Tag: audio

Credit Cards

B1 – Intermediate

Credit cards are plastic cards that lets you pay for goods or services and can be paid for either at the end of a set period which is normally a month. They are also known as plastic money and even more secure than cash.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about credit cards.

https://listenaminute.com/c/credit_cards.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the expression “to be the thing of the future” mean? “Many years ago I read that credit cards were the thing of the future.” Use this phrase in a sentence.
  2. What does the word “note” mean here, “People are still using notes and coins.“? Use this word in a sentence.
  3. What does the word “mile” mean in this sentence, “When you use your card, you get air miles and every six months you can cash them in for presents.“? Use this word in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you like most about credit cards?
  2. In what ways are credit cards better than cash?
  3. What do you usually use your credit card for?
  4. Do you think we’ll still be using credit cards twenty years from now? Explain.
  5. Would people be in a better financial situation without credit cards? Explain.

New Car Technology

B1 – Intermediate

Technology is amazingly dynamic. It constantly improves each year and there are always new technologies emerging all the time. Some technologies that were just seen in science fiction movies are beginning to come to life.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about different new car technologies.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/new-car-technology-level-3/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “kaleidoscope” mean? Use this word in a sentence.
  2. What does “prototype” mean? Use it in a sentence.
  3. What does”simulation” mean? Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the focus of Consumer Electronics Show 2023?
  2. What do you think of this new car technology?
  3. Would you like to own a flying car?
  4. What are the pros and cons of a flying car?
  5. In your opinion, what kind of technology will be invented in the future?

Health News

B1 – Intermediate

The year 2022 had yet been another memorable year for all. Each industry has had their breakthroughs and outstanding developments, including, the health and medical field. Loads of life-changing progress were achieved in the health sector in the said year.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about some advancements in the health sector for the year 2022.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/2022-health-news-level-3/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “to keep one’s eye on (someone/something)” mean? “A driving simulator teaches teens with ADHD to keep their eyes on the road.” Use it in your own sentence. Give a synonym.
  2. What does “glance” mean? “At the start, they averaged 22 long glances away from the road per 15-minute drive. Months later, the number dropped to about 15 long glances in the trained group.” Use it in your own sentence. Give a synonym.
  3. What does “immersive” mean? “An immersive 3D console controls the robot’s four arms in real time for complex procedures such as colorectal and gynaecological surgeries.” Use it in your own sentence. Give a synonym.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of these new medical technologies?
  2. Which one do you think is the most helpful and why?
  3. What other medical technologies do you know have been invented this year? Describe them and their uses.
  4. How might healthcare change over the next 10 to 20 years?
  5. What health device have you started using? Talk about how it helps you in your day-to-day life.

Immigration

B1 – Intermediate

Immigration is the process of acquiring permanent residence in a foreign country. Most people decide to move to other country when they are not satisfied with conditions in their homeland: lack of jobs, low salaries, high taxes, corruption. All of these make a person seek a better life.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about immigration.

https://listenaminute.com/i/immigration.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the word “immigration” mean? “Immigration wasn’t really a problem a long time ago.” Use this word in a sentence.
  2. What does the verb “encourage” mean? “The USA, Australia and Canada encouraged millions of people to come and live in their countries.” Give 2 synonyms and use ‘encourage’ in a sentence.
  3. What does “risk” mean here, “People risk their lives to get the chance of starting a new life in a rich country.“? Give 2 synonyms and use ‘risk’ in a sentence in this context.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is immigration from one country to another a problem? In what ways do you see it as a problem?
  2. What are reasons people immigrate?
  3. Would you like to live and work in another country? Where and Why?
  4. How does immigration affect the economic situation in your community?

Hacking

B1 – Intermediate

Cyber hacking has stolen millions from people worldwide, and not just money but also people’s personal information. Company computers and network systems have crashed because of cyber hacking.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about hacking.

https://listenaminute.com/h/hacking.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “hacking” mean? Elaborate.
  2. What does the word illegal mean? Give 2 synonyms.
  3. What does the word information mean? Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you know about hacking?
  2. Why do you think hackers do what they do?
  3. Do you always download security updates to protect your computer from hackers? Why or why not?

