مرحبا بكم بالثا نوية التأ هيلية السلام اولاد جرار--- نيابة تيزنيت --- قسم اللغة الانجليزية

Cultures, traditions and ceremonies differ from country to country. The Moroccan wedding ceremony is special, rich and quite elaborate. The wedding ceremony I attended in my hometown last weekend is no exception.

The ceremony took place in a very large villa which had been built for various celebrations. It was excellently furnished and nicely decorated. It includes embroidered couches, nice sofas, and comfortable upscale furniture.

There were large set tables surrounded by ten chairs each. The light from chandeliers above added to the beauty of the atmosphere. The waiters in their white shirts and black slacks and bowties were extremely attentive, very courteous, and friendly. At 9 o’clock, the guests started to arrive. They were dressed up to the finest. Men were wearing their most expensive and most beautiful attires. Most women dressed up to the nines. They were wearing gorgeous Kaftans or Takchitas or Djellabas – all Moroccan traditional robes. Suddenly the sound of drums and trumpets and the ecstatic singing filled the air. The guests stood up and craned their necks to see the entering bride.  Many began to dance to the tone of the music of the orchestra. The bride and the groom greeted the audience with smiles and hand gestures. Dressed in her Moroccan wedding gown of brightly colored silk and embroidered with gold, the bride hand in hand with her husband walked in slowly followed by three women. The latter are in charge of beautifying the bride and changing her into various traditional outfits. They had adorned her with heavy jewellery and darkened her eyes with kohl. Her hands and feet had also been painted with the henna the night before by a special artist who had used intricate floral and geometric design in the presence of friends and relatives.

After the bride and the groom had sat on their throne facing the guests, the waiters served them milk and dates. The orchestra sang all kinds of Moroccan pop songs. From time to time the bride and groom would go out to change their attire. They wore clothes that represented each region of Morocco: Fassi, Sussi, Rabati and Zemoui clothes. Whenever they changed clothes the band would sing the songs of that region.

Midnight was time for dinner. They served various sumptuous dishes. There were more than three helpings. 

At 4 o'clock, the band was still playing. Then, the waiters served tea and cakes. It was a breakfast for me. I wished the new couple good luck and a blissful marital life. I was sleep-deprived and tired. So, I left.

Cultures, traditions and ceremonies differ from country to country. The Moroccan wedding ceremony is special, rich and quite elaborate. The wedding ceremony I attended in my hometown last weekend is no exception.

The ceremony took place in a very large villa which had been built for various celebrations. It was excellently furnished and nicely decorated. It includes embroidered couches, nice sofas, and comfortable upscale furniture.

There were large set tables surrounded by ten chairs each. The light from chandeliers above added to the beauty of the atmosphere. The waiters in their white shirts and black slacks and bowties were extremely attentive, very courteous, and friendly. At 9 o’clock, the guests started to arrive. They were dressed up to the finest. Men were wearing their most expensive and most beautiful attires. Most women dressed up to the nines. They were wearing gorgeous Kaftans or Takchitas or Djellabas – all Moroccan traditional robes. Suddenly the sound of drums and trumpets and the ecstatic singing filled the air. The guests stood up and craned their necks to see the entering bride.  Many began to dance to the tone of the music of the orchestra. The bride and the groom greeted the audience with smiles and hand gestures. Dressed in her Moroccan wedding gown of brightly colored silk and embroidered with gold, the bride hand in hand with her husband walked in slowly followed by three women. The latter are in charge of beautifying the bride and changing her into various traditional outfits. They had adorned her with heavy jewellery and darkened her eyes with kohl. Her hands and feet had also been painted with the henna the night before by a special artist who had used intricate floral and geometric design in the presence of friends and relatives.

After the bride and the groom had sat on their throne facing the guests, the waiters served them milk and dates. The orchestra sang all kinds of Moroccan pop songs. From time to time the bride and groom would go out to change their attire. They wore clothes that represented each region of Morocco: Fassi, Sussi, Rabati and Zemoui clothes. Whenever they changed clothes the band would sing the songs of that region.

Midnight was time for dinner. They served various sumptuous dishes. There were more than three helpings. 

At 4 o'clock, the band was still playing. Then, the waiters served tea and cakes. It was a breakfast for me. I wished the new couple good luck and a blissful marital life. I was sleep-deprived and tired. So, I left.

