We spend the rest of the day eating, drinking, dancing and listening to music. It’s a big celebration and everyone is radiant and we all have smiles on our faces.

 

 

Letter (giving advice)

Dear Melanie,

How are you? I’m glad you are doing well and I hope everything’s fine there. Thanks for your last letter. I really liked the song you wrote. Carry on writing!

Well, I’m writing to give you some advice about keeping fit and healthy. One idea is to visit a nearby gym and start an aerobic programme. If you exercise three times a week you will soon see the results. I think you should also improve your eating habits. You ought to get rid of all the junk food in the house. The best thing would be to start with a rich healthy breakfast in the morning, avoid sweets and ice cream during the day and have a light dinner in the evening. Finally, why don’t you start going for long walks at the weekend. It will help you a lot.

In my opinion, this way of life makes you look better and feel more confident. That’s my advice. The final decision is yours. Good luck!

Beat wishes,

Christina

Essay about how to learn a foreign language :)

Learning a foreign language can help you to communicate with other people from different countries. However, sometimes it is very difficult to remember the vocabulary. So, our tips below will help you to remember all the words more easily.

First of all, you should read articles and activities on the Internet because in that way you will enrich your vocabulary. Moreover, you can have your own blog and blog in English. If you do that, you will learn to write excellent essays using wonderful words. Additionally, you can exchange emails with native speakers of the foreign language.

More ways to learn new vocabulary is to watch English movies with English subtitles or listen to English songs and read their lyrics. Reading comics can help you, as well. Furthermore, when you find new words and phrases you can note them down in your phrasebook. You can also create a vocabulary calendar (a notebook in which you will make up a sentence using a new word every day).

To summarize, as far as I’m concerned, it is not so difficult to remember new vocabulary following my advice.

Essay on watching television

Watching television is

a complete waste of time

Television has entered our lives and haw influenced our routine. Many people spend hours in front of a TV screen, but others think that it is a complete waste of time.

In my opinion, there are some positive points. Firstly, it is educational. It gives us lots of information and knowledge. Secondly, it is informative. For example, documentaries can inform us about different places or animals. Furthermore, it is relaxing and it is a good company when you feel alone.

On the other hand, there are some negative points, too. One disadvantage is that television shows too many commercials. In addition, there are some bad programmes with too much violence that affects the behavior of young people. Finally, it can damage our health. For instance, it is bad for our eyes and when we watch TV all day we do not exercise and put on weight. Also, we do not communicate with our family and friends.

To sum up, I believe that TV is a great invention and we can learn lots of thing from it, but we should not forget the dad points and be very careful when we watch it.

Essay of being rich and successful

The advantages and the disadvantages

of being rich and successful

Many people wish they were rich and successful. At first glance, it looks ideal. However, life is not always easy for people who are rich and successful.

There are many advantages to this. For example, you have a lot of money, so you cab afford to buy everything you want or go on many trips and travel abroad. Furthermore, you may find a job more easily and provide a good future for your children and your family.

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages, as well. For instance, people might want to become friends with you just because you are rich and successful. In addition to this, your job might be stressful and take a lot of your time so you will not be able to spend enough quality time with your family.

From my point of view, being rich and successful surely helps you a lot, but having health, happiness and a family are the thing that are really important in life.

Formal letter (to a newspaper) about traffic congestion

Dear Sir/Madam,

I read your article about traffic congestion two days ago. I agree with you that the large number of cars on the roads is another problem that we have to deal with.

Well, there are various examples which show the seriousness of the problem. People use their cars more and more to get where they want even if this is two minutes walk. As a result, people are becoming lazier. In addition, nowadays there are two to three cars pre family.

In order to solve the traffic problem we can take the following measures. First of all, we can dedicate lanes for bikes and start using them. In this way, people can exercise, save money and avoid traffic jams. Also, we can charge cars to enter the city centre or build more car parks where people can leave their cars and use public transport. Moreover, means of public transport must be punctual and cheap. My last suggestion is car pooling.

In conclusion, from my point of view, we should all realize the problem and take action to reduce it.

Yours faithfully,

Mavradonaki Christina

A Story

A surprise

As soon as the phone rang, she knew something was wrong. Shortly after six in the afternoon, Mary was really worried. She was expecting her friend, Lu, to come, but she hadn’t arrived yet.

She thought that something bad had happened to Lu and that’s why she was late. She ran quickly and picked the phone up nervously. Unfortunately no one answered. She was scared. At that moment, she grabbed her mobile phone and right away called Lu to see if she was OK.

