1. Identifying loss of plosion and liaison while listening;

2. Understanding two news items and doing all the exercises;

3. Understanding two conversations and doing all the exercises;

4. Understanding two passages and doing all the exercises.

A. You are going to hear fifteen phrases. Repeat what you hear and underline the consonants that undergo loss of plosion.

Example: put down

1) wet ground  

2) next door  

3) stop talking 

4) keep quiet 

5) take care  

6) hard times 

7) quite different 

8) waste time  

9) bright future  

10) first visit 

11) get through  

12) first step

13) make sure 

14) great changes  

15) good morning

B. You are going to hear ten sentences. Repeat what you hear and underline the consonants that undergo loss of plosion.

 1) I don’t believe it.

 2) She is taking care of a sick child.

 3) The third lesson is the hardest one.

 4) He told me not to work too hard.

 5) I seldom make spelling mistakes. 

 6) Don’t make such loud noise.

 7) Try not to eat too much at the party.

 8) That black jacket is not mine.

 9) He will help me find a good job.

10) I don’t think my husband will let me give a public show.

A. Native English speakers don’t separate all their words in their speech; in fact, they join them together whenever possible. This is called linking, or liaison, which is important for listening comprehension. You are going to hear fifteen phrases. Listen carefully and mark the linking parts. Then repeat what you hear. 

1) come on   

2) half a year  

3) ten o’clock

4) sold out  

5) stand up  

6) keep on

7) there are  

8) for ever  

9) all of  us

10) take it off 

11) made up of 

12) once in  a while

13) not at  all 

14) half an  hour 

15) first  of  all

B. Listen to the following sentences and mark the linking parts. Repeat what you hear and also pay attention to the loss of plosion in each sentence. 

 1) Two pounds of potatoes, one pint of oil, what  else do you want? 

 2) Rock and roll started to be popular in the 1950s. 

 3) Did your friends know a lot about your company?

 4) Did you know that a good deed erases a bad one?

 5) Cheer up — you have to help yourself out.

 6) Give him an inch and he’ll take a yard. 

 7) Green grass is seen in most parts of our city.

 8) Little is known about the general’s life.

 9) Where there is a will, there is a way.

10) We put up quite a lot of money.

A. News Item One

●  Listen to the following news item and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.

1) What is the news report mainly about?

a. A car bomb attack.  

b. A Muslim holy month.

c. Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin. 

d. A central historic district.

2) How many people were wounded?

a. 7.  

b. 11. 

c. 26. 

d. 36.

      * Script:

      A car bomb in Istanbul killed 11 and wounded 36 people during morning rush hour Tuesday. A police bus was the target. Seven police oficers were killed.

      It happened on the second day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It is the latest of several attacks in Istanbul this year.  

      Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin spoke at the scene of the explosion. He said a bomb inside a car blew up when a police bus passed by. The bomb went off in a central historic district. Many ambulances were sent to the scene.

B. News Item Two

●  Listen to the following news item and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.

3) Why did Nayla Kidd run away?

a. Because she couldn’t afford the high tuition.

b. Because she felt lonely at the highly-ranked school.

c. Because she thought life at Columbia University was too stressful.

d. Because she didn’t get along well with her friends.

4) How long did Nayla Kidd disappear?

a. Two days. 

b. Two weeks.

c. Two months. 

d. Two years.

5) What can we infer from the news?

a. Nayla Kidd moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan.

b. Nayla Kidd canceled her bank accounts.

c. Nayla Kidd worked for the New York Post newspaper.

d. Nayla Kidd skipped her final exams.

      * Script:  

       A Columbia University student said she ran away in May because life at the highly-ranked school was too stressful. Nayla Kidd was an engineering student at Columbia, in New York City. When she disappeared, her friends, family and police looked for her for two weeks. She was found living in another part of the city. Kidd explained that she moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn after turning away from university life. “I skipped my final exams, changed bank accounts, and got a second phone number,” she wrote in the New York Post newspaper. “I needed to break from my old life of high pressure and unreasonable expectations.”

