Practice English Listening C1 Exercises – Say that again?

A

the wording of an email

B

1   A problem with a supplier; They’ve caused some delays and the clients have been complaining.

2   She means that he’ll get a better response from the supplier if he’s friendly rather than harsh.

3   Be more diplomatic. Avoid giving ultimatums. Avoid using exclamation points in business correspondence.

Artur:   Do you have a minute? I wonder if I can get your feedback on something.

Iris:   Of course. What’s up?

Artur:   We have a problem with a supplier. They’ve caused some delays and the clients have been complaining, so I’ve written them an email. I’d appreciate your thoughts on it.

Iris:   Sure, let me take a look.

Artur:   So, what do you think?

Iris:   I have a few suggestions.

Artur:   OK, great. And no need to mince words—I can take it!

Iris:   Well, honestly, I think you need to mince your words more. Your tone is a bit harsh in places. You need to be more diplomatic.

Artur:   For example?

Iris:   “Frankly, your request is ridiculous.”

Artur:   Well, it is.

Iris:   I don’t doubt it. However, if you’re more tactful, you’ll get better results.

Artur:   How should I word it? It’s really important that she understand how serious this is. I don’t want to sound wishy-washy.

Iris:   How about this: “We regret that we will not be able to comply with your request.” And then explain why you can’t do what she is asking.

Artur:   But I don’t regret it!

Iris:   Of course not, but haven’t you ever heard the saying “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”?

Artur:   Yeah, my mother used to tell me that all the time—usually when I was angry about something. Honestly, I was pretty annoyed when I wrote this. Is there anything else I should change?

Iris:   Well, it’s OK to be direct, but this sentence might be a little too direct. “We demand that your director contact us immediately to set up a meeting.” It sounds like an ultimatum.

Artur:   How about this: “We request that your director contact us at his earliest convenience to set up a meeting?”

Iris:   Great! That wording is much more tactful.

Artur:   Thanks. This is very helpful. In the future I’ll try to remember not to write anything when I’m angry. It’s a lot easier to be diplomatic after I’ve calmed down. Is there anything else?

Iris:   Yes, just one more thing. I noticed that you used a couple of exclamation points. As a general rule, you should avoid using exclamation points in business correspondence.

Artur:   Really? Why?

Iris:   It’s just not professional; it makes you sound too excited, a bit like a child.

Artur:   Well that’s not the tone I was going for. I’ll definitely remember that.

A

the importance of silence in communication

B

In today’s podcast, we’re going to discuss an aspect of communication that is often neglected: the importance of silence. We will define two different types of cultures, listening cultures and speaking cultures. We will then contrast how silence is used and interpreted in these two types of cultures, and discuss how these differences can lead to misunderstandings.

First of all, what is a speaking culture? A speaking culture is one in which explicit, direct speech is valued more highly than reflective silence. Most native English-speaking countries, as well as southern European countries, are considered speaking cultures. Listening cultures, on the other hand, tend to place a higher value on silence, which is often seen as a sign of respect, and place less value on explicit speech. Examples of listening cultures include most Asian countries, as well as some northern European countries such as Finland.

What does it mean to be comfortable with silence? A comparison of the average amount of silence during conversations will be helpful here. Research has shown that in Japan, for example, an eight-second pause between one speaker’s utterance and another’s response is not uncommon. Contrast that with an average one- to two-second pause between utterances in conversations between native English speakers, and you will see how wide the cultural gap truly is. It is a well-known fact that most Americans are unsettled by silence during a conversation and will immediately try to fill it with words. Most Chinese and Japanese speakers, in contrast, believe deeply in the saying “Silence is golden,” and believe that silence is a sign of respect for others.

As you can imagine, when someone from a speaking culture interacts with someone from a listening culture, there can be serious misunderstandings. People from speaking cultures tend to interpret silence as disinterest, disagreement, disapproval, a lack of understanding, or even disrespect. Conversely, those from a listening culture use silence to show careful consideration of what has just been said, and might feel offended if the other person jumps in too quickly to fill the silence in a conversation.

