The Importance of being international
This essay is the first in a series of weekly articles aimed at improving the Speaking skills of potential IELTS candidates and students of English in general. Allow me to begin by welcoming all the readers into the dynamic world that is encompassed in the English language.
The IELTS is the abbreviation for the International English Language Testing System. I feel however that the word International is something of a misnomer. This is because I think that in many ways there is a cultural bias with respect to the IELTS that is reflected in the kinds of questions that are asked. It should be noted however that the motives behind this bias are neither entirely malicious nor skewed. After all, the purpose of the exam is to test the candidates ability to survive in an English speaking country for an extended period of time, may it be for immigration or study purposes. Therefore, it is only natural that the questions bear a somewhat westernized perspective.
However, this choice on the part of the British Council has led to no end of problems for English students. Bear with me while I relate an anecdote to illustrate this point. A few years back, a friend of a friend approached me to help her improve her general English skills as she was facing an upcoming interview by Immigration Canada. I readily agreed and after a few months I felt most impressed with her progress and she was certainly Band 7 material. Soon, the day of the interview came and she went to it with full spirits.
Some time later, she came to me, obviously distraught and flustered. It seemed that her application was rejected and this stemmed mostly from the results of her interview. In the hopes of calming her down, I asked her to relate the entire conversation she had with the immigration officers, which she readily complied. As she came to one question midway though, it all became clear to me. The interview went something like this: What is your opinion concerning the China one-child policy? Her response was equally simple: I dont know, I think it is a good policy. What about the human rights issue? Human rights? I think that it is important for everyone. Do you think that the one-child policy should be implemented in other countries? Yes, I think so. Its good for everyone.
上海出台措施保障“迪士尼蓝”
南京街头现“诚实书店”:无人收款、无人看管
中国应如何与市场对话
8月全球股市下跌是人为抛售决定所致
印度航空:空姐太胖将丢饭碗
2016中考英语名词十一大类不规则变化归纳总结
阿拉伯土豪花5亿定做最贵蛋糕:镶钻4千颗
007系列最新小说改造邦德形象 邦德有了同居女友和基友
带有雨的英文表达,意义各不同
中国内地与香港金融市场互通将放缓
看脸的世界:颜值高的人讲笑话“笑”果更好
双语:李克强达沃斯座谈实录
2015苹果秋季发布会:都有哪些新品神器
宇通或开启客车无人驾驶时代
“腿部空间可调节”座椅解决长腿旅客飞行烦恼
杭州拟取消出租车“经营权使用金”
旧金山小学改建无性别厕所
教师节将至:英语中与教师有关的9句至理名言
谷歌推出安卓支付抗衡苹果
习大大引用“靡不有初,鲜克有终”全文英译
有些英语,你不能不懂装懂
藏在咖啡杯盖中的侦查神器
最强历史顾问:唐顿粉英国女王爱给剧挑BUG
这是电视节目的黄金时代还是过剩时代
北京纪委开发“电子眼”监视违规上网
中秋“赏月航班”受热捧
饭前拍照党请注意!德国菜肴摆拍算犯法
苹果“产品线”大幅更新
千禧一代自我评价:贪婪、自私、浪费
嘉能可计划削减100亿美元债务
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |