Listening practice
A Podcast Intro: B1 Listening
A host opens an episode about phones, sleep and a two-week experiment.
- Age
- Ages 13+
- Level
- B1
- Skill
- Listening
- Time
- 25 min
- Format
- Interactive
- Listening
- Monologue
The voice is your device's built-in speech synthesis, not a recording, so it sounds different on every phone, tablet and computer. Dialogues use two voices where the device has them. The transcript is always one tap away.
1. Before you listen
Read the question, then listen to the whole script once and choose the answer.
2. Listen
Play the whole script or one line at a time. Try the questions before you open the transcript.
Transcript
- Line 1 · Transcript hidden
- Line 2 · Transcript hidden
- Line 3 · Transcript hidden
- Line 4 · Transcript hidden
- Line 5 · Transcript hidden
- Line 6 · Transcript hidden
- Line 7 · Transcript hidden
3. Listen for detail
Listen again and answer the five questions.
4. Dictation
Play each sentence and type the missing words. Capital letters and punctuation don't matter.
- 1.Today we're talking about something most of us do every day : using our phones.
- 2.For two weeks, I left my phone in the kitchen every night taking it to bed.
- 3.Honestly, the first three nights .
- 4.But by the end of the first week, I was and I actually started reading books again.
- 5.Thanks to everyone who last week.
5. Your turn to speak
Plan your own one-minute podcast intro. Say the name of your show, introduce yourself, say what today's episode is about and what's coming later.
Printable worksheet
The tasks, the transcript and an answer key on a separate page.
Related resources
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Lesson Plan
Will, going to and present continuous
Three ways to talk about the future and what each says: a decision made now, a plan or a prediction from evidence, an arrangement already in the diary.
Presentation
Past Continuous vs Past Simple Presentation
Past Continuous vs Past Simple presentation (B1) for teens and adults: the rule, a form table, 10 examples and practice with answers. Free PPTX and PDF.
Name: ______________________ Date: ____________
A. Before you listen
What is today's episode about?
- ☐ a) Learning to cook
- ☐ b) Travelling on a budget
- ☐ c) Using our phones
B. Listen for detail
- Which episode is this?☐ a) Episode two☐ b) Episode twelve☐ c) Episode twenty
- Where did Priya leave her phone at night?☐ a) In her car☐ b) In the kitchen☐ c) In her bedroom
- The first few nights of the experiment were easy for Priya.☐ a) True☐ b) False
- After a week, Priya was falling asleep faster.☐ a) True☐ b) False
- Who is Tom?☐ a) Priya's co-host☐ b) A listener who wrote in☐ c) A sleep scientist
C. Dictation: write the missing words
- Today we're talking about something most of us do every day : using our phones.
- For two weeks, I left my phone in the kitchen every night taking it to bed.
- Honestly, the first three nights .
- But by the end of the first week, I was and I actually started reading books again.
- Thanks to everyone who last week.
D. Speaking
Plan your own one-minute podcast intro. Say the name of your show, introduce yourself, say what today's episode is about and what's coming later.
Transcript
Hello and welcome to Small Steps, the podcast about the little changes that make a big difference. I'm your host, Priya, and this is episode twelve.
Today we're talking about something most of us do every day without thinking: using our phones.
Last month I tried an experiment. For two weeks, I left my phone in the kitchen every night instead of taking it to bed.
Honestly, the first three nights were hard. I kept reaching for it. But by the end of the first week, I was falling asleep faster and I actually started reading books again.
Later in the show, I'll be chatting with Tom, a sleep scientist, who'll explain why this works. He's also got some surprising advice about screens in the evening.
Then, as always, we'll finish with your messages. Thanks to everyone who wrote in last week. We got over two hundred emails!
But first, a quick word about how you can support the show.
Key phrases are in bold.
Answer key
- A. c) Using our phones
- B. 1 b) Episode twelve · 2 b) In the kitchen · 3 b) False · 4 a) True · 5 c) A sleep scientist
- C. 1 without thinking · 2 instead of · 3 were hard · 4 falling asleep faster · 5 wrote in