A REVIEW COURSE FOR

B1 LEVEL
Nguyn Vn Tun, MA.

Hue College of Foreign Languages

1.1 I love meeting people

Vocabulary:
-

Interests: acting, books, listening to

dance music, playing the guitar, pop
music, fashion, shopping
Sport: athletics, football, the gym, ice
hockey, mountain biking, tennis
Computer: chatting online, chat rooms,
online computer games
Social activities: chatting with friends,
making new friends

1.1 I love meeting people

7. Whats my hobby?
1.

2.

3.

I dont mind being on my own or staying at

home. I like computer and indoor activities
which are quiet and relaxing.
I like doing things outdoors and love
animals, but I am also artistic. I also like
doing things on my own.
I cant stand staying at home. I prefer being
outside and doing sports, but I dont really
like animals

1.1 I love meeting people

9. Write an online profile
Hi, Im______ and Im
from_____ .I like______
and________ . I hate ______
and I cant stand_____ . I
want to ________
and________.
1.

1.2 Keeping in touch

2. Give reasons for your answers.
1. I think text is the best because it
would be very noisy and difficult to
hear a telephone conversation
2. I think email is best because you
can send a link to the website.
3. I think mobile phone is the best
because you can explain why you
are going to be late and how long
you will be.

1.2 Keeping in touch

2. Give reasons for your answers.
4. I think a postcard is best because
you can send a picture of the place
where you are staying.
5. I think landline is best because you
might want to talk for a long time

1.2 Keeping in touch

8. Writing extra
Discuss the questions in pairs.
1. How much time do you spend on
the computer?
2. Do you use chat rooms? Why/why
not/
3. What games do you play on the
computer?
4. What is your favourite website?
5. Do you think the internet is safe?

1.2 Keeping in touch

10. Write an email
Hi Alex,
Would you like to come over to my
house tomorrow? Ive just bought a
new computer. Its great, so much
quicker than my old one. We can
play this new game that Ive
discovered.
Hope you an come.
From _________

2.1 Hes the youngest brother

Vocabulary
A: cheerful, confident, kind, lazy, shy
B: elderly, in his/her thirties
C: bald, a beard, curly hair, fair hair, glasses,
handsome, a moustache, pretty, slim,
tall
D: a grandparent, a twin
2. To be: bald, cheerful, confident, elderly, a
grandparent, handsome, in his thirties,
kind, lazy, pretty, shy, slim, tall, a twin
To have: a beard, curly hair, fair hair,
glasses, a moustache

2.1 Hes the youngest brother

6. Write sentences
1. I think teenagers are friendlier
than elderly people because they
need to have more friends.
2. Men are more hard working than
women because women waste
hours every day chatting.
3. Shy people are not as attractive
as confident people because a
big smile makes everyone looks
better.

2.2 Such a messy room

1.
armchair 3 blinds 1

carpet 1,3

ceiling 1,2,3,4

cupboard 4

curtains 2

cushion 1,2,4

desk 3

drawers 1

duvet 1,2,3

fan 1

mirror 3,4

pillow 1,2,4

photos 2

posters 2

rubbish bin 3

shelf 2,3

2.2 Such a messy room

1.
armchair 3 blinds 1

carpet 1,3

ceiling 1,2,3,4

cupboard 4

curtains 2

cushion 1,2,4

desk 3

drawers 1

duvet 1,2,3

fan 1

mirror 3,4

pillow 1,2,4

photos 2

posters 2

rubbish bin 3

shelf 2,3

3.1 It used to be different

1. Speaking
1.
1. The people are singing around the piano.
2. The boy is writing a letter.
3. The man is making a phone call.
4. The women are getting dressed.
5. The woman is washing clothes.
2.
1. Today people watch TV for entertainment.
2. Today people phone or use email.
3. Today people have mobile phones.
4. Today people wear jeans or T-shirts.
5. Today people have washing machines.

