EXAMS - SEPTEMBER

NI2 - EXAMEN ESCRITO: 6 SEPTIEMBRE - 16:30

ORDEN DE LAS PRUEBAS:

1. Comprensión escrita (CE)  = Reading (75 minutos)
   
2. Comprensión oral (CO)     = Listening (30 minutos)
   
3. Expresión Escrita (EE)       = Writing   (75 minutos)  

NORMAS A SEGUIR:

• Los móviles deben permanecer apagados en todo momento (ni en silencio, ni con vibración, APAGADOS)
• Traed el DNI
  
• Sobre la mesa sólo se permitirá: la hoja de examen, bolígrafo, agua y reloj (TRADICIONAL: ni teléfono, ni PDA, etc.) En el aula habrá un reloj de todos modos.
  
• El examen debe hacerse con tinta azul o negra (NO se puede utilizar lapiz)
  
• NO se permite el uso de Tipex ( Las correcciones o enmiendas se realizan tachando con una línea simple) 

NI2 - EXAMEN ORAL: 10 SEPTIEMBRE

NI2- B (Grupo M–J 16.00-18.00)

LUNES, 10 DE SEPTIEMBRE HORA: 16.30 AULA 1

NI2- A (Grupo M–J 19.00-21.00)

LUNES, 10 DE SEPTIEMBRE HORA: 18.30 AULA 1

The Dark Night Rises (BATMAN)

Hello!
I'm not a comic fan, but I really like Christopher Nolan's BATMAN trilogy. I don't know if you have seen it, but I absolutely recommend it.

First one: BATMAN BEGINS

Second part: THE DARK NIGHT

The last one: THE DARK NIGHT RISES

My favourite is the second part. Which one is yours?

How to improve your LISTENING skills (2)

Together with the tips and the webpages suggested on the previous post, there are a couple of things I would like to add: 

- It's really important to listen to English ON A REGULAR BASIS. I know you're really busy people, but just try it. You don't have to be two or three hours but just half an hour or an hour each day. 

• Listen to English podcasts or radio programmes when you're driving, cooking or just doing something at home.. 
• Watch movies and TV series or programmes in English. 
• Listen to English music. Choose a song each day, download the lyrics and SING IT!!!!! Doing this, you'll improve your listening, your vocabulary and your pronunciation. Besides, you'll have a really nice time! 
• Of course, use the different webpages devoted to English learners which have specific exercises. 

INTERESTING WEBPAGES

 

These sites represent a very small collection of multimedia resources on the Internet.

[ media format | online use and/or downloadable | level ]

ESL Oriented

Breaking English - (news and commentaries)

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com

[ MP3 | download | intermediate to advanced ]

Daily ESL – (everyday conversation topics)

http://www.dailyesl.com

[ Win | online | high beginning to intermediate ]

English Language Listening Lab Online -

http://www.elllo.org

[ Flash, MP3 | online-download |

beginning to advanced ]

English Listening Lounge – (unscripted interviews)

http://www.englishlistening.com

[ Flash | online | beginning to advanced ]

ESL Podcast –

http://www.eslpod.com

[ MP3 | download | intermediate to advanced ]

Fonetiks – (pronunciation)

http://www.fonetiks.org

Learning Resources –(news stories) http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/home.html

[ Real | online | intermediate to advanced ]

Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab –

http://www.esl-lab.com

[ Flash / Real / Win | online | all levels ]

English Trailers – (movie previews)

http://www.english-trailers.com

[ QuickTime | online | intermediate to advanced ]

Train Your Accent – (accent reduction training)

http://www.trainyouraccent.com

[ Win | online | intermediate to advanced ]

General Audience

ABC – (TV shows)

http://www.abc.go.com/

[ Flash | online | Intermediate to Advanced ]

BBC World Service - http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

[ Flash / MP3 / Real | online | beginning to advanced ]

Hulu - http://www.hulu.com

[ Flash / | online | beginning to advanced ]

Living on Earth – (environmental issues)

http://www.loe.org/

[ MP3 | download | advanced ]

National Geographic - http://pulseplanet.nationalgeographic.com

[ Real / Win | online | beginning to advanced ]

National Public Radio – http://npr.com

[ Flash / MP3 | online | beginning to advanced ]

Online NewsHour - http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newshour_index.html

[ MP3 | online | beginning to advanced ]

Pulse of the Planet – (nature and science)

http://www.pulseplanet.com

[ MP3 | download | advanced ]

Radio Diaries - http://www.radiodiaries.org

Do you know any interesting webpages? Let me know :)

I can't remember which workmate gave me this list but I just wanted to say THANK YOU :)

How to improve your LISTENING skills

Does this situation seem familiar to you? Your English is progressing well, the grammar is now familiar, the reading comprehension is no problem, you are communicating quite fluently, but: Listening is STILL a problem!
First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening comprehension is probably the most difficult task (noun=exercise, job) for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. So, now you know you are not alone....! OK. The most important thing is to listen, and that means as often as possible. The next step is to find listening resources. This is where the Internet really comes in handy (idiom = to be useful) as a tool for English students.

Here are some suggestions for interesting listening selections:

• CBC Podcasts
• Listen to All Things Considered news stories on NPR
• Listen to the BBC.
  

Strategies

Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated (adjective=upset) by limited understanding. What should you do?
Here is some pieces of advice:

• Accept the fact that you are NOT going to understand everything.
• Keep cool (idiom=stay relaxed) when you do not understand - even if you continue to not understand for a long time.
• Do not translate into your native language (synonym=mother tongue)
• Listen for the gist (noun=general idea) of the conversation. Don't concentrate on detail until you have understood the main ideas.
  

SOURCE:

http://esl.about.com/od/englishlistening/a/listen_tips.htm

Another interesting website

Check this website: Aprenda inglés BBC Mundo

How to improve your READING skills

Hello everybody!
Summer time! Although it might get quite difficult for you to study during this time of the year, remember it's really important for you to revise and work on all the skills we've been working on during the year.

Today I'm going to focus on your Reading skills, ok?

First of all, let me give you some tips that might help you:

• Try to read a bit each day. There are different options: graded books (You can purchase them in specialized shops such as Fnac or Diego Marín), magazines (I've already told you about Hot English Magazine) or newspapers. Remember you have lots of resources online. 
• Read the text 3 times: 
• If there are questions to answer, go through them, and make sure you understand them. 
• Once you have read them, start reading the text. But take a quick look- skim it -, just to know what the text is about. 
• Read the questions again and go back to the text. This time, pay attention and read carefully. Underline the important information.
• Now you have a better idea, answer the questions. Then, read the text a third time andcheck your answers.
• It's really important to read WITHOUT checking the dictionary each time you come across a new word. Try to guess the meaning of those words you don't know. Remember you won't have a dictionary with you all the time, specially if it's a reading test. Later, when you have check your answer, go to those words and check their meaning. After doing this, learn them, since reading is one of the best ways to improve your vocabulary.

How to be a better reader
Reading levels 

INTERESTING PAGES
- Hot English magazine: if you want to receive a free weekly lesson, click here
- Magazine (Learning English) - here you can listen or read the text.
- Reading - Intermediate

Well, and that's all for now.

Next post: how to improve your listening

Enjoy!

EUROCOPA 2012: Fábregas and Piqué speaking in English

Do you want to hear Piqué and Fábregas talking about the match in English?

Click here