Author Archives: Set Education

Thông thường có hai dạng thi IELTS – dạng Học thuật và dạng Tổng quát. Điểm khác biệt chính giữa hai hình thức thi này là các bài đọc trong phần thi dạng Tổng quát có tính thực tế và liên quan nhiều hơn đến cuộc sống hàng ngày.

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1) Clip 1: General Training Reading 

2) Clip 2: Vocabulary Exercise

3) Printable Documents

a) Notes for Study

IELTS Tip

Practise skimming and scanning to make your reading more efficient. This will also help to build your confidence.

Remember you do not need to know the meaning of every word to answer a question. Use the context to help you with the meaning of an unknown word.

GENERAL TRAINING READING

The IELTS General Training Reading module consists of three sections with 12 – 14 questions in each. There are 40 questions in total to answer in 60 minutes. This means finding the answer in 1.5 minutes. No extra time is given to transfer answers so it is important to write them directly onto the answer sheet.

The number of reading passages and text types used in each section of the test vary.

Question Types

There is a variety of question types used in each section and may include any of the following:

• matching paragraphs with headings

• multiple choice

• short answer

• summary completion

• sentence completion

• true, false, not given/yes, no, not given (no information)

• matching lists/phrases

• classification

• table/flow chart completion

• labelling a diagram

These question types test a variety of reading comprehension skills including:

• scanning

• skimming

• previewing

• identifying main ideas

• understanding the relationship between words (synonyms, opposites, linking words)

The notes below look at some question types, general training text types and practice tasks. The Reading Passages can be found in the Activity Sheet for this episode.

Text Type:                            Section 1 – Advertisement

Reading Passage:             CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Question Type:                   Short Answers

Short answer questions test your ability to locate specific information in a text and are typical of a section one reading passage.

These are generally Wh-type questions.

There is not enough time in the test to read the texts closely and answer all the questions required. So, it is important to use skills and strategies to help you answer the questions quickly and accurately.

Here are some skills and strategies to use for answering short answer type questions effectively and efficiently.

Text Type:                            Section 2 – Job Description

Reading Passage:             Office Manager

Question Type:                   Multiple Choice

Multiple choice questions test your understanding of main ideas or specific details, usually factual information. Three or four alternative answers are given but only one of these provides true or factual information. The other choices may be partly correct or not refer to any of the information in the passage.

There are two types of multiple choice questions:

• question followed by 3-4 options

• unfinished statement followed by 3-4 options

Here are some skills and strategies to use for answering multiple choice questions quickly and accurately.

Text Type:                            Section 2 – Job Description

Reading Passage:             OFFICE MANAGER

Question Type:                   True, False, Not Given/Yes, No, Not Given

These questions test your ability to identify and understand factual information or a writer’s point of view. You need to decide whether a statement is true or false according to the information in the reading passage, or whether there is no information at all relating to the statement in the passage.

When practising these task types use the following skills and strategies to improve speed and accuracy.

Text Type:                            Section 2 – Job Description

Reading Passage:             OFFICE MANAGER

Question Type:                   Sentence Completion

Sentence completion requires you to fill in a gap with up to three words and/or a number from the passage.

Practise using the following skills and strategies when answering sentence completion questions.

b) Learning Activities

Practise and consolidate your learning about the General Reading Test by completing our activities. Remember to refer to the Study Notes for this episode if you need help.

The answers for all activities are on the last page.

ACTIVITY 1

Use the skills and strategies for short answer questions to answer questions 1-6 below which are based on Reading Passage Section 1: CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, that's on the following page.

SECTION 1

Questions 1-6

Look at the index for career opportunities in the given newspaper excerpt on the following page and answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the reading passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

1. In which newspaper are the jobs advertised?

2. On what page can you find a job in the travel industry?

3. What is the deadline for placing an ad for the Saturday and Sunday edition?

4. Which number can you ring to place an ad without being charged for the call?

5. On what page can you find a job for a computer analyst?

6. What is the method of payment for placing an ad?

READING PASSSAGE – SECTION 1

ACTIVITY 2

The following set of questions (numbers 7-17) is based on Reading Passage Section 2 - OFFICE MANAGER on the following page. Use the skills and strategies for each specific question type from the Study Notes to practise answering these questions.

