When summer begins, it stretches out with such a luxury of time that it seems like we could read almost anything, writes book critic David L. Ulin in his essay
on summer reading. Our summer books preview includes a total of 156
book picks: below you’ll find thrillers and young adult books, history
and novels, memoirs and science fiction, pop culture books, kids books
and more. Middle grades, Young Adult, Audio History , Sports and Pop Culture just click hereand you will be surprised.
Which language do I have to learn? Motivation is the answer, according to this study. Some of the most common motivations include business competitiveness,
immigration, travel, and personal study/improvement, among others.
Read here Now go into "CLOZE TEST " to work on prepositions.
CLOZE TEST
For
In
Of
among
at
beyond
but
by
for
from
in
of
on
over
to
with
most former, current or potential foreign language learners, one the most important motivations doing so involves the languages future relevanceboth as the language is being learned and afterward; other words, the question What will learning this language do me?. course, this varies person personas do the more general, unintended circumstances learning—, some the most common motivations include business competitiveness, immigration, travel, and personal studyimprovement/, others. Recent language growth trends shed some light these motivations, ie.. who they propel learn foreign languagesor—, more importantly, which languages appeal most inclusively
the myriad relevancies and learning circumstances. Currently, the
three most widely spoken languages are Chinese, Spanish and English, 1.2 billion, 329 million and 328 million speakers, respectively. Trends the Internet, perhaps the most inclusive global communication device, are most useful contextualizing the figures. 2000, there were roughly 34, 187 and 20 million online users Chinese, English and Spanish, whereas 2011 these numbers had risen 509, 565 and 164 million.
Given its monumental rise popularity, it seems that Chinese will likely be one language the futureperhaps the language, ie.. that which comes dwarf all others. This is, course, assuming that the Internets influence will continue riseto blur geographic boundaries—; as it stands, Chineses geographic reach is far smaller than that English and Spanish.
Related this is the fact that traditional methods language spread have been basically unaffected the Internetchief them, immigration. The United States is a prominent example: each year, 700 thousand one million people legally migrate the country, and half these come Spanish-speaking countries.
the estimated 300 thousand undocumented immigrants that arrive each
year, the percentage is even higher. Whether intentional or not, this
results a massive rise both English and Spanish the US.., a process not matched Chinese
its originating region. Besides, the process inevitably transfers and
acquires more than just language: there is the speakers’ community and
culture too, which further motivates and gives relevance the learners’ efforts.
Because nations such as the US.., their large populations
native Spanish speakers, native English speakers, and bilingual
speakers living closely together, some believe that one language the future might be more fully developed variant Spanglish. Considering this alongside the Internets seemingly indefinite growth, its not difficult imagine a sort mutant world language combining not only English and Spanish, also Chinese, others.
What do you think? Will the Internet, immigration, and other forces ultimately homogenize languages, or will the majority popular languages maintain their numbers and continue thrive independently?
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According to the definition, intelligence is the ability to change ourselves and, where necessary the conditions around us in response to have a new situation. It is the kind of ability doctors need when they treat patients with an unfamiliar disease and have to try and find out more about it. Traditionally, intelligence has been understood as a combination of perception, learning, memory and the ability 1………………… . However, in 1983 Dr Howard Gardner, Professor of Education at Harvard, pointed out that this combination is, in fact, a mixture of abilities that are very different from each other, and said 2………………. This would include abilities in music, mathematics, awareness of size and position, and the skill of creating good relationships with other people.
How far intelligence is something we are born with and can´t change is 3 ……………Some of them argue that while intelligence might be in our genes, it is nevertheless affected by our environment. Studies on twins would seem to show 4 ………… and, because identical twins are almost the same in this respect, in tests they show the same degree of intelligence. But the results do not rule the possibility that they can improve our intelligence, so 5……………….. is open to debate.
Indeed, there is evidence that learning and studying can help improve a person´s brain structure and that dietary supplements, and even exercise, can make a beneficial change in the balance of chemical in the brain. In a recent study, it was even found 6 ………….. of taxis drivers in London grew larger to help them store a detailed mental map of the city .
A how we should interpret them
B that being in the job is difficult
C to solve problems
D that part of the brain
E what the effects of premature birth are
F that intelligence is largely due to the physical size of the brain
G what scientists have been trying to discover for years
H that what we needed was a theory of multiple intelligences.
Business applications Social networks
connect people at low cost; this can be beneficial for entrepreneurs and
small businesses looking to expand their contact base. These networks
often act as a customer relationship management tool for companies
selling products and services. Companies can also use social networks
for advertising in the form of banners and text ads. Since businesses
operate globally, social networks can make it easier to keep in touch
with contacts around the world.
