Here’s this week’s assignment for my “English On The Road” students. The assignments, as you can see here, are free. The service I offer is not to provide the assignments, it’s to be that person’s “personal trainer.” Find out more about the service here.


Listening comprehension:

Please listen to this podcast and answer the questions…

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/globalnews/globalnews_20130528-0131a.mp3

Listening comprehension questions:

  1. The podcast mentions the European Union lifted an arms embargo against a country. Which country?
  2. What country pushed for this EU decision?
  3. How many people died in the car bombing in Iraq?
  4. What country are Tibetan refugees trying to go to?
  5. Is it getting easier or harder for them to go there?

Reading comprehension:

Please read the following passage and answer the questions…

http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/28/news/economy/women-oil-jobs/index.html?iid=SF_BN_LN

  1. What does it mean to “snag” something? Please make two sentences using this word.
  2. What percentage of total employment in the oil and gas industry is men?
  3. What jobs are women taking in the industry?
  4. According to the article, the oil and gas industry faces a labor shortage. Why?

Vocabulary building:

Please write down 10 vocabulary words that are new to you. Look them up in a dictionary, write down the definitions, and write two sentences for each word.


Writing:

Beginning students: Please write 200 words telling me what you will be doing tomorrow at 11:00am. Use the future continuous tense (I will be doing).

Intermediate students: Please write 300 words telling me about a problem you solved this week. What was the problem, why was it a problem, and how did you solve it? Use the past perfect continuous tense (We had been doing) and the future continuous tense (We will be doing).


Speaking:

Let’s talk on the phone for about 15 minutes sometime this week. I have some questions for you about the assignments.