SECTION TWO       QUESTIONS 7-17

Questions 7-9

Choose the correct letter A, B or C.

Write your answers in boxes 7-9 on your answer sheets.

7. According to information in the job description, the employer is …

A continuing to expand and grow in Greenfield.

B looking for an eager and career-focused employee.

C seeking an energetic employee who lives in Greenfield.

8. According to information in the job description, the successful candidate would be …

A recruiting new staff and training them.

B giving presentations and writing newsletters.

C in charge and control of the office.

9. According to information in the job description, the applicant must have …

A completed university studies with a business focus

B university qualifications in business and computer programs

C previous experience in management

Questions 10-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?

In boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet, write:

TRUE                         if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE                       if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN              if the information is not given in the passage

10. The salary excludes employer contributions to a pension plan.

11. The Office Manager would be responsible for managing filing systems.

12. Senior managers take responsibility for writing reports on staff performance.

13. The candidate would be selected on his/her ability to troubleshoot.

Questions 14-17

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the reading passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.

14. The employer is looking to fill a _______________ position.

15. To be successful in the role, the candidate must have excellent organisational, _______________ and people skills.

16. The applicant must show evidence of having worked no less than ____________ in an office setting.

17. Those applying for the job must respond fully to the ______________.

READING PASSAGE – SECTION 2

OFFICE MANAGER

City of Greenfield

Vibrant, modern and energetic, Greenfield with a population of 87,000, is a city of choice and opportunity. The city is experiencing significant growth and expansion, and the Council is leading the way in managing and delivering high quality services to its local community.

An exciting career opportunity exists for an enthusiastic individual with good communication skills, and a proven track record in office administration.

Position Description

Responsibilities

• running and managing the office

• developing and implementing new administrative systems

• managing administrative staff

• delegating work to staff and managing office workload

• writing reports for senior management, including reports on service and staff performance

• promoting staff development and training

• assisting senior management in the preparation of presentations and newsletters

Key Selection Criteria

• demonstrated high level organisational skills

• demonstrated ability to manage performance and motivate people

• well developed interpersonal and communication skills

• ability to identify and provide solutions to a range of administrative issues

• friendly, proactive and flexible approach in carrying out duties

Qualifications

• tertiary level qualifications in business, office management or related field

• at least five years experience working in a similar environment

• knowledge of and experience with the following computer software: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Publisher, Power Point), database programs, e-mail, web browser

Enquiries: John Smith on 9876 5432

Closing Date: 5pm Friday, 1 July

For further information and online applications visit www.greenfield.nsw.gov.au/careers

Applicants MUST address all the selection criteria.

Applications by mail:

PO Box 27

Greenfield NSW 2999

ANSWERS ACTIVITY 1

1. Daily Courier

2. 10

3. Thur 7pm

4. 1 800 061 551

5. 14

6. credit card or credit cards

ANSWERS ACTIVITY 2

MULTIPLE CHOICE

7. B

8. C

9. A

TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

10. False

11. NG

12. False

13. True

SENTENCE COMPLETION

14. permanent full time

15. communication

16. five years

17. selection criteria

c) Transcript

Hello, and welcome to Study English, IELTS Preparation. I'm Margot Politis.

There are two IELTS Tests - the Academic Test and the General Training Test.

Today we're going to look at the Reading Module of the General Training Test.

The main difference between the General Test and the Academic Test is that the texts you have to read are more practical and related to everyday life.

The General Reading Test is divided into 3 sections:

• Section 1 has up to 3 short texts that you are likely to come across, such as entertainment brochures, bus timetables, accommodation lists and instructions.

• Section 2 has 2 passages that are work-related, for example job descriptions, and instructions for using facilities at work.

• Section 3 has one longer passage on a general topic, often a magazine article.

Let's have a closer look at a typical short text that you would be asked about in Section 1.

The questions you may be asked about a page like this only need short answers.

For example: 'On what page is the article about childhood obesity?'

You scan the page to find a title that mentions childhood obesity or means the same and find the answer: 'Are children getting fatter?' - page 12.

