Visit to Auckland University's ELSAC

On Thursday we'll visit the university's ELSAC. We are scheduled to leave the classroom at 10.50am tomorrow in order to arrive at ELSAC, next to the University Bookstore, which is on campus. We'll be back by 12.40am. For more information please visit Auckland University's ELSAC page.

Test (25/11/09): writing, listening & reading

Please check back tomorrow for your results. I will email the tapescript to those who sat the test.

Announcement: Wednesday's Class

Jennifer, Module 4A's teacher, will be away for the rest of the week. For this reason, the IELTS class and Jennifer's Topics Class will combine. Unfortunately, we will not be able to do the test we had scheduled for Wednesday's class, but we will do some reading & speaking that will be relevant for both classes.

Homework Answers p130...Nicole's writing answer

Tonight's reading is related to today's writing topic: In defence of history.

2) Answer = D

3) 1 b (lines 10-14)
2 A (lines 19-20)
3 C (lines 23-26)
4 A (lines 38-39)
5 C (lines 48-51)
6 A (lines 58-61)


4)1 a 2 b 3 a 4 b 5 b 6 a

5) 1 unbiased 2 analogous 3 consequently 4 perceive 5 succession 6 recognition

____________________________________________________________________________

Today in class, we wrote an essay (task 2). As mentioned, here's my personal answer:

The world is becoming increasingly aware of the existence of other cultures living on the same planet. This essay will argue that although it is preferable that as many of us as possible are aware of other cultures, it is not vital for everyone to study foreigh hisory and culture.

In this age of political correctness, it is appropriate that people understand the cultural history of others in the world around them. This understanding is thought to promote respect between people and represents the fertilizer from which peace and harmony spring. Knowledge of other cultures also allows one to be in a position to assist others in a multi-cultural community. As one gains insight into a different culture and its history, they can gain advantages such as the ability to do international business, avoid political clashes that can result from ignorance and miscommunication.

Coming from a contrary perspective, it can be argued that there is no advantage in learning about other cultures and history with regard to keeping peace. The Roman philosopher Apuleius once said that familiarity breeds contempt, while rarity wins admiration. He may have a valid point when it comes to race relations in countries such as Lebanon, where different religions and sects have lived side by side for centuries, with an awareness of each others' customs language and culture, and yet no real progress in regards to peace.

Furthermore, in the modern age of information technology, it is unnecessary to be intimately acquainted with a multitude of cultures. Should one need the tools of communication or social etiquette needed to do business with another country, there are a multitude of tools available. The internet is a wealth of knowledge, as are translation services. Whatismore, with the spread of globalisation, the world is becoming as one, culturally and linguistically. Minority languages are disappearing and people are beginning to operate within the framework of what is internationally acceptable, with certain cultural norms dominating others.

(Conclusion to come)

Listening Test: Answers & Results (Thurs 19/11/09)

Today's in-class Listning Test came from Cambridge Practice Tests for IELTS 1 and answers are as follow.

Practice Test 3:
Listening Section 1

1 B 2 D 3 C 4 A 5 Richard Lee 6 30 Enmore Road 7 Newport 8 Architecture 9 LJX058K 10 Ford 11 C 12 (on the) (front) window/windscreen

Section 2
13 November 1991
14 (historic) ships
15 green arrows
16 information desk
17 stairs to climb//lots of stairs
18 every hour
19 Captain Cook
20 the sea
21 Australian artists/painters
22 $70
23 souvenirs

Section 3
24 B 25 C 26 D 27 A
28 law has changed//law changes//changes in law
29 (powerful) computer programs
30 from home (computer)
31 hotels/hotel beds/rooms
32 hire cars

Section 4
33 displays//products//displays and products
34 (hidden) TV cameras
35 recorder//recording
36 'Spaceman'
37 position//shelf//spot//place
38 walk (straight/right) past//ignore//pass
39 at eye level//near customers' eyes
40 hotspots
41 special offers
42 chocolates

________________________________________________________
TEST RESULTS

25 , your listening test result was 19 out of 42.

21, your listening test result was 20 out of 42.

99 , your listening test result was 26 out of 42.

08 , your listening test result was 23 out of 42.

01, your listening test result was 30 out of 42.

66 , your listening test result was 27 out of 42.

88, your listening test result was 37 out of 42.

17, your listening test result was 36 out of 42.

00, your listening test result was 27 out of 42.

20, your listening test result was 28 out of 42.

14 , your listening test result was 29 out of 42.

Today's speed reading site in S5

http://www.freereadingtest.com/free-reading-test.html

Eels...pronunciation...test tomorrow

EELS
Today we talked about eels and their breeding cycle. For more on NZ eels, follow this link. The oldest eel

PRONUNCIATION
Today's words to practice were:
love / lev (which is Bulgarian currency) / live (v.) / leave

LISTENING TEST & VOCAB TEST TOMORROW
We've got a 30 min listening test tomorrow and a Vocab test tomorrow too. Please refer to Week 9 Vocabulary.

Homework Answers (worksheet - unit 15)

Reading homework:
2) 1 B (lines 9-10)
2 A (lines 18-23)
3 D (lines 39-41)
4 D (lines 54-55)
5 B (lines 56-60)

Vocaqbulary
3) 1 a website
2 pain
3 an illness (a battle is also possible)
4 medicine
5 the world
6 an illness (pain is also possible)
7 values (approach, assumptions and context are also possible)
8 context (approach and light are also possible)
9 light (approach and context are also possible)
10 approach (context and light are also possible)
11 assumptions (values is also possible)
12 judgements

4) 1 experience 2 diagnose 3 treat 4 appreciate 5 relate 6 practise (American English is practice) 7 complement 8 assume 9 respond 10 progress

5) 1 resistance 2 perception 3 assumptions 4 consultation 5 assessment 6 Failure

WEEK 9 Vocabulary List - 50 words

This week's vocabulary is from units 17.1-18.2 of our text book. These words are also from the Academic Word List.

adjustment
annual
approaching
aspects
conclude
consequent
considerable
construction
context
contributed
culture
cycle
conducted
debate
definable
defining
detection
distinction
enable
establish
estimated
ethnic
evident
evolved
generation
identical
illogical
inconsistent
indicate
inherent
institutions
integral
labouring
manual
method
migrant
migration
migratory
occurring
orientation
recreate
regional
restricted
reversing
seek
source
subsidise
techniques
tradition
unstable

Writing Test Results

Here are the writing test results:


14 you got 15 out of 20 for task 1 and 9.5 out of 20 for task 2.
99 you got 16 out of 20 for task 1 and 14.5 out of 20 for task 2.
08 you got 13.5 out of 20 for task 1 and 15.5 out of 20 for task 2.
66 you got 17 out of 20 for task 1 and 13.5 out of 20 for task 2.
17 you got 17 out of 20 for task 1 and 14.5 out of 20 for task 2.
00 you got 16 out of 20 for task 1 and 15.5 out of 20 for task 2.
14 you got 17.5 out of 20 for task 1 and 14.5 out of 20 for task 2.
21 you got 16 out of 20 for task 1 and 0 out of 20 for task 2.
25you got 15.5 out of 20 for task 1 and 13 out of 20 for task 2.

RESULTS: Reading Test (12/11/09) / Test Answers

Today's reading test answers are as follow:

1 viii 2 i 3 ix 4 iii 5 vi 6 motlen glass//ribbon of glass//molten glass ribbon
7 belt of steel//steel belt//moving belt
8 (lightbulb) moulds
9A 10B 11A 12C 13A 14E 15G 16A 17C 18F 19D 20A 21S 22M 23S
24 (it has) double(d)//doubling
25 de-layering
26 demographic trends
27 employers
28 YES 29 NO 30 NO 31 NOT GIVEN 32 vi 33 iii 34 i 35 ii

RESULTS:

25 your result is 15 out of 35.
21 your result is 10 out of 35.
18 your result is 16 out of 35.
14 your result is 14 out of 35.
99 your result is 12 out of 35.
08 your result is 17 out of 35.
01 your result is 18 out of 35.
66 your result is 31 out of 35.
17 your result is 25 out of 35.
13 your result is 26 out of 35.
00 your result is 20 out of 35.
14 your result is 24 out of 35.

These/those/that/this...& reported speech

Today a question came up regarding the use of these/those and this/that.

Try these examples:

1) More sport has become, in effect, a branch of the etertainment and advertising industry, and the top performers in sports such as golf, tennis, football and track atheletics can expect to become very rich. ________ in itself worries some people.

2) Even among hard-working office workers in the company, there are _____ who believe that a promotion is almost impossible.

3) Rugby and netball: __________ are the most popular sports amongst young New Zealanders.


ANSWERS
1 This 2 those 3 these

For more on this, go to p 142 in your book (the section is half way down the page under Unit 14).


REPORTED SPEECH

Try this quiz on reported speech

Homework Answers (worksheet - unit 13)

Reading
2)1 collision 2 destruction 3 research 4 suggestion 5 device 6 data 7 nature 8 core 9 risk 10 action 11 effect 12 shift 13 result 14 force

Extra H/W (worksheet)
Grammar
3)1 will be passing /will pass
2 will be affected
3 will be travelling
4 will be learned/learnt
5 will never be
6 will be altered

Vocabulary
4)1 causing 2 hazards 3 impact 4 orbit 5 outcome 6 proximity 7 implications (The horizontal word is gravitational.)

