Job Interviews

Do you think you are well prepared for a job interview? The best way to get ready for an interview is to take the time to review the most common questions you will most likely be asked. Knowing what …

Nicknames

The Oxford Dictionary website defines a nickname (or ‘nick’, as it often appears these days, especially on the Internet) as “A familiar or humorous name given to a person or thing instead of or…

THE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY

21 April If you like birthday parties, I am sure you will find this article inspiring. The sovereigns of the United Kingdom hold their official birthday celebrations usually around the second Saturday in …

8 R’s to Save Planet Earth

Here are just a few of the environmental problems our world is experiencing in 2022. Match the pictures to the terms below…

The Rise and Rise of English

English, it goes without saying, is the world’s number one international language. It isn’t the one with the most native speakers – Mandarin and Spanish both have more – and it isn’t the only one…

Green Schools

According th The Economost it is estimated1 that bz 2030, the world population of 7 billion will demand twice as many resources as the planet can supply. This problem …

World Autism Awareness Day

On April 2nd, for the fourteen year in a row, the colour blue is going to be flashing everywhere we look, because, guess what, it’s going to be World …

Health Benefits of Having a Pet

A pet is certainly a great friend. After a difficult day, pet owners quite literally feel the love. In fact, for nearly 25 years, research has shown that living with pets provides certain health benefits….

How to Beat a Springtime Depression

Easter’s coming and that can mean only one thing: SPRING is here! However, a lot of people say they feel weak and tired and almost depressed. This condition prevents…

International Women’s Day

The first international Women’s Day was observed in 1911. International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements…

Is the Internet safe?

Many parents want their kids to be safe so they buy modern appliances. However, they don’t know how dangerous they can be. WHAT DO STATISTICS SAY? Computers and cell phones are often used to control, harass…

Rosa Parks

The Woman Who Shaped the World “I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free… so other people would also be free.”…

World Day without cell phones, February 6

Mobile phones have become an indispensable1 part of our everyday lives. We use them to communicate, access the Internet, take photos, listen to music, watch videos, we can ….

Monday Morning Blues

Beep – beep! Your alarm clock has just woken you from a sweetest dream. You open your eyes and suddenly feel more miserable than ever. The world around is grey …

The Czech Republic-Czechia

FACTS ABOUT THE CZECH REPUBLIC Location: Central Europe Capital City: Prague Population: 10,649,800 (approximately in 2019) Area: 78,866 sq. km The highest point: Sněžka 1 603 m The lowest point: Elbe River 115 m Government: Parliamentary republic Language: …

The Slovak Republic

FACTS ABOUT SLOVAKIA Location: Central Europe Capital City: Bratislava Population: 5,447,502 (approximately in 2019) Area: 49,035 sq. km The highest point: Gerlachovský štít 2655 m The lowest point: Streda nad Bodrogom 94 m Government:..

Countries whose language I learn

English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian and Old Saxon dialects brought to Britain by Germanic settlers from various parts of what is now northwest Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands…

Role Models and Ideals

WHERE ARE ALL THE HEROES? Everyone has had a hero at some point in their life — someone they admire, look up to or want to emulate. Heroes can be ordinary people who, finding themselves in …

Books and Reading 

  If you ask people about their favourite leisure time activity, the answer you’ll get quite often is reading books. People have always liked books. Even before the printing press was invented and most people were…

Fashion

People have different attitudes to fashion. Some do not care what they wear; others, especially women, are very choosy about what to wear and like spending a fortune on clothes. Some people buy…

Towns and places

The places where we live have always been important in people’s lives. Throughout our lives we get to know various places. However, the most important place in our life is our birthplace. The place of birth is the place …

Multicultural society

A multicultural society has a lot in common with migration. For years people have been moving from one part of the world to another to find a better place to live or reach their goals. Due to the migrations of different cultures and …

Hobbies and Leisure Time

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THEY FOR YOU? LET’S HAVE A WORD ABOUT THEM! First things first: HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE LEISURE or FREE TIME?
Basically, to most people it is a period of …

