Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Society

A

Speaker 1:   Melbourne – great city, friendly and fun; lots of things to see and do; very artsy; lots of cafés and street art, music; good nightlife; good public transportation; good atmosphere; great location; fantastic beaches

Speaker 2:   Dubai – one of the world’s fastest growing cities; lots of people, very crowded; great shopping; good nightlife; lots of bars and clubs; not a lot of crime; streets are very safe; traffic is terrible; everybody drives a car; gas is cheap; lots of cheap taxis, so you don’t have to drive

Speaker 3:   Prague – one of the best cities in the world; so beautiful, like the city of your dreams; beautiful buildings and squares; old streets wonderful to walk along; full of culture, music, restaurants and bars; very cold in winter – a lot of snow; sunny in the summer, so you can sit outside in the cafés or walk up to the castle; very special city; people are very friendly

B

2 Prague   3 Dubai   4 Melbourne   5 Dubai   6 Prague

Audioscript

I1 = 1st interviewer     D = Daniela     I2 = 2nd interviewer     R = Rick    

I3 = 3rd interviewer     M = Matt

Conversation 1

I1:   Daniela, so you live in Melbourne, right?

D:   Yeah, that’s right.

I1:   Well, Melbourne has been voted one of the best cities to live in for young people.  So what do you think? Do you like living in Melbourne?

D:   I love it! Melbourne is a really great city. It’s very friendly and fun. Umm … there’re lots of things to see and do.

I1:   OK, so you can go out a lot?

D:   Yeah, it’s very artsy, there are lots of cafés and street art, music … and the nightlife is really good. People like to enjoy themselves in Melbourne.

I1:   That’s great. And what about getting around? What’s the public transportation like?

D:   Public transportation is really good, actually. It’s quite cheap, and it’s efficient. You can go everywhere by streetcar, and sometimes it’s even free.

I1:   So, what do you like best about living in Melbourne?

D:   I think it’s probably the atmosphere. Also, it’s a great location. It’s really close to some fantastic beaches, so there’s surfing. It has everything really. It’s a great city.

Conversation 2

I2:   Rick, you’ve lived in Dubai for … what, four years, right?

R:   Yeah, four years.

I2:   So what’s it like, living in Dubai?

R:   Well, I read that Dubai is one of the world’s fastest growing cities, so there are a lot of people, and it’s very crowded. It’s a great city for shopping, and going out. And it has really good nightlife, with lots of bars and clubs.

I2:   Is it a safe city?

R:   Yes, there isn’t a lot of crime. The streets are very safe. But one of the biggest problems is the traffic. Everyone drives a car here—gas is still cheap, so the traffic’s terrible. One good thing is the taxis though. There are lots of them, and they’re cheap, so you don’t have to drive.

Conversation 3

I3:   What about Prague? What’s Prague like, Matt?

M:   I’ve always loved Prague. I think it’s definitely one of the best cities in the world.

I3:   What do you like best about living in Prague?

M:   I think it has to be the city itself. It’s so beautiful. It’s like the city of your dreams, with beautiful buildings and squares. The old streets are wonderful to walk along. It is full of culture, music, bars, restaurants …

I3:   What about the weather?  What’s the weather like in Prague?

M:   Yeah. OK, when I arrived in Prague, it was minus 7 degrees Celsius. So, obviously, it gets very cold in the winter, and there is a lot of snow. But, in the summer, the sun shines, and you can sit outside in the cafés or walk up to the castle.  It’s a very special city and the people are so friendly.

A

1

Conversation 1:   in a hotel

Conversation 2:   in a restaurant

Conversation 3:   at a train station

2

Conversation 1:   air conditioning doesn’t work

Conversation 2:   slow service and an extra charge on the check

Conversation 3:   train delays

B

1 look into it right away and send someone up

2 polite   3 (about) twenty minutes   4 another hour

5 it’s a very busy time of year

6 for over an hour

7 because the cause of the delay is the wrong type of snow

Audioscript

G = Guest     R = Receptionist     D = Diner    W = Waitress    

Ma = Manager     W = Woman     M = Man

Conversation 1

G:   Oh, hello. Could you help me? There’s a problem with the air conditioning.

R:   Oh, yes?

G:   I’ve just tried to switch it on, but it doesn’t work.

R:   Is it completely dead?

G:   Completely. Absolutely nothing.

R:   OK, we’ll look into it right away. I’ll send someone up. It’ll take about five minutes, OK?

G:   Thanks.

