Practice Listening English Exercises for B2 – Values

Audioscripts in B below

1 Brian

2 his mother’s nursing home

3 a large company

4 business

Audioscripts

1

Woman:   Hey. Do you have a minute? I have a really big problem.

Man:   Sure. What’s the matter?

Woman:   Well, you know I’m engaged to marry Sam.

Man:   Yeah, of course. The wedding plans are still on, aren’t they? Everybody’s so happy for you. You’re so lucky. Sam’s a really nice guy. And he just got that great job, too.

Woman:   Sam is a nice guy. And, yes, he does have a good job. But, do you remember my high school boyfriend, Brian?

Man:   Right. The one who went to Africa to be a volunteer teacher?

Woman:   Yes. Well, Brian’s back from Africa, and he asked me to marry him.

Man:   Whoa! Do you want to marry him?

Woman:   I don’t know. There are some really good reasons to marry Brian, too. We love each other, and we have all the same interests.

Man:   Hmm. Interesting. You said you love Brian, but I’ve never heard you say you love Sam.

Woman:   Yeah. Hmm. And another good thing about …

2

Eric:   Hey, Alan. I heard the good news. Congratulations!

Alan:   Thanks, Eric. What luck, huh? I still can’t believe I won two hundred thousand dollars.

Eric:   So, what are you doing to do with the money?

Alan:   Well, I’m trying to decide. Our daughter Emily is going to start college next year. We’re very proud of her. She got accepted into some great private colleges.

Eric:   Wow. A private school would be great! They’d have small classes, so Emily would get more attention.

Alan:   Yeah. And another good thing is that a private school education might help her get a better job in the future. But those schools are so expensive, and I have to make a big choice.

Eric:   Oh, yeah? What’s that?

Alan:   See, my mother is eighty-five years old. My wife and I are thinking about moving her into a nursing home. My mom lives alone now, and she needs some help doing everyday things like cooking and just getting around.

Eric:   Well, the good thing about a nursing home is she wouldn’t be lonely.

Alan:   Yeah. And another good thing is that we wouldn’t worry about her so much. Hmm. I keep thinking there are lots of good universities around here that don’t cost quite as much as a private school.

3

Man:   Hey Maggie! How’s the job search going?

Maggie:   Really well! I already have two offers.

Man:   That’s great.

Maggie:   It is. But they’re so different. One of the jobs is a sales representative for a big computer company. That job would be good because I could travel to Europe and Asia. I’d love that. And the other good thing about it is the pay. I could really make a lot of money, as long as I sold a lot of computers.

Man:   Right. It’s a sales job, so your pay would depend on how many computers you sold every month. That could be a challenge. So, what’s the other job?

Maggie:   It’s at a computer company, too, but a much smaller one. The job has good points, too. I’d have a steady income – the same salary every month. It would be good to know exactly how much money I had coming in every month. And it’s a small company that’s growing. I could be a manager in a few years.

Man:   That’s good.

Maggie:   Yeah. I don’t know, though. I have been wanting to travel. Maybe it’s time for a challenge.

4   [phone rings]

Zach:   Hello.

Mom:   Hi, honey. Just called to check in with my favorite university student.

Zach:   Hi, Mom.

Mom:   What’s the matter, Zach? You sound a little down.

Zach:   I was supposed to decide my major today. Most of my friends have already decided theirs.

Mom:   I thought you’d decided to study art.

Zach:   Yeah, I had. But I was talking with some of my friends, and now I’m wondering if I should study something more practical like business. A business degree would be good because I’d be sure to get a good job after I graduate.

Mom:   I suppose that’s true.

Zach:   And if I study business, I can start my own business someday.

Mom:   I’m glad you’re thinking ahead, honey. But think about the positive side of getting an art degree, too. You know, as an artist, you’d really enjoy your work. And you may have a more relaxed lifestyle. Working for a company could be stressful.

Zach:   True, but, you know, I really like the idea of starting my own business. Hmm. Maybe something to do with my art …

1 the island’s beauty

2 tourism and jobs

3 noise and crowds

4 environment and wildlife

5 support for the change

Audioscripts in B below

1 B   2 J   3 R   4 B   5 J

Audioscripts

1

Host:   Good evening. I’m Jim Langley, and welcome to Late Night Live. Tonight’s guests are Joyce Selles, the leader of Young People for Annabel Island, and Robert Williams, director of the Save Our Island Committee. Welcome to both of you.

Selles:   Thank you, Jim. Good evening.

Williams:   Thanks for having us on the show, Jim.

Host:   Now, I’ve just been to Annabel Island once. I was there on vacation last year, and it has to be one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The flowers and trees are magnificent, the people are friendly. So, what’s the problem?

