Improve Your Spoken English : Mass-Media

Task 1: Fill in the blanks choosing the appropriate words / phrases given in brackets:

1. If you want to sell or rent your house, the ............................. in the local newspaper is the best place to announce it. (classified ads/city news column)

2. Did you read the Sports Supplement .................... this week in Bali Post? (printed/published)

3. The film was ....................... before they showed it on television. (edited / censored)

4. Reports on the World War I and II were broadcast from all the radio ...............(channels /stations)

5. The Epic Ramayana was shown as a ................... on television every Sunday. (Series/Serial)

6. “Uya Emang Kuya” is a very popular ...........................on Sun television. (Series /Serial)

7. Congratulations! Your accomplishment will be a .................. news tomorrow! (headline / heading)

8. The medical college publishes a .................. in which they bring out the recent research findings of their scholars. (tabloid / journal)

9. The tabloid started by the club last year has a ................. of one thousand now. (circulation / circumscription )

10. The famous actor’s marriage to his co-star was ..................... in the film magazines. (reported / featured)

MIND MAP: MEDIA PARA JENIUS

Jika Anda pikir catatan Anda yang linear dan minim gambar serta warna telah cukup membantu Anda dalam mengingat apapun yang Anda pelajari, pikirkanlah kembali! Berbagai riset kaliber internasional telah membuktikan bahwa sebagian besar manusia paling maksimal hanya mendayagunakan 10% dari kemampuan otak yang dimilikinya.
Sebagai gambaran awal, perhatikan bahwa otak manusia terbagi menjadi dua bagian. Kedua belahan otak ini memiliki tugas dan cara kerja yang berbeda. Otak kiri bekerja untuk hal-hal yang terkait dengan kata, angka dan daftar, sedangkan otak kanan berkerja untuk hal-hal yang terkait dengan kesadaran, imajinasi, warna, sisi estetika dan keindahan. Kesimpulan awalnya: catatan Anda yang linear itu hanya menitikberatkan kepada otak Anda yang kiri.
Umumnya manusia hanya memfungsikan salah satu bagian otaknya saja, ada yang dominan otak kirinya, ada pula yang dominan otak kanannya. Para jenius dunia seperti Einstein, Thomas Alva Edison, Leonardo Da Vinci dan Beethoven mampu mengkombinasikan fungsi kedua otaknya itu sehingga kedahsyatan otaknya mampu mengundang decak kagum orang – orang, bahkan hingga saat ini.


Sejarah Singkat MindMap

Adalah Tony Buzan, seorang pakar psikologi dari Inggris yang melakukan studi secara intensif terhadap para jenius seperti Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin dan masih banyak lagi untuk mengetahui faktor apa yang dimiliki oleh para jenius ini sehingga mereka mampu mencapai puncak pencapaian di bidangnya masing – masing. Einstein, misalnya, berhasil memformulasikan teori relativitasnya konon setelah dia membayangkan dirinya mampu bergerak melebihi kecepatan cahaya. Di sini terlihat kombinasi dari penggunaan otak kiri (analisa eksak) dan otak kanan (imajinasi). Tak salah jika kemudian Einstein menyatakan bahwa imajinasi lebih berharga daripada ilmu pasti. Kemudian, mungkin sampai saat ini belum ada yang mampu mengimbangi kejeniusan Leonardo Da Vinci dalam pencapaiannya di bidang seni (sebutlah mahakaryanya seperti lukisan “Monalisa” dan “The Last Supper”, teknik (dialah yang pertama kali membuat prototip helikopter, jauh sebelum akhirnya beberapa abad kemudian helikopter berhasil diciptakan) maupun bidang – bidang lainnya yang membuktikan bahwa Da Vinci adalah jenius yang memiliki produktivitas yang sangat tinggi.
Buzan menyimpulkan bahwa faktor penting yang luput dari perhatian orang – orang terhadap cara kerja para jenius ini adalah bagaimana mereka mengorganisasikan ide mereka, membuat apa yang berada di dalam benak mereka bisa diproyeksikan ke dalam catatan yang akurat, serta memastikan bahwa apa yang dtuliskan itu telah mendapatkan “sentuhan” dari otak kiri maupun kanan. Singkatnya, mereka berhasil memetakan pikiran mereka (mindmapping).

