English Conversation

Leader: Mandi Ashmore

english@ iwc-lausanne. org

    We meet on Mondays at 14：30 at the IWC clubhouse. We chat for about an hour and discuss everything. Mandi asks “students” to contact her on Monday to confirm the class as sometimes she needs to cancel for various reasons or occasionally she may choose to hold the class at a different venue(举办地点) or at an earlier time for us to be able to have lunch together.

French Conversation, Advanced Beginner

Leader: Marielle Sulmoni

frenchconvo@ iwc-lausanne. org

    I'm French (born in Bordeaux) and Swiss by marriage. I hold an advanced beginners' French conversation class on Tuesday afternoons from 14：30 - 16：00. We meet weekly at the clubhouse in a friendly atmosphere. I hope to help you use your knowledge of French, allowing you to speak with no fear of making mistakes, which in time will become fewer and fewer.

French Language Lab, Beginner

Leader: Maija Remlinger

frenchlab@ iwc-lausanne. org

    The group meets on Thursday afternoons from 15：00－16：30 at the clubhouse. The first half of the class is devoted to reading out loud from the book “Easy French Reader”, working on pronunciation and phrasing. During the second half, we listen to audio recordings from “New French with Ease” and work on oral comprehension.

French Conversation, Advanced

Leader: Juliette Brull

french@ iwc-lausanne, org

    We meet every Tuesday at the IWC clubhouse from 9：30－11：00. Most of our time is devoted to very lively discussions about current events and various topics. We also read a book written by a French author and sometimes we see a French movie.

    Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to make money for my schooling.

    One day, my mother was sewing a quilt(缝被子). I silently sat beside her. "Mum, is there love between you and Dad?" I asked in a very low voice.

    With surprise in her eyes, she stopped her work for a while. Then she said, "Susan, look at this thread(线). It can hardly be seen, but it' s really there. It makes the quilt strong. If life is a quilt, love should be a thread. Love is inside. "

    I couldn' t understand her until the next spring. At that time, my father suddenly got sick seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month.

    After they were back, my mother helped my father walk slowly on the country road every day. They were so kind to each other and it seemed they were the happiest couple.

    After two months my father still couldn' t walk by himself. "Dad, how are you feeling now?" I asked him one day.

    "Susan, don' t worry about me," he said. "I just like walking with your mum. I like this kind of life." Reading his eyes, I knew he loves my mother deeply.

    Now I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.

    In the coming months, we are bringing together artists from all over the globe, to enjoy speaking Shakespeare's plays in their own language, in our Globe, within the architecture Shakespeare wrote for. Please come and join us.

    National Theatre of China   Beijing︱Chinese

    This great occasion will be the National Theatre of China's first visit to the UK. The company's productions show the new face of 21st century Chinese theatre. This production of Shakespeare's Richard III will be directed by the National's Associate Director, Wang Xiaoying.

    Date & Time: Saturday 28 April, 2:30pm & Sunday 29 April, 1:30pm & 6:30pm

    Marjanishvili Theatre   Tbilisi | Georgian

    One of the most famous theatres in Georgia, the Marjanishvili, founded in 1928, appears regularly at theatre festivals all over the world. This new production of As You Like It is helmed (指导) by the company's Artistic Director

    LevanTsuladze.

    Date & Time: Friday 18 May, 2:30pm & Saturday 19 May, 7:30pm

    DeafinitelyTheatre London | British Sign Language (BSL)

    By translating the rich and humorous text of Love's Labor's Lost into the physical language of BSL, Deafinitely Theatre creates a new interpretation of Shakespeare's comedy and aims to build a bridge between deaf and hearing worlds by performing to both groups as one audience.

    Date & Time: Tuesday 22 May, 2:30pm & Wednesday 23 May, 7:30pm

    Habima National Theatre Tel Aviv | Hebrew

    The Habima is the centre of Hebrew-language theatre worldwide. Founded in Moscow after the 1905 revolution, the company eventually settled in Tel Aviv in the late 1920s. Since 1958, they have been recognized as the national theatre of Israel. This production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice marks their first visit to the UK.

    Date & Time: Monday 28 May, 7:30pm & Tuesday 29 May,7:30pm

    When we want to tell other people what we think, we can do it with the help of words. We can also do it in many other ways, too. Sometimes we move our heads up and down when we want to say "yes", and we shake our heads when we want to say "no". Some people can't hear or speak. They talk with the help of gestures（手势）. People from other countries often have to do it if they don't know your language.

    Here is a story. An American was once having his holiday in Italy, but he could not speak Italian. One day he went to a restaurant and sat down at a table. When the waiter came, the American opened his mouth, put his fingers in it and took them out again. In this way he wanted to say "Bring me something to eat". The waiter soon brought him a cup of tea. The American shook his head and the waiter understood that he didn't want tea. So he took it away and brought him a glass of milk. The American shook his head again. He was very hungry now and looked sad. He was just going to leave the restaurant when another man came in. When this man saw the waiter, he put his hands on his stomach(胃). In a few minutes there was a large plate of bread and meat on the table in front of him.

    Hundreds of children are being treated for sleep problems in Wales every year. In some cases, babies, infants and teenagers have been admitted to hospital while in north Wales alone.

    The Children's Sleep Charity said many children were suffering from lack of sleep mainly because of technology use. Public Health Wales said sleep was as important to a child's health as healthy eating and exercise, and children with poor sleep patterns were more likely to be fat.

    Statistics obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by BBC Wales found at least 408 children have been admitted to hospitals across Wales suffering from sleep disorders since March 2013.

    Children aged between 0 and4 made up the highest number of inpatients (住院病人), with some newborns being treated for sleep-related problems from the day of birth.

    Vicki Dawson, who set up the Children's Sleep Charity (CSC), said sleepless nights were putting both children and parents in anxiety. "Their weight and growth may also be affected as well as their mental health," she said.

    Teachers said children showing signs of sleep shortage and tiredness in class were a concern as they couldn't concentrate for long periods.

    Psychologist Amy McClelland, of Sleep Wales, said a common problem was children being "over excited" and "not having the chance to relax property" before bed and families should get back to basics. "Think 1950s family home. Dinner as a family, read, chat, a film maybe, lights off and then bed." She added.

    Unbelievable Stories of Animals Acting Just Like Humans

    Horses are picky eaters

    Horses have an even better sense of smell than humans do. When horses raise their noses and open their nostrils (鼻孔) , their nervous system allows them to sense smells we can't sense. This might explain why they refuse dirty water and carefully mover around meadows, eating only the tastiest grasses, experts say.

    Whale says thanks

    In 2011, a whale expert spotted a humpback whale trapped in a fishing net and spent an hour freeing it. Afterward, in an hour-long display of thanks, the whale swam near their boat and leaped into the air about 40 times.

    Pandas like to be naughty

    Is there anything more lovely than a baby panda, except maybe a human baby? In fact, baby pandas sometimes behave like human babies. They sleep in the same positions and value their thumbs. Pandas are shy by nature for its shy behaviors such as covering its face with a paw of ducking its head when confronted by a stranger.

    A cat honors its owner

    Paper towels, and a plastic cup are just a few of the gifts that Toldo, a devoted three-year-old gray-and-white cat, has placed on his former owner Iozzelli Renzo's grave every day since the man died in September 2011. Renzo adopted Toldo from a shelter when the cat was three months old, and the two formed an inseparable bond. After Renzo passed away. Toldo followed the coffin to the cemetery, and now “stands guard” at the grave for hours at a time.