TOPIC: ELDERLY PEOPLE

Questions:

Organise these prompts before you talk to the examiners about the topic for 4-6
minutes:

 The role of the elderly in today’s society

 Retirement and free time
 Residential versus home care.

( Escuela oficial de idiomas. Comunidad de Madrid)

Possible answer:

During last years, expectation of life has increased a lot and nowadays there is a great
elderly population. These people need all ours care. Elderly people give us much life
experience, give us company, affection, understanding, patience… and on the other
hand, they sometimes feel alone, they can suffer from diseases, and even they can
become dependent of other people…

Although, there are a great number of these people who feel themselves in a proper
way. Besides, they have to feel helpful and have to fill all their time practicing ….
Specially, ability exercises for their mind, doing handicrafts, take part in associations,
outdoor exercises, take part in associations and clubs…. They should be kept busy and
keep their mind active. They have not to be alone because this situation can end up to a
depression. It is important their quality of life is much better.

As for the third question, Elderly people sometimes have to choose about their future.
They cannot live in their own home, because they are dependant, and choose live in a
residential centre. They are very taken care of in these institutions which have got a lot
of facilities, monitors or instructors and besides take care of their health. On the other
hand, It is very common the home care, which means that someone (a nurse…) attend
their home to check them. It is a good solution because they can live in their own, being
independent and at the same time, they are being assisted by specialized people.

As far as I am concerned, I think that National health services has to be much cheaper
for these people, and they must to have got much more assistance. Besides, people have
to be thoughtful with them, take care of them, that they can feel they are appreciated…
It is would be a good thing to reach an old age, but in good physical and mental
conditions.
TOPIC: THE BEAUTY MYTH
Possible Questions: 

(Examen de la Escuela Oficial de idiomas de la Comunidad de Madrid)

The ideal of beauty has changed throughout history, which would suggest that beauty
really is in the eye of beholder.

Organise these prompts before you talk to the examiners about the topic for 4-6
minutes:

 Modern obsession with beauty

 Beauty and Gender Stereotypes
 Your opinion of plastic Surgery.

Nowadays, our society is getting stereotypes of prettiness. We live in a consumer

society and material world and there is a lack of values, so we think that having a good
appearance is an important thing. If you are physically attractive, it’s believed that it
involves power and has a successful life.

Advertising and Mass Media play an important role on it. The tendency is to follow a
celebrity who become fashionable or that mark the tendency in the beauty. In these
days, there are several stereotypes which are very fashionable, like being extremely
skinny, wearing brand clothes…. and besides, the way of behaviour: make-up, hobbies
(and so on)…. This situation is very harmful, because it can lead to an obsession and
mental illnesses…. specially in young people which are very vulnerable. Youngsters all
look the same, they follow the same tendency: clothes, hair, make-up….. Young people
are obsessed with this, and it can lead in anxiety, fear, frustration…. they don’t want to
feel themselves like a weird. And this situation can be very dangerous.

Beauty world is a booming business. The vast majority of people spend a lot of money
on cosmetics, beauty treatment, make-up…. People want to look their best, having a
good looking, having fit… So, Plastic surgery is becoming more and more popular. It’s
the most extreme way to enhance the beauty. But, it can be very dangerous because it
involves a surgery. On the other hand, people who suffer injuries on their skin can use
the plastic surgery to improve their looking, and I think it is a helpful solution. In this
case, plastic surgery play an important and vital role and it is completely necessity.

As far as I am concerned, I think you have to feel good with yourself, because beauty is
a mental thing. And, besides, It’s very important to have a high self-steam in order to
have a successful life and to be happier.
TOPIC: THE ENVIRONMENT
Possible questions in the exam:

 Do you ever worry about the environment? Are you self-conscious about the
environment?
 What are the biggest environmental problems in the world?
 Is there a problem with clean water in your country? If so, why is there a
problem?
 What can governments do to save our environment?
 What can individual do to help the environment? Give reasons

Possible Answer:

Nowadays, our natural environment is suffering more and more the terrible human
impact. At the moment, there are a lot of environmental problems, like deforestation,
the destruction of the ozone layer, acid rain, the greenhouse effect, harmful chemicals
which are released into the atmosphere, pollution in the rivers and oceans with illegal
effluents, sewage spills, industrial waste, drinking water is being polluted due to river
pollution…. (and so on)….

