[00:00.00]CHAPTER FIVE

[00:-1.00]Reading page 77

[00:-2.00]CHATBACK ON:TUTORIAL CENTRES

[00:-3.00]Have you ever been to a tutorial centre?

[00:-4.00]Do you think tutorial centres can help students?

[00:-5.00]Write and tell us about your experiences and opinions.

[00:-6.00]Send your letters to'Chatback'at the City Mirror.

[00:-7.00]1.Helpful

[00:-8.00]I have studied at a tutorial centre for two years.

[00:-9.00]My command of English has improved considerably since I started this course.

[00:10.00]At my centre the fees are reasonable.

[00:11.00]My tutors are all qualified teachers.

[00:12.00]I have been helped a lot by them.

[00:13.00]They are sincere and kind.

[00:14.00]One of my teachers was British.

[00:15.00]At first I could not say anything to her.

[00:16.00]But later I learned how to communicate in English with a westerner.

[00:17.00]I think that the tutorial centre has given me a lot of confidence in using English

[00:18.00]MANDY LUO

[00:19.00]2.Waste of money

[00:20.00]I have studied at a tutorial centre for one year.

[00:21.00]However,I consider that I have been cheated.

[00:22.00]These tutorial centres are only interested in making money.

[00:23.00]The fees range from 70 yuan to 80 yuan an hour or even 100 yuan an hour.

[00:24.00]The owners of the centres want to make a lot of money,

[00:25.00]and so they accept many students for each class.

[00:26.00]In my class,there were 54 students when the course started.

[00:27.00]However,they don't want to pay for good teachers.

[00:28.00]My English was a university student.

[00:29.00]His major subject was physics,not English!

[00:30.00]Very often,he could not answer our questions about the use of the language.

[00:31.00]In my opinion,it is better to spend more time on your school work

[00:32.00]than to waste money at a tutorial 'money-making' centre.

[00:33.00]REX YANG

[00:34.00]3.I go to sleep

[00:35.00]I have been attending a tutorial centre for two months.

[00:36.00]I have been forced to attend by my parents.

[00:37.00]But I do not think it is useful for me.

[00:38.00]I am always very tired after school.

[00:39.00]Sometimes I even sleep during the classes in the evening.

[00:40.00]Furthermore,the teachers are very boring.

[00:41.00]They give us a lot of supplementary exercises but they teach us nothing.

[00:42.00]I usually read comics.

[00:43.00]Sometimes I go to a video arcade to play TV games instead.

[00:44.00]Therefore,I think tutorial centres are useless.

[00:45.00]SIMON LAN

[00:46.00]4.Good and bad

[00:47.00]I have experienced both good and bad tutorial centres.

[00:48.00]In my first centre, I was in a very big class.

[00:49.00]My teacher was an Australian.

[00:50.00]He just talked about his life and his travels.

[00:51.00]I could learn nothing from him.

[00:52.00]I left within a month.

[00:53.00]Then I asked all my friends for their advice.

[00:54.00]As a result,their recommendations,I enrolled in classes at another centre.

[00:55.00]In this centre the teachers are excellent

[00:56.00]and there are only 12 students in a class.

[00:57.00]We have been taught many good techniques for developing language skills

[00:58.00]and passing our exams.

[00:59.00]There are good and bad tutorial centres,

[-1:00.00]and you must do some detective work before you enrol.

[-1:-1.00]Finally,the most important thing is

[-1:-2.00]whether you are willing to learn and to work hard.

[-1:-3.00]The key factor is yourself.

[-1:-4.00]GRACE LI

[-1:-5.00]LISTENING Skills page 81

[-1:-6.00]Understanding directions

[-1:-7.00]Exercise A

[-1:-8.00]Locations on a map

[-1:-9.00]Where are these places on the map?

[-1:10.00]Listen to the recording and write the letters in the blanks.

[-1:11.00]There are a lot of tutorial centres in the city,

[-1:12.00]for example,there is the Top-Pass Academy,

[-1:13.00]it's on the north side of the river,behind the hotel,it's on a cross roads

[-1:14.00]Find the Bank,and it's diagonally opposite Bat.

[-1:15.00]The Neverfail Centre is not very far away,

[-1:16.00]it's on the north side of the river,too.

[-1:17.00]It's near a park,it's opposite a hotel and next to the library.

[-1:18.00]Best English College is a cross one of the Bridges,

[-1:19.00]done on the self side of the city,

[-1:20.00]it's located between a hotel and a cinema.

[-1:21.00]Exercise B

[-1:22.00]Following directions

[-1:23.00]First,find the place on the map where it says,you are here.

[-1:24.00]Now listen to these conversations and follow the directions.

[-1:25.00]Write the numbers of the places.

[-1:26.00]1.A:Excuse me,could you tell me the way to the London Institute,please?

[-1:27.00]B:Yes,certainly,turn left and go to Farm Road,

[-1:28.00]when you get to Farm Road,turn left again,and then take the second right.

[-1:29.00]Go down that road and take the second turning on your left,

[-1:30.00]the London Institute is the first building on your left.

[-1:31.00]A:Thanks very much.

[-1:32.00]2.A:I wonder if you could help me?I'm looking for the English Centre

[-1:33.00]B:Oh,yes.I know where that is,well go to Farm Road and turn right,

[-1:34.00]then take the second street on your left,

[-1:35.00]go down there and take the first on your left

[-1:36.00]And the First College is the second place on your left.

[-1:37.00]A:Oh!good, Thanks you hlep.

[-1:38.00]A:Tanks.

[-1:39.00]Exercise C

[-1:40.00]Understanding a plan

[-1:41.00]Listen to a member of staff,welcoming someone to Everbright College.

[-1:42.00]Imagining that the speaker has just entered the college by the main door

[-1:43.00]on the right side of the plan.

[-1:44.00]Write the letters in the blanks to show where each room is.

[-1:45.00]A:Welcome to Everbright College Now as we enter,

[-1:46.00]you see that the toilets are on the right.

[-1:47.00]And there is a small reception area on the left.

[-1:48.00]Looking down the corridor,on our left the first room is the office,

[-1:49.00]and then we have the Principal's room,then there is Class Room 4

[-1:50.00]and after that is Seminar Room 1,which is rather small,

[-1:51.00]there's a big seminar room,Room 2 on the right,next to the toilets.

[-1:52.00]After the small Seminar Room is class Room 2,on the left.

[-1:53.00]Opposite it,it's Class Room 1.

[-1:54.00]At the end of the corridor you can see the Language Laboratory on your left

[-1:55.00]and the library on your right,Classroom 3 is next to Classroom 1,

[-1:56.00]and the Staff Room is between that and Seminar Room 2.

[-1:57.00]Site B Speaking

[-1:58.00]Page 88

[-1:59.00]A Pronouncing the letters oo

[-2:00.00]The letters oo can be pronounced in several different ways in English.

[-2:-1.00]1.-oo bamboo

[-2:-2.00]kangaroo too moo

[-2:-3.00]ood food mood

[-2:-4.00]good stood

[-2:-5.00]hood wood

[-2:-6.00]-ook book

[-2:-7.00]cook crook

[-2:-8.00]hook look

[-2:-9.00]shook took

[-2:10.00]-oot boot

[-2:11.00]root hoot

[-2:12.00]loot shoot

[-2:13.00]foot soot

[-2:14.00]-ool cool

[-2:15.00]fool pool

[-2:16.00]tool school

[-2:17.00]wool

[-2:18.00]-oom room

[-2:19.00]boom broom

[-2:20.00]gloomy

[-2:21.00]-oon moon

[-2:22.00]soon noon

[-2:23.00]spoon

[-2:24.00]others:hoop goose loose groove II.

[-2:25.00]These words have different pronunciations:

[-2:26.00]blood flood

[-2:27.00]door floor

[-2:28.00]III.

[-2:29.00]1.At noon,it's no good trying to see the moon,you fool!

[-2:30.00]2.The cook looked at his book,and soon cooked a goose.

[-2:31.00]3.Inside the door was a dark,gloomy room,with a floor made of wood.

[-2:32.00]4.That kangaroo is a crook:it took my book.

[-2:33.00]5.He stood under the bamboo,and then jumped into the cool pool.

[-2:34.00]6.Put your foot in this boot,is it too loose?

[-2:35.00]MORE LANGUAGE INPUT

[-2:36.00]Reading

[-2:37.00]page 90

[-2:38.00]A Class of One

[-2:39.00]Independent Learning

[-2:40.00]If you want to continue your education,

[-2:41.00]but have no money or time for it,

[-2:42.00]Independent Learning may be the solution.

[-2:43.00]Independent Learning is often described as

[-2:44.00]'A Class of One'you are the only person in the class.

[-2:45.00]You work at your own pace,at a time and place convenient to you,

[-2:46.00]with courses that meet your personal goals.

[-2:47.00]An Independent Learning centre offers many courses that help you work towards a degree

[-2:48.00]move up the career ladder,

[-2:49.00]or expand your understanding of any subjects that interest you.

[-2:50.00]It provides you with textbooks,

[-2:51.00]study guides,and other materials such as video and audio tapes.

[-2:52.00]You can communicate with your instructor by mail,telephone,fax or email.

[-2:53.00]Your instructor reads your paper and makes comments.

[-2:54.00]Then your grades are recorded by the centre before they are mailed back to you

[-2:55.00]Independent Learning gives you the freedom to tailor your learning

[-2:56.00]to your demanding life style.

[-2:57.00]If you are determined to try and can keep high motivation

[-2:58.00]and strict self discipline,

[-2:59.00]you will enjoy a real sense of achievement and satisfaction.

[-3:00.00]Listening

[-3:-1.00]Page 91

[-3:-2.00]Listen and supply the missing words.

[-3:-3.00]I very much like studying at Neverfail Centre.

[-3:-4.00]The teachers are very hard working.

[-3:-5.00]Everyone in the class enjoys the lessons.

[-3:-6.00]Neverfail Centre is located in a pleasant part of the city,

[-3:-7.00]and it is very convenient to get to.

[-3:-8.00]Since it is located on the first floor of an industrial building ,

[-3:-9.00]it is sometimes a little noisy in class,

[-3:10.00]but this never distracts us from our studies.

[-3:11.00]The Centre has excellent facilities and the fees are reasonable.

[-3:12.00]I find that I am learning a lot,

[-3:13.00]and so I am really pleased that I decided to study at the Centre.

[-3:14.00]I would definitely recommend Neverfail Centre to all of my friends.

[-3:15.00]Tutorial centres are now becoming popular in our city.

[-3:16.00]Many people think that they are helping to educate our young people.

[-3:17.00]In my opinion,however they are doing a lot of harm.

[-3:18.00]There are three reasons why I object to tutorial centres.

[-3:19.00]First,some students spend over ten hours a day in school and tutorial centres

[-3:20.00]It is not healthy for them.

[-3:21.00]Second,children cannot develop other interests if they are studying all day

[-3:22.00]Third,the staff in some centres are not competent.

[-3:23.00]Therefore,it is time to introduce proper regulations to control these centres