It helps to be familiar with the way these texts are laid out. You need to practise scanning these types of texts to find the information that relates to the question. Scanning means looking for key words.

In the next section, Section 2, you will be asked about a work-related text that is a bit more complex, such as this job advertisement.

It is important to know that information in job ads is presented in a particular way.

Being aware of the lay out will help you locate answers more quickly.

Because the texts in section 2 are longer, it is useful to preview them.

Let's reduce the ad to its headings.

We have: City of Greenfield; Position Description; Responsibilities; Key Selection Criteria and Qualifications.

Under 'City of Greenfield' which is the name of the employer, we have some information about the employer:

"Vibrant, modern and energetic, Greenfield is a city of choice and opportunity. The city is experiencing significant growth and expansion and the Council is leading the way in managing and delivering high quality services to its local community."

And we have the sales pitch, which is there to persuade suitable people to apply:

"An exciting career opportunity exists for an enthusiastic individual with good communication skills and a proven track record in office administration."

'Position description' tells you exactly what the job is - the title, salary and if it is full time or part time.

Under 'Responsibilities' are listed the things you would need to do or the duties you would have to perform.

'Key Selection Criteria' covers the skills that the employer considers necessary for the job and 'Qualifications' are, of course, your experience and education.

The final section of the ad has all the information needed by anyone who wants to apply.

So, if you were asked in what part of the ad you would find a duty such as running and managing an office, where would it be?

It would be in the Responsibilities section.

It is very useful to be able to know exactly where to look because it saves vital time.

Because the test deals with texts that are work-related, it is expected that you will be familiar with the terms used in the working world. Listen to this woman describing how she went about finding a job:

I just handed my résumé around at any other shop that I could find and then I just got a phone call from them asking to come in for an interview and they just asked questions such as, what was my prior experience, what sort of qualities I could bring to the job.

She uses a number of 'job' words. To find work, she said she 'handed her résumé around'.

A Résumé is a summary of your work experience and education. It's a document that tells an employer all they need to know about you. A résumé is usually written out as a list with headings. A more formal term for this list is the Latin term curriculum vitae, which often gets shortened to CV in speech and writing.

Now, what sort of experience was she asked about?

And then I just got a phone call from them asking to come in for an interview and they just asked questions such as, what was my prior experience, what sort of qualities I could bring to the job.

An interview is a formal discussion with the employer where they try to find out who is the best person for the job.

She was asked about her prior experience, which means the work she's done before.

In the next clip what word is used to mean 'job'?

I've been working for Telstra virtually since I left school, so it's 37 years ago now. But in various forms I went through and did a lot of technical training and then with the change in the workforce and changing technology, they didn't require the physical work to be done any more so I eventually went to a couple of different positions and then finally finished up transferring to the area I'm in now.

He talks about having a couple of different 'positions'. Position is another word for job. He could also have said 'role'.

Position, job and role are words that refer to the specific thing that you do. More general terms are occupation, profession and trade.

What's the profession of the man in the next clip?

A normal day at my job's during the night, actually. I work night shift and I'm a nurse, an enrolled nurse at a War Veterans' Home. I now work in the hostel section of it and look after 70 residents.

He's a nurse, so his profession is nursing. A profession is a job that requires formal learning, such as teaching. Trades are the sorts of jobs that involve a combination of skill and work with your hands, such as carpentry or plumbing.

The general term for all types of job is occupation.

There is one other general term worth knowing. Listen out for it in this clip:

Turning professional I guess at my age of 19 is quite, is different, it's really cool I guess you know lots of my school friends are still at uni and you know just still working on building their career I guess.

Career. Career refers to the work you do over a lifetime or to the work you do in a particular area. You will hear people talk about someone's sporting career or artistic career.

To finish, let's listen to someone talking about the process of finding a job:

I found an advertisement in the paper, went for it. Out of 30 applications they had 30 interviews. Then they narrowed it down to five second interviews. I've had my second interview and now I'm actually waiting for a response. Today, one of my friends rang up saying they've actually rang him for a character reference.

She talked about a second interview. That's when you go back to the employer for another interview. It's a good sign and means that you're one of the people they are considering.

