PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Agreeing and disagreeing in meetings VOCABULARY stand up to to express or raise a disagreement acknowledge to admit; to declare to be true defend to protect against debate to discuss two sides of an argument have a point to agree to a certain degree outrageous beyond reason; not moderate or logical support to approve of reiterate to repeat or focus on the main or most important points © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Agreeing and disagreeing in meetings LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Speaker 1: It gives me great pleasure to introduce Arlene Brown, author of the best-selling book, Social Influence in Business Ms Brown is an expert on maintaining good business relationships, and her talk today is called "Managing Conflict in Meetings." Please welcome Ms Brown Speaker 2: Good morning, everyone Thanks for coming to our discussion today on "Managing Conflict in Meetings." I'd like to start this morning with a few tips about being polite during meetings or debates As we all know, meetings can sometimes get difficult when we must discuss topics that we disagree on So remembering to remain calm and clear is important First, always acknowledge your opponent's ideas and opinions This can mean adding phrases like "You have a good point, but…" before bringing up the parts you disagree with The mistake that many people make is that they attack their colleagues and cause problems in the relationship Also, don't be afraid to stand up to a popular leader — just be sure to use kind and gracious language Many companies worry that, too often, the opinions of popular managers are the loudest voices heard But also try to defend unpopular leaders or opinions if you can support them with logic Again, using polite language is important in keeping a positive feeling in the office These suggestions seem simple, but time and time again I am surprised at how angry and uncomfortable people are in meetings This is often because our language is not polite, and people are scared to speak up By being polite but still expressing your opinion with respect, you can keep a good relationship with all your co-workers Next, what phrases can we use when trying to be polite… © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Being a good project manager VOCABULARY sense a general awareness understanding supportive or sympathetic flexibility being open to new ideas or willing to change communication skills the ability to communicate effectively planning meeting a meeting in which planning for a project is discussed share an idea to communicate an idea present to give or show democratic a style of management in which the leader listens to everyone's ideas LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Hi, Anna This is Paul I'm calling because I want to give you some feedback about your new job as Project Manager Sorry I'm leaving this on your voicemail, but I just finished a meeting about your performance so far, and I am on my way to the airport now I wanted to make sure that I communicate this information before I leave Email me if you have any questions Okay First, you should have a good sense of how your team members work Know their strengths and weaknesses Second, let everyone have a chance to share their ideas when doing a planning meeting It's much better to have ideas from 10 people than from only Being democratic so that every voice is heard is good for your team, too! Next, it's important to have flexibility, but you should also be firm when you need to be Also, present your plan carefully and encourage everyone to comment on it before it's finalized The management is pleased with your performance so far, but if you follow these suggestions, they will be even happier I'm back next week, so let's talk about these issues in more detail then Thanks Anna! © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Booking an ecotour LANGUAGE SUMMARY Booking a tour If you are interested in booking a tour, you can say: I'm interested in booking an ecotour I'd like to book an ecotour I'm interested in finding out more about your ecotours Booking a tour If you want some information about the accommodations on a tour, you can say: Can you tell me about the accommodations? What are the accommodations like? Can you describe the accommodations? Booking a tour If you want to know what activities are available on a tour, you can say: What kinds of activities does the tour have? What activities does the tour include? Does the tour include daily activities? © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Booking an ecotour LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Tour agent: Thank you for calling Eco-Trips Unlimited Can I help you? Customer: Yes, I'm interested in booking an ecotour Tour agent: Great I can help you with that Where would you like to go? Customer: We'd like to go to Costa Rica Tour agent: All right We have a tour to Costa Rica Customer: What are the accommodations like? Tour agent: You'll stay in our eco-friendly lodge The building is set off the ground so that the plants and animals can continue to grow Customer: Does the lodge have electricity? Tour agent: No, it doesn't, but it does have solar-powered hot showers Customer: Oh, that's great What kind of activities does the tour have? Tour agent: There is a hike through a cloud forest, a hike to a volcano, and you'll also go on a treetop tour Customer: Wow! That sounds exciting! What's the food like? Tour agent: The tour includes meals a day — mostly locally grown and cooked in the local style It is mostly vegetarian, but there are also some meat options Customer: How long is the tour? Tour agent: We offer five-day or ten-day tours We have each year that go to Costa Rica The next one is in the fall Customer: Oh, we're actually interested in going in the winter Tour agent: Okay We have a ten-day tour in February It leaves on February Customer: That's perfect © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: College education VOCABULARY graduate to complete your studies at high school, college, or university college a school where you can get a degree drop out of college to stop studying and leave college in the middle of a course lecture a talk or presentation to a large group of students by a teacher major the main subject that you study at a college or university graduate student a student who continues studying at college or university after finishing his or her first degree seminar a small group of students studying with a teacher freshman a student in their first year in high school, college, or university scholarship money or prize given to a student to pay for part or all of their studies degree a diploma from a college or university after you complete your studies © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: College education LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT A: Congratulations! I heard you came first in the exams You did better than more than a thousand people, and you didn't even go to all the lectures! That's just amazing B: Yeah, I know I can't believe it I might be able to get a scholarship to study outside Canada before I finish my degree here A: Great! Where are you thinking of going? B: Well, I'm not sure Maybe Oxford in England I could a business major at the new business school there Bill Clinton studied at Oxford, and he had a successful career after graduating Maybe I'll become Prime Minister of Canada if I go to Oxford A: Yeah, Oxford sounds good, but don't you want to go to the U.S.? B: Well, I'm thinking about scholarships to Harvard, too But my friend who went to college in the U.S dropped out in his freshman year and came back to finish his degree in Canada He said not all of his classes were taught by professors — some of them were taught by graduate students A: Well, good luck I'm sure you'll have an amazing time wherever you go © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Culture and business VOCABULARY subsidiary a branch office misinterpret to misunderstand the meaning of something counterpart a person who corresponds to you in another office or company body language silent messages shown by someone's physical behaviour reluctance not wanting to or accept something frustrated causing disappointment and you feel annoyed etiquette a set of rules of behavior tendency a habit of doing something expectation an anticipation of a behavior, action, or result eye contact when two people's eyes meet LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Let's wrap up today's presentation on culture and business for new employees Since our company has foreign subsidiaries, it's important that you become familiar with other cultures Otherwise, you may misinterpret people and run into problems when you deal with our business counterparts You may not realize until you learn about it, for example, that the Japanese are uncomfortable saying "no." They prefer to say "yes" and rely on body language to communicate reluctance In Arab countries, "yes" often means "possibly." It's important for you, as an American, to understand this cultural difference, otherwise you may feel frustrated In many cultures, etiquette plays a very important role For example, the Japanese always begin a meeting with greetings and the exchange of business cards Only once that's done can the meeting begin In both Japan and China, it's considered disrespectful to put others' business cards into your pocket or wallet, or to write on them Countries also have different rules of communication While here in the United States, it's considered rude to interrupt, the Italians and the French frequently so, and they enjoy the debate The French sometimes feel that Americans have a tendency to lecture rather than talk because our expectation is that others will let us finish before they talk To learn more, you can visit our Human Resources web page and click on the "Cultural Differences" link © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Fitting into a new culture VOCABULARY orientation informational meeting for new members of a group active interest interest shown through action accumulate to collect or increase over a period of time hostility enemy-like feelings or behavior overwhelmed feeling that there is too much to accomplishment something completed successfully competent able, proficient, good at what you allegiance a sense of loyalty and belonging LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT In today's orientation for international students, we'll talk about the stages of cultural adaptation At first, most international students experience what's known as "the honeymoon stage." For a few weeks, everything may feel new and exciting You're taking an active interest in what surrounds you, and you are feeling eager to please others The problem is that sometimes you may give the impression you understand what's going on, while you actually don't When your feelings of confusion accumulate, they lead to what's known as "the hostility stage." At this point, you may feel overwhelmed by cultural differences, and language may be part of the problem Everyday language is different from what you learn in a textbook, and nothing can prepare you for the amount of language you're exposed to Feelings of frustration, annoyance, and even anger are common But as you find solutions to problems, your feelings of accomplishment lead to a third stage, the "integration, or acceptance, stage." In this third stage, within a few months, you start to feel more relaxed You're making new friends, finding activities you enjoy, and finishing up term papers You feel more confident that you can take care of yourself Finally, one day you reach "the home stage." You feel comfortable and competent in your new culture, while retaining your allegiance to your own culture of origin © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Getting help from a