Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Take care of yourself

1   1 C   2 B   3 B   4 A   5 B   6 C   7 B   8 B

2   1 ache/ached   2 cut   3 blink   4 burned

     5 coughed / blew their nose   6 injured

     7 yawn   8 breathe   9 recover   10 beating/beat

     11 bleed   12 blowing her nose / coughing

Audioscript

Man:   Hi! I’m Marvin and I’m going to quickly go through this quiz with you. Let’s see how many you got right.

So first, the burn. Well, lots of people think that butter is the right answer, but that can make a burn worse. And you shouldn’t put ice on a burn either – extreme cold can damage the skin even more! The answer is C put your hand under cool running water, so under the cold water tap.

Number two. Well, if you cut yourself, the first thing you should do is stop the bleeding. Press a clean cloth or handkerchief on the cut for a few minutes. Then clean the cut under cold water. You don’t need to see a doctor or to hold your hand in the air unless you can’t stop the bleeding. So answer B.

Now, if your nose starts to bleed, what should you do? Many people put their head back, but that’s wrong because the blood will go down your throat, so you should hold the top of your nose with your finger and thumb. Do not blow your nose because that won’t help. Answer B.

Now, number four, we all spend too much time looking at a computer or TV screen. When we look at a screen, and we’re, say, writing something, we don’t blink as much as we should. So our eyes get really dry. It’s important to look away from the screen from time to time and to blink regularly. You can close your eyes for five minutes, but you don’t need to. That’s too long and you might fall asleep! And you should only wear glasses if you need them. Don’t turn all the lights in the room off either. This will only make your eyes hurt more. So the answer is A – blink regularly.

OK, so number five. We’ve all had this. You’re in a situation and someone starts coughing. It can be really annoying. If you give your friend something like a bar of chocolate that won’t actually help them. But a sweet, like a cough sweet, will definitely help. You shouldn’t hit them on the back – that won’t do any good. So the answer is B – offer your friend a sweet.

Now, injuries, well, they happen to everyone. Imagine you’re out playing football and you injure your foot, you know, you hurt it. Well, the best advice is to stop playing immediately and then rest for a few days, to give it time to recover. So answer C for that one.

Now question seven, muscles do ache. This can happen to all of us when we do a lot of exercise, especially if we haven’t warmed up properly. Your dad probably doesn’t need to take an aspirin, as that won’t really help, and he definitely doesn’t need to go to hospital. Lying in a lovely warm bath will relax his muscles. That’s the best answer. Add some bath salts too! So that’s B.

And finally the question about yawning. There are many reasons why you might yawn, and being bored is only one of them. But you don’t want to tell the teacher you’re going to yawn! Some people suggest thinking about your heart beating, maybe even trying to feel it, but that doesn’t work for me. The best thing is to really focus on your breathing. If you breather in through your nose and out through your mouth, hopefully you won’t yawn! So the answer is B.

So those are the answers to the quiz, everyone. Hope you enjoyed it.

1 B   2 C   3 C   4 A   5 B   6 A   7 B

Audioscript

1   Where did Lola leave her phone?

Man:   Hi, this is a message for Lola from James at the gym. You rang yesterday about your lost phone. We’ve had a good look around and I’m pleased to say someone’s found it and handed it in to reception. You should collect it from there when you come in to the gym again. You thought you’d left it somewhere in the changing rooms. Actually, you’d put it by one of the machines while you were exercising. Anyway, we’ll keep it safe for you until we see you again. Bye.

2   What’s wrong with the boy at the moment?

Woman:   What’s the matter, William? Are you feeling ill?

Boy:   Yeah, I don’t know what’s wrong with me! I wonder if I’m getting flu.

Woman:   It’s probably just a bad cold. You’re coughing a lot. You shouldn’t keep going out without your coat when it’s wet. How’s your ear today?

Boy:   The ache’s gone – it’s been really sore. I think the medicine the doctor gave me has worked. I had stomach ache earlier, too – it isn’t painful now, though.

Woman:   Well, go and lie down and I’ll get something from the pharmacy.

3   What do they decide to eat for lunch?

Girl:   We mustn’t have pizza for lunch again. Let’s have something healthy. Is there anything good in the fridge?

Boy:   Not unless you want to eat these old mushrooms and tomatoes.

Girl:   Let’s have a look … There’s nothing wrong with those! I could put them in a sauce with pasta.

Boy:   I’d rather go to the supermarket and get a salad.

Girl:   Don’t forget we’re going out soon – we’d better just make something quickly.

Boy:   OK, let’s do what you said. And why don’t we get some fresh fish on our way home?

Girl:   Great idea!

4   What does the woman say many teenagers should do more of?

Woman:   There’s loads of information about how to stay healthy, but not everyone follows the advice. Many adults find exercise boring but they should watch how teenagers do it – spending time on things they enjoy, such as dancing or running. Now you might be surprised by when I’m going to say, but teenagers really do need more hours sleep than adults, so try to go to bed earlier! I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear me say that! Cooking healthy food is something which lots of young people have started doing, though, which is fantastic.

5   What does the doctor say the boy should do now?

Boy:   Hello? Is that Doctor Brown? I’ve cut my hand and it won’t stop bleeding. I’ve tried holding it up in the air.

Woman:   Well, that usually stops things bleeding.

Boy:   Yes, but I can’t do it forever! Should I just run cold water over it?

Woman:   How big is the cut? Water’s only useful for smaller cuts, or if you’ve burned yourself.

Boy:   It’s fairly deep.