“Are you all right? Is everything OK?” Mary asked her, when she answered.

“Yes…,” said Lu, “but I’d like to tell you that I won’t come today because I have a bad cold.”

Mary was really sad and decided to listen to some music to cheer her up.

Later on, someone knocked the door. Mary was surprised to see Lu and her friends who wished her a happy birthday.

“I’m really amazed.” she cried.

She couldn’t believe her eyes that all her friends were there.

Finally, they all had an unforgettable time and promised to meet again soon.

Report on a library

To: Mr. Smith

From: Christina Mavradonaki

Subject: Making the library more popular

Introduction

The aim of this report is to make some recommendations about how to make the library more popular with the local secondary school children.

The library

Right now, young people who come to the library can only read a book that they probably like inside the building. It is located in the centre of the city so almost everyone can visit it but they do not.

What teenagers would enjoy in a library

Teenagers enjoy reading magazines, journals and newspapers. Moreover, they enjoy sitting and chatting in a modern place, surfing the Internet and listening to music.

Recommendations

Well, I believe that the best idea that will make the library a popular place for teenagers would be to install Wi-Fi networks and iPods on each table and teenagers can search for information. Furthermore, the children could borrow books, DVDs, CDs or iPods with different types of books. We could also have magazines, journals and plenty of books and specific books for teenagers. In addition, I suggest having quiet reading areas for teenagers who want to focus on their reading. Moreover, I recommend that we could offer modern facilities or even have a coffee shop. Finally, perhaps we should use colourful decoration in order to attract more teenagers.

Formal transactional letter (complaint)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to complain about the holiday that my family went on with your company, Sunny Holidays, to Canary Islands after reading your brochure.

First of all, there were problems with the accommodation. Your brochure stated that in each apartment there was a fridge. In our room the fridge was not working and we wanted to put in some drinks in order to chill them, but we could not. Furthermore, on our TV, there were only two local channels available and not in English. So, we could not enjoy ourselves when we stayed in.

In addition, the beach near the hotel was not suitable for swimming, because it was very rocky and we had to go to another beach two miles away. Finally, the town centre was minutes away by car and not on foot so it cost us more.

We think that the brochure was misleading which is why we would like a partial refund.

We look forward to receiving a prompt replay.

Yours faithfully,

Mavradonaki Christina

Article on an unsual sport

Extreme ironing

Have you ever imagined taking an ironing board to a remote place and ironing your clothes? Well, that’s what an Englishman did in 1997. He liked the idea of an evening out rock climbing and decided to combine it with ironing. So he started a new extreme sport. He also travelled to the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and South Africa to promote the sport.

Two years ago I went to England and I had the chance to watch a team of 72 divers who ironed underwater. They stayed in the water for more than an hour and tried to break the previous record. They finally managed it.

However, quite often people doing this extreme sport get seriously injured. So others who are against it organise campaigns to inform people about the dangers and try to turn them to safer sports.

To sum up, I believe that extreme ironing will get more popular. Although, I personally find this sport exciting, I wouldn’t like to try it and I recommend to everyone to think twice before starting it.  

Essay

Many people think it would be perfect if they were rich and successful. At first glance, it looks ideal. However, the life of rich and successful people is not always easy and fun.

Of course, being rich and successful has its advantages. For instance, you can help people if you want by participating in charities. In addition, they may gain more respect from society. People would care for them and do everything they can, so that they are happy. Furthermore, they can live a happy life, because they can afford to buy everything they want and they can provide a nice future for their children.

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages in being rich and famous too. Because of their hard work, they usually do not spend enough quality time with their families. Another problem is that, when you are rich and successful, people make friends with you, just to benefit from your money. In other words, you do not know who are your real friends. Rich and successful people cannot enjoy and spend their money either. Their job, which might be stressful, may require time.

It would be nice if I were rich and successful, because I would like to use my money in good ways. However, I think that our family, our happiness and our health are more important than money. On balance, I do not think I would like to be rich and successful.

Formal transactional letter(complaint)

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are writing to complain about the holiday we booked with your agency after seeing the brochure.

First of all, the brochure claimed that there was a fridge in every apartment. However, the one which was in ours did not work, so we could not keep food or drink cold and fresh. In addition, it was said in the brochure that there was a TV with satellite TV channels, although the TV that was in our room had only two local channels which were not even in English.

