Predicting from Listening
AdvancedRead the questions before listening.
- Before listening: read the questions, circle key words, predict the answer type — a time? a place? a name?
- 'First', 'Next' and 'Finally' are the map of any announcement; follow them.
- Prediction gives the brain a purpose: tick information as it confirms your guess.
文體小知識：Guess before listening.
§Text Passage
1Good morning, students. This is your school radio team with this week's announcements, so please listen carefully. We have five important notices today, so do keep your pen ready. First, the Geography Society will hold a film screening this Friday after school in Room 204. The film is about the melting ice in the Arctic, and entry is free. Please note that all announcements will also appear on the school app.
2Next, a reminder that the deadline for the inter-school writing contest is next Wednesday. The theme is 'My Neighbourhood', and entries should be typed and handed to Ms Ho. Then, the swimming gala will be held on the twentieth of October at the Kowloon Park pool. The school bus will leave the main gate at seven in the morning. Also, students who wish to join the choir should sign up with their music teacher.
3Finally, please return your picnic consent forms to your class teacher by tomorrow. Students without a signed form will not be allowed to join the trip. A full programme will be posted outside the school office later this week.
4Before listening, try to predict: Who is speaking? Which information comes first, next and finally? Keywords like 'First', 'Next' and 'Finally' help you follow the order. Good prediction also means asking what kind of place or event is being described. When you predict, you give your brain a purpose, and details become easier to catch. As you listen, tick each piece of information and correct your prediction if it is wrong. Remember: good listeners predict before, during and after they hear the text. Try this method in your next listening test and see the difference.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Good morning, students.
各位同學，早上好。
This is your school radio team with this week's announcements, so please listen carefully.
這裡是學校電台團隊，為你帶來本週的通告，請留心收聽。
We have five important notices today, so do keep your pen ready.
今天有五項重要通知，請準備好筆。
First, the Geography Society will hold a film screening this Friday after school in Room 204.
首先，地理學會星期五放學後在 204 室放映電影。
The film is about the melting ice in the Arctic, and entry is free.
這部電影是關於北極冰川融化，免費入場。
Please note that all announcements will also appear on the school app.
請注意，所有通告亦會在學校應用程式上發佈。
Next, a reminder that the deadline for the inter-school writing contest is next Wednesday.
接着提醒大家，校際寫作比賽截止日期是下星期三。
The theme is 'My Neighbourhood', and entries should be typed and handed to Ms Ho.
主題是「我的社區」，參賽作品要打字，交給何老師。
Then, the swimming gala will be held on the twentieth of October at the Kowloon Park pool.
然後，水運會會在十月二十日在九龍公園泳池舉行。
The school bus will leave the main gate at seven in the morning.
校巴會在早上七點在正門開出。
Also, students who wish to join the choir should sign up with their music teacher.
另外，想參加合唱團的同學請向音樂老師報名。
Finally, please return your picnic consent forms to your class teacher by tomorrow.
最後，請在明天之前將野餐同意書交給班主任。
Students without a signed form will not be allowed to join the trip.
沒有簽名同意書的同學將不可以參加這次旅行。
A full programme will be posted outside the school office later this week.
詳細活動流程會在本週後期張貼在校務處外面。
Before listening, try to predict: Who is speaking? Which information comes first, next and finally?
聽之前，試着預測：誰在說話？哪些資訊最先、接着、最後出現？
Keywords like 'First', 'Next' and 'Finally' help you follow the order.
「首先」「接着」「最後」這些關鍵詞幫你掌握次序。
Good prediction also means asking what kind of place or event is being described.
好的預測還包括問：正在描述什麼地方或者什麼活動？
When you predict, you give your brain a purpose, and details become easier to catch.
預測會給大腦一個目標，細節就更容易捕捉。
As you listen, tick each piece of information and correct your prediction if it is wrong.
聽的時候，逐項資訊打勾，如果預測錯了就立即修正。
Remember: good listeners predict before, during and after they hear the text.
記住：好的聆聽者在聽之前、聽時與聽完之後都會預測。
Try this method in your next listening test and see the difference.
下次聆聽測驗試試這個方法，看看分別。
1Summary 重點摘要
Read the questions before listening.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Guess.
Question.