All this take parts of a terrible situation and involves awful drawbacks in our planet. The
destruction of the rainforest carries many animals are wiped out, fish supplies are
depleted through overfishing, pollution is very harmful for us, besides, there are
methods of electricity generation (which emit greenhouse gases), and contribute to
global warming.

Our governments have to improve their natural measures. It is important to support

alternative source of power, like solar stations, wind power… These one should be easy
to live and work with, safe, practical, cheap and clean. On top of that, they are highly
productive and friendly with the planet. Besides, our governments should have strict
laws and hard punishments for illegal hunting, encourage countries to control the
number of trees are cut down, reduce gases emitted from factories (and so on)…

On the other hand, we all have to be aware about this problem, and contribute to
conserve our planet, like: switch off the lights, ride a bicycle, insulate our houses, use
public transport, use less petrol and electricity, save on water, recycle our rubbish …..
In this way, we all can contribute to preserve our environment and wildlife.

Our environment affects all of us. We share the same planet. We all have to be aware of
the necessity of improve our natural world. The environmental organizations play an
important role, but we all can do a little effort in being much more ecological.
TOPIC: MONEY
Possible Questions:

 How important is money in today’s society?

 Which is the safest way of paying for something? How far do you agree that
people who regularly pay for things online risk becoming the victims of fraud or
identity theft?
 In the future, traditional forms of money, coins banknotes and even cheques will
completely disappear within the next few years and be entirely replaced by
credit cards and other mechanical or digital methods of paying. What’s your
opinion?

Possible Answer:

In today’s consumer society, money plays a vital role. We all are dominated by
spending money and buying material possessions. As a matter of fact, having money
can show your status in our society: having a good car, wealthy possessions, living in a
upper-class neighborhood and so on…. can be the representative of the real happiness.
On the other hand, we are highly likely to have endless mortgages, high invoices…
besides, the standard of living has raised a lot over the last years, and we can see how
families can’t make end meet due to their mortgage and the cost of living in general. It’s
for that money is very important for us.

Since a long time ago, due to new technologies and the use of the internet, we can buy
and pay by the internet. It’s an easy and comfortable way of payment, and it is
becoming more and more popular, but it can carry fraud and cheating. With a credit
card’s number, you can purchase absolutely everything on the net. And, it is very easy
to have a identity theft and be cheated. Nowadays, there are a lot of research and studies
to avoid this way of fraud, but internet is not the safest way of payment. In a press of a
bottom, you can pay any amount of money. You can be aware of this problem, and be
very self-conscious with your shopping on the web. In my opinion, I think that the
safest way of paying for something is face to face, but nowadays we all are dominated
by the internet, because is very easy to achieve goods and services on the net, by the
way the Computer crime has to be pursued and tried by the authorities.

In the near future, Coins and paper money are likely to disappear and be replaced by
digital methods: through mobile phones, advanced credit cards and so on…. It may
occur but as far as I am concerned, I think that that moment may happen in a long term.
Nowadays, there are a lot of people, specially elderly people, who don’t know pay by
the internet and credit cards… but Banking in general work in this way, by the way
Digital methods of paying and paper money’s disappearance will take place in a not too
far future.
(Money is a topic very important. It is likely to answer you about this. There are a lot of
questions about this topic, but speaking about ways of paying and the role of the
internet in this are the most populars in any exam).