counselor VOCABULARY resource a product or service that you can use to help you work or achieve a goal flyer a one-page announcement with details about an event or product concern a worry you have about an issue or a problem keep up (with) to stay at the same level as; to stay equal to cope (with) to manage a difficult situation with some success workload the amount of work you have study habits how you study on a regular basis command a good knowledge of something and the ability to use it resident advisor a person who lives on campus and provides advice to students first come, first served a system in which the first person to arrive is the first person to get a service © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Online gaming LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Though many feel that video games are just a fun way to spend some time, scientists are now beginning to study how video games can help improve health In 2007, the Gaming Health Institute received $2 million to study how patients with brain cancer and other diseases can use video games to help move their hands more effectively There are many different types of research being done now First, scientists are interested in how the brain helps move the hands while the eyes watch the screen When it's the player's turn to move, scientists study what happens in the brain In addition, word games that make one think hard about language can have some health benefits for the brain Many scientists believe that this kind of activity can help the brain heal after accidents or disease causes damage to parts of the brain More than this, scientists wonder what happens when a patient with a brain disease lives for hours in a virtual world where moving and talking are not made more difficult by real-time brain problems Does the player feel more confident and happy in this virtual world? Can a pretty or handsome avatar with no real-life problems give a sick person more confidence? Can winning a game against an opponent make someone with disease stronger and healthier? These are just some of the questions that scientists are excited about researching Scientists at the Gaming Health Institute hope that by studying the brain and video games in detail, they can come up with some answers to help make healing useful, effective, and fun! © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Operating a TV set VOCABULARY plug it in you this when you connect a machine to a power source turn it on you this when you press the on button so that you can watch TV for example ad an advertisement or TV commercial between programs turn it down you this when the volume is too loud — TV or music remote control you use this device to control your TV record you this when you copy a program onto a DVD or video so that you can watch it later documentary a program on one news story change the channel you this when you want to watch a different TV station favorite program the program you like best on TV © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Operating a TV set LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Nicole: So, Kirsty, what are we going to watch on TV tonight? Kirsty: Nothing right now! I just turned the TV on and there's no picture! Nicole: Oh, no! I can't miss Friends — it's my favorite program Are you sure the TV's plugged in? Kirsty: Yes, of course And before you ask, I turned it on, too Nicole: Should I call Jim? He's always good at fixing things…and he lives really close by I'm sure he won't mind Kirsty: Okay, go ahead Nicole: Hey, Jim, it's Nicole Are you busy?…Yes, I know there's a baseball game on, but our TV isn't working and we don't know why…Yes, of course we did, but there's still no picture…Thanks so much, you know where we live…Okay, see you soon Thanks a lot He's coming over in a minute Kirsty: Great, there's a documentary about dinosaurs at 9:30 I don't want to miss it Nicole: Kirsty, you know I want to watch Friends! Kirsty: Not that! I'm so sick of that show I like to learn things You can't learn anything from a comedy show Nicole: Why don't you record it? Then you can watch it later Kirsty: Okay, I don't mind But we can't watch anything right now [doorbell sounds] Kirsty: Hey, that's Jim! © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Renting an apartment VOCABULARY rent the money you pay every month for an apartment the twentieth floor 20th level in a building unfurnished without furniture like chairs and tables air-conditioned the temperature in a building is controlled by a machine balcony the outside part of an apartment above the first floor where you can sit and look at the view landlord the person who owns the apartment you rent deposit the money you pay as a guarantee when you rent an apartment non-smoker someone who does not smoke elevator an apparatus that takes you up and down the floors of a building, so you not need to walk stairs part of a building that you walk up or down to get to another floor LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Hey! Look at this one! It's near the university and the park, and very close to where you work, John It says it's a five-minute walk to the station and a twenty-minute train ride to the city center It's on the ninth floor…don't worry, it has an elevator so you don't need to use the stairs There are big bedrooms…The apartment is unfurnished It has a balcony and it's air-conditioned It says non-smokers preferred and no pets I think it will be perfect for us Now, let's see…the rent…It's $4,000 a month, and you have to pay a deposit of $2,000 as well The landlord's number's here Let's phone him and see if we can go and see it this afternoon… © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Sales activities VOCABULARY calculate sales figures to find out how much money a company makes from selling its products make a presentation to give a formal talk to a group of people — about a new product, for example meet a client to go to talk to a customer