7740 English Class Start 8:00 pm Live from Australia

1. 7740 English Class Start 8:00 pm Live from Australia

2. Hello my name is Lex I was born in a city called Melbourne, in Australia. I have been studying Chinese for about 5 years. I love listing to Chinese music and singing Chinese song. I have been teaching on YY for about 3 years Hope I can help you to love English the same way I love Chinese. Thank you for Attending my class

4. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time

5. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • Do you ever crawl into bed at the end of a hard day feeling annoyed with yourself? • You promised yourself you would stick to a learning routine. You told yourself that you would study English for 2 hours but only managed a few minutes. You make a mental promise to study extra hard tomorrow.

6. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • Do you think you’ll keep this promise to yourself? • The problem with learning a set of skills like a language is that is takes time and effort. Anybody who tells you that they learned English in 3 months is either delusional, a liar or someone who thinks being able to order a coffee and a sandwich means they are fluent.

7. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • The other problem with learning a language is that our degree of motivation rises and falls, depending on the difficulty level of the activity. If the challenge is too easy, we relax and feel bored. If it’s too difficult, we feel discouraged and lose motivation.

8. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • One way many people try to deal with these problems is by setting themselves unrealistic learning goals. Like somebody who decides to get fit by entering a marathon, they train too hard and wear themselves out.

9. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • Many studies support the view that successful learners (not just of languages) are able to focus on single tasks. They are also able to maintain that focus on a regular basis. In other words, they are consistent.

10. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • Many of my students seem to believe that time is the key factor in learning something. You may have heard of the 10,000 hour rule, which states that you need to practise something for this length of time in order to become an expert.

11. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • However, the problem with this rule is that it equates quality with quantity. Just studying something for 10,000 hours will not make you an expert unless you really focus on developing your skills. I have seen this many times with language learners. They attend an English language course for a set amount of hours and then feel disappointed when they have not achieved the results they expected.

12. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • Sitting in a lesson for 3 hours may have less effect on your English than spending half an hour on focused learning. You could:

13. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • study how to use a grammar form books • spend 30 minutes working on your pronunciation of vowel sounds • listen to a short podcast / watch a YouTube video and make some notes. Listen again and check the transcript (if there is one)

14. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • read a short article and identify how the writer uses past tenses to tell a story • write the first draft of an email you are planning to send • learn 7 new phrasal verbs and never forget them

15. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • When we spend a long time doing one thing, our energy levels diminish. We start off well but our energy and motivation levels drop as time goes on. This can also be seen at work. German workers seem to be more productive than British workers despite working for fewer hours so they do as much in one hour as we do in two.

16. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • Learning a language is the same and forcing yourself to continue studying when you are tired and disinterested may have a long-term negative effect on your learning development.

17. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • Remember • Learning English becomes an activity to be endured rather than enjoyed.

18. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • The Pomodoro Technique • One technique that may help you stay focused and motivated is the Pomodoro technique. Pomodoro means tomato in Italian. The inventor of the technique used a timer in the form of a tomato to develop the technique.

19. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • The technique is simple and you don’t need any special equipment  - except a timer with an alarm. You could use your mobile or an app on your computer but I’d suggest getting a physical one, for reasons I’ll explain later.

20. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • 1. Write down something you want to study or work on. • 2. Remove as many distractions as you can. Turn off your Facebook, Twitter alerts etc. Put some headphones on if you don’t want people to talk to you (this works!). • 3. Set your timer for 25 minutes.

21. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • 4. Start working or studying and don’t stop until you hear the alarm. • 5. When the alarm rings, stop what you’re doing and walk around the room. The advantage of using a physical timer is that you can place it at a distance from where you’re working. This forces you to stop what you’re doing and physically get up to turn it off. • 6. Take a 3-4 minute break and try to think or do something else, such as washing the dishes. Your mind needs to have a short rest.

22. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • 7. Set the timer again for 25 minutes and do another ‘Pomodoro’. • 8. If your task takes a long time (more than 4 Pomodoros), take a 20 minute break after the fourth round.

23. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • The Pomodoro technique works for several reasons: • a) It helps you focus on your goals • b) It trains you  to avoid distractions. You can even check your Facebook, Twitter feed during the 3 minute break. • c) 25 minutes is long enough to get things done and short enough so you won’t get bored or tired.

24. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • d) You can break long tasks into shorter ones. This means you feel a sense of achievement after each Pomodoro. • e) You can train your brain to focus on single tasks. If you think you can multi-task, look at the evidence. • f) The 3 minute break is long enough to give your brain time to recharge. This really helps with problem-solving because you return to your      work after the break with a fresh perspective. • g) It’s ideal if you are preparing for an exam.

25. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time Well, why not give the Pomodorotechnique a try.

26. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time • Here is your homework challenge. • Write down 5 English learning goals. These could be skill-based (speaking, listening, reading, writing) or related to specific language (vocabulary, grammar forms, pronunciation) and make them as specific as possible.

27. Why you should study for 30 minutes at a time Set your timer and see if you can focus on your learning goals. Let me know next week how it goes and if you have any other ideas.

28. Please come up and answer 5 questions • How often do you study English? • What styles of study do you use? • How long have you been studying English? • Do you think my YY class helps your English? • Do you have any subjects you would like me to teach is the YY class?

29. What's in the NEWS!

30. Divorce Rates High for Korea's Migrant Brides

31. Divorce Rates High for Korea's Migrant Brides • From VOA Learning English • Written byAnna Matteo in Washington.Marrying someone from  different culture is very common.  People do it all the time.  And many international marriage brokers earn large profits by playing matchmaker for people.  But what happens when the marriage business starts to resemble the selling of women?  Some experts are examining the situation of migrant brides  in South Korea.

32. Divorce Rates High for Korea's Migrant Brides • Tens of thousands of South Korean men have married foreign women over the past 10 years.  However, the government reports that many of those marriages end in divorce.  And women’s rights experts are concerned about how these immigrant women are being treated.  They are asking the Korean government to make rules for these marriages.   Lee Soo-yeon is a Vietnamese migrant bride.  Six years ago, she left Vietnam to marry a South Korean man.  Now 36-years old, she works as a translator at a centre for immigrant women in Asian, a city 48 kilometres south of Seoul.  She speaks Korean and uses a Korean name, but Ms. Lee is no longer with her Korean husband.

33. Divorce Rates High for Korea's Migrant Brides • “At first we could not communicate well. And later we began to fight a lot. He hit me. I do not hate him now, but I realized he has a drinking problem”The couple’s young child now lives with Ms. Lee’s mother-in-law.  She says it is unlikely she will reunite with her husband.  She blames the marriage agency that introduced them in Vietnam.“Marriage agencies do not provide any information about the men they introduce to the women. We need to know more about these men, their personalities and their financial stability.” 

34. Divorce Rates High for Korea's Migrant Brides • Divorces among international couples are on the rise.  As a result, the South Korean government has made new rules for giving marriage visas.  There are new financial requirements and the couple must demonstrate that they can actually talk to each other.Chung Chin-sung is a sociology professor at Seoul National University.  She • advises the Korean government on multicultural family policy.  She says alanguage requirement could help improve marriages.  But, she adds, the new visa rules do not deal with the main problem of these marriages.  • She says women are being sold like a product.

35. Divorce Rates High for Korea's Migrant Brides • “That kind of marriage market where, especially women, become a product, like a product, not a human being, should be corrected.”Ms. Chung suggests banning agencies that arrange quick marriages between people who barely know each other.Jolly Regacho is a counsellor at the Asian migrant centre.  She says if the South Korean government really wants to make stronger marriages, more education is important.  The husband, she feels, should also learn about his wife’s culture.  

36. Divorce Rates High for Korea's Migrant Brides • “They should also make a project for the husband to learn the culture of their wife as well.”Even with the break-up of her marriage, migrant bride Lee Soo-yeon says shedoes not plan to go back to Vietnam.  She says Korea is her new home.  This report was written by VOA reporters in Korea, Jason Strother and MalteKollenberg.And I’m Anna Matteo. What do you think about the situation of migrant brides and international marriages?   • Do you think the Korean government should regulate this industry?  Let us know in our comment section where you can share your opinions and discuss the issue with other listeners.

37. Claire - Wo Bu Xiang Wang Ji Ni

38. Claire - Wo Bu Xiang Wang Ji Ni • 曲名:我不想忘记你 Wo Bu Xiang Wang Ji Ni 歌手:Claire 我在向前走却像在退后 Wozaixiangqianzouquexiangzai tui houI'm walking in front, but it seems that I'm regressing. 我在用想念狂欢寂寞 WozaiyongxiangniankuanghuanjimoI'm using desires to cover up my loneliness. 越快乐就越失落 Yuekuai la jiuyueshiluoThe happier I seem, the sadder I am.