Dari sinilah kemudian Buzan memperkenalkan konsep Mind Mapping atau Peta Pikiran. Konsep ini didasarkan pada cara kerja otak kita menyimpan informasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa otak kita tidak menyimpan informasi dalam kotak-kotak sel saraf yang terjejer rapi melainkan dikumpulkan pada sel-sel saraf yang bercabang-cabang yang apabila dilihat sekilas akan tampak seperti cabang-cabang pohon. Dari fakta tersebut maka disimpulkan apabila kita juga menyimpan informasi seperti cara kerja otak, maka akan semakin baik informasi tersimpan dalam otak dan hasil akhirnya tentu saja proses belajar kita akan semakin mudah.
Lebih lanjut Buzan memaparkan bahwa kunci dari optimalisasi otak manusia adalah imajinasi dan asosiasi. Imajinasi adalah bagaimana agar sesuatu yang kita ingat menjadi lebih menarik sementara asosiasi adalah menghubung-hubungkan apa kita ketahui. Dengan Mind Mapping kita dapat menggabungkan imajinasi dan asosiasi dalam hal mengingat sesuatu lewat bantuan warna dan gambar.
Mind Mapping diklaim sebagai cara yang paling mudah untuk memasukkan informasi ke dalam otak dan untuk kembali mengambil informasi dari dalam otak. Mind Mapping diyakini merupakan teknik yang paling baik dalam membantu proses berfikir otak secara teratur karena menggunakan teknik grafis yang berasal dari pemikiran manusia yang bermanfaat untuk menyediakan kunci-kunci universal sehingga membuka potensi otak.

Teknik MindMapping

Untuk menghasilkan mind mapping yang “memiliki daya – ledak tinggi” maka ikutilah langkah –langkah berikut ini:
•Mulailah dengan tema utama ada di tengah, buat dari kata kunci dan beri gambar dan warna yang dapat memperkuat koneksi.
•Kemudian buatlah cabang-cabang utama untuk setiap sub tema, dengan menggunakan kata kunci serta gambar dan warna yang dapat memperkuat koneksi.
•Gunakan single words untuk setiap kata kunci dari sebuah konsep
Jika memungkinkan buat hubungan imajinatif dari keseluruhan mind-map
•Setiap cabang yang dibuat haruslah saling berhubungan, hal ini digunakan untuk memastikan bahwa mind-map yang dibuat memiliki struktur dasar sesuai konsep
•Gunakanlah kreativitas, biarkan pikiran kita sebebasnya

MindMap di atas menggambarkan tentang Kebahagiaan. Cabangnya adalah keluarga, alam, kedamaian, keindahan, cinta, memberikan hadiah, kesederhanaan, imajinasi, kicau burung, pengembangan diri, Buddhisme, menjadi hidup, mobil yang dapat diandalkan, tawa, bersenang – senang, keperdulian, makanan yang baik, dan kegembiraan. Masing – masing dari cabang ini lalu berkembang menjadi ranting – ranting, dan rantingnya membuat anak ranting lagi yang menunjukkan adanya ledakan pengembangan ide – ide. Mirip dengan reaksi atom, bukan? Perhatikan pula bagaimana gambar – gambar dibuat untuk memperkuat asosiasi dan memancing otak untuk makin berimajinasi. Jika diperhatikan lagi, mungkin diperlukan berpuluh – puluh halaman catatan konvensional hanya untuk menjelaskan selembar MindMap di atas; Artinya, MindMap unggul dari segi efektivitas dan efisiensi. Mengapa Anda tidak mencoba MindMap ini? Siapa tahu suatu saat Anda menjadi The Next Genius in the World History? Who knows?

