Listening: Overall Listening Mastery C2 - Lesson 2: Comprehending Rapid, Idiomatic, and Colloquial Speech from Any Source

C2 Mastery: Understanding Natural English CEFR Level C2 Lesson Goals This lesson prepares you for English at its most authentic. You will develop strategies to comprehend rapid, idiomatic, and colloquial speech as used by native speakers in informal contexts. Decoding Rapid, Idiomatic Speech Welcome to your C2 challenge! Real-world English is often faster and more idiomatic than textbook English. Mastering this level of comprehension involves moving beyond literal translation and learning to infer meaning from context, tone, and common colloquialisms. Listen to the following fast, informal conversation between two old friends. Don't worry if you don't understand everything on the first listen. The goal is to get the gist. Anna: "Ben! Wow, long time no see! What have you been up to?" Ben: "Anna! I know, it's been ages. I've been so snowed under at work. My boss is really breathing down my neck about this new project." Anna: "Oh, no. That sounds tough. Yo…