Answers for Set 2 - Practice Task 3

1. Is there any limitation to the booking of sports facilities? What’s the limitation? Yes, there is. A quota of four hours per hirer is imposed for booking of peak-hour slots on the Booking Opening Day for that activity. The peak hours are from 6:00pm to 10:00pm on weekdays and 7:00am to 10:00pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays. This quota does not apply to booking of non-peak-hour slots and for activities that have already been open for bookings.
2. I have made a booking over the telephone and would like to confirm this booking. Can I make the payment via the Internet? How can I make the payment? Yes, you can make your payment for telephone bookings via the Internet, using your SSC CashCard.
3. Can I cancel or change my booking after I have made the payment? Why? No you can’t. You are not allowed to cancel or change your booking once you have completed your transaction.
4. My company would like to use your sports facilities for our Annual Sports Day. Are we allowed to book your facilities in advance? How can we do this? Yes, you are allowed to book your facilities in advance. Application can be made either by mail to our Booking Office, by fax at 2834 3223 or email to ssc_bookings@ssc.com.hk.
5. Besides booking via the Internet, are there any other ways of booking a sport facility? How about the payment method? Yes, besides booking via the Internet, you can either visit or ring up at any of our SSC Booking Offices from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm. Payment must be made for bookings made at the booking office. For telephone bookings, payment must be made at least 15 minutes before the commencement of the court time otherwise the slots will automatically be cancelled.
6. I am interested to book a soccer pitch and I understand that the pitches are subject to ballot. Can I submit my ballot request via the Internet? Yes, you can submit your ballot request via the Internet.
7. We have booked to use the facility for 2 hours, but the weather suddenly turns bad and we are requested to leave 45 mins before the end or our booking. Will any replacement be allowed because of this? Why? No. no replacement’ll be allowed if more than half of the time-slot has been utilized.

Job Application Letter

Study the job advertisement below and write an application letter to apply for the job.


Flat A, 2/Fl, ABC Court,
25, Chathan Road,
Tai Po, N.T.
Hong Kong

6th January, 2009

Miss Winnie Lai,
Personnel Officer,
Holy Supplies Co Ltd,
123 Nathan Road, Mongkok,
Kowloon

Dear Miss Lai

Application for the post of Clerk

I would like to apply for the post of Clerk advertised in the SCMP on 5 January 2009.

I am a Year 1 student studying Foundation Diploma Programme at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education. Previous to this, I attended All Angels’ Secondary School from F.1 – F.5.

I worked as a trainee clerk in MacDonald in the summer of 2007 and 2008. My PC knowledge is very good. I can type both English and Chinese very fast. I can also speak English and Putongtua. I am able to work independently as well as in a team.

My résumé is enclosed. I am available for an interview at your convenience.

Yours sincerely

Ho Hiu Tak

Ho Hiu Tak

Reading Comprehension - Informational Text

Read the article, "Cancer Update from John Hopkins" and answer the questions. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

• No plastic containers in microwave.
• No water bottles in freezer.
• No plastic wrap in microwave.

A dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.

Recently, Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers...

This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body...

Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. We can get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else.
Paper isn't bad but we don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons...

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

ALSO -------------------------------------

Bottled water in car can be very dangerous. This is how Sheryl Crow got breast cancer. She was on the Ellen show and said this same exact thing. This has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels in breast cancer, especially in Australia.

A friend whose mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and the doctor told her: women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.

The doctor said that the heat and the plastic of the bottle have certain chemicals that can lead to breast cancer. So be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car, and, pass this on to all the women in your life. This information is the kind we need to know and be aware and just might save us! The heat causes toxins from the plastic to leak into the water and they have found these toxins in breast tissue. Use a stainless steel canteen or a glass bottle when you can!
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1. According to the article, what are the three things we should avoid to protect ourselves from the risks of getting cancer?
2. Why can a dioxin chemical cause cancer?
3. What can release the dioxins?
4. Why can bottled water in the car be dangerous?
   

Reply to Enquiry – Writing Practice - ILL Task 14

Instruction: Write a reply to enquiry and recommend the most suitable package to Kenny Hui, Administrative Assistant of the Asia Pacific trading Co. Ltd., according to the information given below.

Situation

Your name & position: Tina Chow, Banquet Officer
You work for: Horizon Hotel
Your duty: Answer customers’ enquiries

You have received an enquiry email about hotel’s meeting service. Please read the following email.

To: banquet@horizonhotel.com.hk
From: kennyhui@asiapacific.com.hk
Date: 16 May 200-
Subject: Meeting service

Dear Sir / Madam

I am writing to enquire about the meeting service provided by your hotel.

