Faux Carnival

My strategy is: - I generally get done with the first passage in less than 20 minutes. I want to leave time for the last 2 passages, in case they are longer and more difficult. (They are most of the time) - I spend 5 minutes reading the passage. I don't skim, I read the passage entirely. Do this if you can in 5 minutes. - Then, I answer the questions. I skip a question, if I'm stuck on it for more than 45 seconds - 1 minute.

What is the lecture mainly about? What is the talk mainly about? How should I approach these types of questions? (At least 3-4 of them in TOEFL tests and I get 90% of them wrong) Generally, there are 2 or 3 or more subjects discussed in the talk/lecture. I just can't know which one to choose. :hmm:

It is better to marry someone who is similar to you, rather than someone who is different from you. Do you agree or disagree? I agree with the statement, that it is better to marry someone who is similar to you, rather than someone who is different from you. You want to have things in common with the person you are planning to spend your life with. Your interests, political and life views and socioeconomical backgrounds should be similar. Even though, contrast is what makes the world a beautiful place, it can cause problems between couples in the long-term. As I stated before, a wife and a husband should have common interests. A couple should have similar hobbies. They should be able to do things which both of them enjoy. For example, if a woman does not enjoy watching movies, her husband would not enjoy it either. Time spent together is valuable. Those are the unforgettable memories. One can do anything s/he wants on her/his own, but that would not satisfy her/him. Another important issue is having similar political and life views. A couple might be very tolerant and have no problems with each other's views. However, problems arise when it comes to raising kids. Socioeconomical background and how one was raised are also important factors. Most of the people would say that money is not important if there is real love between two people. But is that entirely correct? Everything changes when a woman and a man have kids. They both want to provide for their kids. They both want to give their children more and more. In time, this problem starts to damage their marriage. These are the reasons, why it is more logical to marry someone who is similar to you. Some marriages work out just fine, even if there are huge differences between the two people, but these are rare. In my opinion, the ideal marriage is when the woman and the man are similar to each other. Thank you so much in advance.

*RapidShare: Easy Filehosting There were some mistakes. I corrected them. But let me remind you, I'm not a native English speaker. So this is the best I can. Nice vocabulary but you should watch out for grammar and punctuation. Good luck in TOEFL!

You have a strong introduction. Generally, your writing is very good but watch out for commas. It is extremely important in TOEFL. In my opinion, For example, To sum up, ------------- Second, I didn't get this part: "it's likely to cause the development of complexes later" 1) I'm not sure if complex is used in plural form (not chemical complex, psychological complex) 2) the is unnecessary: cause developments... 3) actually "cause developments" doesn't sound good either So you might want to keep it short and concise, like: it is likely to cause future psychological problems ------------- Other than that, you might want to check this part: In my opinion the older the child is the more household work he or she should have. You probably got confused while writing that part. :) ----------------- in a young age You might want to use something like: "at early ages" ------------ But overall, really good job. Good luck in TOEFL.

Hello, first of all I'll be taking the test in a week and I'm aiming for at least 24-25 points on Speaking. I have absolutely no problems with the integrated speaking questions. However, independent speaking section is a bit challenging. I have no problems speaking fluent at all. The words just come out, as my teacher says. I don't think in my native language either. I don't have any pronunciation issues at all either. So, my problem is content. If I can come up with enough to say, I'll be just fine. But 15 seconds is not enough! I can't think of enough aspects of the subject in 15 seconds. I generally can't fill up time. I don't have anything to say. I even can't think of an answer for the question in 15 seconds sometimes. :( What are your suggestions? Thanks.

I'm taking the TOEFL on August 8th. I need comments, advices, evaluation please? How can I improve my independent writing? Thank you so much. I disagree with the statement that good teachers set challenging tasks for their students. Although challenging tasks are sometimes important and very helpful for the students, trying to give more than the students need is pointless and unnecessary. There are other qualities, which distinguish good teachers from bad ones. But, generally a teacher cannot be judged by looking at the tasks s/he sets for her/his students. A good teacher knows where and when to use a particular technique. For instance tasks, a good teacher is the one who knows when to set challenging tasks for her/his students and when to set relatively easy tasks. A subject can be taught efficiently with simple tasks too. A good teacher knows how much to teach the students. As I stated before, trying to give more information to the students only drives them away from the teacher. I think efficient learning depends on important factors, some of which are teacher's contact with her/his students, how much the students participate in the lesson and how attractive the lessons are. A good teacher should be a friend to her/his students, but s/he should also be able to use authority when necessary. S/he should add some entertainment to the lessons but the students should still take her/his lessons serious. These are the factors, which makes a teacher good. They are not easy to accomplish, but these qualities are what makes a teacher special. It is not only about the teacher either. Teaching is a complex process. It also depends on how willing the students are. There is nothing harder than trying to teach someone who does not want to learn. Being a teacher is difficult and I think, that is why good teachers are rare. But one thing is certain, setting challenging tasks for her/his students, definitely does not make a teacher good. Word count: 306