English Listening Exercises for B2 – Risks

a

1 f   2 h   3 e   4 a   5 d   6 g   7 l   8 k

b

Students’ own answers

Transcript

1

What would I do if I won a lot of money? I’d share it with all my friends and we’d have a great time together.

2

I’d love to visit lots of different countries, so if I won a lot of money, I’d travel round the world.

3

I’d like to travel, too, but I wouldn’t want to spend all the money on myself. I think I’d take my parents on a luxury holiday.

4

Well, there are lots of things that I’d like to buy, but they wouldn’t really make me happy. I think I’d use it to pay for university. It’s very expensive now.

5

If I won a lot of money, I’d like to buy some things, but I’d also want to make the world a better place. So I’d give half of the money to a charity for poor people.

6

What would I do if I won a lot of money? That’s easy. I’d buy a fast sports car. Vroom. Vroom.

7

I suppose I should save it – you know, put it in a bank. Maybe I’d save some, but I’d spend a lot of it on lots of designer clothes.

8

I’m not really interested in buying things. I’d use the money to make even more money. So I’d start my own Internet company.

2   was so ill

3   food was so bad

4   couldn’t stay on the beach

5   haven’t got time to go out

6   were so hungry

7   I finished it in half an hour

8   film was so funny

Transcript

1 A   Have you seen that film?

   B   Yes, but it was so boring that I left before the end.

2 A   How are you? Are you feeling better now?

   B   Yes, but I was so ill that I couldn’t eat for two days.

3 A   Did you enjoy the meal at that new restaurant?

   B   No, we didn’t. The food was so bad that we refused to pay.

4 A   How was your holiday?

   B   It was good, but the weather was so hot that we couldn’t stay on the beach.

5 A   Are you going to the cinema this evening?

   B   No. The Maths teacher gave us so much homework that I haven’t got time to go out.

6 A   Have you had something to eat?

   B   Yes. We were so hungry that we bought some fish and chips.

7 A   How was school today? You had some tests, didn’t you?

   B   Yes. The Geography test was so easy that I finished it in half an hour!

8 A   You were having a good time with your friends in the living room, weren’t you?

   B   Yes. The film was so funny that we couldn’t stop laughing.

a

a 7   b 4   c 8   d 6   e 5   f 2   h 3

b

a   Someone could get poisoned.

b   You could burn yourself.

c   You could scratch yourself.

d   You could get stung by a wasp.

e   The ball might hit you.

f   You could get electrocuted.

h   The dog might bite you.

Transcript

1

I don’t think it’s a good idea to hold the knife like that. You might cut yourself.

2

Don’t touch that. It’s dangerous. You could get electrocuted.

3

Look. It says ‘Beware of the dog’. You shouldn’t go in there. The dog might bite you.

4

Be careful with that iron. You could burn yourself.

5

I wouldn’t stand there if I were you. The ball might hit you.

6

I don’t think it’s a good idea to eat here. You might get stung by a wasp.

7

You should lock this bottle in a cupboard. Someone could get poisoned.

8

I wouldn’t play near those bushes if I were you. You could scratch yourselves.

1 b   2 c   3 b   4 a   5 c   6 a

Transcript

Hi. My name’s Jess. I work at an activity centre for young people, as an activity leader. The centre is in North Cornwall in the south west of England. The centre is open all year round, but I only work here during the summer, because I’m a student at university for the rest of the year. But summer is the busiest time, so they need extra activity leaders then.

Activity centres are a great idea for young people. Most of the people who come to the centre live in towns and cities, so it’s a chance to enjoy some fresh air. Our centre is near the sea, so we spend most time on water activities like surfing, canoeing and sailing. We also do rock climbing and mountain biking on the cliffs.

I think that the most important thing about the activity centres is the social side. Young people today spend so much time on computers or watching TV that they don’t talk to each other much. In most of our activities they have to work in teams, so it’s a good opportunity for them to learn about working and communicating with other people, and to make new friends, too. In the evenings, we get together to sing songs and play indoor games like darts, too.

On the last afternoon, we always have team games. Every group wants to be first, so they really try hard, and it’s a lot of fun. I’ve been an activity leader for three years now, but this will be my last time. I’m finishing university next year and getting a full-time job. It’s sad to think that this is my last year here, but I’ve really enjoyed it.

a

a hurricane, pollution, a famine, a tsunami, disease, an earthquake, floods,

a drought, forest fires, a war

b

1 pollution, disease          5 a hurricane, floods

2 a war, a famine              6 –

3 –                                        7 –

4 forest fires, drought     8 an earthquake, a tsunami

Transcript

1

A huge hurricane has hit the coast of Texas in the USA. Winds up to 100 miles an hour and heavy rain have caused floods all along the coast. Buildings have been damaged and …

2

There has been an earthquake in the Pacific Ocean near Japan. The earthquake measured 6.5 on the Richter scale and caused a tsunami, which has caused a lot of damage on the Japanese coast. At the moment we have no further news …

3

The famine in East Africa is continuing. It is largely the result of a long war in the area, which means that food can’t reach the people who need it. Aid agencies have said that unless …

4

In one of the hottest summers on record, people in Australia are fighting to stop the spread of huge forest fires. Thousands of people have left their homes in the area around the city of Brisbane. The fires have started because everything is so dry after a long drought with no rain for almost a year.

5

The government of India wants to do something about the problem of pollution in the country’s rivers. Waste from homes, farms and factories is pumped into the rivers. The pollution causes a lot of disease, as many people depend on the rivers for fishing, washing and for drinking water.