How to prepare a Colombian recipe called "Arroz tapado" (Covered rice)

 

Ingredients:

·         Chicken breast

·         Bacon

·         Mushroooms

·         Water

·         Rice

·         Salt

·         Black pepper

·         Onion

·         Garlic

·         Milk

·         Butter

·         Walnut powder

·         Paprika

·         Carrots

·         Cabbage

·         Oil

·         Olive oil

·         Tomato paste

·         Potatoes

Instructions:

Firstly, prepare the rice: make water boil and add salt and black pepper at your wish, also put a little bit of oil and chopped onions. When the water is boiling, add the washed rice and wait for it to boil. As soon as the water gets dried, reduce the flame and turn off when the rice is smooth. While the rice is cooking, chop the bacon and the mushrooms into little pieces and fry them. Also cook the chicken with water and salt, when the chicken is cooked and cold, shred it.

Chop some onions, paprika, carrots and the cabbage, fry the vegetables and when they’re done, add the tomato pasta and pour a little bit of water. Cover the vegetables, so they can grow with the water. 

Prepare a béchamel sauce: melt butter and add milk, flour and walnut powder and wait for it to thicken.

Peel potatoes and scratch them, put the grated potatoes in water for a while. Fry the potatoes and set them over a napkin.

Finally mix the vegetables, the chicken, the mushrooms, the bacon and the béchamel sauce.  Server the rice and cover it with the mixture mentioned before, put the potatoes around the plate. And enjoy your meal!

Love in the time of Coronavirus

News say that the cases are increasing in the country, however we’re getting used to listening to things like that. We try to stay at home and take advantage of the time, so I’ve been exercising, sewing, cooking, reading and improving my languages. I started to study English and Portuguese some years ago, but I’m really focused on English now, I really want to be fluent. Therefore, I’ve been trying to study by watching movies, listening to music, chatting with native English speakers, having video calls, and writing essays and other things.

In this learning process, I met a Caribbean girl from Barbados on an app called HelloTalk, which is an app to find partners that are interested in exchanging knowledge. Since the first day we’ve been talking, she’s been very nice and helpful with my process to learn this language. And of course, I’ve been helping her with her Spanish, because if I receive help, I should return the help I received.

I think I’ve started to feel things toward her. She’s so cute and beautiful, her tanned skin and her afro hair make her look really beautiful. She also likes me, she’s mentioned how handsome I am. But everything is concentrated on a screen, we live so far and we aren’t even able to go out. Love is so hard currently.

So, we’ve made a lot of plans for everything gets better. I plan to move to the island, I always loved the sea and this is a great chance to live closer to the beach and be in love. Nevertheless, we have to be patient, we don’t even know how long it will take for the things to normalize. This is the only thing that we can do now, but while we will keep studying and improving our languages.

Essay: Life is currently better than when the old people were children. Preparation for TOEFL

 

Life is constantly evolving, changing and striving to improve itself. Clearly, life now is very different compared to the past. I think living today is much comfortable and easier than when my grandparents were children. I feel this way for two main reasons, which I will explore in the subsequent paragraphs.

First of all, working life is not as hard as before. People in the past had to work a lot harder to get what they wanted. Based on my knowledge, my grandparents had to raise many children. They lived in the countryside work was hard for them as they had to work to put food on the table in order to be able to feed their children. It is very different in modern times as people living in cities have comfortable jobs. Furthermore, physical strength is nor required to accomplish tasks. Therefore, in current times, living is much easier as people do not have to work as hard as they did in the past.

Secondly, technology makes everything easier. People can use machines and other forms of technology to make working life a lot easier. For example, computers did not exist when my grandparents were children. They needed to do many things on paper, things such as calculating numbers. These tasks took a lot longer to accomplish and furthermore, once they were finished, they were unsure if the answers were even correct. Hence, technology makes the life easier, because it helps to speed up the process of doing things and it can provide us with the results that are much more accurate.

In the light of the above mentioned reasons, I believe that if the people had the power to choose a time period they wanted to be born in, they would definitely choose the present as life now is a lot smoother as compared to before. This is because people are not required to work as hard as before and now, with the presence of technology in our lives, life is made much easier as compared to the lives of our grandparents when they were our age.

Essay: Benefits of the smartphone. Preparation for TOEFL

 

People have invented a lot of things to make our lives easier and nicer. One of these inventions is the smartphone. Smartphone is a technological invention that gives a lot of things to the people and to our society. On the other hand, smartphones cause some negative impacts in our society. Some of them are not very beneficial to the people. However, I think the smartphones have caused more good things to our society and I will would like to explain it in this essay.

First of all, smartphone is a useful way to communicate and make people closer. It does not only allow people to call each other but it also offers a lot of different ways to communicate. For example, smartphones have many applications wherein people can send messages, do video calls, share audiovisual materials, post in social media and some other kinds of communication. Therefore, smartphones help people to communicate each other faster and easier.

