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Practice Listening: Fill in the Blanks (Type In) ID: #4003 Short Comprehension
Instructions ›
You will hear a recording. Type the missing words in each blank.
* Fill in the missing words into the blank fields
Being  able  to  read  with  comprehension  doesn’t  just  vastly    the  quality  of  life.  Literacy  can  actually  be  the  difference  between  life  and  death.  That’s  according  to  a  study  in  the  current  issue  of  the  journal  Archives  of  Internal  Medicine.  The  study  began  ten  years  ago  when  Northwestern  University  researchers  started    more  than  3,000  Medicare  patients.  The  investigators    health  as  well  as  education,  income,  exercise,  literacy,  smoking  and  drinking  habits,  and  chronic  medical    like  asthma  and  diabetes.  What  they  never  expected  to  discover  was  that  low  literacy  was  the  second  leading  predictor  of  death  in  their  study  population.  Only    was  a  stronger  indicator  of  a  poor  prognosis.  David  Baker,  the  principal  author  of  the  study,  said  “When  patients  can't  read,  they  are  not  able  to  do  the  things    to  stay  healthy."

Result:

AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Correct answer: improve

Explanation: Listen for "vastly improve the quality". You need an action word that means make better.

Meaning: "improve" means make better.

Wrong options:

  • improove: It adds an extra "o". Check the letters: "improve". A small spelling mistake loses the mark.
Correct answer: following

Explanation: On the recording you hear "started following more than 3,000". It follows "started", so the word ends in ing.

Meaning: "following" means watching or checking over time.

Wrong options:

  • folowing: It leaves out the "l". Check the letters: "following". A small spelling mistake loses the mark.
Correct answer: tracked

Explanation: Listen again to "The investigators tracked health as". This already happened, so the word ends in ed.

Meaning: "tracked" means watched or recorded over time.

Wrong options:

  • trakced: Two letters are in the wrong order. Check the letters: "tracked". A small spelling mistake loses the mark.
  • track: "track" is missing the ending. The speaker says "tracked", with "ed" at the end.
Correct answer: conditions

Explanation: Here you hear "chronic medical conditions like asthma". The sentence needs a word for more than one thing, so it ends in s.

Meaning: "conditions" means illnesses or health problems.

Wrong options:

  • condtions: It leaves out the "i". Check the letters: "conditions". A small spelling mistake loses the mark.
  • condition: "condition" has no "s" at the end. The speaker says "conditions", so write the "s".
Correct answer: smoking

Explanation: The speaker says "Only smoking was a stronger". You need a word for the habit, it ends in ing.

Meaning: "smoking" means the act of using tobacco.

Wrong options:

  • smooking: It adds an extra "o". The right spelling is "smoking". Every letter must be correct to get the mark.
  • smoke: "smoke" is a close word, but it ends in "e". The speaker says "smoking", which ends in "ing".
Correct answer: necessary

Explanation: You hear "do the things necessary to stay". After "things" you need a describing word that shows need.

Meaning: "necessary" means needs.

Wrong options:

  • neccessary: It adds an extra "c". The right spelling is "necessary". Every letter must be correct to get the mark.

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