TOEFL Prep - My name is Talapker Imanbayev. I study in the level 300. My native languages are Kazak and Russian. I chose the site TOEFL Prep because it is very useful. This site has a lot of exercises with a good explanation of grammar. You should choose one right answer from four possible. The feedback for right and wrong answers and hints helped me understand better the grammar rules in English. I worked on the sentence correction, and it was so interesting for me that I spent a lot of time yesterday doing exercises. Although, I got many right answers, I saw also all hints for checking the grammar rules. I think that helped improve the feeling of language when you can check all possible mistakes in the sentence. I recommend this site for other students because it is useful and helpful for improving your English. Also, I wish to say THANKS for you Michael for this WEB-page where students can find all things that they need. I had tried to find similar WEB-pages before, but I didn't find better than yours.

Dave's ESL Grammar Quizzes - Amane Nagamoto, Level 300, Japan.
Most Japanese have good grammar skills but I do not, so I decided that I need to study more about grammar. At Dave's ESL Grammar Quizzes, I took basic grammar quizzes, but there were some interesting topics like slang, history and world culture. I did world culture and it was very fun. This site is very easy to use and there are many good grammar exercises that are not so long and not so hard. However, I could not recommend just one good exercise because I think there are so many activities there. I recommend this site for other students. This site may be easy for some students, but I think some students like me need practice with grammar.

TOEIC Preparation - Hirokazu Tsuzuki, Level 300, Japan.
When I was a student in Japan, I took some chances to take the TOEIC test. Unfortunately, I could not get a good enough score to find a good job in Japan. Therefore, I would like to take the test again for getting my job in Japan.

When working on this site, first of all, I chose incomplete sentences (Part Five) because this type of question exists for both TOEIC and TOEFL. Moreover, I don't like to solve incomplete sentences very much; actually, the score of this part was always not so good for me. Afterwards, I chose photos (Part One). This was very good and fun. You just listen to some sentences that describe the photo you are looking at.

The first strong point of this site is that it has all parts of TOEIC; thus, everybody understands what the TOEIC test is. The second is that the site has some listening parts and it is not so busy, so I was able to access it easily. The weak point is the site doesn't have many questions; there are only ten questions per part. I would recommend this site to other ESL students. Especially, if a person wanted to take the TOEIC or to find a job abroad in the future, s/he would find it useful to glance at the site.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Eddy Trochet - Michael, my name is Eddy from Level 300. My native language is French. I chose the section, "Content Study/Research Skills" for doing something on my research paper. I took information from the Encyclopedia Britannica about the Irish in New York City. It's amazing how much information we can get. And it's always interesting to save time on a task. Even if it looks like the library, it's great for students like me who discover every day the power of "computers." Of course I recommend this site for other students. But my idea of it comes from the stone age: I'm pretty late in this world of computers. Perhaps you don't need to share my comment. People will think, "They have no computers in France or he's a real NERD!" Michael, thanks for your support.

Takako's Great Adventure - Takashi Kumada, Level 300, Japan
This site was eally a good site for me. I used the listening part, and it was very good for me. This story was very easy to listen to and to understand for me. Usually, listening practice has very boring stories; however, this story was very exciting. This is the first time I was excited by listening practice, so I really enjoyed this site. I'm going to use this site at home; therefore, I could not find any weakness, but I thought I want to get some questions for this reading, I mean like your hand out.

Takako's Great Adventure - Talapker Imanbayev, Level 300, Khazakstan
It is a well organized site because students have flexibility when doing it such as they can listen to all the text or each paragraph separately. Also, good point is a definition for new words and word combinations, which you can find for many words here. The text is complicated enough and I need more time to understand and remember all words. In the first episode I found some new words which are common and interesting to remember; for example, "get by" or "go by." I think that reading and listening at one time is a perfect way to get a feeling for language because you can understand the relation between writing and speaking. The text scrolls when you listen to it. My opinion is that this site is useful and convenient; therefore, I recommend this site for sother students and I will made more exercises on this site.

