April 7th, 2005

Part 1: Listening tests

Number of sections: 4
Number of questions: 40
Section 1: a dialogue between two speakers (general)
Section 2: a monologue performed by one speaker (general)
Section 3: a conversation with the involvement of up to four speakers (academic)
Section 4: a part of a lecture given by a peaker (academic)
Number of words: no more than three words.
What can be left out? Article? Preposition? Function verb (model or auxiliary verb)?
 How to improve listening skill? Practice makes perfect.
 Maximize your exposure to spoken English.
 Make the most of the listening practice tests. How?
 First time: for test taking skill pratice (check the answers with the answer key,
interprete band score).
 Second time: for checking the wrong answers (check with tapescript if
necessary). If there is a new word, learn it. If a pronunciation error, correct it.
 Third time: for information and/or for learning the natural expressions used by
native speakers of English (Authentic material).
Part 2: Reading test
Time: 60 minutes with no extra time for transfering the answers to an answer sheet.
Number of passage: 3 on different topics. Each passage is about 700 to 1,500 words long.
Number of questions: 40
 How to improve reading skill?
 Survey the test for one to two minutes: read the title, headings, sub-headings, the
italicised or bold words, diagrams and pictures.
 Read the instructions and examples carefully.
 Read all the questions in one part.
 Return to question 1 and underline its clue.
 Scan the text for the clues. When you find it, read around it carefully to decide the
answer.
 Write the answer in the correct box on the answer sheet.
 For more advanced students, the first step should be read through the text for five to
seven minutes to have a global understanding and structure of the passage, then read
the first or the first two paragraphs. Step 2 to step 5 the same.
 How to learn vocabulary from practice reading tests?
 Divide words into five issues or more, including technological, social, economic, cultural
and environmental ones.
 Frequently review them in the form of collocations.
 April 7th, 2005

http://family.jrank.org/pages/1224/Only-Children.html

Only children are people who grow up without siblings. They have been stereotyped as
"selfish," "lonely," and "maladjusted." Early in the twentieth century, the emerging discipline of
psychology portrayed only children as inevitably pathological. However, since that time,
hundreds of studies about only children have been conducted, and the over-all conclusion is
that only children are no more selfish, lonely, or maladjusted than people who grow up with
siblings. Thus, the maturing discipline of psychology no longer views only children as inevitably
pathological (Falbo and Poston 1993).

The highest percentage of one-child families in the United States can be found among families
formed during the Great Depression. Among white women who began their families during this
period, as many as 25 percent had only one child. Immediately after World War II, the average
rose to four children per couple. This so-called Baby Boom ended in the late 1960s, and the
one-child family gradually became more common again, especially among single-parent families
(Falbo 1984).

Researchers have evaluated only children in terms of five main developmental outcomes:
intelligence, achievement, personality, sociability, and psychological adjustment. Intelligence
(usually measured in terms of standardized ability tests, such as IQ tests) and achievement
(measured typically in terms of the number of years of education attained or the prestige of
occupations) are the two most commonly studied outcomes. Only children generally score
slightly better than others on intelligence when they are young. However, during adolescence,
the small advantage in intelligence disappears (Falbo and Polit 1986). On the other hand, only
children appear to have and maintain an advantage in achievement. Even when the
socioeconomic characteristics of their parents are controlled, analyses indicate that only
children tend to complete more years of education than others and are likely to have more
prestigious jobs (Blake 1989).

One of the concerns about only children is that their lack of sibling relationships might lead
them to have less desirable personalities than those who grew up with siblings. However, the
results of hundreds of personality studies suggest that only children are generally like children
with siblings in most personality dimensions, including autonomy, generosity, and
cooperativeness (Polit and Falbo 1987).

Research into the sociability of only children has yielded mixed results (Falbo and Polit 1986).
Although a few large, longitudinal studies suggest that children without siblings may be prone
to more solitary recreational activities than children with siblings (Claudy 1984), other studies
indicate that only children marry at about the same age as others and are no more likely to
divorce (Groat, Wicks, and Neal 1984).

Many studies have also examined the psychological adjustment of only children, typically
basing assessments on omnibus adjustment inventories, such as the Junior Eysenck Personality
Inventory. Taken as a whole, these studies indicate that only children tend to score much like
 April 7th, 2005

people with siblings. A few studies have reported that many only children receive services at
psychological clinics; however, this type of finding should not be construed to mean that only
children are more likely to be maladjusted. Instead, the most plausible interpretation is that the
parents of only children are more likely to get services for their children when they need them
than are other parents (Falbo and Polit 1986).

