UNIT 8 ENVIRONMENT

This unit aims to help you:

 identify main ideas and supporting details
 learn about current environmental issues

* Discuss questions below with a partner. Share your ideas with the class.
1. List as many environmental problems in your country as possible.
Which do you think is the worst and why?
2. Noise pollution is considered as one of the most serious problems facing people in big
cities.
- To what extent do you agree or disagree?
- Discuss different ways to protect people against noise pollution.
3. What are major threats to forests in Vietnam?
What, do you think, should be done to preserve our forests?

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** In pairs, do the below quiz to test how much you know about Rainforest.

1. Rainforests cover what percentage of the Earth’s total surface?

A. Less than one percent

B. 2 percent

C. 10 percent

D. 45 percent

2. Rainforests provide which of the following products?

A. Chewing gum

B. Medicines

C. Coffee

D. All of the above

3. Which of the following geographical areas does not have Rainforest?

A. Africa

B. Central America

C. North America

D. Southern Asia

4. What are major threats to rainforest ecosystems?

A. Illegal logging

B. Volcanoes

C. Fire

D. Desertification

5. Rainforests play a significant role in maintaining which of the following?

A. Weather patterns

B. The Earth's limited supply of drinking and fresh water

C. More species of plants and animals than any other ecosystem on Earth

D. All of the above

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Identifying main ideas and supporting details
To be an effective listener, you are encouraged to be able to identify or distinguish main ideas and
supporting details of a text through the understanding of the text organization and the use of
connectives as signals for coming new ideas.
* Text organization:
- The text can be logically organized under the approaches of problems and solutions, causes and
effects, or points listing, etc…
- The main points in a text are usually followed by the supporting details.

* Connective devices:
- Listing and order: first, second, lastly, finally…
- Adding information: in addition, furthermore, moreover, also, as well as…
- Giving examples: for instance, for example, such as, namely…
- Results and consequences: as a result, therefore, consequently, so, for this reason…
- Highlighting and stressing: particularly, especially, clearly, obviously…
- Concessions and contrasts: however, although, though, despite, still, on the other hand, by contrast,
yet…
- Reasons and causes: because, due to, since, as…
- Concluding linkers: in conclusion, to sum up, to conclude…

15. ** Practice: Listen to the recording twice and note down what makes Mr Chan a good
teacher and give supporting detasils. Complete below table.

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DICTATION 1 – Forest Service

16. First listening : Listen to the recording and choose the best answer for each of the
following questions.

1. What is the main idea of the recording?

A. The establishment of a forest conservation organization in the US.
B. Damaging consequences of the US forests and wild lands.
C. Major threats defined by the Forest Service to forests and wild lands in America.

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2. How many main threats to the US forests are mentioned in the recording?
A. 3
B. 4
C. 5

Second listening: Listen again and fill in the gaps. Write no more than FOUR words
for each gap.

The Forest Service is responsible for the forests on (1) ________________ in the United States. It
supervises almost 78 million hectares of forests, grasslands, rivers and lakes. It is an (2) ___________
of the Department of Agriculture. Forest Service (4) ______________ say there are four major threats
to forests and wild lands in America.

The first is the threat of (4) _______________. This year, forest fires have burned more than three
million hectares of land. That is almost two times as much as the ten-year average. Fires are a natural
part of (5) _____________, but they can also threaten lives and property. Fuel is (6) _________ plant
material and small plants that grow under tall trees. As much as 49 metric tons of fuel can build up on
every hectare of forest (7) __________. The Forest Service estimates that up to (8) __________ of
the forests it supervises have dangerous level of fuel. Sometimes foresters set (9) _______________
to remove the fuel. Other times the fuel must be (10) ___________ by hand.

Another threat to forests is from (11) ______________. These are non-native plants and animals that
push out native kinds. They can cause a lot of (12) _______________. Some invaders are insects like
the Asian longhorn beetle. Some are (13) __________ like white pine blister rust. Others are plants
like the fast-growing kudzu vine. The Forest Service has hundreds of experts who try to develop ways
to deal with invasive species.

