DAY 20 29 days sharpen your IELTS listening reading skills IELTS fighter

29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR LISTENING & READING SKILLS Group: IELTS Fighter – Hỗ trợ học tập READING 4: PRACTICE 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS Dặn dò Chào bạn, bạn đọc tới dịng Đề luyện tập sau học: T/F/NG, Matching Headings Matching Information chuỗi #29days IELTS Fighter – Hỗ trợ học tập Nếu bạn đọc qua files PDF học nêu trên, hy vọng bạn làm thật nhiều câu hỏi Cịn bạn chưa đọc join vào group IELTS Fighter – Hỗ trợ học tập facebook để tham gia học bắt tay làm tập nhé! Các bạn nhớ lúc làm bấm thời gian xem làm vịng phút nha! Chúc bạn làm tốt! *** I MATCHING INFORMATION Sensory Overload A Are you suffering from a feeling of annoyance? Does life seem to get more and more irritating all the time? Do you struggle day to day just to stay calm and clear-headed in the face of more and more frustrating experiences? If your answer to these questions is “YES,” you are not alone In fact, you are part of a growing trend that demonstrates the significance of the small events which annoy us on a day to day basis B According to psychologist Maurice Penman, inhabitants of today’s modern cities face a far more aggressive range of sensory experiences than ever before “It is not simply that the pace of life is faster in today’s world, or that people are under more pressure at work Of course, both those things are true But today people are 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS exposed to a greater number of both visual and auditory stimuli Basically, this means we are being asked to both look at and listen to far more than we ever have been before." C However, Penman is quick to point out that many of the things which are contributing to these problems are also the same things many of us value A greater sense of irritation is the price we pay for the convenience of the Internet and mobile phones “Mobile phones are a very significant example to consider There is no doubt that they are useful in a multitude of ways, and most people not want to go back to the days before them But at the same time, mobile phones have almost completely destroyed a sense of quiet public space There was a time when you could rely on public transport being relatively quiet, a place to think about the events of the day on the way home Now a bus or a train carriage can feel like being locked in a busy office.” D The increase in sensory demands is not just due to the use of mobile phones Advertisers are reaching out to potential consumers more aggressively than ever News services are now broadcast on buses and at train platforms Family meals are frequently interrupted by telephone canvassers and email users are often forced to deal with an avalanche of unsolicited promotional messages, or “SPAM” One could easily imagine that our children and their children may have to guard their homes from an overwhelming amount of annoyance E While it is difficult to deny the growth in these increasingly annoying events in our day, is there actually any real significance to these facts? Penman argues: 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS “There is no doubt that on the surface, this increase of stimuli in our day simply appears to be a matter of minor annoyance But when we look closely, we can see that this has the potential to significantly affect our psychological health.” He goes on to explain that if exposure to these irritations is frequent and prolonged, very subtly our stress levels begin to rise As they do, we find there is a compound effect Stress from the minor episodes in the day starts to increase our feeling of pressure when faced with major challenges at work We are increasingly carrying a greater and greater stress load, with opportunities to relax and unwind more and more restricted Penman points out that even though we all sometimes crave stimulation, we have become so obsessed with it in the twenty-first century that it has now become almost impossible to avoid Shops increasingly feel the need to play loud, thumping rock or techno music Advertising becomes more and more energetically aggressive all the time This, Penman maintains, prevents us from dealing with our daily stress and eliminating it from our systems He adds: “You really need to get right out of the city and into a quiet space now, though most of us are too busy to that very often.” F It might be easy for critics to dismiss the annoying experience of too many mobile phones on the bus, or any of the other stimuli Maurice Penman cites However, it is the failure to eliminate stress which leads to potentially fatal consequences If these daily distractions are contributing seriously to our stress levels, then Penman has identified a significant danger We now know that stress truly is a killer, and has been implicated in the rise of depression, heart disease and even weight problems, as it increases hormones in the body which stimulate the appetite for fattening carbohydrate-rich foods 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS G There is no denying that Maurice Penn's main arguments are compelling It seems that stress has become so prevalent that people are