Part B
Listening Tasks

Text: How to Improve Your Conversation Skills

Exercise 1:

Listening for general understanding

Listen to this tape once and following

To speak to people in a foreign language requires courage and a willingness to make errors. Some people are so afraid of making mistakes that they never open their mouths. And that's the biggest mistake of all. Now if you have courage and are ready to make a few errors, what do you say?

First of all, you have to open the conversation. Finding an appropriate topic is half the battle. Some topics, such as the weather and news, work well. But others, such as age, money or people's appearance do not. The following are some good ways to open a conversation.

Weather -- It sure is cold today, isn't it?

News -- Did you hear about that terrible forest fire?

A conversation in a foreign language doesn't always go smoothly. Sometimes your partner talks too fast and you find it difficult to follow. Not to worry, though. You can always ask your partner to repeat what he has said or to speak more slowly. For example, "Excuse me, but could you say that again? I didn't catch it." Or "Could you speak more slowly, please?"

At the end of a conversation you need to find a way to close it in a polite way. "Well, I really need to be going", or "It was nice talking to you" are frequently used by people to end a conversation.

Exercise 2

Listen for detail Listen the text once again and then please answer the following question

To speak to people in a foreign language requires courage and a willingness to make errors. Some people are so afraid of making mistakes that they never open their mouths. And that's the biggest mistake of all. Now if you have courage and are ready to make a few errors, what do you say?

First of all, you have to open the conversation. Finding an appropriate topic is half the battle. Some topics, such as the weather and news, work well. But others, such as age, money or people's appearance do not. The following are some good ways to open a conversation.

Weather -- It sure is cold today, isn't it?

News -- Did you hear about that terrible forest fire?

A conversation in a foreign language doesn't always go smoothly. Sometimes your partner talks too fast and you find it difficult to follow. Not to worry, though. You can always ask your partner to repeat what he has said or to speak more slowly. For example, "Excuse me, but could you say that again? I didn't catch it." Or "Could you speak more slowly, please?"

At the end of a conversation you need to find a way to close it in a polite way. "Well, I really need to be going", or "It was nice talking to you" are frequently used by people to end a conversation.

Speaking task pair work

Listen to the dialogues and repeat after the recording. Practice the dialogues with your partner, playing the role of A or B. Then work with your partner to create your own dialogues by replacing the underlined parts with your own words.

Dialogue 1.

A: Excuse me, Jack, do you have a minute?
B: Yes. What can I do for you?
A: Well, you see, I've been learning English for several years now but I still can't speak much English. I wonder if you could tell me how I could improve my oral English.
B: Mm. Do you often speak English with your friends?
A: I wanted to, but every time I open my mouth I seem to make errors. So sometimes I just give up.
B: I guess speaking in a foreign language isn't easy. You must be willing to make some errors at the beginning.
A: You mean I shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes.
B: That's right.
A: And I should try to speak English as much as I can.
B: Exactly.
A: Thanks for the advice.
B: Any time. Good luck on your oral English.
A: Thanks.
A and B: Bye.

dialogue 2.

A: Cold this morning, isn't it?
B: Yes, and it's supposed to get even colder.
A: I hope it won't get as cold as last night.
B: Speaking of last night, did you attend the English Speech Contest?
A: Yeah, I did. It was terrific. That guy who won the first prize speaks really fluent English. I do admire him.
B: Me, too. We'll just have to work harder. Maybe one of us can win the next English contest.
A: Yeah, maybe. Who knows?
B: Well, I have to run now. I have an appointment with the dean. See you.
A: See you.

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