Electricity

B1 – Intermediate

Electricity is defined as a form of power that modern age people have a tough time surviving without. It has a great influence in media both in communication and entertainment. It powers almost all the appliances that are used on a daily basis such as telephones and cellphones.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about electricity.

https://listenaminute.com/e/electricity.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the word “flick” mean? Use it in a sentence.
  2. Explain the word important and use it in a sentence.
  3. What does the word “dangerous” mean? Give 2 synonyms.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is electricity?
  2. What kind of world would we live in without electricity?
  3. Do you think electricity is the greatest invention ever? Why / Why not?
  4. What dangers does electricity pose in your house?
  5. What do you do to save on your electricity bills?

E-mail

B1 – Intermediate

Electronic mail has made the communication system so much easier. It is mostly used for sending messages, files, and documents.

In the previous time, people wrote letters to their relatives and friends to keep communication and contact with them, which was a very slow process. But now email has changed the entire scenario. We can get connected with anyone easily.

Let’s listen to the audio below.

https://listenaminute.com/e/e-mail.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does inbox mean? Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does spam mean? Give a synonym. Use it in a sentence.
  3. What is “ASAP“ short for? Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. For you, what are the good things and the bad things about emails?
  2. How important is email to you?
  3. What you prefer, writing an email or real letters with a pen and paper? Why?
  4. Do you ever receive spam mail? What do you do with it?
  5. How many different email accounts do you have / need? Why is that?
  6. What new functions would you like to see with emails?
  7. What will replace email in the future?

Hotel Reservations

B1 – Intermediate

It is always a good idea to have your travel needs arranged before your trip. A place to stay is one of the things you may need when you are going on a trip. Whatever type of accommodation you choose, it is better to book in advance to avoid the last minute hassles of finding an available room for you.

Let’s listen to the audio for an example hotel reservation scenario.

Hotel Reservations

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “suite” mean? Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does “all booked” mean in this sentence,” Are you all booked that night?” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What type of room did Max reserve?
  2. What other room types did the hotel clerk recommend?
  3. How much does he need to pay for the room reservation?
  4. Have you made a hotel reservation before? What information did you provide?
  5. What other ways of hotel reservation do you know? Which one is the most convenient?

Apple Workers Protest

B1 – Intermediate

Many, if not all, countries have relaxed their COVID restrictions over the past year. However, it is not the case in China. They continue to have strict rules to prevent new COVID infections in their country.

This means that some workers have to be quarantined in dormitories. Workers are not happy anymore with their conditions so they started protesting.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about Apple workers’ protests in China.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/apple-workers-protest-level-2/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “lead to” mean? “Many of them were very unhappy with the situation, which led to protests.” Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does “tough” mean in this sentence, “Tough restrictions are still in China as the country is trying to stop new COVID-19 infections.“? Use it in your own sentence.
  3. What does “shorten” mean? “The government promised to make some changes such as shorten quarantines, but not much changed so far.” Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on these protests?
  2. What is your opinion on the labor conditions of Apple’s factory workers in China?
  3. What is your opinion on China still having tough Covid restrictions until now?

Wedding Ring History

B1 – Intermediate

It is quite surprising how the practice of wearing engagement or wedding rings started. For the longest time, we have been associating these rings with the notion of love and commitment. However, this was not exactly what it meant in the past.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript to understand this history better.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/wedding-ring-history-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the history of wedding rings? Which finger are they put on and why?
  2. In old Rome, the ring was a mark of ownership. What are your thoughts on this? How did this practice evolved over time?
  3. What is your opinion on engagement or wedding rings/symbols?
  4. In your country, are there alternatives to wedding/engagement rings? Give suggestions for other possible options.