English Listening Exercises for B2 – Can I ask …?

a

2 Does he play   6 Does he write

3 Has he been   7 What is he doing

4 Has he got   8 Will he be

5 When is he going to record

b

1 ✓   2 ✗   3 ✗   4 ✗   5 ✓   6 ✗   7 ✗   8 ✓

Transcript

Girl 1   What time does he get up?

Vera   Curtis usually gets up at about eight o’clock.

Boy 1   Does he play any sports?

Vera   Yes, he plays tennis, baseball and ice hockey.

Girl 2   Has he been to Europe before?

Vera   Yes, he has. He was here two years ago.

Girl 3   Has he got a girlfriend?

Vera   No, he hasn’t. They split up last month.

Girl 4   When is he going to record a new album?

Vera   He’s going to start on a new album in July.

Boy 2   Does he write his own songs?

Vera   Yes, he writes all his songs.

Boy 3   What is he doing at the moment?

Vera   He’s probably lying in bed and listening to this programme.

Girl 5   Will he be well again soon?

Vera   We hope he will. A lot of people have bought tickets for his concerts!

1   + tidy, hard-working

     – anxious, impatient

2   + charming, polite, ambitious

     – miserable, unpleasant

3   + cheerful, enthusiastic, patient, loyal, easy-going

     – lazy, unreliable

Transcript

1

Boy   What’s your friend, Kylie, like? She seems very nice.

Emma   Kylie? I really like her. She’s good to be around, and we laugh a lot together. She’s very sensible – and you should see her room. Everything’s in the right place. She’s very tidy. And she’s hard working, too.

Boy   Yes, you said she does well at school.

Emma   She does, but she’s a bit anxious sometimes – especially when we’ve got exams. And she can also be quite impatient. She doesn’t like waiting for things. Anyway, why do you want to know? Do you fancy her?

Boy   Maybe.

2

Girl   Is your cousin, Zach, still staying with you?

Emma   Yes, he is. He’ll be with us till he finishes university next year.

Girl   Oh, right. What’s he like?

Emma   Oh, everybody loves Zach because he’s a very charming person, and he’s usually polite. He’s ambitious, too, so I’m sure he’ll get a good job when he leaves university.

Girl   That’s good.

Emma   Yes, but he isn’t very good in the mornings, so I try to avoid him then. He can be very miserable and quite unpleasant when he’s just got up.

3

Boy   Hi, Emma. Are you enjoying your new Saturday job at the café?

Emma   Yes, it’s fine.

Boy   What’s your boss like?

Emma   Mr Trent? Oh, he’s very cheerful and enthusiastic. He talks a lot about the café and his plans for it. He’s good to work for, because he’s patient and always tries to help if you don’t understand something.

Boy   That’s good.

Emma   And he’s loyal, too. Sometimes the customers can be a bit rude, but Mr Trent always defends the people who work at the café.

Boy   He sounds like an ideal boss.

Emma   Well, yes and no. He’s very easy-going, but that means that he can be a bit lazy sometimes – and unreliable. Like last week he went home early, but took the keys with him, so we couldn’t lock the café up when we finished.

Joy     Can I go to the cinema bowling this evening, Dad?

Dad    Have you got a lot of any homework to do?

Joy     Yes, but can I do it in the morning tomorrow instead?

Dad    You’re going to dance class working tomorrow, aren’t you?

Joy     Well, I’ll do it on Sunday afternoon morning, then.

Dad    You said that two weeks ago last week, and you were still doing it at half past ten on Sunday night.

Joy     That won’t happen again this week, I promise.

Dad    No, it won’t, because you’re going to finish your homework before you can go out this evening.

Joy     But that means I can’t go to the cinema I won’t have time.

Dad    There’s no point in arguing. The answer’s still the same ‘No’.

Joy     Oh. It’s not fair. Everybody else is All my friends are going.

a

2 Troy   3 Fiona   4 Meg   5 Harry   6 Fiona   7 Troy

8 Meg   9 Harry   10 Fiona   11 Troy   12 Meg

b

Meg: birthday presents

Troy: computer games

Fiona: going out, cinema

Harry: music downloads, mobile phone bill

Transcript

1

Hello. I’m Meg. I get pocket money from my parents, but I have to help with the housework for it. I don’t do a lot, but I always clear the table and load the dishwasher after dinner. And I vacuum the living room floor at the weekend. I also earn some money by babysitting for our neighbours when they go out. They’ve got two young children. It’s quite easy, and I usually do my homework while I’m there. I don’t save any money. I spend it on clothes, make-up and birthday presents.

2

Hi. My name’s Troy. I don’t get any pocket money. My parents think I should earn my money, so I’ve got a paper round. I deliver newspapers to houses every morning from seven to eight o’clock, before I go to school. I spend some money on computer games, but I try to save most of it. I’m saving to buy a new bike. I love cycling – and I need the bike for my paper round, too.

3

Hello. My name’s Fiona. I get pocket money every week from my parents. I don’t have to do anything for it – like jobs around the house. Some of my friends have got part-time jobs, but I haven’t. What do I do with my money? I spend it on going out – to the cinema and things like that. I don’t spend it on clothes, because my parents buy them. But I try to save some money. I’m saving to pay for driving lessons when I’m seventeen.

4

Hi. I’m Harry. My parents give me pocket money and I do a few jobs around the house for it – like tidying my room and putting the rubbish and recycling out. I get extra pocket money if I do something bigger, like washing the car or cutting the grass. I spend my money on music downloads, and I have to pay for my mobile phone bill, too. But I try to save about half my money, so that I’ve got some to spend when we go on holiday.