Learn English in Australia

Safety

2012-01-29T14:22:00.002+11:00

http://findnething.com/view/full_story/17322766/article-Dating-safety--Don-t-let-them-steal-more-than-your-heart?instance=all_articles_widget

Good Reasons to Lose Weight

2011-07-28T19:18:00.002+10:00

http://www.antiqueclockshop.com/wildkat781/motivation/reasons.html

Census 1

2011-07-25T13:10:00.003+10:00

Here is a listening task from VOA Special English. It is about the census. You need to know some of the words in this text because it is similar to the ones used in the census form in Australia.

http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/Census-Findings-Show-Changes-in-US-Population-117899239.html

Here is a great resource from the ABS in Australia.
http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/cashome.nsf//Home/Entry+Page.es?opendocument#from-banner=GT

A Fair Go in Australia

2011-07-22T10:24:00.000+10:00

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/little-white-lies-agnok-lueth-adopts-daniel-mcclean-on-his-cv-to-try-to-get-a-fair-go/story-e6frf7jo-1226097204453

Sugar

2011-07-13T13:12:00.001+10:00

http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/health/blogs/show/2509382/why-sugar-makes-you-fat/

Writing a Narrative

2011-06-25T11:02:00.002+10:00

This is a link to a book that I had a look at on Goole Books. Here is the link.

http://books.google.com/ebooks?id=dyzdfI24lGwC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb&pg=GBS.PP10

Writing a Narrative

2011-06-20T18:57:00.002+10:00

Tom is a rich man who lives in Melourne. He is happily married and has two children. He lives in a big house in Toorak. Last weekend, he decided to take his family to spend some time in a big park in the city.
At 9 o’clock in the morning, he started to prepare a delicious breakfast for his family. His wife was still in bed. The sun was shining and the weather was perfect for a day out. The kids were very happy and excited to go out with their parents. It was a special day for them.
The family finished breakfast and the children put on nice clothes and nice shoes. They wanted to walk in the park with their parents and have some fun.
Tom drove his new expensive car to the city and parked not far away from the park. The kids jumped out of the car and started to run in the park. Tom and his wife ran after them. They had a lot of fun.
Not long after that, the sun disappeared and it started to rain. They sky became cloudy and ther was thunder. The kids felt afraid and disappointed. They wanted to enjoy the day with their parents. They started to walk back quickly to the car.

Tom and his family were wet by the time they reached the car. The kids went in the car and Tom put the heater on.
Tom started driving the car and headed to Box Hill. The rain stopped but it was not sunny any more. Tom took the kids to a restaurant to have a nice Chinese meal in a big restaurant in the shopping centre. The family enjoyed the food because they were hungry. They always liked eating Chinese food.
Not long after that, it became dark. Tom and his family felt very tired. The kids started to feel sleepy and one of them fell asleep at the table. It was time for the small family to go home because the kids needed to go to school the following day.

Watch and Learn about Video Cameras

2011-06-11T08:51:00.003+10:00

http://www.video.bhphotovideo.com?fr_story=a50f49fcbcd8652a2571f88cd81a048e2acd82de

Excursion to Melbourne Aquarium

2011-06-10T12:42:00.000+10:00

This post is an important announcement to my student in class 1018 (Tuesday - Morning). I will not be able to go to the excursion because I have a very important meeting in the city. My co-teacher who teaches you on Monday will contact you by phone to tell you where to meet and when to go. This will be done today. The actual guided tour will start at 11 am. You will need to be there before that of course. I am sure you will have a nice time there. I will see you in 10 days or so. Have fun!

How to Write a Good Narrative

2011-06-08T17:56:00.002+10:00

Hi all,
I came across this web site and I think it is good for you to learn how to write a good narrative. Have a look at as many samples as you can.

http://www.thewritesource.com/studentmodels/

A Fine

2011-06-06T20:27:00.002+10:00

One sunny day in the city of Melbourne, a tall man was getting out into the railway station. It was such a busy day and the station was crowded. He was running late to catch his train and he didn’t have time to buy a ticket. He checked the time and found that the train was leaving in 1 minute and he didn’t want to miss the train because he didn’t want to be late for his job interview. So he jumped on the train without a ticket.

He sat down and started to read the newspaper. He was reading about the bushfires in Victoria. Suddenly he saw some inspectors coming on to the train. He started to feel nervous because he didn’t have a ticket. He tried to move to the front of the train because he was worried about getting a fine. His heart started beating very fast and he was sweating. Other people were looking at him and he felt embarrassed. Not long after that, one of the inspectors asked him to show his ticket. He slowly put his hand in his pocket and pretended to have a ticket, but he couldn’t find his ticket. The inspector asked him politely for some identification. He tried to talk, but he was too nervous.

The inspector explained to him that he should have bought a ticket before he got on the train. The tall man explained to the inspector that he was going to an important job interview and didn’t have enough time to buy a ticket. The inspector said that he understood the situation, but he would still have to give him a fine. At the next station the tall man got off the train and found out that he was late for his job interview.

He was extremely nervous and he ran to the building where his interview was being held. He gave his name and they told him he should have been there half and hour earlier, but they allowed him to have his interview. During the interview the manager was very happy with him, and decided that they would give him a call. He was happy about the interview, but not sure if he would be offered the job.

Three days later he got a telephone call from the company and he was offered the job. After getting his first salary he paid his fine and bought a bottle of champagne and celebrated with his wife. He understood that he should follow the law in any situation.

Mobile Phone Dangers

2011-06-01T08:55:00.001+10:00

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/9554192/who-says-cell-phone-use-possibly-carcinogenic/

Check your answers

2011-05-30T20:34:00.001+10:00

For the activity that we did in class, you can check your answers here.

http://www.macmillanglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Global_elesson069_matariki_TN.pdf

A Sample Narrative

2011-05-30T20:17:00.002+10:00

John lived in a small town in England. He was born in 1971. His father was a businessman and John grew up in a big house. He went to an expensive private school because his father wanted him to have good education. John didn’t study hard because he liked playing games with his friends.

After finishing high school, John went to university to study engineering. He still didn’t study hard and his father stopped supporting him financially. At the same time, John fell in love with a beautifil Chinese young girl who was studying medicine. The girl influenced him to do his best and study hard. She made him change his mind about study.

After that, John started to study and work hard. He got a part-time job working in a restaurant. He saved some money and then bought a new car. He went back to study and graduated with honours. He got a degree in engineering. He applied to get a job at a very big company. He went for an interview and got the job successfully.
After getting the job, his income was enough to get married. He decided to propose to his his girlfriend whom he met at university.

In 1998, John and his girlfriend had a wedding ceremony in a big hotel in London. Now they have two kids and his father is proud of him and they lived happily ever after.

Text to Speech

2011-05-24T10:30:00.002+10:00

http://tts.imtranslator.net/G8Oh

Getting Promoted at Work

2011-05-22T10:09:00.000+10:00

Everywhere around the world, getting promoted at work means getting more money. Some people, however, don't want to get promoted. You may be surprised but this article lists good reasons why they do so. Click here to read the article.

Blanking

2011-05-20T09:33:00.002+10:00

Unemployment Among Migrants

2011-05-05T20:59:00.002+10:00

How TV Has Changed the World

2011-05-03T12:28:00.000+10:00

Welcome to our English class for term 2 - 2011. I am very happy and excited to be your teacher this term.

Please read the texts on this web page.
http://www.blurtit.com/q832360.html

Email me a text on the same topic to work on improving your writing.

Improve Your Grammar

2011-05-02T20:05:00.003+10:00

Click here to go to the worksheets

http://www.language-worksheets.com/support-files/grammar-worksheets-secondary.pdf

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/free/news/pdfg.php

Online Book

2011-04-29T21:32:00.001+10:00

I am sure this book will help you a lot with learning new vocabulary.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/23374926/verbal-reasoning

People and Work in Australia

2011-04-06T20:04:00.002+10:00

Here is a link to a very good resource that you can read online and download if you like to. It gives you a lot of information on your rights at work.

http://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/cl.people_work.pdf

Writing Task

2011-04-04T19:45:00.007+10:00

This post is for my evening class students. Please write a text of 300 words or more on the following topic:

Do you think that living in the city is better than living in the country?

Email me your work by Wednesday.

Thanks for your help during the term. You are really good students and I enjoy coming to your class.

What you need you to do:

Write an introduction for your text

Write three paragraphs for the body of your text. In the third paragraph, you need to write what other people think (the other point of view) and how they are wrong.

Write a conclusion

If you don't email me by Wednesday, you will need to write the text in class when you come.

You can see samples of good writing tasks by some of the students in class here on this blog. Remember that you need to use the word "because" or "so" when you write.

Here are some transitions for you to use in your writing:

Illustration

Thus, for example, for instance, namely, to illustrate, in other words, in particular, specifically, such as.

