In order to make passive vocab active, each week, after my CPE class, I’ll be posting a small text, using a certain topic discussed in class as well as using the CPE vocab that is required.

This week’s topic is: Friendship.

What are friends really for? How much can you count on a friend when being in a hardship? Does it come naturally to spot a fair-weather friend?

Many questions come to my mind when I think of friendship. One which tops all the answers is that friends are the family you’ve chosen, opposed to your real family, which you haven’t had much a choice in that matter. Thus, I can have the best people on earth next to me. We row, we fall out, we patch things up and we live and learn, all these processes are part and parcel of our upbringing and friends make this process a bit more enjoyable.

I simply adore gathering with my friends. We normally gather in a friend’s house, and there we can have drinks and chew the fat all night long. I fancy going to the cinema with them as well – all the discussions after it are unforgettable! Friends do make our lives a tad more interesting and a lot more enjoyable!

 I’m not paying lip service – friends are rather important to me. Without them, I’d lead gloomy, sombre life.

• On-line test for CAE candidates: http://www.wordskills.com/level/caeform.html

• A broad range of exam tests, not only English ones: http://www.future.edu.pl/?s=jezyk_testy

• Rzeczpospolita’s collection of CAE, FCE, TOEFL tests: http://www.rzeczpospolita.pl/tematy/testy-ang/

• The bible of CAE students, bunch of test with handbooks provided by ESOL: http://www.cambridgeesol.org/support/dloads/cae_downloads.htm

• A Japanese site for those striving for a bit of practice – various exercises, not targeted at CAE, but still extremely useful: http://www.englishforjapanese.com/index.html

• Another collection of CAE tests: http://www.art.man.ac.uk/elplinks/cae.htm

• Listening exercises: www.esl-lab.com

• Free on-line tests: www.it.uom.gr/elu/online.htm

• Practice tests for The EFL Exams: www.english-online.org.uk/advexam/grammar/advgram.htm

• Advanced tests: www.englishjet.com/english_courses_files/test_advanced.asp

• General English exercises: www.robertporter.freeserve.co.uk/

• Listening exercises based on popular songs: www.angielski.edu.pl/angielski_listening_cwiczenia_sluchu.html

• British Council Test-Your-Level-Test: www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-test-test-your-level.htm

• On-line exam (KET/ PET/ FCE/ CAE/ CPE/ IELTS/ TOEFL/ tests: www.english-online.org.uk/exam.htm

Longman exam centre: www.longman.com/exams/teachers/index.html

• CPE tests: www.english-test.net/esl/english-language-proficiency-test.html

• ESOL site full of original tests: www.cambridgeesol.org/support/dloads/cpe_downloads.htm

• Resources for FCE, CAE, CPE: http://esl.about.com/od/cambridgeexams/

• On-line CPE grammar: www.examenglish.com/CAE/default.php www.examenglish.com/cpe/CPE_grammar.htm
  

• On-line CPE vocabulary: www.examenglish.com/cpe/CPE_vocab.htm

• FLO – JOE place fpr teachers and students www.flo-joe.co.uk/cpe/students/tests/index.htm

• Wyższa Szkoła Informatyki in Białystok provides the following CPE tests: www.wsi.edu.pl/dydaktyka/english/testy/przy_testy_cpe.htm
  

• Project Gutenberg gives oportunity of reading classics: http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

• Collection of FCE and CAE tests: www.jezykniemieckinet.webpark.pl/angielski.htm

• They have hundreds of classic books you can read now: www.pagebypagebooks.com/

• Cambridge exam (FCE/ CAE) style exercises: www.parapal-online.co.uk/cambridge.html

• CAE-like tests at ANG.PL: www.ang.pl/testycae.html

• Churchill House test for Cambridge exams: www.churchillhouse.com/tests/

• On-line CAE exam tests: www.englishjet.com/english_courses_files/test_advanced.asp

• Better writing: www.askoxford.com/betterwriting/?view=uk

• Free on-line tests: www.it.uom.gr/elu/online.htm

• British Council Test-Your-Level-Test: www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-test-test-your-level.htm

• On-line exam (KET/ PET/ FCE/ CAE/ CPE/ IELTS/ TOEFL/ tests: www.english-online.org.uk/exam.htm

Longman exam centre: www.longman.com/exams/teachers/index.html

Having noticed this is one of your faves, I could not help posting more of it here. Have fun!