Williams:   Nothing. The island is just perfect. It’s beautiful and peaceful, and that’s the way we’d like to keep it.

Selles:  Well, Jim, Bob is absolutely right that we love our island. It’s a very beautiful place to live.

2

Host:   Today the issue is whether to build more businesses and develop Annabel Island, or leave the island as it is. And we’ll hear both sides of the issue. Ms. Selles, could you tell us your group’s idea for development on the island?

Selles:   Sure, Jim. The problem is that we have twenty-five percent unemployment on the island. Our people live in a great place, but many don’t have jobs, especially young people. We’d like to build more hotels and restaurants to attract more tourists. More tourism will create more jobs. It will be good for the people of the island.

Williams:   I disagree. Tourism will bring jobs, and those jobs are important. But jobs in the tourism industry often don’t pay very much. I don’t think these types of jobs will really help the people better their lives.

3

Host:   Mr. Williams, how do you think life on the island will change?

Williams:   I moved to the island to escape the stressful city life. I think more jobs will bring more people. More people mean more cars and more houses. The island will become noisy and crowded, and our lives will change for the worse. The beaches won’t be a good place to relax anymore. All the noise and crowds will destroy our peaceful way of life.

Selles:   I don’t think so. I believe there are ways we can grow and still keep the lifestyle we love.

4

Host:   All right. What are some of the other pros and cons of this decision?

Selles:   Well, Jim, one concern we are discussing is how the environment will be affected. The island has a lot of wildlife: plants, animals, fish. The environment is very clean now, and I think it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect it.

Williams:   I couldn’t agree more. If we let our island get polluted, we will lose so much of the wonderful wildlife that lives here. We have to protect our environment.

5

Host:   Ms. Selles, is change going to come to Annabel Island no matter what?

Selles:   I believe we are ready for this, and I think most people on the island will support this idea. Yes. I think we’ll begin building sometime next year for sure.

Williams:   I disagree. I don’t think most people on the island will support the change. And the members of the Save Our Island Committee will do everything we can to stop Ms. Selles’ group from moving ahead with this plan. The island is perfect as it is. We don’t need change.

Host:   Thank you both very much for joining us. We’ll be sure to follow up on this interesting story and the future of Annabel Island.

1 having enough money

2 keeping old customs

3 taking care of older family members

4 keeping the environment clean

5 having a relaxed lifestyle

Audioscripts in B below

1 no   2 yes   3 no   4 yes   5 yes

Audioscripts

1

Woman:   Good news! I accepted a part-time position at Hal’s Department Store.

Man:   But what about that great offer at the computer company – with the great salary?

Woman:   Other things are more important to me than money. If I had taken a full-time job, I wouldn’t have had time to tutor the kids in the evenings.

Man:   But that’s volunteer work. They don’t pay you!

Woman:   I don’t need any more money. I do it because I really love it.

Man:   Wow! I can’t believe you have up a job with such a great salary.

2

Woman:   I just read an article about a village in India where the people are working hard to keep their traditions.

Man:   That’s really important.

Woman:   I agree. The article said that modern devices like TV and radio are taking the place of the traditional arts like music and dance.

Man:   That’s too bad.

Woman:   Yeah, but people in the village are working together to keep those customs.

Man:   Well, let’s hope they succeed.

3

Woman:   Honey, I have some good news. I’ve invited my mother to come and live with us.

Man:   What? Does she want to?

Woman:   Well, she said she’ll think about it. But I hope she accepts. I don’t want her to be lonely, and that house is way too big for just her.

Man:   But, she’s right down the street, and we visit her almost every day. Besides, won’t it be difficult for her to leave her own house? She’s so independent.

Woman:   Maybe, but I think she’d like living with us.

Man:   I don’t know about this, dear.

4

Man:   Have you ever seen water that color? It’s so blue!

Woman:   Yeah, I love it here. Hey, what is that over there? It looks like they’re building something.

Man:   Hmm. Before we came here, I read that a large corporation wanted to build a big hotel right here on the beach. The article said that the people who live here are pretty angry about it.

Woman:   Well, I don’t blame them. This will definitely affect the environment.

Man:   And think about the wildlife – the plants and animals and fish.

Woman:   This is really terrible!

5

Man:   Remember that interview I had last month?

Woman:   Yeah, for that fantastic job with the great benefits?

Man:   Yeah. Well, they offered me the job, but I’ve decided not to take it.

Woman:   Why not?

Man:   Well, it’s a good job, but I’d have a lot of responsibility. I’d be very busy and stressed out. The job I have now is good. It gets busy sometimes, but I still have time to relax and hang out with my friends. I have a comfortable lifestyle. I don’t want to give that up.

Woman:   I see your point. Who wants to be stressed out all the time?