Listening skills
& strategies

Good morning everyone, and welcome to our walking tour. My name's Anna, and today I'll show you around the Old Harbour, one of the most famous parts of our city. We'll start here, next to the lighthouse, and then walk along the water to the fish market. The whole tour takes about an hour, so please stay together and tell me if you need to stop. The weather looks good today, but the ground near the water can be wet, so watch your step. Are you ready? Great — let's begin.

Welcome back to the programme. Before the break, we talked about saving money on food. Now, in this final part, we'll look at a very different kind of saving — saving energy at home. I'll give you five simple changes that can cut your electricity bill by up to a third, and not one of them costs you a penny.

Good evening. Has this ever happened to you? You walk into a room and completely forget why you went there. Tonight I'm going to explain what scientists have discovered about why we forget small things — and the surprising news is that forgetting is not always a bad sign.

A: Did you bring the tickets for the concert tonight?

B: Oh no. I think I left them on the kitchen table.

A: The concert starts in an hour, and your house is forty minutes away.

B: Wait, don't panic. Let me check my email — I think I have a digital copy on my phone.

A: Have you decided where to go this summer?

B: Not yet. I want somewhere with a beach, but my brother wants mountains.

A: That's a difficult choice. Why not find a place with both?

B: Good idea. There's a town on the south coast with a beach, and there are hills behind it for walking.

A: Perfect. Is it expensive?

B: The hotels are okay, but the flights are quite high in July.

A: Maybe travel in June, then. It's cheaper and not too hot.

B: True. I'll look at the prices tonight and tell my brother.

A: Let me know — I might come too!

A lot of people tell me they have no time to read. But here's the thing: most of those same people spend two or three hours a day on their phones. I'm not saying phones are bad. I'm saying that we usually have more free time than we think — we just spend it without noticing. If you read for only ten minutes a day, that's about fifteen books a year.

And in other news, the small town of Greenfield has done something unusual. For one week, the town switched off all its street advertising — the big screens and billboards. To everyone's surprise, shop sales did not fall. In fact, people said the streets felt calmer, and the mayor now wants to make the change permanent.

A: I really think our company should let people work from home two days a week.

B: I understand the idea, but I'm not sure. When we're all in the office, problems get solved faster.

A: That's true, but people waste two hours a day travelling. They'd be happier and less tired.

B: Maybe the answer is one day at home, not two — then we keep the team feeling and still get some of the benefits.

A: That's a fair compromise. Let's suggest one day to the manager.

I want to tell you why walking to work has changed my life. The main point is simple: it makes me feel healthier and calmer. First, my body feels better. I used to sit in a car for forty minutes, and my back hurt. Now I walk for thirty minutes, and the pain has gone. Second, I feel less stressed. On the walk, I look at the trees and the river, and I arrive at the office in a good mood. Of course, there are problems. When it rains, I get wet, and in winter it's dark in the morning. But for me, the good points are much bigger than the bad ones. So if you live close to your work, I really think you should try walking.

I want to explain why our café decided to stop using paper cups. The main reason was simple: we were throwing away nearly a thousand cups every week. So we made a change. Now, if you bring your own cup, you get a small discount. If you don't have one, you can borrow a cup and bring it back next time. At first, some customers were annoyed, but after a month almost everyone joined in. We now throw away far fewer cups, and we've even saved money.

Today I'll present the results of our reading project. The headline is this: children who were read to every night improved their own reading much faster than those who were not. Now the details. We followed two hundred children for one year. The first group was read to for fifteen minutes each evening; the second group was not. After a year, the first group was nearly a year ahead in reading age. Interestingly, it did not matter which books were chosen — what mattered was doing it every day.

Let me tell you about the day our team finally won the regional competition. The most important moment came in the last minute, when our youngest player scored the winning point. We had trained for months, often early in the morning. The final game was close, and at half-time we were actually losing by four points. But we didn't give up. When the whistle blew, the whole crowd stood up. For me, the best part wasn't the trophy — it was seeing how proud my teammates were.

