Tom Sawyer

Plot Summery:

One night , Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are buring a cat in the cemetery. There's a superstition that says by doing this, your wartswill disapper... There, hidden in the bushes they see how Indian JOe kills the local doctor. To carry out his crime, Joe, a vilent and cunning man, uses the knife of his accomplice Muff Potter, the local drunk. Then he puts the weapon in Muff's hand. Muff is lying unconscious after the fight, so he doesn't see what Indian JOe has doen. When the drunk wakes up, Joe makes him believe that he has committed the crime, and the following day Muff is arrested. Will TOm reveal the truth?

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

The author spent his childhood in a little town next to the river Mississippi, and he left school when he was 12 years old. He was typographer, a steamboat pilot, and a gold digger, before becoming the most famous American writer of his time.

Writer: in 1870, Mark Twain married Olivia Langdon. Olivia, a sweet and refined lady, became his literary adviser. She controlled the impulsive style of her husband's writing, eliminating from his text the more ''direct'' expressions which came from his random and intense life full of jokes, parties and fights. TIme passed, and more books appeared: A Hard Life, The Adventure of Tom Swayer, The Adventures of Huchleberry Fin.. By then everybody knew Mark Twain. But little by little, the America described in his novels disappeared, to give way to a different country rich, moralistic and ''civilised'' . 

When Mark Twain died in 1910 the America of the pioneers and the mythical land of freedom called ''the frontier'' had disappeared forever.

1835: Samuel Langherne Clemens is born in Florida, Missouri (USA)

1839: The family moves to Hannibal, a town on the banks of the Mississippi.

1847: His father dies and Sam leaves school to work as a typographer in several printer's from New York to Philadelphia.

1857: He decides to become a steamboat pilot.

1861: The American Civil War begins. Sam goes West.

1862: For a short time he works as a gold digger. He writes articles for a smal newspaper in Virgina City (California)

1863: He begins to sign his articles under the pseudonym Mark Twain and works as a reporter on the Call, in San Francisco.

1867: He visits Europe and the Holy Land

1869: His book The innocents Abroad is a great success

1870: He marries Olivia Langdon with whom he has a son that dies at a very early age and two daughters.

1876: The Aventures of Tom Sawyer is published

1884: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published.

1894: After a disastrous investment, he loses all his money. To rai9se more money he goes on a tour giving conferences all round the world.

1904: His wife Olivia dies.

1910: Mark Twain dies in Redding

Bram Stoker (1847-1912) 

Mysterious and tormented: that's what we know about Bram Stoker, the creator of Dracula. And, indeed, that is how he must have been to imagine such a bloodthirsty creature. 104 years later, the author is perhaps not so well remembered but Dracula is certainly still as famous as ever. It's a case of character that has ''eliminated'' its author!

Bram Stoker chronology:

1847: Bram Stoker is born in Clontarf (Dublin, Irealand) 

1867: He goes to university.

1876: He meets the actor Henry Irving in the Royal Theatre in Dublin

1878: He marries Florence Balcombe, whom he meets at the home of the parents of the famous writier Oscar Wilde. He starts working as a stage manager in the Lyceum Theatre in London.

1882: Publication of his first book of stories.

1883: Lyceum Theatre American tour. He meets the American poet, Walt Whitman.

1890: He meets professor Arminius Vambery, and joins a secret society. Publication of his first novel, The Snake Pass.

1894: Publication of stories.

1895: Publication of his novel The Shoulder of Shasta.

1897: Publication of Dracula. First and only representation of the theatrical adaptation of Dracula. 

1905: Henry Irving dies.

1911: Publication of the novel The Liar of the White Worm.

1912: He dies on the 21st of April

1915: Publication of short posthumous novels, amongst which we can find Dracula's Guest.

More About Dracula:

Summary of the plot:

Jonathan Harker, a young notary, goes to Transylvania to negotiate a sale with Count Dracula. It doesn't take him long to discover hist host's terrible secret; Dracula is a vampire that goes out at night to quench his thirst for human blood. When he arrives in England, Dracula chooses as his victim Lucy, who is a friend of Mina, Jonathan's fiancée.  Lucy bleeds to death. 