Choice.
Key word.
Guess.
Check.
Setting.
Hint.
3Step by step Steps
- BeforeBefore the recording starts, read all the questions and options and circle the keywords: does each question ask for a time, a place or a name? For school radio announcements, the questions alone predict activities, dates and venues. Listening with this mental map, your ears hunt for targets instead of waiting passively — and the hit rate rises sharply.
- CircleCircle the words inside the questions: deadline, theme and fee are exactly the targets to hunt, because the recording will certainly answer them. Once circled, the ears have a clear job: hear a date, listen for the day; hear a place, listen for the room number. Listening with targets is checking item by item; listening without them is copying, and copying never keeps up with the tape.
- PredictAfter circling, go one step further and predict the answer type: does the blank want a number, a date, a place or a name? For the swimming gala question, expect a date (20 October) and a time (the bus leaves at 7 a.m.), so you wait for numbers as you listen. A prediction need not be perfect — with the right direction, matching information is confirmed instantly; even a failed prediction keeps the ears on guard.
- DuringWhile listening, verify item by item: tick each one as it lands — First (the Geography Society's film in Room 204 on Friday after school), Next (the writing contest closes next Wednesday), Finally (picnic forms due tomorrow). If the recording contradicts a prediction, revise it at once instead of clinging to it. Keep the hand quick and the mind calm: once an item has passed, move on and aim at the next.
- Order wordsOrder words such as First, Next and Finally are road signs in the recording: the moment one appears, you know which item you have reached. Their greatest value is rescue — miss an item, and the next signpost re-sets your position so the whole passage does not fall apart. In practice, train your sensitivity to them: take a quiet breath at every signpost and prepare for the next set of details.
- Opening gistThe opening usually states the gist: 'This is your school radio team with this week's announcements' — that single line tells you the whole passage is event notices, switching the brain into date-and-place mode and expecting deadline reminders. So never lose focus in the first few seconds; miss the gist sentence and every later item loses its frame, and efficiency drops sharply.
- After listeningAfter the recording, match your ticks to the questions: any date, room or time copied wrong? Any day of the week confused with a date? Never leave a missed item blank — make one sensible guess from context, for example the most likely room number among those heard. Keep corrections tidy and check spelling at the end. A guess may still score; a blank never does — that is the basic strategy of listening tests.
5Worked example Example
The school radio reads five notices. Show how to predict before listening and verify during, using 'First', 'Next' and 'Finally' as your map.
- Step 1: Before listening, ask: who is speaking (the school radio team) and what type of information will follow (events and deadlines)?
- Step 2: 'First' signals notice one: the Geography Society's free film on Arctic ice, Friday after school, Room 204.
- Step 3: 'Next' brings the writing contest — theme 'My Neighbourhood', typed entries to Ms Ho by next Wednesday.
- Step 4: Mid-broadcast items come fast: swimming gala on 20 October at Kowloon Park, bus at seven; choir sign-up with the music teacher.
- Step 5: 'Finally' usually hides a deadline: picnic forms due tomorrow or no trip — tick each item and move on after a miss.
- Answer: Predicting starts before the audio: the speaker is the school radio team, so expect event notices and deadlines. The signposts then become a map. 'First' delivers the Geography Society's free Arctic film on Friday in Room 204. 'Next' introduces the inter-school writing contest — theme 'My Neighbourhood', typed and due to Ms Ho by Wednesday. The middle items arrive quickly: the swimming gala on 20 October at Kowloon Park with the bus leaving at seven, and choir sign-up through music teachers. 'Finally' carries the strictest deadline — picnic consent forms by tomorrow or no trip. Predicting gives the brain a purpose, so details are caught as confirmations; if one item slips by, the next signpost re-locates you instantly.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Predict before?
Q2Predict what?
Q3During?
Q4Missed?
Q5Tip?
Q6Options?
8Recap Recap
- Before listening: read the questions, circle key words, predict the answer type — a time? a place? a name?
- 'First', 'Next' and 'Finally' are the map of any announcement; follow them.
- Prediction gives the brain a purpose: tick information as it confirms your guess.
- Wrong prediction? Correct it at once; never cling to your first guess.
- Missed one item? The next signpost will re-locate you — keep listening.