As we know，listening plays an important part in learning a language.However，sometimes you may find it difficult to understand what you are listening to.Here's some advice on how to （1）

help

help

your listening.
   Relax yourself.
   Before you start to listen to something，you need to relax.Don't get excited （2）

or

or

worried.This will help you with your listening.
   Listen to the first few sentences carefully.
   The first few sentences tell us a lot about the whole article.For example，if in the very beginning，you hear "A long time ago，in a rich and beautiful country，there lived an unhappy king.He slept badly and didn't feel like eating.This made his people worried and they decided to do something..." and you know you will hear a （3）

story

story

not a piece of news，or a weather report.
   Think when you're listening.
   When you're listening，try to do some thinking.For example，you can think about the following questions：What happened？When，where and how？What was the result and what does the speaker want to tell us？This way，you may understand the article better.
   Listen for important facts.You （4）

needn't

needn't

remember every word you hear but it's necessary for you to remember some important facts.For example，if the article is a science report，you should try to remember its findings and how the scientists got their results.
   Don't think about one or two words for too long.
   You may hear some words that you don't know，but don't spend too much time （5）

on

on

them.Very often，you'll find out （6）

what

what

they mean later when you go on with the listening.But you can remember some words or sentences that you think are important，and you can use them when you're answering the questions.
   I hope the advice above can be helpful. （7）

If

If

you have some other good ways，you are welcome to tell me.No matter what ways you use，always remember， "Practice makes perfect." The more you practice listening，the （8）

better

better

you will do in it.