The Orange Strip
Free B1 Intermediate English listening practice about Work (1 min): listen to natural English audio, type what you hear and check every word instantly.
B1 (Intermediate) English listening dictation about Work: 9 sentences, about 1 min.
Full transcript
Your letter about the blank printer points to one bright-orange clue. You have replaced the toner, but every page still comes out blank. Before calling for help, you should pull out the cartridge again. Look for a narrow orange strip tucked beneath its plastic handle. It protects fresh toner during delivery, but blocks the toner inside. I missed it once too, and wasted an afternoon checking settings. Remove the strip, slide the cartridge back, and print one test page. If the page stays blank, check the paper direction and toner seal. That bright strip was the whole problem, hiding in plain sight.
Listening, trained daily.
A1–C1: Five levels, from slow, clear speech to full native speed.
3 min: Short daily sessions that fit around the rest of your day.
Instant: Every answer checked word by word, with each mistake explained.
Questions? Answers.
How does daily dictation practice improve my English listening skills?
Dictation connects what you hear with how it is written. When you listen to natural English and type every word, you find your blind spots right away: weak forms, silent letters, linked words and fast contractions that slip past you when you only listen.
How does a dictation work?
Each lesson is a short English text split into sentences. Play a sentence, replay it as often as you need, type what you heard and send it. When you finish, you see your accuracy and every mistake, with a short note on why it was easy to miss.
How do I know which CEFR level to start with?
Lessons are grouped into A1 (Beginner), A2 (Elementary), B1 (Intermediate), B2 (Upper-intermediate) and C1 (Advanced). Not sure? Take the free level test: one short story of 10 sentences that gets harder from A1 to C1. It takes about 5 minutes, and if you are signed in, your level is saved to your profile.