Ресурсы по английскому языку: упражнения, тексты, советы

Продолжим обзор сетевых ресурсов, посвященных английскому языку. Сегодня на повестке сборники различных упражнений по различным тематикам:

http://www.learning-english-online.net/ — от заданий на Present Simple до цельного курса начального уровня, включая материалы для аудирования и письменных упражнений. Студентам уровней intermediate и advanced предлагаются для изучения более или менее адаптированные тексты, посвященные странам, в которых говорят на английском, аудиокниги и цитаты известных людей.

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/index.html — видео-уроки и интерактивные упражнения по английской грамматике. Задания также доступны в формате .pdf, что существенно облегчает их подготовку к использованию в классе.

http://www.ego4u.com/en/ — еще один сборник упражнений — от форм глагола to be до структуры формальных писем (http://www.ego4u.com/en/business-english/communication/generator?offer — отличный, кстати, помощник в их написании).

http://www.really-learn-english.com/ — огромное количество материалов для студентов и преподавателей: видео-уроки, упражнения, советы, теория…

http://www.language-worksheets.com/Elementary.html — неинтерактивыне упражнения для детей.

http://www.e-grammar.org/ — как интерактивные, так и готовые к распечатке упражнения.

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English Central

В прошлый раз мы рассказывали о несложных интернет-играх для изучения новых английских слов, сегодня же обратим ваше внимание на мощный ресурс, предлагающий полноценные курсы для улучшения произношения и увеличения словарного запаса.

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Итак, на English Central вы найдете огромное количество видеофайлов — иногда собранных в полноценные курсы, иногда — нет, но всегда в сопровождении расшифровок, упражнений и словарных статей по каждому использованному в клипе слову. После просмотра видео и выполнения упражнений вы примените полученные знания на практике и проверите свое произношение — а система подскажет, каким звукам стоит уделить особое внимание. Да, здесь скорее американский вариант произношения, но изучать язык со Стивом Джобсом и Мартином Лютером Кингом, не выходя из дома, — не худший вариант, не правда ли? Преподаватели же могут использовать материалы сайта для домашних заданий и как основу для дальнейший обсуждений в классе.

Резюмируя, скажем, что English Central — мощный многофункциональный ресурс для улучшения уровня владения английским языком, который можно использовать как отдельно, так и совместно с иными курсами.

Лексика. Английский язык. Телефонный разговор

Useful telephone vocabulary in English. secretary


Making contact :
  • Hello / Good morning / Good afternoon …
  • This is John Brown speaking
  • Could I speak to ……… please?
  • I’d like to speak to ….. …..
  • I’m trying to contact ……….
Giving more information:
  • I’m calling from Tokyo / Paris / New York / Sydney …
  • I’m calling on behalf of Mr. X …
Taking a call :
  • X speaking.
  • Can I help you?
Asking for a name / information :
  • Who’s calling please?
  • Who’s speaking?
  • Where are you calling from?
  • Are you sure you have the right number / name?
Asking the caller to wait :
  • Hold the line please.
  • Could you hold on please?
  • Just a moment please.
Connecting :
  • Thank you for holding.
  • The line’s free now … I’ll put you through.
  • I’ll connect you now  / I’m connecting you now.
Giving negative information:
  • I’m afraid the line’s engaged. Could you call back later?
  • I’m afraid he’s in a meeting at the moment.
  • I’m sorry. He’s out of the office today. /
    He isn’t in at the moment.
  • I’m afraid we don’t have a Mr./Mrs./Ms/Miss. … here
  • I’m sorry.  There’s nobody here by that name.
  • Sorry.  I think you’ve dialed the wrong number./
    I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong number.
Telephone problems :
  • The line is very bad …  Could you speak up please?
  • Could you repeat that please?
  • I’m afraid I can’t hear you.
  • Sorry. I didn’t catch that.  Could you say it again please?
Leaving /
Taking a message :
  • Can I leave / take a message?
  • Would you like to leave a message?
  • Could you give him/her a message?
  • Could you ask him/her to call me back?
  • Could you tell him/her that I called?
  • Could you give me your name please?
  • Could you spell that please?
  • What’s your number please?

