C 2 · C1 · Education, study & language · Listening

C1/C2 Listening: TED Talks The Benefits of a Bilingual Brain

We are all aware of the importance of speaking English. That’s why you are here, isn’t it? And some of you are even so fortunate as to live in an area where more than one language is spoken. Such is the case of the Balearic Islands where both Spanish and Catalan held the status of official languages. However, there are many countries where only one language exists and not only that, but the citizens are not very good language learners let alone, speak a foreign language fluently. Such is the case of my native England. But apart from widening work expectations, learning a new language, can provide many other benefits and in this TED Talks video, you’ll hear about some of the most important.

As usual, read the questions before playing the video and listen twice (put the video back), as practise for your C levels listening skill.

Created by blogdeserena

C1-C2 LISTENING

C1-C2 Listening TED Talks The Benefits of a Bilingual Brain

You are going to watch a video from TED Talks.

You will have eleven sentences which you must complete with the missing word(s) according to what you hear.

Activity by Serena

TED TALKS The Benefits of a Bilingual Brain

1.People that include, both parts of their abilities in an equal or almost equal degree, are called____ bilinguals.

2.Gabriella, whose family immigrated from Peru to the US when she was two years old, can be classified as a_________ bilingual

3.Gabriella’s teenage brother could be a ________bilingual as he speaks Spanish at home and English at school.

4.Subordinate bilinguals typically filter a secondary language through their ______language.

5. Neurolinguists have recently been able to see how language learning affects bilingual brains due to the advances in brain _______________.

6.Language involves functions from both hemispheres during the period of __________.

7.According to the critical period hypothesis, children use both hemispheres during__________.

8. One visible advantage of learning a new language, regardless of when, is an increased thickness of the ________.

9.The increased activity of a bilingual brain could postpone diseases such as _______ for as much as five years.

10.Before 1960s, bilingualism was deemed a________ as it was thought to slow down children’s development.

11.Even though a person does not learn a second language during childhood, they will have a healthier,  complex and actively_______ brain.

2 thoughts on “C1/C2 Listening: TED Talks The Benefits of a Bilingual Brain


  1. Hi Luna!
    It should be okay now. I changed all the quizzes to a new plugin only two weeks ago, so there are still some things that need checking, so please let me know if you see anything strange.
    Have a nice weekend,
    Serena


  2. Hi Serena! I find your blog so useful for me, but when it comes to this listenings tasks, I don’t understand why I cannot see the correct answers. I can only see the score.
    Thanks in advance.

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