The agency says another threat to the health of wild lands is the (14) __________________. It says
over one hectare of forest or grassland is lost to development every minute. Development also leads
to the division of large (15) _______________ into smaller ones. Many animals need wide open
spaces. Also, building near wild lands increases the (16) _______ to homes from forest fires.

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The fourth threat to public lands is what the Forest Service calls (17) _______________. People can
hunt, fish and camp in many national forests. But careless use of (18) _____________ and other
actions can be destructive. On (19) _____________, the Forest Service released a new rule on the use
of motor vehicles on public lands. The rule requires each national forest to identify roads and paths
that are open to motor vehicles. Vehicles will be (20) ____________ from other areas. The ban,
however, will not affect snowmobiles.

Comprehension check: Basing on the recording, choose the best answer A,

B, C, or D for each question.
1. All of these are under the supervision of Forest Service, EXCEPT
A. rivers
B. grasslands
C. agriculture
D. lakes
2. Which of the following is true about forest fires?
A. They burn down more than 3 hectares of land every
year.
B. They are one of the threats to wild lands in America
C. They are an unnatural part of forest growth.
D. They threaten everybody’s life

3. According to the recording, fuel .......

A. comes from dead and tiny plants
B. grows under tall trees.
C. can’t be removed when there is a fire.
D. is always cleared by hand.
4. All are true about invasive species, EXCEPT
A. they are non native plants and animals.
B. they damage the economy
C. they all come from Asia
D. they grow at the loss of native plants and animals.
5. The loss of open space
A. is needed by many animals.

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 B. is controlled by hundreds of experts from Forest Service
C. makes it easier for houses near wild lands to catch fire.
D. can bring about wild lands for the animals.
6. The rule on the use of motor vehicles on public lands
A. was released on November 7th
B. requires national forests to open roads for motor vehicles.
C. bans all vehicles from going into the forest.
D. has an exception for snowmobiles.

DICTATION 2 – Noise pollution

17. First listening : Listen to the recording and choose the best answer for each of
the following questions. Discuss your answers.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A. How to control noise pollution.
B. An introduction of noise pollution.
C. The difference between noise pollution and other pollution.
D. Whether mental diseases are related to noise pollution.

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2. Which one of the following isn’t true according to the passage?
A. Nowadays noise is labeled as a kind of pollution.
B. We are becoming more and more upset because of the noise pollution.
C. It is high time to take measures to control noise pollution
D. People don’t pay much attention to noise pollution.

Second listening : Listen again and fill in the gaps with correct words or numbers.
Write no more than THREE words for each gap.

In the past, noise was (1) ___________ associated with pollution, but recently it is found that
many (2) ___________________ are closely related to noise. (3) ____________, it is also
labeled as a kind of pollution nowadays.

That there is too much noise afflicting our daily life is a manifest. (4) _____________ in big
cities it is almost a (5) __________ to enjoy a short period of (6) _____________, tranquil
leisure time except (7) _____________ or in the (8) ___________ of night. Whistling (9)
_____________, bustling crowds of people, (10) __________ loud speakers of various stores
and lots of others (11) ______________ nerve-racking noise. Noise diverts our attention, (12)
__________ our sleep and destroys our ears. (13) _____________, we are becoming more and
more fidgety and (14) __________ because of the noise pollution.

It is high time that (15) ___________________ was given to noise pollution. Moreover,
measures should be taken to protect people against noise and (16) _____________ us a quiet
environment. It is an arduous task, (17) ________ it can be (18) _______________ if only we
try not to be (19) _______________ and think twice before any hasty and irrational (20)
______________ are made.

Comprehension check: Basing on the above recording, answer below questions.

1. At what time of the day can people in big cities enjoy tranquil leisure moments?
_________________________________________________________________.
2. By which is the terrible noise produced?
_________________________________________________________________.

