CAMBRIDGE FIRST CERTIFICATE SKILLS Sea Ce CAMBRIDGE FIRST CERTIFICATE Listening and Speaking NEW EDITION Sue 0’Connell with Louise HashemiContents Map of the book Introduction Foundation unit 1 Time out Every picture tells a story Who, what, where? It can’t have been the octopus! Bear country Pet hates All in a day’s work Suit yourself Cou nnnan Ideal home 10 Upstairs, downstairs 11. Talking shop 12. You only live once 13. Travelling light 14 It’s your world 15. Listening review 16 Speaking review 17 Practice test: Listening 18 Practice test: Speaking Speaking tasks Phonetic symbols Index of speaking and listening skills Acknowledgements iv 14 19 24 ao 34 41 47 52 57 63 7 a 78 83 88 94 99 102 104 105 107Introduction Who is the book for? Cambridge First Certificate Listening and Speaking is for learners who need additional practice in listening and speaking skills in preparation for Papers 4 and 5 of the Cambridge First Certificate examination. It aims to provide motivating communicative practice in these skills along with effective exam training. Because it addresses more than examination skills, it is also suitable for non-exam learners at upper-intermediate level who want to develop their listening and speaking skills generally. How is it organised? ‘The Student’s Book is organised into eighteen units, eight listening units alternating with ight speaking units, and two exam style practice tests at the end of the book. Each unit introduces and practises particular aspects of a skill and addresses vocabulary items, language points or pronunciation features which are relevant to the topic and the type of communication, Learners then apply the knowledge gained in the first part of the unit to an exam format task. The book begins with a Foundation unit which is designed to increase learners’ awareness of key aspects of the listening and speaking skills and to help them to begin assessing their own performance in these skills. In this way, learners are encouraged to become actively involved in the learning process from the outset. Each unit begins with a summary box to show students exactly which listening and/or speaking skills, which language, vocabulary or pronunciation point, and which exam skills will be covered. Each unit contains one or two Exam Tips which summarise key techniques to remember in connection with the specific question types. ‘The Teacher's Book contains a timing guide for each unit, detailed teaching notes, a key to the exercises and the tapescript. How should the material be used? ‘The material is intended to be used in sequence because skills and exam techniques are built up gradually and there is an element of revision and recycling incorporated into the structure of the book. Speaking tasks, for example, often provide practice in using language which has been introduced in previous listening units. Each unit provides between 60 and 80 minutes’ work, There is scope for flexibility, however, and the Teacher's Book suggests ways of extending or reducing the teaching time needed.Foundation unit Listening 1 Work with another student. Look at the pictures and decide what each person is listening to. 1 Who is speaking? 2 What are they talking about? 3 What is their reason for listening? 2 Here are four pieces of spoken English which could go with four of the pictures. Work with another student to match the extracts with suitable pictures. 1 ‘Check your mirror. That's right. Signal, yes. Now, pull over to the left and brake gently. Gently I said!” 2 ‘We apologise for the late running of the Bedford service.” 3 ‘We've got two at the back of the stalls at £12.50 or two on one side of the gallery at £5." 4 ‘Overnight frost will be followed by patchy fog and isolated showers.” Now work together to write one sentence that might be said in two of the other five pictures. Don’t write a heading or letter to identify the sentences. When you've finished, exchange sentences with another pair and see if you can tell which pictures go with the sentences.Foundation unit 3 Now answer the following questions about the different kinds of listening shown in pictures A-I opposite. Show your answer by putting a circle round the correct letter. You can circle up to three letters. For which kind of listening: 1 is it important to understand every word? ABCDEFGHI 2 isit usually only necessary to understand the general meaning? [ABCD EF GHT 3 do you select the part you listen carefully to? ABCDEFGHI Which kind of listening: 4 is made easier by what you can see? ABCDEFGHI 5 would probably be followed by some writing? ABCDEFGHI 6 would probably be followed by some other action? ABCDEFGHI 7 would involve the most formal language? ABCDEFGHI 8 is usually easiest? Why? [ABCDEFGHI] 9 is usually hardest? Why? ABCDEFGHI Compare answers with another student and discuss your reasons. 4 Your answers to exercise 1 suggested that we listen in many different situations, and for different reasons. Match each picture to one of the types of listening below. Instructions Lecture Short talk Directions Conversation between friends News bulletin Telephone conversation Advertisement Recorded message Joke Film or play Traffic report Weather forecast Part of a novel (read aloud) Radio documentary Public announcement Interview Poems Now listen to six short extracts. After each one, decide which of the above types of listening it was. After you've heard all six, check your answers with another student, and discuss what helped you to make your decisions (e.g. words, phrases, background noises, style). 