Reading Passage 1-An Open Day

Questions 1 – 14
Read the text and answer Questions 1 – 7

When are the next Open Days?
The Open Days in 2011 will be held on:
Saturday 7 May (Maths only)
Monday 27 June (Arts subjects)
Tuesday 28 June (Maths, Sciences and Engineering)
On 7 May 2011, visitors will also attend the Maths Faculty Open Day in the afternoon. Please see the website below for further details.
What happens at an Open Day?
The programme includes a talk by the Tutor for Admissions and an opportunity for you to meet members of the teaching staff in the subject or subjects that interest you. There is plenty of chance for you to ask all the questions you may have. You can also look around the College, have lunch here, and meet some of our students.
Please note there is no particular dress code for the Open Days. You are encouraged to dress comfortably.
Open Days – 7 and 8 July 2011
In conjunction with the University-wide General Open Days, the College will be open on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 July for informal visits between 11.00 am and 4.30 pm. There is no need to book with the College but booking is required for the overall Open Days. For more information about the Open Days and to book a place, please visit the website below.
The teaching staff will not be available in College on these dates but you will be able to pick up a copy of the College Prospectus, speak to some of our undergraduates and have a look round. If I can’t come to an Open Day, can I visit the College at another time?
Yes, of course. If you tell the Porters at the Gate (the main College entrance) that you are a possible candidate for admission they will let you in without charging the usual tourist entry fee. They will also give you directions to the Admissions Office if you would like to pick up a prospectus or ask for information about admission to the College. The Office is open most of the day (except at weekends), but if it is closed there is always a notice on the door on which you can leave your details. You are welcome to look around the College but we regret that we are unable to arrange conducted tours and the teaching staff are available on official Open Days only.
If I visit the College, will I be able to see a student room?
We try to arrange for a couple of rooms to be available for visitors to see at Open Days. Unfortunately we can’t arrange this at other times – students are living in them! But do take a look at the Undergraduate Accommodation page.
Do I have to book a place at an official Open Day?
Yes. Places are limited. Booking is essential and begins in February each year. Booking forms can be obtained from the Admissions Office or you can use the online Booking Form.
Please note: We regret that we are unable to take bookings for accompanying parents because of the limit on places available, but they are welcome to look round the College.

Read the text and answer Questions 8 – 14

Course details

Key facts
Length: 4 weeks
Dates: Sunday 11 July – Saturday 7 August 2011
Modes of teaching: Residential summer school in Oxford
Fees: £5585.00
Application deadline: 1 April 2011
Course aims
The aims of the programme are to develop participants’ advocacy and dissemination skills, as well as their formal knowledge of human rights law and the means for its enforcement. More broadly, the programme is intended to prepare students to contribute to the improvement of human rights conditions in their homelands and around the world.
Level and demands
This course is an intensive programme of university-level study and potential applicants should therefore be confident that they are academically and linguistically prepared for such a programme. If your first language is not English, you must supply evidence of your proficiency before a place can be offered. The University recognises only certain English tests. The accepted tests and minimum scores for this course are listed below.
>> IELTS: minimum overall score of 7.0 plus a minimum of 6.5 in each component
>> TOEFL: minimum overall score of 600 plus a minimum of 4.5 in the Test of Written English
>> Internet-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 100
>> Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English: minimum overall score of C
Further information:
>> IELTS – International English Language Test – British Council
>> TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language – ETS
Certificates and credit
All students who satisfactorily complete the programme will be awarded a Certificate of Attendance. To qualify for this, students are required to attend lectures and seminars to the satsifaction of the course tutors. The examinations at the end of the programme are optional but those students seeking credit from the programme will need to sit them. The programme qualifies for Continuing Professional Development with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (CPD SRA) in the United Kingdom (for those that have applied through Oxford only) and is also accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) for 5 semester credits (for those that have applied through George Washinton only). Oxford itself, however, does not offer credit and therefore those wishing to obtain credit from their home institution for attending the programme must make appropriate arrangements with that institution in advance. Participants can request information to provide to the home institution which details contact hours (for lectures and seminars) and grades achieved in the examinations. The level of credit, if any, must be determined by the home institution.

Course structure
The programme begins on Sunday 11 July. Programme orientation and library registration are held on Monday 12 July. Classes are held mornings and afternoons from Tuesday 13 – Friday 16 July; Monday 19 – Thursday 22 July; Monday 26 – Friday 30 July; and Monday 2 – Wednesday 4 August. Thursday 5 August is a reading day. Examinations will be held on Friday 6 August and the programme concludes at 09:00 on Saturday 7 August.

Reading Passage 2-Using the Interactive Whiteboard

Questions 15 – 27
Read the text and answer Questions 15 – 21

Getting started
Login to pc (when logged in the whiteboard will beep, this tells you it is on)
Switch on projector (using remote control)
You can now control computer using the pen!
You may need to calibrate the interactive whiteboard first. This ensures that the image on the screen matches the whiteboard screen thinks the computer screen is showing you! In short, it ensures that when you click on ‘start’ on the whiteboard it controls start on the PC.
A hexagon will appear on the bottom task bar to show that the whiteboard software is running.
To calibrate
Use one of your pens to click on ‘calibrate’ on the right hand side of the interactive whiteboard screen. A blue screen will appear which with a crosshair in the top left hand corner. Click on each cross hair as it appears on the screen. The normal computer screen will appear when this is complete.

