group "english practice"

[Milla]

Hi

Here are the new links :

http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/a...1193990,00.html (on Tony Blair)

and

http://time.blogs.com/movies/2006/05/the_da_vinci_co.html (on Da Vinci Code but only the first seven paragraphs until "and mostly inert")

[teacher]

Hi everybody

One day late I made my summary

I've chosen Keith Richards :P

This document is an article form the BBC news. It deals with "the face of the week" which is Keith Richards the rolling stones' guitarist. He has been chosen to be the face of the week because he had an accident in fidji where he fell out of a coconut tree.

Once more Keith Richards proved he was unbreakable. All his life he has experienced many dangerous situations. He had been heroin addict for a decade, he also had problems with alcohol, he had accidentaly set fire on himself ... all these situation made him an indestructible man!

Even he is now a grandfather he stills see himself as a rebel. His behaviour gave him more public support than Mick Jagger. Moreover he stayed faithfull to his course of action while Mick has drastically changed: he became knight which is seen has hypocrisy by Keith Richards, bringing back the Wormwood Scrubs episode.

However, this opposition between the two men, concrening their personalities, has been creatively fertile.

see you

Many typing errors ( form/from ..) which I haven't corrected. They must be due to the stress !

I underlined 'has for ' as' ...since you wouldn't pronounce them the same way

Check the difference betxeen " even" and " although/though"

I think you could develop your idea of the W.S episode ...remember 5 minutes is a long time ;-)

[teacher]

Hi everybody !

I just see the links given by Milla, and I'm not in time to do a summary... I will do the next, but I've a question : I found text about animal tests very hard to understand. Do you think the level is as elevated as that ? Or, is it me who haven't the level for this exam ? In that case, I've a big problem...

Teacher, do you ave any advices to give us if we pick up a difficult text the day of the exam ?

Thank you very much

You should read again the "instructions ministerielles" about the level of the exam . ( post-baccalauréat ) and check the " cadre européen".

your spoken English should be quite correct and fluent . You should be able to understand a fairly difficult text , I think , or at least be able to express some ideas about it.

If you were unlucky to be given a text which you don't understand , then..well I think you could mention to the members of the jury that you found the text difficult but that you're going to do your best ( in English, of course ) !!

there is always something that you can say .

Read the text slowly ( it's only about 20 lines long) , underline important words, dates, numbers ... and then it's up to you to make it last as long as possible . You can use simple sentences , link words ... Check you are familiar with the use of different 'tenses '.

The jury will ask you questions if your presentation is too short ( 5 minutes)

Also remember to practise reading aloud .

Come on ! you can do it !

[ludi]

Hi everybody

One day late I made my summary

I've chosen Keith Richards :P

This document is an article from the BBC news. It deals with "the face of the week" which is Keith Richards the rolling stones' guitarist. He has been chosen to be the face of the week because he had an accident in fidji where he fell out of a coconut tree.

Once more Keith Richards proved he was unbreakable. All his life he has experienced many dangerous situations. He had been heroin addict for a decade, he also had problems with alcohol, he had accidentaly set fire on himself ... all these situations made him an indestructible man!

(Even) Though he is now a grandfather he stills see himself as a rebel. His behaviour gave him more public support than Mick Jagger. Moreover he stayed faithfull to his course of action while Mick has drastically changed: he became knight which is seen (has) as hypocrisy by Keith Richards, bringing back the Wormwood Scrubs episode.

However, this opposition between the two men, concerning their personalities, has been creatively fertile.

see you

Many typing errors ( form/from ..) which I haven't corrected. They must be due to the stress !

I underlined 'has for ' as' ...since you wouldn't pronounce them the same way

Check the difference betxeen " even" and " although/though"

I think you could develop your idea of the W.S episode ...remember 5 minutes is a long time ;-)

thank you to quote my mistakes teacher I made corrections

I know 5 minutes is a long time that's what worries me

[Oblivion]

Edition.

[Oblivion]

Hi

Back in this thread after the written exams.

Here is my summary of the text about animal testing :

This text is an article from the BBC website which was issued on May, 14th 2006

It is entitled PM criticised over animal testing and it tackles the issue of animal testing for the medical research. More precisely, it focuses on the quarrel between anti-vivisectionists and animal experimenters which got even more vivid when Tony Blair officially defended animal testing.

The article could be divided into four parts :

-the first one, at the beginning, which exposes the issue.

-the second one in which anti-vivisectionists voice their opinion on the issue

-the third one in which animal experimenters express their viewpoint

-the last one which lays the stress on anti-vivisectionists' actions and the new policies which could be passed to protect those working for the medical research.

What stands out in this article is, on one hand the criticisms expressed by anti-vivisectionists regarding Tony Blair's commitment in the issue of animal testing, and on the other hand the approval of animal experimenters concerning this commitment.

Anti-vivisectionists' viewpoint is based on two arguments : the first one being the animal sufferings when they are tested on, and the second one being that alternatives to animal testing can be used.