1 a 4 2 3 aa 6Foundation unit First Certificate Listening Here is a description of the Listening test in the First Certificate examination. The test lasts about 40 minutes. There are four parts, with a total of ‘You hear recorded passages of English radio broadcasts, conver: announcements, phone messages and speeches. Part 1 and Part 3 Part 2 and Part 4 have longer passages. Discuss the following questions with another student. 1 Which of the types of listening listed in exercise 4 on a First Certificate test? Which would you not expect to he. 2. How do you expect to be tested? Which of the following types of questions do not appear in a First Certificate test? ‘a decide which statements are true oF false ) b choose the best answer A, B or C ( multiple choice} © warte down what the speaker says (dictation) ( 4 complete the notes You need t0 write a word ora short php ) pata tick (0) against the correct picture tonnes at enadneener a ) h tick the g choose from the list of places A-F othe yor hear} {Jndke notes about what you hear (note-taking) ) What does the First Certificate Speaking test consist of? Speaking Fill in the missing words to complete this description of the Speaking test. In the Speaking test, you will take (1) in a conversation, with one (2) candidate, There are two examiners, (3} only one of them joins in the conversation, Part of the conversation is based (4) a pair of photographs. You will also work (6) your partner, using pictures, a map or diagram ora list ina communication activity. You may be asked to discuss the good and bad (6) of different jobs, for example, or to (Tha problem, such as planning @ party.Foundation unit Preparing for the Speaking test 1 Here are some possible ways of preparing for the Speaking test. Which do you think would be most useful? Tick (V) five boxes. studying grammar rules doing written grammar exercises doing practice drills in class or in the language laboratory listening to conversations on tape listening to English on the radio reading dialogues in a textbook discussing things in English with other students in class doing role-plays in class with other students playing games in English class doing practice tests in class o practising pronunciation oO speaking English outside class a 00000 o000 Discuss your answers with another student, and explain your reasons. 2 Here are the areas that you will be marked on during the Speaking test. Work with another student and put them in order of importance: 1 for the most important, 2 for the next, and so on. discourse management (speaking int an organised and connected way, without too much hesitation) grammar and vocabulary (using appropriate structures and vocabulary without many mistakes) pronunciation: sentences (using stress, rhythm and intonation appropriately) individual sounds (using vowels, consonants, diphthongs correctly) communication (being able to initiate, respond, ask for clarification, take turns etc, appropriately) Pronunciation check 1 Stress in words: Look at these examples of stress in words. The stressed syllable is marked with a box (=). oO Qo listen discuss. fluency pronunciation Now mark the stress in the following words in the same way. apologise telephone forecast documentary compare advertisement. —_vocabulary report necessary dictionary conversation interview Listen to the words as they are spoken on the tape and correct your answers. How many did you get right? = 11-12 Well done! 6-10 Keep practising. 6 orunder You need to work on this!Foundation unit 2 Sounds: English spelling is little help when it comes to pronunciation, as you know. For this reason, it is helpful to become familiar with the phonetic symbols used in a good dictionary. Here is an introduction, and a test! {s]_ is the phonetic symbol for the sound in sun or money Io/_ is the phonetic symbol for the sound in got or watch Ji is the phonetic symbol for the sound in sleep or brief Je/_ is the phonetic symbol for the sound in red or spread Now put the following words under the correct heading. There are five in each group. long health funny ~—gone_—rough_—skey—head_—week wonder said peace shock enough ~—niece_—eft. ceiling cough sons meant wander Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 I of fish fel Now listen to the words as they are spoken on the tape and check your answers. How well did you do? 18-20 Excellent, well done! B17 Keep practising. 12 orunder You need to work on this! Communication Match the words in the left hand column with the reply on the right. See how quickly you can do it. 1 How do you do? a) Do you really think so? 2 I'm looking for King Street. b) Would you? 3 Would you mind if I opened the window? _c)_ Fine thanks. 