Friday, May 31, 2013

6-Min English-One Way Marc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5qJKp4Ou-s

6-Min English-Messenger Bird

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQiVqSB3xEo

6-Min English-How Noisy is 'too noisy' ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZJZfFUI_-Y

6-Min English-Cleaning up Space

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0bruHpTcvg

6-Min English-Annoying Office Habits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gab3KHswvd4

6-Min English-Reach for the Sky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx8mjP6L6PU



Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Sublist 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

Sublist 2

achieve
acquisition
administration 
affect
appropriate
aspects
assistance
categories
chapter
commission
community
complex
computer
conclusion
conduct
consequences
construction
consumer 
credit
cultural
design
distinction
elements
equation
evaluation
features
final
focus
impact
injury
institute
investment
items
journal
maintenance
normal
obtained
participation
perceived
positive
potential
previous
primary
purchase
range
region
regulations
relevant
resident
resources
restricted
security
sought
select
site
strategies
survey
text
traditional
transfer
----------------------------------
Sublist 3

alternative
circumstances
comments
compensation
components
consent
considerable
constant
constraints
contribution
convention
coordination
core
corporate
corresponding
criteria
deduction
demonstrate
document
dominant
emphasis
ensure
excluded
framework
funds
illustrated
immigration
implies
initial
instance
interaction
justification
layer
link
location
maximum       
minorities
negative
outcomes
partnership
philosophy
physical
proportion
published
reaction
registered
reliance
removed
scheme
sequence
sex
shift
specified
sufficient
task
technical
techniques
technology
validity
volume
----------------------------
Sublist 4

access
adequate
annual
apparent
approximated
attitudes
attributed
civil
code
commitment
communication
concentration
conference
contrast
cycle
debate
despite
dimensions
domestic
emerged
error
ethnic
goals
granted
hence
hypothesis
implementation
implications
imposed
integration
internal
investigation
job
label
mechanism
obvious
occupational 
option
output
overall
parallel
parameters
phase
predicted
principal
prior
professional
project
promote
regime
resolution
retained
series
statistics
status
stress
subsequent
sum
summary
undertaken 
-----------------------------
Sublist 5

academic
adjustment 
alter 
amendment
aware
capacity 
challenge
clause
compounds
conflict
consultation
contact
decline
discretion
draft
enable
energy
enforcement 
entities
equivalent
evolution 
expansion
exposure
external 
facilitate
fundamental
generated 
generation 
image
liberal
licence
logic
marginal
medical
mental
modified
monitoring 
network
notion
objective 
orientation
perspective
precise
prime
psychology 
pursue
ratio
rejected
revenue
stability
styles
substitution 
sustainable
symbolic
target
transition 
trend
version
welfare
whereas 





Sublist 1 of the Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

analysis
approach
area
assessment
assume
authority         
available
benefit
concept
consistent
constitutional
context
contract
create
data
definition
derived
distribution
economic
environment
established
estimate
evidence
export
factors
financial
formula
function
identified
income
indicate
individual 
interpretation
involved
issues
labour
legal
legislation
major
method
occur
percent
period
policy
principle
procedure
process
required
research
response
role
section
sector
significant 
similar
source
specific
structure
theory

variables





IELTS Reading: true, false, not given

Read the following passage about a method for music teaching.

The Suzuki method is a method of teaching music conceived and executed by Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki (born 1898, died 1998), dating from the mid-20th century. The central belief of Suzuki is that all people are capable of learning from their environment. The essential components of his method spring from the desire to create the "right environment" for learning music. He also believed that this positive environment would also help to foster character in students.
As a skilled violinist but a beginner at the German language who struggled to learn it, Suzuki noticed that children pick up their native language quickly, and even dialects adults consider "difficult" to learn are spoken with ease by 5-year-olds. He reasoned that if children have the skill to acquire their mother tongue, then they have the necessary ability to become proficient on a musical instrument. He pioneered the idea that pre-school age children could learn to play the violin if learning steps were small enough and if the instrument was scaled down to fit their body.
Decide whether the following statements are true, false or not given.
1. Suzuki believed that environment is crucial for anyone learning a musical instrument.
2. His method helped him to learn German.
3. Suzuki compared language learning with learning to play an instrument.
4. He introduced new ideas about teaching music to infants.


