PET - EXTRA LISTENING PRACTICE

NO SCRIPT

DIFFICULTY: VERY HIGH THE INTELLIGENCE OF ANTS Link to Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/delta-elt-publishing/authenticlisteningresourcepacklesson38 Ask me for the worksheet or download the PDF from this link: http://www.deltapublishing.co.uk/content/pdf/authentic-listening-resource-pack/Delta%20Authentic%20Listening%20Lesson%2038.pdf

Todd: Hey Leath! Do you want to go ahead and talk about the story you we're going to say? Leath: OK. Yeah, this was about-- I'd say a year and a half ago and it was in Harare the capital, where my mom lives. I was on holiday back home seeing my mom and anyway it's a Sunday morning and I was in the shower. Got up pretty late, it must have been about half ten and all of a sudden my mom burst into the shower and she says," Leath, Leath, there's a snake, there's a snake in the kitchen." And so I thought, "Ah, what kind of snake would this be?" because we live in the capital, residential area almost high-rise. Well, not high rise but residential area. And so I put a towel around my waist and walked bad-temperedly throught to the kitchen. Attached to the kitchen we've got this little courtyard where we set out to have morning coffee and breakfast. It's tiled and leads onto a small garden. And so I walked out onto the courtyard and there was a seven foot Egyptian cobra. Wow! I was really, really blown away because I know a bit about snakes and I know that a bite from an Egyptian cobra in a country where antidote isn't readily available is almost certainly fatal. And there we were, my mom and I, with a seven foot Egyptian cobra slithering between the courtyard and our kitchen. And, eventually, we trapped it in the courtyard and I went to fetch guys who work for national parks. National parks are the guys who kind of look after animal problems within the city and brought them around. And we were hoping that they were going to catch it because Zimbabwe isn't so rich at the moment and stuff like that. They don't have the facilities to keep caught animals so unless it's endangered they just shoot it, so the guy shot our seven foot cobra. Todd: Oh, they shot it huh? Leath: Yeah, and we had to bury it out back. Todd: Really? Well, still I'm glad you just didn't want to be bitten or anything. Leath: No, no. No way. Todd: What a story. Thanks!

Link: Questions: 1) Who first saw the snake? a) His mom b) Leath c) His dog 2) Where was he when he heard about the snake? a) in the kitchen b) in the shower c) in his bedroom 3) Why was he surprised that there was a snake? a) because he lives in a tall building in the city b) because his mother's house is in the country c) because the courtyard has a dog 4) How long was the snake? a) 6 feet b) 7 feet c) 8 feet 5) What type of snake was it? a) Egypt Coda b) Zimbabwe Cobra c) Egyptian Cobra 6) Where was the snake? a) in the kitchen b) outside c) in the bathroom 6) What did Leath do? a) Kill it b) Pick it up c) Call for help 5) Did he want to kill the snake? a) Yes, he was scared b) Not really c) He does not say

Answers: NASA — the U.S. space agency — said it found nearly 1,300 planets outside our solar system. Nine of the planets are orbiting stars at the distance that can support life. NASA said that the Kepler space telescope confirmed the existence of 1,284 planets. This result came from studying more than 4,000 possible planets identified by a statistical analysis. Scientists said the research is important to help them find out whether there is life on other planets. Paul Hertz is NASA's director of astrophysics. He said, "this gives us hope that somewhere out there, around a star much like ours, we can eventually discover another Earth." He said before the Kepler space telescope launched, scientists did not know whether exoplanets—those outside our solar system—were rare or common in the galaxy. "We now know there could be more planets than stars," Hertz said. He said the information brings humans a little closer to finding out whether they are alone in the universe. To reach this number of planets, scientists looked at thousands of pieces of data. The researchers used a new statistical analysis method to study thousands of candidates in Kepler's database for traits that would establish them as planets. Princeton University's Timothy Morton led the analysis. It involved watching a planet's brightness for changes that would mean it was orbiting its star, the way that Earth circles the sun. The data gave scientists a "planethood probability percentage" to help the experts focus on candidates most likely to turn out to be actual planets. But, with so many objects in space, what makes a planet, a planet? The International Astronomical Union (IAU), approved the first scientific definition of a planet in August 2006. It says the object must have three things to be called a planet. It must orbit its star. Second, it must be big enough that gravity shapes it into a ball. And third, the pull of that gravity must be strong enough to clear small objects out of the way of its orbit. NASA said nearly 550 of the planets were "rocky planets," somewhat like Earth, based on their size. Nine of those planets were orbiting their suns at the distance that would allow liquid water to pool. That means, they have conditions that would make life possible. At least, the kind of life that exists here on Earth. Natalie Batalha is Kepler mission scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California. She thinks there is life on other planets. "Absolutely, no question," she said. "Why would we be the only ones?" She used a line from the movie "Contact," that astronomer Carl Sagan was supposed to have said. If humans were the only life in the universe, it would be "an awful waste of space." Recently, popular movies like "The Martian" and "Interstellar" have focused on finding new homes for humans in case we destroy Earth. Batalha said she is focused on searching for life, not on finding new homes for humans. "We have so many questions," she said. "Is DNA the only code that sustains life? How does life begin? Questions about the origin of life, why we're here." That new number, 1,284 new planets, makes the idea that we are "alone in the universe" seem more and more unlikely.

