Unit 8: Can You Believe It?

Expanding Tactics for Listening, 3rd Edition » Unit 8: Can You Believe It?

Word List

arena
arrested
call-forwarding
claims (n.)
column
destination
drifting
elaborate
flushing
identify
ingredients
mummified
neglect
newborn
overweight
pharaoh
plumbing
scam
smuggling
stadium
tuition
convenience store
customs checkpoint
Did you hear about...?
ended up
get out of (doing something)
post online
power cable
stick shift
What happened?
You're kidding!

Vocabulary Worksheet

‣ Complete the sentences. Use the words in the box.

a. ghost
b. ingredients
c. neglect
d. tuition
e. column
f. plumbing
g. stadium
h. elaborate
i. identify
j. scam

I need to go shopping to get the _____ for this recipe.
Despite all the clues, the police could not _____ the criminal.
Because the building was old, the _____ often leaked.
The old woman claimed to see the _____ of her dead husband.
Without regular servicing, the car fell into a state of _____.
The _____ for this university is very expensive.
The concert was so big, it had to be held in a _____.
The decorations for the princess's wedding were incredibly _____.
Don't reply to that email; it is clearly just a _____.
I read a very interesting _____ in this morning's newspaper.

Answer Key

Have any of these strange experiences happened to you? Check your answers and compare them with a partner.

	Yes	No
1. You thought of someone, and then they called you.	_____	_____
2. You saw a star fall in the sky.	_____	_____
3. Your house key wouldn't open your door.	_____	_____
4. You couldn't find your car in a small parking lot.	_____	_____
5. You looked in your refrigerator for a steak you bought, but it wasn't there.	_____	_____
6. You saw someone who looked exactly like yourself.	_____	_____

Listening 1

Listening 1 ‣ Friends are telling unusual stories about people breaking the law. What did each person do? Listen and circle the correct answer.

- a. stole money from her office
- b. pulled out the power cable
- c. destroyed the phones
- a. overfed her pet
- b. stole a pig from a farm
- c. didn't feed her pet
- a. overcharged his customers
- b. took other people's customers
- c. didn't pay the telephone company
- a. robbed a grocery store
- b. stole a truck
- c. couldn't drive a stolen car
- a. sold rare animals
- b. snuck into Sweden without a passport
- c. tried to smuggle animals
- a. stole a car
- b. tried to rob a drugstore
- c. stole medicine from a drugstore

Listening 2

‣ Task 1

Newscasters are reporting unusual stories. Which headlines match their stories? Listen and check (x) the correct headline.

- a.
- b.
- a.
- b.
- a.
- b.
- a.
- b.

‣ Task 2

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

	True	False
1. The young man ended up with $28,000.	⁽¹⁾	⁽²⁾
2. A football team wants to hire 200 students.	⁽³⁾_____	⁽⁴⁾_____
3. San Bernardo is a city in Egypt.	⁽⁵⁾_____	⁽⁶⁾_____
4. A government worker left a high-paying business job.	⁽⁷⁾_____	⁽⁸⁾_____

Listening 3

‣ Task 1

People are talking about unusual stories in the news. What are the stories about? Listen and number the correct picture.

_____
_____
_____
_____
_____

‣ Task 2

Listen again and answer the questions. Circle the correct answer.

How far was the man from the beach?
- a. one mile
- b. two miles
- c. three miles
Where did the twins find each other?
- a. at a party
- b. in college
- c. a family reunion
How much money did the man get?
- a. $130,000
- b. $135,000
- c. $145,000
How far had the camera floated?
- a. 1,000 miles
- b. 1,011 miles
- c. 1,100 miles
Who placed the babies next to each other?
- a. a nurse
- b. a doctor
- c. their mother
Why didn't the people hear the smoke alarm?
- a. It was broken.
- b. It wasn't very loud.
- c. They didn't have one.

✺ Pronunciation

Intonation of complex sentences

Pronunciation Help

Use rising intonation in the first clause of a complex sentence and falling intonation in the second clause.

‣ Task 1

Listen and repeat.

1. The^→ drugstore^→ employees^→ called^→ the^→ police^↗ after^→ he^→ left_↘.
2. When he^→ came^→ back^↗, the police were waiting^→ for^→ him_↘.
3. While they were^→ sleeping^↗, their house caught^→ on^→ fire_↘.
4. The smoke alarm^→ went^→ off^↗, but it didn't wake^→ them^→ up_↘.

‣ Task 2

Read the sentences to a partner. Be sure to use the correct intonation.

✺ Dictation

‣ Task 1

Listen to the conversation. Write the missing words.

A: ⁽¹⁾_____ ⁽²⁾_____ ⁽³⁾_____ about that guy who sent himself somewhere in a box?
B: What? No! What happened?
A: Well, this guy wanted to go to Dallas to visit his father, but ⁽⁴⁾_____ ⁽⁵⁾_____ ⁽⁶⁾_____ to pay for a plane ticket.
B: Yeah? ⁽⁷⁾_____ ⁽⁸⁾_____ ⁽⁹⁾_____ do?
A: He figured he would save money by mailing himself to Dallas, so he packed himself inside a box!
B: ⁽¹⁰⁾_____ ⁽¹¹⁾_____ ⁽¹²⁾_____! That must have been some trip!

‣ Task 2

Practice the conversation with a partner. Be sure to use the correct intonation.

✺ Conversation

Work in pairs. Think of a strange story you have heard. Tell your partner what happened.

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

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