Practice Listening English Exercises for B2 – Dating

1 advantage: can find out about each other’s backgrounds

   disadvantage: may never fall in love

2 advantage: they know you and your interests

   disadvantage: pressure; you feel you have to date the person

3 advantage: people can really fall in love

   disadvantage: you may never find the right person or get married

Audioscripts in B below

1 woman   2 man   3 both

Audioscripts

1   being introduce through a matchmaker

Man:   Hey, I just got a letter from Jeff in Taipei. He’s getting married!

Woman:   Getting married? I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend.

Man:   He met her two months ago. He says someone introduced them – a matchmaker?

Woman:   Oh, that’s pretty common in Asia. Lots of people ask a matchmaker to help them find a partner. Matchmakers introduce the people and help them to get to know each other.

Man:   Hmm. Sounds risky.

Woman:   Well, the main advantage is that the people can find out about each other’s backgrounds – family, education, job.

Man:   Yeah, but the couple may never fall in love. I think that’s a disadvantage of this way. I mean, if Jeff’s only known this woman for two months, how could he know if he loves her? I wouldn’t leave something as important as my marriage up to a matchmaker.

Woman:   Hmm. Well, I think matchmakers do help some people meet a great partner.

2   being introduced by a friend or relative

Woman:   You know, going to a matchmaker isn’t so different from being introduced by a friend or a relative. This way’s just a little more informal.

Man:   Yeah. And the advantage is that your friends really know you, so they can introduce you to someone with similar interests. I would definitely trust my friends to find a good partner for me.

Woman:   There is one disadvantage, though.

Man:   What’s that?

Woman:   Well, think of the pressure. Your friends introduce you to someone. Then they keep asking you, “So what do you think? He’s great, isn’t he?” Then you feel like you have to date the person. I think the pressure is a major disadvantage. I’m not so sure about this way.

Man:   Well, I can’t see any problem with it. I think my friends and family would choose someone I like.

3   meeting by chance

Woman:   I really think the best way to meet someone is by chance. You know, you just meet someone you like, maybe someone at school, someone with the same interests. You learn more about the person. You date – go to dinners and movies. The advantage of this way is that you can really fall in love – true love. Now that’s the right way to meet someone!

Man:   I totally agree. But I guess you might never find the right person. Then you might never get married. For me that’s the only disadvantage. But I still agree that it’s the best way.

1 by chance

2 on a blind date

3 through the woman’s parents

4 through a matchmaker

Audioscripts in B below

1 kind of shy; different

2 really funny; same

3 talkative; different

4 too old; different

Audioscripts

1

Ana:   Do you know how your parents met, Dave?

Dave:   Yeah. They started dating in high school. My dad had just moved to town. He didn’t know anybody, and he didn’t talk very much. Anyway, just by chance, they happened to sit next to each other in French class, and they liked each other right away.

Ana:   How sweet!

Dave:   At first my mom thought he was kind of shy. But then they started to study outside of class, too. That’s when my mother found out that he wasn’t quiet at all. He still talks a lot. In fact, they both still speak French together once in a while.

2

Ana:   Pedro, how did your parents meet?

Pedro:   It’s kind of funny, Ana. They had never even seen each other before their first date.

Ana:   Really? A blind date? So, what happened?

Pedro:   Well, one day my father’s boss said, “Hey, I know a really nice woman. Her name’s Anita. I think you two would like each other. Why don’t you give her a call?” So, my Dad called her, and they went out that night.

Ana:   Just like that?

Pedro:   Yep. And that first night, my Dad thought she was really funny. She started telling stories. She made my father laugh, and they fell in love. It’s great. She still makes him laugh all the time.

3

Sara:   My parents are a funny story.

Dave:   How did they get together, Sara?

Sara:   Well, my mother had lots of friends, but she didn’t date much. Then her parents – my grandparents – started introducing her to different men they knew, and my Dad was one of them.

Dave:   Did they like each other right away?

Sara:   Um, not exactly. At first my Dad thought she was very talkative. I guess she talked a lot. But after they got to know each other, she didn’t seem to talk as much as on that first date. She must have just been nervous. They laugh about it now.

4

Mike:   How about your parents, Min Ji?

Min Ji:   My parents met in South Korea, where they both grew up. When my Dad was thirty years old, he decided he was ready to get married. The problem was he didn’t know any women his age who weren’t already married. Back then, most people got married earlier.

Mike:   So, what did he do?

Min Ji:   My grandfather called a professional matchmaker who arranged an introduction between my father and mother. My mom was twenty-two. At first my mom thought he was a little too old for her, but when she got to know him better, they fell in love, and it didn’t matter anymore. Now she tells me, ‘Love is more important than age.”

Audioscripts

Matt:   Hi, Wendy. What are you writing?

Wendy:   Oh, hi, Matt. Well, it’s a form for a professional matchmaker.

Matt:   A what?

Wendy:   A matchmaking company. You know, a way to meet people, um, to uh, date.

Matt:   You mean like a boyfriend?

Wendy:   Well, yeah.

Matt:   How does it work?

Wendy:   Well, first you have to pay to register.

Matt:   Right, of course.

Wendy:   Then you fill out a form. You write a short description of yourself: your age, interests, hobbies, that sort of thing. And you write the things you’d like to find in a partner, too. Then you send the form to the company, and they send you a list of people who are a good match!

Matt:   Hmm. I don’t know.

Wendy:   My friend tried it, and she really liked it. She said it’s a good way to meet someone with the same interests. You know, it’s hard to meet someone who likes the same things I do.

Matt:   I can see your point.

Wendy:   And the other good thing about this is: If I don’t find anyone I want to date in three months, I can get my money back – guaranteed!

Matt:   Oh, Wendy, there are no guarantees in dating!

1 c   2 b   3 b   4 a    5 a

Audioscripts in B below

1 younger   2 supermarket

3 uncle   4 adventurous   5 wasn’t

Audioscripts

1

Woman:   When I met Alan, I was still in college, but he had already graduated. He was my best friend’s older brother, and he used to come to visit her on weekends. The three of us would hang out and talk. That’s how we got to know each other.

2

Woman:   I met my boyfriend by accident – a car accident! I hit his car in the parking lot of Sal’s Supermarket. But he wasn’t angry about it. He was so nice. Even though I crashed my car, it turned out to be a lucky day.

3

Man:   My father’s younger brother helped my parents get together. My father came home for dinner one night, and a matchmaker and a young woman were sitting in the living room. My dad was pretty surprised, but he says it was the best surprise he ever had.

4

Man:   My dad loves outdoor sports, so he signed up for a rock-climbing class in college, and just by chance, my mom was in the class, too. They liked each other right away. And now, they’re both great rock climbers!

5

Woman:   When my mother turned thirty, my grandparents decided to help her meet someone. They asked everyone in the family to set my mom up on blind dates. My mom felt a lot of pressure, but she did end up meeting my dad. She didn’t like the idea at first, but I guess she didn’t mind the result!