Listening Exercises A1 – Restaurants

1.

A:        Are you ready to order?

B:        Yes, I’d like to start with the salad, please.

A:        Okay. And what would you like for your main dish?

B:        Hmm. I’ll have the spaghetti. Is it good?

A:        I’ve never tried it. Anything to drink?

B:        Tea, please.

A:        And how about dessert?

B:        Not today, thanks.

2.

A:        Hi there. What can I get you today?

B:        Well, let me see. I’ll just have some soup and a salad.

A:        Sure. Soup and salad. Our special today is grilled fish, and that comes with broccoli or peas.

B:        No, thanks. Not today. I’m not very hungry. But I would like some chocolate ice cream for dessert.

A:        Sure. Anything to drink?

B:        Coffee, and some water, please.

3.

A:        Hi! Have you decided yet?

B:        Is the beef stir-fry very spicy?

A:        Yes, it’s pretty hot.

B:        Hmm. I think I’ll have a hamburger and fries, then. And a glass of milk.

A:        Anything for dessert? The cheesecake is excellent.

B:        No, thanks.

1.

A:        There you are, sir. Two slices of pizza and a large cola.

B:        Thank you. Hmm.

C:        How does it look?

B:        Okay, I guess, but I think I should have ordered three or four slices. These slices are much smaller than I expected.

2.

A:        And here’s your order. Steak with french fries and coffee.

B:        Thanks. I can’t wait to eat. I’m starving.

C:        It looks okay. How is it?

B:        Let me try. Oh, just perfect.

3.

A:        Sorry to keep you waiting. One order of fried chicken with broccoli.

B:        Thanks. Oh my! This chicken looks pretty dry.

C:        Really. How does it taste?

B:        I’m afraid it’s not very fresh. I think it must have been frozen.

C:        Let’s send it back.

4.

A:        There’s your order, ma’am. Fish, salad, and peas.

B:        Oh. But you told me today’s vegetable was broccoli.

C:        You don’t like peas, do you?

B:        No, I don’t. I hate peas!

5.

A:        And here’s your dessert. Chocolate cake, with two scoops of ice cream and a large cola.

B:        Great.

C:        Wow. That cake looks good. I wish I had ordered it.

B:        Do you want to try it? It’s delicious.

C:        Just a taste. Mmm. Fabulous.

6.

A:        Did you order the spaghetti?

B:        That’s right.

A:        Good. Here you are. And here’s your cola.

B:        Thanks. I don’t think I made a very good choice.

C:        Really?

B:        Yeah. I think I can make better spaghetti than this.

1.

I went to a new steak restaurant last night that opened near my house. I love trying new places. To start the meal, I had an interesting appetizer. It was some kind of seafood with a spicy sauce on it… Mmm! The main dish, of course, was steak. It was very small and a little tough, though. However, the vegetables were great—nice and fresh, but not too oily. The final thing was the best—the dessert! It was apple pie with a lot of ice cream on it. I know that I shouldn’t eat so many sweets, but it was delicious!

2.

Have you ever tried that seafood restaurant on Main Street? You should—it’s great! I go there often. In fact, I went there last weekend. To begin, I had a salad. It was nice and fresh with a great house dressing. My main dish was a fish that I had never tried. I really enjoyed the spices it was cooked in. The vegetables were good—very fresh and tasty. For dessert, I had chocolate cake. It’s usually very delicious, but this time, it was much too sweet. I couldn’t eat more than two bites! That’s okay, though, because I am on a diet.

3.

My new girlfriend took me to a Chinese restaurant in her neighborhood the other night. It was pretty good. First we had some egg rolls. They were the best I had ever tasted. Then we ordered the beef and pepper stir-fry. It came in a very interesting sauce—spicy, but not too spicy. We also ordered the steamed vegetables, but they were awful. They were really too soft. The dessert was a big bowl of fresh fruit. Some of the fruit I had never seen. It was fantastic—and so was my date!

4.

For lunch, my co-worker and I went to a nice little French restaurant near our office. He didn’t feel like eating much, so he just had a small salad. I had a large meal, though. First, I had the onion soup, but it was much too salty. For my main dish, I had a piece of pork. It was too dry and had no taste. The vegetables were perfect, though—broccoli and peas. Those are my favorites. Finally, I had a large bowl of chocolate mousse. It was just like the chocolate mousse I had in France during my last vacation—very creamy and delicious. I think I’ll have it next time, too.

Woman’s Order: Salad, Fish, Peas

Man’s Order: Broccoli soup, Steak, Potatoes

Transcript

A:   Good evening. Are you ready to order?

B:   Yes. I’ll have a salad. Then I’ll have the fish. What vegetables do you have?

A:   Tonight we have spinach, peas, or potatoes.

B:   I’ll have spinach. No, wait a minute. I’ll have the peas. And to drink, I’d like some tea.

A:   Okay. And you, sir?

C:   I think I’ll start with a bowl of broccoli soup.

A:   What would you like for your main dish?

C:   A steak, please, medium-rare. And I’d like potatoes with it.

A:   Anything to drink?

C:   I’d like water, please.

A:   Okay, I’ll be right back with your soup and salad.

1 e   2 c   3 a   4 b   5 d

Transcript

1

A:   Did you enjoy your dinner, Lisa?

B:   Well, the salad was very fresh, but the peas were too soft. I think they overcooked them.

2

A:   How was your steak, John?

B:   It was okay, but it was tough. I think they overcooked it. It wasn’t medium-rare – more like well-done.

A:   Oh, that’s too bad.

3

A:   Did you like the soup, Carolyn?

B:   Oh, yes. It was excellent, very creamy and not too salty.

4

A:   How did you like the salad, Brad?

B:   I thought it was too oily. There was too much dressing on it!

5

A:   Did you like the chocolate cake, JoAnn?

B:   It was rich and moist – just like chocolate cake is supposed to be.