Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Getting around

1   1 C   2 D   3 B   4 A

2   1 abroad   2 checked in   3 sailed   4 reached   5 sets off

     6 lands   7 go away   8 tour   9 unpack   10 is held up

Audioscript

Speaker 1:   My cousin has just got married and he and his wife decided to go away on a Mediterranean cruise for their honeymoon. They’d never been abroad before, so they flew to Venice. They checked in and found their ship waiting in the harbour. The passengers were all waiting to get onto the ship but the crew on board were busy working and getting everything ready, so the passengers had to wait. Finally the ship set sail on the Saturday afternoon. They sailed down the Adriatic Sea and reached Dubrovnik, in Croatia, on the Monday morning.

Speaker 2:   Well, my Dad works 300 miles away and so he travels there by plane. He sets off from home at 7 am every morning, and he always boards the plane first! He lands about an hour later and gets a taxi to his office. He says he doesn’t mind it – it’s like a bus in the sky!

Speaker 3:   We moved here when my mum got a job here about three years ago. We go away in the summer. Mum plans amazing road trips for us. Last summer we travelled over 3,000 km! If we’re in a city, we usually go on a tour with a guide but otherwise we just let the holiday happen. But as we’re travelling so much we don’t really ever unpack. One summer, I slept in 20 different places! And by the end, I think the best thing is getting home.

Speaker 4:   My next door neighbour has just moved to Taiwan. He lives in Taipei but sometimes has to travel to the other end of the island. It used to take ages, but now there is a high-speed train, or a bullet train. The trains almost always run on time. If the train is held up, the rail company gives him a refund. It’s really fast and if he misses one, he can just catch another one. There are lots of trains running throughout the busy times of the day.

1 Spanish   2 10.40 p.m. / twenty to eleven   3 comedy

4 tomato pasta   5 sunglasses   6 Explore

Audioscript

You will hear an announcement on board a plane.

Woman:   Welcome on board this international flight to San Francisco. My name’s Karen and I’ll be looking after you this evening, along with my cabin crew colleagues Billy, Suki and Juan. Together we speak English, Spanish and Chinese, so please ask if there’s anything we can do to make your flight more comfortable.

We apologise for our late departure this evening due to the weather conditions. However, the captain has just informed me that we should reach our destination only about ten minutes later than expected, at twenty to eleven local time, instead of ten thirty p.m. Our flying time will be approximately fifteen and a half hours.

Your individual video screen will provide you with entertainment during the flight. There’s a range of films available, from action adventure to documentary films. We also have a brand new comedy channel where you’ll find all your favourite shows.

We’ll soon be coming through the cabin to offer you drinks and snacks, and we’ll start the meal service in about forty-five minutes’ time. On the menu tonight, we have two options for the main course – lamb or chicken pie – and for those of you who don’t eat meat, we have a tomato pasta dish. There’s also a choice of fruit or cake for dessert.

A little later, we’ll be coming through the cabin again with our great range of products for you to buy on board. We carry a wide selection of perfumes, and this month we’re offering fantastic discounts on sunglasses. We also have some great travel products.

If you’ve travelled with us before, you’ll be familiar with our in-flight magazine, Discover. This month we’ve also published the first edition of our new kid’s magazine, called Explore, which is available for a small charge.

That’s all from me for now, so sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight!

1   Patrick makes decisions more quickly. Molly needs more time, because she hates making decisions without enough information.

2   1 false   2 true   3 true   4 false   5 true   6 false

Audioscript

Patrick:   Hey, Molly. Are you going to be here in July? You know, after classes finish for the summer?

Molly:   Yes, I am. My parents haven’t got holidays until the 1st of August, so I’ll be here all month. Why do you ask?

Patrick:   Well, I was at the Community Centre yesterday, and I picked up a pamphlet about their summer camps. Look … What do you think?

Molly:   Oh, you mean summer courses! I thought you were talking about real camps, in the forest with tents! You know I don’t like camping!

Patrick:   I know! But these are activities at the centre … well, most of them. There’s one camp at our school, in the science lab. That’s the one I’m interested in. Why don’t you sign up with me?

Molly:   Hmmm. I don’t know. I love science … but I don’t want to be indoors all month in the lab. That’s a big disadvantage for me. I prefer to be outdoors in summer. I think the art camp sounds better … but that might be indoors too. I’d need to ask about that. And who’s organising the camp? Because it might be interesting or really boring – it depends on the teacher and the other people in the group. You know me! I always ask lots of questions before making a decision like this! I should probably make a list of the advantages and disadvantages, then see which programme is the best.

Patrick:   OK. You’ve got a point. But … I was thinking … How about the outdoor adventure camp? We could do that together, and you’d be outdoors all the time.

Molly:   I’m not sure about the adventure camp. I mean … sports are fun, but it’s also really hot in July. I wouldn’t mind swimming and maybe cycling, but I’m not a big fan of hiking, and I hate football. Do we have to participate in all the activities or can we choose? The pamphlet doesn’t give much information.

Patrick:   I know, you’re right. I just wanted to show you the choices. We can go to the Community Centre together and ask for more details, if you want. Maybe they’ve got other programmes, too. My sister does volunteer work there, teaching classes for older people who don’t know how to use the internet.

Molly:   OK, that sounds like a good idea. You know me. I need time to think about things. I hate making decisions without enough information. I should also talk to my family. That always helps me decide.

Patrick:   I understand you, but I don’t think about things as much as you do. I know what I like, so it’s easy for me to choose. And if I’m wrong … well, it’s not that important.

Molly:   You’re so funny. How can you be so relaxed about everything?

Patrick:   What about you? Why do you worry so much about everything? …

1   Ticked: a, b, c, f

2   1 home(-)stay   2 term   3 sports centre

     4 party   5 snacks   6 Bentley

Audioscript

Hi everyone, my name’s Lisa and I’m from an organisation called Teen Travel. I’m here to talk to you about the language exchange programmes we run.

What is a language exchange programme? Well, you’re all learning Spanish, so in your case, you would travel to Spain to stay with what’s known as a host family, who have a teenager your age. Your homestay, as we call it, includes living with the family for a week and taking part in everyday life.

Most trips happen not during summer time when the school holidays are, but during term time instead. This is so you have the opportunity to go into school with your partner, which is a great way to improve your language skills really quickly, because you won’t be able to speak English!

Some of the activities you take part in depend on the family you stay with. If they usually go to a restaurant for dinner on Wednesday evenings, for example, then you will, too. If your partner loves going to the sports centre, you’ll go, too!

On two evenings each week, the Teen Travel organisation holds social events, which everyone attends. This could be a party, for example, or if the town has interesting places to see, such as a castle or museum, we might go there. This is so you get even more practice of speaking Spanish!

What’s included? You won’t have to pay extra for your flights, and accommodation is free. Meals are also included in the price of the trip, but if you want snacks while you’re out, you should take a small amount of cash.

If you’d like to find out more, go to our website, and read reviews from students who’ve already done an exchange. You can also email me at lisabentley@teentravel.org. My surname’s spelt B-E-N-T-L-E-Y.

Right, so does anyone have any questions?