Saturday, January 1, 2011

Software | VOA Special English - Education Reports V.2.1

 

VOA Special English - Education Reports V.2.1

 

VOA Special English - Education Reports V.2.1 has 45 lessons help you to practice learning English.Special English has become a very popular tool for teaching English, although it was not designed as a teaching program. The short sentences, limited vocabulary and slow pace of speaking make it easy to understand. It succeeds in helping people learn English in a non-traditional way. People around the world practice their listening and speaking skills by recording the programs and playing them repeatedly. Internet users can also listen to programs on the Special English Web site while reading the text. And they can receive scripts of features by e-mail. In countries around the world, many English teachers require their students to listen to Special English. They praise it for the content of the programs and for improving their students’ ability to understand American English. Universities, governments and private companies publish and broadcast Special English materials for use in English teaching.

License : Free  
Download Now

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Britain is covered in snow

This is a photograph of Britain, taken from a satellite a few days ago

uk_snow

In recent years, many places in England have had no snow at all. But this year, the snow stretches from Lands End (in the far south west of England) to John O’Groats (in the far north east of Scotland).

This winter they could ski from Lands End to John O’Groats, but it is so cold that I strongly advise them to wear clothes this time.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Money Words (Financial Vocabulary)

Xin chào !
Bài này giải thích 1 số từ thông dụng về tài chính như Compensate,Currency ,insufficient funds,Credit, Borrowing, and Interest .

Chúc các bạn học tiếng Anh tốt .


 

This page gives a simple explanation of common money words (financial terminology) and banking. After reading it, there’s a link to a quiz to check your understanding.

Money Words: Types of payment and compensation

a pile of coins

To compensate- to give something-- usually money-- in return for something else-- (most often work.) Common words for compensation for labor include salary (an agreed payment by the month or year-- not based on the number of hours worked-- for higher level-services), wages (usually paid by the hour), earnings, and pay.

They all mean basically the same thing, except that manual laborers (including factory workers, fast food workers, etc.) are paid wages, not a salary.

Types of money: Currency is the money currently in use in a country, including paper money (bills) and (metal) coins. Cash is money in one’s hand-- bills and coins, as compared to checks, money orders, or credit cards, which can be converted into money at a bank or often at an ATM (automatic teller machine.)

Fees are charges for services. For example, a bank may charge fees for checking accounts, loan processing, or to cover “bounced” checks (when the check writer had insufficient funds in his account to cover the check he wrote.) Sometimes banks will reduce or waive (eliminate) certain fees as an incentive (encouragement) for customers to open a high-value savings account.

Financing Growth: Credit, Borrowing, and Interest

a bank building

When a company (or a person) does not have sufficient (enough) savings to meet their needs or goals (for example, a planned expansion of the business or the acquisition of another company that they can use to increase future profits), they may borrow the necessary money. A bank will lend (loan) money on credit.

The company will need to pay it back later with interest, which is an extra payment (usually a percentage of the amount they borrowed) in return for the opportunity to use the bank’s money for a certain period of time.

The money that is borrowed is called a loan. (However, money borrowed in order to buy a house is a mortgage. Mortgage rules and payments can be very complicated!) The lender (usually a bank or other financial institution) is also called the creditor. A person who borrows money from someone else is a debtor, since they owe them that money (the debt.)

Sometimes English learners aren’t sure how to use certain money words relating to lending and borrowing. Remember that to lend or to loan is to give money (or something else, like a tool or book) for a certain period of time and to borrow is to receive (get) it. Here are a few more hints:

You can ask someone “Can I borrow $5.00?” or “Could you please lend/loan me $5.00?” In English we don’t say “Please borrow me $5.00.” That leaves it unclear who would be the lender and who would be the borrower.

The person with the money may answer, “Sure! I’ll be glad to lend you $5.00,” or “No way! You didn’t repay me the last time you borrowed some money!”

Financial Decision-making

To allocate is to decide where (note ‘locate’) to use or invest resources (money, time, etc.). The best allocation will depend on a company’s current circumstances-- how much money and staff is available, what the best opportunities are, etc. To avoid unintended consequences (unexpected results), managers will make such decisions in conformity with the best business practices. (To conform is to fit into or follow what others do.)

A company’s Board of Directors will establish policies they expect the CEO and department managers to implement (put into practice.) Smart policies with excellent implementation will result in generating maximum profits.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Is It Hot, Or Not?

Luyện tập tiếng Anh bằng cách trả lời các câu đố  vui …

Look at the sentences below and say whether they are true or false. Tip: back up your answers with evidence, for example, the average temperature in °F or °C for each world city:

1. In January it is normally hotter in Jakarta than in Dublin.

2. In March it is normally hotter in Berlin than in Canberra.

3. In July it is normally colder in Buenos Aires than in London.

4. In May it is normally colder in Riyadh than in Bern.

5. In September it is normally hotter in Abu Dhabi than in Rome.

6. In July it is normally colder in Taipei than in Lima.

7. In January it is normally colder in Montreal than in Cape Town.

8. In May it is normally colder in Madrid than in Amsterdam.

9. In November it is normally hotter in Colombo than in Toronto.

10. In September it is normally colder in Beijing than in New Delhi.

11. In March it is normally colder in Paris than in Wellington.

12. In May it is normally hotter in Ottawa than in Kuwait City.

13. In July it is normally hotter in Cairo than in Mexico City.

14. In November it is normally colder in Brasilia than in Nairobi.

15. In March it is normally hotter in Lusaka than in Algiers.

16. In July it is normally hotter in Belgrade than in Karachi.

17. In November it is normally colder in Accra than in Miami.

18. In September it is normally colder in Tokyo than in Stockholm.

19. In May it is normally hotter in Edinburgh than in Athens.

20. In September it is normally hotter in Kuwait City than in Melbourne.

Good luck!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

A man is driving through the countryside

A man is driving through the countryside when he sees a sign that reads "Pigs for sale, next left". Curiosity got the better of him and he turned into the farm.

The farmer greets him at the gate and asks him which pig he wants. The man, having no experience of buying pigs simply points at one and asks "how much is that one?".

The farmer grabs the pig's tail between his teeth, lifts the pig off the floor and says "£200" Slightly confused, the man says :

"thats a bit expensive, how about that one" and points at another pig.

Again the father picks up the pig by the tail between his teeth and says "that ones heavier, so it'll be about £250".

"Heavier?" said the man, "am i supposed to believe you are weighing them"

"Yes said the farmer, that’s how you weigh pigs, everybody knows that, ask my daughter"

The man turns to his daughter and sure enough she says "that’s how you weigh pigs". By this point the man is sure he is being conned, and is about to leave when the farmer says,

"hang on, I'll prove that this is how you weigh pigs, ask my wife". To which his daughter added "Oh, you can't ask her, she's weighing the postman".

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