PET SESSION 2

Hi everybody,
Today you are going to have some practice for the final exam.
Here are the links to the different sections.
Reading:

 http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading3.htm

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading4.html

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading_part5.htm

 

Listening:

 http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_listening_part3.htm

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_listening_part4.htm

 

Vocabulary:

 http://www.examenglish.com/vocabulary/B1_vocabulary_topics.htm

POST 9: 2013: GOOD AND BAD POINTS (so far..)

Today you are expected to evaluate the past year, 2013. Have you had a good year?

Write about:
> Good things that have happened in your life
> Situations that did not go so well
> Your achievements in 2013
> Things you did not do (last term) / have not done yet / still have to do this year
> Important news / event you would like to highlight
> Any other comments

Keep in mind that the wordcount: is 250 and don't forget to write comments on  3 of your classmates' posts.

VIDEO 3: AN ACTIVITY YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR FREE TIME.

Record a for 2-minute mobile phone video presentation about an activity you like to do in your free time.
Say:

· What the activity is,
· How often you do it,
· Where you do it,
· What the activity involves,
· Why you enjoy doing this activity.
·  Mention anything else you think is important.

Remember the deadline for video 3 is 25th November.

POST 8: FOOD AND EATING HABITS

"We are what we eat" I've heard some people who are concerned with eating habits say this, and I couldn't agree more with that.

Today you have chosen to write about food, so here you have some questions to guide your writing. They are related to three topics, but you don't have to answer them all, just choose the ones that sound more interesting to you. Make sure you write 240 words and write comments on three of your classmates'`posts.

Personal Eating habits / eating habits of Chileans

• Are you a vegetarian?
• Do you like to eat at fast food restaurants?
• Do you read the nutritional information on the foods you buy?
• Do you think fast food, soda and sweets should be sold in school cafeterias?
• Have you ever been on a diet? If so, for how long?
• How much do you eat when you are sad or happy?

Favourites

• How do you like Chilean food?
• What foods do you love and what foods do you hate? Why?
• If you were on death row, what would you request for your last meal?
• Do you like food from other countries? If yes, which do you like the most?
• Do you like to try new food and drinks?

Experiences

• Do you prefer to eat at a restaurant or at home?
• What is the most unusual thing you've ever eaten. Did it taste good or bad?
• Have you ever eaten something that made you ill?
• Have you ever found something disgusting in your food?
• Have you ever left a restaurant without paying ("dined and dashed")?
• Are there any foods that bring back special memories for you? What are they?

POST 7: MY CHILDHOOD DAYS

Today you have chosen to write about your first years on this planet. Here you have some questions to guide your writing. Choose just one or two questions from each topic to write each paragraph.

BEGINNING

·      What did you look like?

·      Did you have any nickname? Tell us about it.

·      Were you afraid of anything? What?

·      What is your earliest memory?

·      When you were a child, what did you want to grow up to be? A firefighter? A doctor? A scientist?

 

FREE TIME

·        What was your favorite game?

·        Who did you play it with?

·        Did you play on the streets?

·        What were your favorite cartoons and TV shows?

 

FIRST EXPERIENCES

·        How old were you when you learned to ride a bicycle or swim?

·        What  was your experience  like?

 

SCHOOL:

·       Were you a good student?

·       Did you enjoy going to school?

·       Did you get good grades?

·       Did you enjoy doing your homework?

 

CONCLUSION :

·       Did you have a happy childhood?

Make sure you write at least 240 words and remember to leave a comment on 3 of your classmates' blogs

 

SHORT SURVEY

At Plataforma Programa Inglés - http://www.lapetus.uchile.cl/japeto/interior.php?id=105 - we have uploaded a short survey that we want all students to answer. It won't take you more than 5 minutes. Can you help us?

