Exercise 1
1. Listen to five short conversations. Match them to the pictures.
2. Match the sentences halves. Then listen again and check.
1 I lost
2 Can you give me
3 It didn’t cross
4 I’ve just had a
5 I’m having
6 Make up
7 You have to use
a second thoughts now.
b your imagination to see the second person.
c your mind!
d concentration!
e a hint?
f thought.
g my mind to look there.
Answer & Audioscript
1 1 E 2 C 3 D 4 A 5 B
2 1 d 2 e 3 g 4 f 5 a 6 c 7 b
Audioscript
Conversation 1
Girl: OK. Green … red … blue …
Boy: Can you go a bit quicker?
Girl: OK … yellow, blue, black,
Boy: Good!
Girl: Purple … Argh. That was your fault. I lost concentration!
Boy: Never mind. Start again.
Conversation 2
Girl: This is impossible. I can only see one animal – a rabbit. Can you give me a hint?
Boy: OK … Look at the rabbit’s ears …
Girl: Oh, I see it now. A duck!
Boy: That’s right.
Conversation 3
Boy: This one’s good.
Girl: OK. Give me a second … OK. There are … No. Wait. I’ve changed my mind. There are others … 16, 17, 18. Yes! OK. There are 18.
Boy: Sorry! You missed one.
Girl: Oh, no way! Where?
Boy: One of the letters below the big four is actually a three.
Girl: Oh, yeah! It didn’t cross my mind to look there!
Boy: I got it completely wrong the first time.
Conversation 4
Boy: I don’t know the answer to this one. Surely it’s the one on the right.
Girl: Yes, but this is an optical illusion, remember? That can’t be the correct answer.
Boy: But the one on the left looks smaller.
Girl: Hold on. I’ve just had a thought. Are they the same size?
Boy: That’s a good guess. Have you got a ruler?
Conversation 5
Boy: OK, she’s old – very old, and she’s got a huge nose.
Girl: Can you see anyone else?
Boy: Um … no. Wait. Yes, I think I can see … No … Oh, wait.
Girl: Make up your mind!
Boy: No. No, I can’t see anyone else.
Girl: OK. You have to use your imagination to see the second person. Look at the old woman’s nose and imagine it’s someone’s chin.
Boy: Oh, wow. That’s incredible! It’s another woman, she’s younger and we can’t see her face.
Exercise 2
1. Listen to the interview. For each question, choose the correct answer.
1 Amelia became interested in magic because
A her older brother used to enjoy it.
B she was told she was naturally good at it.
C she was given a magic set on her birthday.
2 Amelia’s favourite performances have been
A at children’s parties.
B in competitions she won.
C during her time at university.
3 Amelia thinks creating your own tricks is
A less important than how you perform them.
B impossible for people with her level of experience.
C necessary if you want to become famous.
4 What does Amelia say about practising tricks?
A She does it in lots of different places.
B Her friends aren’t interested in helping.
C It’s something she prefers doing alone.
5 What does Amelia say about explaining to other people how she does tricks?
A She think it’s a bad idea because people can’t keep secrets.
B She sometimes does it with her closest friends.
C She only ever does it with other magicians.
6 What are Amelia’s plans for the future?
A She wants to be a professional magician.
B She wants to concentrate on her studies.
C She wants to work abroad.
Answer & Audioscript
1 B 2 B 3 A 4 A 5 C 6 B
Audioscript
You will hear an interview with a young magician.
Presenter: Hi, Amelia. Welcome to the university podcast. So, how did you get started as a magician?
Amelia: Well, ten years ago my older brother gave me his old magic set. It was brand new, really – he never played with it. I was nine then, and more interested in computer games, but I practised some of the tricks and showed them to my family. They were amazed and said I had a talent for it. From then on, magic became a big part of my life.
Presenter: So, where have you performed?
Amelia: I used to do talent shows at school. I was called ‘Amazing Amelia’! They’ve been the ones I’ve enjoyed the most – especially the two years I came first. I’ve also done tricks at young children’s birthday parties. They were useful practice but they aren’t the easiest audience. Now, I’ve left school and I’m doing my degree, I’m in the Magic Club and we do shows every few months. We’ve done two so far and they’ve been really popular.
Presenter: And have you created any of your own tricks?