Whiteboard features
There are two main uses of the whiteboard:
Interactive mode and Whiteboard mode
The interactive mode will give you access to all features. Use this version.
Click on ‘interwrite interactive’ on the right hand side of the screen
Click on the new page icon to get blank screen
Write on the board (you can use the options of pen & eraser on the menu)
For additional pages, click on the new page icon
To view all pages and move to a new page, click on the page selector icon. Double click on the page you would like to go to.
To save: go to the page sorter and go to file, save as. Pages will automatically be saved to your ‘my documents area’ in a folder called interwrite and then another folder called images. You can also print from here.
To print: go to the page sorter and choose print
To close, go to the viewer and click on the exit ‘door’
Annotations
You can write over any screen (including the desktop) using the pens
Click on the pen and a transparent whiteboard screen will appear (so that you can still see the desktop / application you are working on). You will know if this has happened as a grey number will appear on the top right hand of the screen.
The pages with the annotations included will be saved as part of the whiteboard package (as above). To view / print the page: Click on the page viewer icon and use these tools.
Text Select Tool
Allows you to write onto the board in handwriting and turn it into typed text.
·After writing on the board, click on the toolbox and choose the text select tool.

·Draw a box over the text to change
·The text will turn into typed text
Freehand Text Recognition
This allows you to write on any application using the pen and this will transfer your writing into printed text in the application.
Click on the toolbox icon & freehand text recognition
A box will appear
Click onto the page where you would like to insert the text (the cursor should be flashing)
Write in the box using your pen – print your handwriting.
When you have finished writing it will turn into typed text (if spelt incorrectly, click on the spelling menu to correct it).
The text will appear in the document!
On screen keyboard
Allows you to use the keyboard without moving over to the computer (best option for typing in web addresses)
There are many other features.
To load previous saved whiteboard screens
·Load the interwrite interactive software
·Click on the create blank page icon
·Click on the page sorter icon
·Click on file, open
·Find the saved file and click on Open
·When asked if you want to save changes to untitled say no
·Your slides will appear on the screen, double click on the one you want.
Saving your interactive whiteboard pages in a generic format
As you know, your whiteboard pages are saved as a .gwb file which can only be opened on a PC with the whiteboard software on. However, you can export these pages in a variety of ways. The 3 main ways I suggest are:
JPG: Each file is saved as an image file which can be opened on any PC with a photo editor (most PCs these days).
PDF: makes one file which contains all the pages and can be opened with Adobe Acrobat.
HTML: Creates a set of pages containing the images. Will work anywhere but does make a folder full of files which will all need to be uploaded / e-mailed.
To export / save interactive whiteboard pages in different formats:
·Load the pages you want to save into a different format.
·Click on the page sorter icon
·Click on file, export
·Choose the type of file and click on save / OK
The exported file will be saved on your n:drive in the interwrite folder and then in the export folder.

Read the text and answer Questions 22 – 27

Study Tips and Techniques

If you often find yourself struggling with your studies, here are some useful study tips and techniques that can help you out…
When it comes to studying or learning, every student prefers his/her distinct pattern that suits his speed, grasping capacity and other academic abilities. However there are certain studying techniques that can aid the learning process to a great extent. Taking notes in the class, reviewing the notes, rewriting the study material can seem too intimidating at times, here is a step by step guide that you might find helpful if you are in the process of chalking out your own study plan. First of all you need to acquire some useful study habits to follow a good study plan. Here are the study habits that can help you:

Attending Classes
Classroom knowledge is interactive, as well as important. The amount of knowledge that one can grasp in a classroom is extremely valuable for students. Make it a point to attend the classes regularly so that you don’t miss out on the important points and topics mentioned in the class. Often teachers mention important topics and subjects that might come in handy while cracking the class tests and exams. Attending classes will help you to understand and remember each and every concept clearly and clear out any doubt that you have regarding the subject. No amount of reading or self-study can match up to the level of interactive study that is a distinct feature of classroom sessions.
Maintaining Organized and Comprehensive Notes Yes maintaining your notes is another essential element of studying. One simple process to have comprehensive notes is to include the following steps:
·Take notes in the class
·While reviewing the notes during self-study, make your own additions to sum up your understanding of the topic
·Research further to include additional data to your notes.
A well organized set of comprehensive notes is the key to right studying. Also make sure the notes are clean in terms of writing and presentation; avoid scribbles in your final notes. It is always preferable that you type your notes and maintain them online or take prints. Having a soft copy of your notes always works well since you can take prints if and when required and in addition to that you never have to worry about losing your notes. However don’t worry if you do not own a computer or if you prefer writing you notes on paper, you can maintain files or notebooks as well.

