Getting Ready
What would you do if you were in these predicaments? Write your answers in the chart and compare them with a partner.
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Predicament |
Solution |
|
1 Your neighbors make a lot of noise at night. |
……………………. |
|
2 You forgot a friend’s birthday. |
……………………. |
|
3 You damage a friend’s car. |
……………………. |
|
4 A classmate asks you for a loan. |
……………………. |
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5 A classmate cheats on tests. |
……………………. |
Answer
your own answers
Listening 1
Listen to the conversations. What is each person’s predicament? Circle the correct answer.
1 a He doesn’t want his guest to leave.
b He doesn’t know when his guest will leave.
2 a Her friend forgot to pay some money back.
b She forgot to pay back some money to a friend.
3 a She wants to invite a co-worker out.
b A co-worker is always inviting her out.
4 a His friend never lends things.
b His friend never returns things.
5 a He forgot about his friend’s party.
b He forgot to bring a gift to the party.
6 a The neighbors play really loud music at night.
b The neighbors play really bad music at night.
Answer & Transcript
1 b 2 a 3 b 4 b 5 a 6 a
Transcript
1
A: You know, I’m in an embarrassing situation. I’ve got a house guest staying with me. He’s been here a while and I don’t know when he’s going to leave. Do you think I should ask him?
B: Yes, I would if I were you.
2
A: One of my best friends borrowed $5.00 from me and seems to have forgotten about it. I’m too embarrassed to remind her. I don’t think it’s worth mentioning, do you?
B: No, it’s only a small amount. But next time, make sure you don’t lend her any money!
3
A: This guy at work is always asking me out, and I really don’t want to go out with him. Do you think I should tell him I don’t like him?
B: Oh, I wouldn’t. He’ll get the message eventually.
4
A: You know this friend of mine is always borrowing things from me. One week it’s my camera, and the next week it’s my stereo. And she always forgets to return them. What do you think I should do?
B: Well, first of all, ask for all your stuff back. And second, don’t lend her anything else.
5
A: My friend invited me to his graduation party, and I completely forgot about it. Maybe I should tell him I wasn’t feeling well.
B: Yeah, that’s probably the best thing to do. He’d probably be pretty annoyed if he knew you just forgot about it!
6
A: You know, I have really nice neighbors. The only problem is, they play music really loud at night. It drives me crazy. Do you think I should say something to them about it?
B: Why not? They may not realize it’s bothering you.
Listening 2
Task 1
People are telling stories about things that happened to them. Listen and number the pictures.
Answer
A 2 B 5 C 1 D 6 E 4 F 3
Task 2
Listen again. How does each story end? Circle the correct answer.
1 a She ran away.
b She had to pay for the plate.
c She didn’t have to pay for the plate.
2 a He had to pay for everything.
b He had to pay for the things he ordered.
c He didn’t have to pay for anything.
3 a His girlfriend was very upset.
b His girlfriend wasn’t upset.
c His girlfriend left before he arrived.
4 a He said that he wasn’t Tom Cruise.
b He signed Tom Cruise’s name.
c He signed his own name.
5 a They had the party in a restaurant.
b They cleaned the apartment.
c They didn’t have the party.
6 a He asked to sit somewhere else.
b He told the teacher the guy was cheating.
c He wrote the wrong answers on his test.
Answer & Transcript
1 c 2 c 3 a 4 b 5 b 6 a
Transcript
1
I was looking at some dishes in a department store yesterday when I dropped and broke one. I thought for sure they’d ask me to pay for it, but the salesclerk was nice and said I didn’t have to.
2
I went out for dinner with my girlfriend last night at this Italian restaurant. When I checked the bill, they had charged us for things we hadn’t even ordered. I talked to the waiter about it. He apologized and said I didn’t have to pay for the things we didn’t order. In fact, we got the whole meal for free!
3
I had a date with my girlfriend last night, but on the way there I got stuck in a traffic jam. I got to the movie theater nearly half an hour late. When I finally arrived, my girlfriend was very upset with me, and we both went home without seeing the movie.
4
A funny thing happened to me yesterday. This girl came up to me on the street and thought I was the actor Tom Cruise. She even asked me for my autograph. I wasn’t really sure what to do! I didn’t want to disappoint her, so I went ahead and signed Tom Cruise’s name. I hope I did the right thing.
5
When I got home on Friday, all my friends were waiting inside my apartment. My brother let them in because they wanted to have a surprise party for me to celebrate my birthday. Unfortunately, my apartment was a mess. Can you imagine how I felt? My brother told me they had to spend a half an hour cleaning up when they got there.