Food

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body and produce energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth …

Young people and their world

As the most active group of people in society, youngsters can easily get in touch with the modernizing world. They are more sensitive to the tiniest changes in what is around them so they tend to be the first to adapt…

Mass Media

The history of the mass media can be traced back to ancient cultures when dramas were performed as a form of media and broadcast to a wider audience. Nowadays we consider mass media to be diversified media technologies which attract their sympathizers by mass communication…

Communication and its forms

Communication is usually a two-way process defined as an “interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs”. Language can be defined as the development of a basic form of communication between human beings in a society…

Man and Society

In an encyclopaedia society is referred to as a social grouping that shares the same geographical territory and is subject to the same political authority and cultural expectations. Human society is a group of people related to each other through different kinds of relationships….

Science and Technology

The importance of science and technology has grown dramatically over the last century. Technical and scientific advancements have influenced every aspect of human life: communication, transport, business, health care, housework, etc. Vast sums of money are being invested in new …

Man and Nature

Nature has always provided us with everything we need for life. In the past man needed wood to make a fire or build a shelter, and needed to hunt and kill animals to eat. Later he needed more and more…

Human Relations

Human relationships exist everywhere from our everyday lives to our dreams at night. Relationships can work very effortlessly or often become extremely complicated. Relationships are connections between persons…

Jobs and Employment  

A job is a regular activity performed in exchange for payment. A person usually begins a job by becoming an employee, volunteering, or starting a business. The duration of a job may range from an hour to a lifetime…

School and Education

Slovakia and the Czech Republic belongs among countries with a well-developed school educational system. In general, education is under the control of the state, church or private bodies. …

Travel  

St Augustine said: “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” What does this mean? Do you agree?
Travel is the movement of people or…

Health Care

Some people believe that if you do not have your health, you have nothing. Health has reached the top position on the human scale of values. We wish it to each other on various occasions…

Shopping and services

Shopping is a favourite activity of many people, especially of many women. But there are also people who are not […]

Housing and Home

Home is the place where we feel safe and relaxed. It is the place we look forward to when coming back from school, work or holidays. It doesn’t matter whether we live in a …

Sport 

Sport (or sports) is all forms of physical activity which aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills. The history of sports dates from ancient times…

Culture and Art

Art can be defined as “the skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others.” Artistic works have existed for almost as long as humankind….

Family and Society

Pre-reading questions: 1) What is the best environment to raise a family in (e.g. apartment, village, etc)? 2) Why do marriage and family matter?..

Family

The family is an old and fundamental social institution based on kinship. People are related to one another through ancestry, marriage or social agreement, which means that people are….

Keeping Exotic Pets

Well, hello there! How is everybody doing? I hope school is treating you well! Keep working hard!
This month’s topic is about keeping pets,…

Dress Up!

Fashion does not seem to be a widely popular topic, especially among boys. Somehow we find it natural for ladies to love discussing the matter of clothes and …

Family and Society

Pre-reading questions: 1) What is the best environment to raise a family in (e.g. apartment, village, etc)? 2) Why do marriage and family matter?..

Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn

OK, who’s the author and who’s the character here? It takes less than a second to answer that, doesn’t it? Well, although you may not be a keen reader, the name of the writer (Mark Twain) and…

COP26

What on earth is COP26? (COP stands for The Conference of the Parties) At the beginning of November, delegates from 197 countries will meet in Glasgow, Scotland, to discuss the climate …

Are You a James Bond film fan?

Are You a James Bond film fan? In total Ian Fleming wrote twelve novels and two short story collections. Such was the success of the books that after Fleming’s death in 1964 other authors were invited to write Bond novels…

Vydavateľstvo FLP podporí vzdelávací projekt pre školy!

Vydavateľstvo FLP podporí vzdelávací projekt pre školy! V druhej polovici októbra odštartuje na slovenských a českých školách tretí ročník medzinárodnej online jazykovej súťaže s názvom Jazykový WocaBee šampionát…..