PET SESSION 1

PET (Preliminary English Test) Practice

Session 1 (week 10)

Reading:

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading1.htm
http://www.examenglish.com/PET/reading1.htm
http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading2.htm

Listening:

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_listening_part1.htm
http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_listening_part2.htm

Vocabulary:

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_vocab.htm

POST 6: HOW GREEN ARE YOU?

My heart must be green. Ever since I was a skinny little kid I have been fond of nature. I must have been six when I was walking in the street and bumped into a heap of a very simple type of creeping plant. I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the plant that had been cut off and unmercifully thrown away. So, by way of compensation, I picked up a piece of the plant, took it home and planted it. It didn’t take the little plant very long to grow bigger and thankfully offer me larger and greener leaves. And that was the beginning of my friendship with nature, which later developed into care for all type of living things and care for the planet.
Some years ago I started recycling things like cardboard, aluminum tins and tetra-pack cartons, which is not easy when you live in a small flat and the recycling points are far from your home, but I think it’s been worth the effort.
I must admit that I don’t walk very much and I use public transportation a lot, but that is because my place of work is rather far away from home to walk or ride there. I wish there were more facilities for byke riders in our city, as in The Neatherlands. When that happens I’ll go into a shop a buy a nice bicycle for me to ride everywhere.
I’ve been a suppoorter of Green Peace for some years now. Well, I don’t jump into little boats and go to Antartica to try and stop Japanese whale factory ships, but I donate to Greenpeace on a monthly basis. So, even when I wouldn’t dare personally participate to stop whale slaughter, at least I’m contributing to prevent it happening, aren’t I?

This week´s post is related to looking after the environment. So, we want you to tell us how far down the green road you are, in other words, what shade of green you are: an Eco-Hero, a Tree-Hugger-Hater or a Green-in-Between.
Here you are some questions to help you start off writing your post:

- Where do people learn about enviromentally friendly practices?
- Have you incorported recycling into your habits? Describe
- Do you use a bike or your legs instead of a car?
- Have you joined or supported any eco-organisations? Why/Why not?
- What else have you done /would you like to do?
- What have you done to reduce your carbon footprint?
- What's missing in our society/Santiago ragarding this issue?

Keep in mind that the number of words is 240 and don't forget to make comments on at least 3 of your classmates posts.

(Tree-hugger: an environmentalist or one who believes trees and all living things should not be cut down or harmed. Someone who works to protect the environment from destruction or pollution)

SECOND VIDEO PRESENTATION

Video 2:

A JOURNEY YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE

Record a for 2 –minute mobile phone video presentation* about a journey you would like to make

Say:
-Where you would like to go,
-Who you would go with,
-What you would do there,
-Why you would like to make this journey.
-Mention anything else you think is important.

°A mobile phone video presentation is a video of you talking directly to the camera.
Please feel free to practice and record as many versions as you see fit in order to complete the task. However, the final video must be in one take (i.e. it must not be edited).
Remember: you musn’t be wearing sunglasses or read when you do the video.

IMPORTANT: The deadline is next class: 29th October.

POST 5: VIDEO GAMES

Computer games are nothing but a waste of time! Any plan is better than spending time in front of your computer doing something completely worthless. If you are addictive to this kind of passtime you had better start planning something more productive and exciting, such as interacting with people around you and living your own life.
When I got my first computer, back in the mid nineties, there were some games included in the hard disc programs. I innocently started to play these games for some fifteen minutes a day, but without realizing the time spent on games soon soared to a couple of hours a day. There was a game in which doors opened and you had to cross them to find some trasures, but sometimes some mad dogs or soldiers (mad as well) attacked you, so you had to defend yourself by shooting them dead. After a three or four-months’ time I realized that all my dreams were about doors; wherever I went in my dreams doors would open and close in front and behind me. It was then when I decided not to play computer games any more; they were absolutely interfering with my subconscious.
These days I’ve been trying to cut down the time I spend facebooking. I think that spending an hour a day on facebook is also an addiction, and I prefer talking with my friends face to face rather than just seeing them on my computer screen. -Of course the exception are my friends who live far away from me.
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This week you have decided to write about video games. Please, choose some of the questions below to express your views on this topic.