3.1 It used to be different

6.
1.

got up

4. had to

2. used to wash
5. used to wear

7. used to watch

3. took
6. looked

8. used to play

3.1 It used to be different

7.
Photo 1: This family is watching television
together. They are eating something in the
bowl. They are all laughing. Three of them
are sitting in the sofa. Three of the people are
wearing jeans. There is a lamp next to the
sofa. The man is saying something to the
woman. The children are talking about the
cartoon film on the TV. They look about 10
and 12. The boy is playing with a cat and the
girl is eating an ice-cream.

3.1 It used to be different

7.
Photo 2: This family is playing football on the
beach. It is a sunny day and the sky is blue.
The man is standing in the goal. The woman
is holding a ball in her arms, They are all
wearing shorts and have bare feet. The
woman is wearing a sun hat. The girl is
shouting to the boy. The boy is running
toward the goal. The man is waiting for the
boy to come. The man is wearing sunglasses.

3.1 It used to be different

7.

3.1 It used to be different

3.1 It used to be different

8.

9.

Dimitri eats meals, plays sport and watches

sport. He used to do homework, do
housework and go on holiday. Elena eats
meals. She used to do housework and go on
holiday.
Dimitri asks Elena a question to star the
conversation. They both talk for about the
same length of time. The involve each other
by asking questions and using phases such
as What about you?

3.2 The street is lined with trees

3.2 The street is lined with trees

3.2 The street is lined with trees

3.2 The street is lined with trees

3.2 The street is lined with trees

1.
- Photo 1 shows New Jersey port in New
York. This is the largest port in the east
coast of North America, and is at the centre
of the busiest consumer market in the
world.
- Photo 2 is the Red Square in Moscow. The
photo shows Basils Cathedral, at the south
east end of Red Square. It is one of the most
famous squares in the world.

3.2 The street is lined with trees

1.

- Photo 3 shows Carnaby Street in

Central London. This is a famous
pedestrianised shopping area near
Oxford Street.
- Photo 4 shows a metro station outside
one of the most famous department
stores in Paris, Galeries La fayettes.

3.2 The street is lined with trees

1.

- Photo 3 shows Carnaby Street in

Central London. This is a famous
pedestrianised shopping area near
Oxford Street.
- Photo 4 shows a metro/an
underground station outside one of the
most famous department stores in
Paris, Galeries La fayettes.

3.2 The street is lined with trees

1.
A. What can you do in the cities? Do

you visit the museums? go shopping?

Go to the cinema? Take photographs?
etc.
B. Whats your favourite city? Why?

3.2 The street is lined with trees

2.

1. port
2. tower
3. square
4. pedestrian 5. underground
6. statue

3.2 The street is lined with trees

4.
1. A
2. A
3. B 4. A
6. A
7. A
8. B 9. B
- In pairs, plan a day out in Montreal.
Language for making suggestion:

5.B
10. A

Why dont we..........? We could ........

Lets ..................
Time sequences:
First,........, after that........., next.........,
finally...........

3.2 The street is lined with trees

6.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

In 1852 much of the city was destroyed by a large

fire.
In the 1960s and 70s many old buildings were
repaired.
Old Montreal was declared a historic district in
1964.
In 1988 an ice storm caused $1 billion worth of
damage to the city.
Many famous films were made in Montreal.
66% of Montrealers speak French as their first
language.

