Travel Conversation with Mitch and Leslie

1. What countries did Mitch visit?
2. Why did Mitch have to go to London?
3. What does Mitch do?
4. What did they do in Spain?
5. What kind of food did they eat in Zurich?
6. What is Switzerland known for?
7. How did they get around?
8. What was the weather like in Switzerland?
9. Where did they stay in London?
10. What did they see in London?

Music and Tarantino

Music and Quentin Tarantino  

Are you familiar with Quentin Tarantino and his films? Do you have a favorite? What do you think of his soundtracks? Why are they so popular? 

Vocabulary: 

Soundtrack: the recorded sound accompaniment to a film. 

Score: is original music written specifically to accompany a film.  

Get chills: tener escalofríos 

Hands down: sin lugar a dudas 

By the way: Por cierto 

Geek: friki 

Watch the video and answer these questions: 

1. Where did Tarantino get the idea for “Stuck in the Middle with you” for the ear cutting scene in Reservoir Dogs?  

2. Where was Tarantino working when he got the idea for the song for the lap dance scene in “Death Proof”? 

3. According to Tarantino, what’s the most important track to get right when making a film? 

4. How many music tracks were used in the first four Tarantino films? 

5. What movie is his favorite opening song from? 

6. Why did he prefer to have a soundtrack, as opposed to an original score, in his films? 

7. How long has he loved music? 

8. What is the significance of the jukebox he mentions at the end?

Podcasts

No matter what you're interested in, there's a podcast for you! I'm a huge podcast fan. I love downloading several of them on various topics to listen to while I commute to work, wait in line or even while I'm at the gym. There are podcasts created specifically for language learners, but at your level listening to normal podcasts shouldn't be a problem. 


I personally enjoy BBC news, Lena Dunham's Woman of the hour, Elizabeth Gilbert's podcasts on creativity, Dear Sugar podcasts on society and culture and This American Life.


Here are a few others recommended by a Cup of Jo 

Fifty People One Question

Hey! Check out these videos and hear people answering difficult questions in various big cities around the world. The first one deals with regrets in life.

Can I have a word with you in my office...

Teacher Luke's podcasts are a fun and easy way to learn real English and common expressions. Here's a good one to start with about "management speak" where you'll find out what it means "to touch base with someone" or "to beat around the bush". 

Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres is a popular comedian and talk show host in the U.S. nowadays. Since we've just finished talking about interviews, I thought this interview with Antonio Banderas and comprehension quiz might be a nice way to get a bit more listening practice in. If you have the time I also recommend her parody of Matthew Mconaughey's Lincoln commercial!

Click here for interview and quiz

Listening Practice

Here is a great website to practice listening for the exam with a wide variety of topics. If you have a bit of free time this weekend, I recommend listening to "Leisure" and answering the comprehension questions. The more you practice the more you'll understand.