DO NOT INDENT
The TOEFL exam has become a major part of my life. It gives me headaches when
I practice for it; and when I don’t practice, it is constantly on my mind. I would
say it is at the top of my worry list. I can’t even escape the TOEFL when I sleep; I
have the worst nightmares about it. The best thing I can say about the TOEFL is
that in a few months my pain will be over; that is when I will take it. Between
now and then, what I have to do is deal with my two main weaknesses, some
would say “obsessions”: vocabulary and reading speed.
Vocabulary, or my lack of it, affects everything. When I read and listen, there are
lots of words I don’t know. When I speak and write, there are words I want to use
but don’t know how to say in English. To deal with this vocabulary problem, I am
learning five new words a day. I’m putting them on word cards that have a
sample sentence and the meaning. (Sometimes I cheat and put a translation.)
That helps me to understand the word when I see or hear it. I also write down
the part of speech and grammar of the word--for example, prepositions that go
with the words—so that I can use the words when I write. To make sure I can use
the words when I speak, I also write down the pronunciation. This way people
can understand me when I say the word. I carry the word cards with me
everywhere. You can see me looking at them when I’m waiting at the subway
stop or even eating in the school cafeteria. As I said, I’m obsessed.
To improve my reading speed, I’ve been reading simplified readers and timing
myself. I write down the number of words I’ve read and how long it took to read
them. That way I can monitor my speed. Now I’m moving on to more difficult
material. My reading speed has slowed down, but I intend to use the same
method. Within a month or so, I hope to be able to start timing myself with
TOEFL-level reading material.
If I succeed in increasing my reading speed and improving my vocabulary, I am
confident—or at least I hope to be confident—that I will get a high enough score
on the TOEFL when I take it. Then I’ll be able to say goodbye to my headaches,
my worries and my nightmares!
419 words
INDENT
The TOEFL exam has become a major part of my life. It gives me headaches
when I practice for it; and when I don’t practice, it is constantly on my mind. I
would say it is at the top of my worry list. I can’t even escape the TOEFL when I
sleep; I have the worst nightmares about it. The best thing I can say about the
TOEFL is that in a few months my pain will be over; that is when I will take it.
Between now and then, what I have to do is deal with my two main weaknesses,
some would say “obsessions”: vocabulary and reading speed.
Vocabulary, or my lack of it, affects everything. When I read and listen, there
are lots of words I don’t know. When I speak and write, there are words I want to
use but don’t know how to say in English. To deal with this vocabulary problem, I
am learning five new words a day. I’m putting them on word cards that have a
sample sentence and the meaning. (Sometimes I cheat and put a translation.)
That helps me to understand the word when I see or hear it. I also write down
the part of speech and grammar of the word--for example, prepositions that go
with the words—so that I can use the words when I write. To make sure I can use
the words when I speak, I also write down the pronunciation. This way people
can understand me when I say the word. I carry the word cards with me
everywhere. You can see me looking at them when I’m waiting at the subway
stop or even eating in the school cafeteria. As I said, I’m obsessed.
To improve my reading speed, I’ve been reading simplified readers and timing
myself. I write down the number of words I’ve read and how long it took to read
them. That way I can monitor my speed. Now I’m moving on to more difficult
material. My reading speed has slowed down, but I intend to use the same
method. Within a month or so, I hope to be able to start timing myself with
TOEFL-level reading material.
If I succeed in increasing my reading speed and improving my vocabulary, I am
confident—or at least I hope to be confident—that I will get a high enough score
on the TOEFL when I take it. Then I’ll be able to say goodbye to my headaches,
my worries and my nightmares!