Test Your Grammar Skill : Yesterday vs. Tomorrow

Complete each sentence using either yesterday or tomorrow:
(Lengkapi setiap kalimat berikut dengan kata "yesterday" atau "tomorrow"

1. The Prime Minister gave a long speech about the economy
____________________. It was pretty boring!
2. When I saw you ____________________ I forgot to tell you that the
conference won’t be finishing until ____________________ night.
3. Sal should’ve told me ____________________ that she won’t be able to
pay us ____________________.
4. I could’ve had a lie in ____________________, if you weren’t leaving so
early.
5. Was it busy in town ____________________?
6. I’ll be sorry to see you go when you leave ____________________.
7. If I can get a day off work ____________________, I’ll be able to spend a
bit of time with you.
8. If I could’ve bought you a birthday present ____________________ I
would’ve done.
9. We’re going on holiday to Venice ____________________.
10. I’ve never really liked Mexican food, but I really enjoyed the meal
____________________.
11. You must have rung the wrong number ____________________,
because I was at home all morning.
12. Can you do the washing up that’s been sitting here since
____________________, please?
13. We were gardening for about two hours ___________________ morning.
14. Could I have a go on your new computer game when I come round
____________________?
15. I think it should be quite sunny ____________________.

A BRIEF VIEW ON GUIDING

SAMPLE SPEECH
Welcoming tourists
Describing the location
Introducing special events and offers
Offering advice
Closing remarks

1. WELCOMING TOURISTS
Hello everyone. My name is Blonto. On behalf of Sunari Tours I'd like to welcome you all to Tampak Siring. The bus ride to your hotel will take about fifteen minutes. Right now I'd like to take a minute to familiarize you with the area and discuss some brief safety precautions.
Firstly, I ask that you remain seated until we reach our destination and that you not eat or drink while on the bus. Secondly, please realize that it is against the law to get drunk in public. Enjoy your vacation, but do drink responsibly and do not drink and drive.

2. DESCRIBING THE LOCATION
Sukawati road-facing market located in_Gianyar Regency has a strategic position, as it is passed through during the tour to some destinations to the east. Sukawati art market is close to Celuk village, the center of gold & silversmiths. We can drop in after watching barong and Kris dance performance in the morning. It cans be accessed through bemo transport, tour bus or taxi.

3. INTRODUCING SPECIAL EVENTS AND OFFERS
I promise you are going to enjoy your stay here in Sukawati area . It is known for its art market that become 'a must see' place by tourists especially the local ones from Jakarta or other area in Java.
Huge number of small stalls occupied the two stories building offer a lot of cheap souvenirs. Almost any kind of Bali's souvenirs can be found in here either painting, woodcarving, clothes, temple umbrellas and other temple accessories, leather puppet, wind chime, jewelries and others. The souvenirs choices are has huge quantity and available in various choices.

4. OFFERING ADVICE
If you need to exchange your dollars into rupiahs, please use a bank or money exchange. We don't recommend exchanging your money at the hotel because you won't get a fair rate.
Some restaurants will accept American or Canadian money, but you are better off to exchange your money and pay with rupiah. Or, if you prefer, you can always use your credit cards.
Also, if you want to get around the city, or travel to Sukawati, we recommend that you take the motorcycle rather than a taxi. The bus costs about 200 rupiahs, and the rental can give you change if you don't have the exact amount.
If you do decide to take a taxi make sure that you negotiate a price before you go.

5. CLOSING REMARKS
We're going to be pulling up to the hotel in just a few minutes. Please sit back and enjoy the view of the ocean on the left hand side of the bus as we enter the town.
I ask that you remain in your seats until we have come to a complete stop. I Kapler will be meeting us at the bus to help you with your bags.
Please double check to make sure your bag has been taken off the bus.
On behalf of Sunari Tours, have a wonderful vacation in San Jose and I hope to see you tomorrow at the information session.