Contrast

On the contrary, contrarily, notwithstanding, but, however, nevertheless, in spite of, in contrast, yet, on one hand, on the other hand, rather, or, nor, conversely, at the same time, while this may be true.

Addition

And, in addition to, furthermore, moreover, besides, than, too, also, both-and, another, equally important, first, second, etc., again, further, last, finally, not only-but also, as well as, in the second place, next, likewise, similarly, in fact, as a result, consequently, in the same way, for example, for instance, however, thus, therefore, otherwise.

Time

After, afterward, before, then, once, next, last, at last, at length, first, second, etc., at first, formerly, rarely, usually, another, finally, soon, meanwhile, at the same time, for a minute, hour, day, etc., during the morning, day, week, etc., most important, later, ordinarily, to begin with, afterwards, generally, in order to, subsequently, previously, in the meantime, immediately, eventually, concurrently, simultaneously.

Concession

Although, at any rate, at least, still, thought, even though, granted that, while it may be true, in spite of, of course.

Similarity

Similarly, likewise, in like fashion, in like manner, analogous to.

Details

Specifically, especially, in particular, to explain, to list, to enumerate, in detail, namely, including.

Examples

For example, for instance, to illustrate, thus, in other words, as an illustration, in particular.

Consequence Or Result

So that, with the result that, thus, consequently, hence, accordingly, for this reason, therefore, so, because, since, due to, as a result, in other words, then.

Summary

Therefore, finally, consequently, thus, in short, in conclusion, in brief, as a result, accordingly.

Suggestion

For this purpose, to this end, with this in mind, with this purpose in mind, therefore.

Learning English in Class or at Home

2011-04-04T14:47:00.002+10:00

Here is a text on learning English in calss and at home

Mia ( DINH THI NGOC PHUNG )

Draft
How useful is learning English ?

Why is learning English important ?

How do people learn English ?

Why learning English in class is better than at home ?

What is the opposite point of view of learning English ?
Introduction

Nowadays English is the most popular language spoken around the world. It is a language used for communication among countries. It helps everybody to reach their career in developed societies such America, Britain and Europe, especially for people who want to survive and obtain a good future in Australia. As a new migrant, I recognize that learning English is not only useful but also important for my settlement.

Paragraph 1

First at all, learning English helps you understand and communicate with people better. The more you talk, the more you find opportunities. Besides you can also make friend with people. They may be your neighbor, your classmates even with people you meet on the bus. In fact, you will feel lonely and bored without communication. I strongly believe that learning English is very important for everybody.

Secondly, English is an international communication language used everywhere. People use it to travel, to do business, to study overseas and thousand of reasons to learn English. Of course, the language which you read on Internet is also written in English. Learning English is really important and helpful for everybody.

Paragraph 2

Actually there are many different ways for people to learn English. For example, some people can learn English by coming to class. Others can learn by listening to the tapes or going online. Some people learn English by watching TV,… But I think that learning English by coming to class is better than at home.

Personally, learning English in class can bring you many advantages. For example, you can speak English with your classmates and teacher. It also helps your oral and listening skills improved. More than that, you can receive lot of support and help from your teacher. In addition to that, group work in classroom is the best way to increase your capacity of speaking, thinking and disccussion. It is very useful for you to get any future job because employers also require their staff most of team works. Your confidence is also developed.

It is argued that learning English at home is better than in class because people think that they can save time to do other work instead of spending time in class. At home, they can learn whenever they want and more active than passive in class. I believe that learning English in class is much better than at home because my world and experience will open more. I can learn more from my mistakes I get. The truth that you never know you are wrong until people tell you your mistake.

Conclusion

Consequently, I believe that learning English in class is better than learning English at home. If you start doing that from now, you will see its advantages after a short time.

Lucky Escape

2011-04-04T14:36:00.002+10:00

Watch this video and read the news article about this lucky escape. It happened here in Melbourne this morning.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/9128837/car-falls-over-edge-of-melbourne-car-park/

Learning English in Class or at Home

2011-04-04T12:13:00.001+10:00

Text by student Yao Ni

Is learning English in class better than that at home?

Introduction

- Why learning English is important for us?

Paragraph 1

- There are many different ways for us to learn English.

- Why learning English in class is better than at home?

Paragraph 2

- Why some people think learning English at home is better than in class?

Conclusion

- Learning English in class is good but we also need to practice at home.

============================

Nowadays, English is becoming more and more important in the world because it is an international language. As far as I know, many official documents and world-famous books are written in English. Thus, we have to learn English in order to be able to communicate with people from different countries whom we meet in our lives. Especially for us living in Australia, if we can speak English well, we can easily fit into the community, hunt for a good job and set up a small business if we want.

In fact, there are many different ways for us to learn English. Such as logging on English websites, watching English news or movies and speaking to natives in English. However, I strongly believe that learning English as a group in class is better than that at home.

First of all, if we attend English class, we can talk to other students from different countries. Through communication in English, we can learn each other and exchange ideas of English learning. Secondly, we can learn how to use grammars and expand vocabularies in class. Thirdly, teachers and tutors can give us more information and rectify our incorrect pronunciation. Finally, we do not feel embarrassed if we have any questions in class and we can discuss them with classmates and teachers as well.

It is argued that some people think learning English at home is better than that in class. On one hand, they think they can arrange their time freely and set out learning schedules suitable for them. On the other hand, they can choose some topics they are interested in. What’s the more, they suppose that learning English at home is better for them to form habits of studying independently.

Generally speaking, I think that learning English in class is an effective and efficient way. But if we want to learn English well, it is not enough for our learning in class. We could do what we can in order to improve our English as soon as possible. Learning English at home is also a good method.

Music File

2011-04-01T01:05:00.003+11:00

This is a trial to add sound to the lessons on this blog. I will get some lessons ready for the certificate III class so you can spend some time learning at home. This post is not a lesson. It is just a trial to learn how to embed sound into a blog.

Girl Points Gun at Mother

2011-03-30T16:42:00.002+11:00

Learning English in Class or at Home

2011-03-29T22:54:00.004+11:00

Text by student Jarana Thongpak

Introduction: Why we have to learn English?

- Official language
- Learn new knowledge
- Make new friends

Paragraph 1 : Some people learn better when they are alone vs. a group.

- Alone: time to remember
- Group: discuss and create new ideas

Paragraph 2: Benefit of learning as a group in class

- motivation
- Faster
- Well-structured
- Won’t get lost

Paragraph 3: argument

- Suit some people with children , no money, no car

Conclusion: Learning English is important and it is faster and good basic.

....................................................................................

It is a well-known fact that English is the most important language in the world because it is the international language that most countries in the world set it as the official language. Learning English helps you to be able to communicate with everyone in the world. If you don’t study English, you will have less opportunity to get a good job and understand advanced knowledge which is often written in English. Moreover, you won’t be able to communicate and make more friends from different countries if you don’t learn English.

People learn best in different methods. Some people learn quickly by reading books themselves because they have more time to process the information and remember it. Other might learn better when they go in a group. They can share and discuss more knowledge and gain new ideas with the teacher and friends. Personally, I learn best in a group and I strongly believe that learning English in class is much better than learning from home alone.

Firstly, it is widely known that people can be motivated by others. When you come and learn English in class, you will be motivated to learn more so you can communicate with your friends and realise that it is not too difficult to learn English as everyone in class is trying to improve and coming to class. You will not give up easily. Secondly, the teacher can provide the correct information and well-structured materials in class. Often when people study at home by themselves, they can get lost and spend a lot of time learning English incorrectly which create a wrong practice and it is difficult to fix in the future.

On the other hand, learning English at home suits some people who cannot effort to come to class. For example, those people who have small children and don’t have time to come for 1 or 2 hours after work because they have to look after their children. Some people who don’t have money to pay for the class or have no car to travel to class, learning English from home give them the flexibility to learn at any time when it is possible.

In conclusion, learning English is very important and provides a lot of benefits to the students. Learn English in class provides a better foundation for the students than learning it from home.

Stupid Act

2011-03-29T22:03:00.001+11:00

Learning English in Class is Better than at Home

2011-03-28T18:58:00.003+11:00

Learning English alone at home is better than going to a language school. Do you agree or disagree?

Learning English is very important if you want to live in Australia. It is also important to learn English if you live overseas because nowadays if you want to get information, you must know English well. Learning English helps a lot of people get jobs easily because it is the most important language. Learning English in class is better than learning alone at home.

In the first place, learning English is important because many people all over the world speak it. In addition to that, it is an international language that many people use to communicate and do business. Many documents on the internet are written in English. Moreover, you can easily get a job or start your own business if you want.

There are different ways for students to learn English. For example, some people learn English by watching TV. Others read English books and go online. What is more, some people listen to English tapes or have conversations with native speakers. I strongly believe that coming to English classes is better than learning alone English at home.
There are many advantages of learning English in class for students. For example, students can learn the correct pronunciation and grammar better if they come to class. Furthermore, you can make a lot of friends from different nationalities by coming to class. If you need to find out information, you can ask your teacher in class. You can discuss questions with your classmates. You can also improve your oral and listening skills by coming to class. You don’t get embarrassed if you want to ask any question you have in class. You can save time and learn more in a short time by coming to class. You can get advice from your teacher and classmates if you need help. Finally, you can get a certificate faster if you come to class.