TOPIC: ADVERTISING WORLD
POSSIBLE QUESTIONS:

 Arguments for and against advertising

 Censorship
 What makes you buy something.
 What particular advertisements you can remember vividly and why 

POSSIBLE ANSWER:

Nowadays, we all are surrounded by advertising. It is a way of showing people your

products or services and make them are bought and used. It is an unavoidable part of
everyone’s life. Nobody can scape of it. You cannot avoid it. Advertising world has
been changing in a great way, specially with the developing of the Mass Media and
Internet. We are been boomed with a lot of information. Most of it, it’s prepared to
make us to buy goods.

Advertisements are run by Advertising agencies. They make wonderful campaign

strategies in order to create a powerful brand building. Most of the products have to be
promoted by publicity campaigns in order to be known by people and consequently to
be bought.

There are a lot of types of advertisements. Some of them are playing with our minds. In
a way that, there are passing us information that we don’t realize. Not always it works
but in many cases, it does. Ads. Agencies are paid by sponsor companies in order to
make that certain type of products are known by people. There is a great variety of ads.:
some of them are very attractive, funny with nice music…. on the other hand, other ads.
want you to think about their messages. These advs. make us to feel impacted and most
of them remain in our minds. It is a main outline of advertising campaigns. But, the
general propose is make you buy something. Not necessarily, it is a necessity for you,
but with the advs., they create our new and false necessities.

During the last years, Internet has changed in a successful platform for publicity. It is
cheaper, and reaches a bigger amount of people at any time. New technologies have
been a revolution in the way of advertising world. It is the most important source of
income for the Media. So that, it is so important to them.

In my opinion, we have to learn to distinguish what we need and we not need in order
not to be affected by this advertising campaign, because this campaign’s destiny is for
people who have not very clear ideas. People have to be aware what advertisement
wants and think themselves what they need. On the other hand, Although, it helps to
create a consumer society, advertising world move a lot of money and create a lot of
employments.

TOPIC: CRIME
Possible questions:

 What do you think are the main causes of crime in your country?
 Do you have any other suggestions for reducing crime in your local area?
 Do you think the police should carry guns?
 Do you think the death penalty is a valid form of punishment?

Possible Answer:

Nowadays, Crime is an everyday’s problem for citizens, and causes insecurity and
sorrows. There are a lot of kinds of crime, such as: kidnapping, murders, smuggling,
forgers, arson, carjacking and so on…… In my country, due to the bad economical
situation which we live at the moment, shoplifting, burglaries and drug dealing are
being increased more and more than ever before. It’s thought to be caused by
unemployment, poverty, social exclusion problems….. Which are suffering our society.
On the other hand, murders are not common in my country, but, one of the main causes
of murder in Spain is Domestic Violence. Some men develop criminal tendencies
because of numerous frustrations, and they accuse their wives or companions of their
problems. They can become “real monsters”.

As individual we all can try to help other people not to be robbed or assaulted. It’s
advisable that if you see someone who is being assaulted, you simply call the police.
You could be injured, you try to help and keep the calm as far as possible. Besides,
other measure could be that there would be more police in our streets, in order to keep
an eye on us.

Crime represents a threat to the welfare society and it must be abolished. But, criminals
cannot be reformed until they are apprehended and brought to Justice. Philologists and
specialists are responsible for the welfare of criminal and carry them to live a good life
in the future. Only those who commit the most serious crimes are punished severely. On
the other hand, they have to fulfill their sentences and pay for all the guilt completely.
Criminals must stay all the time they have to pay for their actions in jail; it means that
they cannot come out earlier.

Community Service is the best punishment for young people who commit a minor
offence. It is aimed to persuade teenagers not to reoffend. Criminal youngsters are
punished with suitable punishments, like cleaning the streets, take care elderly people,
paint white street walls and so on…. So that, they have a enriching experience and they
can realize there can be helpful for the Society.
As for the Death penalty, I personally believe that under any circumstances, it has to
accept in any case. It is an eyesore, which has to be abolished. Criminals have to pay for
their actions in prison. Nowadays, it’s a controversial topic, but in a civilized country it
cannot be take into account.

TOPIC: THE MASS MEDIA

Possible questions in the speaking about the topic the Mass Media:

 Changes in the Mass Media during the last years.

