Exercises from Real Listening and Speaking 4

4 The speaker gives too much information all at

once. E

By Albeiro Vergel Ballesteros

5 The line quality is poor. D

Unit 9
Activity D Listening - Problems in the office
1 Listen and write the number of each speaker (1-6)
next to the correct picture (a-f).
a4

b2

c5

d6

e3

f1

4 Imagine you take the following five calls. Listen and

use one of the expressions above to help overcome
each difficulty you come up against.
a CAN YOU SPEAK UP, PLEASE?
b COULD YOU SPEAK A LITTLE SLOWER?

2 Listen again and complete the expressions.

c CAN YOU RUN THAT BY ME AGAIN?

a The air-conditioning's ON THE BLINK.

d WOULD YOU MIND SPELLING YOUR NAME

FOR ME, PLEASE?

b This computer KEEPS CRASHING.

e I THINK WE HAVE A BAD CONNECTION.
ILL CALL YOU BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

c This printer won't PRINT ANYTHING.

d I can't get this fax to GO THROUGH.
e The projector DOESNT WORK .

Unit 12

f This camera won't RECORD ANYTHING.

Activity A Listening - Do's and don'ts

3 What would you do in each situation?

I WOULD GET A TECHNICIAN TO REPAIR
THE DEVICES OR BUY A NEW ONE.

1 Listen to this lecturer give some advice to her

students on taking notes in class. Make a note of the
advice she gives in the chart below.

4 Now listen to these replies. Match each reply (1-6)

with a problem in Exercise 2 (a-f)

Dos
DECIDE WHAT IS
IMPORTANT

1C

2A

3F

4B

5E

6D

5 Listen to Pilar and Martn deal with a routine

problem at the office. Answer the questions.

USE ABBREVIATIONS,
SYMBOLS AND
NUMBERS

a What's the problem? THE PHOTOCOPIER

WONT WORK

ORGANIZE YOUR
NOTES EFFECTIVELY

b What do they do? THEY OPEN IT AND LOOK

INSIDE THE DEVICE

TRY AND PREDICT

WHAT YOU WILL
HEAR

c What was the cause of the problem? THE PAPER

WAS STUCK

Unit 10
Activity E Listening - Overcoming difficulties
2 Listen to five people speaking on the phone. Why is
it difficult to understand each speaker? Match each
speaker (a-e) with a reason (1-5).

Donts
NOTE EVERYTHING
WRITE
EVERYTHING IN
FULL
PANIC IF YOU MISS
SOMETHING

LISTEN FOR THE

MAIN IDEAS AND
DETAILS
REVIEW AND
REWRITE YOUR
NOTES AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE
2 Look at the questions below. Answer as many as you
can from memory, then listen again and check.

1 The speaker has an unfamiliar name. B

2 There is too much background noise. C

A What does she say a lecture is not? A LECTURE

IS NOT A DICTATION

3 The speaker is talking too softly. A

B What should you do to be an active listener...?

 Before the lecture ASK YOURSELF WHAT

YOU ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THE TOPIC
During the lecture TRY TO PREDICT THE
COURSE AND DIRECTION OF THE LECTURE
C In what two ways do lecturers often repeat
themselves?
PARAPHRASING
AND
SUMMARIZING
D What four things should you do when you review
your
notes?
REWRITE,
REORGANIZE,
HIGHLIGHT THE MAIN POINTS, AND YOUR
OWN COMMENTS AND THOUGHTS.
E What two advantages does she mention of
reviewing notes? IT WILL HELP EVERYTHING
TO SINK IN (BECOME CLEAR) AND WILL BE
AN EXCELLENT STUDY AID

Activity A Listening - Following a discussion

3 How does the discussion develop? Look at these
areas (a-e) then listen again and number each in
order (1-5).
a conflict between saving people and saving
languages 5
b examples of dying languages 1
c reasons to protect languages 3
d reasons not to protect languages 4
e languages that are reviving 2

4 Answer these questions. Then listen again and

check.
a According to the UNESCO report
- how many languages are there in the world today?
THERE ARE MORE THAN 6000
- how many are in danger of dying out by 2100?
OVER 3000 WILL DIE

Unit 13
Activity A Listening - Charts and statistics
2 Listen again. Tick the main topic of each slide.
A INTERNATIONAL VISITOR ARRIVALS
B THE IMPORTANCE OF THE AUSTRALIAN
MARKET
C REASONS FOR TRAVEL TO NEW ZEALAND
3 Answer these questions from memory, then listen
again and check.
a Which tour countries do most tourists come from?
AUSTRALIA, THE UK, THE AMERICAS,
NORTH-EAST ASIA
b What two factors have helped the Australian
market? THE LOW AIRFARES AND THE
AGGRESSIVE MARKETING DONE BY THE
NEW
ZEALAND'S
MINISTRY
OF TOURISM.
c What is the predicted rate of growth? 3% PER
YEAR
d What activities are most tourists on holiday
interested in? SIGHTSEEING AND OUTDOOR
ACTIVITIES
e What does VFR mean in the bar chart? VISITING
FRIENDS AND RELATIVES

Unit 14

b Where do speakers of the Ainu and Maori

languages live? JAPAN AND NEW ZEALAND
RESPECTIVELY
c How many Welsh speakers were there in 1991?
How many are there today? ONLY 19% IN 1991
AND ABOUT 25% TODAY
d What are the arguments in favor of 'language
revitalization'?
1 LANGUAGES ARE ABLE TO TELL US WHO
WE ARE
2 ITS NOT POSSIBLE TO SEPARATE
LANGUAGE FROM CULTURE
e What are the arguments against language
revitalization?
1 IT MIGHT BE NATURAL THAT LANGUAGES
DISSAPPEAR
2
GLOBAL
UNDERSTANDING
MIGHT
BENEFIT FROM SPEAKING ONE GLOBAL
LANGUAGE
3 IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO PROTECT
LANGUAGES WITH NOT MANY SPEAKERS
4 THIS MONEY AND RESOURCES COULD BE
USED TO SAVE PEOPLE FROM HUNGER AND
DISEASE