Friday 24 December 2010

How People Learn

This is a great video from YouTube for teachers and those interested in learning more about how people learn.



If you want to learn more, follow this link.
http://comment.rsablogs.org.uk/videos/

Sunday 19 December 2010

Dr Phil

If you watch TV quite often, you might have seen a program called Dr Phil. Dr Phil is a very famous American TV presenter who studied to become a psychiatrist at university. He did a PhD degree after finishing his university studies. 


While he was a student at university, he was a football player. His team was once beaten 100/6 by another university. This means that his team scored only 6 goals while the other team scored 100. It was a huge defeat for his team. 


He appeared on a very famous American TV show called Oprah and had weekly appearances for some time because of the very positive feedback from the program viewers. 


Later on, Dr Phil started his own TV show and it was an instant hit with millions of viewers each week. Now he gets more than 15 million dollars a year for hosting the TV show. He is an accomplished author too. He writes books that become best sellers in many countries around the world. Dr Phil is more of a motivational talker than a TV talk show presenter. He gives people ideas of how they can lead a better life and deal with life's hardships. 


He travels overseas quite often to talk to audience in many countries. The topics he chooses are important for many people because he gives advice on health, building relationships, achieving goals, parenting and losing weight. 


Most of his audience are females but there are millions of males who watch his shows and leave comments on his web page. Also on his web site, people can contact his production team if they have an interesting story that can be shown on TV. 

Friday 17 December 2010

Thank You

A big thankyou to all my students in my Certificate II class. I've really enjoyed teaching you. Your class party this afternoon was really nice and the music was good too. I will always remember the good time we've had in class. You worked as a team and that was the best thing about this class. I am sure you've learned a lot about other cultures and made many friends. Thanks again for all your kind words and presents.


Next year I will be teaching a level III class. I will meet new students and start teaching them how to work in pairs and groups. I hope I still have nice students like you next year.

During the holidays I will be busy writing a book that will have many lessons to teach English. I hope to have it published soon but this will cost a lot of money.  I will also play tennis with my children (if they have the time away from their computers and Facebook).


If you need to do extra work at home, you can go to the web sites I gave you and start doing some work on your own. I wish you all the best. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thursday 16 December 2010

Refugees

Yesterday there was a disaster when a number of people died including some children when they were trying to come to Australia. They came on a small boat that was not suitable to carry a big number of people.


Most of the people on the boat were Iraqis. They were trying to flee their country because it is not safe to live there any more. It is not safe to walk in the streets and the future for those people looks very bad. In fact, there is no future at all. 


A few years ago, America, Britain and Australia invaded Iraq after telling the whole world a lot of lies about weapons of mass destruction that were there. They bombed most of the Iraqi cities and nearly one million people died there. America, Britain and Australia didn't find any weapons of mass destruction but they found a lot of petrol. 


 Iraq is a very rich country that has a lot of oil but the people there are very poor. The government in Iraq controls the country with the help of the American troops there. Nearly all the Iraqi petrol goes to America and Britain. The government does not build good schools or hospitals for the people to use. 


Nowadays, two million Iraqis live as refugees in a third-world country called Syria. Australia, America and Britain have refused to take any of them. They refuse to provide Syria with any help because they don't like the government there. 


The Australian government doesn't want to take any refugees and always puts them in detention centres (prisons) for many years. In these detention centres there are many children who spend their childhood there and then get sent back to where they came from. 


Some Australians feel sorry for those refugees and hope that the government will change its policy and allow them to come and live here. They wish they will be treated as human beings because those refugees haven't committed any crimes. They are running away from death. 


In the picture you can see how high the waves are and how small the boat is. This boat is not good enough to carry all those people. Some of the dead were infants and young children. They were helpless. Their families were hoping to bring them to Australia to have a better future. Now these families have lost their children and they will all end up living in a detention centre for some years. 

Wednesday 15 December 2010

Many young children fall sick when they go to their childcare centre. They go there early in the morning and parents can see there is nothing wrong with them. After finishing the day there, they start looking unwell. They catch diseases and other things from other children at the childcare centre. 


To get more information on the topic, listen to this report from VOA. 

http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/Getting-Sick-at-Child-Care-a-Good-Thing-Africas-Meningitis-Vaccine-111885164.html

Certificate III Work

Please click on these links in order


http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1008/100812-pakistan_aid_match.html


http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1008/100812-pakistan_aid.html


http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1008/100812-pakistan_aid-sq.htm


http://www.listen-to-english.com/index.php?atp=archive_atp

.

Tuesday 14 December 2010

Education in Australia

Education in public schools in Australia is free. Parents need only to pay for excursions, swimming lessons and other activities fees for their children. They also pay money to buy books and school supplies that their children use during the year.

Most public schools in Australia are co-education schools. This means that boys and girls study there together. There are only four schools in Melbourne that are not co-education ones. They are called single-sex schools. Two of them are for boys and the other two are for girls.

Some people believe that single-sex schools are better than the co-education ones because their children don’t get distracted while studying in class. Still there are other parents who think that single-ses schools are not good because they make boys and girls compete against each other to prove that they are smart.

Young children normally go to childcare before they start their primary education. In Australia students start primary school at the age of 5. It is compulsory to send your children to primary school so they can learn to read and write. There are other sports and musical activities that students can take part in. Students also work in pairs and small groups. They use computers to find information on the internet or use programs to improve their reading and mathematics skills.

