Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Character Traits

your own answers

1 a   2 a   3 b   4 a   5 a   6 b

Transcript

1

A:   Jeff is the perfect elementary school teacher. He’s so good with children.

B:   I know what you mean. He never gets angry with those kids, even when they’re not listening to him.

2

A:   Sheila speaks very well. When she talks, people stop and listen.

B:   I know. A lot of people even change their opinions after talking to her.

3

A:   How does Mary like her new job?

B:   Oh, she loves it. She’s really excited about working there. In fact, she even works on weekends because she enjoys being there so much.

4

A:   I’ve been having problems with my boss lately.

B:   Why is that?

A:   Well, he has a lot of rules. He gets really angry if I come to work two minutes late, or if I let the office phone ring more than twice before I answer it. And if I make a tiny mistake, he yells at me.

5

A:   I don’t know about you, but I’m voting for Dave Thomas for school president. He knows everything about this school and all the important issues.

B:   Yeah. He really knows what he’s talking about.

6

A:   My landlady is really nice. She doesn’t get angry if I pay the rent a few days late. And when I’m sick, she always brings me homemade chicken soup.

B:   Wow. She sounds really thoughtful.

1 praise   2 praise   3 criticize

4 praise   5 criticize   6 criticize

1 True, False     2 True, True

3 False, False     4 True, False

5 False, True     6 False, False

Transcript

1

A:   What do you think of Chris?

B:   I like talking to him. He knows something interesting about practically everything.

A:   Yeah, I know. And he’s really serious about studying, too. He wants to go to medical school, so his grades have to be perfect.

B:   He must be a good student.

A:   He’s a great student – top of the class last year.

2

A:   You know Brandon Kent, don’t you?

B:   Oh, sure. He’s a really nice guy. He took a whole day off last month to help me move into my new apartment. Then he drove me to the mall so I could pick up some furniture for my new place.

A:   Yeah, that’s what I like about him. In fact, he’s coming over this afternoon to help me with my math assignment.

B:   Lucky you!

3

A:   I can’t stand that Terry Dey.

B:   Really?

A:   Yeah. The other day, we were walking down the street past this homeless man who asked us for money. His clothes were torn and dirty.

B:   Yeah?

A:   Well, as soon as we walked past him, Terry made jokes about his clothes.

B:   No way! That’s terrible.

4

A:   Are you going to Tony’s party on Friday night?

B:   Yeah. Are you?

A:   Of course. He has great parties, don’t you think?

B:   Definitely. It’s because he gets so excited about everything. Everyone sees him laughing and having fun, and then they start enjoying themselves, too.

A:   You’re right. He’s an amazing guy.

5

A:   Have you seen Patrick recently?

B:   No, I haven’t. We were supposed to go to a concert last weekend, but he said he was too sick to go.

A:   Oh, that’s too bad.

B:   The thing is, he didn’t tell me the truth. My brother saw him at a party the same night, having a good time.

A:   Oh! I really hate it when people lie like that.

B:   Me, too.

6

A:   I just talked to Chuck.

B:   How is he today?

A:   The same as usual. He’s always in a bad mood. Talking to him is really difficult. It’s easy to say something that really upsets him.

B:   I know. I wonder why he’s like that.

A:   I think it’s because he isn’t doing well at school this year.

1 b   2 a   3 a   4 b

1 False   2 True   3 True   4 False

Transcript

1

Now that John has that new job, you wouldn’t recognize him. I guess you have to be more conservative when you have a job like that. He works really long hours now and wears a suit and tie. And when he comes home from work, he never wants to go out. All he does is sit in his chair and watch TV. He looks totally exhausted. That’s not how he was in college. Back then he used to go around in old T-shirts and jeans. And he had that crazy green hair!

2

I ran into Akiko the other day. I hardly recognized her. Do you remember her from high school? She was a little chubby and out of shape back then. I don’t think she ever exercised or played any sports. Well, she looks really different now. She’s lost a lot of weight. In fact, she looks terrific. She told me that she decided to get in better shape after she got married last year. Now she goes to the gym three times a week.

3

Have you had a chance to talk to Maria lately? She’s gotten so depressed – you know, sad and worried all the time. It’s a real change. She used to be so enthusiastic and happy in high school She was a cheerleader, and she was always laughing and making jokes. Now she just sits in coffee shops all by herself and just looks really sad. You can tell that something is really bothering her. It must be because she and her boyfriend recently broke up.

4

Do you remember what Ted Rodgers used to look like? He used to be so athletic, with really big muscles. He went to the gym all the time and was always careful about what he ate and drank. Well, you wouldn’t believe how much he’s changed. I’m sure he weighs over 200 pounds now. It doesn’t look like he does any exercise at all, and he eats just about anything. Someone told me he changed after he got really wealthy from Internet stocks. They said that after he got rich, he decided just to enjoy himself.

A:   So, tell me about your new neighbor.

B:   He’s really funny and nice. And we found out we have a lot in common.

A:   Oh, really? Like what?

B:   Well, he’s about the same age as I am. And he used to live in the same neighborhood as I did in New York

A:   Wow! What kinds of things does he like to do?

B:   He told me that he always plays soccer on Saturdays. And he likes to go hiking and bike riding. And he loves movies.