Listening sample 2 – by Monika KAPUSNIAK, POLAND
Sound file: http://www.elllo.org/english/MixSix/077B-Shy.html
SHYNESS
Task 1 Chose the correct definition of the word “shy”.
A. embarrassed or worried about how you look or what other people think of you
B. nervous and embarrassed in the company of other people, especially people you don’t know
C. feeling that you can do things well and that people can respect you
Task 2 Check the meaning of the words in the box and put them into the sentences.
consider*socialize*depends*tends*outgoing*certain*reserved*interact
A. I Love listening to classical music but sometimes I listen to heavy metal, too. It usually ____ on my mood.
B. Some people think I am a very rude person but I _____ myself rather polite and well-mannered.
C. I think my boyfriend is quite _____ because he hates talking about his feelings and emotions.
D. Learning in a small group is better because students feel that they can _____ with the teacher whenever they need.
E. Your child prefers spending time alone. He doesn’t want to _____ with other students.
B. I think that Tom is ______because he likes meeting and talking to people.
D. I am not ______. I don’t know what to do. What do you suggest?
E. Ola is a very calm person but she ______to be very nervous during oral exams.
Task 3 Listen to six people talking about shyness. Answer the questions. Write K (Katia), J (Jeff), F (Fred), SH (Shibika), S (Sabriya), L (Lupe).
Who:
A. is "absolutely" not shy?
B. can be shy when he/she meets people he/she doesn’t know?
C. doesn’t like talking about his/her things very much?
D. likes making friends?
E. can be quiet at times when he/she is not in the mood to talk to people?
F. doesn’t think that he/she is shy?
Task 4 Listen to the people again and complete the sentences.
Katia Sometimes I am not shy, so I think it ______the situation.
Fred I'm not going to say 'yes', I think I might be ______.
Shibika I don't ______I'm a shy person.
Lupe There are ______when maybe I'm just not ______to talk to someone.
Task 5 How about you? Are you a shy person? Talk to your partner.
Tape script:
Katia, Mexico
Am I shy? I'm not sure. Sometimes I am shy. Sometimes I am not shy, so I think it depends on the situation. If it's people that I know, if it's people I don't know. So am I shy? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no.
Jeff, Canada
Am I shy? Absolutely not. I think I'm not a shy person but there's a difference between things like public speaking and shyness, but no, I'm not shy.
Fred, Canada
Am I shy? That's an interesting question. No, I'm not going to say "no". I'm not going to say 'yes', I think I might be in between. I enjoy talking to people very much but also at the same time, I could consider myself to be a reserved person. I like to talk about other people's things, not so much about my things.
Shibika, India
I don't think... I don't think I'm a shy person. I 'm open. I like interacting with people and I like making friends so I don't think I'm a shy person.
Sabriya, Oman
No, I'm not a shy person. I like meeting new people. I like speaking to people. I like making friends and socializing. I can do that.
Lupe, United States / Mexico
Am I shy? No, I don't think I'm shy, or I think maybe it depends on the occasion, where I'm at, and who I'm with. For the most part, I think I'm really outgoing. I love meeting new people and I love talking to someone I’ve just met because it anything it gives you more to talk about. You can ask more questions because you don't know much about the person. There are certain times when maybe I'm just not in the mood to talk to someone, so I tend to be a little quiet, but I don't think that that really makes me a shy person, so for the most part, I don't think I'm shy.