Rule #1 – It’s very important to do ALL the steps in order – do NOT read ahead, because then you will already know the answers.
Rule #2 – It’s totally OK if you need to listen several times to complete an activity. The tasks may be challenging, but don’t get frustrated – do your best!
Warm-Up:
Describe your office or workplace (if currently unemployed, describe your last place of employment). If you were the boss, what would you change about the office?
Activity 1 – Pre-Learn Vocabulary
unorthodox (adj.) = unusual and different, not traditional or typical
Ex) That school is a bit unorthodox; they don’t give grades or any type of standardized tests at all.
cubicle (n.) = a small, square compartment for work or study:
décor (n.) = decoration, particularly of a room or space
Ex) The beach house had décor with an ocean theme, featuring paintings of seashells and tropical fish.
abound (v.) = to be great in number or amount
Ex) Scandals abound when the government is full of corrupt politicians.
leeway (n.) = freedom of action or thought within limits
Ex) The teacher said we have to write at least a ten-page paper, but she gave us some leeway on the topic.
jog (v.) = run slowly
Ex) I like to jog through the park in the morning.
in-house (adj.) = inside a company or organization (in contrast to contracting a third party from outside the group)
Ex) Our company doesn’t have an in-house graphic designer, so we’ll need to hire someone to create the poster.
subsidized (adj.) = having the price reduced because someone else (usually a company, organization, or government) is paying part of the fee
Ex) My company offers subsidized professional training for employees – we can take the classes at half-price.
cutting-edge (adj.) = extremely modern, leading the trends (often used for technology)
Ex) Our simulations use cutting-edge virtual reality technology.
picky (adj.) = selective, specific about demands when making a choice (often in an annoying way)
Ex) My son is a picky eater; he won’t eat anything with vegetables in it.
infamous (adj.) = famous (often for something negative)
Ex) The police finally captured the infamous gang leader who had been responsible for at least a hundred crimes.
Activity 2 – Listen for General Ideas
Speaker: Frank – American
The company described in this audio is… Google / Facebook / Yahoo.
Put the topics of the listening in order from 1 to 5:
Congratulations - you have completed Detail Listening Quiz: Creative Work Environments.
You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%.
Your performance has been rated as %%RATING%%
Your answers are highlighted below.
Question 1
The Google headquarters allows ____________ at the office.
A
parties
B
pets
C
sleeping
Question 2
Employees can...
A
choose who exactly they want to work with
B
decide their own salaries
C
customize their work stations
Question 3
Google offers its employees...
A
free alcohol
B
free clothes
C
free food
Question 4
Which Google program is so popular that there is a waiting list?
A
day care for kids
B
company sports league
C
on-site medical care
Question 5
Google also offers its employees the service of...
A
exercise instructors
B
massage therapists
C
psychologists and counselors
Question 6
How much time can Google engineers spend on projects of personal interest?
A
20%
B
33%
C
50%
Question 7
How many of Google's new products/services have resulted from this program?
A
about a tenth
B
almost half
C
around three-quarters
Question 8
Google's hiring process is known for...
A
asking tricky interview questions
B
having to be interviewed by various people
C
testing candidates' work with a one-week trial
Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items you have not completed will be marked incorrect.
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You can fill in the words in the document as you listen (or print it out and use a pencil).
If you need to, you can pause the audio in order to have time to write the words.
In this activity, it is very common to need to listen several times – so if you miss a word, don’t worry – you can go back in the audio, or listen again.
Shayna Oliveira is the founder of Espresso English, where you can improve your English fast - even if you don’t have much time to study. Millions of students are learning English from her clear, friendly, and practical lessons! Shayna is a CELTA-certified teacher with 10+ years of experience helping English learners become more fluent in her English courses.