Connectives

Fill in the blanks using the connectives: Besides, for example, firstly, secondly, lastly, next, then, similarly, However, Despite, Although, because, because of, so, so as to, so that, all in all, in deed.

1. _____________ it was a success.
2. _____________ it is raining heavily, Paul went out to play football.
3. ____________ of the heavy rain, Paul went out to play football.
4. He is smart. ____________ he often makes careless mistakes.
5. Tourism is very important to Hong Kong. ____________, Taiwan relies heavily on tourism.
6. We like John _________ he is polite.
7. We like John ___________ of his politeness.
8. He is very weak, _________ he cannot carry the heavy box.
9. He wanted to be an actor ____________ be famous.
10. He works longer hours ____________ he can make more money.
11. I am hungry; __________ I am almost starving.
12. Hong Kong is a busy tourist centre. ____________ it is an international financial centre.
13. He likes, ______________ watching films, swimming and collecting coins.
14. ________, peel the bananas. _______, cut the bananas into small pieces, _______ warm the milk. ___________, add in sugar and vanilla essence.

Connectives

Link the sentences with the following connectives: and, because, but ,and so.

1. Jack was very sad ___________ his pet had died.
2. Amy looks very young, _______ she is already in her 30's.
3. I feel hot, ______ I turn on the fan.
4. She has a younger sister ________ she loves her very much.

Letter to a Friend

Dear Victoria

What a day! I arrived at the new club for my first training session. I was wearing the new white football shirt that they gave me on the first day when I got here. After we ran for about twenty minutes, we did some foot-strengthening exercises.

It was a lovely, sunny day at first but gradually it became cloudy. It started to rain heavily when we were running to the restaurant. After the meal, we walked to the beach nearby for a photo shoot. I had a great time there!

How are Paul and Mandy? I hear that they are enjoying the sunshine in California now. When will they return to Chicago? I hope that I will be less busy next month so that I can come to their graduation ceremony. Write soon.

Lots of love,
David

Chapter 4 Vocabulary

1. (Research, aware, sites, overfish, threats ) – The scholars are aware of the overfishing problem and research the threats in different ocean sites.
2. ( triangular, deaf, adopt, hump ) – The triangular hump helps the deaf dolphin to adopt the life in the ocean.
3. (construction, pollution, notice ) – The pollution notice is posted on the construction.
4. (donation, volunteer, adopt, extinct ) – Some volunteers adopt the extinct dolphin and give some donation for the 21^st century research.
5. (waters, supply, century, explosives) – The explosives in the nearby waters supply the polluted food to the dolphins.

Study Plan for English Assessment

General English: Reading & Usage (14 Jan 2009)
comparative, passive, tenses (present perfect continuous)
Writing: Picture Description & Letter Writing (14 Jan, 2009)
Listening (15 Jan 2009)
Oral (16 Jan 2009)

James

James jumped into jet.
James highjacked the jet.
James juice gelled his jacket.
James was jailed in a jail.

Letter of Advice

Dear Alan,

I'm sorry to hear that you are very stressed and you felt unhappy about the failed result of your tests.

I can see your problem is mainly caused by the busy timetable of your school open days. To prepare for the open days took all your study time. You felt so tired after school so you couldn't manage to study and revise for the tests.

Since the main cause of your problem is the open days, you can talk to your teachers concerned and explain about your situation to them. You may also ask them to give you another chance to retake the tests.

I hope my suggestion can help you to solve the problem.

Yours,

Kevin

Letter for seeking advice

Hi Kevin

I'm very stressed these days. Let me share with you what have happened, so you may give me some advice.

These days, our school is preparing for the open days. I am one of the choir members and I need to stay two days after the school for the choir practice. At the same time, I also need to help to decorate the classrooms for the open days. It takes me two more days after school.

The problem is I was so tried after I came home. I went straight to bed. I couldn't manage to study and revise for the tests. So, I failed two tests in the past two weeks. I felt very bad about the results.

What shall I do? Please help me.