EXAM GUIDE
Dear Mark,
Yes, I had a job in a shop last summer and I loved
it. It was a shoe shop in the town centre. I had to
work long hours but I met some really nice
people and I made a lot of money. I will use it to
buy a car when I go to college next year. You are
lucky that your uncle has a shop. I you do, you
will save money too. If you do not work, you will
get bored because the summer holidays are quite
long. Let me know your decision.
Best wishes,
Jack

EXAM GUIDE
Dear Hayley,
Thank you for your letter. How are you? You are
right. I worked in a clothes shop last summer, but
I did not like it. I had to work from 8 a.m. until 6
p.m. and it was hard. I do not know about
working in a book shop. I have never worked in a
book shop. I do not think you should work all the
summer. If you work, you will be tired and
maybe you will not have time for fun on the
beach. Write soon and tell me what you decide.
Lots of love,
Emilie

EXAM GUIDE
It was my birthday last month, so I had a party
and I got lots of presents. I put all the presents in
my bedroom and I opened them after my party. I
liked the presents and I said thank you to
everyone. Two weeks later the phone rang. It was
my grandmother, who asked me if I had liked my
present. I was very embarrassed because I did
not know anything about a present from my
grandmother. I went upstairs and looked in my
bedroom. Under the bed there was a little box. I
pulled it out and opened it. It was a beautiful
necklace from my grandmother. I loved it

LITTLE THINGS

Little drops of water

Little grains of sand
Make the vast ocean
And the pleasant land.
Little deeds of kindness
Little words of love
Make the Earth happy
Like the Heaven above.

DREAMS
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow

4.1

8. Dear Philip,
I think its a good idea to organize a party for your
parents. A restaurant would be nice but it is quite
expensive. Why dont you have the party at home and
ask all your parents friends to help you with the food?
Everyone could bring a different dish and in that way
the food will be delicious but cheap. I will help you
decorate the house and clean up afterwards. I dont
think its a good idea to make it a surprise party. It
will be difficult to keep it secret and you will give
yourself a lot more stress! Good luck and let me know
how it goes.
Take care
Florence

4.2 Youll be given a lot to

1.eat
Food: bitter, creamy, delicious,
disgusting, excellent, salty, simple,
traditional
Service: excellent, slow
Atmosphere: lively, relaxed,
unfriendly
Restaurant: excellent, fashionable,
modern, smart, stylish, traditional

4.2 Youll be given a lot to

5.eat
Countable: a couple of, a few, few,
many, several
Uncountable: a great deal of, a little,
much
Both: all of, lots of, most, no, none
of, plenty of, some

4.2 Youll be given a lot to

6.eat

0%- no/none of, few/little, a

few/a little, a couple of,
several, some, much/many,
plenty of, a great deal of,
most, all of- 100%

4.2 Youll be given a lot to

7.eat
- How many restaurants are there in
your neighborhood?
- How far is the nearest restaurant
from your house?
- What type of food do the restaurants
serve?

4.2 Youll be given a lot to

7.eat
- There are six restaurants in my
neighborhood. The best restaurant
is Am Phu Restaurant. It is a
traditional restaurant and serves
delicious food.

Comprehension tactics

Delaying the response to revise info

through STM
Reconstructing the segment (with the
help of the context)
When interpreters have not properly heard or
understood a technical term, name, number,
or other type of speech segment, then they
can try to reconstruct it in their mind using
their knowledge of the language, the subject,
and the situation.

Preventative tactics

Taking notes
When the speech contains figures and
names that interpreters feel they may forget
and that they cannot reformulate right away
for syntactic reasons, they may take them
down in notes.

Changing the Ear Voice Span (EVS)

EVS is the time lag between comprehension
and reformulation
By lagging further behind, interpreters
increase comprehension potential, but may
overload short-term memory.

Preventative tactics

Taking notes
When the speech contains figures and
names that interpreters feel they may forget
and that they cannot reformulate right away
for syntactic reasons, they may take them
down in notes.

Changing the Ear Voice Span (EVS)

EVS is the time lag between comprehension
and reformulation
By lagging further behind, interpreters
increase comprehension potential, but may
overload short-term memory.

Preventative tactics

Segmentation
This is applied when faced with potential overload of
memory, as with a source language and a target language
that are syntactically very different. By the means of
segmentation, short - term memory can help interpreters
keep in mind the original structure and rearrange
information at the same time.

