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- Castles In The Air – Idiom Of The Day For IELTS
- IELTS Listening Practice Test 83
- Diligent – Word Of The Day For IELTS
- IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD 62, TOPIC: A VEHICLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO OWN
- IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD 61, TOPIC: A SONG YOU ENJOY LISTENING
| Castles In The Air – Idiom Of The Day For IELTS Posted: 27 Oct 2016 06:56 AM PDT Castles In The Air – Idiom Of The Day For IELTS Speaking.Definition: plans that have very little chance of happening Example: “I really want to become a famous Hollywood actor, but I realize that it’s just a castle in the air and that I shouldn’t quit my day job. “ “Sometimes you feel that your hopes and ambitions are just castle in the air. But hold on to your dreams; one of them will soon come true.“ “Before you start building castles in the air, just think how much all this is likely to cost.“ Exercise:
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| IELTS Listening Practice Test 83 Posted: 27 Oct 2016 03:00 AM PDT SECTION 1Questions 1 – 4 Select the correct answer from the choices given. Write A, B, Cor D on your answer sheet. 1. Where is Mr. Garcia living? A. Private accommodation. 2. Why doesn’t he like his accommodation? A. The food is not good. 3. Where are Mr. Garcia and his friends from? A. Costa Rica, Spain, Bolivia. 4. What kind of place are they hoping to find? A. A house with a garden next to the un iversity. Questions 5-7 Complete the details below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS. Name Manuel Garcia Current address 5 _________________ Telephone number 0453672348 Email addrees 6 _________________ Age 19 Gender Male Smoker? No Budgeted monthly rent 7£ Questions 8-70 Select the correct answer from the choices given. Write A, B, C or D on your answer sheet. 8. Why can Mr Garcia expect a small reduction in rent? A. The salesman like him. 9. How much is the accommodation agency’s fee for Mr Garcia? A. 1/2 month’s rent. 10. Which items does Mr Garcia consider necessary? A. Kitchen utensils, washing machine, Internet connection. SECTION 2Questions 11-13 Choose the correct answers to the following questions. Only ONE answer is possible for each question. 11. Which member or members of the speaker’s family have health problems? A. The speaker. 12. Why didn’t the family go to Rotorua? A. They couldn’t afford it. 13. How did the speaker’s family first find out about the Waiwera spa? A. From people they met in their hometown. Questions 14-16 Complete the sentences using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR NUMBERS. 14. Altogether, the number of people in the speaker’s holiday group was__________________ 15. One of the children from the other family was a ____________________than the speaker. 16. Before leaving, the speaker and his family got information from the Internet and a_______________. Questions 17-20 Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. 17. What did the speaker especially like about the holiday? 18. Where were the children most of the time? 19. How does the speaker describe the people at the resort? 20. Which activities didn’t the speaker participate in, even though those activities were available? SECTION 3Questions 21-23 Complete the notes on what Mika says at the beginning of the discussion. Mika says that if you miss what other people in a seminar say, it makes it hard to 21________________ the discussion. She might have a 22_______________ if she didn't understand what, a tutor was asking her, but if she was wrong it was 23_______________. Questions 24-27 Complete the sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. 24. Martina says that native speaker students often continue talking even if non-native speaker students like her,______________. 25. However, she points out that native speaker students will usually stop talking if you_____________. 26. She says that non-native speaker students need to anticipate and_________________in order to get involved in seminar discussions. 27. Michal points out that non-native speaker students can use_______________and body language to indicate when they are ready to add to a discussion. Questions 28-30 Choose the correct answer or answers to complete each sentence. 28. Martina thinks that non-native speaker students can improve the situation by being A. aggressive. 29. Mika thinks that non-native speakers can improve A. both their English and their subject knowledge quickly. 30. Mika says that A. English students know a lot of technical terminology. SECTION 4Questions 31-32 Complete the following summary of the lecturer’s introduction by using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. The lecturer says that he will first look at how some cultural values influence 31 ______________and that then he will 32________________ demonstrating that approaches to learning in one culture may not be considered suitable in others. Questions 33-36 Complete the notes on the way students learn in different cultures. Use only ONE word for each answer.
