Preparing for a reading comprehension exam
Posted: 17 Jan 2010, 09:32
Hi Lucy,
I'm a former EFL teacher living in the Netherlands. I have a Bosnian friend who is studying nursing at a Dutch university. As part of the program she must take an exam that consists of reading a medical research article in English and answering comprehension questions in Dutch. Her English is not much higher than beginner and the university offers no preparation for the exam. (Most Dutch students speak English fairly well by the time they reach university, but since my friend grew up in Bosnia she's had little exposure to English.) The exam is in June. She is allowed to have a dictionary with her, but since only 1 1/2 hours are allowed there wouldn't be time for her to look up every word.
My teaching experience was at one of the big Japanese chains that emphasize speaking and listening skills. I don't know how to best prepare a fairly low level student for technical reading in a fairly short period. What is the best strategy to prepare for this exam? Are there any resources available that can help?
Thanks for your advice.
Greg
I'm a former EFL teacher living in the Netherlands. I have a Bosnian friend who is studying nursing at a Dutch university. As part of the program she must take an exam that consists of reading a medical research article in English and answering comprehension questions in Dutch. Her English is not much higher than beginner and the university offers no preparation for the exam. (Most Dutch students speak English fairly well by the time they reach university, but since my friend grew up in Bosnia she's had little exposure to English.) The exam is in June. She is allowed to have a dictionary with her, but since only 1 1/2 hours are allowed there wouldn't be time for her to look up every word.
My teaching experience was at one of the big Japanese chains that emphasize speaking and listening skills. I don't know how to best prepare a fairly low level student for technical reading in a fairly short period. What is the best strategy to prepare for this exam? Are there any resources available that can help?
Thanks for your advice.
Greg