The result of Eiken and my next objective

I finally passed the Eiken Grade Pri-1.

But my score on the speaking part which I took the interview test for on July 10th was 517 (full marks is 750).

This is the breakdown of my scores.

Reading   634 / 750  84.5%
Listening 605 / 750  80.6%
Writing    673 / 750  89.7%
Speaking 517 / 750  68.9%
Total        2429/3000  81.0%

As I can see from the score, my weak point is my speaking skill, which I want to improve the most.

I just barely passed the exam, but I am still not satisfied with my current English skill.

I want to be able to express my thoughts in English fluently.

No matter how much the total score I get, it is meaningless to me if  I can't speak in English fluently.

I would like to focus on listening and speaking English from now on to make my dream come true.

Thank you(^o^) for reading this article!
If you enjoy it, please click the button below and vote me!
I will be encouraged by you.
↓

Preparing for the second stage exam of Eiken

I took the Eiken Pri-first grade on June 12.

I have not received the result, but I started preparing for the second stage exam of Eiken just in case.

I bought the reference book for the second stage exam.

It is a speaking test.

Examinees need to answer some questions from examiner in English, then they look at a four-cell comic and summarizes the story and narrate by English for two minutes.

After that, they answer the questions related to the story.

I tried to narrate one of the questions of the past exam, I realized that I need to practice it.

I think I almost can express my thoughts in English, but I rarely have opportunities to describe situations.

First, I will practice narrating by myself, then if I can pass the first stage of the exam, I will ask my teachers of Online English school to help my practice.

I really hope that I can pass the exam!

Thank you(^o^) for reading this article!
If you enjoy it, please click the button below and vote me!
I will be encouraged by you.
↓

Prepare for Eiken Grade Pre-1

I started studying Eiken Grade Pre-1.

I bought the past question collections and tried it a little yesterday morning.

I was surprised that the vocabularies in the questions were too difficult for me.

I didn't know all vocabularies of the choices of some four-choice question, so I couldn't choose the answer.

I was shocked and lost my confidence which I got from the TOEIC test.

I keenly realized my lack of vocabularies.

I only have a month but a month may be enough.

