1. Look at the jobs and answer the questions.
builder estate agent gardener journalist locksmith
photographer pizza delivery man / woman police officer
stunt performer surfing instructor video game developer
Which job is connected with …
1 flowers and plants? ………………………………….
2 selling houses? ………………………………….
3 a water sport? ………………………………….
4 fast food? ………………………………….
5 cameras? ………………………………….
6 copying keys? ………………………………….
7 fighting crime? ………………………………….
8 film and TV? ………………………………….
9 computers and entertainment? ………………………………….
10 construction? ………………………………….
11 writing for newspapers? ………………………………….
Answer
1 gardener 2 estate agent 3 surfing instructor
4 pizza delivery man / woman 5 photographer
6 locksmith 7 police officer 8 stunt performer
9 video game developer 10 builder 11 journalist
Listening Strategy
Some words and phrases can help you to predict what is coming next in a listening. For example, if you hear however, you know that it will be followed by a contrasting point. Listen out for ‘signposts’ like these that help you understand the structure of the listening.
2. Read the Listening Strategy. Then choose the correct words and phrases to complete the sentences.
1 Being a surfing instructor sounds great, but as I see it / not only that, it’s quite repetitive.
2 Stunt performers have to do a lot of dangerous things, moreover / such as falling off buildings.
3 Photographers often travel around a lot, although / for example some of them work in a studio.
4 Gardeners are not well paid, but as a result / in spite of this, many of them love their jobs.
5 Estate agents do badly during recessions, and nevertheless / that’s because fewer people buy houses.
6 Being a builder is hard work. However / What is more, you’re often on your feet all day.
Answer
1 as I see it 2 such as 3 although 4 in spite of this
5 that’s because 6 What is more
3. Read the sentences and choose the correct ending, a or b.
1 Being a sports coach isn’t well paid. On the other hand,
a it can be quite repetitive.
b it can be very rewarding.
2 Farm workers have a physically demanding job. In other words,
a it’s often very tiring.
b it’s often quite varied.
3 My uncle wanted to be an engineer. However,
a he worked hard and got the qualifications.
b he couldn’t afford to get the qualifications.
4 My aunt paid for her degree by getting various part-time jobs; for example,
a she worked as a cleaner every evening.
b she studied hard and did well in her exams.
5 My grandfather worked as a police officer, a paramedic, a farm worker … What I mean is,
a gardener was the job he liked best.
b he did a variety of different jobs during his life.
Answer
1 b 2 a 3 b 4 a 5 b
Transcript
1 Being a sports coach isn’t well-paid. On the other hand, it can be very rewarding.
2 Farm workers have a physically demanding job. In other words, it’s often very tiring.
3 My uncle wanted to be an engineer. However, he couldn’t afford to get the qualifications.
4 My aunt paid for her degree by getting various part-time jobs; for example, she worked as a cleaner every evening.
5 My grandfather worked as a police officer, a paramedic, a farm worker … What I mean is, he did a variety of different jobs during his life.
4. Listen to an interview with a female lorry driver called Sally Stone. What did she do before she became a lorry driver?
a She went to college.
b She worked as a hairdresser.
c She worked at her dad’s company.
Answer
a She went to college.
Transcript
Host Today in our series about women in unusual jobs, I’m talking to Sally Stone. Hello, Sally.
Sally Hello.
H So what made you get a job in transport?
S I wasn’t sure what to do when I left school, so I went to college and trained as a hairdresser. But I decided it wasn’t for me. It’s badly paid and I wanted something more challenging. So I left college without completing the course.
H Were your parents disappointed?
S No, not at all! In fact, Dad said, why don’t you come and work with me? He has a transport company. And I thought, why not? It was the easiest thing to do, really.
H You need a special licence to drive big lorries, don’t you? Was it difficult to pass the driving test?
S Lots of people fail, but I passed first time.
H What was it like, when you drove for the first time on your own?
S It was a bit scary but I soon got used to it.
H What do you like about the job?
S I love travelling around and seeing different places. I like being on my own for long periods of time. It’s much more rewarding than a nine-to-five job, I think.
H How do men react when they see a woman behind the wheel?
S They often stare, especially when I’m sitting in a traffic jam.
I think they can’t quite believe what they’re seeing.
H Only one in 200 lorry drivers is a woman. Why aren’t there more, do you think?
S I don’t know. But it’s a pity, because women are very good at it.
H How do you mean?
S Well, you need to drive carefully and safely, and not too fast. You need to be patient and not get angry with other drivers. In my view women are usually better at all those things than men!
H But male lorry drivers drive carefully and safely too.
S Of course they do. I’m not saying that male drivers are less safe, of course. It’s just that they aren’t any better than women at what they do.
H Thank you, Sally, for talking to us today.
5. Read the sentences below. Then listen again. Are the sentences true (T) of false (F)?
1 Sally is a qualified hairdresser.
2 Sally decided to become a lorry driver because it is easier than hairdressing.
3 Sally and her father work in the same job sector.
4 Sally took the driving test only once.
5 Sally says most men are surprised to see a woman driving a lorry.
6 Sally thinks that female lorry drivers are safer than male lorry drivers.
Answer
1 F 2 F 3 T 4 T 5 T 6 F
Transcript
see exercise 5.
Related Posts
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- Practice Listening English Exercises for A2 – Health
- Practice Listening English Exercises for A2 – Plans
- Practice Listening English Exercises for A2 – Transportation
- Practice Listening English Exercises for A2 – Now
- Practice Listening English Exercises for A2 – Vacations