Extra, Extra Homework:
p110-111

2) a the 2 for/of 3 it 4 its 5 to 6 this/that 7 been 8 themselves 9 would 10 their 11 who 12 so

3)1 will be spending / will spend
2 will award
3 will have worked/will have been working
4 will have earned

4)1 danger 2 success 3 a/the belief/persception 4 nature 5 denial6 a/the perception/belief

5) 1 unfair income distribution
2 acute labour shorages
3 high living standards
4 influential, shrinking market sector
5 high, unfair taxation levels

6) 1 being triggered 2 have resulted 3 have suffered 4 has contributed

7) Possible answers

B In a nutshell, an assessment of private income will define the extent of state support of the over 65s.
C Without going into detail, natural disasters may influence an individual's perception of risk.
D Briefly, human beings differ in their personality traits, both positive and negative.

Homework Answers p102-103

p102-103 READING
1E, 2B, 3G, 4A example 5F, 6C, 7D, 8E, 9D

Extra H/W READING (continued from the reading we did in class)
p104-105

7 YES (para A)
8 NOT GIVEN (para B)
9 NO (para C)
10 NG (para D)
11 YES (para E)
12 YES (para F)
13 NO (para G)

4)a respond 2 determined 3 consequences 4 inherent 5 dilemma 6 manifests

15.2 p 101

6 In the first sentence of each pair, the noun is countable, and refers to one instance.
In the second sentence of each pair,the noun is uncountable, and refers to the concept in general.

7 a) uncountable b) countable
8) 1a 2a 3- 4an 5a 6- 7- 8a 9a 10-
9)1 acceptance 2 existence 3 consideration 4 thought 5 certainty 6 suspicion

Week 8 Vocabulary List

Here are the words to learn in week 8. Again, all the words are taken from our text book (units 15.1-16.2), and they're all from the Academic Word List:
adulthood
alternatives
analysing
assess
circumstance
coincidence
community
complex
component
consequences
contemporary
contribute
denial
detection
dimensions
dissimilar
distinct
distortions
dramatic
enormous
environment
equipment
error
evaluating
factor
granted
identified
impact
income
inherent
injuries
investigator
involve
irrational
legislation
major
modification
perception
predicted
psychology
random
reinforcement
reliable
researcher
signify
similarly
strategies
technology
theory
unaware

We'll test these on Thursday.

Homework Answers p95 & p91

p95 Answers:

3)1a 2c 3a 4a 5b 6c 7b

4)1 each: cause of social change
2 those: individuals and whole families
3 this: the massive contribution of immigrants to the culture of the receiving country
4 these: big families
5 others: changes
6 one: a family

5
Rewritten essay extract:
Today's students have to deal with a number of problems. THESE include an acute shortage of affordable accommodation and rising debt. To supplement their finances, students are often forced to work long hours and THIS will more often than not affect the quality of their college work. Even if the students manage to get a good degree, THEY then face declining job prospects, WHICH are particularly poor for those in arts and humanities.

6) 1 ...small ones
2 ...8 million of them/these
3 ...the individuals themselves
4 ...makes her
5 Some claim...others disagree
6 ...which was more than
7 For those who....

EXTRA H/W: Reading p 91
1=E (paragraph 2)
2=K (paragraph 4)
3=I (paragraph 3)
4=C (paragraph 1)
5=L (paragraph 4)
6=D (paragraph 2)
7=B (example)
8=H (paragraph 3)
9=F (paragraph 2)


NB/ I haven't checked h/w over the last few days. If you have any questions, there will be time on Monday to check this and p89, 93 & 95 - the past few days' homework.

Homework Answers p 93 Vocabulary

Homework was #6 and #7, but here are the vocab answers for the whole page, FYI:

4) 1 living standards: the amount of weatlth and comfort (accommodation, possessions, etc.) people have in a particular society.
2 labour shortages: a lack of people available to work
3 social expenditure: the money spent by government at a national or local level to provide care and facilities for citizens in need
4 standard of living: (see #1)
5 role(s): the position or purpose of a person or organisation
6 market sector: a defined part of the population that is targeted commercially

5) 1 enhanced living standards
2 serious labour shortages
3 associated social expenditure
4 acceptable standard of living
5 respective roles
6 influential market sector

6) 1 rising living standards
2 acute labour shortages
3 related social expenditure
4 satisfactory standard of living
5 corresponding roles
6 powerful market sector

7)1 enhanced is the opposite of DECLINING
2 serious is the opposite of NEGLIGIBLE
3 associated is the opposite of UNCONNECTED
4 acceptable is the opposite of INADEQUATE
5 (there's no opposite) - perhaps the closest opposite word is "opposing" e.g. the opposing team played a good game
6 influential is the opposite of INEFFECTUAL


EXTRA H/W:
Worksheet Unit 9
Reading
2)1 T (lines 9-10)
2 T (lines 15-16)
3 F (lines 22-23)
4 T (lines 26-27)
5 F (lines 37-38)
6 F (lines 48-50)

3)1 NG, 2 YES, 3 YES, 4 YES, 5 NG, 6 YES

Vocabulary
4) 1e 2c 3f 4b 5a 6g 7h 8d

Writing
5) 1 One 2 another 3 a third 4 not only 5 but also 6 Among 7 Alongside 8 thus

Grammar
6) 1 Ben could scarcely have known about the road closures as he doesn't drive.
2 The traffic lights had no sooner turned green before they went back to red again.
3 I have rarely visited as beautiful a city as Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
4 I hardly need to add that all mobile phones should now be switched off.
5 There was barely enough room for everyone who boarded the bus.

Questions in class today - vocabulary

The homework answers are coming later today....

Meanwhile, today a few students had some questions regarding vocabulary. One of the words was "role". If you'd like to read an article on the role of teachers and students, there's one here. Another question that came up in class were the other names for "ER" (emergency room). New Zealanders talk about the A&E (accident and emergency). Other synonyms are: ICU (intensive care unit), critical care facility, emergency, emergency clinic, intensive care unit, medical crisis unit, trauma center, triage room ...

Lastly, someone asked about which option is correct:
a) Based on asumptions of continued low fertility, combined with the fact that people are generally living longer with each generation, Australia's population is projected to continue ageing.
b) Based on asumptions of continued low fertility, combined with people are generally living longer with each generation, Australia's population is projected to continue ageing.
c) Based on asumptions of continued low fertility, combined with people generally living longer with each generation, Australia's population is projected to continue ageing.

Answer: a & c are correct, but b is unacceptable. The reason is that you need VERBing after a prepostion (ie with + VERBing). An alternative is to place "the fact that" + normal sentence [ie a subject + verb + the rest of the sentence]. Answer "b" is neither of these, so it's wrong.

EXTRA INFO
"Based on assumptions of continued low fertility" and "combined with the fact that people are generally living longer with each generation" are subordinate clauses.

Follow the link for more on subordinate clauses and examples.

Extra Reading - try reading the news

LOCAL NZ NEWS
If you'd like to practise reading and are interested in current affairs, http://www.stuff.co.nz/ was awarded Best Media Site 2009, and is a popular local news source.

LOCAL NEWS FROM YOUR COUNTRY
If you're interested in keeping up with local news from your country, the Chosun news from Korea is available in English.
Swedish news is available in English from www.thelocal.se . Chinese news is also available in English, as is Taiwanese news,Saudi news andwww.arabnews.com is also available. Here's a Japanese site and it was also possible to source a Brazilian one. The news from Thailand is available in English at http://www.bangkokpost.com/ and the http://www.thejakartapost.com/ has the latest on news from Indonesia.

NEWS FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS/LEARNERS
If you're interested in language learning and teaching The Guardian is a well-known British newspaper that has created a website for English Teachers.


ADDITIONAL READING PRACTISE
For extra practise, here are some texts available on the internet that aren't exactly like IELTS tests, but practise reading and comprehension.
Reading #1, and here are 34 reading texts with comprehension questions. You can click on a word and the dictionary definition will come up. You can also do the reading as a test or as practise.

Tony Buzan - someone with an amazing memory

A student asked about something in a Simpsons episode he'd seen on TV. I believe that the following clip is the person referred to. His name is Tony Buzan. If you're interested in creating your own mind maps online, there's a free online tool to do this called http://bubbl.us/edit.php.

If you're interested in improving your memory, here are some light-hearted games that may help you.

More on comets & asteroids

Today we asked what the difference is between a comet and an asteroid. If you haven't been to Auckland Stardome, check it out. It's a good place to absorb vocabulary regarding space exploration. Shows take place at night and tickets are around $16.


Vredefort Crater is located in South Africa. It's the largest crater in the world. For more reading material on this crater, click here.

