Luyện nghe Tiếng Anh giao tiếp - Cải thiện khả năng phản xạ nói Tiếng Anh

Exercise 7. Oxford. Good afternoon, everyone. Today I'd like to tell you a little bit about the history of Oxford. Oxford has been a town for many centuries. The first written records of its existence date from before 912. Oxford University began to establish itself in the middle of the 12th century, and by 1300 there were already 1,500 students. At this time, Oxford was a wealthy town. But by the middle of the 14th century, it was poorer because of a decline in trade and because of the terrible plague, which killed many people in England. Relations between the students and the townspeople were very unfriendly, and there was often fighting in the streets. On the 10th of February, 1355, a battle began which lasted two days. Sixty-two students were killed. The townspeople were punished for this. One of the punishments was that the university was given control of the town for nearly 600 years. Nowadays, there are about 12,000 students in Oxford, and the university and the town live happily side by side. The Oxford English Dictionary is well known to students of English everywhere. It contains approximately five million entries, and there are thirteen volumes, including a supplement. Some of the words are special Oxford words. For example, bulldog in Oxford is the name given to university policemen who wear bowler hats and sometimes patrol the streets at night. They are very fast runners. Punt is a word often used in both Oxford and Cambridge. It refers to a flat-bottomed boat with sloping ends which is moved by pushing a long pole in the water. Exercise 8. Controlling Concentration Good morning, Susan. Come in. Good morning, Alan. What can I do for you? I've come for some advice. I'm a first-year student. I want to know how to control my concentration to study. That's a good question. I think you can improve your concentration by identifying and eliminating internal and external distractions. What's an internal distraction? Internal distractions are physical feelings that you can take control of since they originate within you. External distractions may be beyond your control, but you can learn to control your reactions to them. But how? To minimize internal and external distractions, you can take care of your physical needs before beginning a task, maintain a positive attitude towards studying, and you can work to solve problems that you know cause you worry and stress. Yes, go on. You can improve your concentration by having a good place to study. The ideal home or dorm study environment is as distraction-free as you can make it. That's true. I can make it into a nice study place. You can choose a quiet location with adequate lighting. Select comfortable furniture suited to your needs. Keep your books and supplies readily available so you don't have to interrupt your studying to find them. Prominently display motivational aids, such as a calendar, weekly and semester or quarter plans, or assignments on which you have made good grades. I understand. I should find a nice and comfortable study place before I start to study. You are right. And how you study can also affect your concentration. Use your time efficiently. Break large tasks into smaller ones. Study similar subjects at different times. Take frequent breaks. Reward yourself for work accomplished. By the way, do you share your textbooks with other students? No, I have my own textbooks. That's good. Otherwise, you will be influenced by what another student thought if the book is underlined or highlighted by others. Thank you very much. I'll try the methods you have mentioned. Good luck. Okay, bye. Exercise 9. Computing Service. Excuse me, could you tell me where the university computer lab is? Are you a new student? Yes, I'm a first-year student. I want to use a computer to type my assignment. I see. Our university provides the most up-to-date computing environment of any college or university in Britain. There are two labs dedicated to student access. No classes are scheduled in them, so you can drop in any time when they are open. Do you know where these two labs are? Yes. One is in room 114 in building 315, and the other one is in room 110 in building 335. There are 27 computers in each one. Only 27 are in each one? Are there any other labs I can use if these two labs are full? Yes. We own six general-purpose labs, which often have classes booked in them, but they are available for drop-in use when classes are not in session. Check the lab before you go in. This schedule is updated every week. I saw the brochure in the Students' Union. It said that there are at least 19 labs on campus. Yes. There are 11 other large labs on campus, but they have dedicated uses of various kinds and are not usually available for general use. Do you know if there are any rules in the labs? Yes. We do have some rules. What are they? Let me think about them. Yes. The first, labs and computer equipment are provided only for registered students to do work associated with their courses. I see. So we have to use our ID card when we get into the lab. That's right. You should put your student ID card in the holder on top of the monitor and show proper identification if requested to do so. Second, computers are a limited resource, shared among many students, so please respect the needs of others. When all computers are in constant use, please limit your session on the computer to an hour at a time. Can we reserve computers? I'm sorry, you may not reserve computers. When you leave the lab for a coffee break, you must save your work and make the computer available for another student to use. I see. Can I bring some drinks