Part II Listening

1. Blank Filling

Listen to 5 recorded short dialogues. You should complete the dialogue by filling in the blanks. Each dialogue will be read twice. Then try to repeat them in pairs.

Dialogue 1

A: I'm so excited! I just got my new posting overseas. I can't wait to live abroad and work as an ______.

B: I remember my first overseas assignment. It was interesting, but it took me some time to ______to the environment.

A: I won't have any problems with that. I already have my work______ and vacci-nations, and I speak the language fairly well. And remember, I don't have any family to re-locate.

B: I didn't think I'd have any problems either, but when I got to England, I was in culture ______.

A: I'm ready for the differences in the cost of living. I'll be getting a ______,which will offset the increase in living expenses.

B: I wasn't thinking so much about the______ of living abroad. I was referring to a different pace of life and the many cultural differences that affect every facet of life.

A: That's what I'm looking forward to. It'll all be so exciting.

B: I'm glad you're in euphoria right now, but be prepared for some bumps in the road.

A: No problem. To me, smooth sailing would be boring!

Dialogue 2

A: I just heard the news. You're moving to Romania?

B: I am. I've decided to work and live abroad.

A: Why?

B: The cost of______ is much lower in Romania.

A: But you're moving away from all of your friends and family.

B: I can stay in touch remotely and there is an American expat______ there, so I can make new friends. I am a little worried about learning the language and adjusting to life abroad, but I'll be living a simpler life there and there'll be less stress.

A: But sometimes things aren't so ______when you live abroad.

B: Like what?

A: I've heard that the Internet services can be unreliable and power______ are common in Romania. Are you sure you want to put down stakes in a foreign country?

B: What do I have to lose? I already have my______ visa and a condo on the beach waiting for me. The real question is: when are you going to take the plunge?

Dialogue 3

A: Kevin, do you like living abroad in Tokyo?

B: I love it, but it took me several months to ______to living here.

A: I can imagine! What was the most difficult thing for you?

B: Culture shock was the most difficult for me.

A: I'm sure it took a while to ______Tokyo. What do you think about the food?

B: I love Japanese______ . It's delicious!

A: I love Japanese food also. How is the cost of living?

B: The cost of living is ______to San Francisco.

A: I see. Are the people friendly and kind?

B: The people are friendly. However, I can't speak their language well, so I ______to meet new friends.

Dialogue 4

A: I heard that you are______ this summer.

B: That's right. I plan to work as an ______in Australia for three months.

A: Who will go with you?

B: Nobody. I'll go by myself. Someone from the company will meet me at the ______.

A: I think you are very brave to travel alone. Aren't you nervous?

B: Why should I be nervous?

A: I would be very______ .My English isn't good enough to understand all the air-port ______.

B: I guess I'm more confident in my English than you are.

Dialogue 5

A: Hi Zabir! You seem to be in a______ . What's up?

B: Yeah. I am really busy completing the procedures of going abroad. How are you ______on?

A: I am really glad that my elder brother has got a very good job recently. But why are you leaving the country?

B: I'm going abroad to improve my career______ . And I also want to further my education.

A: What do you mean?

B: Actually, I am going to Australia to complete my ______studies in Sydney Uni-versity. And I would also work for at least twenty hours per week.

A: How will you______ your work and study?

B: Well, an effective plan to manage my time and schedule will help. And It's also important to avoid______ .

A: Wish your all the best.

B: Thank you and see you again.

2. Multiple Choice

Listen to two short conversations and choose one correct answer from the three choices marked A, B, and C.

Dialogue 1

1）According to the man, Dan is running his businesses in______ .

A. Southeast Asia

B. North America

C. South Africa

2）The businesses in the region are supported by______ .

A. the World Bank

B. ASEAN

C. International Monetary Fund

3）According to Dan, which country in southeast Asia has the highest cost of living?

A. Indonesia.

B. Singapore.

C. Thailand.

4）What is another challenge of doing business in the region mentioned by Dan?

A. Hiring skilled labour.

B. Language and culture.

C. Local competition.

5）Which of the following is not mentioned by Dan about the advantages of living and working in Bali?

A. The cost of living is lower.

B. Living in Bali is less stressful and healthy.

C. There are many cheap flights.

Dialogue 2

1）The Philippines is a famous country for hiring______ .

A. English speakers

B. Chinese speakers

C. Japanese speakers

2）Which city has a higher labour cost in the Philippines?

A. Cebu city.

B. Davao.

C. Manila.

3）What is the advantage of living and working in Bangkok?

A. Great lifestyle.

B. Fantastic local culture.

C. Higher payment.

4）Which place is suitable for people who dislike living in cities?

A. Jakarta.

B. Bali.

C. Jambi.

5）Rowan recommends Shanghai because the city is______ .

A. futuristic

B. modern

C. international

3. Listening Passages

Listen to the following two passages and fill in the blanks with the appropriate word from the list.

Passage 1

impressive cruise life-changing destination boast immense adventure landscape bustling summer camp

If you're looking for a work and travel 1）______ that is packed full of rich tradi-tions, culture, and history, you've come to the right place. Visits to China are on the rise, as travellers search for their next big 2）______ .Working abroad in China is a great way to explore one of the world's most ancient countries. From the diverse culture, to the 3） ______ancient heritage sites, there's something to suit every type of traveller.