Our company will hold a staff meeting on 15 May 200-. We would like to book a meeting room in your hotel for a whole day. Firstly, there will be 20 people attending the meeting. We hope that you could provide us with 2 coffee breaks with refreshments and a western-style lunch. Besides, we need some AV equipment, including computers, printers, laser pointers and microphones. As there are members of staff from different countries, we hope that you could provide us with translation and interpretation service. Our maximum budget is $300 per head. Please suggest a meeting package which meets our requirements.

We would like to know the following information. First of all, what are the terms of payment? When should we book your meeting service in advance?

Thank you very much for your help. Your prompt reply is appreciated.

Yours faithfully
Kenny Hui
Administrative Assistant
Asia Pacific Trading Co. Ltd.
--------------------------------------------------

To: kennyhui@asiapacific.com.hk
From: banquet@horizonhotel.com.hk
Date: 16 May 200-
Subject: Meeting service

Dear Mr. Hui
Thank you for your letter of 16 May 200- requesting information about our meeting service. We are enclosing our leaflets for your reference.

We would like to recommend Package C which fits most of your requirements. Package C costs only $200 per guest. The minimum number of guests is 15. During the meeting, you can enjoy 2 coffee breaks with refreshments. There will be a western-style lunch. For the AV equipment, we could provide computers, laser printers, projector and microphones. We are sorry that we could not prepare laser pointers for you in this package, but you can pay only $10 for each laser pointer. To serve your needs, we are glad to offer you translation and interpretation service.

Please note that booking of meeting service must be made 7 days in advance. Our terms of payment include cash and credit card.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely

Tina Chow

Banquet Officer
Horizon Hotel

Enquiry Writing Practice - ILL Task 10

Instruction: Write an enquiry email to Jayla Fong of the Sunshine Training Center in the spaces provided on the next page.

Situation

You are Jacky Li. You work at GO-GO cosmetic company. Recently your boss, Richard Li, has found that a large number of the staff could not communicate fluently with Mainland customers in Putonghua. He decides to organize a Putonghua course for the staff. He wants you to write an email to the Sunshine Training Center for the information of Vocational Putonghua Courses. In your email, you need to…

1) Tell

• No. of participants: 45, only 12 had elementary Putonghua training before

2) State your requirements

• Course: Vocational Putonghua related to cosmetic industry
• Duration: 12 weeks, 2 meetings per week, 1.5 hours per meeting
• Time: Thursday- 7:15pm -8:45pm; Saturday- 10:30am-12:00noon
• Course Fee: $1250 or below per person
• Locations: Mongkok (preferred), Kowloon Bay
• Teacher: a native speaker of Putonghua

3) You need to ask for the following information:

• Any entrance / exit tests
• Payment methods- by cheque / cash?
• Refund if there is any withdrawal from the course?
• Email us the training schedule

---------------------------------------------------------
To: enquiry@sunshine.com.hk
From: jackyl@gogo.com.hk
Subject: Vocational Putonghua CourseDear Miss Fong

We are a local cosmetic company. We are planning to organize vocational Putonghua courses for our staff. The courses organized by your center have been recommended. Therefore, we are writing to you for more information.

We have a group of 45 participants, but only 12 of them had elementary Putonghua training before. The course must be related to cosmetic industry. The duration of the course should be 12 weeks. There should be 2 meetings per week and each meeting should last for 1.5 hours. We would like to have lessons on Thursday from 7:15pm to 8:45pm and on Saturday from 10:30am to 12:00noon. We expect the course fee to be $1,250 or below per person.

About the location, if possible, we prefer to have lessons in Mongkok. In case this is impossible, we can also accept venues in Kowloon Bay. It is essential to arrange a native speaker of Putonghua to be our teacher.

If you could provide suitable courses for us, please email us the training schedule. We would also like to know if there is any entrance test or exit test. May we know whether we should pay by cheque or cash? If any participant withdraws from the course, would there be any refund?

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely

Jacky Li
GO-GO cosmetic company

Asking for Information - ILL - Task 7

A. Study the following situation. Complete the email on the next page by writing all the questions required in the memorandum.
Situation
You are King Chan, Purchasing Manager of the Li’s Supply Chain. You have received a memorandum from John Hung, the General Manager. You have to write an email according to the instructions given by Mr. Hung.

