3. Contents
The First Word Page 4
Movies - Iron Man 3 Page 5
Around the World - Paris Page 7
Psychology - Short-term Memory Page 6
Language - Common Mistakes in Speaking and Writing Page 8
Idioms - Time Page 9
Interview: Mohammad-Reza Shajarian - Part 1 Page 10
ELT - What You Can Do With a Whiteboard Page 12
Moral - Lesson for All of US Page 11
Famous Figures - Napoleon Bonaparte Page 14
Psychology - Understanding the Meaning of Colors in Color Psychology
Domestic - Iran’s Guinness World Record Ambitions
Technology - Robots
Business - Job Interview Tips
Sports - How to Play a Good Chess Game
TOEFL - Top 10 Listening Tips for the TOEFL Test
Grammar - Phrasal Verbs - Part 2
Page 15
Page 17
Page 16
Page 18
Page 19
Page 21
Page 22
Vocabulary - Phrasal Verbs with “Go” Page 11
Speaking - Find Your Tongue Page 20
3
4. The First Word
4
1. The Size Of Candles May Differ But They Yield The Same Brightness. It’s Not The Matter Of Your Position, But Your
Ability That Shines.
2. In this world people may throw stones in the path of your success, it depends on you ….. What you make from
them …… a wall or a bridge.
3. As you climb the ladder of success, check occasionally to make sure that it is leaning against the right wall.
4. In the Race of Life ….. Don’t waste your energy and time trying to compare with others….. Sometimes you are
ahead… Sometimes behind…. The race is long and in the end it’s only with your self…
5. When one door closes another opens. But often we look so long so regretfully upon the closed door that we fail
to see the one that has opened for us.
6. You may face many defeats in your life, but never let yourself be defeated
7. Greatness cannot be achieved by doing big things, if you really want to be great. Do small thing in a great way!!!!
8. It is not important to hold all the good cards in life, But it is important how well you play with the cards which you
hold.
9. The biggest enemy of success is “Fear of failure” so when FEAR knocks at your DOOR, send COURAGE to open the
DOOR and success will wait for you.
10. Take Risks in Your Life If u Win, U Can Lead! If u Lose, U Can Guide!
So Go out...
Become the best...
You can do it...
May God be always with You...
Become the winner ...
Today is your day…
5. Therearetwothingstoaimatinlife;firsttogetwhatyouwant,andafterthattoenjoyit.Onlythewisestofmankindhasachievedthesecond.
Tony Stark recalls a New Years Eve party in 1999 with scientist
Maya Hansen, inventor of Extremis—an experimental regenera-
tive treatment intended to allow recovery from crippling in-
juries. Disabled scientist Aldrich Killian offers them a place
in his company, Advanced Idea Mechanics, but Stark re-
jects the offer, humiliating Killian.
Years later, Stark’s experiences during the alien invasion
of New York are giving him panic attacks. Restless, he has
built several dozen Iron Man suits, creating friction with
his girlfriend Pepper Potts. A string of bombings by terrorist
the Mandarin has left intelligence agencies bewildered by
a lack of forensic evidence. When Stark Industries security
chief Happy Hogan is badly injured in one such attack, Stark
overcomes his stupor and issues a televised threat to the Man-
darin, who responds by destroying Stark’s home with helicopter
gunships. Hansen, who came to warn Stark, survives the attack
along with Potts. Stark escapes in an Iron Man suit, which his
artificial intelligence JARVIS pilots to rural Tennessee, follow-
ing a flight plan from Stark’s investigation into the Mandarin.
Stark’s experimental armor lacks sufficient power to return
to California, and the world believes him dead.
Teaming with Harley, a precocious 10-year-old boy,
Stark investigates the remains of a local explosion bear-
ing the hallmarks of a Mandarin attack. He discovers
the “bombings” were triggered by soldiers subjected to
Extremis, which at this stage of development can cause
certain subjects to explosively reject it. After veterans start-
ed exploding, their deaths were used to cover up Extremis’
flaws by manufacturing a terrorist plot. Stark witnesses Ex-
tremis firsthand when Mandarin agents Ellen Brandt and Eric
Savin attack him.
With Harley’s help, Stark traces the Mandarin to Miami and infiltrates his headquarters using improvised weap-
ons. Inside he discovers the Mandarin is actually a British actor named Trevor Slattery, who claims he is oblivious
to the actions carried out in his name. The Mandarin is actually a creation of Killian, who appropriated Hansen’s
Extremis research as a cure for his own disability and expanded the program to include injured war veterans.
After capturing Stark, Killian reveals he is the real Mandarin; he has kidnapped Potts and subjected her to Ex-
tremis to gain Stark’s aid in fixing Extremis’ flaws and thereby saving Potts. Killian kills Hansen when she has a
change of heart about the plan.
Killian has also manipulated American intelligence agencies regarding the Mandarin’s location, luring James
Rhodes—the former War Machine, now re-branded as the Iron Patriot—into a trap to
steal the armor. Stark escapes and reunites with Rhodes, discovering that Killian intends
to attack President Ellis aboard Air Force One. Remotely controlling his Iron Man armor,
Stark saves some surviving passengers and crew but cannot stop Killian from abduct-
ing Ellis and destroying Air Force One. They trace Killian to an impounded damaged
oil tanker where Killian intends to kill Ellis on live television. The vice president will
become a puppet leader, following Killian’s orders in exchange for Extremis to cure a
little girl’s disability.
On the platform, Stark goes to save Potts, and Rhodes saves the president. Stark sum-
mons his Iron Man suits, controlled remotely by JARVIS, to provide air support. Rhodes
secures the president and takes him to safety, while Stark discovers Potts has survived
the Extremis procedure. However, before he can save her, a rig collapses around them
and she falls to her apparent death. Stark confronts Killian and traps him in an Iron Man
suit that self-destructs, but fails to kill him. Potts, whose Extremis powers allowed her to
survive her fall, intervenes and kills Killian.
After the battle, Stark orders JARVIS to remotely destroy each Iron Man suit
as a sign of his devotion to Potts. The vice president and Slattery are
arrested. With Stark’s help, Potts’ Extremis effects are stabilized, and
Stark undergoes surgery to remove the shrapnel embedded near his
heart. He pitches his obsolete chest arc reactor into the sea,
musing he will always be Iron Man.
In a present day post-credits scene, Stark
wakes up Dr. Bruce Banner, who fell asleep
listening at the beginning of Stark’s story.
Iron Man 3
crippling: causing se-
vere pain and making
it difficult or impossible
for sb to walk
humiliate: to make sb
feel ashamed or foolish
bewilder: to confuse
someone
precocious: having de-
veloped particular abili-
ties at a younger age
than usual
plot: a secret plan by a
group of people, to do
sth harmful or illegal
infiltrate: to enter a
place or an organization
secretly to get informa-
tion
lure: to persuade or trick
sb to do sth by promis-
ing them a reward
abduct: to kidnap
summon: to order
someone to come to a
place
intervene: to become
involved in a situation
in order to change what
happens
5
6. Every story has an end. But in life, every ending is just a
new beginning. Life goes on – not always the way we had
envisioned it would be, but always the ways it's supposed
to be.