Impact Online - Laurent Weber, Level 400, Switzerland
Hi, this is Lary Weber from Level 400. My native language is French. I chose "Impact Online" from the Reading Section. It took me about 10 minutes and it was good for me because I could check my vocabulary and pronunciation. A good point is that you can choose the topic of the article in order to learn its vocabulary. Not only can you get the definition of the word, but you can also hear the word and check its pronounciation. It is a good way to improve your vocabulary on different topics.

Eye on Grammar, Intermediate - JaeHyuk Choi, Level 400, Korea

I chose an intermediate level of 'Eye on Grammar', which located in grammar section. The reason why I took the site was my weakness in grammar. When I turn in my paper to my professor, I usually take many corrections in the paper. So when I heard about "Independent Study Lab", I decided to take a this course. I spent about 45 minutes for looking into this site. But if you want to study all of details in this site, I am sure that it will take an hour or more. I used this site for progressing my grammar skill, and I did my way, which I'll state right now. At first, I took a level test which linked second place in the list of details. (You can know your level of grammar directly) After that, I clicked the other details like "A or The","Adverb","Countable or Noncountable", and so on. But actually I just tried couple of minutes for each of them, and decided the value of them. For example, because I am not good in distinguishing "a" and "the", I did all questions in "A and The". But comparative course was so easy to me. So I skipped that one. I think, this way is the most practical way to everyone, and I strongly recommend to study like my way in this site. Don't waste your time! Study your weak part!

Finally, I think this site is very helpful to students. This site helps to increase our skills in grammar without discovering. If you practice through many questions in this site, you will be better next time. This is most important part of this site. But one thing that I want to say is the needs of explanation. If there are short explaining parts for all details, it will be more helpful to students who have many problems in grammar.

A Guide to Grammar and Writing - Fumika Yamamoto, Level 400, Japan

I've studied a lot of grammar and remembered many rules, but still I feel I need much more practice. For me, grammar is endless subject. Especially, when I speak English, it's very hard for me to use "past perfect" properly. In addition, there are many small, but very confusing rules such as the distinguish between "a" and "the". That's why I chose this site. I studied at the site for only 30 minutes, but I felt I should try to use more. This site is separated as Sentence level, Paragraph level and Essay level, so it's very useful. We can pick up the point which we need easily. For example, I studied the Paragraph Level. There is much useful information and it explains not only grammar but also vocabulary. For me, the list of Root, Meaning, and English word is very interesting. Moreover, there are many exercises, too. I think these exercises are good for me because I usually don't have time to do extra textbooks, but I can use this site during a spare time easily. I think these are the strong points of the site. However, there are some weak points. For example, when we do exercises or take tests, we cannot check the answers soon. That is, I have to wait until I finish all questions. It's a little inconvenient for me because when I do exercise on paper, I usually check my answer one by one. But I think there are much more the strong points than the weak points, so I recommend to use this site.

Think of a number from one to nine! - Felix Ramli, Indonesia, Level 400

The name of the site that I am reviewing was, "Think of a number from one to nine" and the address is www.stuff.co.uk/think.html. I chose that site because I thought that site would be very interesting for me and can help me to relax, and that was right. I need special software to open and see the game; fortunately, I got the software a month ago, it is Shockwave. If you cannot open this site, you can try to download that software in www.download.com. I worked at that site not even 5 minutes, because I have already heard about that trick before. Before I opened the site I was wondering and asking myself, "Did I get this tricky game when I was in Indonesia?" After I finish with all the questions and saw the result, I laughed and realized that I got exactly the same tricky game from my friend in Indonesia. I think that was a good site, you will think a lot when the computer shows the result and you will always want to know about it. I recommend all the students from AES, which like a game for fun, to spend a short tome to visit that site. In order to find out why the computer could know my answer, I will try to do "Interact" and send in my solution.