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

IELTS Speaking Test in Canada – May 2013

Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- What subject are you studying?
- Why do you think people choose such a subject in your country?
- Do you like reading books?
- What type of books do you read?
- Are you reading a book presently?
- Would you like to write a book in the future?

Cue Card
Talk about a place where you used to work (e.g. a school, a hospital, an office). Please say

- What was the workplace like?
- Did you like to work there?
- Describe the people you were working with.

Discussion
- What games did you like as a child?
- Do you believe in what advertisements say? Why?
- Did you buy something after seeing an advertisement?
- Why do you think some people work from home?





IELTS Speaking Test in India and Sri Lanka – May 2013

Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you live in a house or an apartment?
- Do you like it? Why?
- Do you plan to move in the future?
- What would your future home look like?

Cue Card 1
Talk about a recent program on radio that you have listened to. Please say

- What was the program about?
- When did you listen to it?
- Was it interesting? Why?

Cue Card 2
Talk about your favorite place that you have visited recently. Please say

- What place was it?
- Where is it located?
- Why is this your favorite place?

Discussion 
- What is the benefit of having a national radio?
- How are advertisements done on the radio?
- How often do you listen to the radio?





IELTS Speaking Test in Australia – May 2013

Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Where do you live at the moment?
- Is it a house or an apartment?
- What is your favorite room? Why?
- Do you plan to move to another place? Why?
- Do you communicate via letters or emails?
- Do you receive letters often?
- How many do you get?
- What kind of letters are these?
- Do you prefer to send letters or emails? Why?

Cue Card
Talk about a place where people go to listen to music. Please say:

- Where is this place?
- What kind of people go there?
- What music is played there?

Discussion
- What new technologies are used in the music industry?
- Do you think we need to pay to download music? Why?
- Do you think new technologies influence music these days? How?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of these technologies?





IELTS Speaking Test in Brisbane, Australia – May 2013

Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Have you ever been to a museum?
- Did you go to museums as a student?
- Do students in your country always go to museums?
- Do you think students should go to museums?

Cue Card
Describe a garden that you like and visit often. Please say

- Where is it?
- What kind of garden is it?
- What do you like the most about it, and why?

Discussion
- Do your friends visit this garden too?
- Do you think gardens are important for people?
- What are the benefits of gardens for different age groups?
- Should government encourage more gardens in cities?





IELTS Speaking Test in Sydney, Australia – May 2013

Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you live in a house or an apartment?
- Do you like your home?
- What will your future house look like?
- What public transport do you usually use?
- Why do you use it?
- Do you think people should use public transport more?
- What would you do to improve Sydney’s public transport?
- Do you think public transportation is expensive in your city?
- What time of the day do you like the most? Why?
- What you do in that time?
- How is your day’s structure different now compared to the past?

Cue Card
Describe an advertisement which made you buy a certain product. Please say

- What was the product?
- What was shown in that advertisement?
- What did you like about the advertisement/product? Why?
- Why was the product important to you?

Discussion
- Do you think advertisements influence people’s choice for products?
- Who is showing advertisements in your country?
- Other than food and clothing, what products are advertised there?
- What do you think about showing or mentioning children in advertisements?
- Is it a negative thing?
- What are the other means of advertisement in your country?
- What is the most effective media in your view?
- Do you think a lot of advertising is harmful?






Saturday, May 18, 2013

IELTS Speaking Test in Canada – May 2013


Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you live in a house or an apartment?
- Do you like this house? Why?
- What kind of house would you like to have in the future?

Cue Card
Describe a party which you have organized. Please say:

- Whom did you invite?
- Where did the party take place?
- How did you organize it?
- How did you feel about it?

Discussion
- What kind of special celebrations do you have in your country?
- Do you think youngsters nowadays participate in these traditional celebrations less than in the past?
- What are the advantages of having such celebrations?
- How do they organize a traditional festival in your country?