Remember, we usually can't choose the music life plays for
us, but we can choose how we dance to it. Make yours a
beautiful memory.
Short term Memory
Most people can remember a phone number for
up to thirty seconds. When this short amount of
time elapses, however, the numbers are erased
from the memory. How did the information get
there in the first place? Information that
makes its way to the short term memory
(STM) does so via the sensory storage
area. The brain has a filter which only
allows stimuli that is of immediate
interest to pass on to the STM, also
known as the working memory.
There is much debate about the ca-
pacity and duration of the short term
memory. The most accepted theory
comes from George A. Miller, a cog-
nitive psychologist who suggested
that humans can remember approximately
seven chunks of information. A chunk is defined as a meaningful unit of informa-
tion, such as a word or name rather than just a letter or number. Modern theorists
suggest that one can increase the capacity of the short term memory by chunk-
ing, or classifying similar information together. By organizing information, one can
optimize the STM, and improve the chances of a memory being passed on to long
term storage.
When making a conscious effort to memorize something, such as information
for an exam, many people engage in “rote rehearsal”. By repeating something
over and over again, one is able to keep a memory alive. Unfortunately, this type of memory maintenance only succeeds
if there are no interruptions. As soon as a person stops rehearsing the information, it has the tendency to disappear.
When a pen and paper are not handy, people often attempt to remember a phone number by repeating it aloud. If the
doorbell rings or the dog barks to come in before a person has the opportunity to make a phone call, he will likely forget
the number instantly.* Therefore, rote rehearsal is not an efficient way to pass information from the short term to long
term memory.* A better way is to practice “elaborate rehearsal”. *This involves assigning semantic meaning to a piece
of information so that it can be filed along with other pre-existing long term memories.
Encoding information semantically also makes it more retrievable. Retrieving information can be done by recognition
or recall. Humans can easily recall memories that are stored in the long term memory and used often; however, if a
memory seems to be forgotten, it may eventually be retrieved by prompting. The more cues a person is given (such as
pictures), the more likely a memory can be retrieved. This is why multiple choice tests are often used for subjects that
require a lot of memorization.
elapse: to pass
stimuli: (plural of stimulus)
something that makes some-
one or something move or
react
chunk: to divide (something)
into pieces
conscious: intentional
tendency: trend, will, talent
rehearsal: repetition,practice
eventually: finally
6
7. Don’tjudgeeachdaybytheharvestyoureap,butbytheseedsyouplant.
7
Paris is the capital of France. It’s
known as the City of Light because of its
beauty. It’s a place to enjoy great food,
great art, and great buildings. It’s also a
place to sit back and enjoy life in a side-
walk café.
For hundreds of years, artists and writers
have celebrated Paris. Many have gone to
live there.Visitors come to admire the city.
It’s a center of fashion and style. It’s also
the business, financial, and industrial cen-
ter of France.
THE EIFFEL TOWER
The Eiffel Tower is the best-known land-
mark in Paris. France built this lacy, iron
tower for the Paris World’s Fair of 1889.
The fair honored the French Revolution
that began in Paris 100 years earlier.
The Eiffel Tower rises nearly 1,000 feet
(300 meters). Elevators take visitors to
the top. At the time it was built, the tower
was the tallest structure in the world. The
tower was named for its designer, Gustave
Eiffel.
ParisThe City of Light
CITY ON THE SEINE
The river Seine runs through Paris and
cuts it in half. The part of Paris on the
north side of the river is called the Right
Bank. The part on the south side is called
the Left Bank.
Most of the businesses and large stores in
Paris are on the Right Bank. Many govern-
ment buildings and the University of Paris
are on the Left Bank. The university is in the
Latin Quarter. Students at the university orig-
inally spoke Latin, giving the neighborhood
its name.
The oldest part of Paris is on the Île de la
Cité, an island in the Seine. Notre Dame ca-
thedral is on the island. Workers began to
build the cathedral in 1163.
BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS
There’s a lot to see in Paris. You could take
a walk down the Champs-Élysées. This wide,
tree-lined boulevard is one of the most fa-
mous streets in the world.
At one end of the Champs-Élysées is the
Arc de Triomphe (Arch of Triumph). This
monument was built to honor the victories
of French emperor Napoleon I. At the other
end is the Place de la Concorde (Square of
Peace) with its huge fountains and
statues.
The Louvre is an old palace in the
middle of Paris. It’s also one of
the world’s great museums. Leon-
ardo da Vinci’s famous painting,
the Mona Lisa, is here. If you like
paintings by the French impres-
sionists, be sure to visit the Musée
d’Orsay. This museum used to be a
railroad station.
When you’re tired, sit for a while
in one of Paris’s pleasant parks.
The Tuileries Gardens are on the
Right Bank, and the Luxembourg
Gardens are on the Left Bank.
Eiffel Tower, Paris
The Eiffel Tower is the best-known landmark in Paris.
The tower rises nearly 1,000 feet (300 meters). When
it was built in 1889, it was the tallest structure in the
world.
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe (Arch of Triumph) in Paris
is the national war memorial of France. The arch
stands at one end of a famous tree-lined boulevard,
the Champs-Élysées.
Seine River in Paris
The Seine River runs through Paris. The part of Paris on
the north side of the river is called the Right Bank. The
part on the south side is called the Left Bank.
to sit back: to relax and do
nothing
to admire: to have a good
opinion of sb/sth
lacy: of or like lace (lace: deli-
cate decorative cloth with an
open-work design of threads)
to cut sth in half: to divide or
cut sth into two equal part
cathedral: the main church of
a district
fountain: decorating structure
from which water is pumped
into the air
palace: a large, magnificent
house(esp, king or queen
house)
impressionist: a person who
paint in a way that gives a
general impression
8. Noonecanclimbtheladderofsuccess,withbothhandsinthepocket!
8
Here are three errors that I regularly encounter inside and outside the classroom. Do you make these mis-
takes? Listen to yourself, and check your writing. These are some errors that are not deadly or fatal because
native speakers usually understand what you mean. Because of that, they will rarely correct you. Never-
theless, these mistakes mark you as not quite as advanced or proficient in English as you may think
you are.
Common Mistake 1
At lunchtime, I often hear students asking each other if they want to go outside
and eat together.
INCORRECT:
A: “Do you like to eat lunch with us today?”
B: “Yeah, sure. Where do you go?”
What’s wrong with this dialog? To ask someone to join you for lunch, we would say,
CORRECT:
A: “ Would you like to eat lunch with us today?” OR “Do you want to eat lunch with us today?”
