01.10.2024

 Choose the appropriate options to complete the sentences.

1. Melisa was so excited ---- her new doll house that she didn't even want ---- anything.

A) to enjoy / to eat
B) having enjoyed / eating
C) to be enjoying / being eaten
D) being enjoyed / eating
E) enjoying / to eat

2. She would never ask anyone ---- her with her homework, she likes to work alone.

A) to helping
B) to help
C) for helping
D) help
E) helping

3. The dinosaurs ---- for millions of years before humans appeared on Earth.

A) were extinct
B) would be extinct
C) had been extinct
D) have been extinct
E) are extinct

4. The first game ---- by a large margin so the coach said that the preparation for the next game ---- crucial.

A) lost / had been
B) was lost / has been
C) would be lost / would be
D) was losing / was
E) was lost / would be

5. Finally after a long meeting, the republican party is set ---- now.

A) to have been centralized
B) to be centralized
C) having been centralized
D) being centralized
E) to centralize

6. I think ---- both short term and long term goals in life is important ---- one's motivation high.

A) To have / to keep
B) Having / to keep
C) To be having / to keep
D) Having / to keeping
E) To have / to keeping

7. Rush hour traffic has been a big issue for commuters ever since they closed the second bridge.

A) will be
B) was being
C) is
D) was
E) has been

8. Sponge Bob is a cartoon character ---- job is a fry cook in the show.

A) who
B) whose
C) which
D) what
E) whom

9. Jimmy ---- watching football at work, I won't be surprised if he is fired soon.

A) must not have been caught
B) might not have caught
C) shouldn't have been caught
D) needn't be caught
E) shouldn't have caught

10. I really don't want to say anything in that meeting ---- I say something silly.

A) whether
B) if
C) in case
D) lest
E) whatever

https://en.islcollective.com/english-esl-video-lessons/listening-comprehension/basic-listening-focus-on-hearing/actions/the-chaos-theory/1036791 

TOEFL Practice Test 2

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taken from https://www.graduateshotline.com/sampletoefl2.html

In the middle of the night, as most of New York slept, something big and bright lit up the Manhattan skyline for just seconds a tightly kept secret to all but a handful of people.

It was a tiny test for the huge public surprise four days later: the flipping of a switch at the Empire State Building to turn on its dancing new LED lights. They burst from the skyscraper while synchronized with R&B star Alicia Keys singing "Empire State of Mind" on nationwide radio.

The LED system has "16.7 million color possibilities, in digital combinations of ripples, sparkles, sweeps and strobes," says Phil O'Donnell, of Burlington, Mass.-based Philips Color Kinetics that's responsible for the system and worked with a resident lighting designer. "It's the sum of all possibilities a huge palette."

The old lights came in only 10 colors.

From Manhattan and the Bronx to Staten Island and even New Jersey, "there were hundreds of thousands of people on the streets looking up, filming and videoing, clustered on street corners," when the new lights came on, said Anthony Malkin, whose family controls the iconic Art Deco building.

In an interview with The Associated Press at his office, he glowed with pleasure describing Monday night's inaugural light show.

Keys also sang "Girl On Fire" from her new CD.

After all, the 102-story skyscraper "has always been a symbol of what's possible in New York, and all the dreams that can come true in this city that never sleeps," Keys, a New York native, said before her performance, which was ready on tracks while she watched from a Manhattan studio.

Malkin and his technical team wanted to test the new lighting system with as few people noticing as possible and chose early Thanksgiving morning.

Good luck, in the middle of Manhattan, with people walking around even at 2:30 a.m.

That seemed the best moment, after most bars close and before dawn.

"We decided to do it facing west, in very short bursts between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m., because we knew we didn't have a camera trained on us from there," Malkin said.

Apparently, the secret test worked. No images of the Empire State Building alight that night appeared anywhere, as far as Malkin knows.

To stage the show, he worked with Clear Channel radio, which has 239 million monthly listeners in the United States.