Link: http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/nasa-discovers-nearly-1300-planets/3326050.html Questions: True or False NASA has discovered almost 1,300 planets outside of our solar system Nine of the planets are orbiting stars and could have life on them Paul Hertz says that it is impossible there is a planet like Earth Hertz says there is a greater number of stars than planets To find this number of planets the scientists looked at a small amount of information Natalie Batalha believes that there isn't life on other planets NOW LISTEN AGAIN AND WRITE THE THREE THINGS THAT DEFINE A PLANET: a) It must .................................................. b) It must be shaped like a ............................ because it has been shaped by gravity c) The pull of that gravity must be ___________ enough to clear small __________ out of the way of its orbit

Todd: OK. Steven, you're looking at a picture. Please describe what you see. Steven: I can see a red double-decker bus. It's the kind of bus you'll see very often in London. In fact, I know this bus is from London because I can see the names: Chelsea, Sloane Square, Victoria, Charing Cross. These are all areas in London.Obviously, the bus is in London. Todd: OK. Have you ever been on a double-decker bus? Steven: Yeah, many times. When I was younger, you used to get double-decker all over England but now you only tend to see them in the big cities. Todd: Oh, really? How much is the fare? Steven: Well, it depends on the journey. It's..I guess it's not too expensive but the minimum price you would pay is -- for a short journey is about a pound. Todd: Yeah, who can you see on the bus? Can you pick out anybody on the bus who looks interesting? Steven: This girl here at the back that's leaning on the door, she looks really bored actually. Maybe she is going to work or something and she doesn't want to go. Todd: Yeah. Is that how you feel on the bus? Steven: No, not really because I haven't worked in England for a long time so I haven't taken a bus for a long time. Todd: So, you're British, do you missing them? Steven: Yes, sometimes. Todd: OK. Great. Thanks a lot. Steven: No problem.

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/0001/002-Steven-Bus.htm A double-decker bus is a bus which has two floors Questions: 1) Has he ever been on a double-decker bus? a) A few times b) Never c) Yes lots of times 2) How certain is he that the bus is in London? a) Very sure b) Unsure c) Quite sure 3) Where did he used to see them? a) Only in Liverpool b) In lots of place across England c) Only in big cities 4) What is the minimum fare? a) Half pound b) One pound c) Two pound 5) Who does he talk about? a) The girl by the window who looks bored b) The girl at the back looking bored c) The woman at the back who looks boring 6) Where does he think this person is going? a) to her home b) to work c) To meet friends

Charlotte: Hey Jessica, you've got a brother called Kirk? Jessica: Yes, that's right. He is two and a half years older than I am and we get along very well now. Charlotte: You get along very well now. How did you get along in the past? Jessica: Not very well at all actually. He was always very mean and heartless, should we say. Charlotte: What was the first thing you remember him doing to you? Jessica: Perhaps the first thing was the time I fell asleep on the bus when I was on kindergarten. He actually left me there sleeping and I didn't wake up until my lunch box fell on the ground. When the bus driver was parking in the bus garage. So anyway, yeah, I learned at that point not to really depend on him so much. Charlotte: What did your mom say when you got home? Jessica: My mom asked my brother,"Hey! Aren't you forgetting something?", referring to me and he responded, "Hey! How did you know I forgot my homework?"

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/0001/022-Jessica-Bus.htm QUESTIONS: 1) How much older is her brother Kirk? a) Two years younger b) Same age c) Two years older 2) Did they have a good relationship in the past? a) No b) Yes c) It was the same as now 2) Where did she fall asleep? a) At school b) At the bus stop c) On the bus 3) When did she wake up? a) After she had lunch b) When the cleaner came onto the bus c) When the bus reached the garage 4) What woke her up? a) Cleaning sounds b) Her lunch box fell on the floor c) The alarm clock 5) What did her brother think he forgot? a) His homework b) His football c) His sister

Todd: Hello, Ann! How are you doing? Ann: I'm fine. Todd: Ann, could you introduce yourself and tell people where you are from? Ann: Yeah. My name's Ann Hutchingson and I'm from Montreal, Canada. Right now I'm an English teacher in Tokyo, Japan. Todd: OK. What's Montreal like? Ann: Montreal is a really nice city. It's just very cold in the wintertime. It is.. it has four seasons and the nicest season is the summertime because it's really warm and people play a lot of sports. Tthere are some parks in Montreal and you can go swimming and hiking and biking and rollerblading. It's a very interesing city. Todd: Wow! Were you born in Montreal? Ann: I was born in Montreal and I can speak two languages. English is my first language but I also studied French in high school. Todd: So, were you in a submersion program, or all your subjects in French. Ann: No, I went to an English high school but a lot of people in Montreal are in immersion programs. Todd: OK. Since you learned French, what do you think is the best way to learn a language? Ann: I think that you have to like learning another language and if you have a positive attitude then you can find learning another language fun rather than stressful so I think that I had a few French friends and we would practice. They would be very patient and I liked the fact that I could communicate using another language because then you have another identity. Todd: You have your French identity? Ann: I do. Todd: OK. So what's your name in French? Ann: "Mono e Ann" Todd: Wow! I need to get myself a French name? Ann: Todd. Todd: OK. Thanks a lot Ann. Ann: You're welcome. Nice speaking with you

