Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Global Issues

your own answers

1 b   2 b   3 b   4 b   5 a   6 b

Transcript

1

Well, the government has done quite a bit to reduce water pollution. It’s certainly better than it used to be. Now we have to do something about air pollution, which is still pretty bad.

2

Crime is a growing problem in the country right now. Sometimes it’s because people are unemployed. I think what we really have to do is reduce unemployment. That should help the crime problem.

3

The subway and bus services have definitely got to improve. But the government should really focus on improving conditions for people in the cities. So many people need better places to live and the problem is getting worse.

4

One of the biggest issues we’re facing right now is unemployment. If people can’t work, they can’t spend any money, and then the whole economy continues to suffer. The government really needs to help create more jobs.

5

Parking downtown is so expensive, and there’s so much traffic on the streets in the morning with so many people trying to get to work. We need a new subway system to make it easier for people to get to work so we don’t have to drive our cars all the time.

6

There has been an increase in life span throughout the world. People live longer now because of the availability of medicine and clean water. We need to make sure this continues.

1 b   2 a   3 c   4 b   5 b   6 a

1 False   2 True   3 True

4 False   5 True   6 False

Transcript

1

I grew up around here, and the river has always been really polluted. Industries were dumping all sorts of chemicals and waste into the water, so the river really smelled bad. You wouldn’t even think of swimming in it. Well, I decided to do something about it. My neighbors and I wrote a letter to the mayor asking him to force these industries to clean up the river. I really hope the government listens to us and takes action.

2

Over the last few years we’ve been having much hotter summers and warmer winters. When I was a kid here, we used to have a lot of fluffy, white snow in the winter. Now we don’t get that. And there hasn’t been much rain for a couple of years. I guess this is the effect of that global warming I keep hearing about in the news. That’s why we’ve decided to move to Chicago. There’s plenty of snow and rain up there!

3

When did the world get so crazy? That’s what I’d like to know. For years, I thought everything was fine. Now all I read about in the newspaper is countries fighting each other, dropping bombs, and terrible things like that. You know what I did about it? I stopped reading the newspaper. Now, whenever I want to read something, I just pick up one of those sports magazines. No bad news in there!

4

It’s almost impossible to get across the city in less than an hour and a half during rush hour. There are too many cars on the roads. There are only two freeways, and they just can’t handle all the traffic. The only thing that moves quickly in this city is the subway. That’s why I took an apartment right next to the subway station.

5

One of the biggest problems we face is garbage. Where can we put it all? In the past, everything used to get buried in giant landfills, but in many countries today, the landfills are full and there is no room to start new ones. That’s why I’ve decided to try to create less garbage. I buy fewer packaged foods now. For example, instead of buying frozen prepared dinners in plastic trays and cardboard boxes, I buy fresh meats and produce. I also take my own cup to the coffee shop so I don’t have to use paper cups. Creating less garbage is really the only solution.

6

In the future, everyone will have to live in giant high-rise buildings if they want to live in cities. These new buildings might be a hundred stories tall, or more. If cities keep getting bigger, the only way they can expand is upward. I can’t stand crowded cities myself. That’s why I moved to a small town in the country.

The correct reasons are 1, 3, 6 and 8.

1 True   2 True   3 False

4 False   5 True   6 False

Transcript

In developing countries, more and more people are moving from the country to the cities in order to find work. This is because, in many countries, it is often no longer possible to make a living as a farmer. The result of this movement is the development of what are sometimes called “megacities.” These are huge cities with populations of up to 15 million people.

People who move to megacities usually believe that cities have many benefits to offer. They believe that there are more jobs available, and that salaries are much higher than they are in the countryside. They think there will be a lot of new, affordable housing to choose from. And of course, these people are attracted to the exciting, glamorous image of the big city that they have seen on television and in movies. They even expect to live longer and healthier lives in cities, because the health care is better there.

But, in reality, life in these megacities is not always as good as people hope. Jobs are often difficult to find because many of the people who move to the cities have little education and few job skills. As a result, there is a huge supply of unskilled workers to choose from, so salaries are very low. Housing can also be a problem. Many people end up in huge, crowded slums on the outskirts of these cities. And their families may become sick, because even though the health care is better in the cities, it is also much more expensive.

The growing population of megacities causes many other problems for city governments. Air pollution increases, for example, as does crime. Getting rid of garbage is extremely difficult. There is not much space available for public parks and gardens. And as these cities continue to grow, these problems will become even more difficult.

A:   There are so many problems in the world today.

B:   I know. There’s water pollution, air pollution, global warming, unemployment.

A:   Yeah, and there’s the destruction of the rain forests, traffic problems, housing shortages… It can get depressing if you think about it too much.

B:   No kidding. What do you think the biggest issues are?

A:   I really think air pollution is the most important issue. If we don’t reduce pollution and improve air quality, we’ll all have health problems.

B:   I agree that air pollution is a big problem. The air in the city has become so dirty.