Business English. Text (Intermediate)

Small company vs large corporation Big-Vs-Small

When I worked for a large corporation I was convinced that it was the best way to get ahead in my professional career. Years later I worked for a much smaller business, and was then convinced that a smaller organization was definitely best for me. It is only now that I look back on both of those experiences and realize that there really is no definite answer.

I realized over time that there are many positives and negatives as well as many drawbacks to both. It all comes down to your personal preference and where you feel the most comfortable.

I loved the feeling of prestige when I worked for a large multinational company. It had a fantastic and respected name in the business world, and I imagined people would think to themselves, “Wow, he works for so and so… that’s amazing.” In reality, however, I found that I was just another number amongst the hundreds of people I worked with. Although the multinational offered large resources, growth opportunity, greater benefits and a chance to travel, I continuously felt like a small fish in a big pond. The opportunities were there to succeed, but how long was that going to take?

The small company on the other hand had a far friendlier feel to it. I found that my co-workers were not constantly competing with each other on a day to day basis by trying to get ahead. I enjoyed having several roles to fulfill and looked forward to the fact that each day was different than the next. Instead of feeling like the small fish in the big pond, I felt that I was the big fish in the small pond and that my contributions were greatly valued. With less hierarchy and fewer processes, I felt that less time was wasted during the day.  On the negative side, this small business was unable to offer the many perks and benefits that were available when working for a larger company.

Overall, you need to find the right niche for you. If you enjoy the smaller working environment where your co-workers are family-like and your schedule is much more flexible with less hierarchy, a smaller company could very well be the vehicle that serves you best. If you enjoy great benefits, opportunities to grow and a diverse culture, a larger organization could be right for you.

Good Luck!

 

Текст. Job Interview Skills (Intermediate level)

When you’re job hunting, you need the right skills, education, and experience. Take a look at the following list. Don’t be freaked out by the length. Read through it. Think about how you rate on each item and how you could improve. It could be the best thing you ever do for your job hunt.

1.      Energy. Humans are drawn to energetic people because energy is contagious. Job interviewers are human.

2.      Good manners. Dressing appropriately, maintaining eye contact, waiting to sit until your interviewer is seated—these things all show respect for the person and the situation.

3.      Maturity. Mature people know how to focus on the needs of others. Immature people are just wrapped up in themselves. Employers really prefer the first one.

4.      Judgment. When interviewers start questions with “tell me about a time when you,” that’s your opening to bring up examples of when you showed excellent judgment.

5.      Problem-solving skills. The “tell me about a time” question is also an opportunity to talk about how you effectively approach problems.

6.      Loyalty. Employers seek candidates who can demonstrate loyalty to something—a cause, colleagues, a company, your profession.

7.      Cheerful nature. A positive attitude, a smile, and an easygoing attitude tell an employer you will be a pleasure to have around. That’s important.

8.      Good health. Employers need to believe that you can physically do the job. If you have visible health issues, you might consider think how to talk about them.

9.      Financial responsibility. Lots of jobs involve a credit check. So if you have a problem in this area, start working now to fix it!

10. Demonstration that you finish what you start. This is one reason many employers require a college degree. If you don’t have one, look for other examples of your stick-to-it-iveness.

11. Follow-through. Not quite the same as #10. Follow-through is a habit of mind highly valued at most companies. A good example is writing a thank-you note after the interview.

12. Demonstration of an ability to go above and beyond. Employers dream about these kinds of employees. Think of a time you’ve shown this quality and find a way to talk about it.

13. Ability to handle criticism. When interviewers ask about “your greatest weakness,” they want to see that you’re capable of recognizing you do have weaknesses, and that you’re willing to put in the work to correct them.

14. Ability to cooperate with others. Be nice to receptionists/assistants/colleagues. Show that you would be an asset to the team.

15. Intelligence. For example, in interviews, employers notice how well you appear to understand questions and whether you answer them clearly, in complete sentences, using reasonably good grammar.

