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English Conversation & Listening 2024/2025 Table of Contents Part One 1- Speaking Naturally: Communication Skills in American English Bruce Tillitt, Mary Newton Bruder. 1 Tillit, B. and M. N. Bruder. 1985. Speaking naturally. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2- 250 Good Conversation Starters for Any Social Situation 117 /https://parade.com/969981/parade/conversation-starters Part Two 1- How can I improve my listening? A brief guide with tips for improving listening skills. 131 https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/562911-tips-for-listening.pdf 2-Practice English Listening Tests for B1 – Listening Test 01 148 https://english-practice.net/practice-english-listening-tests-for-b1-listening-test- 01/#google_vignette Part One English Conversation 1- Speaking Naturally: Communication Skills in American English Bruce Tillitt, Mary Newton Bruder. Tillit, B. and M. N. Bruder. 1985. Speaking naturally. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2- 250 Good Conversation Starters for Any Social Situation /https://parade.com/969981/parade/conversation-starters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 GOOD CONVERSATION STARTERS FOR ANY SOCIAL SITUATION A good conversation starter can be tough. To help, here are the best conversation starters for any situation, including funny and interesting questions. Whether you're at a party talking to someone you've just met or you're spending time with friends you haven't seen in a while, coming up with good conversation starters that aren't just boring small talk can be a struggle. When you begin a discussion with someone, you want it to be interesting, insightful and entertaining, and that means saying something or asking a question more than, "So, this weather, huh?" Hint, Answer for #115 on Monday, September 16, 2024 Of course, what you say to someone depends on where you are. You're not going to say the same thing to a first date as you would to, say, a child. Below, you'll find a set of conversation starters and topics that you can use whether you've met someone for the first time or you want to spark a deeper talk. We have this list of conversation starters broken down by the situation, including a first meeting, career networking, deeper conversations, funny conversations with kids and first dates. 117 Conversation Starters for Any Situation 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. Have you done anything exciting lately? 3. What made you smile today? 4. How did you meet the host? 5. What's your favorite form of social media? 6. What was the last good book you read? 7. Do you listen to any podcasts? Which is your favorite? 8. What do you think is the best show on Netflix right now? 9. Have you been on any interesting trips lately? 10. What do you think has been the best movie of the year so far? 11. What song do you wish you could put on right now? 12. Are you a cat person or a dog person? 13. Do you think you're an introvert or an extrovert? 14. If you didn't have the job you have now, what would you be? 15. What's your strangest hidden talent? 16. What is something people are always surprised to learn about you? 17. What is the most rewarding part of your career? 18. Where do you want to be in five years? 19. What superpower do you wish you could have? 20. Where would you go on vacation if you had no budget? 21. If you could travel back in time, what decade would you choose to live in? 118 22. What's the best thing you've ever bought off Amazon? 23. What's the last concert you went to? 24. What is one thing you can't live without? 25. What's the strangest dream you've had recently? 26. What is your favorite book of all time? 27. How many countries have you been to? 28. What's your favorite city you've visited? 29. Would you rather travel via plane or boat? 30. Would you rather be really hot or really cold? 31. What are your thoughts on the British royal family? 32. Do you like documentaries? Have you watched any good ones recently? 33. Who is your favorite celebrity couple ever? 34. Which celebrity couple do you wish would get back together? 35. If you could host a talk show, who would you have on first? 36. What's your favorite sport? 37. What sport do you wish you were really good at? 38. What's the best holiday? 39. How did you spend your last birthday? 40. Do you believe men and women can ever just be friends? 119 Good Conversation Starters for the First Time You Meet Someone 41. Are you having a good time? 42. Why did you come tonight? 43. Was it a pain for you to get here tonight? 44. I love that shirt/jacket/dress/shoes. Where did you get it? 45. Wow, it's so hot/cold in here. 46. Do you know a lot of people here? 47. What are you reading right now? 48. What's your favorite restaurant around here? 49. What's the next exciting event you have coming up? 50. Doing anything fun this weekend? 51. Do you have any pets? 52. What's one interesting thing about yourself no one really knows? 53. What do you do for a living? 54. If you could move anywhere, where would you go? 55. What was the last movie you saw? 56. What do you normally do for fun? 57. What hobby do you wish you had more time for? 58. If you weren't here, what would you be doing? 59. What is your favorite holiday? 60. Do you have any nicknames? 61. What's your biggest pet peeve? 120 62. What is your favorite guilty pleasure TV show? 63. Tell me three fun facts about yourself. 64. The food looks great. What's the best thing you've had so far? 65. Have you ever been here before? 66. What's the best thing about your job? 67. Where did you grow up? 68. Do you like to cook? 69. What hobby do you wish you were good at? 70. What song have you had stuck in your head this week? For a Deeper Conversation 71. What are your long-term goals? 