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Improving your listening skill - Intermediate 1 EOI

Hello Everyone,

I'm terribly sorry it took me so long to write this post, but it's better late than never. So many of you have asked me how they could improve your listening skill, so that you can pass your final exam. I'm going to list different sites and apps I've found; all of them may not help you, but find one or two that are helpful for YOU (we're all different so those that help you might not help your classmate, and that's completely normal). Therefore, let's start up with simple tips:

Tip
#1
- You can change the audio setting/language of your tv and listen to some English for 15-20 minutes every day.
#2
- Watch films in English, with English subtitles
#3
- Listen to songs: you can either listen to songs you like, reading the lyrics at the same time as you're listening (and looking up the words you don't know), or you can practise with this site Songs to learn English Intermediate
#4
- You can listen to the cd that comes with the books we've got for you to borrow at the school. You can play it while you're driving, or upload it on your mp3/mp4 player or smartphone, and listen to it while you're running/jogging/waiting. You may even connect your smartphone to the car speakers and listen to an English radio station.
#5
- Listen to English news radio stations, and choose pieces of news you've already heard in Spanish, just to check how much you undertand from a topic you already know what it is about.
VOA - Voice of America
Words in the News BBC Learning English (you can download the podcasts)
breakingnewsenglish Do level 5. Choose a piece of news, and once you're on the page, go to LISTEN and click on "mp3", right below the heading. Then choose the speed (medium).
- TheNewYorkTimes - videos
#6
- Follow a series that you like, and watch it in English (if you can watch it with English subtitles, even better).


And now I'll list some websites that may help you:

- Better at English - real English conversations This website has got podcasts (that you can download) and they come with the transcription. The author tries to use idioms and phrasal verbs in them.
- saberingles Listening exercises taken from news on VOA.
-Listening exercises with The Simpsons
- elllo Choose level 4, but if you find it difficult start with level 3. However, if you find it easy, try level5.
- Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab Try "Medium" level.
- ompersonal - video
- ompersonal - audio
- englishclub - news They publish a new audio every week, so keep it as one of your favourites and check it every week; make it a routine. That's the only way to see an improvement, being constant.
- manythings Many different topics, with transcriptions.
- Khan Academy In the Khan Academy you've got a wide range of topics, and also, you can find texts to improve your vocabulary. It's probably a bit complecated, since it's what students in the US use to study. However, it may help people interested in specific topics related to science or history, and it may come in handy in Intermediate 2 and above. Go to the upper left side of the page, click on "subject" and choose the one of your choice.
- National Geographic This could be difficult, but some of you could be interested in these topics/videos, and it's also important that this is fun for you, otherwise you'll give up really quickly.

You can also give it a go to Dictation:
- ompersonal -dictation
- dictationsonline  Start up by Pre-intermediate and go on form there.
- learnenglish.de - dictation

And finally, here you have two apps you can use to improve and listen anywhere:
-  english_conversation_app
- voicepaperapp As far as I know, this one is only for iPhone (sorry!). There must be one also for Android, I haven't found it yet.

Try to download the audios or podcasts, it may be useful to have them on your mobile.

Watch, Practise and Learn about almost everything

A free world-class education for anyone anywhere.The Khan Academy is an organization on a mission. We're a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.

All of the site's resources are available to anyone. It doesn't matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. The Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge.

Khan Academy

OM personal

OM personal Listening and videos
om personal audio

The Bob and Rob Show

http://www.thebobandrobshow.com/website/index.php

Listen and Read Along

On this site, you can read and at the same time you can read what is being said.

http://www.manythings.org/listen/

Irish Legends

Since St Paddy's Day is coming, we can read and listen to different Irish legends in these two links below.

http://www.carlingfordandmourne.com/myths-and-legends/the-tain-b%C3%B3-cualigne-the-brown-bull-of-cooley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwvvkCM7mcY&feature=related

On American accent

American accent.
http://www.globalenglishsalon.com/english/

Listen a minute

You may find some of the links a bit easy, nonetheless, if you choose the topic well, it can be of great help. Besides, it comes with exercises. If you think your listening is weak, try one a day. (NI1)

http://l.wbx.me/l/?p=1&instId=ac7e799d-f7a4-40a1-ac1b-9b4900a09810&token=980192325cb184ca91fb2923bfc19928ea9603ac000001357b237e47&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.listenaminute.com%2F

Inside Job

I recommend this film not only so practise listening and in order to widen your range of vocabulary, but also because of the quality of the film in itself. I think it's information we sould all know. (NI2)

http://www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/

Listening practice with the Simpsons

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/eslvideo/videos2.html

Listening Practice

For those who really need extra practicehttp://www.saberingles.com.ar/listening/index.html

Children talk about love - answers

What do kids think about marriage?

Before listening:

1.- Do you remember what you used to think about marriage?

2.- What’s wrong in these expressions? There’s one that is correct.

I got married to John                     I finally got divorced.                          

I can’t marry him.                                He’s getting divorced of Anne.

Enjoy life before you tie the knot.     At long last he said “I do”.

Watch the video and answer the following questions:

1.- On a romantic date you should eat  pizza and macaroni.

2.- What’s love?

 Maybe a feeling I guess / When you hug people and kiss people

3.- Who are the people they love? Choose the options they mention.

My baby doll                          my family                               my dad

My dog                                   my mum                                 my cat

My friends                              my baby brother                   

4.- How do these kids show that they love somebody?