Medical applications Social networks are beginning to be
adopted by healthcare professionals as a means to manage institutional
knowledge, disseminate peer to peer knowledge and to highlight
individual physicians and institutions. The advantage of using a
dedicated medical social networking site is that all the members are
screened against the state licensing board list of practitioners.
The role of social networks is especially of interest to pharmaceutical
companies who spend approximately "32 percent of their marketing
dollars" attempting to influence the opinion leaders of social networks.
Languages, nationalities and academia Various social networking sites have sprung up
catering to different languages and countries. The popular site
Facebook has been cloned for various countries and languages and some
specializing in connecting students and faculty.
Social networks for social good Several websites are
beginning to tap into the power of the social networking model for
social good. Such models may be highly successful for connecting
otherwise fragmented industries and small organizations without the
resources to reach a broader audience with interested and passionate
users. Users benefit by interacting with a like-minded community and
finding a channel for their energy and giving.
Business model Few social networks currently charge
money for membership. In part, this may be because social networking is
a relatively new service, and the value of using them has not been
firmly established in customers' minds. Companies such as MySpace and
Facebook sell online advertising on their site. Hence, they are seeking
large memberships, and charging for membership would be counter
productive. Some believe that the deeper information that the
sites have on each user will allow much better targeted advertising than
any other site can currently provide. Sites are also seeking other ways
to make money, such as by creating an online marketplace or by selling
professional information and social connections to businesses.
Privacy issues On large social networking services, there
have been growing concerns about users giving out too much personal
information and the threat of sexual predators. Users of these services
need to be aware of data theft or viruses. However, large services, such
as MySpace, often work with law enforcement to try to prevent such
incidents.
In addition, there is a perceived privacy threat in relation to placing
too much personal information in the hands of large corporations or
governmental bodies, allowing a profile to be produced on an
individual's behavior on which decisions, detrimental to an individual,
may be taken.
Investigations Social network services are increasingly
being used in legal and criminal investigations. Information posted on
sites such as MySpace and Facebook, has been used by police, probation,
and university officials to prosecute users of said sites. In some
situations, content posted on MySpace has been used in court. Read and answer the questions by clicking here
This is the VOA Special English ENVIRONMENT REPORT.
A
new study says ancient snow on top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
could be gone in about twenty years. Huge layers of ice formed on the
African mountain during a wet period about eleven-thousand years ago.
But scientists say the ice on top of the mountain is melting because of
rising temperatures in recent years.
Lonnie Thompson of Ohio
State University in Columbus, Ohio led the study. It was published in
Science magazine. The scientists used maps, modern navigational
satellites and markers placed on the mountain to measure the ice. They
found that the ice on Mount Kilimanjaro has shrunk from about twelve
square kilometers in nineteen-twelve to about two square kilometers
today. That is about an eighty percent reduction in the ice. Scientists
say the ice will be gone by two-thousand-twenty if it continues to melt
at its current rate.
Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in
Africa. It is almost five-thousand-nine-hundred meters high. The top
part of the mountain is covered with snow. The mountain rises above flat
land, called the savannah. The land is home to many different kinds of
animals.
Many stories have been written about the famous
mountain. The most famous is Ernest Hemingway's "The Snows of
Kilimanjaro." Some ancient beliefs in Africa consider the mountain to be
a holy place.
About twenty-thousand people visit Mount
Kilimanjaro every year to see the famous snow-topped mountain. It even
has its own international airport. The government of Tanzania fears that
the melting ice will affect tourism and weaken the economy. The
decreasing ice already has reduced the amount of water flowing from the
mountain to some Tanzanian rivers. Water from the mountain supplies many
villages.
The scientists are working to save pieces of the
shrinking ice for more study. The frozen layers tell about Africa's
weather in ancient times. The ice also provides information about the
world's climate. Experts say other ice glaciers around the world are
melting because of climate change caused by human activities. But they
say natural climate change could be the cause of Mount Kilimanjaro's
problems.
This VOA Special English ENVIRONMENT REPORT was written by Cynthia Kirk.
Instructions: Read through the text, answer the questions that follow, then click on 'Grade Me!' to view your score.
