HANOI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES DEPARTMENT DICTATION LISTENING SKILLS FOR INTERNAL USE PREFACE
“Listening Comprehension Through Dictation – Term 1” is specifically designed for the students at
basic level (in their first term) of the one year English program by the English for Specific Purposes
Department, Hanoi University. This course book aims to introduce a wide range of dictation materials,
which put more emphasis on promoting students’ capacity of listening and perceiving the accurate written
forms of oral sounds, words and simple sentences so that they can confidently dictate (write down exactly
what they hear) from speakers. By focusing learners’ attention on text transcription, it is expected to
encourage learners to further develop effective learning strategies (e.g. spelling, phonics skills,
vocabulary building, prediction and basic note-taking skills) as well as integrated language skills (e.g.
listening, dictating, speaking), apart from providing invaluable exposure to audio-recorded languages
from native English speakers. In doing so, it is hopefully to better facilitate learners’ more independent
and confident listening capability when they move on to higher levels of their English studies in the
following terms of the program.
“Listening Comprehension Through Dictation – Term 1” has 9 units. Each unit in the course book begins
with Lead-in activities, which is to give the students opportunities to activate their background
knowledge about the topic that will be covered in the listening. In this part, the students are typically
asked to talk about what they know about the topic either in groups or in pairs. By doing this, students
will be equipped with some essential ideas related to the topic before they listen so they can perform
better during their listening. The unit goes on with Helpful hint section where the focal points of relevant
dictation listening skills within the unit are highlighted to provide students with necessary ideas and
techniques to deal with the dictation and listening with more efficiency under specific contexts of the
given recordings. This part is followed by the main part of the lesson, Listening and Dictation, which
contains two dictation passages with a variety of dictation activities and exercises. For each dictation
passage, students do the first listening to get the overall comprehension or grasp the main ideas of the
whole text. Then the students listen to the recording the second time and dictate by filling in the given
missing gaps. The designed gaps mainly focus on important words or phrases or those with high tendency
of misuse or confusion regarding phonic, lexical or grammatical aspects of the language among students.
This is to help students become more aware of the accurate forms of language for more effective and
proper use in the reality. In addition, the post-dictation comprehension exercises prove to be beneficial
to check and more importantly consolidate what students have really learnt and understood from the
listening. The unit ends with Follow-up activities in which the students are required to review important
words, phrases or idioms from the lesson and fill in the ‘USEFUL LANGUAGES OF THE DAY’ table
for more effective and practical future use.
As listening proves to be very essential and indispensable for students during their language study, it is
not an easy task though. To be successful listeners at this level, students are expected to make full use of
not only class hours but also their self-study revision to constantly sharpen their listening skills by
reviewing and applying what they have already learnt into practice. It is crucially important to bear in
mind that patience and regular daily practice will be key success factors for a good and effective listener.
For these reasons, hopefully, the availability of the book will offer students whose wishes are to better
enhance their listening ability a series of good and effective listening practice exercises to gradually build
up their listening skills in a systematic and fundamental way as well as to increase their confidence when
exposing to different types of spoken English at higher levels in the coming terms. TABLE OF CONTENTS DICTATION LISTENING SKILLS Week Part A: Class book Part B: Workbook Topic Page Topic Page 1 Learning a foreign language 1 Immigration statistics 1 2 Vitamins – essence of life 7 Three little words 2 3 Family matters 14 Election Day in the U.S.A 3 4 Childhood 21 The Olympic Games 4 5 Television 27 Birthdays around the world 5 6 Happiness and dreams 33
Want to stay warm in winter – Think COLD 6 7 Superstitions 42
Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce 8 8 Environment 50 Words and stories: Number Two 9 9 Technology 60 Writing College Papers 11 10 Careers 70 Revision 11 Consolidation Pilot test PA P RT R A T IN-C IN- LA L SS S DICT ATI A ON L IST L ENING Unit Topic Page 1. Learning a foreign language 1 2. Television 7 3. Childhood 14 4. Environment 21 5.
Vitamins – essence of health 27 6. Happiness and dreams 33 7. Superstitions 42 8. Family matters 50 9. Technology 60 10. Careers 70 UNIT 1
LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
This unit aims to help you:
• be aware of the importance of English dictation
• understand different ways to learn English
Discuss questions below on learning English as a foreign language.
1. How important is English to you?
2. Is English an easy language to learn?
3. Which is the best way to learn English well?
Dictation Listening – An overview
In pairs, do the below quiz to test how much you know about English Dictation Listening.
