Shopping Online

Have you ever bought anything on the internet?

Online shopping is becoming more and more common in the UK and in Weekender, we hear BBC business reporter Russell Padmore explain where else internet shopping is popular and what kinds of things people like to buy on the internet. And people in the UK tell us what they really think about buying online. Before you listen to the programme, read these comprehension questions. Try to answer them as you listen.

1: Can you name one of the 'developed' countries mentioned in the programme?

2: Can you give an example of something people prefer not to buy on the internet?

3: What worries people about internet shopping?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1549_weekender_extra/page40.shtml
September 2006

Christmas shops

If you walk into many London shops at the moment, you might find it difficult to believe that Christmas is still many weeks away. In this programme, with the help of a market researcher, we find out why Christmas seems to be getting earlier and earlier.

Listen to London Life October 2005
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1128_london_life/page56.shtml

Vocabulary from the programme
Christmas has become too commercialized it's too concerned with making money
to hold out to wait for as long as possible to get what you want
consumers people who buy things
retailers people/firms who sell things
a buyers' market a situation where consumers have more power than retailers
to rail against something to protest against something
to be rushed off your feet to be very busy
nerve-wracking difficult and stressful
it's convenient it doesn't cause too many problems, it's simple

How to buy on EBay

How to buy on EBay: VideoJug presents a simple guide to buying items on EBay. From registering on the website itself, to completing the sale, this video helps you through it all when buying on EBay.

Step 1:
Register
Before you can begin bidding in eBay auctions, you have to choose a user name and register your contact details and e-mail address. If you use an internet based e-mail address such as Hotmail, you will have to verify your identity using a credit or debit card. Your personal information will be kept confidential by eBay, as stated in their user agreement, which you must agree to register. Use the instructions in the e-mail eBay sends you after you agree to complete your registration.

Step 2:
Searching eBay
Items for sale on eBay are put into categories, listed down the left-hand side of the site. Clicking on one of these categories brings up a series of sub-categories. If you see the sub-category that you are looking for, clicking on it will bring up all the items currently for sale within it. Alternatively, if you know exactly the name of the item you are looking for, you can use the search box at the top of the page. Enter your search and eBay will bring up every item listed that includes your keywords.

Step 3:
Advanced searches
The sheer volume of items for sale at any one time means that you may have to narrow down your initial search results. Clicking onto the advanced search page gives many more search options, including searching by time left on sale, price, location of the item and type of payment accepted. These options also appear on the left-hand side of the screen when searching within a sub-category.

Step 4:
Researching an item
Clicking on an item will bring you to its individual auction page. All the information about the item is contained on this page. Check carefully details such as current price, the description the seller has written about the item's condition and features, postage costs and payment options the seller accepts. There is also an option to e-mail the seller if you have a question about the item not answered on the auction page.

Step 5:
Researching the seller
The number next to a seller's username is the percentage of feedback he has received that is positive. Clicking on the number will show you the total feedback received, and the comments left about the seller by his buyers. This will help you to get an idea of how trustworthy a particular seller is before buying.

Step 6:
Placing a bid
Clicking on the 'place bid' button will take you to the bidding screen. This screen will tell you the current item price and the next bid price. Enter the maximum price you would be willing to pay, and eBay will automatically bid up to that price, if another buyer bids against you. eBay will e-mail you if you have been outbid. Remember that when you bid for an item, you are entering into a contract with the seller to buy if you win the auction.

Step 7:
Buy it now
Some items will be being sold using eBay's 'buy it now' option. This means a seller is willing to accept a fixed price for an item, and first come, first served. You can pay for a buy it now item instantly through Paypal, or use any other payment option accepted by the seller.

Step 8:
Paying
If you are paying via Paypal, click the 'pay now' button located on the item listing page or on the confirmation e-mail sent to your e-mail address. If you are paying another way, the e-mail will include contact details for the seller.

