There is a good tool in your pocket for studying IELTS

I always advise my students to download the ABC app onto their phones and use it as an IELTS studying tool. Why?

REASON 1: Practise reading 

This is so obvious. You can read the news using the app. There are local news, world news, sports news, education news, technology news... We all know reading the news in a foreign language is good for building your vocabulary. Your high school English teachers told you that, didn't they? They are right, and the app makes it convenient. You can always highlight a word and "web search" it for the meaning.

If you have read the news about the riots in Hong Kong over the last week, you probably would have learnt the words "melee" (n.) meaning disorder, disturbance, and "scuffle" (n.) (v.) meaning a short, confused fight.

Having said that, the Prime Minister of Aussieland also said a pretty unusual English word last week which sent many people (ESL and non-ESL backgrounds alike) to run for their dictionaries. Tony Abbott said he would "shirtfront" the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Don't you want to know what "shirtfront" means? Luckily, since the PM's choice of word is so special, even the news on the app includes a link to tell you the meaning. It's a movement, so it is easier to grasp with a video.

According to Wikitionary, "shirtfront" is a head-on charge aimed at bumping an opponent to the ground. In AFL, it is supposed to be against the rule, and the term is considered outdated already. Voila!

Actually, you can use the ABC website on your computer instead, but for reading the news, I do recommend using the phone, because it has a smaller screen. We are supposed to be reading faster from a narrower column, so you can train up your reading speed by reading from your phone. In IELTS reading tests, they always arrange a passage in two columns, so they are actually helping us to read faster. Aren't we grateful?

REASON 2: Practise listening

Well, apart from reading, you can listen to the radio and watch TV through the app. I personally don't enjoy watching videos on my phone, but the radio function is good. You can live stream radio or select programs in their archive. Just explore! Many students find IELTS listening challenging because they are not reacting fast enough when the keywords come up. By listening to the radio more, you will eventually get used to the way native English speakers talk, their tones and sentence patterns, which allow you to predict when the main points will come up. So, you won't be surprised when a piece of information pops up.

REASON 3: Collect materials for speaking

I've observed something interesting from tutoring IELTS speaking. Many students find it hard to answer questions regarding aspects of our lives, such as, sports, mass media, the internet and arts. Here are some of the typical questions:

Part I:
What's your favourite TV/ radio program?
Which types of news do you read most often?
Which types of music do you listen to?

Part II:
Describe a useful website.
Describe a movie you dislike.
Describe a piece of electronic equipment.
Describe a kind of sports that you want to try.
Describe an artwork.

Part III:
How do newspapers attract readers?
Which one do you prefer: reading magazines or newspapers?
Should there be more educational TV programs?
What do you think about advertisements?
Should arts be made part of school curriculum?

Perhaps some students are not interested in some of the subjects, that's why they don't think about them much, and so it is natural that they don't have an idea when they are asked those questions. Or, they are actually familiar with some of the subjects, but they just don't have the words to describe, which is really sad :( Whichever the reason is, I think listening to the radio and watching TV more often can widen your scope of knowledge and vocabulary, and give you more ideas for your speeches.

Since I have mentioned music, I want to say I do listen to old Mandarin pops. Here is one of my favourites. P.S. It is a KTV video, so we can sing along =)

Under the Ultimatum

Who can imagine one of the world's safest cities was issued an ultimatum by its ruler? 

Being in Hong Kong last month, I witnessed the brewing of discontentment over Beijing's decision, which overrules Hong Kong's right to exercise universal suffrage in the next chief executive election. I had already been back in Melbourne when the whole thing boiled over. I follow the petition over the internet. Day after day, the strikes in the CBD, tear gas, conflicts and street violence shocked me. It has been a long and exhausting week. Then, an ultimatum came.

As I am writing this post and counting down to the deadline, I am genuinely worried about the safety of the petitioners. We all know very well the authority would resort to force if the students refuse to retreat by Monday morning. "Monday morning, government officials have to  be able to return to the  headquarter and restore their function," said the ruler.

Theme songs are wonderful things; they bind a chain of actions together. Here is the theme song for what has been happening in Hong Kong over the last week. We are yet to know what's going to happen next. While the ultimatum is still in effect, let me purloin this English teaching blog of mine to publicise the song. All for my love to my hometown.

撐起雨傘

給那夜，或者無數日夜，撐著雨傘或赤身淋雨的無私奉獻者：所有為我城命運付出，不計個人前途得失的年輕人，所有令香港變得更美麗的人，你們並不孤單。

靜坐人海 你我非不怕會畏懼這樣下去怎辦但是人生 到了這一晚更怕未表白內心呼喊

站在前方 勇氣驅不散卻信越怕命運更黯淡但是誰想 要看穿荒誕卻會在催淚下睜開眼 一起舉傘 一起的撐一起儘管不安卻不孤單 對嗎一起舉傘 舉起手撐一起為應得的放膽爭取 怕嗎任暴雨下 志向未倒下雨傘是一朵朵的花不枯也不散

為著明天 要記得今晚你我用鎮定面對憂患若是人生 錯過這一晚 怕再沒機會任意呼喊

To the selfless contributors who stood bare in the rain except for their umbrellas, all those who have contributed to the fate of our city, those young people who risk their future willingly and all those who make Hong Kong more beautiful that night, or at countless nights. You are not alone.

Hold up Your Umbrella

Sittin’ in this sea of crowd, it’s not that we’re unafraid,
Afraid of what’ll happen if we carry on like this
But to live until tonight
I’m more afraid if my cry will be unheard
Standing at the front, courage can’t be dispersed
For fear will only diminish life. Who is willing to see through the absurd?
And who – through the smoke of tears – is willing to keep her eyes open?
Together, let’s hold up our umbrellas
Together, we may be uneasy, but we cannot be alone, right?
Hold up our umbrellas, hold up our hands, holding on
Together, we’ll be brave, fight for what’s ours, right?
Let the brutal rain fall, our spirit has not flailed
Each umbrella blooms like flower
They don’t wilt, they don’t disperse
For the sake of tomorrow, remember tonight
We calmly face our worries
If you miss tonight
You may never have the chance to cry out freely again

Note: This is an unofficial English translation of the lyrics. I edited it a bit.