-Do you use computers to play video games?

If your answer was a Yes, answer the following:
-How old were you when you played your first video game?
-What is your top one favourite video game?
-Who do you typically play with?
-How many hours a day/ a weeek do you typically spend playing video games?
-Do you skip sleep just to finish your game?
-Do you prefer playing games to going out or spending time with your family or friends?

If your answer was a No, aswer the following questions?
-Have you ever played a computer game? If so, what was it like?
-Do you consider video games something productive or a waste of time?
-Why don’t you play computer games?
-What do you think of people who spend time playing computer games.
-Do you think computer games could be used productively? How?
-How do you have fun with your computer?

You are expected to write a minimum of 220 words and leave a comment on 3 of your classmates’ posts.

POST 4: SUMMARY FROM A CAREER-RELATED ARTICLE

In order to write today’s post you have to go to either http://www.guardian.co.uk/. Once there you have to:
> Select a piece of news connected to your area of studies / future career.
> Write a summary of it.
> Provide the link to your piece of news.
> Leave a comment on 3 of their partners' posts.

Remember:
•Do not rewrite the original piece. Don’t copy and paste.
•Keep your summary short.
•Use your own wording.
•Refer to the central and main ideas of the original piece.
•Read with who, what, when, where, why and how questions in mind.
•Do not put in your opinion of the issue or topic discussed in the original piece.

Make sure to write about 220 words.

Please have a look at my sample post below to get an idea.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 0 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Private universities complain of insecurity (By Anna Fazackerley) , The Guardian, Monday 1 October 2012 19.30 BST http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/oct/01/private-higher-education-reforms This article is about the complaints made by private higher education providers, in spite of the fact that they are doing well, and the reaction of their critics. While some in the public sector resent the freedoms given to private providers, these, in turn, acknowledge the fact that they feel they have benefitted from the policies of the new coalition government and are doing good business, but they fear insecurity and claim that if the current system doesn’t change they might be affected. Although public universities have now to restrict to a certain number of applications, private institutions can recruit as many students as they want and these students are now entitled to get public loans. Notwithstanding this, Alain Jenkins, of the the Edge Hotel School, acknowledges that there is less hostility towards private institutions, but says that some new policies are still not friendly. While the number of applications in the whole sector has declined and the participation of for-profit institutions across the sector is still small, the latter have dramatically increased the number of recruits. Regardless this, Prof Terence, Kealey of Buckingham, states that many of his colleagues feel the system is unfair, and Paul Marshall, of Business Schools, points out that private providers fear that expansion is risky because a new Labour government might affect investors. Besides, some people from the private sector are annoyed because, although their institutions succeded an accreditation proccess to have degree-awarding powers, they have to reapply every six years. On the other hand Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, accuses private providers of being shameless because while they are making demands, they are said to be committing several frauds.

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Here you have some useful words and expressions to help you write your summary.The article is about… / deals with… / presents… / describes… / explains…In the text / excerpt / story/ article the reader gets to know…/ is confronted with / is told about
The author / Mr X / · says / states / points out that …· claims / believes / thinks that…· describes / explains / makes clear that· uses examples to confirm / prove that· agrees / disagrees with the view / the thesis· contradicts the view…· criticises / analyses / comments on…· tries to express…· suggests that…· compares X to Y· doubts that…· tries to convince the readers that…· concludes that…