Dirty Britain
Before the grass has thickened on the roadside verges and
leaves have started growing on the trees is a perfect time to look
around and see just how dirty Britain has become. The pavements are
stained with chewing gum that has been spat out and the gutters are full
of discarded fast food cartons. Years ago I remember travelling abroad
and being saddened by the plastic bags, discarded bottles and soiled
nappies at the edge of every road. Nowadays, Britain seems to look at
least as bad. What has gone wrong? The problem is that the
rubbish created by our increasingly mobile lives lasts a lot longer than
before. If it is not cleared up and properly thrown away, it stays in
the undergrowth for years; a semi-permanent reminder of what a tatty
little country we have now. Firstly, it is estimated that 10
billion plastic bags have been given to shoppers. These will take
anything from 100 to 1,000 years to rot. However, it is not as if there
is no solution to this. A few years ago, the Irish government introduced
a tax on non-recyclable carrier bags and in three months reduced their
use by 90%. When he was a minister, Michael Meacher attempted to
introduce a similar arrangement in Britain. The plastics industry
protested, of course. However, they need not have bothered; the idea was
killed before it could draw breath, leaving supermarkets free to give
away plastic bags. What is clearly necessary right now is some
sort of combined initiative, both individual and collective, before it
is too late. The alternative is to continue sliding downhill until we
have a country that looks like a vast municipal rubbish tip. We may well
be at the tipping point. Yet we know that people respond to their
environment. If things around them are clean and tidy, people behave
cleanly and tidily. If they are surrounded by squalor, they behave
squalidly. Now, much of Britain looks pretty squalid. What will it look
like in five years?
". . . I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there
is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect
readers."
January, 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and
writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that
she would find it in a letter from a man she's never met, Dawsey Adams, a native
of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name in a book?
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the
world of Dawsey and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—a book club born as
a spur-of-the- moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by
the Germans occupying their island—boasts an outstanding cast of characters,
from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Read more.
Watch the video Celebrating literature, love, and the power of the human spirit, The
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is the story of an English
author living in the shadow of World War II—and embarking on a writing
project that will dramatically change her life.
Watch this other video to see where Guernesy is placed and how it is nowadays.The Channel Island of Guernsey is a mix of French and British cultures.
The Costa Concordia cruise ship remains half-submerged three weeks after it crashed. And it continues to be a source of anger for local residents.
February 5, 2012
It rarely happens to a reporter that a major story breaks in her own neighborhood. And well, it's not really a neighborhood, but the Tuscan archipelago, where a cruise ship crashed last month, is an area I know very well.
I spend summers there, and just last August I was boating a few yards from Le Scole, a rocky reef near Giglio island that is the scene of the disaster.
For the past three weeks, the half-submerged Costa Concordia has dominated the landscape of Giglio and looms ominously over the island's future as a haven for nature lovers and scuba divers.
She's not the first ship to make her grave in these waters. Archaeologists have led excavations of at least one ancient Roman ship and of an Etruscan vessel dating from 600 B.C.
But islanders say this shipwreck is anything but a tourist attraction — they fear it will keep Giglio's traditional visitors away.
The grounded carcass of the Costa Concordia looks like something out of a disaster movie, an alien that came from out of nowhere and plopped down alongside the wooden dinghies moored in the small fishing port. The 1,000-foot-long ship is clearly visible from the mainland eight nautical miles away.
A huge hunk of granite from that reef is now embedded in the hull of the marooned Costa Concordia, lying on its side on a rocky ledge just outside the port.
In celebration of the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens the BBC are launching an extensive season dedicated to the Victorian writer.
Charles Dickens is much loved for his great contribution to classic English literature. He was the quintessential Victorian author. His epic stories, vivid characters and exhaustive depiction of contemporary life are unforgettable.
Charles Dickens Quotes
"I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time".
"There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart".
1837 - The first of his 10 children, Charles Culliford Boz Dickens, is born. Mary Hogarth, Catherine's sister, dies. The publication of Oliver Twistbegins.
1838 - Dickens and Hablot Browne travel to Yorkshire to see the boarding schools. His daughter, Mary, is born. Publication of Nicholas Nickleby begins.
1851- Catherine Dickens suffers a nervous collapse. John Dickens, the father of Charles Dickens, dies. Dora Dickens dies when she is only eight months old. What Shall we have for Dinner?, a cookbook by Catherine Dickens is published.
1852 - The publication of Bleak House begins. His son, Edward or "Plorn", is born.
1853 - Dickens gives his first public reading of one of his works.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France. In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes, that things in general were settled for ever.
Scanning is a technique to search for key words or ideas. In most cases, you know what you're looking for, so you're concentrating on finding a particular answer. Scanning involves moving your eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases.
