• Have you ever talked to a famous person?
  • Who was the person?
  • How long did you talk?
  • What did you talk about?
• Have you ever thought of something funny and started laughing out loud in the presence of others?
• Have you ever guessed someone's age wrong (younger or older)? How did the person respond?
• Have you ever laughed until tears came from your eyes?
• Have you ever seen a car accident?
• Have you ever called your school's principal?
• Have you ever had an electricity blackout while taking a shower?
• Have you ever sung in public?
• Have you ever walked into a lamppost?
• Have you ever saved a piece of chewed chewing gum and started chewing it again later?
• Have you ever called a women sir or a Man "ma'am?"

http://iteslj.org/

• Have you ever fallen down the stairs?
• Have you ever forgotten your mother's birthday?
• Have you ever gone mountain climbing?
• Have you ever gone skiing?
• Have you ever gone surfing?
• Have you ever had a Deja Vu experience?
• Have you ever met a celebrity?
• Have you ever raised your hand to answer a question, then forgot what you were going to say?
• Have you ever ridden a horse?
• Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?
• Have you ever slept in a tent?

http://iteslj.org/

• Have you ever appreciated a sunset?
  • Were you alone or with someone special?
• Have you ever been in a fist fight?
• Have you ever broken a bone?
• Have you ever changed your appearance a lot in a short time? (For example, hair style, hair color or weight)
• Have you ever cheated on an exam?
• Have you ever cried in public and embarrassed yourself?
  • Have you ever cried for no reason and felt good because of it?
• Have you ever eaten in a restaurant and realized you have no money with you?
• Have you ever eaten frog legs?
• Have you ever fallen asleep and forgotten where you were?
• Have you ever fallen asleep while taking a bath?

http://iteslj.org/

Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Carnival, annual festival marking the final day before the Christian fast of Lent, a 40-day period of self-denial and abstinence from merrymaking. Mardi Gras is the last opportunity for revelry and indulgence in food and drink before the temperance of Lent. The term Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday.”

The date of Mardi Gras varies from year to year, always falling between February 3 and March 9. Although Mardi Gras refers to a specific day, the term often encompasses a much longer period of celebrations leading up to Mardi Gras Day. The Carnival season is marked by spectacular parades featuring floats, pageants, elaborate costumes, masked balls, and dancing in the streets.

Some scholars have noted similarities between modern Mardi Gras celebrations and Lupercalia, a fertility festival held each February in ancient Rome. However, modern Carnival traditions developed in Europe during the Middle Ages (5th century to the 15th century) as part of the ritual calendar of the Roman Catholic Church.

Today pre-Lenten Carnivals are celebrated predominantly in Roman Catholic communities in Europe and the Americas. Cities famous for their celebrations include Nice, France; Cologne, Germany; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. New Orleans, Louisiana, holds the most famous Mardi Gras celebration in the United States. Residents of New Orleans have been celebrating Mardi Gras since the 18th century. Mobile, Alabama, has a lesser known but equally historic Mardi Gras tradition. Mardi Gras is informally observed in many North American cities, usually invoking the spirit of the New Orleans festivities.

Not all Mardi Gras celebrations take place in urban areas. Distinctive Mardi Gras traditions are also maintained by the Cajuns, an ethnic group that derives its culture from French Canadian refugees who settled in southwestern Louisiana during the 18th century. In rural Cajun communities, costumed revelers on horseback ride from house to house begging for ingredients to make gumbo, a thick, strongly flavored soup. Other members of the community await the riders and make preparations for a party. Around sunset, the riders make a dramatic entrance, present the crowd with the gumbo ingredients they have gathered, and join the party.

History of Mardi Gras in New Orleans

During the 18th century, many wealthy Louisiana families would leave their rural plantations to spend the winter months in New Orleans, where they held lavish parties and masked balls. The first written reference to Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans appears in a 1781 report of the Spanish government, which then controlled Louisiana. The report addressed problems that might arise from allowing slaves to wear masks at the winter festivities. The United States took control of Louisiana in 1803, and the New Orleans city council banned all masked entertainment three years later. Enforcement of the law appears to have been erratic. By the mid-1820s masks and costumes were again legal. The first documented Mardi Gras parade took place in 1837, and the parade soon became an annual tradition. However, outbursts of violence at the parades gave the festivities a bad name.

In 1857 a group calling itself The Mystik Krewe of Comus staged the first modern Mardi Gras parade, a torchlit nighttime procession of floats illustrating themes from classical mythology and literature. Following the American Civil War (1861-1865), many new krewes soon began offering additional parades and balls. The Krewe of Rex, organized in 1872, pioneered many innovations that became defining features of New Orleans Mardi Gras. Rex established the tradition of crowning a King of Carnival, selected the Carnival colors, and adopted the song “If Ever I Cease to Love” as a Mardi Gras anthem.

