I think you know that this year, the US Embassy/Consulate has higher requirements for English proficiency during interviews. Therefore, if your English leaves much to be desired, you need to work on it seriously!
I studied it for 11 years in school, 3 years in university, and also attended a specialized English school:) By the way, I improved my language skills perfectly in 3 months in America in 2008=)
But how to improve it now? First of all, we are interested in conversational English, so:
Tip 1. Listen to English audio lessons. There are many of them=)
For example, audio lessons from the American radio station "Voice of America".
Audio lessons are very simple and clear:) Many different situations are acted out=)
Audio lessons from the "Voice of America" radio station
Tip 2. Watch TV series in English. To start, use subtitles. For example, "Friends", "House M.D.".
Finding them is a bit harder, but file-sharing networks and VK have everything=)
Tip 3. Download the English textbook "New English File" from Oxford University (it's very good, I studied with it in a private school myself and continue to do so now).
The textbook comes in various levels: beginner, pre-intermediate, intermediate, etc. I suggest pre-intermediate, and the grammar section at the end of the book is of the greatest interest; I advise printing it out and learning it=)
For example, you can download it here: New English File Pre-Intermediate: Student's Book
Please be careful! On this site, as on many others, windows with intrusive advertising and even potentially dangerous content open when downloading! I recommend using the latest Firefox 4 with the Adblock Plus extension.
Tip 4. Buy a good Russian-English and English-Russian dictionary. When buying, make sure it has transcription, otherwise it will be practically useless. It will come in handy for you in America=)
And most importantly – have more confidence in your abilities!
And everything will definitely work out for you=))))))))))
For personal questions about learning English and others related to the Work and Travel program, write in the comments or private messages, I will definitely answer=)
(11.04.11)