The lights are part of a larger effort to modernize the 81-year-old edifice that is undergoing a more than half a billion-dollar renovation that includes making it "green." The computerized LED system will cut energy consumption by more than half, while delivering light and vibrancy superior to the old floodlights, which have huge timpani drum-size lenses that had to be changed every so often, O'Donnell said.

They may still have nostalgic value to some who watched them light up New York City for every special occasion from Christmas to the Fourth of July.

They were part of "the grande dame of the New York skyline, now state-of-the-art, but still stately," says Malkin, adding that the light show was "a gift we gave to the world, these lights. We don't get paid for this."

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, with a spectacular view of the new World Trade Center and New York Harbor, a vacant space under reconstruction on the building's 72nd floor was filled with the retired floodlights, sitting side by side in long lines, veterans of years of New York weather. What will be done with them is also a secret for now.

One old light will not be discarded in favor of a 21st century novelty: a red beacon "half the size of a Volkswagen Beetle," as Malkin puts it that serves as a warning signal for aircraft constantly flying over New York City.

1. What is the primary purpose of the first sentence of the article?
A) To explain that New Yorkers are commonly asleep in the middle of the night.
B) To mislead readers into thinking the light flash was some sort of attack
C) To build suspense and curiosity so that the reader wants to know more
D) To suggest that there is a secret organization working late at night at the Empire State Building

2. The phrase "huge palette" in Paragraph 3 is most likely
A) A metaphor for the scope and range of combinations the new LED lights have
B) A literal explanation of the shape of the new lights, which form an artist's palette
C) An extreme over exaggeration meant to draw more onlookers to the new display
D) A way to emphasize the amount of lights, since 16.7 could never fit onto a palette

3. What does Alicia Keys suggest the Empire State building is a symbol of?
A) A way for Americans to have a landmark similar to other major global cities
B) The iconic American capacity to push boundaries and break new ground in art and architecture.
C) Lights that are always on due to the number of New Yorkers who work night shifts
D) That any person can use the new lights as a way to make a wish, as people do with other world landmarks.

4. To help keep the new lights secret during their initial test, all precautions were taken EXCEPT:
A) Conducting the test in the middle of the night
B) Conducting the test facing west, away from cameras
C) Conducting the test in short bursts, so that there was no sustained lighting
D) Conducting the test with additional sound effects to distract anyone who might be on the street

5. What was the primary reason Malkin and his team choose to test the new LED lights in the middle of the night?
A) Because the lights are impossible to see in the daylight
B) So that no spies would be awake to steal the new lighting design
C) Because his team only works at night, to enhance their creativity
D) So that when they made the formal reveal to the city and world, it would be a true surprise

6. How does the new LED display contribute to the Empire State Building's efforts to become more 'green'?
A) The lights will be bright enough to reflect into the building, allowing less lighting to be used indoors
B) The new lighting will consume almost half the amount of energy the old lights did
C) The lights can become green in color, to cover the entire building
D) The lights will be solar-powered, generating their own electricity.

7. The article suggests that some older people might miss the old lights. Why is this?
A) The elderly who have poorer eyesight have an easier time seeing the old lights
B) The older generation might not understand the technology behind the new LED lighting
C) Those who used to work in the Empire State Building will no longer be able to recognize it without the old, larger lights
D) The old lights represented momentous occasions in American history, and may still have nostalgic value

8. In the second-to-last paragraph, the old floodlights are described as veterans. What is the most suitable explanation for this word in context?
A) The old lights have worked through the years, despite harsh weather conditions and continual use for special occassions
B) The old lights have been up through many previous wars, making them literal veterans
C) The old lights were dedicated to the Empire State Building to memorialize war heroes
D) The old lights were only used before to celebrate Veteran's Day

9. Currently, how many of the former lights are set to be preserved for a specific purpose?
A) All, to replace other major lights around the city
B) None, they are all set to be discarded entirely
C) Five, spaced across Central Park for more light and better security
D) One, to serve as a warning beacon for aircraft

10. Why might it be important for the Empire State's global image to replace its lighting?
A) To represent that it is both environmentally conscious as well as technologically advanced
B) To prove that other world landmarks are not as spectacular
C) To suggest that despite its being decades-old, the Empire State Building is still relevant
D) To provide New Yorkers and visitors with better entertainment

19.19

https://www.graduateshotline.com/toefl/listening-practice-test1.html

Choose the appropriate options to complete the sentences.