Step 9:
Completing the sale
When you receive the item, make sure it fits the item description. If you are pleased with the item, leave positive feedback about your seller through your my eBay page. The seller will also leave feedback about you as a buyer. Leaving feedback is an important part of the sales process, as you will be helping other buyers make decisions, just like their feedback helped you. If you have a complaint about the item, try and contact the seller to reach a solution. If this fails, you can report the seller to eBay, who will consider what action, if any, to take.
To find out how to sell on eBay, please check out our other eBay films.

Fire Drill/Fire Practice

An interview to Tracy Chapman

On how her early success has shaped her long career.

Tracy Chapman was just 24 when she became a worldwide star after performing at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday concert in London in 1988. Her eponymous debut album earned three Grammy Awards, and became the most successful album by a female artist in UK chart history. Hits such as 'Fast Car', 'Talkin' Bout A Revolution' and 'Baby Can I Hold You' became firmly lodged in our collective memory. But despite releasing seven more well-received albums she never regained the same level of success. But all this could be about to change with a new album, Our Bright Future, and a European tour. She talks to Jane about her life, music and politics, and performs some tracks for Woman’s Hour.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/01/2008_46_mon.shtml

A review of a film

Paragraph 1: Introduction/Title/ of film/overall impression
Paragraph 2: Plot summary
Paragraph 3: Opinion in detail: acting, direction, music
Paragraph 4: Conclusion/recommendation

Sample review: (from CAE Result . Oxford)
Pirates of the Caribbean is a highly enjoyable action/adventure film. It is a gripping action movie that contains adventure, horror and comedy.

Pirate captain Barbosa and his crew of skeletons are in search of the gold coin that will release them from a curse. When they kidnap the local governor’s daughter (Keira knightly), courageous Will, played by the gorgeous Ornaldo Bloom , sets out to rescue her, assisted by Jack Sparrow, whose ship has been stolen by Barbosa.

The acting in Pirates is superb throughout, with all the actors turning in enthusiastic performances, but Johny Depp is outstanding as the sly, rather crazy Sparrow.

The film would make for a great evening’s entertainment. Pirates is a superb family film with something for everyone.

Cosmetic/plastic surgery

How acceptable is it?

The number of cosmetic surgery procedures in Britain has risen by at least 50 per cent in the past year.

Around 75,000 of these procedures are carried out annually, many by surgeons who lack specialist qualifications, and at an estimated cost of £225 million.

The Government is today launching plans to regulate the industry. But does the wider and open use of 'nips and tucks' for women and men, make it acceptable, or should we be concerned about this worship of youth and glamour?

Martha talks to psychotherapist, Susie Orbach, and Zoe Williams

nip and tuck: plastic surgery to remove wrinkles and other signs of aging from your face; an incision is made near the hair line and skin is pulled back and excess tissue is excised; "some actresses have more than one face lift" [syn: face lift]

Listening exercise:
Listen to the six first minutes, note down the main ideas mention in the conversation and later ckeck with the summary-script if you were right.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2005_04_fri_03.shtml

One of my Christmas presents this year was a box-set of nip/ tuck, the American Drama about plastic surgery, perhaps it was not such a subtle hint , but I found every all sort of entertainment watching grues and bits of operations behind my fingers generally. But I guess it’s reflexion of the current obsession with cosmetic surgery.

The number of procedures in Britain has risen by 50o% in the last year and there are growing concerns about the standard of care. Today the government is announcing tough new controls over the industry.

A report by the Health Care commission, which regulates private medicine, estimates that fewer than half of the surgeons working in the field have the relevant specialist qualifications.
Earlier I spoke to Lord W. the Health Minister

