Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Money

A

1 children can be difficult, long hours, do extra work

2 working with children is important, and (like teaching) it affects the future

3 firefighter   4 dangerous   5 research biologist

6 the whole world benefits

B

1   a)   Speaker 3, the research biologist. He wants more money for the lab.

     b)   Speaker 2, the firefighter. Firefighters save some (stupid) people who “fell asleep with a cigarette in their mouth or forgot to turn off the oven.”

     c)   Speaker 1, the nanny. Cleaning and cooking.

Audioscript

W = Woman     M1 = 1st man      M2 = 2nd man

Speaker 1

W:   I work as a nanny, looking after children aged two, three, and five. I’m actually a live-in nanny. I live with the family. I came into the job with my eyes open. I knew it would be hard work because children can be difficult, though, of course, they’re fun, too. Also, we work long hours, and too many of us do extra work like cleaning and cooking when we should only look after the children. Nannies, particularly live-in nannies, aren’t paid enough. Some of us need two jobs. We should earn enough just from being a nanny because working with children is a really important job. It’s like teaching. It affects the future.

Speaker 2

M1:   I’m a fireman. It’s one of the most dangerous jobs that exists. Really, it’s too dangerous to be paid so little. People see us relaxed and calm, and maybe we go and rescue a cat from a tree and people think, “oh, they earn too much. Their job is easy.” But, when there’s a serious fire, we have to be ready, even if it’s just once a year. We risk our lives to save people, sometimes stupid people who fell asleep with a cigarette in their mouth or forgot to switch off the oven. You know, we save people, we save buildings, we save businesses. Anything and everything can burn down, and that’s why we’re so important.

Speaker 3

M2:   I’m a research biologist. I work on finding solutions to some of the world’s major problems, such as disease and hunger. The thing is, it’s always difficult to get funding, to get enough money to actually do the research. Some of our projects are very expensive. They can cost millions of dollars, and it can take years before you see results. So, actually, I’m not asking for a bigger salary for myself, but I’d like more money for the lab. Too many scientists spend too much time applying for grants to get money rather than actually doing their job in the lab. When things go well for us, the whole world benefits, so I think this work should be better funded.

A

1 we don’t know   2 clothes   3 clothes

4 cleaning products   5 we don’t know

B

1 me   2 of   3 on   4 for   5 cash   6 enter   7 here

Audioscript

S1 = 1st salesclerkW1 = 1st woman

S2 = 2nd salesclerkM1 = 1st man

M2 = 2nd man     S3 = 3rd salesclerk

W2 = 2nd woman     S4 = 4th salesclerkS5 = 5th salesclerk

M3 = 3rd man     W3 = 3rd woman

Conversation 1

S1:   Can I help you?

W1:   No, thanks. I’m just looking.

S1:   OK, just let me know if you need anything.

W1:   Thanks.

Conversation 2

S2:   Hi there. Are you looking for anything in particular?

M1:   Yeah, do you sell those things that photographers wear? Er … it’s like a vest.

S2:   Um, a type of vest?

M1:   Yeah, a light green vest with lots of pockets.

S2:   Ah, you mean a safari vest?

M1:   Yes.

S2:   They’re just on your left.

M1:   Ah, yes. Thank you. Can I try this on?

S2:   Of course.

M1:   Where’s the fitting room?

S2:   Just over there.

W1:   Thanks.

Conversation 3

M2:   Excuse me. Do you have one of these in a larger size? It doesn’t fit.

S3:   Is that the large? I’ll just go and check for you. I’m sorry. This is all we have in stock at the moment. There are some other T-shirts over there on the other side. There might be some extra large sizes there.

Conversation 4

W2:   Hello. I was wondering if you have any of that stuff you use for cleaning swimming pools.

S4:   Um … yeah, we usually sell a liquid cleaner. You pour it into the pool. There’s one here.

W2:   Can I take a look?

S4:   Yup.

W2:   How much is it?

S4:   This one’s twenty-eight dollars ninety-nine cents for a quart.

Conversation 5

S5:   Hi. Are you paying in cash or with a credit card?

M3:   Credit card.

S5:   Can you enter your PIN, please? Thanks. Here’s your card.

