The best way to improve writting skill

Long-term empty in writting before I built up this blog, I nearly forgot how to start an diary. But now it is much better that I write at least one passage per day, and felt more confident in writting. Different with reading, it is a process of output so that we should practise it every day as listening should be done so. Fortunatelly, I got a chance to close to english speakers every day and felt much better than before.

In addition, I'd like to pick up a nice passage every day.

The Pyramids

-from BBC History
These structures are so familiar, and yet are still stunning when you actually go inside them and walk through their claustrophobic passages - which can suddenly open out into a great gallery as much as 150 feet long and 30 feet high.
When they were first built, the pyramids were covered with a gleaming case of white limestone - some remains of it can still be seen on Chephre's pyramid. They were mostly then topped with a gilded capstone, which must have glittered in the sunlight. The great pyramid of Giza was built by the pharaoh Khufu, in the Old Kingdom, before 2500 BC, and soared nearly 500 feet into the air.
The ancient texts describe pyramids as being a kind of stairway to heaven for the king's soul - an idea it is easy to understand when faced with these extraordinary monuments.

English Football News

World Cup Fears

English hopes for World Cup success have suffered a serious setback with the news that striker Wayne Rooney has broken a bone in his foot.
20-year-old Rooney collapsed in agony after a harmless-looking tackle during Saturday’s Premiership game between Chelsea and Manchester United. He was strapped on to a stretcher and carried off the pitch to the applause of concerned fans of both sides.
Tests revealed that he has fractured the fourth metatarsal on his right foot; an injury that will prevent him from playing for at least six weeks. The timing of this injury could not be worse given that England must play their first World Cup game against Paraguay on June 10th.
It seems highly unlikely that the Manchester United player will be fit in time for that match. And some experts think it will be impossible for him to play at all.
One person who does believe that Rooney can make an impact in the World Cup is the England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. On Saturday he told reporters, “Wayne is a world-class player and we will give him every chance to play in the World Cup; with such a huge talent you have to do that.”
However, Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, takes a less sanguine view. Ferguson responded to Eriksson’s comments by saying, “We will do our best to get the boy to Germany but if he is not fit, he is not going to go.”
Ferguson explained the treatment his young star-player will receive, “Wayne will be in plaster for the next few weeks and he’ll be having regular scans to see how it is healing.” But he also admitted that the injury is a “crippling blow” for the English team.
However, not all is doom and gloom in the English camp. Michael Owen, another important English striker who broke his foot in January, has returned to play for his domestic team, Newcastle United.
On Sunday Newcastle’s manager described Owen as “very close to being 100%” – a comment that makes it seem likely he will be match-fit by June.

--copy from BBC website

The Queen At Eighty

Take-away English from BBC:

The Queen At Eighty

April the 21st marks the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. She is one of the most famous women in the world but how much do you know about the British monarch?
Did you know, for example, that the Queen is the 15th richest woman in the UK with an estimated fortune of £270 million? So, if you don’t know much about the head of the British Royal Family, here are some more interesting facts and figures.
Queen Elizabeth II is the fortieth monarch since William the Conqueror won the crown in 1066.
During her 54-year reign, she has made over 250 official visits to 129 different countries, including China in 1986. She has also hosted more than 90 state banquets for foreign dignitaries. On such official occasions the Queen often receives presents from foreign leaders. Amongst the more unusual presents she has been given are jaguars and sloths from Brazil, and black beavers from Canada.
Other noteworthy visitors to Buckingham Palace include Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, as well as the American astronaut and first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong.
The Queen is a great animal lover and is known for her love of corgis. She is also a keen horsewoman and horse breeder whose horses have won major races. However, her relationship with Britain’s animals goes far beyond dogs and horses.
According to an ancient statute, all sturgeons, whales and dolphins found in British waters belong to her, as do all swans in Britain’s rivers. In fact, the Queen is the only person in the UK who is legally permitted to eat a swan!
The Queen traditionally sends a telegram of congratulations to centenarians on their hundredth birthday. Perhaps she will be sending herself one in twenty years time. Her family has a great history of longevity with the Queen’s own mother dying in 2002 at the age of 101.

She looks very kind and happy, may her long long life

Ielts imitated test

This morning, I took 3 parts in Ielts test, listening, reading and writing. The listening materials were not perfect that it only contented secession 1, but I didn’t feel very confident when I did it. The writing was a little terrible that I guessed the answers on the third passage, I didn’t like finish them in just one hour, so terrible. Different with the feelings in listening and reading, I felt very confident in writing even though it would be some mistakes and no concern focused on because I wrote them just like what I wrote here, more freely, no any pressure.

So in my opinion, we should not have any pressure when we took the test, if we had, we might lose high score and make more mistakes.