6
There was this guy who sat behind me in class. I’m sure he cheated whenever we had a test. He was always looking over my shoulder. I didn’t know what to do about it. Finally, I asked the teacher if I could sit in a different seat. I felt a lot better after that.
Listening 3
Task 1
People are talking about predicaments. How does each person feel? Listen and circle the correct answer.
1 a embarrassed
b annoyed
c amused
2 a concerned
b angry
c embarrassed
3 a embarrassed
b angry
c confused
4 a annoyed
b unconcerned
c depressed
5 a worried
b annoyed
c amused
6 a angry
b worried
c embarrassed
Answer
1 b 2 c 3 b 4 b 5 a 6 a
Task 2
Listen again. What is each person planning to do about the situation? Write the correct letter.
|
1 …… 2 …… 3 …… 4 …… 5 …… 6 …… |
a nothing b call the manager c talk to her cousin’s parents d speak to his wife e sleep in a different room f send an anonymous note |
Answer & Transcript
1 d 2 f 3 e 4 a 5 c 6 b
Transcript
1
A: My brother-in-law is okay, but there’s one thing he always does that I can’t stand.
B: Oh, what’s that?
A: Every time he comes to our house, he goes straight to the refrigerator and helps himself to something to eat. The other day he finished two sandwiches that my wife and I were planning to have for lunch.
B: No way!
A: Yeah. At first I didn’t want to say anything, but now I’ve decided that I’m going to speak to my wife about it.
2
A: Do you know Charles, that guy in our computer class?
B: Sure, I know who you mean.
A: Have you noticed his breath? It can be pretty awful sometimes. I’m surprised someone hasn’t spoken to him about it. But I guess it’s an awkward thing to mention to someone.
B: Right. I know what you mean.
A: Hey! Maybe I should send him an anonymous note about it. That’s a nice way of handling it, don’t you think?
B: It sounds good to me.
3
A: My aunt is staying with us this week. My parents gave her the bedroom right next to mine, and she snores really loudly. It’s impossible to sleep at night.
B: You mean it’s that loud?
A: Oh, it’s horrible! And when I told my parents about it, they didn’t help me at all.
B: That sounds frustrating.
A: You bet it is. I guess I’ll have to sleep in a different room while she’s here.
4
A: Did I tell you that Lisa borrowed some money from me? She got in a traffic accident and the repairs to her car were really expensive.
B: How much money did you lend her?
A: A thousand dollars.
B: Wow! Has she paid you back yet?
A: Not yet. She’s waiting for some money from the insurance company. I guess I’ll just have to wait until she gets it.
5
A: My cousin is acting weird these days. He’s depressed, and he talks to himself all the time. He probably needs to see someone about it. Maybe a psychologist or something.
B: You sound pretty worried.
A: I am. I’m going to talk to his parents about it. I don’t think they’re aware of the problem because they don’t see him very often.
6
A: Do you know that when I got home from work today, that guy next door had parked his car in my parking space again?
B: Really? I thought everyone was supposed to park in their own parking spaces.
A: They are. You know, I hate having problems with my neighbors, but this is the third or fourth time this has happened. I’m going to call the building manager and ask him to do something about it.
Conversation Corner: Talking about difficult situations
Task 1
Listen to the conversation. Write the missing words.
A: What’s wrong? You look exhausted.
B: I am. I have a …………… …………… …………… with me right now. He’s a friend from my English class. He was going to stay for a week, but he’s been here for four weeks now.
A: Oh, no! Why has he been staying with you for so long?
B: Well, there was a fire in …………… …………… ……………, so he has to find a new place to stay. The problem is, he can’t afford to pay the deposit for a new place until he gets money from the …………… …………… .
A: That’s terrible. The poor guy.
Task 2
Practice the conversation with a partner. Be sure to stress the compound nouns correctly.
Answer & Transcript
A: What’s wrong? You look exhausted.
B: I am. I have a house guest staying with me right now. He’s a friend from my English class. He was going to stay for a week, but he’s been here for four weeks now.
A: Oh, no! Why has he been staying with you for so long?
B: Well, there was a fire in his apartment building, so he has to find a new place to stay. The problem is, he can’t afford to pay the deposit for a new place until he gets money from the insurance company.
A: That’s terrible. The poor guy.
Related Posts
- Listening Exercises B1 – Predicaments
- Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – World
- Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – History
- Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Communities
- Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Success
- Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Emotion