Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ................................................................................. 1

Listening Resources ............................................................................. 3
PREFACE............................................................................................................................. 4
Week 2: Trends.................................................................................................................... 5
Week 3: Colours .................................................................................................................. 8
Week 4: Manners ..............................................................................................................10
Week 5: Games .................................................................................................................14
Week 6: Family ..................................................................................................................17
Week 7: Revision 1 ............................................................................................................20
Week 9: Self-Reliance .......................................................................................................22
Week 10: Trash .................................................................................................................25
Week 11: Numbers ............................................................................................................29
Week 12: Health................................................................................................................32
Week 15: Revision 2 ..........................................................................................................37
Listening Homework Checking.................................................................
PREFACE...............................................................................................................................
Week 2: Trends......................................................................................................................
Week 3: Colours ....................................................................................................................
Week 4: Manners ..................................................................................................................
Week 5: Games .....................................................................................................................
Week 6: Family ......................................................................................................................
Week 7: Revision 1 ................................................................................................................
Week 9: Self-Reliance ...........................................................................................................
Week 10: Trash .....................................................................................................................
Week 11: Numbers ................................................................................................................
Week 12: Health....................................................................................................................
Language Functions ........................................................................... 39
PREFACE...........................................................................................................................40
Notes for the Two Revision Weeks (7 & 14) .........................................................................42
Peer Checklist for Pair Work ...............................................................................................43
Week 2: Language function 1 - Giving Opinions ..................................................................44
Week 3: Language function 2 - Giving Examples .................................................................48
Week 4: Language function 3 - Giving Advice and Making Recommendations .....................53
Week 5: Language function 4 - Giving Instructions..............................................................56
Week 6: Language function 5 - Comparing and Contrasting ................................................59
Week 7: Revision 1 ............................................................................................................62
Week 9: Language function 6 - Asking for Clarification and Expressing Understanding ........64

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 Table of Contents

Week 10: Language function 7 - Presenting Problems and Solutions ..................................67

Week 11: Language function 8 - Providing Evidence ...........................................................71
Week 12: Language function 9 - Turn Taking ......................................................................74
Week 15: Revision 2 ..........................................................................................................76
Listening Test Prep............................................................................. 89
PREFACE...........................................................................................................................80
Overview of the Test ...........................................................................................................81
Week 3: Sections 1 & 2 of the Test (1) ................................................................................82
Week 5: Sections 3 & 4 of the Test (1) ................................................................................84
Week 6: Mock test 1 ..........................................................................................................85
Week 10: Sections 1 & 2 of the Test (2)..............................................................................87
Week 12: Sections 3 & 4 of the Test (2)..............................................................................88
Week 13: Mock test 2 ........................................................................................................89

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 Listening Resource

Listening Resource
ACADEMIC ENGLISH 1B

Page 3
 Listening Resource

PREFACE

Listening Resources is a self-study book to develop students’ listening and related skills.
Through carefully selected recordings and tasks, Listening Resources aims to equip
students with listening strategies and thematic language to help them become more
comfortable listening to academic English, build up their background knowledge, expand
their linguistic range, and achieve higher score in listening tests.

As it is a self-study material, students are supposed to complete Listening Resources weekly

practices on their own before class. The practices are designed for students to work
individually. Students should make use of the material by not only completing the exercises,
but answering critical follow-up questions and learning useful vocabulary in the audio script
provided at the end of the section as well. During class hours, teacher will go beyond
providing students with keys to checking thorough comprehension of listening passages and
facilitating integrated-skill development by various newly designed exercises or activities,
such as summary, reflection, critical discussion, survey and presentation.

The book consists of ten themes in accordance with Q Skills 2 units, namely Trends,
Manners, Games, Self-reliance, Trash, Health, etc. and two revisions. Though the designs
vary greatly from theme to theme, there are two listening passages for each week, each
composed of two to three parts:

Pre-listening: exercises and activities to introduce vocabulary and ideas useful for the topic.
A range of exercises gives students the opportunity to activate and familiarize with the
vocabulary in different contexts. The focus is on strategies and activities that are useful in
listening skills, for example predicting the content of a recording, working out the meanings
of unknown words through word components or by examining words forms.

While-listening: exercises and activities to develop listening skills. This part introduces
students to the various skills necessary for listening comprehension such as predicting,
listening for gist, details, completing notes and summaries, etc. Useful tips are highlighted
to help students develop their listening comprehension skills.

