Exercise 1
A. Listen. Circle the correct answers.
1 Su-min asks where the ___ is.
a email list
b North Pole file
c marketing meeting
2 Su-min wants to know when the ___ meeting is.
a marketing
b software
c lunch
3 Jim explains why ___.
a Su-min didn’t get a pop-up window
b there was a mistake on the calendar
c Su-min needs to stop asking him questions
B. Listen. Complete the conversation.
Su-min: Can you explain __________ install the Image View software?
Jim: Sure. Open up the link and look for version 5.1 of the file.
Su-min: Just a sec. OK, I’m there.
Jim: Now click on direct download next to the file and wait for the pop-up window.
Su-min: Got it. Thanks!
Jim: ____________.
Answers & Audioscripts
1 a 2 a 3 c
A
Su-min: Hey Jim, I need to send out emails for the North Pole Ice Cream marketing plan, but I can’t remember where the email list is. Do you know where I can find it?
Jim: Sure, just give me a second.
Su-min: No problem. And can you tell me what the password is for the North Pole files? I just tried to access them, but the password didn’t work.
Jim: It’s northpole—one word, no spaces or capital letters.
Su-min: Oh yeah, that’s right! I was using a capital N. Thanks!
Jim: No worries.
Su-min: Do you know what time the marketing meeting is?
Jim: The what?
Su-min: The marketing meeting. I deleted it from my calendar by mistake.
Jim: Mm, sorry, no idea.
Su-min: Really? I was sure we all got the invite yesterday. Can you check your calendar? Never mind. I’ll check my email. Jim, when you have a minute, can you explain how you install the Image View software?
Jim: Sure. Open up the link and look for version 5.1 of the file.
Su-min: Just a sec. OK, I’m there.
Jim: Now click on “direct download” next to the file. Click “yes” to the pop-up window request. Wait for the pop-up window.
Su-min: The pop-up window? Oh, there it is! Thanks.
Jim: No problem.
Su-min: Hm. Strange. I wonder why that pop-up window didn’t come up before?
Jim: Hm? I’m sorry, but I have to finish this stuff for Diana before lunch.
Su-min: What? You have to finish today? I thought you had until Friday.
Jim: Me, too. But Diana just told me this morning that she needs it today.
Su-min: Oh Jim, I am so sorry for bothering you so much.
Jim: It’s OK. I’m almost done.
Su-min: Just one more thing…
Jim: Su-min! I need 30 minutes.
Su-min: OK. I won’t bother you again until after lunch, is that OK?
Jim: Yep. Thanks!
B
Su-min: Can you explain how you install the Image View software?
Jim: Sure. Open up the link and look for version 5.1 of the file.
Su-min: Just a sec. OK, I’m there.
Jim: Now click on direct download next to the file and wait for the pop-up window.
Su-min: Got it. Thanks!
Jim: No problem.
Exercise 2
A. Listen. Circle the correct answers.
1 Jim forgot ___ name because he was so nervous.
a his b his boss’s
c his co-worker’s
2 Jim and Su-min say their co-workers are ___.
a confident b supportive
c experienced
3 Su-min is learning how to ___.
a be more confident
b write marketing plans
c plan a meeting
B. Listen. Complete the conversation.
Jim: How’s your internship going?
Su-min: It’s going great. Better than I expected.
Jim: Oh, yeah?
Su-min: Yeah. I was a little nervous at first.
Jim: Well, that’s understandable. But I’ll bet you weren’t _________ I was when I started here!
Su-min: I’m not so sure about that! I was actually a little scared of everyone. But people here aren’t _________ intimidating _________ I thought.
Answers & Audioscripts
1 b 2 b 3 c
A
Jim: Hey, Su-min.
Su-min: Hey, Jim.
Jim: I’ve been meaning to ask you: How’s your internship going?
Su-min: It’s going great. Better than I expected, honestly.
Jim: Oh, yeah?
Su-min: Yeah. I was, you know, a little nervous at first.
Jim: Well, that’s understandable. But I’ll bet you weren’t as nervous as I was when I started here!
Su-min: I’m not so sure about that! I was actually a little scared of everyone. But people here aren’t as intimidating as I thought.