We are concerned about:
a. Are all the facilities where this is done appropriately licensed?
b. Are all the people who are carrying out the procedure s appropriately qualified?
c. Is the public well informed enough about whether the places and the people who are undertaking work on their bodies are faithful purpose?
Are there at the moment doctors carrying out procedures who aren’t properly qualified in cosmetic surgery?
The great majority of people who are carrying out cosmetic surgery are on the specialist register or have a specialist qualification in this area
We have not evidence that unqualified in the sense that they are not registered doctors are doing this work
But there’s a small proportion 60/70 out of nearly 800 who are practising in this area who are not in the specialist register………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
They are dealing with the situation. They want to make this more secure given that it’s a rapidly expanding area of activity.
There’s particular concern about non-surgical procedures, we read in newspapers gruesome stories about botox parties.
I agree with you that there are rather gruesome stories that certainly wouldn’t be my cup of tea as a way to spend my time
And we want to ensure that these people only have these procedures with competent people and on licensed premises which are licensed by the Independent Health Care commission.
What seems to be happening is that the government and the regulation are unable to keep pace with the speed which this industry is growing.
…………………………………………………………. Not the same level of supervition……………..
I admit that there’s been a bit of free-lancing here and there and less supervision.
(Martha talks to psychotherapist, Susie Orbach, and journalist, Zoe Williams.)
Sisie, this huge rise in cosmetic surgery seem to become more and more socially acceptable is that something that concerns you?
Why is the number of women drawn into cosmetic surgery increasing?
Susie Orbach : absolutely I think we are fascinated with the programmes we first imported from the United States and we almost look at them like an anthropologist trying to discover another culture another country but they work on us at a certain level, but in a big global study of beauty I participated in:
Women are saying they are affected by the visual images in the world around them and are undermining their own sense of their own physical attractiveness and that they are drawn to plastic surgery because they don’t quite fit in with what they see, so there is a direct relationship between what we see on the billboards or on TV.
Is there a crisis of self-esteem?
People should be a bit tougher with themselves really, I mean we’ve got part of maturity is understanding that there is physical perfection just as there is kind of intellectual magnificence and you might not actually reach it. It’s accepting that some exists and just because you don’t fi t into it doesn’t mean that the whole world is undone.
I think female beauty and male beauty actually have been praise and loaded and depicted and iconographiesed ............................................

It goes on for another 7 minutes…………………………………

Note: Nip/Tuck is an American television medical drama series created by Ryan Murphy for FX Networks. The show follows the lives of two plastic surgeons, Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon).

Obama pledges urgent and sweeping measures to prop up US economy

Barack Obama has promised urgent action to tackle the US job crisis through the biggest infrastructure spending programme since the 1950s.
Speaking in his weekly internet address, and after figures showed the US economy shed 533,000 jobs last month, the US president-elect promised "action now" to get Americans back into work.
"We will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s," he said.
Obama gave more details of a recovery plan to save or create at least 2.5m jobs, and said that states that did not spend the money fast would be penalised. "We'll set a simple rule - use it or lose it," he said. But he claimed he would not simply throw money at the problem.
"We'll measure progress by the reforms we make and the results we achieve - by the jobs we create, by the energy we save, by whether America is more competitive in the world."
His jobs promise came as new figures showed that more than 300,000 people have already applied for posts in his White House team.
The vast majority of applicants will be disappointed – there are likely to be only around 3,300 jobs in the incoming administration when Obama takes over from George Bush on January 20.
In his address, Obama promised "the most sweeping effort to modernise and upgrade school buildings that this country has ever seen".
Obama, who was urged by Democratic members of Congress to "be more assertive than he has been" over plans to help America's beleaguered car industry yesterday, said the nation felt "rising unease and frustration" as the total number of jobs lost in the recession reached almost 2m.
"We need to act with the urgency this moment demands to save or create at least two- and-a-half million jobs so that the nearly two million Americans who've lost them know that they have a future," he said.
Obama also set out plans to increase access to broadband internet connections in schools, libraries and hospitals.
"It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption," he said.
He added: "Every child should have the chance to get online."

Talking about learning a foreign language

Discussion 1:
Compare and contrast these photographs, saying which you think is a better way of learning English.

Discussion 2: What might help you to improve your English? Talk to other students and decide which of the following activities are the most important, why, and in what order.