Pub-British Culture

Today, I learnt a fantastic passage from BBC website. It is located in learning-takeaway English, the passage is as follow:
-Start:

Your Round

One thing Britain is famous for is pubs, and no trip to the UK would be complete without a visit to one of the thousands of pubs across the country.
Pubs play an important part in the social structure of the country. They are places where all ages and social classes mix to talk, do business, or just spend a couple of quiet hours before heading home in the evening.
There are many different types of beer available in pubs. Traditional British beer is called bitter, or ale, and is usually served at room temperature. As a result, the British are famous for their ‘warm beer’!
If you prefer a cold beer, ask for lager. This beer is a light yellow in colour whereas bitter is usually a darker brown. Another type of beer is stout – you may have heard of Guinness, which is a type of stout. This is a cold, black beer and takes a long time to pour, so don’t be surprised if you have to wait for it.
All beers are served as pints (500 ml) or halves (250ml). To order, you need to ask for a pint or half, and then name the beer. So, you could say ‘A pint of bitter, please.’
Another drink is cider. This is like beer, but it is made from apples so it can taste sweet. Wine, red or white, is normally available in all pubs, as are spirits such as whisky, gin or vodka. These are served as singles (25ml) or doubles (50ml).
It is not, however, necessary to drink alcohol. Non-alcoholic drinks are called soft drinks. You can have juice, lemonade or cola, among others.
If you visit a pub in a group, it is important to pay for your ‘round’. This means that you buy a drink for everyone in your group. Not buying your round is a big social mistake! Remember that you need to order and pay for your drinks at the bar.
So, follow these tips if you want to get the most out of visiting a pub, and, ‘cheers!’
-The End

When I read and listened to it, I found the best way to learn English is to indulge its culture. As you can see from the passage, it is hard for beginners to catch and understand the meaning of specific words like 'lager' and some other drinks , but if we live in the enviroment, it will be very much easy to understand.

Found problems on Ielts test - worrying

This morning, I found myself indulge the internet a bit but went down my oral English level, that made me more worried about the Ielts test on 27th May. It is only around 2 weeks left; I'll spend most time on preparing the test. Even though my reading ability is good, but few words can be easily mastered. My listening is still not poor, I should improve them in these 2 weeks. During this period, I might add little content on this blog, come back later.

Ielts Speaking Test

There are 3 parts in Ielts speaking test. In the first step, the examiner will ask some basic information about the candidates, like the name, job, hometown, family, favorites and so on. Usually, many candidates perform well in this session. The second step is a long tune--the candidates are given 1 minute to prepare and 1-2 minutes to present his topic. The topic is various, but fortunately, it remains the same in some chance. The last step is an intelligent dialogue; the examiner will ask the candidate several questions related to the topic. The candidate should discuss the phenomenon or problem and share his opinion with the examiner.
Obviously, the follow two steps are more difficult than first, so they are more important and crucial your final score.
Here are some hot topics:
1.Describe your favorite newspapers or magazines:
what is it?how often do you read it?why do you like it?

2.What do you do to relax?how often?why you choose this way to relax?

3.What is your favorite website?what is it?how do you know it?why it is uesful to you ?

4.Describe a birthday party you enjoyed.when it was?what do did?why you particularly enjoyed it?explain the traditional way to celebrate birthdays in your country.

5.Describe a character in a film?what is it?who played it?what about it impressed you most?why you like it?

6.Describe your own personality and the influence it has on you(advantage and disadvantage)

7.Describe a wild anima.what is it?what does it look like?where does it live?
describe an animal you like.what is it?how do you know it?why you like it?

8.Describe a transport.what is it?why it is important?what convenience it brings?what is its disadvantage?

9.Describe a kind of thing you are good at.what is it?how do you learn it?what benifits it brings to you?

10.Describe the role you play in your cycle.what kind of friend cycle?how to get along with others?what do you think of communicating?

11.Describe a building of the college.where is it?what equipment it has?why you like it?

12.Describe a photograph.what is it about?where did you get it?when did you take it?

13.Describe a company that your friend or relative works.what's the name?what do the company do?what does your friend do in the company?

14.Describe a difficult thing you did well

15.What do you think of the long travelling?where are you going to travel?who will you travel with?how to travel?why do you travel?

16.Describe something expensive you want to buy.what is it?why it is expensive?how long do you have the dream?when do you think you can buy?

17.Describe your favorite way to communicate with others.what is it?how often?why you like it?

18.Describe a project you have done with others.what is it?with whom?where?when?how?any benifits?

19.Describe a visit .who visited you?what did you do?how he/she felt in the visit?how you felt?

20.Describe a handicraft you have done.when did you do it?why did you do it?why do you like it?

21.Decribe a positive change happened in your own life.what is it?why?

22.Describe a happy event in your childhood.where?when?with whom?why you were happy?

23.Describe a peaceful place

24.Describe a tv programme.what's the name?when did you watch it?what did it talk about?why you like it?

25.Describe a natual beauty.where it is? What type of place it is?What you can see and do there?why it is special to you?

26.Describe a teacher who is important to you.who?when?who and what does he/she teach?his/her personality?why you remember he/she?

27.Describe a person who is living near you.who is it?how you know it?when you become the neighbour?do you often meet?which kind of person he/she is?

28.Describe a person and his/her happiness

29.Describe a sucessful person.who is it?why you think it is successful?