(more informal)
B: “Yeah, sure. Where are you going/are you going to go?”
EXPLANATION:
In English, the present simple using ‘do you like to...’ is not a request form. Also, B’s response asking
for more information using the simple present sounds odd because the speakers are talking about ‘right now.’ Thus, the appropri-
ate question asking for more information about the plan for lunch would be “Where are you going/are you going to go?” (present
continuous/future plan)
Common Mistake 2
Another common error especially in speaking for the Cambridge or for the iBT (TOEFL) test is
INCORRECT:
“I would prefer to study by my own rather than study with others.”
CORRECT:
“I would prefer to study on my own/by myself rather than study with others.”
EXPLANATION:
Prepositions are such a pain in the you-know-what, aren’t they? I always tell
advanced level students that prepositions are the last thing to master in English.
These little words (in, on, at, by, for, to, and so on) quickly mark people - even
those who have lived in the U.S. for decades - as foreign-born (including Brit-
ish English speakers, e.g., ‘on the weekend’ vs. ‘at the weekend’). ;-)
Common Mistake 3
Students need to be able to express their opinions. Of course, the easiest way to start
off your sentence is to say, “In my opinion, .....” However, there are other ways to begin a discourse
about your personal views.
INCORRECT:
“In my point of view, we should raise taxes on gasoline.”
CORRECT:
“From my point of view, we should raise taxes on gasoline.”
“In my view, we should raise taxes on gasoline.”
To try to give a visual image of how to use these last two expressions correctly, I often draw a mountain peak with a little person
standing on top. From that point, the person can see a lot, but (s)he is not in that point.
Common Mistakes in Speaking and Writing
9. Time idioms
Sunriseseverywherebutcropgrowsonlywherethefarmerhasworkedhard.SimilarlyGODiseverywherebuthisgraceisfortheonewhoworkshard…
Time is a precious. Most of us don’t have enough of it and wish we had more.
There are lots of English expressions using time. Here are 20 of them and what
they mean. Check them out, there’s no time to lose:
on time
to be on time means not to be late. You arrive at the right time.
‘The trains always run on time in my country. They are never late.’
time flies
This common idiom means that time passes quickly.
‘Time flies when you are having fun.’
in the nick of time
This expression means that you arrive or finish something just before it
is too late. At the last possible moment.
‘My team scored in the nick of time. The game was in the last few seconds.’
turn back the hands of time
To turn back the hands of time means to go back to the past.
‘If I could turn back the hands of time, I wouldn’t have done what I did.’
save time
We save time when we do something the quick way.
‘We will save time if we drive instead of taking the bus.’
spare time
In natural English, spare time has the same meaning as free time. The things we do when we are not busy with
work or study, for example.
‘In my spare time I like to learn English.’
as time goes by
As time goes by means as time passes or moves. The passing of time.
‘As time has gone by I have become less interested in going to nightclubs on the weekends.’
out of time
Out of time means that there is no more time left to do something. The time limit or deadline has been reached.
‘Please stop writing. You are out of time. The exam has finished.’
make time
To make time means to find the time to do something. We have to clear some time in our schedules to do some-
thing.
‘I know that you are busy, but you will have to make time to attend the meeting.’
time for a change
Time for a change means to stop what you are doing and start doing something else with your life.
‘After working in the same job for 5 years, I now feel like it is time for a change.’
time is money
The famous expression time is money means that your time is a valuable commodity.
‘I can’t wait here all day. Time is money, you know?’
time heals all wounds
Time heals all wounds means that our feelings of hurt will leave us time passes by. This expression usually
refers to emotional hurts and not physical ones.
‘I was sad for a long time after I broke up with my boyfriend, but time heals all wounds. I’m fine now.’
only time will tell
Only time will tell means that we can not find out the truth or the answer yet. We will have to wait and then we
will find out in the future.
‘Will we ever have peace in the world? Only time will tell.’
9
10. MindsarelikeParachutes;theyonlyfunctionwhentheyareopen.
Vocabu-
Interview: Mohammad-Reza Shajarian
The Iranian singer and composer Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, who brings
his 17-piece Shahnaz Ensemble to the Durham Performing Arts Center on
April 28, is known around the world as the greatest living master of tra-
ditional Persian music.
Most familiar to Western listeners from his two “Best World Music” Gram-
my nominations and his placement in NPR’s “50 Great Voices” series, Sha-
jarian had already been a popular icon in Iran for decades when, in 2009,
he withdrew his music from state radio to
protest the Iranian presidential election re-
sults, becoming, according to Duke religious
studies professor Mohsen Kadivar in a re-
cent Duke Today profile, “the voice of liberty
and justice and freedom for Iranians.”
In anticipation of this rare North Carolina concert, Duke Professor of Psychiatry Amir
H. Rezvani arranged a telephone interview with Shajarian, who was lecturing and lead-
ing seminars at Stanford and Berkeley at the time. Rezvani took a voice recorder to the
home of UNC Religious Studies Professor Omid Safi. They made Persian tea and spoke
extensively with Shajarian about his life, his music, and his legacy. “For both of us,”
Rezvani told The Thread, “it was an historic moment.”
With the kind permission of all involved, we present the following transcript of the con-
versation, as translated by Omid Safi.
Omid Safi: I wanted to begin by asking about your own biography and where you first
became exposed to music.
Mohammad-Reza Shajarian: I sought it myself. My parents didn’t have anything to do
with it. I didn’t have any teachers. I studied poetry and music on my own, and pursued
it.
OS: Were there particular poets that were especially influential to you?
M-RS: Hafez and Sa’di. Those two were especially important for me.
OS: Did you begin with poetry, and then add music?
M-RS: In the beginning it was music and singing, and then I studied poetry more systematically alongside music.
OS: I am aware that many Iranian friends first became acquainted with you through the Radio.
M-RS: It was actually quite simple. In those days you just went to the Radio [building], did
a reading, and if they liked you, you would get a program. That’s how it happened to me.
OS: There is a special prayer that many of us associate with you. It is the “Our
Lord”, Rabbana, prayer. This is the prayer that Iranian TV/Radio
plays for the occasion of breaking the fast during the month
of Ramadan. Can you tell us about how you came to be as-
sociated with it?
M-RS: It was an amusing story. Many people that I knew
in Radio and TV [of Iran] asked for my help in training people
that could recite prayers and poems for the breaking of the fast
[iftar] during the fasting month of Ramadan. I became involved, and put together some prayers and
some poems for it. It wasn’t supposed to be; I was only supposed to be training people. I taught them
how to recite these lines, and it took three to four months to do so, but in the end they decided to have me
recite it myself instead of my students. So I did, and it has come to mean a lot to people.
Part 1
To be continued...