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mardi Gras became increasingly important to New Orleans. The festivities attracted visitors, generated income for local merchants, and added to the city’s mystique. The first African American Mardi Gras organization was established in 1894. An all-women group was founded two years later. By the late 1960s, however, many people began to worry that Mardi Gras was in decline. Critics of the parades felt that Mardi Gras had become old-fashioned, and they claimed that the exclusivity of the traditional krewes deterred the lucrative tourist trade. In 1968 the newly formed Krewe of Bacchus staged a parade featuring huge floats and led by an out-of-town celebrity. Other organizations soon followed suit, inaugurating the era of so-called super-krewes.

In 1992 the New Orleans city council passed a law prohibiting racial discrimination in groups that sponsored parades using city streets. The law required krewes to provide evidence to the council that they did not discriminate on the basis of race in selecting their membership. Many of the oldest and most prestigious krewes, which had traditionally shrouded their membership policies in secrecy, refused to comply with the law and ceased to parade. Nonetheless, Mardi Gras continues to attract tourists to New Orleans from around the world. Today Mardi Gras draws more than 3 million people to parades and generates approximately $1 billion for the local economy.

Microsoft Encarta Premium 2009

از قدیم الایام همگی یادمونه که هر فردی که زبان می خوند رو با یه دفتر لغت که همیشه به همراهش بود می شد شناسایی کرد !

این دفتر لغت به این صورت بود که چند ستون داشت که توی یه ستون کلمه رو به زبان انگلیسی می نوشتن و توی ستون مقابل اون معنی فارسی کلمه رو .

حالا اصلاْ نمی خوام راجع به خوبی ها و بدی های این روش صحبت کنم ولی یه ایده ی خوبی رو برای همین دفتر لغت جدیداْ  یاد گرفتم که گفتم خوبه که از اون استفاده کنید . مطئناْ روش خوبیه .

حالا این روش چیه ؟

توی این دفتر لغت یا به اصطلاح قلمبه تر! دیکشنری شخصی چند تا ستون وجود داره .

ستون اول که داخل اون کلمه ی مورد نظر را به انگلیسی می نویسید.

ستون دوم که توی اون مشخص می کنی که این کلمه فعله صفته اسمه یا ...

ستون سوم برای نوشتن یک جمله ی مثال با استفاده از اون کلمه است یعنی چی ؟ یعنی اینکه با استفاده از اون لغت یه جمله بسازید و توی ستون سوم بنویسید .

مثال (جملات مثال از دیکشنری oxford elementary learner's می باشند؟.)

My father was angry with me when I got home late.	Adj.	angry
The ship sailed along the coast.	V.	sail

حالا شاید بگید که خوب حالا این دفتر لغت چه فایده ایی داره ؟ باید بگم که اولاْ یاد میگیرید که اون کلمه رو توی یه جمله به صورت صحیح به کار برید و صرفاْ مثل قدیم یه معنی خشک و خالی از لغت رو یاد نمی گیرید. بعدشم یاد میگیرید که این کلمه چه نقشی در جمله داره اسمه صفته چیه که این خودش به یادگیری صحیح لغات جدید کمک میکنه . 

برای اینکه یاد بگیرید که با استفاده از لغت موردنظر جملات صحیح بسازید می تونید از راهنمایی های معلم زبان تون  یا مثال هایی که توی  یه دیکشنری تک زبانه (یعنی انگلیسی به انگلیسی ) است استفاده کنید .

 موفق باشید

Fill in the gaps with one of the following quantifiers:

Quantifiers                  

Much, many, lots of, a lot of, little, most, a little, little, a few, few

1. It seems to me that we've had ………… assignments in English this term.

2. How……………… material can we be expected to read in one week?

3…………….books are not in the library.

4. I've had……….. headaches already because of stress.

5. But it does him…………good when the whole system goes down.

6. Our yard looks awful this summer. There are too ………. weeds.

7. I didn't use …………. fertilizer last spring and that has made a difference.

8. Also, I've paid…………attention to how ……….rain we've had.

9. I'm afraid it's rained…… times this summer, and the grass is turning brown and dying.

10………….. people know as much about computers as Tomas does.

11. It didn't seem to do my lawn………….good.

12. ……….advice you get from experts doesn't seem to help.

13.  ………….of my neighbors ignore their grass, and they have better lawns this year.

14. They say…………… knowledge is a bad thing.

A FEW , A GREAT DEAL ,A LITTLE , A LOT , A LOT OF , A MAJORITY OF, ENOUGH, MANY, MUCH OF , PLENTY, SEVERAL OF , SOME

1. I'm having ……………of trouble passing my driving exam.

2. ………….. the movies were rated PG.

3. …………….. information proved to be outdated.

4. ……………We're close to the project deadline, but there is still …………… time left.

5. Although there are……………..  Brilliant students in this state -- thousands, even, only…………. will choose to remain in the state after graduation.

6. We were able to destroy…………. the parasites with our antigen, but of them survived to cause trouble.

7. ……….. a student has passed through these doors.

8. Although …………….of the lawn is open to the sun, there are ………….. Of shade trees to make it comfortable.

9. I think he drank ………. wine last night.

10.  …………..the evidence was taken from the police safe last night.

much, many

a. I've had………..  headaches already because of stress.

b. ………….. Depression can be attributed to being overworked.

