Saturday 29 August 2009

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A Second Wedding

Adam and Nancy lived in a small city in Australia. They went to the same primary school when they were young. They studied at the same class in year 6. They went to the same high school and were best friends. When they were in year 11 Adam helped her with her maths and they fell in love. They went out together. Adam used to walk Nancy home after school every day. They used to talk all the way. They did not take a bus. They liked to be together.

When they finished high school, Adam went to Melbourne to study at Melbourne University. Nancy didn't go to Uni. She got a job. She worked at a local supermarket.

Adam used to go back to his city every four weeks to see Nancy. Adam finished his studies and got a job. He worked as an accountant. One day Adam and Nancy went to a restaurant. Adam asked her to marry him. Nancy was happy. They got married at the local church. Their wedding day was rainy. There was a big storm. Some of the guests could not come to the wedding reception because of the bad weather.

Nancy and Adam did not have much money but they were happy to get married. They were happy because they would live together. After one year they had their first child. They felt that they were closer. They had another child after two years.

Many years went by and Adam retired from work. Nancy stopped working too. Their children finished their education and got nice jobs.

One day Adam and Nancy had a crazy idea. They decided to have a second wedding. Adam bought Nancy a nice wedding dress. He bought a suit for himself too. They invited their friends and family to a big wedding ceremony.

On their second wedding day it was not raining. It was a sunny day. All the guests came and everyone was happy.

Adam bought Nancy a diamond ring and a gold necklace. He went down on his knee and asked Nancy to marry him - again. This time Nancy was happier. It was a special day for her because Adam still loved her.
After finishing the test click on the magnifying glass to know the correct answers.
Can you find 6 mistakes?
Adam and Nancy lived in a small city in Canada. They went to the same primary school when they were young. They studied at the same class in year 6. They went to the same high school and were best friends. When they were in year 11 Adam helped her with her maths and they fell in love. They went out together. Adam used to walk Nancy home after work every day. They used to talk all the way. They did not take a bus. They liked to be together.
When they finished high school, Adam went to Sydney to study at Melbourne University. Nancy didn't go to Uni. She got a job. She worked at a local supermarket.Adam used to go back to his city every four weeks to see Nancy. Adam finished his studies and got a job. He worked as an accountant. One day Adam and Nancy went to a restaurant. Adam asked her to marry him. Nancy was happy. They got married at the local church.
Their wedding day was rainy. There was a small storm. Some of the guests could not come to the wedding reception because of the bad weather.Nancy and Adam did not have much money but they were happy to get married. They were happy because they would live together. After one year they had their first child. They felt that they were closer. They had another child after two years.Many years went by and Adam retired from work. Nancy stopped working too. Their children finished their education and got nice jobs.
One day Michael and Nancy had a crazy idea. They decided to have a second wedding. Adam bought Nancy a nice wedding dress. He bought a suit for himself too. They invited their friends and family to a big wedding ceremony.On their second wedding day it was not raining. It was a sunny day. All the guests came and everyone was happy.Adam bought Nancy a diamond ring and a gold necklace. He went down on his knee and asked Nancy to marry him - again. This time Nancy was happier. It was a strange day for her because Adam still loved her.

Friday 28 August 2009

Nadine

This is a picture of Nadine. She comes from Russia. She is 24 years old. When she came to Australia 10 years ago she didn’t speak any English and she had a big problem trying to talk to people.

She was at high school in Russia and she wanted to go back there. Nadine started learning English at a language school. She stayed there for one year. She also learned math and science. She started to have friends. It did not take a long time when Nadine liked staying here. Her father got a job working at a meat factory and her mother started working as a hairdresser. Nadine went to a high school in Footscray and started to study all her subjects in English. By that time she could speak English well. She also went to the public library and borrowed a lot of books to help her learn more English.

At the end of year 12, Nadine got a high mark of 99% and went to Melbourne University to study to become a doctor. Now she works at the Royal Women’s Hospital. She goes to Russia once a year but she likes it here in Australia more. She took some driving lessons and bought a new car. She likes painting in her free time. This is a picture that she drew of herself last week.