Reading books
Reading newspapers and magazines
Using dictionaries
Practising writing
Speaking to other students
Watching TV programmes and films without being dubbed.
Having a good teacher
Doing homework (grammar, vocabulary etc..)
Listening to songs
Using Internet
Using the language at work
Going to the country where the language is spoken

Useful language:

Giving opinions
I just think the best way ..........................
In my opinion, ...................................
I have my doubts whether/about ................
I just don't think that .........................
I've always thought that.......................
................. is an important factor for me
Personally, I haven't the faintest idea about/whether .....
I'd just like to say ........

Asking for the opinion of others
What/ How about you?
What's your opinion?
what do you think?
don't you think..........?

Agreement
So do I
Neither do I
That's true
I agree .............
I couldn't agree more
I think so

Saying you aren't sure
Hmm.. I'd have to think about it.
Well, I'm in two minds about it really.
I can't make up my mind.

Disagreement
Yes, but what about?
but, don't you agree that....?
Actually, I think ..................
I see what you mean but I'm not at all sure/convinced that ...........
Yes, but i don't think that......
True, but I'm afraid I disagree (with) .....
Perhaps, but I can't help thinking that......
I see your point but that's not the way I see it.

What defines who a person is?

Discussion: What defines who a person is? Order the following from the most to the least important.

Clothes race work nationality gender family food hobbies language beliefs

Useful language:

Why don’t we start with the least important? That might make it a bit easier
That’s a good idea/good idea yeah
So what do we think is the least important then? Why don’t you start?
Well, you know, for me it’s definitely .......................I mean.. well...... I just don’t think that ............ has anything to do with a person’s identity at all?
How about .......................then?

It’s a bit more complicated than that though. For many people ...............
Yeah, that’s a good point / that’s exactly the point
I know what you mean.
I still feel that ........................... is more important.
What about ..........................

-ing form

'- ING' FORM
the gerund
This looks exactly the same as a present participle, and for this reason it is now common to call both forms 'the -ing form'. However it is useful to understand the difference between the two. The gerund always has the same function as a noun (although it looks like a verb), so it can be used:
a. as the subject of the sentence:
Eating people is wrong.
Hunting elephants is dangerous.
Flying makes me nervous.
b. as the complement of the verb 'to be':
One of his duties is attending meetings.
The hardest thing about learning English is understanding the gerund.
One of life's pleasures is having breakfast in bed.
c. after prepositions. The gerund must be used when a verb comes after a preposition:
Can you sneeze without opening your mouth?
She is good at painting.
They're keen on windsurfing.
She avoided him by walking on the opposite side of the road.
We arrived in Madrid after driving all night.
My father decided against postponing his trip to Hungary.
This is also true of certain expressions ending in a preposition, e.g. in spite of, there's no point in..:
There's no point in waiting.
In spite of missing the train, we arrived on time.
d. after a number of 'phrasal verbs' which are composed of a verb + preposition/adverb
Example:to look forward to, to give up, to be for/against, to take to, to put off, to keep on:
I look forward to hearing from you soon. (at the end of a letter)
When are you going to give up smoking?
She always puts off going to the dentist.
He kept on asking for money.
NOTE: There are some phrasal verbs and other expressions that include the word 'to' as a preposition, not as part of a to-infinitive: - to look forward to, to take to, to be accustomed to, to be used to. It is important to recognise that 'to' is a preposition in these cases, as it must be followed by a gerund:
We are looking forward to seeing you.
I am used to waiting for buses.
She didn't really take to studying English.
It is possible to check whether 'to’ is a preposition or part of a to-infinitive: if you can put a noun or the pronoun 'it' after it, then it is a preposition and must be followed by a gerund:
I am accustomed to it (the cold).
I am accustomed to being cold.
e. in compound nouns
Example:
a driving lesson, a swimming pool, bird-watching, train-spotting
It is clear that the meaning is that of a noun, not of a continuous verb.
Example:
the pool is not swimming, it is a pool for swimming in.
f. after the expressions:
can't help, can't stand, it's no use/good, and the adjective worth:
The elephant couldn't help falling in love with the mouse.
I can't stand being stuck in traffic jams.
It's no use/good trying to escape.
It might be worth phoning the station to check the time of the train.

