Sunday, October 26, 2014

Writing Task 1 : describe percentages

http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2014/10/ielts-writing-task-1-percentages.html

Write a single sentence to describe percentages, put it at the beginning or at the end:

Beginning: 6% of single aged people were living in poverty.

End: The level of poverty among single aged people stood at 6%.

Add a comparison:

Beginning: 6% of single aged people were living in poverty, compared to only 4% of aged couples.

End: The level of poverty among single aged people stood at 6%, whereas the figure for aged couples was only 4%.


Use the above question as an example:

In 2003, 36% of online sales were related to travelling.
The level of travelling online sales stood at 36% in 2003.

In 2003, 24% of online sales were digital products, like film and music.
The level of purchasing film and music online stood at 24% in 2003.

In 2013, 33% of total online sales were the category of film and music.

The level of buying clothes online stood at 16% in 2013.

Add comparison:

In 2003, 36% of online sales were related to travelling, which accounted for the most proportion in this year. The second was buying clothes standing at 24%, whereas the figures for film/music and books were lowest in this year that were close to each other about 21% and 19%, respectively.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

speaking 1 - 'house or apartment'

http://ielts-simon.com/

1. Do you live in a house or an apartment?
I live in an apartment with two bedrooms in a suburb of Melbourne. I've lived there for over two years.

2. Which is your favourite room in your home? Why?
I don't really have a favourite room. But if I had to choose, I'd say the living room because that's where I go to sit and relax.

living room
dining room
bedroom
kitchen
balcony

3. Would you change anything about your home? Why / why not? 
Yes, I've been meaning to redecorate it since I moved in two years ago. It needs a new kitchen, so that's what I'd change first.

4. Would you like to move to a different home in the future? 
Yes, I'd definitely move again at some point if I could afford to. I'd like to live in the countryside, or maybe in a different city or country.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Business education: Banks? No, thanks!

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21623673-graduates-worlds-leading-business-schools-investment-banking-out-and-consulting

the world's leading business schools

investment banking

consulting and technology firms

a breed apart = a sort or kind or person that is very different from the norm

a master race of dealmakers

He possessed vast, almost unimaginable talent and ambitions.

most talented graduates

a situation still held true as the financial crisis struck in 2007.

land a job in finance

a meagre %5

elite business schools

take a low share

have culled the recruitment schemes

hired swathes of associates straight from business schools

recruiting the brightest undergraduates

, in the belief that ...

is more productive and better value

to develop cohorts of junior analysis in-house

rather than those with fixed ideas honed on expensive MBA programmes.

enthusiasm

Once, they wanted nothing more than to climb a bank's greasy polew,
with the vast riches this promised.

regulation has stunted bankers' bonuses

MBAs increasingly seek the flexibility to switch careers within a few years.

expect long-term loyalty

do a spell in banking

, whereas students see them as "a stepping stone into private equity or a hedge fund".

there has been a revival in business-school graduates' interest in working as consultants.

the number has risen from ... to ... over the same period.

be in vogue

the newly minted MBA

It attracts the strongest candidates and it gives the firms a high-powered network of alumni who may become future clients.

the exposure to different industries

the access to senior managers

a perfect base

offer the financial rewards

breadheads

higher pay was their most important consideration

to open new career opportunities

personal development

sceptics

reckon

forgone salary

Another big beneficiary of MBAs' loss of interest in banking is the technology industry.

The proportion of ... landing jobs at technology firms has risen from ... since. 

Many students want to be part of an entrepreneurial environment and make an impact, to feel they are building and shaping something.

the growing number of students

sth. appeals to sb.

gain the right experience to start their own business

non-bank financial-services sector

Five years ago it was rare for such places to recruit MBAs straight from campuses. Instead they would often poach talent from the banks.

to build formal recruiting ties with such firms.

a PE or venture-capital firm

Students from other backgrounds are also attracted by the dynamic atmosphere these outfits offer.