10
composer: a person who
writes music
master: a person who is very
skilled at sth
icon: sb famous who is ad-
mired by many people
to withdraw: to stop giving or
offering sth to sb
anticipation: when you are ex-
pecting sth to happen
extensively: largely, mainly
legacy: sth that happens as a
result of some earlier events
to pursue: to try to achieve sth
over a period of time
alongside: beside
amusing: funny and entertain-
ing
to recite: to say a poem, etc
aloud from memory
11. Aunt Agather and the French Chef
My Aunt Agather is looking for a boyfriend. I suggested a friend who is
a chef. She said he once went out with a chef. She didn’t want to go
through that experience again. She has met him the year before. His
name was Jean-Paul, he was a famous French Chef. She wanted to im-
press him but she didn’t know anything about cooking so she went on a
cookery course. On the first day she bought the necessary ingredients
for the first lesson, some milk. It was very expensive, the price had gone
up! Prices are always going up, she thought. And when she opened the
carton, she realised it had gone off! Then the teacher arrived! It was her
boyfriend. She decided to carry on. He went through the first recipe. “This
is a famous English recipe that goes back to the Romans.” Explained
Jean-Paul. It was very complicated. Aunt Agather knew she could never
make it. Then the teacher went out of the room. She suddenly had an
idea. She stuck her fork into the electric socket. Bang! The lights went out,
and then the alarms went off. Then the sprinklers went off. It was chaos.
Aunt Agather never went back to the cookery class and she never saw
Jean-Paul again.
go out with sb:to have a ro-
mantic relationship with sb
go through sth: 1. to experi-
ence sth difficult or unpleas-
ant, 2. to study or consider
sth in detail
go on a course: to take part
in a course, continue
go up: to rise, become higher
go off: 1. (of food, etc) to
become unfit to eat, 2.(of an
alarm, etc) to suddenly make
a loud noise, 3. to explode
go back:1. to extend back-
wards in space or time, 2. to
return
go out: 1. to leave your
place, 2. (of a fire, light, etc)
to stop burning or shining
LessonforAllofUSThebestcosmeticforlipsistruth,forvoiceisprayer,foreyesispity,forhandsischarity,forheartislove,andforlifeisfriendship.
In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold
knowledge in high-esteem.
One day an acquaintance met the great phi-
losopher and said, “Do you know what I just
heard about your friend?”
Hold on a minute,” Socrates replied.” Be-
fore telling me anything, I’d like you to pass
a little test. It’s called the Triple Filter Test.”
“Triple filter?”
That’s right,” Socrates continued. “Before you
talk to me about my friend, it might be a
good idea to take a moment and filter
what you’re going to say. That’s why I
call it the triple filter test. The first
filter is TRUTH. Have you made
absolutely sure that what you
are about to tell me is true?”
No,” the man said, “actually I just
heard about it and...”
“All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now
Let’s try the second filter, the filter of GOODNESS. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?” No, on
the contrary...”
“So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about him, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass the
test though, because there’s one filter left: the filter of USEFULNESS. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be
useful to me? “ “No, not really.”
“Well,” concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”
This is why Socrates was a great philosopher & held in such high-esteem.
Friends, use this triple filter each time you hear loose talk about any or anything.
Pharsal Verbs with «GO»
reputed: according to what
some people say, but not def-
initely
esteem: good opinion, re-
spect
acquaintance: a person that
you know slightly
on the contrary: used when
you want to disagree with a
statement by someone else,
to answer no to a question
conclude: to decide that sth is
true after considering all the
information you have
loose talk: impure talk, vulgar
11
12. 12
In this article, we examined the chalkboard vs. whiteboard dilemma in our article, Whiteboard Markers – Stinking
Monsters or Life Savers? and yes, we agree that whiteboard markers have their weak points, but one of the
advantages is that you can use them to play some great, fun ESL games with your students.
How You Can Use A Whiteboard: 10 ESL Games
Jeopardy
Based on the classic TV game show, this game
will require your students to put on their think-
ing caps. Divide your whiteboard into columns
for vocabulary categories and rows with dif-
ferent point values.
Divide your students into two teams. Each
team chooses a category and the points
they want to play for: We choose Countries
for 25 points. Supply a clue or definition:
This country is south of the US, and they eat
tacos there. They must guess the right coun-
try in the form of a question: What is Mexico? If
they answer correctly you erase the points from
the chart and add them to the team’s tally until
they’re all wiped off. Adapt this game to any level of
difficulty and include as many categories as you wish.
Suction Cup Ball
Buy one (or several!) inexpensive suction cup balls, and your whiteboard games will never be the same! These
balls are made up of several tiny suction cups that stick to whiteboards. There are many games you can play
- as many as your imagination will allow- but here are two:
- Draw a target with concentric circles on the whiteboard, each with a different point value. Quiz students and
if they give you the right answer they get to throw the ball for points.
- Fill your whiteboard with letters or syllables and each student has to supply a word that starts with the letter
or syllable they hit.
Pictionary
This is a classic and one that may easily be adapted to any level. Students are split into two teams and they
take turns drawing words, actions, or situations that they have drawn from a pile of cards. Teammates guess
what is being drawn.
Hangman
Another popular game that may be adapted to your needs. Play the classic game where students have to
guess a word, or a more sophisticated version where they have to guess entire phrases, expressions, movie or
book titles.
Tic Tac Toe
Too simple? Not really. Make it as challenging as you like. Say you want your students to practice the simple
past tense. Draw a 3 by 3 grid on the whiteboard. Write a sentence in each square, with a gap where the verb
should go. Write a list of 10 verbs on the side (one of them won’t be used). They must supply the right form of
the verb to complete the sentence till one of the teams gets a Tic Tac Toe. Try it with any gap-filling exercise!
And expand the 9-square grid to a bigger 16 or 25-square grid as suggested in this Tic Tac Toe worksheet.
Hot Seat
What You Can Do With a Whiteboard
10 Creative ESL Games for english teachers
13. 13
Idiom: on the back burner
If a plan or a project is on the back burner, it isn't being worked on
at present, but it might be completed in the future.
Idiom: in a nutshell
You can say «in a nutshell» if you›re about to describe something as
briefly as possible, or you›re going to sum something up.
Place one student in the hot seat, in front of the whiteboard, with his or her back to it. You and another stu-
dent stand behind the student in the hot seat. Write a word, movie, or book that the student must describe
for the other to guess.
Earthquake
Draw a 5 by 5 grid on the whiteboard and label each column from A to E and each row 1 to 5. Each team
chooses a square, say “A5”; you ask a question you
have previously prepared. Before starting the game
choose three squares that won’t have any questions,
and when a team chooses one of these, tell them
an earthquake has just swallowed up some of their
points–deduct 5 points.