It is argued that learning English at home is better than coming to class because you save time and money. You can also study any time you want. Some people also believe that coming to class makes you feel tired. Personally, I believe that those people are wrong because they don’t learn correct grammar at home. I also believe that they don’t get a chance to speak with other people if they stay at home. Moreover, they don’t make friends from other countries if they stay home.

All things considered, I believe that learning English in class is better than learning English at home. You can improve your English faster if you come to class and you can see the benefit of it more quickly.

Writing Samples

2011-03-28T18:01:00.002+11:00

Here are some of the writing samples that my students produced for the final test. I still have to check the grammar but this is only for you to have a look at and learn from.

Mita

Drafts:-

1) It is the most useful electronic device.

2) With the help of internet, u can access any information worldwide.

3) It saves your all important documents and files.

4) Another advantage is Entertainment.

5) Faster device than others.

6) Helping in business and multiple usages.

7) Stealing your personal information-disadvantage.

8) Attack a virus on your system.

9) Addicting – can’t spend time with your family and society.

10) Conclusion – Advantages are more than disadvantages

11) Agree with the conclusion it makes life easier

Internet makes life easier. Are you agree or disagree

Internet is the most useful electronic device nowadays. It gives u lot of information. Internet makes life easier, I agree with this. It helps you on the basis for personal and economic wise. With the help of internet u can access world wide information, making friends, chatting and electronic mail too. It is more faster device any electric such as telephone and fax.

In the first place, internet can keep all your photographs, videos and files. You can save a back up. As a result there is no chance of loosing pictures, files and deleting videos. All your important documents must be saved even if the computer crashes. Entertainment is also a part of advantages. You can download any computer games without any charge. Chat rooms you can meet new and interesting people. It can help you to find your life partner too. You can surf Music, hobby, news and many numerous things.
Furthermore, internet is improving in business. Business professional are frequently use for communication and improve productivity. Besides this, it also uses in flight information, make hotel reservations and purchase airline tickets. Finally, it gradually helps in job search, quality of work and reduces stress.
However, there are some disadvantages of using internet too. There is a huge risk as your personal information, credit card details; address etc. can be disclosed by criminals. Virus is a significant risk that crashes your whole hard disc. Internet can be very addictive which takes a lot of time as a disadvantage you can’t spend your free time with your family and social activities too.

In conclusion, Overall it can create some disadvantages but in my opinion the advantages are more then the disadvantages. Internet makes our life easier, gives education and makes ones life more convenient.

_____________________________________________________

Peter Solic

What is junk food?

Junk food is food where ready is to eat, also Hamburgers, hot-dogs, chips, fried fries, fried chicken, fish & chips, sweets and other things of take away.

We called all this junk food.
Why people enjoy eating it

Many people all over the world eat junk food. They believe that it looks and tastes good, it easy and fast to get. They think that fast food is convenient because we must no self cook and the cost is always cheap. In the same way, young children get into the habit of eating junk food at a very young age.

Harms of junk food advertisement – Problems associated

It is a well-known fact that eating junk food can cause a lot of harm to the human body. Consequently, it can negatively affect the health of many people.

We should ban junk food advertising because it is unhealthy. Junk food contains a lot of salt, sugar and fat, caffeine acid, food additives and color. In fact, they can cause obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. It’s a matter of fact, junk food is bad for health.

Why we should ban junk food advertising – Statistik

According to statistic from Amerika, young children watch nearly 20000 times more junk food advertisement a year. This is nearly one advertisement every five minutes. In addition of that, they spend about 25 hours a week watching TV, while this time only 3 hours advertisement from junk food. The Government should ban junk food advertising during the times when young children are watching TV. In addition of that, young children ask their parents to buy then junk food meals because the advertisers target them. The Government should also teach people about the benefits of eating health food.
Other people’s ideas about junk food – how there are wrong
The most people who consume junk food believe that junk food is tasty, cheap and easy to buy. Why, because many work long time and after that they will not spend time for buying ingredients and cooking at home. Contrary to what most people believe, I think that junk food causes many problems to people’s health.

All it takes is a little planing to cook healthy food to keep your family healthy. Another major reason you can also save a lot of money by buying good ingredients and cooking a healthy and tasty food at home.
To sum up, we should ban junk food advertisements to encourage people to live a healthier lifestyle, to more exercise and to enjoy the home-cooked meal.

Fei

Nowadays, more and more people eat the junk food every day around the world. Especially the kids, the junk foods include chips, soft drink, burgers and so on. Does this food should be banned or not? That’s a big question.

Some people reckon it is good, because these foods are very convenient and cheap, and most important all the junk food are smell very nice and taste good, but some of them think they should be banned as they are unhealthy.
As we know, the junk foods contain much more sugars, salt, mixed with additives, sweetener, and caffeine; according statistics: a can of coke contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. The report from scientist shows: eat much more junk foods could cause asthma, rashes, heart disease, and obesity, diabetes, etc. For example the heart disease, too much bad food can cause arteries to get blocked up; this narrows the arteries and makes it harder for the blood and oxygen to flow to the heart muscle.
The UK junk food companies spend 300m pound on ads each year for promoting their products to children. The American kid spends 25 hours a week watching TV; they give the toys for free when they order kids meal. So the kids ask their parents to buy the junk foods for them. As we mentioned above junk food is delicious, that is a big temptation for the kids and adults, even people knows its not healthy but they still like it, so lots of money were spent them every year from the families .

In my opinion, I think the government should step in and ban junk food ads from TV at time when children might be watching.

The parents should prepare more veggies and fruit for their kids and meanwhile educate their children what foods they should to choose are healthy and could keep them have a healthier life.

Shujin Dong

Instruction

How is transport now.

Some problem about the public transport

Paragraph 1 Instruction

Public transport free can bring some benefit

Paragraph 2

Other people thought the bad thing if the public transport is free

Conclusion

Why the public transport should be free.

Public transport should be free

Nowadays, public transport is expensive, and the route is limited, it is un-convenient, so more and more people buy their own transport tool for going out. It strongly cause the transport tool increase much faster, and it can affect the traffic becoming more and more crowd. Moreover the air pollute is more serious. In addition to that, the environment and the weather is awful.

If the public transport is free, more people will use it, and give up their mind to buy cars. They can save money to do other things which can make their life happier, such as travelling, buying tasty food, having party with friends. And it is easy for people to visit friends through the public transport.

Parking problem can be reduced after public transport free. It is a big problem in all developed countries. It is hard to find place for parking, when people go to attend a big activity. People will take public transport, if public transport is free. And the parking will be no longer a problem.
One the other hand, many people thought that it will become chaos. More people use public transport, it will turn the public transport more crowd. And it is hard for people standing long time in the bus. So many people force to get a seat with others, this will lead to disharmony. People may quarrel with others for getting a seat. Crowded bus is easy for thieves to steal. Otherwise there is no income on the public transport, it can not afford to employ more workers. The environment of the public transport will be bad, because of more people to make it dirty, and few workers to clean it.

In conclusion, it is better that public transport should be free. It can solve many social problems, and make life more interesting.

Dong Su Park

Junk food should be banned
Most people probably eat junk food. It is very easy to buy and eat because junk foods are everywhere. So, most of us have a meal outside of the home three to four times each week.

Frankly, a lot of parents know that Junk foods are typically ready-to-eat convenience foods containing high levels of saturated fats, salt, or sugar. Common junk foods include salted snack foods, candy, gum, most sweet desserts, fried fast food and carbonated beverages as well as alcoholic beverages. However, many children still like eating junk foods at fast food outlets like Mcdonalds, KFC etc.,

First of all, we should know what junk foods can lead for children. Although it's uncertain that children become hyperactive by eating too much sugar, The fact of the matter is that junk food is directly associated with the increase in obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, certain cancers, tooth decay, and other diseases. Additionally, research has shown that heart and blood vessel disease can begin very early.

In addition to this, many junk food companies want to target children as young as 2 because children can be lifelong loyalty customers. Even those companies are using artificial flavours for junk food that can cause asthma, rashes and hyperactivity. Nowadays, A lot of children like artificial flavours than the taste of real food such as fruits, fishes. As a result, It is very hard for children to find out what is real.

Although junk food has many disadvantages, a lot of parents both work want to buy junk food for family can save much time. Some people believe that is not bad to live in this world with junk food.

To conclude, Junk food should be banned in the world in terms of killing our children, changing our real world, making our health worth. Furthermore, Parents should carefully read food labels to check nutrients and ingredients.

Yao Ni

Should junk food advertising be banned?

 What are junk foods? How do junk foods influence our lives.