Questions 37-40 Complete the notes on three Asian students and their experiences. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS
Answer keys: Section 1, Questions 1-10
Section 2, Questions 11-20
D C 9/nine year older travel agency (the) accommodation/hotel (i n/the/some) play areas gentle, warm, helpful basketball (and) volleyball Section 3, Questions 21-30
guess (quite) embarrassing raise a hand (just) interrupt (someone) think quickly eye contact IN EITHER ORDER C, D C IN EITHER ORDER C, D Section 4, Questions 31-40
present evidence conserving Memorisation interacting/interaction argumentation undergraduate hesitate logical arguments Lecturers) or (and) supervisors) BONUS EXERCISE: GAP-FILLING The texts below are transcript for your IELTS Listening Practice Test. To make the most out of this transcript, we removed some words from the texts and replaced with spaces. You have to fill each space with the missing word by listening to the audio for this IELTS listening practice test. SECTION 1 Student: Hello. My name is Garcia. I phoned earlier about finding [………………………………]. Saleswoman: Ah yes-Mr Garcia. I took your call. Please, take a seat. You said on the phone that you are studying at the [………………………………]. Student: That’s right. I’m currently in university digs, but I havé [………………………………]to move out. Saleswoman: May I ask why? Student: Well, the accommodation itself is fine-very nice in fact-but it’s catered accommodation and I find having to have my meals at fixed times somewhat [………………………………]. I tried to get into self-[………………………………]accommodation, but there’s very little of that [………………………………]and, as I will be a second year student next academic year, I wasn’t given a place. Saleswoman: I see. We have many students coming to us who are in the same [………………………………]. Do you intend to live alone or share with someone? Student: I have two friends, from Spain and from Columbia, who would like to share with me. We thought it would be a good idea to rent a small house together. Does that sound [………………………………]to you? Saleswoman: Sure. In fact, I [………………………………]it. Where are you from, Mr Garcia? Student: I’m from Mexico. Saleswoman: Really? I went there on holiday last year. Lovely. So, you’re looking for a [………………………………] house. How about a flat? Would that be OK? Student: Yes, that would be fine too, but if the rents are [………………………………]the same, we’d prefer a house with a small garden-just somewhere where we can sit outside in the [………………………………]. Saleswoman: Of course. We do have houses, but more flats are available at the moment. Is there any [………………………………]area you’d like to live in? Student: Obviously, we’d like to be close to the university if possible but not too close. My experience is that people living in the [………………………………]of the unit tend to get a lot of people dropping in. We’d like to avoid that. Saleswoman: I understand. Places [………………………………]from the unit are also a little cheaper, in general. Before we go on, could I take down a few details? Student: Of course. My full name is Manuel Garcia. I currently live at 35c Campus Lane. Saleswoman: Thank you. And your [………………………………]number and email address? Student: My mobile number is [………………………………]. Mv email address is garciainuk@email.uk. Saleswoman: How old are you and your future [………………………………]? Student: I’m 19. My friends are 19 and 20. Saleswoman: And are you all male? Student: Yes. Saleswoman: [………………………………]? Student: No Saleswoman: OK. How much would you be prepared to pay altogether? Student: We heard that [………………………………]to [………………………………]pounds a month would be possible Saleswoman: Yes, that’s about right. Accommodation in this town is below the [………………………………]for the country as a whole. I’d [………………………………]something closer to [………………………………], since the lower-paid accommodation can be rather poor quality. Student: Yes. It’s important to feel good in a home. We intend to move in at the beginning of July. We’ve all got [………………………………]over the summer holiday. Saleswoman: That’s good. A lot of landlords will offer a small [………………………………]if they know that you’ll be there [………………………………]the year. I think we’ll find something decent for around [………………………………]a month. I should point out that utilities are not included. Student: I understand. We expected that. By the way, we understand that you will charge us a fee for [………………………………]accommodation. Is that correct? Saleswoman: Yes, it is. We charge vou half a month’s rent and the [………………………………]half a month’s rent. That includes the cost of [………………………………]a rental agreement. All our landlords require a deposit of a month’s rent, payable with the first month’s rent upon [………………………………]the agreement. Student: That’s fine. Saleswoman: Now, I’ll just write down the kind of place you’re looking for. I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Do you have any other [………………………………]? Student: Er … Let me think for a minute. Oh, of course-how