CPE book review

The Alchemist

Written by Paulo Coehlo only 26 years ago, it has been translated into more than 60 languages and read by tenths of millions around the world till now. There is such a widespread acceptance of the book (to sound more natural: the book is so widely accepted/ acknowledged/ renowned) that it is considered by many as a "classic" novel of the modern literature.

"The Alchemist" recounts the story of a poor but skilled shepherd named Santiago and it starts , the story starting to unfold in the Andalusian fields of south Spain. Although Santiago originally plans to live as a shepherd, (comma) two unexpected events make his life take an unexpected turn. After a dream of finding a great treasure near the Egyptian pyramids and a meeting with an old and strange king, Santiago sets out for a long journey in pursuit of his dream.

The book in not renowned for its glossy language nor for its complicated plot. Though the book moves at a relaxed pace , it is extremely absorbing without being dull or loose. Coehlo has a remarkable gift of story-telling that challenges your imagination using a series of unexpected turns in the flow of story line and making great use of symbolism in most of the events and hero's decisions. The reader will invariably find himself many times contemplating about his own life, dreams and choices (unnecessary: that he makes from time to time). And that is what lifts the book above others of its type. Moreover, there is a number of thought provoking scenes where the readers will stop reading and start wondering if the hero made the best decision and whether (unclear:he) the readers/ they would make the same decision under the same circumstances.

So, if you are the kind of reader that you like slow, relaxing and thought provoking reading with not much background information, (comma) this is the book for you. The end of the story (no comma) carries to the reader an air of lytrosis brings about a catharsis that will satisfy even the hardest heart. 

Comments: Great ideas and vocabulary once again, with a few more mistakes than usual. 3/5 :)

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To Kill A Mockingbird

One of the most classic novels that have been written in the last century, shelved/ selected 23 times as one of the 100-books-to-read-before-you-die (or better: ‘100 Books To Read Before You Die’). Written by Harper Lee and published in 1960, (comma) this book has been loved by millions of readers and has been widely used in education. 

The story of the book takes place in a small town of the state of Alabama U.S and the central characters of the story are two children, Scout and Jem who live with their father, Atticus. Atticus is an honest lawyer who tries to be just, which is not easy since he sometimes has to deal with the prejudice and hatred of some of his fellow citizens. His children, with their innocence and lack of experience, tend to categorize people as good and bad and they feel surprised or confused when some people do not react according to this categorization. Through many real life encounters and the guidance of their father, (comma) the children gradually understand that before you judge someone you have to put yourself in his shoes and walk a mile. 

The story deals a lot with issues concerned with human morality like racism, prejudice, hatred and justice. The language is simple and though the book moves at a relaxing pace, it is extremely absorbing without being dull or loose. On the contrary, there are some extremely thought-provoking  scenes throughout the book. The writing style of Harper Lee is far from ordinary due to the fact that a child, Scout, is both the protagonist and the narrator of the story. However, that comes naturally since the story examines the perception and reaction of children to human behaviour and attitude. 

The intertemporal nature of the main theme and the easy-to-follow story-line which is presented from the point of view of a child explain much of the book's enduring popularity. As far as I know, the book remains a staple of high school and college reading lists and, in my opinion, the time spent to read this book is time well invested for sure.

Comments: The only thing that can be said is… wow! 4.5/5 

Writing tips

Phrasal verbs and idioms

CPE Writing, Part 1: Outdoor and electronic advertising

It cannot be denied that outdoor advertising has played an important role in the development of the economy since it is strongly (inter)related with the promotion of products and goods. However, not all people share common thoughts about its importance or are equally excited about (OR: approve of) the means being used.

During the last decade, outdoor advertising has been evolved from the well known static signs and
posters to the new digital screens that can display any kind of 'live' commercials. The use of technology has reduced the required costs and made advertising affordable to almost any company. Moreover, the employment of smarter, more amusing and more informative commercials has been made possible, while at the same time the old poster-like (billboards/ motorway hoardings) advertisements are still being supported.

Despite the excitement of the new possibilities opened in advertising through the use of digital media, there are many who find them at least annoying. They speak about visual pollution and the lack of protection of those target groups who cannot easily filter the information of a digital commercial, like children and elderly people. It is true (no comma here) that this new media has an increased capability of drawing the attention of people passing by and this can be even dangerous when/ as far as drivers are concerned. 'Distracted driving' has been identified as one of the most common reasons for car accidents and the contribution of digital advertising to this is indisputable.

In conclusion, it can be claimed that this new digital way of outdoor advertising is a debatable issue. The advances of technology is something that cannot be ignored or denied, (comma) but their use should not be made without taking into consideration their effects and people's social needs and rights.

Comments: Great writing once again, Alex! Apart from some minor spelling mistakes, the conclusions you drew based on the two texts and the way you summed them up were absolutely spot-on! I'd award you with at least 4/5! :-) 

CPE Film Review by Alex

"Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" is finally on the big screens. This is the first part of a trilogy based on the famous novel by the scholar J.R. Tolkien and directed by Peter Jackson.

 

The film recounts a story set on an imaginary world called Middle Earth where, besides humans, live elves, wizards, dwarves, dragons and a great deal of other strange, magical or creepy beings live. The whole trilogy is about a fellowship that tries to hide and destroy a powerful ring forged centuries ago by a dark lord named Shauron. Although (no comma here) there are many key characters in this movie, the leading role belongs to the ring bearer of the fellowship; a hobbit named Frodo. Frodo, as well as other key characters who they meet in their journey, are tempted and corrupted to an extent by the power of the ring and the cruelty and malice of Shauron that accompanies this power.