Amelia: If you read biographies of famous magicians, it’s clear they spend a lot of time inventing new tricks. But for less experienced magicians, their advice is always the same: being a good magician is more about the way you speak to your audience. So I spend a lot of time thinking about how I present my tricks. But, no, none of my tricks were created by me. I found them in books or online.
Presenter: And do you practise tricks a lot?
Amelia: A lot! I mainly do it at home by myself, but also at our club, and wherever I am, I always have a trick or two in my pocket. I love trying new tricks on friends – even if they’re not always successful. And fortunately they never seem to get bored of seeing them!
Presenter: Do you ever tell anyone how you do your tricks?
Amelia: It depends. In our university club we obviously tell each other everything. But, of course, we’re very good at keeping secrets! In the past, I was persuaded by a few of my non-magician friends to explain one or two tricks. And amazingly, they haven’t told anyone … yet! But nowadays, I don’t tell them anything. I might give them a tiny hint. But that’s it.
Presenter: And would you like to be a professional magician one day?
Amelia: Umm … A few years ago that was definitely my plan. And I feel certain that a career in magic would be a lot of fun. I even study languages, which would be useful for performing in other countries. But recently I’ve started having second thoughts. I’m only 19. At the moment, I think I need to keep magic as a hobby and make sure I get a good degree. I don’t need to make my mind up now.
Presenter: Thank you, Amelia. We wish you lots of luck!
Exercise 3
1. Listen and decide which sentence is true.
a Mark doesn’t believe Lucy.
b Lucy doesn’t believe Mark.
Answer & Audioscript
b
Audioscript
Mark: Hey, Lucy, you know Thomas – he’s in my maths class. He’s really into magic. One of his tricks is incredible. You won’t believe this, but he floats above the ground!
Lucy: Are you serious? You’re saying that he can levitate – he can rise into the air, above the ground? That just isn’t possible, Mark.
Mark: I know. I couldn’t believe my eyes!
Lucy: How far was he above the ground?
Mark: I don’t know. Ten centimetres? He stayed there for about five seconds.
Lucy: No way! Did you ask him how he does it?
Mark: Of course I asked him. Everyone did. He said we couldn’t keep a secret and would tell everyone …
Lucy: Well, he’s completely right, of course. Where is he? I want to see this incredible trick …
Exercise 4
1. You will hear an interview with a young magician called Jerry Tweed. Listen and tick the topics he talks about.
1 how he became interested in doing magic
2 how he started learning tricks
3 how much money he’s made doing magic
4 his favourite trick to perform
5 what his parents think about him doing magic
6 what he would like do in the future
2. Listen again. For each question, choose the correct answer A, B or C.
1 Who first encouraged Jerry to start doing magic tricks?
A his aunt
B a performer
C his father
2 Jerry learned his first magic tricks when he
A watched a teacher at school.
B had some private lessons.
C joined a special club.
3 What does Jerry do now to develop his skills?
A He goes to see other magicians perform.
B He reads books about how to do magic.
C He finds videos online showing tricks.
4 How do Jerry’s parents feel about him leaving school early?
A They believe he has the ability to have a good career.
B They are happy to give him money when he needs it.
C They would still like him to take all his exams.
5 How does Jerry feel about his appearance on television?
A surprised by the way the presenter reacted
B unsure whether some tricks he did were original enough
C pleased at the number of people who watched the programme
6 What is Jerry definitely going to do in the future?
A train people in his own school
B travel to other countries for work
C design magic equipment for learners
Answer & Audioscript
1 1 ✓ 2 ✓ 3 ✗ 4 ✗ 5 ✓ 6 ✓
2 1 A 2 C 3 B 4 A 5 B 6 B
Audioscript
Interviewer: In the studio with us today we have the young magician, Jerry Tweed. Jerry, who encouraged you to start doing magic?
Jerry: Well, I was only three when my dad took me to a magic show. The man on stage was wearing a suit with stars on it and that’s all I remember. We went to my aunt’s house afterwards and she said, ‘Jerry, why not do magic when you’re older!’ I never forgot those words. That’s how it all began.
Interviewer: How did you learn your first tricks?
