Practice Listening English Exercises for A2 – Magazines and books

1   1 online   2 monthly

2   Ticked: articles about albums, book reviews, cartoons, film reviews, information about the school, interviews with teachers, music reviews, stories, video game reviews

Audioscript

Oliver:   Hey, Aboudi. You’re late!

Aboudi:   Sorry, guys. I was reading and I didn’t notice the time.

Serena:   OK … we’ve only got a few minutes to think about the school magazine. There’s a meeting about it at four o’clock.

Oliver:   Why don’t we write down some ideas now?

Aboudi:   OK. Let’s include music. We can write an article about the best new albums.

Serena:   Cool! And we can have reviews of films and video games.

Oliver:   Sounds good … and books too. How about we interview teachers about the books they like.

Serena:   Good idea. OK … films and video games and an interview with a teacher.

Aboudi:   Let’s have some stories too … and some cartoons.

                  It’s good to have something funny!

Oliver:   True. And shall we have an information page?

Serena:   Good one!

Oliver:   Yeah. That’s important in a monthly magazine.

Serena:   Shall we include advertisements?

Oliver:   What type of advertisements?

Serena:   I don’t know.

Aboudi:   We don’t need any.

Serena:   I agree.

Oliver:   Yeah, no advertisements.

Aboudi:   I think the magazine should be online. It’s much cheaper and easier to do it like that.

Serena:   You’re right. Oliver, why not ask your dad about it?

                  He does websites for people, doesn’t he?

Oliver:   Excellent idea. I can ask him tonight.

Aboudi:   OK, is that everything?

Oliver:   Yes I think so. Let’s talk later.

Serena:   All right.

Aboudi:   OK. Bye.

Oliver:   Bye.

Serena:   See you.

1   The School of Rock

2    1 ✓

      2 ✓

      3 ✗ (The musicians in the band are students.)

      4 ✗ (Dewey’s old band gets first prize.)

      5 ✗ (It was on TV last week.)

      6 ✓

Audioscript

Mike:   This is the part of the programme when we ask you to call in with a review of a film. Today we’ve got Phoebe, calling from London. Hello, Phoebe.

Phoebe:   Hello, Mike.

Mike:   So let’s hear your review.

Phoebe:   Thanks, Mike. Well, it’s about a guitar player called Dewey Finn. He leaves his band because the band members don’t want him to play with them anymore. But then he doesn’t have any money, so he looks for a job. When he gets a job as a teacher in a school, the students really like him. They think he’s funny and a little bit mad!

Mike:   OK Phoebe, so this guy is a teacher now. But he was a musician in a band. Is that right?

Phoebe:   Yes – and then Dewey, the teacher who was a musician, decides to start a rock band as there are lots of good musicians in his class at the school. They call the band ‘The School of Rock.’ The band enters a competition called ‘Battle of the Bands’ and well, then it all gets a bit complicated.

Mike:   But do they win the competition?

Phoebe:   No, actually The School of Rock don’t win. Dewey was in a different band at the beginning. His old band wins!

Mike:   Oh no! That’s not a very good ending.

Phoebe:   Oh, but it’s OK because everyone in the audience likes The School of Rocks and wants them to keep playing.

Mike:   OK. Is it a new film Phoebe? Oh, and what’s it called?

Phoebe:   Sorry, it’s called School of Rock. No, it’s an old film but it was on TV last week, so I watched it. I really loved it. Make sure you see it one day! It’s great. And now it’s a musical too, on the stage.

Mike:   Thanks for the review of School of Rock, Phoebe. Now for some more music.

1   A 3   B 5   C 4   D 2   E 1

      1, 3

2   1 Film of the Week (Cinema)   2 My Wonderful Cousin   3 £5

     4 New Film (Café)   5 chocolate and carrot

Audioscript

Hello and thanks for calling the Film of the Week Cinema. The Film of the Week Cinema is the place to come for all the great new films. We are open in the evening with special sessions on Saturday and Sunday mornings. This week’s new film is called My Wonderful Cousin. Choose one to hear information about this week’s new film. Choose two to hear about next week’s new film. Choose three to hear information about the New Film Café. Choose four to talk to one of our assistants. Choose five to buy tickets.

Thank you. My Wonderful Cousin is about a bored teenager. Her name is Zoe and she’s thirteen. During the long summer holidays, she goes to stay with her cousin Lucas in London and learns to play the guitar. She makes new friends and meets the musicians in a rock band. It changes her life. The film is on from Tuesday to Friday at 7 pm, and at 11 am at the weekend. Tickets are £5.

Thank you. The New Film Café is the perfect place to go before or after a film. The café is at the entrance to the cinema, so it’s a great place to meet your friends. We offer coffee, tea, lemonade, orange juice and mineral water. Why don’t you try one of our delicious cakes? We have chocolate cake and carrot cake. We also have our fantastic lemon ice cream. It’s made in the café with real lemons!

1   a

2   1 b   2 a   3 b   4 a   5 a   6 b

3

Audioscript

Amber:   Hi John. You look serious. What are you working on?

John:   I’m doing my French homework.

Amber:   What do you need to do?

John:   I need to write a paragraph about my favourite TV programme.

Amber:   That sounds easy. What’s the problem?

John:   Easy? You know I love watching different programmes on TV.

Amber:   Yes, I do. So?

John:   So, I can’t decide!

Amber:   Ah, I see. What are your choices?

John:   Well, I can write about Britain’s Got Talent.

Amber:   That’s a good idea.

John:   Yeah, but I don’t know enough words in French to describe all the things they do on the programme.

Amber:   Hmmm. What other programmes can you write about?

John:   I can write about MasterChef Junior.

Amber:   Do you like MasterChef Junior? I hate cooking programmes.

John:   Really? I like watching the young chefs, and I love learning new meals.

Amber:   Interesting … Any other ideas?

John:   Hmmm. I like the idea of writing about Horrible Histories.

Amber:   What’s that?

John:   You don’t know? It’s a programme about history. It tells stories of events in history but in a funny way. I love it!

Amber:   Do you know any history vocabulary in French?

John:   I do! And I love reading about history – in French and in English!

Amber:   You love telling funny stories, too!

John:   Good point! I do! Right. That’s it … I’m going to write about Horrible Histories!

Amber:   Good luck!