Tag: IELTS preparation

Dangerously cold weather is enveloping more than half of the US – ABC News

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LISTENING ACTIVITY

The following listening activity is based on an ABS News video. If you are preparing for  IELTS or CAE this will be a great exercise to test not only your listening comprehension but your vocabulary knowledge too. The video is about the frigid conditions in the US at the end of December.

Before watching the video, read the following words and try to guess their meaning if you don’t know it yet.

SKIN – THREATENING  – BUNDLED – PLOUGH – FORECAST – TO DIG – COLD SNAP – SNOW BLOWER – ICICLES – DANGEROUS CHILL – TO TURN – DEADLY –  UNBEARABLE – TO DUMP – OVERFLOWING – TO DROP

After that, try to fill in the gaps (you have to conjugate the verbs), even not knowing the meaning of all the words. Think if the missing word is a verb, a noun, an adverb, or an adjective, this will help you.

The following step will be watching the video. This isn’t an easy one, they all speak really fast, so probably you won’t be able to fill in the gaps while watching the first time.

You can find the answers in the PDF file.

SKIN – THREATENING  – BUNDLED – PLOUGH – FORECAST – TO DIG – COLD SNAP – SNOW BLOWER – ICICLES – DANGEROUS CHILL – TO TURN – DEADLY –  UNBEARABLE – TO DUMP – OVERFLOWING – DROP

  1. We begin with that ___________________________ taking hold of half the country tonight.
  2. Part of Pennsylvania and New York still _____________________ out from under five feet.
  3. And now the Arctic invasion across most of the lower 48 states. This fountain you
    see right there behind New York Public Library, mostly ___________________ to ice.
  4. And take a look at the _____________________ for New Year’s Eve, the coldest in more than 50 years.
  5. When the ball ___________________ in Time Square the wind chill could meet minus 4 and for millions feeling the cold there’s much worse snow in the forecast as well.
  6. Tonight the 200 million Americans _____________________ from head to toe.
  7. That dangerous ________________________gripping more than half the country.
  8. The cold could be __________________, especially for the very young and the very old.
  9. Extreme weather is more than an inconvenience, it remains a serious and
    potentially life _________________________
  10. Shelters __________________________ with people trying to escape the frigid temperatures.
  11. And in Cotton, Minnesota, an _______________________ 41° below 0.
  12. It feels like your __________________ is gonna be on fire.
  13. Dave S. had to hire a ___________________ to unbury his car.
  14. Heavy snow packed on rooftops, ______________________ nearly everywhere you look.
  15. N. today pushing his _________________________ clearing his home.
  16. All day truck after truck, we’ve seen them coming here, ______________________ their loads. Some of these piles are 12 feet high.

Downloadable PDF version (without answers): Listening activity – weather vocabulary – Free English Materials For You

Downloadable PDF version (answers): Listening activity – weather vocabulary – Free English Materials For You – answers

IELTS Academic – Writing Task 1

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The international English language testing system (IELTS) is the world’s most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration.

The Academic Module consists of 3 parts:

  • Academic Reading: 3 different texts (40 questions) – 1 hour;
  • Academic Writing: 2 separate writing tasks – 1 hour;
  • Listening: 4 separate sections (40 questions) – 30 minutes + 10 minutes to transfer your answers;
  • Speaking: 3 parts – 11-14 minutes.

ACADEMIC IELTS – WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on task 1, writing at least 150 words. Writing task 2 is longer and more demanding. This is why you should spend about 40 minutes on task 2, which is worth twice as much as task 1. You are required to write a discursive essay of at least 250 words.

In task 1, you are required to describe and summarise visual information. The information may be presented in:

ACADEMIC IELTS - DESCRIBING GRAPHS TABLES DIAGRAMS CHARTS - WRITING TASK 1 femfy free english materials fo

You will be assessed on the following criteria:

  • Task achievement;
  • Coherence and cohesion;
  • Lexical resource;
  • Grammatical range and accuracy.

IELTS Speaking – PART 1

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I created this board game for a student who’s getting ready for the IELTS test. I found all the questions here: http://www.ielts-exam.net/. I hope you’ll find it useful ;-).

