Practice Listening English Exercises for A2 – Getting around town

1 restaurant   2 museum   3 theatre

Audioscript

Conversation 1

Man 1:   Excuse me. Is there a (beep) near here?

Woman 1:   Yes, there is. There’s a really nice one on the other side of the river.

Man 1:   How do I get there?

Woman 1:   Walk along this road and go across the bridge.

Man 1:   OK.

Woman 1:   Then turn right.

Man 1:   Right.

Woman 1:   Walk down the road and when you get to the supermarket, turn left. The (beep) is opposite the strain station.

Conversation 2

Boy 1:   Excuse me. Which way is the (beep)?

Woman 2:   Ah, let me think. OK, walk along this road. Go past the train station.

Boy 1:   OK.

Woman 2:   When you get to the traffic lights, turn right. Then keep walking straight on. It’s on the right, next to the bank. It’s opposite the cinema and some shops.

Boy 1:   Thanks.

Conversation 3

Woman 1:   Excuse me. Do you know how to get to the (beep)?

Man 2:   Yes, I do. It’s not far from here. Drive along this road until you get to the roundabout. Then turn left.

Woman 1:   Turn left at the roundabout. OK.

Man 2:   Then go straight on and the (beep) is on your right. It’s past the petrol station and in front of the sports centre.

Woman 1:   OK, so turn left at the roundabout … and then go straight on, past the petrol station. Thanks very much.

Man 2:   No problem.

1 F   2 A   3 C   4 E   5 D

Audioscript

Listen to Rob talking to a friend about a visit to Edinburgh. Which place did Rob visit at each time?

Girl:   Hi Rob. How was your trip to Edinburgh?

Rob:   It was amazing!

Girl:   When did you get there?

Rob:   On Friday evening. We had some dinner and then we did a ghost tour with a guide. We walked through all the little streets of the Old Town and heard lots of scary stories!

Girl:   And what did you do on Saturday?

Rob:   Well, in the morning we went to Edinburgh Castle. The views were great from there – we could see the New Town and Princes Street really well.

Girl:   And what about Saturday afternoon? Did you go to St Giles’ Cathedral?

Rob:   We walked past it, but we didn’t go inside because we wanted to see Holyroodhouse. But the Queen was there and it was closed! So we went to the Scottish Parliament building instead.

Girl:   Did you go out on Saturday evening?

Rob:   Yes. We went to the Edinburgh Playhouse. I don’t usually enjoy the theatre, but this show was really good.

Girl:   And what did you do on Sunday morning? Did you go shopping in the New Town?

Rob:   My brother wanted to, but we went to a museum instead. It’s called Camera Obscura.

Girl:   Oh – I went there. It’s amazing, isn’t it? So, did you come home on Sunday afternoon?

Rob:   Yes, our train was at half past four. But before that we looked around the New Town and walked along Princes Street. Just to keep my brother happy!

1 C   2 F   3 H   4 G   5 D

Audioscript

You will hear Lucas talking to a friend about his trip to Cardiff with his family. Which place did each person visit on Saturday?

Girl:   Hi, Lucas. How was your weekend?

Lucas:   It was great, thanks. I went to Cardiff on Saturday morning with my family.

Girl:   What did you do there?

Lucas:   We all went to different places! I spent the morning in the museum.

Girl:   And what did your sister do?

Lucas:   She wanted some new jeans and a dress, so she went off to get those.

Girl:   Did your mum go with her?

Lucas:   Not this time. She met a friend and they went out for a meal together. They usually go to the cinema but there was nothing on they wanted to see.

Girl:   Did your brother come with you?

Lucas:   Yes, he had tickets for the big international rugby match, so he went to watch that.

Girl:   Wow, lucky thing!

Lucas:   I know! My dad wanted to go but he already had plans to see that new musical. We weren’t interested so he went with a friend from work.

Girl:   Did they enjoy it?

Lucas:   Yes, a lot! My grandfather’s decided to go next month. He spent Saturday in the park. He said it was too hot to go to the castle.

1   b

2    1 ✗ (They are only going to Scotland.)

      2 ✗ (She has to choose between two.)

      3 ✓

      4 ✗ (You can see four castles.)

      5 ✓

      6 ✓

      7 ✗ (Her friend wants shortbread.)

3

      Castle Tour: four castles (historical buildings);

      Loch Lomond Highland Games: men in traditional clothes; sporting competitions; bagpipes; dance festival

Audioscript

Mum:   Come in Dan. Emma’s in there.

Dan:   Hey Emma, what are you doing?

Emma:   Hi Dan. My family and I are going to Scotland this summer. My mum wants me to make plans for the second day of our trip.

Dan:   OK. What choices have you got?

Emma:   Well, my mum gave me two ideas: a castle tour or a day trip to watch the Highland Games.

Dan:   Let’s see. The castles look interesting and you love studying history.

Emma:   My favourite subject is geography but I like history too. Look, the tour goes to four different castles. Two of them are north of Glasgow. Another castle is on Loch Lomond, the biggest lake in Scotland.

Dan:   Ah, that sounds nice.

Emma:   Yes, the castles look beautiful, but the tour leaves the hotel at seven in the morning. I love studying history, but I hate getting up early. I don’t want to get up at six for a tour!

Dan:   How about the Highland Games?

Emma:   There are some games on in a place near our hotel.

Dan:   Look at that picture. What are those men wearing?

Emma:   Ah, those are kilts. A lot of men wear traditional clothes to the games.

Dan:   Look there. What are they doing?

Emma:   Those are pictures of the sporting competitions in the morning. There’s a bagpipe and dace festival in the afternoon.

Dan:   That looks like fun! So, which one do you prefer?

Emma:   Hmmm. Well, I think we should go to the Highland Games.

Dan:   Good idea! It’s going to be awesome! Can you bring me back some shortbread biscuits?

Emma:   Sure! Thanks for your help.