English beginner

Movies
CULTURAL NOTE
In Hollywood every February or March, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents awards to the year''s best movies and actors. These awards are known as the "Oscars." People love to watch the presentation on television to see all their favorite actors and actresses dressed up for the big event. Some people have parties with their friends on "Oscar night" in which everyone casts their own votes for the winners, and a prize is awarded to the person with the most correct guesses!

TOEFLđ Guide
The Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL contains reading passages and questions about the passages. The questions are about information that is stated or implied in the passage and about some of the specific words in the passages.
Englishtown TOEFLđ preparation course provides you interesting reading passages for you to study from, including helpful tips on how to improve your vocabulary, how to skim and scan reading passages for faster reading and what prefixes/suffixes are and their meanings.
Here is an example.
People are still reading books, and lots of them. The number of new books published keeps growing-90,000 new titles in the US during the last year by the latest industry count. The number is double the total output two decades ago. Reading is an important part of our lives.
1. What is this passage about?
The amount of reading people do
Book reviews
Leisure time activities
A popular new book
Yes! The correct answer is 1. By reading the first sentence of the passage you find the phrases reading books and lot of them. As you quickly read the rest of the paragraph you find these words and ideas repeated in different ways.
TIP: You could answer the question by quickly skimming the passage for general idea.

Changing seasons
Read this poem that describes the changing season. Which season is on its way?
O Wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn''s being,
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing.
[Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792-1822]

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. What is Shelley describing when he says, "breath of Autumn''s being" and "unseen presence"?
2. What does it mean when the leaves "are driven" by the wind
3. What is an "enchanter"?
ANSWERS
1. The "breath of Autumn" and the "unseen presence" are both describing the wind.
2. The leaves are blown or "driven" by the wind.
3. An enchanter has magic powers.

Photography
READING
(Anna''s mom''s name is Nancy)
Anna: Mom, did you get your _____ developed from your trip to Disney World?
Nancy: I did! I took it to the 1-hour photo lab, and got double prints, too.
Anna: How many rolls of _____ did you drop off?
Nancy: Just one, with 36 exposures. I''ve still got a few more pictures to finish on the roll in my camera.
Anna: Let''s finish them up now, and take it to the photo lab this afternoon!
What word can complete both blanks?
(Answer: film)

Music
Sam: Our children''s school is using a new program that combines music and math.
George: Music and math? They seem like opposites.
Sam: Not at all! Music has lots of math, like fractions, in it. For 45 minutes, twice a week, my kids have piano lessons.
George: Has it made a difference? Sam: Their math marks improved. And they can play the piano!!
Choose a word from the dialogue to replace the word in parentheses:
1. We have a new teacher. He teaches the music (course).
2. She (mixes) blue and yellow paint to make green.
3. You only ate (one-third) of your dinner!
ANSWERS: 1. program 2. combines 3. a fraction
Do you believe there is a connection between music and math?