Listening Comprehention 11th Form

A Philosophy Professor and His Students

  A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about 2 inches in diameter.

    He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

    He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students answered together, “Yes”.

    The professor then showed two cans of beer from under the table and began to pour their entire contents into the jar – effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

    “Now”, said the professor, as the laughter stopped, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, and your children. Things, that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff”.

    “If you put the sand into the jar first”, he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups.There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal”.

    “Take care of the rocks first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand”.

    One of the students raised her hand and asked what the beer represented.The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers”.

Task I. Decide if the statements true (T) or false (F)

1. The professor started his class with a short introductory word.

 2. There was only one question from the students.

 3. The set of items for the class was very typical for the course taught.

 4. Some of the things the professor had prepared were edible.

 5. The students were not interested in the lecture.

 6. The visual aids were prepared to illustrate the sense of life.

 7. The entire lecture was delivered very seriously.

 8. The professor must have been a Pepsi fan.

 9. Not a word was said about the most important things in life.

 10. The lecture was done in the form of an interactive conversation.

Task II. Choose the best answer (A-D) to complete the sentences (1-10).

1. The lecture started with the professor standing:

 A. among his students;

 B. behind his students;

 C.  in front of his students;

 D. outside the classroom.

2. Firstly the jar was filled with:

 A. stones;

 B. bricks;

 C. clay;

 D. wooden chips.

3. Every time the professor filled the jar, it seemed:

 A. to have some extra space;

 B. to be half empty;

 C. to have a hole;

 D. to be filled to the utmost.

4. The professor filled the jar with the items:

 A. starting from the smallest and ending with the largest ones;

 B. intermittently with smaller and larger ones;

 C. putting the bigger ones first;

 D. pouring two cans of beer each time he put the items in.

5. The size of the items was different because:

 A. the professor couldn’t find any better;

 B. it was easy to put them into the jar;

 C. they had a hidden meaning

 D. students asked about it.

6. According to the text the professor:

 A. had a good sense of humor;

 B. had a rich collection of minerals;

 C. had a good knowledge of geology;

 D. had a brewery.

7. What was NOT mentioned about the important things was:

 A. kids;

 B. money;

 C. health;

 D. family.

8. The sand symbolized:

 A. something small;

 B. something light;

 C. something shapeless;

 D. something unimportant.

9. The lecture basically was about:

 A. studying the value of various minerals;

 B. the use of beer;

 C. determining the main things in life;

 D. work and rest.

10. The question about beer was asked by:

 A. a girl;

 B. a boy

 C. a professor;

 D. a stranger.


Ключі до тестових завдань:

   I.F, 2. T, 3. F, 4. T, 5. F, 6. T, 7. F, 8. F, 9. F, 10. F.

  11. c, 12. a, 13. d, 14. c, 15. c, 16. a, 17. b, 18. d, 19. c, 20. a.