Listening Practice Through Dictation Level 1 – Topic: Science and Technology

G :   Hey, Steve. Look at my new MP3 player!
B :   Wow! It looks cool! Where did you buy it?
G :   I bought it online at an electronics website.
B :   I’m not very good at using a computer. Is it hard to buy things online?
G :   It’s really easy. All you do is go to the website, and choose the item you want to look at. There are so many items to choose from on the website! After you choose what you want to buy, you click on the “check out” button.
B :   That does seem easy!
G :   Yes, it is. It only takes about a week for your item to come. Of course, if you are in a hurry, you can pay more to get it sent faster.
B :   Do you pay for the item when it comes?
G :   No, you have to pay for it online with a credit card.

W:   I need to check my messages.
M:   How are you going to do that? We are in the middle of the freeway!
W:   I’m going to use my cell phone. Haven’t you ever done that?
M:   No. I just use my cell phone to talk to other people.
W:   Now you can also use a cell phone to send and receive short text messages. It’s very useful.
M:   How do you send a message that way?
W:   I just use the keys on the phone to type a short message. Then I press the “send” button. It’s cheaper than making a phone call.
M:   That’s a great idea! You can save both time and money that way.
W:   Right. All my friends usually send me text messages now.
M:   Thanks for telling me about this. I’ll have to try it!
W:   You’re welcome. I think you’ll find it useful.

G :   Where do the bubbles come from when you boil water?
Water is a liquid. When it is heated, it moves around faster and faster. When it starts to boil, the liquid turns into a gas. This gas is called water vapor. This gas is lighter than the water around it. It rises to the top. Then it disappears into the air.
As the water gets hotter and hotter, it starts turning into gas very quickly. A lot of bubbles form at the same time. All these bubbles try to escape at once. The bubbles push the water out of the way and “jump” out. This is what we call “boiling water.”
More and more water turns into gas. More of it disappears into the air. After a while, every drop of the water will be gone. Try it and see!

B :   Joe asked me something about science just now. But I didn’t know the answer.
G :   I’m good at science. Ask me.
B :   OK. Why is the sky blue?
G :   I’ll explain it in a simple way. Light comes through the air from the sun in waves.
B :   The light is in many colors, right?
G :   Right. Blue light waves are smaller than air molecules. They sometimes get absorbed by these molecules.
B :   OK. What happens then?
G :   Then the blue light waves scatter in many directions. Your eyes see this blue light from above you, after it leaves the air molecules.
B :   So that is what makes the sky blue! What happens to the other colors?
G :   They reflect off the things that they hit. Your shirt is red because our eyes see the red light reflected from it.
B :   Now I understand why the sky is blue!

M:   I just bought a digital camera!
W:   What is wrong with your old camera?
M:   Nothing. I bought this one because I want to store my pictures on my computer.
W:   I see.
M:   I can also delete pictures that are not very good. I don’t have to print them.
W:   I like to print all my photos. That’s why I like the old cameras.
M:   Oh, you can print digital photos, too. Many shops will print them for you.
W:   Really?
M:   Yes. You can even buy a good printer and do it from home.
W:   That seems easy! How do you store these digital pictures?
M:   You can store the pictures on your computer. But you might run out of space. I save all the pictures I like on compact discs. You can store more than seven hundred photos on one CD!
W:   Great! Maybe I should get a digital camera, too.