Is Listening Reading?

C1 Advanced · Word Formation · Cambridge Ready original exercise

For questions 1–8, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).

SCEPTIC

CONVENIENCE

COMPREHEND

SIMILAR

HARD

LITERATE

DEMAND

CONFUSE

Audiobooks have become (0) ___ popular in recent years, yet some readers remain (1) ___ about whether listening to a book really counts as reading it. To them, an audiobook is merely a (2) ___ shortcut, a way of getting through a novel without making the proper effort. Research on (3) ___ , however, suggests that the difference may be smaller than they assume. When people are tested on a story, those who listened to it and those who read it generally remember it (4) ___ well. This is (5) ___ surprising, since humans were telling stories aloud for thousands of years before (6) ___ became widespread. Where listening does seem to fall short is with (7) ___ texts, such as textbooks or complex arguments, where readers benefit from being able to slow down and reread passages they find (8) ___ . The mind also wanders more easily while listening. For a gripping novel on a long journey, though, the ears may serve us just as well as the eyes.