face-to-face make a call to use the telephone to speak to someone send out a brochure to mail a small book of product information — to clients, for example sales target the money you want to make or the number of products you want to sell — every month, for example sales team a group of people who work together to sell a company's products salesman / saleswoman a man or woman who sells things LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT OK Welcome to our sales team everybody! My name's Janet and I'm the Sales Manager Now, I'll tell you about our work in Sales Are you ready? We sell our software products to small companies We advertise on the Internet Our sales people make a lot of calls to companies Then we send them our lovely brochures We always try to arrange a meeting with new clients At the meeting, we can talk about our clients' needs We also make an exciting presentation about our products Are you still awake?! Hopefully, they'll think 'Oh, great! These guys are really good!' Then we can reach an agreement At the end of each month, you should calculate your sales figures and give me your sales report If you reach your sales target, I'll buy you a bottle of champagne! Everybody likes champagne, right? © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Social networking and your business VOCABULARY acquaintance someone you know, but who is not a close friend associate a colleague in a business benefit to help; to have a positive effect contact someone through whom you can get access to information, favors, or important people join to become a member of a group or organization mutual shared; in common network a group of people who are connected through professional or personal interests referral a recommendation of a person or business to another LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Most of you have probably heard of social networking sites that are mostly used for socializing and dating However, there are many other social networking sites that are designed for business and networking purposes as well Creating an account with one of these sites is easy and it can greatly benefit your business Once you set up your account, you can build a network of business associates You this by checking to see which of your colleagues and acquaintances also have accounts Then you invite them to join your network Through the people in your network, you can add mutual associates, people whom you have never met, which can be helpful in job hunting and building your business Another benefit is that by building a network of contacts in your field, you can assist customers in referrals to related services This creates a better service for your customers In addition, you can receive helpful referrals from other people in your network © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Social networking: protecting yourself VOCABULARY victim a person who is hurt or harmed by another person or thing profile an outline that tells the most important facts about a person or organization protect to keep safe from something or someone scam a situation in which one person cheats another person avoid to stay away from something that is not a good idea anonymity not known by other people identity theft a crime in which someone uses another person's name and other information such as bank and credit card numbers post to put up for display on a website © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Social networking: protecting yourself LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Radio announcer: You're listening to LifeTalk Radio Today we have special guest, Tamara Jones, here with us Ms Jones is an expert on online communications Today we're going to talk with her about how to protect ourselves on social networking websites Welcome, Ms Jones Ms Jones: Thank you Radio announcer: So let's start by talking about what social networking sites are Ms Jones: Sure Social networking sites are online communities of people Some sites are focused on common interests and others on business There are several common social networking sites Radio announcer: So, what are the risks of these sites? Ms Jones: Unfortunately, there are a lot of Internet scams out there Criminals can use social networking sites to find victims for identity theft and other crimes because many people feel a sense of anonymity when they post personal information on these sites However, if people are careful, the sites can be safe to use Radio announcer: I see So, how can people protect themselves? Ms Jones: The number one thing you can is to avoid posting personal information on the Internet, such as your birth date, social security number, financial information, address, or phone number Also, you can use privacy settings to control who can see the information you post Choose only the people you trust Finally, be careful with links and downloading Be sure you know who it's from before you click Radio announcer: Well, thank you, Ms Jones, for sharing this important information with us today Ms Jones: You're welcome © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Text messaging VOCABULARY adept skillful texting the act of sending a text message feature aspect or function of a thing autocorrect a function on an electronic device that corrects errors automatically abbreviation a set of letters that stand for a longer word or expression emoticon a symbol that expresses a facial expression that is used in text or email messages focus group question and answer session with several participants to get their opinion on a product frequent regular, often repeating texter someone who writes and sends a text ringtone short musical segment replacing the standard ring of a phone © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Text messaging LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Before I unveil our new cell phone design, I'd like to say a word about text messaging We know that half of our customers are actually