Changing the order of elements in an

enumeration
Enumerations are high-density speech segments,
especially with names, which can be reproduced from
echoic memory (memory of the sound), or with terms which
are easily transcoded.

Omitting

Exercises
1.

Exercise 1 (comprehensive listening):

Yesterday, Tom has an unforgettable experience. While
driving to school, he had seen a crowd in street. He
asked a person what they were doing. Well, Robbin
Williams here. Everybody wants to see him and have his
signature . Wow Tom thought Hes my idol. But
how to get close? I have an examination this morning.
Leaving with regret, he were so surprised and couldnt
believe in his eyes, a stranger in his car, looking at him
and smiling Come on, guy. Help me to hide, just a
moment- said Robbin.
After playing tapes, the listeners are required to say what they can
remember about the story:
- Name of main character: Tom
- Time: Yesterday

- Event: Robbin William his idol asked Tom to help him avoid the
crowd.

Exercise 2: (Sequences Intensive listening)

(1) As some recent researches prove, some fruits like
apple, grape, tomato, orange, melon and peach are rich
of vitamin C.
The list is about object, listeners can use short-term memory to
rename adequately.
(2) If you want to sign in the security system, you need
to have a personal identification number (PIN), for
example: 784291736520
The utterance includes twelve digits without order, then a tip to use
short-term memory for memorizing is chunk: divide the number
into set of digits (2 or 3 digits per chunk):
- 784 291 736 520
- 78 42 91 73 65 20

(3) Vietnam history has witness many victories against

invaders: from Ngo dynasty to Ly, Tran, Le empires in the
previous millennium.
In this case, listeners should pay attention to the time sequences to
rename the subjects: Ngo, Ly, Tran, Le

Exercise 3 (Object Listing with arrangement)

I have to learn a lot of subjects at school but
just some of them are in my favor. At primary
school, I was very good at history and
geography. The latter is also my favorite
subject at secondary school High school,
uhm, let I remember, maths, chemistry and
physics all natural sciences Well, I forget, I
was also interested in music at junior high
school because I seemed to be talent at this
subject.
The speaker provided a number of subject but the point of time may
be confusing. Therefore, when using short - term memory, the
listeners should rearrange items as well:
- Primary school: history, geography
- Secondary school: geography, music
- High school: maths, chemistry, physics

Exercise 4: (Short - term memory game) I went to the market

Read a poem (if preferred):

Jonny went to the market. Jonny went to the store.
But when poor Jonny got there, he forgot what he
went there for.
Momma gave him a list. Momma gave it to him
twice.
And what Momma wanted was a big bag of rice.
Then the first player add: Momma wanted rice and
carrots
The next player repeat and add another items
Momma wanted rice, carrots and a cake.

Exercise 4: (Short - term memory game) I went to the market

Read a poem (if preferred):

Jonny went to the market. Jonny went to the store.
But when poor Jonny got there, he forgot what he
went there for.
Momma gave him a list. Momma gave it to him
twice.
And what Momma wanted was a big bag of rice.
Then the first player add: Momma wanted rice and
carrots
The next player repeat and add another items
Momma wanted rice, carrots and a cake.

Exercise 5: (Categorization)
European governments are dealing with a different issue
linked to immigration and population growth. Racial and
ethnic tensions are increasing in some European
countries. This issue intensified last year in France when
hundreds of young Arab and African men rioted. They
were protesting against economic inequality and the
failure of French society to accept them. Many rioters
were the children of immigrants who had moved from
countries like Algeria and Tunisia in the nineteen fifties
and sixties.
The population of Europe is also aging faster than any
other part of the world, except Japan. Birth rates are also
down in many European countries. Experts say the
number of people depending on workers will rise as the
number of workers falls. They say spending in European
countries will have to increase for retirement, health care
and long-term care for old people in the future.