There are some schools that start only in year 9 for very gifted students. The students in these schools do extra work and there is a selection test that a student has to pass if he or she wants to enrol in one of them.

Private schools cost a lot of money and not many people can afford to send their children to study there. Private schools look after students very well and make sure they do well in all subjects. Some parents send their children to study at private schools because these schools have good names. Others send their children to study there for prestige.

Private and public schools always have their own web sites and students can use them to do their homework when they go home and sent it to their teachers. They ask students to buy their own lap top computers.

Some students go overseas to spend a few weeks in countries like Japan, Italy, France or China. On the other hand, other students from these countries come to stay in Australia. There are some student exchange programs that students can take part in if they want to travel overseas. Parents normally pay money to send their children there.

Fill in the gaps:
Education in public schools in .....................is free. Parents need only to pay for excursions, swimming ......................and other activities fees for their children. They also pay money to buy books and school supplies that their ....................use during the year.


Most public schools in Australia ...................co-education schools. This means that boys and girls study there together. There are only ...................schools in Melbourne that are not co-education ones. They are called ......................-sex schools. Two of them are for boys and the other ..........................are for girls.


Some people .......................that single-sex schools are better than the co-education ones because their children don’t get distracted ....................studying in class. Still there are other parents who think that single-ses .........................are not good because they make boys and girls compete against ......................other to prove that they are smart.


Young children normally go to .....................before they start their primary education. In Australia students start primary school at the ...................of 5. It is compulsory to send your children to primary school ......................they can learn to read and write. There are other sports and musical activities that students can .....................part in. Students also work in pairs and small groups. They .....................computers to find information on the internet or use ....................to improve their reading and mathematics skills.


There are some schools that start only in year 9 for very gifted students. The students in these schools do extra work and there is a selection test that a student has to pass if he or she wants to enrol in one of them.


Private schools cost a .....................of money and not many people can afford to send their children to study there. Private ...................look after students very well and make sure they do well in all subjects. Some parents send their ....................to study at private schools because these schools .....................good names. Others send their children to study there for prestige.


Private and public ...................always have their own web sites and students can use them to do their homework when they go home and ....................it to their teachers. They ask students to buy their own lap ..................computers.


Some students go overseas to spend a few .....................in countries like Japan, Italy, France or China. On the other hand, ....................students from these countries come to stay in Australia. There ...................some student exchange programs that students can take part in if they want to travel overseas. Parents normally ...................money to send their children there.

Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong is an American astronaut. He was born in 1930. He was the first human in history to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. When he was young, Neil Armstrong loved flying very much. He went on a plane ride at the age of 6. He was always thinking about travelling to the outer space.

It was a very important event at that time and millions of people watched the landing on their TV screens. Neil Armstrong travelled to the moon on a spaceship called Apollo 11. He didn’t travel alone. He went with another American astronaut called Buzz Aldrin.


When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon he said:”This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” When he went to university in 1947, he studied engineering. In 1949, he became a navy pilot and went to Korea in 1950 before the start of the Korean War. After the war ended, he returned to America and went back to university to get a bachelor’s degree. He finished his studies at university in 1955.


When Neil Armstrong returned to earth after landing on the moon, he brought with him nearly 5 kilograms of rocks. He was considered a national hero and became very famous all over the world too. He appeared on many TV shows and gave lectures around the world on his mission to the moon. Later on, he worked as a professor of engineering at a big university in America.

Fill in the gaps:
Neil Armstrong is an ................astronaut. He was born in 1930. He was the first human in history to .............foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. When he was young, Neil Armstrong loved flying very much. He went ................a plane ride at the age of 6. He was always thinking ..................travelling to the outer space.



It ..................a very important event at that time and millions of people watched the landing on ................TV screens. Neil Armstrong travelled to the moon on a spaceship called Apollo 11. He didn’t ..................alone. He went with another American astronaut ...................Buzz Aldrin.


When Neil Armstrong ............................on the moon he said:”This is one small ...............for a man, one giant  leap ...................mankind.” When he went to ..................in 1947, he studied engineering. In 1949, he became a navy pilot and went to Korea in 1950 before the start of the Korean ................ After the war ended, he returned to America and went back to university to get a bachelor’s degree. He finished his studies ..............university in 1955.


When Neil Armstrong returned to earth ................landing on the moon, he brought with him nearly 5 kilograms of rocks. He was considered a national ................and became very famous all over the world too. He appeared ..............many TV shows and gave lectures around the ................on his mission to the moon. Later on, he ...............as a professor of engineering at a big university in America.

Monday 13 December 2010

How People Marry in China

A young man sees a young woman and they have a chat. After they talk for some time, they exchange phone numbers and QQ numbers (a chat program commonly used by young people). They start chatting and dating for some time.


Every night, they talk to each other on the internet for hours and hours. If they really feel they like each other, the boy goes to his girlfriend’s house to meet her parents. (a horrible interview)


The young man buys a lot of gifts for the parents to show that he is polite and nice to them.


If the parents agree, they allow them to continue keeping in touch through and they young man can come for dinner many times aweek. They young man takes the young girl to meet his parents. She also buys presents to his parents to show that she is nice and polite.


If his parents like the girl, they invite the girl’s parents to come for dinner after a few days. During the dinner, the parents discuss the wedding date.