POST 3: JAPANESE ANIMATION

The world should be divided into two groups: the people who like Walt Disney’s cartoons and those who enjoy Japanese animation. I belong in the former group, (so you can easily tell how old I am, ha, ha). I know very little about Japanese anime but I know it has had a big impact on some younger Chilean people who have become fans of Japanese culture after watching such animations.
I guess my favourite anime is Marco, which is about an Italian little boy whose mother has left Europe for Argentina to look for a better job. The anime shows all the adventures and misfortune that Marco goes through in search of her mother. The story is based on a book by Miguel de Unamuno, and it’s a very sad one because when Marco finally finds his mother she dies soon afterwards.
I can’t say that japanese anime has influenced me in any way, but Walt Disney surely made a significant impression on me as a child, because it developed my imagination and my interest in reading, but, on the other hand, it filled my mind with much confusion.
What I liked the most about this anime is the soundtrack. Even though the main song is a very sad one, it’s very beautiful and moving. I don’t remember any other Japanese anime song, but I know many songs form Walt Disney’s movies.
One of the first animes I ever saw was Cinderella, by Disney, -you all know what the story is about, and I remember I was really impressed by it, so impressed that a few years ago I bought the DVD because I was craving to see it again.

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This week you have chosen to write about Japanese animation, so here you have some questions to guide you when writing your post.

1) Do you know what anime is? If yes, explain.

2) - If you have watched anime in the past do you have a favourite? Tell us about it.
- What aspects of anime do you like most? or, what makes you watch anime?)


3) Has anime influenced your life in any way? Has anime made you interested in other areas of Japanese culture?


3) -Have you ever bought/listened to any songs from anime soundtracks? If so, which ones?
4) -What was the first anime you ever saw? What was it about? Did you enjoy it?

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Remember to write 180 words and make commentrs on three of your classmates' posts.

VIDEO 1: A PRESENT I RECEIVED

A PRESENT YOU RECEIVED
Record a 2 minute mobile phone video presentation* about a present you received as a child.
Say:
What the present was,
Who gave it to you,
Why they gave it to you,
How you felt when you received it.
Mention anything else you think is important.
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°A mobile phone video presentation is a video of you talking directly to the camera.
Please feel free to practice and record as many versions as you see fit in order to complete the task. However, the final video must be in one take (i.e. it must not be edited).
Remember: you musn’t be wearing sunglasses or read when you do the video.

POST 2: A COUNTRY I'D LIKE TO VISIT

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” This quote was written by St. Augustine and I absolutely agree with him on this one. Travelling is one of the things I enjoy the most in life. I’ve been to many places but Guatemala is one of the countries I have always wanted to visit but have never been to.

I’d like to visit Guatemala because I have heard lots of people say that antigua and Chichicastenango –two of the most important touristic places there- are even more colourful and interesting than some Mexican cities that I have already visited. Antigua is a city which was destroyed by an earthquake centuries ago, but then it was rebuilt and became the most beautiful colonial Guatemalan city, and Chichicastenango is a place that has an important market where you can buy good fruit and vegetables, along with high quality handcraft –which is something I’m very interested in.
If I went there I would like to walk around the places, eat in nice restaurants, talk to the locals, visit the museums and buy some textiles and pottery. However I wouldn’t like to work or live there, because I think that after spending a few months there I would probably get bored -I’m a city person and I would surely miss the things that a big city like Santiago can offer.
As the saying goes: Where there's a will, there's a way, so I'm saving money and one day lady luck will knock at my door and help me make another dream come true.

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What about you? Is there a place you have always wanted to visit but haven't had the chance?
Today you’re supposed to write about a country you would like to visit. Make sure you answer these questions when you write your post.
- Which country would you like to go to? Why?
- What do you know about it?
- What would you like to do there?
- Would you like to study/work/live there? Explain.

Remember to make comments on 3 of your classmates’ posts and to write 170 words.

POST 1: MY IDEAL JOB

Hi everybody!
Have you thought about what you want to do after you graduate from university? Is there any kind of job that you are considering?
Your first blog assignment this term is to write about your ideal job.

Say:
- What your ideal job would be
- What qualities and skills you would need to do this job
- Why you would be good at this job
- How difficult it would be to find this kind of job.

Write 160 words and comments on at least 3 of your classmates' blogs