teenagers and that most teens are adept users of text messaging Person-to-person texting is the most common, particularly among teens But many automated systems at banks, movie theaters, and other institutions are also set up to respond to text messages Adults tell us they find that these functions are useful Text messaging has only been around since 1990, and in 1995, cell phone customers around the world sent less than one message a month In 2000, people were sending 35 texts a month or 17 billion texts a year In 2001, people sent 250 billion texts and in 2004, the number jumped to 500 billion! In 2006, 85% of European cell phone customers and 40% of American cell phone customers were regular users of text messaging You can imagine the amount of business this means for a telecommunication company like ours Our new cellular phone has two fun features for teens that adults who are learning to use text messaging will also enjoy An autocorrect function automatically brings up the right abbreviation when you type a text Since we also know that teens use a lot of emoticons, we've invested time and money in great emoticons designed by an art studio and tested in focus groups © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Time-saving equipment VOCABULARY research a detailed and careful study of something to find out more information about it hi-tech using the most modern electronic machines and methods communication the sharing and exchanging of information time-saving reducing the time it takes to something — usually for machines battery a small device which provides electricity for a machine, like a radio or toy connect to join something to something else invention the making or designing of something completely new digital when something uses the numbers and to receive and send information with high-quality results — like a camera © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Time-saving equipment LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Debbie: Hey, Tim! What's this? Are you off on vacation? Tim: Hi, Debbie No, not really My boss wants me to some research for an article about life in the mountains You know, back to nature Life without the hi-tech machines I normally have Debbie: Sounds fun! Tim: Fun?!! She wants me to live the real mountain life Discover how life is when you have only animals for neighbors Bring water from the river, no electricity that kind of thing! Debbie: You mean, no TV, no computer, no phone? Tim: You got it! No communication with the outside world! Debbie: Not even a washing machine? Tim: Yep No time-saving machines either Debbie: I can't see you staying there very long, Tim! You spend half your life either watching TV or playing with your new Playstation Tim: Well, I am taking a few things with me A writer needs one or two things, you know Debbie: Like what? Tim: Well, thanks to that great invention, the battery, I'm taking my laptop, my cell phone, my digital camera, and a portable TV! Debbie: Ah, so you will be communicating with us! It's not exactly back to nature, is it? Tim: A man of the mountains must always be prepared! © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Video and teleconferencing VOCABULARY transmission the sending of a message or electronic signal broadband connection a kind of high-speed Internet eye contact looking at someone in the eyes when talking to them face-to-face a "real" meeting, not done on the phone or over the Internet glitch a bug in a computer system or machine dial-up connecting to the Internet with a telephone line remote distant or far apart be linked to be connected LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Good morning, everyone Thank you all for coming I have asked everyone here this morning because we are going to start allowing all workers to work remotely from their own homes instead of asking everyone to come in to the office every day This is being done to cut down on fuel costs, which are rising, but also to encourage less energy use generally As we are linked with the Internet and phone lines, there is no need for us all to be here every day For those using the Swark video software system, you will need to make sure that you have a broadband Internet connection at home since transmission of video conferencing requires a fast Internet connection Those who not use this program can just use dial-up if they don't already have a high-speed connection We will still require everyone to come into the office at least once a week for faceto-face meetings Your meeting schedules will be sent out every Friday for the following week We should also remember that the first few weeks might be a little less efficient than normal since there may be a few technical glitches we need to fix before the system works perfectly We are excited about this new working system, which will start next month Does anyone have any questions? © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Why e-learning is good VOCABULARY 24/7 available all the time: 24 hours a day and days a week collaboration two or more people working together continuing education classes for adult part-time students, or for people who have finished university and want to keep studying global all around the world interaction talking or having contact with other people peer a person who is your equal in society, work, or at school self-paced allowing people to work at their own speed tuition money paid for school or classes © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Why e-learning is good LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Radio announcer: You're listening to LifeTalk Radio Today we have special guest, Larry Jackson, here with us Mr Jackson works for the U.S Department of Education We're going to talk with him about the benefits of e-learning Welcome, Mr Jackson Mr Jackson: Thank you Radio announcer: So let's start by explaining exactly what we mean by "e-learning." Mr Jackson: When we say "e-learning" we are