Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – World

A

1 M   2 H   3 H   4 M   5 H

B

1 offer   2 famous   3 vegetables   4 ten

5 wonderful   6 dessert   7 worst

Audioscript

1

My favorite food city is, ah, Hiroshima, in Japan … They have all sorts of food. They of course have the really famous sushi that everyone thinks about when they think of Japanese food. But, they have so much else to offer. Hiroshima’s really famous for its okonomiyaki, which is like a cross between a pancake and a pizza … It’s a kind of egg and flour mixture with cabbage and noodles and meat and sometimes cheese. It’s really good. One of my favorite restaurants is a place called, ah, Daikichi, which specializes in grilled chicken. You can get grilled chicken with cheese, grilled chicken with plum sauce, and a really good soup with rice and ginger in it. I’d love to take you to Daikichi, you’d love it. They have good beer, too. But also you can get tempura in Hiroshima, which is like shrimp and vegetables deep fried in a really light, fluffy batter … It’s really good. And then, you also have the informal restaurants that are called izakaya where you go with a group of friends. You order lots of dishes, and everyone shares and eats from the middle of the table. So, it’s a great way to try lots of different kinds of food. Actually I know a really good izakaya restaurant that I should take you to.

2

Well, my favorite food city would be Madrid. I lived in Madrid, in Spain, for around ten years on and off, and the quality of the food is, is wonderful—it’s sensational! Spanish people always say that Spanish food is the best in the world, and I always argued while I lived there, that I felt there was a lot more variety of food in the U.S. But, when I moved back to the U.S., I really started to miss the richness, the quality of the food in Spain. I think my favorite restaurant in Spain was a tiny, little Galician place—Galicia is a part in the northwest of Spain. It’s a seafood restaurant in a small little bar. It was a very, it wasn’t posh or expensive; it was cheap and basic, but just served the most wonderful seafood followed by lots of white wine and a great tarta de Santiago, a great pastry dessert, afterward. Another great thing, obviously, about Spanish food, which you’ll have heard of, is tapas where everyone gets together on Sunday afternoon to have a few bites to eat and a few beers together. It’s a lovely social atmosphere, and it’s nice to go out and try a variety of different food. I once tried pig’s ear, which I have to say was possibly the worst thing I’ve ever tasted, but generally the quality was sensational.

A

1 d)   2 b)   3 c)   4 a)

B

1   unlicensed taxi drivers

2   subway delays

3   mosquitoes and malaria, drinking unpurified water

4   street crime

Audioscript

Conversation 1

A:   Is there anything I should know for when I arrive at the airport?

B:   Yes, watch out for the taxi drivers who tend to hang around outside the airport. Most of them aren’t licensed, so you shouldn’t really use them.

A:   OK.

B:   If you do use one, make sure you find out how much the ride is supposed to cost. Don’t get in until you’ve agreed on the price with the driver, or else you could find that you have to pay three or four times the amount you should pay for the trip.

A:   Oh, right. That’s good to know.

Conversation 2

A:   Hi. I’m going to J.F.K. airport tomorrow, and my plane leaves at three p.m. Latest check in time is 1:40. What time do you think I should leave downtown Manhattan?

B:   For J.F.K.? Well, you’d better leave plenty of time because often there are delays on the subway. Are you going on the subway or the train?

A:   The subway, I think.

B:   The subway? If I were you, I’d allow about an hour and a half. So, if you want to be at the airport at 1:30, then you’d better leave at about twelve o’clock.

A:   OK. That’s great. Thanks.

Conversation 3

A:   Be careful when you take trips into the jungle in the north. Generally, there are a lot of mosquitoes there, so remember to take mosquito nets and insect repellent. It’s a good idea to wear long pants and shirts with sleeves in the evening. And don’t forget to take your malaria pills.

B:   Oh, yes, I remember those.

A:   And, whatever you do, don’t drink the water, or you’ll have stomach problems.

B:   Oh, I didn’t know that.

A:   Yes, always be sure to boil the water first or drink bottled water. You have to be careful when you eat raw food, too, like fruit, if it’s been washed in water.

B:   OK.

Conversation 4

A:   We’re going there on vacation, and I’ve heard that there’s a lot of street crime. Is that true?

