Childhood memories – A2 English Listening Exercise
Listening 1
Listen to a brother and sister arguing about a childhood memory. Then, read the questions below and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 What did Maya actually do when the vase broke?
(A) She threw a ball.
(B) She ran around.
(C) She sat on the sofa.
2 Why didn’t Maya play with her ball?
(A) She couldn’t find it.
(B) Her mother took it.
(C) She was too tired.
3 How did the vase really break?
(A) Maya hit it with a ball.
(B) Leo pushed the table.
(C) The dog jumped on the sofa.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: (C) She sat on the sofa.
- Explanation: Maya says, “So, I just sat on the sofa and watched TV.” Option (A) is a trap; Leo thought she threw a ball, but she didn’t. Option (B) is a trap; Leo was the one running around, not Maya.
2 Correct Answer: (A) She couldn’t find it.
- Explanation: Maya explains the twist by saying, “I wanted to play catch, but I couldn’t find my ball.” Option (B) and Option (C) are plausible reasons for not playing, but they are never mentioned in the audio.
3 Correct Answer: (B) Leo pushed the table.
- Explanation: Maya tells Leo the truth: “You were running around with the dog, and you pushed the table!” Option (A) is a trap; this is Leo’s incorrect memory. Option (C) is a trap; the dog is mentioned because Leo was running with it, but the dog didn’t jump on the sofa to break the vase.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Leo: Hey Maya, look at this old photo of the living room. Look at that ugly blue vase!
Maya: Oh, I remember that! Mom loved it. But you broke it when we were kids!
Leo: What? No, I didn’t! I remember you threw a ball inside the house and hit it.
Maya: You have a bad memory, Leo. I wanted to play catch, but I couldn’t find my ball. So, I just sat on the sofa and watched TV.
Leo: Really? Then who broke it?
Maya: You were running around with the dog, and you pushed the table!
Leo: Oh… right. Please don’t tell mom we are talking about this.
Listening 2
Listen to a mother and her son cleaning the attic. Then, read the questions below and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 What did Leo’s favorite comic book look like?
(A) It had a red cover.
(B) It had a green cover.
(C) It had a black cover.
2 What did the mother want to do with the comic book at first?
(A) Throw it away.
(B) Give it to Leo’s cousin.
(C) Sell it to a store.
3 Where is the comic book now?
(A) In the old toy box.
(B) In the cousin’s bedroom.
(C) On the mother’s bookshelf.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: (B) It had a green cover.
- Explanation: Leo clearly describes his book: “Mine had a green cover.” Option (A) is a trap; the mother asks if it was the red one, but Leo says that was his brother’s book. Option (C) is a plausible color for a book, but it is never mentioned in the conversation.
2 Correct Answer: (B) Give it to Leo’s cousin.
- Explanation: The mother explains her original plan by saying, “I actually wanted to give it to your little cousin.” Option (A) is a trap; Leo asks if she threw it away, but she immediately says “No, I didn’t.” Option (C) is a plausible thing to do with old books, but it is not mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: (C) On the mother’s bookshelf.
- Explanation: The mother explains the twist (the final result) by saying, “So, I put it on the bookshelf in my bedroom instead.” Option (A) is a trap; Leo is looking in the toy box, and the mother thought it was there, but it wasn’t. Option (B) is a trap; she wanted to give it to the cousin, but she didn’t because he disliked reading.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Leo: Mom, I found my old toy box up here! But my favorite comic book isn’t inside. Do you remember it?
Mom: Hmm. Was it the one with the red cover about space aliens?
Leo: No, that was my brother’s book. Mine had a green cover. It was about a superhero who could fly.
Mom: Oh, right! I remember now. I thought it was in that box, too.
Leo: Oh no. Did you throw it away?
Mom: No, I didn’t. I actually wanted to give it to your little cousin. But, he didn’t like reading. So, I put it on the bookshelf in my bedroom instead.
Leo: Great! I’ll go get it.
Listening 3
Listen to a man and a woman talking on a train. Then, read the questions below and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 How did Anna and David know each other in the past?
(A) They were school classmates.
(B) They lived next to each other.
(C) They were in the same music band.
2 What kind of bicycle did David have when he was a child?
(A) A big red bicycle
(B) A fast black bicycle
(C) A small blue bicycle
3 What musical instrument does David play now?
(A) The guitar
(B) The piano
(C) The violin
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: (B) They lived next to each other.
- Explanation: David says to Anna, “You lived next door to my family!” Option (A) is a plausible relationship for people from the same neighborhood, but it is never mentioned in the audio. Option (C) is a trap; music (guitar/piano) is discussed later, but they were not in a band together.