talking about taking online classes — classes offered on the Internet There are many types of programs available today, including full university degree programs and continuing education classes in any subject you can think of Radio announcer: So, what are the benefits of e-learning? Mr Jackson: Well, there are many benefits Probably the biggest one is that you can take e-learning classes from anywhere in the world You can live in India and take a class from a university in Canada All you need is a computer with Internet access Another benefit is that you can make your own class schedule Students can access the class 24/7, so it's very convenient Radio announcer: That's great So there's a lot of flexibility in location and schedule Mr Jackson: Exactly Another reason that e-learning is good is that the courses are self-paced, so students can take as much or as little time as they need to learn the material And finally, online courses are usually cheaper for students Tuition is often lower, and there are no added costs for living expenses Radio announcer: Well, that's great I think I'll sign up for a course now! © Reallyenglish 2013 [...]... aware; paying attention to things around you purposeful having a reason for what you do stranger a person you do not know © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Keeping safe LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Radio announcer: You're listening to LifeTalk Radio Today we have special guest, Rachel Johnson, here with us from the Center for International Studies Ms Johnson is here to talk to us... person's name and other information such as bank and credit card numbers post to put up for display on a website © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Social networking: protecting yourself LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Radio announcer: You're listening to LifeTalk Radio Today we have special guest, Tamara Jones, here with us Ms Jones is an expert on online communications Today we're going... society, work, or at school self-paced allowing people to work at their own speed tuition money paid for school or classes © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Why e-learning is good LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Radio announcer: You're listening to LifeTalk Radio Today we have special guest, Larry Jackson, here with us Mr Jackson works for the U.S Department of Education We're going to talk... real-time a move is made in a game whenever you want, not in turns avatar a computer character which represents you or your player in a game or chat © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Online gaming LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Though many feel that video games are just a fun way to spend some time, scientists are now beginning to study how video games can help improve health In 2007,... program on one news story change the channel you do this when you want to watch a different TV station favorite program the program you like best on TV © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Operating a TV set LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Nicole: So, Kirsty, what are we going to watch on TV tonight? Kirsty: Nothing right now! I just turned the TV on and there's no picture! Nicole: Oh, no! I... place or culture by birth pros and cons the good and bad sides of a situation (pros are good; cons are bad) unique the only one of its kind © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Homestay: Living with a family LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Wei: Hey, Lin Jing! Lin Jing: Hi, Wei, how are you? Wei: I'm fine I'm just trying to decide whether to live in an apartment or with a homestay family... from before you click Radio announcer: Well, thank you, Ms Jones, for sharing this important information with us today Ms Jones: You're welcome © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Text messaging VOCABULARY adept skillful texting the act of sending a text message feature aspect or function of a thing autocorrect a function on an electronic device that corrects errors automatically abbreviation... product frequent regular, often repeating texter someone who writes and sends a text ringtone short musical segment replacing the standard ring of a phone © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Text messaging LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Before I unveil our new cell phone design, I'd like to say a word about text messaging We know that half of our customers are actually teenagers and that most... something completely new digital when something uses the numbers 1 and 0 to receive and send information with high-quality results — like a camera © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Time-saving equipment LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Debbie: Hey, Tim! What's this? Are you off on vacation? Tim: Hi, Debbie No, not really My boss wants me to do some research for an article about life in...PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Getting help from a counselor LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT I'd like to welcome you all and thank you for coming You are all in your first year from abroad The university offers several types of counseling services ... person you not know © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Keeping safe LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Radio announcer: You're listening to LifeTalk Radio Today we have special guest,... website © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Social networking: protecting yourself LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Radio announcer: You're listening to LifeTalk Radio Today we have special... school or classes © Reallyenglish 2013 PRACTICAL ENGLISH LISTENING: Why e-learning is good LISTENING PRACTICE: TRANSCRIPT Radio announcer: You're listening to LifeTalk Radio Today we have special guest,