Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Great minds

A

1   cooking

2   In his twenties; he started to make meals for his friends.

3   He started selling food to his colleagues and then opened a café in the office.

B

1 enjoyed   2 make   3 sell   4 do   5 Have   6 made

Audioscript

I = Interviewer     M = Mario

I:   So Mario, can you tell us how you used your talent in your job?

M:   Um, well, I’ve always enjoyed cooking. I come from a big Italian family, and I learned to cook by watching my mother in the kitchen.

I:   But no one knew you could cook, right?

M:   That’s right, no one knew. I only cooked at home, but I did it well. Then in my twenties, I started to make meals for my friends. And, well, I was working in an office. And I brought food to office parties, things like that.

I:   Then you had an idea …

M:   I had the idea to sell my food at work.

I:   So your colleagues buy your food every day.

M:   Yeah, I started selling it to friends and colleagues and then to other people at work. I prepared all kinds of things: bread, pasta, desserts.

I:   And then you made a decision.

M:   Yeah, office work was OK, but I wanted to do something more interesting. So, eventually, I asked the boss if I could open a café in the office.

I:   And he was happy to …

M:   He agreed. They gave me a room. Now I take food there every day. We have chairs and tables. And now that’s my job.

I:   Have you ever thought, “Oh, I prefer my old office job. This is too difficult.”?

M:   Never. I’ve never thought that because this is what I love doing: cooking and preparing different menus. Really, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

I:   And have you thought about expanding the business, maybe opening a restaurant one day?

M:   I’ve thought about it, but it’s a long way away!

A

Students are too shy to speak in front of the class. They worry about making mistakes. They have problems listening to English. Native speakers speak really fast, and it’s difficult for students to understand them.

B

1 making mistakes   2 prepare   3 groups

4 listening (to English)   5 hands   6 subtitles

Audioscript

G = Glynn     M = Magda

G:   Magda, many of my students are too shy to speak in front of the class. They worry about making mistakes.

M:   Yes, this is a common problem. Teachers should give students time to prepare. Tell them the question, and give them a few minutes to think about what they’ll say. They can take notes first.

G:   That’s a good idea.

M:   Also, let them practice in groups before they speak in front of everyone. This’ll give them confidence.

G:   Yes, you’re right. I do usually give them a chance to practice first. Now, what about those students who have problems listening to English?

M:   Problems listening. That’s common, too.

G:   Native speakers, for example, people from the U.K. or Australia or the States, speak really fast and it’s difficult to understand them.

M:   Yes. Students should practice listening to native speakers. Fortunately, if they have the Internet, there are lots of opportunities. They can listen to the news and to podcasts. But even better is to go on YouTube and watch film clips. When we can see the people speaking, it makes it easier. We can watch the mouth and the hands and the body language, and it helps us to understand.

G:   And using subtitles? Some teachers say we shouldn’t use them. Ever!

M:   I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Subtitles can be a real help. Students can see the differences between the spelling and the pronunciation of words. They can see which words are swallowed …

G:   I suppose so.

M:   For me, students should use subtitles maybe the second time they watch. 

G:   OK, and what about … students’ pronunciation. They have a lot of problems …

1   medicines (aspirin, antibiotics), the car

2   the Internet

3   the car

Audioscript

M = Man     W = Woman

M:   OK, well, I think the most important invention is probably the Internet. For me, it’s number one.

W:   Uh-huh.

M:   It’s opened up the world, and we can get lots of information for free now. And it joins people together from all different cultures and countries.

W:   That’s true, but I think there are more important inventions. Really simple things that are so common we forget about them.

M:   Like what?

W:   Well, things like aspirin. It’s not really an invention, I suppose, but can you imagine life without aspirin?

M:   Umm, not really.

W:   And all the other medicines we use.

M:   Antibiotics to cure illnesses. That’s true actually. Painkillers.

W:   And another invention that I see as really important is the car.

M:   Oh, yeah, definitely.

W:   Before the car, travel was so slow it took days to get anywhere.

M:   That’s true. People went everywhere by horse, didn’t they?

W:   Yeah, and so the car opened up possibilities …

A

1 A   2 B

B

1 S   2 S   3 H   4 S   5 H

C

1 b   2 a   3 a

Audioscript

A

I = Interviewer P = Professor

I:   Professor Morris, we’re looking at learning and the different ways in which people like to learn, and one of the things we can look at is the type of learner. Is that right?

P:   Yes, research has shown that there may be many different types of learner. One way we can look at this is to divide people into two groups: holists and serialists. Now, most people will probably use both approaches, but often we find people are quite strongly one or the other.

I:   Holists and serialists. So, what’s the difference between the two?

P:   Well, students who are serialists like to study taking one step at a time. They look at a subject or topic and work through the different parts of the topic in order.

I:   And holistic learners? How are they different?

P:   The holists are very different. They like to have a general understanding of the whole topic. And they find it easier to study and learn if they have an idea of the “big picture.” They don’t worry so much about the detail.

I:   Oh. That’s me. I think I’m more of a holist.

P:   Are you? Well, you see …

B

I = Interviewer P = Professor

I:   So, tell me a little bit more about the serialist. You said that they like to learn things in sequence, in order.

P:   That’s right. So, they start at the beginning, and, when they feel they’ve fully understood one part, then they are ready to move on to the next part. But, it’s very important to them that they understand the detail.

I:   OK. These are the kind of people who always read the instructions before they try a new piece of equipment or machinery.

P:   That’s right.

I:   And what about the holistic learners?

P:   OK. Well, a holist never starts learning about a topic at the beginning. They jump around and get lots of information. So, they might pick up a book about the topic and choose a chapter in the middle and start reading there.

I:   That’s like me. I choose the bit I’m most interested in.

P:   Exactly. But a serialist learner will start at the beginning and read each chapter in order.

I:   That’s very interesting. What about writing? Is there a difference there, too?

P:   Yes, absolutely. A serialist will make a careful plan of everything they have to write and then begin to research each area. But a holist will read about a lot of different things and have lots of bits of paper with notes. Then they will try to put the different pieces together when they begin writing.

I:   That’s very true. There is paper everywhere. I think my professors at college would like me to be more serialist.

P:   Yes, that’s probably true …