Pets and Animals – A1 English Listening Exercise

Q1 (B) The red fish

• Explanation: The customer asks about the blue fish first, but then says, “I like the red one” and decides to take it. Option A (The blue fish) is the trap because it is mentioned at the beginning. Option C (The gold fish) is not mentioned.

Q2 (B) $15

• Explanation: The owner clearly says the red fish is “fifteen. One, five.” Option C ($50) is the trap because the customer hears it wrong and asks, “Fifty dollars?”. Option A ($10) is the price of the blue fish.

Q3 (A) $12

• Explanation: The owner says, “The small tank is twelve dollars.” Option B ($20) is a trap because the customer guesses that price, and it is the price for the big tank, not the small one. Option C ($22) is not mentioned.

Customer: Hello. I want to buy a small fish. How much is the blue fish?

Owner: The blue fish is ten dollars. But look at this red fish. It is very nice. It is fifteen dollars.

Customer: Fifty dollars? That is too much!

Owner: No, not fifty. Fifteen. One, five.

Customer: Oh, I see. I like the red one. And how much is a small fish tank? Is it twenty dollars?

Owner: The big tank is twenty dollars. The small tank is twelve dollars.

Customer: Great. I will take the red fish and the small tank.

Q1 (A) Dog food

• Explanation: The customer asks, “Where is the dog food?”. Option B (Cat food) is a trap because the customer asks about it later, but he looks for dog food first. Option C (Bird food) is not mentioned.

Q2 (B) Aisle 5

• Explanation: The employee clearly says, “It is in Aisle five”. Option C (Aisle 9) is the trap because the customer hears the number wrong (“Aisle nine?”). Option A (Aisle 4) is the place for cat food.

Q3 (A) Aisle 4

• Explanation: The employee says, “the cat food is not in Aisle five. It is in Aisle four.” Option B (Aisle 5) is the trap because it is the aisle for dog food. Option C (Aisle 9) is the wrong number from earlier.

Customer: Excuse me. I am looking for pet food. Where is the dog food?

Employee: Dog food? It is in Aisle five.

Customer: Aisle nine?

Employee: No, not nine. Aisle five.

Customer: Oh, I see. Is the cat food there, too?

Employee: No, the cat food is not in Aisle five. It is in Aisle four.

Customer: Okay. Thank you very much!

Q1 (B) Pandas

• Explanation: The tourist asks, “But first, do you have pandas here?” Option A (Polar bears) is the trap because the zoo has them, but the tourist asks about pandas first. Option C (Penguins) is not mentioned.

Q2 (A) Polar

• Explanation: The tourist asks how to spell “polar”, and the ticket seller says, “P-O-L-A-R.” Option B (Panda) is a trap because they talk about pandas, but they do not spell the word. Option C (Bear) is mentioned but not spelled.

Q3 (C) $40

• Explanation: The ticket seller says, “No, they are forty dollars. Four, zero.” Option B ($14) is the trap because the tourist guesses “fourteen dollars” and it sounds very similar. Option A ($4) is just a distractor from the word “four”.

Tourist: Hello. I want to buy two tickets, please. But first, do you have pandas here?

Ticket Seller: Pandas? No, we are sorry. We don’t have pandas. But we have a new polar bear.

Tourist: A polar bear? How do you spell “polar”?

Ticket Seller: It is P-O-L-A-R. It is a very big white bear.

Tourist: Oh, I like bears. How much are two tickets? Are they fourteen dollars?

Ticket Seller: No, they are forty dollars. Four, zero.

Tourist: Okay, here is forty dollars. Thank you!

Q1 (B) B-A-R-N-Y

• Explanation: The owner spells the name: “B-A-R-N-Y”. Option A is the trap because the receptionist asks, “Is that B-A-R-N-I-E?”. Option C (Benny) is not mentioned in the audio.

Q2 (B) 14 years old

• Explanation: The owner says, “he is fourteen years old. One, four.” Option A (4) is the trap because the receptionist asks if the dog is four. Option C (40) is a distractor because “forty” sounds like “fourteen”.

Q3 (B) A big room

• Explanation: The owner says, “He needs a big room.” Option A (A small room) is the trap because the receptionist asks, “Is he a small dog?”. Option C (A warm room) is not mentioned.

Receptionist: Hello. Welcome to the Pet Hotel. How can I help you?

Owner: Hello. I want to book a room for my dog.

Receptionist: Okay. What is your dog’s name?

Owner: His name is Barny.

Receptionist: Barny? Is that B-A-R-N-I-E?

Owner: No, it is B-A-R-N-Y. Barny.

Receptionist: Thank you. And how old is Barny? Is he four years old?

Owner: No, he is fourteen years old. One, four.

Receptionist: Wow, fourteen. Is he a small dog?

Owner: No, he is a very big dog. He needs a big room.

Receptionist: Okay, a big room for Barny.

Q1 (B) A cat

• Explanation: The owner clearly says, “I need to make an appointment for my cat.” Option A (A dog) and Option C (A bird) are other common pets but are not mentioned in the audio.

Q2 (B) She does not eat.

• Explanation: The owner says, “She does not eat.” Option A (She does not sleep) is the trap because the owner uses the word “sleep”, but actually says “she sleeps all day”. Option C (She does not drink) is plausible for a sick animal but is not mentioned.

Q3 (C) 2:00 in the afternoon

• Explanation: The owner asks, “Can I come in the afternoon? At two o’clock?” and the receptionist agrees. Option A (10:00 in the morning) is the trap because the receptionist offers it first, but the owner rejects it (“No, I am at work”). Option B (12:00) is not mentioned.

Owner: Hello. I need to make an appointment for my cat. She is sick.

Receptionist: I am sorry to hear that. What is wrong with her?

Owner: She does not eat. And she sleeps all day.

Receptionist: Okay. Can you come today? We have time at ten o’clock in the morning.

Owner: Ten o’clock? No, I am at work. Can I come in the afternoon? At two o’clock?

Receptionist: Yes, two o’clock in the afternoon is fine. See you then.