She also talked about a friend being rung up for a character reference. Often job ads will ask you to list what are called referees. These are people who can say that you can do the job. They are often people you have worked with before.

Knowing how job ads are structured and being familiar with the language of the workplace will help you with the General Training IELTS test.

Getting to know the sort of texts that are likely to be in the reading test will increase your confidence and make finding the answers in good time much easier.

Good luck with your studies.

See you next time.

(Nguồn UTS: Insearch and Australia Network)

Vào ngày 20/5/2010 vừa qua, Hội đồng các cơ sở giáo dục tư tại Singapore vừa thông báo danh sách các trường tư tại Singapore đạt chứng nhận Edu Trust- chứng nhận mới thay cho CASE Trust dành cho các cơ sở giáo dục tư tại Singapore muốn tuyển sinh học sinh quốc tế. Danh sách bao gồm 6 trường đạt chứng nhận Edu Trust giá trị trong vòng 4 năm và 7 trường đạt chứng nhận Edu Trust Provisional có giá trị trong 1 năm.

Bài này đi theo trình tự và một số hướng dẫn trình tự viết một bài essay. Các bạn cũng nên lưu ý vì khi làm bài thi essay thì phần decide on the topic chúng ta bị động khi nhận được đề bài từ phòng thi.

Úc công bố chính sách mới về nhập cư theo diện tay nghề

Bộ trưởng Di trú Chris Evans vừa công bố bản danh sách mới quy định về các ngành nghề được xét định cư tại Úc mà không cần bảo lãnh của người tuyển dụng.

Được thành lập vào năm 1985, với nhiều năm kinh nghiệm trong việc giảng dạy Anh ngữ học thuật, Sydney College of English (gọi tắt là SCE) đã đón hàng ngàn học viên từ hơn 30 quốc gia trên thế giới đến học tập. Ngoài các khóa học anh ngữ cơ bản dành cho mọi đối tượng, SCE còn có một chương trình Anh văn trung học(High School Preparation Programme) dành riêng cho học sinh quốc tế muốn vào học tại các trường trung học tại Úc mà chưa đủ điều kiện đầu vào. Các khóa học này tập trung phát triển các kỹ năng cần có cho học sinh trước khi bước vào chương trình trung học:

Sydney College of English - A  great place to learn

Môn thi kỹ năng đọc học thuật trong kỳ thi IELTS yêu cầu khả năng đọc hiệu quả và chính xác. Do không có đủ thời gian để đọc tất cả các bài viết một cách sát sao nên bạn cần phát triển khả năng hiểu thông tin một cách nhanh nhạy.

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1) Clip 1: Reading Skills and Question Types 

2) Clip 2: Vocabulary Exercise

3) Printable Documents

a) Notes for Study

IELTS Tip

Manage your time efficiently and effectively – if you can’t answer a question quickly, leave it and return to it before you go on to answer questions in the next reading section.

Use the strategies you have learnt for the different question types to help you answer more quickly.

READING SKILLS AND QUESTION TYPES

The IELTS Academic Reading Test requires efficient and accurate reading of three separate texts of approximately 700 to 900 words each. The topics are drawn from current and global issues in society and the texts based on magazine, journal or newspaper articles. The three texts become progressively more difficult.

Text difficulty is determined by

• vocabulary

• length of paragraphs and

• language complexity

Each of the three sections of the test has 12-14 questions for a total of 40 questions that have to be answered in 60 minutes. So, on average, that is 1.5 minutes per question. There is not enough time to read three lengthy texts closely, so it is important to have good reading skills. These skills will be the tools which can help you manage your time more efficiently and help you find your answers in the reading passages a lot quicker.

Question Types

There is a variety of question types used in the Reading module, which you need to become familiar with.

• matching paragraphs with headings

• multiple choice

• short answer

• summary completion

• sentence completion

• true, false, not given/yes, no, not given (no information)

• matching lists/phrases

• classification

• table/flow chart completion

• labelling a diagram

These question types test a variety of reading comprehension skills including:

• scanning

• skimming

• previewing

• identifying main ideas

• understanding the relationship between words (synonyms, opposites, linking words)

Question Types, Strategies and Skills

Question Type: Matching Paragraphs with Headings

Matching paragraphs with headings is another question type used in the reading test.