IELTS Preparation Speaking Part 1 Free English Materials For You femfy.png

Printable PDF version: ielts-preparation-speaking-part-1-free-english-materials-for-you-femfy

Reading comprehension : “Ladakh’s tourism boom is slowly changing the age-old way of life in a corner of the Indian Himalayas” — Quartz

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I suggest that you check the vocabulary list before reading the article ;-). If the article is too difficult for you, you can also use Rewordify to read a simpler version of it. 

VOCABULARY

NESTLED: to be located in a position that is protected, sheltered or partly hidden.
Ex. And while the compound, nestled on the remote shores of Lake Nipissing, was his entire world.

DISPOSABLE: made to be used once or only a few times.

INCOME: money that is earned from doing work or received for investments. 

INCREASINGLY: more and more all the time.
Ex. Global warming is an increasingly serious threat.

TO FLOCK: to gather or move together somewhere in large numbers.
Ex. The people that flocked to that motorcycle to help him get a chance of doing the Grand Prix, they saw that he was something special.

PROLIFERATION: to increase a lot and suddenly in number.
Ex. Gun proliferation is a global problem.

PACKAGE TOUR: a group of services related to travel or vacations that are sold together for one price.

FIGURE: a number representing a particular amount, especially one given in official information.

TO FATHOM: to come to understand.
Ex. I thought I had a lifetime to fathom the secrets in your eyes.

WINDSWEPT: not protected from strong winds.

windswept.jpg

TO PERMEATE: to spread to every part of an object or a place.
Ex. The water permeated the sand. 

GREEDY: having or wanting a lot more money, food, etc. than you need.

greedy.jpg

HERDER: a person who take care of a large group of animals of the same type.

herder

SUBSIDY: money that is paid usually by a government to keep the price of a product or service low or to help a business or organization to continue to function.
Ex. The federal government gives us a subsidy for each person that completes the training.

Nestled high up in the Indian Himalayas, Ladakh was first opened up to tourists only in 1974. That year, just 527 visitors made the trip; of these, only 27 were from India. But in recent years, with rising disposable incomes and a growing interest in travel, Indians are increasingly flocking to the region’s high-altitude villages,…

via Ladakh’s tourism boom is slowly changing the age-old way of life in a corner of the Indian Himalayas — Quartz

Read the article, then answer the following questions (write your answers below):

  1. How many Indian tourists visited Ladakh in 1974?
  2. More and more Indian tourists are visiting the Indian Himalayas villages recently. What are the reasons?
  3. What are the consequences of the tourism rapid growth?
  4. What kind of crop is Tashi P. growing on her farm?
  5. What’s Tashi’s opinion about the tourism boom?
  6. What’s Phunchok Angmo’s profession? How has this boom affected the population according to her?
  7. What are the benefits of this economic growth?
  8. What’s your opinion?

8 Practical ways to help refugees – Reading comprehension

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An interesting article on how to help refugees by Melissa Fleming and published on IDEAS.TED.COM . Are you doing something in order to help refugees? If you have other ideas, share them in the comments below.

I’m teaching them Italian 
https://www.facebook.com/113824145324888/photos/pcb.1337847106255913/1337846886255935/?type=3&theater
and I hope I’ll be able to help them in this way. I find it both rewarding and informative. It’s fascinating getting to know them and their stories, helping them integrating with locals.

Here a vocabulary list for making it easier for you to read the article 8 practical ways to help refugees:

  • To show up: to arrive where you have arranged to meet somebody or do something. 
  • To take notice: to give attention to something. 
  • Steadily: happening or developing in a continuous and usually gradual way. 
  • Drifted: moved slowly, especially as a result of outside forces, with no control over direction. 
  • Stranded: left in a place without a way of leaving. 
  • To thrive: to flourish; to become, and continue to be, successful, strong, healthy, etc.

  • To exacerbate: to make something worse. 
  • Shunned: to ignore someone and not speak to that person because you cannot accept their behaviour, beliefs, etc. 
  • To exploit: to treat a person or situation as an opportunity to gain an advantage for yourself. 
  • Outpouring: an expression of strong feeling that is difficult to control. 
  • To enrol: to arrange for yourself or for somebody else to officially join a course, school, etc. 
  • Raffle: an activity in which people buy tickets with different numbers, some of which are later chosen to win prizes, that is organised in order to make money for a good social purpose.