39. Claire - Wo Bu Xiang Wang Ji Ni • 爱将我们高高举起以后 Ai jiangwo men gaogaoju qi yihouLove raises us up loftily high, 再让心学会坠落 Zai rang xinxuehuizhuiluoAnd sends the heart plunging. 怀念这宽阔的天空 Huainianzhekuankuo de tiankongMissing the broad, bounderless sky, 虽然那里空气很稀薄 Sui ran na li kong qi hen xi boThough the air is very thin. 

40. Claire - Wo Bu Xiang Wang Ji Ni • 我努力想起你笑着哭泣 Wo nu li xiang qi nixiaozheku qi I try hard to think of your smiles and tears, 让自己深爱你再学会放弃 Rang zijishenainizaixuehui fang qi Let myself fall deeply in love with you, and then learn to let you go. 我不想忘记你 WobuxiangwangjiniI don't want to forget you, 就算可以 JiusuankeyiEven if it was possible.

41. Claire - Wo Bu Xiang Wang Ji Ni • 我宁可记得所有伤心 Woningkeji de suo you shangxinI would rather remember all the hurt. 我努力想起你苦也没关系 Wo nu li xiang qi niku ye mei guan xi I try hard to think of you, even if it encompasses bitterness. 用祝福和感激勇敢失去你 Yong zhufu he ganjiyongganshiquniGiving my blessings and gratitude to bravely let you go

42. Claire - Wo Bu Xiang Wang Ji Ni • 爱你这个决定 Ai nizhegejue ding I love this decision of yours, 虽然艰辛 Sui ran jianxinThough it is difficult. 我不说对不起 Wobushuo dui bu qi I do not utter any mea culpa. 

43. Claire - Wo Bu Xiang Wang Ji Ni • 一个人不懂什么是拥有 Yi gerenbu dong shen me shiyong you One person does not understand what it means to possess something. 两个人不懂怎么把握 Liang gerenbu dong zen me bawoTwo people do not know how to cherish what they have. 越在乎就越脆弱 Yuezaihujiuyue cui ruoThe more they care, the frailer they get. 

44. Claire - Wo Bu Xiang Wang Ji Ni • 爱将我们高高举起以后 Ai jiangwo men gaogaoju qi yihouLove raises us up loftily high, 再让心学会坠落 Zai rang xinxuehuizhuiluoAnd sends the heart plunging. 怀念这宽阔的天空 Huainianzhekuankuo de tiankongMissing the broad, bounderless sky, 虽然那里空气很稀薄 Sui ran na li kong qi hen xi boThough the air is very thin.

45. Learning to Reading Please join the cue read with a partner take it in turns http://www.eslfast.com/easydialogs/

46. I need a job • A: I need a job.B: I thought you had a job.A: I did.B: What happened?A: I got laid off.B: That’s terrible! When did it happen?A: I got laid off last week.B: Just you?A: No, ten of my co workers got laid off, too.B: What are you going to do?A: I’m looking in the newspaper for a job.B: Good luck!

47. Bad Service • A: Have you seen our waiter?B: Here he comes now.A: We’ve been sitting here for almost 10 minutes.B: Oops, I guess I was wrong. That isn’t our waiter.A: We can give him five more minutes, and then leave.B: I’ll go up front and talk to the manager.A: That’s a good idea.B: Maybe they’ll give us free drinks for waiting so long.A: Maybe he’ll send us our waiter immediately.B: Every time we eat out, it’s an adventure.A: Last time, we got seats next to the kitchen.B: We’ll never go there again.

48. A Good Table • A: Is this table okay?B: No, it’s too close to the kitchen door.A: How about this table?B: No, it’s too close to the front door.A: This looks like a nice table.B: No, it’s too close to the salad bar.A: Okay, I give up.B: Well, there is one good table.A: Great. Which one?B: That one. A group of eight just sat down at it.

49. Before you go to that interview • A: Before you go to that interview, check yourself.B: What’s to check?A: Are your nails clean?B: Yes, they are.A: Did you double-check your nose and teeth?B: They are clean, too.A: Did you shine your shoes?B: My shoes are shined.A: Do your socks match?B: Of course they match.A: No, they don’t. One is black and one is dark blue.B: Yikes! Thank you.

50. Life is hard • A: Life is hard.B: It sure is.A: I thought school was hard.B: Me, too. I couldn’t wait to graduate.A: But now work is hard, too.B: I agree. Work is just as hard as school.A: Sometimes I wish I was back in school.B: Me, too. School was fun.A: And it was only 12 years.B: It went by pretty fast.A: But work goes on forever!B: We have to work for 30 years!