1. I don't have anywhere to sleep tonight ---- owning three houses.

A) despite
B) because
C) since
D) as
E) despite the fact that

2. I wish we had an extra bedroom ---- the guests who want to sleep over.

A) like
B) in case
C) the fact that
D) whether
E) for

3. Dr. Douglas hates ---- by his first name.

A) calling
B) call
C) having called
D) be calling
E) being called

4. Everyone likes ---- but sometimes we need to work hard ---- one's trust.

A) to trust / to earn
B) trusting / earning
C) to be trusted / to earn
D) having trusted / being earned
E) to have trusted / to be earned

5. The audience ---- left the theater early complained that their money had been wasted, ---- wasn't enough to get a refund.

A) which / that
B) that / where
C) of whom / who
D) whom / when
E) who / which

6. --- guilty, he had no choice but ---- the fine.

A) To find / to be paid
B) Having found / to have paid
C) To be found / being paid
D) Found / to pay
E) Having been found / to pay

7. He wouldn't be able to ---- that high even if he ---- which window was her room.

A) climb / knew
B) climbing / knew
C) have climbed / had known
D) climbing / had known
E) climb / was knowing

8. The cartoon, ---- she watches everyday, is not very appropriate for her.

A) that
B) who
C) which
D) where
E) when

9. We will find out soon enough ---- he lied to us about ---- from college.

A) whether or not / having graduated
B) in case / having graduated
C) in case / being graduating
D) if / having being graduated
E) whether / being graduated

10. The police ---- still interrogating the man who is furious about ---- unlawfully.

A) are / to detain
B) is / to have been detained
C) are / being detained
D) is / having been detained
E) is / detaining

It's likely the English terms evolved from the Bible, where “swearing” was sometimes used to refer to false promises or lies, such as when someone claims to do something that is not possible. These were considered vain oaths, and this “swearing” would sometimes be made in God's name.  

  

Why do people swear?

The English language contains an alphabet soup of swear words. Those of a sweary disposition can draw upon the A-word, the B-word, the C-word, the F-word, the S-word, the W-word and many more. So here's a puzzle - if you see the F-word spelled out with all four letters, are you more offended than when you read F with asterisks?

It seems many people are. But why? After all, you presumably know what F with asterisks stands for. It has the same meaning as the non-asterisked version.

The BBC tries to avoid swear words whenever possible, but on the rare occasions that they are considered integral to the story, they are used without the asterisks. Some other news outlets, such as The Times do adopt the asterisk convention and only print swear words when they are quoting other people. This reflects the view that using swear words is more offensive than merely mentioning them. The paper's journalists mention the swear words used by others, but do not use them themselves.

But to understand why the full-frontal swear word might be considered worse than its pale asterisked imitator, we first need to define what a swear word is.

By definition, swear words are offensive. If a word, over time, ceases to be offensive, then it falls out of use as a swear word. Offence alone is not enough, though, for we can offend with language without swearing. The N-word, for example, is what is called a slur: it is a derogatory term about an entire group. It is profoundly offensive, but it is not a swear word.

Philosopher Rebecca Roache says that as well as the ingredient of offence, swear words tend to have a cluster of other characteristics. We will often use swear words "to vent some emotion", she says. "If you're angry or particularly happy, swearing is a catharsis. Swearing also centres on taboos. Around the world swear words will tend to cluster around certain topics: lavatorial matters, sex, religion."