Jerry: In primary school, I had a teacher who showed us some simple tricks, but I couldn’t really do any until I was old enough to go to a Young Magicians’ Club – they have great courses there and I really got into it. I know some people have a private teacher but I’ve never felt I needed one.
Interviewer: And what do you do now to develop your skills?
Jerry: A few years ago, I used to go to as many live shows as possible, and I watched videos on the internet. These days, though, I’m busy performing my own magic, so I don’t have much free time. But I still learn a lot from books written by magicians.
Interviewer: You left school early to concentrate on magic. How do your parents feel about that?
Jerry: They were worried when I decided to leave school at 16. They thought I should carry on until I was at least 18 and finish all my exams. But they’ve seen how successful my shows are and they realise I’m talented enough to make a living from them. They haven’t had to support me financially, which I think they’re glad about.
Interviewer: You’ve performed on television recently, haven’t you?
Jerry: Yes, it was in the middle of the day so I doubt if it attracted a huge audience. I started with a few traditional tricks. Maybe that was a mistake – doing tricks people have seen before, I mean. But for my last trick, I made a card disappear and the presenter found it in her sandwich. She was amazed and I think that really impressed people.
Interviewer: What are your plans for the future, Jerry?
Jerry: Well, next year I’m performing in various places around Europe and Asia – that tour’s already booked. I’ve thought about making boxes of tricks to sell in shops – they’d be for children who want to learn some basic magic. It’s just an idea, though. A friend of mine has set up a school for young magicians – that sounds interesting but it might not suit me. I don’t know – we’ll see.
Exercise 5
1. Match the photos (A-D) to the topics (1-4). Then listen to four people talking about fake news. Which topics do they discuss?
1 a food that sounds disgusting
2 stories about health and medicine
3 celebrities and their private lives
4 something surprising in space
2. Listen again and answer the questions.
1 A In the astronomy article, what did scientists see on Mars?
B Why might NASA want to keep the story secret?
2 A Who did the article say the actor had married?
B Why was it impossible for them to be married?
3 A Why didn’t the company like the phrase ‘strange pink liquid’?
B What happened after the report was shown on TV?
4 A What health products are fake stories often about?
B What are the fake news writers really trying to do?
Answer & Audioscript
1
1 D – Ben (speaker 3)
2 C – Katy (speaker 4)
3 A – Marc (speaker 2)
4 B – Jade (speaker 1)
2
1 A a secret city
B Because people would be scared.
2 A a supermodel
B They had never met.
3 A It sounded horrible.
B The TV programme had to pay the company because its image was damaged.
4 A medicines, superfoods or exercise machines
B They want to sell their products.
Audioscript
Speaker 1, Jade
Jade: One day I saw a story about the Hubble space telescope, and I’m a fan of astronomy, so I had to read it. The headline asked, ‘Has Hubble discovered life in space?’, which sounded cool, but when I read the story, I knew it was fake. It said the telescope had photographed a secret city on Mars, but NASA wasn’t saying anything because it would scare people. And the article didn’t give any names, of course! I read lots of scientific articles, and that’s not the way real scientists write about their work!
Speaker 2, Marc
Marc: Fake news? Well, there’ve been many cases involving celebrities. One time I was at the supermarket and I saw two magazine cover stories about a famous Hollywood actor. One headline said he had secretly married a supermodel, and another magazine said they had just broken up. But the funniest part is – they were never together. The model gave an interview and said she had never met him before. You can’t believe anything you see in magazines!
Speaker 3, Ben
Ben: Hmm. Well, it can be a serious problem. There was a case in the USA about a company that made burgers. A TV programme said the company was using a ‘strange pink liquid’, which sounds horrible! During the show, the reporter used the phrase ‘strange pink liquid’ many, many times, and the company said that was bad for their business. In the end, the TV programme had to pay the company for damaging its image.
Speaker 4, Katy
Katy: Well, it’s quite an important issue. I think fake news can be dangerous when it’s about health and medicine. I mean you often see stories about some amazing plant or food that can make you healthier and more beautiful. Or maybe a fantastic exercise machine that helps you lose 10 kilograms in a week. Of course, they’re only adverts, and they want to sell you a product and take your money. I think that’s horrible. Some people believe these crazy stories, and they might do things that are bad for their health.
Related Posts
- 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
- Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Solutions