Best Wishes,

Alan

Cherry

Cherry is a Chinese.
Cherry speaks Chinese in Chile.
Cherry chooses chewing gum.
Cherry doesn't choose chocolate.
Cherry thinks Chile chewing gum tastes really good.

Differences between present perfect and present perfect continuous tense

The present perfect tense and the present perfect continuous tense are different in that the present perfect tense is more concerned with the result of the past event in the present. But the present perfect continuous is concerned with the duration of the event to the present.

1. The telephone (ring) continuously since you left! I am not your secretary!
2. Julia (study) in primary school for six years and she graduates this month.
3. The artist (work) on the painting without interruption for two weeks, but it still doesn't look very good.
4. Your brother (talk) non-stop since he got back from school.
5. John (play) the piano since he was a boy, but he has never taken any lessons.

Family

For most people, family represents love, comfort and stability.
The comfort of the family helps members to face difficulties in their lives.The love of the family gives strength to the members.

Family structures are changing quickly these years. Most families in Hong Kong live in small and crowded flats. The family members may wait for a long time to use toilet in the morning.

Short Sharon

Sharon is short.

Short Sharon swallows a show shark.

The show shark shouts at short Sharon.

Sharon smiles at the shark.

Polar Bears

I like polar bears. They live in the Arctic. The Arctic is an icy place where most polar bears live.
Polar bears face threats from different things. They include oil companies, global warming and tourists.

Oil companies can threaten the live of polar bears. When they drill oil in the Arctic, the homes of the polar bears will be destroyed.

Global warming can also threaten the live of the polar bears. The polar bears can only survive in icy environment.

Tourists can also cause harm to polar bear.

Vocabulary Sentence - Unit Two

1. The chef introduced his favourite dishes of stir-fried noodles.
2. He also tasted the crushed peanut shrimps with vegetables in plate.
3. The ingredients are sprouts, spring onions, soy sauce, satay, chillies, garlic, and sesame seed.
4. He put in the hotpot slices of marinated barbecue beef ribs and two teaspoons of soy sauce in the shabu shabu.
5. The recipe of kalbi and burger are from Pad Thai.
   

Preposition Exercises

Fill in the blank with the prepositions: at, of, on, in, for, since, with, without, about, to, up

1. My brother is coming ________ Monday.
2. It's not too cold __________ autumn to run outside.
3. He started the school _________ 2002.
4. He has lived in Hong Kong __________ three years.
5. She has been sitting in the living room __________ 2 o'clock.
6. I am not afraid ______ the exam.
7. He is very fond ________ watching movies.
8. Tom's father is proud ________ Tom.
9. I am not angry ________ my naughty brother.
10. We should be happy __________ the bad news.
11. The test item is similar ________ the one we have in the exercise.
12. I am not aware __________ his presence.
13. We are very interested _________ playing the game.
14. I am sorry _______ my wrong attitude.
15. John is capable ________ leading the team.
16. He is jealous ___________ the success of his brother.
17. I am not sure _________ the dates of the exam.
18. Don't be careless __________ the details of the lesson.
    
19. The table was made _______ wood.
    
20. I am tired __________ studying for a whole day.
21. He is not familiar _______ the format of the test.
22. Princess Diana married ___________ Prince Charles.
23. Don't worried _________ the test.
24. We can't live ___________ water.
25. Don't give ______ so easily.
    
26. I have prepared well _________ the test.
27. I grow _________ in a good family.
28. I look forward __________ winning the competition.
29. I won't trust ______ the study tips of my friend.
30. Don't worry _________ the coming test.
    

Vocabulary Sentence - Unit One

Safari, wonderful, experience, tourists

• A _________ is a ___________ journey. It is also a trip __________ by ________ to Africa.

jeep, notice, sneakers, strange, zebras, giraffes

• Tourists who wore ________ were staying in a ______ . They __________ some _________ and ____________.

cub, harmless, different photo, Universal Studio, theme park , entrance, actors

• The ________________ is near the _________ of the __________ . The photographers are taking ___________ of the ___________ playing with the ________ lion __________ .
  

rising, realized, hotel, forgetful, tourist, direction, roller coaster, screamed

• The __________ flag of the _________ makes the ________ __________ realized the ______________ of the ________ _________ in the theme park, so they ____________ with joy.

revenge, mummy, endless, screaming, sprayed, cheeks, Jurassic Park, queues, ride

• They _______ when they _________ the _________ of ______ and the ________ _________ in __________ ________. Their _______ turned red as they had _________ red paint on their faces. The _________ to play the games was __________ long.