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/0001/027-Ann-Montreal.htm Questions 1) What is the most pleasant season in Montreal? a) Summer b) Winter c) Fall 2) Where is she living now? a) Japan b) Canada c) England 2) What is her second language? a) English b) French c) Japanese 3) What do you need to learn another language? a) Friends who speak the language b) Great teachers c) Good attitude to learning 4) Did she go to French high school? a) Yes, that is where she learned French b) For one year she did c) No, she went to an English High School 5) Who helped her a lot? a) Her neighbour b) Her teachers c) Her friends

Todd: All right. Tennessee, you were talking about how you like movies. Tenn: Yes, I'm a big movie buff. Todd: OK. What kind of movies do you like? Tenn: I kind of like most genres of movies. It's just-- what I look for is a good story and good characters is the main thing. So even if I like the genre, if like whether it be science fiction or historical drama, if the story isn't good then I don't like it at all. Todd: OK. Off the top of your head, what's a movie that you really liked? Tenn: Well, the Lord Of the Rings they've been doing I really have enjoyed. Todd: Uh-huh. Tenn: They did a good job. Todd: Did you read the books? Tenn: Oh, yes! It was one of the first adult books I've read when I was in elementary school. Todd: OK. Well, what is the last movie you saw? Tenn: The last movie I saw, Pirates of the Carribean. Todd: OK. Was it any good? Tenn: Ah, it wasn't bad. Todd: It wasn't bad. Tenn: Yeah. Todd: Alright, thanks a lot. Tenn: I like pirates. Todd: You like pirates. What? You like pirates? Tenn: Oh, yeah! You know, when you're a kid, pirates is the thing to be. Todd: Yeah! Tenn: Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! Todd: OK. All right. Thanks Tennessee. Tenn: OK.

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/0001/035-David-Movies.htm QUESTIONS: 1) What kind of movies does he like? a) Historical b) Science Fiction c) Most types of film 2) What's a movie that he really liked? a) Pirates of the Carribean b) Lord of the Rings c) Matrix 3) Did he read the books? a) Yes,recently b) A long time ago c) No, not yet 4) What is the last movie he saw? a) Lord of the Rings b) Pirates of the Carribean c) Matrix 5) Was it any good? a) Yes, very b) Not at all c) It wasn't bad

Todd: OK. Tim, we're going to talk about running. Tim: OK. Todd: Now, we've been running the last couple of nights. Tim: Yeah, that's true. Todd: And, you're much faster than me. You're a fast runner. How often do you run? Tim: Well, now I only run about four days a week but when I was younger everyday. Todd: Oh, really? Wow! Did you run in high school or college? Tim: I ran.. I started when I was six years old. Todd: No kidding? Tim: And I started running and I ran all the way through the university. Todd: Really? Tim: Yeah. Todd: OK. So what events did you do? Tim: Middle distance. Middle distance which is 1,500 meters to 5,000 meters. Todd: Wow! Are you a better short distance runner or long distance runner? Tim: Middle distance runner. Todd: Middle distance. OK, how far is a middle distance? Tim: Oh.. 1,500 meters, about. Todd: 1,500. Tim: Yeah. Todd: OK! What's your fastest time in the 1,500 meters? Tim: Ah, 3.... about 3:47. Todd: Three minutes and forty seven seconds. Tim: Yeah. Todd: That's pretty fast. Tim: Yeah. I did that in high school actually. I wasn't so fast in the university. Todd: Oh wow, man you can fly! Tim: Yeah. Todd: Now I don't feel so bad when you run so much faster than me. Tim: I've been slowing down. I've been drinking beer so I don't run so fast anymore. Todd: Yeah, we're getting older. Actually, I'm 33. How old are you? Tim: I'm 27. Todd: 27. Oh, OK. So, do you think you'll be running your whole life? Tim: I think so, yeah. I grew up running in the woods, everyday in the woods and so I really want to get back to running in the woods everyday. I think it is really healthy thing to do. Todd: Yeah. That's nice. OK. Thanks a lot, Tim.

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/0001/040-Tim-Running.htm QUESTIONS: 1) How fast is the interviewer? a) faster than Tim b) as fast as Tim c) not as fast as Tim 2) How often did he used to run? a) 4 days a week b) everyday c) every week 3) How long has he been running? a) Since he was 6 years old b) Since he was 16 years old c) Since High school 4) What did Tim run in college? a) Short Distance b) Middle Distance c) Long Distance 3) When was Tim his fastest? a) High school b) University c) Last year 4) Why is Tim slowing down? a) Injury b) Beer c) He's getting older 5) Where does Tim want to run again? a) The neighbourhood b) The city c) The forest

Todd: OK. Hello! Can I have your name please? Cat: Cat. Todd: Cat! Is that short for something? Cat: Short for Catherine. Todd: Catherine. OK, Catherine. What's your full name? Cat: Catherine Lovelock. Todd: Oh, nice name. Nice! Cat: Glad you think so. Todd: And where are you from? Cat: Ah, from England. Todd: OK. Where in England? Cat: Ah, in the Southeast. A small town just by the seaside. Todd: Nice. So you live by the beach? Cat: Yes, about ten minutes from the beach. Todd: Wow, do you surf? Cat: It's not the kind of place you can surf. The waves are too small and the sea is too cold. Todd: OK. What kind of place is your town? Cat: What kind of place? Todd: Yeah. Cat: It's..it's..well very very small. It's normally really busy in the summer. There's not very much to do there, but when the sun is shining you can go to the beach. It's really good. Todd: Yeah, sounds like a great place. How far is it from London? Cat: About 70 miles so that's about two hours by train. Todd: OK. Cat: From Central London. Todd: So when you go to London you go by train? Cat: Normally yes because you can't drive, there's nowhere to park. Todd: OK. Great. Thanks.