Post-listening (optional): reinforce the key points or lexis in the recordings.

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 Listening Resource

Week 2: Trends

✪ Targeted skills: - Listening for details

LISTENING 1
Before you listen

Look at the photos and the words to describe clothes in the box. Make a list of the clothes
you can see in the pictures, adding one adjective to each group.

Describing clothes
Patterns: check flowery plain spotty stripy
Shape: baggy long loose short tight
Texture: creased furry shiny smooth
Materials: cotton fur leather nylon wool
Other: high-heeled long-sleeved matching

Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4

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 Listening Resource

While you listen

Listen to a fashion show commentary.

• Which of the outfits in “Before you listen” is described?
_____________________________________________
• How many other outfits are also described?
_____________________________________________
Complete the phrases from the commentary using words from the box. Then listen again
and check.
a. an attractive _______, brown _______ d. a _______, grey, _______ jacket
jacket e. a large, _______ scarf
b. a _______, _______ T-shirt f. a _______, dark, _______ coat
c. casual, _______, black jeans
After you listen

What order are the adjectives in the phrases in exercise 3 in? Complete the rule in this box
with “color”, “material” and “shape”.
When we have more than one adjective before a noun, they usually come in this order:
1/ opinion, 2/ size or _______, 3/ texture, 4/ pattern or _______, 5/ _______ + noun.

LISTENING 2
Before you listen

1. Do you care much about your clothes?

2. In your opinion, what can a person’s clothes tell about him/her?

While you listen

Listen to a radio conversation between two presenters, Rob and Will, about clothes. Decide
if each statement below is True (T) or False (F)

1. While bankers tend to dress formally, those doing creative jobs dress casually.
2. It is far wrong to dress smartly to a job interview.
3. The sari is no longer the main outfit for Indian women.
4. A sari can be worn in more than 80 different ways.
5. Football shirts are popular among football fans.

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 Listening Resource

LISTENING 3
Before you listen

Discuss the following questions with a partner.

1. Do you have trainers/ sneakers?

2. How often do you often wear them?

While you listen

1. In the following interview about trainers/sneakers, the speakers explain the meanings of
some words and phrases below. Listen and note their meanings in the space provided.
1. ubiquitous 7. sneakerhead
…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………
2. tatty 8. usher in
…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………
3. apparel 9. sartorial
…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………
4. limited edition 10. craze
…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………
5. dressed-down 11. know your opinions
…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………
6. limited edition
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………

2. Listen again and decide if the following statements are T (true) or F (false).
1. _____ Most people who wear sneakers wear them for purposes other than sports.

2. _____ Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg loves dressing formally to work.

3. _____ In the 19th century, someone who wore sneakers would be considered low-class.

4. _____ According to Elizabeth Semmelhack, one’s social status could be revealed through
his choice of clothing.

5. _____ Neil believes clothing speaks volume about social differences today.

6. _____ Matt Powell implies that the most popular sport hasn’t always been the same.

7. _____ Sophie thinks that basketball hi-tops and tennis shoes have equal appeal.

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 Listening Resource

Week 3: Colours

✪ Targeted skills: - Listening for general meaning

- Listening for details

LISTENING 1
Before you listen

Answer the following questions:

1. Have you ever bought something simply because of its colour?

2. How much do colours affect your choice of items when you go shopping? Why?

While you listen

You are going to hear a man talking about how the color of a consumer item affects how
popular it is with the public. Read each set of questions and try to guess what the answers
might be Before you listen.

Questions 1-4

Which colour is the most popular for items 1-4? Write the letter A-G next to each item.

1. business suits a. black

2. offices b. blue

3. national flags c. green

4. the iPod Mini d. grey

e. red
f. silver
g. white

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 Listening Resource

LISTENING 2
Questions 5-8

Write the names of the colours in the right places on the key to the chart below.

Questions 9-10

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 Listening Homework Checking

Listening Homework Checking

ACADEMIC ENGLISH 1B
 Listening Homework Checking

PREFACE

What is the purpose of this material?