 Journalist’s role in the digital era.
 Yellow press:  Do you think that pay much attention in celebrities? Do you agree
o disagree?
 Give your opinion about these statements.

Posible Answer:

The Mass Media involve Television, Radio, Press and of course, Internet, and besides,
all way of communication.  The Mass media can control the opinion public’s interests,
and so that it has a vital importance nowadays. On the other hand, Society never has had
a great variety of information than ever before. Due to the use of new technology and
specially the internet, we get the free information at the press of a bottom.

So, the role of the journalist and above all serious press has a great relevance. It is very
important that journalists check their information carefully, and should have the
obligation to inform their readers of the facts accurately. On the other hand, it’s very
common that journalists concentrate their efforts on famous people, because it can
appeal more readers, and therefore more publicity on their media platforms.

During the last years, Yellow press had become very popular and had attracted a lot of
readers.  It is a kind of journalism which focuses on sensationalism and a way of
exaggerating news. Generally speaking, it involves famous people’s life, celebrities’s
scandals, gossiping, violent crimes, Royal family and so on… It is covered by tabloids,
magazines, websites… Nowadays, it is becoming more and more popular and
successful, and appeal readers’s attention with eye-catching headlines, impressive
pictures and so on….. In my opinion, in some cases, the governments are interested in
this Yellow press, because people’s minds are occupied in these banal cases and not the
nation’s real problems. It can be very worrying, because this way people have not
opportunity to think or to give their opinions, discuss the problems…..

As far as I am concerned, public opinion can be influenced by the Mass Media, and it’s
a terrible situation, because this trends to make people stupid. People have to be aware
that they have to read reliable news and serious press, in order to be very well informed.
So that, the society would create a good knowledge of their society’s problems and
realize of the real situation that surround us.
TOPIC: FRIENDSHIP AND DATING
POSSIBLE QUESTIONS YOU CAN HOPE IN YOUR SPEAKING ABOUT THIS
TOPIC:

 How have the ways of staying in touch with people and dating changed during
the last years?
 Which way of staying in touch with your friends do you prefer?
 What are the advantages or disadvantages of each of these options?

ANSWER

Nowadays, the way of meeting people has changed a lot. With the impact of social
networks,  online methods to meet new people have increased and got much more
fashionable than other traditional ways as meeting people in a bar or at work. Having a
social life is very important in people’s lives because it can make you be happier.

Either friendship or between partners, we are generally attracted to people who are
similar to us, fairly similar in education, intelligence and what we think matters in life.
Besides, Couples usually share religious and beliefs and are about the same age.
Sometimes, starting to make friends and as a result the couple’s relationship gets
stronger. So that, you can feel attracted to each other, and begin to go out.

Today, the internet is one of the most popular ways for people to get dates. Social
networks are a helpful tool to meet new people. There are a lot of relationships that have
started online. It is a easy way, because you can speak with unknown people at home,
you can express your feelings more easily online and get to know each other more
quickly. On the other hand, you can lie more easily, and you can read people’s
misleading profiles in a dating site. You should be aware of having reasonable
expectations when you chat to speak though social networks.

On the other hand, there are a wide range of posibilities of meet people, for example, in
blind dates, speed dates….. Finding a partner has always been complicated proceess. In
recent years speed dating has become popular all around the world. It means that a
single person have exactly 3 minutes to decide if the person they are talking to, could be
your perfect people. Everything involves in a quick conversation. Internet is a good
option for people that can’t have a social life. The traditional offline methods are much
more effective because you talk to other person face to face, and it is much more
trustful.
The most important thing in a relationship is Trust and you  can be available in awful
situations. Keeping in touch with your friends is very necessary, even when your friend
live far away from you. You should be supportive when your friends feel upset or get
down. So that, it’s very likely to have a lot of friends.

Having a good social life is very necessary in our life. If you tend o be self-sufficient
and not need many friends, you can end up alone and that is not a good option for your
life.

