Listening Exercises B1 – Predicaments

1.

A:   You know, I’m in an embarrassing situation. I’ve got a house guest staying with me. He’s been here a while and I don’t know when he’s going to leave. Do you think I should ask him?

B:   Yes, I would if I were you.

2.

A:   One of my best friends borrowed $5.00 from me and seems to have forgotten to repay it. I’m too embarrassed to remind her. I don’t think it’s worth mentioning it, do you?

B:   No, it’s only a small amount, isn’t it? But next time, make sure you don’t lend her anything!

3.

A:   This guy at work is always inviting me out. And I really can’t stand him. It’s so embarrassing. Do you think I should tell him I don’t like him?

B:   Oh, I wouldn’t. He’ll get the message eventually.

4.

A:   You know this friend of mine is always borrowing things from me. One week it’s my camera, and the next week it’s my stereo. And she always forgets to return them. Do you think I should refuse to lend her anything else?

B:   I certainly wouldn’t lend her anything.

5.

A:   Oh, guess what? My friend invited me to his graduation party and I completely forgot about it. Maybe I should tell him I wasn’t feeling well.

B:   Yeah, that’s probably the best thing to do. He would probably be pretty annoyed if he knew you just forgot it!

6.

A:   You know I have these real nice neighbors. The only problem is, they have this dog that barks whenever they go out. It’s driving me crazy. Do you think I should say something to them about it?

B:   Why not? I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.

1.

I was looking at some dishes in the department store yesterday when I dropped and broke one. I thought for sure they’d ask me to pay for it, but the clerk was nice and said I didn’t have to.

2.

I went out for dinner last night at this Italian restaurant. When I checked the bill, they had charged me for things I hadn’t even ordered. I talked to the waiter about it. He apologized and said I didn’t have to pay for the things I didn’t order. In fact, he gave us the whole meal for free!

3.

I had a date with my girlfriend last night, but on the way there I got stuck in traffic. I got to the movie theater nearly half an hour late. She was annoyed with me and said she doesn’t want to go out with me anymore.

4.

A funny thing happened to me yesterday. This girl came up to me on the street and thought I was that famous actor, Tom Cruise. She even asked me for my autograph. I wasn’t really sure what to do! Finally, I didn’t want to disappoint her, so I went ahead and signed Tom Cruise’s name. I hope I did the right thing.

5.

When I got home on Friday, all my friends were waiting outside my apartment building. They wanted to have a surprise birthday party for me. Unfortunately, my apartment was a mess. Can you imagine how I felt? We had to spend a half an hour cleaning up before we could start the party.

6.

There was this guy who sat behind me in class. I’m sure he cheated whenever we had a test. He was always looking over my shoulder. I didn’t know what to do about it. Finally, I asked the teacher if I could sit in another part of the classroom. I felt a lot better after that.

1.

A:   My brother-in-law is okay, but there’s one thing he always does that I can’t stand.

B:   Oh yeah?

A:   Every time he comes to our house, he goes straight to the refrigerator and helps himself to something to eat. The other day he finished two sandwiches that I was planning to have for lunch.

B:   No way!

A:   Yeah. At first I didn’t want to say anything, but now I’ve decided that I’m going to speak to my wife about it.

2.

A:   Do you know Charles, that guy in our computer class?

B:   Sure, I know who you mean.

A:   Have you noticed his breath? It can be pretty awful sometimes. I’m surprised someone hasn’t spoken to him about it. But I guess it’s an awkward thing to mention to someone.

B:   Right. I know what you mean.

A:   Hey! Maybe I should send him an anonymous note about it. That’s a nice way of handling it, don’t you think?

B:   It sounds good to me.

3.

A:   My aunt is staying with us this week. My parents gave her the bedroom right next to mine, and she snores very loudly. It’s impossible to sleep at night.

B:   You mean it’s that loud?

A:   Oh, it’s horrible! And when I told my parents about it, they didn’t help me at all.

B:   That sounds frustrating.

A:   You bet it is. I guess I’ll have to sleep in a different room while she’s here. That way, I won’t hear the noise. 

4.

A:   Did I tell you that Lisa borrowed some money from me? She got in a traffic accident, and the repairs to her car were very expensive.

B:   How much money did you lend her?

A:   A thousand dollars.

B:   Wow! Has she paid you back yet?

A:   Not yet. She’s waiting for some money from the insurance company. I’ll just wait until she gets it. It’s no big deal. I trust her.

5.

A:   My cousin is acting weird these days. He’s depressed, and he talks to himself all the time. He probably needs to see someone about it. Maybe a psychologist or something.

B:   You sound pretty worried.

A:   I am. I’m going to talk to his parents about it. I don’t think they’re aware of the problem because they don’t see him very often.

6.

A:   Do you know that when I got home from work today, that guy next door had parked his car in my parking space again?

B:   Really? I thought everyone was supposed to park in their own parking space.

A:   They are. You know, I hate having problems with my neighbors, but this is the third or fourth time this has happened. I’m going to call the building manager and ask him to do something about it.

1 True   2 False   3 True   4 False   5 False

Transcript

My life’s a mess right now. I don’t know how I got in these terrible predicaments. First, when I tried to cook some eggs in the microwave this morning, they exploded all over the place! I didn’t have time to clean it up because I was late for school. But then I left my homework on the bus, so my teacher got mad at me. Then I lost the sweater that I had borrowed from my friend Michael. Then, I had to borrow my friend David’s car, and I got in a traffic accident. And David wants his car back today! Then there’s the worst predicament of all-my friend Nancy said she’s in love with me. The problem is, I’m not in love with her. Oh, man! Everyone is going to hate me!

1 a   2 b   3 b   4 a   5 c

Transcript

1.

There’s this guy in my class who I really like. The other day he invited me to go to a movie! I got all dressed up, but when I met him at the theater, he was with his-girlfriend. I had no idea he had a girlfriend! I felt so stupid.

2.

My brother is in the army and no one has heard from him in over a month now. I’m not sure what to think. Maybe he’s doing some secret mission and can’t communicate with his family. Or maybe he got captured by the enemy. Or… I get really upset when I think about it!

3.

I just went to a new doctor and he said I should eat more meat. But my last doctor said meat was bad and I should eat only fruits and vegetables. Now I don’t know what to think!

4.

My husband came home late again last night. He said he’d been working, but I could tell he’d been out at a nightclub with his friends. I was furious-not because he was late, but because he had lied to me.

5.

I’m feeling really blue. I just found out that someone else got that job I wanted so badly. It was the perfect job for me, and I thought the interviewer really liked me. I was really hoping to get that job.