In 1979, the People's Republic of China initiated policies that were designed to promote the
number of one-child families. These policies were most successful among urban families. In the
late 1980s and 1990s, one-child families predominated in urban China. During this time, more
than 90 percent of the students in urban elementary schools were only children (Falbo and
Poston 1993). Soon after the one-child policy began, people in the United States and some in
China predicted that China would become a country filled with "little emperors," Chinese slang
for spoiled brats.

Many studies have been done in China about the characteristics of only children to determine
if, indeed, they are little emperors. However, these studies have, in turn, found that only
children are similar to, inferior to, and superior to other children (Falbo and Poston 1993).
Given the mix of these results, the consequences of the one-child policy on the development of
children will likely remain a controversial subject.

Describing trends:

1. For Use of nouns Use of verbs

describing a
gradual
increase
a Gradual Increas Of ...in Gradually Increased
e Slightly Rose
Slight Rise Slowly Climbed
Slow Growth Modestly Grew
Modest Climb Minimally Went up
Minimal Marginally
Marginal Fractionally
Fractional
There was an increase of $7,000 between The company’s profit per
1990 and 1994. month gradually increased
The company saw/witnessed/experienced/ from $18,000 in 1990 to
underwent a slight rise of $7,000 in its %25,000 in 1994.
monthly profit from 1990 to 1994.
The period from 1990 to 1994 saw a
gradual growth of $7,000 in its monthly
profit.
 April 7th, 2005

The modest use of $7,000 was recorded for

the company’s profit between 1990 and
1994.

The upper chart compares the numbers of male and female respondents who approved of
mobile phone use, in a public survey on mobile phones. Apparently, more women than men
disapproved of mobile phones: 70% compared to nearly 45%, respectively. On average, up to
nearly 60% of the people surveyed objected to mobile phone use. Interestingly, more men than
women gave no clear opinion as to approve or disapprove of this technology: 30% against
under 20%, correspondingly. In other words, over 20% of all respondents gave no clear opinion.
The smallest percentage was that of mobile phone supporters, at 18%, constituted 25% of
males and slightly more than 10% of females.
The lower chart gives an explanation to people’s scepticism about mobile phones. More than
45% of the respondents said that the cell phone could do harm to their children’s health,
including over 50% of females and 45% of males. However, nearly 30% of both men and women
saw no health risk facing their children relating to the cell phone and a slightly smaller
percentage than that gave no clear answer. Among those, the number of men was a bit larger
than that of women. (195 words)

Task 2: An essay template

1. Introduction
1.1. Ask a question
Should school students evaluate and criticise their teachers?
I feel strongly that your position (thise practice should be encouraged at school) or the benefits
that it brings about.
Is this true (reasonable) to say that moden technology has not improved people’s happiness?
I feel strongly (I firmly believe) that this opinion is unreasonable. I believe that technology help
people become both better off and happier.
1.2. Using an indirect yes/no question
Whether or not school students should evaluate their teachers is a question of much
controversy. Some people argue that + (the opinion you disagree with). However, I am
convinced that + (your opinion)
2. Body
2.1. Firstly,
To begin with,
To start with,
2.2. Moreover,
More importantly,
What is more,
2.3. Above all,
Most important(ly),
3. Conclusion
 April 7th, 2005

For all of the above reasons, I am convinced that (...)/it’s my firm belief that/it’s my clear view
that
All things considered,
N.B. Use of connectors
Whereas is a subordinator, not a connector.
A nain clause begins with a subordinator. A subordinate clause beginning with a subordinator.
There are many types of subordinators, including subordinators of time (when, as soon as, till
and so forth), subordinators of condition (if, provided, providing, in case, in the event that, on
condition that).
Subordinators indicate the connotation, i.e. the speaker’s attitude. For example, if indicates
neutral connotation, while unless shows negative warning and provided shows positive
connotation or encouragement.
Another type of subordinators is subordinators of contrast such as whereas or otherwise. Take
this as an example: Your essay is full of errors; otherwise, it would be a well-argued answer.
 April 7th, 2005

1 How to write a compound-complex sentence?

2 How to think of ideas immediately?
3 How to speak with confidence and perfect English?
4 How to analyse data in one day?
5 How to say thanks and sorry’s to a person?
6 How to do everything in a fast pace?
7 How to write 150 words in 10 minutes? And 250 words
in 20?
8 How to think faster? (3 reasons for anything argued)