 My attitude on junk food advertisements and harms of junk foods.

 Show statistics to improve my opinion.

 Why some people prefer junk foods.

 Conclusion.

What are junk foods? I think those which are short of nutrition and unhealthy to our bodies can be called junk foods. Such as hamburgers, chips, lollies and soft drinks etc. Nowadays, junk foods are very popular. If you go to supermarkets, you may find many kinds of junk foods. Some fast foods also contain unhealthy ingredients. We probably eat junk foods everyday because we believe they are tasty and easy to get. People become to depend more and more on junk foods.

I strongly believe that junk foods are harmful to human body. Thus, the junk food advertisements should be banned accordingly. On one hand, the more junk foods we intake, the worse body we become. On the other hand, Junk foods are high in fat, sugar or salt, or all three, which can cause obesity, diabetes, heart problem, high blood pressure. This is a growing issue all over the world.

According to some statistics form America, the average American kid spends 25 hours a week watching TV, and sees around 20,000 advertisements a year for junk food. These advertisements will encourage kids to ask their parents to buy junk foods for them. In addition, a British study shows that toddlers whose diet is high in processed foods may have a slightly lower IQ in later life. I think that government should ban junk food advertising and promote cooking programs to teach people how to cook and help people form a healthy eating habit.

Finally, because of faster living step and longer working hours, it leads to an increasing in having junk foods instead of preparing meal from fresh ingredients. People also believe junk foods are tasty, cheap and quick for them. In facts, I think those people are wrong because it is verified that junk foods are low in fiber, vitamins and minerals which actually cause many healthy problems.

In my conclusion, junk food advertising should be banned because it resulted in wrong opinions on junk foods. It is government’s responsibilities of reminding and helping people to develop a good eating habit, especially from childhood. Learning how to cook meals and choose healthy foods will save our money and keep our family healthy forever.

Lila Nikolovska

Should junk food advertising be banned?

 What are junk foods? How do junk foods influence our lives.

 My attitude on junk food advertisements and harms of junk foods.

 Show statistics to improve my opinion.

 Why some people prefer junk foods.

 The conclusion.

What are junk foods? I think those which are short of nutrition and unhealthy to our bodies can be called junk foods. Such as hamburgers, chips, lollies and soft drinks etc. Nowadays, junk foods are very popular. If you go to supermarkets, you may find many kinds of junk foods. Some fast foods also contain unhealthy ingredients. We probably eat junk foods everyday because we believe they are tasty and easy to get. People become to depend more and more on junk foods.

I strongly believe that junk foods are harmful to human body. Thus, the junk food advertisements should be banned accordingly. On one hand, the more junk foods we intake, the worse body we become. On the other hand, Junk foods are high in fat, sugar or salt, or all three, which can cause obesity, diabetes, heart problem, high blood pressure. This is a growing issue all over the world.

According to some statistics form America, the average American kid spends 25 hours a week watching TV, and sees around 20,000 advertisements a year for junk food. These advertisements will encourage kids to ask their parents to buy junk foods for them. In addition, a British study shows that toddlers whose diet is high in processed foods may have a slightly lower IQ in later life. I think that government should ban junk food advertising and promote cooking programs to teach people how to cook and help people form a healthy eating habit.

Finally, because of faster living step and longer working hours, it leads to an increasing in having junk foods instead of preparing meal from fresh ingredients. People also believe junk foods are tasty, cheap and quick for them. In facts, I think those people are wrong because it is verified that junk foods are low in fiber, vitamins and minerals which actually cause many healthy problems.

In my conclusion, junk food advertising should be banned because it resulted in wrong opinions on junk foods. It is government’s responsibilities of reminding and helping people to develop a good eating habit, especially from childhood. Learning how to cook meals and choose healthy foods will save our money and keep our family healthy forever.

Jinbiao Yuan

Draft

1 Introduction

How is nowadays that people eat junk food

2 my won opinion

What is junk food? why we should bend junk food ads?

3 reason one

Too many junk food ads for kids. How to bend junk food ads

4 reason two

Junk food is not healthy

5 other’s opinions

6 Conclusion

Junk food advertising must be banned

Today we can see junk food and its advertisement everywhere. People may eat junk food or see its ads everyday. Many people think that junk foods are tasted, cheap, and easy to get. Some people even think shearing junk food is a good Socializing. That’s why children star eating them in their age of 2 or even younger.

But not many people know why these foods call junk food. Most of junk food options are high in fat, sugar or salt. Artificial additives can be found in each of junk food. I strongly believe that people eat food of this kind can cause a lot of harm for their body such as high blood pressure and diabetes. According to these reasons, junk food advertising must be bended of.

First of all, there are too many junk food advertising in the word. And a great number of them are aimed to kids. Take the UK as an example. The junk food companies of this country spend £500m a year on ads for kids. Not only the UK but also the USA spent over $500bn on ads aimed at children. That means American children sees around 20,000 ads a year for junk food. Young children will ask their parent to buy it. So, we should do something to stop it. On one hand, our government should do something to band the ads on the time when the children which. On the other hand parent should teach their kids don’t eat junk food.

Secondly, the way of junk food’ produce have lots of problem. They mix artificial additives in stand of real ingredients, with no or less healthy things. It’s not the same as what they said in the adv. Can you imagine a can of cola are water mixed with 10 teaspoons of sugar or sweetener, additives and caffeine. According to the report, milkshakes are just made of artificial strawberry flavor in drinks contain around 50 chemicals with not one single strawberry.

Some people believe that junk food is tasty cheap and easy to get. They also think nothing will happen after they eat junk food. I think it’s totally wrong. They will get fat sooner or later and some healthy problem will happen.

All in all, we have to stop junk food advertising, because it makes us unhealthy. We should encourage people eat food make of healthy ingredients and we’d better make food by ourselves

Kritsanee Koetkham

Public transport should be free. Do you agree or disagree?

Introduction.

Public transport price and increase the burden of cost on a daily basis.

Paragraph 1.

Why do we want to free public transport.

Analysis of the high cost of living problem.

The increasing pollution.

Number of users public transport.

Paragraph 2.

Good results when we have free public transport.

Byproducts when we have free public transport.

Paragraph 3.

Other people's ideas about free public transport.

Conclusion.

I strongly believe could have free public transport.

Public transport should be free.

It is a well-know fact that you have to pay for public transport in the inflated price and increase the burden of cost on a daily basis. And how much cost your money have to pay for public transport to go to work and school every day.

Naturally, most people in Australia have to bear to start with the cost of rental housing, finance house also for food, medicine and living. The very high compared to other developed countries of course have to work hard to make a living.

In addition to that issue in the current temporary employment leave on the public transport more expensive people are turning to the private car to save money, the cost of using public transport instead of making more pollution. Could be good if people get free public transport to help reduce your costs and in addition that to reduced traffic congestion and the environment.

According to the report, ninety percent of people in Melbourne use the private car only ten percent use public transport, so the consequence is that world energy consumption. Also Australia has to import the fuel from other country and pay big money for that.

Certainly true, The result is that it will follow if we get free public transport. To start with People have to cut costs for living not less per year. In addition that resulting in better quality of life. In the same way solve traffic jam reduce energy consumption and reduce pollution, the plan to solve the problem to a great future.

On other hand, there are ideas that. The government must bear the transportation and management fee. The import machinery also repairs. Maybe people have to pay higher taxes as well.

Consequently, I strongly believe could have free public transport. The government could think about benefit the citizens rather than negative effects. Of course, it is worth the investment for future more.

David (Weizhong Liao)

Junk Food Advertising

Nowadays, junk food is very popular all over the world. There is a lot of people eating junk food,even some people eat junk food everyday. But in my view, I object to eat junk food. As we known, junk food is unhealthy and not good for our body.

Any food that has poor nutritional value is considered unhealthy and may be called a junk food. Such as, chips, fries, soft drinks and so on. Junk foods often have too much fat, salt, sugar. No matter old people or young people having too much fat, salt, sugar a day. This will cause hypertension, obesity and other serious disease. According to the world health organization, most of developed country children who have obesity and advance development. They eat junk food too much and there are some junk foods contains a lot of hormone.

I strongly believe that eating junk food is unhealthy and cause many illnesses. That's why we should ban junk food advertising. Why junk food is so popular all over the world? Junk food chains spend a lot of money to advertising. The advertisement is telling us that junk food is tasty, cheap, convenient and all advantage. These advertisements involved in every field in our life. It appears on TV and when children watch this kind of advertisements, they will accept that junk food is good to them. Adult read newspaper and listen radio, there are a lot of advertisements. Before long, they are wrong believe junk food should be part of their own lives.

In my opinion, the government should think more for the future for our children and our people's health. First of all, governments should ban junk food advertising. Secondly, raise junk food taxes and junk food should not be allowed to be sold in school. At least, this can reduce children and young people having junk food. The last, the government should encourage people eat the health food. In fact,there are some people still believe that junk food is very nice. Let these people wake up,the government has the responsibility and obligation.