30.Describe how you arrange your time

Sample linking sentence

To link sentence, I collect some linking sentence as follows:

Analyzed style
introduction--
' This, as far as I am concerned, can be ascribed to the following causes.';
' The issue, however, though having caught much attention from sociologists, defies any solution unless its causes are thoroughly investigated.';
' As it has affected social stability, it is urgent to investigate the causes of the tendency and find solutions to the problem.'
Body--
' A most obvious cause of the problem is that ...';
' Another contributing factor is that ...';
' Last but not least ... is also responsible for the problem in question.';
Conclusion--
' In view of the above, I think some urgent measures need to be taken to solve this problem.';
' In view of the above, I would recommend that some urgent steps should be taken to put an end to this serious problem.';
' Solutions to the problem have to be devised in light of the causes.'

Comparative style
Reference structure:
1.
...I would like to voice my opinions as to the pros and cons of ...
The advantages of ... are rather obvious. In the first place... In the second place... In addition...
However, it cannot be denied that ... also has its drawbacks. As is known to all ... Furthermore.. Last but not least ...
The above discussion brings us to a conclusions that ... has both the merits and demerits. What we must do is to make sure that the positive effects are encouraged and the negative ones are avoided as far as possible.
2.
There have been discussions as to the advantages and disadvantages of ... for a long time. Many people have, on different occasions, voiced their opinions, which understandably vary from one to another. I would like to discuss the pros and cons of ... in the following.
There is no denying that ... has a lot of merits. First of all ... In addition ... Furthermore ... However, as an old saying goes, 'Every coin has two sides.' ... has its obvious disadvantages. In the first place ... In the second place ... Worst of all ...
All in all ... has both the merits and demerits. We should try our utmost to bring its demerits to the minimum.

Critical style
This kind of topic often follows questions like these:
(1) Do you agree or disagree?
(2) To what extent do you agree or disagree?
(3) What is your opinion?
If you agree, then follow sentence may be usefull:
Personally I agree with this opinion for the following reason.
I agree with the prevalent view on the following grounds.
In my opinion ... is well grounded.
As far as I am concerned, this popular opinion is supportable.
Personally, I think they are right.
If you disagree, then follow sentence may be usefull:
This opinion, however, seems untenable to me.
In my view, this worry is groundless.
From my point of view, this opinion is simply untenable.
For my part, there is no need for such worries.
Agree or disagree to some extent:
However, I find it hard to agree fully with this opinion.
Although many people are behind this stance, I find it hard for me to agree with this opinion fully.

The reference sentenses above just show you what kind of answers it should be. In order to get it become your own sentences, you should read and practise more frequently.

Introduction of IELTS Writting Task 2

In IELTS writing, task 2 is more important than task one. To some extent its structure is solid and we can sort it into three style: analyzed, comparative and critical.

In analyzed style, you are given a topic about a problem or phenomenon to analyze. Usually, you should give out some advices or discuss something it might cause after analyzing its reasons link to the problem. For example, 'Statistics show that the cities in the world are becoming more and more enormous. What do you think are the causes and the possible consequences?'

In comparative style, you should compare the positive and negative affections from one or more things. For example, 'We will have the intelligent machine-robot-in the future to do work instead of human beings. State the possible benefits and dangers of it.'

In critical style, it will give us a opinion or 2 opposite opinion then require candidates brainstorm their own opinions. For example, 'In many countries, children participate in some paid work in their spare time. Some people think this is wrong, but others believe that such work will extend the children's knowledge and increase their sense of responsibility. What is your opinion?'

To evaluate writing task 2, 3 elements are essential. The first one is arguments, ideas and evidence, the second one is communicative quality, and the third one is vocabulary and sentence structure. The number of words you should write in this part is at least 250.

Structure of Task 2
It can be divided into 3 parts, introduction, body and conclusion.

┏General Statement
introduction┃
┗ Thesis

┏ Topic Sentence + Supporting Sentences (+Concluding Sentence)
Body┣ Topic Sentence + Supporting Sentences (+Concluding Sentence)
┗ Topic Sentence + Supporting Sentences (+Concluding Sentence)

Conclusion━━ Restatement or summary of the main points; final comment

Pronunciation

I try my best to correct my pronunciation, but the progress seems to be slow down. The key is to practice it as often as possible, and try to chat with people in English. Sometimes when I spoke quickly than usual, my friend couldn't understand what I meant. Fantastic, now I speak more slowly than before and try my best to make them understand what I meant clearly. Unfortunately, it seems that my speaking is not fluent as it was. I think I should practice more.

The most difficult pronunciations to me are as follow:
/l/,/n/ and /r/, when they combine with /ou/， like /lou/,/nou/ and /rou/. I can't pronounce them clearly and identify them quickly.
/n/,/m/: When I speak out 'impossible', it likes 'inpossible'. Fortunately, people can understand it in this case, but not match in other case, like 'teen' and 'teem'. I should enhance the /m/ when I pronounce 'teem'.

To conquer this, the best way is to practice, practice and practice. Record what you say out by yourself, listen it carefully and identify what is the difference between them, then practice and record it again, correct it if I distinguish its difference. Next time, when chatting with someone, be care about the pronounce you need to correct. After a short period, it will be much better and you will get the sense of the achievement.