Practice Listening English Exercises for A2 – Our changing planet

1 C   2 B   3 H   4 G   5 E

Audioscript

You will hear Gina talking to her uncle about some photos of animals. Where did he take each photo?

Gina:   You’re really good at photography, Uncle Liam!

Liam:   Thanks, Gina.

Gina:   Did you take this picture of a lion when you were in Kenya last year?

Liam:   That’s right.

Gina:   You’re so lucky – I never go to exciting places like that! Did you take that picture of a monkey there too?

Liam:   I took that in India. We were at a market and they were eating all the fruit.

Gina:   I can’t believe you took this picture of a snake! Weren’t you afraid?

Liam:   No, I was excited! Anyway, it’s not dangerous, like the ones you see in Africa or India. I took that picture in England, when I was hiking.

Gina:   Really?! Oh, and this is such a great picture of a penguin! Did you take it in New Zealand?

Liam:   That was in South Africa. It’s funny, isn’t it?

Gina:   Yes! This dolphin picture’s good too.

Liam:   Oh, yes. I saw dolphins in Mexico and Argentina, but I took that photo in Scotland.

Gina:   Ah, and finally eh this amazing elephant. You took that in a forest in India, I suppose?

Liam:   Er … I took that in Mexico.

Gina:   What??

Liam:   In a zoo, Gina!

Gina:   Oh, right!

1 F   2 D   3 B   4 A   5 H

Audioscript

You will hear Martha talking to a friend about a trip to the zoo. Which animal was each person most interested in?

Boy:   Did you have a good time at the zoo, Martha?

Martha:   Yes, we really enjoyed it. My brother loved the monkeys.

Boy:   They’re very funny to watch. What about your sister?

Martha:   Well, she hated the snakes! We only watched them for about one minute! But we spent a long time watching the penguins, because they were her favourite thing at the zoo.

Boy:   And did your dad have a good day?

Martha:   Yes. He enjoyed looking at the giraffes the most. He didn’t like the elephants very much – I don’t know why.

Boy:   That’s interesting. What about you and your mum?

Martha:   Oh, I liked the dolphins best. Mum did too, so we went to look at them again after the penguins.

Boy:   Did your grandad have a favourite animal?

Martha:   He liked the giraffes a lot, but he preferred the bears. He liked them most because they’re so strong and clever.

Boy:   Really? And what about your grandma?

Martha:   She quite liked the snakes, but for her, the wild dogs were the most interesting. She even bought a book about them in the shop!

Boy:   Great – you all had a great day, then.

Martha:   Yes, we loved it.

1 fruit   2 sheep   3 film   4 9 (nine)   5 notebook

6 waterfall   7 6 (six)

Audioscript

Man:   Today there are two walks you can join.

The first one takes you up to Mount Washburn.

The group leaves at 10 am from the hotel entrance, and we take you to the start of the walk by bus.

It’s a two-hour walk to the top where we have lunch. We take sandwiches, fruit and cold drinks for you. It can be windy so take a light jacket. Oh, and don’t forget your camera – there are amazing views of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the Teton mountains in the distance. You can also see wild sheep and maybe foxes on the hills.

We should be back in the hotel at four o’clock when you can have a rest before joining everyone in the meeting room at five to watch a film about the geography of the area. This describes the volcanic rock formations and geysers.

Our second option is to visit the Mystic Falls area. The bus leaves at 9 am and takes about an hour to the start of the walk at 10. The first part of the route goes through forest to the camping area where we cook lunch. The hotel kitchen provides hamburgers and chicken for this.

We will then go through more open fields where there are many fine examples of wild flowers. Take a notebook so the guide can help you draw some of the beautiful plants in this area.

Then we visit Biscuit Basin, which is full of geysers and hot water pools. And finally, we go on to the Mystic Falls where you can see the 25-metre waterfall. There are also lots of animals to observe, especially the bison that are typical in Yellowstone Park.

You get back to the hotel about 6 pm and there is a meeting at 6.30 for everyone to share their pictures.

So, please let me know which trip you would like to do.