Homework p89 & Extra Homework (worksheet 9)

Exercise 7 Answers:

1 will have been travelling 2 won't reach 3 will be approaching 4 will cause
5 will be formed 6 will take/will be taking 7 will be found 8 will terminate / will be terminated
9 will have passed 10 will be making


Extra Homework
Worksheet 9

Reading
2) 1=D (lines 17-19)
2=C (lines 22-28)
3=D (lines 42-43)
4=B(lines 57-58)
5=A (lines 60-62)

3) Vocabulary
Across
1 manipulation
2 informant
3 precise
4 ritual
5 vehemently
6 interpret
7 lore
8 taboos
9 omen
10 trance
11 role
12 tale
13 shaman
14 tribe
15 heresy

Grammar
4) 1 Could my bad dream last night have been due to that cheese I ate?
My bad dream last night couldn't have been due to that cheese I ate, could it?
2 The fact that you cannot remember your dreams might be reversible, mightn't it?
Mightn't your inability to remember dreams be reversible?
3) David's dream couldn't have been caused by watching that film.
There's no way that David'sdream could have been caused by watching that film.

Week 7 Vocabulary List - 50 words

Here's the latest vocabulary list. It will be tested on Thursday. Please note that all these words come from your text book and the listening exercises for modules 12.1-14.2. They are also all included in the top 2000 words of the Academic Word List.

achieve
approach
clarity
collapse
commitments
community
consisted
consisting
constantly
consultancy
contractors
contributing
contribution
convinced
definitions
derive
description
duration
emerged
encountered
environment
error
establish
eventually
evidence
evidence
evidnce
fundamentally
immigration
impact
impact
incident
individual
initially
insights
investigate
monitor
outcomes
philosopher
previously
psychology
region
requirement
research
resolution
restrictions
revised
succession
terminate
theory
visible

Speaking Test Results

You will receive your speaking feedback in class tomorrow.

Answers to Extra Homework: p84-85

Answers:

2)1 Not only was New Orleans hit by a severe hurricane but (it was also hit) by disastrous flooding as well.
2 Hardly had we checked into our hotel on the bay when we were taken on yet another boat trip.
3 No sooner do babies learn to crawl than they start walking.
4 Not only are there genetic factors to consider but (there are) also environmental ones.
5 Little did I think that I would be visiting the city of Rosario for work.
6 Not until the following night did the torrential rain ease up.

3)1 a to be doing
2 to be investigated
3 to have been contacted
4 to have dealt with
5 to have been building up
6 to have been established
7 to be monitored
8 to have been caused

4)Possible Answers:
1 ...may possibly be vulnerable to flooding.
2 ...could be the reason for its poor diet.
3 ...might be that you ate a lot of cheese late last night.

5) Suggested Answer:
Yesterday I had a discussion with the managing director of the company Dreams-U-Like, Dr Janet Stephenson. I believe she has a PhD in psychology and she seems to know her field. Additionally, a specialist in dream analysis, Barry Whitehead, is doing some consultancy work for her. We should investigate Mr Whitehead's reputation, as he might be able to assist us as well.> Dr Stephenson claims that he is impressive with clients, and gives good presentations. What views do you have on the matter?

Results:Listening/Reading Test

Here are the Listening and Reading test results from today's test:

#25,your listening score was 20 out of 41. Your reading score was 10 out of 40.

#21,your listening score was 21 out of 41. Your reading score was 4 out of 40.

#14,your listening score was 15 out of 41. Your reading score was 16 out of 40.

#99,your listening score was 24 out of 41. Your reading score was 11 out of 40.

#08,your listening score was 25 out of 41. Your reading score was 15 out of 40.

#01,your listening score was 26 out of 41. Your reading score was 19 out of 40.

#66,your listening score was 26 out of 41. Your reading score was 28 out of 40.

#88,your listening score was 31 out of 41. Your reading score was 33 out of 40.

#17,your listening score was 31 out of 41. Your reading score was 30 out of 40.

#13,your listening score was 32 out of 41. Your reading score was 26 out of 40.

#00,your listening score was 29 out of 41. Your reading score was 14 out of 40.

#14,your listening score was 28 out of 41. Your reading score was 24 out of 40.


--------------------------------------------------------
Today's Speaking test results will be posted on Sunday.

Please check back during the weekend for next week's vocabulary list.

Don't forget to put an hour aside for your writing homework. I recommend that you do this under test conditions.

For extra homework, try p84-85. I'll post the answers up during the weekend.

Test Answers: Listening/Reading/Speaking (Thurs 29/10/09)

Today we took a listening, reading & speaking test. The tests were from Cambridge Practice Tests for IELTS 1 by Jakeman and McDowell.

Here are the Answers:
Listening Test #1
Section 1
1A 2C 3D 4D 5C 6Prescott (must be correct spelling with a capital 'P')
7) 41 8) Foundation (must have campital 'F') 9) 752239 10) 65 pounds

Section 2
11-13 E,F,H [in any order]
14 $250 million
15 roads/road system
16 too late
17 school children/boys
18 3
19 boats/pleasure craft/boats and pleasure craft
20 pilot
21 (musical) instruments

Section 3
22A 23B 24C 25A 26talk/give a talk 27) write up work 28) can choose 29) open book 30) closed reserve 31) vocational (subjects)/(preparing for) work/employment

Section 4
32B 33C 34 history and economics 35) (meeting) deadlines (for essays) 36 attendance
37B 38C 39B 40D 41A
--------------------------------------------------------


READING ANSWERS
1 preserve 2 unaware 3 chance 4 friction 5 rotating 6 percussion 7 Eskimos 8 despite

9F (...the red phosphorus was non-toxic)
10D (...three years later it was copied)
11E (...since white phosphorus is a deadly poison..)
12 C (The first matches resembling those used today...)
13G (...a brewery had the novel idea of advertising...)
14 A (...a sealed glass tube..)
15C (...borrowed the formula from a military rocket-maker...)
16 yes 17 yes 18 not given 19 no 20no 21 not given 22 yes 23 b 24 c 25 a

26-28 A, D, E [in any order]

29 timber and stone
30 Modernism
31 International style
32 badly designed buildings/multi-storey housing/mass-produced, low-cost high-rises
33 preservation
34 High-Tech
35 co-existence of styles/different styles together/styles mixed

36G, 37F 38H 39C 40D

--------------------------------------------------------


The scores for the Reading & Listening will be posted by 6pm tonight.

EXTRA HOMEWORK (Worksheet 8)

Writing
1) Possible answer

Terms of reference
This report is intended to highlight problems currently faced by the Kitchen of the Futre Resarch Unit.

Physical environment
The Unit is based in an annex of the company's head office. However, the facilities are out-of-date, and the offices are full of reports, equipment, etc. Staff are sometimes unable to find specific information that they are asked for, as the relevant report cannot be located. It is therefore likely that unless the Unit moves to more spacious nd better-equipped premises very soon, it will be unable to continue operations.

Work of the Unit
The Unit produces a large number of reports on innovations affecting the food industry. Reports are commissioned by outside bodies, and staff travel anywhere in the world to carry out the necessary research. They are so experienced that they can produce a report in a very short time.

Staff also work on projects to invent new products, most recently the 'Music Knife', a gadget which optiises cooking preparations by playing music of a suitable mood and speed.

Grammar
2) 1h 2d 3g 4b 5a 6e 7c 8j 9f 10i

Reading
4) 1F (lines 4-7)
2T (lines 8-11)
3T (lines 18-19)
4NG We are told proportio0ns (65% and 59%) but not the numbers of appliances sold.
5T (lines 24-27)
6F (line 31
7NG We are told they have a 55% share, not whether that proportion has changed.
8NG Although 55% of all free-standing cookers use gas, the proportion isn't necessarily the same for range cookers.
9F (lines 45-46)
10T (lines 50-54)

Homework p83 (Task 1 Writing)

The graphs provide climatic information for Cape Town and Upington in South Africa in an average year.

From the line graphs it can be seen that there is less fluctuation in temperature in Cape Town than in Upington, where maximum temperatures reach over 35 degrees C in January (the highest temperatures in Cape TOwn are well below 30 degrees C). Both places are at their coolest in June and July. In Upington, temperatures rise steeply again through August and September, whereas in Cape Town, the increase is more gradual.

Upington is much wetter than Cape Town outside the months of June to September. March is the wettest month in Upington, with an average rainfall of around 180 millietres. In contrast, Cape Town has hardly any rain in the period November-March. Its peak rainfall is in June, when it receives approximately 100 millimetres.

Homework p82-83 (Writing Task 1)

Are you struggling with today's homework? Try and work alone for 15 minutes, but if you're still having problems, here's a model answer...

Parkinson's / Alzheimer's - the difference

Students asked what the difference between Alzheimer's and Parkinson's is. Whilst Alzheimer's produces general memeory loss and slowness in its sufferers, Parkinson's produces loss of muscle control which can produce shakiness in speech or walking. Both are neurological diseases. The following information has been taken from http://alzheimers.about.com/od/symptomsofalzheimers/a/symptoms.htm and http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_parkinsons_disease.asp

Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that leads to personality changes, memory loss, intellectual slowing, and other Alzheimer's symptoms. Although each person with Alzheimer's is different, most progress through a series of stages, each of which is characterized by more serious Alzheimer's symptoms.Alzheimer's is a progressive and fatal brain disease. Alzheimer's destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and problems with thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimer’s gets worse over time, and it is fatal. Today it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.

Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson’s disease begins by affecting movement, resulting in tremors and shakiness, stiffness, difficulty with walking and muscle control, lack of facial expression and impaired speech. Parkinson’s is another disease in which Lewy bodies are found in the brain. Many individuals with Parkinson’s develop dementia in later stages of the disease. There are currently no drugs approved by the FDA specifically to treat the dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease.


Michael J Fox is a well-known actor with Parkinson's disease.

Homework Answers p74-75 (Reading)

4) 1 earthquakes and floods 2 (a) supercontinent 3 fossils 4 climate change 5 plates 6 mountain ranges

7 E (lines 55-57)
8 C (lines 38-44)
9 D (lines 50-54)
10 B (lines 28-30)
11 D (lines 48-50)
12 E (lines 60-63)

5) 1 A meterologist working in Germany wrote two articles about continental drift.
2 Finding similar fossils on both sides of the Atlantic was strong evidence of continental drift.
3 Wegener was intrigued by fossils found in South America and Africa.
4 It is impossible for coal to form in a cold climate.

6) 1 sentences 1 and 3
2 sentences 2 and 4
3 sentence 0

7) 1 active 2 passive 3 -ing 4 infinitive

8) 1 proposed 2 comparing 3 moving 4 to accept 5 revolutionising

Limestone...pronunciation of final "t" sound...

A student asked a few questions about limestone today in class. For more information, check out this site on limestone. NB: Marcus, were you enquiring about the word "chalk"?

Someone also asked about the pronunciation of the final "t" sound in words. For this, and other pronunciation practise, click on the link.

I've already given you extra practise, but for the same information on where to find extra reading tests, click here. Extra listening is available at this link.

Extra writing practise (i.e. Task 1 writing questions with sample answers) is here. You can also follow the link on the left of the page which says "Task 2". Naturally, it's a good idea to time yourself. You should allow 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 minutes for Task 2. Feel free to do the question and give me your writing. I'm happy to mark it for you, regardless of how similar or different it is to the model answer.

Speaking Test Results

We had a test on Wednesday last week. The speaking tests were marked as follows:

*A maximum of 5 points for Fluency and Coherence
*A maximum of 5 points for Vocabulary
*A maximum of 5 points for Grammatical Range and Accuracy
*A maximum of 5 points for Pronunciation
TOTAL= /20 marks


______________________________________________________
Please check your marks as follow:
#08, you scored 4,4,4 & 3.5 respectively = total of 15.5 marks
#99, you scored 4, 4.5, 4 & 3.5 respectively = total of 16 marks
#21, you scored 3.5,3.5,3 & 2.5 respectively = total of 12.5 marks
#01, you scored 3.5,4,4 & 4 respectively = total of 15.5 marks
#00, you scored 4,4,4 & 3.5 respectively = total of 15.5 marks
#25, you scored 3,3.5,3 & 3 respectively = total of 12.5 marks
#88, you scored 4.5,5,4.5 & 5 respectively = total of 19 marks
#18, you scored 3.5,3.5,3 & 3.5 respectively = total of 13.5 marks
#17, you scored 4,4,3.5 & 4 respectively = total of 15.5 marks

Please check your email for more feedback on your speaking test.

Practice Reading Test Answers (Test 3 & 4)

I gave you some IELTS reading tests in week 5 for extra practise at home. These tests come from "IELTS on Track" by Slater, Millen and Tyrie.

Reading Test 3 Answers:
Sleeping on the Job
1D 2N 3N 4Y 5NG 6N 7F 8B 9E 10safety 11not on duty 12D 13C

Homeopathy
14 v 15 vii 16 viii 17 x 18 iii 19 ix 20 alcohol and water 21 shaken 22 stronger 23 heal itself 24 control symptoms 25 cheaper 26 side effects

Hemp Revival
27 F 28A 29E 30B 31D 32low quality 33(virtually) no THC 34A 35B 36A 37C 38A 39C 40B

Reading Test 4 Answers

Frogwatch
1N 2NG 3N 4N 5Y 6Y 7B 8A 9A 10B 11B 12A&/or C 13B

Just Relax
14 iii 15 ii 16 vi 17 vii 18 ix 19 Bible 20 magnets and water 21 physiological/human 22 (mental) concentration 23 (fully) aware 24A 25D 26B 27D 28C

Kids and Sport
29 freedom 30 organised 31 sports grounds/sports halls 32 intensive/sport(s)
33 one 34 assessments/criticism 35 fun 36 pressure 37C 38B 39D 40B

Week 5 & 6 Vocabulary List - 50 words

These words are from Modules 9.1-12.2 of your coursebook and will be tested on Wednesday 28/10/09 [NOT Tuesday]. They are all included on the Academic Word List.

approximately
awareness
capabilities
coincidence
community
comprehensive
constructed
construction
contribute
controversial
creation
creativity
diminished
dramatically
enhance
erosion
established
exploit
feature
founded
grants
identity
infrastructure
initially
isolation
mature
maximum
migration
monitored
occupies
parallel
paralleled
phenomenon
priorities
project
promote
published
purchase
status
succession
sum
symbol
technique
traces
traditions
transporting
triggering
unambiguously
version
volunteers


For extra practice of a completely different set of vocabulary

Writing Test Results (last Thursday's test)

Each section of the writing task was marked out of 20. Please note that Task 2 is weighted more heavily than Task 1. Both Task 1 and 2 were marked according to...

i) Task Response (Did you address all parts of the task and present a fully developed response?) [?/5 marks]
ii) Coherence & Cohesion (Skillfully managing paragraphing and sequencing information & ideas lodgically)[?/5 marks]
iii) Lexical Resource (Using a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticaed features and no spelling mistakes))[?/5 marks]
iv) Grammatical Range & Accuracy (Using a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy)[?/5 marks]

_________________________________________________________
Here are your results:

#17, well-done! This was the highest overall score of the class. Your score for task 1 was 19 out of 20. Your score for task 2 was 19 out of 20.

#13, your score for task 1 was 18 out of 20. Your score for task 2 was 19 out of 20.

#25, your score for task 1 was 17.5 out of 20. Your score for task 2 was 12.5 out of 20.

#21, your score for task 1 was 6.5 out of 20. Your score for task 2 was 15 out of 20.

#18, your score for task 1 was 17 out of 20. Your score for task 2 was 17out of 20.

#99, your score for task 1 was 17 out of 20. Your score for task 2 was 16out of 20.

#08, your score for task 1 was 15 out of 20. Your score for task 2 was 15out of 20.

#01, your score for task 1 was 15.5 out of 20. Your score for task 2 was 16out of 20.

#66, your score for task 1 was 18.5 out of 20. Your score for task 2 was 15out of 20.

#88, your score for task 1 was 16.5 out of 20. Your score for task 2 was 18.5 out of 20.


#00, your score for task 1 was 14.5 out of 20. Your score for task 2 was 16 out of 20.

Please check your email on Friday for more detailed feedback.
_________________________________________________________

Writing Task 2: Here's the question we had in the writing test on Thursday 15/10/09:

Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic:

Trees are esential for the existence of the human race as they provide the oxygen that we need to survive. Yet, daily all around the globe large areas of woodland are being destroyed. Many people feel that they as individuals can do nothing and that only governments and large companies can halt the destruction.

How far do you agree or disagree with this?

Use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and with relevant evidence.

CLASS NOTICE: Labour Day Holiday

Please note that there will be no class tomorrow for IELTS Session 2 as you will be sitting your AE exam. Good luck with that!

There will also be no class on Monday 26/10/09 as this is a public holiday in New Zealand and the school will be closed. Traffic will be more intense than usual going in and out of Auckland during the break. To find out what's on in Auckland, click here.

The writing results will be posted on this site shortly under your secret number. Click here to see the model answer for task 1 of the writing test.

The speaking test results from today will be posted on this site by Saturday 24/10/09 8pm.

You will receive the tapescript for last week's listening test via email by Friday.

You were also given extra reading tests earlier in the week. The reading test answers will be posted on the blog by 8pm Saturday. Click here for the answers [which are now available on the blog].

The next big in-class test will be on Thursday 29/10/09. This will be a 2 hour test and will incorporate reading, listening and speaking. If you would like to get the full feel of an IELTS test, I will give you a writing test on this day for homework.

We have a vocabulary test on Wednesday 28/10/09 [NOT Tuesday]. Please check back to the site from Saturday onwards, as the new vocab. list will be posted here by then.

Homework Answers p70-71: Writing

Answers:

B is the clearer answer because it is better organised and contains more exemplification to support the argument (though not all points are equally well-exemplified - as exercise 3 reveals). The writer of B disagrees with the statement and states his/her opinion unambiguosly in the opening paragraph, then goes on to exemplify each aspect in a new paragraph and finally includes a clear conclusion.

A, on the other hand, is rambling and contradictory, its paragraphs are disorganised, there is no introduction and the final sentence is unclear. Interestingly, as exercise 3 reveals, it has more points than B, but these are rarely developed or exemplified (apart from the information given on Bilbao).