getting stressed about their levels of stress But what are we supposed to do? He suggests we everything we can to go within ourselves and try to maintain a sense of personal peace and space He recommends the use of meditation and relaxation tapes, exercise at the end of the day whenever possible and greater emphasis on fun Unfortunately, Maurice Penman had no suggestions for those of us who find meditation frustrating, or who get annoyed at relaxation tapes He had no recommendations for days when you can’t find any equipment you need in the gym, or find yourself irritated at those around you who keep saying you need to have more fun Questions 14-20 The reading passage has eight paragraphs A-H Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 14-20 on your Answer Sheet NB You may use any letter more than once 14 an example of how a place has changed due to modern conveniences 15 physical effects of stress 16 a recommendation of how to deal with modern-day pressures and overstimulation 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS 17 an explanation of sensory overload and today’s irritations that cause stress 18 an assertion about people’s level of stress 19 a reason why small amounts of stress can feel greater 20 a prediction about growing irritations and interruptions to our personal space *** II MATCHING INFORMATION Video Games and children A Research has shown that playing video games can be beneficial for a number of cognitive functions and may also contain social benefits They educate, provide space for creativity and offer healthy social interaction One important aspect in a game is that following directions can be crucial to success In order to progress in games, one must first learn to follow the guidelines, restrictions and components of them As the player confronts new challenges, they must use problem-solving to find solutions This is true for educational games, mind games, and Role Playing Games alike The player cannot get through with what they already have or know and must find new combinations and incorporate old skills with new skills to overcome obstacles such as the level or quest (Gee, 2003) In relation to this, the player can also learn strategy and anticipation, management of resources (simulation games), mapping, pattern recognition, how to judge the situation and practice reading (with directions, dialogue, etc.) and quantitative calculations (through educational games, managing finances, buying and selling for profit, etc (Tumbokon, 2014) 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS B But at the same time, the best examples are very addictive and gamers are tempted to play for increasing lengths of time Excessive behaviour in any area of life rightly signals alarm bells for parents However, for an emerging technology like games, it can be hard to differentiate between excess and enthusiasm It's difficult for parents to judge what is a healthy time commitment if they are not game-players themselves One approach is to look at the available statistics A 2012 consumer study demonstrated that a surprisingly wide range of ages play games: 40% of the UK population in fact, of which 24% play at least weekly This picture is brought into greater focus by last year’s government briefing It states that in England, video games were played for two hours or more a day by 55% of boys and 20% of girls in 2010 C On the more extreme end of the spectrum, the clinical physiologist Dr Jane Hucksteth (2010) reported that 7% of teens in the UK play more than 30 hours of computer games a week However the impact on their school work and social life needed further study “It is agreed that excessive screen time – over four hours with no break – can be a bad thing." said Dr Hucksteth, "There is a lot of research on this However, we should also consider time of day, weekends versus school days and the age of the child before we can assess the overall impact on their welfare ”Gaming is far from a diagnosable addiction but some of the language of addiction can help parents identify when things are getting excessive” D Indications include playing every day, devoting long periods of time, sacrificing other activities, neglecting homework and moodiness The last two may describe many of our children, but Hucksteth suggests that where four or more of these factors exist there may be cause for concern and a need for parents to step in 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS "Games should be played as part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle," agrees Dr Jo Twynum of UKIE, the UK games industry trade body “Players should take regular breaks – a good guide is five minutes rest every 45 – 60 minutes of game play.” In light of this, appropriate gaming time is more about its impact on the child’s wider life than a hard and fast time limit As children get older, they will naturally integrate gaming among other activities (outside interests, friendship groups and even homework) so the dividing line will become more blurred E Distinguishing gaming habits from time spent on other forms of screen time is also important While TV and video games appear similar on the surface, the interactive nature of the latter results