C. ……….. books are not in the library.

http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar

Are friends more important than family? What do you think?

Are you married?

Are you the oldest among your brothers and sisters?

Are your parents strict?

Did you ever meet any of your great grandparents?

Do you have any brothers or sisters? If so, how old are they?

Do you have any children? If yes, what are their names and ages?

Do you like your family? Why or why not?

Do you live with any of your grandparents?

Do you live with your parents?

Do you look more like your mother or your father?

Do you often argue with your mother or father? What about?

Do you often visit your grandparents?

Do your parents let you stay out late?

What time do you have to be home?

Do you have a curfew?

What are your parents like?

What do your parents do in their free time?

What does your father do? What's his job?

What does your mother do?

What kind of things do you do with your family?

What will you teach your children? (what values, beliefs, hobbies, skills, etc.)

Who do you get along better with, your mother or your father?

Who does the household work, your father or your mother or both of them?

What do you think of your mother and your father?

What's the hardest thing you ever had to do?

What was the most important thing your parents taught you?

What's the best thing about your mom? 

What's the best thing about your grandparents?

How often does your family eat dinner together?

What's the best thing about your dad?

Who is the breadwinner in your family?

Describe the perfect family.

Describe a typical family unit and the importance of family in your country.

 Instructions: Fill in the blanks with the correct verb tense

1.I can't help you now. I…  (have) a shower.         

2.It always … (rain) here in summer.        

3.I … (think) I should go now.       

4.It … (rain). Take your umbrella with you.

5.Listen! Somebody  …(make) a noise.      

6.I'm tired. I…  (want) to go now. 

7.Where are you? I'm in the kitchen. I … (cook).    

8.I  …(not/watch) the TV. You can turn it off.         

9.Excuse me! You…  (stand) on my foot.    

10.George…  (watch) TV at the moment.

It ... quite hard — perhaps we shouldn't go out tonight.(snow)

I ... lunch in the cafeteria every day.(have)

Don't give Jan any cheese. She ... it!(hate)

Once a week, I ... to an art class at the college.(go)

Salman is rich — he ... a Mercedes.(drive)

Look! Junko ... into the water.(jump)

I ... you're crazy!(think)

Marie-Claude isn't a Canadian. I ... she comes from France.(believe)

You won't find Jerry at home right now. He ...  in the library.(study)

1. Are there any kinds of movies you dislike?
   1. If so, what kinds?
   2. Why do you dislike them?
2. Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction books? How about movies?
3. Do you usually watch movies at home or at a movie theater?
4. Have you ever seen the same movie more than once?
   1. If yes, name it (or them).
5. How often do you go to movies?
6. How often do you rent videos?
7. If a book has been made into a movie, which do you prefer to do first, see the movie or read the book? Why?
8. What do you think of people who talk during movies at a movie theater?
9. What is the best movie you have ever seen?
   1. Who was in it?
   2. Why did you like it?
   3. Who was the director?
10. What was the last movie you saw?
    1. Was it good?
    2. Who did you see it with?
11. Which do you like better, action movies or comedy movies?
12. What movie star would you most like to meet?
13. Do you think that films can be educational?
14. Is there a movie you could watch over and over again?
15. What is the most horrible movie you have ever seen?
16. How much do you spend to buy DVD movies?
17. Do you like to see a movie many times?
18. Do you think action movies are bad for children?
19. Which do you prefer to watch movies or to read books?
20. How much money do you spend when you go to movies?
21. What do you prefer animated movies or real movies?
22. Do you like documentaries?
23. Who is your favorite movie hero?
24. Can you remember the name of the first movie you saw that made you cry?
25. Which do you prefer, comedy movies or horror movies?
26. Do you like foreign films that are dubbed in your mother tongue or do you like watching the film in its original form?
27. What kind of movie would you like to star in? Why?
28. Do you think there should be more movies made in your country?
29. What things happen too often in movies?
30. Which movie star do you think should die today?
31. Which movie star should live forever?
32. Which famous person would you like to have for a best friend?
33. How often would you go to the movie theater if you always had free tickets?
34. If they made a movie about your life, what kind of movie would it be?
35. Which actor or actress would be you in a movie about your life?
36. Do you want your children to be actors or actresses?
37. Why do some people become famous and others don't?
38. Would you like to be in a television drama?
39. What kind of character would you like to play in a television drama?
40. Would you let a movie crew film in your house?

The Internet TESL Journal

A little girl had just finished her first week of school.
"I'm just wasting my time ," She said to her mother .
"I can't read , I can't write and they won't let me talk !" .

منبع :  بریده ای از روزنامه ی جام جم

Give a man a fish and he will eat  for a day.                                             Teach a man to fish and he will go out and buy expensive fishing equipment , stupid looking clothes , travel 1000 miles to the "hottest" fishing spot , and stand waist deep in cold water so he can outsmart a fish .( Average cost per fish  :$ 395.68 !)

منبع : روزنامه ی جام جم