Practice Listening English Exercises for B2 – The Philippines

1 general information

2 the people

3 the economy

4 tourist attractions

Audioscripts in B below

Location   Southeast Asia

Capital   Manila

Languages   Filipino (Tagalog), English

Nationality   man: Filipino, woman: Filipina

Ethnic background   Malay, Chinese, Spanish

Character   fun-loving, sociable, loyal

Agricultural exports   rice, corn, coconut, sugarcane

Other exports   chemicals, clothing, electronics

Outdoor activities   scuba diving, rock climbing, relaxing at the beach

Wildlife   the world’s smallest money; dolphins and sea turtles in Palawan

Audioscripts

1

Woman:   Perhaps you already know some information about this fascinating island country. For the first topic, I’ll talk about some general information to help you get to know the Philippines better. The Philippines is located in Southeast Asia. The country itself is actually made up of a very large group of islands: seven thousand one hundred and seven islands to be exact! Most of the population lives in the three main island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The country capital, Manila, is located on the island of Luzon. Most Filipinos speak two languages. The national language is Philipino, also known as Tagalog, and English is also widely used as the language of instruction in higher education.

2

Man:   The second topic is the people. There are two words for the Philippines nationality. A man from the Philippines is called Filipino, and a woman is Filipina, with an a. The Filipino people are a unique blend of east and west, both in appearance and culture. Their ethnic background is generally a mix of Malay, Chinese, and Spanish. And the Filipino character is a little bit of all of those cultures mixed together. As for their characters, in general, most Filipinos and Filipinas are fun-loving and sociable. They are also very loyal, especially toward family members.

3

Woman:   The next topic is the economy. What kinds of products does the Philippines manufacture and export? Most of the major exports are agricultural crops, but other types of products are made in the Philippines as well. The climate and the land in the Philippines make it an excellent place to grow agricultural crops. The major agricultural exports include rice, corn, coconuts, and sugarcane. Manufactured goods also contribute to the economy of the Philippines. Other exports include chemicals, clothing, and electronics.

4

Man:   There are amazing things to see and do everywhere in the Philippines. I’m going to talk about some of the tourist attractions in the Philippines. With over seven thousand islands, the Philippines. With over seven thousand islands, the Philippines is a great place to explore nature and the outdoors. For outdoor activities, scuba diving, rock climbing, and relaxing at the beach are popular. If you enjoy seeing wildlife, the Philippines is home to many exotic animals. One example of the wildlife that lives in the Philippines is the tarsier, the world’s smallest monkey. And in Palawan, the Tubbataha Reef is also a great place to see dolphins and sea turtles.

Audioscripts in B below

1 to help protect the environment

2 because of advice he had received

3 because of a childhood memory

4 because of his personality type

Audioscripts

1

Interviewer:   Hi, Morris. Thanks for coming to talk to us about your trip to the Philippines.

Morris:   It’s my pleasure.

Interviewer:   Where exactly did you go in the Philippines?

Morris:   I was in Davao City. That’s on the island of Mindanao. The volunteer organization has an office and some student dorms there.

Interviewer:   Can you talk about the organization and what they do?

Morris:   The organization is called the Student Volunteer Organization. They organize trips for university students to go abroad and do volunteer work – you know, doing things that help the country and the people. For example, for one project, we planted trees in an area of the island where a lot of trees had been cut down years ago. We got local elementary school students to help us because the goal of the project was to teach young people about the environment.

Interviewer:   That’s great. So you decided to go because the environment is important to you?

Morris:   Yes. That’s definitely one of the biggest reasons. I think it’s everyone’s responsibility to help protect the environment.

2

Interviewer:   What were some of the other volunteer projects the group did on the trip?

Morris:   For another project, we delivered food to schools. We brought bags of rice and flour to these really small rural schools. You should have seen the looks on the kids’ faces.

Interviewer:   It sounds like a moving experience.

Morris:   It was. One of the Student Volunteer Organization’s goals is to help people in need. You know, another reason I went on this trip was because of some advice my English professor gave me. She said, “What goes around comes around.” That means that if you are kind to other people, people will be kind to you in return. I’ll never forget that advice. I try to live by it.

3

Interviewer:   What else did the group do while you were there?

Morris:   For another project, we brought school supplies – paper, books, pencils – to the schools in another village. The goal of that project was to help the children have a better future.

Interviewer:   Well, people often say that children are the future.

Morris:   Yeah. And when I think back to my own childhood, I remember learning about Southeast Asia in elementary school. I loved learning about the way people in other parts of the world lived. That memory was another reason I decided to go on this trip.

4

Interviewer:   So, do you think you’ll go back to the Philippines?

Morris:   I hope so. For our final project, we held a big conference with a lot of other volunteer groups. Everybody shared ideas for future projects we could do there.

Interviewer:   And what was the goal of the conference?

Morris:   Well, the main goal was to try to get more people involved in volunteer work. For me, it was great to feel part of a group – working together to accomplish something good. I guess I’ve always been a kind of reserved and cautious person. I really wanted to change that part of my personality, to try to be more outgoing and sociable. It was the best thing I’ve ever done.

Interviewer:   Thank you very much, Morris. I really admire you for doing this kind of work.

Morris:   Oh, thank you. By the way, it’s not too late to join our next trip to the Philippines. We’re going again next March.