Why Some Students fail to progress in English

Still after having studying English for many years, many people in Arab countries believe that their English is not very good. So, a question often asked is: Why?

Part of the difficulty is that we simply much time to learn a foreign language. You must learn a new grammar of the system, and thousands of new words. It also takes much practice to build up speaking, listening, reading and writing in a new language. Therefore, learning a foreign language usually takes years.

This is especially true if you are learning a language that is very different from yours. German people can learn English quickly because German grammar is similar to English grammar in some respects, and also because the two languages contribute to many of the same vocabulary. However, grammar and vocabulary of Arabic is very different from English, and this makes it more difficult for Arabs to learn English.

However, the major problem lies more in the study of Arab students in English. In fact, the real goal of many students in Arab countries is not to learn English in fact their real purpose is to pass exams in English. Thus, most of their time and attention is listening carefully on good exam results rather than on learning. When the examination is completed, students were often quickly forget what they learned, and then they ignore their English studies until the next event occurs. (Students in Western countries who are studying foreign languages often have exactly the same problem.)

While studying for tests can help students learning English, passing tests is not the same as learning English. In fact, it is possible to obtain good test scores and never develop many useful skills in English. If students are actually learning English well, their focus should be on strengthening English language skills (such as the ability to speak or read English), not just passing tests.

Perhaps more importantly, students who really want to learn English need to take charge of their own language learning, instead of just passively do what their teachers tell them to do. They must choose for themselves the skills they want to control and actively carry out a plan for developing these skills whether there is a test.

 

ТЕСТЫ ПО СТРАНОВЕДЕНИЮ

The United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland

(the 1^st level)

 

1. What contries does the United Kingdom consist of?

a) England, Scotland, Wales b) Great Britain & Northern Ireland

c) England & Scotland d) Great Britain, Northern Ireland and The Irish Republic.

 

2. What countries does Britain include?

a) England, Scotland, Wales b) Great Britain and Northern Ireland

c) England & Scotland d) England, Wales

 

3. Which is the most densely – populated country of the United Kingdom?

a) England b) Wales c) Scotland d) Northern Ireland

 

4. What does England consist of?

a) districts b) states c) counties d) regions

 

5. What is the highest mountain in the United Kingdom?

a) Ben Nevis b) Snowdon

c) the Adirondack Mountains d) the Ozark Mountain Range

 

6. What is the highest mountain in England & Wales?

a) The Mourne mountains b) Ben Nevis

c) The Cheviot Hills Mountains d) Snowdon

 

7. Where is the mountain Snowdon situated?

a) in England b) in Wales c) in Ireland d) in Scotland

 

8. What range of hills is known as the “backbone of England”?

a) the Adirondack Mountains b) the Ozark Mountain Range

c) the Appalachian Mountains d) the Pennine Chain

 

9. What river is the longest in Britain?

a) The Thames b) the Severn c) the Tay d) the Tweed

 

10. What river is Glasgow situated on?

a) The Severn b) the Taff c) the Clyde d) the Shannon

 

11. What is the Loch?

a) A person who is not clever b) a lake c) a valley d) a dale

 

12. What is the currency of the country?

a) pound, consisting of 100 pence b) dollar, consisting of 100 nickels

c) pound, consisting of 100 cents d) pound, consisting of 100 nickels

 

13. Where is the Lake District in the U.K.?

a) in the north-east of Scotland b) in the north-east of Wales

c) in the west of Northern Ireland d) in the north-east of England

 

14. What country in Britain is called a “Land of Song”?

a) Wales b) England c) Scotland d) Northern Ireland

 

15. What is the emblem of Scotland?

a) the Leek b) the Rose c) the Thistle d) the Shamrock

 

16. What do Welshmen wear on St. David’s Day?

a) a rose or a daffodil b) a shamrock

c) a leek or a daffodil d) a thistle or a leek

 

17. What is the Union Jack?

a) the prince b) the flag of Britain

c) the king of Britain d) one of the towers in Westminster

 

18. What can we see on the Welsh flag?

a) 3 crosses b) a leek c) a dragon d) a daffodil

 

19. When did Caesar come from Rome to Isles?

a) 55 B.S. b) 55 A.D. c) 43 A.D. d) 43 B.C.

