Dexway English Magazine: A2 – Edition 4
Revising for exams
If you are studying English with dexway, you probably want to pass either the Cambridge First exam or the TOEFL. Exams are scary! We remember being in school and trying desperately to memorise the various atomic numbers of the chemical elements. But there are ways to relieve the stress and to increase your chances of success.
– Don’t do revision if you are tired. Don’t drink a coffee or energy drink and think that will help, if you are tired you will not remember what you are learning. – Eat well. Fruit, vegetables, nuts and fish provide energy that the brain needs in order to function properly. Leave the burgers and chips until after the exam! – Give some context to the words and phrases you are revising. Don’t just read lists of words. Write stories or dialogues that include the words you are trying to learn. A funny or interesting story is much easier to remember than a list of words. – Look at past papers and practice exams. This will give you some idea of the type and format of questions. – Do revision with other friends that are learning English. Try to correct each other, and test each other, you could even watch an English movie together and talk about it in English afterwards. Revision can still be fun! – Deactivate your Facebook account you can always reactivate it after the exam, and if you want to use the internet and all of its resources, you don’t want to be distracted by social media sites.
– The TOEFL and First exam are very interested in testing your grammar and use of idiomatic expressions. Make sure you dedicate a lot of time to revising these areas of language, and try to put the grammar and expressions into context. Remember that a lot of idiomatic expressions use phrasal verbs… They’re difficult but you have to learn them!
With the dexway portal you can see which parts of your language learning are going well and which parts need improving. Nobody enjoys doing something they’re not very good at, but you must concentrate on your weaknesses. If you are struggling with listening comprehension, then dedicate more time to listening practice… if grammar is your weakness then you know what to concentrate on.
Revise in the morning. You are fresh and well rested. If you normally drive to work, then think about getting the bus or train and use that time to listen to podcasts or MP3s in English. There are plenty of downloads available on the dexway community. – Keep practicing until you feel ready. Wait until you consistently get a good score on practice exams before you take the test. Don’t rush. – Relax and don’t panic, allocate your time properly during the exam and read all of the questions carefully.
Try practise exams and pay attention to the command words, what is the exam question asking you to do.
St Patrick´s Day
EVERYONE IS IRISH ON ST. PADDY´S DAY
This is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated in Ireland on March 17th (seventeenth). It celebrates Saint Patrick (Patron Saint of Ireland) and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. Patrick was born in 385 AD and died on March 17th 461 AD.
Saint Patrick´s day was official made a feast day in the early 17th (seventeenth) and has gradually become a celebration of all things Irish. Little is known about his life, he studied as a priest and later became a Bishop. To celebrate this day, most people attend church services, wearing green clothes, feasting, drinking a lot of alcohol and having public parades.
Saint Patrick´s day is a public holiday in The Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, in Canadian provinces Newfoundland and Labrador and the Caribbean island of Montserrat.
It is celebrated by Irish emigrants and their descendants in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and more. As early as the 17th century, people have worn green and shamrocks (a three-leaved plant) to pay tribute to Patrick. He used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, and has been linked with him and the Irish since that time.
Energy Mix
The “big 4” in the energy mix are the 4 main ways of getting our energy. We use this to heat and cool our homes, drive our methods of transport, and provide electricity for our technology.
The “big 4” are: petroleum, oil and gas, nuclear, and coal. 3 of the big four are fossil fuels which are mined or pumped from the ground.
The big 4 are in short supply (or are very expensive to use) and we have been told that “green” energy is the way forward. “Green” energy includes: hydrological power from dams, biomass from our household rubbish, solar energy from the sun, and wind energy produced by wind turbines.
In 2009, the United Kingdom used the big 4 like this; Gas 45%, Coal 32%, Nuclear 13% and Oil 1%. 6% was from “green” fuels.
What do you think will happen in the future? In 2040 we are predicted to use the big four like this; Gas 29%, Coal 22%, Nuclear 8% and oil 1%. It is predicted that 31% of this will be green fuels.
The United Kingdom (like many European countries) is committed to reducing the use of the big 4 – and we are, almost, apart from coal (which is a natural resource that can be found in Britain.)
Canada
MOUNTAINS, LOBSTERS AND COCKTAILS
Canada is an English and French speaking country so it could be a possible holiday destination for people learning English or French and wishing to practice their skills. There are lots of amazing things to do in Canada. The scenery in the countryside is absolutely breathtaking, in the winter you can enjoy all kinds of snow sports and in the summer the trekking, walking, mountain biking and nature spotting is great fun, but you have to be careful.
When I was camping in Canada I was warned about bears, cougars, wolves and wolverines. Apart from the beautiful scenery and extreme sports adventures available in Canada there is a fantastic gastronomic tradition. The steak in Canada is some of the best in the world, and I have never seen lobster as big and delicious as the ones I saw in Canada. Lobsters are thought of as quite posh food nowadays, but it wasn’t always that way.
Type of businesses
Business is a very important part of the economy and society in any country. There are 3 main sectors of business and each one is equally important to each other. Many different subsections of business have been created to address the needs of consumers.
The 1st sector of business is the Industrial or Manufacturing sector. These businesses create products or parts using tools, machines, or chemical processing. They manufacture steel into cars, make fuels and fertilizers or turn textiles into clothing. The industry needs a lot of energy to run factories and machines and it makes a lot of waste materials and heat that can be bad for the environment.
The 2nd is Agricultural. This includes farming, fishing and mining. Making food, feed for animals, and growing vegetables and trees. It is a declining sector due to water shortages, weather, and insects.
The third, very important sector is the Service Industry. This includes hospitals, restaurants, hotels, banks, real estate, waste disposal, construction, legal services, transportation and government.
* Sector: an area or a zone
The Sunday Roast
In the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland a popular tradition is to cook a Sunday roast. It is a meal that is normally served for lunch on Sunday afternoon and it consists of roasted meat, normally either chicken, pork, beef or lamb, with roasted potatoes, boiled vegetables and a sauce, called gravy.
It is similar to the Christmas dinner that is normally served in these countries. It is quite a difficult meal to prepare properly because most of the components have different cooking times or temperatures. Roast potatoes, for example, need to be cooked on a high heat in the oven and most meat is best cooked on a lower heat.
There are certain accompaniments that go well with certain meats. Yorkshire puddings, a type of light bread, are traditionally served with roast beef. Apple sauce often goes with roast pork. Mint sauce is a favourite side dish for roast lamb. And, “pigs in blankets” are usually served with roast chicken. “Pigs in blankets” are pork sausages wrapped in bacon. The typical sauce, gravy, is made from the juices that come out of the meat during cooking and it is normally thickened with a roux (a mixture of flour and butter), or with corn flour.
Many other side dishes can be served with a Sunday roast. My personal favourites are roasted parsnips, roasted onions, roasted or boiled carrots, cooked leeks mixed with a little bit of cream, and some steamed green vegetables such as broccoli or kale. It’s a delicious meal and it’s a great way to get family or friends to spend a Sunday afternoon together.
What is your favourite meal? Have you ever roasted any meat?
