LISTENING PRACTICE 1: Meeting people

You’re going to listen to a conversation between a man called Tom and a woman called Jenny. They have just met. Think about meeting situations. Which phrases do you usually say when you meet someone for the first time? What are the most common topics in informal meetings? Take a minute or two to reflect on these questions before starting doing this listening activity.

1. Here you have some sentences from the conversation you are going to listen to. Order them as you think they may appear in the listening. Complete this activity in Quiz 1_1.

Where are you from?

How about you? What do you do?

What do you do now?
Nice to meet you
I don’t think we’ve met
Well, originally I’m from Argentina.


2. Here you have some new words you are going to find in the listening. Do you know what they mean? If not, find their meaning first at Cambridge Online Dictionary. Then, match them to their corresponding sound in Quiz 1_2.

PSYCHOLOGY DOWNTOWN TRANSFERRED (to transfer)
UNTIL OVERSEAS BORN
PLACES AT LEAST SALES REPRESENTATIVE
MAJORING (to major) MILITARY ---
MOVED (to move) KIDDING ---

3. Below there are some questions about the conversation you are going to listen to. First, read the questions and make sure you understand them. Then, listen to the audio file and select the right answer. You can listen to it as many times as you need. Complete this activity in Quiz 1_3.

1. Have they met before?

A. No, this is the first time they have met
B. Yes they met on a party last year
C. Yes, they met on Argentina

2. Where is the woman from originally?

A. Argentina
B. the United States
C. Chile

3. About how old was Tom when he returned to the United States?

A. 7 years old
B. 10 years old
C. 17 years old

4. Has Tom lived in Korea?

A. Yes
B. No
C. On a trip

5. Who is studying Psychology?

A. Tom
B. Jenny
C. Tom’s brother

6. Who works as a sales representative?

A. Tome
B. Jenny
C. Tom’s brother

5. In this Quiz you will find the transcript of the conversation you have just heard. Go to Quiz 1_4 then, listen and fill in the blanks with the missing words.

Tom: Hi. I don't __________ we've met. My name's Tom.
Jenny: Hi, Tom. Nice to _____________ you. My name is Juanita, but everybody calls me Jenny.
Tom: Nice to meet you, Jenny. So, __________ are you from?
Jenny: Well, originally I'm from Argentina, but we moved to the United States when I was about five years old. My __________ now live in Chile. That's where they first met. How about you, Tom?
Tom: I was born in Fresno, California, and we lived there ___________ I was seven. Then, since my father worked for the __________, we moved all over the place.
Jenny: Oh yeah? Where are some of the places you've lived?
Tom: Mostly, we were ____________. We spent a total of ten years in Korea, Germany, and Okinawa, Japan. We were transferred back to the States three years ago, but I think my parents would have liked to live overseas for at __________ 20 more years.
Jenny: Wow. It sounds like you've had an interesting life. So, what do you do now?
Tom: I'm a ______________ at Purdue University.
Jenny: Oh really? What are you studying?
Tom: I'm majoring in psychology. How about you? What do you do?
Jenny: Well, I'm working as a sales representative for Vega Computers ___________.
Tom: No _________! My brother works there too.

6. Now using the transcript above, write a similar dialogue but with this information. Do this activity in a word document and send it to us by emaill.

  NAME FROM …. LIVING IN… JOB
WOMAN Mary Birmingham, England London Student / Mathematics / Granada University
MAN Francisco (Paco) Cadiz, Spain Overseas: Argentina, Peru, England vet / The Animal Hospital/ downtown