The young man and the young woman start planning for their future together. Firstly, the young man buys a house and new furniture. He decorates the house with lights from the inside. He cuts up red paper to make traditional Chinese decorations using words.


The young man buys a diamond ring and a nicklace for his girlfriend. He also buys her four or five dresses for the wedding. The young man books a restaurant or a hotel for the wedding reception.


The young man and the young woman invite their families and friends to come to their wedding. About four or five hunderd people attend the wedding ceremoney. Chinese wedding are normally big occasions. The young man pays to provide lunc for the guests. The young woman pays to provide guests with dinner.


Before the wedding, the young man and the young woman go to a government office to sign the wedding certificate. On the day of the wedding, the guests put money in a red envelope and give it to the happy couple as a present. On the wedding day, the young man has to carry his bride with the help of her brother. She must not touch the ground with her feet.


The couple take pictures with every guest who comes to the wedding. There is a company that arranges the wedding for the happy couple. They drink alcohol with each other and with ALL of the guests.


The young girl lits cigarettes for the men to welcome them. The young man gives candy to young women who attend the wedding.


Sometimes the young man falls down because he drinks too much. There is a slide show of pictures of the young man and the young woman when they were young.


The happy couple cut the wedding cake and give it to the guests to eat. The bride throws the flowers to single girls and boys to wish them good luck.


The bride and groom kiss each other. All the guests take pictues with the happy couple. Some of the couple’s friends sing and dance for them.


Weddings in China start at 10 or 11 o’clock in the morning. They finish at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The following day, the happy couple go back to the girl’s house to have dinner there and say thank you.


The happy couple go on their honeymoon for one or two weeks. Sometimes they travel overseas if they are rich. Many times they spend their honeymoon inside the country.


When they go back to work, they have to take some candy and cigarettes to give to their colleagues (co-workers).

Normally, the young man pays a lot of money to get married. The young man and the young woman are normally allowed to have only one child in China.

Saturday 11 December 2010

Helicopters

Do you know what a helicopter is? It is a type of an airplane that doesn't have wings. The first helicopter in the world was invented in Italy. A helicopter carries a small number of passengers and it doesn't fly at a great speed like a big airplane. 


It doesn't need a runway to take off or land. It can be used to do many things like putting out fires in forests, transferring sick people to hospitals, reaching people who live in far away places and it can also be used to help the police do their work. Some TV stations own helicopters and use them to give traffic updates. There are other things that helicopters can be used for. 


Some people like to take a ride on a helicopter and see the sights when they go on holidays. These rides normally go for less than one hour but they cost a lot of money. 


Some rich people and film stars own helicopters and use them to travel from one place to another. 


In the picture you can see a helicopter used to fight fires. You can see something like a bucket that can be quickly filled with water. The pilot who flies the helicopter drops the water on the fire from above and puts it out in seconds. 


The air forces in many countries use helicopters when they go to war. The Italians were the first to use helicopters in wars nearly 100 years ago when they bombed the big cities in Libya and occupied the country for a very long time. 

Space Travel

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/playandlearn/best-dressed-astronaut.html

Friday 10 December 2010

Ways to Sell Yourself to Get a Job

There are different things that you can do to sell yourself to get the job you've always wanted. I read some interesting information that can help you plan when you are about to have an interview.

http://au.pfinance.yahoo.com/moneyandyourlife/your-career/article/-/8309047/job-hunters-seven-tips-for-selling-yourself/

Thursday 9 December 2010

Romance Scam

I know a friend who trusted a man and gave him $30,000 in the hope that they would get married one day. He took the money and she never saw him again. My friend worked hard for every dollar that she earned. She didn't make him sign any papers to say that he took money from her. Today I read another story online and thought it would be good for you to know how common scams are done.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/8481039/woman-loses-600-000-in-love-scam/

Wednesday 8 December 2010

Ibrahim's Class

Here are some of the things that my students told me about my teaching style a few days before the class ended. I would like to share them with you.

What did you like in Ibrahim's class?
I liked: 
The worksheets that you gave us in class.
The interactive exercises you showed us on the internet.
The explanation of the lessons.
The resources on the internet.
Learning by doing things in class.
Replying to students' emails any time.
Explaining the meaning of words.
The tempo.
Explaining things in Arabic to Arabic-speaking students.
Summaries were good because they pushed us to learn.
You gave us useful web sites to learn English.
Updated information and topics.

What didn't you like in Ibrahim's class?
A few minutes late on some occasions.
Too many summaries to be emailed by students each week. 

Suggestions:
Work in ILC be a continuation to a topic started in class.

From Ibrahim to Class EL1D Students
Thanks very much for the wonderful time I've spent teaching you at VU. I really enjoyed being inside class with you. I've had the chance to meet students from countries that I have never taught anyone from before like Kuwait.

I would like to thank the students who sent me an email every day with their work to have a look at. I think they have worked hard and improved their English a lot. I wish all of you the best in your furure courses. You can still use my blog to learn more English in the future even when you go on holiday overseas.

I will miss all of you when I have my holiday next week. I am sure I will see you in the building sometime next year when I come back to teach here again. Until then, all the best from me.

Tuesday 7 December 2010

Reading Books

We all know that reading is very important when you learn a new language. Reading will open many doors for you and help you learn English. If you read more, you will learn more. Just remember that when you read, you may need to use a dictionary quite often. You will find that you will start to use your dictionary less and less as you read more.