The purpose of this question type is to test the following range of reading comprehension skills:

Because time is of the essence, it is important to use strategies so that you can answer the questions as quickly and accurately as possible. Here are some strategies for answering this question type.

Question Type: Short Answers

This question type tests your ability to locate specific details or a particular piece of information in the reading text. The answers are in the order of the passage.

There are two kinds of short answer question.

• answering a Wh-question

• listing up to 3 things, e.g. names, names of objects, places and other things

Here are the skills tested and strategies to use in order to answer this question type quickly and accurately.

b) Learning Activities

Practise and consolidate your learning by completing our activities. Both activities refer to Reading Passage 1 which you will find on page 3.

The answers for all activities are on the last page.

ACTIVITY 1

Use the skills and strategies for matching paragraphs with headings to answer questions 1-6 below which are based on Reading Passage 1 Childhood Obesity: On Being Overweight and Obese. (Questions 1-6 in Activity 1 and 7-12 in Activity 2 together form a set of questions for one reading section. There are three sections in the real IELTS Reading Test. You should spend about 20 minutes on each.)

Reading Passage 1 (which you will find on page 3) has six paragraphs A-F.

Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-F from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number i-x in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

1 Paragraph A          _________                4 Paragraph D          __________

2 Paragraph B          _________                5 Paragraph E          __________

3 Paragraph C          _________                6 Paragraph F          __________

ACTIVITY 2

Use the skills and strategies for short answer questions to answer questions 7-12 below which are based on Reading Passage 1 Childhood Obesity: On Being Overweight and Obese. (Questions 1-6 in Activity 1 and 7-12 in Activity 2 together form a set of questions for a reading section. There are three sections in the real IELTS Reading Test. You should spend about 20 minutes on each.)

Questions 7-10

Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage (which you will find on page 3) for each.

7. In what form is excessive energy stored as?

8. Who are obese children frequently bullied or teased by?

9. Which organisation was involved in finding a treatment for obesity in children?

10. What is the recommended amount of physical activity for children per day?

Questions 11-12

Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each, name TWO types of technological activities that cause obesity in children.

Write the types next to 11 and 12 on your answer sheet.

11. ___________________________________________

12. ___________________________________________

READING PASSAGE 1

ACTIVITY 1 ANSWERS

1 Paragraph A          v

2 Paragraph B          ix

3 Paragraph C          x

4 Paragraph D          i

5 Paragraph E          iii

6 Paragraph F          vii

ACTIVITY 2 ANSWERS

7. body fat

8. their peers

9. Childhood Health Association

10. minimum 60 minutes

11. playing computer games (MUST have the word games)

12. watching television

c) Transcript

Hello, and welcome to Study English, IELTS Preparation. I'm Margot Politis.

In the IELTS Reading Test you have to answer 40 questions in 60 minutes – almost 1 question every minute. There are 3 separate pieces of writing of about 900 words each. There is not enough time to read the texts closely so you need to develop the ability to find information quickly.

This is a skill you'll use all the time in your studies.

Let's trace how you might find English language TV programs [online]. Because they are on Australia Network, you start at their homepage. You look around the page for the word 'English'. There's Learning English … click on that. Now you have a number of choices – you can either read the summaries as they flick past, or you can go to each program's site. Let's go to Passport to English. What's it about? Here's the heading – About Passport to English, so this is the paragraph to read. Notice that you only glance at the rest of the page when you are looking for specific information in this way.

Moving your eyes quickly over a page like this is called scanning. The ability to do this with a page of text is part of what's assessed in the Reading Test. Let's look at a typical reading passage: [note this passage can also be found on page 3 of the downloadable Activity Sheet for this episode].

It's best to start by reading the title and sub-title of the text and look for any pictures or italicised words. This will tell you what the text is about.

Childhood Obesity is the title and On Being Overweight and Obese is the subtitle.

What do you already know about the topic?

If you've been keeping up-to-date with current affairs you would have heard that some children are putting on weight at an alarming rate and this is affecting their health. Parents and health authorities are worried.

