Listening, learning and teaching activities for upper intermediate students and teachers of English as a second language

language learner

Level 3 archive

There are more vocabulary activities related to these podcasts on the 'extras' page.


65 Forty - love. Forget the football - let's see if we can do any better at Wimbledon!
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Bonus for members! So why is Wimbledon played on grass?
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64 The moneyless man. Mark Boyle decided last year he wouldn't spend any more money - how does he do that?
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You can watch the whole interview with Mark and The Guardian reporter here:
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63 Troubled waters. The BP oil spill is a disaster for the seafood industry, as this podcast explains
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An explanation of what caused the accident, you might like to watch this one first.
oil spill ► Watch & Listen (1m 02sec)

62 An American in Spain. Scott talks about the highs and lows of Spanish living
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61 Spring forward, fall back. The pie team look forward to longer summer evenings
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Bonus for members! Which countries have Daylight Saving Time?
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60 Relationships. Why does Sandra think romance is such a tricky affair?
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59 A history of the world... in 100 objects. The pie team talk about a great British Museum project
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Museums aren't always boring places, and certainly not the Smithsonian at night...
museum► Watch (2m 01sec)



58 Yes, you can! Phillipa believes everyone can learn English - and has some great advice
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57 A click away. The pie team talk about how the Internet has changed their lives
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The Internet was a futuristic dream in 1969, but amazingly accurate too.
internet► Watch & Listen(1m 57sec)

56 Liquid gold. Witness the pie team's first olive harvest
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55 The colour purple. Jackie has a rant about the fashion trade
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54 Open wide! Richard visits the dentist - the man that everyone dreads!
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Bonus for members! And how was it for Jackie?
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53 The music biz (part 2). Why did Nigel leave for the less glamourous world of teaching?
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Bonus for members! What happened when Nigel met Phil Spector?
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52 The music biz (part 1). Nigel talks about his rock star days
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51 Banksy: artist or vandal? The pie team talk about Britain's spray can maestro
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50 An artist in Italy. Join Julian as he paints the Tuscan countryside
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49 The tipping point. Sarah confirms that Americans are great tippers
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These waiters only get soya beans as tips - and they don'tmind!
tip► Watch & Listen (1min 38sec)


48 The Emerald Isle (part 2). Michael returns to talk about the differences between the North and the South of Ireland
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Irish dancing? Then it must be Riverdance...
Irish dancing► Watch & Listen (2min 49sec)

Bonus for members! So how popular is Irish dancing?
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47 The Emerald Isle (part 1). Michael talks about Ireland - and St Patrick's Day of course
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► Webquest a song

There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama! This goes with the webquest.
Irish► Watch & Listen (3min 34sec)

46 Highlights of Cyprus. The pie team talk about what they liked most about the island
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45 An Englishman in Cyprus. Why a Brit left Blighty and settled down in Cyprus
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This gives you an idea of the countryside around Tony's house
Cyprus► Watch (2min 17sec) pie video

44 The year ahead. How do Richard's mates feel about the next twelve months?
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2009► Lookand answer the questions
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43 Happily ever after. Love is in the air as we talk about romantic fiction
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romantic fiction► Lookand answer the questions
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Bonus for members! What kind of people write and buy Mills and Boon books?
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Surely Jane Austin is the greatest romantic fiction author ever?
romance► Watch & Listen (2min 08sec)

41 Up, up and away. Audrey takes to the air during her holiday in Turkey
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40 Operation catsnip. Richard finds himself unexpectedly taking part in an operation
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39 Bad hair day. Wash, cut and blow-dry - Jackie and Becky have been to the hairdresser's
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haircut► Look and answer the questions
►Answers
Bonus for members! Going to the hairdresser's in Thailand - a different experience!
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38 Diplomatic pass. Stefano assures us it's not all cocktail parties at the Italian Embassy
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► Transcript (pdf 29KB)
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diplomatic► Look New activity!
►Answers