Friday, May 17, 2013

IELTS Speaking Test in the UK – May 2013


Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- What is your profession?
- What do you do for better concentration?
- Do you think your work is very demanding? Why?
- Do you enjoy the countryside?

Cue Card
Describe a library that you are going to. Please say

- Where is it located?
- What design does it have?
- Do you like or dislike it?

Discussion
Don’t remember.





IELTS Speaking Test in Nigeria – April 2013


Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you live in a house or an apartment?
- Do you like this house? Why?
- What kind of house would you like to have in the future?
- What type of transport do you use most often? Why?
- What do you think can be done to encourage more people to use public transport?

Cue Card
Describe a situation when you helped someone in the past. Please say

- What situation was it?
- Whom did you help?
- How did you help him/her?
- How did you feel after helping him/her?





IELTS Speaking Test in New Zealand and Bangladesh – April 2013


Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- What do you do for a living?
- Please describe your job in detail.
- What is the hardest part of your job?

Cue Card
Describe a team project you have been involved in. Please say
- what was it,
- when was it,
- what happened and
- how you feel about this project.

Discussion
- Describe a big change that happened in your life.
- Was it a good or a bad experience?
- How did it affect your life?
- What did you learn from it?





Thursday, May 16, 2013

IELTS Speaking Test in the UK – April 2013


Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Where did you live in your country of origin?
- What do you like about this place?
- Would you like to go back there in the future?
- What are the main attractions in your city?
- Do you work or study?
- Does anybody in your family have the same name as yours?
- Are there particular names that are more popular than others in your country?

Cue Card
Speak about a person that you like talking to. Please say

- Who is this person? Describe him/her.
- What do you usually talk about?
- Why do you like talking to this person?


Discussion
- How do children learn to speak?
- Do you think adults speak to children differently then between themselves?
- Do you think human communication is different from that of animals?





IELTS Speaking Test in Iran and Nigeria – April 2013


Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you live in a house or an apartment?
- Do you like your home?
- What will your future house look like?
- What public transport do you usually use?
- Do you think public transportation is expensive in your city?
- How often do you spend your time in the countryside?
- How will the countryside look in the future?
- Do you have any memories of nature from your childhood?

Cue Card
Describe a room in your house that you like the most. Please say

- What room is it?
- Why do you like it that much?
- What do you usually do there?

Discussion
- How a room can be made a pleasant place?
- Do most people like big rooms or smaller ones? Why?
- Do you think everyone must have a private room?
- Does the appearance of an office have influence on customers? Why?
- Do you prefer to work in an open office or in a separate room?





Sunday, May 5, 2013

IELTS Speaking Test in Brisbane, Australia – April 2013


Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Can you describe the weather in your country?
- What seasons are there in your country?

Cue Card
Describe a sport event that you have recently seen. Please say

- Where and when was it?
- What did you do there?
- Did you like/dislike it? Why?

Discussion
- What is the most popular sport in your country?
- What sport are you interested in? Why?





IELTS Speaking Test in the UK – April 2013


Interview 
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- What can I call you?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you work hard on weekdays?
- What do you do to relax on weekends?
- Do you share household chores?
- What type of household chores do you dislike?
- Should children be taught to help around the house? Why?
- What do you do to concentrate?
- In what activities do you need to concentration?
- What are the things that disturb you the most?

Cue Card
Describe somebody who is doing a great job. Please say

- Who is he/she?
- What job is it?
- Why do you think this job is important?

Discussion
- Is everyone else thinking that his/her job is great?
- How do people select their career in you country?
- Where do they get advice about career?
- Do you think all jobs have value?
- How can we rank jobs?
- Do you think people that are offered unpleasant jobs should be paid more?






Thursday, May 2, 2013

IELTS Speaking Test in the UK – April 2013


Interview 
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- What can I call you?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you work hard on weekdays?
- What do you do to relax on weekends?
- Do you share household chores?
- What type of household chores do you dislike?
- Should children be taught to help around the house? Why?
- What do you do to concentrate?
- In what activities do you need to concentration?
- What are the things that disturb you the most?