Keys

• They screamed when they rode the revenge of mummy and the roller coaster in Jurassic park. Their cheeks turned red as they had sprayed red paint on their faces. The queue to play the games was endlessly long.

Guided Writing

One day the bunny had a race with the turtle. At the beginning of the race, the bunny ran much faster than the turtle. It was very happy. It stopped running to take a nap. The turtle kept on running and soon passed the bunny. It ran and ran to the finishing line. Twenty minutes later, the bunny woke up and started to run again. When it reached the finishing line, the turtle was already there. The bunny felt very ashamed.

Thomas's Thrall

Thin Thomas went to the theatre.
Thin Thomas thought there was a theif.
Thin Thomas caught the theif.
The theif became Thomas's thrall.

Gerund or Infinitive

+ a gerund

• avoid joining the club
• can't bear listening to loud music
• consider taking the test
• dislike playing chess
• finish doing my homework
• give up playing mahjong
• keep on talking to my friend
• don't mind teaching kids
• practise writing composition
• risk taking my life
• am not used to making dresses
• listen to someone without understanding the message
• change your way of speaking

+ an Infinitive

• advise me to prepare for the test
• allow me to redo the homework
• apply to join the school
• happen to meet my friends on the street
• encourage me to follow the teacher's advice
• I fail to complete the test
• I wish to pass the test
• I promise to save the money
• I refuse to play video games
• I choose to drink lemon tea

+ a Gerund or Infinitive

• begin to write / writing on the answer sheet
• continue to speak / speaking
• learn to swim / swimming
• love to drink / drinking tea
• start to writing / writing

Tasks

1. You must practise ___________ (play) the piano if you want to succeed.

2. I wonder why Mary avoids __________ (see) us.

3. Mary has gone to the language school ___________ (learn) Janpanese.

4. I'm sorry I made a mistake but I'm not used to _________ (make)dresses.

5. Mr Chan has no attention ________ (help) us.

A Compian Letter

Dear Sir,

Subject:Holes dug along pavement outside Site 4 of Marpoa Garden

I am writing to complain about a number of holes dug along the pavement just outside the residential block in which I live.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the holes were made by the trash truck. Every morning, the truck collected garbage at the spot where the holes were made. The holes have been made since the beginning of this month. The holes are dirty and full of garbage.

Preposition Task

Fill in the blanks with the right prepositions.

Dear Mr Lam,

Re: Cleanliness __on__ staircase around the lobby __of__ Whamco Gardens

I am writing to complain __about____ the messiness and uncollected rubbish __around___ the lobby of our building.

I would like to draw your attention __to___ the fact that the staircase and lobby have not been cleaned __for____ at least ten days. Therefore, they are very dirty. Besides, the rubbish collection has not been improved. __On_______ Sundays when we are _at__ home, there is rubbish piling _up_on _____ the staircase all day ___in____ evening. We find that such an environment is very unpleasant to live ___in__.

Could you please inform us what the regular cleaning schedule and rubbish collection schedule __of____ the building are? We would also like to know whether there is any provision ___of___ extra cleaning in the case __of____ bad weather or construction work __in__ the building.

We are paying what seems to be a high amount __of___ management fees considering the standard __of____ service that we receive.

I await your answer and a considerable improvement ___in___ the cleaning service urgently.