Skimming means to read something quickly so as to note only the important points. Get a general idea.
Reading in detail ? Answer the question by watching this video
Reading Activities for Beginners , Elementary Learners, Pre-Intermediate ,Intermediate Upper Intermediate learners and IELTS Students English Students.
Have a look at this web
For our Left-Handers Day celebrations a few years ago, singer/songwriter and longstanding Club member Ian Radburn offered to compose a light-hearted song, which he has performed at all our live events. The result, in the style of a folk song, was absolutely brilliant and had us all singing along with the chorus. It has often been broadcast on TV and radio shows. We are delighted to bring his song to you, and also put the amusing and poignant lyrics down for posterity. Our sincere thanks to Ian, and we hope you enjoy it.
Left-Handers Lament by Ian Radburn
Now here's the story of my life,
I've had fun but lots of strife,
For I was born left-handed, but I'm proud
To be one of the elite, right-handers we can beat
We're the 10% that stand out from the crowd!
But as a little lad, oh the problems that I had
Winding clockwork toys was just a mystery
Tying laces was a pain, couldn't get it in my brain
Everything was back-to-front it seemed to me
Chorus We're the Cack-Handed Kings, we're the LEFTIES
You right-handers just haven't got a clue
'Cos if you'd been through what we've been through
Then maybe you would feel superior too!
At 5 I started school where I was treated like a fool
Being left-handed I stood out from the pack
And learning how to write was not a struggle - more a fight
For I had my left hand tied behind my back
"Now get it in your head" the sympathetic teacher said
"You use the right and not the Devil's side"
Those supposed men of vision caused me pain and such derision
Is it any wonder often times I cried? We're the Gibble Fisted Friends, we're the LEFTIES (repeat chorus)
Time then came when my voice dropped
And my face was one big spot
But I was glad to see my teenage years arrive,
Because I use my left, I was different from the rest
And the girls saw me as something of a prize!
I learned some handy tricks in the back row of the flicks
It used to drive my girlfriends all berserk
For their eyes would keep apace of my right hand - just in case
And they never saw my left one go to work!
We're the Southpawed Princes, we're the LEFTIES (repeat chorus)
Well I'm married now, worst luck
But my wife has given up
Asking me to help with chores like peeling spuds,
Or trying to cut the bread, I'll get a 4 x 2" wedge
Lose three fingertips and half a pint of blood
I would love to be a dad, but we've hit a little snag
If you can help please tell us what to do
The problem simply said, is that I'm a left-hand thread
But my wife you see, now she's a right-hand .....OH, YES WE'RE THE
Scrummy-Handed Heroes, we're the LEFTIES (repeat chorus)
Now we reach today, where you stand and watch me play
And yes, I play right-handed it is true
For the very simple fact is that I've had to adapt
Something all we southpaws have to try and do
We have trouble tying ties, writing cheques out, using knives
and scissors made for use in your right hand
And when it comes to sport once again we are left short
In hockey and in polo we are banned
We're the Cuddy Wifter Winners, we're the LEFTIES (repeat chorus)
Now I've finished off my song and as you move along
Please bear in mind the things I've had to say
And please show some respect for your friends who use the left
Thanks for listening to me this Left-Handers Day.
We all, of course, know in which hand we hold a pen, but how far does this bias extend throughout your body? Are you left-eared? Left eyed? Here is a simple test you can apply to yourself. 1. Imagine the centre of your back is itching. Which hand do you scratch it with? 2. Interlock your fingers. Which thumb is uppermost? 3. Imagine you are applauding. Start clapping your hands. Which hand is uppermost? 4. Wink at an imaginary friend straight in front of you. Which eye does the winking? 5. Put your hands behind your back, one holding the other. Which hand is doing the holding? 6. Someone in front of you is shouting but you cannot hear the words. Cup your ear to hear better. Which ear do you cup? 7. Count to three on your fingers, using the forefinger of the other hand. Which forefinger do you use? 8. Tilt your head over on to one shoulder. Which shoulder does it touch? 9. Fixate a small distant object with your eyes and point directly at it with your forefinger. Now close one eye. Now change eyes. Which eye was open when the fingertip remained in line with the small object? (When the other eye, the non-dominant one, is open and the dominant eye is closed, the finger will appear to move to one side of the object.) 10. Fold your arms. Which forearm is uppermost? If you have always considered yourself to be right or left-handed you will probably now have discovered that your body is less than total in its devotion to its favoured side. If you are right-handed the chances are that you were not able to be 'right' 10 times.