At this point you know what to expect – you have previewed the text.

So it's a good idea to keep up with the news because current issues are often topics for the Reading Test.

The next thing you need to do is quickly look through the questions for the passage.

There are different kinds, but first we'll look at a multiple choice question.

According to information in the text, childhood obesity can cause:

A. early death in children based on a recent study.

B. breathing problems and diabetes later in life.

C. an impaired immune system

The question says 'According to information in the text'. This means you must scan the text to find out the correct answer. You can't rely on your general knowledge.

The key words in the question are 'childhood obesity' and 'can cause'. The word 'cause' alerts you that the text will be discussing effects of childhood obesity.

'Can cause' means likely to happen, so you need to look for any effects mentioned in the text as a possible result of childhood obesity

You need to look out for phrases that match what the question is asking such as 'results in', 'shows that', 'causes' or 'leads to'

Let's look at the question again:

According to information in the text, childhood obesity can cause:

A. early death in children based on a recent study.

B. breathing problems and diabetes later in life.

C. an impaired immune system

Let's look at the first option – A. early death in children based on a recent study.

The key words are 'early death', 'children' and 'recent study'.

Now you need to scan the text for these words or words with the same meaning.

Quickly scanning the first paragraph, you can see no relevant information – it's not talking about effects.

The next paragraph is relevant – 'recent study', 'show that' and 'death'. Let's read the sentence.

"The findings from a recent study published in the Journal of International Studies on Childhood Obesity show that the chances of premature death in adulthood are greatly increased because of obesity during childhood."

Death in adulthood, not in children. So we can rule out A as the answer.

Let's check C – can obesity cause an impaired immune system?

There's nothing written about the immune system here – but there is a list of diseases and the phrase you're looking for – 'results in'.

"Research has shown there is a strong link between childhood obesity and obesity in adulthood that results in debilitating or life-threatening conditions. These include cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses such as asthma or even type-2 diabetes."

So it says diabetes is an effect. What about breathing problems? 'Respiratory illnesses' – they're breathing problems.

So 'B' is the correct answer.

Questions in the Reading Test can be about cause and effect relationships, so you must be able to quickly recognise the words that are markers for this information and how the sentences are structured. Let's look closely at the correct answer and the relevant sentence from the passage.

The answer is: Childhood obesity can cause breathing problems and diabetes later in life. The words 'can cause' mark this as a cause/effect relationship. The cause is childhood obesity.

You can also see childhood obesity in the first sentence from the passage. Even though it says 'childhood obesity and obesity in adulthood', it still includes childhood obesity as a cause.

The important synonym for 'can cause' is 'results in'. Another phrase with this meaning that could have been used here is 'leads to'.

So we have the cause – childhood obesity and the cause marker – 'leads to' or 'results in'. Where's the effect? In the answer the effect is 'breathing problems and diabetes'.

Again you need to look for synonyms. There's a list of effects – cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses such as asthma and type-2 diabetes.

Diabetes is a clear match and, as we said earlier, respiratory illnesses includes breathing problems.

It doesn't matter that the text includes other effects as long as the two in the answer are included.

Let's look at another type of question.

There is a short answer question that requires you to answer using no more than 3 words.

Let's try one.

Based on recent findings, what can greatly increase as a result of obesity in early childhood?

The 2 or 3 word answer is in the text. The key words that would help you locate it are 'recent findings', 'greatly increase', 'as a result of' and 'early childhood'.

We've already skimmed the text, so we know that we won't find this answer in the first paragraph.

So we check the last paragraph again – there – findings from a recent study. The sentence reads:

"The findings from a recent study published in the Journal of International Studies on Childhood Obesity show that the chances of premature death in adulthood are greatly increased because of obesity during childhood."

The question is:

Based on recent findings, what can greatly increase as a result of obesity in early childhood?

The answer is premature death.

Remember that you can't answer with any more than 3 words, so you can't write for instance 'chances of premature death', even though this is true.

For the Reading Section of the IELTS Test you need to practise skills and question types. There will not be enough time to read all the passages carefully, so you need to develop the skill of scanning for key phrases.