Barnyard Dash
The goal is for students to identify a barnyard
animal from the sound it makes. Depending on
your students’ level, you can either draw the
pictures of animals on the board or write the
words for each. Give each team a different
color marker and have them line up. Make the
sound yourself, i.e. crow like a rooster, or have
a CD ready with animal sounds. As they hear
each sound, students race to the board and
circle the right word or picture. You can adapt
this game to all types of sounds, like a phone
ringing, a car honking a horn, or someone sneezing. You may also record expressions or phrases that they
have to circle on the board, like “Thanks!” and “You’re welcome”.
Writing Race
This game is similar to the race mentioned above but in this case students race to the board to write a letter,
a word, or a complete answer to a question. You can have each student write the complete answer or play
it like a relay race where each student in the team only writes one word, then races to pass the marker to a
teammate who must write the next one, and so on.
Backs to the Board
Great for practicing numbers, especially those tricky ones like 16 and 60, 13 and 30, etc…Write several
numbers on the board. Give each team a different color marker. Have students stand with their backs to
board. Call out a number. Students turn, try to find the number and circle it. At the end of the game, tally up
the scores by counting the different color circles.
14. execute: to kill someone,
especially legally as a pun-
ishment
declare: to state sth offi-
cially and publicly
seize: to take control of a
place, using military force
uphold: to defend or sup-
port a law
crown: to declare sb as
a new king or queen by
putting a crown on their
head
ruthless: cruel
invade: to attack or enter a
country or area using mili-
tary force.
ally: to help and support
other countries, especially
in a war.
crushing: very hard to deal
with and making you lose
hope or confidence
14
Napoleon Bonaparte
TheSizeOfCandlesMayDifferButTheyYieldTheSameBrightness.
The French called Napoleon Bonaparte “a man of
destiny.” A hero in France, Napoleon was hated else-
where in Europe. Today, Napoleon is remembered as
one of the greatest military leaders of all time. He built
an empire that covered much of Europe.
ARMY CAREER
Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 on Corsica, an
island in the Mediterranean Sea. At the age of 16, Na-
poleon chose a career in the French army.
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
In 1789, a revolution began that rocked France. The
king and queen were executed. Hungry working peo-
ple demanded new freedoms. Revolutionary govern-
ments in France swept away old laws. They declared
war on supporters of the former king. The French Rev-
olution lasted until 1799.
RISING STAR
Napoleon first showed his military skill fighting for the
French Revolution. In 1794, he captured the French
city of Toulon, which supported rule by royalty. For this
success, Napoleon was made a general at the age of
24. In 1795, Napoleon saved the revolutionary govern-
ment from rioters in Paris, the capital.
From 1796 to 1797, Napoleon commanded the French
army on the Italian-French border. While there,
he managed to defeat bigger armies from Austria,
France’s chief enemy of the day. Napoleon went on to
invade Egypt in 1798. Napoleon’s victories enlarged
France’s territory.
NAPOLEON RULES FRANCE
Napoleon returned to France as a hero. The French
people had lost confidence in the revolutionary gov-
ernment. So Napoleon decided to seize control. In No-
vember 1799, Napoleon set up a new government with
himself as leader.
Could Napoleon lead his country as well as he could
command an army? At first, he was a great success.
Napoleon reorganized national and local government.
He made new laws that upheld religious freedom and
other rights of the people. He introduced fairer taxes
and a new education system. From 1800 to 1802, he
forced European countries that had joined together
against France to agree to make peace.
In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of
France as Napoleon I. He paid top artists to portray
him in proud, powerful poses.
WARS OF CONQUEST
France was now the strongest nation in Europe. But
Napoleon wasn’t satisfied. Ruthless, restless, and al-
ways seeking glory, he dreamed of a mighty empire.
Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia (north Germany)
united to fight him.
In 1805, Britain defeated France’s ships off the south-
ern coast of Spain in the famous Battle of Trafalgar. But
by 1807, Napoleon had smashed Russian and Prussian
armies and won more land for France.
DEFEAT AND EXILE
In 1808, Napoleon invaded Spain.
Spanish fighters put up a fierce resis-
tance. They used guerrilla tactics (sur-
prise attacks and rapid retreats), mak-
ing it impossible for Napoleon to win.
Worse was to come. In 1812, Napo-
leon led 500,000 soldiers to invade
Russia. Through bitter winter weather,
they marched to Moscow, Russia’s
capital. But they found themselves
stranded. The Russians had set fire to
much of the city, destroying food and
shelter needed by Napoleon’s troops.
Napoleon had to retreat. Over half his
men died.
Soon after this loss, Napoleon suffered
another defeat at Leipzig, Germany.
The countries allied against France
forced Napoleon to step down. He was
sent into exile on the Mediterranean
island of Elba, near Italy, in 1813.
FINAL DEFEAT AT WATERLOO
Napoleon was not a man to give in.
In 1815, he escaped from Elba and
dashed back to Paris. There, he was
greeted by cheering crowds. Napoleon
gathered an army and marched north
into Belgium to face enemy forces.
The campaign in Belgium ended in disaster. Napoleon’s outnum-
bered troops met a crushing defeat in the Battle of Waterloo, one
of history’s most famous battles.
AFTER WATERLOO
Napoleon spent his last years as a prisoner on the island of Saint
Helena in the Atlantic Ocean. He died in 1821. But Napoleon’s influ-
ence on France has lasted long after his death. Many of his reforms
in law, government, and education still govern French life today.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the greatest military leaders of all time. As the leader of France,
he built an empire across much of Europe. Napoleon also made reforms in law, government, and
education in France.
15. Thebestcosmeticforlipsistruth,forvoiceisprayer,foreyesispity,forhandsischarity,forheartislove,andforlifeisfriendship.
May God gift you all the colors of life,
colors of joy, colors of happiness, colors
of friendship, colors of love and all other
colors you want to paint in your life.
15
Understanding the Meaning of Colors in Color Psychology
The meaning of colors can vary depending
on culture and circumstances. Each color has
many aspects to it but you can easily learn
the language of color by understanding a few
simple concepts.
Color is a form of non verbal
communication. It is not a
static energy and its
meaning can change
from one day to
the next with
any individual.
For example,
a person
may choose
to wear the
color red one
day and this
may indicate
they are ready
to take action,
or they may be
passionate about
what they are going
to be doing that day,
or again it may mean
that they are feeling angry
that day, on either a conscious or
subconscious level.
The color orange is the color of social com-
munication and optimism. From a negative
color meaning it is also a sign of pessimism
and superficiality.
In the meanings of color in color psychology,
the color yellow is the color of the mind and
the intellect. It is optimistic and cheerful. How-
ever it can also suggest impatience, criticism
and cowardice.
Green is the color of balance and growth. It
can mean both self-reliance as a positive and
possessiveness as a negative, among many
other meanings.
Blue is the color of trust and peace. It can sug-
gest loyalty and integrity as well as conserva-
tism and frigidity.