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3. What possible dangers does the noise cause?
_________________________________________________________________.
4. According to the recording, what should be done to secure people a quiet environment?
_________________________________________________________________.

Students REVIEW important words/phrases/idioms from what they have learnt in the lesson
and fill in the following table for more effective future use.

USEFUL LANGUAGES OF THE DAY

Words/phrases/idioms Equivalents/Meaning Putting into context

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59
UNIT 9 TECHNOLOGY

This unit aims to help you:

 develop basic note-taking skills
 learn how science and technology change the world

Discuss below questions with a partner. Share your ideas with the class.
1. List as many aspects in our life as possible that the technology has had influences on.
2. In your opinion, what are some of the greatest technological achievements? Why?
3. Do you think modern technology reduces or increases stress? Why?
4. How will science and technology change the world in the next 50 years?

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Developing basic note-taking skills
1. Key words vs. function words
* To develop your basic note-taking skills, first you are expected to be aware of the main differences
between key words and function words as highlighted in the below table.
Key/content words Function/structure words
Definition words that carry important messages less important words without which
including the time, places, people may not affect much our
involved and things that happened. understanding of the message.
Word forms nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs articles, pronouns, auxiliary verbs,
conjunctions, prepositions,

** Practice: Read the below text and underline the key words.
Dear Lan,
How are you? I am going to visit Nha Trang with my parents at Christmas! We will stay for
four days.
On the first day, we are going to sunbathe on the beach. At night, we are going to watch the
beautiful lights along the beach and enjoy delicious sea foods. Over the next few days, we can
visit the Vinpearl island and the Aquarium together.
We will be in Nha Trang on 23 December. The plane leaves Ha Noi at a quarter past eight in
the morning and arrives at around elven o’clock.
See you soon.
Lisa

2. Application of basic strategies to improve note-taking skills

* One of the strategies can be used to help you develop your note-taking skills is providing given
headings so that you would know what to focus on while listening. The headings provided could help
you jot down the key points.
Practice: Look back the above text and complete the below table.

Using headings to organize ideas

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1. Where and when will Lisa visit?
2. How long?
3. Things to do during the trip?
4. Her plane’s departure time?
5. Her plane’s arrival time?

** Another way to help you note down information and ideas systematically is the use of tables and
other graphic organizers (like mind maps) with the support of given guided notes to maximize your
comprehension ability. You are encouraged to make use of any types which interest you more.
However, at the basic level, a table with guided headings and notes may be preferred. Here is an
example.

Table form with the topic, main ideas and A mind map to show the topic, main ideas
supporting details and examples
A shopping list for Christmas party

Things to buy

Food fish balls, (1) chicken wings, (2)

sausages

Drink cola, (3) fruit juice, water

Others (4) forks, paper cups, (5) paper

plates

3. Using short forms, abbreviations, numbers and symbols to take notes

* For effective note taking, you are strongly advised to master the ability to use short forms, numbers
and proper symbols instead of full words to keep up with the rapid flows of speech under the spoken
context.

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** Below is the list of commonly used short forms / abbreviations. Have a try to complete the table
by filling in the gaps.
Full forms Short forms
A. Unit of measurements centimeter/metre/kilometre (1) ________
Kilogram/milligram/gram (2) _________
feet (3) _________
two minutes and thirty seconds (4) __________
hours/percent (5) __________
B. Dates and time seven o’clock in the morning (6) __________
Monday, January the fifth (7) __________
C. Places Seventh floor (8) __________
Street/Road/Building/Room (9) __________
D. Subjects Chinese/English/Mathematics (10) __________
E. Other common with vs. without (11) __________
abbreviations increase/decrease (12) __________
information/information technology (13) __________
difficult/expensive (14) __________
sandwich (15) __________

DICTATION 1 – Online education

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 18. First listening : Listen to the recording and choose the best answer for each of
the following questions. Discuss your answers.
1. Which areas aren’t the first online bachelor programs of the NYU (New York University)
offered?
A. Information systems management.
B. Natural sciences.
C. Leadership and management.
2. The NYU’s online classes involve some following features, except …
A. Students can easily interact with their teachers and peers.
B. Students can take live lectures by signing in the classes at different time.
C. Students can develop team projects together.
3. Which is not true about the cost of the NYU’s online program?
A. It can cost up to US$15,000 per year.
B. The cost depends on the number of classes students take.
C. There are financial aids for international students.