Trainees should pay attention to two sub-topics in the passage,

then classifying items in the two grounds:
- Immigration: Racial and ethnic tensions
+ Issue: A riot in France
+ Reasons:
. Economic equality
. Failure of society acceptance
- Population Growth:
+ Issue: Aging faster
+ Impacts: More spending on:
. Retirement,
. Health care
. Long term care for old people

Exercise 6: (Generalization)
The Chinese government said its one-child policy has led
to fast economic growth. Yet, some people believe it has
created a troubled economic future. Wang Feng is an
expert on Chinese population issues at the University of
California-Irvine in the United States. He says fewer people
will be entering the Chinese workforce in coming years.
But, more people over age sixty-five will be demanding
retirement payments from the government. So he says a
smaller workforce could have bad effects on the economy.
Experts believe Chinas one-child policy has affected the
country in other ways. Chinese society values sons over
daughters. Some parents choose to end a pregnancy if the
fetus is a girl. So more boys than girls are born in China.
As a result, experts say about forty million Chinese men
will not be able to find women to marry within the next
fifteen years. Experts say this could lead to kidnappings
and more trafficking of woman and girls.

The speaker much discussed the disadvantages

of Chinas one-child policy; however, facilitating
short - term memory in such context needs the
technique of generalization:
The disadvantages of Chinas one-child policy:
- Bad economic effects:
+ Smaller workforce
+ Increased retirement payments
- Gender imbalance: more boys than girls -> girls
kidnapping and trafficking

Exercise 7: (Comparison)
Many people around the world are trying to create new kinds
of businesses. Entrepreneurs organize, build and support
their business proposals. They may have ideas about new
products. Or, they may have ideas about new ways to do
business.
Social entrepreneurs are similar to business entrepreneurs.
However, social entrepreneurs try to improve conditions in
their communities. They organize, build, and support new and
creative projects. Their goal is to improve peoples lives. Their
work is very important. Usually, social entrepreneurs do not
receive much support for their work. However, the World
Bank is trying to change this. The bank recognizes the need
for social entrepreneurs and has developed a special
program to offer them support.

Criteria
Private entrepreneurs
Social
entrepreneurs
Performance
organize, build and support
their business proposals organize, build,
and support new and creative projects
Goal
products
Living conditions

Reading skills
Reading for gist and main ideas
Reading for details
Identifying the meaning of new words and
expressions through affixation, word order, syntax
and context
Identifying the meaning of new words and
expressions through lexical cohesive devices
including synonyms, antonyms and hyponyms
Identifying the writers style: literary, scientific,
argumentative
Identifying the language level used in the text:
formal or informal
Identifying the culturally-specific words

Researching skills
Using bilingual dictionaries for looking up
meanings of new words
Using monolingual dictionaries to check the use of
the new words in the source language and the
target language
Using related encyclopedias and glossary lists for
the terms
Referring to journals to be familiar with the subject
to be translated
Using online resources effectively
Researching and using CAT tools

Analytical skills
Analyzing beginnings and endings of ideas in the
text and the relationships between these ideas
Analyzing to identify the appropriate meaning that
fits into the context
Analyzing to identify the structure in the target
language that best represents the source text
Analyzing to identify coherent ideas and the best
cohesive devices in the target language that
represent the source text

Translation skills
Using correct word order of target language
Using correct sentence structures of target
language
Translating the meaning of the source text
precisely
Using paraphrases to convey the overall meaning
translated
Making changes to the text as a whole to give it a
sense of the original without distorting the original
ideas
Trying one or more of the following strategies
when problems of untranslatability arise

Strategies
Syntactic strategies
+ Shifting word order
+ Changing clauses/sentence structures
+ Adding or omitting conjunctions

Semantic strategies
+ Using synonyms
+ Using hyponyms
+ Redistributing the information
Pragmatic strategies
+ Changing style for natural translation
+ Making the text more explicit