Verbs followed by the gerund or infinitive

GERUND OR INFINITIVE?
A. Verbs where there is little or no difference in meaning:
allow attempt begin bother cease continue deserve fear* hate* intend* like love
neglect omit permit prefer* recommend* start
Notes:
1. Allow is used in these two patterns:
a. Allow + object + to-infinitive:Her parents allowed her to go to the party.
b. Allow + gerund:Her parents don't allow smoking in the house.

2. Deserve + gerund is not very common, but is mainly used with passive constructions or where there is a passive meaning:
a. Your proposals deserve being considered in detail.
b. These ideas deserve discussing. (= to be discussed).

3. The verbs hate, love, like, prefer are usually followed by a gerund when the meaning is general, and by a to-infinitive when they refer to a particular time or situation.
You must always use the to-infinitive with the expressions 'would love to', 'would hate to', etc.
Compare:
I hate to tell you, but Uncle Jim is coming this weekend.
I hate looking after elderly relatives!
I love dancing.
I would love to dance with you.

B:Verbs where there is a clear difference in meaning:
Verbs marked with an asterisk* can also be followed by a that-clause.
come forget* go on mean* regret* remember* stop try
NOTES:
Come:
Come + gerund is like other verbs of movement followed by the gerund, and means that the subject is doing something as they move:
She came running across the field.
Come + to-infinitive means that something happens or develops, perhaps outside the subject's control:
At first I thought he was crazy, but I've come to appreciate his sense of humour.
How did you come to be outside the wrong house?
This word has come to mean something quite different.

Forget, regret and remember:
When these verbs are followed by a gerund, the gerund refers to an action that happened earlier:
I remember locking the door (= I remember now, I locked the door earlier)
He regretted speaking so rudely. (= he regretted at some time in the past, he had spoken rudely at some earlier time in the past.)
Forget is frequently used with 'never' in the simple future form:
I'll never forget meeting the Queen.
When these verbs are followed by a to-infinitive, the infinitive refers to an action happening at the same time, or later:
I remembered to lock the door (= I thought about it, then I did it.)
Don't forget to buy some eggs! (= Please think about it and then do it.)
We regret to announce the late arrival of the 12.45 from Paddington. (= We feel sorry before we tell you this bad news.)
Go on:
Go on + gerund means to continue with an action:
He went on speaking for two hours.
I can't go on working like this - I'm exhausted.
Go on + to-infinitive means to do the next action, which is often the next stage in a process:
After introducing her proposal, she went on to explain the benefits for the company.
John Smith worked in local government for five years, then went on to become a Member of Parliament.
Mean:
Mean + gerund expresses what the result of an action will be, or what will be necessary:
If you take that job in London it will mean travelling for two hours every day.
We could take the ferry to France, but that will mean spending a night in a hotel.
Mean + to-infinitive expresses an intention or a plan:
Did you mean to dial this number?
I mean to finish this job by the end of the week!
Sorry - I didn't mean to hurt you.
Stop:
Stop + gerund means to finish an action in progress:
I stopped working for them because the wages were so low.Stop tickling me!
Stop + to-infinitive means to interrupt an activity in order to do something else, so the infinitive is used to express a purpose:
I stopped to have lunch. (= I was working, or travelling, and I interrupted what I was doing in order to eat.)
It's difficult to concentrate on what you are doing if you have to stop to answer the phone every five minutes.
Try:
Try + gerund means to experiment with an action that might be a solution to your problem.
If you have problems sleeping, you could try doing some yoga before you go to bed, or you could try drinking some warm milk.
'I can't get in touch with Carl.' 'Have you tried e-mailing him?'
Try + to-infinitive means to make an effort to do something. It may be something very difficult or even impossible:
The surgeons tried to save his life but he died on the operating table.
We'll try to phone at 6 o'clock, but it might be hard to find a public telephone.
Elephants and mice have to try to live together in harmony.

Dictionaries on line

http://dictionary.reference.com/
It shows IPA Pronunciation and you can hear words


http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/default.asp?dict=a