In conclusion, we should ban junk food advertisements,because eat junk food is really unhealthy and not good for our body. We need to stay away from junk food advertisements and junk food for your and your family's health.

A Video from Today Tonight

2011-03-22T10:56:00.000+11:00

Have a look at this video and read the article that goes with it.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/9050736/i-was-bullied-too/

Writing Topics

2011-03-21T19:41:00.005+11:00

You need to write about two of the following topics. You will first need to make a draft for your writing. You need to email me your drafts and writing tasks as soon as you can. The first task should be emailed by Sunday night.

Here are some of the topics you can choose from:

• Public transport should be free. Do you agree or disagree?

• The Internet makes life easier. Do you agree or disagree?

• Junk food advertising should be banned. Do you agree or disagree?

• Alcohol should be banned on planes. Do you agree or disagree?

• School children should not wear uniforms. Do you agree or disagree?

• There should be security cameras at every street corner. Do you agree or disagree?

Here is a web site that can help you with your writing task.

http://www.writingfun.com/writingfun2010.html

Junk Food Ads

2011-03-21T19:39:00.001+11:00

Nowadays, many people all over the world eat junk food. They believe that it tastes good and is easy and fast to get. They think that fast food is convenient because the cost is always cheap. In addition to that, young children get into the habit of eating junk food at a very young age.

I strongly believe that eating junk food can cause a lot of harm to the human body. Moreover, it can negatively affect the health of many people. We should ban junk food advertising because it is unhealthy. Junk food contains a lot of sugar, salt and fat. On one hand, they can cause obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. On the other hand, junk food is bad for health.

According to statistics from America, young children watch nearly 20,000 junk food advertisements a year. This is nearly one ad every five minutes. In addition to that, they spend about 25 hours a week watching TV. Young children ask their parents to buy them junk food meals because the ads target them. Governments should ban junk food advertising during the times when young children are watching TV. The government should also teach people about the benefits of eating healthy food.

On the other hand, some people believe that junk food is tasty, easy and cheap to buy because many people work long hours. In fact, I believe that those people are wrong because junk food causes many problems to people’s health. All it takes is a little planning to cook healthy food to keep your family healthy and save your money. People can also save a lot of money by buying ingredients and cooking at home.

All things considered, we should ban junk food advertisements because they make people unhealthy and we should encourage people to cook and eat healthy food and take more exercises.

Writing About Junk Food

2011-03-15T16:13:00.003+11:00

Dear evening class students,
You will be asked to write your opinion about junk food. Is it good or bad for health and what we can do about it.

There are many web sites to help you get your ideas organized. You can use Google to find out information on the internet.

Remember that there are certain things that I want you to use in your writing and I've told you about this in class.

If you still need help, please email me. You can practise writing different texts on junk food and email them to me to have a look at.

Remember that you will have to do the writing in class, so you need to get ready from now on. What you need to do is practise, practise and practise.

Here are some links that can help you:
http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/junkfood.htm

http://www.cancercouncil.com.au/cfac/downloads/jnk_food_injnctn_win08.pdf

http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/junkfoods/junkfoods1.html

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/national/8819643/more-calls-for-ban-on-junk-food-ads/

And here is an article that claims that consuming junk food makes people less smart.
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/junk-food-reduces-iq-british-study-20110208-1alkt.html

It Was Wrong of America to Invade Iraq

2011-03-07T19:03:00.004+11:00

In 2003, America invaded Iraq and destroyed most of its cities. They bombed many cities and took control of the country. Nearly one million Iraqis died during the invasion and two millions had to flee to other neighbouring countries. It affected the lives of millions of Iraqis too. It was wrong of America to invade Iraq and occupy the country.

First of all, there was not one solid reason for America to attack Iraq. In addition to that, the American president George Bush told many lies about the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and gave a bad picture about him to the world. He only went there to control the oil there.

Secondly, it was not true that Iraq had any atomic bombs or weapons of mass destruction. It was wrong of George Bush to tell the world that Iraq wanted to buy uranium from Africa to make nuclear weapons.

There were a lot of bad consequences of the American invasion of Iraq. For example, there are millions of people who starve in Iraq. After the invasion, neighbours turned against each other. People couldn’t live in peace any more. Most of the Iraqis nowadays live in horrible conditions and many of them can’t go back to their country.

Hundreds of Iraqi women work as prostitutes in neighbouring countries because they don’t have any other choice in life. The country had been under American sanctions for many years.

Now, the sanctions are not there any more but living conditions are still horrible. I strongly believe that it is not safe for many Iraqis to walk in the streets or travel to another city. Everyone is scared because they don’t know what will happen.

In conclusion, it was wrong of America to invade Iraq in 2003. The country is not safe any more and people there suffer a lot.

How to Make Our Cities More Beautiful

2011-03-07T09:55:00.002+11:00

Here is a text written by my student Abraham Mach from the evening class about how to make our cities more beautiful. Here is what he has written.

More cars, air pollution and litter are among the biggest issues in our cities that we are facing nowadays. What can we do to make our cities very attractive to the residents and tourists?

First of all, it will be good idea if the government encourages people to drive their cars on week days only. On weekends the government should increase public transport especially so people can travel easily. There will be fewer cars on the roads and fewer traffic jams.

Secondly, there are some steps that need to be taken by the government to solve the problem of the air pollution. All the factories should be removed away from our city to reduce the smell of petrol and reduce air pollution in our cities. No resident should dwell around factories. In this way, the air will not be so polluted. Our cities will be attractive to residents and more tourists will consider coming here.

Finally, we need to commit ourselves to making our city cleaner and healthier places to live. Local councils should put more litter bins in the streets. If anyone is caught dropping rubbish or spiting on the ground, there will be a hifty penalty and he or she will have to pay the whole amount of money within five working days. This will stop people from dropping rubbish and spitting in the streets.

We have many ways to make our cities better places to dwell. Some of the above mentioned would definitely result in the better conditions for everyone.

What the Government Should Do

2011-03-02T19:43:00.002+11:00

These are some of the ideas that my students wrote as part of their English learning about what the government in Australia should do to make people live more comfortably.

In fact the Australian tax rate is very high compared with other countries like Korea, China, Malaysia and the USA. So the government should reduce the tax rate especially for the low-income citizens.

House prices are sky rocketing nowadays and people can’t afford to buy them any more. The fact is the government must contorl house prices.

There are many people who wait for a long time before they see a doctor. In additon to that, there are not enough doctors or nurses. The government should train more health professionals and build more hospitals to work on making the waiting lists shorter.

There are many people who don’t have jobs in Australia. Moreover, it is even harder for others to keep their jobs. The government should create more job opportunities for everyone.

There are a lot of social problems like alcohol, gambling and drugs in Australia. The government should increase taxes on alcohol. It should arrest all drug dealers.

My Tuesday Class Only

2011-03-01T10:04:00.004+11:00

Write a text about yourself. Include in the text your name, education in your country, what you want to do in Australia after finishing your English class or any information that can help us help you at AMES. This was a request by one of the counsellors. Counsellors are here to help you plan your course and your future while you study at AMES. They will open your eyes to many things you can do while and after you study English.

You can send your text via email to me as soon as you can. The more information you give us, the more we can help you. Don't be shy about your English. The aim of your text is to find out as much information about you as we can. If you have any questions, please email me.

City Vs Country Life

2011-02-28T18:49:00.001+11:00

The good things about city life

You have access to all facilities

Easy shopping

Easy to find a job

Easy to find a good school

Exciting nightlife
Good means of transport

Different cultures live in one city

Easy to make friends

Good universities

Many festivals

Many sports grounds

Different museums and art galaries

Good for business – easy to do business

Strong buildings

Good hospitals available everywhere

Official departments are very close to you

The latest fashion in the world

Lifestyle

Restaurants and hotels

Volunteer oppertunities

Good banks and financial services

Cinemas and movies

You never feel alone

Good things about living in the country

Fresh air

Calm and quiet

Natural food

Natural scenery – natural views

A lot of plants and trees

Cheap food

Many animals to see

No pollution

Not many people

Bigger houses and big land

Less criminals

No pressure of city life

People are so helpful

People feel free

Not traffic jams

No car park tickets

Good for tourisim

Cheaper to buy a house or land

Living a simple life without technology

Living in the city Vs the country

2011-02-28T17:23:00.000+11:00

Do you want to live all your life in a city or in the country? Why? List as many reasons as you can and write a text expressing your opinion. Here is a web site that will help you to get some ideas.

http://www.helium.com/debates/81434-is-it-better-to-live-in-the-city-or-the-country

Child Labour

2011-02-23T19:22:00.001+11:00

One of the biggest problems that affect the lives of millions of children is child labour. It is a very big problem in different countries, especially in developing and poor countries in Asia, South America and Africa. Actually, 246 million children are child labourers. Most of them just want to survive or help their families. They do not have any choice. They lose their childhood and never go to school.