Here is a link to a book that you can read online and answer some questions. You can NOT print or save the book to use it on your computer.

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=dt_-NJzrUCMC&pg=PA104&dq=graded+reading+exercises&hl=en&ei=yrz9TIPKKYSiuQPHjvm8Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q&f=false

Vocabulary to Learn English

When you learn a new language, you need to spend a lot of time reading. The new language will certainly be different from your own language. Some people spend a lot of time learning the new language and they succeed. Others spend hardly any time and they don't learn much at all. They don't take their study seriously.

I found a book that you can use online, thanks to Google Books. It has a lot of vocabulary and this will help you learn the language.

Here is the link for you to see. Just remember that this book costs 50 dollars at the shops if you want to buy it. You can read it for free online if you want. I really recommend it for you. Please tell me in class if you find it useful or not.

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=thKKgYei8XsC&pg=PA1&dq=english+vocabulary+exercises&hl=en&ei=TYD9TJmkOsjIcZXRxJUG&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=english%20vocabulary%20exercises&f=true

Amir From Pakistan

Amir is a student who studies English at AMES in Box Hill. He comes from Pakistan and he has been in Australia for four years now. Amir lived for a few years in Greece where he worked in a pizza shop. He liked Greece very much and had many friends there.


Amir went to Pakistan for a short visit to see his family and there he met a girl at his neighbour’s house. The girl was born in Australia. Her parents were Pakistani. Amir fell in love with the girl at first sight and after a few days, he asked her to marry him. Amir was tall and handsome and the girl agreed. She was happy to marry Amir. Amir rang his friends in Greece and told them he was not coming back because he got married. He also rang his boss at work and thanked him for the wonderful time he had had at work. The boss wished Amir the best of luck.


After they married, Amir and his wife came to live in Australia. Amir’s English was good enough but he was bored at home when he stayed for two weeks without work. His brother-in-law introduced him to one of his friends. They used to go to high school together. The friend was Greek. Amir spoke to the young man in Greek. The young man was surprised because Amir spoke Greek very well.


The young man turned on the radio. On the radio there were Greek songs and other programs. Amir started to listen to the Greek radio station quite often. One day there was an advertisement for a job at a factory. Amir wrote down the phone number and rang the factory.


One man answered the phone at the factory and Amir spoke to him in Greek. The man was surprised to find out that Amir didn’t have a Greek name. Amir explained that he was Pakistani. The man asked Amir to come the following day to meet the boss.


Amir went to the factory the following day and met the boss. The boss was happy to give him a job at his factory. He was very happy because not many people could speak Greek that well. After some time, Amir made many friends at his factory and he was very happy to come and live in Australia.

Answer these questions:
  1. What country does Amir come from?
  2. Where did he work when he was in Greece?
  3. Why did Amir go back to Pakistan?
  4. Who did he meet at his neighbour's house?
  5. Why did Amir telephone his friends and former boss in Greece?
  6. Why did Amir feel bored when he came to live in Australia?
  7. Do you think Amir was lucky to find work after a short time of coming to live in Australia?
  8. Where was Amir's wife born?
  9. Where do her parents come from?
  10. Do you think speaking Greek helped Amir get his first job in Australia?
  11. What did Amir hear on the radio?
  12. Where does Amir study English?
  13. Why was the friend surprised when he met Amir?
  14. What did Amir make when he got his job in Australia?
  15. Are there many people who were not born in Greece that can speak Greek?  

Monday 6 December 2010

Barking Dogs

Good morning. XYZ local council. This is Tamara. How can I help you?
Good morning, Tamara. My name is Li Zhang. I am calling to make a complaint to the council.
You are making a complaint? What sort of complaint would you like to make, Mr Zhang?
Well, my neighbour has three big dogs that are very noisy.
Can you tell me your address, Mr Zhang?
Yes, I live in 67 Ibrahim Street, Box Hill. It is near the shopping centre.
I know where Ibrahim Street is. It is not far away from where I live. Did you say three dogs or thirteen dogs?
I said three. My neighbour has got three dogs and they are very noisy. They make a lot of noise and I can’t get to sleep.
Do they make noise at night?
No, they make noise during the day. You see, I work night shift and come home early in the morning. After I come home, I always go to bed to get some sleep but they start barking loudly and I stay awake.
Did you talk to your neighbour?
I talked to my neighbour a few times but he did nothing about the problem. I think he doesn’t care about me. He only cares about his dogs.
Oh, this is not very nice of him to do. Now, can you give me some information, please?
Yes. What would you like to know?
Where exactly are the dogs? Are they inside the house or in the garden?
They sleep inside the house but they come outside and start barking. They spend a lot of time in the garden and they bark when they see people walking along the street. You see how noisy it can be?
Yes, It must be very bad for you. Now, is the owner at home when the dogs bark?
Yes, you see, he hasn’t got a job. He is at home most of the time. He is there when they eat. He is there when they bark and he is there when they sleep.
Can you tell me what size the dogs are?
They are very big, I can tell you. I am afraid they will jump over the fence and attack me one day. I don’t know what to do.
Well, we will look after the matter for you, Mr Zhang.
Thank you very much.
Can you tell me when this started to be a problem for you?
It started a few weeks ago when he came back from a holiday and brought these dogs with him.
Did you contact the council before about this problem?
No, I didn’t. It’s the first time for me to contact the council about the barking dogs. I wish you can do something about it or I will have to call the police.
No, Mr Zhang. Don’t call the police. It is our job to look after these things. The police are very busy because they have more important things to do.
I see. Sometimes I feel like killing them.
Oh, you will get yourself into a lot of trouble if you do so. I know how angry you are at the moment.
So, how are you going to help me?
We will send you a form. You have to fill in this form and send it back to us. You can send it to us by post. I am sure we will do our best to talk to your neighbour to let him control his barking dogs.
Well, anything else that I have to do?
No, at this moment all you have to do is to fill in the form and we will look after the rest for you.
Thanks very much for your help.

