A Language Programme for Teenagers

Welcome to Teenagers Abroad! We invite you to join us on an amazing journey of language learning.

Our Courses

Regardless of your choice of course, you'll develop your language ability both quickly and effectively.

Our Standard Course guarantees a significant increase in your confidence in a foreign language, with focused teaching in all 4 skill areas—speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Our Intensive Course builds on our Standard Course, with 10 additional lessons per week, guaranteeing the fastest possible language learning (see table below).

Evaluation

Student are placed into classes according to their current language skills. The majority of them take on online language test before starting their programme. However, if this is not available, students sit the exam on the first Monday of their course.

Learning materials are provided to students throughout their course, and there will never be more than 15 participants in each class.

Arrivals and Transfer

Our programme offers the full package—students are take good care of from the start through to the very end. They are collected from the airport upon arrival and brought to their accommodation in comfort. Werequire the student's full details at least 4 weeks in advance.

Meals/Allergies(过敏)/Special Dietary Requirements

Students are provided with breakfast, dinner and either a cooked or packed lunch (which consists of a sandwich, a drink and adessert). Snacks outside of meal times may be purchased by the student individually.

We ask that you let us know of any allergies or dietary requirements as well as information about any medicines you take. Depending on the type of allergies and/ or dietary requirements, an extra charge may be made for providing special food.

    Henry Ford was born on a farm on July 30th, 1863. The farm was near the city of Detroit.

    Henry was always interested in machines. He enjoyed fixing clocks.And he helped repair farm equipment. When Henry was sixteen years old, he left the family farm and went to Detroit to learn more about machines. Henry used what he learned from work to develop engines. In 1903, he was ready to start building cars for the public. On July 15th, 1903, a man named Doctor Pfenning bought the first car from the Ford Motor Company.

    The sale to Doctor Pfenning was the beginning of a huge number of requests for Ford cars.By the end of March, 1904, almost 600 Ford cars had been sold. At the start of 1905, the Ford Motor Company was producing 25 cars each day.

    Henry Ford was sure the future of the automobile industry was in a low-priced car for the general public. He said then, and many times after,“I want to make a car that anybody can buy.”

    In 1907, Henry Ford said: "I will build a motor car for the great mass of people. 1t will be large enough for the family, but small enough for one person to operate and care for. It will be built of the best materials. It will be built by the best men to be employed. And it will be built with the simplest plans that modern engineering can produce. It will be so low in price that no man making good money will be unable to own one.”

    Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking died peacefully at his home in the British university city of Cambridge in March 14 at age 76.

    Hawking, whose 1988 book "A Brief History of Time" became an unlikely worldwide bestseller and cemented (奠定) his superstar status, dedicated his life to unlocking the secrets of the Universe. He held the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, which is a position that was once held by Sir Isaac Newton.

    Born in 1942 in Oxford, where his parents spent the final months of pregnancy to avoid the bombings of London, Hawking was said to have been a good student although it wasn't until he was in his 20s that his true potential began to really shine through. Having initially wanted to study Mathematics, Stephen Hawking chose, instead, to read natural sciences with emphasis on Physics.

    Having found University life boring, so much so that he joined the University rowing team to relieve the boredom, it was only following an oral examination that he was awarded a first class degree.

    While at Cambridge, Hawking was diagnosed with a motor neurone (神经元）disease. He was initially given two to three years to live. The illness gradually robbed him of mobility, leaving him confined to a wheelchair, almost completely paralysed and unable to speak except through his trademark voice synthesiser (合成器）.

    Stephen Hawking led an incredible and well documented life. He was referred to in many TV programs, films, and even songs, and appeared as himself in a number of programs including Red Dwarf and the Big Bang Theory. His genius and wit won over fans from far beyond the world of astrophysics (天体物理学）, earning comparisons with Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton.

    Last summer I sat at a long picnic table near a breathtaking mountain. While the parents were eating dinner, the kids ran up a trail in search of a secret fort. Twenty minutes later one excited little boy, James, interrupted the adult conversation.

    “Mom, Mom, you can't believe what we found!”

    Lovingly, his mother smiled and whispered, “I can't wait to hear, James, but grown-ups are talking, and there will be a pause in the conversation. Please wait for the pause.”