Jim: I know exactly what you mean. I was intimidated too when I was an intern. In fact, I was so nervous the first couple of weeks that I kept forgetting my boss’s name.
Su-min: What? I’d be so embarrassed.
Jim: Yeah. And my co-workers thought this was very funny.
Su-min: Not funny at all!
Jim: I know! They kept calling my boss different names on purpose just to confuse me more.
Su-min: That sounds terrible!
Jim: No. They knew how nervous I was. They were just trying to make me feel comfortable.
Su-min: Oh. I get it. Yeah, everyone is really supportive here.
Jim: Well, you’re here to learn and they know that.
Su-min: Totally. And I am learning so much! Like, I didn’t know how many people were involved in creating a design plan. Or how complicated it was to plan a meeting when people are in four different time zones.
Jim: You can say that again. It takes a week just to get everyone in a meeting at the same time. Oh! I have a meeting! Got to go!
B
Jim: How’s your internship going?
Su-min: It’s going great. Better than I expected.
Jim: Oh, yeah?
Su-min: Yeah. I was a little nervous at first.
Jim: Well, that’s understandable. But I’ll bet you weren’t as nervous as I was when I started here!
Su-min: I’m not so sure about that! I was actually a little scared of everyone. But people here aren’t as intimidating as I thought.
Exercise 3
A. Listen to the series of voicemail messages between Jim and his co-worker Peter. Put the pictures in the order that they happen.
B. Listen again. Complete the sentences with Jim or Peter.
1 __________ called to find out if __________ backed up the North Pole f les.
2 __________ put together information and emailed it to __________.
3 __________ thought __________ didn’t have any cat food in the house.
4 __________ couldn’t figure out how to turn on the TV.
5 __________ sent the email to __________ again.
6 __________ wrote about the wifi in his email, but __________ didn’t read it.
Answers & Audioscripts
A
A 3 B 5 C 2 D 4 E 1
B
1 Peter, Jim
2 Jim, Peter
3 Peter, Jim
4 Peter
5 Jim, Peter
6 Jim, Peter
Peter: Hi Jim, it’s Peter. Just calling to check in with you about housesitting. Oh, and did you back up the North Pole files? Give me a call. Thanks!
Jim: Sorry I missed your call. Yes, I backed up the files before I left. And I’m putting the information together about housesitting and will email it to you tonight, ok? Call me if anything’s unclear. I’m leaving tomorrow morning.
Peter: Hey Jim, Peter. Where’s the cat food? [sound of meowing cat in background] I can’t seem to find it. Maybe you ran out? Ok, thanks, bye.
Jim: Hey Peter, sorry we keep missing each other. Did you get my email? Anyway, the cat food’s in the cabinet under the kitchen sink—one can in the morning, one in the afternoon. Check in with me when you get a chance, OK?
Peter: I found the cat food—no worries, Mitsi’s fine…but I can’t seem to turn the TV on. Not sure what I’m doing wrong?
Jim: Peter, did you lose my email? I’m sending it again. Anyway, like I said, don’t touch the power button on the TV! Always turn it on with the remote. You’ll probably have to reset it now. Read the instructions in the email—or call me and I’ll explain.
Peter: I figured it out—thanks. Great instructions in your email, by the way. Just one more thing—how do I get on the wifi? Bye!
Jim: Hi Peter. The instructions are in the e-… never mind. Get on the wifi by choosing “Jim’s wifi” from the list. Then enter the password— jim at home number one, all one word, no caps. Bye.
Peter: Hey Jim, it’s me. Everything’s cool here. Try to relax, will you? You sound kind of stressed. Ok, see you on Sunday.
Exercise 4
A. Listen the blog post. What is the main idea of the post? Circle the correct answer.
a No one really knows how we can increase productivity.
b There are many different strategies for increasing productivity.
c The author is confused about how to improve her performance.
B. Listen again. Who probably said it? Write T (Tarek), S (Siguri), (K) Kim, or (V) Vinod in the blanks.
1 “Your deadline is when? Oh no! Put on some good music and let’s get it done!
2 “I’m going back to my office so I can think in peace and quiet.”
3 “I’m glad I finished that. Now I can start on the more interesting stuff.”
4 “This meeting won’t take long.”
5 “I finished eight of the ten things on my list today.”
6 “Check out this video. It’s so cute!”