R:   You’re welcome. And sorry about that.

Conversation 2

D:   I’m afraid I have a complaint. Could I speak to the manager, please?

W:   Yes, of course.

Ma:   Good evening, sir. I understand there’s a problem.

D:   Yes. I’m afraid I have a complaint.

Ma:   Oh?

D:   Well, we got here at eight. And then we waited about twenty minutes for a table.

Ma:   Right.

D:   This is for a table we’d reserved for eight, OK? Then we waited another hour for our meal.

Ma:   Right.

D:   One hour. Then when the check arrived, they put this extra charge on it.

Ma:   An extra charge? That’s probably the service charge.

D:   Well, could you check this for me, please?

Ma:   Yes, that’s service.

D:   Well, to be honest, I don’t want to pay this.

Ma:   Of course not. Well, sir, I am really sorry about that. It’s a very busy time of year.

Conversation 3

W:   Excuse me. Do you work here?

M:   Yes.

W:   Do you know when the next train will be arriving? I mean, I’ve been here for over an hour.

M:   I’m sorry but there’s nothing we can do at the moment. Everything is delayed.

W:   And you don’t know when the next train is coming?

M:   No.

W:   Or why there’s a delay?

M:   Snow.

W:   What?

M:   Snow on the track. It was the wrong type of snow.

W:   What do you mean “the wrong type of snow”? You’re kidding, right?

A

1 imported food   2 activities for teenagers

B

1 food   2 grow   3 teenagers   4 sports centers

Audioscript

1

One thing that really annoys me is the fact that we import so much food from overseas, rather than growing our own food here in this country. So, you go to the supermarket, and you can buy strawberries in the middle of winter. I suppose that’s OK. But, then you try to buy an apple, and the apples are from New Zealand, and you think, “Well, that’s just crazy.” I mean I don’t understand why we need to fly apples all over the world when we could just grow them here in this country? It really makes me angry. It would be so much better for the environment if people bought food locally. So, I’d like to start a campaign to encourage people to buy and eat local food. Perhaps I could start a website or publish articles in newspapers to try to get people to stop buying food that comes from all over the world.

2

I get really fed up with the fact that there’s nothing for teenagers to do in this town. I just think it’s really difficult because people complain that teenagers are just on the streets, causing problems. But actually, there isn’t really anywhere else for them to go. There are no sports facilities or clubs where they can spend time together and have some fun. And another thing is we get a lot of crime because there are too many bored teenagers around. I’d like to raise money to build sports centers and youth clubs where teenagers can go to enjoy themselves or practice sports or learn something. I think there should be more things for teenagers to do, and they should be better and cheaper.

A

Sophie talks about technology.

Luis talks about litter.

Pamela talks about spam.

B

1 c   2 b   3 a   4 c   5 c   6 c

Audioscript

I = Interviewer   S = Sophie   L = Luis   P = Pamela

1

S:   OK. My name is Sophie Dunston, and I’m sixteen years old. Well, one thing I don’t like is people using their cell phones or laptops or other technology at the wrong time.

I:   What do you mean by “the wrong time”?

S:   For example, during classes or any time when someone’s trying to talk to them.

I:   Isn’t this normal now?

S:   I don’t think so. Some of my friends don’t even hear their parents because they spend their whole life wearing headphones. I think it’s really rude.

I:   And how would you stop this?

S:   Well, in my school, they banned personal technology during classes, and I think it was a really good idea. People can concentrate much better now.

2

I:   Luis, can you just introduce yourself briefly?

L:   Yeah, I’m thirty-five years old, and I’m a waiter. Should I answer the questions?

I:   Yes, go ahead.

L:   OK. Well, for me the worst thing is litter.

I:   On the street?

L:   Litter on the street. People just throw away bits of paper or drop food. But it’s also on the subway. I’m a New Yorker. I go to work every day by subway, and people just leave their newspapers lying around. And all this paper is a real mess.

I:   How can we stop it?

L:   I don’t think you can stop it. The government has tried to introduce fines, but it hasn’t worked.

I:   What punishment would you suggest for people who drop litter?

L:   I’d make them clean the streets.

3

I:   If you just give your name and age.

P:   All right. My name is Pamela, and I’m seventy years old. But I think I’m a young seventy. Unlike most of my older friends, I love technology, and I use email every day. But the one thing I hate about it is spam. It is so annoying. I think the people who are responsible should be forced to sit down and read millions of spam messages for six months.

I:   That would teach them!

P:   Of course it would.