    On my other side, another boy came running up to his mother with equal enthusiasm.

    “Mom, Mom, we had so much fun—”

    “I am talking! Don't interrupt,” she said.

    “But, Mom—”

    “Be quiet! Can't you see that I am talking?”

    “But Mom we found the—”

    “Shut up, Steve!” she yelled.

    My heart sank. I knew what was coming. James, on my right, patiently waited for the pause, enthusiasm still alive and well. Steve, on my left, walked away from the table, looking shamed, carrying with him stories of secret forts never to be shared.

    What markedly different messages to the child! “Wait for the pause” versus “Shut up” gets incorporated (包含)so differently into a child's developing sense of self.

    Harsh(刺耳的) words have bad effects. That's why I want you to promise to delete the phrases “Shame on you” or “You should be ashamed” from your vocabulary. I have seen countless patients whose parents' thoughtless words echoed in their heads and chipped(消除) away at their self-worth, even decades later.

    So we have to discipline ourselves to make our instructions constructive. One great tool is to look for positive behavior to reinforce. Don't ignore the things that your kids are doing right. Thank your children. Tell them that you noticed how they waited patiently or cleared their plate without being asked. Chances are that they will do it again. Let them feel noticed, appreciated, and valued. There's no better way to shape behavior.

    Gabriella's family immigrated to the US from Peru when she was two years old. As a compound bilingual (双语使用者), Gabriella develops two linguistic codes at the same time, with a set of concepts, learning both English and Spanish. Her teenage brother, on the other hand, might be a coordinate bilingual, working with two sets of concepts, learning English in school, Spanish at home. Finally, Gabriella's parents are likely to be subordinate bilinguals who learned a second language by translating it into their mother tongue.

    Regardless of accent and pronunciation, all types of bilingual people can become fully proficient in a language. It seems that the difference may not be apparent. But recently brain imaging technology has given a glimpse into how specific aspects of language learning affect the bilingual brain. It's well known that the brain's left hemisphere (半球) is in charge of logical processes, while the right hemisphere is more active in emotional and social ones. Language involves both types of functions. "Critical Period Theory" says children learn languages more easily because their developing brains let them use both hemispheres in language learning, while in most adults, language relies on one hemisphere, usually the left.

    Before the 1960s, bilingualism was considered a handicap that slowed the children's development by forcing them to spend too much energy distinguishing between languages. But a recent study did show that bilingualism may make you smarter. It does make your brain more complex, healthier, and more actively engaged, and even if you didn't have the good fortune of learning a second language like a child, it's never too late to do yourself a favor and make the linguistic leap from "Hello" to "Hola" "Bonjour" or "nihao" because when it comes to our brains, a little exercise can go a long way.

    In my memory, winters always used to be really unpleasant. You had to bundle up just to keep warm when you went outside. You were often cold, wet, slip on the ice, and you'd arrive home to an ice-cold house. And that would mean turning on the heating and waiting. It's a miracle you didn't get cold to the bone.

    Fortunately, things don't have to be so challenging any more. Technology, engine ring and design have advanced giving us new solutions to old problems. It means dealing with winter needn't be like skating on thin ice.

    With a smart thermostat (温度自动调节器), our homes can be warm when we need them to be. Many models feature smartphone apps that allow you to control temperature remotely, so we can warm up the house before we arrive home. According to techradar.com, Tado's model features voice control, while the Nest 'leans' your habits and automatically heats the home for you.

    Clothes have been given an upgrade, too. Electronic thermal jackets, sweaters and coats heat up when you turn them on. What better way to keep warm in the dead of winter? At the touch of a button, or through an app on our phones, the clothing generates heat from elements placed inside. Many models offer three levels of heating which stay warm for over 12 hours. .

    Finally, there is the clothing for the head, beanie s and Earmuff, that feature speakers included in the fabric using Bluetooth technology so we can listen to our favourite music or, in some cases, have a phone callusing the in-built microphone. All while keeping the head warm and avoiding a cold.

    For many, the thought of winter used to be enough to make their blood run cold. But using technology, life needn't freeze up. With the right solutions, there's no reason why winter can't be really, really cool.