In this language focused video, we will introduce five listening strategies
to help you understand course listening assignments,
and improve your listening skills.
Strategy number one: Practice.
The more time you spend listening to English,
the better your listening comprehension will become.
Therefore, practice is the best strategy.
There are also many other strategies you can use to help you understand what you
hear in English.
In this video, we will try some of them out with your Unit 2 listening assignment,
a VOA news story called Bugs are the new food.
Strategy number two: Use your background knowledge.
Just like the reading strategies you learned in Unit 1, this strategy
is to think about what you already know about the topic before you listen.
This step will help you prepare for
the vocabulary, and predict what you will hear.
Let's take your next course listening as an example.
The title is, Bugs are the new food.
What is the topic?
What words come to mind as you think about this topic?
Sometimes, you can also use pictures or other visual information to help you.
You might guess that the topic is eating bugs.
Based on your background knowledge,
try to make a list of several words related to the topic.
When you listen, you can check to see if you hear any of the words on your list.
Here are some of my words.
Grasshoppers, spiders, worms, crickets.
Those are all types of bugs. And, interesting,
unusual, taste, crunchy.
Those are all words related to food.
Now, using you background knowledge and
your vocabulary list, make guesses about what you will hear.
When you listen, check to see if your prediction are correct.
Keeping these predictions in mind as you listen can help you stay active and
focused.
For example,
you might predict that you will hear these ideas in "Bugs Are the New Food."
Bugs taste good.
People eat bugs in some parts of the world.
And, other people think eating bugs is a bad idea.
Strategy number three: As you listen, focus on understanding the main idea and
don't worry about understanding every detail.
Do this by focusing on important words and facts.
To identify important information, listen for repeated words and ideas.
Let's try it.
Listen to the beginning of "Bugs Are the New Food" and
try to notice how the speaker repeats the idea of bugs and food.
>> Americans are generally unwilling to eat bugs.
But, for at least 2 billion people worldwide, bugs or
insects are a normal part of the diet.
For instance, friend caterpillars are popular in Tanzania.
In Mexico, many people enjoy chili toasted grasshoppers,
and some Thais like crunchy, giant water bugs.
Now, a business in the US state of Oregon is selling finely ground crickets
as human food. >> The repetition
of different words related to bugs and
food helps you understand that this is the main idea of this introduction.
You probably don't need to remember a detail that is only mentioned once,
like, which country likes to eat grasshoppers?