could I forgetl It must be [………………………………]. We don’t mind buying kitchen [………………………………]. A TV-ves. we’ll need that. We don’t need a video or [………………………………]. Oh. and a washing machine. That’s essential, as is an Internet connection. I presume all the accommodation you offer has a cooker? Saleswoman: Yes. You don’t have to worry about that. Do you prefer a bath or a shower? Student: We would prefer to have a shower, but we’re not [………………………………]about that. Saleswoman: Right then. I’ll send you details of three or four of the most suitable [………………………………]later today by email. Then you can let me know whether you’d like to see any of the properties or whether you’d prefer to see details of some others. Thank you for dropping by, Mr Garcia. SECTION 2 Interviewer: What was your holiday [………………………………]and how did you hear about it? Interviewee: My holiday location was Waiwera, in New Zealand. It is a [………………………………]spa resort. I was there last year with my parents, my sister and a couple of friends of my parents. My father and my little sister, who [………………………………]the medical problems from my father, need to go to a thermal spa every year for [………………………………]. They used to go to the Polynesian Spa in Rotorua, another famous [………………………………]in New Zealand, but last year they decided that they [………………………………]a change, I had never gone with them to a spa because I [………………………………]to spend my holiday at home or go to other places, but last year when they changed the [………………………………]I decided to go with them. I also decided to go because my sister really wanted me to go with her. Mv parents found out about this location from some of the people they met in [………………………………]. These people said that they were more [………………………………]with the accommodation and [………………………………]at the Waiwera spa, so my parents were [………………………………]and when they returned home they asked me to search on the Internet for some [………………………………]. They were [………………………………]with the information I found and it was then that they decided to plan a trip there. Interviewer: So you went with your family and your parents’ friends. Interviewee: Yes. I travelled with my parents, my little sister and some family friends with their [………………………………], so that altogether we were [………………………………]. I was lucky because in the other family there was a bov one year older than me so I had someone to pass the time with and have some fun. There were a lot of [………………………………]people and kids at the spa town, so I was happy that he was with me. We had similar [………………………………]. It’s good to be with someone with your own age when you are on holiday. Interviewer: How much time did you spend finding out information about this spa? Interviewee: I didn’t spend so much time searching for the information because the spa has [………………………………]that was easy to find. We wanted some more information that wasn’t on the website, [………………………………]about how to get there, but we went to a travel [………………………………]and they gave us the information that we didn’t have and made there the [………………………………]for all of us. Interviewer: Can you tell us the thing you like most at the spa? Interviewee: There were so many things that I liked there. I [………………………………]liked the accommodation. We stayed at the Waiwera Holiday Inn which is situated right on the beach. It offers [………………………………] sea views. I think that I will never forget it. Interviewer: Were there any things that you were not [………………………………]with? Interviewee: I think that the bad side of this [………………………………]was that there were so many old people and many many children. Luckily, there were some play areas for children and they stayed there most of the time. How was your room? Did you have everything you needed? Yes we had everything we needed. Everything was comfortable and the [………………………………]were great so I have nothing to complain about. Did you make any new friends? Are you still in touch? Everyone was very gentle and warm. They really made a good [………………………………]. When we needed some help they were very [………………………………]and I felt great. I’m still in touch with the son of my parents’ friends. Interviewer: How did you spend your time? Did you participate in any [………………………………]activities? Interviewee: I don’t have any medical problems like my father and sister, but I still went to the [………………………………]. There were a lot of recreational activities to enjoy if we wanted. For example, I played golf because there was a [………………………………]course. Basketball and [………………………………]were also available, but we couldn’t get enough people together for two proper teams. I also went to swim and I also went [………………………………]diving on the reef not far from the hotel. There was a small group of us with an instructor. It was truly amazing. I cannot [………………………………]in words how I felt down there. It was like I was in paradise. SECTION 3 Tutor: So, you have all told me that you have been having difficulties with taking part in [………………………………]discussions. I’ve