 

20. Who came to the British Isles after the Romans had left Britain?

a) the Normans b) Anglo-Saxons c) the Britons d) the Danes

 

21. Who brought Latin and French civilization to Britain?

a) the Normans b) the Saxons c) the Danes d) the Romans

 

22. Who was the 1^st king to be crowned in Westminster Abbey?

a) King Alfred b) Henry VII c) Henry VIII d) William the Conqueror

 

23. What misfortune fell upon London in 1665?

a) the Great Flood b) the Plague

c) the Great Fire d) the Great Earthquake

 

24. Who is the head of the state in the U.K.?

a) Prime Minister b) Major c) Queen d) Speaker

 

25. Who is the head of the government in the U.K.?

a) Queen b) Speaker c) Lord Chancellor d) Prime Minister

 

26. Who presides over the House of Commons?

a) Speaker b) Prime Minister c) Lord Chancellor d) Major

27. The Speaker occupies the central place in the House of Commons. Who sits on his right?

a) the Opposition b) Independent members

c) Government supporters d) the Queen

 

28. Which statement is the right one? The Queen …

a) rules and governs b) reigns but does not rule

c) reigns and rules d) rules but does not reign

 

29. What kind of body is British Parliament?

a) judicial b) social c) executive d) legislative

 

30. Who elects the members of the House of Commons?

a) Queen b) Prime Minister c) electors d) House of Lords

 

31. How often are elections held in the U.K.?

a) once in five years b) once in four years

c) once in three years d) once in six years

 

32. Which part of London is the heart of business & commercial life of London?

a) the City b) the East End c) the West End d) Westminster

 

33. What is the Mansion House?

a) the residence of the Queen b) the residence of the Speaker

c) the residence of the Lord Mayor d) the residence of the Prime-Minister

 

34. What monument can we see in the center of Trafalgar Square?

a) the Statue of Eros b) the Nelson’s Column

c) the Monument to Queen Victoria d) the Monument to Peter Pan.

 

35. What is the financial centre of London?

a) the West End b) the City c) the East End d) Westminster

 

36. What is the crowing place of British monarchs?

a) Westminster Abbey b) St. Paul’s Cathedral

c) the Tower d) Buckingham Palace

 

37. Where are many famous people buried?

a) Westminster Abbey b) St. Paul’s Cathedral

c) the Tower d) Westminster.

 

38. What is the Tower nowadays?

a) a palace b) a prison c) a museum d) a church

 

39. The Whispering Gallery is situated in…

a) the Tower b) Westminster Abbey

c) Covent Garden d) St. Paul’s Cathedral

 

40. What is the name of the most famous clock in Britain?

a) Big Clock b) Big John c) Big Apple d) Big Ben

 

41. What is the Barbican?

a) a river b) a fish c) an art gallery d) a hotel

 

42. What park is Speaker’s Corner in?

a) Kensington Gardens b) St. James’s Park

c) Hyde Park d) Green Park

 

43. What London street is famous for shops?

a) Oxford Street b) Whitehall

c) Soho d) Bloomsbеry

 

44. What London street is famous as the centre of journalists?

a) Leicester Square b) Piccadilly Circus c) Fleet Street d) Bond Street

 

45. What is the name of the London Royal Opera House?

a) The National Theater b) Old Vic Theater

c) Covent Garden d) the Barbican

 

46. What is Whitehall?

a) a financial center b) a street where government offices are situated

c) a street of beautiful shops d) a palace

 

47. A statue of Eros is situated…

a) in Trafalgar Square b) in Leicester Square

c) in Bond Street d) in Piccadilly Circus

 

48. What is Soho?

a) The district of cinema – producers b) a loading house district

c) a street where the prominent representatives of medical profession live

d) the centre of government offices

 

49. What is Eisteddfod?

a) a city b) a festival c) a dance d) a country

 

50. What is haggis?

a) a dress b) a toy c) a drink d) a dish

 

51. When do Englishmen eat dinner?

a) at 6 p.m. b) at 11 a.m. c) at 9 p.m. d) at 2 p.m.