Hello, you've reached the City Sports Centre. Let me give you some information. We're open every day from seven in the morning until ten at night, except on Sundays, when we close at six. The swimming pool is on the ground floor, and the gym is upstairs. A single visit costs eight euros, but if you come often, a monthly card is much cheaper — only thirty euros. To use the pool, please bring a swimming hat; you can buy one at the front desk for two euros. If you'd like to book a class, call us between nine and five, Monday to Friday.

Thank you for calling the Health Centre. Please listen carefully, as our hours have changed. We are now open from eight in the morning until six in the evening on weekdays, and on Saturdays we close at midday. We are closed on Sundays. To book an appointment, press one. Please note that you must now book appointments at least one day in advance.

This is an announcement for passengers on the ten-fifteen service to Lakeside. Because of engineering work, this train will no longer stop at Hillton; the first stop will be Riverend. Passengers for Hillton should leave this train and take the replacement bus from outside the station. We expect the bus to add about twenty minutes to your journey. We apologise for the delay.

Welcome to the Wildlife Park information desk. The park opens at nine, but the lion feeding — our most popular event — takes place at half past eleven and again at three. The little train is free for children under five; everyone else pays two euros. If you'd like to eat, the main restaurant stops serving hot food at four, but the kiosk near the gate stays open until six.

Making a simple cup of Turkish tea is easy if you follow these steps. First, fill the bottom pot with water and put it on the heat. Next, add the tea leaves to the top pot. When the water boils, pour some of it onto the leaves in the top pot, and then put the top pot back on. After that, let the tea sit on low heat for about fifteen minutes, so it becomes strong. Finally, pour a little strong tea into your glass, and add hot water from the bottom pot until you like the colour. Don't add too much tea at first, because you can always make it stronger later.

Let me explain what happens to a glass bottle after you throw it in the recycling bin. First, a truck collects the bottles and takes them to a sorting centre. Next, machines separate the glass by colour. After that, the glass is crushed into small pieces and cleaned. Then it is heated until it melts. Finally, the melted glass is shaped into new bottles, which can be back in the shops within a month.

Here's how I ended up with the wrong suitcase. At first, I landed and went straight to collect my bag. Then I saw my suitcase — black, with four wheels — and took it. However, when I got to the hotel and opened it, the clothes inside were not mine. So I called the airport, and luckily someone had reported the same problem. In the end, we met the next morning and swapped the bags. I felt a little silly.

I'll show you how to set up the new printer. Before anything else, take the printer out of the box and remove all the orange tape. Secondly, fill the tray with paper and put in the ink. Once that's done, connect the printer to the wall and turn it on. After the light turns green, download the app and follow the steps. Lastly, print the test page to check the colours. If the test page looks wrong, just clean the ink heads from the app.

A: Two coffees and a piece of cake, please.

B: Of course. Would you like the cake warm?

A: Yes, please, with a little ice cream.

B: Sure. Are you sitting inside or outside today?

A: Outside, I think — the sun is nice.

B: No problem. I'll bring everything to your table. By the way, the band starts playing at eight, so it gets busy after that.

A: Oh, we'll be gone by then. We just came for a quick break before the cinema.

B: Enjoy the film!

Mr Brown: Have you finished the report I asked for yesterday?

Sally: Almost, Mr Brown. I just need another hour to check the figures.

Mr Brown: Fine, but remember the client is coming at two, so it must be on my desk before then.

Sally: Of course. I'll bring it to your office by one thirty.

Mr Brown: Good. And well done on the design — it looks very professional.

Man: Could I see your ticket, please? ... Thank you. Oh, this is for coach B, but you're sitting in coach C.

Woman: Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't notice. Is it a problem?

Man: It's fine for now, the train isn't full, but the person with this seat may get on at the next station.

Woman: I see. I'll move back to my own seat at the next stop, then.

Man: That would be best. Enjoy your journey.

I bought this little plant six months ago, and honestly I expected it to die in a week, like all the others. But I changed one thing: instead of watering it whenever I remembered, I now water it only on Sundays. And look at it — it's twice the size. I think my problem before was never the plant; it was me. I was being too kind, giving it water every day, and the roots were always wet.