Build Up Your Proficiency Listening
Skills - C2 level
B u i l d U p Yo u r P r o f i c i e n c y L i s te n i n g S ki l l s - U N I T 9
Build Up Your Proficiency Listening Skills is an exampreparation book which focuses on developing skills and
strategies for the Listening section of the University of Michigan
Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English (ECPE).
Contents
 5 units on Part 1 of the Listening Section
 5 units on Part 2 of the Listening Section
 5 units on Part 3 of the Listening Section
 2 complete practice examinations.
 Introduction with a complete description of the ECPE
 Glossary
Teacher’s Edition available with overprinted answers.
Student’s Book ISBN: 978-960-8331-48-8
Teacher’s Edition ISBN: 978-960-8331-49-5
Set of 5 Cds ISBN: 978-960-8331-50-1
UNIT 9
UNDERSTANDING KEY WORDS
STRATEGY When listening to long talks, you must understand what the talk is all about. Thus, you must
activate your background knowledge about the topic of the talk as well as recognize key vocabulary to
help you understand and answer the questions.
1. VOCABULARY PREVIEW: Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words below.
sustain
impact
encounter
painstaking
rear
deficient
hazy
mobile
pursue
errand
preserve
habitat
slack
juggle
conserve
1. When swimmers or sea travelers encounter sharks, they are usually terrified.
2. A diet that is deficient in iron may cause serious health problems.
3. Many species of animals have been forced to abandon their natural habitat due to environmental
changes.
4. Scientists need to undertake painstaking investigation to identify the exact causes of global warming.
5. Kim traveled to Kenya long ago to admire the wealth of wildlife, but now her memory of the trip has
become hazy.
6. It will take scientists many years to fully understand the impact of cell phone use on our health.
7. It is difficult for parents to pursue a career and look after their children at the same time.
8. Lions and tigers rear their young in the wild unless they live in a zoo.
9. Bilinguals face the challenging task of juggling two languages in their heads every day.
10. Adolescents often resent running errands for their parents, as they often think only about themselves.
11. Job mobility is not common or popular in Greece and Japan but it is very common in the USA where
the market is vast and job opportunities abound.
12. It is difficult nowadays to achieve sustainable growth, that is, growth that without harming the
environment.
13. Immigrants who move to a new country often find it hard to preserve their cultural identity.
14. When employees’ job performance declines due to health or family problems, their co-workers should
pick up the slack until their colleagues get back on their feet.
15. Water is in short supply in many parts of the world and efforts are underway to conserve it.
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B u i l d U p Yo u r P r o f i c i e n c y L i s te n i n g S ki l l s - H E L L E N I C A M E R I C A N U N I O N
Build Up Your Proficiency Listening Skills - C2 level
Build Up Your Proficienc y Listening S kills - UNIT 9
B u i l d U p Yo u r P r o f i c i e n c y L i s te n i n g S ki l l s - U N I T 9
Today Miller’s images are fleshing out a portrait of a species that has remained hazy up until now, building a
2. What do you know about sharks? Answer the following questions as best you can.
global picture of its population and habits. What is more, since the animals travel huge distances to collect
1. Where do sharks usually live?
food, their demographics are an indicator of the (9) health of all the oceans and our (10) impact on them.
2. Are all sharks dangerous to human beings?
3. Are sharks in danger of extinction? Why?
4. Now discuss and answer the following questions on the basis of what you’ve heard.
4. Should human beings treat sharks with hostility?
1. Where does the whale shark live?
5. Do all sharks look similar?
2. What honor did Miller receive for his work on whale sharks?
6. Is research on sharks important? Why?
3. What is the difference between whale sharks and other species of sharks?
3. Now listen to the following talk about the whale shark and fill in the blanks with the missing words.
4. What is one function of the Hubble space telescope?
Brad Miller’s first encounter with the whale shark—the world’s largest fish—was unforgettable. His eyes
5. What did scientists learn from Miller’s study of the whale sharks?
were popping out of his head, he recalls. It looked like a bus underwater. He nearly swallowed his snorkel.
6. How can scientists use the information they obtain about the habits of the whale shark?
The meeting was decisive for the destinies of both the 38-year-old Australian and Rhincodon typus, as the
species is scientifically known. Despite its size—it can reach 20 meters in length and weigh 20 tons—little
5. Listen to the talk again and choose the best answer for each question that follows.
is known about this gentle giant of the deep, other than it (1) feeds on shrimp and small fish and has
1.
a. He first encountered a whale shark.
b. He was attacked by a whale shark.
c. He discovered a new shark species.
2.
a. For his conservation efforts.
b. For his efforts to rescue divers in danger.
c. For boosting local tourism.
3.
a. Through their fingerprints.
b. Through white marks on their body.
c. Through underwater photography.
never been known to hunt man. Until recently, its population, breeding, and (2) habitat preferences were
unknown. In 2000, its (3) conservation status was listed as “data deficient.”
