Practice English Listening A2 Exercises – Listening to people talk about their past

Ted works in a travel agency. He’s a computer specialist.

Transcripts

TED:   Hey, that was fun. Thanks for the lesson!

ANA:   No problem. So, tell me a little about yourself. What do you do?

TED:   I work in a travel agency.

ANA:   Really! What do you do there?

TED:   I’m in charge of their computers.

ANA:   Oh, so you’re a computer specialist.

TED:   Well, sort of. Yeah, I guess so.

ANA:   That’s great. Then maybe you can give me some help with a computer course I’m taking.

TED:   Oh, sure … but only if you promise to give me some more skating lessons.

ANA:   It’s a deal!

A

Vietnam and Egypt

B

Transcripts

1   Huy

INTERVIEWER:   Where are you from originally, Huy?

HUY:   I’m from Vietnam … from near Hanoi.

INTERVIEWER:   And when did you move here?

HUY:   I came here after I graduated from college. That was in 1998.

INTERVIEWER:   And what do you do now?

HUY:   I work for a communications company.

INTERVIEWER:   I see. So you’re an immigrant to the United States.

HUY:   That’s right.

INTERVIEWER:   What are some of the difficulties of being an immigrant in the U.S.?

HUY:   Oh, that’s not an easy question to answer. There are so many things, really. I guess one of the biggest difficulties is that I don’t have any relatives here. I mean, I have a lot of friends, but that’s not the same thing. In Vietnam we visit relatives on holidays and weekends. It’s not the same here.

INTERVIEWER:   And what do you miss the most from home?

HUY:   Oh, that’s easy – my mom’s cooking! There are some great Vietnamese restaurant here, but it’s not the same as my mother’s cooking.

2   Ahmed

INTERVIEWER:   Where are you from, Ahmed?

AHMED:   I’m from Egypt.

INTERVIEWER:   And when did you move to the U.S.?

AHMED:   In 2005.

INTERVIEWER:   Are you studying here at the moment?

AHMED:   Not now. I moved here to attend college, and after I graduated, I got a job here. I’m working as an engineer.

INTERVIEWER:   Uh-huh. And what was it like when you first came here? Was it difficult?

AHMED:   Yeah, it was at times. The biggest difficulty I had was with the educational system. Things are very different here. Teaching methods, everything is very different from what I was used to in Egypt.

INTERVIEWER:   And what do you miss the most from Egypt?

AHMED:   My family and my friends. I try to go home often, but it’s expensive to go back. I have some friends coming to visit next month, so I’m really looking forward to that.