Now listen again while you check the audio transcription. Then check the answers below.

INTERVIEWER: How good are you at multitasking?
SPEAKER 1 (WOMAN): I used to be better, I think, before I had children. I just think my brain's not as good as it was. But with minor things, I'm still pretty good. I'm good at judging how long things take, so I can load the washing machine while the computer is warming up. I know that if I have to phone the bank or the insurance company or something, I'll be on hold for ages, so I make sure I've got something to do while I'm waiting. I guess the difficulties arise when there's an emotional need, particularly with children. Like last night, I was making supper and my daughter was in the kitchen and she said, 'Can you play with me?' And as all I had to do was stir the saucepan every couple of minutes, we started having a game of cards. The problem was she got really frustrated that I had to keep interrupting the game to give the pan a quick stir. So I realize now that it was a mistake to try and play a game without 100% of my attention. The computer is happy to wait quietly while you finish loading the washing machine; a six-year-old isn't quite so patient.

INTERVIEWER: How good are you at multitasking?
SPEAKER 2 (MAN): Part of me thinks that I'm really good at it, you know, that I can do quite a number of things at one time. I do believe that part of my brain seems to sort out problems while I'm concentrating on something else. So that when you get back to them, they're much easier than they were before. But if I'm honest, I'm starting to realize that I do take on too much at once. I think I get a lot of things done, but I do leave a lot unfinished. For example, there are DIY jobs around the house that I might have started literally months ago. There's one, I drilled a hole in the wall to hang up a picture, but before I could put the screw in and actually put the picture up something came up, then something else came up. The picture is still on the floor leaning against the wall, under the hole. And to be honest I could think of similar examples in all aspects of my life really. I definitely spend too much of the day asking myself, 'Now, what was I doing?'

First of all, listen to both audios and answer:
QUESTION 1: Who seems to be better at it, the man or the woman?

Probably the woman seems to be better at it.

Now listen again to SPEAKER 1 and answer the questions below:
QUESTION 2: Why does she think she was better in the past?

Because her brain isn't as good since she had children.

QUESTION 3: What specific ability makes her good at multitasking?

She's good at judging how long different activities take (so she can combine them).

QUESTION 4: When does she have problems with multitasking?

When there's an emotional need from one of her children - for instance, they want to play with her while she's doing something else.

QUESTION 5: What specific example does she give of when she couldn't
multitask successfully?

She once tried to play cards with her daughter while she was cooking so she couldn't give 100% to the game and the child became frustrated by the interruptions to stir the pan.

Finally listen again to SPEAKER 2 and answer the questions below:
QUESTION 6: In what way does he think his brain is good at multitasking?

While he is concentrating on one thing, another part of his brain solves other problems.

QUESTION 7: What is his main failure when he tries to multitask?

He starts too many jobs and leaves a lot of them unfinished.

QUESTION 8: What specific example does he give of this?

He drilled a hole in the wall to hang up a picture but then did another job and never did hang up the picture.