●  Listen to the following long conversation and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.

1) Where does this conversation most likely take place?

a. At the airport. 

b. In a restaurant.

c. In a hotel. 

d. At a bus station.

2) Where does the man come from?

a. The U.K.

b. The U.S.

c. Brazil.

d. New Zealand.

3) What is the purpose of Mr. Brown’s visit?

a. Business.

b. Pleasure.

c. Partly business and partly pleasure.

d. Not mentioned in the conversation.

4) How long will Mr. Brown be staying?

a. About a year.

b. About a month.

c. At least a year.

d. Less than a week.

5) What luggage does Mr. Brown have?

a. A small suitcase and a box with tools.

b. A small suitcase with some products.

c. A small box with some documents.

d. A small suitcase and a box with some products.

* Script:

Officer: Good afternoon, sir. May I see your passport and declaration, please?

Peter: Of course. Here you are.

Officer: Thank you… You are Peter Brown.

Peter: Yes.

Officer: Where are you from, Mr. Brown?

Peter: London, England.

Officer: And what is the purpose of your visit? Business or pleasure?

Peter: Partly business and partly pleasure.

Officer: I see. How long will you be staying in the U.S.?

Peter: About a month. At least one week, I think.

Officer: Where do you intend to travel while in the country?

Peter: Washington, D.C. first; then I’ll be heading on to New York City.

Officer: Fine, I have to check your luggage now, Sir.

Peter: Okay, I have a small suitcase and a box with some company products.

Officer: What do you have in the suitcase?

Peter: Clothes and some documents.

Officer: All right. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

A. Passage One

●  Listen to the following passage and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given. 

1) What is dry ice made of?

a. Chemical. 

b. Vapor.

c. Water. 

d. Gas.

2) How is an artificial fog made in the movie?

a. By passing steam over dry ice.

b. By turning ordinary ice into steam.

c. By heating dry ice.

d. By mixing dry ice with ordinary ice.

3) What is the advantage of dry ice over ordinary ice?

a. It takes a longer time to melt.

b. It is cleaner to use than ordinary ice.

c. It is lighter to carry.

d. It is not so cold as ordinary ice.

      * Script:

        Can you imagine ice that does not melt and is not wet? Have you ever heard of dry ice? Dry ice is made by freezing a gas. It is quite different from ordinary ice, which is simply frozen water.

        Dry ice was first manufactured in 1925. It has since fulfilled the hope of its inventor. It can be used for making artificial fog in the movies. When steam is passed over dry ice, a very dense vapor rises. It can also be used for destroying insects in grain supplies. It is more practical than ordinary ice because it takes up less space and is 142 degrees colder. Since it turns into steam instead of melting into water, it is cleaner to use. For these reasons it is extremely popular, and many people prefer it to ordinary ice.

B. Passage Two

●  Listen to the following passage and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given. 

1) How much money fell out of the truck?

a. $30,000. 

b. $300,000.

c. $370,000. 

d. $3,700,000.

2) What did people in Overtown think of the money?

a. It was sent by the truck company.

b. It was sent by God.

c. It was not their money.

d. Taking the money was right.

      * Script:

        One day in Overtown, Florida, $3.7 million fell from the sky. It happened when a truck turned over. There was money everywhere. One man said, “The streets were like silver.” Some people took off their shirts and filled them with money. Police officers went from door to door in the neighborhood. They asked people to return the money. After six hours, the total returned: Zero. No one in Overtown was surprised. Many people in this town were poor. They needed the money to buy food for their children. They thought that God sent the money to them. Some people said, “God sent the truck.” The police said it was a serious crime. “People have taken thousands of dollars. It’s not their money, and they have to return it.” The police also mentioned it was dangerous to keep the money because everyone knew about the story from the news. People had money in their drawers or their back yards, and other people would try to steal it. About a week later, only one person returned some money. He was a fire fighter. He found $300,000 in a bag and gave it to the police. The people of Overtown still had the rest of the money.