To: enquirypoe@poe.com.hk From: kingchan@li.com.hk Subject: Purchase of new office desks and chairs

Dear Sir / Madam We are planning to buy some office chairs and desks for our new office in Kowloon Bay. Your office furniture is recommended and we are writing to get some information. We plan to purchase 20 sets of desks and chairs for our new office. Our budget is around $20,000. Would you please send us a full set of catalogue and price list? Would you be able to provide discounts for us? If yes, what discount can you offer? If the offer is attractive, we would probably buy some more from you in the near future. We would also like to know the payment terms and the earliest delivery date, which must be before 31 December 200-. Do we have to pay the delivery charge? Lastly, we would like to find out if you offer free maintenance services. If such a service is provided, how long will it last? Some office furniture companies also provide free office design service. We would be interested to know if you also offer this service. We are looking forward to your reply. King Chan

Writing Task III - FD Students

Situation
You are Billy Chan, an Assistant Buyer of Easy Logistics Co. Ltd. Read the following note from your boss, Mr. John Brown. Write the letter as instructed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr Peter Wong
Sales Manager
14-15 Hoi Yun Road, Kwun Tong

Date: 14 December, 2008

Dear Mr Wong

Office Chairs and Computer Tables

We saw your products at the last exhibition of office furniture Convention Centre in December. We are interested in your office chairs and computer tables.

We would like to place an order on 10 office chairs and 10 computer tables for our Head Office. The chairs should be red. If the red is not available, blue is also acceptable. The dimension of the computer table should be W50” X D28” X H30. We would like to request to deliver them to us before 30 April.

Please send us your catalogue and the price list. It would be helpful if you could tell us the price of the order together with the discount you can offer. Please also let us know how long your guarantee period is. Could you also give us details about your after-sale service?

Before confirming our order, we would also like to see some of your samples in your showroom. We would be grateful if you could inform us of the arrangement at your earliest convenience.

I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely

Billy Chan
Assistant Buyer

Writing Task II - FD Students

Situation
You are Jimmy Leung, an Administrative Clerk of PMS Secondary School. This morning you received an email from Mrs Janet Wong, the Administrative Officer. Please read her email and follow his instructions.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: henryman@kkcanteen.com.hk
From: jimmyl@pms.edu.hk
Subject: Refreshment Arrangement for Open Day

Dear Mr Man

I am writing to make the refreshment arrangement for the Open Day to be held on the 4th of December from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with 1250 participants attending.

Please be reminded that the refreshments should be ready at 9 a.m. If not, they should be ready by 9:30 a.m. as the latest. Please make sure that coffee, tea and sandwiches will be included with the refreshments. Tissues should also be ready for guests' use. Two coffee heaters must also be available.

Please let us know how many staff from canteen can help during the Open Day. We would also like to know if there is any discount for your service. Please email us the list of refreshments once it becomes available.

To discuss the details of the arrangement, I would like to request meeting you at 3 o'clock on Wednesday. We would be grateful if you could confirm us of the arrangement at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely
Jimmy Leung
Administrative Clerk

Writing Task I - FD Students

Situation

You are Johnny Chan, an Administrative Officer of Powerful Company Limited. This morning you received an email from Mr Joseph Lee, the PR Manager. Please read his email and follow his instructions.

--------------------------------------------------------
To: kimssui@powerful.com.hk
From: johnyc@powerful.com.hk

Subject: Booking for Annual Dinner

Dear Mr Tsui

I would like to confirm our booking for the annual dinner to be held in your hotel.

We would like to arrange the dinner on 4 December, 2007. But if the date is not available, the11th of December, 2007 will also be acceptable for us. Please limit our budget to $340 per person and drinks should be included within the budget.

As for the choice of food, we would like to select Chinese cuisine. Please decorate a small stage with balloons. We also need a large LCD screen with PA system.

I would also want to know if there is any discount for the booking of 300 or more people. Please fax us a floor plan.

To settle the detailed arrangement, I would like to arrange a meeting with you next week on 10 November, 2007 at 3 o'clock. Please confirm us of the arrangement at your earliest convenience.


Yours sincerely

Johnny Chan
Administrative Officer
Powerful Company Limited

Writing Task III for BA Students

The HABC Credit Card with exclusive benefit you can't miss!

About our Bank
HABC bank, one of the world’s largest banking and financial service organizations, has been in Hong Kong for more than 140 years. We have received numerous awards throughout the years, such as ‘The Best Management Award’ presented by Timex Magazine.

Year-round Privileges

For dining, you can enjoy exclusive offers at the hottest restaurants in Hong Kong. What’s more, you can enjoy up to 50% off buffet dining with our credit card. For shopping, being our credit card holder, you are offered 15% off on regular-priced items and an extra 10%off on top of regular discounts at various boutiques and shops. For traveling, we provide exclusive worldwide discounts for our card holders

Tax Installment Program

We offer pre-approved loans for tax payment with only a 0.28% monthly rate, the lowest in town. Our repayment period is flexible allowing you up to 48 months. No documents are required to apply for the loan.

