Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – We love celebs!

1   1 Phil   2 Andy   3 Maggie   4 Nicole

2   1 mad   2 curious   3 lonely   4 shy   5 unexpected

     6 stressful   7 nasty   8 charming   9 professional

    10 delighted   11 rude   12 annoyed

Audioscript

Joanne:   I’m just mad about my celebs! I buy a magazine every week and I follow their lives. My friends think I’m crazy, but you know, it’s just like any interest! I’m curious! I love knowing what they’re doing and where they are. I follow quite a few on social media. People say that celebs just do things for money, but that’s not true, well, not for all of them. Some are really kind and have a lot of good qualities. I’d love to be a celeb myself. It’d be just great!

Phil:   Honestly, I don’t really follow the lives of celebrities, but the papers and magazines keep telling us what they’re doing. I do sometimes get curious, especially if there’s something about a football player. But I think that people who are mad about celebs, well, they must be a bit lonely really. I read about this one woman. She has her car washed at a garage just because she’d seen a celeb there. Ridiculous, if you ask me.

Nicole:   I had this amazing experience. We were in Las Vegas on holiday and this really famous guy was next to us, with his girlfriend and family. There were fans who were asking for autographs, you know, when they write their name on a piece of paper, and he was so easy-going and nice. I wanted to ask for his autograph, but I was too shy. I just felt embarrassed. But then, after he’d gone, I saw he had left his sunscreen behind! I picked it up and kept it. I was actually surprised that it wasn’t a better quality one! But I didn’t mind – it was an unexpected souvenir!

Andy:   Well, you know, I think that the way celebs behave is really important. I’m sure it must be stressful sometimes, you know, all the cameras, but they shouldn’t get nasty, you know what I mean? But I think that most of them are charming. I think they know it’s really important that they are professional, because there are so many fans who watch what they do and then copy them.

Maggie:   Well, I was a really big fan of this band, so you can imagine I was delighted that they’d chosen our town to play in. Everyone was really excited. But you know what? It was like they didn’t notice us. We weren’t there. They came on and played, but they didn’t talk to us or anything. I thought it was a bit rude. I mean, without the fans they’re nothing! I was quite upset about it. Also, the sound was really poor quality, so people couldn’t hear properly and I think some fans even left. They were really annoyed because they couldn’t hear. So, I guess the band got what they deserved!

1 B   2 A   3 B   4 C   5 B   6 A

Audioscript

You will hear an interview with a woman called Pattie.

Interviewer:   Pattie, you advise famous people and you’re here to talk to us about this. Is it right that more young people than ever say their ambition is to become famous?

Patie:   According to the research, yes. No doubt they’re thinking about the good stuff – the money and attention. Those things are amazing – but even though they might know what they want to be famous for – being a great singer or actor, for example – they mustn’t forget about how much hard work and talent is needed to get to the top.

Interviewer:   Tell us about the role of the paparazzi.

Patie:   It can be exciting being followed around. Everyone wants to interview you, fans want to talk to you, your picture’s everywhere. The media has to sell magazines and you have to promote your work, and because of this, a good relationship develops between you. Of course, when things aren’t going so well, the paparazzi will still be there, reporting what’s going wrong.

Interviewer:   Tell us about fans.

Patie:   Usually, they’ll support you, ask for selfies, want you to sign things … all of that. That can change if, say, as an actor, you play a horrible character in a film. A small number of fans forget that you aren’t actually that person and even shout unpleasant things to you on the street – strange but true!

Interviewer:   What do you think is most difficult about becoming famous?

Patie:   People go from having an ordinary life to being recognised very quickly. Suddenly, your life isn’t private any more. Personally, I think I’d find it impossible to know what to say to the press – it must take a while to be able to answer questions in the right way. That’s where agents are useful – they can help you regarding these challenging things.

Interviewer:   There must be some enjoyable things about being famous?

Patie:   Well, besides never having to wait for a table in a restaurant, you can have all those dull things done for you – cooking, cleaning, shopping … Who wouldn’t enjoy that! And despite earning lots, you might be given things for free – designer clothes, jewellery … Some people like that, even if they have enough money to buy the things themselves. You may also have the chance to do different things during your career – singers get offered acting jobs, for example.

Interviewer:   What advice would you give someone who’s just becoming famous?

