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Category: Listening Lab

  • 🎧Who invented emojis?

    B1 · Listening

    🎧 Sound Check

    Get ready to listen.

    Before you listen, think about this:

    How often do you use emojis?

    Can emojis express ideas as well as feelings?

    What did people use before emojis?

    Match the words with their meanings.

    1. symbola. to create something for the first time
    2. emotionb. connected with computers or electronic technology
    3. communicatec. a feeling such as happiness, sadness or anger
    4. inventd. to understand something incorrectly
    5. expressione. a sign or picture that represents an idea
    6. punctuationf. marks such as commas, full stops and brackets
    7. digitalg. to share information, thoughts or feelings
    8. misunderstandh. the way a feeling is shown on a face or in words
    📢 Check the results
    • 1 – e
    • 2 – c
    • 3 – g
    • 4 – a
    • 5 – h
    • 6 – f
    • 7 – b
    • 8 – d

    ▶️ First Hearing

    Listen once. Don’t chase every word.

    Don’t worry about names, numbers or details yet. Concentrate on the main message.

    Which statement best summarizes the video?

    A. Emojis are used only by young people.
    B. Emojis developed from earlier forms of written communication and help people express meaning in digital messages.
    C. Emojis are replacing all spoken languages.
    D. Emojis were invented to make mobile phones more expensive.

    📢 Check your hearing

    ✅ B is the best answer.

    🎚️ Fine-Tuning

    Listen again. This time, tune in to the details.

    1. What did people use before modern emojis?

    A. Only photographs
    B. Punctuation marks and emoticons
    C. Voice recordings
    D. Printed books

    📢 Fine-Tuning Results

    ✅ B — Punctuation marks and emoticons

    2. Where were modern emojis developed?

    A. Japan
    B. Brazil
    C. Canada
    D. Germany

    📢 Fine-Tuning Results

    ✅ A — Japan

    3. Who is commonly connected with the creation of the first modern emoji set?

    A. Steve Jobs
    B. Ludwig Zamenhof
    C. Shigetaka Kurita
    D. Bill Gates

    📢 Fine-Tuning Results

    ✅ C — Shigetaka Kurita

    4. Why were emojis created?

    A. To make written digital communication clearer and more expressive
    B. To replace dictionaries
    C. To help people learn mathematics
    D. To make messages longer

    📢 Fine-Tuning Results

    ✅ A — To make written digital communication clearer and more expressive

    5. What can emojis communicate?

    A. Only positive emotions
    B. Feelings, ideas and reactions
    C. Only information about the weather
    D. Only jokes

    📢 Fine-Tuning Results

    ✅ B — Feelings, ideas and reactions

    6. Why can emojis sometimes cause problems?

    A. They are always difficult to draw.
    B. Different people may interpret the same symbol differently.
    C. They cannot be used on phones.
    D. They are only available in English.

    📢 Fine-Tuning Results

    ✅ B — Different people may interpret the same symbol differently.

    🧠 Vocabulary in Context

    emotion · symbol · communicate · invented · digital · punctuation · expression · misunderstand

    1. An emoji is a small visual __________ used in electronic communication.
    2. People use emojis to show an __________ or reaction.
    3. Before emojis, people often used __________ marks to create emoticons.
    4. Emojis help people __________ feelings in short messages.
    5. Modern emojis were __________ in Japan.
    6. Text messages are a form of __________ communication.
    7. A facial __________ can help us understand how someone feels.
    8. People can sometimes __________ an emoji’s meaning.
    📢 Reveal the Results
    1. symbol
    2. emotion
    3. punctuation
    4. communicate
    5. invented
    6. digital
    7. expression
    8. misunderstand

    👂 Trained Ears

    Can you catch what was actually said?

    Emojis are small ____(1)_____ used in digital communication. Before modern emojis, people used punctuation marks to create ____(2)_____. These symbols helped people express feelings in written messages.

    Modern emojis were developed in ____(3)_____. They were designed to help people communicate more clearly on ____(4)_____ phones. Emojis can show an emotion, an idea or a ___(5)____.

    However, emojis do not always have one clear meaning. People from different cultures may ___(6)____ the same emoji in different ways.

    📢 Reveal the Results
    1. symbols
    2. emoticons
    3. Japan
    4. mobile
    5. reaction
    6. understand

    🎙️ Your Turn

    You’ve listened. Now respond.

