Think! What gadgets have you got (iPad, digital camera, iPhone...)? What’s your favourite? Why? Which gadgets would you like to have? Why?
N.B. The most important thing to remember when listening to a conversation is that you won’t understand every word. The important thing is to listen for the key words (the most importantwords in the conversation: the nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.). Then, you can use your intuition to fill in the gaps – just as you do in your own language. Knowing the context and topic of the conversation will help with this.
Note! Don’t read the audio script until you’ve completed the exercises. Also, please note that when people chat informally, they often use nonstandard English and they rarely speak in full sentences.
Listening I: You’re going to listen to a conversation about gadgets.
Which two gadgets do they mostly talk about?
http://www.hotenglishmagazine.com/PDFsforarticles/gadgets.mp3
Listening II: Listen again. Then, answer the questions. What does one of the speakers say about...
1. ...your parents and gadgets?
2. ...his mum and her new iPhone?
3. ...a study on a company and its workforce?
4. ...children with iPads?
5. ...an app for cats?
Listening III: Listen again and complete the audio script with the correct words.
Audio script:
Nate: So you guys, it’s time for me to renew my contract with my mobile phone company and I’m looking for a new mobile, but my mother calls me yesterday and she has the newest version________(1) .
James: Oh my God...
Nate: ...I think I’m a bit jealous. What do you think? Is an iPhone_______ (2) ?
James: Your parents aren’t supposed to have better gadgets than you. Isn’t there a law?
Louisa: That’s, that’s totally_________ (3) .
James: Yeah, I mean, what, so the newest one, so what, did she use it, like, you know, did she use, like, all the functions of the, of the phone or is she...
Nate: Yes, I think after only a couple of days she’s become addicted and she’s addicted to apps, she’s addicted to the internet, everything________ (4) .
James: Oh, my God.
Louisa: But does she really need it for her job or anything like that, or do you think it’s just a toy ________(5) ?
Nate: Absolutely not, it’s a toy that she enjoys.
James: But I mean I, more generally, like, iPhones, like, do we need all this connectivity and, you know, we constantly just look on the tube and people are just fiddling with their phones the whole time. Isn’t it just _________ (6) ?
Nate: It’s a bit weird but once you have one it’s a bit addictive and it’s fun.
James: And you have, but you have to control it, I try and, like, have, I read, I read about the study... where like this, this company had their workers force them to turn off their iPhones at 8 o’clock in the evening and their happiness and_________ (7) .
Nate: Oh, that’s a fantastic idea.
Louisa: That’s interesting, yeah.
Nate: What do you think about the children with the latest technology, children with iPads?
James: It’s a bit weird.
Louisa: I think it’s a bit weird. I saw a family, erm, just, you know, they were out ____ (8) and each of the children had, erm, what I presume is like an, an iPad and the children were sort of under twelve, and I thought it was a bit strange.
James: Yeah, there’s something grotesque about it, right.
Louisa: They weren’t playing football and doing norm[al]... they were...
James: Playing football on an iPad?
Louisa: Yes, they were.
James: I saw one with animals playing with iPads now, people have an app for their cats and the cat is, like, killing I don’t know, mice on the iPad and when the cat’s paw touches a mouse _______(9) the different direction...
Nate: That’s fantastic...