Saturday 4 December 2010

Embedded Questions

When you speak English with someone else, you normally ask questions or give answers. It takes a lot of time and practice to learn to make questions correctly. 


Quite often you need to use some words before you ask the question to show that you are polite in your conversation. We call this an embedded question or an indirect question. Have a look at this example: 


What is your name? 
Can you tell me ........................
Can you tell me what your name is? 
Could you tell me .............................
Could you tell me what your name is? 


You use "Can you tell me ..........." or "Could you tell me ........." when you want to show that you are polite in your conversation. Maybe you are talking to your manager or boss at work and not your friend. Here are some more examples. 


What platform does the train to Box Hill depart from? 
Do you know ..............................
Do you know what platform the train to Box Hill departs from? 


Who will teach our class next term? 
I want to know who will teach our class next term. 
I wish to find out who will teach our class next term. 


Where can I buy a good present for my friend? 
I need to know where I can buy a good present for my friend. 
Can you tell me where I can buy a good present for my friend? 


Who is your teacher? 
Can you tell me who your teacher is? 


Where have I left my car key? 
Do you have any idea where I have left my car key? 
I can't remember where I have left my car key. 


Yes?No Questions
We use some words when we ask questions that can be answered by saying yes or no like: 
am - is - are - was - were 
can - could - will -would - shall - should - may - might
have - has -had

With these questions, we can use if or whether


Are you coming back to the office after 1 pm? 
Please tell me if you are coming back to the office after 1 pm. 


the same thing can be used in reported speech (when you tell someone what someone else told you before).
She wanted to know .....................
She wanted to know if I was coming back to the office after 1 pm. 
She wanted to know whether I was coming back to the office after 1 pm.  


Are you in Ibrahim's class? 
I wonder if you are in Ibrahim's class.
You didn't tell me you were in Ibrahim's class. 
I would like to know if you are in Ibrahim's class.
Just tell me if you are in Ibrahim's class.


Can you drive a car? 
I would like to know if you can drive a car. 
I wonder whether you can drive a car. 


Will you come to the party? 
I have forgotten if you are coming to the party. 
I can't remember whether you are coming to the party. 
I have no idea if you are coming to the party. 


Here are two links to  pages on the internet where you can do some exercises on your own. 
http://www.thunderbay.org/upload/documents/embeddedQs1.pdf

http://www.onestopenglish.com/community/lesson-share/pdf-content/grammar/grammar-embedded-question-drill-lesson-plan/147578.article

Friday 3 December 2010

Selling a Property

Owners spend a lot of money to make their properties look better before selling them. They want to get the best price they can and make some profit. They know that some buyers are fussy  and complain about many things such as the colour of the walls, the size of the rooms, the stains in the carpet, the condition of the garden and so on.

Owners do their best to convince the new buyer that the house is worth every dollar. They sometimes hire furniture to make their property look nicer.

Nowadays owning a property is a big decision. Prices are skyrocketing (going up very high very fast) and that's why many people choose to live far away from the CBD. They can't afford to buy a house or a unit near the CBD because prices are very high. If you live near the CBD, you enjoy many services like better transport, a shorter distance to work and many other things. Some people go to live in the country far away from Melbourne because this is all they can afford.

Banks make a lot of money by increasing interest rates every now and then. If you don't have a good deposit to pay to a bank, the bank will make you pay more money by asking you to pay mortgage insurance. This means you have to pay a few thousand dollars more than people who pay a good deposit.

Houses nowadays have smaller sizes than twenty or thirty years ago. Some people think buying their first home will never happen in the future. Real estate agents try to push prices beyond the limit of everyone because they will get a better commission after selling the property. At the same time, many people believe that the more they wait for prices to come down, the higher they become.

Many young people choose to live with their parents because they feel that there is no hope of saving up money for a deposit. They feel that only the rich can afford to buy properties. People on low incomes find it very difficult to pay their rent. Of course they can't save enough money to start thinking about buying their first home.

A lot of young men and women think it is better to have a nice car or buy expensive clothes and not try to save money for a house. They sometimes go overseas to visit different countries and have fun there.

Some of them wait for their parents to help them to pay a deposit for a new house or a unit. They feel that they can't afford to do so alone.

Answer These Questions:
  1. Why do some people go to live in the country?
  2. How do banks punish people who don't have enough money to pay a deposit?
  3. Why do some young people choose to live with their parents?
  4. Is it cheaper to buy a property near the CBD?
  5. What things other than a house do some young men and women buy?
  6. Why do some young men and women wait for their parents to help them with buying a property?
  7. Why do owners spend a lot of money on properties before selling them?
  8. Why do real estate agents push prices very high?
  9. Can rich people afford to buy properties?
  10. Why do some property owners hire furniture before selling their houses?
  11. What do you need to pay the bank before you buy a property? 
  12. What punishment do banks give to customers who can't afford to pay a big deposit for their loans? 

