READ AND TALK - Man takes mystery woman around the world

Man finds travel companion with same name as ex-girlfriend

 

Canadian seeks world travel partner 

 

A Canadian man has found a woman with the same name as his ex-girlfriend to travel with after booking a three-week holiday before they split up.

Jordan Axani, 28, broke up with Elizabeth Gallagher in May but couldn't get a refund for the trip.

After putting out a request on Reddit for a travelling companion with the same name and a Canadian passport, he received thousands of responses.

One was from student Elizabeth Quinn Gallagher from Nova Scotia.

Jordan picked the 23-year-old, a homeless shelter volunteer who has a boyfriend, after talking with her on the phone. He said he was impressed with her social conscience.

A friend of Elizabeth Gallagher's tweeted a photo of her passport to Jordan Axani in November

"It's totally platonic," Jordan Axani said from New York, where the trip starts on Sunday.

"Do I think we'll become friends? Sure."

The pair will also be visiting Milan, Prague, Paris, Bangkok and New Delhi until 8 January.

Other responses to his Reddit post were more odd.

Jordan, who's from Toronto, said he heard from hundreds of people, male and female, who offered to legally change their names.

"I thought it was worth a shot," he said. "Why not throw something like this out there into the universe? And sure it's a little weird.

"I'll be the first person to say that but on the back side we had an incredible response which I never would have anticipated of people that haven't had the chance to go on trips like this.

"My original post remains true to this day. All I wanted was someone to take the ticket and just go and enjoy themselves.

"Whether we travel together, or spend any time together, is totally irrelevant to me."

Jordan has now set up a charity called A Ticket Forward, which aims to fund trips for underprivileged people.

He said the original Elizabeth Gallagher had been in touch but didn't want to say what she had said to him.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/30530070

Excercise A

1.      What request did Jordon put on Reddit?

2.      Why did Jordon make this request?

3.      How did Jordon get to know about Elizabeth?

4.      What impressed Jordon about Elizabeth?

5.      Is Jordon in love with Elizabeth?

6.      When do they return to Canada?

7.      How did Jordon feel when putting the request on Reddit?

8.      What is ’A Ticket Forward’?

9.      What did the original Elizabeth say about the post on Reddit?

Excercise B

1.      Sum up the story with your own words.

2.      What would you have done if your name was Elizabeth Gallagher?

3.      Why do you think some people would say yes to the offer?

4.      Why do you think some people would say no to the offer?

5.      Have you ever been on a trip round the world?

6.      Which countries have you visited?

7.      Would you take along someone with you that do not know?

SIMPLY - Present Simple

SIMPLY - PRESENT SIMPLE

 

            FORM

                        +                           -                                               ?

I                work/          do not (don’t) work/                            do I work?

you           work/        do not (don’t) work/                            do you work?

he, she, it works/       does not (doesn’t) work/                does she/he/it work?

we             work/          do not (don’t) work/                           do we know?

you            work/       do not (don’t) work/                            do you know?

they           work/       do not (don’t) work/                            do they know?

   

TIME EXPRESSIONS:

always              often                      seldom                 normally

never                occasionally          on Mondays         on Sundays etc.

usually              sometimes            twice a month      once a year etc.

rarely                generally              every day              every week etc.

 

WHEN DO WE USE IT

Daily routines

He always works in the evening.

We usually get up at 7.30am.

Talking about someone or something in general/ describing something or someone

My husband eats a lot. 

My dog usually sleeps all day long.

Talking about facts

The Sun rises in the East.

Water boils at 100 degrees C.

Timetables, Schedules

The train leaves at 10 o` clock.

LET`S TALK - Forgiveness

It takes a strong person to say sorry, and an even stronger person to forgive.