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/0001/043-Kat-England.htm QUESTIONS 1) Where does she live? a) On the beach b) Near the beach c) Far from the beach 2) Why doesn't she surf? a) The waves are small and the sea is cold b) The weather is too cold c) She doesn't like the place 3) What kind of place is her town? a) A tourist desination that's crowded in summer b) A big place c) A place with lots to do 4) When does she go to the beach? a) When it is busy b) When the waves are big c) When it is sunny 5) How far is it from London? a) 17 miles b) 77 miles c) 70 miles 6) Why does she go to London by train? a) It's faster by car b) She can't drive a car yet c) You can't find any carparks

Todd: OK. Jeff, you have your own website? Jeff: Yes, I do. Todd: OK. Jeff: Very nice site! Todd: OK, can you just talk about your website? Jeff: Yes. The address, I'll give you my address first to the website. Todd: OK. Jeff: So, you can have a look at it. Todd: OK. Jeff: www.eagarbros.com. E-A-G-A-R-B-R-O-S dot C-O-M and it's eagerbros.com because my last name is Eagar, Jeff Eagar. And "Bros" is short for brothers and I have three brothers but I have two brothers that I travel with around the world, different countries with and so it's sort of like a video diary of some of the things we've seen and done on our travels with people and places. Yeah, it's interesting. It's got video, stories and audio. It's all about people and poverty and wealth and their serenity..of the world. It's pretty good. It's pretty interesting I think. Todd: Wow! Thanks.

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/0001/046-Jeff-Site.htm Answer the following questions about the interview. 1) What is the spelling of his website? a) www.EAGARBROS.com b) www.EEGARROS.com c) www.EGARROSE.com 2) What does the word 'E______r' represent? a) His brother's name b) His nickname c) His surname 2) How many brothers does he have? a) two b) three c) four 3) How many brothers does he travel with? a) None b) One c) Two 4) What is his website like? a) A travel diary with text only b) A series of videos c) a blog about his family 5) His website is about people and ......? a) Places b) Parties c) Poor people and money

Todd: OK. Hello? Conrad: Hi, Todd. Todd: How are you doing? Conrad: Oh, not too good. I've got a little bit of a cold I think. Todd: Oh, man. That's not good. Conrad: Yeah. Todd: How long have you had the cold? Conrad: I think just starting a couple nights ago. Todd: Oh, really? Conrad: Yeah. Todd: Oh, man. What are you doing for it? Conrad: Oh, just trying to take it easy. Right now, I'm just resting. Todd: Uh-huh. Conrad: Yeah. Todd: Do you eat anything special when you get sick? Conrad: Sometimes. Let's see.. what do I eat? Sometimes I eat umeboshi. Todd: Umeboshi? Conrad: Yeah. Todd: Really? What's umeboshi? Conrad: That's that Japanese kind of of a pickled sour plum. You eat it with rice. So it's a red color. Todd: Yeah, it comes in the onigiri sometimes. Conrad: Yeah, that's right. Todd: Wow. OK. Well, what are your symptoms? Conrad: Oh, let's see.. a little bit of sore throat, a cough and basically just feeling tired. Todd: Well, that's terrible. I'm sorry. I hope you feel better. Conrad: Well, thanks Todd.

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/0001/048-Conrad-Cold.htm Answer the following questions about the interview. 1) How long has he had the cold? a) A week b) A couple of nights c) A couple of hours 2) What is he doing for his cold? a) Taking medicine b) Drinking soup c) Resting 3) What is a pickled sour plum called? a) Umeboshi b) Onigiri c) Cherry sour 4) What symptoms does he have? a) Fever and a cough b) Cough and feeling tired c) Headache and a cough 5) What symptoms does he not have? a) Sore throat b) Tired body c) Stomachache

SCRIPT: Todd: OK. Hello, Kevin? Kevin: Hi, Todd. How are you? Todd: Doing pretty good. Kevin: Good. Todd: Kevin we're gonna talk about nature. Kevin: OK. Todd: First of all could you tell the listener where we are? Kevin: Well, let's see. We are on, kind of on the side of a hill in the forest but we have a spectacular view of Mount Fuji on the other side of the valley. Todd: Yeah. It's really nice here. Why are you in this forest right now? Kevin: Well, I'm currently working and I'm teaching an intensive English course up here at the campus.. up here in the forest. Todd: Oh, nice. Do you take any walks in the woods? Kevin: Yes, I enjoy taking walks in the woods. And sometimes I even go for a jog in the woods, there's a few trails around here and there's a nice golf course as well that you can run around. Todd: OK, great! What's the best thing about being in nature? In the forest? Kevin: Well, for me it's the stress relief that it provides especially living in Tokyo which is of course one of the world's largest and most chaotic cities. It's also nice to get back out into nature sometimes and just hear the insects which obviously we can hear very clearly right now, as well as some birds and you know it's just nice to get back out into nature. Todd: I agree. OK. Thanks a lot Kevin. Kevin: You're welcome.

