https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.

org/skills/listening/upper-intermediate-b2/a-
lecture-about-an-experiment

Listening B2: A lecture about an experiment

The pitch drop experiment is …

a) the oldest experiment in history.

b) the oldest experiment that is still running today.
c) the longest experiment in 1927.

The creator of the experiment wanted to …

a) have an experiment that lasted a long time.

b) show the dangers of everyday materials.
c) show that common substances have extraordinary properties.

Pitch is a substance …

a) that looks solid but is actually liquid.

b) that looks liquid but is actually solid.
c) that doesn't appear to be liquid or solid.

The first time a drop of pitch fell was …

a) eight years after the experiment began.

b) three years after the experiment began.
c) forty years after the experiment began.

Which of the following sentences is not true about Professor John Mainstone?

a) He never saw the pitch drop.

b) He was responsible for the experiment for over fifty years.
c) He took over the experiment in 1927.

In the year 2000, …

a) an electricity failure meant the pitch drop was not filmed.

b) scientists set up a live stream of the experiment.
c) the ninth drop of pitch fell.

VOCABULARY:

1. PITCH DROP:
 A pitch drop experiment is a long-term study that tracks the flow of a piece of pitch
over a period of time. The term 'pitch' refers to a variety of highly viscous liquids that appear
solid, the most common of which is bitumen. Tar pitch flows slowly at room temperature,
requiring several years to generate a single drop.

There, he began the famous pitch drop experiment.

At the University, Professor Kowalski begins the pitch drop experiment.

2. GLASS FUNNEL

When transferring chemicals from one vessel to another, glass funnels can be used
to prevent spills, and they can also be fitted with a filter to separate particulates from
liquids.

A glass funnel with a diameter of 20 cm is set on a platform.

Place a long-stemmed glass funnel in the flask's neck to prevent splashing.

3. FATEFUL

having a significant, and generally negative, impact on future events

Then he made a fateful decision: he needed to find a real job.

That fateful evening, the phone rang at 5:00 p.m.