Shopping & Money – A1 English Listening Exercise
Listening 1
Listen to the announcement and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What fruit is two dollars a kilo?
(A) Bananas
(B) Oranges
(C) Apples
2 How much do the oranges cost?
(A) $2
(B) $3
(C) $5
3 How does the announcer spell the price of the apples?
(A) T-W-O
(B) T-E-N
(C) T-O-O
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) Apples
- Explanation: The announcer says clearly at the beginning, “Today, apples are very cheap. They are only two dollars a kilo” (The Key). Oranges are mentioned later (The Trap), and bananas are not mentioned at all.
2 (B) $3
- Explanation: The announcer says, “We also have oranges for three dollars a kilo” (The Key). Option A ($2) is the price of the apples (The Trap). Option C ($5) is not in the audio.
3 (A) T-W-O
- Explanation: To make the price clear and exciting, the announcer spells the word “two” letter by letter: “T-W-O” (The Key). Option C is a phonetic trap because “too” and “two” sound exactly the same in English.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Announcer: Attention, shoppers! Welcome to the weekend sale. Today, apples are very cheap. They are only two dollars a kilo. Yes, two dollars! T-W-O. We also have oranges for three dollars a kilo. Please go to the fruit section now. Thank you!
Listening 2
Listen to the announcement and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What time does the store close today?
(A) 9 o’clock
(B) 10 o’clock
(C) 11 o’clock
2 How does the manager spell the closing time?
(A) T-E-N
(B) T-W-O
(C) N-I-N-E
3 What does the manager ask the shoppers to do now?
(A) Keep shopping
(B) Go to the cashier to pay
(C) Go to the restroom
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) 10 o’clock
- Explanation: The manager says clearly, “The store is closing at 10 o’clock today” (The Key). The manager also says, “Not 11 o’clock” (The Trap). 9 o’clock is not mentioned in the audio.
2 (A) T-E-N
- Explanation: To make the time clear, the manager spells the word “ten” letter by letter: “T-E-N” (The Key).
3 (B) Go to the cashier to pay
- Explanation: The manager tells the shoppers, “Please take your items to the cashier now. It is time to pay” (The Key). Option A (Keep shopping) is the opposite of what they should do because the store is closing. Option C is not mentioned.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Manager (Announcer): Good evening, shoppers. The store is closing at 10 o’clock today. Not 11 o’clock. We close at 10. T-E-N. Please take your items to the cashier now. It is time to pay. Thank you, and have a good night.
Listening 3
Listen to the news and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What is the lucky man’s last name?
(A) Bates
(B) Dates
(C) Gates
2 How much money did he win?
(A) One thousand pounds
(B) One million pounds
(C) One billion pounds
3 What does he want to buy?
(A) A house and a boat
(B) A car and a watch
(C) A house and a car
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (A) Bates
- Explanation: The announcer spells the man’s name letter by letter: “B-A-T-E-S” (The Key). Options B and C are phonetic traps because “Dates” and “Gates” sound very similar to “Bates” if the listener is not careful.
2 (B) One million pounds
- Explanation: The announcer explicitly says, “He won one million pounds” and repeats, “Yes, one million!” (The Key) to emphasize the number. Options A and C are distractors using other large numbers.
3 (C) A house and a car
- Explanation: The announcer states directly, “He wants to buy a big house and a new car” (The Key). Options A and B include things that are not mentioned in the audio (a boat, a watch).
AUDIO SCRIPT
Announcer: Good morning. Here is the news. A lucky man from London is very rich today. His name is John Bates. B-A-T-E-S. He won one million pounds in the lottery! Yes, one million! He wants to buy a big house and a new car. That is great news for Mr. Bates.
Listening 4
Listen to the podcast and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What does the host want people to do?
(A) Buy coffee
(B) Save money
(C) Sell water
2 How much is a cup of coffee?
(A) $50
(B) $15
(C) $5
3 What does the host tell people to drink?
(A) Water
(B) Coffee
(C) Milk
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) Save money
- Explanation: The host asks at the beginning, “Do you want to save money?” and gives a tip for it (The Key). Buying coffee is what the host tells people not to do (The Trap). Selling water is not mentioned.
2 (C) $5
- Explanation: The host says, “A cup of coffee is five dollars.” (The Key). Options A ($50) and B ($15) are common phonetic traps for the number 5.
3 (A) Water
- Explanation: The host clearly gives the advice: “Drink water instead” (The Key). Coffee is mentioned, but he says “Do not buy coffee” (The Trap). Milk is not in the audio.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Host: Hello, listeners! Welcome to my podcast. Do you want to save money? Here is a good tip. Do not buy coffee every morning. Coffee is very expensive. A cup of coffee is five dollars. Drink water instead. Water is cheap, and it is good for you. Thank you for listening!
Listening 5
Listen to the voice message and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What does Tom want Emma to bring?
(A) A credit card
(B) Cash
(C) A shopping bag
2 How much money should Emma bring?
(A) $9
(B) $12
(C) $20
3 What time will Tom and Emma meet?
(A) 9 o’clock
(B) 10 o’clock
(C) 20 o’clock
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) Cash
- Explanation: Tom explicitly says, “Please bring cash,” (The Key). He mentions credit cards, but says, “They do not take credit cards there” (The Trap). A shopping bag is not mentioned.
2 (C) $20
- Explanation: Tom says clearly, “Bring twenty dollars” (The Key). Option A ($9) is the time they will meet, not the amount of money (The Trap). Option B ($12) is not mentioned.
3 (A) 9 o’clock
- Explanation: At the end of the message, Tom says, “See you at 9 o’clock!” (The Key). Option C uses the number 20, which is the money, not the time.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Tom: Hi, Emma. It is Tom. We are going to the farmers’ market today. Please bring cash. They do not take credit cards there. Bring twenty dollars. That is enough for vegetables. See you at 9 o’clock!