HABC Bank Reward Redemption
With our reward redemption programme, you can earn double Asia Miles if you purchase Cathy Pacific tickets online. You can redeem your miles for free flights to fly around the globe.

E-statement Service

Instead of by mail, we email you monthly statement every month. Your e-statements can be stored on your computer hard drive. Also, you can earn extra bonus points while paying bills with our credit card online.

How to Apply

No documents are needed for existing HABC account holders. For more details, simply call our 24-hour hotline at 2174 8800, or visit any HABC branch or check out our website: http://www.habc.com.hk.

Writing Task II for BA Students

Write a promotion leaflet to describe the IELTS Preparatory Course offered by Intelligent Institiute using the data above.

Better Job and Education Opportunities with IELTS Qualification
Intelligent Institute – The Intelligent Choice!

How important is IELTS?
IELTS is a world recognised English language testing system evaluating the proficiency of English as a second language in the areas of the four English skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking. The test is set to be the entrance requirement for overseas universities and a preferred qualification of the employers from local and international companies.

Why Intelligent Institute?
We are one of the top education institutes founded in 1996, with the best language courses and learning environment. All English teachers are native speakers. The campus is located next to MTR station and it is equipped with modern teaching facilities for interactive teaching and learning. Our number of students has increased by six-fold from 2003 to 2008. Our guaranteed teaching quality is reflected in student surveys, which indicates that over 90% of the students rated satisfactory to excellent for our English course last year.

Specialties of IELTS Preparatory Course
Our English teachers adopt an easy and approachable teaching style. To enhance learning results, you will study in a class of no more than 15 students. You will find that small class teaching will definitely improve English learning results. Furthermore, you will learn proven exam techniques, and the key to a successful test. The trianing will better prepare you and give you greater confidence in taking the tests.

Students’ sharing
A junior marketing assistant of an IT company, Ms Ho, highly commented, ‘I think small class teaching is very good for my learning.’
A student of a local university, Mr Cheng, said, ‘I found I drowned into the fun and engaging language classes and I improved my confidence in English. See, I got an A in the test!’

New referral programme of Intelligent Institute
A discount will be offered to you if you refer new students to the Institute. You can enjoy the first 5% discount for the first person you refer and up to 20% for the fourth referral or more. The person you refer will be offered a coupon valued at $100 from OnePage Bookshop.

Join Now
The tuition fee is now only $2,999. Application forms are available at Intelligent Institute, by e-mail at application@ii.edu.hk, by fax at 2786 5688 or by calling 2786 5677.

What are you waiting for? We fulfil More for You!

Writing Task I for BA Students - Product Promotion

The State-Of-Art Pocket PC You Can’t Miss

Would you like to have a high-speed processing pocket PC? Hyper iPAQ 1950 must be your choice.

About the HBC Company
The HBC company is one of the leading producers of desktop computers and PC in the world.

High-speed PC Features
The Pocket PC is a slim and sleek personal computer that you can put in your handbag or pocket. This tiny but high-speed Simpson SC32442 Processor 200MHZ provides you with powerful memory of 96MB. It can also help you to organize the total memory of 96MB into 64MBROM and 32MB SDRAM.

Reliable and Stable PC Functions
The Hyper iPAQ PC incorporates the reliable and stable Windows Mobility 5.0 for Pocket PC Premium Edition, i.e. with both English and Traditional Chinese editions. You can trust on the high-speed Simpson Processor which is known for its reliability and stability. It is also compatible with the Window Media player.

Reasonable Price for a Quality Product
Now, with only $3,380, you will experience a joy of carrying the lightest PC. You will also experience excellent digital moments using the powerful memory. Most importantly, you will enjoy the unforgettable entertainment. So, get a HYPER iPAQ 1950 PC at any Hyper Shops and all department stores.

Enquiry Details
For further enquiry, you may send us an e-mail at pocketpc@hbc.com, contact us by fax at 2706 0088 or by calling 2786 5677.

It’s all now or never!

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

Complete the description of a product using the data below. Try to make use of a variety of adjectives, adverbs, action verbs to help promote this product to customers.

Picture Description - Writing Hints

Dear students

I'd like to suggest following the hints when you work on the picture description tasks.

1. Always follow the plot suggested in the picture. Add details to develop the plot; for example, time, place, manner, and feelings. Try to give the account of your story in a logical way.
2. Always use a variety of expressions, i.e. a group of words (noun phrases, verb phrases, prepositional phrases to express meaning. Follow the sentence patterns while you are writing sentences.
3. Remember to use prepositional phrases to describe your setting.
4. Always select right tenses in describing the events.
5. Be simple and follow the cause-effect relationship to develop your plot.