All her friends liked the picture and someone who has an art gallery said he wanted to buy it for 5000 dollars. Nadine is thinking about selling the painting to the man and get the money. She said she spent only three hours painting it. That is a lot of money for very little work.

Listen to your classmate and fill in the gaps:

This is a picture of ……………….. She comes from Russia. She is 24 ……………. old. When she came to Australia 10 years ago she didn’t ……………. any English and she had a big problem trying to talk to …………... She was at high school in Russia and she wanted to go back there. Nadine …………………….. learning English at a language school. She stayed there for one year. She also learned math and ………………….. She started to have friends. It did not take a long time when Nadine ………………. staying here. Her father got a job working at a meat ……………………… and her mother started working as a hairdresser. Nadine went to a high school in Footscray and started to …………………. all her subjects in English. By that time she could speak …………………. well. She also went to the public library and borrowed a lot of ……………….. to help her learn more English. At the end of year 12, Nadine got a high mark of 99% and went to ………………… University to study to become a doctor. Now she …………………….. at the Royal Women’s Hospital. She goes to Russia once a year but she likes it here in Australia more. She took some driving lessons and bought a ………… car. She likes painting in her …………. time. This is a picture that she drew of herself last week. All …………. friends liked the picture and someone who has an art gallery said he wanted ……. buy it for 5000 dollars. Nadine is thinking about selling the painting to the man …………… get the money. She said she spent only three hours painting it. That is a lot of …………………. for very little work.

Answer These Questions:
Where does Nadine come from? When did she come to Australia? How did she feel when she first came to Australia? How good was her English when she came to Australia? What sort of job did her father get? What sort of job did her mother get? Where did Nadine learn English at first? What university did Nadine enrol in? What did she study at uni? Where did she start to work? What does she like doing in her free time? What did she paint last week? How much did the man offer to buy the painting for? What does this man own? What does Nadine say about the money for the painting?

Natasha

My name is Natasha. I come from Russia. I am 25 years old and I live in Melbourne, Australia. I have been living in Melbourne for one year. Before that I lived all my life in Moscow. Moscow is the capital city of Russia. I was a student at a big university. I studied science there.

In my study I used the internet to do some research. My problem was that I could not speak English very well. A friend of mine told me about chatting on the internet. I started to talk to people using my computer and I made some friends in different countries. One day I met a man from Australia.

I was happy because I wanted to improve my English. We started to talk every evening on the internet. We chatted for hours and hours. He asked me about my address in Moscow. I gave him my address and after five days I got a big surprise. He came to Moscow to meet me. I met him for the first time and my heart started beating fast. He was tall and handsome.

We fell in love and got married in Moscow. At that time my English was not that good but we could understand each other. My father and mother were very sad because I would live in a different country. I promised to visit them every year. I came to live in Australia three months later after I finished my university study. I started to go to English classes at AMES in the city. I improved my grammar a lot and also my writing skills. Because I speak English with my husband at home my English language is improving quickly. My husband does not speak Russian. When I have children, I want them to speak both English and Russian.

I will finish my English classes in three weeks’ time. After that I want to get a job. I will have to do a short course in hospitality. When the time is right, I want to go back to uni and study again. I know that getting an Australian qualification is very important to get a good job. I will study hard and at the same time enjoy my life with my husband.
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Public Transport in Melbourne

In Melbourne there are two transport zones - zone one and zone two. You can buy a daily or a two-hour ticket. A daily ticket allows you to use a train, a bus or a tram all day. You can buy your ticket from a ticket office at the train station or from a machine there.

After you buy your ticket, remember to validate it. You insert it into a machine and this machine will type the time and date on the back. If you don't have a ticket and use a train, a bus or a tram, you can pay a fine. The fine is 160 dollars. It is a lot of money to lose. If you have a ticket but you don't validate it, you can pay a fine too.

You can pay full fair or a concession fare. International students are not allowed to use concession tickets. Concession tickets are used by people who don't have a lot of money. They must be Australian citizens. If you use a concession ticket to travel, you can pay a fine.