As its name suggests, Listening Homework Checking, designed for internal use by
instructors at English 1, Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, purports to check
students’ comprehension of what they have listened to as homework or self-study tasks.
Intended for in-class use, this material features a variety of tasks and activities that go beyond
checking memory. Based on the listening exercises in Academic Listening Resources and
Q Skills for Success 2 Listening and Speaking assigned to students to do at home, these
tasks and activities require students not only to remember the main ideas of the passages
and answer the newly designed questions correctly, but also to apply and synthesize the
information that they have heard to discuss relevant topics critically, or to share experience
in dealing with the exercises. Thus, this material is expected to make homework checking
more challenging yet interesting for students by engaging them in pair work, group work,
or fun activities that develop experience sharing and critical thinking.

How is the material organized?

The exercises and activities are designed by instructors of English 1 for 12 topics that run
in 12 in-class sessions. The number of exercises and activities for each topic is not fixed,
mainly because only the most important passages or necessary listening skills that students
have encountered at home are selected to be further exploited in class. Teachers can
flexibly choose from a number of suggested activities ranging from newly designed multiple-
choice questions to group discussions. Useful skill tips extracted from reliable sources are
also provided to facilitate experience sharing in class and listening skill development.

How is the material used?

Listening Homework Checking should be done at the beginning of Academic Listening-
Speaking sessions every week, with around 40-50 minutes being allocated for this activity
each session. After studying the audios that students have to listen to weekly at home,
teachers should decide on the most important passages or listening skills to further exploit
in in-class homework checking. They then can choose from the suggested exercises and
activities in this material, or even design ones of their own. It should be noted that answer
keys to and explanations for tasks students have done at home must be discussed with the
whole class before any further homework checking activity is conducted, which is to make
sure students clearly understand their home tasks.

The focus of each homework checking session may vary from checking comprehension,
vocabulary revision to group discussions. Whatever option it is, students should always be
encouraged to synthesize and apply what they have done at home to engage in the newly
designed activities, and to share experience in dealing with a certain type of listening
exercises.
 Listening Homework Checking

WEEK 2: TRENDS

Listening 2 - Q Skills p.8

Complete each blank in the following table with ONE suitable word, and then listen to the
recording to check your answers.

FASHIONOMICS

Fashion The (1)………………………

­ Fashion changes over (2)………………… More jobs are (4)………………

­ People follow (3)…………………. à spend more money

­ Fashion makes our society more (5)…………………

– fashion designers: design new styles

– individuals: create different (6)…………….for themselves

Listening 1 - Listening Resources, p.3-4

Work in groups of four. From your memory, note down as many adjectives to describe
clothes as possible. Listen to the recording ONCE and take notes of other adjectives to
describe clothes. Group with most adjectives is the winner.

Listening 3 - Listening Resources

Where
Who

When

How
Why
 Listening Homework Checking

WEEK 3: COLOURS

Listening 1 – Listening Resources p.7

Listen ONCE only and decide if the following statements are True or False.

1. The human eye can distinguish at least 6 billion colours.

2. The most popular factors that decide the colour trend are technological advances,
the economy and politics.
3. There are many kinds of shirts and ties for men to choose to wear at work.
4. Adding a bit of colours at work such as green or red can ease stress and boost
productivity.
5. A combination of 4 colours is the most popular for a national flag.
6. Blue is the second most popular colour for a national flag.
7. In 2004, the iPod mini came out in different colours to satisfy different
personalities.
8. People voted gold to be the least attractive colour for iPod mini.
 Listening Homework Checking

Adding colour to my English

A. ‘Colour’ idioms

Put the following idioms in the sentences and dialogues below.

a. white lie f. white collar
b. black and white g. the black sheep of the family
c. the blackest day of my life h. once in a blue moon
d. caught red-handed i. red carpet treatment
e. blue collar j. like a red rag to a bull
1. John gets quite aggressive when you talk about politics, doesn’t he?
> Absolutely. And if you criticize the Labor party it’s like ____________________.
He can’t resist trying to put you right.
2. My brother and sister were always more successful at school than me. I preferred
to have fun. I suppose I was _____________________________.
3. What exactly are ______________ workers?
>People who work in offices and administrative positions as opposed to manual
workers, who are often referred to as ____________________.
4. The day I heard of that plane crash was ______________________ .
5. Good news, Andy. I’ve just heard we’ve finally getting that pay rise we were
promised – starting from next month.
> I’ll believe it when I see it in __________________________ .
6. I’ve just got back from visiting our Swedish factory. They were incredibly welcoming:
the gave me the ________________________ .
7. How can you be sure that it was Bob who’s been stealing the CDs?
> Linda saw him putting them in his bag during his lunch break. He was
___________________ .
8. I used to go to the cinema quite a lot but there’s not much I want to see these days.
I only go _________________________ now.
9. I thought you didn’t like Diane’s new flat.
> I don’t, but I didn’t want to upset her so I told her a little ________________.
We all have to now and again, don’t we?
 Listening Homework Checking