Yours sincerely,


Signature

Tenses Exercise

A. Fill in the right forms of the verb in the blanks.

1. He ___washes______ (wash) his bike by himself.
2. My friend sometimes ___plays____ (play) with his uncle.
3. I like to _____talk_____ ( talk ) with the actor.
4. My friend often __goes________ (go) shopping.
5. My mother ____cooked_______ (cook) the dinner last weekend.
6. My coaches _______swim__________ (swim) in the sea.
7. We ___finish___(finish) doing our homework before dinner everyday.
8. My younger brother ____ate_____ (eat) three apples yesterday.
9. One of my friends _______likes____ (like ) to play the guitar.
10. Can you ____run______ (run) two miles ?
11. The teacher ____had_______ (have) a headache.
12. They ____watch________ (watch) a movie every week.
13. Does it _______snow_______ (snow) outside?
14. He often ____takes_____ (take) his umbrella with him.
15. My good friends __stayed____ (stay) in a good hotel last week.
16. I was very happy to _____play_____ ( play ) in the park yesterday.
17. My friends often _____bring_____ (bring) their books to read.
18. The workers ____washed_______ (wash) his car last weekend.
19. Tom and Jerry ________climbed_________ (climb) the hill.
20. I __finish____(finish) practice playing piano before dinner everyday.
21. My aunt _cooked________ ( cook) lunch with me yesterday.
22. One of my uncles ______does not like_____ (not like ) to play the guitar.
23. Did you ______fly____ (fly) by plane last week ?
24. The teacher _____did not have______ (not have) a headache.
25. They ____do not watch________ ( not watch) a movie every week.
26. Did it _____rain_________ ( rain) outside?
27. He often ______rides___ (ride) bike by myself.
28. My best friends ____live______ (live) with his uncle.
29. I like to ___travel_______ ( travel ) to USA.
30. My friends often _go_________ (go) shopping.

Complaint Letter

Dear Sir,

Subject:Holes dug along pavement outside Site 4 of Marpoa Garden

I am writing to complain about a number of holes dug along the pavement just outside the residential block in which I live.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the holes were made by the trash truck. Every morning, the truck collected garbage at the spot where the holes were made.

Prepositions

Fill in the blanks with the prepositions: to, in, at, by, between, about, from, with, of

1. Susan sits _between_ avid and Nancy.
2. Sam works _in__ Central.
3. She walks __to______ the museum __from_____ the MTR station.
4. The system starts functioning _at___ half past eight.
5. The school term begins __in__ September.
6. We always travel __by___ bus.
7. John complains __about___ the quality of service provided _by__ the receptionist of the Sha Tin Shopping Centre.
8. Jimmy was familiar __with__ the construction __of___ the building.
9. He made a phone call __to____ his friend living in San Francisco.
10. I sought help _at__ the front desk.

Grammar - Active or Passive

Put the verb into the correct form, present simple tense, active or passive.

1. The problems __are_caused__ (cause) by the careless staff.
2. The staff __causes___ (cause) the problems.
3. The company is not independent. It _is_owned__(own) by a much larger company.
4. The goods _are_delivered__ (deliver) by the transportation company.
5. The school _cancels__ (cancel) the outdoor games because of the bad weather.
6. The park gates _are_locked__ (lock) at 6:30 p.m. every evening.
7. The house _is surrounded___ (surround) by trees.
8. The company _employs___ (employ) two hundred people.
9. Two hundred people_are_employed__ (employ) by the company.
10. Usually, some goods __are_destroyed__ (destroy) during the transportation process.

Car Cat Kite Card Crab

Car-Car-Car Cat-Cat-Cat Kite-Kite-Kite Card-Card-Card Crab-Crab-Crab3
Keeper's car, Keeper's cat, Keeper's Kite, Keeper's Card, Keeper's Crab
Calvin, the Keeper is sooooooooooooooooooo Clever.

Paul and a pink pear

Paul picked a pink pear from his peer's park.
Did poor Paul pick a pink pear from his peer's park.
If poor Paul picked a pink pear ,
Where's the pink pear Paul picked ?

To Do List

1. Read the book, "Black Beauty" and write a short paragraph to tell how the plot was developed
2. Read P.4 Part II
3. Read P.9 Part I & II
4. Type the story to the blog
5. Read all the stories from p.58 onward
6. Practise typing, target at 20 words per minute
7. Visit the site at http://resources.edb.gov.hk/inputway/einput/einputindex.htm to practise typing
8. Prepare for the lessons on 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29 August

A Good Year for China

There has been some good news in China since the beginning of the year.
The good news includes :
1.Olympic Games in August
2.Improving relationship between China and Taiwan
So far,Ican only think of the two pieces of good news. I will add more to the list later.

