Listening Exercises A1 – Sports and Exercise

1.

A:        Do you play sports on the weekend, Rita?

B:        No, I hate sports.

A:        Really? So what do you do on the weekend?

B:        Uh, I watch my favorite programs on TV.

A:        Well, that’s not too tiring!

2.

A:        Do you like sports, Rod?

B:        Sure. I play a lot of sports.

A:        So, what sports do you play?

B:        Well, everything. Baseball, volleyball, swimming—but my favorite sport is tennis.

A:        Oh, yeah?

B:        Yeah, I play every day after work.

3.

A:        You’re in great shape, Martha.

B:        Thanks.

A:        So, how do you do it?

B:        Well, I go to the pool about three times a week, and I swim for about two hours.

A:        Two hours? Are you practicing for the Olympic Games or something?

4.

A:        How do you keep in shape, Ron?

B:        Me? I travel.

A:        What do you mean, you travel?

B:        Well, I ride my bike about 20 miles every weekend.

5.

A:        Wow! What happened?

B:        I went skiing.

A:        Gee. That looks pretty bad.

B:        Yeah.

A:        Do you often go skiing?

B:        No. It was my first time.

6.

A:        Do you get much exercise, Joe?

B:        Yes, I do. I walk a lot.

A:        Where?

B:        To McDonald’s. Yeah, I walk there about four times a week to get a hamburger and fries.

1.

A:        Your muscles are so big, Dave. What do you do to get them so big?

B:        Well, I go to the gym every day after work, and on Saturdays, too. I love it. Do you work out?

2.

A:        Do you play a lot of sports?

B:        Yes, I do.

A:        Do you like volleyball?

B:        Yeah, I play volleyball during the week.

A:        Want to play with me and my friends tonight?

3.

A:        You’re in good shape, Ken. Do you play a lot of sports?

B:        Yes, I do. I love sports. I play volleyball on Thursdays, and on Saturdays and Sundays I play tennis.

A:        Which one do you like the best?

4.

A:        Do you like playing sports?

B:        Nah, not really. I don’t like exercising at all. But I do watch a lot of baseball on TV!

A:        You really should get some exercise.

5.

A:        What kinds of sports do you play?

B:        Let’s see. Well, in the summer I enjoy windsurfing. But I don’t do anything in the winter.

A:        Why not?

6.

A:        So, do you get any exercise?

B:        Well, not much. I don’t have a lot of free time, but about once a week I walk for an hour.

A:        Oh. Where do you walk?

1.

I think exercise is so important to good health. There is a really good sports club near my school. During the week, I play tennis there for an hour before school starts. On weekends, I usually work out at the gym near my house for a few hours. I also play baseball with some friends from school. It’s so much fun!

2.

I don’t like jogging or doing anything too energetic. I prefer taking walks. I like to take a short walk every day through the park across from my house. Sometimes my boyfriend goes with me. It’s nice to talk and look at the flowers and trees. On Sunday, I like to swim, but for only about a half hour. I sleep the rest of the weekend.

3.

I am a big football fan, but I only watch it on TV. I can’t stand playing it! There are great games to watch on the weekend. I also enjoy watching tennis. I’d like to learn someday, but I don’t like to sweat. I love chess and often play with my younger sister. She’s really good at it and usually wins. On the weekends, I love to play video games with some of my friends.

4.

I just love to exercise! I like many different sports. Let’s see…. I like swimming a lot. I get up very early, around 5 a.m., and swim for two hours from Monday to Friday. I also enjoy basketball and play with a group of friends from work every Tuesday night. And I’ve also started playing golf this year. Before playing, I go jogging to warm up.

5.

I enjoy exercise, but I don’t do it as much as I should. I meet a friend every Wednesday and we play tennis. I’m not a very good player, but it’s fun and we usually play for an hour. On weekends, I like to bicycle in our neighborhood. I guess I spend an hour or two doing that. Oh, and I love baseball, but only watching it while sitting on the couch eating popcorn!

1 True   2 True   3 False   4 True   5 False

Transcript

1.   Ever since I was a little kid, I loved the water and went swimming all the time. Now that I’m retired, I swim every day and I feel like a kid again. Swimming is definitely my favorite sport.

2.   I love water sports, especially fast ones like windsurfing and waterskiing. Swimming and diving are okay, but not as exciting.

3.   My favorite sport is soccer. I don’t play it anymore, but I watch it almost every day. And I’m not alone – millions of people all over the world watch soccer every day.

4.   I like to jog. I’ve gone jogging almost every day for the last three years. But I can’t jog now. My knees are bad and my doctor said I shouldn’t jog for two months.

5.   I love playing baseball. It’s probably my favorite sport – but just to play, not to watch. If I try to watch baseball on TV, I fall asleep?

1.   Every day

2.   Once a month

3.   Once or twice a week

4.   Every day

5.   Once or twice a week

Transcript

Young people in the United States are spending more time doing sports and other activities in their free time. According to a recent survey, the average person takes a walk very often, usually once every day! Soccer is the sport that is growing the most in popularity. Now people play soccer about once a month. More and more people are bicycling also. On the average, young people bicycle once or twice a week. Another common activity is playing video games. Many people like to do this every day. Watching sports on television is very popular, too. Most people watch sports once or twice a week. It’s not a very good way to get enough exercise, though. I hope young people don’t forget how important exercise is for good health.