Patie:   Remember that it can be difficult to know who to trust. Someone might talk to the newspapers about something you’ve done. And you’ve got to behave well in any situation, however you’re feeling. The thing you really must remember is that you may only be famous for a short time, so develop other skills you can use later on if you need to.

Interviewer:   Thanks, Pattie!

1   He watches them on satellite TV or online.

2   1 false   2 false   3 true   4 false   5 true   6 false

Audioscript

Interviewer:   Not so many years ago, one of the greatest role models for boys in Japan was David Beckham, the English footballer. Let’s face it, Beckham’s name was known everywhere, so that wasn’t a huge surprise. We wanted to find out whether European football was still so attractive for teens in Asia. I spoke to Akira, a Japanese teenager who is mad about football. Akira, you support a British football club, don’t you?

Akira:   Yes, I do. I support Arsenal.

Interviewer:   Why don’t you support a Japanese club?

Akira:   Well, I do, I go to local matches and support my town club, but that isn’t international. It’s much more exciting watching international football, like the World Cup.

Interviewer:   So you supported Japan in the World Cup, then?

Akira:   Well, yes, but we came out quite early, so then I wanted Germany to win in the World Cup.

Interviewer:   Why’s that?

Akira:   Well, I thought they were the best team, and they had Özil.

Interviewer:   Özil?

Akira:   Yes, Özil was playing for Germany at that time. He’s fantastic – I’m a really big fan of Özil.

Interviewer:   Well, you might be right! But I don’t understand. European teams play on the other side of the world from where you live. How do you watch their games?

Akira:   That doesn’t matter. European matches are on late at night here, but we have satellite TV so I can watch them live if there isn’t school the next day, or I can watch them online the next day.

Interviewer:   Good point. What about feeling part of a fan community, though?

Akira:   Community?

Interviewer:   You know, group.

Akira:   Oh, no problem. A lot of us here in Japan watch European football – most of the boys in my school do, so we watch matches together. But we aren’t alone here. We like joining in on sports forums – you know, when the matches are on, or just after, we can have live chats with fans from all over the world. The world is a very small place now!

Interviewer:   Indeed, and it’s obviously doing your English good.

Akira:   Yes, thank you. But it isn’t only the fans – we can follow our favourite teams and players on Twitter, so we know what they’re doing. It’s a great time to be a fan!

1 C   2 B   3 A   4 C   5 A   6 B

Audioscript

F:   This morning, we’re talking to reporter Ignacio Mendes about celebrities. Ignacio, what do most people think when you say the word ‘celebrity’?

M:   They think of the beautiful people of the world, who have everything done for them, who get attention wherever they go – and who are very rich, of course. The thing I hear most from people about celebrities is that they think they’re better than other people because they’ve got a few acting skills, or whatever.

F:   You’ve met a lot of celebrities. How do you find them?

M:   Most of them are just like you or me. They followed something they loved doing, got better and better at it and became famous because of it – they didn’t necessarily start out with becoming famous as their aim, though they’re grateful for the benefits it gives them.

F:   Do you think being a celebrity is different to being famous?

M:   The dictionary definition of celebrity is ‘famous person’. I’m not sure that’s how people see it, though. Imagine a TV newsreader. Everyone knows their face, but are they interested in their private lives? Do they get followed by journalists? Not usually. It’s sports stars and actors and musicians that the public celebrate – and want to be like.

F:   Do you think celebrities can help society?

M:   Without doubt. Besides being entertaining – which we need to help us relax, they’re also able to draw attention to problems, such as those of the environment. For me, that’s the most positive thing they can do with their fame. They can also encourage people to build their own skills.

F:   Is there a celebrity you particularly respect?

M:   No one person. Lots of celebrities visit sick children, have their selfies taken with fans … That’s using what they’ve got to do great things, even if it takes time and effort. Many celebrities give to charity, too – that’s easy when you earn millions, though! And there are those who are very private. I’m not sure that’s fair on their fans – they’re the ones who help them make their money.

F:   Finally, would you like to be a celebrity?

M:   When you become a celebrity, your life isn’t your own any more. If you’re a big star, you will get followed, people will write nasty things about you on social media. That’d be awful. And there’s pressure to keep being good at what you do – you just have to be confident, I suppose. It’d be nice to have money to give to friends and family – though that’s not enough for me to say ‘yes’ to your questions!