Please remember to proofread your writing before you submit your writing. Look for the following elements while proofreading:

1. articles -->a/an/the/some/any/singular/plural
2. subject-verb agreement-->e.g. I go /He goes
3. tenses-->active / passive
4. conjunction-->and (in addition, besides, furthermore, even, moreover)/but (although, however)/or (else, whereas) /when/since
5. preposition-->in/on/at/through/past/along/by
6. parts of speech-->noun/pronoun/adjective/adverb/verb
7. spelling
8. choice of vocabulary
9. phrasal verb
10. modal verbs-->shall/may/might/can/could/should/would/will
11. sentence structure --> subject +verb + object + adjunct (relative clause - who that)
12. present participle/ past participle ---> an interesting book, I'm interested in something

See you this evening!

Best Wishes
Terri

A Message to Students

Dear students

There were a number of absentees in the lesson last night.
We discussed how your writing would be graded according to the marking scheme. Please refer to the marking scheme you will see at the link: http://www.istudy.com.hk/wr_marking.htm .
I've also demonstrated ways to improve your writing and introduced ways to ensure that you will get a D grade for your writing tasks.

I'd like to remind you that you need to submit your writing and will give you a grade for your writing. You must make sure that you attain a D grade for all the writing tasks you submit to me. In other words, if you get back your writing task with a grade lower than D, you must resubmit your writing to me.

I've distributed another reading task for you last night. Please work on them for discussion next Tuesday. You will now start writing Task 2 with about 250 words on ONE of the following topics:

Task A
It is more important to be clever than beautiful or handsome." Do you agree?
Write a letter to the editor of the Young Post giving your opinions. Start your letter "Dear Editor", and sign it "Chris Wong." Do not write an address.

Task B
Most overseas visitors think of Hong Kong as only being a busy city. However, it has some beautiful country parks. Some people think the government should do more to promote these parks to visitors who ome to Hong Kong. Discuss the arguments for and against this, and then your your own view.

Task C
Last summer you were a tourist visiting Hong Kong for the first time. One weekend you went swimming and had a horrible experience. You are now back in your own country and are writing an account of your experience for your school magazine. Say what happened and how you felt about it.



Enjoy your study!

Best Wishes
Terri

ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE YOUR READING

• Open your eyes- Try to boost your awareness of the reading you do all around you. Pay attention to English on billboards, advertisements, leaflets, food packages, etc.
• Identify your reading problems by writing a summary- Find a short newspaper article which interests you and read it once quickly to get the main ideas. Then cover it up and try to write a brief summary of the main points. Finally, compare the summary with the article to see how many main points you have got. If you find the result unsatisfactory, try to identify your problem. Do you have problems with sentence structures, vocabulary, etc ? If you can identify your reading problem, focus on it.
• Time your reading- Look for the main ideas of an article for a limited time. Don’t bother about the details. This is a method to enhance your speed of reading. Keep a log of the amount of time it takes. If the time decreases, then you should be getting more information more quickly.
• Make cloze exercises- Make a cloze exercise, either for yourself or a friend. Photocopy the text and use correction fluid to white out some words. You can focus on any aspect of language you wish, for example, nouns, verbs, prepositions, or whatever you find difficult. Fill in the blanks. Check your answer with the original texts. Think about the words you used and the words in the original text. This method can enhance your awareness of using different terms in different contexts.
• Read the Chinese version in advance- Read texts in Chinese first before you read the English texts. After getting the main ideas from Chinese materials, reading the English ones becomes easier. You will realise how some Chinese expressions are expressed in English.
• Follow the instructions for various reading materials- Try to follow the instructions of manuals or guidebooks for any electrical appliance, e.g. computer, mini hi-fi, recording machines. Does the machine perform the function you wish? If not, try to decide what went wrong in your reading. Alternatively, you can read a cook book and test your comprehension by preparing the food correctly.
• Guess meaning from context - While reading, people are usually discouraged by unfamiliar words or phrases. An inefficient reader looks up every unknown word/phrase in a dictionary but an efficient one doesn’t. Why ? Because the efficient reader guesses meaning from the context of the text. When you come across new words from an article, don’t check the dictionary immediately! Try to guess the meaning of the words first. A more interesting way of doing this is to try to get one or two friends to read the same article. If there are any common unknown words/phrases, compete with your friends to guess the correct meaning. Look the words/phrases up in the dictionary for the correct definition. The one who gets the closest meaning wins.
• Keep a resource bank of similar reading items- You can divide items into several categories such as finance, education, accidents, fashion or housing. Add new articles according to these categories. Arrange them nicely in a book. Frequently read the materials and you will develop a large vocabulary on a particular item. Alternatively, you can find some listening materials, videos and television programmes, on the same or similar topics and compare them with the written topics. Your knowledge of words/phrases/grammatical structures will consolidate if you can see the same language several times in different contexts.
  Read for pleasure- Research has shown that reading consistently for pleasure boosts comprehension and vocabulary. Try popular books, comics, books about the films you have seen. It is NOT necessary to understand every word, just keep reading.
• Read with a grammar focus- Look at a reading passage and see how the grammatical structures are used. Try to classify them under different headings like relative clauses, present tense, passive voice etc. Being able to identify different grammatical structures of a passage boosts your reading speed. If you have trouble classifying the grammatical structures, you may have to consult a grammar book or teacher.
• Create your own comprehension questions- Often you have a lot of materials to read but you do not have a specific task to test your understanding. If this is the case, write your own comprehension questions to an article to test a friend. You and your friend can take turns preparing comprehension questions for other articles. Don’t forget that you have to prepare the answers before you test each other.

ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING

You may want to try the following activities to improve your writing.

• Reconstruction: Collect examples of the types of writing you need/want to do (e.g. essays, newspaper articles. Read the examples and make notes on the content. Try to construct your writing with your notes. Then compare your version with the original version to see how well you have done. This method is especially beneficial for students who want to learn about specific written formats.

• Timed writing: One problem may be that you write slowly. Timed writing trains you to think briskly and write efficiently. Get at least two friends to write on the same topic for three minutes. Write as much as you can and ignore grammatical mistakes and spelling. If you can't think of a word or a phrase in English, either write in your language or just draw a picture. Look the word or phrase up in a dictionary later. Make sure your text makes sense. Alternatively, you can practise timed writing by yourself. Get a stop-watch and write as much as you can for three minutes. Keep a record of all your texts and see whether you write more ideas on the next topic. Improvement can be measured by counting the numbers of ideas you have created in each attempt.

• Brainstorming: Perhaps it takes you a lot of time to generate ideas for a piece of writing. Think quickly and without inhibition on a given topic; create as many ideas as possible. You should allow yourself to think of strange and unusual ideas. Then you should organise your ideas. This method is useful for generating ideas before actually writing.

• Write to pen pals: Make this a habit so that you can have constant writing practice. For example, you could contact International Pen Friends, P.O, BOX 340, Dublin, Ireland or by e-mail at neilodonnell@ipf.ie for details.

• Keep an English diary: Train yourself to use the English you already know while you are writing the diary. You can also deliberately use any new vocabulary/phrases in your diary. You will become a more efficient writer of English because you will be frequently activating your existing knowledge of English and spending less time looking in a dictionary.

• Write to newspapers:. You can write to newspapers to express your opinions or lodge complaints. Before the newspaper publishes your writing, the editor will proof-read your work. Then, you can compare the published version with your own version to see how your ideas can be better expressed. You have the chance to check your grammar, too. Write to any opinion column or the Letters to the Editor section in your local newspaper.

• Keep a writing resource bank: Collect examples of the types of writing you need/want to do and make reference to these frequently. Because relevant phrases and appropriate vocabulary are essential to good writing, you should mark down some useful expressions from your daily life for future use.

• Use the e-mail system: The most advanced way of communication today is writing through E-mail. You can write to people all over the world in English. You can also e-mail your writing to me at ecterri@gmail.com for feedback.

• Try self-evaluation: One of the criteria of good writing is that it is error-free. Proof-reading and editing are the final stages of tidying language and presentation before writing the last version. You should learn to evaluate your own writing.

• Keep all your written work: Keep copies of everything you write in English, especially those which bear your teacher's feedback. They serve two purposes. First, they can remind you of the mistakes you have made and therefore help reduce the chance of repeating the same mistakes. Second, some of your writing can be recycled.

Improving Your Intonation

• Use songs and karaoke to improve your pronunciation. Choose one of your favorite CDs and sing along with the melody. Accents are usually not heard when singing a foreign language.
• Learn poems to develop a feel for the rhyme and rhythm of the language and to become more aware of what really happens in normal speech.
• Listen and speak in English as often as you can. The more exposure you have to the language, the better your pronunciation will become.

Learner Log

Keeping a learner log can help you learn better. You may write and record your language experience in about 50 to 80 words. You may focus on the following areas in reflecting your experience.

• Aspects of the learning process which you particularly enjoyed or disliked
• Aspects of learning the language which you found difficult or easy
• How the language is of use to you and how it could be useful in the future.
• Learning outcomes on the areas of: listening, reading, spoken interaction and production, writing and vocabulary.