Secondly, smartphone provides different things that the people can take advantage of. If people are interested in learning a new language, they can find information online and download some applications to practice the language they want to learn. For instance, people can download some useful applications where people can have fun and learn. They can also listen to music in their respective language, watch movies and do other activities. Hence, smartphones can bring multiple options where people can grow their skills.

In conclusion, smartphones can cause some harmful effects to us and it is also helpful in other way. It brings different methods to communicate and make people closer to each other. The smartphones can also make people cultivate their skills.

Essay: Land for endangered animals. Preparation for TOEFL

 

Earth is home to many living things. Human beings have to share the planet with other living beings. But, it is clear that some animals are becoming endangered. In my opinion, it is more important to use the land for saving endangered animals. I feel this way for two main reasons, which I will explore in the following paragraphs.

First of all, people can adapt pretty well to different aspects. They can live in any place in this world and create strategies to make the place more comfortable to live. However, animals require specific things to survive. They do not have the ability to modify their environment. Therefore, they have to stay in their current environment to get what they need. For example, if the weather is very hot, people can buy things to make the environment better. But, animals cannot build things to improve their quality of life. Hence, people can adapt to different circumstances and they can live in any place.

Secondly, people do not need big places or a lot of land to live. They only need a place where they can get water and food, and they do not need a big land to get what they want. On the other hand, animals need a lot of space to get the resources what they need. For instance, tigers and other animals that are endangered require meat to survive. They need to live in big spaces to get their food. Therefore, people do not need as much space to live in comparison to endangered animals.

In conclusion, it is more important to use the land for saving endangered animals than for human needs like farms, houses, and factories. This is because people can adapt to different circumstances, and environments and they can live in most places and do not a lot of land to survive.

Essay: Nutria as a pest. Preparation for TOEFL. TOEFL Bank

The article introduces the topic of an animal that is spreading around the world and becoming a pest. This animal is called nutria. More specifically, the writer discusses some strategies to control this pest. The lecturer in the listening passage disagrees. He believes that those strategies are not enough and attacks each of the claims made in the reading.

In the reading, the author begins by stating that people can build some walls of tough materials to avoid this animal to enter to the farms or other places. The lecturer, however, disagrees. He states that the fences or walls do not stop the nutrias    because they can dig underground and cross the other side of the fence.

The author also claims that people can drain the water close to their places because it is the habitat of this animal. Again, the lecturer believes that there are flaws in the writer’s argument. The speaker holds that making wet places dry is not a solution since most of the farmers need water for irrigation. Therefore, it would cause a big impact in the economy of the farmers.

Another reason why the author feels that the people should not control the spread of nutria is because people can eat the nutria meat since it has a lot of nutrients. The professor in the listening passage is doubtful if it is accurate. He suggests that the nutria meat is not beneficial for the human beings because it has bacteria and parasites that can produce several diseases.

Essay: Work as an individual to succeed. Preparation for TOEFL

 

It is necessary to work to get the things that we need. There are many different kinds of work that the people can do. They can work in jobs that range from farmers to presidents. However, the type of work that they do depends on what they have studied, the number of jobs offers they receive and the person’s location. Oftentimes, people have to work with others. I think that it is better to work as a team instead of working as an individual to succeed. In this essay, I will explore a number of reasons explaining why it is better to work as a team.

Firstly, it is well known fact that two heads are better than one. When you are working with others, it is good to listen to their ideas, because everyone thinks differently and their opinions could be proven useful. For example, sometimes architects have problems solving certain physics related problems concerning the construction of a building. However, as they aware that engineers are able to resolve them, they will then consult them. Therefore, it is helpful to work with other people so that they can help you to solve your problems.  

Secondly, the coworkers can offer motivation and this in turn improves the overall working environment. This is because they can support you and make you feel like you belong. For instance, some of your coworkers are concerned wellbeing, having noticed when something is wrong. Thus, they try to make you feel better, uplifting your mood and so, creating a much better environment for you to work in. Hence, the people who you are working with can help you to succeed as they try to motivate you during work.

In conclusion, it is much better to work as a team than as an individual to succeed, as people can be of great help when you have any problems that are in need of resolving. Furthermore, people can also help where you are working at a much more comfortable place to work in.

Essay: Some benefits about the Coronavirus. Preparation for TOEFL

 Microorganisms are organisms that have always lived on this planet. It is impossible to live without them since they are also in our body. For instance, they are in our stomach providing the nutrients that the food offers. Therefore, the viruses that we are currently facing, namely the Coronavirus, can be seen in other perspectives. I will explore what are some of the good things that the Coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, has brought to our lives.

