Unit 17: Past Events

Expanding Tactics for Listening, 3rd Edition » Unit 17: Past Events

Word List

alarm
elevator
exactly
finally
injured
luckily
nervous
pajamas
realize
sign (v.)
skid
suddenly
tie
valuable
voice
alarm button
all of a sudden
bad experience
believe it or not
broke out
bumped around
go sailing
got stuck
in the end
locked out of (somewhere)
locked yourself out
locked around
pay attention
pulled her out
raffle tickets
traffic accident
turned around
went off the side of the road

Vocabulary Worksheet

‣ Part 1: Match the words and phrases on the left with their definitions on the right.

valuable _____
exactly _____
alarm _____
injured _____
pajamas _____
nervous _____
suddenly _____
realize _____
elevator _____
luckily _____

a. to have one's expectations unmet
b. without warning
c. to become aware of something
d. worth a lot of money
e. precisely; very accurately
f. easily excitable; anxious
g. a device that signals a bad event
h. fortunately
i. a machine that takes people up and down between floors in a building

‣ Part 2: Complete the sentences. Use the words or phrases from Part 1.

Please put on your _____ and get into bed.
My grandmother left me a pearl necklace that is very _____.
_____, your leg isn't broken.
I will not pay for food if it is not _____ what I ask for.
He was very _____ at the thought of giving a presentation for the boss.
I took the _____ to the 14th floor, since the stairs took too long.
_____, the car burst into flames while driving down the road.
I have an _____ that goes off when someone enters the house.
After walking up with a fever, I _____ that I should see the doctor.
He _____ his knee when he was playing soccer.

a. to have one's expectations unmet
b. without warning
c. to become aware of something
d. worth a lot of money
e. precisely; very accurately
f. easily excitable; anxious
g. a device that signals a bad event
h. fortunately
i. a machine that takes people up and down between floors in a building

Answer Key

Have any of these things ever happened to you? Check (x) your answers and compare them with a partner.

	Yes	No
1. You locked yourself out of your home.	_____	_____
2. You had a bad experience while flying.	_____	_____
3. You were in a traffic accident.	_____	_____
4. You got stuck in an elevator.	_____	_____
5. You found something valuable on the street.	_____	_____

Listening 1

Listening 1 ‣ Frank is describing what happened to him on Sunday. Listen and number the pictures.

_____
_____
_____
_____
_____

Listening 2

‣ Task 1

People are talking about things that happened to them. How do you think each person felt? Listen and check (x) the correct answer.

	Embarrassed	Disappointed	Frightened
1.	⁽¹⁾	⁽²⁾	⁽³⁾
2.	⁽⁴⁾_____	⁽⁵⁾_____	⁽⁶⁾_____
3.	⁽⁷⁾_____	⁽⁸⁾_____	⁽⁹⁾_____
4.	⁽¹⁰⁾_____	⁽¹¹⁾_____	⁽¹²⁾_____
5.	⁽¹³⁾_____	⁽¹⁴⁾_____	⁽¹⁵⁾_____
6.	⁽¹⁶⁾_____	⁽¹⁷⁾_____	⁽¹⁸⁾_____

‣ Task 2

Listen again. What do you think each person did next? Circle the correct answer.

- a. opened the door
- b. pushed the alarm button
- c. used the stairs
- a. bought a plane ticket
- b. looked for his car
- c. called the police
- a. bought a cup of coffee
- b. walked to work
- c. took the bus
- a. went home
- b. went sailing
- c. went swimming
- a. turned on the radio
- b. stopped quickly
- c. went faster
- a. paid the bill
- b. left a big tip
- c. called the taxi company

Listening 3

‣ Task 1

People are talking about past events. What happened to them? Circle the correct answer.

- a. Her car was damaged.
- b. She ran into another car.
- c. Her car got stuck.
- a. His plane had mechanical difficulties.
- b. His plane flew into bad weather.
- c. His plane had to make an emergency landing.
- a. She got lost in the hotel.
- b. She was stuck in the elevator.
- c. She was locked out of the room.
- a. He was injured in the fire.
- b. He escaped from the fire.
- c. He didn't hear the alarm.
- a. She won first prize.
- b. Her friend won first prize.
- c. She sold some raffle tickets.
- a. He spoke to a famous person.
- b. He saw a famous person.
- c. His wife spoke to a famous person.

‣ Task 2

Listen again. Are these statements true or false? Check (x) the correct answer.

	True	False
1. A tow truck pulled her car out of the snow.	⁽¹⁾	⁽²⁾
2. The pilot got the airplane out of the storm.	⁽³⁾_____	⁽⁴⁾_____
3. The person from housekeeping didn't have a key.	⁽⁵⁾_____	⁽⁶⁾_____
4. Only a few people were injured in the fire.	⁽⁷⁾_____	⁽⁸⁾_____
5. She won a trip to Hawaii.	⁽⁹⁾_____	⁽¹⁰⁾_____
6. The movie star signed his menu.	⁽¹¹⁾_____	⁽¹²⁾_____

✺ Pronunciation

Emphasis on time phrases

Pronunciation Help

In sentences that show sequence, stress the time phrases.

‣ Task 1

Listen and repeat.

1. We went to the beach on Friday, and júst as we arrived, it started to rain.
2. I was walking to work when áll of a súdden, I heard someone call my name.
3. I was having a great time, and béfore I knew it, it was midnight.
4. We waited and waited, and fínally, the tow truck arrived.

‣ Task 2

Read the questions to a partner. Be sure to stress the time phrases.

✺ Dictation

‣ Task 1

Listen to the conversation. Write the missing words.

A: Did I tell you ⁽¹⁾_____ ⁽²⁾_____ ⁽³⁾_____ to me last Saturday morning?
B: No. What happened?
A: I was walking down the street to get some coffee ⁽⁴⁾_____ ⁽⁵⁾_____ ⁽⁶⁾_____ heard someone call my name. I looked around, but I didn't see anyone I knew.
B: Then what ⁽⁷⁾_____ ⁽⁸⁾_____ ⁽⁹⁾_____?
A: Well, I thought maybe I imagined it, so I kept walking, and ⁽¹⁰⁾_____ ⁽¹¹⁾_____ ⁽¹²⁾_____ was about to go into the cafe, I heard it again. It was my best friend from elementary school!

‣ Task 2

Practice the conversation with a partner. Be sure to stress the time phrases.

✺ Conversation

Work in pairs. Think of a time when something interesting happened that you did not expect. Tell your partner about it.

Answer Key

Favorite Books

Basic Tactics for Listening, 3rd Edition

Tactics for Listening Third Edition is an activity-rich listening course with proven success in building skills in listening and conversation. Now with Tactics for Testing, it provides plenty of practice in testing and exam techniques. The result is confident listeners - and exam success.

Developing Tactics for Listening, 3rd Edition

Table of Contents