desde aquí nos comunicaremos y haremos del aprendizaje del idioma inglés una actividad práctica, interactiva y sobretodo adaptada al mundo actual.
sábado, 24 de marzo de 2012
Another opportunity to practise and more...
Después de leer una muy buena introducción, pueden tratar de poner
en práctica las sugerencias para aprender inglés cuando no se tiene mucho
tiempo.
Noticia Completa
Yes I know when you are reading this it could be quite late because
you are so busy with your job and family. Or is it your study? Whatever your
situation, if you can improve your English, you will have more time for the
things you like doing most. Why? Because when you speak good English you can
work more effectively, meet more intelligent people and establish better
business contacts. The big question still is how
'How can I improve my English
when I don't have much time'? First of all, keep in mind that you are not
the only person who has this problem. There are millions of people whose
schedules might be even busier than yours. Second, you need to understand that
it's not important how much time you have. What really counts is how you use
your time. This fact is so crucial that I want to repeat for you: The important
thing is how you use your time. We all live on the same planet and a day still
has 24 hours regardless of what country you live in and what job you do or how
many kids you need to care for. Time management starts in your head. Decide what
you want to do and you will find the time to do it.
But let's get back to
our question:
How can I improve my English speaking skills?
The answer: Get in
touch with native English speakers. Listen to them. Ask them questions. Answer
their questions. Learn from them and help them learn from you. "OK", I can hear
you say "but how do I do that when I live in China, Russia, India or any other
country where there no native speakers in my neighbourhood?" Don't worry. You
don't have to move to the US or the UK. You can make friends with native
speakers no matter where you live. Use the Internet. Use our forum. All you need
to do is listen to the following voice messages and record your own. The first
message is from Inga, an English teacher who lives and works in Minsk, the
capital of Belarus. In her recording Inga says that she doesn't have much
contact with native speakers in Minsk. That's why she uses our forum to talk to
people like Alan Townend from London and Tom Kane from the United States. Here
is what Inga has to say: How to speak English on the forum?
Do you know the famous Facebook? Read this interesting article about
it and make your own reflections.
Noticia Completa
Facebook and Bebo
risk 'infantilising' the human mind
Greenfield warns
Social
networking sites, such as Facebook, are putting attention span in jeopardy, says
Baroness Greenfield. Photograph: Chris Jackson/Getty
Images
Social
network sites risk infantilising the mid-21st century mind, leaving it
characterised by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathise
and a shaky sense of identity, according to a leading
neuroscientist.
The
startling warning from Lady Greenfield, professor of synaptic pharmacology at
Lincoln college, Oxford, and director of the Royal Institution, has led members
of the government to admit their work on internet regulation has not extended to
broader issues, such as the psychological impact on
children.
Greenfield believes ministers have not yet looked at the broad cultural
and psychological effect of on-screen friendships via Facebook,
Bebo and Twitter.
She
told the House of Lords that children's experiences on social networking sites
"are devoid of cohesive narrative and long-term significance. As a consequence,
the mid-21st century mind might almost be infantilised, characterised by short
attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathise and a shaky sense of
identity".
Arguing
that social network sites are putting attention span in jeopardy, she said: "If
the young brain is exposed from the outset to a world of fast action and
reaction, of instant new screen images flashing up with the press of a key, such
rapid interchange might accustom the brain to operate over such timescales.
Perhaps when in the real world such responses are not immediately forthcoming,
we will see such behaviours and call them attention-deficit
disorder.
"It
might be helpful to investigate whether the near total submersion of our culture
in screen technologies over the last decade might in some way be linked to the
threefold increase over this period in prescriptions for methylphenidate, the
drug prescribed for attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder."
She
also warned against "a much more marked preference for the here-and-now, where
the immediacy of an experience trumps any regard for the consequences. After
all, whenever you play a computer game, you can always just play it again;
everything you do is reversible. The emphasis is on the thrill of the moment,
the buzz of rescuing the princess in the game. No care is given for the princess
herself, for the content or for any long-term significance, because there is
none. This type of activity, a disregard for consequence, can be compared with
the thrill of compulsive gambling or compulsive
eating.