The anti-vivisectionists can be divided into two groups : non-violent people and more extremist people.

The non-violent group praises more advanced methods other than animal-testing whereas extremist people resort to violent, illegal and sometimes very condemnable actions (for instance exhumations of corpses, threats, blackmail...).

According to them, political figures such as T.Blair should take advantage of their position to promote alternatives to animal testing and therefore they strongly disapprove of his commitment.

On the contrary, animal experimenters firmly approve of T.Blair's commitment.

According to them, animal testing is needed to improve medical research and to find new medicines.

Moreover, they consider T.Blair's commitment as an opportunity to fight against anti-vivisectionists' actions.

In that way, a bill is to be proposed in order to protect the people working in the medical research branch.

I would tend to reject animal testing, eventhough I try to qualify my opinion. I recognize that when it comes to the medical research, there are sometimes no other alternative than animal experiments; we've seen recently the dangers that represent the testing of experimental drugs on human beings (people's lives were threatened but it does not prevent people from acting as guinea pigs since it is an easy way to earn money).

Yet, when it comes to the research in the cosmetic field, my opinion is more clear-cut. It is easy for people who reject animal experiments to have access to lists of beauty products for which no testing on animals was performed. It is a spreading tendency in our societies which give a larger and larger place to the welfare of animals.

[lilli]

Hi everybody !

I've just seen the links given by Milla, and I'm not in time to do a summary... I will do the next, but I've a question : I've found the text about animal tests very hard to understand. Do you think the level is as high as that ? Or, is it me who haven't the level for this exam ? In that case, I've a big problem...

Teacher, do you have any hints to give us if we pick up a difficult text the day of the exam ?

Thank you very much

You should read again the "instructions ministerielles" about the level of the exam . ( post-baccalauréat ) and check the " cadre européen".

your spoken English should be quite correct and fluent . You should be able to understand a fairly difficult text , I think , or at least be able to express some ideas about it.

If you were unlucky to be given a text which you don't understand , then..well I think you could mention to the members of the jury that you found the text difficult but that you're going to do your best ( in English, of course ) !!

there is always something that you can say .

Read the text slowly ( it's only about 20 lines long) , underline important words, dates, numbers ... and then it's up to you to make it last as long as possible . You can use simple sentences , link words ... Check you are familiar with the use of different 'tenses '.

The jury will ask you questions if your presentation is too short ( 5 minutes)

Also remember to practise reading aloud .

Come on ! you can do it !

Thanks for your encouragements, Teacher ! I've corrected my mistakes, but I don't understand why "the next" is wrong...

See you soon...

[Kiwichick]

Hi everybody !

I've just seen the links given by Milla, and I'm not in time to do a summary... I will do the next, but I've a question : I've found the text about animal tests very hard to understand. Do you think the level is as high as that ? Or, is it me who haven't the level for this exam ? In that case, I've a big problem...

Teacher, do you have any hints to give us if we pick up a difficult text the day of the exam ?

Thank you very much

You should read again the "instructions ministerielles" about the level of the exam . ( post-baccalauréat ) and check the " cadre européen".

your spoken English should be quite correct and fluent . You should be able to understand a fairly difficult text , I think , or at least be able to express some ideas about it.

If you were unlucky to be given a text which you don't understand , then..well I think you could mention to the members of the jury that you found the text difficult but that you're going to do your best ( in English, of course ) !!

there is always something that you can say .

Read the text slowly ( it's only about 20 lines long) , underline important words, dates, numbers ... and then it's up to you to make it last as long as possible . You can use simple sentences , link words ... Check you are familiar with the use of different 'tenses '.

The jury will ask you questions if your presentation is too short ( 5 minutes)

Also remember to practise reading aloud .

Come on ! you can do it !

Thank you, Teacher ! I've corrected my mistakes, but I don't understand why "the next" is wrong...

Tu as besoin de "one", on dit "next one" et pas next tout court

Good luck to everybody

[lilli]

Hi everybody !

I've just seen the links given by Milla, and I'm not in time to do a summary... I will do the next, but I've a question : I've found the text about animal tests very hard to understand. Do you think the level is as high as that ? Or, is it me who haven't the level for this exam ? In that case, I've a big problem...

Teacher, do you have any hints to give us if we pick up a difficult text the day of the exam ?

Thank you very much

You should read again the "instructions ministerielles" about the level of the exam . ( post-baccalauréat ) and check the " cadre européen".

your spoken English should be quite correct and fluent . You should be able to understand a fairly difficult text , I think , or at least be able to express some ideas about it.

If you were unlucky to be given a text which you don't understand , then..well I think you could mention to the members of the jury that you found the text difficult but that you're going to do your best ( in English, of course ) !!

there is always something that you can say .

Read the text slowly ( it's only about 20 lines long) , underline important words, dates, numbers ... and then it's up to you to make it last as long as possible . You can use simple sentences , link words ... Check you are familiar with the use of different 'tenses '.