in an experience more like a physical toy Dr Twynum highlights this misunderstanding “I’m not sure games provide any different parameters to other immersive activities Would we ask ‘How long should children play Lego for’?” Video games offer distinct advantages over television, particularly the recent trend in cross-over titles like "Skylanders" and "Disney Infinity"; these come with plastic action figures which allow children to play away from the screen – although, of course, parents may object to the costs involved in buying multiple characters on top of the games themselves F If parents are concerned that their child is spending excess time on gaming, keeping game technology in shared spaces rather than bedrooms is by far the most effective and informal solution This does require compromise on both the part of the child (losing their private pursuit) and the parent (having to share the living room) but has the advantage of not only keeping games under surveillance but encouraging families to play together – something that children are often more enthusiastic about than parents anticipate Using Parental Controls to restrict access 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS to particular games is a good driver for conversation and agreement over appropriate gaming habits in a family There are also specific hardware features, for example a timer that pauses the action after a pre-determined amount of daily screen time A combination of these reference points, regular breaks, along with moving technology back into family spaces, ensures parents and children maintain a healthy relationship to video games and involvement in the family unit Questions 16 - 21 Reading passage has six paragraphs labelled A – F Choose the correct heading for each paragraph, from the possible options i - ix Write the correct number, i - ix in boxes 16 - 21 on your answer sheet List of Headings i Comparing games with other electronic media ii Types of intervention for game addicts iii Video games as a learning tool iv The financial costs of gaming v Tell-tale signs of addiction vi Playing time: not the only consideration vii How schools should manage video-gamers viii Evaluating video game usage patterns 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS ix How gaming develops technological skills 16 Paragraph A 17 Paragraph B 18 Paragraph C 19 Paragraph D 20 Paragraph E 21 Paragraph F Questions 26-27 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? Write: TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this 26 Seven percent of the UK population spend over 30 hours a week on video gaming 27 Built-in controls which limit gaming time are very popular with parents 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS 10 *** III YES/NO/GIVEN Ecotherapy Ecotherapy, the concept that exposure to nature will improve wellbeing and healthy living, encompasses a wide variety of activities, whether they be prolonged periods in wilderness, gardening or individual therapy But what is the theory behind it? Why should immersion in greenery (even if only a municipal park) or huge landscapes (mountains, the sea, deserted regions) reduce depression, delinquency, addiction and other problems? Many ecotherapeutic interventions entail group activities like camping trips, group bush walks or even walks on the beach Wilderness programmes (often misrepresented as boot camps) have been created, particularly although not exclusively for adolescents, such as the delinquent, the drug-addicted and the depressed They can consist of as much as eight weeks of living in small groups in remote regions, a huge challenge for many A significant part of their effect is achieved by forcing the client to concentrate on survival and the need to cooperate with others in order to so The sense of isolation and the absence of now common modern methods for self-stimulation, such as the internet and substance abuse, are also believed to help the client to detoxify from established bad patterns But nature is also shown to be independently important The egocentricity of clients is often reduced by awareness of something much bigger than them, whether it be mountains, wide open plains or huge skies The feeling that the client is the centre of the universe is called into question by the sheer scale and complexity of nature 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS 11 For many clients, hell has been other people in their normal lives The solitude and lack of pressure to satisfy the demands of peers and family lead to significant improvements in such self-attributes as esteem, efficacy and control There are also many accounts of clients of all ages having spiritual experiences as a result of exposure to wilderness They report a deep sense of connection to all things A heightened awareness of plants, animals and landscape leads them to ponder existence beyond themselves The power of nature encourages a sense of transcendence and of connection both to self and to others Why would nature have this benign effect? A valuable theory was offered by a leading figure in this field, John Wasnier He maintains that nature offers a different civilisation from that of human culture He contends