Interview Transcript: Advanced American English Conversation

Author: E.T. Cornelius
Editor: Li Xiaoru
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-01-01
Features:
Segment: INTRODUCTION
Interview is a set of listening practice materials intended for high-intermediate and advanced students. It consists of a recording of un-scripted and unrehearsed interviews of people talking about their jobs and an accompanying series of exercises and readings. Its aim is to give students practice working with authentic language materials and, ultimately, to help them extend the range of their communicative abilities in English.
Description of the Materials
Interview consists of the following elements: a cassette containing interviews with ten different people and a text containing pre-listening material, listening aids, and follow-up exercises and activities. The text is divided into ten units, corresponding to the sequence of interviews on the tape. Each interview, along with the text material, forms a complete unit of study. Each unit contains the following material for helping students extend the range of their communicative abilities:
- A tape-recorded interview with four sets of exercises for listening and interpretation practice;
- Discussion topics for interactive practice;
- A reading passage and a writing assignment.
The taped interview and the reading sections in each unit present authentic, spontaneous language, unedited for language students. Thus, the materials provide an additional benefit in that they help students increase their awareness of the way language is used in speaking and writing.
Arrangement of the Text
Each of the ten units in the text follows a regular format: first, background information concerning the interview is presented; second, cues for playing the interview are given, and after listening practice is completed, exercises based on the interview are introduced; third, reading material relating to the subject matter of the interview is presented; and finally, a writing topic is suggested. The appendices at the end of the text consist of an Answer Key for the Comprehension Activities and the Tapescripts for the interviews.
Format of the Taped Material
For convenience, each interview on the tape is divided into four parts. Each unit in the text contains four separate sets of exercises corresponding to the four sections of the interview.
Suggestions for Using the Materials
The primary emphasis of Interview is on listening practice. However, in using the materials, it is expected that importance will be given to all the activities—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—that give students the opportunity to communicate in English.
Pre-Listening Activities
The text furnishes a starting point for each unit by introducing three elements: a photograph or drawing which gives a visual clue to the subject matter of the unit, a section which describes the setting for the interview, and a brief introduction to the person who is the subject of the interview. These materials are valuable as pre-listening activities because they call attention to the photograph or drawing, which will prompt questions and comments, and provide background material, which will stimulate conversation and discussion. The objective of this first stage of study should be to focus students' attention on the subject area of the unit and to arouse students' interest and curiosity.
Using the Recordings
Listening to Part 1
The text gives an introduction to Part 1 followed by a list of words and expressions that will be encountered in Part 1 of the interview. Students should read the introduction and review the glossed items before listening to the recording.
Follow-Up Questions
The text provides a series of questions, either multiple-choice or matching column, that can be used following the listening activity. Designed as a comprehension check, these questions focus on the skill of understanding. If desired, additional questions can be supplied by the teacher to supplement those printed in the text.
Focused Listening
This section of the text introduces a variety of exercises that are valuable in helping students develop their ability to interpret language. Here, activities include paraphrasing, making inferences, listening for specific ideas, etc. In most cases, carrying out the assigned activities will require that the interview be replayed several times for intensive listening.
Discussion
The discussion questions in the text introduce topics related to some feature of the recorded interview section. They are expected to serve as a basis for conversation among the students. These questions, in all cases, call on students to express and substantiate their own opinions and ideas.
Listening to Parts II, III, and IV
Following completion of Part 1 as suggested, students work with the remaining parts of the interview, using the same procedures outlined for Part 1. After completing their work on all four parts, students may wish to replay the entire interview without interruption for additional listening practice.