"The
sheer compulsion of reliable and almost immediate reward is being linked to
similar chemical systems in the brain that may also play a part in drug
addiction. So we should not underestimate the 'pleasure' of interacting with a
screen when we puzzle over why it seems so appealing to young
people."
Greenfield also warned there was a risk of loss of empathy as children
read novels less. "Unlike the game to rescue the princess, where the goal is to
feel rewarded, the aim of reading a book is, after all, to find out more about
the princess herself."
She
said she found it strange we are "enthusiastically embracing" the possible
erosion of our identity through social networking sites, since those that use
such sites can lose a sense of where they themselves "finish and the outside
world begins".
She
claimed that sense of identity can be eroded by "fast-paced, instant screen
reactions, perhaps the next generation will define themselves by the responses
of others".
Social
networking sites can provide a "constant reassurance – that you are listened to,
recognised, and important". Greenfield continued. This was coupled with a
distancing from the stress of face-to-face, real-life conversation, which were
"far more perilous … occur in real time, with no opportunity to think up clever
or witty responses" and "require a sensitivity to voice tone, body language and
perhaps even to pheromones, those sneaky molecules that we release and which
others smell subconsciously".
She
said she feared "real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these
sanitised and easier screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing, skinning
and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages
of meat on the supermarket shelf. Perhaps future generations will recoil with
similar horror at the messiness, unpredictability and immediate personal
involvement of a three-dimensional, real-time
interaction."
The
solutions, however, lay less in regulation as in education, culture and
society.
Greenfield argued that the appeal of Facebook lay in the fact that "a
child confined to the home every evening may find at the keyboard the kind of
freedom of interaction and communication that earlier generations took for
granted in the three-dimensional world of the street. But even given a choice,
screen life can still be more appealing."
She
quoted one user saying they had 900 friends, another saying the fact "that you
can't see or hear other people makes it easier to reveal yourself in a way that
you might not be comfortable with. You become less conscious of the individuals
involved [including yourself], less inhibited, less embarrassed and less
concerned about how you will be evaluated."
But
Greenfield warned: "It is hard to see how living this way on a daily basis will
not result in brains, or rather minds, different from those of previous
generations. We know that the human brain is exquisitely sensitive to the
outside world."
Imagine yourself in a coffee shop, talking with an
American. You are relaxed and smiling because you are communicating easily. The
words come out quickly. You are a strong and respected English speaker. Your
friends are surprised because you are speaking English so well.
We want
you to succeed! Please use the 7 Rules when you study English.
You
can do it! Remember The 7 Rules: 1. Learn Phrases 2. Don't Study
Grammar 3. Focus On Listening 4. Learn Deeply (Repeat A Lot) 5. Use
Point of View Stories 6. Use Only Real English Materials 7. Use Listen
& Answer Stories
Modelos de examen escrito y examen oral. Para acceder al oral,
deberán aprobar el escrito con nota 4 (cuatro) o más.
Noticia Completa
.
WRITTEN
EXAM:
1- Write an informal letter introducing yourself to a family living
in another country,where you aregoing
to stay for a month. Give all your personal information and describe general
characteristics of Argentina and its people.( 80/90
words)
2- Invent a character (alive or dead) from the past or the present,
and write his/her biography.(80/90
words)
3- Write about the most interesting/funny/sad/exciting/ situation you
have ever lived. (80/ 90 words).
ORAL
EXAM:
1- Dramatization of a dialogue between a hostel receptionist and a
tourist, including all personal information questions.
2- Dramatization at a coffee shop between a tourist and a
waiter/tress.
3- Conversation about a person´s biographical data.
4- Retelling of an anecdote or funny/dramatic/exciting situation you
have lived.
You might know the saying 'The best things in life are free'. So what
are
your alternatives to paid English courses? Free materials, services
and
resources of course! And where do you find them?
