Listening Comprehension
What Nagano's listening section asks
Nagano entrance English listening typically plays short dialogues, school announcements, and question-response items twice. You must choose a picture, time, place, or response. The test rewards catching the question word first: who, when, where, why, how much, which.
Core moves
- Before the audio, scan the options and predict the topic: a timetable means times; a map means directions; four expressions mean a response item.
- Write only keywords: 3:30, north exit, science club. Do not try to write full sentences.
- Listen for corrections: 'Actually,' 'Sorry, I mean,' 'not A but B.' These often carry the answer.
- In question-response items, match the function, not a repeated word: an invitation needs accept/decline; an apology needs a reply.
Worked example
You hear: 'We planned to meet at the station at three, but the movie starts at four, so let's meet thirty minutes earlier.' Options: 2:30 / 3:00 / 3:30 / 4:00. The trap is 'three' and 'four.' The correction is 'thirty minutes earlier' than three, so the answer is 2:30. You must hold the original time, apply the change, then check the question: 'What time will they meet?'
Traps that cost marks
- Choosing a number you hear without doing the arithmetic.
- Hearing 'station' and picking the station option when the question asks about the movie.
- Missing a negative: 'I don't think so' is not agreement.
- Writing during the second playing and missing the final correction.
Exam habit
Use one short audio, pause after the first playing, and write the question word and two keywords. Replay and check only those. This trains selective listening for this exam.