TOPIC: SHOPPING CENTRES.
(Examen Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Zaragoza)

Are big shopping centres good for city development?

Shopping centres vs small shops
Malls and shopping centres as leisure providers
Shopping centres: temples of mass consumerism

Answer:

Since few years back, we are seeing that malls and Shopping Centres are being more
and more successful ways of purchasing in our lifestyle. They are huge buildings which
are built on the outskirts or commercial areas of our cities. There, you can buy
absolutely everything. A great variety of stores are there, in the same place, shops like:
supermarkets, clothing stores, shoe shops… (and so on)… There, you can find a wide
range of products, but specially you can pick up bargains because there are usually a lot
of sales.

All products are well laid out, their window displays are very attractive, sometimes
there are a pleasant music, a wide range of products, prices are clearly
marked….Everything is thought to customers spend their money, and come back for
their following shopping.

Some years ago, people used to buy in the little shops. People have everything at the
doors of their houses. But now, many of Corner shops have closed.  Local shops could
not compete with these malls.  And now, people do their shopping in this big shopping
centres where they buy for the week, for a longer period.

Besides, you can have a lot of facilities to make you have your shopping easier.  They
become a leisure centre. You can find cinemas, restaurants…. you can spend and enjoy
all the day there, having a lunch, watching a movie, taking a coffee…. It is very
common to see entire families spending the day there. It is considered as an outing. It is
very important to have a free parking lot there. Besides, normally, these places also
have a special place where you can leave your children attended by childminders while
you do all your shopping, have sport facilities like ski slopes… (and so on)….

Malls are becoming in a successful way of spending your spare time. But, on the other
hand, we are creating consumer societies. The most important advantage is that these
malls create employments. But, in Today’s consumer society, malls and shopping
centres are appearing as a fashionable way of shopping, and something, like unique to
spend your free time, and these way of thinking can be dangerous.

TOPIC : STRESS
 (Examen de la Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Las Palmas de Gran Canarias)

VOCABULARY
  

ANSWER:

The pressures of modern society can push stress to dangerously high levels. It’s
becoming a very common problem in our everyday life. Even, It can get becoming in a
terrible illness which can affect our lives.

There are a lot of situations which can cause stress. Although work is the major source
of stress for many people, there are other ones like demanding studies, family troubles,
noises, everyday responsabilities…that’s means the pace of modern life.  All of that can
cause harmful physical effects, increase the risk of heart trouble, anxiety…. The most
important thing is that you may know what level of stress you have, so that, you can get
rid of your stress and you can have a nice and pleasant life.

Nowadays, there are a lot of quiet and relaxing methods which can overcome your level
of stress. Do yoga or oriental exercises are fashionable methods, but there are other ones
too, for example, start up satisfying activities relaxing hobbies… (and so on)… Besides,
you can change your routine and wind down a bit.. so that you can be less stressed, also
having a good laugh is a free way to relax, taking a break if you are run-down, trying
not to work quite so hard, hearing relaxing music…. (and so on). You can feel much
more energetic after these methods of relaxation.

It’s not easy to make gradual changes in your lifestyle, but you can have long-term
benefits  in your life. Changing your everyday behaviour, you can improve your health,
because stress can become a horrible illness which will affect your life.
TOPIC 3: LEARNING LANGUAGES

TOPIC: LEARNING LANGUAGES

Ejemplo de Examen de Escuela Oficial de Idiomas Pamplona (Imagen).

VOCABULARY:

English-speaking countries.
non-native speakers.
native-english speakers
Amusing teaching methods.
Proficient Speaker
Learning Style.
Attainable goals.