37 Edinburgh festival. Graham talks about the biggest arts festival in the world
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Many of the acts play in the street to advertise their shows - these people are very unusual drummers!
drummer► Watch & Listen (51sec)



36 A fruity red or crisp white? Jackie tries her hand at wine tasting
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Don't swallow, the wine!
wine► Watch & Listen (1min 48sec)


35 Desert drive. Join the pie team at the Baghdad Cafe in the middle of the Syrian desert
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34 Going green (part 2). In the second part of this environmental podcast Sonia offers some solutions
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33 Going green (part 1). In the first of a two-part podcast about the environment Sonia believes Jordanians should be more aware of the problems
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Perhaps if we could see the gases it would make a difference?
► Watch & Listen (2min 01sec)

32 To be or not to be. How come Shakespeare's still so popular and relevant today - even in the Middle East?
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Bonus for members! Fouad and Jackie talk about acting in Shakespeare's plays
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31 University life (part 2). In the second part of this podcast we hear advice on how students can make the most of their university experience
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Bonus for members! Jenny explains what some students did to help them with their course
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30 University life (part 1). In the first of a two-part podcast a university lecturer outlines the problems foreign students have when studying in the UK
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29 Radio ham. Frank talks about his love of amateur radio
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28 Two wheels good. Zoom into 2008 with a crash course on motorbiking
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There's a lot more to riding round a corner than you think...
motorbike► Watch & Listen (1min 48sec)

27 Resolutions. We start 2008 with different people talking about the resolutions they have or haven't made for the year ahead
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26 Mrs President. Are the United States going to vote for their first female president in 2008?
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25 Super jumbo! A passenger on the first commercial flight of the Airbus 380 describes his experience
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Bonus for members! Chris reveals the luxury service he got as a first class passenger
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Look how small the other planes appear when next to the Airbus A380!
airbus a380► Watch (1min 21sec)

24 Under the sea. Swimming with sharks and seals in the Irish Sea
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Bonus for members! Listen to Guy talking about a great dive he has planned
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23 Ramadan. Asha talks abut the most important month in the Muslim year
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22 British icons: the pub. The pie team look at one of the most enduring symbols of British life and chat to Jack the bartender
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21 Paint a picture. A Canadian artist is inspired by the old quarter in Hanoi
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Bonus for members! Joe tells us which artists have influenced him
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20 Podcasting. Meet the man who inspired the pie team to start podcastsinenglish.com
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19 Buddhism. Monks, merit making and the colour for Monday
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18 What a wonderful world. Take part in choosing the new 7 wonders of the world
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17 Mike the musician. There's more to playing the guitar than Jackie realises
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16 A childhood at war. Robert tells us what it was like as a young lad during the 1940s
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15 Living in Japan. Steve gives his impressions of the land of kimonos and hello kitty
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14 The learner who teaches. Lynda tells us what it's like on both sides of the teaching divide
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13 And the winner is... Jackie and Richard predict the winners of this year's Oscars
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12 The lucky dog and the plucky duck. How two of our animal friends escaped certain death and why dog owners lead a healthy life
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11 The level 3 quiz. Ten questions to test your knowledge of the pie level 3 podcasts. All the answers are given at the end in mixed up order, so it can be good note-taking practice for you as well
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10 Casino Royale. The new beefier, blond Bond comes up trumps in the latest movie
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9 Jingle bells. Peter compares his family Christmases in the past to the present
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8 Hallowe'en. The night of witches and ghosts has an interesting history
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7 The thunderbolt kid. Author Bill Bryson reads an excerpt from his new book about growing up in America in the 1950s
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6 Down the pub. Join the team for some traditional pub grub
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5 Pottery village. An ancient art is uncovered in a quiet corner of Bangkok. Also - watch the video!
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4 Chatuchak market. Join the team as they stroll through one of Asia's biggest markets
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3 Joe's tattoos. Joe tells us all about his tattoos
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2 Working and living abroad 2. Christine describes her new business venture
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1 Working and living abroad 1. Christine tells us how a holiday destination turned into a new life abroad
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