Indigo is the color of intuition. In the mean-
ings of colors it can mean idealism and struc-
ture as well as ritualistic and addictive.
Purple is the color of the imagination. It can
be creative and individual or immature and
impractical.
The color meaning of turquoise is communi-
cation and clarity of mind. It can also be impractical and idealistic.
The color psychology of pink is unconditional love and nurturing. Pink
can also be immature, silly and girlish.
In the meaning of colors, magenta is a color of
universal harmony and emotional balance. It is
spiritual yet practical, encouraging common
sense and a balanced outlook on life.
The color brown is a serious, down-to-
earth color that relates to security, pro-
tection and material wealth.
From a color psychology perspective,
gray is the color of compromise - being
neither black nor white, it is the transi-
tion between two non-colors.
The color
silver has
a feminine
energy; it is
related to the
moon and the ebb
and flow of the tides - it
is fluid, emotional, sensitive and
mysterious.
Gold is the color of success, achieve-
ment and triumph. Associated with
abundance and prosperity, luxury and
quality, prestige and sophistication,
value and elegance, the color psychol-
ogy of gold implies affluence, mate-
rial wealth and extravagance.
White is color at its most complete
and pure, the color of perfection. The
color meaning of white is purity, inno-
cence, wholeness and completion.
Black is the color of the hidden, the
secretive and the unknown, creat-
ing an air of mystery. It keeps things
bottled up inside, hidden from the
world.
aspect: one part of a sth that
has many parts
indicate: to show
Pessimism: A tendency to be-
lieve that bad things will hap-
pen
wholeness: all of sth
affluence: wealth; money,
houses, expensive things
abundance: a large quantity
of sth
immature: childish
impractical: not sensible or
possible for practical reason
ritualistic: always follow the
same pattern, especially be-
cause they form part of a ritual
frigidity: not friendly or kind
cowardice: lack of courage
16. Thebestcosmeticforlipsistruth,forvoiceisprayer,foreyesispity,forhandsischarity,forheartislove,andforlifeisfriendship.
exact: correct in every de-
tail, precise
bend: to make sth that
was straight into a curved
shape
joint: a place where two
bones are joined together
figure sb/sth out: to think
about sb/sth until you un-
derstand them/it
hip: the part on either side
of the body above the
legs and below the waist
sunken: that has fallen to
the bottom of the sea
mine: to dig coal, etc from
holes in the ground
examine: to consider or
study an idea, subject, etc
carefully
skyscraper: very tall build-
ing
chore: ordinary or boring
task
clog: to (cause sth to) be-
come blocked
eventually: in the end, fi-
nally
16
When you think about robots you may imagine metal machines from science fiction that look a lot like people.
There are already almost a million robots at work in the world. Almost none of them
look like the robots in science-fiction movies.
Robots are machines. They are machines
that are controlled by computers. Robots
do work. You probably would not like to
do the work that robots do. Some ro-
bots do jobs that are dangerous. Some
robots do jobs that are boring. They
just do the exact same thing over and
over again. Robots that do these jobs
are called industrial robots. Almost all
robots in use today are industrial robots.
WHAT DO INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS LOOK
LIKE?
Most industrial robots are just mechanical arms. Robot
arms can bend. Some robot arms bend like an elephant’s
trunk. Some robot arms can make themselves longer or
shorter.
Many robot arms have parts on the end that can hold
things. The parts are called grippers. They work like a hu-
man hand, but they often don’t look much like a hand.
Special kinds of grippers can handle tools or move things
around.
HOW DOES A ROBOT ARM MOVE?
Your muscles move your arm. Electric motors move a robot’s arm. A
robot arm has joints that allow it to bend just as your arm does. Your arm has shoul-
der, elbow, and wrist joints. A robot arm can have as many joints as it needs to do its job.
A computer figures out how the robot’s arm and gripper should move. The computer sends
signals to the electric motors.
Some robot arms have sensors. The sensors tell the computer where the arm is. The computer
makes the motors move the arm if it is not in the right place.
WHAT KINDS OF JOBS DO ROBOTS DO?
Robots do things over and over in exactly the same way. The robots can move quicker than
humans can, and they never get bored. Most robots are designed to do only one specific job.
A different robot must be specially made for each job that needs to be done.
Many robots work in plants that make automobiles. Robot arms weld metal car parts together.
They spray paint on cars. Other robots work in factories that build radios, TVs, computers, and
other electronic products.
Some robots help doctors do operations. Robots help replace hips. They help doctors operate
on eyes.
Some robots handle chemicals that are dangerous for humans to touch. Some robots go to dangerous places. Robots
can go deep underwater to search for sunken ships or look for minerals to mine. Robots can go into active volcanoes.
Robots help explore Mars and other planets. They find out what the planets look like and what they are made of. Ro-
bot rovers that look like little wagons landed on the planet Mars. They rolled around and examined the rocks and soil.
WILL ROBOTS EVER BE LIKE HUMANS?
Robots
17. Iran’sGuinnessWorldRecordAmbitions
Choopan dairy of Iran has set its eye on snagging an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for
producing the largest carton of ice cream on Earth.
In a televised report by Press TV, a large group of men are seen hoisting the mon-
strous ice-cream carton from a truck amid confetti and fanfare, before a crowd
of thousands near the ski resort of Tochal north of Tehran on Monday.
The enormous tub (6.5 feet wide by 5.2 feet tall), which contained five tons of
chocolate ice cream, cost the firm $30,000 to produce.
The dairy firm was motivated by a desire to put Iranian dairy on the map with
a new Guinness World Record and boost ice cream consumption among Iranians,
who eat an average of 1.5 kilograms worth annually.
“Right now, we are breaking the record which was registered in 2005 by Baskin-
Robbins for about four tons,” event organizer Khashayar Baheri told Iran’s state-
run Press TV. “We’re breaking that record by one ton.”
While some reports seem to indicate that the record has been
secured, Guinness representatives have not yet confirmed the of-
ficial results. At present, United States ice cream empire Baskin-
Robbins holds the record after scooping out 8,865 pounds of va-
nilla ice cream on September 13, 2005, the company’s 60th
birthday.
According to the BBC, the conservative website Ba-
ztab-e-Emrooz reported that the crowd’s initial en-
thusiasm dwindled when the organizers handed out ice cream that did not
come from the tub, raising suspicions about the ice cream’s safety, as
well as the legitimacy of the record.
Choopan, Farsi for “shepherd,” launched its ice cream line last year
and claims to be among the nation’s three top producers of dairy
products, with plans to expand into the Gulf, Middle East and Rus-
sian markets.
Alas, even if Choopan manages to dethrone Baskin-Robbins as the
producer of the largest tub, the American ice cream giant still holds
the Guinness World Record for the “World’s Largest Ice Cream Scoop
Pyramid,” an 800-pound, four-feet-tall structure ambitiously built
on May 18, 2000, with 3,100 scoops.