B:   Not really, no. I mean, it’s like any big city. You need to watch out for groups of young children on the streets. They try to distract you and then sometimes take your bag.

A:   Oh. OK.

B:   It’s not very common, but don’t walk around the city obviously carrying money in a big money belt or anything.

A:   Of course.

B:   The most important thing is to remember to hold on to your purse, and things like that, but no, there isn’t really much crime. On the whole, it’s a pretty safe city.

A:   That’s useful, thanks.

1   Venice

2   It is slowly sinking.

3   Because many people think it is one of the most romantic cities in the world; it has beautiful bridges and no cars.

4   answer not given

5   We can put pressure on the government to find a permanent solution.

Audioscript

One place that I think everyone should have the chance to see is Venice. But, the problem is that this beautiful and charming city is slowly sinking. Ever since the fourteenth century, engineers have tried to work out a way to stop the floods in Venice, but so far nobody has managed. Sometimes there are as many as forty floods per year between March and September, and Venice is actually sinking at a rate of two and a half inches every decade. It’s very possible that your grandchildren and their grandchildren will never have the chance to see this fragile city. Everyone should have the chance to enjoy the city, to walk across its famous bridges, through its ancient squares. There are no cars in Venice, and many people think it helps this to be one of the most romantic cities in the world. So, can it be saved? Well, they are trying. Barriers are being put up to try to stop the water from getting too high. This is viewed as a temporary measure, although it should work for a hundred years. So the problem is finding a permanent solution. If you want my advice, go there while you still can, and then together we can put pressure on the government to spend the money it needs to find a permanent way to keep this beautiful and historic city for future generations. We have an opportunity now to save this city, and we must, before it’s too late.

A

1 lights   2 Eiffel Tower   3 Pyramids

4 Sydney   5 change   6 different

B

1   F (2.2 million people)

2   T

3   T

4   F (Some people think the event is meaningless.)

5   T

6   F (He doesn’t think the event helps people to change their behavior.)

Audioscript

H = Host, A = Amy, J = Jay-Jay

H:   In 2007, one city decided to take a stand against climate change. 2.2 million people across Sydney switched off their lights for an event that would become known across the world as Earth Hour. Earth Hour quickly went global, spreading across the world. And, in 2010, thousands of cities in 128 countries took part. Global landmarks like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Egyptian Pyramids, New York’s Empire State Building and Sydney Harbour Bridge all plunged into darkness as millions of people around the world switched their lights off to protest against climate change.

Organizers say that they want to demonstrate what people can do to reduce their carbon footprint and save energy, and thus draw attention to the problem of climate change. However, critics describe the event as meaningless. In today’s program, we’re asking what you think. Can Earth Hour really make a difference? Is it a good way to raise awareness about the problems the world is facing? Have you taken part in the switch-off? First on the line, we have Amy. Amy, can you tell us what you think?

A:   I think Earth Hour is a great idea. It’s a really simple way for people to show that they care about the environment and want something to change.

H:   So, did you do anything for Earth Hour last year, Amy?

A:   Yes, I did. I was at home with my two children, who are eight and thirteen years old, and we switched the lights off at home and had our dinner by candlelight.

H:   And how did you find that? What did the children think?

A:   It was great. The children loved it, and we enjoyed a really quiet hour, with no television or music. We talked, actually. And we’ll be doing it again this year, definitely.

H:   Thank you, Amy. Thanks for calling. Now, we’ve got Jay-Jay on the line. Jay-Jay, what do you think of Earth Hour?

J:   I think it’s a complete waste of time. I can’t believe it.

H:   Wow. And why is that, Jay-Jay? What’s the problem?

J:   I don’t understand how anybody can think that turning off your lights for one hour is really going to make any difference. It’s just a way for people to do something that makes them feel better. They turn their lights off for an hour, and then they think they‘ve done something about climate change.

And then they can carry on as they were before. What we need is for people to really change how they behave every day, not just for an hour. They need to use less electricity, not drive around in their cars everywhere. We need governments to make big changes, and turning your lights off … well, it’s just silly.

H:   But don’t you think, Jay-Jay, that it is a symbol, a gesture that helps to get people around the world thinking about the problems?

J:   Yes, you’re right. But the main problem is not to get people thinking about it, but to get people to actually change the way that they live. And, that’s not easy.

H:   You’re right about that. I suppose …