World In Brief · Listening Comprehension
September 12, 2026
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🎯 Instructions:

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

🎧 Senior Listening

Two tracks with comprehension exercises

Track 1: "Rude emails"

7 min · british · standard

🎯 Gist Check Listen and choose the best answer.

1. What is the main topic of the programme?

2. According to the programme, what is one thing listeners found rude in emails?

3. What advice does the programme give if you feel angry when writing an email?

🔍 Detail Hunt Listen for specific information.

1. What adjective means rude or impolite?

2. What is the noun form of 'uncivil'?

3. What idiom means to show someone that they are less important than they think?

4. What does 'get something off your plate' mean?

5. Who sent the email requiring workers to justify their employment or resign?

Track 2: "Stress-free family meals"

7 min · british · standard

🎯 Gist Check Listen and choose the best answer.

1. What is the main topic of the programme?

2. According to Dr Anne Fishel, why can dinnertime become a battleground?

3. What does child nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed recommend for stress-free family meals?

🔍 Detail Hunt Listen for specific information.

1. What food did Georgie hate as a child?

2. What phrase means a mixture of good and bad things?

3. Who is the child nutritionist and mother of two?

4. What organisation did Dr Anne Fishel co-found?

5. What was the winning formula that Sharon Wee's daughter ate for the first five years?

🔄 Compare & Contrast Think about both listening passages together.

Compare and contrast the two listening passages, 'Rude emails' and 'Stress-free family meals.' In 3-5 sentences, explain how each passage presents a common situation that can cause tension, what specific behaviors or reactions create that tension, and what each passage suggests about improving communication or reducing stress.

Guiding Questions:

  • What is the central situation in each passage, and who is involved?
  • What specific actions or comments cause negative feelings in each passage?
  • How do the people in each passage respond emotionally or behaviorally?
  • What similarities and differences do you notice in the causes of tension in work emails and family meals?
  • What possible solutions or communication strategies are implied by each passage?