A gap year in China is guaranteed to help you grow-China is one of the most popular destinations for travellers who enjoy a challenge. It's the next level up-you'll experience a culture that is vastly different from your own, and find 4）______ satisfaction in overco-ming the difficulties that you may face. It's an incredible,5） ______experience.

With China's vast and diverse 6）______ ,you can find almost any type of setting your desire. It's home to some of the world's most beautiful beaches, it 7）______ the second largest mountain in the world, and it has the sixth-largest desert on the planet. Whether you're looking for a 8）______ city or an ancient village, a mountain to hike, a river to 9）______ ,or a forest to explore, there is something to suit every type of travel-ler.

Think you'd like to live and work in China. Chances are, and your skills are in high demand. Whether you want to work in China teaching English, or work at a 10）______ in China, there are plenty of opportunities for English speakers. A cultural exchange expe-rience in China is an experience like no other.

Passage 2

demand tough bilingual expose isolation disheartened plus disorientation professional comfort zone

Nowadays, more and more people decide to move abroad for work related reasons. An old Chinese proverb says that“travelling thousands of miles is better than reading thou-sands of books”and in a world where almost every company has some sort of international presence, taking a job abroad adds a big 1） ______to anyone's CV.

But moving abroad can be a 2）______ decision and it is definitely a big step for everyone. People who work abroad get the chance to develop a set of new skills, are 3）______ to higher level and more complex issues sooner in their career and, apparent-ly, they tend to get promoted a lot quicker than others. However, living abroad is challeng-ing as it pushes people beyond their 4）______ .

Language-Being 5）______ is a skill associated with top performers and earners and bilingual people are, and have always been, in high 6） ______.

Culture-Moving to a new country to work and live is a completely different experience to going there on holiday. Therefore, moving countries will most probably make you experi-ence some kind of“culture shock”that may cause some sort of feelings of 7）______ .

Personal life-These feelings of disorientation and possible 8）______ can be very difficult to deal with in the beginning. It can be hard to be far away from family and friends but staying in touch today is very easy. Joining classes, pursuing hobbies and saying yes to any opportunity to go out and meet people will also help you to quickly adjust to your new life and develop a new network of friends and contacts.

Work life-At first, it might be a bit difficult to adjust to a new work etiquette and you might feel like you are not showing your full 9）______ potential. It's important thought not to become 10）______ and embrace the new challenges and work style. Make the most of this new experience as it will most definitely be a truly fantastic one.

4. Short-Answer Questions

Listen to the passage and answer the following questions.

1）How old is Federico's daughter?

2）How many languages does Federico speak?

3）How long did Federico stay in London?

4）What is Federico's current job?

5）With acquisitions, Federico is in charge of...

6）How does Federico work?

7）Why did Federico move to Germany?

8）When did Federico first move abroad?

9）Why else did Federico move to Germany?

5. True or False

Listen to the monologue once and mark True or False for the following state-ments.

1）The speaker comes from the north of Brazil.

〇 True

〇 False

2）The speaker left Brazil for Germany at the age of 29.

〇 True

〇 False

3）The speaker had travelled to a lot of places around the world before she went to Germany.

〇 True

〇 False

4）The speaker came to Berlin without a job.

〇 True

〇 False

5）It was the recent political and economic situation in Brazil that finally made the speaker decide to live and work abroad.

〇 True

〇 False

6. Shadowing

Listen to the following passage twice. You should read after it without the script for the first time, and then check your reading in the second listening.

The Wonderful Experience of Living Abroad

Have you ever travelled abroad for a short holiday and said to yourself: “I could really see myself living here someday? ”Or ever read about a foreign culture and thought: “I be-long in a place like that? ”Millions of people around the world have taken that big step and are living in a different country to the one that they grew up in. They have jobs, they study, and they even have their own families there. So, what made them take the leap and move abroad?

One of the most significant reasons is that a foreign culture may be more suitable to your personality, attitude, and beliefs than your native one. Many people are attracted to another country because they like the way they do things, their social codes and traditions, for example. It could be to do with the way in which people interact with one another, or the music, the festivals and celebrations, the history, the art, and not forgetting the food! It is wonderful to go and live abroad in order to be immersed in a culture that is extraordina-ry to you, where you can experience things that wouldn't be on offer at home.

Another motivation for the move is for work or study opportunities. Your perfect job or degree may just be waiting for you over there, in need of your skills, knowledge and ambi-tion. Speaking another language will more than double your chances of such an opportunity, as more and more employers are looking for bilingual people to send over to their offices abroad. If you are reading this, then you are well on your way to making this dream a real-ity, as speaking English will open many doors and could mean the path to a life in the UK, USA, Australia, and many other countries.

Moreover, living abroad is an enriching experience because it forces you to adapt to things that are unfamiliar and unusual to you. You become independent and open to new, exciting, or terrifying challenges that you would never have encountered in your home coun-try. And that is the most rewarding of all: the opportunity to learn and develop as a person, because you will discover things about yourself that you may not have known before; your beliefs, your passions, your character. Through interacting within a foreign society, your eyes will be open to all sorts of aspects of life that would be difficult to learn in your native country.

These are just a couple of the many reasons why people choose to buy that one-way ticket and establish themselves in a foreign country. It may be temporary, it may be forev-er, but one thing that is guaranteed is that you'll never look back.