Practice Listening English Exercises for A2 – Keeping Fit

1 c   2 a   3 d   4 b   5 e

1 a   2 b   3 a   4 b   5 a   6 b

Transcript

1

A:   What’s your New Year’s resolution, Lee?

B:   I’m really going to get in shape this year. I’m going to exercise every day and lose five pounds. You watch.

2

A:   Have you made any New Year’s resolutions?

B:   Sure. I’m going to give up smoking.

A:   Why don’t you enroll in a program that helps people stop smoking?

B:   That sounds like a great idea.

3

A:   I need to get more exercise.

B:   You should do more walking. Maybe you could walk to the subway every  day instead of taking the bus.

A:   Yeah, I think I will.

B:   And why not take up jogging?

A:   Let’s not push it. I can’t stand jogging.

4

A:   What are you going to do for the New Year?

B:   Well, everyone tells me I look too thin. I need to put on a couple of pounds.

A:   Why don’t you join a gym and lift weights?

B:   No time. I think I’ll go back and live with my mom. She’s the greatest cook.

5

A:   So, what are your New Year’s resolutions?

B:   Well, I’m going to change my diet and start eating healthier food.

A:   Really?

B:   Yep, I’m going to start eating less meat and more vegetables.

6

A:   I’m getting a little fat.

B:   Yeah – I noticed.

A:   Hey – come on! Anyway, I’m going to do something about it.

B:   Are you taking up jogging?

A:   No, but I’m going to start doing sit-ups every morning starting January first. Just like this. Watch. One… two… ugh!

1 b   2 a   3 b   4 b   5 a   6 b

1 b   2 a   3 a   4 b   5 a   6 b

Transcript

1

I used to lift weights, but I didn’t really enjoy it. So that’s when I started swimming. Now I do it about twice a week. It’s much more fun. I go to a nice pool near my office. It’s never too crowded, which is great. There are friendly people who go there, so it’s a good place to meet people

2

I go out every morning. It’s a great way to start the day. It’s more interesting than exercising at home like I used to. That was really boring. I go to a beach near my house. It’s lovely in the early morning. There’s hardly anyone there and you can listen to the ocean as you do it.

3

I used to play both tennis and volleyball. But I play mainly volleyball now. I think it’s a lot more fun. I thought tennis was very tiring. It was also difficult to find a partner, and the courts were always crowded, too. With volleyball, I have no trouble finding somewhere to play.

4

I used to take long walks every day, but it got boring. I wanted something more exciting, so that’s when I took up rollerblading. It’s really fun! But, it’s not as easy as it looks. It took me a long time to learn how to do it. I fell a lot at the beginning. The great thing is you can do it almost anywhere. My friends think I’m kind of strange because none of them do it, but I love it.

5

I finally bought myself a bicycle. It’s a great way to keep fit. I think it’s better than going to a health club. It took me a long time to learn to ride it in traffic. I nearly fell off a couple of times. I don’t often go on busy streets because that can be dangerous, but there are plenty of places where I can ride near where I live. I use it to get to work sometimes, but only if the weather is nice.

6

I used to go to aerobics class, but I found it pretty silly – all that jumping around. So that’s when I decided to take golf lessons. It can be pretty expensive because you have to buy all your equipment and club fees are high. People think it’s very easy, but it’s not. It’s also good exercise because you have to walk a lot.

1   a: doesn’t do

     b: doesn’t do

     c: doesn’t do

2   a: does

     b: does

     c: doesn’t do

3   a: does

     b: doesn’t do

     c: doesn’t do

4   a: does

     b: does

     c: does

1 b   2 d   3 a   4 c

Transcript

1

I was a big athlete in high school. All I did was swimming, swimming, and more swimming! But I work now, and I never go swimming. I know that I should exercise more, but I’m just too lazy. Jogging? That’s way too much work, and it really makes my knees hurt. A lot of people I know are into bicycling, but I don’t have a bike. I guess there’s tennis, though. My wife loves it, and wants to teach me how to play. I’d like to play, I think.

2

After my husband got sick last year, the doctor told him to lose 20 pounds. Since then, I’ve been trying to help him lose the weight by exercising with him. There isn’t much we can do together, though. We sometimes jog in the morning, but when he works late, he doesn’t want to wake up early. Our community center has an aerobics class in the evening, but he won’t go. He says it’s just for women, so neither of us does that. He wanted to try weightlifting, but the doctor said it was too dangerous. So, now I’m thinking about getting him golf lessons – for both of us, actually. The walking might even be a little romantic, too!

3

I try to stay very active. I play tennis with my daughters every weekend, and I go golfing every day. I used to lift weights, too – and I’m talking about heavy weights. But I had to stop recently, because I had to have an operation on my back. Now I’m really worried that I’ll have to stop playing tennis and golf, too. I don’t really have a lot of hobbies or interests besides sports, so I really need to keep doing them. The doctor said swimming would help my back improve, so maybe I’ll try that.

4

I guess I really need to get some exercise outside, in nature. Right now, I exercise all the time, but it’s always indoors. I lift weights at an indoor gym, and I go swimming every weekend at an indoor pool I even go jogging on an indoor track! I was watching TV last night when a bicycling competition came on. Now, I’m totally excited about bicycle racing! I would really love to try it.

A:   What did you do in the past that you don’t do now?

B:   Well, I didn’t use to work out very much.

A:   So what do you do now?

B:   Now, I run every day in the park. I used to have running, but now I love it!

A:   I used to lift weights and use the machines at the gym.

B:   And now?

A:   Now I ride my bike a lot. I didn’t use to exercise outdoors, but now I really enjoy it.