According to the International Labour Organization, most of those children who are under 14 work in poor conditions as domestic workers, prostitutes or factory workers. In addition to that, 73 million of them are less than ten years old.

It is a sad fact that 22,000 child labourers die every year in work-related accidents. They don’t have any legal protection at their workplaces. Child labourers work in different industries like agriculture, hunting, fishing and forestry. Reports say that 8% of them work in manufacturing as cheap labour.

Some people believe that childen sometimes need to work because they gain experience and get money to support themselves and their families. They also argue that they learn how to depend on themselves at a very young age.

In my opinion, leaving school to get a job is not good for young children because they destroy their future lives and they can not read or write. It is not good for their health because they badly affect their mental, physical and emotional development.

On the other hand, those children can get sexually abused and get involved in illicit activities like prostitution, slavery and drug trafficing.

All things considered, child labour has to stop and all countries around the world must protect young children and force parents to send them to schools to protect their future.

Child Labour

2011-02-23T17:56:00.004+11:00

Many children don’t go to school and they have to do work every day to survive or to support their families. Most of the time, those children have no say in what happens to them. They lose their childhood because they live in poor countries. Write an opinion essay on child Labour. These facts will help you with your writing.

One out of six children in the world today is involved in child labour.

They do work that is damaging to their mental, physical and emotional development.

These children work in a variety of industries, and in many parts of the world.

The vast majority are in the agricultural sector, where they may be exposed to dangerous chemicals and equipment.

Others are street children, doing different jobs to earn a living

Some of these children are domestic workers, prostitutes, or factory workers.

Children work because they want to survive or because they are forced to do so.

246 million children are child labourers.

73 million working children are less than 10 years old.

There are 2.5 million working children in the developing countries.

Every year, 22,000 children die in work-related accidents.

The largest number of working children (127 million – age 14 and under are in the Asia-Pacific region).

Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest proportion of working children: nearly one-third of children age 14 and under (48 million children).

Most children work without legal protection:

70% work in agriculture, hunting and fishing or forestry;

8% work in manufacturing as cheap labour

8% work in wholesale and retail trade, restaurants and hotels;

7% work in houses as servants.

8.4 million children are trapped in slavery, trafficking, prostitution, pornography and other illicit activities.

1.2 million of these children have been trafficked.

When you write, think about the following:

Is it a small problem or a big one?
What countries have this problem?
Where do these children work?
Why do young children leave school and become child labourers?
How many child labourers are there around the world?
How many of them die every year?
Have you seen any of these children doing labour work in your country?
How do these children feel when they do work that they don't like?
Does the law in poor countries do anything to stop child labour?
Are there people who make a lot of money by forcing young children to leave school and become child labourers?

Pros and Cons of Learning English Online

2011-02-21T20:36:00.000+11:00

There are people who like to learn English on the internet only and not go to a normal class for many reasons. In class we discussed these points and this is what my students told me.

What are the pros (advantages) and cons (disadvantages) of learning English on the internet?

Pros

1. You save a lot of time

2. You can learn a lot

3. It will help you gain computer skills

4. You can repeat as many times as you want

5. You can find different web sites to learn

6. You can chat with friends while learning

7. You will get in touch with other students and a teacher online

Cons

1. You pay a lot of money for internet connection

2. You pay a lot of money for online courses

3. It is not good for your eyes

4. It can be a waste of time

5. Your computer can crash any time

6. It is not good for everyone because people learn differently

7. You need to know how to use a computer before you start learning

8. It can make your electricity bill bigger

9. You will be distracted by advertisments on the internet

10. You will have arguments with your wife all the time

11. You need a real teacher to learn a language

12. It is very hard to concentrate

13. You can access bad sites

14. You will spend more time on Youtube than English web sites

Shanghai

2011-02-21T17:14:00.002+11:00

I come from Shanghai China. Shanghai is a large city on the east coast of China.There are more than 20 million people who live in Shanghai.

Last year Shanghai held a very big EXPO. Tens of thousands of visitors came to Shanghai.The large EXPO park has attractions which are worth visiting. Almost every other country had an EXPO hall in a large park. One park one world.

There are plenty of places to go shopping in Shanghai. There are a lot of large modern shopping centre on Nanjing West Road. There are a lots of luxurious brands. If you want cheaper things, there are also narrow lanes that are full of lovely fashion shops which are always bustling with tourists.

Nightlife in Shanghai is exciting. There are a lot of music and dance clubs which extremely popular with younger people. The well- know area are call "XinTianDi".The area has a lot of fashionable restaurants, which offer a variety of international cuisines.

Shanghai is an international city. Welcome everybody visiting!

Thailand

2011-02-21T17:03:00.002+11:00

When your vacation time comes and you're looking to travel to a special place with a relaxed atmosphere, beautiful food, shopping and cultural beauty, you must consider visiting Thailand.

Thailand is known to tourists as “The Land of Smiles. The term “sawatdee” with your hands together symbolisers respect, warmth and a friendly culture, which cannot be found in any other part of the world. " Sawatdee” can mean hello and goodbye.

If you like to try different foods then Thailand has many exotic styles to choose from. We have hot and spice dashers to sweet and sour dashers. Thailand also has beautiful fruits waiting for you to try.

Thailand has many islands, large and small with beautiful resorts and luxurious spas. Thailand has tropical beachers with white sands and is warm and sunny you can enjoy relaxing along the beach.

For those who like mountains or countryside short stays and want to find out about the Thai traditions, there are ancient historic temples to see and check out. You can also experience the harmony and the hospitality of the locals in the villagers.

For those who like fashion and shopping for bags, shoes, clothes, jewellery, etc. Bangkok has non-stop shopping fun at bargain prices.

It’s always exciting in Bangkok at night with bars, clubs, restaurants and markets that are open till late. You will be sure to enjoy the nightlife.

Thailand is a great place to visit. It's worth traveling to Thailand for your next holiday.

Now pack your bags and get your passport ready and see you in Thailand!

An ideal trip resort

2011-02-21T16:55:00.001+11:00

Shanghai is a large city in the south of China, which is the biggest metropolis as well as the economic and cultural center of China. It exists challenges and opportunities every hour and everyday.

Shanghai has several tourist attractions which are worth visiting. Among these is the bund, a popular and beautiful Europe-style palace which was built in the early twentieth century. Around the bund, you can see different banks headquarters located there. At night we can see the beautiful night views of the city when we stand on the bund. Both young and old from different countries can have fun while admiring the spectacular views of Huangpujiang and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

There are plenty of places to go shopping in Shanghai. But the most famous ones are Yuyuan Garden and Nanjing Road, which is a prosperous commercial street similar to the famous Fifth Avenue of New York City. You can take a walk along Nanjing Road. It will take you a few hours to go shopping there. You can buy high-quality goods there too.

Nightlife in Shanghai is exciting. There are a lot of dance clubs that are extremely popular among younger people. It is also well-known for its fashionable restaurants which offer a variety of international cuisines. During shanghai Expo 2010, huge amounts of tourists tasted the delicious Chinese food that they will remember forever.

Shanghai is a city that has something to offer everyone. Whether you want to spend your time shopping and seeing the Huangpujiang night sight, or simply relaxing. Shanghai is the ideal choice for a few days to traveling.

To My Evening Class at AMES

2011-02-17T09:54:00.000+11:00

Please copy this text and send me an email answering these questions

Needs Analysis Survey Certificate III Evening 4

What is your preferred learning style? (Learning by doing things – listening to the teacher explaining things – reading texts and then reading them again – other)

How long have you been in Australia for?

Write about your education in your own country.

What do you need to do to improve your English this term?

Hoe confident do you feel about your grammar and vocabulary and do you still need to work on improving them?

List some of the internet sites that are good for learning English.

Do you have a computer and an internet connection at home?

Would you like to learn to write texts expressing your own opinion this term?

What are your plans for the near future that you think good English will help you achieve?

How many hours can you spend on homework each week?

Do you have any ideas that can make your English class more interesting?

Would you like to get help from volunteer tutors this term?

What are some of the topics that you would like to learn in our English class?

Write about Your Hometown

2011-02-16T20:28:00.000+11:00

I want you to write about your hometown so other students can learn about your culture. You can tell us about the famous attractions there. What is in the city centre. What is the city famous for. Why many people dream of going there.
You can use these openings:

My city is very famous because ................
The reason why many people want to visit my city is that ......................
The history of my city is .......................
People in my city like ...............................
Transport in my city is ......................
People mainly work in ..................................
The most famous attraciton in my city is ............
Nightlife in my city is .................................
Young people in my city ...............................

Make sure you email your text to me before we meet next week. Thank you.

Learing in High Schools in Australia

2011-02-16T19:15:00.001+11:00

This is a very good resource to learn about education in high schools in Australia. You can listen to the mp3 files as well and this will help your English.