Nursing Course Conversation

Hello. How is it going? I haven’t seen you for a long time. What have you been up to?
I am very well. Thank you. I was away for some time at our beach house not far away from Melbourne.
So, that’s why I haven’t seen you. Are you doing anything at the moment?
Oh, yes. I am getting ready to start studying at TAFE soon.
TAFE? You didn’t tell me you were interested in going to TAFE before! What course will you be doing?
I will be studying a certificate IV in nursing. It will take me one year to finish but this is something I really want to do.
Nursing? Do you want to work at a hospital in the future?
Oh, yes. But I can also work in other places, not only hospitals. I can work at doctors’ surgeries. After I finish the course I will be a Division 2 registered nurse. I am sure it will be easy to get a job then.
And can you do any further studies after you finish your Division 2 nursing course?
Oh, yes. I can choose to go and study at university if I want to. If I go to university, I will have to study for three years and then become a Division 1 nurse. I will get more money then.
And what is the difference between a Division 1 and a Division 2 nurse?
A very big difference. To do nursing at university, you need to study for three years. It is always hard to do a university course and you have to study long hours and submit a lot of written assignments to teachers. At TAFE, it is normally less study, you don’t pay a lot of money and it is only one year.
And what will they teach you at the nursing course? Anything interesting?
I will learn to do many things to get ready to work in the health industry. I will learn how to administer medicine, apply first aid and learn about infection control. There are other things that I will learn during the course but these are the main ones.
Do you have to pay a lot of money to study at TAFE?
No, TAFE is always cheap. I am a permanent resident (PR), so I don’t have to pay a lot of money. I will pay a few hundred dollars a year.
Do international students pay a lot of money to study at TAFE?
Oh, yes, they do. They pay about $8000 each semester. It's a lot of money as you can see.
And how long is one semester?
One semester is six months. So in one year, they pay a lot of money as you can see. You will be surprised to know that students come from America to study here in Australia.
Why will someone leave America to study in Australia? They must be crazy.
No they’re not. They come to study in Australia because there is a good education system here. If they do the same courses in America, they will have to pay a lot of money. They come to study here because it is cheaper. Do you see how lucky we are to live in Australia? It’s the lucky country as they say.
Oh, I see what you mean. Tell me. Do you think teachers at TAFE are good?
Oh, yes. I’ve done a couple of short courses there before and the teachers were amazing. They helped me learn a lot in a very short time.
And why did you choose to study at TAFE?
Well, it is near my house. I can go there in five minutes. I will need only to do 19 units and get my certificate after that. There is also a very good library there. So I can borrow any books I like. They also have many computers and I can use them to go online to do my homework or anything I like.
And when will your course start? Is it very soon?
It will start in a couple of weeks’ time. I can’t wait to go to TAFE and start my course. I will have a chance to make some new friends.
Do you know how much you will get per hour after you finish your course?
I am not really sure but I think it is about 25 dollars per hour, but there are many good things you get when you work as a nurse.
Good things? Like what?
You can get flexible hours, so you can work when you like. You can choose to work full time or part time. You can also get professional development, so you learn new skills as you work. Sometimes they offer you something called salary packaging.
What is salary packaging?
It is something to help you pay less tax, so you end up getting more money in your pocket.
Well, all the best for your course. I am sure you will do very well when you study at TAFE.
Thanks very much. I will see you later. Bye.

Welcome to Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a very busy city in China. There are seven million people who live there and most of them speak Cantonese. There are thousands of foreigners who live there too. Many people in Hong Kong speak English as their second language and there are different international schools there.

People who live in Hong Kong are friendly and helpful. They smile at you and offer their help if you  need any. Some of them don't know a word of English but they try to help you the best they can.

Some people choose to go to Hong Kong for a short holiday because there are so many things they can do there. The city is busy 24 hours a day and some people say it never sleeps.  

Property prices in Hong Kong are mad (it is very expensive). Most of the people who work in Hong Kong don't live there. They live in nearby cities and travel to Hong Kong every day to go to their work.

In Hong Kong people use the Hong Kong Dollar to buy things. There are many international companies there. People in Hong kong use trains, buses, taxis and ferries travel around the busy city.

In 1841 Hong Kong was given to Britain. In 1941, Japan invaded it but Britain got it back after Japan lost the war in 1945. Finally, China restored Hong Kong after so many years in 1997.

Hong Kong has many skyscrapers, a big museum of art and very attractive shops. It covers an area of 1000 square kilometres. People who visit Hong Kong go to Victoria Peak, about 552 metres above sea level to get a good view of the city and the bay.  They also travel by ferry to enjoy many things that the city offers like the zoo, the botanical garden and many more. Women like to visit Hong Kong to do some shopping.

Hong Kong also has a good place for children to have fun called Disneyland. It has some of the world's finest restaurants. The main food in Hong Kong is Chinese food.

In Hong Kong there is a big shopping centre called Tsim Sha Tsui. It is the biggest computer shopping place in the world.

There are many hotels in Hong Kong to choose from. There are expensive hotels and cheap ones. The cheap ones cost more than $100 per night. The expensive ones can cost a couple of thousands of dollars per night.

The Hong Kong Airport is a very busy airport with planes landing or taking off every minute.

