iPlayer

The BBC iPlayer allows you too watch or listen to anything that has been on the BBC over the last week. If you like you can download the programmes so you can watch them again. It's free and has something for everyone.

Here are some of the programmes which are running at the moment.

Survivors

"Britain is in the grip of a deadly flu virus, which is now spreading throughout the world. When people start dying in their millions, a handful of survivors are left struggling to stay alive as society crumbles around them. Abby Grant is a housewife and mother who begins the desperate search for her son. On her journey she meets a variety of people whom fate has spared. The new world could be a dangerous place, and their only hope is to stick together."

Top Gear

"Motoring news and views from the usual team. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are challenged to drive from the heart of Switzerland to the North Western coast of England on just one tank of fuel. As an incentive, the first one to arrive gets to turn on the Blackpool Illuminations. Back at the track, James tackles his first ever power test in the amazing Pagani Zonda F Roadster and, after years of waiting, The Stig finally gets to set a lap time in the remarkable Bugatti Veyron."

That Mitchell and Webb Look

"Off-beat comedy sketch show starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. Features a car boot sale where you can buy a wardrobe that's also a gateway to Narnia; a laboratory full of lethal poisons where a practical joker cheers everyone up; and an explanation of what happened to all the avocado bathroom suites."

Newspapers

As you will have noticed there are lots of different newspapers here in Britain. And all of them are available to read online. There are national newspapers and local newspapers. The national newspapers can be serious (known as broadsheets) and not so serious (known as tabloids).

Here are some examples of national newspapers. Can you tell which are the tabloids?

The Sun





The Daily Mail



The Independent




Local newspapers can also be interesting. They obviously contain news about what's going on locally.

The Leicester Mercury

...for Chinese learners of English

The British Council has a special website just for Chinese learners of English. There's a good variety of resources including listening. Also there's a lot of useful IELTS practice which is good for improving your Academic English.

At the bottom of the page there are some quite good "How to..." videos.

Soap Operas

Watching soap operas can help improve listening skills, build your 'everyday English' vocabulary and give you an insight into British culture.

A soap opera is a TV or radio programme which just keeps going and going and ... In fact, Coronation Street is over 40 years old.

The most popular soap operas in the UK are Coronation Street (ITV), Eastenders (BBC1), Emerdale (ITV) and Hollyoaks (C4).

Eastenders is a good one to follow because you can watch episodes online. The storyline is famous for always being miserable but it is easy to follow.

Karaoke

Like singing? Want to improve you English. Why not try Karaoke Party? If you register it will even score your singing!

Researching

In order to get the most out of the library make sure you check the library catalogue online first.

Another useful way to search for acadmic books and articles is Google Scholar.