General Listening Quiz

How do social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram help people keep in touch with family and friends (for example, “People can send short birthday messages. It doesn’t cost money.“)? In this listening activity, a man introduces himself to a woman by phone that he met on a social networking site.

1. 1. Social media helps people stay connected with friends and family.
   2. It’s important to be careful about what you post on social media.
   3. You should have a private account if you don’t want strangers to see your posts.
   4. Social media can be a fun way to share photos and videos.
   5. It’s okay to post pictures of your personal life on social media.
   6. You should spend only a little time on social media each day.
   7. Social media can help you learn new things.
   8. It’s important to follow people who share interesting content.
   9. You should never argue with people online.
   10. Social media can be a good way to make new friends.

“keep in touch” = stay in contact or communications with someone
“Using popular social media websites is one way to keep in touch with family and friends.”

“reach someone” = be able to contact or talk with someone
“If you want to talk, you can reach me by phone, by email, through Facebook.”

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

Here are some words that appear in the recording:

• originally (adverb): in the beginning
  – I originally wanted to study computer science, but I switched to engineering.
• graduate (verb): finish or complete
  – My sister is going to graduate in December, and I want to graduate in the spring.
• exotic (adjective): unusual and interesting often used when talking about different places and countries
  – Some students are from very exotic cultures.
• carry (verb): have something for sale
  – Excuse me. Do you carry iPads or iPhones?
• hobby (noun): an activity people like to do for fun or pleasure in their free time
  – His favorite hobby is playing tennis, but he isn’t very good at it.
• strange (adjective): unusual or different
  – That man is a little strange, but he is very kind.

Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:

Gap-fill Exercise | Sentence and Vocabulary Matching

Option 1:

Which social networking sites do you visit and use? How often do you use them? Who do you contact or talk with on these sites? What are both the positive and negative points with such sites?

Option 2:

Let’s talk about the man in the telephone message. What is the man like? Answer these other questions, and then write answers about your own life:

1. How old is he? (How old are you?)
2. When did he graduate from high school?
3. What foods does he like to eat?
4. What doesn’t he eat much?
5. What does he do in his free time?

How is his life similar or different from yours or the people you know?

Write a message to an old or new friend on a social media website. Introduce yourself and your family. Talk about your family, hobbies, daily life, school, and work. Be careful not to share personal information. Use this example to help you get started:

Hi. My name is ____________. I live in _______. There are ____ people in my family. I read books and play _____ in my free time. I go to high school. I have a part-time job in a restaurant.