Cue Card
Describe somebody who is doing a great job. Please say

- Who is he/she?
- What job is it?
- Why do you think this job is important?

Discussion
- Is everyone else thinking that his/her job is great?
- How do people select their career in you country?
- Where do they get advice about career?
- Do you think all jobs have value?
- How can we rank jobs?
- Do you think people that are offered unpleasant jobs should be paid more





Wednesday, May 1, 2013

IELTS Speaking Test in Singapore and Australia – April 2013


Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- What work do you do?
- Do you like boats?
- Have you been on a boat?
- Do you want to own a boat in the future? Why?

Cue Card
Talk about your favorite clothing. Please say

- Describe the clothing.
- Why is it your favorite?
- Where did you get it?

Discussion
- What is the difference between the formal clothing in your country and in Australia?
- Which one do you like more?
- Is the formal clothing for men and women different in your country?
- Do you think old-fashioned clothing will be popular again? Why?
- Is this going to benefit tailors or fashion designers?





IELTS Speaking Test in Uzbekistan and Oman – April 2013


Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you live in an apartment or a house?
- Describe a traditional house in your country..
- What is the attitude of people in your country towards modern and traditional buildings?

Cue Card 1
Describe a toy that you played with as a child, please say

- what toy it was
- who gave it to you
- why you liked it
- why you remember that toy until now.

Cue Card 2
Talk about your favorite meal. Please say

- what meal it is
- how often you eat it
- who cooks it.

Discussion
- What is the difference between girls’ and boys’ toys?
- Do you think toys really help in children’s development?
- Does modern technology have an influence on children’s toys?
- Have we lost our hand skills such as sewing?





IELTS Speaking Test in Canada – April 2013


Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Describe your job.
- What is the most challenging part of your job?
- Describe your workplace.
- Do you like the people you work with?
- Do you have to work overtime?
- How many hours of sleep do you need a day? Why?
- Do you think sleep is important? Why?
- Do you think we need to sleep in the afternoon? Why?
- What music do you prefer?
- When do you usually listen to music?
- How does it affect you?
- What music do people in your country listen to?

Cue Card
Talk about a situation where you were late. Please say

- What were you late for?
- What caused you to be late?
- How did you feel about it?

Discussion
- What is the importance of being on time?
- Do people in your country accept excuses for being late?
- Is it important to be on time at your work?






IELTS Speaking Test in India – April 2013


Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you find difficult to concentrate sometimes?
- What do you do to overcome it?
- Do you think multitasking is necessary?
- Do you live in an apartment or a house?
- Do you like your home?
- What kind of house would you like to have in the future?

Cue Card
Describe a situation when you helped someone. Please say

- Who was that person?
- Why did he/she need your help?
- How did you help him/her?
- How did you feel about it?

Discussion
- Will you help others in the future?
- How do you encourage children to help others?
- How do world social organizations such as Red Cross collect their funds worldwide?
- Do small non-government organizations always need big organizations’ help or can they collect funds themselves?






IELTS Speaking Test in Ghana – April 2013


Interview
- What is your full name?
- How can I call you?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you like this job? Why?
- Would you encourage others to do this job?
- What kinds of entertainment do people in your area like the most?
- What entertainment did you like as a child?
- Do you use the Internet a lot?
- Would you rather send an email or a card?
- Do you keep cards that you receive?

Cue Card
Talk about a garden that you have visited and liked. Please say
- What and where is it?
- What kind of people are visiting there?
- What kind of activities are there?


Discussion
- Do you think gardens have to be built within city boundaries?
- Do you think the government has to allocate more money to gardens?
- Among the elderly and the young, which group do you think enjoys gardens more?






IELTS Speaking Test in India – April 2013


Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you have a big family?
- Please describe your family.

Cue Card
Describe a person whom you admire the most in the family. Please say

- Who is he/she?
- What are his/her qualities?
- Why do you admire him/her so much?

Discussion
- Who is important in your family: the father or the mother?
- How should parents look after their children?
- How should working parents look after their children?
- Do children get sufficient love and affection from their parents these days?
- What do you think about relationships between teenagers and their parents nowadays?