Second listening : Listen again and complete the guided notes. Write no more than
FOUR words for each gap.

Online education/ Online learning

Definition - classes taken by computer (1) ____________

- also known as (2) ___________________

NYU model - online classes started in (3) _______________

- about (4) _____________ students involved from the US and (5)
_____________
- Bacherlor (BA) degree programs in three areas:
+ (6) ___________ and management

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 + (7) ________________ management
+ (8) ________________________

NYU online classes - highly (9) ____________________

- students (10) ____________ at the same time to attend (11) ___________
lectures
- students can ask questions and do projects in a (12) _______
- classes are delivered by specialized (13) ___________ in online teaching

two (14) __________ SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)

tests TOEFL (Test of English as a foreign language)

NYU course fee - up to (15) ________________ per year

- foreign students receive no (16) __________________
- visit (17) _______________ for more details.

Special notes - be careful of programs offering a degree in return for (18)

___________________
- also known as diploma mills which are (19) _____________ in the US
- make sure the program you enter is (20) ______________ in your country.

Comprehension check: Basing on the recording, decide if the following statements are
True or False. Correct the False one.
1. Students can earn a degree from home by taking online classes.
2. Another phrase referring to online learning is distant education.
3. There have been over 10,000 students across the United States attending online classes of
the New York University.

65
4. International students are expected to pass an admission test to be eligible to the NYU’s
program.
5. Some students from other schools’ online programs are able to spend little or no work
earning a degree.
6. Educational experts advise students to ensure that the online programs they enter are
reliable and certified in their countries.

DICTATION 2 – Technology influencing the world

19. First listening : Listen to the recording and choose the best answer for each of
the following questions. Discuss your answers.
1. Which one of the below technology-related predictions are not mentioned in the passage?
A. Artificial intelligence
B. Internet search engines
C. Refuse collection
2. In the field of education, young people may not be expected to use technologies for …
A. socializing.
B. competing.
C. working and learning.
3. What are industrial nations anticipated to do to better deal with their waste?
A. They ask developing countries to accept their refuse.
B. They create protests in developing countries.
C. They build up better recycling technologies.

Second listening: Listen again and fill in the gaps. Write no more than THREE
words for each gap.

This is the VOA Special English Technology Report.

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An organization called the World Future Society publishes a (1) _________________
about how technology, the economy and society are (2) ___________ the world. Tim Mack
heads the World Future Society. He says (3) ___________ is one area of growth.

TIM MACK: “I was surprised by the enormous growth in medical technology.”

Mr. Mack says the fields of nanotechnology, (4) _________________ and information
technology are working together to create new ways to help (5) __________. These include
better ways to provide medicine and identify disease without (6) __________________.

Mr. Mack also says developments in artificial (7) __________ could lead to a future where
(8) _____________ patients could be cared for by a voice-activated robot.

The World Future Society also publishes The Futurist magazine. Every year it (9)
______________ developments in technology and other areas to predict the future. The
magazine released the top ten predictions from the Outlook 2011 report.

Several of the predictions (10) ______________ technology. The report said Internet (11)
_________________ will soon include both text and spoken results. It said television
broadcasts and other recordings could be (12) _______________ using programs developed
by the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis.

Outlook 2011 also examined (13) ________________. It said industrial nations will send
much more waste to developing countries. This will cause (14) _____________ in those
countries. In about fifteen years, developing countries will (15) __________ accepting
foreign waste. This will force industrial nations to develop better (16) _______________
programs and recycling technologies.

