Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Past Events

your own answers

A 2   B 5   C 1   D 6   E 3   F 4

Transcript

1

I got an invitation to my boss’s birthday party on Saturday night.

2

I thought I’d better get him a nice birthday present, so I bought him a really expensive tie.

3

When I got to the party, my boss’s wife met me at the door and invited me inside.

4

Then I went in and saw all my friends from work there.

5

I heard my boss’s voice behind me as he came out of the kitchen.

6

I turned around to say hello, and guess what? He was wearing exactly the same tie as the one I had bought him!

1 Frightened        2 Embarrassed

3 Disappointed    4 Disappointed

5 Frightened         6 Embarrassed

1 b   2 b   3 c   4 a   5 b   6 c

Transcript

1

Some friends and I were in the elevator going up to my apartment when suddenly the elevator stopped between floors and wouldn’t move. We were able to open the doors a little, but we were still stuck!

2

I went to the airport to pick up my boss. I was so nervous that I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing. After I met him at the arrival terminal, I realized I couldn’t remember where I had parked my car. I couldn’t believe it! With my boss there and all… I felt so stupid.

3

When I left for work on Monday morning, I realized I had to walk because I didn’t have a dollar bill for the bus. My boss gets angry if I’m late, so I really had to hurry. I was afraid of being fired. Well, I’d gotten about two blocks from my house when all of a sudden I felt something blow onto my leg. I looked down, and it was a dollar bill!

4

I wanted to go sailing, but just as I arrived at the lake, a storm broke out and it started to rain. It wasn’t a very strong storm, but it was much too cold for sailing.

5

I was driving down Pleasant Street yesterday. I was singing along with a song on the radio and probably wasn’t paying as much attention as I should have been. All of a sudden, a deer ran out in front of my car.

6

Last weekend, I went out on a date with a friend from my history class. We were at this really nice restaurant, and when the check came, I realized that my wallet was missing. I guess I left it in the taxi after I paid the taxi driver. I didn’t know what to do! The check was really expensive!

1 c   2 b   3 c   4 b   5 a   6 b

1 True   2 True   3 False

4 False   5 False   6 True

Transcript

1

It was a pretty bad snowstorm and the roads weren’t in very good condition. I guess I was driving a little too fast and I went into a skid. I couldn’t control the car at all! I went off the side of the road and into the snow. Luckily the car wasn’t damaged and I wasn’t hurt, but I couldn’t get the car to move. I just had to stay in it and wait for the tow truck. Finally, after about half an hour, the tow truck arrived and pulled me out.

2

Yeah, it was pretty scary. We ran into a bad storm and the plane really bumped around. The passengers were pretty scared, and of course all the kids were screaming and crying. It lasted for only 10 minutes, but those 10 minutes felt like an hour! I don’t know how the pilot got the airplane out of that storm, but he finally did. And the rest of the flight was perfect.

3

All I wanted was to get the newspaper. You know how some hotels leave it in front of your door in the morning? Anyway, I stepped out of the room to get it, but the door shut behind me. I tried to open it, but it was locked, and my key was inside the room! I was in my pajamas! Luckily for me, someone from housekeeping came by, and she had a key.

4

We were staying in this hotel in Thailand when there was a fire. I was so scared when I heard the fire alarm go off! We got out of the hotel as quickly as we could. The hotel was badly damaged, and some people lost their clothes and money. Fortunately, we were lucky. No guests or staff members were injured.

5

I was out shopping with a friend when I saw some kids selling raffle tickets to raise money for a charity. It was for a really good cause, so I bought a ticket. I didn’t think much more about it. But in the end, I won first prize! It was a good prize, too – a weekend trip for two to New York City!

6

I was at a restaurant with my wife when this famous movie star sat down at the table next to us. I couldn’t believe it! I wanted to ask him for his autograph, but my wife said I should let the man have his dinner in peace. Later, when my wife was in the rest room, I asked the waitress if she would ask the movie star to sign my menu. And believe it or not, he did!

A:   Did I tell you about what happened to me last Saturday morning?

B:   No. What happened?

A:   I was walking down the street to get some coffee when suddenly I heard someone call my name. I looked around, but I didn’t see anyone I knew.

B:   Then what did you do?

A:   Well, I thought maybe I imagined it, so I kept walking, and just as I was about to go into the cafe, I heard it again. It was my best friend from elementary school!