B. Metaphoric collocations: Colors and Light

1. Read the following sentences. Say what you think the words in italics mean.
a. The trip to Brazil certainly added color to our rather boring lives.
b. Jim has always been under the shadow of his super-intelligent sister.
c. The government tried to blacken his name because he was critical of their policies.
d. I’m hoping Hilary can shed/throw some light on what happened at work yesterday.
e. Soon the glare of the sun would make it difficult to see his way across the
desert. He must get to the village at once.

2. How can I add color to my sentences? Rewrite each sentence using the word in
brackets so that it keeps the same meaning, but more ‘colorful’.
a. The police are looking for someone who can explain how the accident
happened. (SHED)
b. The newspaper seems to be trying to destroy the minister’s reputation.
(BLACKEN)
c. He has always been in an inferior position to his world-famous father.
(SHADOW)
d. Very bright sun can make driving difficult at this time of the day. (GLARE)
e. Joe’s crazy behavior certainly brightens up our dull office. (COLOR)
 Listening Homework Checking

C. Academic Vocabulary
From the list below, choose one word which could be used in place of the language
shown in bold without changing the meaning of the sentence. Remember that you may
need to change the form or in some cases the grammatical class of the word.
intense crucial decade generate relevant shift
distort perspective maturity expose consequent signify

1. One important function of newspapers is to uncover dishonest behavior and wrong-

doing by those in power.
2. As the result of the strong heat of the fire, the front half of the train was completely
destroyed.
3. Some children show a great deal of grown-up behavior at a young age, while others
may continue to be irresponsible.
4. The decision to give longer prison sentences indicated a hardening of the
government’s attitude towards drug offenders.
5. The new computer system created a lot of interest among potential customers.
6. One difficult aspect of writing an essay is selecting material which is related to the
topic and excluding unrelated information.
7. The history of the Americas is usually seen from the view of the European
immigrants, rather than from that of the original inhabitants.
8. When the government increased the tax on petrol, there was a resultant rise in
transport cost.
9. Over the previous ten years, we have seen an enormous growth in the number of
home personal computers.
10. In the 1980s, the US and Soviet governments made the important decision to
reduce the number of atomic weapons.
11. Environmentalists point out that electric cars just change the pollution problem
from the car itself to the electricity station.
12. Politicians often complain that newspapers alter what they say so that the readers
cannot read the truth.
 Language Functions

Language Functions
ACADEMIC ENGLISH 1B
 Language Functions

PREFACE

Language Functions material is internally used for teaching and learning academic English
in English Division I, Faculty of English Language Teacher Education (ULIS – VNU). The
contents has been compiled, adopted and adapted from various English course books and
websites like Activate B1, Lifelines Pre-Intermediate, and English for Life Collins.

This material has been tailored to the needs of first-year English majors, who aim at B1
level in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
by the end of the first semester. Students are involved in content-based learning since they
are required to use language functions to communicate orally on both familiar and
unfamiliar topics of professional fields like fashion trends, social meanings of colour,
husband’s and wife’s domestic roles, the importance of math, etc. Also, levels of critical
thinking are developed through activities:

• Understand: students listen to the sample and answer listening comprehension

questions.
• Apply: students use language bank to make some sentences similar to the samples
they hear.
• Analyse: students select from the pool of suggested ideas for their speaking task
• Evaluate: students use checklist to give comments on their friends’ speaking
• Create: students produce their own speech
The material has ten main lessons delivered in weeks 2-6 and weeks 9-13, each focuses on
a function in speaking and is expected to be covered within 70 minutes (equivalent to one
and a half session). For each lesson, the first 30 minutes should be spent on Part A -
introducing the context using the targeted function, and Bart B – providing the language
bank needed. Students then apply phrases to produce short utterances or sentences in the
following small speaking activities. The rest of the lesson is for Part C, in which students
are assigned topics with a pool of suggested ideas and 10-15 minutes to prepare for their in-
class performance (individually or in pair). Individual and group work are employed under
the supervision of the speaking teachers, who act as instructors and facilitators to guide the
use of language bank provided as well as manage in-class activities.