1. Rearrange the order of below statements to make the best definition
of dictation listening.
A. Learners hold pieces of information in their memory for a short time.
B. Learners dictate, i.e. write down exactly what they heard from speakers.
C. Learners receive some spoken input in the forms of oral sounds, words and sentences.
2. What is partial dictation? Put the statements in the correct order.
A. The passage is read in complete form.
B. A passage with some deletions is given to learners.
C. Learners are required to fill in the deleted parts as they hear the passage.
3. Which statement below is NOT true about the purposes of dictation?
A. Dictation helps learners develop phonics skills that facilitate pronunciation and spelling.
B. Dictation is an integrative activity that involves all the skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking.
C. It’s only the passive aural skills that are developed in dictations. 1
4. How important is dictation in learning English listening? More than an option can be chosen.
A. Dictation relates what is spoken to what is written, which provides fundamental drills in understanding
the connected speech in real-life situations and also helps to develop listening comprehension ability.
B. Dictation can help the students considerably overcome the grammatical and lexical problems mostly
alongside the problems of the other areas of the language.
C. The significance of dictation is the only focus of spelling practice.
DICTATION 1 – The White Lie
01. First listening: Listen to the recording and choose the best answer for each of the
following questions. Discuss your answers.
1. What does the advertisement say about learning a foreign language?
A. One can learn a foreign language well in six months.
B. One cannot get a refund if not making progress after a six-week course.
C. One can master excellent pronunciation right on the beginning day of the course.
2. What is the only language that is easy to learn? A. English B. French C. One’s native language
3. How can people learn a foreign language well? A. By working hard.
B. By living in the native country where the language is spoken.
C. With the help of books and dictionaries.
Second listening: Listen again and fill in the gaps. Write no more than THREE words for each gap.
Have you ever noticed (1) _____________ which say “Learn a foreign language in (2)
_____________, or we pay your money back”? From the first day your pronunciation will be
excellent. Just send…” and so on? Of course, it never happens like that. The only language that is
easy to learn is the (3) ____________________. And think how much practice that gets. Before
the Second World War, people usually learn a foreign language in order to read the (4)
______________ of the country. Now speaking the foreign language is what most people want. 2
Every year (5) _____________ of people start learning one. How do they do it?
Some people try (6) ___________, with books and (7) _______________; others go to (8)
__________________. If they use the language only two or three times a week, learning it will
take (9) ____________________, like language learning at school. A few people try to learn a
language (10) _________ by studying for six or more (11) _________ a day. It is clearly (12)
__________ to learn the language in the country where it is (13) ____________. However, most
people (14) __________________ this, and for many it is 15) ____________. They need the
language in order to do their work better, for example, (16) ____________ and doctors chiefly
need to be able to read books and reports in the (17) ____________ language. Whether the
language is learnt quickly or slowly, it is (18) ______________. Machines and good books are
(19) __________, but they cannot do the (20) ________________ for them.
Comprehension check: From the above dictation, answer below questions using your own words.
1. What is the difference in the purpose of learning a foreign language in the past and now?
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2. List three different ways people may use to learn a foreign language.
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3. Name different factors necessary for effective learning of a foreign language. Then choose the
most decisive factor of them all and explain why.
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DICTATION 2 – Learning English
02. First listening: Listen to the recording and choose the best answer for each of the
following questions. Discuss your answers. 3
1. According to the recording, I enjoy all the following subjects except? A. Maths B. Physics C. Chemistry
2. I wasn’t interested in …………? A. reading B. listening
C. memorizing grammatical rules
3. According to the recording, I don’t read………..? A. textbooks B. novels C. magazines and newspapers
Second listening: Listen again and fill in the gaps. Write no more than THREE words for each gap.
As we all know, English is the (1) _________________ language in the world. It’s important for
us to study English well. But how?
I like English as well as (2) ____________ and (3) _____________. At the beginning of my
English study, I spent a lot of time in memorizing the (4) _____________________ of English. I
wasn’t interested in listening or speaking. Many times the (5) ____________ I got in English tests
were not as good as those in my (6) ___________ tests, so I decided to (7) _________ my way of study.
From then on, I have begun to (8) ________________ listening. In my spare time, I often listen to
English tapes and watch some English programmes on TV, I try my best to (9) _____________________.