 

10 Quotes about forgiveness

1.     Forgive, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace. ~Author Unknown

2.     To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. ~Lewis B. Smedes, "Forgiveness — The Power to Change the Past," Christianity Today, 1983 January 7th (Thanks, Donna)

3.     Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future. ~Paul Boese

4.     Always forgive your enemies — nothing annoys them so much. ~Oscar Wilde

5.     The man who forgives is far stronger than the man who fights. ~Nathan Croall

6.     To truly forgive is to allow the other person to forget. ~ Robert Brault

7.     “All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must do to them. This, in fact, is what the Law and the Prophets mean.” ~ Bible book of Matthew, Chapter 7 Verse 12.

8.     Forgiveness is not something we do for other people. We do it for ourselves to get well and move on. ~ Unknown

9.     Forgiveness is a gift that you give yourself. ~ Tony Robbins

10.                        The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Read more: http://www.quotegarden.com/forgiveness.html

Discuss:

1.     Which quote do you like the most and why?

2.     Do you find it easy to forgive?

3.     Why do you think many people find it hard to forgive?

4.     Do you think it affects our health whether we forgive or not?

5.     Do you think that people who don’t forgive are happy? Why?

6.     Do you think people who forgive are happier? Why?

7.     How does forgiveness affect our relitionships at home, at work and with your boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife?

8.     Do you think it is a weakness to forgive or do you think of someone who is forgiving as a strong person?

LET'S TALK - What is a true friend like?

A friend in need, is a friend indeed!

 

10. Quotes about friendship

1.     Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty. ~Sicilian Proverb

2.     A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. ~Douglas Pagels

3.     A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down. ~Arnold Glasow

4.     Friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait for the answer. ~Author Unknown

5.     A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out. ~Grace Pulpit

6.     There are big ships and small ships. But the best ship of all is friendship. ~Author Unknown

7.     A true friend shows love at all times, And is a brother who is born for times of distress. – Bible book of Proverbs chapter 17. Verse 17.

8.     A true friend reaches for your hand and touches your heart. ~Attributed to Heather Pryor

9.     It’s not how many friends you can count, it’s how many of those you can count on. ~Anthony Liccione

10.                        It is a good thing to be rich, and it is a good thing to be strong, but it is a better thing to be loved of many friends. ~Euripides

Read more: http://www.quotegarden.com/friendship.html

 

Discuss:

1.     Which quote did you like the most and why?

2.     Do you have many friends?

3.     How many true friends have you got?

4.     What do you think what is a true friend like?

5.     How and where can you find friends?

6.     How two people become friends?

7.     What qualites should you have so that people want to be your friend?

8.     What qualities will make it hard for you to find friends?

9.     Describe your best friend.

LET'S TALK - What is the secret of happiness?

The busiest people are the happiest! Why?
Because they don’t have time for silly things J

 

10 Quotes about the Secret of Happiness

1.      The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~Mark Twain

2.      What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner. ~Colette

3.       Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

4.      We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~Frederick Keonig

5.      If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama

6.       A great obstacle to happiness is to expect too much happiness. ~Bernard de Fontenelle

7.      The only way to avoid being miserable is not to have enough leisure to wonder whether you are happy or not. ~George Bernard Shaw

8.      ‘There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.’” Bible book of Acts Chapter 20 Verse 35

9.      Jumping for joy is good exercise. ~Author Unknown

10.  Joy is not in things; it is in us. ~Richard Wagner

Read more: http://www.quotegarden.com/happiness.html

 

Discuss:

1.     Which quote do you like the most and why?

2.     What things make you happy?

3.     What do you think is the secret of happiness? Is it fame, money, love or something else?

4.     If the secret were fame or money, why are so many rich and famous people unhappy?

5.     Have you ever helped anybody? How did it make you feel?

6.     Do you think it’s a good idea to be busy with good things in order to be happier?

7.     What good things could you do that would make you happy?

8.     How does perfectionism affect people?

9.     Do you think being content with what you do have will help you to be happy?

10. Do you think regular exercise can have a good effect on your mood?