quinta-feira, 20 de maio de 2010

TOEFL iBT - Talk 4 - Advanced (Learn English with Steve)

This video with some english subtitles teaches you how to structure a good answer in your TOEFL iBT test.



Steve Ford teaches you how to begin your answer, to show clearly your points and to make a good conclusion. It´s a very helpful video for who wants to exercise the Speaking part of TOEFL iBT test. But can be used by anyone who wants to improve the English.

quarta-feira, 19 de maio de 2010

VIDEOS WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLE - Maz Jobrani, The Iranian Showman

Take a look at this video with english subtitles and learn english with the comedian Maz Jobrani, who laughs about his ethnic character and, at the same time, criticizes sterotypes of Middle Eastern people in the United States.

Watch Maz Jobrani´s Show 

You can also read what CNN wrote about "Axis of Evil", the comic company of Maz Jobrani, Aron Kader and Ahmed Ahmed. In November 2005, the comics took up the name Axis of Evil, playing off the term President Bush used in his 2002 State of the Union address to describe Iraq, Iran and North Korea.


Link for CNN's reportage:

terça-feira, 18 de maio de 2010

TOEFL Talk 3 - Advanced (Learn English with Steve)



Another hints for the Speaking part of TOEFL iBT. Steve continues talking about the rhythm of your words. Don´t make prolongate pauses. He speaks about the topic too: Don´t get off the topic you are talking about. Enjoy the video.


TOEFL iBT - Talk 2 - Advanced (Learn English with Steve)

More speaking hints from Steve for the TOEFL iBT test: What to talk about? What do not talk about as well...

TOEFL Talk Lesson 1- How to Pass Speaking (Steve Ford)

This lesson was made for TOEFL iBT and teaches you how to express your opinions in the Talking test.



This lesson can be useful for the writing part of the Toefl ibt Test

segunda-feira, 17 de maio de 2010

Video - Jeff Dunham Achmed the Dead Terrorist (English Subtitles)

Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)


Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)

This internationally recognised framework describes language ability on a scale of levels which ranges from A1 for beginners to C2 for those who have mastered a language. The table below demonstrates the correlation between CEFR, levels taught at British Study Centres and benchmark scores obtained in Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL and TOEIC exams.
CEFROur LevelCambridgeIELTSTOEFL
Paper/Computer/IBT
TOEIC
Mastery
C2
 Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)
9.0
8.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
677/300/120
600/250/100
550/213/80
500/173/61
450/133/45
900
800
700
600
450
Effective Operational Proficiency
C1
AdvancedCertificate in Advanced English (CAE)
Vantage
B2
Upper-IntermediateFirst Certificate in English (FCE)
Threshold
B1
IntermediatePreliminary English Test (PET)
Waystage
A2
Pre-IntermediateKey English Test (KET)
Breakthrough
A1
Elementary 
Please note: All level comparisons between exams are approximate. Students wishing to study on an exam course need to take a pre-test - please contact individual schools for details.

sexta-feira, 14 de maio de 2010

FCE Practice Tests (by Flo-Joe)


FCE Practice Tests

Paper 1 Reading (See below for Use of English)

Test 1 (of 3)
Get a printed version of each test for a record of your work. 
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | 

Paper 1 Reading (See below for Use of English)

Test 2 (of 3)
Get a printed version of each test for a record of your work. 
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | 

Paper 1 Reading (See below for Use of English)

Test 3 (of 3)
Get a printed version of each test for a record of your work. 
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | 

Paper 3 Use of English

Test 1 (of 3)
Get a printed version of each test for a record of your work. 
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | 

Paper 3 Use of English

Test 2 (of 3)
Get a printed version of each test for a record of your work. 
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |

Paper 3 Use of English

Test 3 (of 3)
Get a printed version of each test for a record of your work. 
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |
More FCE and Cambridge Tests on http://www.flo-joe.co.uk 4Z3DCBVWMF32

quinta-feira, 13 de maio de 2010

Links to Practice TOEFL Online and IELTS Online

Bellow you will find some links to practice TOEFL Online 

You can find some links to practice IELTS Online too. 

TOEFL PBT - What is it and how it works?


About the TOEFL® PBT

Take the TOEFL test. Go anywhere.
If you are planning to study abroad, the TOEFL test is the one test that can take you anywhere.
In fact, more institutions accept TOEFL test scores than any other test scores in the world — more than 7,000 colleges, universities and licensing agencies in more than 130 countries, to be exact. See University Directory (PDF).
And, with more than 4,500 test centers worldwide, taking the test is convenient and easy.

Demonstrate your English-language skills.

Test Your Reading, Listening and Writing Skills with TOEFL PBT
The TOEFL Paper-based Test (PBT) measures how well you read, listen and write in English. Writing skills are measured with the TWE® (Test of Written English™), which everyone takes as part of the TOEFL PBT.
Measure Your Speaking Skills with the TSE® (Test of Spoken English™)
The TSE (Test of Spoken English) measures how well test takers speak in English and is available to anyone who needs scores for college admission or certification in a professional field.

Why Take the TOEFL test?