Canada

Canada. Have you been there? I am American, and I live near Seattle, Washington. It is only three hours south of the Canadian border, and Vancouver is not far from there. I live on the west coast, only an hour from the Pacific Ocean….

Canada Day

From the History Canada Day is the national day of Canada; it celebrates July 1, when the union of three British colonies into one single country called Canada took place…..

Do You Speak Emoji?

Pre-reading: Do you use emojis in your communication with friends? How many emojis are you familiar with? Sketch some of them, pass it to your neighbour and he will describe…

Drink Your Tea like a Brit!

Tea drinking is a cultural phenomenon in Britain. No other European nation consumes as much tea as the British. Although it seems the popularity of tea has almost been replaced by espresso nowadays, it…

Independence Day

What is Independence Day? Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption and publication of the Declaration of
Independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776…

Don’t Let Coke Choke Our Oceans

Recently Coca Cola Company has been challenged with a strong public criticism by Greenpeace. There is a campaign with the main slogan: “Don‘t let Coke choke our oceans!” The pollution of our oceans is enormous. …

Father’s Day

Biologically, everybody has two parents. However (and sadly enough), there are millions of families in which one of the two is not around for various reasons. …

Hi there!

This article is about something that seems to be a big issue amongst young people these days – smoking. Do you belong among the people who wrinkle their noses when there is a smoker near them? Or are you a smoker everyone looks down on?…

E-CIGARETTES

Before you begin reading, answer the following questions: • What do you know about e-cigarettes?…

World No Tobacco Day

BEFORE READING:: What do you imagine from when you hear “World No Tobacco Day”? How do you feel about smoking (or using tobacco products)? What do you think is the reason people smoke?…

Why Did God Create Mothers

School children were asked to answer the following questions. You have a possibility to give your own answer to each of the questions below:..

JFK

We all make history just by the mere fact that we exist. However, there are people who seem to have an incredibly huge influence on the course of history and on the lives of millions of people….

Fun with New Words

FUN WITH WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564-1616) Let’s make it clear at the beginning. You can’t have FUN with Shakespeare. At least not the sort of fun you probably expect. Shakespeare is simply not funny according to today’s standards. ..

Tribute to Motherhood

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Mothers are a unique species. Combine love, tenderness, courage, self-sacrifice, stamina and creativity and you get a creature you are ashamed of being hugged by in front of your friends…

Mother’s Day

Let us help you with it. We have several awesome Mother’s Day quotes that will inspire you to tell your mom the words she deserves….

Titanic II

Everybody is aware of the tragedy that happened on April 15, 1912. Titanic hit an iceberg and more than 1500 people died. Since then, Titanic has been a symbol of hubris, an excess of pride….

The Royal Albert Hall

Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, suggested that the profi ts from the 1851 Great Exhibition (read more on pages 8-9) should pay for new museums, libraries, schools and exhibition rooms….

EARTH DAY

Earth Day, April 22, is an annual event to celebrate our planet’s environment and raise public awareness about pollution. Earth Day is observed worldwide with rallies, conferences, outdoor activities, and service projects…

English Language Day

UNESCO chose April 23 – the day of Shakespeare’s birth and death – as the date for English Language Day. …

Branches and Bunnies: An American Easter

Palm branches, ashes, the Easter Bunny, Easter bonnets, painted eggs, baby chickens and church services at sunrise are symbols and images of US Easter celebrations. These traditions, which vary greatly according to religion and geographical location in the States, are quite different from those in your country…

Easter

Each holiday celebrated worldwide has its specific features1 that vary from region to region. However, none of those events is as controversial as Easter. …

Easter

The way some holiday customs and traditions translate across different cultures varies from place to place. …

MARCH 13 UNCLE SAM

UNCLE SAM’S BIRTHDAY On March 13, 1852, Uncle Sam first appeared in the press. He became so popular that he became the personification of the American nation….

