Daylight Saving Time (DST): English Listening Practice with Questions and Vocabulary (B1 Level)

 

Vocabulary
A. Daylight (noun) [French: lumière du jour]: Natural light from the sun during the day. Example: We started our hike at daylight. (Nous avons commencé notre randonnée au lever du jour.)

B. Minimal (adjective) [French: minime]: Very small in amount or degree. Example: The new rule had a minimal effect on our daily lives. (La nouvelle règle a eu un effet minime sur notre vie quotidienne.)

C. Disrupt (verb) [French: perturber]: To interrupt something and stop it from working normally. Example: Loud noise can disrupt a lesson. (Un bruit fort peut perturber un cours.)

D. Strokes (noun) [French: accidents vasculaires cérébraux]: Serious medical conditions caused by a problem with blood flow to the brain. Example: The hospital organized a talk about preventing strokes. (L’hôpital a organisé une conférence sur la prévention des accidents vasculaires cérébraux.)

E. Sleep patterns (noun phrase) [French: habitudes de sommeil]: The usual times and ways a person sleeps. Example: Traveling across time zones can change your sleep patterns. (Voyager à travers plusieurs fuseaux horaires peut modifier vos habitudes de sommeil.)

F. Rise (verb) [French: augmenter]: To become greater in number, amount, or level. Example: The price of bread may rise next month. (Le prix du pain pourrait augmenter le mois prochain.)

English Listening Practice B2–C1: Building Talent Instead of Just Hiring It

 

Vocabulary 1

A. Impressive (adjective) [French: impressionnant]: Very good or special in a way that makes people admire you. Example: She gave an impressive presentation to the international team. (Elle a fait une présentation impressionnante devant l’équipe internationale.)

B. Sing decently (verb expression) [French: chanter assez bien]: To sing reasonably well, but not exceptionally well. Example: My brother can sing decently, but he prefers playing the guitar. (Mon frère chante assez bien, mais il préfère jouer de la guitare.)

C. Spectacular (adjective) [French: spectaculaire]: Extremely impressive, beautiful, or exciting. Example: We enjoyed a spectacular view from the top of the mountain. (Nous avons admiré une vue spectaculaire depuis le sommet de la montagne.)

D. Logic might suggest (expression) [French: la logique pourrait laisser penser que]: It seems reasonable to think that something is true. Example: Logic might suggest that higher prices will reduce sales. (La logique pourrait laisser penser que des prix plus élevés feront baisser les ventes.)

E. Iconic (adjective) [French: emblématique]: Very famous and easily recognized by many people. Example: The Eiffel Tower is an iconic symbol of Paris. (La tour Eiffel est un symbole emblématique de Paris.)

F. Undeniable (adjective) [French: indéniable]: Clearly true and impossible to reasonably deny. Example: Her progress in mathematics is undeniable. (Ses progrès en mathématiques sont indéniables.)

G. Mediocre (adjective) [French: médiocre]: Average or below average, not particularly good. Example: The restaurant received mediocre reviews from its customers. (Le restaurant a reçu des avis médiocres de la part de ses clients.)

H. Artistry (noun) [French: talent artistique]: Skill and creativity shown when making or performing something. Example: The artist's artistry is visible in every painting. (Le talent artistique de cet artiste se manifeste dans chaque tableau.)

I. Taboos (plural noun) [French: tabous]: Subjects or actions that society considers unacceptable to discuss or do. Example: The documentary discusses taboos surrounding mental health. (Le documentaire aborde les tabous liés à la santé mentale.)

 

Business English Listening Practice: R&D Meeting Expressions and Vocabulary (B2), Exercise 2

 

Exercise 2: Discussing Research Projects and New Ideas

Situation: A research team is evaluating different technologies for a new product.

Key expressions: investigate, explore options, potential, data, conclusions

Comprehension questions
1. What is the main objective of the research project?
2. What two options are being considered?
3. Why does the team need more data?
4. What problem does the existing product have?
5. Has the team confirmed that the new material will solve the problem?

Participants: Research Lead (woman), Researcher (Indian man), Product Engineer (British woman)

Business English Listening Practice: R&D Meeting Expressions and Vocabulary (B2), Exercise 1

 

Exercise 1: Opening an R&D Meeting and Setting the Agenda

Situation: An R&D manager opens a weekly meeting to review a new research project.

Key expressions: agenda, research activities, project status, priorities

Comprehension questions

1. What is the main purpose of the meeting?

2. What does the research team need to resolve?

3. What additional topic does the product engineer want to discuss?

4. How will the manager organize the meeting?

5. Which expression does the manager use to invite other participants to suggest topics?

Participants: R&D Manager (man) and Research Lead (woman)