Reading is an important step in learning English well. I read (10) _____________, and other
reading materials. When I am (11) __________, I often read English magazines and (12)
______________________. Although there are lots of new words, I often (13) ____________
what I read (14) __________ paying much attention to the new words or difficult (15)
______________. In this way, I’ve (16) ____________ my reading comprehension. How (17)
_______ I am! The more I read, the more I understand; the more I understand, the more I read. 4
Recently, I have also been trying to (18) _________. Though I often (19) ________________, I
am not discouraged. I’m (20) ______________ to study English well. I’m sure I will know it well in the future.
Comprehension check: Basing on the recording, decide if the following statements are
True or False. Correct the False one.
1. I prefer English to physics and maths.
2. At the beginning, I spent a lot of time in reading textbooks.
3. I was not fond of writing and speaking.
4. As I didn’t get good marks in English tests, I changed my way of study.
5. When listening, I try my best to understand every single word that the speaker says.
6. While reading, if I find any new words, I stop to check their meanings for my better comprehension.
7. I feel scared if I make mistakes when I am writing.
8. I always spare no efforts learning English well and I believe my English will be better sooner or later.
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. Words/phrases/ Equivalents/Meaning Putting into context idioms 1. Mother tongue One’s first language
My mother tongue is Vietnamese 2. be fond of + V-ing be interested in doing sth
My daughter is fond of playing the be keen on doing sth piano. 5 6 UNIT 2
VITAMINS – ESSENCE OF HEALTH
This unit aims to help you:
• develop prediction skills
• get to know benefits of different vitamins towards human health
Discuss questions below with a partner. Share your ideas with the class.
1. How important are the vitamins A, B, C and D accordingly to our health?
2. What are possible dangers if we have low levels of these vitamins?
3. In what ways, do you think, we can get vitamin A, B, C and D?
Developing prediction skills
* Prediction is a valuable stage in developing your listening ability. It is an activity you often carry out
before listening to a text, where you predict the necessary kinds of answers to help you get more focused
on what you are going to hear.
* Regarding the dictation tasks, the prediction can be under the form of certain suitable parts of speech
(nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc…) as well as the grammatical verb tenses required for each filling gap.
** Practice: Look at the below statements and make possible predictions on the given gaps. Use ONE word in each gap.
a. Vitamin D helps bones and muscles grow (1) __________ and healthy. Low levels of vitamin D can (2)
___________ problems such as rickets, a deformity mainly found in children. 7
→ (1) ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
→ (2) ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
b. The easiest way to get vitamin D is from (3) _____________. The sun’s UV rays reacts with skin cells to produce Vitamin D.
→ (3) ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
c. Also, darker skinned people produce less vitamin D than (4) _________ skinned people.
→ (4) ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
DICTATION 1 – Vitamin D for ‘Does a lot’
03. 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 following isn’t true according to the passage?
A. Vitamin D enables strong bones and muscles.
B. Lighter skinned people produce less vitamin D than darker skinned people.
C. It might be poisonous if people take too much vitamin D.
2. Low levels of vitamin D may lead to the following diseases except … A. osteoporosis B. rickets C. skin cancer 8
Second listening: Listen again and fill in the gaps. Write no more than THREE words for each gap.
Vitamin D helps bones and muscles grow (1) .
__________________ Low levels of vitamin D can (2)
____________ problems such as rickets, a deformity mainly found in children. Osteoporosis, the thinning
of (3) __________, is a common problem as people, especially women, get (4) ________.
But more and more research is suggesting that vitamin D might also help prevent many (5) . __________
The easiest way to get vitamin D is from (6) ___________. The sun's ultraviolet rays react with skin cells
to produce vitamin D. But many people worry about getting skin cancer and (7) _____________ from the
sun. As a result they cover their skin or wear sun block or (8) the sun. _______________
Also, darker skinned people produce less vitamin D than (9)
__________ skinned people. Production also
decreases in older people and those living in (10) ___________ areas that get less sunlight.
Not many foods naturally contain vitamin D. Foods high in this vitamin include (11) _____________ such
as salmon, tuna and mackerel, and fish liver oils.
Boston University researchers reported last year that farmed salmon had only about (12) __________ as much vitamin D as (13) salmon. ________
Small amounts of D are found in beef liver, cheese and egg (14) . And some _________ people take dietary
supplements containing the vitamin. But most of the vitamin D in the American (15) ________ comes
from foods with D added, like milk. 9
In 1997, the United States Institute of Medicine (16)
______________ levels for how much vitamin D
healthy people need. It set the daily amount at two hundred international units (I.U.s) from (17)
___________ through age 50. It set the level at 400 I.U.s through age 70, and 600 for age 71 and older.
But some groups say these amounts are not high enough. They are hoping that the new research findings
will lead to new recommendations.