 

Though a science fiction film, the main themes of the story include friendship, courage, self-sacrifice, humility and love. The strength of the movie can be found in the way that these themes are combined with special effects and a group of cliffhangers, most of them breathtaking to the point of being slightly scary. Apart from that, the whole movie is a masterpiece, from the excellent actors' performance to the enchanting Celtic-like film score.

 

The most difficult bet for Peter Jackson was the adaptation of a very long novel in only 3 movies. There are far more characters and scenes in the book than you can see in the movie and a vast amount of background information that relates to the ring and the fellowship. Although/ Even though (do not repeat the same linking words) the movie version does not stray at all from the story line of the book, Jackson has won this bet by carefully selecting the parts that should be cut and cleverly using a number of flashbacks throughout the movie. Having some very positive feedback from both readers and of the book and first timers/ viewers, I think we should expect nothing less than a blockbuster.

CPE Letter by Alex

Dear Sir/Madam, (leave gaps/ empty lines between paragraphs to facilitate the reader's eye)

I was very interested in your article about friendship that you have published in a recent issue of your magazine. In response to your inquiry for readers' opinions and views,  I would like to contribute to this subject. 

As we all know,  friendship plays an important role in everybody's life - both private and public - in many ways. But the definition of this word can greatly vary from case to case. Real friendship does not happen just by clicking the "Add to Friends" button in Facebook.  Real friendship is a long and complicated procedure that lasts for years and has to be reevaluated from time to time. Of course, before someone can speak about such a relationship he has to have experienced it. 

For example, I have such a close friend named Costas. We have known each other from school. Although we had quite different personalities, we shared a common sense of humor, many common (do not repeat words/ better omit them) interests and we lived in the same neighbourhood. But that was just back then. Since then we have shared many moments, either funny or sad. For the last ten years we have lived over a thousand miles apart and we see each other only once a year. We don't even talk more often that once in 2 months. But every time we see each other it's like we haven't met just for a few days.

The truth is that's is not easy to have a time-tested friendship. Many things may happen that can affect the relationship with a good friend. Many friendships have fallen apart due to a minor misunderstanding or a girl that got between two friends. Moreover, one of the two sides may happen to move to another town and, (comma) as it well known, it is easier to forget about someone that you don't see regularly. 

Another important factor that can influence a relationship between two friends is a change in the social status. This change can make someone change habits, the way that he thinks, the people that he is surrounded with and many other things (instead of saying he, use they that includes both sexes or generalize by using people/ individuals/ etc). Inevitably, what comes as a result is the reconsideration of some friendships in order to keep the ones that are most suited to your new status and social environment. 

In conclusion,  I can say that from my point of view a strong friendship is something that should not be undervalued. The odds are most of the times stacked against such a friendship and that's what makes it both rare and precious. it's like an investment with a long-term profit.

Yours (no comma) faithfully,

Alexandros Gougousis

Answers to common speaking questions

This is my answer for the following speaking test (Ielts)

Part 1

Which magazines and newspapers do you read?

Nowadays I don’t really read any newspapers often, except sometimes that I want to be informed about the political and financial problems of my country , and that’s because I found them really expensive and other than that I can easily found them online on the web.

What kinds of article are you most interested in?

I really enjoying reading articles from magazines with scientific content and that’s mostly because I love mathematics and computer science. I also want to know how the market’s going, so I love reading articles about the stock market, I don’t have any specific reason why I read those articles , it’s just a personal preference .

Have you ever read a newspaper or magazine in a foreign language?

Actually, I’m reading magazines in English all the time, and not just me, but all the adults, and that’s because nowadays it’s easy to browse them from internet, its free and fast. For instance when I wake up in the morning I like drinking my coffee with a newspaper browsed from the web, it’s a nice ‘company’.

Do you think reading a newspaper or magazine in a foreign language is a good way to learn the language?

Well to learn the language from all aspects no, but when you flick though a magazine , written in English for example , you can sometimes understand, peoples culture and their everyday activities. However reading an English magazine let you also know the peoples slang, which is really hard to expertise alone. In conclusion reading a magazine can be beneficial and simultaneously can harm you, if you are trying to learn English only from them.

Part 2

Describe a restaurant that you enjoyed going to. You should say: 1) where the restaurant was, 2) why you chose this restaurant, 3) what type of food you ate in this restaurant and explain why you enjoyed eating in this restaurant.

If I remember correctly it was two years ago, the restaurants’ name was china town and it was located in syntagma (Athens) .From the first second that I saw it , it was amazing, the service was excellent and fast , imagine that waitress was filling our glasses with water all the time and her reactions was really fast. It had great salads with many vegetables, and the two most exciting dishes was duck with sweat sauce and vegetables, and a soup filled with shark fin, the last one was delicious. Other than that I really like their ‘traditional’ beer, the Chinese beer. In a nutshell the atmosphere was amazing and I would like to visit them again in the near future, it worth every penny.

Some of part 3 questions

Some people say that food in an expensive restaurant is always better than food in a cheap restaurant – would you agree?

Well, I have never considered this matter before, but I’m inclined to believe that sometimes expensive restaurants are believed to be better due to pricey materials and ingredients they use in order to cook the food that they serve. I also have to mention that we might sometimes pay more for the trademark of the restaurant than the actually food that we order, and that’s because some restaurants are luxury and we need to choose them on more special occasions like birthdays or weddings. So in conclusion I disagree.

How important is it for a country to be able to grow all the food it needs, without importing any other from other countries?

That’s a tough question to be answered, but the true question is, can a country grow all the food it needs alone? I guess the answer is no, because this is nearly impossible. For example here in Greece as a Mediterranean country we have an advantage of growing vegetables thanks to the right conditions but we don’t have all kinds of fruits that we might need, like Africa, so we are forced to import them from our neighbors. All in all the more food a country grow the wealthier it gets.