Days & Dates – A1 English Listening Exercise

1 Correct Answer: B (It is a holiday)

• Explanation: The voicemail clearly states, “We are closed today for a holiday,” and spells out H-O-L-I-D-A-Y. Option A (weekend) and Option C (night time) are common reasons for an office to be closed, but they are not mentioned in this audio.

2 Correct Answer: A (Monday)

• Explanation: The voicemail says, “We will not open on Tuesday” (Option B is the trap with a negative statement). It then confirms, “We will open on Monday,” and spells M-O-N-D-A-Y. Option C (Friday) is never mentioned.

3 Correct Answer: A (September 3rd)

• Explanation: The voicemail explicitly states, “That is Monday, September 3rd,” and reinforces it with “Number three.” It also warns, “Not the 13th” (Option B is the phonetic trap). Option C (September 30th) is another number trap but is not mentioned.

Voicemail: Hello. Thank you for calling our office. We cannot answer the phone right now. We are closed today for a holiday. We will open again next week. We will not open on Tuesday. We will open on Monday. That is Monday, September 3rd. Number three. Not the 13th. Please leave a message after the beep. Thank you and goodbye.

1 Correct Answer: (B) Wet and cold

• Explanation: The announcer clearly states, “On Saturday, it will be wet and cold.” Option (A) is a trap because “sunny and warm” is the weather for Sunday. Option (C) is plausible for bad weather, but “windy” is not mentioned.

2 Correct Answer: (C) Sunday

• Explanation: The announcer says, “On Sunday, the weather will be sunny and warm again.” Option (B) is a trap because Saturday is mentioned, but it will be raining. Option (A) is not mentioned at all.

3 Correct Answer: (A) Stay inside

• Explanation: Because of the rain on Saturday, the announcer says, “So, stay inside!” Option (B) is the opposite of what is said (the trap). Option (C) makes sense for a rainy day, but the speaker never says it.

Announcer: Good morning! Here is the weekend weather forecast. On Saturday, it will be wet and cold. Yes, it will rain all day on Saturday. So, stay inside! But do not worry. On Sunday, the weather will be sunny and warm again. Enjoy your Sunday!

1 Correct Answer: (B) A famous scientist

• Explanation: The student says: “He was a famous scientist.” Option (A) and (C) are not mentioned in the script.

2 Correct Answer: (A) 1879

• Explanation: The student clearly says “born in 1879” and even spells out the numbers “one-eight-seven-nine”. Option (B) is a trap because “1897” sounds similar to “1879”. Option (C) is his death year.

3 Correct Answer: (C) 1955

• Explanation: The student says “He died in 1955”. Option (B) is his birth year (the trap). Option (A) is not mentioned.

Student: Um… hello everyone. Today, I will talk about Albert Einstein. He was a famous scientist. Einstein was born in 1879. That is one-eight-seven-nine. He was very smart. He died in 1955. One-nine-five-five. Thank you for listening.

1 Correct Answer: (B) A new supermarket

• Explanation: The voiceover clearly says, “Welcome to our new supermarket.” Options (A) and (C) are not mentioned at all.

2 Correct Answer: (A) October 12th

• Explanation: The speaker repeats the date “October 12th” three times in the audio. Option (B) “20th” and Option (C) “10th” are traps because the numbers might sound confusing to beginners, but they are incorrect.

3 Correct Answer: (C) Free gifts

• Explanation: The speaker says, “We have many free gifts for you.” Option (A) and (B) are traps because people often think of food or drinks when talking about a supermarket, but the audio does not mention them.

Voiceover: Hello everyone! Welcome to our new supermarket. We open on October 12th. Yes, October 12th. Please come and visit us. We have many free gifts for you. Remember, October 12th. See you there!

1 Correct Answer: (A) January 1st

• Explanation: The host clearly says, “It is the first of January. Yes, January 1st!” Option (B) “11th” is a trap because it sounds a bit like “1st”. Option (C) “June 1st” is a trap using the same day but a different month starting with the letter ‘J’.

2 Correct Answer: (B) The New Year

• Explanation: The host happily says, “Happy New Year!” Option (A) and (C) are plausible special events, but the host does not mention a birthday or a trip.

3 Correct Answer: (C) New habits

• Explanation: The host states, “Today, we will talk about new habits.” Options (A) and (B) are traps because people often buy new clothes or books for the new year, but they are not mentioned in the audio.

Host: Hello everyone! Welcome to my podcast. Today is a very special day. It is the first of January. Yes, January 1st! Happy New Year! Today, we will talk about new habits. Let’s start the new year with good habits.