But when you go to our website, take the time to read carefully and you should find yourself better prepared for the challenge of the IELTS Test. The address is: australianetwork.com/studyenglish.

Good luck with you studies.

See you next time.

(Nguồn UTS: Insearch and Australia Network)

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(Thư của Tổng thống Mỹ Abraham Lincoln gửi thầy hiệu trưởng ngôi trường nơi con trai ông theo học -- Đã từng được đăng lại lần 2 trên Tuổi Trẻ Chủ Nhật )

Con tôi sẽ phải học tất cả những điều này, rằng không phải tất cả mọi người đều công bằng, tất cả mọi người đều chân thật. Nhưng xin thầy hãy dạy cho cháu biết cứ mỗi một kẻ vô lại ta gặp trên đường phố thì ở đâu đó sẽ có những con người chính trực; cứ mỗi một chính trị gia ích kỷ, ta sẽ có một nhà lãnh đạo tận tâm. Bài học này sẽ mất nhiều thời gian, tôi biết, nhưng xin thầy hãy dạy cho cháu biết rằng một đồng đôla kiếm được do công sức lao động của mình bỏ ra còn quý giá hơn nhiều so với 5 đôla nhặt được trên hè phố...

Xin thầy dạy cho cháu biết cách chấp nhận thất bại và cách tận hưởng niềm vui chiến thắng.

Xin hãy dạy cháu tránh xa sự đố kỵ.

Xin dạy cháu biết được bí quyết của niềm vui chiến thắng thầm lặng. Dạy cho cháu biết được rằng những kẻ hay bắt nạt người khác nhất lại là những kẻ dễ bị đánh bại nhất...

Xin hãy giúp cháu nhìn thấy thế giới kỳ diệu của sách... nhưng cũng cho cháu có đủ thời gian để lặng lẽ suy tư về sự bí ẩn muôn thuở của cuộc sống: đàn chim tung cánh trên bầu trời, đàn ong bay lượn trong ánh nắng và những bông hoa nở ngát bên đồi xanh.

Xin giúp cháu có niềm tin vào ý kiến riêng của bản thân, dù tất cả mọi người xung quanh đều cho rằng ý kiến đó hoàn toàn sai lầm...

Xin hãy dạy cho cháu biết cách đối xử dịu dàng với những người hoà nhã và cứng rắn với những kẻ thô bạo. Xin tạo cho cháu sức mạnh để không chạy theo đám đông khi tất cả mọi người đều chỉ biết chạy theo thời thế.

Xin hãy dạy cho cháu biết phải lắng nghe tất cả mọi người những cũng xin thầy dạy cho cháu biết cần phải sàng lọc những gì nghe được qua một tấm lưới chân lý để cháu chỉ đón nhận những gì tốt đẹp...

Xin hãy dạy cho cháu biết cách mỉm cười khi buồn bã, xin hãy dạy cháu biết rằng không có sự xấu hổ trong những giọt nước mắt.

Xin hãy dạy cho cháu biết chế giễu những kẻ yểm thế và cẩn trọng trước sự ngọt ngào đầy cạm bẫy.

Xin hãy dạy cho cháu rằng có thể bán cơ bắp và trí tuệ cho người ra giá cao nhất, nhưng không bao giờ cho phép ai ra giá mua trái tim và tâm hồn mình...

Xin hãy dạy cho cháu khoanh tay làm ngơ trước một đám đông đang gào thét... và đứng thẳng người bảo vệ những gì cháu cho là đúng…

Xin hãy đối xử dịu dàng với cháu nhưng đừng vuốt ve nuông chiều cháu bởi vì chỉ có sự thử thách của lửa mới tôi luyện nên được những thanh sắt cứng rắn.

Xin hãy dạy cho cháu biết rằng cháu phải luôn có niềm tin tuyệt tối vào bản thân, bởi vì khi đó cháu sẽ luôn có niềm tin tuyệt đối vào nhận loại.

Đây quả là một yêu cầu quá lớn, tôi biết, thưa thầy. Nhưng xin thầy cố gắng hết sức mình, nếu được vậy, con trai tôi quả thật là một cậu bé hạnh phúc và may mắn.

(trích từ nguồn sưu tầm)