Listening Exercises B1 – Housing

1.

Well, I’m single and I spend a lot of time traveling, so I’m not home very much. So there’s really no point in my spending money on a large place with lots of rooms.

2.

We’ve got three small children, and they like to play outside, so I don’t think it makes sense for us to live in a high-rise building.

3.

I work right in the city and I don’t have a car. I’d like a place close to my work, so that I don’t have to spend a lot of time commuting.

4.

I run my own business and I work from my home. I’m lucky because I don’t have to go into town very often, so I’d like a place that’s quiet and away from the city.

5.

I need a new place. I need a good-sized apartment because I have two teenage sons, and they each need to have their own bedroom. We want to live downtown, too.

6.

Both my wife and I work for an airline and we’d like something fairly close to work. We don’t mind if it’s small, because there’s only the two of us. We don’t even mind the noise of the planes. In fact, we kind of like it.

1.

The apartment I rent is okay. It’s near the stores, so it’s convenient for shopping. The problem, though, is that the owner hasn’t spent any money on the place in years. The furniture is falling apart, and the carpet in the living room is stained in places.

2.

My neighbors are fantastic. They’re really friendly, and some of them have great parties, too. I’d like more space, though. There’s hardly enough space for all my stuff. I guess I should throw some of it out, but I just can’t.

3.

There are advantages and disadvantages of living out here in the suburbs. It’s not really the most convenient place to live. It takes forever to get into town, especially during rush hours. And there aren’t any good stores out here. On the other hand, it’s nice and quiet on the weekends.

4.

I love my apartment. I wish I could afford to stay here. The location is perfect. It has a great view of the park, and I love being able to step outside and walk to cafes and shops. The only problem is the rent. It’s just too high now, so I can’t stay.

5.

My place is huge. It has room for all my stuff, and there’s a big kitchen, too. Of course, it’s really old, so it needs a coat of paint and some new furniture. The furniture is really ancient. I think the stove is about a hundred years old!

6.

I recently moved into an apartment building for the first time. It takes a while to get used to have neighbors right next door. I feel like they’re always listening to me, like they want to know everything I do. It’s annoying. But the rent is much cheaper, and I like that.

1.

We used to have a nice apartment downtown. It had great views of the city! But then these new people moved in upstairs. They played loud music all the time, and the sound came straight through the ceiling and into our apartment. It was terrible, so we moved. Now we’re living in a small house in the suburbs. It’s wonderful. Our neighbors don’t make any noise.

2.

My new apartment is on a high floor, and it’s great. There’s no noise at all. I only hear the birds in the park. Before that, I lived in a first floor apartment. It had a little yard, which was nice. But I heard people coming and going all the time. And it was close to the street, so I heard all the traffic, too.

3.

We didn’t really want to move because we loved the apartment. We had a wonderful landlady, too. She didn’t raise the rent for years, and if anything was broken, she would get it fixed really fast. But with the children getting older, we needed to be closer to a good school. So that’s why we moved. Now we live in an apartment in the suburbs.

4.

I used to live in a nice apartment downtown, in a pretty interesting neighborhood. But the thing was, they wouldn’t let you keep a pet. I really wanted to get a dog, so I moved to a place where you could keep pets. Now I live in a building near the park. And there’s two of us – me and my dog, Spot. We play in the park all the time.

5.

My new apartment has a huge kitchen and a great stove. I’m really happy about it. I love to cook and have parties, but the kitchen in my old place was so tiny. And the dining room was small, too. The location was good, but I could never have people over for dinner, so I needed to find something different.

6.

I used to live in a house. I had a nice yard in the front, and another yard in the back. The trouble was the maintenance. It was really expensive to take care of. So I moved. Now I live in an apartment with no yard. Even though I have much less space now, it’s wonderful, because it’s a lot cheaper.

1 b   2 d   3 a   4 e   5 c

Transcript

1.

A:   My life is so stressful now. I think maybe I should move.

B:   You mean you want to move out of the city?

A:   Yeah. You know what I’d like? A little house far away from the city, where it’s quiet.

2.

A:   I’m sick of living at home. My parents are always telling me not to come home late or not to sleep in late.

B:   Well, you’re 31 years old. Don’t you think it’s about time you got a place of your own?

A:   Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. But I don’t have much money.

B:   I’m sure you have enough for a small place somewhere in the city. You only need one room!

3.

A:   My sister is having a terrible time finding an apartment.

B:   Really? Why is that?

A:   She’s in a wheelchair, so she needs something on the first floor.

B:   Oh, I see.

4.

A:   Mark, I heard you’ll be moving soon.

B:   Yeah, the suburbs just weren’t right for me. Everything is so quiet. I love seeing foreign films, visiting art galleries, and eating French food. That’s why I’m moving downtown.

5.

A:   Hey, Trevor, what’s this I hear about you moving out of your apartment downtown?

B:   It’s true. I really like the apartment but I just got a dog, so I have to move. I’m looking for an apartment with a yard.

1   New place     New place

2   New place     Old place

3   New place     Old place

Transcript

1.

A:   Rick! I heard you moved!

B:   Yeah, last week. It’s great. You should see the view from my window. It’s much better than my old place. Now I get lots of sunlight, and it’s very quiet, too.

A:   That sounds like a real improvement.

2.

A:   Hey, Jenny, how do you like your new place?

B:   It’s fantastic. It’s so much bigger than my old place. And there are two bathrooms!

A:   Wow!

B:   Yeah. And the rent is better, too. My old place was way too expensive.

3.

A:   Jackie, what’s your new place like?

B:   Well, I’m not in the city anymore, so it’s a lot quieter.

A:   That sounds nice.

B:   Yeah, it is. But it’s pretty far from the city. My old place was in a great neighborhood. I really miss it.