16. Demonstration that you know something about the employer’s business. Perfectly understandable. At least it should be.

17. A career line that makes sense. Learn to talk about your career in a way that shows you have a plan. Ideally, you’ll be able to show continuous improvement.

18. Long-term goals and objectives. What you want to do here demonstrates that you are a thoughtful person with goals. It ties in with #18.

19. Solid, thought-through reasons for leaving past jobs. Even if you’ve had 10 jobs in the past six years, it doesn’t have to hurt you if you can show good smart reasons for why.

20. Punctuality. The reason you need to be on time for interviews is that this is the employer’s first clue that you can meet a deadline.

21. Under pressure. Can you still perform when the going gets tough? Think of examples from your personal and work life, and try to work them into the interview.

22. Flexibility/adaptability. Interviewers sometimes ask an unexpected or even “crazy” question just to see how you react. This is a time to be at your most cool-headed.

23. Some evidence of achievement and commitment in your personal life. Employers ask about your hobbies and passions as a way of getting to know you, and because they like to see some success here, too.

Source

Текст. Business English (Intermediate level)

10 Tips to Help Get Over Your Fear of Presentations 10 tips

People often have a fear of presentations. Perhaps it is because they are afraid of not doing well or simply because they are afraid of large crowds. Here are ten tips to help you get over your fear of presentations.

1. Make sure to always remind yourself that you are an expert. It will make a presentation easier for you when you pretend that you are the best expert out there. Remind yourself that you are a professional in the field and that you know what you are doing and you know what you are talking about. This will help you feel more secure when doing a number of presentations.

2. Make sure to always dress professionally when doing presentations. When you dress professionally then it will help you stay in the mode of being professional. You feel better about yourself since you are dressed professionally. People generally tend to act more professionally when they are dressed professionally.

3. Try to memorize the words that you want to say and other steps involved in the presentation. You can memorize what you want to say and know exactly the order of each step in the presentation. You want to be able to know what to say word per word without having to look at an index card.

4. Try to keep the presentation interesting to everyone. You want people to be interested in hearing, watching, and listening to what you to have to say or show. You want them to view you as an expert. You can ask people if they have any questions regarding the presentation. Always be prepared to answer their questions.

5. Always be prepared to answer questions. People expect you to know the answers regarding products or projects. They want to know that you know what you are talking about. They need to know that you are very informed with knowledge about the subject that you talk about in your presentations.

6. Remember that the people at the presentation aren’t your enemies. Don’t be afraid of them. They are there to be educated and learn something new from you.

7. The more presentations you do the more comfortable you will become. You will probably actually enjoy doing presentations after a few experiences. You will become more confident each time that you do a presentation.

8. Make sure to give out business cards. Depending upon what type of presentation it is. Business cards show people that you are serious about it.

9. Make sure to give out freebies. It will help make you more confident in you since people will talk about the freebies that they received such as a free pen or whichever and they will remember your presentation. They will think of you as an expert and remember your presentation whenever they use the freebies.

10. Don’t quit doing presentations. The more presentations you do the more people realize that you are very good at what you do.

Бизнес-лексика. Упражнение. Вставьте слова

Provide, bookcase, phone number, mobile phone, factory,  desk, wall, responsible, projector,  screen, weekend, meeting, conversation, printer

Note that the words are in their 1st form.

Hey! My ______________ doesn’t work! I can’t print the documents!

I can’t talk now, I am on the ______________.

Our __________ can be very easy and fast or hard and long….

What does he plan to do this ______________?

Do you have a room with _____________ . I would like to show you my presentation.

Your TV-___________ is so dirty. Clean it, please!

She is ___________ for her job, and this is her problem.

The contract is on my ___________. You need to sign it.

We paint the _________ in light-pink colour. I also want to hang some photos on it.

Our company __________ technical equipment for chemical __________.

He has got a new ________. I think it’s IPhone.

The folder you need is in the __________ in the corner.

He doesn’t have his boss’s ____________.

Ответы: printer, meeting, conversation, weekend, projector, screen, responsible, desk, wall, provides, factories, mobile phone, bookcase, phone number.