Listening for Details
BasicRead the questions before you listen.
- Draw four boxes first: name / number / time / place.
- Catch every letter when a name is spelled out.
- Numbers flash by — write them at once.
文體小知識：Catch names, numbers, times.
§Text Passage
1Miss Wong: Class, we will practise listening for details today. Please take out your notebooks and pens. Leo: What information do we need to write down? Miss Wong: The name, the number, the time and the place — they are all important. Leo: Can I ask you to speak a little more slowly, please? Miss Wong: Of course. Listen carefully. The P6 picnic bus will leave at eight fifteen next Friday.
2Leo: Could you repeat the time, please? Was it eight fifty? Miss Wong: No, it is eight fifteen, not eight fifty. Fifteen and fifty sound similar, so listen carefully. Leo: I see. I will write the number in red so it stands out. Miss Wong: Good idea. But where should we meet that day? Leo: At the car park near the main gate? Miss Wong: Correct. And do not wait at the bus stop.
3Leo: What is the bus number? Miss Wong: Bus number 45. Please note it down next to the date. Leo: Who should we ask if we get lost? Miss Wong: You can ask me or Mr Chan. We are the teachers in charge. Leo: Got it. I will note everything down and check it twice!
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Miss Wong: Class, we will practise listening for details today. Please take out your notebooks and pens.
Miss Wong：同學，今日我們練習聆聽細節。請拿出你們的筆記簿同筆。
Leo: What information do we need to write down?
Leo：我們要記下什麼資料？
Miss Wong: The name, the number, the time and the place — they are all important.
Miss Wong：名、數字、時間同地點——樣樣都很重要。
Leo: Can I ask you to speak a little more slowly, please?
Leo：可不可以請你說慢一點？
Miss Wong: Of course. Listen carefully. The P6 picnic bus will leave at eight fifteen next Friday.
Miss Wong：當然可以。留心聽：六年級旅行的巴士會在下星期五八點十五分開出。
Leo: Could you repeat the time, please? Was it eight fifty?
Leo：請再重複一次時間，是不是八點五十分？
Miss Wong: No, it is eight fifteen, not eight fifty. Fifteen and fifty sound similar, so listen carefully.
Miss Wong：不是，是八點十五分，不是八點五十分。Fifteen 同 fifty 聽起來很相似，所以一定要聽清楚。
Leo: I see. I will write the number in red so it stands out.
Leo：明白。我會用紅色寫下那個數字，讓它更顯眼。
Miss Wong: Good idea. But where should we meet that day?
Miss Wong：好主意。不過那日我們在哪裡集合？
Leo: At the car park near the main gate?
Leo：是不是正門附近那個停車場？
Miss Wong: Correct. And do not wait at the bus stop.
Miss Wong：答對。記住不要在巴士站等。
Leo: What is the bus number?
Leo：巴士多少號？
Miss Wong: Bus number 45. Please note it down next to the date.
Miss Wong：45 號巴士。請在日期旁邊記下。
Leo: Who should we ask if we get lost?
Leo：如果我們迷路了，可以問誰？
Miss Wong: You can ask me or Mr Chan. We are the teachers in charge.
Miss Wong：可以問我或者陳老師。我們是負責老師。
Leo: Got it. I will note everything down and check it twice!
Leo：明白了！我會記下所有東西，還會檢查兩次！
1Summary 重點摘要
Read the questions before you listen.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
What someone is called.
Figure.
Clock.
Where.
Write down.
Say again.
Question.
Key.
3Step by step Steps
- BeforeBefore the recording starts, read the questions and see what you must fill in: names, numbers, times or places. Draw a small table beside the questions, for example four boxes labelled name, number, time and place, so that every fact has somewhere to go. The better the preparation, the calmer you will be while listening.
- DuringWhile listening, hunt for four kinds of information: names, numbers, times and places. Write a name down as it sounds, and record numbers at once, such as Room 201 and at 3 pm. If you are not sure which box a fact belongs to, park it at the side and sort it out when the recording ends. Remember: the pen must move faster than the voice.
- AfterWhen the recording ends, check every box for gaps and fill them from your notes and memory. Then test whether each item is sensible: is the time am or pm? has any figure been copied wrongly? Read the whole answer once and confirm the spellings, because Kevin and Steven sound alike and must be settled by the letters you noted, not by guesswork.
- TipTake notes in abbreviations so that your pen keeps up with the recording. Write names as bare letters, such as K-E-V-I-N; write 3 pm instead of at three o'clock in the afternoon; write Rm 201 instead of Room 201. Notes only need to jog your memory, and you can complete them into proper answers once the recording is over.
- Spelling of namesWhen you hear a name, listen for whether the speaker spells it out. For example, in My name is Kevin Lee, K-E-V-I-N, the spelling is a gift: note every letter one by one, because it is the surest way to get the name right. Pairs such as B and P, or M and N, are easily confused, so rely on the spelled letters whenever they are given.
- Check twiceFirst, run through the four kinds of information once: are name, number, time and place all filled? Second, hunt for classic mistakes: have 13 and 30 been mixed up? is am or pm missing? does every spelling match the letters that were spelled out? Two short checks take only a moment, yet they prevent most careless losses of marks.
5Worked example Example
Question: How do we catch the name, the time and the place from an announcement?
- Step 1: Draw four boxes before listening — name / number / time / place — so every type of detail has a home and you can file facts as you hear them
- Step 2: Write the name at once — Kevin Lee goes down first, and when the speaker spells it out as K-E-V-I-N, note every letter beside it to secure the spelling
- Step 3: Never let numbers slip — Room 201 and at 3 pm are written down the moment they are heard, because numbers flash by and are easily forgotten
- Step 4: File each detail into the right box — 3 pm belongs to time, Room 201 belongs to place, and Kevin Lee belongs to name
- Step 5: Say it back to check — read the answer as one sentence, The meeting is at 3 pm in Room 201; if it sounds natural and sensible, the details are in the right places
- Answer: Sample answer: Name: Kevin Lee; Time: 3 pm; Place: Room 201. With all four boxes filled, the answer is complete. The whole method rests on a few habits: prepare the boxes before listening, write faster than you think while listening, note every letter when a name is spelled out, and check everything twice afterwards. Once this routine becomes a habit, you will catch every detail no matter how long the announcement is.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Catch what?
Q2Missed it?
Q3Take notes?
Q4Before listening?
Q5Numbers?
Q6Important words?
8Recap Recap
- Draw four boxes first: name / number / time / place.
- Catch every letter when a name is spelled out.
- Numbers flash by — write them at once.
- Sort each detail into the right box.
- Say the details back to check.