Skills building 1: listening for what is most important

Suppose you are listening to the announcement about a gather-together, what information is most important?

time, place, activity arrangement, attendance &other details

So, when listening, we need to be able to select and note down specific information, which is the words and phrases that the speaker uses to let us know what is most important. You are expected to learn some expression that can be used to show the importance.

Read the guidelines in Skills building 1 on Page 10. Focus on the expressions the speaker might use to show that something is important.

Step 1: taking notes of requirements

1. Pair work:

Have a discussion with your partner:

If you want to buy an electronic dictionary for study, what should you pay special attention to? Would you talk to your parents or your friends and ask them for advice?

2. An uncle wants to buy an electronic dictionary for his son. Letˇs listen to the uncle. List the requirements and then put a cross beside the item that is not very important.

Tapescript

Uncle: You know, Xiaowen is really interested in his English course, and heˇs asked me to buy him a new dictionary. He wants an electronic one. He says electronic dictionaries are more convenient because they are so small and light. Actually, I donˇt think the size and weight matter so much as long as itˇs not too expensive. I think these new ones cost quite a lot, and I really donˇt want to spend more than 700yuan. I think he might like one that looks very smart and modern-you know what young people are like, but I donˇt think that is important. What I really want him to have is a dictionary that will translate English words into Chinese, as well as translate Chinese words into English. Some people say that itˇs better to have a dictionary that is only in English, but I think it is too early for that. Maybe later, if Xiaowen goes on to study English at university, that will be good for him, but now I think he needs a two-way dictionary. This way, he can look up words in both languages.

The other thing that I want him to have is an electronic dictionary that provides English pronunciation, because as you know, the spelling of an English word doesnˇt always tell you how the word should be pronounced. An electronic dictionary with that function will make sure he pronounces the words properly. Xiaowen says that some electronic dictionaries have a lot of extra functions such as games and calendars, but I think those will just make the dictionary more expensive. I would prefer him to have something quite basic to use just for studies, so that he doesnˇt want to play with it all the time.

Answers

A weight and size:

Cost:

appearance:

translation:

pronunciation:

extra functions:

3. Now, letˇs listen to a salesman showing two types of new electronic dictionaries. Takes notes of some useful information beside each item.

Tapescript

Salesperson: Good morning. Can I help you?

Student: Yes. I need some information about electronic dictionaries.

Salesperson: Certainly. Let me show you our most recent ones. One of the most popular models is the Mark 204D. It is a dictionary with both Chinese and English entries. The Mark 204D has over 100,000 words, over 2,000idioms and common English expressions. It gives clear English definitions.

It also has a voice function, so that the pronunciation of words can be heard. Thatˇs very useful for students who want to use it to practice listening and speaking, in addition to reading and writing in English. Of course, headphones are included. The Mark 204D also has something called a ˉwildcard search functionˇ. That means if you donˇt know the exact spelling of a word in English and you just enter what you think it might be, the dictionary will guess what the word is likely to be and will show you the correct spelling in Chinese as well.

The latest model that we have in the shop is rather different from the Mark 204D. Itˇs called the Stylus Pen Model III. This is an interesting little device. Itˇs in the shape of a pen , and as you can see, itˇs quote small, just like a pen . You just run it over the text that you want to translate, and it reads the words or phrases and gives you an instant translation from English into Chinese. It will also read them aloud, so you can hear the correct pronunciation. It also has over 100,000 entries. Of course, itˇs more expensive than the Mark 204D it costs 1,200yuan whereas the Mark 204D costs 650 yuan. That model is on sale at the moment.

Answers

B Mark 204D:

Languages: Chinese and English

Word capacity: over 102,000

Cost: 650yuan

Extra functions: a voice function; wildcard search function

Stylus pen ⒒:

Languages: English-Chinese

Appearance: just like a pen

Word capacity: 100,000

Cost: 1,200yuan

4. The salesperson shows you two leaflets that advertise two electronic dictionaries. Read through them and complete your notes in Part B on Page 11. Complete the notes in part B.

Answers

C Mark 204D:

Weight: 96 grams;104⊙72⊙15 mm

Extra functions: spell check; pronunciation guide and a list of words wit similar and opposite

meanings

Extra features: hints for the TOEFL and IELTS exams, FM radio and games

Stylus Pen ⒒:

Weight: 20 grams

Extra functions: quick and correct translations; an inbuilt loudspeaker and a clear LCD screen

Extra features: suitable for people with a reading disability

5. Discussion in groups of four and choose the type of electronic dictionary you think is most suitable for your uncle. Youˇd better state your reasons.

Skills building 2: asking for information by telephone

1. To obtain information, what are we supposed to do when we are making a phone?

冘 be polite

冘 be clear and to the point

冘 make sure you understand what you hear

2. Read the first pair of speech bubbles. Have a discussion: Are there any problems in the speech bubbles? If so, what are the problems?

3. Read the guidelines in Part 1 and 3. Learn to use the language mentioned in this part.

Step 2: telephoning a company

Now, let