PE appealed to him and his peers over banking because the firms are smaller and the work more entrepreneurial and hands-on.

self-fulfillment is indeed the priority of

to do some serious rebranding.

the corporate culture

Added to this, ...

a sense of moral purpose

to build careers that have a positive impact on the world around them, such as running ethical-investment funds or corporate-social-responsibility programmes.

running campaigns

urge sb. to do sth.

believe media stories portraying them as greedy or evil.

to lure recruits

you can help make the world a better place/ you can make a difference in the world.

take a tougher line on sexual harassment of female staff (=take a hard/firm line on/against sb/sth)
采取强硬路线

advocate a healthier work-life balance

allow the odd work-free Saturday

For the business schools' brightest and best, though, all this may not be enough.

CCTV in public places

From http://ielts-simon.com/

Do you think that having video cameras in public places is a good idea?

- invades pravicy
- safety of the community
- invading every part of your life
- prosecutions with CCTV evidence
- crime prevention
- financial and privacy costs
- intrusion
- feel safer
- protection
- an excuse to have fewer police officers

For CCTV (closed-circult television)
Against CCTV

Sunday, October 12, 2014

a word 'paraphrase'

paraphrase (verb & noun)

= to express what somebody has said or written using different words, especially in order to make it easier to understand

> Try to paraphrase the question before you answer it.


Friday, October 10, 2014

Guitar


GUITAR

+ I'd like to express myself in music.
+ I can sing with my guitar for others.
+ After playing guitar, I make more friends.

Monday, October 6, 2014

writing tips to achieve IELTS 7

1. Budget your time carefully. 合理安排时间
2. Write on the topic exactly as it is given. 审题
3. Brainstorm 头脑风暴
4. Plan your essay before you write. 写之前计划好文章结构
5. Be sure your handwriting is as clear and legible as possible. 字迹清晰
6. Follow a clear, logical organization. 结构清晰,有条理
7. Use concrete examples and specific reasons. 具体的例子和原因
8. Use signal words to indicate transitions. 使用连接词过渡
9. Use a variety of sentence types. 句式多样
10. Check your essay for errors. 检查错误

Sunday, October 5, 2014

word "certain"

Notice
certain of

Look up
certain (adj.)
1. that you can rely on to happen or to be true
- The climbers face certain death if the rescue today is unsuccessful.

* certain (that) ...
- It is certain that they will agree.

* certain to do sth.
- She looks certain to win an Oscar.
- They are certain to agree.

* certain of sth./ of doing sth
- If you want to be certain of getting a ticket, book now.

2. firmly believing sth; having no doubts
- She wasn't certain he had seen her.

* certain of/ about sth.
- Are you absolutely certain about this?

* certain who/where, etc...
- I'm not certain who was there.

* To my certain knowledge, he was somewhere else at the time. (= I am sure about it)

3. used to mention a particular thing, person or group without giving any more details about it or them
- For centain personal reasons I shall not be able to attend.
- Certain people might disagree with this.
- They refused to release their hostages unless certain conditions were met.

4. slight; noticeable, but difficult to describe
- That's true, to a certain extent.
- I felt there was a certain coldness (lack of emotion/unfriendliness) in her manner.

certain (pronoun)
* certain of ... (formal) = used for talking about some members of a group of people or things without giving their names
- Certain of those present were unwilling to discuss the matter further.

IDIOMS
* for certain = without doubt
- I can't say for certain when we'll arrive.

* make certain (that...) = to find out whether something is definitely true
- I think there's a bus at 8 but you'd better call to make certain.

* make certain of sth/ of doing sth. = to do sth. in order to be sure that sth. else will happen
- You'll have to leave soon to make certain of getting there on time.

* of a certain age = if you talk about a person being of a certain age, you mean that they are no longer young but not yet old
- The show appeals to an audience of a certain age.

