4 Introduction The importance of listening Listening is perhaps the most important skill when learning a foreign language as a great deal of language activities are based on listening. However, it is a major challenge for language learners as it is transitory. Unlike when reading you cannot go back and listen again in most cases. If you have missed something, you can only ask. Moreover, when people speak, they use their specific accents and intonation, which makes listening even more unpredictable. The best strategy to come to terms with these challenges is certainly to prepare for such situations by studying both the language and the specifics of different communicative situations. In order to achieve this goal, it is not enough to practise the formats which are to be expected in standardised test tasks. It is vital to take a closer look at communication strategies and also at ways to decode what other people say. Listening is not just hearing what is being said. Listening means that you take specific steps in order to understand and process what you have heard (e.g. note taking). The situation students are faced with at school is often unusual as we would normally see the person who is talking. This makes listening in real-life situations easier unless we just listen to loudspeaker announcements, podcasts or to the radio for instance without any visual elements. How to use this book In this book you will find: • 18 chapters, each devoted to one specific topic • listening texts on each topic • tasks to deal with the typical, subject-related issues • tasks focusing on specific, subject-related vocabulary • tasks to improve your general language skills • tasks to train listening • listening prompts to practise exam situations • tasks to practise related skills (e.g. note taking) The listening texts in this book are specifically written for the CEFR level B1. The pre-listening tasks as well as the general activities will help you understand the recordings. Before you start listening, go through these tasks to become familiar with the vocabulary. In addition, you will find boxes with tips throughout the book which will help you to learn important skills and strategies to cope with listening situations. It is recommended that you go through this book and do the tasks more than once. This will help you to get used to the sound of different accents and different voices and will make you familiar with exemplary situations of oral communication. How to use the audio tracks After you have downloaded the QuickMedia App with your mobile device (see page 1 for details), you can start using the audio tracks. There are three versions – A, B and C – of each track for the standardised listening tasks ( +) and only one version for the other tasks ( ). Version A is fairly slow and clear without background noise, which makes it easier to understand. Version B is slightly faster but still without distracting background noise. You can use version B to become familiar with the Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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