A Vacation Plan

Simon lives in a big flat in Kowloon Tong. His parents are very busy and they work nearly every day.

Simon is a happy boy. He likes travel very much. He dreams that he will visit Japan one day.

One day, Simon dad said to Simon, "We will go Japan this summer."

Simon said, "Harray, my dream comes true!"

Simon started preparing for the Japan trip. He read books about Japan. He studied simple Japanese, so he could speak Japanese when he arrived there.

At last, summer arrived. But Simon's dad said, "Son, I'm very sorry. I can't take the vacation because the company I work didn't let me take the holidays because of an important project.
Simon was very disappointed. He told this to his good friend, Tony.

Tony comforted him and said, "My parents are poor. We cannot afford to travel. But, I don't feel sad about it because I have many good friends to accompany me."

Simon became happier when he listened to Tony. So, the two good friends had a very good time playing together this summer.

2008 - A Bad Year for China

There has been a lot of bad news in China since the beginning of the year. The bad news includes:
1. a severe snowstorm in January and February,
2. a breakout of Tibet riots in March,
3. a protest against the China government by the pro-Tibetan supporters to extinguish Olympic torch in March and April, and
4. a horrible earthquake in Sichuan in May.

To better learn English, I was told to learn English by taking the following steps:
1. to engage in learning tasks
2. to explore the newly learnt words, information, or ideas
3. to express or talk with others about the topic
4. to evaluate how much I have learnt.

I will try to make these steps of learning a habit in my daily life.

Phonics and Reading

Today, I read the story, "French Adventures - Part I". It took me 45 minutes to read the whole book. I can understand the story and I like the story. Although there are a number of new words I can't pronounce them correctly, I can understand them from the context.

Terri then explained to me, I can improve my pronunciation by learning phonics. She taught me ten vowel sounds. The five short vowel sounds, a, e, i, o, and u; and the five long vowel sounds, ae, ee, ie, oe, and ue. These are ten basic sounds of English.

1. short a; such as racks, advanture
2. short e;
3. short i;
4. short o;
5. short u;
6. long ae;
7. long ee;
8. long ie;
9. long oe;
10. long ue;

Comprehension Skills

I've found my comprehension skill is weak. I read very slowly. Whenever there are new words in the passage, I slow down to guess the meaning. Most of the time I cannot get the meaning, I feel very frustrated.Today, I think I learn to improve my reading by doing three different things.

Firstly, I learn I can read something that I can easily understand and I am interested in. Reading ESLite newspaper is a good start. I think I can spend at least five minutes a day on it.

Secondly, I learn to time myself when I read. So, it helps increase my speed of reading. One of the problems is what to do with the unknown words in reading. I should just skip the words by saying bah bah according to the number of syllables.

Lastly, I learn that I can repeat reading anything that is an interest to me. I can read the passages that I learn in school or story books that I like.

To conclude, I must learn to understand and remember what I read. This helps improve my comprehension skill and learn new words. To make sure I can remember what I read and I can read faster, I should re-read as much as I can.

Answer the questions below.
1.Why does the author think his comprehension skill is weak?

2.What does he think he can do to improve his reading skill?

3. Why does the author help himself to remember what he reads?

My Views on Early Admission to University

The Early Admission Scheme (EAS) started last year. I think it is a good news. Top students can enter university one year ealier. I support the EAS due to the following reasons.


EAS is a reward to students who work hard. The EAS gives students more freedom to study what they are really interested in. They do not need to study for the A level exam.


To conclude, EAS is a good scheme to Hong Kong students.

M-o-t-h-e-r Poem

Mum, it is the Mother's Day today.
Oh, Mother's Day is a festival for you.
The festival reminds me to love you.
How many Mother's Days we have spent together?
Every Mother's Day I wish I will bring you some surprise.
Really I hope everyday is a Mother's Day!