I am going to concentrate on studying for Eiken for a while, so I will stop writing my blog (but I will write this when I have something important I want to write).


~~~ Some notes of my unknown vocabraries ( examples ) ~~~

Perilous
It is a dangerous adventure, a perilous adventure.

Supreme
the Supreme court

conflicting
conflicting views, conflicting ideas

redeeming
a redeeming quality or characteristic, redeeming feature

imposing
an imposing figure, imposing structure, imposing ceremony

 

Thank you(^o^) for reading this article!
If you enjoy it, please click the button below and vote me!
I will be encouraged by you.
↓

Looking back on my studying English of this year 今年の英語学習を振り返って

My family will leave for Kyusyu to visit my in-law's house today.

This is my last post of this year.

Looking back on my studying of English of this year.

It was hard for me as a mother, a housewife, and a woker, to make time to study English, but it has been enjoyable for me.

My target is to be able to speak English fluently to express my feelings well.

In order to make my dream  come true, I have been working on these challanging tasks:

1. Taking Skype lessons of online English conversation school

2. Writing this blog in English

3. Listening to the NHK radio English conversation programs every day

4. iKnow ( application for remembering vocabularies. I am studying with it in preparation for the  TOEIC test.)

5. Reading some online news written in English

6. Talking to an American frined with Skype

7. Practising listening using the application called TOEIC upgrader

It has been two years since I started studying English.

Thanks especially to the online English school, I think maybe I no longer have trouble with everyday conversation in English now.

But it still takes a long time to write this blog and I often have gramatical mistakes.

I have a lot of unknown vocabularies and expressions to learn.

I often can't express what I want to say and I often feel frustrated.

I felt like I couldn't go on any longer several times.

But thanks to all of you who visited my blog and gave me comments,  I was encouraged a lot.


I wrote that I have dreams in my blog before : http://a-o-j-m.blogspot.jp/2015/10/i-have-dreams.html

I have had the dream since I was a child.

I know this is an endless dream.

Actually, I like my current job very much though I have some complaints.

Since I am experienced in my job and I am blessed with my colleagues and office environment, I am hesitant about changing my job.

I think I don't need to change a job soon.

If I can find a job which I really want to try, I will try to apply for it.

Studying English is my life work.

But all I can do isin keep studying.

I think that English is a tool to communicate with a lot of people.

I might change how to study, but I will keep studying English next year.

I wish you all the best in the coming 2016!


I would like to write today's post in Japanese, too.

It is the first time since I started this blog because I want to leave a note of my feelings now.

( It is not a direct translation, but the meaning is almost same. )

今年の英語学習を振り返って

今年一年英語の勉強を頑張ってきました。

母であり主婦であり労働者である私にとって、英語の勉強時間を作ることは本当に大変でしたが、それもとても楽しいことでした。

私の目標は、「自分の気持ちを英語でスムーズに伝えられるようになること」です。

そのために、以下のことに取り組んできました。

　１．オンライン英会話レッスン

　２．このブログをできるだけ毎日書くこと（時々お休みしていますが・・・。）

　３．NHKのラジオ英会話を毎日聞く

　４．iKnowでの単語増強

　５．ネットの英語ニュース記事を読む

　６．アメリカの友人とスカイプで話す

　７．TOEIC Upgrader を聞く


英語の勉強を始めてから約2年が経ちました。

特にオンライン英会話のレッスンのおかげで、日常会話には困らない程度にはなれているかなぁ・・・と勝手に思っています。（aim talkさん、大変お世話になりました！）

けど、このブログを書くのにはまだかなり時間がかかりますし、しょっちゅう文法的にミスもしてしまいます。

知らない単語や表現については山ほどあります。

言いたいことが言えずに詰まるのはしょっちゅう、そのたびに悔しい思いをします。

何度も何度も挫折を感じ、自分には英語がペラペラしゃべられるようになるなんて、無理なんだ。。。としょっちゅう落ち込んだりもします。

けれど、このブログの読んでくださる方々がいらっしゃり、コメントや励ましの言葉をいただいたりしたことに、私は本当に励まされ、「また頑張ろう！」と思えるようになりました。


以前ブログの記事に、英語を活かした仕事に就きたい！と大それた望みを書いてしまいました。

それは私の子供の頃からの夢なんです。

そして、見果てぬ夢であることも分かっています。

今経験が必要な仕事についていることもあり、また今の仕事の環境や良い同僚に恵まれていることもあり、転職は私にとってリスクが大きく、さらに英語力に大きな不安もあり、挑戦したいことではあるけれどもためらっている、というのが実情です。

また自分のスキルに不安がある今、すぐ転職に踏み切る必要はないとも思っています。

今私にできることは、ただ勉強を続けることだと思います。

英語はコミュニケーションをとる上でのツールでしかなく、さらに仕事ではそれ以上の能力を求められます。

勉強方法は模索しながら変えていくかもしれませんが、来年も勉強をあきらめずに続けていきたいと思っています。

一人の平凡な母親の長い長い日記を読んでくださった皆様、本当にありがとうございます！

来年もよいお年をお迎えください！

Thank you(^o^) for reading this article!
If you enjoy it, please click these buttons and vote me!
I will be encouraged by you.
↓

Disappointment

I listen to the radio English conversation program on my way to work every day.

Yesterday's program was called "English Theater".

I listened to the reading of one of the famous O.Henry's short novel, "After Twenty Years".

Actually, I have read only "The Last Leaf" in his novels.

When I listened to it for the first time while driving, I was shocked because I could hardly understand it.

The readers who voiced the characters spoke in American English, which is more difficult for me to understand than British English.

I was disappointed with myself.

Before I went to bed,  I tried to read it aloud.

Even I looked at the textbook and read it aloud, it was still difficult to understand.

Fortunately, since there was a translation in the textbook, I could understand the story.

Why didn't I understand the story?

The answer is clear.

I  lack the vocabulary.

He describes the characters in the story very expressively using literary words.

At the very beginning of the story, he wrote:

"The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively.

The impressiveness was habitual and not for show, for spectators were few."

Red words are what I couldn't understand quickly.

If I write this using words which I know,

"The policeman was walking on the street but nobody was there."

These are completely different!

I keenly felt my lack of vocabulary.

I have a long long way to go before I understand English without difficulty.

I started preparing to take TOEIC test recently.

I am considering taking the exam next March or April.

I got 780 points when I took the exam two years ago.

I would like to get more this time.

This is not a time to be depressed.

If I don't understand, I should study it more.

My free time is really limited but I will never give up.

Thank you(^o^) for reading this article!
If you enjoy it, please click these buttons and vote me!
I will be encouraged by you.
↓