72. Who is your role model? 73. What did you want to be when you were a kid? 74. What is your biggest regret in life? 75. What are the top three things on your bucket list? 76. What has been your biggest accomplishment so far? 77. What is one thing you wish you could do that you know you probably never will? 78. What are you most afraid of? 79. What's the biggest risk you've ever taken? 80. Tell me about the most life-changing piece of advice you've ever heard. 81. When are you the most happy? 82. What always calms you down when you're really stressed out and upset? 121 83. Who in your life has had the most influence on you? 84. What's the hardest thing you've ever done? 85. What scares you the most about the future? 86. How have your priorities changed in the last 10 years? 87. What's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you? 88. Describe your perfect weekend. 89. What's the most controversial opinion you have? 90. If you could change one thing about your personality, what would it be? 91. What's the first thing you would do if you won the lottery? 92. If you could invite one famous person to dinner, who would it be? 93. Who do you miss the most from your past? 94. If you could go back in time, what is one situation you would do differently? 95. Who is the most important person in your life right now? 96. What did you think you would be doing at this age when you were a kid? 97. Do you think social media is destroying our communication? 98. What piece of technology could you live without? 99. What do you think the world will be like 20 years in the future? 100. What is something you've failed at recently? 122 Conversation Starters When Networking 101. What made you choose this as your career? 102. What's the most interesting thing you've worked on lately? 103. What do you love most about your job? 104. What was your first job? 105. How long have you been at your current job? 106. Why do you think you were hired? 107. What is the most frustrating thing about your job? 108. What are your goals when it comes to work? 109. What inspires you at work each day? 110. If you could change one thing about this industry, what would it be? 111. Who has been your career role model? 112. Man, I really hate networking. 113. What's the most interesting thing you've learned at work? 114. Do you ever travel for your job? Where have you gone? 115. How do you keep yourself organized every day? 116. How many emails have you been avoiding answering this week? 117. What do you think makes someone a great manager? 118. What's the biggest challenge you've taken on this year? 119. What's your favorite project you've worked on so far? 120. What do you find most beneficial about networking events? 123 Funny Conversation Starters 121. Do you ever sing in the shower? 122, What is the worst piece of advice you've ever gotten? 123. What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you recently? 124. Tell me about the worst pickup line you've ever gotten. 125. What is your favorite celebrity scandal right now? 126. What's the worst thing you've ever worn? 127. If you could do anything illegal without getting in trouble, what would it be? 128. What is the stupidest joke you've ever heard? 129. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried? 130. What's the best prank you've ever played on someone? 131. What do you think is the funniest movie ever? 132. What always makes you laugh, even when you're upset? 133. Who is your favorite comedian? 134. What weird conspiracy theory do you believe? 135. Is a hot dog a sandwich? 136. Which celebrity would play you in a movie about your life? 137. What's the weirdest thing you loved as a child? 138. What is something that's really popular right now that will be ridiculous in five years? 139. What's the worst trend you've ever taken part in? 140. What's your go-to joke? 124 Good Conversation Starters with Kids 141. Where do you go to school? 142. What's your favorite subject/class? 143. Who is your favorite teacher? 144. Why is that person your favorite teacher? 145. What subject do you wish you never had to take? 146. What was the last assignment you did really well on? 147. Who is your best friend in your grade? 148. What's your favorite outfit to wear to school? 149. Do you believe in aliens? 150. If you could be any animal, which would it be? 151. What do you want to be when you grow up? 152. Do you have any brothers or sisters? 153. What do you love the most about your mom and dad? 154. Where do you wish you were right now? 155. What's your favorite song? 156. Who's your favorite cartoon character? 157. Do you have a favorite Disney character? 158. If you could change one thing about school, what would it be? 159. Do you like to swim? 160. What's your favorite game to play? 161. What's your favorite color? 125 162. What food do you hate? 163. What is your favorite toy to play with? 164. What are you doing tomorrow? 165. What are you afraid of? Conversation Starters for a First Date 166. Have you ever been here before? 167. What is one thing that always makes you laugh? 168. What's the most important thing I should know about you? 169. What's the worst date you've ever been on? 170. How did you become close with your best friend? 171. What's your favorite movie that you could watch over and over again? 172. What has always been your dream job? 173. If you could date one celebrity, who would it be? 174. Are you a spender or a saver? 175. What do you like most about your job? 176. What do you think is your most annoying quirk? 177. What's the weirdest text message you've ever gotten? 