17
TheSizeOfCandlesMayDifferButTheyYieldTheSame
Scientists and engineers are working to make better robots. They are trying to make robots with computers that are
smarter. They are trying to make robot legs that walk. It is very hard to make a machine that can walk on two legs the
way you can.
One day there will be robots that make highways and build steel skyscrapers. Inventors are starting to make robots
for use at home to clean carpets and mow lawns. There may someday be robots that help with many chores around
the house.
Tiny robots may one day be able to go into clogged blood vessels and clean them out. Tiny robots may be able to go
inside broken machines and fix them. Very smart robots may eventually be able to run a whole factory by themselves.
snag: to succeed to get
sth quickly
hoist: to raise, lift, or pull
something up, especially
using ropes
fanfare: a large amount of
activity and discussion on
television
boost: to make sth in-
crease or become better
annually: once a year
dwindle: to become grad-
ually less or smaller
legitimacy: for which
there is a fair and accept-
able reason
dethrone: to remove
someone from a position
of authority or power
18. 18
ramble on: to talk or write for
a long time in a way that other
people find boring
blunder: a careless or stupid
mistake
anticipate: to expect that sth
will happen
concisely: briefly
cover sth up: to prevent people
from discovering unpleasant
facts
straight-laced: having strict,
old-fashioned ideas about moral
behavior
Job Interview Tips
TheSizeOfCandlesMayDifferButTheyYieldTheSameBrightness.
Be Concise
Interviewees rambling on is
one of the most common interview
blunders Fogarty sees. “You really
have to listen to the question, and
answer the question, and answer it
concisely,” he says. “So many people
can’t get this basic thing down. You
ask them a question, and they go off
on a tangent. They might think you
want to hear what they’re saying,
but they didn’t answer your ques-
tion.”
Provide Examples
It’s one thing to say you can do
something; it’s another to give ex-
amples of things you have done.
“Come with a toolbox of examples of
the work you’ve done,” advises Fog-
arty. “You should come and antici-
pate the questions a recruiter’s go-
ing to ask based on the requirement
of the role. Think of recent strong
strategic examples of work you’ve
done, then when the question is
asked, answer with specifics, not in
generalities. You should say, ‘Yes, I’ve
done that before. Here’s an example
of a time I did that…,’ and then come
back and ask the recruiter, ‘Did that
answer your question?’”
Be Honest
Somehow, candidates get the im-
pression that a good technique is
to dance around difficult interview
questions. “If you don’t have a skill,
just state it. Don’t try to cover it
up by talking and giving examples that
aren’t relevant. You’re much better off
saying you don’t have that skill but per-
haps you do have some related skills,
and you’re happy to tell them about that
if they like.”
Keep Your Guard Up
According to Fogarty, you can split re-
cruiters into two schools. There are
those who are very straight-laced and
serious, and candidates had better take
the process seriously as well when deal-
ing with them.
“Then you have recruiters like me,” he
says, chuckling. “I’m going to be that
candidate’s best friend when they call
me. My technique is to put them at ease,
because I want them to tell me every-
thing, and a lot of candidates mess up in this area. They start to think,
‘Oh, this guy is cool. I can tell him anything.’ And then they cross the
line.” And that can take a candidate out of contention. Remember: Al-
ways maintain your professionalism.
Ask Great Questions
Another of Fogarty’s interview
tips is to come ready with good
questions to ask. He says nothing
impresses him more than a really
good question that not only shows
you’ve researched the company
in general, but also the specific
job you’re hoping to land in
particular. “That makes me
go, ‘Wow, this person has
really done their home-
work. They not only know
the company, but they
know the role.’”
Like many career advice experts, Steve Fogarty, staffing partner at Waggener Edstrom,
says candidates should research a company thoroughly before an interview. And if
the company is a private firm, that’s not an excuse to skip doing your homework.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and finding a way to gather information on a com-
pany “distinguishes the great candidates from the good candidates,” says Fogarty.
Consider Fogarty’s company, a large independent public relations agency. He says
that if someone were trying to find out about Waggener Edstrom, the candidate
could take a number of steps. In addition to simply visiting the company’s Web
site, joining a trade organization like the Public Relations Society of America
would almost certainly give someone interested in his company exposure to
people who work there.
Fogarty offers a less conventional method as well: “People might be
able to find a press release that one of our PR people has written
and contact that person and say, ‘I saw your press release. It looks
really good. Would you be open to me asking a few questions?
I’m doing research on your company.’ That’s a way to get
information.”
What else can you do to improve your chances
at the interview? Try these tips from
Fogarty.
19. foundation: a basic idea, princi-
ple, situation etc that something
develops from
advancing: forwarding movement
of a group of people
promotion: the activity of helping
sth to develop or increase
desire: to want something very
much
ultimate: main and most impor-
tant
sufficient: enough
in conjunction with: working,
happening, or being used with sb
or sth else
violate: to disobey or do sth
against the law
sacrifice: when you decide not to
have something valuable, in order
to get something that is more
19
How to Play a Good Chess Game
TheSizeOfCandlesMayDifferButTheyYieldTheSameBrightness.
1. Control the center of the board: If you are playing white, begin with 1. e4 or 2.
d4. Moving the king or queen pawn two spaces is the foundation to a good
center.
2. Develop your pieces: Pieces are not the same things as pawn. Mau-
riceAshley, G.M. once said that “pieces before pawns.” What he means
by this is that you should activate your knights and bishops before
advancing the pawns. Such good moves after 1.e4 e5 would be 2.
nf3 nc6 and 3. bc4 bc5. These pieces will be helpful for tactics in
the middlegame as well as the endgame. The outside pawns will be
used more towards the endgame for potential promotions to a
more desired piece like a queen.
3. Castle early: The ultimate goal in chess is
“checkmate.” In order to achieve victo-
ry, it is necessary and sufficient to pro-
tect your king while attacking your op-
ponent’s king. Once you accomplished
guideline #2 in chess (either on the king
side or queen side, wherever appropri-
ate), you can castle your king to safety. Not only is your king safe, but castling
also develops your rook towards the center of the board. Castling is two fold,
and provides a great benefit to your game.
4. Do not bring your queen out too early: There is a good reason for not doing
this kind of strategy in the opening. If you bring your queen out early, you may
have lower valued pieces like knights and bishops attacking it. These attacks
cause your queen to be chased across the board, not allowing your other pieces
to be devloped. Thus, you lose time in development. The point is that if you
violate this guideline, you will also violate guideline #2. If you desire to bring
your queen out, keep her along the 2nd rank along the queen bishop file. By do-
ing this, she is well protected. She also has good sight in attacking other pieces
in conjunction with a knight, bishop, or rook.