    What do you think?

    Can an emoji make a message clearer or more confusing?

    Which emoji is most useful? Explain your choice.

    📝 Written Report

    Write 80–100 words answering this question:

    Are emojis helpful or harmful in communication?

    Use at least four vocabulary words from the activity.

    Leave a Reply

  • 🎧Why Learn Esperanto?

    B2 · Listening

    🎧 Sound Check

    Get ready to listen.

    Before you listen, think about this:

    Would you learn a language that isn’t the official language of any country? Why—or why not?

    Now make a prediction.

    Why do you think people learn Esperanto? Choose TWO possibilities.

    A. It can help them get better jobs.
    B. They like the idea behind the language.
    C. It is easier to learn than many other languages.
    D. It is useful when visiting a particular country.
    E. Most international companies require it.

    ▶️ First Hearing

    Listen once. Don’t chase every word.

    Don’t worry about names, numbers or details yet. Concentrate on the main message.

    Which statement best summarizes the program?

    A. Esperanto failed because it never became the official language of a country.

    B. Esperanto was created as a simple international language, and people continue to learn it for both its ideals and its accessibility.

    C. Esperanto is becoming more popular than other European languages because of language-learning apps.

    D. Esperanto is mainly useful for people who travel frequently.

    📢 Check your hearing

    ✅ B is the best answer.

    The program explains why Esperanto was created, why people still learn it, and how speakers use the language to connect with people around the world.

    🎚️ Fine-Tuning

    Listen again. This time, tune in to the details.

    1. What do the colors of the Esperanto flag represent?

    A. Nature and freedom
    B. Hope and peace
    C. Europe and unity
    D. Language and culture

    📢 Fine-Tuning Results

    ✅ B — hope and peace
    Green represents hope; white represents peace.

    2. What was Ludwig Zamenhof’s profession?

    A. Language teacher
    B. University professor
    C. Eye doctor
    D. Politician

    📢 Fine-Tuning Results

    ✅ C — eye doctor

    3. What experience influenced Zamenhof’s idea for Esperanto?

    A. He found foreign languages extremely difficult to learn.
    B. He lived among communities that did not speak one another’s languages.
    C. He traveled extensively for his work.
    D. He wanted Polish people to communicate internationally.

    📢 Fine-Tuning Results

    ✅ B — he lived among communities that did not speak one another’s languages.
    Zamenhof believed these language barriers contributed to arguments and conflict.

    4. Approximately how many Esperanto speakers are there today?

    A. 200,000
    B. 500,000
    C. 1 million
    D. 2 million

    📢 Fine-Tuning Results

    ✅ D — about two million

    5. Why is Esperanto described as particularly easy to learn?

    A. It uses vocabulary entirely from English.
    B. It has no grammar.
    C. It has 16 basic rules, no irregular forms and about 1,000 root words.
    D. Speakers don’t need to conjugate verbs.

    📢 Fine-Tuning Results

    ✅ C — 16 basic rules, no irregular forms and about 1,000 root words.

    👂 Trained Ears

    Can you catch what was actually said?

    Esperanto was created by a __________ eye doctor named Ludwig Zamenhof. He believed that better __________ between people from different __________ could help reduce conflict and promote understanding.

    Today, around __________ people speak Esperanto. Learners can attend international conferences and other events where they have opportunities to __________ speaking and listening.

    One reason Esperanto attracts learners is that it is relatively __________ to learn. It has only 16 basic rules and no __________ forms. However, many speakers are also attracted to the ideals behind the language, including hope and __________.

    📢 Reveal the Results

    Esperanto was created by a Polish eye doctor named Ludwig Zamenhof. He believed that better communication between people from different cultures could help reduce conflict and promote understanding.

    Today, around two million people speak Esperanto. Learners can attend international conferences and other events where they have opportunities to practise speaking and listening.

    One reason Esperanto attracts learners is that it is relatively easy to learn. It has only 16 basic rules and no irregular forms. However, many speakers are also attracted to the ideals behind the language, including hope and peace.

    🎙️ Your Turn

    You’ve listened. Now respond.

    Zamenhof believed that a shared language could help people from different cultures understand one another better.

    What do you think?

    Do we still need a shared international language today?

    Does speaking the same language necessarily help people understand one another?

    Would you personally consider learning Esperanto? Why or why not?

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