Use
Our city cannot produce certain of fruits and vegetables.
I am certain that her flight will take off at 7pm.
You'd better talk with your friends to make certain that there is a party tonight.
This game can only be played by children in a certain of age.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

20111210 Human activities v.s. plants and animal species

Human activities have negative effect on plants and animal species. Some people think that it is too late to do anything about this problem. Other people believe that effective measures can be taken to improve this situation. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

keywords: human activities, plants & animal species

why is it too late? 
- Some environmental damages are permanent. 
- the increasing world population is putting pressure on natural resources, fossil fuels like oil and gas are running out. 
- tourism, we are destroying wildlife habitats, their living places have been transformed to tourist attractions for the purpose of earning money. 
- cut down enormous areas of rainforest, this has led to the extinction of many species of animals and plants. 

Some permanent damages have been made by human beings, which are not able to be recovered. The increasing world population is putting pressure on natural resources, for example, fossil fuels like oil and gas are running out. These resources are non-renewable energy sources. Also, we are destroying many wildlife habitats, which have been transformed into tourist attractions for the purpose of earning money. Further, governments and factories have cut down enormous areas of rainforest. They are removing plants in order to make a way for new buildings and roads, and these activities are forcing animals to move into unknown places that are difficult to survive. This has led to the extinction of many species of animals and plants. 

Some effective measures can improve this situation. 
- introduce laws, limit emissions from factories
- reduce the use of packaging, decrease the amount of household waste
- take public transport rather than driving our own cars
- recycle and reuse useful materials

20110122 'crime' topic

Nowadays some individuals behave in an anti-society way, such as committing a crime. In general, it is the society to blame. What causes the anti-social behaviours of individuals? Who should be responsible for dealing with it?


20110115 'gender equality in workplace'

The workplace nowadays is trying to employ the equal number of females and males.
Do you think it is a positive or negative trend?

Paragraph 1:
- Today, many companies are making their effort to hire men and women in the similar or same number of employees.
- In my view, while I accept that there are a lot of benefits of doing this, I think that the problems of gender equality are still not solved by the way that ensures the equality in quantity.

Paragraph 2: positive
-

Paragraph 3: negative
- Glass ceiling

Paragraph 4:
- Paraphrasing my view

The word "afraid"

Notice
弄清楚afraid的用法

Look up
afraid (adjective)
1. feeling fear; frightened because you think that you might be hurt or suffer

- Don't be afraid!

* afraid of somebody or something
- It's all over. There's nothing to be afraid of now. 
- Are you afraid of spiders? 

* afraid of doing something
- I started to feel afraid of going out alone at night. 

* afraid to do sth.
- She was afraid to open the door. 

2. worried about what might happen
- She was afraid of upsetting her parents.
- Tamsin was afraid of making a fool of herself. (make a fool of someone or oneself)

- Don't be afraid to ask if you don't understand. 
- The boy wasn't afraid to say what he believed. 

- We were afraid (that) we were going to capsize (overturn) the boat. 

3. afraid for sb. or sth. = worried or frightened that sth unpleasant, dangerous, etc. will happen to a particular person or thing
- I am not afraid for me, but for the baby. 
- They had already fired three people and he was afraid for his job. 

IDIOMS
* I'm afraid = used as a polite way of telling somebody something that is unpleasant or disappointing, or that you are sorry about
- I can't help you, I'm afraid. 
- I'm afraid we can't come. 
- I'm afraid that it's not finished yet
- He's no better, I'm afraid to say. 
- 'Is there any left?' 'I'm afraid not.'
- 'Will it hurt?' 'I'm afraid so.'

Use
- I am afraid of taking the IELTS exam again. 
- He is afraid of attending formal functions. 
- I am afraid to talk with strangers in social activities. 
- Her supervisor is very strict, so she is afraid for her PhD conversion. 
- I am afraid that she can't come to our group meeting on Thursday. 


Improve vocabulary repertoire

http://ielts-simon.com/ 学习笔记

Notice 注意
学到"resort to"这个短语。

Look up 查找
resort (n.)
resort to something
= the act of using something, especially something bad or unpleasant, because nothing else is possible

resort (v.)
resort to something
= to make use of something, especially something bad, as a means of achieving something, often because there is no other possible solution

Use 使用
There are hopes that the conflict can be resolved without resort to violence. (n.)
They felt obliged to resort to violence. (v.)
We may have to resort to using untrained staff. (resort to doing something)
Many stores have resorted to cutting prices. (same above)

Friday, October 3, 2014

Speaking Part 1: house or apartment?

