General Listening Quiz

How are school grades determined at different levels of education in your country (e.g., test, quizzes, reports, participation, etc.)? How are grades listed on report cards? In the USA, letters are often used to indicate performance (A, A-, B+, etc.).

“hand in” = turn in or give an assignment to a teacher
“Don’t forget to hand in your homework at the end of class.”

“at the end of your rope” = no longer have the ability or patience to do something
“To be honest, I’m at the end of my rope. I’ve told these students repeatedly not to copy their assignments, but they don’t listen. I guess I’ll have to fail them.”

Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the recording:

• suppose (verb): do what you should do based on rules or expectations
  – I was supposed to turn in my homework today, but I forgot to bring it.
• butter up (verb): to flatter with the purpose of getting something
  – It is no use trying to butter her up. She won’t forget that YOU forgot to call her on her birthday last week.
• blow up (verb): to get angry suddenly
  – My dad blew up when he found out I failed two classes.
• trip up (verb): to cause to make mistakes
  – The first question on the test tripped me up, and I lost my concentration on the rest of the test.
• ace (verb): do very well on an assignment or test
  – I can’t believe she aced the test because she didn’t study much last night.
• no sweat (idiom): no problem, something that is easy to do
  – I’ll get a perfect score on the chemistry test. No sweat.
• pass out (phrasal verb): give something to each member of a group
  – The teacher passed out the assignment at the end of class.
• bright (adjective): smart or intelligent
  – There are plenty of bright straight A students in that class.
• tooth decay (noun): the gradual process of the tooth going bad, sometimes caused by poor dental care and eating habits
  – Eating too many sweets and not brushing your teeth will cause tooth decay.
• straight (adverb): immediately or directly
  – I usually go straight home after work to have dinner with my family.

What was the hardest class you took in high school? What made the class difficult? What are the keys to passing exams? In your country, what percentage do you need to pass a class? Do teachers allow you to retake tests if you fail them because of poor performance or even cheating?

Academic honesty is often regarded as a key part of a student’s success in the classroom and in the future workplace. However, plagiarism can be found just about everywhere.

• How do different schools around the world view the problem and how do schools deal with this problem?
• Is plagiarism and cheating a more serious problem in certain places?

Use the internet to learn more about this issue to answer these questions.