there? Absolutely no food or drink in the labs. Are there any printers there? Yes, of course. But remember, when you print, please limit printing to one copy of a document. And please do not start printing less than 10 minutes before the lab closes. Thank you very much. This helps me a lot. Exercise 10. English letter writing. Hi, Lucy. Shall we go to swim after school? I'd like to, but I have to reply to my English teacher's letter. She has gone to America. You mean Susan? Yes. Why did she go back home? There are still some weeks left before the vacation. Her father died of cancer a week ago, and so she had to go back for her father's funeral. I see. I'm sorry to hear that. Lucy, do you have any time now? Yes, Tom. What can I do for you? I want to write a letter to my friend Bob. He went back to England yesterday and left his address for me, but I'm not sure how to write it. Okay. You know, English letter writing is different from Chinese writing. You should write your address in the top right-hand corner and write the date immediately below your address. Today is the 28th of March, 2002, so you should write the date below your address. That's really so different. We usually write the sender's address at the bottom of the letter, or write it on the left corner of the envelope. Yes, that's right. Remember, don't write your name before your address. Where shall I write my name? You should write it at the end of the letter. I see. Then you should write the recipient's name and address on the left-hand side of the page. So, I should write Bob's name and his address on the left-hand side? Yes. That is the formal way when you write business letters or official letters. But you don't need to write Bob's name and his address in an informal letter. Okay. What else? You must use Dear Sir or Dear Madam only when you don't know the person's name. How do I begin when I write to Bob? You should use his name directly. In the custom of English letter writing, don't begin with Dear Friend. I see. After that, I can start my writing. Is that right? Yes. You should begin the letter on the left-hand side, a little way inside the margin. At the end of your letter, write a short final sentence on a separate line. What should I write for the last sentence? Usually, people write like this. I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon, or I hope to hear from you soon. Then, end with Yours Faithfully if you began with Dear Sir or Madam. In formal letters, if you begin with Dear Mr. X, you should end with Yours Sincerely. I see. Don't use Dear Sir or Madam with Yours Sincerely, or Dear Mr. X with Yours Faithfully. But what shall I use for Bob's letter? You can use Yours, Best Wishes, or Love in informal letters depending on how well you know the person. Thank you very much for the help. With pleasure. I have to go now. See you soon. Goodbye. Exercise 11. How to become a confident student. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our regular lecture on college study issues. This series of lectures is organized by the International Students Office. We want to help you, the students of this university, to cope well with the study and social life here. This series of lectures is designed to help you discover the ways in which you learn most easily and most enjoyably, and help you define your own goals and preferences as you embark on your college career and look ahead to life and work in the future. It includes discussions, illustrations, and easy-to-understand suggestions on ways to develop all the skills you will need to perform well in your classes and build confidence in your ability to learn. Some lectures will contain many ideas for strengthening a particular skill, but you can try out as many ideas as you like for studying. And also, you can adapt the ideas in the lectures to suit your own needs and personal learning style. Many students want to know how to be a confident student. It's a good question. Strategies for becoming a confident and successful student include making use of the four keys to success in college discussed in this lecture. 1. To assess your academic strengths and weaknesses. 2. To discover and use your learning style. 3. To sharpen your thinking and study skills. 4. To adapt to others' styles. Let's talk about the first one. To assess your academic strengths and weaknesses means to be realistic about what you are able to do. This will help you select courses in which you can succeed. This is the most important key when you enter college. The second key is to discover and use your learning style. This is another important key to your success. Use your five senses to help you take in information accurately and remember what you learn. Let your body's reactions tell you when you are most alert. Then try to plan your schedule accordingly. Know which learning environment you prefer, but be willing to adapt to others. Increase your level of motivation by developing an internal focus of control. A third key to your success in college is your effort to develop critical thinking and study skills. Making decisions, solving problems, using creativity, processing information, and reasoning logically are critical thinking skills involved in studying. All the important study skills you will need to develop or improve, such as how to take notes, listen effectively, read with greater comprehension, and prepare for and take tests, are covered in the next lectures. The fourth key is your willingness to adapt to your instructor's teaching styles. If you make an honest effort to learn, no matter how an instructor approaches a subject, then you will make efficient use of class time and develop good relations with your instructors.