          
         
                I am going to talk about the importance of learning languages and how
teaching methods have been developed for last 50 years.
Nowadays, due to New Technologies, Global system, internet…. our society is
changing more and more towards a global world, where can communicate with far away
people, and so, learning languages is a must question. It’s absolutely necessary for us
because of our growing international contacts with all the countries of the world.
               There are plenty of reasons why we should study foreign languages. In the first
picture, we can see as a father encourage his son to learn languages. It’s very important
learning any language since childhood, as a second language.
               Also, there are a lot of ways to learn languages. The second picture shows a
new new method to learn Spanish. There are a wide range of ways: travelling abroad
can get an enriching experience, get into their culture… besides, you can study through
internet at home. On the web there are a lot of podcasts, video which can improve your
pronunciation skills. On the other hand, if you have a chat room you can chat with
foreign people. Internet is an useful tool to learn. The third picture express this idea.
Besides, you should keep your traditional way of learning, with workbooks, cds… the
grammar is essential to learn a language. Another suggestion would be watch tv in
original version, read abroad press, keep in touch with abroad friends,…..(so on)….
               As far as I’m concerned learning foreign languages is very important
nowadays, because we live in a global society. English is the most important language,
because is the language of international business. Multinational Companies, Google,
Microsoft… run their business in English.
               So that, people should communicate reasonably well in english. People in
public life really ought to be able to speak fluent English. In this way, people would be
more thoughtful to improve their English, Specially is a matter which happens in Spain. 
TOPIC : SOCIAL CHANGE

MONOLOGUE: SOCIALCHANGE (ESCUELA OFICIAL DE IDIOMAS DE

CACERES)
What social changes have resulted from the increased mobility of people around the
world?
Multicultural societies.
Opportunity.
Xenophobia.

Answer:
Social changes have resulted from the increased mobility around the world. It’s a
phenomenon which has happened throughout the history.
People who lived in poor conditions have travelled to richest countries than their own,
to be living in better conditions.
Getting used to a new life, new language, new customes is very difficult and imply a
long time of adaptation. This can create Multicultural societies, which can get a lot of
advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage would be create a cultural diversity
which all together could live in peace. It’s very important people open up their mind,
encourage tolerance towards others ways of life…. So that, we can make the transition
into a new society.
People have to be willing to accept to other country’s people who coming to living with
us. We can help them in order to create a much better society.
On the other hand, there would be other disadvantages too. Sometimes they don’t adopt
the culture of their new country. Ghettos and run-downs areas created to them. They
live in it and they cannot integrate. So, it may appear xenophobia toward poorest
migration, and it can develope in big riots and violent acts.
As for the Opportunities. We live in a global society. At any time, the Company where
you work can send you to work to other country. You and even your family have to be
ready to this: open your mind, encourage to know other cultures, learning other
languages….. you have to see the positive side and thinking it is an enriching
experience.
Apart from that, Governments have to get social measures in order to improving new
housing to them, healt care to them, free classes to study the country’s language…
As far as I’m concerned (I believe) that young people benefit greatly from living and
working abroad. Living in a multicultural society enriches our lifes.

RELATIONSHIP

Question1: Changes in the concept of the family.

Ok, so nowadays families are changing quite a lot. Divorce is something that is happening a lot
nowadays. People get married and then 5 minutes later they get divorced. Sometimes they
also have children during their relationships, so it's becoming more and more common for
there to be step children in families and children, to have half brothers and half sisters.

Question 2. The right time to fly the net.

Well, with the financial situation that we have at the moment it's becoming more and more
difficult for young adults to find the right time to leave home. In Britain, people leave home a
lot earlier, maybe at the age of 18, 21, usually through the process of university, young adults
will leave home.

I think it's becoming more and more common for people to stay with their parents, children to
stay, to live at their parents home for longer until they can afford to either, rent or to buy a
house and move out.

3. Our society's response to the issue of the elderly.

Now, the topic of becoming old is quite a touchy subject and we have a lot more old people on
the planet now because medicine is becoming more advance and we have a lot more facilities
and resources to help people to live longer and that's a good thing but at the same time we
have a lot more work to try and keep those people alive and living a good life.
I think at the moment, unfortunately, people's attitude towards elderly people is that they
send them to and old people's home and they go there and they are forgotten about. I think
it's very nice when a family has the resources and the time to take care of, effectively the
people who took care of them when they were growing up. But because our lives are so busy
nowadays that's becoming more difficult to do. So I think the more important thing to do is try
and find the time to respect and take care of elderly people. Definitely I think elderly people
are wiser than us youngsters, they've had the experiences, they've got the knowledge and
really we should really appreciate the time we have with them and listen to their ideas.