Thursday 2 December 2010

Talk About Your Class

  1. Did you enjoy your English class at AMES in Box Hill? 
  2. What things did you enjoy the most in your class? 
  3. What nationalities do we have in our class? 
  4. What did you NOT enjoy doing in your English class? 
  5. How many new friends have you made in your English class?  
  6. Did you like having worksheets in your hand or using the computer and the projector to do the lessons in class? 
  7. Was there anyone at home to help you learn English? 
  8. Did you find Ibrahim's blog useful to learn English? 
  9. Do you think you have learned enough grammar in class? 
  10. Did you enjoy working with volunteer tutors in our English class? 
  11. How many books have you borrowed from the library to learn English on your own at home? 
  12. How much did you spend studying English each week at home? 
  13. Do you think you are confident enough to learn English on your own? 
  14. Do you think you need a teacher by your side all the time to learn English? 
  15. Did you find the web sites that Ibrahim gave you useful? 
  16. Do you think you are ready now to go and do certificate III? 
  17. Do you think you still need to work on improving your English language? 
  18. Will you consider doing the hospitality or the retail course at AMES next term?
  19. Why do some students find it difficult to learn English? 
  20. Do you think the students who don't speak a lot in class are shy? 
  21. Did you find that learning in Ibrahim's class was different from other classes that you attended? 
  22. Do you think Ibrahim did a good job in teaching the students in your English class? 
  23. What parts of the course did you find very difficult to understand? 
  24. Where can you find English resources to use to learn English? 
  25. Do you like working with people who come from your country or students who come from different cultural backgrounds? 
  26. Do you think you are ready for work now? 
  27. What will you do after you finish Ibrahim's class? 
  28. Was your class different from other classes you did in your country? 
  29. Did you like the listening activities done in class? 
  30. Would you like to get a book to work from in class or sheets from your teacher every time you come to class? 
  31. Do you think you have done enough tests this term? 
  32. Do you think your English is much better now than when you started the course with Ibrahim? 
  33. Do you think you have done a good job learning English on your own at home after class? 
  34. Do you think learning English in Australia is better or in your country? 
  35. Did you like the activities we did in the computer room? 
  36. What do you think is the best way to learn English?

WikiLeaks

 Do you know what WikiLeaks is? It is a very famous web site that was set up by an Australian called Julian Assange. He put a lot of secret documents about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on the internet for the whole world to see.

Iraq is a vry rich country that has a lot of oil but the people there are very poor. Iraq has a government but America controls the country. Julian Assange showed many pictures of American soldiers killing Iraqis in the streets. Those Iraqis who were killed did not carry guns to defend themselves. 

The secret documents also showed that other countries helped Israel kill hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza during the Israeli attack not long ago. 

Now the international police want to find Julian Assange at any cost. They say that he raped a woman earlier in 2010. It is clear that the police want to shut him up for a very long time. This may include killing him at some stage - you never know.

WikiLeaks put hundreds of thousands of secret American documents on its web site and people in many countries became aware of the killings that the Americans have done in Iraq and other countries.

It showed that some kings and presidents were asking the Americans to attack Iran and kill hundreds of thousands of civilians there.

Now Julian Assange is in a secret place. He is in hiding. He doesn't want America to find out where he is because he fears for his life. Australia wants to put him in prison because he told people things that he shouldn't have.

One government official in Canada wants a plane to drop a bomb on Julian Assange to kill him.

Julian Assange became a hero in many countries after people knew the truth about their rulers. They say he is a whistle blower. Many of the rulers in these countries are dictators. The problem is that those rulers are very powerful. They control the army and police forces and they also have a lot of power. They get support from America and the West as well, so it is not easy for them to go.

If you want to be rich, you can tell the American government where Julian Assange is. You will get millions of dollars as a reward for your service and you will not have to work for the rest of your life.

Answer These Questions:
  1. What country does Julian Assange come from?
  2. Why is he so famous nowadays?
  3. What is WikiLeaks?
  4. What did Julian Assange put on his web site?
  5. How did the official from Canada want to punish Julian Assange?
  6. Why does the American government want to kill Julian Assange now?
  7. What will you get if you tell the American government where Julian Assange is?
  8. What did Julian Assange show on his web site about the war in Iraq?
  9. Is Iraq a rich country?
  10. Why is Iraq a rich country?

Iran in the News Again

This morning Iran was in the news again. A woman was hanged in a prison this morning in Tehran because she had killed another woman. The law in Iran says that killing, drug trafficking and other horrible crimes are punishable by the death penalty.

Iranians were divided (they didn't have the same opinion). Some people wanted the killer to be killed. Others wanted her to be punished by ordering her to stay in prison for a few years and then go free.


Some people are not happy about the death penalty. They say it is too harsh. They say that nobody deserves to be killed no matter what crime he or she has committed. They say that the killer spent 8 years in prison for the killing and that was enough. She learned her lesson the hard way.


The story about the woman who was hanged had been in the news for a long time. She told the judge that she killed the other woman because she was jealous of her. The woman who was killed was the wife of a famous football player. The killer was the second wife of the player.


The law in Iran is very tough when people commit horrible crimes like murder, rape, armed robbery, kidnapping or drug trafficking.


Other people say that the killer deserved to die because she killed an innocent person. If the law is not tough enough, tens of murders will take place every day. They say that the law in Iran protects the people. It is only tough against bad people. They say that if some people feel sorry for the killer, they should feel more sorry for the innocent wife who was killed.