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/0001/049-Kevin-Nature.htm Answer the following questions about the interview. 1) Where is Kevin? a) In a forest on the side of a valley b) On the top of a hill c) On Mount Fuji 2) What does he jog around sometimes? a) A golf course b) A lake c) The campus 3) For Kevin, what is the best thing about nature? a) The running trails b) The view c) The calming effect of nature 4) What is chaotic? a) The forests b) His students c) Tokyo 5) What can you hear right now on the tape? a) Birds b) Insects c) Cars

Nicola: So Kate, tell me about your favorite music! Kate: I'd say my favourite music would have to be the Beatles. Nicola: Yeah. Kate: I love the Beatles, cause they always make me happy and I've grown up with the Beatles Nicola: Uh-huh, so you're parents listen to it? Kate: Yeah, so we have all these old 45's when I was younger and this record player, and so we had loads of like Simon and Garfunkel and the Beatles and the Stones so that was the music I grew up listening to, and that's what I still really love. Nicola: Oh, awesome, and so do you like have a favourite song or? Kate: Yeah, probably it's "Happiness is a warm gun" which is on the White Album. Nicola: Yeah, right, right, cool. Kate: I love all their albums. But I haven't been to Liverpool yet. I'd like to go. That would be nice. Nicola: And do you have a favourite Beatle? Kate: John Lennon, definitely. He's definitely the coolest. I like his songs. Nicola: Do you like his individual work? Kate: Yeah. Nicola: Yeah Kate: Yeah. Some of them, like "Imagine" is really good. Yeah, he's definitely my favourite. Though, I quite like George as well. That was sad when he died, cause he was, yeah, he was real individual. I like Ringo, but Paul not so much.

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/0201/231-Kate-Music.htm 1) Why does she like the Beatles? a) Their songs make her ffeel happier b) She likes the beat c) She thought they were cute 2) How did she listen to them? a) On a record player b) On a tape cassette c) On the radio 3) What does she want to do? a) Buy every album b) Go to Liverpool c) Meet more fans 4) Who was her favourite Beatle? a) Ringo b) John c) Paul 5) Who is her least favourite Beatle? a) George b) Ringo c) Paul

Todd: OK, Sarah, how long have you been in Japan? Sarah: I've been in Japan for two months. I came in April. Todd: Again, when did you come to Japan? Sarah: Two months ago. Todd: OK, and what do you think about Japan? Sarah: It's a very interesting country. I expected a very big culture shock when I first came here because I've never been to Asia. I've always taught in Europe and I've been to America but they were all places that weren't particularly different from England, like Japan, but I didn't have any culture shock and I don't know if it's just because I was in an environment with other English speaking people and I was in a company where it's very secure and safe so there was not need to have that kind of shock but I think the differences here are just unbelievable. It's very difficult to explain it to somebody who's never been to Japan before, so talking on the phone about being here, talking to someone back in England is very difficult to explain to them how different it is here. Todd: Yeah, what do you think about the food? Sarah: I like the food because I like fish so I was lucky, so the food, I've tried some different things, tried to be adventurous. Todd: And the people? Sarah: Ah, the people are nice, very nice, first quite difficult to, when teaching, very very different than teaching Europeans, particularly the Austrian people from my experience are very loud and forthcoming, and at first they were very, very quiet, and we've seen quite a difference now that they've got to know us, and they've opened up quite a lot and it's easier, but generally I find the people very kind in the streets. When we meet people they're always very helpful, very kind. Todd: Yeah, I think Japanese people are, that's one of their best traits. Yeah, they're very, very sweet. OK, what do you think about the weather? Sarah: Yeah, very changeable. I was quite surprised. Most people think that in England the weather is very, very bad but here it's, the rain is just unbelievable. I've never seen rain like this before. It's just very, very changeable and it can be hot for a minute and then the next day it's quite cold. Todd: And now, it's very loud. You live by the train tracks. What do you think of the trains? Sarah: The service, or? Todd: Or just overall? Do you like the trains? Do you like living by the train? Sarah: I'm not, I don't think about living by the trains, but I think the trains are very, they're always on time, always very frequent, very good service but I have never seen so many people get on a train before. Todd: Yeah, they are very crowded.