4 Hi! How are you? d) Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter, 5 Let me give you a hand, ¢) It’s second on the left. 6 Td takea taxi if I were you. f) How do you do? 7 It’s the craziest idea I’ve ever heard. g) That's OK. Don’t mention it. 8 I'm sorry to keep you waiting. h) No, not at all. 9 Thanks for all your help. i) That's kind of you. To check your answers, listen to the correct exchanges on the tape.Foundation unit Now work with another student and match the sentences 1-9 on page 6 with the following types of communication. apologising asking for directions __giving an opinion expressing gratitude giving advice —_greeting casually meeting (for the first time) offering help requesting permission ‘We hope you have enjoyed working through the Foundation unit and that you have found it useful to think about and discuss the skills of listening and speaking. The unit hhas introduced you to some of the ways in which you can prepare for the Listening, test and the Speaking test and also to some of the exercises which will follow later in the rk. Remember that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. You will find some of the tasks in the book easier than others, but be aware of the areas which you need to work on, The Exam Tips boxes are there to help you build up your exam skills, so make the best use of them. Good luck with your exam preparation!Unit 1 Time out Listening skills: Identifying a topic; listening for specific information; listening for gist. Vocabulary: Leisure activities; expressions of location. Exam skills: Paper 4 Part 1 Listening for clues. Part 4 Answering true/false questions, Pre- ening 11 The objects in the pictures below are all connected with particular sports or leisure activities. Work with another student to name them and say which activities they are connected with. on CS / y/ Y w c . 4 e L WE iP ee 2 Tell your partner about your favourite leisure time activity and listen carefully to what your partner says. Afterwards, tell the class what your partner said.Unit 1 Time out Listening practice 1 =] You are going to hear five people describing their leisure activity. Decide what they are talking about. Lisi . 4 2 ? 5 3 ‘Compare answers (and reasons) with another student. What's it all about? - Listen for clues Part 1 of the Listening test has eight short recordings and you have to answer questions about who is speaking, what they’re talking about or what the situation is, The answer is rarely given directly so it’s important to listen carefully for vocabulary clues. j i | Lo Ian Listening practice 2 Now listen to two of the speakers giving more information about their hobby. Study the two lists of words connected with their hobbies first. While you listen to the first speaker, tick any words in the first column that you hear. While you listen to the second speaker, tick any pieces of equipment in the second column that she recommends for people who want to learn to ride. 1 camera Qo 2 riding mac a printing a gloves o negative a shooting stick photographic [1] cuffs a darkroom jeans a enlarge a hard hat a film a saddle a flash a leather jacket. develop a riding boots ‘Compare answers with another student.Unit 1 Time out Language practice: Expressions of location 1 Look at the map below and then complete the following description of the town square by filling in the missing expressions of place. From my hotel window, | Jook down on a square. It’s quite a large area and there's always lots going on in it. Directly under my window and running (1) one side is a narrow street, always crammed with cars. There's another street, (2) the right (3) side which meets the first (4) right angles. (6) the middle of the square there's a small square-shaped building, with a semicircle of trees around its far left {6} corner. (7) the left of the square, there's a row of houses while the side directly (8) and (9} my right. in other words, has a row of shops. There are flower beds right (10) the far side of the square and some swings for children a the bottom left (12) corner. Taxis wait for customers (13) a stand half way (14) the row of shops and there's @ bus stop half way (15) my hotel and the bottom right (16) comer of the square, (on the opposite side of the road Mark the taxi stand and the bus stop on the map.Unit 1 Time out 2 Keep a reference list of the expressions you used in exercise 1 by filling them in on the diagram below. WS Zed ‘True/false — Read ahead It’s almost impossible to read and listen at the same time ~ especially in an exam! So be sure to read through true/false statements in advance, thinking about each one carefully as you do. This way you'll have some ideas about what you are going to hear, which is a big help. WwUnit 1 Time out Exam listening You are going to hear the warden of a community centre showing a radio journalist round the centre. Preparation 1 Before you listen, write the correct names under the pictures below. Choose from the following list. The first one has been done for you. ~tabletennisteble- storage cupboard kettle. notice board sink table and chairs photocopier cooker wheelchair play equipment volleyball net word processor 2 As you listen for the first time, tick the boxes to show which items can be found in the community centre at present. 12Unit 1 Time out Exam task 1 Before you listen for the second time, read the statements below and make sure you understand them, 2 As you listen for the second time, decide which of the statements are true and which are false and mark your answers T for True or F for False. True | False ‘The youth club meets in the community centre. The Mothers and Toddlers club have a separate room. The teenagers would like to cook food in the community centre. ‘The meeting room is rarely used. There are several steps between the front door and the street. The notice board has been moved temporarily. ‘The warden believes the teenagers are wasting their time. Prey aa 42Unit 2 Every picture tells a story Speaking skills: — Speculating about people and situations; describing locations. Vocabulary: Adjectives for mood and expression. Pronunciation: Word and sentence stress, Exam skills: Paper § Part 2 Talking about a pair of pictures. Vocabulary 11 Work with another student. Sort the adjectives below into three groups, positive, negative and neutral, according to the feelings they describe. disappointed tired amused excited _—_annoyed bored serious. furious interested boring contented disapproving nervous happy —_curious threatening worried shocked thrilled —_ delighted sleepy exhausted cheerful tiring anxious 2 Now choose one or two adjectives from the list above to describe people’s expressions in photographs A, B, C and D on page 15. (Be careful — not all the adjectives are suitable!) You may like to use one of the following to qualify the adjectives: slightly (N) quite very terribly a bit (N) rather (N) extremely awfully really absolutely (E) (N = normally used with negative adjectives) (E = normally used with extreme adjectives, e.g. exhausted, final, perfect) Photograph A B c D Pronunciation 1: Word stress Mark the main stress in the following adjectives with a box (3). disappointed excited furious contented interested cheerful threatening nervous exhausted disapproving delighted annoyed Now listen to the tape and check your answers. 14Unit 2 Every picture tells a story Photographs Look at these photographs. For each pair, discuss how the people feel and why. Now listen to some people giving their opinions about the photographs. Notice the Tanguage they use. 15ee ee Language practice Study the expressions below which the speaker on the tape used when describing photographs A and B. It : It : HelShe look(s) + adjective | He/She | look(s) asif + clause They (both/all) } They | e.g. He looks terribly tired. e.g. It looks as if the man in picture A is at a meeting, It | could/might/may | | +noun He/She ' f be | + phrase They | must ' | + present participle eg. He could be a politician or a businessman. He may be suffering from jet lag. Ie must be evening because the table lamp is on. ‘The people in picture B must be hoping the rain will stop. The man in picture A looks tired, whereas the people in picture B look bored. ‘The man in picture A might be at a meeting, while the people in picture B might be at a concert. Pronunciation 2: Sentence stress 1 Mark the main stresses in each of the examples in the table above with a box (x). oo e.g. He looks terribly tired. Now listen to the examples as they are spoken on the tape and check your answers. 2 Now see if you can remember what else the speakers said about the four photographs. ‘Talking about a pair of pictures ~ Give reasons ‘When the examiner asks you to talk about a pair of pictures, try to answer as fully as possible. It’s all right to begin with a sentence describing what you see, but the examiner wants to know your opinion and the reasons for it. Say what you feel about | the pictures. If you think the picture shows a detective disguised as a window cleaner | or people watching the Most Boring Comedian competition, say why. Lames 16Unit 2 Every picture tells a story n you are talking about rr of pictures, it’s important say how they are similar and bow they are different. Think about the place, the occasion, ople. What has happened, what is going to happen? ll the examiner if one of the pictures reminds you of mething in your own life. Say which one you prefer, and don’t forget to explain why! Speaking test practice 1: Talking about a pair of pictures ‘Work with another student. Choose one pair of pictures each from page 18. Look at your pictures and talk to your partner about them for one minute. What can you see? Try to find the precise words to compare and contrast the people’s expressions, What do you feel about the pictures? Give your reasons. Speaking test practice 2: Deciding which one you prefer Work with your partner. Look again at the pictures on page 18. On your own, say which group of people you would prefer to be with. Think of your reasons, Tell your partner what you think, Find out whether you both agree. Be ready to report back to the rest of the class. {7S 7Unit 3 Who, what, where? Listening skills: Identifying context; listening for specific informations listening for gist. Vocabulary: Phrasal verbs related to telephoning; expressions of time. Exam skills: Paper 4 Part 2 Gap-filling questions ~ predicting what information you need. Pre-listening 1 Sometimes when you're listening it’s very important to catch an exact name or number. Talk to another student and discuss situations when this is the case. 2 Look at the following short extracts and discuss when or where you would hear them. em | 2 [=] While you listen, put a tick in the boxes next to the items which the instructor says you'll need. 53Unit 9 Ideal home 3 Discuss whether the following statements are true or false. 1 Lynn recommends the class to buy all the equipment she shows them. An ordinary knife isn’t as good as a special scraping knife. She says sandpaper is quite cheap. She says you must have a special paint kettle. You can use white spirit for more than one purpose. Lynn recommends one kind of filler in particular. She says you need to buy different sized paintbrushes. She warns the class not to buy more paint than they need. ean Rw 4. [=] Now listen again and check whether your answers were correct. Listen to the actual words which are used. Listening practice 2 Preparation 1 Work with another student to discuss these questior a) What five items of furniture are essential in a student’s bedroom? b) You can save money on furniture by making, it yourself using a self-assembly kit from a DIY store. Would you consider making a piece of furniture that way? Why / why not? True | False 2 You are going to hear a student called Bill talking about using a self-assembly kit to make a bookcase. Before you listen, read through the True/False statements and discuss them with your partner. Exam task Listen to the talk and say whether the following statements are true or false, according to what Bill says. 1 You should check the bookcase will be big enough for all your books. 