The jury will ask you questions if your presentation is too short ( 5 minutes)

Also remember to practise reading aloud .

Come on ! you can do it !

Thank you, Teacher ! I've corrected my mistakes, but I don't understand why "the next" is wrong...

Tu as besoin de "one", on dit "next one" et pas next tout court

Good luck to everybody

Oh ! Yes ! That's true !

Thank you very much !

[Kiwichick]

Hi everybody !

I've just seen the links given by Milla, and I'm not in time to do a summary... I will do the next, but I've a question : I've found the text about animal tests very hard to understand. Do you think the level is as high as that ? Or, is it me who haven't the level for this exam ? In that case, I've a big problem...

Teacher, do you have any hints to give us if we pick up a difficult text the day of the exam ?

Thank you very much

You should read again the "instructions ministerielles" about the level of the exam . ( post-baccalauréat ) and check the " cadre européen".

your spoken English should be quite correct and fluent . You should be able to understand a fairly difficult text , I think , or at least be able to express some ideas about it.

If you were unlucky to be given a text which you don't understand , then..well I think you could mention to the members of the jury that you found the text difficult but that you're going to do your best ( in English, of course ) !!

there is always something that you can say .

Read the text slowly ( it's only about 20 lines long) , underline important words, dates, numbers ... and then it's up to you to make it last as long as possible . You can use simple sentences , link words ... Check you are familiar with the use of different 'tenses '.

The jury will ask you questions if your presentation is too short ( 5 minutes)

Also remember to practise reading aloud .

Come on ! you can do it !

Thank you, Teacher ! I've corrected my mistakes, but I don't understand why "the next" is wrong...

Tu as besoin de "one", on dit "next one" et pas next tout court

Good luck to everybody

Oh ! Yes ! That's true !

Thank you very much !

You're welcome ! DOn't hesitate if you have more questions

[lilli]

Good evening !

Here is my summary of the text about Tony Blair... I think my text presentation is a little short, but I've had some problems in understanding . So, I did what I was able...

I thank you in anticipation for correcting.

This text is a very recent newspaper column (it dates from the 14th May). It sets out to explain why the popularity of Prime Minister Tony Blair is making sickly.

Firstly, this article reminds that Tony Blair, who has just been elected again, has become the most unpopular Labour's minister since the second World War. Indeed, a large part of people think that he should have left his office since a long time. As he represents the New Labour Party, all this party is slumping everywhere in Great Britain. So, the Blair's fall benefits to his opponents (the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats).

Even if Tony Blair has announced he will leave the Parliament, it won't be before 2009, though the reporter to write that : " half of voters want him to go by the end of the year; 36% say immediately".

For fighting against public opinion, the Prime Minister tries to remind what progresses have been done owing to the Labour Party, for instance about health in Britain. But it isn't enough because of his loss of credibility. Tony Blair's compared with George W. Bush – said "his friend across the Atlantic" by the author -because of the politics led about the war in Iraq. In addition, a Tory revival with Cameron is appearing. It's a further threat for Tony Blair and his New Labour Party.

But nowadays, he's still Prime Minister and we can wonder how he's going to run this crisis to be again in favour. Only time will tell us...

[Kiwichick]

Good evening !

Here is my summary of the text about Tony Blair... I think my text presentation is a little short, but I've had some problems in understanding . So, I did what I WAS ABLE TO /COULD

I thank you in anticipation for correcting.

Thanks for correcting me / in anticipation is not very correct

Bon je m'arrête là, désolée, il y a plein de petits détails qui me gênent mais ne sont pas si choquants : le very dans la phrase du dessous/making sickly/...

Et d'une manière générale tu fais des phrases bcp trop longues, à la française. Soit plus simple et fais moins de relatives.

Désolée encore de ne pas corriger davantage, mais je suis épuisée (enceinte) et j'ai peur de te dire des bêtises.

Good luck anyway

This text is a very recent newspaper column (it dates from the 14th May). It sets out to explain why the popularity of Prime Minister Tony Blair is making sickly.

Firstly, this article reminds that Tony Blair, who has just been elected again, has become the most unpopular Labour's minister since the second World War. Indeed, a large part of people think that he should have left his office since a long time. As he represents the New Labour Party, all this party is slumping everywhere in Great Britain. So, the Blair's fall benefits to his opponents (the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats).

Even if Tony Blair has announced he will leave the Parliament, it won't be before 2009, though the reporter to write that : " half of voters want him to go by the end of the year; 36% say immediately".

For fighting against public opinion, the Prime Minister tries to remind what progresses have been done owing to the Labour Party, for instance about health in Britain. But it isn't enough because of his loss of credibility. Tony Blair's compared with George W. Bush – said "his friend across the Atlantic" by the author -because of the politics led about the war in Iraq. In addition, a Tory revival with Cameron is appearing. It's a further threat for Tony Blair and his New Labour Party.

But nowadays, he's still Prime Minister and we can wonder how he's going to run this crisis to be again in favour. Only time will tell us...CAN TELL