Week 7 and week 14 are revision sessions in which students use all the functions they have
learnt in previous weeks to produce an individual speech or perform a pair discussion.

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 Language Functions

There are about five topics and students are randomly assigned to any of those to
demonstrate their speaking skill in class.

Teacher flexibility is assumed in this material exploitation. Upon their own creativity or
lesson planning, teachers might consider changing the suggested sequence for a lesson,
adapting available activities or designing new activities for their classes. Individual work,
group discussion and lecturing should also be employed alternately, depending on the
lesson objective, student level and teacher time budget.

Symbols Of The Handouts

² Listen

^ Speak

L Read and find

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 Language Functions

Notes for the Two Revision Weeks (7 & 14)

These two weeks give chance for students to revisit all the functions they have learnt and
apply in delivering different topics.

Prior to the revision week (week 6 and week 13), T should remind Ss to revise all the
functions they have learnt, choose phrases they prefer to use and practice speaking topics
in the previous weeks at home with those phrases. T may introduce the format of the
revision week so that Ss can self-design some topics to practice on their own or with friends.

In the revision session (week 7 and 14), T may spend 15 minutes to brief over learnt
functions and remind Ss of some important notes for each function.

When calling Ss to present the topics, T may assign other students into groups. Each group
is asked to pay attention to one aspect of their classmates’ speaking (single word
pronunciation, intonation, grammar, word choice, phrases to express functions, idea, etc.).
T may prepare a small note and give to each group to write their comments (see the
template in the last page). After each performance, the groups will share their notes and
give all the notes to the performer(s). T can also base on those notes to give scores.

If possible, T can prepare a recording device and record one to two performances and re-
play it for the whole class to analyze and draw out some experience. T can base on the
audio file to give scores.

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 Language Functions

Peer Checklist for Pair Work

Tick (√) the things that your partner is able to do while speaking in pair with you, and
take notes of examples in the last column if possible.

Your friend can….

✓ or Comments/Notes
✗
1. … use simple structures correctly.
2. … use both simple and complex
structures appropriately.
Grammar and
3. … use appropriate expressions
vocabulary
for the target function.
4. … use appropriate academic
vocabulary.
5. … maintain the flow of speech
with few pauses.
Fluency and 6. … develop and organize ideas
coherence appropriately.
7. … use cohesive devices to link
ideas.
8. … make individual sounds
clearly.
Pronunciation 9. … place sentence and word stress
generally accurately.
10. … use intonation appropriately.
11. … initiate and respond
Interactive appropriately.
communication 12. … maintain and develop the
interaction to reach an agreement.

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 Language Functions

Week 2: Language function 1 - Giving Opinions

A. Lead-in
² Carlos, Suzi, and Peter are discussing factors they think are important for choosing the
world’s best cities to live in. Listen to their discussion and fill in the blanks with the
phrases they use to express their opinion.

S: Well, Carlos, (1) ………………………………………………….but not as important as some of

the other factors – for example, transport. (2) …………………………….. all the best cities
have good transport systems.

C: Transport’s not so important for me. Climate and culture and recreation –
……………………………... They should go at the top of the list.

S: They are important but (4) …………………………….. the most important thing is personal
safety. You can have a nice climate and a lot of good recreational facilities but (5)
…………………………….. if you are worried about your personal safety then you can’t
enjoy living in a city. (6) …………………………….. put personal safety at the top of the list.
What do you think, Peter?

P: Well, (7) …………………………….. all cities are dangerous to some extent, Suzi. You probably
have accept that wherever you live. So (8) …………………………….. Carlos, (9)
…………………………….. personal safety should be high up in the list. (10)
…………………………….. we should put transport first and then climate second. Right, Carlos?

B. Language Bank
Expressing opinions: Expressing a strong Expressing a cautious
opinion view
As I see it / In my opinion… I firmly/really believe I think climate is
that… probably the most
As far as I’m concerned… important factor…
I’m convinced that…
Personally, I take the view
that… It is possible that…

I think there is a good case I take your point / I see

for… your point… but I still
believe…
Bước 1: Đưa ra quan điểm cá nhân (trả lời và paraphrase đề bài)
- Sử dụng Language bank
Ví dụ càng ngày càng nhiều người sử dụng mạng xã hội vì nhiều lý
do
Bước 2: Nói về 3 ý được gợi ý (paraphrase)- dùng language
Page 44 bank
Bước 3 kết luận
 Language Functions

Examples:

What factor do you think is important when choosing the world’s best cities to live in?