invited you here to see if we can come up with some [………………………………]and solutions. Sometimes talking about these things can be [………………………………]. Mika, you said that you think speaking and listening [………………………………]are related. Mika: Yes, it was really difficult because basically I… I wasn’t good at listening during [………………………………]. You know, you need to understand what is going on so if you miss some things that people say it's very difficult to [………………………………]the topic. Also, when the tutor asked me a question sometimes I couldn't [………………………………]the question and I was answering by making a guess about what he was asking. Usually, the result was thet he said something like I think you didn't understand my question, which was quite [………………………………]for me. Tutor: Martina, have you personally had many difficulties taking part in discussion? Martina: Oh, yes. Definitely. Especially at the very beginning of the course. In terms of speaking, I think I fell that the students, when they talk in class, there is no end to the [………………………………]. They sometimes talk continously [………………………………]of whether you raise a hand. However, they will usually stop and let you speak if you just [………………………………]someone. At the beginning I think I was trying to adapt to this kind of [………………………………]or classroom chemistry. It was also difficult because of my [………………………………]ability At the beginning students, especially native speaker students, well, their english is, well I don’t need to comment about their English but the speed and the [………………………………]of their English made interaction or [………………………………],… I mean interruption, very difficult for students like me, like us, [………………………………]speakers. One thing I learnt to try and do is to think and try to [………………………………]where the discussion might go, so that when, for example, they talk about something, you know, like,… when they talk about for example how children think, I can get some ideas in my mind and then I can join in. Before, by the time I had [………………………………]all my thoughts and was ready to join in, the [………………………………]had moved on. So, Basically, I think it [………………………………]you to think quickly and think ahead if you want to join in. Tutor: Michal, have you done anything to try and improve to participate in such discussions? Michal: I think I have. For example, now, I have more discussion with my [………………………………]outside the classroom and talk with them about some of the questions raised in the [………………………………]. If you ask [………………………………]about your concerns, they listen to you very carefully and they pay [………………………………]to the issue in future senimars. They also try to, how do you say it in English?…catch your eye and see if you are ready to make a comment. If you are, they [………………………………]the native speakers and … what’s the other [………………………………]? … give you the floor. That’s it. Tutors are very good at [………………………………]all people in the room, but you have to let them know you want to speak. Eve contact and body language can be useful. Tutor: Martina, with regards to speaking in discussions what advice would you give to another student coming to study in England? Martina: Be polite when you discuss something or argue something. Don’t be [………………………………]. Just be polite and argue in a [………………………………]way and if you say something wrong, just admit it. English students don’t mind if you make a [………………………………], and you should admit it and then continue the [………………………………]or discussion. If I have really good idea or previous knowledge about the subject under discussion, my view is respected, but if I don’t have anything to say about the topic, that’s not good, so I advise the students from [………………………………]to be prepared and to be polite. It’s a good chance for you to talk and share. Take it. Tutor: Mika, what advice would you give to [………………………………]students about how to prepare for discussion activities? Mika: If you … if you want to improve your English [………………………………]it takes some time. You must be realistic. You cannot make a quick [………………………………]easily, but what vou can do immediately is to have enough [………………………………]on that subject. If you have enough knowledge, for example if you know technical terms, you can … there is a much higher [………………………………]that you will understand the content of the seminar. You can also help yourself by using your English outside [………………………………]. If you make some friends from your seminar groups, you will also find that they like to discuss, er, discuss topics with you in the seminars. So that’s the [………………………………]I would give. I agree with Martina about being prepared before the [………………………………]. I find that English students are very interested in how things are done, or [………………………………], in other countries. However, they can be [………………………………]if vou take too long to express yourself. Tutor: Well, thank you very much. I hope that’s given you a few ideas. Now, there is something else I can suggest… SECTION 4 Lecturer: Hello, everybody