Conjurer Magic Tricks - Majed Abulola, Saudi Arabia, Level 400

I chose Conjurer Magic Tricks site because it attracted me from its title. This site teaches me how magicians do the magic tricks and show them to the people. However, those tricks aren't that difficult, and I think doing these tricks depends on having smooth and fast hands. I spent in this site about 20 minutes just looking to this amazing site and trying to do some of these tricks in order to do them for my friends.

Another thing is that site doesn't have enough description to let the people do those tricks easily. On the other hand, this site gives general idea to let the people try to do them. Thus, we can infer that making those tricks isn't that easy but my advice is to give it a try in order to have a clue about them. Also, to not let these people who make those kinds of tricks fool you any more.

Honestly, I like this site very much because it opened my eyes for how these people make their tricks and fool the people including me. As a result, from now I am not going to believe any body who is trying to say to the people, "I am magical."

The ESL Pronunciation Page - Mubarak Al-Khaili, Arabic, UAE, Level 400

The name of the site, that I chose is "Pronunciation." I chose this site because most of the international students and myself have some difficulty to pronounce some of the English letters. For that I think that site will helps us to improve our pronunciation.

I studied on this site for an hour and I found many interesting things that could be useful to me. When I entered the site I found a list of some sounds choices, so I choose "th" sound. First the computer showed me words with the sound "th" also I listened how to pronounce them. Then I had a listening test. In that test I have to compare between two words and chose the word that had been pronounced. Moreover you can learn vocabulary from that test by moving the mouse over any word on the screen. In another exercise, I listened to the sentence, then I have to type it correctly, and after that, the computer gives you the correct answer. One of the most interesting things that I found is to make a conversation with a native English speaker, but unfortunately the computer that I had to work on it hasn't a sound speaker.

I think one of the weak points in this site that it does not include some of the sounds like "P" and "B." The Arabic students are confused between these two sounds in their pronunciation. However I think that it covers many sounds. Also it is well organized and easy to use. Another strong point is that while you practice pronouncing you can practice listening and learning vocabulary.

I think it's very useful to help international students in pronunciation and I and I suggest for them to visit this site and take an idea about it.

"My Apartment - The Game" - Oscar Martinez A., Colombia, U.G. student

Last Wednesday in class I searched for the site called, "Think of a number from one to nine!" but my classmate Felix had already given the solution so I changed my mind. For this Independent Study Lab, I chose the site called, "My Apartment - The Game" by Jim Duber. This is a site of the Fun and Games zone that I picked because I wanted to have a little more fun doing my homework.

I studied this site for 20 minutes. The first you have to do is to read the introduction to the game - the situation and the instructions. After you read the introduction, and given that your computer has the required software (QuickTime 4), you should click on the photo that is at the bottom of the introductory page. If you are not sure about the purpose of the game or the instructions given you should check the Study Guide for Students (you should also look at the Study Guide for Teachers to find out what they could possibly ask you).

The photo of the apartment includes a kitchen, an office, a dining room, a wall and a door. When you enter the apartment you will hear your friend's voice telling you he wants his Coke on the rocks. The words "On the Rocks" means that your friend wants his Coke with ice cubes. That's why you have to look in the freezer, which is in the kitchen. There are 9 other places in the apartment to look for the answer including the front tire of your bike (the best hidden place in the apartment).

Strong point: this site uses excellent technology that gives a good resolution of the panoramic picture of the apartment. I like these interactive activities on the Internet.

Weak point: it is advice rather than a weak point. It would be very good to change the way you move around the apartment. I recommend the possibility to turn the view of the apartment to the right (or left), if the cursor is near the right (left) border of the picture.

The only advice I can give to other students is "have fun!"

TOEFL Prep - Ryoko Sakurai, Japan, Level 400

I used TOEFL Prep and tried Listening, Grammar and Reading practice because I had studied TOEFL for almost nine months before I came to the U.S. After I used this site for about forty minutes, I noticed both strong points and weak points. First, let me mention about the two strong points in this site. First, this site tells you why you chose wrong answer or why your choice is correct. Especially, in Reading section, it explains to you how your answer is wrong with a detailed explanation. In addition to this, it tells you "close " or "Not quite."; therefore, you can compare with your wrong but close answer. Second, it shows you how long you spent to solve the questions; moreover, you can know how long you needed to answer per one question. It is very practical because TOEFL is a kind of struggle against time.