Self-Study and Research
It is a common misconception that self-study can begin only after a particular topic or chapter is taught in class. You should start preparing for the class in advance whenever you can. After attending the classes, it is of utmost importance that you have time to review the notes that you have taken during the class as well as try and read more about the subject on your own. Be it reference books, or e-books, try and hunt for more information about your subject so that you have a comprehensive view of the topics taught under your syllabus. Often while reading and self-studying, it happens that you come across doubts or questions that did not occur to you in the classroom. Try and answer these questions yourself with the help of books or the Internet, however in case you fail to find and answer jot down these questions so that you remember to
clarify the questions in your next class.

Group Discussions Debates and Conversations
Yes, one of the important habits that one must acquire to enhance the studying process is indulge in-group discussions, debates or simple conversations about the subjects that you are studying. Group discussions can be a great way to broaden your perspective over important issues since group discussions give every group member a chance to voice their understanding, which might not necessarily be alike. Group discussions are thus a healthy and a rather informal way of exchanging information and discussing issues. Many teachers encourage the group discussion technique in their classroom as well.

Regular Planning
No matter how much people frown upon the planning process and the timetables, it is a known fact that having a clear and detailed plan makes it easier for a person to reach the goal. According to your convenience, make a daily/weekly/monthly planner for your studies. Although the monthly planning process might seem convenient it is always better to have a weekly or a daily plan, so that abrupt changes in class schedules or any other changes can be taken into consideration accordingly.

Balanced Study
Yes, there exist some species of students who burn the midnight oil, and slog it out every single day. The studying process should be such that it leaves enough room for a student to indulge in recreational activities and relaxation. Always chalk out a schedule that will not hamper your sleep, your health, your sports/recreational activities and other routine tasks. Also studying a single subject at a stretch (like an entire week or so), can get boring, hence plan a schedule that helps you switch from one subject to another in sufficient time.

Build the Right Attitude
Normally students get too caught up with the grades, the percentage and the entire marking system. Always remember that if you study with the aim of acquiring knowledge, the grades will be brighter by default. However if you just aim for the high grades, there is a chance you might get the grades, but you will miss out on acquiring comprehensive knowledge on a particular subject. Always study with the right attitude, and you will never have to worry about your grades. Knowledge is way beyond the grades and percentile marking.

Reading Passage 3 -The listening game

Questions 28 – 40
Read the text and answer Questions 28 – 40

A A SIMPLE computer program that teaches children to distinguish between sounds can dramatically boost their listening skills. It can allow them to progress by the equivalent of 2 years in just a few weeks, the game’s creator claims.

B The game, called Phonomena, was devised by David Moore of the University of Oxford as an aid for children with language problems, but he says his latest trials also show that it can help any child. Other experts, however, are reserving judgement until independent tests are carried out.

C Phonomena is designed to improve children’s ability to distinguish between different phonemes, the basic sounds that form the building blocks of language. Up to a fifth of all children are thought to have problems hearing the differences between some sounds, says Moore, who heads the UK Medical Research Council’s Institute of Hearing Research.

D In the game, children have to distinguish between pairs of phonemes such as the “i” sound from the word “bit” and the “e” from “bet”. They are played one phoneme followed by two more examples, and asked which one matches the first sound. As the game progresses the phonemes are gradually “morphed” to make them more and more similar, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between them. With 49 phonemes in English, there are potentially more than 1000 different pairs, but the game concentrates on just 22 pairs of the commonest and most similar-sounding phonemes.

E In the latest trials, 18 children aged between 8 and 10 played the game three times a week for 3 weeks. Their language abilities were compared before and after exposure to the game using a standard listening test. The team found a dramatic improvement in their language abilities, with listening ages up by an average 2.4 years compared with 12 children who did not play the game. In earlier trials on children with learning difficulties, the speech and language therapists who tested the game reported similar improvements.

F Tedd Wragg, however, an expert in education at the UK’s University of Exeter, warns that such trials can produce misleading results. The improvements could be due to the efforts and attention of teachers and therapists, rather than the game itself. There is a history in education of people and companies making claims about learning products that do not stand up to scrutiny, he says.

G Moore says independent tests will be done. But he is convinced that computer games such as Phonomena that are designed to teach key sensory skills could make a big difference in education. Even normal computer games have been shown to improve visual skills, he points out. “In the future, every child’s dream of homework consisting of hours spent playing computer games may well become a reality.”

H It’s a bit like teaching someone to catch a ball, Moore adds. “Sensory performance is no different from motor performance. As far as we know, the neural processes driving them both are the same.” What is more, just as playing catch improves hand-eye coordination in other tasks, Moore thinks the phoneme training boosts children’s general language skills. The advantage of using computers, he says, is each game can be tailored to a child’s abilities.
I An Oxford-based company called MindWeavers has been set up to commercialise the game. Similar computer-based language tools already exist, such as those developed by Scientific Learning of Oakland, California. But these are geared exclusively towards children with speech and language problems and involve intensive training. “We don’t believe you need to do this draconian amount of training for it to do good,” says Moore. He is also exploring the use of phoneme training as an aid to adults learning a foreign language.