Intonation

Intonation is very significant in English. It can:

• Mean the difference between questions and statements,e.g. She likes the music? She likes the music.
• Show the speaker’s attitude and emotion, e.g. She likes the music.
• Divide speech into meaningful segments.
  

By improving your ability to segment speech properly, you will improve your communicative skills both conversationally and in oral presentations.

Use a dictionary to practice learning and saying difficult words until they sound natural to you. Before practicing, do the following example exercise:

1. Look up the word, "alacrity" in a dictionary. Note the IPA transcription.
2. Note how many syllables it has and where the stress is placed.
3. Check whether there are two pronunciations and decide which one to use.
4. Try to pronounce each individual syllable.
5. Say all four syllables together with the stress on the second syllable.
6. Say the word several times to make sure you are saying it naturally and pronouncing each syllable correctly.
7. Make up a sentence using the word and practise saying it correctly within a sentence.
   

Keys to Better Pronunciation

Introduction

To be confident in your own pronunciation you need to know not only how familiar English words sound but also how to pronounce new ones. It is also useful to practise sounds that may be more difficult for you. Unlike Chinese, each sound in English is represented symbolically in writing. English has only 26 symbols (the 26 letters of the alphabet), but these 26 symbols can make about 44 separate sounds. It is very important to learn to associate the correct sound with the correct symbol (phonics) so that you can pronounce most English words even ones you have never seen before. In fact,understanding phonics will help you read and spell words. In addition to phonics, you will also need to learn the stress and intonation patterns of the language.

Self-Assessment
To help you to assess your pronunciation, start with the, Clear Listening Test, found in "Clear Speech" (C.P.U.) written by Judy B. Gilbert. Alternatively, you may want to use the task reading a poem in the Pronunciation Pack. Both can be found in the ELSC Resource Room.

Suggested activities
To pronounce words, you can do any or all of the following:

• Listen to a model. A teacher or someone you trust can model new words for you. Pay attention to the ways people say words.
• Record a TV interview programme or radio programme and use it as a model.
• Become familiar with the pronunciation system used in your dictionary. It is usually explained in the first few pages. Make it a habit to check the pronunciation of new words in the dictionary.
• Learn phonics and phonetic rules and the relationship between spelling and pronunciation. Learn to associate the correct sound with the correct letter. For example, when a short word ends with e in a vowel-consonant-e pattern, we sound the alphabetical name of the vowel and omit the sound of the e, e.g. make, like, hope. For more details see the IPA Pack.
• Learn the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). Applying the knowledge of the IPA can help you to learn how words are pronounced. Pay particular attention to the sounds which are sometimes difficult for Chinese learners.
• It is also important to learn the difference between long and short vowels and the variations of vowel lengths before consonants. Learn where to put stress in a word and in a sentence. In speech each division of sound which contains a vowel is a syllable. Every word has one or more syllables.
• In the dictionary dots usually divide words into syllables. When a word has two or more syllables, one of them has more force, or stress. The syllable, which has the primary stress, is shown with a high mark.
• Practice saying a short sentence using correct intonation.
  