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/publications/newsinfo/secondaryschool.htm

How to Write an Opinion Essay

2011-02-14T16:47:00.000+11:00

You will be asked to do a writing task to pass this module. You will be asked to give your opinion on a topic. You may wish to agree or disagree with the suggested topic. To help you give a good piece of writing, you may use some of the connectors and modifiers like the ones given below.

In fact = Actually = As a matter of fact, .................

The fact of the matter is that ............................

It is a well-known fact that ...............................

Naturally, ..................

According to the report, ........... According to the Age Newspaper, ..........

According to recent statistics by the government, ..............

Frankly, ...............

Of course ..............................

Consequently, ................................

When you want to support your opinion, you can use any of the following:

First of all, ..................................

To begin with ..............

To start with ........................

In addition to that ...............

In the same way, .............

On one hand, ................

On the other hand, ...................

In any case, .....................

Here are some of the topics that you can start using these connectors to write about

The government has decided to remove all factories from cities to help clean the air. Agree/Disagree

The government of North Tanta decided to make cigarettes available for children as young as 12.

There will not be cars on the roads in Melbourne for one day a week starting from next month.

Everyone who comes to Australia will be asked to pay one million dollars before arriving here.

We can use some of these lines when we write about banning cars from the city centre in Melbourne for example. Remember that you need to proofread your essay so that you get rid of the mistakes if there are any.

An average of 640,000 people visit the city each weekday, with that number forecast to rise to 1 million by 2014. Almost half of those commuters travel into the city by car.

The government will have to invest heavily in upgrading train and tram services and build tunnels to avoid traffic congestions.

Many of the car parks in the city will go bankrupt and thousands of workers in these companies will lose their jobs.

There are alternative solutions to banning cars from the streets of Melbourne like reducing speed limits.

Car manufacturers will be hit hard as well and a big number of workers will be laid off.

Read English Faster

2011-02-13T23:24:00.001+11:00

If you want to read English faster, past any text you like here and start reading at different speeds.

http://www.cueprompter.com/

Maths and English are More Important than Art and Music

2011-02-09T20:39:00.003+11:00

This is a piece of writing that we did in my evening class.

For students to get good jobs in the future, they need to learn many things. They are compulsory subjects in all high schools. We use them in our daily life. Without learning to read and write correctly, people will have many difficulties. Maths and English are more important subjects than any other subjects.

In the first place, people who are good at English have better communication skills than others. Moreover, without maths, you can’t study engineering. In addition to that, maths is the basis to other courses that students can do. Many inventors were good at maths.

Furthermore, studying English and maths can make students smart and have a high IQ. They are important to get good jobs after graduating from university. English and maths are the minimum reqirements to do certain courses.

On the other hand, some people argue that learning music is hard and not everyone can do it. People need to have talent first before learning to play an instrument. Some famous artists and musicians can make a lot of money through their music and art. Music is important because people can feel it around them. It makes you relax and forget about the stresses of life. Music can make people less aggressive.

All things considered, I strongly believe that although music and art are important, learning English and maths is more essential in real life.

Junk Food Ads Should be Banned

2011-02-07T20:37:00.001+11:00

Many people watch TV for a very long time including young children. Children always like to watch cartoon programs and they spend a long time glued to their TVs. It is also a good time for junk food companies to advertise their products. After watching these advertisements, children go out and buy these products. Junk food ads should be banned on TV.

How Serious the Problem is Worldwide

According to scientific research, there are 155 million children who are obese around the world/globe. The Age Newspaper says that in Australia, two out of three children are overweight and the third is obese.

The risks of eating junk food

Encouraging young children to eat junk food will have bad consequences in the future. They will suffer from heart disease, diabetes, arthrites and high blood pressure when they grow older.

Advertising companies oppose this and they believe that parents can stop their children from buying junk food. On the other hand, TV channels need to make money to run children’s programs.

I stongly believe that junk food advertisements should be banned during children viewing time because they need to be active and take part in sports activities to become healthy.

In conclusion, To sum up, the Australian TV is full of junk food advertisements that try to attract young children to buy their products but this has to stop. (calling for action)

Ban Junk Food Ads

2011-02-07T17:46:00.006+11:00

This post is for my students in Certificate III at AMES. You can read this article online to learn about the topic. This will help you in your writing.

http://www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/stories/2004/11/25/1251181.htm

This one is from the BBC web site

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3586585.stm

And this one too

http://www.news.com.au/parents-want-junk-food-ads-banned/story-e6frfkp9-1111113546659

And this is a debate

http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Junk_food_advertising_ban

Where is Gamal Mubarak?

2011-02-02T13:59:00.001+11:00

From Aljazeera Web Site

2011-01-27T18:16:00.000+11:00

Protest and Die in Egypt

2011-01-26T21:40:00.002+11:00

This is from the BBC web site.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12283849

Ending a Demonstration by Force in Cairo

2011-01-26T18:47:00.001+11:00

Call for Change in Egypt

2011-01-26T02:05:00.002+11:00

The Man Who Found $50.000

2011-01-25T20:56:00.003+11:00

http://www.news.com.au/national/honest-aussie-battler-ghazi-adra-hands-in-50000-found-on-train/story-e6frfkvr-1225993908136

Baby's Brain Development

2011-01-25T01:19:00.000+11:00

http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/a-23-2009-08-03-voa6-83140962.html

Crisis in Tunisia

2011-01-16T01:07:00.003+11:00

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/15/tunisia.protests/index.html

Reading Using a Teleprompter

2011-01-09T12:19:00.000+11:00

To speed up your reading, you can use this free web site and control the speed of what you read.

http://www.cueprompter.com/

Greek Football

2011-01-06T10:59:00.002+11:00

See how many goals were wasted in a few seconds in this video.

Free Reading Online

2011-01-04T22:29:00.000+11:00

Here is a link to a great reading resource that is available online thanks to Google Books. I studied this book when I was in year 12 in Egypt and it taught me a lot. This is not all the book but just a few lessons that you can use.

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=2t-WehHyY10C&pg=PA18&dq=practice+and+progress&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=3#v=onepage&q=practice%20and%20progress&f=true

How People Learn

2010-12-24T18:46:00.000+11:00

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/

Dr Phil

2010-12-19T11:34:00.008+11:00

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.

Thank You

2010-12-17T15:48:00.006+11:00

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.

Refugees

2010-12-16T22:10:00.012+11:00

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.

2010-12-15T23:33:00.000+11:00

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

2010-12-15T17:58:00.007+11:00

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

.

Education in Australia

2010-12-14T16:34:00.009+11:00

Education in public schools in Australia is free. Parents need only to pay for excursions, swimming lessons and other activities fees for them 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 lab 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 them 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 lab ..................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

2010-12-14T12:47:00.004+11:00

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.

How People Marry in China

2010-12-13T14:19:00.001+11:00

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.

Helicopters

2010-12-11T22:23:00.010+11:00

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

2010-12-11T20:44:00.001+11:00

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

Ways to Sell Yourself to Get a Job

2010-12-10T16:19:00.001+11:00

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/

Romance Scam

2010-12-09T16:57:00.003+11:00

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/

Ibrahim's Class

2010-12-08T14:05:00.008+11:00

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.

Reading Books

2010-12-07T15:55:00.001+11:00

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

2010-12-07T11:40:00.000+11:00

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

2010-12-07T11:11:00.012+11:00

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:

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

Barking Dogs

2010-12-06T12:51:00.003+11:00

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.

Embedded Questions

2010-12-04T21:38:00.022+11:00

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

Selling a Property

2010-12-03T17:02:00.029+11:00

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:

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

Nursing Course Conversation

2010-12-03T14:30:00.004+11:00

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

2010-12-03T10:37:00.016+11:00

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.

Talk About Your Class

2010-12-02T21:47:00.012+11:00

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

WikiLeaks

2010-12-02T15:36:00.035+11:00

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:

What country does Julian Assange come from?
Why is he so famous nowadays?
What is WikiLeaks?
What did Julian Assange put on his web site?
How did the official from Canada want to punish Julian Assange?
Why does the American government want to kill Julian Assange now?
What will you get if you tell the American government where Julian Assange is?
What did Julian Assange show on his web site about the war in Iraq?
Is Iraq a rich country?
Why is Iraq a rich country?

Iran in the News Again

2010-12-02T11:47:00.021+11:00

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:

What country does this story come from?
When was the woman hanged?
Why was she hanged?
How long did she stay in prison for?
Why did she kill the wife of the football player?
Do you think the law in Iran is harsh?
What is the penalty for murder in your country?
Do you thik the woman deserved to die?
What do you think would have been a suitable sentence for the woman?
Do you think harsh penalties are good sometimes?
What other crimes are punishable by death in Iran?
Do you think kidnapping is a small crime?
What penalty will someone who rapes a woman in Iran get if he is caught?
Do you think the punishment in Iran for raping a woman is tough?