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/0201/241-Sarah-Japan-England.htm Questions 1) How long has she been in Japan? a) 2 weeks b) 2 months c) 2 years 2) Where has she taught before? a) China b) Europe c) Africa 3) What food does she like to eat? a) Rice b) Fish c) Pork 4) She finds the Japanese people _____________ a) Polite b) Kind c) Rude 4) What surprised her about the weather? a) How often the weather changes b) The heat c) The amount of rain 5) What does she not like about the trains? a) The service b) The cost c) The crowds

Yuri: Show, Shirley, we were talking about childhood memories. And you're from Scotland. Is there anything from your childhood that you can tell us? Shirley: I've got a really funny story actually. Maybe I was about ten years old or something, and we used to have this little kind of shack in the countryside that we were dragged to every weekend, and away from civilization, you know, and no running water, no electricity. So we kids had to make our own fun. I've got my brothers, myself, and a couple of cousins, we would always go there at weekends or school holidays or something, and one of the highlights was to go to the Sunday School, the Sunday morning church service, and the reason ... one of the reasons this was attractive to the kids was because they bribed us to go there by giving us sweets when got there, so it was great. So we always went anyway. It was a church service for about an hour, singing hymns and stuff like that. Anyway, this one Sunday we arrived early, about half an hour early. There was nobody there. The church wasn't open yet, so it was, as most people know, it rains a lot in Scotland, so on that rainy day, we all were wearing our cagoules which is a kind a rain jacket with a big pocket in the front, and while we were waiting for everybody else to arrive, we started just kind of playing around in the trees. There was a little river nearby, and it was at the time of year when the tadpoles were turning into baby frogs, so we got this crazy idea to collect all these ... I'm talking hundreds of frogs were around, so we all got a big handful of baby frogs, put them in the big pocket of our cagoule, went off into church. So there we are, we're kind of in the middle of the crowd. You know, we weren't at the front of the back, kind of in the middle, and everybody's standing up singing the hymns, and really getting into, you know, the church singing and stuff like that, and then we decided that we would get the frogs out, so each of us, one at a time, one of us kids, one at a time kind of crouched down like we were tying our shoe lace, and let all of these frogs out of our pockets, so these tiny little frogs started jumping all over the church, and there's all these ladies in their Sunday best and started squealing and screaming and the minister didn't know what was going on, and he's trying to keep everybody calm, and we're just singing along with the hymn, you know, we're really innocent and they had no idea, cause they didn't see us do it, so they had no idea what had happened, and yeah, we got away with it. We didn't get told off, cause we didn't get caught, and yeah, when after the church service, you know, we had such a laugh after the church service, and yeah, that's one of my greatest childhood memories. Getting up to mischief with my brothers.

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/0951/T997-Shirley-Prank.htm DIFFICULTY: HIGH Check this vocabulary first: shack (similar to a hut -- a simple wooden building) hymns (songs you sing in church) service (religious event in a church) sermon (deliverered by the priest) tadpole (the small head with a tail that becomes a frog) bribe (money you give to someone to make them do something they shouldn't) mischief (trouble --not serious) get dragged to something (taken to something by your parents or friends that you don't want to do) squealing (high-pitched little scream) Questions: Answer the following questions about the interview. 1) Shirley says she _________ the shack. a) spent most of her childhood at b) helped her family build c) spent weekends at 2) She says going to Sunday School was _____ . a) really boring b) the highlight of the week c) a good way to meet people 3) What did she do with the frogs? a) Pick them up b) Throw them in the river c) Catch them with tadpoles 4) When did they release the frogs? a) Before the service b) During the hymns c) After the sermon 5) She says the people inside _________ what happened. a) had no idea b) punished them for c) instantly knew

Josh: Hey, Shirley. Shirley: Hey, Josh. Josh: So how was your weekend? Shirley: Hmm, quite busy this weekend. Josh: Really? Those are hard. Shirley: Yeah. Josh: So what did you do on Saturday? Shirley: Well, Saturday morning, I usually clean the house. Josh: Okay. Shirley: Yeah. It's kind of boring, but I have to clean the bathroom and then the kitchen, and then the lounge room because I have lots of cats. And the cats leave hair everywhere. So I always have to clean on Saturday mornings. Josh: Yes, cats are messy. Shirley: Yeah. Josh: So after you cleaned, what did you do? Shirley: Well, in the afternoon, I went for a walk up the mountain. It was a beautiful sunny day. There were no clouds in the sky. Josh: Wow. Shirley: It was gorgeous. So I walked up the mountain and I saw a ferret. Josh: A ferret? Shirley: Yeah. Josh: Wow. Shirley: They're a little furry animal, four legs, tail—not like a rabbit, but about the same size as a rabbit. Josh: Okay. Shirley: And they're kind of gold brown color. Josh: Wow, did you see any other animals on your walk? Shirley: No. I didn't see any other animals on the ground. But I did see a beautiful bird flying in the sky. Josh: Wow. Do you know what kind? Shirley: I think it was an ibis. It's a big bird that usually walks in the water. It has long legs and it was white with a black head. Josh: Great. So after your walk, did you do anything else? Shirley: I went home and then I watched some TV. Josh: Okay. Shirley: That was about it for my Saturday. Josh: Okay. What did you do on Sunday? Shirley: Sunday, I went to the art museum. Josh: Really? Shirley: Yeah. Josh: Great. Shirley: I really like to go and see new art; pictures or paintings or photographs or sometimes sculptures. Josh: Okay. So who's your favorite artist? Shirley: I don't really have a favorite artist but I really like watercolors, so pictures that are painted with just soft—a kind of soft painting style. Josh: Do you like paintings of nature? Shirley: I do like paintings of nature. I especially like paintings of flowers and animals and places that have water like lakes or rivers or the sea. Josh: Oh, that sounds like you had a great weekend. Shirley: Yeah, it was good. Thanks. Josh: Okay.

