At the Restaurant – A1 English Listening Exercise
Listening 1
Listen to the conversation between a waiter and a customer. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What food does the waiter bring first?
(A) Beef
(B) Fish
(C) Chicken
2 What does the customer actually want to eat?
(A) Chicken
(B) Fish
(C) Salad
3 What does the customer want to drink?
(A) Water
(B) Coffee
(C) Tea
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: C) Chicken
- Explanation: The waiter says, “Here is your chicken and rice, sir” at the beginning of the audio.
- Why the trap is wrong: Option B (Fish) is a trap. Fish is mentioned in the audio, but it is the food the customer ordered, not the food the waiter brings first. Option A (Beef) is not mentioned.
2 Correct Answer: B) Fish
- Explanation: The customer states clearly, “I ordered fish.” The waiter also confirms, “You ordered fish.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (Chicken) is a trap. The customer explicitly rejects the chicken by saying, “This is not my food.” Option C (Salad) is plausible but not mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: A) Water
- Explanation: At the end, the customer asks, “And can I have some water, please?”
- Why the trap is wrong: Options B (Coffee) and C (Tea) are common restaurant drinks, but they are not mentioned in the conversation.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Waiter: Here is your chicken and rice, sir.
Customer: Excuse me. This is not my food. I ordered fish.
Waiter: Oh, I am so sorry! You ordered fish. I will get your fish right now.
Customer: Thank you. And can I have some water, please?
Waiter: Yes, of course.
Listening 2
Listen to the conversation between a customer and a waiter. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What did the customer drop?
(A) A spoon
(B) A knife
(C) A fork
2 What does the customer say “no” to?
(A) A spoon
(B) A fork
(C) A napkin
3 What else does the customer ask for?
(A) A menu
(B) A napkin
(C) A glass of water
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: C) A fork
- Explanation: The customer clearly says, “I dropped my fork.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (A spoon) is a trap. The waiter mentions a spoon later, but the customer didn’t drop it. Option B (A knife) is a plausible restaurant item but is not mentioned in the audio.
2 Correct Answer: A) A spoon
- Explanation: The waiter asks, “Do you need a spoon, too?” and the customer answers, “No, thank you.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option B (A fork) and Option C (A napkin) are the things the customer actually wants and says “yes” to, not “no”.
3 Correct Answer: B) A napkin
- Explanation: The customer says, “Just a fork. And a napkin, please.” The waiter also repeats it at the end.
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (A menu) and Option C (A glass of water) are plausible things to ask for in a restaurant, but they are not mentioned at all.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Customer: Excuse me. I dropped my fork. Can I have a new one?
Waiter: Oh, no problem. I will get you a new fork. Do you need a spoon, too?
Customer: No, thank you. Just a fork. And a napkin, please.
Waiter: Okay. One fork and one napkin. I will be right back.
Listening 3
Listen to the conversation between a cashier and a customer. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 How much is the total bill?
(A) 10 dollars
(B) 15 dollars
(C) 50 dollars
2 How much cash does the customer have?
(A) 10 dollars
(B) 15 dollars
(C) 0 dollars
3 How will the customer pay?
(A) In cash
(B) By phone
(C) By credit card
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: B) 15 dollars
- Explanation: The cashier says clearly, “Your total is 15 dollars,” and spells out “One-five”.
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (10 dollars) is a trap. 10 dollars is the amount of cash the customer has, not the total bill. Option C (50 dollars) is a phonetic trap to see if students confuse fifteen and fifty.
2 Correct Answer: A) 10 dollars
- Explanation: The customer looks at their money and says, “I only have 10 dollars in cash.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option B (15 dollars) is a trap using the total bill amount. Option C (0 dollars) is not mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: C) By credit card
- Explanation: The customer asks, “Can I pay by credit card?” and the cashier says, “Yes, of course.” The customer then gives the card.
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (In cash) is the main trap. Cash is mentioned in the audio, but the customer does not have enough cash to pay. Option B (By phone) is a common payment method but is not mentioned in the audio.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Cashier: Hello. Your total is 15 dollars. One-five.
Customer: 15 dollars? Oh no. I only have 10 dollars in cash. Can I pay by credit card?
Cashier: Yes, of course. We take credit cards.
Customer: Great. Here is my card.
Cashier: Thank you. Please sign here.
Listening 4
Listen to the conversation between a customer and a staff member. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What is the problem?
(A) The table is small.
(B) The food is dirty.
(C) The table is dirty.
2 What will the staff clean?
(A) The table and the chairs
(B) Only the table
(C) Only the chairs
3 How long will the customer wait?
(A) 15 minutes
(B) 5 minutes
(C) 50 minutes
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: C) The table is dirty.
- Explanation: The customer clearly says, “…this table is dirty.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option B (The food is dirty) is a trap. The word “dirty” is used, but it describes the table, not the food. Option A (The table is small) is not mentioned.
2 Correct Answer: A) The table and the chairs
- Explanation: The customer asks, “Can you clean the chairs, too?” and the staff agrees: “Yes, of course. The table and the chairs.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Options B and C are traps because they only mention one item. The students must listen carefully to catch that both things need cleaning.
3 Correct Answer: B) 5 minutes
- Explanation: The staff tells the customer, “Please wait 5 minutes” and confirms it again by saying “No, just 5.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (15 minutes) is a phonetic trap. The customer mishears and asks “15 minutes?”, but the staff directly rejects this. Option C (50 minutes) is a trap to check if students confuse fifteen, fifty, and five.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Customer: Excuse me. We want to sit here, but this table is dirty.
Staff: Oh, I am sorry. I will clean it right now.
Customer: Thank you. And can you clean the chairs, too?
Staff: Yes, of course. The table and the chairs. Please wait 5 minutes.
Customer: 15 minutes?
Staff: No, just 5. Five minutes.
Customer: Okay, thank you.
Listening 5
Listen to the phone conversation between a customer and a staff member. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What is the customer looking for?
(A) A brown bag
(B) A black bag
(C) A black coat
2 Where did the customer leave the bag?
(A) On the table
(B) On the chair
(C) On the floor
3 What table did the customer sit at?
(A) Table 15
(B) Table 50
(C) Table 5
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: B) A black bag
- Explanation: The customer clearly says, “No, it is a black bag. A big black bag.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (A brown bag) is a trap. The staff asks if the bag is brown, but the customer says “No”. Option C (A black coat) is a trap because the color is right but the object is wrong.
2 Correct Answer: B) On the chair
- Explanation: The customer states, “I left my bag on the chair.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (On the table) is a trap. It is a very common place to leave things, and the word “table” is mentioned later in the audio, but the bag was on the chair. Option C is not mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: C) Table 5
- Explanation: The customer corrects the staff and says, “No, table 5.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (Table 15) is a phonetic trap. The staff guesses table 15 because 5 and 15 sound similar, but the customer rejects it. Option B (Table 50) is also a phonetic trap but is not mentioned.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Staff: Hello, Gino’s Restaurant.
Customer: Hi. I ate at your restaurant today. I left my bag on the chair.
Staff: Oh. Is it a brown bag?
Customer: No, it is a black bag. A big black bag.
Staff: Okay. Where did you sit? At table 15?
Customer: No, table 5. Near the window.
Staff: Let me check… Yes, we have it!
Customer: Great! I will come get it now.
