General Listening Quiz

What are some common personal or health problems we encounter in our lives? How could hair loss affect a person’s personal appearance and feelings about themselves?

“face up to” = accept something difficult
“Having problems is a part of life, and sometimes you just have to face up to them.”

“mince words” = be indirect by using mild words
“I wish you didn’t mince words every time we need to resolve a problem. Just tell me what you think.”

A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.

In the Pre-Listening Exercise, you were asked to think about common health problems, like the ones below. Now, discuss these with a partner. Are there any home remedies or medicines that you use in your country?

Examples:

Problems:

• overeating
• no love life
• inability to control spending habits
• strained relationship with a family member

Solutions:

• Maybe you could drink more water before meal time to reduce your appetite.
• Have you ever thought of going to more parties with your friends?
• You should come up with a monthly budget for your expenses.
• What about sitting down with that family member and having a very open discussion?

Use the Internet to find more or more products or services to deal with and treat the problems mentioned above. What are the claims made by each product? Are there guarantees made on its effectiveness? How much does the product or service cost?