M3:   Thanks.

S5:   Thank you. Who’s next, please?

W3:  Do you take MasterCard?

S5:   Yes, that’s fine. Can you just sign here, please?

A

1 bags   2 material   3 markets   4 doesn’t need   5 website

B

Our business is called …   2

Our idea is to …   4

To be successful, we need to …   5

We plan to …   6

The best thing about the company is …   3

Audioscript

Our business is called Ragbags. Our idea is to make beautiful bags out of recycled material, so old jeans and clothes that you would normally throw away. We hope to make money by re-using old material and turning it into different types of bags; all types of bags, shopping bags, beach bags, handbags, whatever you need. So, you can either buy one of our ready-made bags, or, if you have some material that you really like, we can make one especially for you. To be successful, we need to make sure the bags are really good quality and look wonderful. We don’t need a lot of money to start the business because we’ll make the bags at home. We plan to sell Ragbags at markets, in local stores and also online. We’ll have a website with lots of beautiful photos, where people can choose their design and colors and then order their wonderful bag. And the best thing about the company is that you will have an amazing bag, made from your own favorite recycled material. Each bag will be unique, one of a kind, and we’ll have fun making them, too. It’s a win-win.

B

Maggie and Joe Smith lived in the same house for fifteen fifty years. When Joe died, Maggie sold the house to Davie Jones. A few years weeks later, Maggie heard someone say that Jones had found some money in her old house. Jones told her there was $10,000 in the wall. He offered her $5,000. She agreed. A few days later, Jones asked Maggie to sign a contract that said she should accept $5,000 for any money found in the yard or around the house. She didn’t sign it. Instead, she took Jones to court. In court, he told the truth: there wasn’t $10,000. There was $15,000 $150,000. Joe Smith, Maggie’s husband, was putting money in the wall for fifty years, and he never told his wife. In the end, the judge decided that Mr. Jones Maggie should get all of the money.

Audioscript

Maggie and Joe Smith lived in the same house for fifty years. When Maggie was eighty-six years old, Joe died. The house was very big, so Maggie decided to move. She sold the house to a businessman called David Jones. A few weeks later, Maggie was at the hairdresser when she heard someone say that the new owner, David Jones, had found some money in her old house. She contacted Mr. Jones. He told her there was $10,000 hidden in the wall. Then he said they could share the money: $5,000 for him and $5,000 for her. She agreed. A few days later, Mr. Jones visited Maggie Smith. He had a contract. The contract said that Maggie Smith should agree to accept $5,000 for any money found in or around the house. Mrs. Smith thought this was very strange. She didn’t sign it. In fact, she took Mr. Jones to court. In court, Mr. Jones told the truth: there wasn’t $10,000. There was $150,000 in the walls, mainly in fifty-dollar or a hundred-dollar bills. Joe Smith, Maggie’s husband, was putting money in the wall for fifty years, and he never told his wife. So what happened in the end? The judge decided that Maggie Smith should get all of the money. David Jones got nothing.

A

A 3   B 4   C 1   D 2

B

1 towels   2 jeans, T-shirts   3 yes   4 (by) credit card/Visa

Audioscript

1

A:   Hi there.

B:   Hello.

A:   Do you sell towels?

B:   Towels? Yes, we should have some in the bathroom section. It’s just over there past the clothes.

A:   Great. Thanks very much.

2

A:   Good morning. Can I help you at all?

B:   No, I’m just looking, thanks.

A:   For anything in particular? We’ve got these new jeans. These are just in last week. Or we’ve got T-shirts here.

B:   Um, OK, thanks.

A:   Just let me know if you need any help.

3

A:   Excuse me. Have you got any of that stuff for killing insects?

B:   Um … do you mean an insecticide? Like a spray?

A:   Yes, a spray.

B:   Hang on. We should have some … um … give me a moment. I’ll just check we’ve got some in stock. Yeah, we’ve got this one.

A:   That looks fine.

4

A:   Who’s next?

B:   Hi.

A:   Are you paying by cash or credit card?

B:   Credit card. You take Visa, don’t you?

A:   Yeah, no problem. Can you enter your PIN, please? There you go.

B:   Thanks.

A:   Thanks. Bye.