Research in the last several years has shown that low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of heart
attacks in men and (18) ____________ from some cancers. Other studies have shown that people with
rheumatic diseases often have low levels of vitamin D.
More doctors are now having their (19)
____________ tested for their vitamin D levels. But as research
continues, some experts worry that if people take too much vitamin D, it might act as a (20)
_____________. Also, skin doctors warn people to be careful with sun exposure because of the risk of skin cancer.
And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. I’m Steve Ember.
Comprehension check: Basing on the recording, decide if the following statements are
True or False. Correct the False one.
1. Osteoporosis is known as a common bone-related problem found mostly among men.
2. The best way to get vitamin D is from sunlight.
3. There is a high risk of skin cancer among people exposing too much to the sun.
4. The Southern people get less sunlight than the Northern ones.
5. Wild salmon contains a higher amount of vitamin D than farmed salmon.
6. Most of the vitamin D can be found in such foods as oily fish, milk and egg yolks.
7. People need less vitamin D as they get older.
8. A diet rich in vitamin D can help people prevent from rheumatic diseases.
DICTATION 2 – Vitamins A, B and C
04. First listening: Listen to the recording and choose the best answer for each of the
following questions. Discuss your answers.
1. Vitamin A comes mainly from ….. A. butter and cheese B. bread and milk C. fish and liver 10
1. Where does Vitamin A mainly come from? If being short of Vitamin A, what may happen?
→ _______________________________________________________________________
→ _______________________________________________________________________
2. Where can we get Vitamin B from? If there is a lack of Vitamin B, what may happen?
→ _______________________________________________________________________
→ _______________________________________________________________________
3. Where does Vitamin C generally exist? What can be caused if there is not enough of Vitamin C?
→ _______________________________________________________________________
→ _______________________________________________________________________
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 12 13 UNIT 3 FAMILY MATTERS
This unit aims to help you:
• make full use of the contextual clues
• build up background knowledge about family-related issues and women roles
Discuss below questions with a partner. Share your ideas with the class.
1. Discuss the meaning of the terms ‘Baby Boomers’ and ‘Boomerang Kids’.
2. Is it customary for you to live near your parents after you leave school or after you marry?
3. Which would you prefer, staying in the nest or having your own place? Why?
Making full use of the context clues
* As for the confusing vocabulary/grammar items, you should pay due attention to the pronunications,
meanings and parts of speech to listen more effectively with the most accurate uses of the correct
vocabulary/grammar in context.
* For example, some students mixed up ‘whole’ and ‘hole’ in dictation.
- Mistake made: ‘He was tired for the hole day.’
- Correction: Teachers should ask students to
+ think about the (1) meanings of the two words (‘whole’ means ‘all or throughout the day’ while ‘hole’
means ‘a space or opening that goes through something’)
+ use (2) contextual clues and their knowledge about the (3) parts of speech to choose the correct
word (‘whole’ is an adjective while ‘hole’ is a noun)
→ students have to write ‘He was tired for the whole day’ instead.
** Practice: Complete below sentences by underlining the best option. Make full use of the context clues
and give explainations for your choice. 14
1. It is very hot. The sun/son is shining.
→ __________________________________________________________________________.
2. I use a pan/pen to fry an egg.
→ ___________________________________________________________________________. 3. There is a big in the sea. sheep/ship
→ __________________________________________________________________________.
4. If I want to go to the mall with my friends, my parents always give me money. They don’t tell me
no/know, really.
→ __________________________________________________________________________.
5. She likes her job very much. She works from nine/nice to five/fine.
→ ___________________________________________________________________________.
6. Forest fires may threaten people’s live/lives and property.
→ ___________________________________________________________________________.
DICTATION 1 – Staying in the nest
05. First listening: Listen to the recording and choose the best answer for each
of the following questions. Discuss your answers.
1. What is the main idea of the recording?
A. The start of grown-up kids’ life away from home.
B. The increasing trend among grown-up kids returning to their first nest.
C. The effects of socio-economic developments on the American youngsters.
2. According to the recording, what is NOT TRUE about the reasons attracting grown-up kids to return to the first place? A. Larger houses
B. Good relationships between parents and kids.
C. Instable financial situations.
Second listening: Listen again and fill in the gaps with correct words or
numbers. Write no more than THREE words for each gap. 15