Link explaining phonetic symbols in Spanish (video)

The speaker is from Spain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfIuLnfHQ6o&feature=related

the explanation is very slow. May be too much slowly for you. But I think everything helps if teachs you clearly.

RECOMMENDED LINKS For English Students

Interactive Phonetic chart for English Pronunciation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HeujZ45OZE

Interesting & Funny --> Amazing video: 21 different English speaker's accents
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3UgpfSp2t6k

 CPE   UNIT  2    WATER

With water covering about 80% of our planet, one would think that our water resources are unlimited. However, upon closer inspection, we find that our water-resources at risk, and it is not as renewable as we may think. Here's why.

All of our drinking water comes from two sources groundwater (underground aquifers) or surface water (lakes, rivers, streams). These sources renew themselves through the water cycle. This is where water moves from the earth to the air and back again. The most basic problem is this - as our population grows, so do the demands placed on these resources. Therefore, water is being drawn out more quickly than it can replenish itself.

Now let's say you happen to live in a water-rich region, such as the Pacific Northwest or Northeast, you're free and clear, right? Not quite.

North East
Generally regarded as having a multitude of lakes, rivers and streams to draw from, this region is relatively unaware of the growing demands placed on their water resources. Population growth has continued to play a need for water conservation practices. In addition, from spring until fall, much of the precipitation that falls either evaporates transpires. Transpiration is where plants take in water through their roots and return it as water vapor into the atmosphere.

Water drop

Thus, in the warmer months when people are out watering their lawns, washing cars, etc, water levels drop rapidly. By late-summer much of this region may enter into a drought, which not only effects humans, but also aquatic life which depends on the water.

Pacific Northwest
This is yet another region that sparks to mind cloudy skies and rainy days. So, why should they be concerned about water conservation? Several major metropolitan cities in the pacific northwest rely on snowpack run-off for their water supplies. Typically, run-off will melt slowly throughout the summer months, providing a steady flow of fresh water. As warmer temperatures have continued, much of this snowpack is melting earlier than ever before. So, by late-summer when water is needed most, the snowpack is gone. This poses a serious problem for this region.

In conclusion, water should not be regarded as an unlimited resource. It is becoming increasingly clear that with our continued growth in global temperatures, and population, water conservation practices need to start today. To learn more about how you can reduce you water consumption, please visit our website at eco touch™ waterless car wash + polish

© 2007 eco touch LLC

Video Source: Youtube

 

Alex   cpe  morning

Privacy

US Election 2012

US Election 2012: the ugly Republican nomination race is only helping Obama

President Obama's re-election strategy is focused on portraying himself as the defender of the forgotten American middle class. And, writes John Avlon, there are signs that this strategy is succeeding. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/9076131/US-Election-2012-the-ugly-Republican-nomination-race-is-only-helping-Obama.html

FIRST CERTIFICATE CLASS

Listening: Video speech from Youtube about  the Malvinas War.

Malvinas/Falklands War How Close To Defeat?-part01 (Discovery Channel)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDbbwmJ-EPI


For next class, Thursday 12th, listen and make a summary at least about the first 5:36 minutes of this video clip.

Gross Domestic Product

More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_domestic_product

Gross domestic product (GDP) refers to the market value of all officially recognized final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living;^[2][3] GDP per capita is not a measure of personal income. See Standard of living and GDP.
It is not to be confused with Gross National Product (GNP) which allocates production based on ownership. Gross domestic product is related to national accounts, a subject in macroeconomics.

Components of GDP by expenditure

Components of U.S. GDP

GDP (Y) is a sum of Consumption (C), Investment (I), Government Spending (G) and Net Exports (X – M).

Y = C + I + G + (X − M)

Here is a description of each GDP component:

• C (consumption) is normally the largest GDP component in the economy, consisting of private (household final consumption expenditure) in the economy. These personal expenditures fall under one of the following categories: durable goods, non-durable goods, and services. Examples include food, rent, jewelry, gasoline, and medical expenses but does not include the purchase of new housing.
• I (investment) includes, for instance, business investment in equipment, but does not include exchanges of existing assets. Examples include construction of a new mine, purchase of software, or purchase of machinery and equipment for a factory. Spending by households (not government) on new houses is also included in Investment. In contrast to its colloquial meaning, 'Investment' in GDP does not mean purchases of financial products. Buying financial products is classed as 'saving', as opposed to investment. This avoids double-counting: if one buys shares in a company, and the company uses the money received to buy plant, equipment, etc., the amount will be counted toward GDP when the company spends the money on those things; to also count it when one gives it to the company would be to count two times an amount that only corresponds to one group of products. Buying bonds or stocks is a swapping of deeds, a transfer of claims on future production, not directly an expenditure on products.
• G (government spending) is the sum of government expenditures on final goods and services. It includes salaries of public servants, purchase of weapons for the military, and any investment expenditure by a government. It does not include any transfer payments, such as social security or unemployment benefits.
• X (exports) represents gross exports. GDP captures the amount a country produces, including goods and services produced for other nations' consumption, therefore exports are added.
• M (imports) represents gross imports. Imports are subtracted since imported goods will be included in the terms G, I, or C, and must be deducted to avoid counting foreign supply as domestic.

A fully equivalent definition is that GDP (Y) is the sum of final consumption expenditure (FCE), gross capital formation (GCF), and net exports (X – M).

Y = FCE + GCF+ (X − M)

FCE can then be further broken down by three sectors (households, governments and non-profit institutions serving households) and GCF by five sectors (non-financial corporations, financial corporations, households, governments and non-profit institutions serving households). The advantage of this second definition is that expenditure is systematically broken down, firstly, by type of final use (final consumption or capital formation) and, secondly, by sectors making the expenditure, whereas the first definition partly follows a mixed delimitation concept by type of final use and sector.
Note that C, G, and I are expenditures on final goods and services; expenditures on intermediate goods and services do not count. (Intermediate goods and services are those used by businesses to produce other goods and services within the accounting year.^[7] )
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, which is responsible for calculating the national accounts in the United States, "In general, the source data for the expenditures components are considered more reliable than those for the income components [see income method, below]."^[8]