WHAT A NOVICE INTERPRETER SHOULD DO

Before interpreting
- Language and its use:
+ Improving knowledge and use of target and source
languages through reading books and newspapers,
listening to the radio and television to be familiar with
different discourse genres related to interpretation
+ Searching for an appropriate, accurate, and natural way
of using both the source language and the target language
by observing how native speakers to use their language in
real-life situations
+ Searching for proper addressing terms

WHAT A NOVICE INTERPRETER SHOULD DO

Before interpreting
-Psychological Readiness
+ Being ready to face tension with an I-can-do-it
feeling + Being confident to think that nobody can
interpret better and find out his mistakes
-Researching the subject to be translated
+ Having to understand the subject to be translated in
advance
+ Having to collect as many documents to be
translated as possible from project workers,
presenters
+ Having to look up terms and study discourse genres
to be interpreted by referring to different kinds of
dictionaries and reports already collected from
presenters

WHAT A NOVICE INTERPRETER SHOULD DO

Before interpreting
- Bringing tools and asking for payment
+ A recorder for recording the interpretation to improve
interpretation, remembering to ask for permission

+ Pens and papers for taking notes the numbers, organization

names
+ Asking for the presenters copies for the new terms or asking
about the information to be presented if the copies are not
available
+ Negotiating the price and signing a payment contract if possible

WHAT A NOVICE INTERPRETER SHOULD HAVE

While interpreting
-Working situations
+ Simultaneous interpretation of reports in
conferences
+ Face-to-face meeting between project or
organization directors and village leaders and
villagers
+ Formal meeting between project board of
directors and local authorities and agencies
+ Meeting between project representatives and
villagers in the village hall
+ Group discussions and plenary discussions
+ Field interpretation
+ Interviewing the project beneficiaries

WHAT A NOVICE INTERPRETER SHOULD DO

While interpreting
- The interpreter
+ always speaks up to ensure that the message is
clearly heard and understood by the audience.
+ should ask the speaker to raise the volume of his
voice when he speaks too softly.
+ should listen to the speaker with full concentration
while performing the job.
+ should not look at the written version of the speech
if the speaker provides him with one, because this will
interfere with his concentration.
+ should take notes some particular points during a
discussion in a way that he understands the notes
clearly.
+ should raise his voice to reach the audience
standing far from the speaker when interpreting at the
project site.

WHAT A NOVICE INTERPRETER SHOULD DO

After interpreting
+ The interpreter should be proud of and
satisfied with the mission he has just
completed successfully.
+ The interpreter should play back the
recording to assess what happened on
stage in order to ensure a poor
performance can be improved in future.
+ The interpreter should recall and
record necessary terms that may appear
in next assignment.

SUGGESTIONS
1. The students majoring in translation and interpretation
should be provided with sufficient linguistic
competence and performance for their future jobs. The
students majoring in translation should be well
equipped with reading and writing skills while the
students majoring in interpretation should be well
equipped with listening and reading skills.
2. It is advisable to supply basic translation theory for the
students so that they can apply the theory to their
translation practice.
3. The students should be provided with good cultural
knowledge and cross-cultural knowledge in
communication.
4. It is necessary to teach the students to use the Internet
for referring online dictionaries and exploiting CAT
tools.
5. The students need to be supplied with the way to
identify and analyze different discourse genres
necessary for their future professions.

SUGGESTIONS
6. Note-taking techniques, short-term memory
techniques and other techniques for effective
translation and interpretation should be included in
the curriculum.
7. There should be seminars where professional
translators and interpreters can share their experience
with the students right in their early years at
university.
8. The students need to familiarize themselves with
pressure of translation and interpretation work
through observing interpreters doing their jobs at the
conferences or project sites.
9. The themes included in the curriculum should be
suitable for the students future actual work.
10. The knowledge of subject matters needs to be wisely
selected to satisfy the social needs and the knowledge
should be basic and up-to-date.

Thank you for

your attention.