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Monday, December 11, 2017

TEH_08 . SMALL TALK with Alex Ewing




TEH_08 . SMALL TALK with Alex Ewing

TODAY at our listening test with The English Hour, Nicole Miller Interviews Alex Ewing, English teacher and translator  (17/11/2017)

Correspondent: Carles Dueñas

             For our first part, listen up to the minute 12:10 and answer the 12 questions:

Q1. Where was Alex Ewing born? what type of neighbouhood?
Q2. How did Alex Ewing’s parents meet?
 Q3. Did Alex Ewing’s parents plan their relationship and future?
Q4. At first, why did they decide to go to England?
Q5. Why did they comeback to Ecuador?
Q6. Where and when were Alex and his sisters born?
Q7. What did he do before going to University?
Q8. Why does Alex say that living in The Galápagos Islands for two weeks is one of the most amazing things that he has ever done?
Q9. How did he manage to keep his stay at low-budget journey?
Q10.  Copy a couple of interesting bits about his activities in the islands?
Q.11. Why did he end up in Catalonia?

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Q.12. What does he like about Barcelona?








===    TEH_08 . 
SMALL TALK with Alex Ewing  ..... KEY  


Q1. Where was Alex Ewing born? what type of neighbouhood?
He was born in Wexham, near Slough in Buckinhamshire County. It is an industrial area in the west of London. (0:40à)
Q2. How did Alex Ewing’s parents meet?
His father, born in Plymouth (England), went to Equador as a scientist to do some research in the Amazon rainforest about some kind of frogs. On the other hand, her Equador-born mother was working there as a journalist, and had to do a report with Alex’s father and his team. And then, well, they fell in love. (1:15à)
 Q3. Did Alex Ewing’s parents plan their relationship and future?
No, it was a very quick spontaneous relationship, and they decided to live together very fast. (2:19à)
Q4. At first, why did they decide to go to England?
They were in their early twenties and decided to try to live in England and to start a family together. (2:43à)
Q5. Why did they comeback to Ecuador?
Alex’s mother already had a job as a journalist in Ecuador, and she wanted to continue her career there. She also went to Ecuador to study at the university. But, basically, she wanted to develop her career. In addition, his father was able to go back, and he could travel back and forth to England with his work. (3:07à)
Q6. Where and when were Alex and his sisters born?
His older sister was born in Ecuador before their parents came back to England for the first time. Alex was born in England. Afterwards, they went back to Ecuador and her youngest sister was born in Ecuador as well. (5:00à) 
Q7. What did he do before going to University?
He did a gap year. He worked and travelled during one year, before going to University back to Equador and the Galpagos (5:28à)
Q8. Why does Alex say that living in The Galápagos Islands for two weeks is one of the most amazing things that he has ever done?
Because of the way he went there. He did some kind of trick. Some friends of friends told him that he could travel there very cheaply, if he took a particular plane and told the airplane company that he was “studying something”. In this way he slipped the long airport queue.
Q9. How did he manage to keep his stay at low-budget journey?
 Curiously, Equador is a country that relies on who you know. So, “a friend of a friend”, who was in the navy and was abroad at that moment, left him his home for two weeks for free. (6:23à)
Q10.  Copy a couple of interesting bits about his activities in the islands?
He was really disconnected of his family, no cell phoes, really wild land when ytou move away fronm the three villages in the north. (7:01à)

Q.11. Why did he end up in Catalonia?
He originally came on holiday to the continent, but he ended up meeting his current partner. (8:35à)
Q.12. What does he like about Barcelona?

He likes the fact that Barcelona has everything, but it is still a manageable city. It is not such a massive city as London, where you can get lost easily. (10:35à)

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