and thank you for coming. I know that you’re all very busy at this time but I hope that by coining to this talk you’ll at least get some useful information for when you go to study [………………………………]. Well, today I want to talk about the effect of [………………………………]on learning style; that is, how a learner’s culture might impact on his or her [………………………………]to study. I want to begin by looking at some basic cultural [………………………………]and how these affert teaching ,ạnd learning. I’ll then go on to present [………………………………]which shows that, approaches to learning which are [………………………………]in one culture may not be acceptable in ạnọther. If you have any questions I’d be happy to answer them at the end of the talk. Now, I want to start by introducing the two concepts. They are actually [………………………………]concepts, these are, conserving and [………………………………]cultures. What do these terms mean? Experts have [………………………………]cultures as being either basically conserving or [………………………………]in their attitude to the [………………………………]of knowledge. Let me give you an example to try to make this clear. A good example of a conserving cultural attitude is [………………………………]by most Arabic cultures. Here there is the [………………………………]to learn the holy book–the Koran-by heart. This Hpmands a huge effort of [………………………………], as you can imagine. The way the Koran is learnt [………………………………]on the way other subjects are learnt [………………………………]. It might also have an effect on learners’ perception of what [………………………………]an acceptable teaching style. By this I mean that the [………………………………]acceptance of the messages in the Koran and the [………………………………]and repetition necessary to memorise those messages are [………………………………]to the learning of school subjects and to the expectations students have on teachers. That’s Arab culture. Let’s turn now to Chinese culture. There is evidence to [………………………………]that Chinese culture is conserving in nature. For example, keeping quiet in the classroom, listening to the teacher, not talking to other stridents, nọt [………………………………]; these tend to characterise the Chinese classroom. As a result, Chinese learners do not develop [………………………………]skills as quickly as, thẹịr American [………………………………]. American students tend to be [………………………………]encouraged to question their teachers, their [………………………………]and to interact with other classmates. However, I have to say-in the interests of [………………………………]-that Chinese students tend to work with greater [………………………………]-but this is not the point I’m trying to make. The point is that some cultures display a conserving attitude to teaching and learning, while others display a more [………………………………]attitude to learning. Now, the [………………………………]and non-interactive styles of learning encouraged, for example, in Arab and Chinese cultures may [………………………………]learners, at least initially, when they [………………………………]from secondary school to university. Why is this? Well, it’s because universities [………………………………]are increasingly adopting- with a few local [………………………………]-the Western requirement for students to show argumentation skills in written assignments and effective [………………………………]skills in tutorials and [………………………………]. In other words, the world model for university teaching and learning is now the Western model, the [………………………………]model if you like. Now, of course, students from conserving [………………………………]who go on to study in an extending culture will obviously need to adapt to a different learning style to [………………………………]to the new conditions. This, [………………………………], can often prove to be a painful process. However, such learners are able to make the transition quite successfully with [………………………………]from academic staff and a lot of [………………………………]from their own part to “unlearn” or dismantle the study- related [………………………………]and strategies acquired in their own cultures. Let me give you some examples from real life to try to [………………………………]this issue. I’ve put these on slides. Now, let’s look at the comments made by three Asian students who found the Western university system of teaching and learning very different from their previous experience. If you just look at the screen-I’ve put these [………………………………]on slides … as I said. This is what a Chinese [………………………………]from Shanghai studying at an Australian university had to say: “Generally many of us are trained in a system where you don’t contribute much to classroom [………………………………]; some students even hesitate to ask questions from lecturers.11 Here’s what a Master’s student from Japan studying at an English university in London had to say: “In Japanese [………………………………]and education the [………………………………]on training seems to be on intuition rather than logical construction of arguments. This makes it much harder to study at my British University.” Finally, let’s take a look at the [………………………………]by an Indian [………………………………]student studying at an American university: “One problem was getting used to the American system where a