Next, let me mention about the weak point. The Listening section is not divided into three parts. In the paper TOEFL test, we have three parts in Listening Comprehension. (I do not know about computer test.) So, I want to practice not only part A and B, but also part C in the Listening section. Besides this weak point, I have a suggestion in my mind. If we could set up a time objective to answer the questions, I think it would be much better.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend other students who want to study TOEFL to use this site because this site's explanations about the questions are very easy to understand. So, I am sure that they can improve their TOEFL score by practicing TOEFL questions in this site.

Study Zone - Misun Choi, Korea, Level 400

I chose Study Zone from the Grammar section because my grammar skill is very weak. When I turned in my assignment, I have always got bad point on the grammar part. During twenty minutes, I did the exercise on Parts of Speech. Before I did it, actually I thought that the part of speech was easy for me, but my score was always under 80. I was surprised and upset. After I did the practce, I thought that first of all I should have read the instructions and then done the exercise.(Actually I didn't read the instructions!!)

Interact- "Think of a Number from 1-9"- Felix Ramli, Indonesia, Level 400

I know the secret of this game. Actually, there's no secret, that's just a tricky game, and we have to use our logical thinking to solve it. Computer can know what our answer is because computer already predicts what's the answer in our mind. I'll try to tell you about the secret.

1. First, computer will ask you to choose one number between 1-9 and multiply it by 9. (Because this game will work just with a number between 1-9)

2. And after that, you will have 2 possible answers, one-digit number or two-digit number.

3. If you have 2-digit number, you have to add them. (You will always get number "9" after you add your 2-digit number).

4. After you add them or keep the one-digit number, take 5 and you will get your final number. In this part, computer already know that your answer is "4" because your number is always "9". (Let me try with two different numbers. If your number is 1, multiply it, and you'll get 9; you just have one-digit number, so you don't have to add anything. Take 5 from that number, and your final number will be 4. Another example, you pick number "2", multiply by 9, you will get "18" (it's a 2-digit number), and you have to add those numbers; it's "9", and you need to take away 5, and your final number is 4. Try with another number between 1-9. The answer will always be"4".

5. After you get you number, the computer will ask you a letter depending on your number. 1 is A, 2 is B, 3 is C, etc. In this case you will always have "D", because the number is "4."

6. Then the computer will ask you to look for a name of a country that begins with your letter. (The biggest possibility is "Denmark" because there are not many countries that begin with D.) Denmark will be the first country that comes into your mind.

7. After the country, the computer will ask you about an animal that the first letter comes from the second letter of your country. The biggest possibility from the answer is "elephant," because "elephant" is the most common animal, and the first animal that comes into your mind if somebody asks you very quickly. In this case there are other answers, ex: eagle).

8. And the last one is about color, the color of the animal that you get. What is the color of your animal? You must answer that the color of your animal is "grey," because the color of the elephant is grey.

If you don't believe me, try this game with your friends.

Language Games (Hangman) - Ryoko Sakurai, Japan, Level 400

I enjoyed vocabulary quizzes by using Hangman in Language Games for approximately twenty minutes. Although the reason I chose this site was that the name, Language Games, attracted me because it sounded delightfully, unexpected. I enjoyed this site. In this site, I just guessed the vocabulary and answered by trusting my intuition, because there were few hints in each questions.

The strong point of this site is that we can study English vocabulary with fun. It is a very important element for people who are studying something. I spent twenty minutes in no time because Hangman was very interesting; moreover, I could get some new words. I did not feel any pain, even though I was studying. Studying through games is very innovative.

The weak point of this site is that it offers few hints for each question. It is very difficult to find the correct answer without hints because we have a limited time to answer the question. And also, I want to suggest a way to improve the system of the game. If we could compete with someone, we would enjoy this site much more.

I want to recommend students who are studying English to use this site as a breathing space. I am sure it can help their English ability.

