LISTENING PRACTICE

Some of you asked me for pages online where you can do some listening practice. Here are some interesting links for you to follow:

• INTERESTING THINGS FOR ESL STUDENTS Listening

http://www.manythings.org/e/listening.html

• BBC LEARNING ENGLISH Watch and Listen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/multimedia/

• EXAM ENGLISH Free practice tests for learners of English

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fcelistening.htm

• LISTENING PRACTICE ON THE WEB This page has a menu of Listening practice exercises on the Web

http://www.stclaresenglish.net/listening.htm

If you happen to find any others that might be interesting for your classmates, please email the links to me so I can blog them.

TO TELL THE TRUTH, IT'S HARD TO SPOT A LIAR

The text you find in your Student's Book on page 93 (which you'll have to do for homework) has been adapted from THE NEW YORK TIMES. If you're interested in reading the original version, click here.

File 6B

FILE 6B Web Guide
To further practise Reported Speech, EFL teachers recommend the following sites:

http://english-zone.com/verbs/indirect1.html

.

http://www.eslpartyland.com/quiz%20center/rptspeech1.htm

http://esl.about.com/library/lessons/blrepspeech.htm

.

http://www.lingolex.com/indirecto.shtml

.

Reporting statements

http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes/9901/tm-reported1.html

.

Reporting questions

http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes/9807/lm-reported.html

MAY calendar

Please NOTE

• NO LISTENING PRACTICE on MAY the 16th as the TUES/THURS groups have to make up for the class they'll miss on Thursday the 1st. So on Friday the 16th we'll have a "normal" class.
• NO CLASS at all on Thursday the 29th as there is a B1 examination in the school and all classrooms will be used to that purpose.
• On Wednesday the 28th May, I'll be doing LISTENING PRACTICE in class with the MON/WED groups both at 1730 and 1930 in Room 11. ALL students are welcome.

KEY to CRIME & PUNISHMENT

File 6A

FILE 6 Word list and Grammar Check
Today I have e-mailed to the students subscribed to the mailing list the word list and the grammar check for FILE 6.

FILE 6AWeb Guide
To further practise the verb tenses and the vocabulary of File 6A, EFL teachers recommend the following sites:

Crime

FBI 10 Most Wanted Criminals

http://www.fbi.gov/

Gerund or Infinitive?

Gerund or Infinitive 1

http://www.eflnet.com/grammar/gerinf1.php

http://www.eflnet.com/grammar/gerinf1.swf

.

Gerund or Infinitive 3

http://eslus.com/LESSONS/GRAMMAR/GERUNINF/Gramb.htm

KEY to Reading Texts

A Multilingual Internet?
1F 2H 3D 4C 5E 6G 7A
1b 2b 3a 4a 5b 6b

Theatre for the Deaf
1C 2D 3A 4B 5A 6B 7A

Happy?
1F 2B 3A 4E 5C 6H 7D

Pythagoras
1D 2F 3C 4G 5H 6A

Why don't you get a proper job?
1B 2H 3E 4G 5A 6F 7C

Great British Jobs
1C 2F 3D 4B 5E 6F 7E 8D 9C 10B 11F 12A 13D 14B

Going Underground
1F 2G 3B 4C 5A 6E 7D
leisurely=unhurriedly
massive=gigantic
virtually=almost
ample=more than enough
estimate=calculate approximately
inhabitants=residents
methods=practices
costs=expenses

Make your Home Greener
1C 2C 3A 4B 5B 6C 7D

Reality Show Fever
1A 2F 3A 4D 5F 6B 7C 8C 9E 10F 11E 12D
1 celebrity 2 housemates 3 contestant 4 evident 5 merchandising

The Magic of Pantomime
1H 2E 3F 4B 5G 6D 7A

Guilt-free Holidays
1C 2A 3D 4D 5C 6B 7C 8B 9A 10A 11A 12D 13B 14C
1 artificial 2 generate 3 discourage 4 snub 5 pristine 6 welfare

Mapping the Past and the Present
1D 2A 3G 4C 5F 6B

History Lessons
1D 2A 3B 4C 5D 6B 7B
the chances are=very likely
the thing is=in fact
was not willing to=didn't want to
comes to mind=occurs to you
give him any credits at all=acknowledge his contribution
cut and dried=straightforward
a grain of truth=some truth
take it with a pinch of salt=have a critical attitude

Where are you?
1H 2A 3F 4B 5D 6C 7E
unsettled
bright
unreliable
celebrity
captured
deliberately

The Cyber School
1G 2F 3I 4D 5A 6B 7H
1b 2a 3b 4a 5b

Pretty as a Prehistoric Picture!
1A 2D 3H 4B 5C 6E

The Antarctic: Key to Planet Earth
1D 2B 3H 4E 5A 6F
contribute to
takes account of
holds the key to
sort
beat
cause harm to

Save Our Seeds
1C 2B 3A 4D 5B 6A 7A

Living for a Century
1A 2A 3C 4B 5B 6D 7A
1b 2a 3b 4a 5b

Creatures of the Canopy
1D 2C 3B 4A 5A 6B 7D 8B 9C 10C 11A 12C 13B 14D 15A

File 5C

FILE 5 Check your Progress

You should do Check your Progress 5 on page 85 in your Student's Book as a mini-test for homework and self-correct it with the key below. Find out your score out of 50 and see which areas are still causing problems. Then go back and revise.

FILE 5C Web Guide
To further practise Relative Clauses and the vocabulary on Superstitions of File 5C, EFL teachers recommend the following sites:

Superstitions A-Z

http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/scary.html

e Clauses

Combine Sentences Using Relatives

http://valenciaenglish.netfirms.com/relativex02.htm

.

Correct or Incorrect?

http://www.edict.com.hk/vlc/common/relclauses1.htm

.

Commas and Relative Clauses

http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/writing/3aii_q1.html

KEY to THE NATURAL WORLD

46.1.
1 mammal
2 crocodile
3 poplar and birch are deciduous; the yew is evergreen
4 pollen
5 hedgehog, tortoise and bear
6 s/he loves me, s/he loves me not
7 cheetah
8 dove
9 rose, thistle, maple leaf and kiwi bird
10 breathing
11 An endangered species is any species which is in danger of dying out or becoming extinct, e.g. some breeds of tiger or whale.
12 The dinosaur is extinct; the emu is still in existence and the phoenix was a mythical creature not a real one.
13 snowdrop, daisy and lily of the valley; parro, pigeon and seagull.
14 Your answer to this questions depends, of course, on where you come from.

46.2. Possible answers
prickly hedgehog
flowing mane
sweet-smelling petals
noble eagle
sturdy oak
graceful willow
wriggly worm
rough bark

46.3.
1 roots
2 claws; trunk/bark
3 blossom/flower
4 thrive/grow
5 hoof
6 stalks
7 bud
8 thorns
9 twigs
10 bat
11 bee; snail
12 harvested