§ I think it’s quite important but not as important as some of the other factors.
§ It seems to me that all the best cities have good transport systems.
§ Climate and culture and recreation - now these really are important
§ I really think we should put personal safety at the top of the list.
§ So I agree with Carlos
§ Perhaps we should put transport first and then climate second

Agreement Disagreement

§ You're right. § You must be joking!

§ I think so, too. § I take your point but that’s not the way
§ I agree with you. I see it.
§ You could be right. § Yes, but don’t you think that…?
§ You know, that's exactly what I think. § I see what you mean but I’m not at all
§ That's a good point. convinced that…
§ I couldn't agree more. § True, but I’m afraid I disagree (with)…
§ I see what you mean. § You can’t be serious!
§ That's just what I was thinking. § Perhaps, but I can’t help thinking that…
§ I totally agree. § There may be some truth in what you
say but don’t you think (that) …?

² Listen to the audio again and answer the questions

1. Which speaker wants climate to be at the top of the list?

2. Which speaker is more worried about personal safety?
3. What does Peter want at the top of the list?
4. Which speakers express their views most reasonably?
5. Which speaker do you think is less reasonable?

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 Language Functions

Note:

§ Each opinion should go with explanations/ reasons.

§ The use of more complex structures helps you sound more formal.
§ The language should be varied with the use of both simple and complex structures.

^ Work with your partner. Discuss the question:

What factors are the most important and which are the least important when choosing the
best cities to live in? (Among the following factors: climate, public transport, personal safety,
education, healthcare, recreation, culture, political/ economic stability)

Give reasons for your choice. Use the language bank given above.

For example:

Factor Ranking Reason

climate 2 A pleasant climate is very important for people’s health
and happiness.

Note:

§ Each opinion should go with explanations/ reasons.

§ The use of more complex structures help you sound more formal.
§ The language should be varied with the use of both simple and complex structures.

C. Language Practice
You are going to discuss ONE of the following questions.

Work in pairs in 10 minutes.

Remember to refer to the LANGUAGE BANK and the HINTS below.

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 Language Functions

TOPIC 1: Why are more and more people using social networking sites?

stay connected to friends and family

update news and information
easy to use

TOPIC 2: Is it important to follow fashion trends?

self-confidence suit
unique character waste
expensive/costly flock of sheep (everybody looks the same)
throw-away wear/have on/get dressed

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 Language Functions

Week 3: Language function 2 - Giving Examples

A. Lead-in
L Listen to a speaker introducing Work Experience USA – a job organization in the
US and answer the following questions.

1. Why are experiences on the program valuable?

2. How does the speaker convince people about the values of those experiences?
Which phrase(s) help(s) you know that?

B. Language Bank

Asking for example Giving example

• Can you give me an example? • A fine/typical example of this is …

• Do you have any examples? • …. is a fine/typical example of this.
• Take … for example.
• There’s no better example than …
• For example / For instance, …
• In some instances, …
• In one case, …

Note:

• Giving examples can make your speaking clearer and more convincing.
• Make sure that the example supports the idea given.
• Examples can be specific or general.
• “For example” sounds more formal than “for instance” and therefore is
often used in academic writing.

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 Language Functions

Examples:

Comparing public schools and state schools

• A classic/fine example of this is a public school called Wego.

• A public school called Wego is a classic/fine example of this.
• Take my school which is state-run for example. We didn’t even have a basketball court.
• There’s no better example than the state-run primary school I attended.
• In one case, there was a public school having more than 60 students in one class.
• In some instances, a private school has no playground for their students.
L Listen to the recording again and fill in the table with suitable information about the
two examples.

The experiences The student from The student from

reflect… Hungary Romania

students’ personal
experience

what students gained

from the program

^ Think of TWO benefits that student organizations bring to Vietnamese university

students. For each benefit, give one example to illustrate it. Use the language bank
given above. Practice with your partner.

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 Language Functions

C. Language Practice
1. Pair discussion: Colours in our lives

Student A:
- Read each of the arguments carefully and match it with the most suitable example.
- Tell Student B about the roles of color in our life, using the arguments, language for giving examples and the suitable examples.