Barbie’s Birthday

The dolls landed on toy store shelves in 1959 and became an image of the ideal role model for all young girls. She was thin, had a perfect boyfriend, family, house, and luscious locks – who wouldn’t want to be like her?
The Barbie doll was invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler, a co-founder of Mattel,…

Charity and Kindness

Charity and Kindness “Red Nose Day is a campaign dedicated to raising money for children and young people living in poverty1 by simply having fun and making people laugh. …

Groundhog Day

I was not aware of Groundhog Day until my son, a kindergartener, brought a groundhog paper puppet on a Popsicle stick, which he had made at school on February 2…

How to Keep Fit at Home

I believe we all understand how important it is to be physically active, especially today, when people don’t move as much as they should to keep their bodies (and minds) in good shape. However, there are some notorious excuses for not doing any exercise at all,….

Australian English

When people talk about different “Englishes”, they often concentrate on British and American English. But there are other varieties. Today I’d like to focus on some of the words and phrases …

We Don’t Say That

Today I would like to look at some expressions which work well in Czech or Slovak but don’t work so well if you translate them word for word into English and can even cause you real problems….

Food

Why Do We Eat Junk Food? Think of all the people you know… Do any of them not like food? Probably not, because food is wonderful…

Every Band Name Tells a Story

Almost everybody likes music, but have you ever stopped to think where the people who make it decided upon their names? Classical music and jazz are often quite transparent – the London Symphony Orchestra..

William Shakespeare

“To be, or not to be, that is the question…” Today, there is probably no person in Europe who has trouble with recognising these famous words. Written by the English poet, writer, playwright, …

St. Valentine’s Day

February 14 is dedicated to St. Valentine and the celebration of love and affection. However, the holiday itself doesn’t have a long tradition in Slovakia or the Czech Republic. …

Unusual Australian Creatures

The box jellyfi sh. It’s lethal1 and beautiful at the same time. It looks relatively harmless, but it can kill a healthy human within 2 -5 minutes….

Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870)

Charles Dickens, one of the greatest English writers of all times, was born in Portsea, near Portsmouth. His father was a poor clerk in the Navy Pay Office. When Charles was nine, the family moved to London and Mr. Dickens very soon got into debt….

Uluru – also known as Ayers Rock

When I was a ‘little tacker,’ just over four years old, I visited Ayers Rock. It has a deep orange glow to it, with temperatures rising to forty degrees Celsius regularly. It truly is in the middle of nowhere, …

Be My Valentine

Although some people don’t feel happy about it, Valentine’s Day has found its way into our culture as well. This is …

Happy birthday, Grand Central

Grand Central Terminal in New York City was built in 1913. It is the largest train station in the world, and has plenty of secrets. …

Charles Dickens

It’s been 151 years since the death of one of the most famous English writers – Charles Dickens. His books are so important that they found their way into obligatory…

On Your Marks, Get Set, Go!

Although in sport, practice is incomparably much more enjoyable and fun than the theory, this article will give you some useful and inspirational tips and ideas before you put on your tracksuit, tie up your trainers, get on your marks, and …

Presidents’ Day

Washington’s Birthday, also known as Presidents’ Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on the third Monday …

International Mother Language Day

Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. All moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity …

Chinese New Year 2022

 This year Chinese New Year falls on February 1st. Chinese Year 2022 is the year of the Water Tiger. For people born in the year…

Queen Elizabeth II

England’s Longest Reigning Monarch 

Recently Queen Elizabeth II became the longest reigning1 monarch in the history of England. The previous record holder was Queen Victoria,…

Travels with Friendship

ACROSS THE EQUATOR Although Australia is the smallest continent in the world (however, not far behind Europe, which is the second smallest), …

Edgar Alan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) No American writer has been as mysterious and strange as Edgar Allan Poe. And no other English-speaking writer has produced writings as mysterious, scary, disgusting, horrifying, and yet beautiful as him…

Aussie Slang

Australia, the Land Down Under, is a country like no other in the world. And with the inimitable landscape comes a unique way of speaking English….

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

It’s been 54 years since the tragic loss of one of the most remarkable1 figures in American history. You might have heard …