Woman:   OK, get a clean cloth and press down on the cut. Keep holding it. If it still doesn’t stop bleeding, you ought to go to hospital and ask someone to look at it.

Boy:   Right, thanks.

6   What does the girl hope to be able to do today?

Girl:   Hi Mel. How’s everything going? I hope you’re OK. I’m finally recovering after injuring my ankle playing volleyball. I still won’t be able to take part in any matches for a bit but I just have to get out of the house. I think I can manage to walk down to the beach to watch you guys practise. My brother’s lent me his bike but cycling makes my ankle sore, so I won’t bother with that. Anyway, shall I meet you somewhere and we can go together? Let me know!

7   What will the friends take John in hospital?

Boy:   Do you think we should take John a gift when we visit him in hospital this afternoon?

Girl:   Yeah, we ought to take something. What were you thinking of? Some fruit, like most people take?

Boy:   Well, actually they’re operating tomorrow, so he might be a bit nervous. We should get something to stop him thinking about it.

Girl:   Like something to read? He’s really into football magazines.

Boy:   How about taking his laptop in so he can download some games?

Girl:   That’s a better idea – let’s do that.

1   1 b   2 f   3 d   4 h   5 a   6 g   7 e   8 c

2   1 false (wrote about)   2 true

     3 false (with a special stick)   4 true

     5 false (one hour)   6 true

Audioscript

Man:   Good morning. My presentation today is about an unusual sport from Canada, called lacrosse. It’s a fast and exciting field sport that the native people of Canada invented, many years before the first Europeans arrived in the country. A French explorer was the first person to write about the sport in 1637. In the 1800s, lacrosse became popular with Canadians from European countries, like Britain and France. In 1867, those people established the National Lacrosse Association of Canada, which made decisions about the official rules for playing the game. After that, the sport became popular across the country.

So, how is the game played? Well, there are two competing teams that try to score points by throwing a ball into the other team’s goal. In that way, it’s similar to football or rugby, but the players don’t kick the ball with their feet and they can’t use their hands. Instead, players have to throw, catch and pass the ball by using a special stick with a net at the end. The ball is also much smaller and harder than a football. Each team has got 10 players on the field, and everyone has to wear a helmet and other safety equipment for protection. Lacrosse matches are one hour long, with four quarters of 15 minutes.

Nowadays, lacrosse is not only a Canadian sport. There is a Federation of International Lacrosse which organizes a world championship every four years. There are 52 different countries in the federation and more countries are joining all the time.

1 A   2 C   3 C   4 B   5 A   6 B   7 B

Audioscript

1

M:   You’re yawning again!

F:   I’m tired after playing football all afternoon. Maybe I shouldn’t do practice and then play a match. I almost fell asleep in the changing rooms at school today. I sat on a bench and closed my eyes for a  moment. Yesterday, I was on the bus coming home from school and the next thing I knew, the driver was shaking me on the shoulder. We were at the bus station and everyone had got off. At least, I’ve never fallen asleep in class – my teachers would be angry!

2

M:   Have you cut your finger?

F:   Yeah – on a knife when I was making breakfast. It’s nothing much. I’ll get something from the school nurse. Anyway, that’ not the worst thing. I injured my ankle during break. It really hurts – I can hardly walk on it.

M:   You ought to go to the medical centre after school.

F:   Yeah. I’ll ask my mum to pick me up and take me. At least, it isn’t as painful as when I broke my toe. That really hurt!

M:   Well, I hope it feels better soon.

3

F:   Shall we go to a café for lunch?

M:   Sure, why not? I’m recovering from my operation, though, so I’m being super healthy! I’d love to go to our usual place – the views of the lake are great. The food isn’t too healthy, though – I should eat things like salads or soups …

F:   How about the café in town? They do things like that.

M:   You mean the place on the main street? That’s not bad … I know! Let’s make a picnic to take to the lake – then we can have anything we want.

F:   Great idea!

4

F:   Are you the nurse?

M:   That’s right. I can see you’ve burnt yourself – what happened?

F:   I was preparing lunch and touched the pan by accident. I put my hand under cold water for ten minutes, but it still really hurts.

M:   OK … Let me give you a cream to put on it. Use plenty of it and then cover the burn to protect it. It’s not a bad burn, so it should get better quite quickly. You don’t have to see a doctor, but if it gets worse, come and see me again.

F:   OK, thanks.

5

F:   Shall we go for a run this afternoon?

M:   I’m not sure I feel like it. My head’s aching from too much studying! Maybe I could go for a short run. Shall we do something easy like go through the forest? We usually go along the river, but it’s too far for me today.

F:   I’ve actually found a new route you might like. It goes across the farm fields. You get great views of the countryside and it isn’t too long.

M:   I like the sound of that. OK, I’ll get my trainers on.

6

F:   My heart’s beating really quickly and I haven’t done anything today.

M:   Maybe you ought to sit down and try to relax. Is it something you’ve eaten? What did you have for breakfast?

F:   Nothing. I haven’t had breakfast yet – so it isn’t because of drinking coffee. I had some chocolate yesterday, but not very much – just one or two small pieces.

M:   You did have a lot of cola at that party, though. And you were full of energy, dancing all afternoon!

F:   That’s true. That’s probably the reason!

7

F:   Have you just got back from school? It’s quite late.

M:   No, I’ve been out with my friends. We had a game in the park.

F:   Oh, did you try the new basketball court? I heard it’s really good.

M:   We wanted to, but there were already some people on it, so we went to the football field instead. When we arrived we realised we’d left our ball at home, so we hired a tennis court and some rackets and tried to have a match. No one was very good at it, though!