WIB · Listening — August 29, 2026

🎯 Instructions:

Listen to the audio track(s) below.
Complete the interactive exercises on this page.

🎧 Senior Listening

Two tracks with comprehension exercises

Track 1: "The power of poetry"

7 min · british · standard

🎯 Gist Check Listen and choose the best answer.

1. What is the main topic of this programme?

How to write and publish your own poems The positive power of poetry to heal and communicate The history of British poetry since the 19th century Why science is more important than art in schools

✅ B. 节目开头就点明主题：讨论诗歌的力量。Pippa 表明要了解诗歌的"正面力量"（the positive power of poetry），后文用开放麦之夜和 Hot Poets 两个例子说明诗歌能治愈情感、也能让科学变得易懂。

2. Why do the Hot Poets write poems about scientific studies?

Because they want to win a poetry competition Because scientists pay them to entertain the public To make complex scientific ideas easier for ordinary people to understand To prove that poetry is harder than science

✅ C. 文中说 Hot Poets 到联合国气候变化大会等场合听科学报告，然后写成诗表演给观众，目的是把复杂的环保议题用诗歌讲得简单易懂（making complex environmental ideas easy to understand through poetry）。

3. What can be said about the effect of poetry according to the speakers?

Poetry can only be understood by people with an English degree Poetry affects people emotionally and can make life feel better Poetry is useless after you leave school Poetry is mainly a way of learning scientific jargon

✅ B. Maria 说诗歌能触摸人的灵魂（touch your soul），即使心情不好，去过开放麦之夜后生活也会感觉好很多；科学家 Kat 也说听诗起鸡皮疙瘩。这些都说明诗歌能深深影响人的情感。

🔍 Detail Hunt Listen for specific information.

1. What is the title of the poem Maria wrote about a friend who had a stroke?

✅ Stroke

2. What is the name of the group that helps people understand science through poetry?

✅ Hot Poets

3. What is it called when a string of words begins with the same sound, as in 'the positive power of poetry'?

✅ Alliteration

4. Which word does a scientist use instead of the everyday word 'rain'?

✅ Precipitation

5. What does the poem give Kat Bruce when she hears it?

✅ Goosebumps

Track 2: "Living with debt"

7 min · british · standard

🎯 Gist Check Listen and choose the best answer.

1. What is the main topic of the programme?

How to save money effectively The reality of living with debt in the UK The benefits of taking out loans How to win the lottery

✅ B. 节目主要讨论了英国人负债的普遍现象以及负债对生活的影响。

2. According to the programme, what does the phrase "making ends meet" mean?

Having just enough money for basic expenses Spending money on luxury items Borrowing money from friends Saving money for the future

✅ A. "making ends meet" 意为仅够支付基本生活开销。

3. What was Jason's attitude towards his debt?

He was confident he could pay it off quickly. He fluctuated between wanting to clear it and accepting living on the never-never. He ignored it completely. He asked his family for help.

✅ B. Jason 在想要还清债务和接受“never-never”生活方式之间摇摆不定。

🔍 Detail Hunt Listen for specific information.

1. How many people contacted the UK Citizens Advice Bureau every day in 2025?

✅ Over 1000

2. What is the name of the sociologist who studied debt in a low-income housing estate?

✅ Ryan Davey

3. What fictional name did he give to the estate?

✅ Woldham

4. According to The Money Charity, what is the average debt of a British adult through credit cards, overdrafts and personal loans?

✅ £4,232

5. What happened to Jason's internet because of financial strain?

✅ It was disconnected

🔄 Compare & Contrast Think about both listening passages together.

Write a short compare-and-contrast paragraph about the two listening passages, 'The power of poetry' and 'Living with debt'. Explain how their topics and the speakers' attitudes are similar and different, using details from both tracks.

Guiding Questions:

What is each listening passage mainly about?
How do the speakers in each passage seem to feel about the topic?
What is one similarity and one difference in how the two passages present their topic?
Which details from the transcripts support your comparison?