Arguments Language for Giving Examples Examples

a. A person dislikes a particular shade of blue because it
1. Colors play an integral part in our life, no - A fine/typical example of this is… reminds her of an allergy medicine she had to take as a child.
matter where in the world we come from;
- A is a fine/typical example of this. b. Warm colors, such as orange, red, and yellow can cause
therefore, some colors have universal
meaning. - Take … for example people to think the temperature in the room is warmer than it
2. Sometimes, colors are culture-specific. actually is. Cool colors, like blue, green, and purple cause
- There’s no better example than people to estimate the temperature as colder.
That is to say certain colors mean different
things in different cultures. - For example/ For instance, … c. Trees and plants are green, so the color Green often
3. Also, a person’s past experience can affect represents life and nature. Blue, the color of the sky, oceans,
- In some instances, …
feelings about a certain color. In other and lakes, makes us think of air, water, and peace.
words, colors may have personal meaning. - In one case, …
d. White represents goodness in the United States, but it often
4. Businesses can use colors to their advantage
- To give an example, associates with death in some Oriental cultures like China,
by saving on heating and cooling costs if
India, and Japan.
they know that people’s perception of - A case in point is …
temperature may be changed by colors. e. People used blue to ease pain.
- As an illustration, …
5. Researchers are finding that colors can f. While green sparks creativity, red reduces analytical
change our behaviors in specific ways. - To illustrate, … thinking. Athletes are more likely to lose when they compete
6. Colors have been believed to have healing against an opponent wearing red, and students exposed to red
power since ancient times. before a test are likely to perform worse.

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Student B:
- Read each of the arguments carefully and match it with the most suitable example.
- Tell Student A about the roles of colors of clothes in our life, using the arguments, language for giving examples and the suitable
examples.

Arguments Language for Giving Examples Examples

a. Street workers wear clothes with silver color or
1. What color you wear may have political - A fine/typical example of this is … light-reflected patterns at night.
meaning as it indicates your political
- … is a fine/typical example of this. b. In the past, only Royalty was allowed to wear yellow
stance.
2. Clothes colors have a crucial role to play - Take … for example clothes or purple/violet clothes.
in social etiquettes, from East to West. c. People do not wear too colorful clothes when going
- There’s no better example than …
3. Also, a person’s job or role can be to an interview or a convention.
signified by the color of their outfits. - For example/ For instance, …
4. The colors of clothes serve more than d. Clothes’ color of police, soldier, doctor, prisoner,
- In some instances, …
the sole purpose of making up. Making and volunteer are different.
clever use of color helps guarantee - In one case, …
safety for the wearers as well. e. The darker the clothes is, the hotter people feel.
- To give an example, That’s why people tend to wear white color to reflect
5. Health-conscious people know how to
wear colors to their advantage. - A case in point is … heat when it’s hot and sunny.
6. Colors of the costumes are seen as
- As an illustration, … f. In Thailand, Reds and Yellows wear shirts of
indications of people’s social status.
different colors.
7. Getting dressed properly, in the right - To illustrate, …
colors, at the workplace is a way to g. In some countries, people wear dark or white
project the image of career’s clothes when going to funeral, but red clothes when
professionalism. going to weddings.

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 Language Functions

2. You are going to discuss the following question.

Work in pairs in 10 minutes

Remember to refer to LANGUAGE BANK and the HINTS below.

TOPIC: The colours of clothes have different social meanings. Discuss those meanings
and provide relevant examples.

HINTS: Think of different aspects of life. For each aspect, think of one or two example(s).
Consult the list of these examples.

• In Thailand, Red-shirts and Yellow-shirts (two opposing political camps) wear shirts
of different colours.

• In some countries, people wear dark or white clothes when going to funerals, red
clothes when going to weddings.

• The darker the clothes are, the hotter people feel.

• In the past, only Royalty was allowed to wear yellow clothes or purple/violet clothes.

• Clothing colours of police, soldier, doctor, prisoner, volunteer are different.

• Street workers wear clothes with silver colour.

• People do not wear too colourful clothes when going to a job interview or a
convention.

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 Listening Test Prep

Listening Test Prep

ACADEMIC ENGLISH 1B

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 Listening Test Prep

PREFACE

What is the purpose of this material?