Answer These Questions:
  1. What country does this story come from?
  2. When was the woman hanged?
  3. Why was she hanged?
  4. How long did she stay in prison for?
  5. Why did she kill the wife of the football player?
  6. Do you think the law in Iran is harsh?
  7. What is the penalty for murder in your country?
  8. Do you thik the woman deserved to die?
  9. What do you think would have been a suitable sentence for the woman?
  10. Do you think harsh penalties are good sometimes?
  11. What other crimes are punishable by death in Iran?
  12. Do you think kidnapping is a small crime?
  13. What penalty will someone who rapes a woman in Iran get if he is caught?
  14. Do you think the punishment in Iran for raping a woman is tough?

Interview Questions

  1. Tell me about yourself.
  2. Tell me about your past job. 
  3. What qualifications do you have?
  4. What salary do you want to get?
  5. What do you know about our company?
  6. Do you have your own private transport?
  7. How did you find out about this job?
  8. Why would you like to work for us?
  9. Do you know anyone who works for us?
  10. How long would you like to work for us?
  11. Are you planning to start any course in the near future?
  12. Tell me about your computer skills.
  13. Do you like to work alone or in a team?
  14. Tell me about a situation where there was a problem at your work and what you did to solve it.
  15. How long will it take you to come to work every day?
  16. Are you available to do any overtime?
  17. How flexible are you?
  18. Have you been fired from a job before?
http://www.sense-lang.org/

Wednesday 1 December 2010

Listening Web Site

Here is a link to a web site that is good for your English. I haven't used it in my English classes but have had a look at what is there. I hope you like it. It is really good for listening to conversations. By the way, if you want a kitten, talk to me in class. My cat has had 5 kittens and I am giving them away. They look so cute. I will post a picture of them for you to see soon.


http://www.talkenglish.com/Listening/ListenIntermediate.aspx

Studying in Australia

Sam is an international student from Vietnam. He came to Australia a few months ago to study at a university in Melbourne. Before Sam came to Australia, he worked very hard for four years to be able to afford to study in Melbourne. His parents didn't have any money and that's why he had two jobs at the same time.

Before Sam came to Australia, he went on the internet and sent email messages to some universities to ask how he could study. He was very excited when one university offered him a place to do his course. He applied for a student visa to come and study in Melbourne. He just needed to find a place to live in. 

There were different options for Sam to find a place to live in. He couldn't stay at a hotel because hotels were very expensive and he couldn't afford to pay a lot of money.

He went on the internet and found details of some Vietnamese students in Melbourne. He made friends with some of them online and they promised to help him find a place to live in.

One student offered to take him in his unit if he could share the rent. Sam was happy to do so. The student waited for Sam to arrive at the airport and took him by car to the unit. Sam slept for ten hours the first day he came to Melbourne because he was very tired.

Sam liked the unit he got because it was not far away from his university. He bought a bike to use to go to his classes. Sam found out that using the bike was not a good idea sometimes because the weather in Melbourne kept changing all the time.

Sam knew that he had a problem with his English pronunciation but he didn't stop learning. He went to English classes and worked hard to learn to write academic English to use at university. It was not an easy job but he was happy to learn a new thing every day.

Sam didn't find any difficulty finding Vietnamese food in Melbourne. He saw that there were a lot of Vietnamese restaurants in Footscreay and Springvale. He always went there to eat Vietnamese food and buy cheap goods from the shops there.

Now Sam is studying at university and still has two more years to finish his course. The teachers are very happy with what he does because they know that most people who come from Vietnam work hard to get good education.

Sam would like to stay in Australia after finishing his course. He wants to get a job at a big company and get some money to help his parents and younger brothers and sisters.

Making Money

  1. Is it easy to start a business in Australia?
  2. Are there many rich people in your country?
  3. Do you think you will be rich one day?
  4. What do you need to do in order to become rich?
  5. Why do so many people dream of becoming rich?
  6. Are rich people always happy?
  7. Do you need help from any other people in order to become rich?
  8. What is the best business to set up in Australia?
  9. Do you need to borrow money from a bank to start your own business?
  10. What are some of the jobs you can do in Australia?
  11. Do you still need to improve your English before you get a job here in Australia?
  12. If you become rich one day, what suburb will you choose to live in?
  13. Will you consider helping anyone else if you become rich?
  14. Do you think people change after they become rich?
  15. Do you think people who work hard can become rich?
  16. What do you think of people who work seven days a week?
  17. Is it easy to set up a business or marry a rich person?
  18. Do you know anyone who was poor and became very rich?
  19. How much do rich people spend to have dinner at a restaurant?
  20. Have you met anyone who is extremely rich?
  21. What happens to people who lose a lot of money and become bankrupt? 
  22. Are you afraid of setting up your own business in case you may lose a lot of money? 
  23. Do you think you need a good accountant to look after your business paperwork?
  24. Do you think people pay a lot of money in tax in Australia?
  25. What sort of business can you set up in your own country?
  26. How much money do you hope to get per year when you get a job?
  27. Do you think you will be able to afford to buy a house in the near future?
  28. Do you need to go to a business school to be able to start your own business?
  29. Do you kno anyone who struggles to make ends meet?
  30. Do you know anyone who makes thousands of dollars in profit every day without working hard?