Уже завтра! Извлекаем максимум из аудио-книг.

Сегодня поговорим о вопросе, который мне задают 90% желающих изучать английский. Вот простой пример (из имейла):

"Добрый день! У меня продвинутый уровень владения английским, читать могу любые тексты. Аудирование гораздо хуже, а говорить очень тяжело. Что мне делать"?

Задаю встречный вопрос: "А какие упражнения Вы выполняете для развития навыков говорения"?

Тест по английскому произношению - 2

На прошлой неделе я предложила Вам пройти тест на произношение, а именно, на Ваш уровень понимания разговорной речи. Тем, у кого не было времени прослушать полутораминутный диктант, рекомендую сделать это прямо сейчас (ссылка здесь)! 

Умение произносить английские звуки в изоляции, в отдельных словах и даже в скороговорках совершенно не гарантирует, что Вы начнете воспринимать и воспроизводить беглую речь. В связной речи существуют свои принципы соединений слов и сочетаний (обычно учащиеся называют это "глотанием" звуков, как будто в правильной речи звуки не "проглатываются"). На самом деле, связная речь невозможна без изменения звучания некоторых звукосочетаний. Давайте рассмотрим эти принципы и потом разберем это на примерах.

Test your pronunciation: can you understand a fluent speech?

"The remote-controlled car is finally here. The all-new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze."

My husband and I watched this quite entertaining commercial. It's catchy, fun, and surprisingly, quite educational. It showed to me that I sometimes cannot switch my brain off even when I'm relaxed and watching my favorite show. Somehow I end up thinking how to use this commercial for teaching. Watch it and then complete the gaps below. This particular commercial has a number of short conversational forms that you will hear in everyday English.

Present Tenses in Action

Today you will have a chance to see the English Present Tenses in Action.

There are several forms of Present Tenses:

Present Continuous indicates that an action is in progress, in a state of change, or in the nearest (planned) future.

Present Simple describes an action that never changes, always stays the same, repeats itself and points to future events as reflected in schedules and curricular.

Anywhere but Here: Mona Simpson's novel and movie

image from wikipedia.org

Some time ago I wrote about Mona Simpson, the sister of Steve Jobs, who is currently a renown novelist. Mona Simpson's books are a great read. Quite simply, Simpson writes about American life and American dreams. 

"Anywhere but Here" is a 1999 American drama film, and it was one of the most significant ones in the career of a young, budding actress Natalie Portman. The screenplay for this movie was based on Mona Simpson's novel with the same name.

Divided by the Same Parents: Steve Jobs and Mona Simpson

The news about Steve Jobs's passing after a long battle with cancer has captured the attention of millions worldwide. His co-workers have posted a tribute to their inspiring leader and visionary stating that "Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built." Immediately after the news became public millions of people have flooded social networks with their responses, condolences, and memories.

130. Cheaper by the dozen? Is it 12 or 10? Fun word study.

The word "dozen" is rather a common word in English. It literally means 12, which we would most likely translate into Russian as "дюжина". Whenever you go to a store you will most likely buy a dozen or half a dozen of eggs, then you will call "a dozen of your friends" to invite them to a party where you'll watch half a dozen of movies a night (well, almost)! This same term might refer to an approximate number of items or people, for example: I've met dozens of new doctors at this party. 

128. Invictus by William Henley

Работая сегодня над уроком о жизни легендарного Нельсона Манделы, я просмотрела трейлер к фильму Invictus. Мое внимание привлек отрывок стихотворения, которое актер Морган Фримэн декламирует в самом начале фильма. Позже я узнала, что это - работа пера английского поэта и литературного критика 19-го века Вильяма Эрнеста Хенли (William Ernest Henley). В возрасте 12-ти лет Вильяму поставили диагноз "туберкулез кости". После нескольких лет борьбы с прогрессирующей болезнью, врачи приняли решение ампутировать ногу до колена.