You probably already know the
answer: at http://www.english-test.net/
Let me give you some details on what exactly you can expect from our site for
free:
the email English course you have been receiving for more than a year
A proofreading and editing service (you can get an unlimited number of essays
and texts proofread, edited and amended)feedback and advice on how to improve
your pronunciation and accent.
You can ask an unlimited number of grammar and vocabulary questions
thousands of interactive grammar and vocabulary tests and quizzes
hundreds of TOEIC and TOEFL listening comprehension exercises and
questions, several complete TOEIC and TOEFL simulation tests with your
individual
scores.
Now you might be thinking 'where is the catch' or 'how is it possible to get
all
these things for free'? Well, our site pretty much operates like Google: You
can get
a great variety of high quality services and products that are sponsored
by a large
number of companies.
English-test.net too, is sponsored by companies
that advertise on our site so we can
offer you such a variety of free services.
It is our goal to provide free English language resources to anyone from any
country.
How important are free English learning materials to you? What do you think
are the advantages and disadvantages of having access to free resources? We have
started a
forum poll on this question and you can read your fellow learners'
thoughts and opinions
here: How important are free learning materials to
you?
Here you will find a list of all the links contained in this text:
Try this site About.com and you will find a new world of opportunities
to test your English and practise in many different amusing ways. You can also
watch videos, listen to dialogues and teachers talking to you. Don´t miss
it!
One of the most important needs of many English learners is the opportunity
to practice conversational English. Obviously, the best way to do this is to
practice with a friend, teacher or other English speaker. Unfortunately, that's
not always possible. I recently came across ESLai that is working on
developing interactive chats focused on helping English learners. It looks very
promising, and I hope they can create many new conversational opportunities
soon. For right now, they have some beginner practice meant to be done on mobile
phones! You can also practice on the internet as well. Pizza Restaurant Planning a Picnic
If you would like to improve your conversation skills in English, here are
some more resources that can help: Making Small Talk Small Talk Lesson Plan
Wha's the difference between the United Kingdom,
Great Britain, and England? Don't worry if you
don't know, lots of people get confused by the three names. Here we take a look
at the differences between them.
The United Kingdom
UK Map
The United Kingdom is in itself a country that is made up of England,
Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland. It's official name is "United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". It has one government based in
London and has one currency: the pound stirling (£). The UK is a constitutional
monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state. The capital city of the
UK is London.
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island which is made up of three counties: England,
Scotland and Wales. Great Britain is the political term describing the political
union of the kingdoms of England, Wales and Scotland made on 1 May, 1707.
Northern Ireland is not part of Great Britain.
England
England is one of the four countries that make up the UK and one of the three
that makes up Great Britain. England is the largest country in the UK with a
population of 51 million. London is the capital of England.
Scotland
Scotland is in Great Britain. It shares a border with England, but it is not
in England. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh. Scotland has a population of
over 5 million. It was an independent country until it joined with England and
Wales to form the UK in 1707. Although English is the language of Scotland there
is also another official language called Scottish Gaelic which is much older
than English. It was the original language of the area before English. Today
only 58,000 people speak it. Although politically, Scotland is part of the UK it
does have some independent political power.
Wales
Wales is in the west of Great Britain and is part of the UK. It has a
population of 3 million. The capital city of Wales is Cardiff . People in Wales speak English and many people also
speak Welsh which is very different and older than English. Street signs in
Wales are written in both languages. Wales has been politically linked with
England since 1542. Wales was an independent country until it was defeated by
the English army. Wales has some independence in making it's own laws, but it is
still very much part of the UK political system.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is part of the UK, but it is not in Great Britain. Northern
Ireland can be found in Ireland (which is the island to the west of Great
Britain). The capital of NI is Belfast and it has a population of under 2
million. It became a part of the UK in 1921. Ireland is divided in two parts; NI
is part of the UK while the Republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent
country with its own laws, government and currency (€). Although English is the
most common language, there are also Irish speakers in NI. Do you understand? Try the questions below! Link:
British English Slang