My Latest Gadget – B1/B2 Listening

In this B1/B2 English listening lesson, you will listen to Emily. She has recently bought a new gadget (an air fryer). Listen to Emily’s talk and see how much you can understand!

Listen and understand

Answer the questions about Emily’s new gadget. Check answers when you have finished all of the questions.

What is Emily’s overall opinion of her air fryer?

It’s fine for some meals but not reliable
She loves using it and finds it very convenient
She prefers using her oven most of the time

What does Emily suggest about learning to use the air fryer?

It has a long learning curve
It’s simple and easy, even for beginners
You need special training

What limitation does Emily mention about air fryers?

They use too much electricity
They’re difficult to clean
They’re small and can’t cook large meals

What does Emily say about the size and weight of her air fryer?

It’s heavy and takes up a lot of space
It’s compact and easy to move
It’s large and hard to store

How does Emily describe the way the air fryer cooks food?

It uses hot air and doesn’t need much oil
It boils food very quickly
It works with microwaves

Why did Emily used to find cooking slow and annoying?

Her kitchen was too small
Her old appliances took too long
She didn’t enjoy cooking at all

How does Emily clean the air fryer?

She takes out the basket and gives it a quick wash
She wipes it with a cloth while it’s still hot
She needs special cleaning products

What does Emily say about using the air fryer when she’s tired?

She usually avoids cooking then
It lets her cook something quickly with no effort
She orders takeaway instead

Train your ear

Listen and complete ONLY the missing words:

My favourite gadget’s my air fryer

I wasn’t sure if I really needed one

I spent a playing around with it

I just fell in love , you know?

So for example, this little tray

Dictation and transcript

Listen to the speaker again, and write what you hear. Then check your answers. Pause, replay or restart if you want to.

DRE Dictation

Words and phrases

Here are some useful words and expressions from the text that you might want to learn and use

Words

gadget – a small machine that helps you do something
air fryer – a kitchen machine that cooks food with hot air instead of oil
bulky – large and hard to move or store
worktop – a flat surface in the kitchen for preparing food
crispy – hard and crunchy on the outside
healthy / healthier – good for your body / better for your body
weird – strange or unusual
handy – useful or convenient
recommend – say something is good and others should try it

Phrases

my favourite gadget’s got to be… – I think my best gadget is…
I use it all the time – I use it very often
I wasn’t sure at first – I didn’t know in the beginning
to be honest – I’m telling the truth
I spent a bit of time playing around with it – I used it for a while to see how it works
fell in love with it – really liked it a lot
it’s not really like a proper oven – it’s different from a normal oven
not too big or bulky – not heavy or difficult to move
fits quite nicely on my worktop – is a good size for my kitchen surface
slides in and out – moves in and out easily
set the time or temperature – choose how long or how hot to cook
even if you’ve never tried one before – it’s easy for beginners
Bob’s your uncle – it’s easy / And that’s it!
works by cooking the food with hot air – cooks food using hot air
comes out really nice and crispy – is cooked well and crunchy
took ages – took a long time
throw something in – put food in quickly
Bang! It’s ready in minutes. – it cooks very fast
give it a quick wash – clean it quickly
all in all – overall; thinking about everything
I’d definitely recommend – I really think you should try it
a bit of a shame – a little disappointing

Grammar from the transcript

Here are some examples of grammar from the transcript.

Present Perfect Simple

In this example, Emily uses the present perfect simple tense to talk about life experience up until now.

  • Even if you’ve never tried one before…

Past Simple (irregular forms)

The speaker uses past simple to talk about finished events in the past (like a story). All of these past simple forms are irregular:

  • I bought it last year. (buy)
  • I spent a bit of time playing around with it… (spend)
  • I just fell in love with it… (fall)

Past Continuous

We often use past continuous tense for repeated actions or states that started before another event in the past.

  • I was using my oven…

Relative clauses

We use relative clauses to add essential information about a noun without starting a new sentence.

  • …this little tray that slides in and out.
  • …a digital screen, where you set the time or temperature…

Comparatives and superlatives

We use comparatives and superlatives to compare people, things, or situations.

  • much quicker than an oven
  • a bit healthier as well

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