Interview Questions

2010-12-02T09:58:00.002+11:00

Tell me about yourself.
Tell me about your past job.
What qualifications do you have?
What salary do you want to get?
What do you know about our company?
Do you have your own private transport?
How did you find out about this job?
Why would you like to work for us?
Do you know anyone who works for us?
How long would you like to work for us?
Are you planning to start any course in the near future?
Tell me about your computer skills.
Do you like to work alone or in a team?
Tell me about a situation where there was a problem at your work and what you did to solve it.
How long will it take you to come to work every day?
Are you available to do any overtime?
How flexible are you?
Have you been fired from a job before?

http://www.sense-lang.org/

Listening Web Site

2010-12-01T21:37:00.001+11:00

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

2010-12-01T15:32:00.010+11:00

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

2010-12-01T14:26:00.009+11:00

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

A Near Mess

2010-11-30T15:34:00.007+11:00

This post is for my certificate III students at AMES.

This is a news article that I read on the internet today about a near mess. This means that a big accident was very likely to happen but it didin't.

The co-pilot didn't mean to make a mistake and paniked while he tried to correct the mistake because he thought he, and everyone on the plane, was going to die. The main pilot was in the toilet at the time when the near mess took place.

The plane was saved by the main pilot who used a secret code to open the door and take charge of the plane. It's a good idea to read the vocabulary first before you click the link.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/8416532/panicky-pilot-caused-jet-plunge/

Here is some help with the vocabulary in the text:

nosedive = the plane was heading down very fast (almost vertical)

terrifying = an experience when everyone felt frightened and very scared.

the control column = the main thing that controls how fast or slow that plane travels. It also controls if the plane goes up or down. It looks like the thing that you use in your car to change the gear.

accidently = he didn't mean to do so

reveal = say = indicate

inquiry = investigation (trying to find answers to a problem)

clumsy = someone who doesn't have skills to do a job

panicked = felt very scared and thought he was going to die

captain = the person in charge of flying a plane

co-pilot = the second in command on an airplane

cockpit = the place where the captain and the co-captain stay to control the plane. It is not allowed for passengers to enter the cockpit. The door is always closed and protected

plung = go down very fast like a person who dives into the water

shout = speak very loudly

liquor = alcohol

aisle = the part of the plane where passengers walk to reach their seats

commotion = noisy disturbance

according to the report = the report says ............

near-disaster = near mess

due to = because of

adjust = change the position of something to make it better

struggle = do something with great difficultry

opposit force = one person pushing forward and another person pushing backward

panicking = feeling very disturbed = feeling very worried = feeling he or she is going to die

probably = maybe

appropriate = suitable

crew = the people who work on the airplane to look after passengers

flight attendants = crew

conclude something = end something

calm = quiet

air pocket = a place where a plane loses balance

leaked report = a report that was made known in a secret way

Notice to Vacate a Property

2010-11-30T11:51:00.015+11:00

I got some information about renting from the Consumer's Affairs web site in Victoria about vacating a property (asking someone to leave the house they live in) and thought it may be useful to you.

When you rent a house or a unit in Australia, you have to look after it and make sure you don't cause any damage.

Unfortunately, some people who rent properties in Australia sometimes cause problems to the owner and to the real estate agent. They can also cause problems to neighbours. The neighbours sometimes have to call the police because the people who rent the house near them are too noisy or cause trouble.

Sometimes they don't look after their gardens and their houses look dirty. They don't cut the grass and put a lot of rubbish in their gardens.

The local council can give you a fine if the grass in your garden is too long. My friend paid $1400 because he was too busy to cut the grass in his garden. That is a lot of money.

The landlord can send you a notice and ask you to vacate the property immediately if you have caused damage to it. He or she can ask you to leave if you or your visitors have endangered the safety of the neighbours.

The landlord can also ask you to vacate the property if it is not safe for human habitation or is unsafe for people to live in. Perhaps the roof has been damaged and it can fall at any time. You don't want to stay on and get killed inside the house, do you?

The landlord can ask you to leave the property if you haven't paid the bond. Paying the bond is part of your lease agreement.

Landlords in Australia can ask tenants to vacate properties if they can prove that the tenants use them for illegal purposes like growing plants in the garden to make drugs.

The landlord can ask you to vacate the property if you give misleading information in the lease agreement (contract).

The landlord can ask you to vacate the property if you stop paying rent for some time. The landlord normally has to pay money to the bank and if you stop paying him or her, they will be in trouble with their banks. You don't want this to happen to them, do you? They will ask you to leave the house so they can rent it out to someone who can pay rent.

Renting a House

2010-11-30T10:33:00.001+11:00

This post is for my certificate III students at Box Hill AMES. Here is a web page that has a lot of information about renting a property in Australia. You can read it as a PDF file and you can also listen to the audio files. This is really good for your English learning.

http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/CA256EB5000644CE/page/Renting?OpenDocument&1=910-Renting~&2=~&3=~

510 Hours of English at AMES

2010-11-30T09:41:00.009+11:00

Good morning. Welcome to AMES Box Hill. Can I help you?

Yes, please. My name is Li. I am a new immigrant and I would like to study English here.

That’s fine. Do you have your passport with you so I can have a look at your visa?

Sure. I have it in my bag. Just give me one moment, please.

Not a problem.

Here you are. This is my passport from China. It has got my picture and my visa on it.

I see. Give me one moment, please. I need to check your visa number first to see if you are eligible to get English classes. Oh, yes. You are.

I paid three thousand dollars in China to have English classes in Australia as part of my visa application.

I see. Now we need to arrange for you to have an interview first.

Why do I need to go through an interview? I am not applying for a job.

Well, the interview will decide which class you will go to. It will also give you some information about the course you will study.

Oh, I see. When can I have my interview then?

Well, give me one moment, please. You can have your interview tomorrow. How does this sound?

This sounds good. What time do you want me to come for my interview?

Can you come at 9.45 in the morning, please?

Sure thing. Will I have my interview with you?

No, I only work in the office. You will have your interview with one of the teachers here.

What will happen after the interview?

After the interview you will be asked to attend an orientation session.

Why do I need to attend an orientation session?

All new students need to attend an orientation session before starting their courses. This is how things are done here.

Oh, I see. And what will they tell me in the orientation session?

They will provide you with information about the course. There will be some interpreters to help students who don’t speak English well understand what the course is all about. You will get some sheets that have some information about the course in your own language as well.

What do I need to do when I get these sheets?

You will need to read the sheets and if you have any questions, you can ask the teacher to explain things for you.

Can I stop my course at any time if I need to travel back to China?

Well, this is a very good question. You can stop your class if you need to but you will need to wait some time until we arrange for you to come back to study. You can't stop your class and come after one week to study again. You also need to give us a two-week notice before you stop your class because we have to inform the childcare centre if you have a child that goes there. It used to be easy before but not any more.

Do I need to ring my teacher if I skip class for one day?

If you don't come to class for one day, it's nice to ring the office and let us know that you're not coming. We will inform the teacher then.

How many hours will I be studying here?

You will be studying 510 hours. If you decide to study full time, you will come to class four hours five times a week. This is about six months of English study at our school.

What countries do the students come from?

We have students from all over the world. We also have a big number of Chinese students here in Box Hill. I am sure you will not feel homesick.

And what will happen after I finish my 510 hours of English study?

Well, depending on some students’ visas, they can get extra hours if their English is not good enough or they can go and study at TAFE or university. Most of our students look for work after they finish their English courses here.

Will you teach me how to write a resume and a cover letter to help me find work?

Resume and cover letter writing is always done in certificate III. Students get a lot of training to help them find work. This is what we try to help our students with.

Oh, I see. And what can I do if I have a problem in my class?

Well, you can speak to the teacher first.

Can’t I go to the manager directly?

No, it’s better to speak to the teacher first if you have any problem. If you are not happy with what the teacher says, you can go and see the manager. Please don’t go to see the manager before talking to your teacher first.

I see. Are there any books that I need to buy to do my course?

Well, the teacher will photocopy worksheets for you every time you come here. There are some books he or she can recommend to buy but you don’t need to. It is not like studying in your country.

Will my teacher be a native speaker?

It depends what class you will go to. We have teachers who are native speakers and we also have teachers who were not born in Australia but they speak English very well. I am sorry I can't give you an definit answer now.

Oh, I see. Do you arrange for childcare?

Yes, if you have children under 5 years of age, we can arrange for them to be sent to a childcare centre while you come to study. We can arrange that for you if you want. You will only need to fill in a form and we can ring the childcare centre to book a place for your child or children. You don’t pay any money for this but we do. AMES pays a lot of money to arrange childcare for our students. It is important that you come to class when your child goes to childcare. How many children do you have?

I’ve got only one child. Can I have the form to arrange for her to go to a childcare centre?

Sure thing. Here you are. You will also need to come to class every day. This will help you learn English fast. You also need to do some work on your own at home. The teacher will give you some web sites to go to in order to improve your English. Anything else that I can help you with?

No, that’s all. You’ve been very helpful. Thanks very much.