127. Nobel Prize Winners: Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandala was born in 1918 and is known around the world as a very prominent social, anti-apartheid activist, the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize winner, the first democratically elected president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. His anti-apartheid involvement cost him his freedom as in 1962 he was sentenced to life imprisonment on a number of charges, including sabotage. He spent 18 out of 27 years of his imprisonment on Robben Island, then was released in 1990. Upon his release he led his party in negotiations towards establishing multiracial democracy in South Africa.

112. The Benefits of Tea Drinking

What's your favorite tea? I enjoy "Graf Orlov" (see the image below), the fragrant black tea with saffron, cornflower, black and red current, raspberry, and strawberry, which tastes slightly tart, but has a great effect on my body. I sometimes wonder why we prefer certain teas over others. From my perspective, it all has to do with the memories that a particular taste of tea brings back. Some teas remind me of my parents' home and friends, long talks into the night and a life in Ukraine.

106b. People of England: King George VI

George VI was King of the UK and its Dominions from December 11, 1936 until his death in 1952. Being the second son of King George V, he was not considered immediate heir to the throne. His elder brother, Edward VIII, was expected to continue dynasty, but abdicated the throne to marry Ms. Wallis Simpson, an American, twice divorced, of very obscure past and no royal descent. Despite the counsel from the family against this marriage, Edward made a resolute decision to pursue Wallis Simpson rather than the throne, leaving his brother, George, in charge of all the country's affairs.

104. Frank Abagnale tops the list of 10 most infamous conmen

Have you ever met a conman?* A conman is a swindler who exploits the confidence of his victim. Have you ever fallen prey to the cunning schemes of such a scammer? In Russian we would call this person Остап Бендер (Ostap Bender), named after a famous character from Ilf and Petrov's books. Let us not think, however, that such conmen are only a product of Odessa. There are people like that living all over the world, and one of them, an American, was not only able to cheat money out of thousands of people and be on a payroll at the jobs for which he had never been trained, but after all his courts, jail sentences and escapes, was approached by the FBI with an offer to start working for a government service! Talk about American dream...

102. Intermediate Listening: Norah Jones

Norah Jones (real name Geethali Norah Jones Shankar) was born in 1979 in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, and concert producer Sue Jones. She started her career of a performer at her church where she sang in the choir. Apart from singing, she took piano lessons and played the alto saxophone when she attended high school. Before becoming a recording artist at the beginning of the 21st century Norah Jones was a lounge singer performing with a number of well-known artists. Her debut album, Come Away With Me (released in 2002) was praised for the skillful blending of acoustic pop with soul and jazz. Don't Know Why (one of the most famous singles from her first record) became #1 hit on the Top 40 adult recurrents in 2003 and received 5 awards.

98. Intermediate Listening: Burnistoun S1E5 - Google Health Care

Nowadays a lot of people go online to seek additional information regarding their health. The video below is a caricature of how Google might help you find out your diagnosis. Watch the video and read the transcript below. The accent is Scottish, so you may find it different and might need to tune your ear a bit, so make sure you listen to it multiple times. Enjoy!

Listen to the skit and read along at the same time:

91. Intermediate Listening: Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones

Today's story is about a very famous African-American opera singer of the 1800s, Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones, or Mme [madam] Jones, as she preferred to be called. Mme Jones was not afraid to be herself and pursued a career that in her day and age was simply impossible for a person of color to achieve. Yet her love for singing and her dedication to pursuing what is right has made her career noticeable and an example for many. Watch the video and complete the assignments below:

81. Intermediate Listening: Eva Cassidy - Autumn Leaves

The beauituful voice of Eva Cassidy performing "Autumn Leaves" by Johnny Mercer (lyrics) and Joseph Kosma (music) seems to penetrate through your skin, the sound of guitar welling your eyes with tears. Eva Cassidy died in 1996 of cancer, a 33-year-old leaving behind a legacy of moving songs like these. Even though we are in the middle of winter, listen to this song and simply enjoy. The exercises are in the comments line.

80. Intermediate Listening: Social Network Movie Trailer

79. Intermediate Listening: Dear John Movie Trailer

78. Intermediate listening: Tips on Clothing styles: How to wear a shirt

77. Intermediate Listening: Tips on Clothing style: Mismatching outfits