student is expected to find out for herself or himself the [………………………………]and facilities of the University. This [………………………………]with the system at home whereby a person, generally the lecturer or [………………………………], is responsible for the needs of the student. To sum up, then, there is certainly evidence to show that the cultural values of a society [………………………………]the way that society’s educational [………………………………]function and how the teaching in them is carried out. While ensuring the [………………………………]of cultural identity and [………………………………], the existence of culturally – [………………………………]patterns of teaching and learning means that individual learning style-the way a learner would prefer to learn-is largely ignored in classrooms around the world. Well, that’s all I want to say for the [………………………………]– I hope you’ll find what I’ve said interesting and useful when you go overseas to study. Are there any questions? Practice every day to improve your IELTS listening skills. Don’t forget to visit IELTS Material website on a daily basis to find more practice tests for every skill in the IELTS Test.  | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Diligent – Word Of The Day For IELTS Posted: 27 Oct 2016 12:46 AM PDT Diligent – Word Of The Day For IELTS Speaking And WritingDiligent: (Adjective) /ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/ Definition:someone who is diligent works hard and is careful and thorough Synonyms:Industrious, Hard-working, Studious Example:For IELTS Speaking:. For IELTS Writing: Exercise:Choose the following words to fill in the blank: achieving, obtained, compute, instituted, diligent, residents, evaluated, assisted, primary, site.
Answer key:
Check out Vocabulary for IELTS Speaking & Writing on IELTS Material website to improve your vocabulary for IELTS and get a high score in IELTS.  | ||||||||||||||||||||
| IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD 62, TOPIC: A VEHICLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO OWN Posted: 26 Oct 2016 05:47 PM PDT IELTS CUE CARD 62Describe a vehicle you would like to own or something expensive you would like to buy. You should say:
Band 8.0+ Sample AnswerRegarding the fact that I am crazy about exploring the spaces, I have to say if I was a billionaire and had an enormous amount of money, I would probably buy a spaceship for my own exploration adventures. The main reason accounting for this intention is that ever since I was a kid, I have always held a strong yearning for becoming an astronaut. Therefore, having my own personal spacecraft would give me the opportunity to fulfill my childhood's dream. There is a myriad of purposes for my spacecraft, one of them is that I would use my spacecraft to visit other planets in the outer space and maybe one day I could find a habitable place for people. This certainly would be a great discovery for human being especially when The Earth is currently flooded by trash and contaminants. In addition, since photography is one of my hobbies, it would be fantastic to take pictures of different celestial bodies from the space. Although this may sound crazy, I think with remarkable innovations in science, a spacecraft would become affordable for people in the years to come. Vocabulary:
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| IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD 61, TOPIC: A SONG YOU ENJOY LISTENING Posted: 26 Oct 2016 05:23 PM PDT IELTS CUE CARD 61Describe your favorite song. You should say: – What is the song about? Band 8.0+ Sample AnswerHonestly speaking, for the most part, I would probably say that I have a great passion for listening to music and indeed I have listened like thousands of songs so far. However, if I have to pick out a song that I like the most, I would probably choose the song Million Years Ago by Adele. By gorgeous lyrics and melody, it's like a piece of cake for Adele to make me addicted to this song. A significant feature that I should mention is the song’s meaningful content. It is a regretful calling inside an adult who has born his soul on the way of growing up and earning his stripes. Every now and then I feel he is so desperate that he could do anything to escape the cycle of his life but after all he can't afford to do so. The reason why I am so fond of this song has something to do with the fact that it provokes so many beautiful memories from my childhood. Although this song is a sad song, it opens my eyes to many things in life, one of them is that you should not take anything for granted, even the simplest one, try to live to your fullest so that one day you would not have to regret that much about the journey that you have been through. Fairly speaking, Million Years Ago is a really good songs for self – reflecting especially when you find yourself lost in the super busy world nowadays. Vocabulary
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