3 Suggested answers
live entertainment A - yes 2 B - yes 3
open spaces A - yes 1 B - no
transport A - yes 3 B - yes 3
cultural benefits A - yes 1 B - yes 2
noise/crowds A- yes 1 B - no
shoppping A - yes 1 B - yes 3
architecture A- no B - yes 2

4 Additions to table

Introducing....in terms of
Adding another related point...Another (obvious benefit); What is more
Contrasting previous information....At the same time; However
Clarifying what has been said....In other words
Linking to the argument ....because of this; Thus
Concluding/summarising....In short

5 Answers
city living: urban living, lifestyle
21st century: contemporary, modern, nowadays
stressful: oppressive
offers: provides, support
advantages: benefits, oppportunities


EXTRA HOMEWORK:
6 This is the same task as in exercise 1. Answer B should be used for guidance. Please give your writing to Nicole at her desk in the teacher's room or email your answer to nicolestoupe@hotmail.com

Homework Answers p 66-67 #3 / today's vocab question

Answers
1 iv 2 viii 3 v 4 vi 5 iii 6 ix

7 NOT GIVEN We don't know whether Brenda went ice-skating after the dream or not. (para A and the first sentence of para B)

8 TRUE (lines 17-20)

9 NOT GIVEN The text refers to the discover of REM sleep 50 years ago and says it opened up new avenues of sleep research, but we don't know the relative importance of this research (para C)

10 FALSE (lines 36-37)

11 TRUE (lines 38-40)

12 TRUE (lines 55-57)


Vocabulary
13 FALSE (lines 62-66)


EXTRA H/W Vocabulary Collocations p67:



1 inspire new ideas - b does not collocate
2 promote self-healing (para B), promote a similar effect (para F) - all collocate
3 strengthened the argument - c doesn't collocate
4 developed electronic devices - b does not collocate
5 Not everyone shares this enthusiasm - all three collocate
6 operates on a shoestring - a does not collocate


Style extra:

5 1 minor character 2 specialist 3 children 4 customer 5 manager


EXTRA HOMEWORK:
UNITS 1-4 REVISION p 33
Grammar
3 1 a and b are incorrect:
a= Essays must have...
b= Essays should be...

2 a is incorrect: have been training
an style="font-style:italic;">
3 c is incorrect: unless it is OR if it isn't


4 1 surprisingly poor 2 considerably bigger 3 bitterly disappointed 4 increasingly likely 5 excessively complicated 6 widely believed

5 1 responsive 2 imitation/imitating 3 unpredictable 4 classification 5 consumption 6 inefficiency

6 1c 2a 3b

7 1 collocation - wasting money
2 acronym - FIFA
3 idiom - bitten the bullet
4 proverb - every cloud has a silver lining
5 idiom - food for thought
6 slang -quid
7 collocation - highly rated

8 1 up until recently 2 over the two-year period 3 in the meantime 4 shortly after that date 5 from time to time


TODAY'S VOCAB. QUESTION

Today someone asked for clarification regarding annexation and agglomeration.

As you can see by these definitions, it's a pretty similar concept. Annexation refers to countries , and agglomeration refers to cities and towns. Please click on the links above to see the words used in context.

Monday Night's Homework (Worksheet #6)

Manju will give you this homework in class on Monday 19th October.

Reading
2)1=D (lines 15-21), 2=G (lines 25-27), 3=A (lines 36-38), 4=I (lines 47-51), 5=B (lines 98-101) 6=E (lines 98-101)

3) 1 laboratories 2 attention 3 cloth 4 rake 5 explanations

Vocabulary
4) 1 take 2 carried out 3 testing 4 promote 5 make 6 sought 7 shape 8 underlie 9 endangered 10 offset

Style Extra
5) 1 It appears to be the case that we are driven to ensure the success and continuation of not just our own genes, but of the species.
2 It was asserted by Copernicus in 1530 that the Earth rotates on its axis once a day and travels round the sun once a year.
3 Most people in the 16th century found it hard to believe that the planets orbit round the sun.
4 It is unlikely that a large comet or asteroid will hit the Earth.
5 Radio telescopes have made it possible (for us) to extend our knowledge of the universe.
6 It will take a gerat deal of time, effort and money (for us) to establish setttlements on the moon.



EXTA HOMEWORK (p63)
3) 1 archaeological 2 strategically 3 settlers 4 cultural surroundings

4) Subjects 1 Ur 2 l 3 a stone lion (The subject comes after the verb, or after an auxiliary such as did - as in example 2.)

5) 1 No sooner had we got back to the hotel than Tom wanted to walk to the castle.
2 Seldom had I felt as safe as this walking around a city late at night.
3 Scarcely had they entered the office when the phone started ringing.
4 Hardly had the ticket price rise been implemented when it was announced that a further 5% increase would be imposed.

6) 2=g, 3=a, 4=e, 5=f, 6=b, 7=d (see below)

2 Not only has the city of Bogota got an excellent bus service, it also encourages the use of bicycles wherever possible.
3 Not only do 10 million inhabitants live in the centre of Shanghai, a further 10 million live in its suburbs.
4 Not only are there a lot of galleries in London, there are several museums too.
5 Not only can high-rise buildings lack style and originality, they are sometimes poorly constructed as well.
6 Not only was the ancient city of Ur built beside the Euphrates River, it was close to the Tigris as well.
7 Not only does Siena offer visitors a historic centre, the countryside nearby is also very beautiful.

7) 1 The train drivers are on strike and so are the bus drivers.
2 The Tokyo flight took off ontime and so did the one to Taipei/the Taipei one.
3 Madrid has a metro and so does Bilbao.
4 I can take the metro and so can you.
5 John should walk to work and so should I.
6 Kiosks sell bus tickets and so do subway stations.

8)1 I hadn't been to Prague before and neither had Dominic. OR I hadn't been to Prague before, nor had Dominic.
2 The school can't provide parking spaces and neither can the sports centre. OR The school can't provide parking spaces, nor can the sports centre.
3 You won't be in time for the next train and neither will I. OR You won't be in time for the next train, nor will I.
4 Fortunately, the car wasn't damaged and neither was my bike. OR Fortunately, the car wasn't damaged, nor was my bike.

Week 4 Vocabulary List - 50 words (updated)

This wee's (Week 4) test has been postponed until Tuesday. Here is an updated list to be tested.
adaptive
computer
conscientious*
consumer
co-operative
decisive*
derive
distribution
endurance*
environmental
expand
familiarity*
finance
finance
flexible
found
grant
identify
initially
initiative
innovation
intelligence
justify
located
maintain
medical
modified
optimistic*
potential
prepare*
pressure*
previous
propel*
quality*
refine
resourceful
rotation*
route
security
storage*
subsequently
substitute
supportive*
suspend
traditionally
transportation
undertake
version
volume
well-organised*

All words, except those marked "*" are from the Academic Word List, and this vocabulary all comes from units 7.1-8.2 of our coursebook.

CLASS NOTICE: assessment, vocab test...

MONDAY'S CLASS: Manju will be taking Monday's class as Nicole unfortunately has to be away due to supervising her General English test in sessions 1 & 2.

ASSESSMENT FOR THIS COURSE
Students have asked if there is a final grade or report for this class. The answer is no, not a formal one. Your most formal assessment will be your IELTS grade, should you wish to take the IELTS test. However, the top three students in the class will be announced in week 10, according to test results throughout the term.

Please note that we have a vocabulary test on Monday. Please check back here after Friday 1pm for the complete list.

Today's writing test feedback will be given on Monday in class.

Practice Listening Test Results & Answers

Today's practice listening test results are as follow:
#25: Your score is 16 out of 42
#21 Your score is 11out of 42
#18 Your score is 12out of 42
#99 Your score is 16out of 42
#8 Your score is 17out of 42
#01 Your score is 16out of 42
#66 Your score is 12out of 42
#77 Your score is 22out of 42
#88 Your score is 29out of 42
#17Your score is 26out of 42
#13Your score is 31out of 42
#00 Your score is 26out of 42
#31 Your score is 22out of 42

ANSWERS to Practice Test 2. This test comes from Cambridge Practice Tests for IELTS self-study edition 1, p34-39. [The tapescript was emailed to everyone on 22/10/09.]

Section 1
a student accommodation/hostel
2 awful food
3 not friendly/kept to themselves (do NOT accept 'lonely')
4 lectureres (too) busy
5 regular meetings/ meetings with lecturers/fortnightly meetings
6 family/homestay
7 lot of noise / children made noise / difficult to study
8 student house
9 (Bachelor of) Computing
10 reserve computer time

Section 2
11 mountain
12 quality
13 $2,000
14 short/casual rides
15 town riding/shopping
16 serious touring
17 similar/almost the same
18 better quality (components)
19 buying clothes
20 frame

Section 3
21 B 22 C 23 D 24 B
25 one bunch
26 15 months
27 uphill/on hillsides
28 lots of/plentyof water
29 plastic bags
30 bananas/ones (to) ripen
31 C 32D (NB 31 & 32 can be either way around )

Section 4
33 B
34 D
35 C
36 cooking
37 (regular) daily intake
38 (a) variety
39 the dark/thefridge/a cool place/ a dark place
40 eat in moderation/not too much
41 eat lots of/eat most

Practice Reading Test Answers

Today in class I gave you two practice reading tests.
Please look at the top to see what number test it is. It's taken from IELTS on Track (Academic), by Slater, Millen and Tyrie.