According to Wikipedia, humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. It is a birthright, a natural part of life, which has multiple benefits mentally, physically, and socially. Humor is the best medicine. People who laugh on regular basis have lower standing blood pressure than people who don’t. Laughter exercises almost the entire body and stimulates both sides of the brain. It boosts the immune system making us stronger and better able to fight diseases. It protects the heart, reduces stress, and fosters instant relaxation. It also releases pent-up feelings of anger and frustration and makes us feel good. Socially, humor is the shortest distance between two people. Humor initiates conversation and generally builds a more trusting atmosphere. Humor unites us, reduces our hostility, deflects criticism, improves our moral, and eases tension, especially when we laugh together. Humor is enjoyed best when shared with others. Our works, marriages, celebrations, friendships, all need humor. Laughs and smiles also help us avoid loneliness by connecting with others who are attracted to genuine cheerfulness. To develop a sense of humor and make it part of our every day life we need to take life lightly and seek out funny people. We also need to hang out with children more often to enhance our playfulness and add humor to our life. Besides, we have to watch comedy DVDs and TV shows, read comic authors and jokes, and spend less time with very serious people. Eventually, we need to learn to see hope in the midst of sadness though not all people have the same taste in humor. There are times when humor is inappropriate to use. So, we have to be aware that humor can be a double-edged sword that can generate a quantal response – either a constructive or a destructive function.

Some people think the countryside  is better than the city and others take the city for granted. However, both the countryside and the city have advantages and drawbacks.

In the countryside, the air is clean, the water is pure and the environment is beautiful while most cities choke in their own filth and pollution. Also, people there are friendly. A friendly smile while passing is standard in the countryside and it’s sincere; whereas, in the city few people smile at you. In fact, they are likely to regard you with suspicion if you smile at them. Besides, people in the countryside enjoy more tranquillity than those in big cities. There is less noise and life is calm and relaxed. Once on foot in the city, you find yourself in an ant colony, or a cage with too many rats. As for food, it is fresher in the countryside.  Farmers sell fresh produce, which they bring straight from the fields, at their stand just around the corner. Moreover, the city is rife with violence and crimes: Many thefts and murders often take place in the city.

On the other hand, the city has its own benefits. City residents have greater access to health care. When a person falls ill there are good government and private hospital in the city to get treatment. Also, children living in the city can get a good education, because there are better schools in the city than in the village as well as libraries. Besides, people in the city can lead a comfortable and enjoyable life and have access to more social and cultural events. There are a lot of facilities and necessary infrastructure: movie theatres, hotels, clubs, electricity, running water, means of transport etc. Moreover, city dwellers have more job opportunities and possibilities for making money as well as opportunities to progress in their life.

Both the countryside and the city have special qualities. Our choice –whether to live in a rural or urban area - will depend on factors such as personality, mood, background, habits etc. We should also try to create a world having advantages of both lives.

Technology can be defined as science applied to practical purposes. It is easy to think about the advantages of modern technology, but what about its disadvantages? Technology today has made life easier and quicker but also dangerous.

Modern technology makes life easier for people. For example, microwave ovens cook food easily. Dishwashers wash all dirty dishes and dry them. Moreover TVs, personal computers, cell phones and the internet have enhanced the welfare and wellbeing of people worldwide. These have provided various ways of entertainment, have improved people’s lives, helped hem to communicate, and offered them ways to get to distant parts of the world in little time.

Also, modern technology saves many innocent lives. Medical science is very progressive and vastly available today. Many life-saving discoveries are all thanks to modern technology. Without brain scanners, fetal monitors, endoscopes, lasers, radioactive chemicals and computers, a lot of people would struggle with their health.

On the minus side modern technology has come up with deadly and dangerous weapons such as poison gas bombs and nuclear bombs. And while many people live in horrible conditions and famine, governments spend a lot of money on developing weapon industry. Besides, the weapon machinery pollutes the globe and endangers our environment.

In addition, modern technology has made us so dependent on it that we feel lost without it. We feel helpless, defeated, and lost if our machines break down. We, also, become so addicted to these tools that we loose all real interpersonal relationships.

Modern Technology also creates financial problems in families because it has dangled before their eyes a litany of expensive gadgets they cannot afford. Thus, the push-button dreamworld raises people’s material expectations to an unrealistic level. Some people, then, may turn to crime and corruption to increase their material wealth.

Eventually, everything that we use in life is good or bad depending upon the use. It contributed immensely to the overall experience of humankind; to our material comfort and well-being and to our greater understanding of the world we live in. However, we must balance the use of technology with the possibility we may be crushed by these new ways of doing things.

A lot of people emigrate from the country to the city. This drift has a lot of causes as well as effects.