Another problem was that the beach which was near the hotel was not suitable for swimming because there was rubbish everywhere and the water was very polluted. The brochure also stated that the hotel was minutes away from the town centre, but the truth is that it is a longer trip on foot. These problems forced us to hire a car to get around, which was a huge expense.

It is clear that the brochure was misleading and therefore we would like a partial refund.

We look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,

Markos and Sofia Tournakis

Report

To: Mr Brown

From: Athanasia Tournaki

Subject: Making library more attractive to young people

Introduction:

In this report, I will make some recommendations to make the library more attractive to young people.

The library:

The library now is a really old building with old-fashioned decoration. However, it is very convenient because it is beside a school, so it attracts some people. The real problem is that it does not attract teenagers.

What teenagers would like

Teenagers do not really like studying, so a library is not their favourite place. they like connecting to the internet and chatting with their friends online. They also like watching films and listening to good music.

Recommendations:

I strongly believe the library would attract more young people if some things were different. First of all, we should stock the library with more interesting books teenagers would like. A new section especially for teenagers would also be made. In addition to that, I suggest that we add a section from whish young people can borrow classic films and documentaries as well as music. Creating special reading rooms with different colour scheme and decoration from the rest of the library would also improve its popularity with young people.

Most people nowadays know how to use computers and use them daily. Computers and the Internet have affected our lives a lot. They have made it easier, but much more dangerous, too.

Using computers has some good points. First of all, they are very informative. We can use the Internet to look up things that interest us and find information quite quickly. Computers can also be very educational. We can use them to do research for school or to learn about many different things. Another good point of computers is that they are entertaining. People can use computers to watch movies, as well as to play computer games.

Although there are many reasons why we should use computers, there are some reasons not to. Firstly, the Internet is very dangerous for people who do not know how to use it properly. They can catch a virus which could destroy their computer or even hurt themselves when they meet bad people online that trick them into meeting them. Computers are not suitable for all ages either. Young children must not be allowed to use computers, as they can see some things they are not supposed to see.

In conclusion, I believe that the use of computers can be very useful and fun, but we must not use them too often because that might lead to serious problems.

PET writing

Dear Eve,

Thanks for your last letter! I loved the photos you sent me!

You said you wanted to know more about music in Greece. Well, there aren’t many talented Greek singers. The good ones are the ones that have been famous for many years now. Nobody is really talented nowadays.

There aren’t many live concerts either. However, there are some huge clubs where famous or unknown singers appear on stage and sing. You can enjoy them while eating or drinking and you can even throw flowers at them. It’s quite amusing!

I love music since I play the keyboards, but I don’t have a favourite singer or group. I like pop and rock music, but I hate rap.

I hope the information I gave you was helpful.

Love,

Nassia

PET writing

Carla looked at the car in surprise. It was her mum’s gift for her 21^st birthday. It was the best present she had ever received.

“Thanks mum! You’re the best!”, she said.

“I hope you like the colour.”, her mum told her.

“Oh yes! It’s my favourite colour!”, she answered.

Carla’s mum went inside the house and started baking a birthday cake. Carla decided to try out her new car. She got in and started driving. She started whistling happily. She was so excited. She returned to her house, opened the door and turned on the lights. Suddenly, she heard:

“SURPRISE!”.

At the end, she felt so lucky all of her friends had thought of her. It was the best birthday she had ever had!

PET writing

Dear Eve,

Thanks for your last e-mail. I loved the photo you sent me! You asked me to give you some advice on how to keep fit and healthy. First of all, you should eat healthier meals and have a balanced diet. You should always have a good breakfast to keep you active all day long. You also ought to eat all kinds of food

Although your diet is very important to stay healthy and fit, exercising is quite important, too. You should exercise at least twice a week. Find a sport you like, tell your friends to join you and have fun!

I hope my advice was helpful!

Love,

Nassia

Formal letter(to a newspaper)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I read your article about traffic three days ago. I could not agree more with you. Traffic is, indeed, one of the biggest problems modern cities face, nowadays.

Unfortunately, mothers and fathers picking up their children are not the only ones causing problems. The main problem is the number of cars each family uses. Some families may even have three cars. Another problem is that people are getting lazier and lazier, so they use their cars more that they use their feet.

However, the council and the citizens could do something to reduce traffic. For example, we could use our bikes more. Many countries in Europe have already tried to encourage people to use their bikes and they were successful. Another good idea is to reduce the price of public transport, so that more people use it.

I think we must all try to reduce traffic.

Yours sincerely,

Athanasia Tournaki