Test 1
Wings of Hope
1 18 (years old) 2 biologist 3 storm/lightning 4 A 5 D 6C 7A 8B 9C 10D 11N 12N 13Y 14NG

Spider Silk
15B 16C 17 B 18A 19B 20NG 21Y 22N 23NG 24N 25pollution 26stretching,wrinkling,shrinkage (all 3 required for 1 mark) 2760%

Map Wars
28 projection 29 axis 30 perspective 31 compare 32 M 33 M 34 P 35 M 36A 37 B 38 C 39 A 40 C


Test 2
Please hold the line
1D 2A 3C 4D 5D 6A 7B 8Y 9Y 10N 11NG 12N 13N

Did tea and beer bring about industrialisation?
14 ix 15 ii 16 iv 17 v 18 i 19 tax/tax on malt/ malt tax 20 tea 21 waterborne diseases / dysentry 22 boiled 23 C 34 D 25 B

Team based learning
26 exceeds 27 current 28 employers 29 financial 30 activities 31 candidates 32 environment 33 N 34N 35N 36Y 37NG 38 D 39F 40E

Homework Answers (worksheet - Task 1 Writing)

Today's homework was taken from IELTS Resource Pack by Jon Marks, p 36.

Bar chart answers:
1 average 2 approximately 3 subsequent 4 stable 5 exceeding 6 halving 7 altered 8 decline 9 onwards 10 upward

EXTRA HOMEWORK:
Table: 1 period 2 hovering 3 fluctuated, 4 trend 5 peak 6 plummeted 7 rocketed 8 steadily 9 Meanwhile

Today's Writing (Task 1) - model answer

Today we did some in-class writing. Here's a model answer:

The graph shows changes in the amount of fast food consumed in the UK between 1970 and 1990. Several trends are apparent. First, Britons are eating more and more fast food. Secondly, the type of fast food has changed.

In 1970, the most popular fast food was fish and chips. Over 300g were consumed each week. By 1990, however, this had fallen to just over 200g - a 50% drop. Consumption of other fast foods such as pizza and hamburgers increased, however. The amount of pizza eaten shot up from about 20g a week to more than 270g, overtaking fish and chips in the late 1980s. Hamburger consumption also increased, rising from about 80g in 1970 to almost 300g in 1990.

Accompanying this change in the choice of foods was an increase in the amount of fast food consumed. In 1970, British consumers ate about 450g a week of fast food. In 1990, on the other hand, this had more than doubled, to 1000g.

Homework Answers p50-51: Reading

1 F (paragraph 1)
2 J (paragraph 3)
3 C (paragraph 4)
4 B (paragraph 5)
5 G (paragraph 6)
6 D (paragraph 7)
7 A (paragraph 8)


8 routes (para 9)
9 treaties (para 9)
10 food (para 10)
11 workforce (para 10)
12 coins (para 10)
13 spices (para 11)


Extra Homework p 55:

5)1 would/might lose its point
2 would be tricky / wouldn't be eaasy
3 would/could be difficult
4 mmight/could poke
5 might eat
6 might not eat
7 would boom

8) 1 hadn't been cooked...might not have used
2 hadn't been put...wouldn't have been forced
3 might not have cut...hadn't been
4 hadn't been chopped...would have been needed
5 might have advised....had been

Extra homework p43 (Vocabulary)
5) 1a 2c 3a 4b 5c 6a 7b

6) 1c 2b 3e 4a 5d

The Academic Word List / Auckland Stardome Observatory

I mentioned the Stardome Observatory as being a great place to visit if you're interested in astronomy. Click here for more information.

Also, someone asked about the Academic Word List (AWL). For more information and resources, click here. Please note that another way of learning vocabulary, which has widely been supported by reasearchers, is to read for pleasure.

Reading Test - extra practice tests

If you'd like to do some extra reading test practice, please click here. This site has 3 practice tests.
You can either
i) do the practice - where you'll be able to see the correct answers afterwards OR
ii) take the test - where you WON'T be able to find out the correct answer, but you'll receive an IELTS grade for reading at the end of your test.


There's an additional test at this site here. Please download all three passages in order to do a test. Time yourself (60 mins) and then download the answers to check your work.

There's an additional passage for practice here.


Additionally, there are 5 practice reading tests
here. You can check your answers afterwards.

Homework Answers (Reading p52-53)

Tonight's homework was the reading "Chips with Everything", Ex #2, 3 & 4.

Answers:
2)=c
3) 1 combat - verb: try to prevent something bad from happening or getting worse
2 pooling - verb: collecting and using together
3 obsolete - adjective: no longer in use
4 address - verb: deal with, try to solve
5 granules - noun: very small grain-like pieces of a substance
6 suspended - verb: hung
7 dilemma - noun: a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made
8 sensors - noun: devises to measure and record something
9 incinerated - verb: completely burned
10 harness - verb: control something, in order to use its power

4) 1=H (lines 41-46)
2=G (lines 32-36)
3= D (lines 26-28)
4= I (lines 50-52)
5=B (lines 11-12)

EXTRA HOMEWORK: Try the rest of the page if you have extra time.
VOCABULARY p53

5) 1a, 2c, 3a, 4b, 5c, 6a, 7b

6) 1c, 2b, 3e, 4a, 5d

EXTRA HOMEWORK: Try the 'style extra' section on p49 if you have extra time.
Suggested answers:

3) 1 The lack of sunlight under water makes it impossible to see deep-sea fish without artificial lighting.
2 It is said that Alexander the Great descended in a diving bell.
3 Early inventors found it difficult to make submersibles watertight.
4 It must have astonished the people of seventeenth-century London that Van Drebbel's boat was able to travel under water.
5 Beebe left it to Barton to raise finance for the bathysphere.
6 It took some time to carry out unmanned tests of the bathysphere.
7 Because Beebe had studied deep-sea fishing nets, he found it easy to identify the creatures he saw from the bathysphere.

Writing Test (Task 1) - extra practice

For guided practise on an exercise, click here. You may wish to attempt the question first before checking the model answer.

There are 60 task 1 writing questions here, and they come with model answers. Please try by yourself first, before checking the model answer. If you prefer, you can hand in your writing to me (Nicole) in class - be sure to include the chart number, and I'll mark your work.

Task 1 Writing - line charts

Today we matched line charts with paragraphs:

To match graphs and sentences, pleaseclick here. It's similar to the exercise we did in class today.

Tomorrow in class we'll check on this vocabulary with a quick quiz. I'll give you a hard copy of these charts and the matching paragraphs in class tomorrow (Tuesday).

Week 4 Vocabulary List - 50 words

The first of this week's words are:
transportation
endurance
storage
familiarity
prepare
expand
quality
pressure
rotation
propel
well-organised
resourceful
decisive
supportive
optimistic
conscientious

Thursday's writing exercise (task 1)

Please check the answers given in the guided writing for the model answer questions, and vice versa.

Reading Test Answers 8/10/09

Today's in-class reading test answers are as follow:

Lake Vostok:
1) viii 2) ii 3) iv 4) iii 5) B 6) A 7) N 8) Y 9) NG 10) Y 11) Y 12) N 13) Y

CELLS FROM HELL
14 PLANT, 15 POISONS, 16 EATS, 17 DISAPPEARS 18 POLLUTION, 19 LARGE NUMBERS OF 20 NEW KINDS OF 21 CARRIED BY SHIPS 22 C 23 B 24 C 25 B 26 A

Mystery of the Mumnmies
27 D 28 A 29 B 30 B 31 C 32 A/B 33 D 34 A 35 N 36 Y 37 NG 38 Y 39 NG 40 B

Reading Test: Results 8/10/09

Here are your results from today's test:

Student # 25 your score is 10 out of 40
Student # 21 your score is 15 out of 40
Student # 18 your score is 16 out of 40
Student # 14 your score is 17 out of 40
Student # 99 your score is 20 out of 40
Student # 08 your score is 20 out of 40
Student # 01 your score is 25 out of 40
Student # 66 your score is 27 out of 40
Student # 77 your score is 32 out of 40
Student # 88 your score is 34 out of 40
Student # 17 your score is 35 out of 40
Student # 13 your score is 35 out of 40

Speaking Practice Questions

If you would like to practise, here are some questions for the IELTS exam, particularly for part 1 & 3: click here. Just choose the topic you'd like to talk about, and ask a friend to ask you a question.