      The first cause, in my opinion, is drought. Severe droughts have not only ruined the crops in Morocco but also left people with very little or no water for them and for their crops and animals. So, lack of water in the country means unemployment.

      Secondly, work is hard in the country because poor peasants have no machinery. Most of them work more than ten hours a day and do not have any vacation at all.

      Thirdly, there is a shortage in schools in the Moroccan country side. That's why the farmers prefer to move to the city so as to give their children good education.

      Fourthly, the country in Morocco lacks good infrastructure and services. There is no electricity, no roads, no hospitals, no recreational or sporting facilities…

      Because of all these and other things a lot of people prefer to drift toward the cities. This immigration has, however, a lot of consequences. Among these are: these people often settle in the outskirts of the cities where housing is not adequate: no electricity, or tap water, or hygiene.

      Also children often find it hard to adapt to the city life and may not continue their education in crowded classes in the outskirts of the cities where these families settle. So, they drop out of school and turn to drugs, crimes, and violence.

      Transportation, as well, is a problem here. Buses and taxies are often crowded and uncomfortable. So these immigrants just jump "from the frying pan into the fire"

      To conclude, I think, providing people in the country with good infrastructure and creating jobs for them in the country is the only way to encourage people to stay there.

Terrorism is the use of violence for political reasons. This includes any use of violence for the purpose of putting the public in fear.

 

Terrorists typically reject democratic means of change, like elections, and believe that only violence can bring about their political goals. So, terrorists often strike out at ordinary, innocent people - even children. They want to show that the government cannot protect its own citizens.

 

Radicalism or terrorism is an ideological movement and political approach that is foreign to Islam. When examined closely, these radical groups, it becomes clear that they are using a compilation of Communist/Marxist slogans and methods.

 

Terrorism, then, is one of the greatest dangers facing mankind and which has to be fought before it engulfs the world. Firstly, people should be willing to cooperate and give up some of their freedoms to be secure from terrorism (checkpoints, inspections of identity…). Secondly, we should make change in the law to increase police powers. Thirdly, we have to reduce the sentences of convicted terrorists if they volunteered useful information. Fourthly, we need to fight illiteracy, poverty, and unemployment to prevent young people from joining terrorist groups who promise a better life.

Finally, as a reminder, Islam considers any attack on innocent people as a major crime. They are not Muslims those who adopt the “fanatical rage of the Time of Ignorance” (Qur’an).

Money is the one thing that people say they argue about most in marriage, followed by children. However there are as many causes as there are cases of divorce. In this game of revenge children become the pawns. Many studies place money or financial problems as the cause number one. Couples who cannot make ends meet or whose wages and salaries do not allow them to provide for a good living find it difficult to stay wedded. This can be worse if the wife or husband (sometimes) is too demanding. Second, infidelity is another cause. The spouse, for example, may become too ugly. Love life, on the other hand, may no longer be exciting because the expectations or needs of one or both are not met. Addictions and substance abuse is cause number three for divorce. I mean the use of drugs and alcohol. This may result in physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Also, lack of communication between couples may be another cause. Poor communication can bring a dramatic change in marriages. How they argue is more important than what they argue about. Talking and expressing one's feelings and ideas may save marriages. The consequences of divorce fall mostly on children. It has devastating, long-term effect on them psychologically and emotionally. Divorce happens at a time when kids need stability and support. Spouses, especially women, suffer from divorce because it is often followed by a “crisis period” typically lasting for years .These crises can be emotional, economical or have to do with parenting which results in different disorders for children. Eventually, the main factors that make a marriage work are a combination of the three C’s – communication, compromise, and commitment, with a little bit of concession.

1.	أضغاث لأحلام	Senseless dreams
2.	سلاح ذو حدين	A double edged sword
3.	لا يدخر جهدا	Spare no effort
4.	ضمير حي	A live conscience
5.	على نطاق واسع	On a large scale
6.	كل يغني على ليلاه	Each marching to the beat of their own drum
7.	حجر عثرة	Stumbling block
8.	آن الأوان	The time has come
9.	أبا عن جد	It’s in the blood
10.	اختلط الحابل بالنابل	It’s a total mess

Idiom	Darija
1. Brown nose	بلحاس / كايتبلحس
2. Fall off the turnip truck	عاد نزلو الكار
3. Take a French leave	سلت
4. Here today, gone tomorrow	الدوام لله
5. In the same boat	في الهوا سوا
6. Jump the gun	سبق العرس بليلة
7. Laughing stock	ضحكة
8. Never darken my door again	ضرق عليا كمارتك
9. In two minds	حاير
10. A spoke in a wheel	العصا ف الرويضة