178. What do you hate the most about dating? 179. Where's your favorite place in the world? 180. What's the best vacation you've ever been on? 181. How close are you with your family? 182. Do you prefer to stay in or go out? 126 183. Where did you go to school? 184. Have you ever lived anywhere else? 185. What are you good at that you're really proud of? 186. What's your secret talent? 187. What do you think is the most annoying habit? 188. Tell me about one thing on your bucket list. 189. What do you dislike most about your job? 190. What are you the most passionate about? 191. Do you like calling or texting better? 192. What are your honest thoughts about social media? 193. What do you look for in a relationship? 194. Did you hear about (a big news story)? 195. What is one thing that made you laugh this week? 196. What's your favorite food? 197. What's the worst thing you've ever eaten? 198. What movie are you really excited to see? 199. How do you spend your free time? 200. Are you a morning person or a night owl? 127 Conversation Starters at a Bar 201. What are you drinking? 202. What drink should I order next? 203. Have you ever been here before? 204. What's your favorite bar? 205. What's your favorite thing to eat here? 206. Do you like this song? 207. If you could have them play any song right now, what would it be? 208. What were you doing before you came here? 209. What's your favorite place to hang out around here? 210. Are you having fun? 211. Who are you here with? 212. Where would you rather be right now? 213. Which song would you make you dance at this very moment? 214. How do you always get a bartender's attention? 215. Would you ever dance on top of this bar? 216. Have you ever done karaoke? 217. I like your shirt, where did you get that? 218. How do you know the friends you're here with? 219. Do you know so-and-so? 220. What made you laugh today? 128 Good Conversation Starters with Friends 221. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? 222. What's your best tip for saving money? 223. What is your favorite quote right now? 224. Have you talked to so-and-so lately? 225. What have you been up to since I saw you last? 226. Has anything big changed at work? 227. How are your parents doing? 228. What have you been loving on TV lately? 229. What's your best tip for a good morning routine? 230. What's your best cooking tip? 231. What's the weirdest thing you've seen on Facebook recently? 232. Where is your favorite place to shop? 233. How was your last vacation? 234. Where is the coolest place you've been to for dinner lately? 235. What's your go-to dish to bring to a dinner party? 236. What did you do last weekend? 237. What app do you use every day? 238. What's the weirdest thing in your fridge right now? 239. What are your plans for next summer? 240. What's your favorite thing you've bought recently? 241. How can you tell when someone is lying? 129 242. What's your most irrational fear? 243. Have you ever really kept a New Year's resolution? 244. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? 245. How would your life be different if social media didn't exist? 246. What do you think my best personality trait is? 247. What did you notice first about me? 248. What's your favorite thing to do on your day off work? 249. What was the first job you ever had? 250. What's the best compliment you've ever gotten? 130 Part Two 1- How can I improve my listening? A brief guide with tips for improving listening skills. https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/562911-tips-for-listening.pdf 2-Practice English Listening Tests for B1 – Listening Test 01 https://english-practice.net/practice-english-listening-tests-for-b1-listening-test-01/#google_vignette 131 How can I improve my listening? A brief guide with tips for improving listening skills. FOR STUDENTS 132 & PARENTS ENGLISH Contents 1 Introduction 2 Listening in general 3 Listening in exams 133 1 Introduction This guide provides tips and general advice to help prepare for a Cambridge English Qualification such as A2 Key or A2 Key for Schools, B1 Preliminary or B1 Preliminary for Schools. P A R E NTS, STU DENTS AND T EACH ER S: The guide contains some practical steps to help improve listening skills and develop listening strategies for a listening test. K E Y AN D P R EL IM IN A R Y. C A MBRI DGE E N GLI S H. ORG T I P S FOR IMPROVING 134LISTENING IN ENG LISH 2 Listening in general TI P S TO I MP ROVE I T A Timetable regular practice. For example, 15 minutes at lunch, 15 minutes before breakfast – aim for a manageable amount of time which you can dedicate every day to listening to something in English. B Expand your range. Everything helps, but you are more likely to be motivated when you are listening to something that interests you, something you enjoy. If you like watching films, then that’s fine, but remember in a test you won’t see the person who is speaking so it’s also good practice to add non- interactive listenings to your practice. Podcasts, radio stations (online), and international news websites often have short audio news items. Pick out stories that interest you! K E Y AN D P R EL IM IN A R Y. C A MBRI DGE E N GLI S H. ORG T I P S FOR IMPROVING 135LISTENING IN ENG LISH C Practise in chunks. Targeted, focused practice can really help to stretch your ability to understand main contexts, and can help you to learn new works and become familiar with grammar structures and accents. For example, listen to a 2 minute chunk of a podcast - then check understanding and continue listening to the next 2 minutes, and so on. Try this two or three times and then relax and listen to the rest of the text. D Repeated practice. The more you listen, the more you will hear. Go