Homework Answers (worksheet - unit 4)

Vocabulary
1 1) actroyms 2) nonverbal communication 3) slang 4) idiom 5) collocations 6) jargon

Grammar
2 Time: after, as, as soon as, before, once, since, until, when, whenever, while
Place: where, wherever
Reason: as, because, since
Purpose: so that
Condition: even if, if, unless
Concession: although, even if, even though, though, whereas, while

31) when they were first coined (lines 30-31)
2) When a football manager, asked how he felt.....early 1970s (lines 32-36)
3) until the cows come home (lines 44-45)
4) if you deny us the use of cliche. (lines 49-50)
5) because the are....something. (lines 57-58)
6) if you denied....they were cliches. (lines 61-64)
7) because they were cliches (lines 63-64)
8) if it is the best way of saying what I want to say (lines 67-68)

Reading
5 1)G 2)D 3)B 4)H 5)E 6)A

Homework Answers (worksheet - unit 5)

Reading
2 1) conventional 2) interact with 3) reaction 4) impregnated with 5) optimal concentrations 6) inner layer

Vocabulary
3 1) prevent 2) track 3) introduce 4) stay 5) cause 6) consume 7) control (The vertical word is protect.)

Grammar
4 1) can/may be kept 2) are made 3) was invented 4) to be used 5) has been found 6) are related

5 1) More goods are being produced in plastic.
2) A plastics recycling scheme has just been introduced by our local council.
3) Plastics are used in the manufacture of pills.
4) A new type of biodegradable plastic bottle is about to be launched.
5) The factory's glassmaking division might be shut down, to concentrate on plastic.
6) If plastic hadn't been invented, what materials would be being used today?

Homework Answers (worksheet - unit 3)

Our homework tonight is the reading exercise on the worksheet.

Reading

2 1 NG The article says that Skoda owners couldn't claim to be leaders of fashion (line 7), but we aren't told if any makes of car were less popular.

2 NG "...the Czech government, Skoda's owner, decided the business needed foreign investment. In 1991, it went into partnership with the German car manufacterer Volkswagen" (lines 10-13). We aren't told if the government negotiated with other companies as well.
3 Y (lines 17-18)
4 N (lines 25-26)
5 N (lines 33-35)
6 NG The writer doesn't compare the quality of the Fabia and the other two models, apart from saying it was more successful.
7 Y (lines 44-45)

EXTRA:
If you have more time, please do the second page on grammar & vocabulary.

Grammar
3 1) the Fabia 2) in the 1980s 3) at the end ofthe century 4) the Felicia 5) that the business needed foreign investment 6) the fact that the company's costs had increased 7) high 'brand awareness'
4 1) logo 2) competition 3) goods 4) launch 5) consumer 6 ) marketing 7) purchase 8) image 9) service 10) retail

Week 3 Vocabulary List - 41 words

Here is the final list of 41 words - there are NO more to come:

environment
scheme
acquire
affected
alternative
appropriate
benefit
considerable
contrast
culture
establish
factor
global
identify
impose
involve  
involvement  
normally
participation  
predictable
prediction  
process
project  
proportion
reaction    
research  
significant
statistic
symbolic
target
technology
traditional  
underestimate
undertake
uninvolved  
unpredictable
awareness
consumer
purchase
image
investment

CLASS TEST SCHEDULE

*Thurs 1/10/09 Writing Test(60 mins)
*Thurs 8/10/09 Reading Test(60 mins)
*Thurs 15/10/09 Listening Test(30 mins)
*Thurs 22/10/09 Speaking Test(11-14 mins)
*Thurs 29/10/09 Reading, Listening & Speaking(1hr 45mins)
*Thurs 5/11/09 Writing Test(60 mins)
*Thurs 12/11/09 Reading Test(60 mins)
*Thurs 19/11/09 Listening Test(30 mins)
*Thurs 26/11/09 Reading, Listening & Speaking(1hr 45mins)

Homework Answers p24-25

Reading homework:

Answers for Exercise 1:
1 NOT GIVEN (The movie The African Queen is mentioned as containing an early example, but there is no indication of who had the idea. - para 2)
2 TRUE (A set dresser might think of something to boost the level of credibility of realism of the story. - para 3)
3 FALSE ( A spokesperson for the manufacturer said the company was not approached about the use of their product. -para 3)
4 TRUE (arranged product placement deals. The most common type is a simple exchange of the product for the placement...the cast and crew are provided with an ample supply of the company's products. -para 4)
5 NOT GIVEN
6 FALSE (Before product placement really saw a surge in the mid 1980s, it was pretty much a do-it-yourself effort. Now there are entire agencies. -para 6)
7 TRUE (It's highly likely that you'll see one of the major soft drink companies represented. - para 7)

Answers for Exercise 2:
1 YES
2 NOT GIVEN
3 NO
4 YES
5 YES
6 NOT GIVEN
7 NO

EXTRA:

Today's Writing Test - model answers

TASK 1 (see p31 for graph)
The bar chart shows relative precentage sales of four styles of trainers during a twelve-month period. In the first quarter, sales of the new 'Flying Boots' were fairly modest, only accounting for about 10% of sales. Sales volumes of the other three styles during the same period were similar, at approximiately 30% each. Conversely, in the second quarter, sales of the new style doubled and the older style 'High Rollers' performed less well. Sales of this style reached the fourth quarter. Sales fo the style 'Golden feet' continued to rise dramatically throughout the year, accounting for half of all sales in the fourth quarter, whilesales of 'Zed Runners' of had dropped significantly by the year end.

(128 words)

TASK 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:
Successful sports professionals can earn a great deal more money than people in other important professions.
Some people think this is fully justified while others think it is unfair.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.
As a result of constant media attention, sports professionals in my country have become stars and celebrities, and those at the top are paid huge salaries. Just like movie stars, they live extravagant lifestyles with huge houses and cars.

Many people find their rewards unfair, especially when comparing these super salaries with those of top surgeons or research scientists, or even leading politicians who have the responsibility of governing the country. However, sports salaries are not determined by considering the contribution to society a person makes, or the level of responsibility he or she holds. Instead, they reflect the public popularity of sport in general and the level of public support that successful stars can generate. So the notion of ‘fairness’ is not the issue.

Those who feel that sports stars’ salaries are justified might argue that the number of professionals with real talent are very few, and the money is a recognition of the skills and dedication a person needs to be successful. Competition is constant and a player is tested every time they perform in their relatively short career. The pressure from the media is intense and there is little privacy out of the spotlight. So all of these factors may justify the huge earnings.

Personally, I think that the amount of money such sports stars make is more justified than the huge earnings of movie stars, but at the same time, it indicates that our society places more value on sport than on more essential professions and achievements.
(251 words)

The above model answer is taken from www.ielts-exam.net.

Homework Answers (worksheet - unit 2)

Please do all of this worksheet for homework:
2 1 doping has become irresistable to many athletes, if only to keep pace with competitors who are doing it. (lines 8-10)
2 Where victory is paramount, athletes will seize any opportunity (lines 10-12)
3 Sports authorities fear that a new form of doping will be undetectable and thus much less preventable (lines 14-15)
4 Treatments that regenerate muscle, increase its strength and protect it from degradation will soon be entering human clinical trials for muscle-wasting disorders. (lines 16-19)
5 it is also a dream come true for an athlete bent on doping. (lines 25-26)
6 The chemicals are indistinguishable from their natural counterparts (lines 26-27)
7 the world may be about to watch one of its final Olympic Games without genetically enhanced athletes. (lines 36-38)

Vocabulary
3 1 synthetic, 2 counterparts, 3 certainly, 4 detect, 5 irresistible, 6 treatments, 7 degradation, 8 manipulating, 9 scandals (The vertical word is specimens)

Grammar
4 1 has been struggling / has struggled, 2 has David been playing, 3 has signed, 4 Have you set, 5 have been trying, 6 hadn't expected, 7 Has the college entered, 8 has won

5 1 As the information age has arrived, people's work and lives have become/ are becoming more and more dependent on computers.
2 It has been happening for the past two weeks, at the same time every evening.
3 I used my lighter to light the candle but unfortunately [no I've] also lit a book I had just been reading!
4 We had been / were waiting for 20 minutes before someone came to give us a menu.
5 The computer is one of those inventions that has changed the way we live.
6 correct
7 There have been recent cases in other sports events in which people have injured themselves because of unsafe equipment.

6 1 ...Ian Thorp had broken the world record for the 50m freestyel earlier today.
2 ...Rusedski had been cleeared of drub-taking and the charges against him dropped.
3 ...builders had almost completed work on the new stadium.


5

Vocabulary for Task 1 Writing

Some people asked for vocabulary that is useful for Task 1, particularly synonyms for "show", which are: illustrate, represent, depict, indicate, account for...

For a list of general synonyms used in Task 1 Writing (e.g. increase, decrease, etc.), click here.

Click here for a similar list of vocabulary (scroll down to the bottom).

EXTRA: For extra help with writing paragraphs correctly, try this exercise. You don't need to see the graph they're talkign about to complete the information. Just complete with the correct word by typing the answer on the blue line and clicking on "check". Use words like "in, on, the, at..." Click here to try.

Extra: p22-23 Reading & Grammar Answers

1 NO (lines 9-16), 2 NG, 3 NO (lines 48-49), 4 NG (lines 75-78), 5 YES (lines 80-82), 6 NO (lines 86-90), 7 NG (lines 97-100 - nothing is said about whether the public is concerned about this), 8 YES (103-105)

4 Answers
1 fame can be manufactured
2 in a talent contest
3 because our emotions affect our behaviour
4 the group was marketed before it existed

5 Answers (and possible endings)
1 in the 19th century...the 20th
2 to increase their sales...to reduce costs.
3 the usde of brand names...the manufacturing of products themselves.
4 low prices...high quality.
5 the power of marketing...their talent.

