Open Forum 2 Student Book: Academic Listening and Speaking (with 2 CD + answer key)

Open Forum is a three-level listening and speaking skills series for English language learners who need practice in extended listening and discussion in preparation for academic work, or to attain a personal goal.

The series is structured around high-interest listening texts with an academic focus that engage and motivate students. Units feature academic content areas such as Business, History, or Psychology. The content areas are revisited as the series progresses, ensuring that students recycle and extend the ideas and vocabulary of each topic. Focused practice in listening and speaking skills is integrated into each unit.

Open Forum 2 is for students at the intermediate level.

CD1

Chapter 1: Environmental Studies

Topic: City planning

Lecture about city planning: track 2
Interview about planning public parks: track3
Pronunciation - Sentence Stress: track 4, 5


Chapter 2: Psychology

Topics: Leisure activities; quality of life

Radio program about the concept of"flow": track 6
Personal interviews about some results of the survey on quality of life: track 7
Pronunciation - Unstressed Function Words (articles, prepositions, and conjunctions): track 8, 9
Speaking Skill - Elaborating to Keep a Conversation Going: track 10

Chapter 3: Food Science

Topics: Food; changes in habits

Lecture about taste in food: track 11
Vocabulary - Verbs + -ing Form or Infinitive: track 12
Interview with a food scientist: track 13
Pronunciation - Intonation with Questions: track 14
Speaking Skill - Hesitating and Taking Time to Think: track 15

Chapter 4: Visual Art

Topic: Visual art

Radio interview about Aboriginal art: track 16
Lecture in an art museum:
. An introduction about the painting American Gothic: track 17
. Describing the painting in details: track 18
Pronunciation - The Schwa Sound: track 19, 20, 21
Speaking Skill - Using Imprecision: track 22, 23

Chapter 5: Life Science

Topics: Ocean research; condor preservation

Radio program on ocean research: track 24
Listening Skill - Working Out Unknown Vocabulary: track 25, 26, 28
Informational talk at a ranger station: track 27
Pronunciation - Verb Endings: track 29, 30
Speaking Skill - Asking for Further Information: track 31

CD2

Chapter 6: Social Studies

Topic: Work

Lecture about European and U.S work habits: track 2
Radio program about self-employment in the US: track 3
Listening Skill - Working Out Unknown Vocabulary: track 4
Pronunciation - Contractions with Be and Have: track 5
Speaking Skill - Expressing Opinions: track 6

Chapter 7: Language and Communication

Topic: Different languages in the US; endangered languages

Lecture about other languages in the US: track 7
Listening Skill - Intensive Listening for Numbers: track 8
Vocabulary - Expressions for Approximations with Numbers: track 9
Student presentation in class: track 10
Pronunciation - Stress in Numbers with -ty and -teen: track 11, track 12