  • No matter where in the world you want to study, the TOEFL test can help get you there. You will be eligible for admission to virtually any institution in the world — including the top colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and New Zealand. See University Directory (PDF).
  • The TOEFL test gives you more flexibility on when, where and how often you can take the test, more practice tools and feedback, and more choices for study abroad than any other English-language test in the world.
  • You will be able to listen to lectures, view films, attend seminars, read textbooks, perform online research, speak with professors and other students, write academic papers, reports, e-mails and more. 

TOEFL PBT Test Content

The TOEFL Paper-based Test (PBT) has 3 sections plus a 30-minute writing test, the TWE® (Test of Written English™), which is required of everyone who takes the paper-based test.
SectionTime LimitNo. of Questions
Listening Comprehension30-40 minutes50
Structure and Written Expression25 minutes40
Reading Comprehension55 minutes50
Writing (Test of Written English)30 minutes1 topic
  • Listening Comprehension measures the ability to understand English as it is spoken in North America.
  • Structure and Written Expression measures the ability to recognize language that is appropriate for standard written English.
  • Reading Comprehension measures the ability to understand non-technical reading material.

More informations about TOEFL PBT in http://ets.org/


TOEFL iBT - Tour (Understanding the structure)


To understande the structure of TOEFL iBT, please, take the tour, but you will need Flash 7 Player installed on your PC or Mac.
Note: The screen layout in the TOEFL iBT flash tour may differ slightly from the screen layout in the actual TOEFL test.
DSL, Cable Modem, T1, Corporate LAN
  • Broadband (Flash)
  • Broadband (Flash) – Use this if your browser does not support Java.
Dial Up, Telephone Modem
Source: http://ets.org/

Verbs - LEARN IT for FCE, TOEFL, IELTS and for your life!

There are 3 kinds of irregular verbs in english. 

The first kind are the INFINITIV verbs.
e.g.: to do (português: fazer/español: hacer)

e.g.: to eat (português: comer/español: comer)
e.g.: to drink (português: beber /español: beber)


The second kind are the verbs IN THE PAST 

e.g.: to do -> did  (português: fiz/español: hice)
e.g.: to eat -> ate  (português: comi/español: comí)
e.g.: to drink ->drunk   (português: bebi /español: bebí)

At last we have the PARTICIPLE  


e.g.: to do -> done  (português: feito/español: hecho)
e.g.: to eat -> eat  (português: bebido/español: bebido)
e.g.: to do -> done  (português: comido/español: comido)

Learning by heart some verbs is fundamental to be prepared for any examinacion.



De acordo com a professora Monica é necessário repetir a lista de verbos regulares e irregulares até cansar! Isso significa trancar-se no quarto e propor-se a, por exemplo, aprender quatro verbos por dia. Ou também repetir os verbos em voz alta ou mentalmente em qualquer lugar que seja oportuno. É importante que enquanto estejas fazendo isso, tentes apagar de tua memória o som em português.  Lembre que, se não tentas aprender o som em inglês, não entenderás o que te dizem e as pessoas também não entenderão o que tu falas.

La maestra Monica aconseja: Hay que repetir la lista de verbos regulares e irregulares hasta la saciedad. Esto significa que debes encerrarte en una habitación y proponerte, por ejemplo, aprender cuatro verbos cada día. También puedes ir durante el día repitiendo los verbos en voz alta, o mentalmente, en el coche o en cualquier lugar que creas oportuno. Es muy importante que cuando estés haciendo esto, intentes borrar de tu memoria el sonido en español, que seguro se te ha quedado grabado cuando aprendiste inglés en el colegio. Recuerda que si no intentas aprender el sonido en inglés, no entenderás lo que te dicen, ni tampoco te entenderán.

Some helpful websites:

quarta-feira, 12 de maio de 2010

VIDEO (English Subtitles) Jeff Dunham - Achmed the Dead Terrorist - English Subtitles

VIDEOS WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLE - Helpful Links

If you were looking up a website with videos in english with english subtitle, take a look at this one: Video Player - Youtube Subtitle. It´s totally free!

Another website in the same style is the yappr.com, but sometimes when you are watching a video with english subtitle some adds start to appear.

Enjoy it!

segunda-feira, 10 de maio de 2010

FCE Paper 2 (Writing) - Synopsis : Gaston Leroux - Learn English for FCE, IELTS and TOEFL







Learn English for FCE, IELTS and TOEFL will show you the synopsis of texts that FCE required for paper 2 (writing) in March and June 2008 as well as in december 2008. This post has the synopsis of THE PHANTON OF THE OPERA, by Gaston Leroux.

This resume can be useful for you. Try to get the general idea of scenes and characters. Then pick adjectives up and use they in your reports or articles. Make sentences using these adjectives.

Good luck!


The Phanton of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Synopsis*

"The lights dim at the Paris Opera House. The exquisite Christine Daae enraptures the audience with her mellifluous voice. Immediately, Raoul de Chagny falls deeply in love. But the legend of the disfigured "opera ghost" haunts the performance, and as Raoul begins his pursuit of Christine, he is pulled into the depths of the opera house, and into the depths of human emotions. Soon Raoul discovers that the ghost is real and that he wields a terrifying power over Christine--a power as unimaginable as the ghost's masked face. As Raoul and the ghost vie for Christine's love, a journey begins into the dark recesses of the human heart, where desire, vulnerability, fear, and violence unravel in a tragic confrontation."

**From:
http://www.online-literature.com/leroux/phantom_opera/


4Z3DCBVWMF32