2 Some stores offer free delivery. 3. You should expect to buy a number of specialist tools, 4 It’s important to prepare your working area. 5 You should check that the kit is complete before you read the instructions. 6 You should follow the instructions even if they don’t make sense to you. 7 Some of the pieces may not have been cut accurately enough. 54 True | FalseUnit 9 Ideal home Language practi ;e: Vocabulary: Adjectives into verbs In Listening practice 2, we heard that it’s not a good idea to try to shorten shelves. It’s possible to make verbs from certain other adjectives by adding ‘n’ or ‘en’ in the same way. Complete each sentence below with a verb made from an adjective. (8, 9 and 10 are all verbs connected with colours.) 1 My seat belt is too loose. Can you show me how 0 nnn iv 2 The road is dangerously narrow here. They ought to wit, 3 Your tie is all on one side. Can’t you 4 This skirt is much too short. I need to it. 5. There’s too much light in here for you to show your slides. We'll have to draw the curtains to the room. 6 That collar looks too tight. Why don’t you... it? 7 My hands used to be very smooth but the hard work has....... - them. 8 After the fire, the walls were all .. wwe from the smoke. 9 If the sheets get a bit discoloured after a while, use bleach t0 ws. them. 10 She always blushes when she’s embarrassed. Her cheeks seem to very easily. ‘True/false questions ~ Weigh them up When you read the questions through before you listen, you'll find that some statements look quite probable and some may look improbable. Thinking about them in advance will make the listening easier. You will have ideas ready in your mind and you can be listening to check whether they match what you hear. 55ae ee ee PS ZB True/false questions - Spot the ‘catch’ questions Look out for ‘catches’ like the ones below. They're specially designed to catch you out if you're not listening carefully! Inventions: Sometimes you read information which sounds true (and may be true) but which simply isn’t mentioned on the tape. Inviting words: This is when you hear some of the same words as in the true/false statement but the meaning is not quite the same. Exam liste: g: Legal advice Sandra has called a telephone legal advice line to ask for advice about a problem. As you listen to the conversation, decide whether the following statements are true or false. 1 Sandra has had her flat decorated. The painter has asked for more money than he originally quoted. One problem is that he bought the wrong colour paint. Another problem is that the line at the top of the walls is wavy. In addition, he didn’t protect the carpet properly. He thinks she is being unreasonable. He says she should ask the painter to do the work again. He also suggests that she should ask him for an apology. Another possibility is to ask him to reduce his bill. 10 Before doing this, she should employ somebody else to put the work right. True | False Caer AnewN 56Unit 10 Upstairs, downstairs Speaking skills: Talking about yourself, your home and family. Vocabulary: Houses, neighbourhood amenities, occupations. Pronunciation: — /s!,/2/ and /f/s intonation in longer sentences. Exam skills: Paper 5 Part 1 Talking about one’s family and neighbourhood. Part 3 Discussing problems. Vocabulary 1 Label the drawing below. When you've finished, compare results with another student.Unit 10 Upstairs, downstairs 2 Match each of the following advertisements to one of the pictures below. Compare answers with another student, and say which words helped you to make your decisions. ENGLAND/WALES FRANCE FF 4,500,000 Wee? eat ‘A uxury villain the sought-after fre of Vence. Swimming poo), hhousekeepar's lodge. 15 acres of grounds. ‘157800 orspaier Traionl frou, restored in recent years, spacious Accommodation wth oo ar fuer extension sinost? acre of garden, jus 860 motes tom theceas FF 800,000 Ce Magsiticont wooden hale aan rom 1, Ove beoor See ak needed Vows ve! Rausing ond waters. Lit Sytem nearby £259,000 Leasehold Bexhill-On-Sea Modern flat south facing with balcony on second floor. Comprising: ‘Second floar passenger lit, lounge with baleony and fie views, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, bathroom, Gas central heating, Reserved parking space. village £155,000 Leasehold Crickhowelt Detachad spacious bungalow close to town centre and all amenities, Comprising: Entrance poreh, hall ounge, ining room, large kitchen, 3 bedrooms, bathroom, cloakroom. Garage, parking, lovely gardens and views. " £75,250 Leasehold Copmmanthrope, York ‘Three bedroom somi set in old part. of ‘rehtectural design with private rear garden. Close to local ‘amenities, shops and schools, Offers over £105,000 York Tastefully renovated Victorian terrace, Easy walking distance to city centre, Excellent decora tive order throughout. gs ilwern Charming detached cot: Comprising Which is most like your home? What is similar and what is different? Tell another stude 58