Today we’re going to watch an hilarious TED Talk by James Veitch, a British writer and comedian. In this talk, he narrates a very funny story about interacting with a man who sent him spam e-mail. Of course, this format is nothing like the IELTS Listening Exam, but it is always good to practice your general listening skills through various means – listening for comprehension, listening for detail, inference, and so on.
Vocabulary
Spam (noun) – annoying, unsolicited e-mail
Inbox (noun) – the part of your e-mail account where received messages are stored
Hovering (verb) – hanging over something temporarily
Intrigues (verb) – to make someone feel very interested
Statisticians (noun) – people who analyze data and statistics
Cut (noun) – a portion of a larger whole; eg a 25% cut of a deal
Hummus (noun) – a kind of Middle Eastern food
Listening
True or False
Watch the video and answer these questions:
- James wanted to buy some gold.
- James was impressed by Solomon’s offer.
- Solomon will invest his money in property.
- Solomon suggested using a code for security.
- James has spent three years replying to spam e-mails.
Fill in the Blanks
Skip to 07:11 and listen again. Try to fill in the blanks.
Crazy stuff happens when you start _____1_____ to scam emails. It’s really difficult, and I highly ____2____ we do it. I don’t think what I’m doing is mean. There are a lot of people who do mean things to _____3_____. All I’m doing is wasting their time. And I think any time they’re spending with me is time they’re not spending scamming vulnerable adults out of their _____4______, right?
And if you’re going to do this — and I highly recommend you do — get yourself a pseudonymous _______5_______. Don’t use your own email address. That’s what I was doing at the start and it was a nightmare.
Speaking
The topic of e-mails may come up in the IELTS Speaking Exam. You might be asked questions like the following:
Part One
How often do you check your e-mail?
Do you regularly check your e-mail?
Do you prefer writing by hand or typing on a computer?
Part Two
Describe an important e-mail you have received.
Describe a time when you had to send an important e-mail.
Part Three
Do you think writing emails has strengthened or weakened people’s writing skills?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of sending e-mails?
What are some problems that arise from using e-mail every day?
Answers
True or False
- F
- F
- T
- F
- T
Fill in the Blanks
- replying
- recommend
- scammers
- savings
- email address
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