Answers & Audioscripts
A
b
B
1 S 2 V 3 K 4 T 5 T 6 K
Good work habits
Last year was a disaster at work. I missed a lot of deadlines and I got a bad performance report. It’s a new year and I need to be more productive. So, I asked a lot of successful people about their work habits. I got some good advice and some advice that’s—well—a little unusual! Here is what they said:
Tarek, owner of multiple successful restaurants:
● I plan my day in 15-minute blocks, so I don’t waste any time.
● I set goals and make a list of steps to meet each of them.
● I keep my meetings short by having “standing” meetings—that’s right—no chairs!
Siguri, online store manager:
● It’s hard, but I try to stay on top of my email. If I let it pile up, I never catch up.
● I have different music playlists for different purposes—electronic music for meeting deadlines; classical music for increasing creativity.
Kim, a writer and editor:
● I get the most unpleasant jobs out of the way as soon as I get to work. If I don’t, I spend all day dreading them and I can’t focus.
● I turn off my social media notifications, but I check them every few hours. That way, I don’t get distracted with constant messages, but I still stay connected while I’m in the office.
● Every couple of hours, I stop working and do something silly, like watching cat videos. I can get back to work with a smile on my face and plenty of energy.
Vinod, a money manager:
● My job is very stressful. Plants make me feel calm and happy so I keep lots of them in my office. They also increase the amount of oxygen in the room, which helps me focus.
● I also keep fish in my office. They help me relax so I can be more creative. My best ideas come after watching my fish.
I’ve started following some of this advice. It’s only been a few weeks, but I think it’s already working. Yesterday, my boss told me how pleased she was with my work. She also asked about the goldfish in my office!
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Exercise 5
A. Listen. What does Li Wei teach us?
B. Listen again. Answer the questions.
1 What does Li Wei need for his lesson?
2 Which parts of the guitar does he talk about?
3 What are the three steps that he shows?
Answers & Audioscripts
A
Answers will vary. Possible answer: He shows how to play a guitar.
B
Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1 He needs a guitar.
2 He talks about the strings, the neck, and the frets.
3 He shows how to hold the guitar, how to put your finger on the strings, and how to play the guitar strings/chord.
Hi, I’m Li Wei. I just started learning how to play the guitar. It wasn’t as easy as I thought. So today I’m going to show you how to play an A chord. Let’s go over the steps.
First, hold the guitar like this. Do you know what the strings are? E, A, D, G, B and E again. This is the neck and this metal line is a fret. Next, put your first three fingers on the B, G, and D strings between the first and second frets and press down. Now play them all together like this. And there you are. You know how to play an A chord.
Exercise 6
A. Listen to the conversations. Circle the correct answer.
1 The presentation was more useful / less useful than he had hoped.
2 Her new job is more exciting than / as exciting as her old job.
3 The new project is much more challenging / much less challenging than the last one.
4 He would like his boss to be more supportive / less supportive.
5 Yesterday, she was a lot more / a lot less tired.
6 He hoped the designs would be better / worse.
7 She thought she would be more nervous / less nervous about the interview.
8 His new office is a little bigger / a little smaller than his old office.
9 Both of them are excited / not excited about our trip to New York.
Answers & Audioscripts
1 less useful 2 as exciting as
3 much less challenging 4 more supportive
5 a lot more 6 better 7 more nervous
8 a little smaller 9 excited
1 A: How was the presentation?
B: It wasn’t as useful as I had hoped.
2 A: How do you like your new job?
B: I love it. It’s just as exciting as my old job.
3 A: Do you think the new project is as difficult as the last one?
B: I don’t think so. This new project is not nearly as challenging as the last one.
4 A: How do you like your new boss?
B: Unfortunately, he’s not nearly as supportive as I would like.
5 A: How are you feeling today?
B: Much better, thanks. I’m not nearly as tired as I was yesterday.
6 A: Have you seen the new designs?
B: I have. And they are not as good as I hoped.
7 A: Are you ready for your job interview?
B: I’m a little nervous. But I’m not as nervous as I thought I would be.
8 A: How do you like your new office?
B: I like it a lot. It’s almost as big as my old office.
9 A: I’m really excited about our trip to New York!
B: Me, too. I think I’m as excited as you are.
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