Listening Test Prep, compiled for internal use by instructors at English 1, Faculty of English
Language Teacher Education, purports to expose first-year English majors to a number of
listening task types, question types and skills, and prepares them for the end-of-term
Academic English Test at B1 level in accordance with the Common European Framework
of Reference. Intended for in-class listening, this material familiarizes students with the test
format and simultaneously helps them develop sub-skills needed for each section of the
test, such as listening for details, opinions and attitudes, or for inferences. All the exercises
in this material are compiled from sources of A2, B1 and lower B2 levels to ensure the
increasing levels of difficulty of tasks and thus the improvement in students’ listening skill.

How is the material organized?

The first part of this material is a table presenting an overview of the Academic English
Listening Test. This is followed by practice exercises that resemble parts of the test in terms
of task types and question types. Two consecutive parts of the test are dealt with each week.
There are two full practice tests in week 7 and week 14 to prepare students for the real
progress tests in week 8 and week 15. The student book only has the exercises, while the
teacher’s book features the exercises, instructions on how to deal with each task type,
answer keys and transcripts of the audio files.

How is the material used?

Listening Test Prep is used in Academic Listening-Speaking sessions every two weeks, with
50 minutes being allocated for this practice each session. Before actual listening, it is
suggested the teacher explains the objectives of the test sections in question and have
students study the questions carefully. This can be followed by discussions of the most
effective techniques/strategies for dealing with those question types, and then two times
listening. Alternatively, the teacher could have students listen and do the task first, then
elicit the techniques/strategies they have just used and advise on the most effective ones.
Whichever approach it is, the teacher’s experience sharing in doing the task is highly
appreciated. Checking answers with the whole class should include detailed explanations,
especially for difficult items.

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 Listening Test Prep

Overview of the Test

Number of Weighing
Section Item type questions Skills tested in points

8 short recordings Listen for details

1 (monologues and
8 8
dialogues)
3-option multiple choice

2 1 monologue Listen for details

7 7
Gap-fill

Listen for general

3 1 dialogue meaning,
6 6
True/False opinions and
attitudes
Listen for general
4 1 monologue
4 meaning, details, 4
3-option multiple choice
inferences
Total 25 25

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 Listening Test Prep

Week 3: Sections 1 & 2 of the Test (1)

Section 1
In section 1, you listen to 8 short dialogues or monologues. For each one, there is a question
and three options. You have to choose the best option. You will hear each piece twice. The
dialogues/monologues may be:

­ conversations at home or between friends

­ conversations at college or at work
­ conversations in shops
­ answerphone messages
­ radio/ public announcements
­ part of a talk.

You will hear 8 short recordings. For each of the questions 1-8, choose the best answer A,
B, or C according to what you hear. You will hear each piece twice.

1. Where is the woman going to go on 5. What did the man buy?

holiday this year? A. bread and milk
A. Canada B. bread, milk and stamps
B. Italy C. bread, milk and a newspaper
C. Turkey 6. How can people travel today?
2. What time was the man’s appointment? A. by ferry
A. 10:30 B. by train
B. 11:00 C. by car
C. 11:40 7. What is the date of the wedding
3. How far is the nearest supermarket? anniversary?
A. 5 km A. 24th
B. 3 km B. 25th
C. 1 km C. 26th
4. What does the man receive in the post? 8. What musical instrument does the
A. a parcel and some letters family have now?
B. a parcel and a postcard A. the piano and the flute
C. a postcard and some letters B. the guitar and the flute
C. the drums and the piano

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 Listening Test Prep

Section 2
In section 2, you listen to a monologue which provides information about places or events
(trips, holiday activities, courses, etc.). It may be a radio announcement or an extract from
a talk or radio program. On the page, there are notes with 7 gaps. While you listen, you
have to fill in the gaps with words from the text. In the recording you will hear the exact
word you need to write. You need to write only one or two words in each gap.

You will hear a tour guide talking to some new guests at the hotel. For each of the questions
9-15, fill in the missing information in the numbered space. You will hear the recording
twice.

The Riverside Hotel

Tour Guide
The office is (9) ___________ the reception desk.

Meals
Breakfast: in the Green Room on the first floor beside the (10) ___________
Food for trips: collect from the (11) ___________ at 9.00 a.m.
Dinner: hotel restaurant famous for its (12) ___________ dishes

Riverboat Trip
Day: (13) ___________
Time: afternoon and evening

Cost of Holiday
Everything is included except (14) ___________

Facilities
It’s possible to swim from (15) ___________ a.m. until 10.00 p.m.

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