Read the article, then try to answer the questions below it:

Melissa Fleming of the UN’s Refugee Agency shares some ways to help refugees right now.

When a million refugees showed up in Europe this past year, the world began to take notice of a problem that has been steadily growing before our eyes. Ten years ago, 38 million people had been driven from their homes because of war or persecution; right now that number stands at over 65 million. That’s equivalent to the population of France … drifting, stranded, with little hope of returning home, and few chances to thrive in neighboring countries.

In Europe, the lack of a unified system to manage the influx of refugees and migrants is exacerbating the problem. People are either welcomed or shunned. They can face fences of barbed wire or cheer locals. Around 50,000 people are stranded in Greece, waiting to be relocated to other European countries or sent back home.

On the streets of European cities, I have seen both remarkable generosity and irrational fear. People carry signs with the slogan “Refugees Welcome”; others set asylum homes on fire. While many push for values of tolerance and openness, others are full of fear, afraid of the arrival of so many people from a different continent, with different religions and cultures. Opportunistic right-wing politicians exploit these fears to make gains in elections.

People often ask me what they can do to help. It’s certainly possible to do small, practical but meaningful things to combat the feeling of helplessness that can all too easily become paralyzing. Already, I’ve been struck by the overwhelming outpouring of meaningful acts of kindness by individuals, local charities, religious groups and students who have made their way to borders and train stations to help arriving refugees and migrants (check out the inspiring work done by a team on Lesbos to coordinate efforts to greet the 5,000 refugees arriving on the Greek island every day). Their message is clear: they stand for a Europe that offers refuge to victims of war and compassion for those who are seeking a better life.

Click here to keep reading the article: http://ideas.ted.com/8-practical-ways-to-help-refugees/

Answer the following questions:

  1. A decade ago, 38 million people had been forced to leave their homes, for what reasons?
  2. Is Europe having issues in managing refugees and migrants?
  3. Why are some people scared of refugees?
  4. What are the 8 possible ways to help refugees suggested by Melissa Fleming?
  5. Where did the refugees Welcome Initiative start?
  6. How many entrepreneurs started a catering company with refugees chef in France?
  7. Someone started a football team for refugees and migrants, in what country?
  8. What did the What Design Can Do Refugee Challenge do?
  9. What’s doing the organisation United Invitations?
  10. What Universities offered funds and scholarships to refugees worldwide?
  11. Do you have other ideas for helping refugees? 

 

 

 

Test your knowledge of Education Vocabulary (IELTS Preparation)

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Test your knowledge of education vocabulary - IELTS preparation - Free English Materials For yOU (1)

Downloadable PDF version: Test your knowledge of Education Vocabulary (IELTS Preparation) – Without answers

Downloadable PDF version:Test your knowledge of Education Vocabulary (IELTS PREPARATION) – ANSWERS

IELTS preparation – Quiz on confusing words

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Test your knowledge of English for IELTS - Confusing words.jpg

Downloadable PDF version: Confusing words and false friends

Answers: Confusing words and false friends – Answers

Lingro

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If you are English students and you want to improve your vocabulary/comprehension skills I suggest that you try this website. Lingro is an amazing resource if you want to read a blog, an online newspaper, etc. You just have to write the link of what you want to read (number one in the picture below). You can select a dictionary (as you can see, I marked “English dictionary” with a red rectangle, but it’s not the only one, there are also English-Spanish, Spanish-English, English-French, English-Italian, etc.).
This is the homepage:

lingro_home_pageLink: http://lingro.com/

For example, you want to read an article on the website http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ . Firstly, you have to find an article you like, for instance, I decided to read this one: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150406-california-drought-snowpack-map-water-science/

national_geographic_articleThen, you have to copy the article’s link. Done that, from within the lingro’s website, you can enter the URL.
It’ll appear like this:

article_with_lingroYou can notice that I selected (I clicked the left mouse button) “warming” and “scarcity” .
Afterwards, you can study the words you didn’t know. There’s the possibility to create wordlists:

Word_list

You can also play with flashcards:

flashcards flash_cards flash_cards_2