Resources 4

Today I would like to look at another free online English language resources for English students. It is EnglishPage.com, and it is very good. EnglishPage.com has everything you could ever need to practice your English and help you with your study. And, like all of the other resources I have looked at (here, here and here) it is FREE!

EnglishPage.com is very comprehensive. A quick look at their front page shows you that they have many different resources available for ESL and EFL students.



Every week there is a new lesson available to you for free, which you can receive by e-mail subscription if you like. These lessons are about every aspect of English language, from tense and vocabulary, to modal verbs and prepositions. Every week is about a different real life topic. The lessons are very easy to follow and are very in depth.

Another very good thing about this website is that it has are mini exams that you can test yourself with.

There is a listening room where you can listen to English language radio programs from around the world; a reading room where you can read free newspapers and books online in English; there are many fun and helpful English games you can play online, too; there is a forum where you can talk to other English students from Australia and around the world.

One of the best things is the grammar book, where you can find online exercises for all of your English grammar.

The final thing that EnglishPage.com has is the dictionary page, where you can find a dictionary from most languages into English. This is very good for quick translations online.

Overall this is a very good site - especially because it is free. I recommend visiting EnglishPage.com, bookmark it in your browser, subscribe to their e-mail... It is a good resource for you when you are in Sydney studying English, but also after you leave Sydney and go home - you can keep practicing your English when you get home.

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News From Home

News this week from Chile, China, Japan, Turkey, Egypt and Burma.


CHILE

Authorities in Chile have evacuated two towns after a volcano erupting spewed out lava and ash. Chaiten volcano began erupting on Friday. It is the first time it has erupted in 450 years. Ash from the volcano has crossed the border into Argentina. More than 4,000 people have left the town of Chaiten, 10km from the volcano. Futaleufu, 70km to the east, is also being evacuated.


CHINA/JAPAN

Chinese President Hu Jintao has begun a five-day visit to Japan. He will talk with Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda about trade, security and a dispute over undersea gas fields. China suspended high-level contact with Japan from 2001 to 2006.


TURKEY

Turkish air strikes in northern Iraq have left more than 150 Kurdish rebels dead. However, a PKK spokesman said that only six rebels were killed. The strikes began on Thursday and ended on Friday in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq.


EGYPT

Voting is slow in local elections in Egypt which the government is sure to win. Official media says 70% of the thousands of seats have already been won by the ruling party as they were unopposed. The polls are being boycotted by the opposition.
Rising food prices and low wages have strengthened popular discontent with the government. In recent fights more than 100 civilians and security forces have been injured in the northern city of Mahalla al-Kubra.


BURMA

The death toll from Burma's cyclone has risen to more than 22,000. Another 41,000 are missing.

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International Students Robbed and Assaulted Near Sydney

Two international students have been robbed on a train near Wollongong, south of Sydney. The man, 29 from Taiwan and the woman, 23 from China are studying intensive English at the University of Wollongong. After class on Wednesday night they caught a train from North Wollongong to Woonona (about 1 hour south of Sydney). They were followed by 3 people, who then produced a knife and stole their wallets and backpacks.

This is the latest in a series of recent attacks on English language students and international university students in the area. A 25 year old Sri Lankan student was robbed and assaulted at North Wollongong station on March 31. A 26 year old Sri Lankan student was stabbed in the area last Saturday.

(I would advise caution if traveling in the area, especially if you are using the South Coast train line at night. Try to travel in large groups, and try to stay in well lit areas. Also, there are normally security guards on trains at night - there is a blue security light at the front of the train.)

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Cheap International Phone Cards

One of the advertisers on this website, Cloncom.com is offering a great deal for Sydney English Student Blog readers. They sell international telphone calling cards. As well as their already low rates, they are offering a $5 discount on your first purchase. Their phone cards start at $10 dollars, which means that you will get your phone card for 1/2 price (from as low as only $5).

Some typical rates for international calls from Australia with Cloncom.com are: Sao Paulo, 0.03cents per/minute; Bogota, 0.05cents/minute; Seoul. 0.03cents/minute; Zurich, 0.03cents/minute. The calls are very cheap. For only $5 you could speak to your family and friends for more than 5 HOURS!

These prices are a lot cheaper than using normal telephones, and are comparable with Skype calling.

If you would like to take this offer up, please click here or see the ad on this page (bottom left hand side).

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