The report also had a prediction about education. It said young people use technologies for
(17) _____________ as well as working and learning. So they solve problems more as
teams instead of (18) _____________. In this way, social networking is supporting
different kinds of learning outside the classroom.

The World Future Society also predicts that robots will be able to carry out (19)
_____________ commands from human beings. Scientists have shown that individuals can

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type by using their brains without (20) _________________ computer keyboards. In the
near future, experts say brain e-mailing and “tweeting” will become more common.

And that’s the VOA Special English Technology Report. You can find scripts and audio of
our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. We are also on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube at
VOA learning English. I’m Steve Ember.

Comprehension check: Basing on the recording, decide if the following statements are
True or False. Correct the False one.
1. The medical technology offers patients better treatments through numerous complex
operations.
2. The Futurist magazine releases various predictions on technological developments and
other fields on an annual basis.
3. Foreign waste is expected to be on the increase in developing nations over the coming
decade.
4. Technological advances in education encourage more out-of-class learning opportunities
among young people.
5. Brain-emailing allows people to type without touching computer keyboards but just using
their brains.

Students REVIEW important words/phrases/idioms from what they have learnt in the lesson
and fill in the following table for more effective future use.

USEFUL LANGUAGES OF THE DAY

Words/phrases/idioms Equivalents/Meaning Putting into context

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69
UNIT 10 CAREERS
This unit aims to help you:
 develop basic note-taking skills
 learn about different aspects of job searching

Discuss questions below with a partner. Share your ideas with the class.
1. Which job do you love best? What are you trying to do in order to find a job that you
really like?
2. What, do you think, you should do to pass an interview successfully?
3. Can you list possible questions that may be asked in a job interview?

DICTATION 1 – Using social media to search for a job

20. Dictation Listening: Listen and fill in the gaps. Write no more than THREE
words for each gap.
This is the VOA Special English (1) _____________ Report.
The job market is more (2) _______________ than ever for millions of workers around the
world. In America, one reason right now is the slow recovery in job growth after the (3)
______________.

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But other reasons involve (4) __________ in the needs of the American and global economies. In
big developing economies like India and China, high (5) ___________________ mean workers
often move from job to job.
These days, many (6) _______________ go online to connect with employers. Job candidates want
to show they have a lot to offer. But in many cases they simply apply for a job title and list their
work experience. Instead, they should describe the (7) _____________________ they could bring to
an organization.
That is the advice of Steve Langerud, (8) ___________ of professional opportunities at
DePauw University in Indiana. He advises students on (9) ____________________ and
often talks about workplace (10) __________ in the media.
He says social media sites are valuable when they show the abilities of job candidates and not just
their (11) ______________ and experience.
STEVE LANGERUD: "This really is a talent economy, and we're stuck with most job
seekers presenting themselves in a job title mode. And I don't think it matches very well."
Steve Langerud says employers, too, should change their search methods. They should think
harder about the skills they really need to help their organization (12) _________________.
STEVE LANGERUD: "Because at the end of the day, it's still about getting the right people in the
right (13) _________ at the right time and then keeping them."
Ben Kirshner is the founder and (14) __________________ of a media marketing company based
in New York called Elite SEM. SEM is (15) ________________ marketing. His company's job is
to help businesses improve their websites and search engine results.
Ben Kirshner says when his company is searching for candidates for new positions, it first looks
(16) ______________. It considers existing employees. After that, he says, (17) ______________
can be valuable for finding new people.
BEN KIRSHNER: "Twenty-five percent of our new hires come from social media. Seventy five
percent typically come from (18) _________________."
In other words, three out of four people are found based on recommendations from others.
Elite SEM uses sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to learn about job candidates. LinkedIn is
a networking site for (19) ________________, so users might be more careful about what they say.
Mr. Kirshner says a site like Facebook can also provide a lot of information -- good or bad -- about
a person. So pay attention to what you put on the Internet and what others (20) _____________
about you.