In speaking cultures like Italy and Spain, for example, it is perfectly acceptable for everybody to talk at once or to interrupt a speaker. And in Chile, it’s common to interrupt an answer with another question. This is not disrespectful; on the contrary, it shows that you are interested and engaged in the conversation. If you remain silent, people will wonder whether you are even listening. Unlike in many Asian countries, silence in response to a question does not suggest that you are thinking. Rather, it implies that you don’t know the answer, or are disinterested in the conversation. This is true for English-speaking cultures such as the U.S., the U.K., and Canada as well.

As you can see, it is very important that those who communicate cross-culturally be aware of these differences, and learn to interpret silence correctly. At the very least, you should find out if the culture you are visiting is a listening or a speaking culture. And always maintain an open mind and be sure to ask questions if you are not sure what your counterpart is communicating.

A

The speaker’s main point is that we should make sure that slang is used appropriately. This is expressed in his concluding remark: “Slang is pretty limitless–all you have to do is learn when to use it.”

B

Possible answers:

The speaker also mentions that slang can be widespread, and it can become mainstream. This could be viewed both positively and negatively.

C

Possible answer: The speaker offers a balanced view of slang, explaining both the pros and cons. However, he concludes with more positive remarks, suggesting that slang is a natural, long-lasting phenomenon which is creative and limitless. Overall, he appears positive towards slang and enjoys sharing his own anecdotes about it.

Stoked About Slang

Do you remember the times when the word sick meant great? Like, “Ah, that shirt’s sick!” Everyone used to say sick when I was growing up. And you know, it’s kind of cringeworthy now, but I used to use the phrase stoked when I was in school. Do you have any idea what that word means? Stoked is like excited. I don’t think I really understood the meaning at the time, but I was always using it. “I’m so stoked!”

Sick and stoked are examples of slang. Slang is loosely defined as informal, nonstandard vocabulary, and it’s part of everyday communication. It used to be considered more of a spoken phenomenon, but texting and the internet have changed all that. Now, in addition to spoken slang, we have cyber slang with all those abbreviations and emojis.

Slang exists to help us better express our feelings, and the feelings of the groups or subcultures we belong to—or want to belong to. Take stoked for example. This is well-known surf slang. Growing up near the ocean, I thought surfers were pretty cool. To me, they were rebelling against the status quo, and always off having adventures. I wanted to be part of that lifestyle, so surfers became my in-group.

In-groups are the groups you identify with, and you have solidarity with the group members. Out-groups are the groups you don’t identify with—for me, that was the football players, the theater kids, and people like my parents, who were older and totally not cool. You want to distance yourself from out-groups, but you also want to be part of an in-group. So, with my surf slang, that meant speaking a certain way.

So, how is slang actually created? Well, there are no hard and fast rules. But generally, slang is original, and it’s creative. It might be a completely new word, like derp, which means stupid. It might be a combination of words, like binge-watch—you know, when you watch the episodes of a TV series one after the other after the other. Sometimes words are blended together. Do you know what it means to get hangry? That’s when you’re angry because you’re hungry. I get hangry a lot!

What else? Slang is often humorous. It’s concise—you can express a whole idea or feeling with just a word or two. Slang is also temporary—a slang term is usually only popular for a few years. Popular slang stays one step ahead of the mainstream—once its use is widespread it tends to be less cool.

Slang is an important part of our identity. It involves using language in fun and creative ways. What’s not to like about it? Well, there are downsides to using it, too.

For one, slang isn’t appropriate in all situations. Critics say that it can make you sound vulgar, or less intelligent. One school in London even banned certain slang from being used on school grounds, fearing that it might hinder students’ chances to succeed in college and in job interviews.

