Spanish Voices 1

Book excerpt: Spanish Voices is a two-part series designed to provide learners with an opportunity to hear and study authentic Spanish as it is spoken by native speakers from around Latin America and Spain. Unlike the scripted materials read by voice actors used in many course books, Spanish Voices offers dozens of audio essays spoken naturally and off-the-cuff. The materials in the books are designed to help you improve your listening skills and expand your vocabulary in Spanish. Bonus: The MP3s can be downloaded for free from our website, where you can also find interactive flashcards, quizzes, and games, as well as links to further listening and reading practice on the topics presented in the segments (audio essay chapters). Each segment consists of: 1) True or False and Multiple Choice exercises to sharpen your listening skills and increase how much you can understand, whatever your level. 2) Vocabulary and Translation exercises to help you expand your vocabulary and improve your understanding of Spanish collocations and grammar. 3) In-chapter answers to the exercises (no having to flip back and forth to the back of the book). 4) Verbatim transcripts of the audio with side-by-side English translations. 5) Lined sections for note-taking and recording new vocabulary.