Homework Answers (worksheet - writing workout 3)

Please complete p48 on the worksheet - p49 is "extra homework".

Academic Writing Task 1
1 1) Y, 2) N (Write 160 wors at most.), 3) Y, 4) N (Try to include an opening sentence that explains the subject matter.), 5) Y, 6) N (Write about trends rather than giving detailed figures.)

2 1) soemwhat, 2) exactly, 3 entirely, 4) rather

3 1) T, 2) T, 3) T, 4) F (Read the vertical axis information carefully, as each graph is slightly different.) 5) T, 6) T, 7) F (The rise is predicted to be slightly more gradual, but there is no levelling-off shown.), 8) T


Extra Homework: p49
4 1) bar, 2) line, 3) accounting, 4) higher/more, 5) over, 6) 2010, 7) double, 8) lower/less, 9) opposed, 10) level

5 (model answer)Information is given on the actual and estimated energy consumption and emissions for Australia and South Korea for the period 2002 to 2025. The pie charts show that, currently, both countries consume the same amounts of energy, in spite of the fact that the population of South Korea is more than double that of Australia. At present, each country contributes 1.9% to global carbon-dioxide emissions, but this represents 9.5 tonnes per capita in South Korea, whereas in Australia, the figure is 21 tonnes per capita.

Fuel consumption is forecast to increase in each country, although after 2010, the rise in Australia will be slightly more gradual than South Korea's. As far as carbon-dioxide emissions are concerned, South Korea had a lower level than Australia in 2002, but by 2025, its emissions are expected to hav topped 700 million tonnes, whereas in Australia, emissions are likely to rise to just over 600 million tonnes.

(153 words)

STUDENT ANSWERS - The Best Three Essays

There were three answers that stood out in particular. The students who wrote these were Citra, Angela & Mouk:

The following essay was written by Citra:

Nowadays people are likely to watch sport on television rather than attend to live sports events. This situation has brought various opinions among people. Some people believe that having more televised sport will bring benefits, while others argue it could cause more disadvantages. Therefore, through the discussion I have come to form my opinion.

It can't be denied that sports are popular among society. Often sports drive people crazy about it. Even in some countries, sports are beyond everything. Therefore according to the development of technology, nowadays the amount of sport shown on television has gradually increased. This situation brings advantages for many people who love sport but don't have time or money to attend live sports events. Therefore having televised sport is a good way to enjoy sport without spending too much money and energy. Furthermore, it could develop people's interest in sport. Yet televised sport could answer people's curiosity about sport. Therefore having televised sport could bring benefits for people in order to save their energy, time and money.

On the other hand, some people argue that having televised sport would cause financial losses for small clubs and would bring fewer live supporters to the match. However this situation would not make a difference for an extreme sport lover. For the sports fans, they would prefer to watch the sport match live than to watch televised sport. Therefore having televised sport would not bring big disadvantages.

To sum up, having more televised sport would bring more advantages....(to be continued)


The following essay was written by Mouk:

Nowadays, sport has become one of the important sources for recreation. Instead of watching sport matches at the stadiums, audiences tend to stay at home comfortably and select any game at any time they want to enjoy one. In the meantime, live sport has impacted on the industry in many potential ways. Therefore, televising sport on TV has both benefits and drawbacks.

Three main advantages of broadcasting sport are the flexibility of schedule, increase in popularity of sport and provision of benefits to the sport industry. Audiences are more willing to spend time at home with family and friends who can enjoy quality time together without crowds. Moreover, they can choose when and what sport they would like to watch. Televising sport also creates and keeps people interested, which is useful for sport industry in the sense that they will get more oppportunities to increase their popularity. In addition, thy will gain more financial benefits due to their noticeable fame.

On the other hand, live sport is the section that receives the impact of televised coverage....(to be continued).


The following essay was written by Angela:

In recent years, as a result of the development of TV channels, more and more sport programmes are shown on television. Some people see sports as entertainment and a large number of people are interested in sports. [Where is the topic sentence? - Nicole]

Some people believe that there are many advantages for both players and spectators. For the players, they can ask for large salaries to enjoy their lives. It might be the power to let them become much better. For the business, because sports are becoming popular, people always like to join in some club, so it brings lots of benefits for the sports clubs, financially. For the people, it makes them interested in sports, also, they might choose one or more of them to practise themselves. It's good for their health.

On the contrary, others believe that it will be unimaginable if the sports programmes are shown on television all the time. Firstly, the price of sports matches will rise quickly, it really harms spectators benefits. Secondly, some clubs which are not big enough mightbe harmed financially, it's pretty bad for small businesses. Thirdly, there are so many sports programmes on television, so people prefer to stay at home and watch mathces instead of spending a lot of money going to playgrounds. Finally, it makes people always stay at home and watch TV. It's really bad for their health or family.

All in all, sport programmes are not so bad. They can help people save money, however, we cannot show sports programmes all the time. Nobody can deny that watching sports at home is not as exciting as being there.

WRITING - p19 Model Essay (question B)

It is now possible to watch live sport on television on any day of the week, and the current amount of coverage will undoubtedly increase further in years to come. This is definitely having an impact on the live sports events themselves, and there are both benefits and drawbacks to this.

Why has there been such growth in televised sport? For one thing, with digital broadcasting, there are now many more TV channels than there were even ten years ago. Moreover, sport has become an important form of entertainment, appealing to both men and women.

What are the benefits of this state of affairs? One obvious advantage to the profession is the injection of capital provided by television companies. Larger football clubs benefit financially from TV revenue and the top players can command very large salaries. Less popular sports also receive money that can be invested in training and awareness-raising. Furthermore, there is a health benefit to some of the population, because through televised sport, more people have become interested in actually playing sport.

However, there are certain disadvantages to having so much sport on television. Considering football again, many smaller clubs have suffered financi8al losses recently, as they cannot compete with the larger ones. There has been a general decline in ticket sales, especially among smaller clubs. Fewer people attend live matches nowadays, preferring to watch from the comfort of their living room. What's more, ticket prices have risen dramatically.

To sum up, while televised sport has created many opportunities and benefited certain individuals and clubs enormously, it has also been responsible for changing the nature of live sports events for ever.

Vocabulary List - 50 words

Please study these words for our vocabulary test on Thursday 1/10/09. You will be tested on ability to spell the word correctly and use the word correctly.

anticipate
approach
assess
assume
benefit
biased
capacity
colleague
commercially
confident
determine
drawback
efficiently
endorse
evaluate
input
inundated
journal
judge
justify
mammals
means
member
minimise
motivate
outcome
output
overkill
overwhelmed
overwork
package
participant
periodical
predator
productively
proficiently
proposal
recognise
reduced
relatively
relevant
resource
review
soak up
solve
species
sports coverage
suffer (from)
support
tool

Homework Answers (worksheet - unit 1)

INFORMATION OVERLOAD: Reading
2 1)=C One of the techniques of writing successfully in an academic environment...you must have a clear picture of what you have read...Yet many academic texts are densely written in unfamiliar ways
2)-E Although sometimes there may be reasons why you need to skim-read an article or book...skim-readig is not a particularly useful strategy for a student...Instead of skim-reading,...
3) = B you will need to decide what type of location and atmosphere suits you best, and establish conditions that are conducive to effective study.
4) =A ...choosing their reading...consult thereading list...Doing a library search...Your tutor should be able to advise you...

3 1) entails, 2) maintain a constant grip on, 3) the gist, 4 in other contexts, 5) large chunks, 6) making sense of, 7) suits you best, 8) conducive, 9) stumbling block, 10) on loan

Vocabulary
4 periodical, electronic, search, shelf, card, issue, resources, journal, spine, loan, code(s)

5 1) electronic search, 2) code, 3) spine, 4) periodical/journal, 5) journal/periodical, 6) issue, 7) loan, 8) card, 9) resources, 10) shelf

Grammar
6 1) mustn't, 2) should, 3) haven't, 4) had to, 5) might, 6) needs to, 7) couldn't, 8) may

7 1) couldn't/can't have, 2) must have, 3) could/may/might have, 4) could/may/might have, 5) can't/couldn't have, 6) couldn't/can't have

Homework Answers p12-13

Are you listening effectively?
1=viii, 2=v, 3=ii, 4=vi, 5=xi, 6=iii, 7=x

Extra H/W: Stimulating the Brain
1=iv, 2=vii, 3=ii

Homework Answers p11

4 1= could not c, 2= must e, 3= needed g, 4= may a, 5= mustn't d, 6= have to a, 7= might a, 8= needn't h, 9= can b, 10= dont...have to i, 11= outght to f, 12= should f

5 1 needn't / don't need to / don't have to
2 can't / cannot
3 must / has to
4 could / may / might
5 couldn't
6 had to /needed to
7 ought
8 mustn't / must not

6 Answers 1 and 2: the writer is unsure
Answers 3 and 4: the writer is certain