HOTEL FRONT OFFICE

A Hotel Office Manager
A hotel office manager is a liaison for all parts of a hotel.
A hotel front office manager is responsible for supervising all duties of the front desk. They are also a liaison for all interdepartmental communications, requiring excellent communication and leadership skills.

Education
Front office managers are often required to hold a college degree in hospitality or management. It is also possible to progress to this position gradually from lower levels of management without formal education.

Personal Qualities
Superior supervision
Multitasking
Decision making and
Time-management skills
Serve the customer complaints and queries in a pleasant and level-headed manner.

Responsibilities
All operations of the front desk and guest services, including :
The concierge,
Transport and luggage services.
The management of front office personnel such as staff training and shift scheduling.

Benefits
Hotel front office managers typically receive health insurance and retirement benefits.
The average salary in the United States is $57,303 per year, as of October 2009.

Considerations
Hotel management can be a stressful, fast-paced environment.

Front office managers might be required to work irregular hours or remain on call to work at short notice.

Test Your Reading Skills

Bob Hunter’s Family

Bob Hunter is forty years old. He lives in Derby with his wife and three
children. His wife’s name is Linda and she is an artist. Their eldest child,
Richard, is studying Engineering at Derby University. Their middle child is
called Claire. She’s fourteen and a student at Derby Grammar School. Their
youngest child is Sally, who is twelve. She enjoys horse-riding and cycling.
Bob is an accountant and works for Toyota at Burnaston. He enjoys his job
but always looks forward to the weekend, when he can spend some quality
time on the golf course. He is a member of Mickleover Golf Club and has
been playing since he was eleven years old.


Questions:
1. Who is the paragraph about? ________________________
2. How old is he? ________________________
3. Where does he live? ________________________
4. Is he married? ________________________
5. How many children does he have? ________________________
6. What is his wife’s name? ________________________
7. What does his wife do for a living? ________________________
8. What is the name of their eldest child? ________________________
9. What subject is he studying? ________________________
10. How old is Claire? ________________________
11. Which school does she go to? ________________________
12. What is the name of their other child? ________________________
13. How old is she? ________________________
14. What hobbies does she enjoy? ________________________
15. What does Bob do for a living? ________________________
16. Which company does he work for? ________________________
17. Does he like working there? ________________________
18. What does he do at the weekend? ________________________
19. What is the name of his golf club? ________________________
20. At what age did he start playing? ________________________

Test Your Vocabulary Skills (Emotions and Feelings 2)

Match a sentence from section A with a sentence from section B:

Section A:
1. I feel tired because...
2. I feel guilty because...
3. I’m surprised because...
4. I’m over the moon because...
5. I’m angry because...
6. I’m happy because...
7. I’m feeling down because...
8. I feel great because...
9. I’m shocked because...
10. I’m bored because...

Section B:
a) someone has stolen my new mobile phone.
b) I’ve been at work for twelve hours without a proper break.
c) I cheated during a test and got away with it.
d) I’ve just been to the gym and had a relaxing massage.
e) I have just won £2.5 million on the lottery!
f) my girlfriend has just dumped me.
g) I didn’t realize I had two pounds in my pocket.
h) I’m home alone with nothing to do.
i) my dog has just had puppies.
j) I didn’t know that we were related until last week!

Test Your Vocabulary Skills (Emotions and Feelings 1)

Match a sentence from section A with a sentence from section B:

Section A:
1. I’m happy because...
2. I’m sad because...
3. I’m afraid because...
4. I feel lonely because...
5. I’m disappointed because...
6. I’m worried because...
7. I’m confused because...
8. I feel hurt because...
9. I’m excited because...
10. I’m bored because...

Section B:
a) I have just lost £40.
b) I don’t have anyone to talk to.
c) there’s a spider in the bath.
d) I didn’t get the job that I wanted.
e) the sun is shining.
f) I thought today was Wednesday.
g) my friends have been talking about me behind my back.
h) I haven’t got any work to do.
i) we’re all going on holiday tomorrow!
j) I don’t know how I can pay my electricity bill.