Do you live in a house or an apartment? 
I'm now living in an apartment, which is a not very tall building and it has four floors. Each floor has four or five apartments.


Which is your favourite room in your home? Why?
My favourite room is my bedroom, which is very large and spacious. It has a nice window to see the outside view and every morning the sunshine goes through this window to brighten my entire room. 

Would you change anything about your home? Why / why not?
If I had a chance to change my home, I would decorate my kitchen more beautiful and clean. This makes you have a good mood to cook. Also, I would hope to buy a nice oven and put it into my kitchen, because the one now in my kitchen is too old and sometimes it doesn't work well. 

Would you like to move to a different home in the future?
Yes, I would. My current home is a small apartment, which is close to my university because I want save daily transport fee. But, when I have a family, I would like to move to a nice house in a suburb, which has all kinds of facilities such as schools, markets, and hospitals. 

diary/diaries 日记
dairy/daries 乳制品

Monday, August 18, 2014

Good Vocabulary: 'Internet' topic

instant communication (e.g. emails/text messages)
及时通信

use a social-networking site a grea deal
频繁使用社交网站

virtual friends made on the Internet
网络朋友

cannot be compared to
不能与之比较

keep in touch with
保持联系

share memories with people who are far away
和远方的人分享记忆

The business world benefits from the immediate contact provided by the internet.
商业世界从互联网提供的直接联系中获利。

Thursday, August 14, 2014

20140814 口语回忆



IDP口语考试回忆:name 是否坐火车 火车上有趣的事情P2 photoP3 摄影相关 外出旅游是否花太多时间在拍照上,是否相信照片的真实度,因为有Photoshop。是否要有专业技术才能拍出好的照片,记者要有什么素养,如何拍照?


Yes, I often take trains to travel between different cities in China. For example, last month I came back to China and I took the high-speed train between Shanghai and Hangzhou with my girlfriend. Compared to the planes, trains are more spacious, comfortable, and punctual (on time).


Well, I remember once I took the high-speed train from my hometown to a city for visiting my relatives there. Guess what, I was the only passenger in that carriage, which was hard to imagine in China. China has a very large population, everywhere is crowded. Maybe because I was in a small station and in the very early morning.


A photo was taken near the Xihu lake in Hangzhou.


Yes.


No, there are too many filters, which can polish the pictures and make them become unrealistic.


No, I don't think so. Not everyone must learn how to take photographs. There is no exact definition of good pictures. If someone likes that picture, including yourself, then it is a good one.


I think a good journalist should have endless curiosity, have a sense of commitment, and try to be objective.


IDP口语P1工作学习生日,生日做什么?为什么重要?大人跟小孩对生日的区别?P2描述一个买来很久没用的东西。什么东西?哪买的?为什么买?为什么不常用?P3为什么要可回收垃圾?广告的重要性?电视广告和杂志广告的区别?怎样的广告才能吸引人们买不需要的东西?


Celebrate, invite friends to have a gathering activity.


Personally, I think it's a special day in every year to remember that I came to this world. I will appreciate and cherish my life. Also, I always say a thank-you to my mom on my birthday, because I realized that it was extremely difficult for my mom being pregnant for 10 months.


My audio recording devices. Recycling is environmentally friendly. Television adverts attracts more people nowadays, more dynamic and informative. Discount activity. Group something and sell them out together.


8.14IDPp1你住哪,觉得怎么样;经常开车出游吗?你家乡交通咋样?你觉得人容易relax吗physical activity是relax 的好方法吗?你会怎样让自己relax?你喜欢holiday吗?pt2:你想学的语言。pt3:学校的学生应该学其他语言吗? 怎样的学生能学好外语?既然英语是国际语言,为啥在aus的学生要学其他语言


Good. Not often, I'm too busy. Terrible, there are too many private cars, hard to find places for parking, new drivers - road killers.