back to a text you have listened to before and practise listening for more ideas. If you are using a book to study then these can be a great source for listening texts. Keep a record of new words and phrases you pick out – this will help your reading, listening, speaking and writing. PARENTS Use local subtitles for TV programs and films in English. Your child will pick up a lot of English just by listening to their favourite shows or films in English. Try to avoid dubbed shows and switch to the original soundtrack. KE Y AN D P R EL IM IN A R Y. C A M BRI D GE E N GLI S H. ORG TI P S FOR IMPROVING 136LISTENING IN ENG LISH 3 Listening in exams A Before listening. Read and listen to instructions - this will give you information such as how many questions you need to answer in this section. Underline key words in the questions – usually nouns and verbs. Understanding each context will help you better understand the answer options. Always read the question and think about the person talking and if they are giving an opinion or expressing an attitude or a feeling, for example. Read and listen carefully to the example given at the start of each part, this will show you how to answer the questions. Can you predict any answers? Name? Noun? Number? Place? Actual answer? K E Y AN D P R EL IM IN A R Y. C A MBRI DGE E N GLI S H. ORG T I P S FOR IMPROVING 137LISTENING IN ENG LISH B While listening. Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything; understanding the main idea is usually enough. You hear the recordings twice, so don’t worry if you miss the answer the first time. Try to listen to the whole recording the first time to help you with the context, then check your answers the second time. When you move to the next question, forget the previous ones. K E Y AN D P R EL IM IN A R Y. C A MBRI DGE E N GLI S H. ORG T I P S FOR IMPROVING 138LISTENING IN ENG LISH C After listening. Don’t leave empty spaces on your answer sheet. Check everything on your answer sheet. P A R E N TS It’s important that your child becomes familiar with the Listening paper format and that they understand how to use the answer sheet. Practice at home can help familiarise them with this. K E Y AN D P R EL IM IN A R Y. C A MBRI DGE E N GLI S H. ORG T I P S FOR IMPROVING 139LISTENING IN ENG LISH Nobody knows Cambridge better than Cambridge Our goal is to help you get the best result in everything you do. Our courses each have a unique exam journey ensuring every student is ready on exam day – from first experiences of exam tasks to skills development, from language discovery to understanding how English works in the real world. 140 For more tips and lessons on reading for exams visit practicemakesperfect.cambridge.org i For more information keyandpreliminary.cambridgeenglish.org Experts together Our aim is to deliver the materials you tell us you need. Exclusive insights from test development and candidate performance guarantee expert content. The result is a unique Exam Journey in each course, ensuring every student is ready on exam day. From skills development to exam tasks, language discovery to real-world usage, we create better learning experiences, together. 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 Practice English Listening Tests for B1 – Listening Test 01 English Listening Tests for B1 Listening 1 Questions 8-13 For each question, choose the correct answer. Audio Player 00:00 00:00 8 You will hear two friends talking about a film they’ve just seen. Why didn’t the boy enjoy the film? A It was very frightening. B It lasted too long. C It had terrible acting. 9 You will hear two friends talking about some biology homework. The girl suggests that the boy should A ask his teacher for help. B get information from the internet. C look in the biology textbook. 10 You will hear two friends talking about an interview with a singer they’ve seen on TV. They agree that A the singer’s answers were interesting. B the interviewer was quite rude. C the questions were confusing. 148 11 You will hear a girl telling her friend about a diving trip. How did the girl feel about it? A sure she will go again B glad she went with a relative C pleased with her diving skills 12 You will hear a girl talking to a friend about basketball. The girl is trying to A explain the rules of the game. B describe a game she took part in. C encourage the boy to start playing. 13 You will hear a boy talking about a trip to a city with his family. Why did the boy’s family get lost? A They couldn’t understand their map. B Someone gave them the wrong directions. C The guidebook contained incorrect information. 149 Listening 2 Questions 20-25 For each question, choose the correct answer. You will hear an interview with a 15-year-old boy called Callum, who runs a successful book review website for teenagers. 20 How did Callum learn about setting up a website? A through lessons at school B by using information online C a family member taught him 21 Why did Callum decide to set up a book review website? A to develop teenagers’ writing skills B to encourage teenagers to read more C to create an online discussion among teenagers 22 How did Callum feel when his site first went online? A pleased with its quality B certain it would be popular C positive it would achieve its aims 23 What does Callum say about a typical day? A It’s usually full of variety. B It’s always extremely busy. C It’s impossible to predict what will happen. 24 When Callum is eighteen he’d like to A work for a big company. B study for a degree. C run a business. 25 What is Callum’s new website for? A using music to help people B presenting new music C learning how to play music 150

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