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Comprehension check:
Basing on what you have just heard from the above listening, write a short summary of the

main ideas of the text (with about 5-10 sentences).

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DICTATION 2 – Interview

21. First listening: Listen to the recording and complete the guided notes for below
questions. Discuss your answers.

1. Why has interview become an important means in hiring suitable employees?

 It helps companies/institutions to _____________ among lots of candidates.
2. According to the text, what are the three advantages of interview that the employers may
benefit from?
 (1) the employer may find out ________________________________.
 (2) the interviewer may _____________________________________.
 (3) the boss may offer ______________________________________.
3. How can a person successfully pass the interview?
 (dress) (1) ________________________________________________.
 (behaviors) (2) _____________________________________________.
 (response) (3) ______________________________________________.

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 Second listening: Listen again and fill in the gaps. Write no more than THREE
words for each gap.
Interview has become one of the (1) __________ means in hiring new workers. For instance, it
is (2) ____________________ for a large company to have interviewed an (3)
______________ before deciding whether to accept him or not. This is also true of many
factories and (4) __________________. Through interviews, those (5) ____________ have
selected the (6) ________________ among the numerous applicants.
Interview, as a (7) _________ of selecting candidates, has a number of (8) ____________
over any other means. For one thing, through (9) ________________ with the candidates, the
employer may find out whether he is (10) _______________________________. Besides, the
interviewer may further discover what (11) _____________ the young man has so that he may
be given a position that (12) ___________ him well.
How to pass an interview successfully is certainly a (13) ____________ for every young man
who is looking for a good job. First, he should (14) ________________ and present an (15)
________________. Besides, in the course of the interview, he must show (16)
_______________. Finally, he must (17) _____________ to the interviewer’s questions
quickly and give (18) _____________ answers to show that he is (19) _____________ for the
job. By following these steps, that applicant will stand a good (20) __________________.

Students REVIEW important words/phrases/idioms from what they have learnt in the lesson
and fill in the following table for more effective future use.

74
 USEFUL LANGUAGES OF THE DAY

Words/phrases/idioms Equivalents/Meaning Putting into context

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 REFERENCES

Davis, P. and Rinvolucri, M. (2002). Dictation: New Methods, New Possibilities. Cambridge University
Press.
DeFilippo, J. & Sadow, C. (2003). Dictations for Discussion. Pro Lingua Associates Publishers.
Digby, C. and Myers, J. (1993). Making sense of Spelling and Pronunciation. Hemel Hempstead:
Prentice Hall International (UK) Limited.
Education Bureau. (2011). Using dictation to develop pupils’ listening and writing skills. The Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region.
Kuo, Y. (2010). Using partial dictation of an English teaching radio program to enhance EFL learners
listening comprehension. Asian EFL Journal, 47, 1-26.
Murugesan, V. (2007). Listening Practice through Dictation series 1-4. Compass Publishing
Nunan. (1991). Language Teaching Methodology. Prentice Hall International (UK) Ltd.
Rahimi, M. (2008). Using dictation to improve language proficiency. The Asian EFL Journal, Vol. 10,
Issue 1.
Rost, M. (1990). Listening in language learning. London: Longman.
The Windy. (2011). Luyện kỹ năng Nghe và viết chính tả Tiếng Anh. Nhà xuất bản Đại học Quốc gia Hà
Nội.
Voice of America, Selected extracts from VOA Special English (2011-2014), retrieved from
http://www.voaspecialenglish.com, http://learningenglish.voanews.com, www.manythings.org,
http://voaspecialenglish.blogspot.com/
White, G. (1998). Listening. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Useful Web Links for English Listening Learning

1. http://www.dictationsonline.com/ (very good website for practicing listening and dictation)

2. http://www.learnenglish.de/dictationpage.html (interesting site with lots of English Dictation Tests)

3. www.soundsofenglish.org (really good site for pronunciation practice  better facilitate your

listening).

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