I think so. Relax by watching TV series, listening music, playing some instruments, working out in the gym, playing some sports. I prefer to do some physical activity to relax myself. It's good for my health. I can make some friends. I really enjoy taking a shower to wind down myself after doing some exercises. The feeling is great!


Yes, I like holiday. It gives me a chance to put myself away from the study, travel some places, know some people, experience new cultures.


Japanese.


Yes. Enjoy learning it via all kinds of ways. It should be a habit rather than a study task.


Learning foreign languages is also a great way to know the history and culture of that country. Also, it is more easy to get around in that country when you have a trip there. You can directly talk with local people. Learning new languages can make many new friends. It is a good way to establish some international friendship.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

20110108 'robots' topic

Some people think that robots are very important for humans' future development. Others, however, think that robots are a dangerous invention that could have negative effects on society.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.

10 mins plan

Paragraph 1:
- Introduce the topic - Artificial intelligence, like automated robots, has become a key part of the development of new technologies for the future. 
- In my opinion, there are both positives and negatives in the invention of robots. 

Paragraph 2 Positives:
- 替代人类进行一些危险的工作,例如深海探险,高空作业,开采矿井。
- 替代人类做一些重复性的工作,不需要休息,不会疲劳
- Quality, Production, Safety, Savings

Paragraph 3 Negatives: 
- Artificial intelligence - might fight against people
- Robots overpower/dominate us
- Higher unemployment/joblessness

Paragraph 4:
- Paraphrasing the introduction

01. 广告

Advertising/Advertisements/Adverts/Advertisers/ advertise

Positives:
1. 广告是现代商业(modern business)的关键部分(a key part of)
2. 公司需要告诉消费者,关于它的产品。
3. 广告告诉(inform us)我们所拥有的选择(about the choices we have)
4. 广告是一个有创新的产业(a creative industry),雇佣了很多人(employ many people)
5. 没有广告,我们可能会有更少的选择(less choice)。
6. 没有广告,失业率可能会很高(higher unemployment/joblessness)
7. 广告是一种现代艺术的形式(a form of modern art)
8. 人们享受广告(enjoy adverts)

Negatives:
1. 广告操作人们 (manipulate people)
2. 它的目标是(it aims to),劝说人们(persuade people that),购买这个产品(buying a product)会使得他们更开心。
3. 广告人(advertisers)主要是(focus on)销售品牌形象(selling a brand image)
4. 他们使用有魅力的成功人士(glamorous, successful people)
5. 我们现在生活在一个消费文化(a consumer culture)
6. 我们被劝说(are persuaded to),去跟随最新的趋势(follow the latest trend)
7. 我们被鼓动(are encouraged to),去把一些品牌和高贵的地位联系起来(associate/link certain brands with a higher status)
8. 广告人经常(often)将他们的市场对准孩子(aim their marking at children)
9. 孩子很容易(can easily be influenced by)被广告影响。
10. 孩子将给父母施加压力(put pressure on parents)买东西(buy them things)

Opinions:
1. 广告需要被管理(regulated)。
2. 目标是孩子(aimed at children)的广告,需要被控制(be controlled),甚至禁止(or even banned)
3. 不健康的食品(unhealthy foods)不应该通过市场宣传(be marketed)来吸引孩子(attracts children)。
4. 对健康有风险 (be a risk to health) 的产品需要显示警告 (display warnings) 。
5. 在某些国家,在电视中宣传(advertise cigarettes on television)香烟是违法的(illegal)。
6. 警告必须显示在香烟的包装上(cigarette packets=box/bag)
7. 然而,在自由市场经济(free market economies)中,广告是必须的(necessary)。
8. 它创造产品需求(create demand for products)
9. 政府(goverments)应该仅仅审查(censor),对人们有害的(harmful),虚假信息或产品(false information or products)