that Earth offers a wisdom, joy and beauty that excludes pollution, war and insanity Nature is willing to share its knowledge and secrets with anyone, anywhere, at any time He writes that, "the natural world produces no garbage On a macro level, everything is valued, nothing is discarded or unwanted, everything has a role." Wasnier contrasts modern techno-logic with "bio-logic" Bio-logic, he argues, uses our multi-sensory ways of knowing and being for harmonious survival Technologic employs words and stories that exclude our senses Our intellects, it seems, dislocate us from natural senses and feelings, like nurturing, place, curiosity, hunger, motion, trust, empathy, sound, compassion and reason To experience them truly we have to realise these traits are solely of, by and from the natural world (one might 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS 12 argue that conventional education is an exercise in such dislocation).There are a number of activities that anyone can employ to stimulate what he calls our "oldbrain", the unpasteurized natural experience of nature They overlap neatly with the current vogue for mindfulness which increases awareness of your bodily states through meditation; our bodies are part of nature, our minds can disconnect us from our bodies and from nature It is important however to recognise the limits of what exposure to nature can achieve Telling someone who is depressed to go and smell flowers or immerse themselves in beautiful landscapes is unlikely to work on its own If that person is a single mother with a six-month-old baby and a landlord chasing her rent, her depression might just turn into aggression at such a suggestion, so other therapies, including medication, might be needed Some fundamental causes of emotional distress reside in brain chemistry as well as psychosocial causes However, it is also true that we are twice as likely to be emotionally distressed if we are urban rather than rural (and four times more likely to suffer schizophrenia) Part of the reason for this is estrangement caused by lack of exposure to natural sights, sounds and smells, and dislocation from the natural rhythms of the seasons, of night from day Ecotherapies are said to work because they reconnect us with nature: not only its external reality, but most fundamentally, our inner natures Questions 13 – 18 Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer? Write: 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS 13 YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this 13 Staying in remote areas in groups can help people undo negative habits 14 The client’s problems are put into perspective by the need to survive 15 Techno-logic connects us with our natural feelings 16 A typical education helps us to understand and connect with the natural world 17 Single mothers are more likely to suffer from depression 18 Ecotherapies have been shown to be effective against schizophrenia *** Key Answer: I Matching Information 14C 15F 16E 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS 14 17B 18G 19E 20D II Matching Headings + T/F/NG 16 iii 17 viii 18 vi 19 v 20 i 21 ii 26 FALSE 27 NOT GIVEN III Yes/ No/ Not given 13 YES 14 YES 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS 15 15 NO 16 NO 17 NOT GIVEN 18 NOT GIVEN Lộ trình Khóa học dẫn dắt Ms.Jenny với lịch học xuyên suốt tháng 6+7 sau: Day - Listening: Form Completion Day - Listening: Maps/Plan Labelling Day - Listening: Multiple Choice Day - Luyện tập Day - Trả lời Q&A Listening Day - Listening: Note Completion Day - Listening: Sentence Summary Completion Day - Listening: Matching/Classifying Day - Luyện tập Day 10 - Video chữa đề Day 11 - Listening: Short answer Day 12 - Listening: Diagram/ Flow Chart Completion Day 13 - Video chữa đề 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS 16 Day 14 - Share Tổng hợp tài liệu học Listening Day 15 - Review kênh Youtube học Listening Day 16 – Kết thúc khóa Listening Day 17 - Reading: T/F/NG Day 18 - Reading: Matching Headings Q&A Reading Day 19 - Reading: Matching Information Day 20 - Luyện tập Day 21 - Reading: Matching Sentence Endings Day 22 - Chữa đề Day 23 - Reading: Short answer Day 24 - Live Q&A Reading Day 25 - Reading: Sentence Completion Day 26 - Chữa đề Luyện tập Day 27 - Reading: Labelling Diagram Day 28 - Reading: Multiple Choice Day 29 - Tổng hợp tài liệu Reading Vậy học xong rồi, bạn luyện chờ đón học vào ngày mai nhé! Bài đăng group IELTS Fighter – Hỗ trợ học tập, gắn tag #29days Ms.Jenny nha, khơng thấy thơng báo phần tìm theo hastag nha! 29 DAYS SHARPEN YOUR IELTS LISTENING – READING SKILLS 17 ... Completion Day - Listening: Matching/Classifying Day - Luyện tập Day 10 - Video chữa đề Day 11 - Listening: Short answer Day 12 - Listening: Diagram/ Flow Chart Completion Day 13 - Video chữa đề 29 DAYS. .. T/F/NG Day 18 - Reading: Matching Headings Q&A Reading Day 19 - Reading: Matching Information Day 20 - Luyện tập Day 21 - Reading: Matching Sentence Endings Day 22 - Chữa đề Day 23 - Reading: ... answer Day 24 - Live Q&A Reading Day 25 - Reading: Sentence Completion Day 26 - Chữa đề Luyện tập Day 27 - Reading: Labelling Diagram Day 28 - Reading: Multiple Choice Day 29 - Tổng hợp tài liệu Reading