Brain Pop - Hirokazu Tsuzuki, Japan, Level 500

I watched the video of genes, and it was good. At first, when I saw the website, it looked like funny (a comic), but the contents of the video was well organized and pointed out some main parts of genetic study. For example, the video said genes were very similar to a plan of making a chair and for making an individual body and inherited from parents. Also, Tim and Mody, a robot, introduced that no people had same genetic code except identical twins, DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid, and genes made chromosomes. Moreover, the surprising thing was that the video talked about the difference between dominant and recessive genes with the example of inheritance of blue or brown eyes of human beings. As it was, the website looked just for fun, but it was useful not only for kids but also for whoever is interested in popular science.

Interact- Chinese Astrology - Felix Ramli, Indonesia, Level 400

My animal is Rooster. Some characteristics that I am suppose to have are:

• very observant,very accurate and precise with my observation, very forthright and straightforward, like to be noticed and flattered, In my heart, I'm completely conservative, always appear attractive and beautifully turned out, sociable and love to receive attention, my mind is cautious and skeptical, Roosters are always up, out and doing-multitalented, and can become accomplished in many different ways, extremely conscious about clothing and appearance, appear conservative but are obsessed with their look, can spend hours standing in front of the mirrors, don't care about money, in fact, I love to compare prices and even if the bargain is only few cents or few dollars cheaper, I will be satisfied, likes to dream, make great hosts and adore entertaining, loyalty: I make devoted friends, always keep their promises and are always true to their word, when I love and admire someone, I will even catch the moon just to keep them happy

I'm suppose to be compatible with someone who has a Chinese "snake" sign. My prediction about this year:

• better than last year, be careful when invest, money can be a problem in the future, March is a good month for partnership, career and relationship, Romance is in May, it could be someone from the past, I'll be very busy in October, My best month is November

I couldn't compare my characteristic with the celebrities, because I couldn't open their page...maybe because of the Internet connection.

I think the Chinese astrology is quite right, and very precise with me...almost all the characteristic that I read, I have it, and that's me. I really believe in that horoscope, because to tell something in the future is one of Chinese experiences, and that's really famous in Indonesia. Sometimes people can even predict what will happen in the future or in the rest of their life. That's sounds scary, because if we already know about our future, it will affect what's here now. If we have bad prediction, we will feel down. But, if we have a good prediction, we will get lazy. That's all my opinion. I have that opinion because I have my prediction for the rest of my life.

Tests, Tests, Tests - Kazuhiro Kubo, Japan, Level 400

I tried "Your Success Likelihood" test in "Tests Tests Tests". This test is for people who want to know how much they have the driving force to succeed in life. People can know their own perception of success and attitude toward success. People also can know if they should act from now on by glancing at the result. The reason why I chose this test is that I would have like to know of my future; whether I have latent ability to accomplish my plan or not. I think that this test is useful, especially for AES students.

The test is easy. Only what people should do is to choose one answer out of two choices, and there are 40 questions. It took about 15 or 20 minutes for me to answer all the questions. For example, there was a question like, "You fall into despair when you fail at something?" People should choose "Mostly true" or "Mostly false". Most questions were easy to read, but some of them included difficult words or phrases. And this is the point, I think, for AES students. For example, there was such a question as this, "Do you blend in with others or stand out when you succeed in something?" We can learn the meaning of "blend in" and "stand out". This is a good point for AES students. On the other hand, there was a weak point in that very similar questions continued from the beginning to the end. Although it takes only 15 or 20 minutes, people might feel bored.

In spite of this, this test offers many useful words and phrases, and gives people the opportunity to think about themselves; therefore, why don't you try this test?

Interact- Chinese Astrology - Ann, USA

It's pretty accurate and also entertaining. Sorry to say I married a snake not knowing it wasn't a particularly good match. I am a monkey. Yes, I am all of those things but what doesn't compute is that a whole year of people are all the same??? I have a friend who is a monkey. We are not in anyway alike except for the fact we are both funny and sarcastic.

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