Early Admission to University

More than 400 students with excellent results in the HKCEE were admitted to university under the Early Admission Scheme (EAS) last year. The top 420 HKCEE scorers will be allowed to skip Form Seven and start their university courses in September this year.

I would rather study one more year without skipping Form Seven at secondary school. I don't want to miss out the study that I will do in Form Seven with my school classmates. The study, I believe, will equip me with more basic knowledge for my future university study.

Comprehension Skill

I've found my comprehension skill is weak. I read very slowly. Whenever there are new words in the passage, I slow down to guess the meaning. And if I can't, I just leave it.

Today, I think I've learnt to improve my reading by doing three different things. Firstly, I learn I can read something that fits my English level. Secondly, I learn to time myself when I read. So, it helps increase my speed of reading. Thirdly, I learn that I can repeat reading anything that is an interest to me.

To conclude, I must learn to understand and remember when I read. This helps improve my comphrehension skill and learn new words. To make sure I can remember what I read and I can read faster, I should re-read as much as I can.

New Verbs I Learnt Today

1. I can only imagine how to drive a car because I am too young to drive.
2. The book covers a lot of interesting information about animals.
3. Teachers usually instruct students to finish their homework.
4. Children are not permitted to swim without adults.
5. I like to observe the animals in the zoo.
6. My mother empties the bins every night.
7. Salt can help to preserve food.

Happy Lunar New Year

I wish you …

A year of joy,
A year with more friends,
A year of more fun,
A year with better exam results,

A year of health,
A year of wealth,

Yeaaaah!
You'd have the year of Rat with everything turning out great.

Word Pronunciation

Word Pronunciation I would like to be able to pronounce new words.I hope I can spell words when I hear the sound of the words.

This week I'd learn to pronoun words. I'd also learn the IPA sounds to pronounce words. I'd use the website introduced by Miss Terri to learn English pronounciation.

This is a new experience to me. I am sure I would be more confident to speak English if I know exactly how to pronounce words.

Word Pronunciation

This week I learnt to pronoun words. I also learnt the IPA sounds to pronounce words. Iused the website introduced by Miss Terri to learn English pronounciation.

I would like to be able to pronounce new words.

I hope I can spell words when I hear the sound of the words.

Vocabulary I learnt this week

I learnt the meaning of the word "breed" and check the meaning from the dictionary link:
http://cdict.giga.net.tw/ breed
(vt.)繁殖,飼養;教養,撫養(vi.)繁殖品種,種類
Synonym: produce; hatch; bring up; nourish; train; instruct.

bet 打賭,賭注(vt.)(vi.)打賭(v.)(vbl.)打賭

I also checked the word "burst" from the google link:
http://www.google.com/ 網路上查詢burst在 英文的定義結果：
break open or apart suddenly; "The bubble burst"

• break: force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger"
• explode: burst outward, usually with noise; "The champagne bottle exploded"
• move suddenly, energetically, or violently; "He burst out of the house into the cool night"
  

Enhance My English

What should I do to enhance my English?

1. I should read more to enhance my vocabulary power.
2. I should remember the vocabulary naturally when I read.
3. I should substain my interest and curiosity when I read.
4. I should not give up even I may get bored.

Vocabulary Learning

VERB PHRASE

verb + noun (e.g. enhance writing, bear responsibility)
verb + adjective +noun (e.g.enhance English foundation,increase thinking power)
adverb + verb (e.g. quickly run, happily accept )
adverb + verb + noun (e.g. naturally learn the vocabulary, happily accept the social responsibility)

NOUN PHRASE
adverb + adjective + noun (e.g. very boring task )
adjective + preposition + noun (e.g. bored by task)
noun + noun (e.g. English teacher )

Level of fresh water lake at near historic low

Poyang Lake in Jixing, China is now near its lowest level .

The low levels have caused serious water shortages for residents around the lake.

Local authorities are trying their best to deal with the problem.

Level of student's writing

Some Hong Kong student's writing is at the low level due to their lack of interest and training.

According to the research articles in the newspaper, the level came to its worrying stage. The low level has caused concern by parents among employers and the goverment, especially the education department of Hong Kong.

Local school principals are trying their best to deal with the problem.