There's also a paradoxical component to swearing, says Roache. "As well as being taboo-breaking, swear words are taboo-breaking for the sake of taboo-breaking. The whole point is that you're not allowed to use them, but they exist just for that rule to be broken."

The emotional release from swearing has been measured in a variety of ways. It turns out that swearing helps mitigate pain. It is easier to keep an arm in ice-cold-water for longer if you are simultaneously effing and blinding. And those who speak more than one language, report that swearing in their first language is more satisfying, carrying, as it does, a bigger emotional punch.

Catharsis aside, swearing can boast other benefits. The claim has been made that swearing is bonding: a few blue words, uttered in a good-natured way, indicates and encourages intimacy. A very recent study suggests that people who swear are perceived as more trustworthy than those who are less potty-mouthed.

But back to the conundrum. If writing F with asterisks alleviates the offence of the full word why should this be? Roache says swearing is best viewed as a breach of etiquette. It is a little like putting your shoes on a table when you are the guest in someone's house. If you know it would offend, and do it anyway, you are guilty of showing insufficient respect.

"It doesn't matter that it's a swear word. Imagine meeting someone who has a fear of crisps, and who finds references to crisps traumatic. If you carry on talking about crisps in their presence, even after discovering about their phobia, you are sending a signal that you don't respect them, you don't have any concern for their feelings."

Using the F-with-asterisks version acknowledges that we are taking the feelings of others into account. By censoring the word we show respect. It's a view shared by Oliver Kamm, who endorses his newspaper's policy on asterisking swear words. Readers cannot help, he says, finding the full word "involuntarily off-putting".

Like most people, I find exposure to too many swear words disconcerting. So I'm off to wash my mouth out with soap.

   

17.09.2024

https://en.islcollective.com/english-esl-video-lessons/listening-comprehension/basic-listening-focus-on-hearing/actions/correction-of-mistakes/1033420 

Subject Line: [Prospect’s Name], let’s meet!

Body:

Hi [Prospect’s Name],

I just came across your [Blog post/comment/status] on [Platform] and thought the points you made were very insightful, and I agree with a lot of your views.

It also made me want to reach out so I could talk to you about how [Prospect Company] could benefit from our software that totally takes care of the issue you raised about [Issue].

I’m free on Tuesday afternoon if that suits you for a quick 10-minute chat.

Thanks a lot,

[Your name].  

https://www.grammarbank.com/toefl-test-prep-7.html 

 

  

 

 

Photo by Rafael Rex Felisilda on Unsplash

Debating is like a thrilling game of chess, where your words are your weapons, and your logic is your strategy. Whether you’re a seasoned debater or just starting, understanding the core principles of debate can take you far. Let’s dive into the exciting world of debate and explore how you can sharpen your skills.

The Power of Logic

In the heat of a debate, it’s not just about what you know; it’s about how you think. Strong logic skills are the backbone of a great debater. Forget about research; in many debate formats like Asian Parliamentary and British Parliamentary, research is off-limits. Instead, it’s all about thinking on your feet and crafting compelling arguments.

Take a motion like “The voting age should be lowered.” You won’t find many articles diving deep into this subject. But with logical thinking, you can predict outcomes and build a persuasive case.

Thinking Beyond Research

Even in debates about everyday topics like “School uniforms should be mandatory for all schools,” logical thinking trumps research. Since research is banned in some formats, success boils down to two things: logical thinking and using your past knowledge and experiences.

Winning teams master both these aspects. They think logically, formulate strong arguments, and draw on their own experiences. And guess what? You can train these skills!

Training Your Debate Skills

You might think that becoming a great debater is tough, but it’s easier than you think. All you need is practice. Debate with friends, teammates, or even a coach. Everyone’s unique experiences can teach you something new.

For example, during a 2022 debate competition, I faced a motion related to football (soccer). As a football enthusiast, I used my knowledge of the sport to win the round. That’s the power of personal experience!

Debating with others also helps you think faster and more instinctively, a skill that can give you an edge in competitions.