4. Parents staying together for the sake of their children.

This is a difficult topic. I mean, again families are changing. People are getting divorced. I think
divorce is around 50%. I think around 50% of marriages end in divorce. I think children should
always be a priority for parents but at the same time parents are people and you have to think
about yourself sometimes as well. I think it is difficult, it's a difficult question to answer.
I wouldn't say that its always the best thing for parents to stay together just because of their
kids, but I also think that if you don't, if you have kids I think they can be the reason for you
staying together. I think you can find inspiration in your kids and, you know, if you don't have
kids, it's often easier to go your separate ways but when you have kids, then you have more
responsibility and you have to dedicate your life to bringing up those children and supporting
your family.
5.How are family relationships different from those with friends?
I think the difference between family and friends in terms of relationships is becoming blurred.
I think probably 20-30 years ago we had a much stronger connection to our families and now,
again the family concept is changing, people are travelling a lot more and I think we obviously
try to keep in contact with our family and friends but at the same time it's quite difficult and
we live, we lead very busy lifestyles, so it's difficult to keep in contact. Things like Skype and
whatsapp make it easier and you know, the fact that you have the weekends sometimes free
and you can have dinner with your friends and catch up for coffee and things like that- that's a
godsend....

Breaking the law

Okay so Question number one:

Is honestly the best policy?
Wow that's a difficult question, I think we can see, especially in Spain, that politicians do not
necessarily practice what they preach.
They tell us to...
you know, we have a lot of corruption happening
in the Spanish government
and it's always vert funny
for students to tell me the latest...
crazy things that politicians have done;
how they had stolen money
or done some kind of dodgy business.

I think everybody is dishonest

in one way or another and I think it's difficult-
there's a thing called the prisoner's dilemma
if you don't know about that have a look on google
and the idea is that nobody wants to be honest
in society because-how do you know that other people are going to be honest.
Why should you be honest when everybody else
is cheating and doing little dishonest things in society and big things as well.

Question number two

"Prisons have been turned into a kind of hotel with all kinds of facilities."

I think people who are wealthy and in important positions, when they are finally caught for,
you know, dishonest behaviour - I think when they go to prison
its a problem.
You know, we're talking about five start prisons
-that's where those kinds of people normally go
but it depends on what kind of crime you have committed
and it depends on who you are.
I definitely don't think that people who are wealthy should be treated in any different way
but money talks in many ways
and I think if you had the money
to be able to afford a five star prison
then obviously you're going to try and go there
instead of a normal prison.
You know I think its quite difficult
because things like gyms, libraries, education;
those kinds of things,
should they be available in prisons or not?
It's difficult to say because at the same time
people who are in prison are often in prison
because they weren't able to create a good life
for themselves outside and so they turned to crime
as another option and maybe, you know,
if you're overweight, if you have weight problems
or if your not eating well;
having the opportunity to get better,
you know, to maybe work-out at your...at the gym
in your prison or to eat better food-
that can put you in a better state of mind
and make you a better citizen when you come out of prison.
I don't know-it's difficult, I think the jury is out on that topic.

Question number three

"CCTV is it an invasion of privacy or at school to ensure safety?"
CCTV is there for protection in many ways
but at the same time, in places like London,
you start to feel like there is a big brother society around you and they're watching your every
move.
But at the same time, if you don't have anything to hide
then you shouldn't really have anything to worry about.

