Applying for a Job (2): Head Chef Dear Sir/Madam, Further to your advertisement in the Corriere della Sera I would like to express my interest in the head chef position at the restaurant Reggio Calabria in Rome. Nowadays I am working as a head chef at the Italian restaurant Marini's in Turin, where I have been putting my own stamp on traditional dishes, creating new combinations and experimenting with new flavours (US: flavors) the last 5 years. I have worked at several Italian restaurants since 2001 when I graduated from culinary school. In all this time I also have achieved experience in managing, staff rosters, pricing, ordering for a large establishment, menu design and new menu creation. I am good at following orders and working as part of a team, but can also delegate and take charge when required. I am hardworking, enthusiastic and very creative person passionate about Italian cuisine. I would want to continue growing professionally and take my career to a next level, so that I would be happy to put my knowledge and effort at your disposal. I would like to thanks you for your consideration and valuable time. I look forward to hearing from you and discussing my suitability for the position with you further. Yours faithfully, Alessio C.

The gradual disappearance of sparrows Today I've been reading an article on an internet newspaper who spoke about the gradual disappearance of sparrows in large cities. In my youth I was a great lover of birds, especially canaries, so a great sadness came over me immediately. I've always loved her walking hopping. The dawns were always very cheerful with their trills and chirps. This was especially true when spring came and the little birds were born. At that time the nests in trees were particularly noisy, bringing joy to our hearts. I remember ever as a child when a little bird learning to fly fell to the ground and couldn't return to their nest in the tree. Experts say that there isn't an only reason for their disappearance but an accumulation of several of them. I hope with my heart that they'll soon be able to find a solution for this problem.

The Growth of Spanish in the U.S. The growth of Spanish in the United States is certainly unstoppable. Besides being the third most used language on the web, it's also the most requested in American universities. A study published in December 2010 by the Modern Language Association of America reveals that there are more U.S. college students in Spanish courses than in any other foreign language. This report shows that despite a significant increase in the number of university students who are enrolled in courses in Arabic, Chinese and Korean, Spanish remains by far the most studied language in the universities of the North of the country. About 850,000 students are enrolled in Spanish courses, followed by 210,000 studying French, 198,000 German, 74,000 Japanese and 61,000 Chinese. So Spanish remains the number 1 foreign language in the United States. Almost 50 % of college enrollments for foreign language courses focus on Spanish classes. Moreover, at a time of budget cuts, American universities could cancel other language courses with lower attendance, preserving those of Spanish. Definitely, students of all ethnic groups see Spanish as a language that opens up job opportunities. In the United States there are 308.7 million people in the country and about 40 million people speak Spanish, including 3.5 million who aren't of Hispanic origin. That makes the U.S. one of the main Spanish-speaking countries in the world.

An exam: giving recommendations Hi, Luis, How's everything going? As I promised I'm writing for give you all the information you asked me about the English school in London. There are two different courses: two days a week or three days a week. I'd recommend you the first one, since Martha teaches in this course. She's by far the best teacher in the school. You must be careful with Lucy — I don't like this teacher. She gives the three-days-a-week courses. If you choose the two-days-a-week courses, you can attend the classes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 16 to 18 h or on Tuesdays and Fridays from 12 to 14 h. I prefer the second one because there are less people and you can speak a little more. Regarding facilities, there is a great library with more than 200,000 books. There are also support speaking classes on Saturday mornings. You should stay in one of the rooms that the school offers. They're very comfortable and aren't too expensive. As for what to do in London, you can enjoy its lively nightlife. And you could go out for dinner to one of its different restaurants. You can choose between all kinds of cuisine you can imagine. Don't forget to go sightseeing — its cathedral and the Tower of London are worth visiting. I'm sure you'd have a good time in London. I'm interested in renting your parents' apartment in Gandia. Because I'm not sure where the apartment is I want to know how far from the beach and the downtown the apartment is. Could you tell me if it's allowed to have a pet? I'd also like to know if the apartment has a microwave and a washing machine. I hope to see you soon, Luis! Best wishes Fernando

Filling in an application form (fast, no dictionary) 1. Write about your achievements. I've worked for several companies as a computer programmer. The last one was an Internet Services Provider (ISP) where I developed different tasks, specially as a projects head. 2. Write about your qualities. I'm hard-working and positive but maybe a bit obsessive with the job well done. I'm also a very responsible man. 3. Write about your career objectives. In a near future, I'd like to work on my own and develop several projects I have in mind. 4. What do you need English for? I need English to improve on my professional career and to get a promotion.

Some exercises: as soon as, if, when, until, unless 1. I'm going to buy a flat as soon as I have a secure job. 2. I'll continue learning English until I become fluent. 3. I'll be able to relax when I don't worry so much. 4. I'll be at home by seven o'clock tonight if I don't have any problem. 5. I'm not going to go out tonight unless we have a good plan. 6. I'm going to travel to Seville next weekend unless it rains. 7. My English won't improve unless I speak more often with native speakers. 8. When she finishes her degree, she'll be able to work at a hospital. 9. If she gets a job at the hospital, she'll have a great responsability. 10. When she gets older, she'll probably become a more responsible person. 11. She won't get a promotion unless she works hard.

Ghost towns: Belchite In Zaragoza there is a village which was one of the most prosperous of the early twentieth century but it was razed in August 1937 in one of the bloodiest episodes of the Spanish Civil War. The battle took an extreme cruelty there. Between 24 August and 6 September that year, thousands of attackers against thousands of defenders fought street by street and house by house in the middle of an infernal heat and hundreds of bodies rotting in the streets. Its ruins were declared of Cultural Interest in 2002. Since then, more than 10,000 people each year visit this enclave in which 5,000 people lost their lives. Belchite is also claimed to be the site of numerous paranormal phenomena. A television special was talking once about frightening things that have sometimes happened in that place, for example, the apparitions of children's spirits sobbing with otherworldly plaintive voices. Would you dare to spend a night there?

Grammar for Spanish learners (3): "the" + adjective + "thing" Hello again. I'm writing another article to help my friends who are learning Spanish so hard. If I can help them a little, I'll sleep happy tonight. Today I want to tell you about another mistake commonly made ​​by Spanish learners, especially English speakers or those who have previously studied English as a second language. I don't think that's too important but can make the speaker sound a little unnatural. The mistake consist of writing some sentences in Spanish in the same way we would do it in English. These are, in particular, some phrases using the construction "the" + adjective + "thing". The problem is that in Spanish is often used a slightly different construction that surely sounds familiar to many of you: "lo" + adjective. Better let's see some examples: • The same thing → Lo mismo (not "la misma cosa"). • The only thing → Lo único (not "la única cosa"). • The most common thing → Lo más común (not "la cosa más común"). • The first thing → Lo primero (not "la primera cosa"). • The last thing → Lo último (not "la última cosa"). • The right thing → Lo correcto (not "la cosa correcta"). • The best thing → Lo mejor (not "la mejor cosa"). • The most important thing → Lo más importante (not "la cosa más importante"). • The most practical thing → Lo más práctico (not "la cosa más práctica"). I hope this helps, my friends. And as always, I thank you in advance for your efforts to correct me and also forgive my mistakes, because you know that my level is just basic.