1. The authorities put up ______ all over town about the meeting.

    The barmaid never ______ him when he tries to catch her eye.

    The film got very good ______ but I found it disappointing.

2. Everyone had lots of fun at the village ______ .

    We had a ______ amount of sunshine last month.

    I usually make notes for an essay before I write a ______ copy.

3. She hopes to ______ a good job when she finishes her studies.

    In the 19th century, most people lived off the ______ .

    Why don’t we send him ahead to see how the ______ lies.

4. I don’t know how you can ______ it with your conscience, spending so much money on new shoes.

    I’ve just put up this picture, can you tell me if it’s  ______ ?

    I’m so hungry, I haven’t had a ______ meal for ages.

Think of one word which can be used appropriately in all three sentences.

1. The bodywork is a bit rusty but the engine is _________.

E-commerce shares are not considered to be a __________ investment.

There was a strange __________ followed by a complete silence.

2. There will be a _________ drop in the temperature when the night falls.

It will be very cold tomorrow in ___________ contrast to today.

He has a __________ eye for a bargain.

Cheers,

Wallace

Write an idiomatic phrase that could be used to describe each of the following situations below. You will find one of the words in each idiom in brackets.

1. When her boss told her she was getting a pay rise, she looked very pleased with herself. [CREAM]

She ______________________________________________________________.

2. You don’t have to tell me that you’re upset. I can see it clearly in your face. [WRITTEN]

It’s ____________________________________________________________.

3. He makes such stupid mistakes sometimes; It’s difficult not to laugh. [STRAIGHT]

It’s difficult ______________________________________________________.

4. Life hasn’t been good for him lately and he’s feeling a bit depressed. [MOUTH]

He’s ___________________________________________________________.

5. I really don’t think she should be wearing those clothes at her age. She’s trying to look like a young woman. [MUTTON]

She’s __________________________________________________________.

Cheers,

Wallace

I don’t want to boast, however, I know I’m a nice guy, easy going and easily pleased. I’m always on cloud nine, over the moon and ecstatic. Although I try and be good-fun most of the times, there is this one thing that really, really pisses me of and makes me wince and cringe. And that is LAZY people.

All my life I’ve worked and studied quite a lot. I’ve given all my might to get good grades and really learn from the teacher and from my classmates. I was never the number 1. But I tried to be amongst the number ones. Therefore LAZINESS really get on my nerves and I cannot bear the thought of having such a lazy one either working with me or simply being an acquaintance. I loathe people like that. I also have an urge to tell this ONE that he is lazy and should be hard-working, which most of times end up in a long quarrel on how people should live their lives.

I am glad I’m intrinsically motivated, therefore I don’t need people to help me out with my being hard-working. It’s through suffering and work, HARD WORK, that we get there, so taught me my lovely – but bitter – grandma. As being a teacher, it’s nice to be able to get over this “lazy-thing-that-makes-me-wince-and-cringe” and help students out with their SELF demotivation towards learning another language, or even towards learning.

If you have read up until here, I appreciate for your attention. I hope I did not make you wince and cringe!

Ok, I know it’s a cliché, however, we learn every second of our lives. If we pay attention carefully to people around us, every single one of them has something to share to us and they also have got something that will certainly improve our lifestyle.

Going straight to the point:

The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is to love and be loved in return. [Moulin Rouge]

As I’ve got a passionate and compulsive personality, loving and being loved are one of my biggest concerns and aims in life.

EXTRA LESSON: I learnt that if you do things with all of your heart, anything will work out.