Hobbies & Free time – A1 English Listening Exercise

1 (B) Singing, dancing, and magic.

• Explanation: The principal clearly asks, “Do you like singing, dancing, or magic?”. Option (A) is a phonetic trap because “music” sounds a little bit like “magic”, and it fits the topic. Option (C) “Reading” is a hobby but is never mentioned in the audio.

2 (B) $50

• Explanation: The principal says the prize is “fifty dollars” and repeats it as “five-zero” to make it very clear. Option (A) “$15” (fifteen) is the classic trap for the “-teen” vs “-ty” sound. Option (C) “$5” (five) is incorrect.

3 (C) D-A-V-I-S

• Explanation: The principal spells the teacher’s name letter by letter as “D-A-V-I-S”. Option (A) uses an ‘E’ instead of an ‘A’, which is a common vowel confusion trap. Option (B) uses a ‘B’ instead of a ‘V’, testing the difference between consonant sounds.

Principal: Good morning, students! This is the Principal. Next Friday, we have a School Talent Show. Do you like singing, dancing, or magic? Please join us! The prize is fifty dollars. Yes, five-zero. To sign up, please talk to Mr. Davis. That is D-A-V-I-S. Thank you!

1 (B) Five

• Explanation: The speaker clearly says, “I have five… yes, five plants.” Option (A) “Two” is a trap because it is the number of times she waters the plants. Option (C) “Four” is not mentioned at all.

2 (B) Bella

• Explanation: The vlogger spells the name out loud: “B-E-L-L-A.” Option (A) “Balla” is a distractor because it sounds very similar. Option (C) “Stella” is a plausible name but is never mentioned.

3 (B) Two times a week

• Explanation: She states, “I only water my plants two times a week.” Option (A) “Two times a day” is a trap that uses the correct number but the wrong time period. Option (C) “Five times a week” is a trap that reuses the number of plants she owns.

Vlogger: Hi everyone! Welcome to my vlog. Um, my new hobby is growing small plants. I have five… yes, five plants in my bedroom. My favorite plant is a small flower. Its name is Bella. That’s B-E-L-L-A. It is red. I only water my plants two times a week. Two times! Well, thanks for watching!

1 (A) Saturday

• Explanation: The announcer explicitly says, “It is on Saturday.” Option (B) “Sunday” is a trap because the speaker mentions “This weekend,” and Sunday is part of the weekend, but it is not the correct day. Option (C) “Friday” is not mentioned.

2 (C) Star

• Explanation: The speaker clearly spells out the name: “That is S-T-A-R.” Option (A) “Spar” is a distractor because it sounds very similar to “Star”. Option (B) “Sun” is a plausible band name but is never mentioned.

3 (B) 7:00 PM

• Explanation: The announcer states, “The concert starts at 7:00 PM.” Option (A) “6:00 PM” is a trap; it is mentioned in the audio, but it is the time you should arrive to “get a good seat,” not the start time. Option (C) “8:00 PM” is not mentioned.

Radio Announcer: Good morning! Do you like music? This weekend, there is a free concert at the city park. Yes, a free concert! It is on Saturday. The band’s name is Star. That is S-T-A-R. The concert starts at 7:00 PM. Please come early at 6:00 PM to get a good seat. See you there!

1 (C) Twelve

• Explanation: The student clearly says and repeats, “I have twelve colored pencils. Yes, twelve pencils!” Option (A) “Two” is a trap because the student mentions “two hours”, which is the time spent drawing, not the number of pencils. Option (B) “Ten” is a plausible number but is not mentioned in the audio.

2 (B) Leo

• Explanation: The student spells the name out loud: “That is L-E-O.” Option (A) “Cleo” is a trap because it sounds very similar to “Leo”. Option (C) “Theo” is a plausible name but is never mentioned.

3 (A) A cat

• Explanation: The student states, “In this picture, I draw my cat.” Option (B) “A pencil” is a trap; pencils are mentioned as the tools used for drawing, not the subject of the picture. Option (C) “A dog” is a plausible pet but is not mentioned at all.

Student: Hello everyone! Look at my picture. My favorite hobby is drawing. I have twelve colored pencils. Yes, twelve pencils! In this picture, I draw my cat. His name is Leo. That is L-E-O. I love drawing. I draw for two hours every day after school. Thank you!

1 (C) Two

• Explanation: The podcaster clearly states and repeats, “I have two reasons. Yes, two reasons!” Option (A) “Three” is not mentioned. Option (B) “Thirty” is a trap because the speaker mentions “thirty minutes” later in the audio, but it is not the number of reasons.

2 (B) Thirty minutes

• Explanation: The speaker says, “Read for thirty minutes every night.” Option (A) “Thirteen minutes” is a trap because “thirteen” sounds very similar to “thirty” (a classic A1 phonetic trap). Option (C) “Two minutes” is a trap that reuses the number of reasons from the previous sentence.

3 (A) Pam

• Explanation: The podcaster spells the name clearly: “That is P-A-M.” Option (B) “Bam” and Option (C) “Pan” are distractors because they sound very similar to “Pam”, testing the listener’s ability to hear specific letters.

Podcaster: Hello! Welcome to my podcast. In your free time, reading a book is better than using a phone. I have two reasons. Yes, two reasons! First, reading is good for your eyes. Second, you can sleep well. Read for thirty minutes every night. My favorite author is Pam. That is P-A-M.