Since that seminal 1995 encounter off a beach in Western Australia, Miller has dedicated his life to
understanding the whale shark. He has earned a 2006 Rolex Award for Enterprise and his plan to involve
thousands of divers and (4) tourists around the world in its conservation and for helping to (5) extend our
knowledge of the species.
Miller is one of the first naturalists to study the whale shark in depth. His painstaking research revealed that
each individual bears a pattern of white (6) spots on its body, as (7) distinctive as a human fingerprint. This
inspired him to try underwater photography to identify individual animals. In 1999, he set up a Whale Shark
4.
a. He showed a new way to map star patterns
in the night sky.
b. He collaborated with NASA to develop
them.
c. He used them in marine science for the
first time.
5.
a. It links astronomy and marine science.
b. It shows the effects of human activity on
the oceans.
c. It reveals the distance sea creatures travel to
collect food.
6. Now listen to a talk about family life and fill in the blanks with the missing words.
1.
We might have expected mothers to curtail the time spent caring for their children.
2.
But they said total hours of work by mothers and fathers were roughly equal, when they counted paid
and unpaid work.
So the diver reached for the stars—literally. An astronomer friend at NASA showed him a technique used
3.
Using this measure, the researchers found remarkable gender inequality in total workloads.
by the Hubble space telescope to map star patterns in the night sky. Miller (8) adopted the method, called
4.
It seems reasonable to expect that parental investment in child-rearing would have declined since
1965.
applied to marine science. It took Miller and his colleagues to see the link between the heavens and the
5.
60 percent of all children lived in families with a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother.
high seas.
6.
Many policy makers have assumed that parents must have less time to interact with their children.
Photo-Identification Library on the Internet. Yet, despite a growing body of information, he found he had
no means of comparing different sharks.
the Groth algorithm, to chart the patterns of white spots on the shark’s dark hide. The idea had never been
B u i l d U p Yo u r P r o f i c i e n c y L i s te n i n g S ki l l s - H E L L E N I C A M E R I C A N U N I O N
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7
Build Up Your Proficiency Listening Build
Skills
- C2 level
Up Your Proficienc y Listening S kills - UNIT 9
Build Up Your Proficienc y Listening S kills - UNIT 9
7.
But the researchers say the conventional wisdom is not borne out, by the data they collected.
EXAM PRACTICE
8.
Most parents state that spending time with their kids is their highest priority, but they admit it’s a
You will hear a short segment from a radio program. The program is called “Learning from the Experts.” You will hear what
two different radio guests have to say about the topic. The talk lasts about two minutes. As you listen, you may want to take
notes to help you remember information given in the talk. WRITE YOUR NOTES IN THE SPACE PROVIDED BELOW. After the talk,
you will be asked some questions about what was said. From the three answer choices given, you should choose the one
which best answers the question according to the information you heard.
juggling act.
9.
Lisa Blackwell said she did grocery shopping and errands on her lunch hour and cut back on
housework so she could have more time with her children.
10.
Fathers have picked up some of the slack.
Remember, no problems can be repeated. For problems 1 - 5, MARK YOUR ANSWERS ON THE SEPARATE ANSWER SHEET. Do you
have any questions?
7. Match the following words and expressions with their definitions.
NOTES:
d. be confirmed
1. be borne out
b. main income earner
c. routine duties
2. a breadwinner
3. errands
a. en effort to balance two things
e. help out by doing extra work
4. a juggling act
5. pick up the slack
8. Now listen again and answer the questions.
1.
a. They spend less time with their children 4.
than they did in the past.
b. They spend less time on housework than
they did in the past.
c. They do more paid work than fathers do
today.
a. It’s easier to do than researchers thought it
would be.
b. They are willing to quit their jobs to spend
time with their children.
c. They try to strike a balance between work
and family.
2.
a. 30% of all children.
b. 50% of all children.
c. 60% of all children.
a. They care about their families but are not
willing to do more housework.
b. They help at home much more than they
did in the past.
c. They have reduced their workload to devote
more time to their family.
3.
a. That parents spend more time working than
in the past.
b. That parents interact less with their
children.
c. That parents do less housework than they
used to.
8
5.
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1.
a. The reduction of carbon dioxide emissions
by car companies.
b. The use of alternative sources of energy to
cut down on fossil fuel.
c. A balance between human needs and
the survival of the planet.
2.
a. The establishment of the Earth Chapter.
b. The launch of the Eco-Project campaign.
c. The launch of the Prius.
3.
a. It is the first mass-produced hybrid car.
b. It’s the first Toyota car to pass the 500,000
mark.
c. It’s the first car with 50% miniature system
components.
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4.
a. By having a better internal combustion
engine.
b. By reducing carbon dioxide and
atmospheric pollution.
c. By recharging from an external source.
5.
a. The use of hybrid technology for
environmental purposes.
b. An improved engine and transmission
technology.
c. A multi-pronged approach to achieve
sustainable mobility.
Build Up Your Proficienc y Listening S kills - HELLENIC AMERIC AN UNION