SELF-ASSESSMENT OF ONLINE LISTENING TO PODCASTS

"Parkinson's Disease: Exploring the Mystery of a Movement Disorder"
"Worldwide, a Language Dies Every Two Weeks"
http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/archive/2007-07/2007-07-30-voa3.cfm
http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2007-11-06-voa1.cfm?rss=topstories

Today I listened to two podcasts. I had chosen topics, which looked interesting for me, because I wanted the task to be pleasant for me. I have to admit that my listening skills are not excellent, but after first listening I understood almost everything. During second listening I was reading the transcript to identify unknown words. The rate of speaking was average and words were pronounced clearly and distinctly.
In my opinin, I am quite good at listening to intermediate level of English. However, my ability to understand authentic English speech is just satisfactory. Native speakers rate of speaking is quite fast and I understand only fragments of speech.
If I want to pass my English exam listening paper successfully, I must study more. There are a lot of ways how I can improve my listening skilss. One of the way is to listen more podcasts. Also it is very useful to listen to authentic cassette recording in class.