Practice Listening English Exercises for B2 – Study abroad

1 apartment with an American roommate

2 apartment with a roommate from the same country

3 homestay

4 dormitory

5 apartment alone

Audioscripts in B below

1 help improve English; difficulty communicating

2 share experiences; English wouldn’t improve

3 learn about American culture; far

4 convenient; noisy

5 can be messy; could be lonely

Audioscripts

1

Woman:   I’m having a really hard time with this.

Man:   What’s going on?

Woman:   I’m supposed to hand in this housing form to the study abroad office tomorrow, and I can’t decide where I want to live next semester. Should I stay on campus and live in the dorm again, or should I get an apartment or a rental house off-campus? Or maybe I should try a homestay? See what I mean? I can’t decide.

Man:   Well, they all have advantages and disadvantages. Let’s think about them one by one. How about getting an apartment with an American roommate?

Woman:   Hmm. That’s an interesting idea. That would really help me improve my English.

Man:   Yeah, and that’s why you’re here in the U.S. in the first place, right?

Woman:   Yeah. But I wonder if it would really be the best thing. What if we had difficult communicating. It might cause problems.

Man:   Hmm. I guess it could.

2

Man:   Well, would you live in an apartment with someone from your country, another student?

Woman:   Hey! That’s a good idea. We would be able talk to each other and share our experiences.

Man:   Well, it would be good to share the same experiences. But remember, you’re here to improve your English. With a roommate from the same country, your English probably won’t improve so much.

Woman:   Yeah, you’re probably right.

3

Man:   How about living with an American family – doing a homestay?

Woman:   Yeah. A lot of students do that.

Man:   A homestay would be great because you’d really have an opportunity to learn about American culture.

Woman:   That’s true. I definitely want to learn the culture. But the homestay families often live pretty far away from the school. I really don’t want to have to commute too far to get to campus.

4

Man:   Well, you could just stay in the dormitory again next semester.

Woman:   Yeah, I guess so. Living in a dorm is really convenient. It’s nice to be so close to classes.

Man:   Right. Being on campus can be a good thing. But didn’t you say your dorm gets pretty noisy sometimes?

Woman:   Yes! It’s very noisy. Hmm. Maybe I’d get more studying done if I lived someplace quieter.

5

Woman:   Maybe I could just get a little apartment near campus – a little one-room place by myself.

Man:   An apartment alone?

Woman:   Yeah! If I live alone, I can be messy if I want to, and I won’t bother anyone else with my mess.

Man:   But eating alone, studying alone, watching TV alone? Wouldn’t that be kind of lonely?

Woman:   Yeah, I guess it could be lonely. Wow. I guess I need to think about this some more. I’m going to sleep on it and make my final decision in the morning.

Man:   OK. Call me and let me know what you decide.

1 near Sydney

2 small, private language school

3 6, 12

4 5 to 10 students

5 dorm, apartment, homestay

Audioscripts in B below

1 yes; quite, convenient, perfect for a student

2 no; not many chances to practice with native speakers

3 no; need more time

4 yes; can improve quickly

5 yes; a lot of options

Audioscripts

1

Professor:   Good afternoon, Ji Su. I’m glad to hear you’re interested in studying abroad.

Ji Su:   Yes. Thank you for meeting with me, Professor Smith. I’m especially interested in studying in Australia. I’d appreciate any information you can give me about the program there.

Professor:   The program in Australia is at the Language Learning Center near Sydney.

Ji Su:   Sydney? Wow! Is the school downtown?

Professor:   Actually, the campus is about fifteen minutes from downtown Sydney by train. It’s located in a safe, residential area. Of course, there are shops and restaurants nearby, but mostly you’ll find houses and apartments around the school. The location is quiet and convenient – perfect for a student.

2

Ji Su:   Can you tell me what type of school the center is? Is it a university or a private language school?

Professor:   Sure. The Language Learning Center is a small, private language school with a staff of about five or six teachers. That’s something to consider carefully. At a small school, you won’t have as many chances to meet Australian students and practice your English with native speakers, not like you would at a large university.

3

Ji Su:   How long is the program? Can you tell me how long students usually study there?

Professor:   Well, for length of stay, the center offers two choices. Both of them are short programs. Students can stay either six weeks or twelve weeks. Unfortunately, they don’t have any longer program options. Some people may disagree, but personally, I think students need much more time to really learn the language and the culture.

4

Professor:   OK. Let’s move on to class size. As you know, the center is a small school, so the classes are mainly small group classes. The average class size is five to ten students. They also offer private classes for students interested in studying just one-on-one with a teacher.

Ji Su:   Professor Smith, do you think a small group class is better than a large class? What’s the difference?

Professor:   Good question. With small group or private classes, you really have a chance to use your English in class. And when you use your English, you can improve more quickly. I think in large classes, the improvement can take longer.

5

Professor:   Is there anything else you wanted to know about, Ji Su?

Ji Su:   Yes, can you tell me what kind of housing is available?

Professor:   The school has a small dorm located next to the school building. You’d be in a room with a student from another country, or possibly from the same country. You can also rent an apartment in town, if you prefer.

Ji Su:   How about a homestay? Can I do that?

Professor:   Yes, the school can also match you with a homestay family and arrange the details of the homestay for you. For studying abroad, I think it’s important to have a lot of options. And for a small school, the Language Learning Center really offers a lot of housing choices. There’s something for everyone.

Ji Su:   Wow! It sounds great. Now I’m really excited about studying abroad. Thanks a lot for your help, Professor Smith.

Professor:   You’re welcome. Good luck! I’m sure you’ll have a great study abroad experience.

1 Sydney, Australia; private language school

2 eighty students; university

3 eight weeks; homestay

4 private language school; eight or ten students

5 dormitory; one year

Audioscripts in B below

1 false   2 false   3 true   4 true   5 true

Audioscripts

1

Man:   I’ve decided to study in Sydney, Australia, this summer.

Woman:   Great! What university are you doing to attend?

Man:   Oh, it’s not a university. It’s a private language school.

Woman:   You must be excited.

Man:   Well, I’m a little nervous, but yes, I’m very excited!

2

Woman:   How are your classes going?

Man:   Oh, not too well. The problem is there are eighty students in my class! I don’t get any attention from the teacher. No one does.

Woman:   Well, it is a pretty large university.

Man:   I know. I really wish I had chosen a smaller school.

3   [phone rings]

Man:   Globe Language Center, may I help you?

Woman:   Yes, hello. I’d like some information about your study abroad programs.

Man:   OK. Our short-term programs are eight weeks long.

Woman:   Eight weeks is perfect. I have to start a new job in the fall. Can you tell me what kind of housing is available?

Man:   We place all of our students in homestays. If you like, I can send you our brochure and some information about our host families. Can you hold on a minute?

4

Man:   I think I’d like to study in London. I’ve never been to the U.K. before.

Woman:   Oh, there’s a great private language school in London. It’s very small. There would only be about eight or ten students in your classes.

Man:   Hmm. I’ll have to think about it.

5

Man:   Are you going to live in the dormitory again next semester?

Woman:   Yes. It’s not the quietest place, but it feels like home.

Man:   Yeah. It can get pretty noisy, but I like living in the dorm, too.

Woman:   I can’t believe we only have one more semester here. One year is too short.

Man:   Well, let’s enjoy it! Soon it’ll be time to go back to our real homes!