Practice Listening English Exercises for B2 – The Internet

1 CD reviews

2 Music downloads

3 Live chat

4 Blogs

5 Concert tickets

Audioscripts in B below

1 man: opinions are great, funny

2 man: don’t have to buy the whole CD

3 woman: can communicate with famous musicians

4 woman: enjoys reading about musicians’ everyday lives

5 woman: site is convenient

Audioscripts

1

Man:   Here’s that music Web site I was telling you about.

Woman:   Wow! There’s a lot of stuff here. Oh, click on that link. I just bought a new CD and I want to read what the critic thinks of it.

Man:   OK … It says, “Don’t rush out and buy this one. This CD is not the band’s best.” Huh. He says he doesn’t recommend it.

Woman:   You know, this guy never writes anything good about the bands I like. He’s too picky. I’m not going to read his opinions anymore. Forget it.

Man:   Wait! Don’t close it. I like this guy. His opinions are great. He’s really funny, too.

Woman:   All right. But don’t ask to borrow my new CD.

2

Man:   Oh, you know what I want to do? There’s this old song I’ve been looking for. Let’s see if they have it here.

Woman:   Why don’t you just go to a music store and buy the CD?

Man:   No, this way’s a lot better. I can just choose the songs I want and put them right onto my MP3 player. I don’t have to buy the whole CD.

Woman:   Hmm. Well, I think I’d rather have the CD to add to my collection.

3

Man:   Hey look! Isn’t this the lead singer of your favorite band?

Woman:   Oh, yeah! Oh, that’s a great picture of him, too.

Man:   Oh, and how exciting. It says here he’s going to be online live tonight. Oooh! You can get online and talk to your dream man.

Woman:   Wow! That’s amazing. I can really communicate with famous musicians.

Man:   Come on. There’s no way it’s the real guy. These sites just pay some part-time worker to sit there and chat with the fans. It’s a waste of time.

4

Woman:   Oh, look. Click on that.

Man:   What’s that?

Woman:   It’s like an online diary. A lot of bands have them on this site.

Man:   A diary?

Woman:   Yeah. The musicians write about themselves – what’s happening every day – all sorts of information about the band. Fans can read the musicians’ personal Web logs.

Man:   Huh. I don’t see the point of that. I think I’d rather just listen to the music.

Woman:   Well, I really enjoy reading about their everyday lives. Look. This one even has photos of last week’s concert in the park.

5

Woman:   Speaking of concerts … uh, didn’t we have a reason for getting onto the Web site? I guess we kind of got sidetracked. Got your credit card ready?

Man:   My credit card? No way. Uh-uh. I don’t like using my credit card online. I don’t think it’s safe. Maybe this link isn’t such a good idea.

Woman:   Oh, all right. I’ll use my card. I always use this site. It’s so convenient. First let’s just check what seats they still have available. I want to sit as close to the stage as possible. Uh-oh.

Man:   What’s the matter? No seats upfront?

Woman:   It’s sold out!

Man:   Oh no! I guess we shouldn’t have waited so long.

Audioscripts in B below

1 continue, grow

2 more, all

3 wireless, locations

4 item, homes

Audioscripts

1

Woman:   When the Internet first started, only a handful of countries had full access to the World Wide Web, some others had only e-mail access, and many places had no access at all. But the popularity of the Internet grew quickly. In the early years – the mid-nineteen nineties – there were sixteen million Internet users in the world. Today, researchers say the number of users worldwide is over one billion people. And people all over the world continue to join the Internet community, logging on to surf the Net at home, work, school, or in Internet cafés. In the future, experts say the number of users around the world will continue to grow.

2

Woman:   Who uses the Internet? In the early years, the largest group of Internet users was university students and business professionals. This is still true today, but Internet users are changing. Today Internet users are a mix of people from elementary school students to grandparents. Computer manufacturers have created computers that are much easier to use than they were ten or fifteen years ago. The Internet has gotten easier, too. Just type a few words and click on a mouse, and you can get information on any topic you can think of. With more Web sites for older and younger audiences coming in the future, more and more people of all ages will enjoy the Internet.

3

Woman:   Think about all of the places you see people using the Net nowadays. While in the beginning, people had Internet access only at offices, schools, or private homes, now people can go online from many other places. Wireless Internet connections allow people to use the Net in cafés, airports, even parks. Soon, researchers say, everything from your car to your refrigerator will be connected to the global network. And in the future, users will find wireless Internet access in even more locations.

4

Woman:   The way people use the Internet, and what they use it for, has changed, too. In the beginning, the Net was used mainly to sell products and services, and to do academic research. Today’s Internet users can do almost anything online: take classes, make airline reservations, buy and sell used goods, or play video games with a stranger in another country. Some say in the future, the computer will become an essential item in people’s homes, taking the place of the TV, stereo, and telephone. What do you think the future holds?

Audioscripts

Woman:   Hey, Dave, are you on e-friends?

Dave:   Am I what?

Woman:   On e-friends. I mean, do you use the e-friends site?

Dave:   Oh, the chat Web site? No, I can’t stand that site.

Woman:   What do you mean? I love it! I have a blog there, and my friends can read what I write, and I can read their blogs, and we can share pictures. What don’t you like about it?

Dave:   Well, I don’t like the design. There are too many advertisements. There are ads all over the site, on every page!

Woman:   I guess the ads don’t bother me. And the site is free. Anyone can join.

Dave:   That’s true, but I have no reason to join.

Woman:   Well, if you join, you can make more friends. I’ve met so many new people on it.

Dave:   I think I have enough friends already.

Woman:   But you could read my blog!

Dave:   Or, I could just talk to you, like I’m doing now.

1 to find information, to make reservations

2 to download music, to chat or instant-message

3 to find information, to chat or instant-message

4 to find information, to make reservations

5 to find information, to buy something

Audioscripts in B below

1 b   2 c   3 a   4 a   5 c

Audioscripts

1

Man:   Look at this great Web site about Spain. It’s got a lot of tourist information. See? I found information about good restaurants, and I even made my hotel reservations. And there’s some great information about sightseeing and tours, and museums, …

2

Man:   Check this out. It’s the new CD by my favorite band. This is the only song I like, though, so I think I’ll just download it here instead of buying the whole CD at the store. Hey, the lead singer is online right now. Let’s send him a message. Let’s see. What should I write?

3

Woman:   I’m online with my friend Kristen. We’re doing research for our environmental science class. We’ve found a lot of good information! We’re using this chat site to send each other useful Web site links.

4

Man:   Let’s see. What time does the movie start? The schedule says there are shows at six-fifteen and eight. Oh, wait, the eight o’clock show is sold out. I guess I’ll reserve two tickets for the earlier show. So, we’ll need to be there at six.

5

Woman:   I’m looking up some information about the leather jacket I want. Hmm. They’re selling it for two hundred dollars on this site. That’s pretty expensive. Hey, it’s only seventy-five dollars on this site. Oh, this one’s used, but it doesn’t look used. I’m going to get it!