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/1301/T1345-Shirley-Weekend.htm Questions

Sarah: Okay, John, let's talk about fashion. You know, I have students and I think sometimes they don't, they don't dress appropriately for the classroom. John: Oh yeah. Sometimes, it looks like students are wearing the clothes which they will plan to wear at night, to go out and go to a party with friends. Sarah: Yeah. So actually, I think school uniforms are great. I would make the teachers wear the school uniform, too. John: I agree with you. Sarah: Because I think when we talk about appropriate clothing, I think girls very often take most of the blame for that. But I think it's our society, and we can fix the problem by having a uniform for girls and boys and teachers, and we can feel like part of a team. John: I know there are a lot of problems of school uniform. First of all, students don't want to all dress the same. Sarah: Hmm. John: But there's other problems. Usually, when schools have a uniform, the boys wear pants and the girls have to wear a dress or a skirt. I don't think that's fair. Sarah: I agree. I don't think that's fair either. I think a lot of schools these days they can let the girls choose. And so the girls can wear shorts or pants. John: Well, that's good. I think even beyond the pants or a skirt issue, there should be some flexibility to customize your uniform, whether you want to wear shirts that are a different color, even if they're in the same style. Or you want to have some pins or patches or some other accessories. Sarah: Do you think as a teacher, would you say something to your student if your student if your student came to class and maybe, for example, it was a boy and his pants were very low and you could see his underwear. Or maybe it was a girl and you thought, "Oh no, her shorts are a little too short." What do you think you would do? John: Hmm, wow, that's a difficult question. I have to say, I don't think I have been in that situation. I guess I'm lucky enough my students haven't pushed the limit too far. But I feel that I would say something if a student came to class in clothing that was, in my opinion, too inappropriate. I would ask them to, probably to, if not leave the class, at least don't wear clothes like that next time. What about you? Sarah: Well, I had a student, and he came to class with a jacket. And it looks like a very expensive jacket but it had a very bad word written on the jacket. John: Oh. Sarah: And after class finished, I told him to, "Wait, please." And I told him that he probably shouldn't wear that jacket to class, or maybe, he shouldn't wear it anymore at all. It just isn't very appropriate. And he came to class next time and he had the jacket but he had taken it to a shop and they had taken the bad word off of the jacket. And so, I was very happy to see that, that he changed his behavior and now he could dress the way he liked but also be appropriate. John: Well, that sounds very good. That's very effective.

Link: http://www.elllo.org/english/1401/1407-JohnSarah-Skimpy.htm Questions: 1) She wants students to wear _____ . a) what they want b) more clothing c) school uniforms 2) He says students do not want to _____ . a) follow the rules b) dress the same c) spend money 3) He says there should be _____ . a) strict rules b) a dress code c) flexibility 4) He says his students _____ . a) have pushed the limit b) have not been inappropriate c) broken the dress code 5) The jacket had _____ . a) a bad word b) an offensive image c) a big hole

Todd: So Norm, you said you have a pretty good story about going hiking and you almost got dehydrated. Norm: Yes, it was, we were on our first day of, it was a six day hiking trip in a national park in Quebec, Canada, and I had not done the itinerary, but my friend had figured out that the first day we could walk 19 1/2 kilometers in the wilderness. I mentioned that, I would have gone for 10 kilometers, do the first stop at the first campsite, but I didn't realize that he was more optimistic than I was, and so we started out on our first day and very heavy backpack, about 24 kilograms, and very hot day, 30, 32 degrees with hot humid day, and the first day was up and down, up and down, all the time, so at the end of the day, mistake number 1 was we passed sort of a small river and we didn't refill our bottles because we thought we were almost at our destination, the lake, but it was further than we thought so we ran out of water and darkness set upon us and we were up on a huge rock, and what had happened was, we were at the lookout and because we were tired, we were supposed to go left. We went right, so we backtracked, and I, after about five minutes, I mentioned to my other three colleagues I said, we've been here before, I said we're backtracking. All three of them said, how can you tell, I said, I remember these particular trees. I said I noticed them all, and they "There are thousands of trees here. You must be mistaken. I said well I'm sure. So they say "No, no. no. It can't be. We're going in the right direction and so we back tracked, and by this time we never got to our camp ground and so we had to stop and we had no water. We hadn't had any water for about two hours, three hours, and so they were kinda, didn't know what to do, but I saw that there was a swamp at the bottom, and I said, "there's water!" Well!, so two of our colleagues stayed up with the tents and I went went down with a friend of mine and it took up an hour just to go down to the swamp, because it was not a path, just there we boulders and big rocks, and we had to go around many obstacles, and then by the time we got to the swamp, it was really dark, so I tied the bottle to a rope and I just threw it in the middle of the swamp to try and get as least dirt as possible and then use my shirt to filter it into a pot. We had brought with us, to the swamp a pot and a heater, so that we could boil the water. we would, we were very dehydrated, if we hadn't drank at that time, we wouldn't have been able to go back up, so I said we need to replenish our bodies with water, then we'll come back up. So by this time is was pitch dark and my friend had this little hand flashlight that is, didn't last 45 minutes, but luckily I had my headlamp and I had just replaced my batteries and that can work 24 hours non stop so we used my single head lamp to go back up but it took up two hours to get back up so we had gone down about 8:30. We left the camp and it was close to midnight by the time we got up. Yeah, total darkness, and because we were on, just on, we could set up tent was a rock, that was like a round, rounded rock, and they set up their big tent, but I couldn't sleep in the tent, because it was just no room, so I just put my sleeping bag on the rock and just slept the whole evening. Luckily for me it didn't rain and and I managed to spend, had a fairly good night sleep. So then the next day you just hiked back to your home? No the next day we had, I had brought some re-hydrating salts and that night when we came back with all the water I told everyone that we should put this in the water and then the next morning we felt much better, but then, this time we had light, proper light, sunlight and we looked at the topological map and then we figured out that where we had gone wrong. We were just barely forty minutes away from where we should have been before we made the wrong turn. We were actually very close, but when we backtracked that was our mistake, so 45 minutes later we were at the next lake where there were facilities for setting up our tents, and we were so exhausted that we spent the whole day sleeping before continuing on our trip.

