Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. open up
    • ex. I don’t open up about my feelings to many people.
  2. regret
    • ex. Mark regretted his decision to stay up all night because he was really tired the next day.
  3. speak up
    • ex. Please speak up if you see something dangerous; don’t stay quiet about it.
  4. come far
    • ex. My company has come far. We had only 10 clients before, but now we have over 100!
  5. courage
    • ex. None of the children had the courage to go into the scary old house.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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During an online interview, tennis superstar Naomi Osaka opened up about her struggles with shyness. The 22-year-old said that being shy has stopped her from sharing her opinions. Because of this, other people sometimes had to decide things for her. Osaka regrets not speaking up and making her own decisions.

Osaka talked about meeting celebrity couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé. Due to her shyness, Osaka was not able to have a good conversation with them. She explained that Jay-Z started talking to her, but she only gave one-word replies, so the conversation ended quickly. Osaka says that if she ever meets the couple again, she’ll thank them for making music that motivates her.

Despite her continued shyness, Osaka believes that she’s come far in recent years. Early in her career, she could only give short interviews, but now, she’s more confident and can conduct longer interviews. Osaka said that she now also has the courage to discuss issues that she feels strongly about, like the Black Lives Matter movement.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Shyness

  • Do you think that a lot of people in your country are shy? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think that there are advantages to being shy? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Why do you think it's difficult for many people to speak up? Discuss.

Famous People

  • Do you think famous people should speak up about issues in society? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think it's important for famous people to open up about their struggles? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Other than shyness, what do you think are some common problems for famous people?