Listening – English Online

How not to give a presentation

Daniel Fuchs — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 08:39:47 +0000

This is from a book called Career Express. A guy presents a laptop in the style of a Shakespearean drama.

Please don’t do that for your exams, or you’ll make me crack up and fall from my chair.

So what’s the problem with this speaker? He’s got the right expression, but he’s absolutely overdoing it. This is especially bad if you speak like Hamlet but make funny mistakes or use inappropriate vocabulary.

To sum up, you should use some expression, but don’t do anything that feels unnatural.

Dialogue practice

Daniel Fuchs — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 18:11:13 +0000

One of your exam tasks will be to listen to a dialogue and answer a couple of written questions related to what you hear. Your answers can be very short, we will be asking for hard facts only.

Here are three sample dialogues for you to practice, plus the questions.

A) A trip to New York

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B) Buying a car

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C) The gas bill

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You may use the answer key to verify your solutions.

Upgrading the Tube

Daniel Fuchs — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 11:37:11 +0000

In 2013 the London Underground celebrated its 150th anniversary. Yes it’s true, the first of its trains, pulled by steam locomotives, were brought into operation as early as 1863.

Steam-powered trains have long been replaced by electric ones, but even today an upgrade is necessary from time to time. At the moment, several lines of the Tube are being equipped with new modern trains. Listen to what Nigel Holness, employee with Transport for London, has to say about the project. Then try to answer the questions below.

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

Questions

How many new trains are being put into service?
What safety features have been added?
What is the advantage of the new trains in summer?
What ecological advantage do the new trains have?
Which lines will the new trains run on?

You can view and download the complete script of the video here.

Taking a message

Daniel Fuchs — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 07:00:34 +0000

Here are three telephone messages for you to practice. Print out a phone memo form if you don’t have one and fill it out accordingly. You may also download the transcripts of all three messages to check your notes.

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Monty Python’s Flying Circus

Daniel Fuchs — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 20:00:49 +0000

‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’ was a TV comedy series aired around 1970 on the BBC. Some of the sketches were translated and brought to the German public in the film ‘Monty Pythons wunderbare Welt der Schwerkraft’.

Now, is it just nonsense or can you learn something from it? I should say you can. Many of Python’s sketches revolve around language and logic. When you understand why people laugh at them, you’ll have understood a great deal about the language.

Then these guys are excellent actors. Often you will get the general idea without understanding much of the text. But some of the phrases they use will stick in your mind to be recalled later. Just be aware that they sometimes use offensive language.

The Smuggler

This is related to travel. A smuggler meets a customs officer.

Would you like to watch a Monty Python episode in class?

Across the UK on a train

Daniel Fuchs — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 07:00:01 +0000

Your train route

There are 28 different rail operators in the UK. Here’s an announcement for a cross-country train operated by Virgin Trains.

And here’s a rail map so you can follow the train on its way through England. Take a note of all the station names you hear and find out where the train is going, and where it departs from.

Asking for information

Download and solve this task sheet. You will have to find questions for the answers given.

Listen to the BBC

Daniel Fuchs — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 10:27:49 +0000

For those of you who want to listen to more and better English than I can give you in class, here’s a BBC series on Germany:

Germany – Memories of a Nation

This is only one small item from the BBC’s huge media collection. They also have a special website for learners of English. Check it out!

BBC Learning English

Sustainable Business Awards

Daniel Fuchs — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 09:31:52 +0000

For some years, The Guardian, a major British newspaper, has given a prize named the Sustainable Business Award to enterprises that have shown extraordinary commitment to sustainability.

Here’s the Guardian’s 2013 call for entries:

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

You may download the transcript here.

Six Drivers of Global Change

Daniel Fuchs — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 08:15:27 +0000

Albert ‘Al’ Gore, environmental campaigner and former US vice president, published a book entitled Six Drivers of Global Change in 2013. Listen to what he said about these drivers of change in a recent interview:

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

Here’s the transcript of the interview.

Change management

Daniel Fuchs — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 08:46:10 +0000

As the business world is continually changing, there is even a special discipline called change management. Watch this short video clip, created by Better Business Learning, a Californian organisation, to get an idea of what change management is all about:

What four types of responses to change are mentioned? How do you respond to change yourself? What type are you?

What should managers do to communicate changes?