5. Trade pieces for a good reason: When trading pieces, you need to keep two
things in mind: (a) value and (b) position. In regards to (a), one may ask him-
self, “If I trade piece P1 for piece P2, then will I be up in material?” A good
player likes to be up rather than down in material. However, (a) is not all you
should consider when trading. (b) is also important as well. Even though (a)
may benefit me point wise, there is still another question to ask. “Does my
position look better?” When I mean position, I mean one’s arrangement of
their pieces on the board that can lead to checkmate. Sometimes (b) may have
more significance than (a) and vice versa. If you know that sacrificing your queen will lead you to victory,
by all means do it. After all, sometimes it is not how much material you have left on the board. It is a matter
of whether you can capture the opponent’s king, which is based on your position along with some material to
mate.
I know there are many more things that a chess player should be aware of. These five guidelines will give such
players a good foundation as well as to help them succeed in all their chess games.
20. Conversation Time
A: Oh, I don’t know if you heard, but someone moved into that old house down the
road.
B: Yeah, I know. I met the owner of the house yesterday as he was moving in. His
name is Armand.
A: Really? What’s he like? You have to fill me in.
B: Actually, he’s a bit strange. I don’t know... I’ve got a bad feeling about him.
A: Really? Why?
B: Well, yesterday I brought over a housewarming gift, but Armand started acting
really weird, and then he practically kicked me out! I tried to, sort of, peek into his
house, but everything was so dark inside that I couldn’t really get a good look. The
whole thing really crept me out.
A: Well, you’ll never guess what I saw this morning. A delivery truck pulled into his
driveway, and it dropped off a long, rectangular box. It almost looked like a coffin!
B: You see! Why would he...
C: Hello ladies...
B: Ah, Armand! You scared the heck out of me! This is my friend Doris.
C: A pleasure to meet you...If you are not doing anything tonight, I would like to
have you both for dinner. I mean...I would like to have you both over for dinner.
Words
I don’t know if you heard
used to introduce a piece
of information
fill me in tell me about it
a bad feeling a sense or
feeling that sth bad is go-
ing to happen
weird strange, unusual
kick out to make or force
sb leave when they don’t
want to
creep me out to make me
feel uncomfortable and a
bit scared
you’ll never guess used to
introduce a piece of news
drop off: to take sth to a
place a leave them there
scare the heck out of me to
cause someone to feel a lot
of fear
Find Your Tongue...
toblowyourownhorn:tobragaboutyourachievements
Heisalwaysblowinghisownhorn.Hetellseverybodyabouthisachievementsandwantthemto
knowaboutit.
“Wherethere’sawillthere’saway.”
Usedtosaythatifyoureallywanttodosomething,youwillfindawaytosucceed
English Idiom
English Slang
English Phrasal Verb
English Proverb
Awesome:Great
Whatanawesomesunset.
blowup:Explode
Theterroriststriedtoblowuptherailroadstation.
TheSizeOfCandlesMayDifferButTheyYieldTheSameBrightness.
20
21. SuccessisavehiclewhichmovesonawheelcalledHARDWORK.ButthejourneyisimpossiblewithoutfuelcalledSELFCONFIDENCE.
Need help with your TOEFL Listening Section? We have come up with the
Top 10 TOEFL Listening Tips and Tricks to help YOU prepare for your
TOEFL listening exam!
1. Take past TOEFL listening tests and become familiar with the
format. Quickly read the comprehension questions before the re-
cording begins - this helps you to listen out for key points – often
there is a lot of content that you will not be tested on – keep your
focus and energy for the points that count!
2. Practice note taking whenever you are listening to some-
thing in English – only write down key words or phrases, use ab-
breviations for long words and always write in English. Record only
the major points – you won’t have time to write down the minor, un-
important details in the exam.
3. Improve your vocabulary – the more words you know, the eas-
ier it will be for you to understand the listening section. Learn new
vocabulary.
4. Listen for signal words that indicate major steps, changes or ideas such as seldom,
at the moment, in 1975, so far, usually, often, up to now, at the moment. Make sure to also
listen out for repetition, synonyms and pronouns.
5. Download listening practice lessons, such as lessons on Daily English Audio and stop
it at different times. Try and guess what will happen next! This is a great way to practice your
ability to connect and combine ideas. Then go back and listen to the lesson in full and see
how well you did.
6. Determine the purpose of a conversation or speech– what do you think the speakers
are trying to do? Are they angry? Trying to resolve a conflict? Sad? Express an idea? Prac-
tice this technique every time you hear English including English movies or TV shows, even
people you hear speaking English on the street! This will help you focus on the key points and
improve your ability to filter out information that is not necessary for the TOEFL listening exam
questions.
7. Recognize key points – who or what is the conversation about? What is the main point of
the lecture? Why are they talking about this? Remember, the TOEFL listening exam is testing your
comprehension, not your ability to memorize and repeat what you have just heard!
8. Find connections between ideas – how do these points connect to the key ideas of
the passage? If they do NOT connect to the key ideas, they are probably not the major
ideas of the passage and you should not focus on them.
9. Pay attention when someone in the exercise asks a question – often it is a clue
that information is about to be given. However, this is not always true so be careful for
responses that sound a lot like the answer to a question. Listen very carefully as these
responses are often there to test your ability to understand the context of what you
heard.
10. Categorize the type of exercise you are listening to when taking practice
TOEFL listening tests. Ask yourself – is it a lecture (mostly one-sided and on
academic topics) or a conversation (language is more informal, two or more people)?
This will help you understand the flow of the conversation more clearly.
Top 10 Listening Tips for the TOEFL Test
count: to be important
major: very large or im-
portant
combine: to join two or
more things together
resolve: to find a satisfac-
tory solution to a prob-
lem, etc
conflict: a fight or serious
disagreement, opposition
one-sided: unequal, un-
fair, nonreversible
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22. Bestlessonoflifeislistentoeveryoneandlearnfromeveryone,becausenobodyknowseverythingandeveryoneknowssomething.
Phrasal Verbs - part 2
Prepositional Verbs
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Prepositional verbs are a group of multi-word verbs made from a verb plus another word or words. Many
people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs. On this page we look at prepositional verbs.
Prepositional verbs are made of:
verb + preposition
All prepositional verbs have direct objects. Here are some examples of prepositional verbs:
Prepositional Verbs Meaning Examples
direct object
believe in have faith in the ex-
istence of
I believe in God.
look after take care of He is looking after the dog.
talk about discuss Did you talk about me?
wait for await John is waiting for Mary.
Prepositional verbs cannot be separated. That means that we cannot put the direct object between the
two parts. For example, we must say “look after the baby”. We cannot say “look the baby after”:
Who is looking after the baby? This is possible.
Who is looking the baby after? This is not possible.
It is a good idea to write “something/somebody” in your vocabulary book when you learn a new prepo-
sitional verb, like this:
• believe in something/somebody
• look after sthg/sby