Question number Four

"Crime and technology fishing identity theft and hacking."
We live in a technological age at the moment and with that technology we've also seen a huge
rise in crime associated with technology.
People can hack into your e-mail account or
they can get lots of information about you.
People can steal money from your bank account
by just pressing a few buttons
on their keyboards via the Internet.
We've seen with websites like WikiLeaks how hackers can discover a lot of sensitive
information
and inform the public about it.
I don't necessarily disagree with what WikiLeaks has done
but at the same time there are a lot of problems associated with that as well.

Question number five

Corruption some authorities believe that they are of the law.
Again I think we can see in the society that we live in
at the moment that this is probably true.
A lot of people think that they can get away with murder nowadays.
Some of the things that politicians are doing in society really does make you think that they
are...
...that they think they are untouchable
that nobody can arrest them
and they can do whatever they want.

I think, we as a society, need to try and unite

and let those kinds of people know that
they can't do whatever they want and really
that they should take their jobs a lot more seriously
and they should be servants of the people
rather than dictators.
Question number six:
Has the credit crunch ment a rise in crime rates?
Now crunch means to "Chrrruuuh"
to bite on something it's the kind of sound that you make
when you eat something crunchy....

Environment

Question1: Evidence of climate change, scientists’ views. Causes: pollution.

Question 2:Consecuences
Question 3: Solutions (globally/national/local)

Question 4: Measuring nd reducing your “carbon footprint”: travel, shopping and the home

Question 5: Predictions for the future

So there is a lot of pollution in the world today . We have a lot of problems with global
warming. There are a lot of cars on the planet which are creating a lot of CO2 and all of these
things are serious signs of climate change. We also have rising sea levels in the world at the
moment and a lot of natural disasters happening.

Scientists have a lot of different views about what the problems are. Some people say that
global warming is because of cars . Other scientists say that its happening for other reasons.

With all these natural disasters and climate change happening in the world at the moment, is
very difficult to think about solutions. But one of the main solutions woulb be reduce the use
of cars. Now there are approximately 6 billion people on the planet. I would say half of those
have cars. So that’s 3 billion cars on the planet releasing CO2. Now that is a huge problem in
terms of pollution so really if we want to look at solutions for the future we need to think
about reducing the amount of cars that people use…and that is very difficult to do because we
depend on cars and public transport in a big way. We could also shop more locally. A lot of
food and things that we buy in supermarkets, travel all around the world to get to the shops
where we finally buy them. Again that’s using a huge amount of petrol and resources to get
the products from the places where they are made in factories to the shops.

Wind farms are also an option in terms of renewable energy. It’s a lot cleaner than using coal
and others forms of energy which are not renewable and harm the environment.

Solar energy is a fantastic idea but one of the problem with solar energy is that there are
ironically, especially in Spain, a lot of taxes associated with solar energy. So at the moment it’s
not a very viable or feasible form of energy-which is unfortunate.

There are many ways that we can try and reduce the impact that we have on the environment.
There are many initiatives appearing that help us to do this. For example in terms of flying.Yo
can look at different flight options and choose a company that releases less carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere in terms of your travelling. You can also reduce your carbon footprint by
using your bike when you travel instead of travelling to work by car you can travel by bike. A
lot of cities now have their own cycle network so it’s a lot safer and easier to travel by bike
and also you get to do some exercise., s not only is it good for the environment, it’s also good
for you. In terms of shopping, nowadays we can choose to buy things like chocolate or coffee
from organic shops or we can choose to buy products from places where they are grown
responsibily or produced responsibility and then this again can help to protect the
environment. In a way we vote with our purchases. We basically choose to support certain
companies or to reject others.

It’s very difficult to think about how the future is going to be based on the way that we are
currently treating the planet. What is certain is that we are going to have to make a lot of
changes in the future. We are going to have to fundamentally change out habits in terms of
consumption, of the way that we travel and that’s going to be a very difficult situation.
Imagine a future where we no longer use cars, where we have to drastically reduce the
amount of possessions that we have and maybe we will live in a future where we share a lot of
things. A lot of companies are emerging at the moment on the web where you can share a car
in the city. I think those kinds of iniciatives are going to become more popular in the future.