 We play together/ I draw them a picture (hearts with rainbows on it) / Giving hugs

5.- How does one boy know that he likes his girlfriend?

 She looks nice

6.- Why doesn’t one girl want to have a boyfriend? They'll kiss her

7.- How does one girl know her parents are in love? They dance at home and kiss on the lips

8.- What could/should people do when they have a broken heart?

 They should hang out with their family / They should find other people to play with

9.- What kind of person do these kids want to marry?

 Maybe one that plays an instrument / Somebody with hair on their arms / Their brothers (baby brother)

10.- What do they like about St. Valentine’s Day?

Making Valentine's cards for people / on that day you love somebody / when you get the heart chocolates.

Children talk about love - Listening exercise

Children are probably some of the most difficult people to understand, not because of the vocabulary they use, but because they're learning to speak themselves. So here you have a bit of a challenge, related to emotions and relationships.

What do kids think about marriage?

Before listening:

1.- Do you remember what you used to think about marriage?

2.- What’s wrong in these expressions? There’s one that is correct.

I got married with John                     I finally got divorce.                          

I can’t marry he.                                He’s getting divorce of Anne.

Enjoy life before you tie the knot.     At long last he gave her the “yes, I want”.

Watch the video and answer the following questions:

1.- On a romantic date you should eat_______________________________

2.- What’s love?

3.- Who are the people they love? Choose the options they mention.

My baby doll                          my family                               my dad

My dog                                   my mum                                 my cat

My friends                              my baby brother                   

4.- How do these kids show that they love somebody?

5.- How does one boy know that he likes his girlfriend?

6.- Why doesn’t one girl want to have a boyfriend?

7.- How does one girl know her parents are in love?

8.- What could/should people do when they have a broken heart?

9.- What kind of person do these kids want to marry?

10.- What do they like about St. Valentine’s Day?

Exercise on The Tell-Tale Heart

THE TELL-TALE HEART

by Edgar Allan Poe
1843 

I can’t recall how the ______entered my mind; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. I loved the old man. He never wronged me, never insulted me and desired ___________of him. It was his eye! Yes, his eye! He had the eye of a vulture. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran _____; and so by degrees, I decided to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of him forever.

Oh, you should have seen me! How wisely, with such force and ________ calculation I planned it! Every night, ____  __________, I turned the knob of his _______and opened it, so gently! Oh, you would have admired my cunning. I moved slowly, so slowly. When I was well inside the room, I let the light fall on the_______ _______, but it was closed. I was never kinder to the old man in that way before I killed him. Every morning, I boldly went into _____ ________and inquired after him:

-'Good morning, did you sleep _______?'

- 'I’m not bad, _________ _______, not bad.'

 'He suspected nothing.'

Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious. A watch's minute hand moves ________  __________than I did. Upon never before life I had the triumph of my powers.

It’s open.    -'Who's there?'     Wide open.        -'Who's there?'

I kept quite still in the___________. For an hour I didn’t move a muscle. He’s trying to comfort himself. The strait swells in his chest, and then I heard it, a dull quick ___________like a watch enveloping gun.  It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum draws the soldier into courage.

His eye would trouble me no more.

If took wise precautions for the disposal of the _________.

What have I to fear?

-'Sorry to disturb you Sir, but a___________’s reported a shriek.'

- 'Shriek?'      -' A shriek.'

-'Oh, that was my own nightmare, you see?'

- 'I see.'          -'Come in.'

I bade them search --search well. There was nothing to fear, no clues______________. I led them into his chamber. I bade them some tea.

-'Tea?'

-'It’d be very _________ Sir, thank you.'

- 'Two sugars, thank you.'

-'Oh, butterflies. I’ll write that down.'

-'The Virgin Mary.'

-'Here are the posters, another pomping folk.'

-' This candelabra is __________in dust but it’s been moved.'

-'Covered in dust.'   
- 'But moved.'
- 'But moved.' 
- 'Put that down.'

-'Please sit.'    
- 'Thank you.'

In the enthusiasm of confidence, in the wild audacity of my __________ triumph, I placed the chair above the spot beneath which the corpse laid.

-'How long have you lived here?'   -'______ _______, least.'-'And the gentleman?'

-'Oh yeah! He’s a widower, you see? He prefers lodgers rather than keep the house.'

-'Mister Hodge prefers to lodge?'  
-'Very nice place it is.'   
-'Aye, very nice.'

Suddenly a deep fatigue sweat over me.  My ________ began to ache, there was a ringing in my ears: it became more distinct. That tapping sound.

-'When did you say the gentleman left?'  
-'I didn’t say.'  
-'When did he leave then?'

-'Not sure.'   
-'You’re not sure?'   
-'I didn’t say.'

No doubt I grew pale; the sound increased -- what ________ I do? Was it possible they didn’t hear it?  'Sir?'. They mocked me. 'Nice tea'. Anything was more tolerable than this derision! It grew louder! And louder! And louder!

I admit it! I can’t stand this mock______ ______ _____. You are the villains for your deceit. I can’t stand it! It’s the beating of his hideous heart.

Thereby hangs my turn

Ted Talks

This is the link to the web page where I took the Listening we did on Friday in the Intermediate II classes
http://www.ted.com/talks

Words in the News

This is a web by the BBC, with graded listenings. The add useful language and expressions
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/

Wild Young Hearts

Here you have the song we were listening to in the last intermediate I class. You have the lyrics so that you can sing along!!!!!