First of all, the planet needed to take a break. The biggest industries have been increasing the greenhouse gases. This means that the world is getting hotter because the gases in the atmosphere do not allow the sun rays to escape the planet. Many industries have also had to minimize productions and they are not producing as many gases as they did before. For example, fabric industries produce a lot of carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases. However, lately, people have not been buying clothes, because they prefer to stay at home. Hence, the Coronavirus has reduced planet pollution and the world is healing a little bit more. 

Secondly, this situation about being at home has made people think about their lives. Some people have not been very lucky and have lost their jobs, hence, they do not have enough money to survive. However, other people have noticed about their problems and have tried to help them. For instance, some companies have tried to get some supplies and food in order to donate them to those suffering from poverty. Therefore, the Coronavirus has awoken the solidarity of the people and they are improving as people.

In conclusion, the microorganisms will always be with us and we have to live with them. Furthermore, while we can live with that fact, we can see some good aspects of the virus that we are currently facing; planet pollution has been reducing and we are improving as people. 

Essay: Leisure activities of Colombians. Preparation for TOEFL

 

 

People can do different activities in their free time. These activities can change according to the tastes, location and the things needed to do the activity. The people who live in Colombia enjoy doing different activities, I will mention the main activities that the Colombian people do in their free time.

One of the main hobbies of the Colombian people is playing soccer. Even though the people also enjoy watching soccer matches. Soccer makes people proud of their state and they support their team even when they are losing. For example, it is normal that the people meet in a bar, watch a match, drink some beers and enjoy the time together. However, the soccer can also bring bad moments when fans do not accept the results of a match and fight against the fans of the opposite team. Therefore, the soccer is a great activity that is enjoyed by the Colombian people, but it can also bring difficulties when people do not respect each other.

The second hobby that I would like to mention is dancing. It is known that the Colombian people are happy and it can be seen in the multiple carnivals and festivals that the country has. In those events, the people are always dancing and having fun. The country has a huge diversity of rhythms, every state has its own music and it means that every state has a style of dancing. For instance, the musical genre of the Caribbean zone is the Champeta, this rhythm is danced quite extravagantly. Hence, dancing is one of the leisure activities that the Colombian people enjoy doing.

In conclusion, the activities that the Colombian people enjoy doing are mainly playing and watching soccer, although it can also bring problems, and dancing to the different genres of Colombian music.   

Essay: The importance of a healthy diet. Preparation for TOEFL

 

Human beings require some basic things to survive, one of them is food. The food can be very different according to the place you live and the traditions that you have. In addition, the food is very important because it helps to maintain a healthy life. I will explore in this essay some benefits of a healthy diet in our lives.

First of all, it is clearly demonstrated that a healthy diet prevent people from. People who eat mainly sugar and flour tend to be obese, this is a problem because obesity increases the risks of getting other diseases. For instance, people who have been eating sugar since they were kids have greater possibility of getting diabetes as adults. Therefore, a healthy diet reduces the chance to have a serious disease in the adulthood. 

Secondly, a healthy diet can make people live longer. It is known that the people in the past used to live longer because they had better food than the ones we have nowadays. People did not have to spend a lot of money buying products to improve the production of their crops or on pesticides, because they made the own organic products. For example, peasants who used to grow coffee did not apply any chemical products, they had a system to keep the soil productive having trees in the fields, so the trees incorporated the nutrients back to the soil when the leaves dropped. Hence a healthy diet can increase the possibilities to live longer in this world.

In conclusion, a healthy diet is very important for everyone, because it reduces the risks of getting serious diseases and it also helps to increase the chances of having a long life.   People

Essay: The importance of the biodiversity. Preparation for TOEFL

 

The importance of the biodiversity

 

There are a number of species in this world that coexist harmoniously. Those who can interact with one another are called living things. There are many kinds of living things, they can be as small as a mushroom or as big as an elephant. In my opinion, the biodiversity of these species is very important.  I have two main reasons which I would like to discuss in the following paragraphs.

First, it is well known that if there are more living things that exist in an area, the better the ecosystem is. The diversity of species indicates the health of an ecosystem. A healthy ecosystem can offer valuable resources for humans. For example, if an ecosystem has not received tremendous damage caused by humans, it is most likely that the ecosystem can offer significant resources for communities such as water. Therefore, biodiversity is very important to preserve resources that are necessary for humans.

Second, biodiversity reduces diseases and pests in nature. It is harder to affect the whole species when there are diverse individuals. If the individuals have different qualities, the species will have the ability to face external agents to avoid their extinction.  For instance, some individuals can survive a disease but others can die of the same disease. If this disease is affecting the specie for quite some time, the whole specie will not die completely. Hence, biodiversity is fundamental to preserve species in an ecosystem.

In conclusion, biodiversity is very important for an ecosystem and for the entire world. This is because it can preserve resources that are offered by nature. It is also necessary to preserve the different species in an ecosystem.