 

52. When is Halloween celebrated?

a) on March 17 b) on November 31

) on October 31 d) on October 15

 

53. When do Englishmen celebrate Hogmanay?

a) on December 25 b) on December 31

c) on November 5 d) on October 31

 

54. Wimbledon is associated with

a) horse-racing b) soccer c) tennis d) cricket

 

55. A rugby is a game where

a) an oval ball can be handled b) a round ball is kicked

c) an oval ball can be handled and kicked d) a round ball can be handled and kicked

 

The United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland

(the 2^nd level)

1. How did the Romans call Britain?

a) the Land of Song b) Albion c) the Green Island

 

2. When did the country’s official name become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?

a) 1801 b) 1603 c) 1535 d) 1921

 

3. What is the name of Southern extremity of Great Britain?

a) Gohn o’Groats b) Land’s End

 

4. What mountain separates England from Scotland?

a) the Pennine Chain b) the Cheviot Hills

c) the Cumbrians d) the Shetlands

 

5. What county of England is called “The Garden of England”?

a) Kent b) Somerset c) Devon d) Cornwall

 

6. What city is a religious capital in England and is regarded as the cradle of English Christianity?

a) Windsor b) York c) Canterbury d) Coventry

 

7. What county is the largest in England?

a) Devonshire b) Staffordshire c) Yorkshire d) Lincolnshire

 

8. What is the name of the highest mountain in England?

a) Ben Nevis b) Snowdon c) Ward Hill d) Scafell Pike

 

9. England is divided into counties. What is Scotland divided into?

a) countries b) regions c) counties d) districts

 

10. Many people in Scotland have the name McDonald. What does “Mac” mean?

a) son of b) mother’s name c) from family of d) comes from

 

11. What is the official residence of the Queen in Scotland?

a) Edinburgh Castle b) The Palace of Holyrood

c) Cardiff Castle d) Caernarfon

 

12. What are the inhabitants of Ireland in origin?

a) Celtic b) Saxon c) Briton d) Norman

 

13. Some people call their country Cymru. What country is it?

a) Scotland b) Wales c) Ireland d) England

 

14. What island is called the “Emerald Isle”?

a) Great Britain b) Orkney c) Ireland d) the Hebrides

 

15. What country did the Romans give the name Caledonia?

a) Wales b) England c) Scotland d) Ireland

 

16. When was the first treaty between England and Russia?

a) 1634 b) 1534 c) 1834 d) 1734

 

17. When was Scotland joined into the U.K.?

a) 1536 b) 1921 c) 1651 d) 1707

 

18. What does the Celtic Word “avon” mean?

a) a city b) a river c) a town d) a mountain

 

19. What language became official in England in the 13^th century?

a) Old English b) Anglo-Saxon c) Norman-French d) Latin

 

20. When did the Romans first invade Britain?

a) in the 3^rdc. A.D. b) in the 1^stc. B.C.

c) in the 1^stc. A.D. d) in the 3^rdc. B.C.

 

21. Who is the patron of Scotland?

a) St. Patrick b) St. George c) St. Andrew d) St. David

 

22. Who is the patron of England?

a) St. Patrick b) St. George c) St. Andrew d) St. David

 

23. What is the symbol of the Speaker’s power?

a) the woolsack b) the bell c) the crown d) the mace

 

24. What is the nickname of the Liberal Party?

a) the Whigs b) the Tories c) the Elephant d) the Liberals

 

25. What is the name of the Conservative Party?

a) the Whigs b) the Tories c) the Elephant d) the Terra

 

26. Who is in Shadow cabinet?

a) the party with majority of seats b) Prime Minister

c) House of Commons d) the party in the official opposition

 

27. Who was the founder of the Lake School of poets?

a) G.G. Baron b) R.L. Stevenson c) W. Wordsworth d) R. Burns

28. What is the emblem of the world famous Edinburgh Festival of Music and Drama?

a) the poppy b) the daffodil c) the thistle d) the leek

 

29. What is a limerick?

a) a song b) a game c) a poem d) a dance

 

30. What is tartan?

a) a bird b) an animal c) a pattern of the Kilt d) a singer