The city is the heart of Melbourne. This is where all train lines meet. The city is in zone one. Ibrahim lives in Box Hill. He has to buy a special ticket every day. The ticket is called a zone-one-and-two ticket. It allows him to travel from Box Hill to the city.

When you use public transport, you are not allowed to drink alcohol or smoke on board. You are not allowed to use indecent language. You are not allowed to put your feet on the seat in front of you. You can pay a fine.

You can buy a special ticket on Sunday. The ticket is called the Sunday Saver Ticket. It is very cheap to buy. You can use the Sunday Saver Ticket to travel in zone one or two all day.

Before you travel somewhere in Melbourne, it is a good idea to plan your trip. Sometimes you need to take a bus then you take a train or a tram after that. You can buy one ticket to use public transport in Melbourne.

You can ask other people in the street for directions. You can say "Excuse me. Can you tell me the way to the National Bank, please?" , " How can I go to the supermarket, please? or " Where is the nearest petrol station, please?". They will help you if they can.

Taking a taxi in Melbourne is not a very good idea. Taxis cost a lot of money especially if you want to travel a long distance. If you are going somewhere late at night, it may not be possible to take a bus. You may have to take a taxi then. You can use your credit card to pay the taxi driver or you can pay in cash. You can use your telephone at home to call a taxi. The taxi will come to take you from your home.

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Thursday 27 August 2009

Why I came to Australia

My name is Abdullah and I come from Saudi Arabia. I came to Australia in February this year. I love learning. I went to a very good school in Saudi Arabia. I came to Melbourne to do a degree at Victoria University. I hope to finish my degree in three years. I want to finish my studies and then go back to my country. I want to work in my city. I want to work at a bank.

I have one problem. My problem is that my English is not good enough. I can't understand people when they talk to me. I find it difficult to answer the phone. I don't speak English good enough. I think that my English is poor compared to other people.

I am doing an English course now at VU. My course will take one year to finish. I hope that by the end of this year, my English will be good enough to start my study at uni.

I go to class every day. I make sure I go on time. It is not nice to come to class late or not to come to class at all. In Australia students learn in a different way than in my country. The teacher in my country keeps talking all the time. Students have to listen and not talk at all.

In Australia teachers don't talk all the time. Students don't keep quiet and just listen. They talk to each other and to the teacher. Students in Australia don't have to ask the teacher before they go to the toilet. They just open the door quietly and go. They show that they are nice to other students by not talking loudly in class.

In my home I have a computer. My computer is connected to the interent. I use the internet to learn English. I listen to lessons. I read a lot. I also watch TV in the evening. I like watching the news.

Teachers in Australia are very good. They listen to me if I have a problem in class. They give me all the help I need. If I am late one day or if I skip class, they email me the lessons I missed. Sometimes I don't understand a word or a sentence. I look the word up in my dictionary. If I still don't understand, I go to my teacher. My teacher helps me understand what the word means.

I find life in Australia very different from my country. In Melbourne it is sometimes hot and cold in the same day. It is sometimes sunny and rainy in the same day. I make sure I take my umbrella with me before I leave home in the morning. I don't have a car and I use the train.

Trains here are good but they are expensive. Tickets are very expensive. The good thing is that I can use one ticket and use a train, a tram or a bus. In my country I have to buy three tickets. I buy one ticket to use a train. I buy another ticket to use a tram. Still I buy a third one to use a tram. We don't have trams in every city in my country.

In class I learn with people from different countries. I made friends with all the students. I have friends from India, Korea, Japan and Iran. I also have friends who study at VU. They are not in my class but we are friends.

I like playing football. I have some friends who like playing football too. We play football every Sunday. We play football for two hours. We have fun. After we play football, we have a meal. We cook some meat and vegetables. We also eat some fruits.

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After publishing this lesson, my Saudi students told me that there is no public transport at all in Saudi Arabia. All people have cars. If they don't have cars, they use taxis.