Slang can also cause difficulties when it comes to making ourselves understood. With languages used for global communication, it’s important to communicate as explicitly and purposefully as possible. Slang prevents us from doing this, as by its nature, it’s meant to be used only among certain groups in certain contexts. Imagine a video conference for a global company in which each speaker is using their own regional slang. Things would soon be lost in translation!

So, there are pros and there are cons to using slang. The pros? Well, a lot of those have to do with our sense of identity. The cons? There are certain contexts in which slang doesn’t work so well. But slang isn’t going anywhere. It might have its downsides, but slang is a great example of how creative we can be with language. I mean, derp, binge-watch, hangry? Slang is pretty limitless—all you have to do is learn when to use it.

A

Possible answer: If we want to communicate with aliens, we might need to rethink our idea of communication.

B

Possible answers:

1   It makes the aliens more relatable and fits within our own cultural constructs and ideas.

2   We don’t know if they’re bound to the restrictions of human knowledge. We don’t know what communication means to them. We don’t know if they advance in the same way as us or at the same speed. We don’t know what their communications systems are.

3   using brain waves; using technology which makes writing unnecessary; using pulsars; using encrypted codes and messages

4   We need prior knowledge of them and their culture. We need to meet aliens face to face.

COMMUNICATION WITH EXTRATERRESTRIALS—AN ALIEN CONCEPT?

The 2016 blockbuster Arrival, which explores the theme of human interaction with extraterrestrials, suggests that communicating with visitors to Earth might be fairly easy. In the movie, a linguist deciphers symbols produced by the aliens and establishes a shared vocabulary to communicate. If aliens exist and we encounter them, how will we communicate? Experts are divided on this issue, but one thing seems clear—it will likely be much harder than it seems on the big screen.

Hello? Can you hear me?

Arrival is a fascinating insight into how an alien encounter might play out. However, it works on the premise that humans and aliens have shared traits or skills. Assuming that aliens communicate mainly through sound, body language, or writing makes a movie more relatable. But there is no guarantee that life out there is bound to the restrictions of human knowledge. What if aliens communicate via brain waves? What if they have developed technology that renders talking and writing unnecessary? It’s difficult to imagine how we might communicate with aliens when we don’t know what communication means to them.

Just as aliens may not communicate in the same way that we do, they may not advance in the same way, or at the same speed. We are now better able to receive and interpret signals than we were 200 years ago due to advancements in technology. Where are alien civilizations in their development? And how fast have their communication systems advanced? We simply have no idea.

Huh? I don’t get it.

Stephen Wolfram, an expert in computer languages, points out that alien communication could be all around us already. One example he gives is pulsars—an extraterrestrial source of radiation. Pulsars are widely accepted to be emissions from spinning neutron stars and were discovered back in 1967. Could these stars be beacons of communication that aliens have engineered for interstellar navigation? The blinking of a neutron star, caused by the pulsars emitted, could be the equivalent of a lighthouse on Earth.

Alternatively, the late philosopher and science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem suggested that aliens might use coded communication. They may not send a message directly, but instead send a code that someone (or something) would use to access a message. Only creatures with the right biological makeup and cognitive systems would be able to convert this code into a message.

We should talk about this “in person.”

However aliens communicate, deciphering that communication will prove difficult, perhaps impossible. Even interpreting a human message relies on some prior knowledge of cultural constructs and ideas. Put simply, you can’t understand a mathematic formula, say E = mc², without understanding the concepts of energy, mass, and the speed of light. The same applies to alien communication, and we know nothing about extraterrestrial cultures or concepts. It is likely that this intelligence gap can only be overcome through face-to-face contact with extraterrestrial beings, yet no alien encounters have been confirmed to date. In order to learn how to communicate with something, first we need proof that it even exists! It seems that communication with aliens is still a long way off. Science fiction can make fantastical concepts seem very real, but only within the boundaries of our own conceptual knowledge. It may be that the first step to understanding alien communication is not to limit ourselves to what we already know.