1999 | The World of English

Miss Somebody: We speak with Ania Mucha

Ania Mucha has acted in numerous films, including Panna Nikt, Młode Wilki, and the series Matki, żony i kochanki. She also had an Englishspeaking role in Steven Spielberg' s acclaimed Schindler' s List. She spoke to Monika Jaworska about her life, her films and how the English language influences her career.

M.J.: How did you start acting?

1999

Saving Asia' s Green Turtles

The Sandakan fishmarket on the east coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah, Borneo, always boasts a huge variety of marine life on sale. Every day, fish, crabs, prawns and squids are brought to the stalls, ready for a buyer. Sometimes you might even catch some vendors selling pingpongballsized eggs eggs laid by the green turtle. These eggs are very rare and always sell out quickly, even though they are sold at RM$1 (current rate US$1.00=RM$3.80) each, an expensive price for a mere egg. Unfortunately, the huge demand also means that the survival of the green turtle is threatened./p>

1999

The Man-Eaters of Borneo

Crocodile tales are always popular among Malaysian children. When I was younger, I was toldcountless stories about the "Mouse deer and the crocodile" , how the mouse deer tricks the crocodile each time it is about to be eaten. But it wasn' t the mouse deer that interested me, it was the crocodile.

1999

The Africans

Contrary to general belief, Africa is neither a monolithic nor a monocultural society. There are three mainly Negroid groups - West African, Sudanic and Bantu, scattered all over the huge continent. These main groups are further divided into subgroups. For example, the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria, who are the second-largest African tribe (population: about 20 million) are made up of at least 25 subtribes each with distinct customs, traditions and cultural practices.

1999

Call to CALL

Mr. Deji Akala found us through our Internet pages. He told us an interesting story of how he had become a leader of a discussion group for EFL teachers in Central and Eastern Europe. He has suggested four subjects about computers which we thought would be interesting for our readers. Here is the second one.

Teachers and students of EFL who are interested in having fun during the teaching/learning process might consider entering the adventure-filled world of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL).

1999

Patrick: Ireland's Patron Saint

Patrick (c. 389-461) lived in Celtic Britain, not far from the sea on the west coast, perhaps in what is now known as Cumbria, although some think it might have been Wales. He was taken captive from his comfortable home by a ship' s crew from Ireland, just before his sixteenth birthday. Ships often crossed the Irish Sea to trade with Britain and sometimes pirates raided the coast in search of plunder and slave labour.

1999

We are Europe's Future!

"We are the future of Europe. The future shape of our continent depends on us." So said the young people who came to Strasbourg from 43 countries for the 50th anniversary of the Council of Europe.

1999

The Paperless Classroom

Mr. Deji Akala found us through our Internet pages. He told us an interesting story of how he had become a leader of a discussion group for EFL teachers in Central and Eastern Europe. He suggested four subjects about computers which we thought would be interesting for our readers. Here is the fourth part.

1999

Tracking Down the Hackers

If you have seen The Matrix you will have some idea of how sinister the world of computers could be. It' s not like that really (we hope!), but computing is certainly not always confined to the innocent activities of typing text, sending emails and downloading web pages. Enter the world of the hackers.

1999

The British Council

The Support for Polish Reform in Teacher Education (SPRITE) project was set up in September 1998 by the British Council. It is aimed primarily at educating and training English language teachers in view of new requirements in the Polish education system resulting from the coming reform of the sector.

1999

The Institutions of the European Union

If you live in Europe, whether in a European Union Member State or not, you will definitely be affected by the EU." Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life," as Humphrey Bogart said in the film Casablanca. He wasn' t referring to the EU, since it didn' t exist in the 1940s when the film was made. But more recent European history has been largely shaped by the development of the EU, and in the future the EU' s influence can only increase.

1999

Euroscola: A Day at the European Parliament

Euroscola is a multilingual programme designed to give schoolchildren from all parts of Europe a chance to participate in the workings of the European Parliament. A group of 500 secondaryschool pupils spend one day learning about the European Parliament' s role, and debate a chosen issue. The results of the debate are presented in the Chamber of the European Parliament at the end of the day and later passed on to the relevant parliamentary bodies.

1999

Wings 1999

2nd Annual Polish Youth Honors Music Camp

With last year' s success feeding her optimism, Peace Corps volunteer Rebecca Wileman once again organized the Polish Youth Honors Music Camp as a summer project in addition to her teaching work in the village of Błażowa - but this year with a new title symbolizing the chance it truly gives youth musicians:" WINGS 1999."

1999

Frankenstein Foods or Manna from Heaven?

If somebody told you that the tomato you're eating contains a gene taken from a fish would you continue eating it? Like animal cloning, the genetic modification ofcrops is a a hot topic at the moment, especially in Britain, where many people are protesting against it. Recently even Prince Charles joined the campaign.

1999

Our Publisher's New Year Message

As you read these words you may be thinking about the Christmas and New Year activities you plan to enjoy with your families and friends. Perhaps it wouldn' t be a bad idea to also give some thought to the fact that we are at the threshold of a new millennium. It' s only natural for us to wonder what lies ahead: How will our lives develop? What course will our careers take? What challenges will we face in the near and more distant future? Where will we be a year, five years and ten years from now?

1999

Celebrations World-Wide

As well as public holidays and religious feastdays thatfall on afixed date or in a particular period, certainanniversaries are regularly celebrated. This year, for example, marks the 150th anniversary of the death of Polish-born composer Fryderyk Chopin and is being celebrated as Chopin Year with special concerts and exhibitions. Recently, the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War wasobserved with speeches, military parades, patrioticassemblies andwreath-laying ceremonies. Let us now look at some of the holidays celebrated during autumn in different countries.

1999

From Kutno to Williamsport

As a new fund-raising plan is announced to raise $4 million to build the Little League Baseball Leadership Training Center in Kutno, the first outside the USA, we review the recent Little League World Series.

Each spring millions ofyoungsters begin their annual journey on the road to Williamsport with dreams of playing in the Little League World Series. In villages and towns on every continent except Antarctica, boys and girls aged ten to twelve take to ball fields in the hope ofqualifying for this mostprestigious tournament of all.

1999

Baseball

Teatime Topicalities

British people are generally stereotyped as tea drinkers. Fair enough, statistics show that they do drink enormous quantities of tea the average Brit drinks 3.5 cups a day, compared to, for example, the average American who consumes less than half a cup.

But British people are not the world' s biggest tea drinkers they come second. Only the Irish drink more. They hold the world record with an average intake of four cups a day. Funny that they should be renowned for drinking whiskey and Guinness too. Do they ever eat anything?

1999

The English Language Workshop

Dear Readers,

We present the fifth issue of The English Language Workshop, which contains a variety of grammar and vocabulary practice. The English Language Workshop has two main objectives. Firstly, it serves as a review of the major grammar structures and vocabulary that you have learnt so far. Secondly, the aim of the tests is to help you prepare for exams, including the Cambridge First Certificate in English. You may check your knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary individually or in the classroom.

1999

Finally, the Beginning

On 19th May 1999 the USA saw the biggest madness since Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic. " The Phantom Menace" had its opening in over three thousand cinemas across the States. Fans had been queuing for over a month in hot sun and cold rain because the tickets were not sold in advance. The introduction of the film was preceded by hype in the mass media and mass hysteria unseen since the times of Rudolf Valentino. Traders of Star Wars toys were already booking holidays in the Seychelles and ordering new Cadillacs.

1999