http://www.elllo.org/english/0201/245-Norman-Lost.htm DIFFICULTY: HIGH QUESTIONS 1) How long was the hiking trip? a) 5 days b) 6 days c) 7 days 2) How far did Norman want to hike the first day? a) 5 kilometers b) 10 kilometers c) 19 1/2 kilometers 3) What was the first mistake? a) They thought they were near their destination so they didn't refill their water bottles b) They turned left at a big rock c) They ran out of water 4) Why did they get lost? a) They thought they had arrived at their destination b) They were exhausted and turned the wrong way c) They ran out of water 5) What did he use to filter the water? a) His shirt b) Some grass c) He just boiled it 6) What time did he get back from the swamp? a) 8:30 b) 10 o'clock c) Almost midnight 7) Where did he sleep? a) in the tent b) on the rock c) by the swamp 8) What did they do when they finally found their destination? a) They slept all day b) They got more water c) They started hiking again

Sarah: So John, do you like to play golf? John: Well, no. I don't play golf very much, but I play disc golf. Sarah: Disc golf? What's that? John: Well, some people call it Frisbee golf. Basically, there are courses at parks. It's similar to golf but the courses are much smaller. You use Frisbees or a flying disc and you have to throw it. So it's different from golf. You're not aiming for a small hole but actually, you need to throw the Frisbee into a basket. Sarah: Oh, that sounds fun. Is it very easy? John: Well, it can be easy or it can be very difficult. It depends on the course. Many different parks have different disc golf courses. And you can be an easy beginner or you can be an expert. It all depends on how much you want to get involved. Sarah: I see. John: My friends are I, we are beginners, so we just like to have fun. So we just do the easy courses and have a good time. I think it's relaxing. Sarah: So you only need one Frisbee? John: Well actually, it's better to have two or three. You can play with one but in fact, when you learn more about disc golf, there are different sizes and weights of the discs. Sarah: Why would you want a different size disc? John: Well, it's similar to the clubs in golf. When you throw you first throw, you want it to go very far, so you should use a heavier disc. But when you're near the basket, you should make a short throw, so you want a lightweight disc. Sarah: I see. That's interesting. John: Yeah. So as I said, when you want to become an expert, you have to spend more money to get better equipment. It's like any sport, I guess. In fact, they have disc golf competitions now. So you can even participate in a tournament and win some prize money. Sarah: Did you ever compete? John: Oh no. I'm just a beginner. I don't think I want to be too serious about it. Sarah: So golf has 18 holes. How about disc golf? Does it have 18 holes, too? John: Well, not usually. Golf courses are very large, but disc golf courses are usually found in parks. So they usually have only six holes. But you can play 18 holes by doing all 6 three times each. Sarah: I see. How do you keep score? John: Score keeping is like real golf. So the winner should have the lowest score. Every time you throw a Frisbee or a flying disc, you have to mark one point. So if you can do a hole in one, that means you can hit the basket on your first try, then you'll only have one point. That's best. Sarah: Uh-hmm. John: But I'm not that good at it. So usually, I have three or four points for each course. Sarah: I see. You said disc golf is at the park. Do you have little kids playing in the middle of the course? John: Sometimes, the kids - of course, they can play wherever they want. And the courses do go though the park where kids play. So we have to be very careful, and we have to use good sportsmanship to wait for the course to be clear. Sarah: It sounds like a lot of fun. John: It is fun. Maybe you can join us next time. Sarah: That sounds great. Thank you.

http://www.elllo.org/english/1401/1402-John-Golf.htm QUESTIONS 1) What is the difference between golf and disc golf courses? a) the disc golf courses are bigger b) the disc golf courses are smaller c) the disc golf courses are not in parks 2) What do you throw the frisbee into? a) a bucket b) a goal c) a basket 3) Does he say it's easy? a) Yes it's easy b) No it's difficult c) The course changes the difficulty 4) What is different about the frisbees? a) Some are larger and heavier b) Some are different colours c) Some are easier to throw 5) Why do need different frisbees? a) You need a heavier disc for the first throw b) You need a lighter disc for the first throw c) The lighter discs are for beginners 6) How many holes does a disc golf course have? a) 18 holes b) 6 holes c) 16 holes 7) Who wins? a) the person with the lowest score b) the person who scores the most points c) the person with the most frisbees 8) Why do you have to be careful? a) the kids play frisbee wherever they want b) the frisbees are heavy c) the courses are in the parks where children play