ENHANCING YOUR READING

1. Open your eyes- Try to boost your awareness of the reading you do all around you. Pay attention to English on billboards, advertisements, leaflets, food packages, etc.
2. Identify your reading problems by writing a summary- Find a short newspaper article which interests you and read it once quickly to get the main ideas. Then cover it up and try to write a brief summary of the main points. Finally, compare the summary with the article to see how many main points you have got. If you find the result unsatisfactory, try to identify your problem. Do you have problems with sentence structures, vocabulary, etc ? If you can identify your reading problem, focus on it.
3. Time your reading- Look for the main ideas of an article for a limited time. Don't bother about the details. This is a method to enhance your speed of reading. Keep a log of the amount of time it takes. If the time decreases, then you should be getting more information more quickly.
4. Make cloze exercises- Make a cloze exercise, either for yourself or a friend. Photocopy the text and use correction fluid to white out some words. You can focus on any aspect of language you wish, for example, nouns, verbs, prepositions, or whatever you find difficult. Fill in the blanks. Check your answer with the original texts. Think about the words you used and the words in the original text. This method can enhance your awareness of using different terms in different contexts.
5. Read the Chinese version in advance- Read texts in Chinese first before you read the English texts. After getting the main ideas from Chinese materials, reading the English ones becomes easier. You will realise how some Chinese expressions are expressed in English.
6. Follow the instructions for various reading materials- Try to follow the instructions of manuals or guidebooks for any electrical appliance, e.g. computer, mini hi-fi, recording machines. Does the machine perform the function you wish? If not, try to decide what went wrong in your reading. Alternatively, you can read a cook book and test your comprehension by preparing the food correctly.
7. Guess meaning from context - While reading, people are usually discouraged by unfamiliar words or phrases. An inefficient reader looks up every unknown word/phrase in a dictionary but an efficient one doesn't. Why ? Because the efficient reader guesses meaning from the context of the text. When you come across new words from an article, don't check the dictionary immediately! Try to guess the meaning of the words first. A more interesting way of doing this is to try to get one or two friends to read the same article. If there are any common unknown words/phrases, compete with your friends to guess the correct meaning. Look the words/phrases up in the dictionary for the correct definition. The one who gets the closest meaning wins.
8. Keep a resource bank of similar reading items- You can divide items into several categories such as finance, education, accidents, fashion or housing. Add new articles according to these categories. Arrange them nicely in a book. Frequently read the materials and you will develop a large vocabulary on a particular item. Alternatively, you can find some listening materials, videos and television programmes, on the same or similar topics and compare them with the written topics. Your knowledge of words/phrases/grammatical structures will consolidate if you can see the same language several times in different contexts.
9. Read for pleasure- Research has shown that reading consistently for pleasure boosts comprehension and vocabulary. Try popular books, comics, books about the films you have seen. It is NOT necessary to understand every word, just keep reading.
10. Read with a grammar focus- Look at a reading passage and see how the grammatical structures are used. Try to classify them under different headings like relative clauses, present tense, passive voice etc. Being able to identify different grammatical structures of a passage boosts your reading speed. If you have trouble classifying the grammatical structures, you may have to consult a grammar book or teacher.
11. Create your own comprehension questions- Often you have a lot of materials to read but you do not have a specific task to test your understanding. If this is the case, write your own comprehension questions to an article to test a friend. You and your friend can take turns preparing comprehension questions for other articles. Don't forget that you have to prepare the answers before you test each other.

8 Ways to Effective learning

1. Engage with your full mental strength - If you can’t understand and remember something, you will never learn it. You can’t learn something, i.e. encode it into your brain. It means you don’t pay enough attention to it. It takes about eight seconds of intent focus to process a piece of information through your hippo campus and into the appropriate memory center. So, no multitasking when you need to concentrate! If you distract easily, try to receive information in a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.
2. Tailor information to your learning style. Most people are visual learners; they learn best by reading or otherwise seeing what it is they have to learn. But some are auditory learners who learn better by listening. They might benefit by recording information they need and listening to it until they remember it.
   
3. Involve as many senses as possible. Even if you’re a visual learner, read out loud what you want to remember. If you can recite it rhythmically, even better. Try to relate information to colors, textures, smells and tastes. The physical act of rewriting information can help imprint it onto your brain.
   
4. Relate information to what you already know. Connect new data to information you already remember, whether it’s new material that builds on previous knowledge, or something as simple as an address of someone who lives on a street where you already know someone.


5. Organize information. Write things down in address books and datebooks and on calendars; take notes on more complex material and reorganize the notes into categories later. Use both words and pictures in learning information.


6. Understand and be able to interpret complex material. For more complex material, focus on understanding basic ideas rather than memorizing isolated details. Be able to explain it to someone else in your own words.


7. Rehearse information frequently and “over-learn”. Review what you’ve learned the same day you learn it, and at intervals thereafter. What researchers call “spaced rehearsal” is more effective than “cramming.” If you’re able to “over-learn” information so that recalling it becomes second nature, so much the better.


8. Be motivated and keep a positive attitude. Tell yourself that you want to learn what you need to remember, and that you can learn and remember it. Telling yourself you have a bad memory actually hampers the ability of your brain to remember, while positive mental feedback sets up an expectation of success.

Brain Exercise

I've just read an interesting article regarding brain exercise. It mentions that not all the learning activities can be considered neurobic. "Neurobic" is a term used to describe the activity or exercise related to brain and nervous system. Although our brain is activated by senses as we have various stimuli all the time; not all the stimuli can be strong enough to exercise our brain cells. In other words, daily learning tasks or activities follows similar patterns may not be strong enough to enhance neurotrophin production. What shall we do then?

You may consider doing more engaging activities that are interesting, challenging, fun and potentially frustrating. The tasks should also make use of multi-sensory associations and doing something new that is important to you.

• Learn to write with the hand you do not normally use


• Solve new and difficult Math exercises


• play a difficult music piece


• completely rearrange your workplace


• take a completely new route to school or work


• go camping for the weekend


• invite your niece or nephew to sleep over


• recite a fun story or article

The results of any such activity means you are breaking your routine by doing something new. So, in some ways, you've changed the patterns of activity in parts of the brain activated by various stimuli that enhance neurotrophin production. Of course, such experience can open your mind and uplift your brain function to a higher level.