Will Jonathan Harker, MIna and the condescending professor Van Helsing manage to defeat the vampire? 

The novel appears as dossier of letters and parts of the diaries of each of the different characters.

What is Eurovision?

t's not just any old talent show, it's an institution -- an annual event that attracts an estimated global audience of 125 million.

But to the uninitiated, the Eurovision Song Contest can seem a mystifying cultural anomaly. Each year, this relic of the post-war era inspires scores of camped-up performers to perform even camper songs in a self-conscious display of continental unity.

But don't let that put you off. From Sweden to Spain, Portugal to Poland, the show gathers an ever more devoted following each year -- and 125 million people can't all be wrong, can they?

So, if you haven't seen it -- and don't know the first thing about what you're missing -- keep reading.

A year in the life of the queen

A date with the queen As one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, Queen Elizabeth II has spent her life in the public eye. And while it may seem as if her 60 years on the throne have been one long procession of official engagements at which she offers a regal wave before returning to one of her palatial homes, in reality her life is far more complex. In addition to a punishing schedule of official engagements, state visits and daily duties, Britain's second-longest serving reigning monarch has balanced her official life with her private interests. Although no two years are the same for the queen, here CNN looks at how she manages to fulfill a rigid calendar of ceremonial duties while also finding time to spend with family and friends.

The Hunger Games: 

I'd like to recommend a book which I read recently called The Hunger Games trilogy followed by Catching Fire, the second book of the trilogy, and the last one Mockingjay. The author of the books is Suzanne Collins. 

The books are about adventures and science fiction... The setting takes place in a naction called Panem, after the destruction of North-America. The nation has got twelve poor districts under the Capitol's hegemony. The main characters, two teenagers, are from the district twelve. Katniss is the head of her family, because her mother was in a depression and Peeta is the baker's son, and they are the tributes for the 74th annual Hunger Games. 

I loved the book because the plot is different from the other books and it's very interesting. The thing I liked most about the book is the way which the main characters help each other in the Stadium. I've watched the film too, there are lots of scenes that I loved like when Katniss and his best friend are in the forest talking, when Peeta during the interview say that he is in love with Katniss and he's the unluckiest guy over the earth because in the games only one person can win. And the last one is when Katniss and Peeta are the last survivors of the games and one of them has to die. IN the end she's got an idea to eat poisonous berries and die together. 

All in all, I really loved the novel and all the trilogy, and thought at the end it has got a happy ending. I wouldn't change it. Maybe I think Suzanne should make a book of the epilogue of Mockingjay because I think the ends comes too fast. I also think that the books have a great message.

The trailer of the film:

Express doubt and presuade

Gemma - Hey Cristina! Where is the landscape of this picture from?

Cris- Of this picture? Its in a natural park in Canada, I took this photo in my last summer holidays. Do you like it?

Gemma- mmm.. I'm not convinced.

Cris- Don't you think its a beautiful landscape? In my opinion I think it's amazing.

Gemma- Yes, I agree you with your opinion of the landscape, but I'm not sure of that yellow bus you can see in the left!

Cristina- Oh, come on! It isn't bad... You've to look really carefully to see it! 

Gemma- Thats true! Anyone will see it! 

Cristina- Ok, thanks Gemma for your opinion!

Gemma- You're welcome!

Recommend and express preferences

Cris: Hey, Gemma, have you seen any good films recently?

Gemma: Yes one or two. Have you?

Cris: No, what about this one? Is it any good?

Gemma: I can only recommend that if you like really bad musical

Cris: No, I don't fancy that

Gemma: I think you will enjoy more this one.

Cris: What's that? THE OTHERS? No, I don't like the mistery and horror films! I'd prefere a romantic one!

Gemma: A romantic... eeer.... Ok, well, try this one! The Last Song! You'll enjoy it.

Cris: Ok, Thanks.