2 Correct Answer: (C) A small blue bicycle
- Explanation: David corrects Anna’s memory by saying, “I had a small blue one.” Option (A) is a trap; the big red bike is mentioned, but David says it belonged to his brother, not him. Option (B) is a plausible description of a bike, but it is not mentioned in the conversation.
3 Correct Answer: (B) The piano
- Explanation: David clearly states about his current hobby, “I play the piano now.” Option (A) is a trap; he played the guitar when he was a child, but he says, “I stopped playing years ago.” Option (C) is a common musical instrument but is never mentioned in the audio.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Anna: Excuse me, are you David? Did you live on Baker Street when you were a child?
David: Yes, I did! Wait… are you Anna? You lived next door to my family!
Anna: Yes, that’s me! I remember you always rode a big red bicycle around the neighborhood.
David: Actually, the red bike was my brother’s. I had a small blue one. But we always played outside together.
Anna: Oh, right! And do you still play the guitar? You were so loud!
David: No, I stopped playing years ago. I play the piano now. It is much quieter!
Listening 4
Listen to two old classmates, Lisa and Mark, trying to remember a friend’s name. Then, read the questions below and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 Where did the boy sit in the classroom?
(A) In the back row
(B) In the front row
(C) Next to the window
2 What did the boy look like?
(A) He was tall.
(B) He had blond hair.
(C) He wore big glasses.
3 What was the boy’s name?
(A) Kevin
(B) Mark
(C) Thomas
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: (B) In the front row
- Explanation: Lisa clearly states, “…he always sat in the front row.” Option (A) is a trap; Mark guesses the boy sat in the back row at first, but Lisa says no. Option (C) is a plausible place to sit in a classroom, but it is never mentioned in the audio.
2 Correct Answer: (C) He wore big glasses.
- Explanation: Lisa describes the boy by saying, “Oh, and he wore big glasses!” Option (A) is a trap; Mark asks if it was the “tall boy,” but Lisa says the boy was actually “quite short.” Option (B) is a trap; Mark thought the boy had blond hair, but he realizes the boy actually had dark hair.
3 Correct Answer: (C) Thomas
- Explanation: Mark finally remembers and says, “Oh, I know! It was Thomas!” and Lisa agrees. Option (A) is a trap; Kevin is the name of the tall boy in the back row, not the boy they are looking for. Option (B) is a trap; Mark is the name of the man speaking, not the boy from third grade.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Lisa: Hey Mark, do you remember that boy in our third-grade class? He was really good at math.
Mark: You mean the tall boy who sat in the back row? Was his name Kevin?
Lisa: No, not Kevin. That boy was quite short, and he always sat in the front row. Oh, and he wore big glasses!
Mark: Hmm… I thought he had blond hair, but actually, his hair was dark, right? Oh, I know! It was Thomas!
Lisa: Yes, Thomas! I remember now. He always helped me with my homework.
Listening 5
Listen to two friends, Tom and Lucy, talking on the phone about a childhood memory. Then, read the questions below and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 How did Tom get the scar on his knee?
(A) He fell out of an apple tree.
(B) He fell off his bicycle.
(C) He fell down the stairs.
2 Why didn’t Tom climb trees when he was a child?
(A) He didn’t like apples.
(B) His dad was angry.
(C) He was scared of heights.
3 What happened to Tom’s new bicycle?
(A) It was broken.
(B) It was stolen.
(C) It was lost on the hill.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: (B) He fell off his bicycle.
- Explanation: Tom explains the real story by saying, “I rode it down a big hill very fast, and I fell off.” Option (A) is a trap; Lucy thought he fell out of an apple tree, but she remembered the wrong story. Option (C) is a plausible accident, but it is never mentioned in the audio.
2 Correct Answer: (C) He was scared of heights.
- Explanation: Tom clearly says, “I never climbed trees. I was too scared of heights!” Option (A) is a trap; an apple tree is mentioned, but he didn’t climb it because of heights, not because he disliked apples. Option (B) is a trap; his dad was angry later because the bike was broken, not because of climbing trees.
3 Correct Answer: (A) It was broken.
- Explanation: Lucy remembers correctly at the end and says, “You broke your new bicycle, too,” and Tom agrees (“Exactly”). Option (B) and Option (C) are plausible bad things that can happen to a bike, but they are not mentioned in the conversation.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Tom: Hey Lucy! I was looking at my old childhood photos today. It made me think of the big scar on my knee.
Lucy: Oh, I remember that story! You fell out of a tall apple tree when you were ten, right?
Tom: What? No! I never climbed trees. I was too scared of heights!
Lucy: Really? So how did you get that scar?
Tom: I got a new bicycle for my birthday. I rode it down a big hill very fast, and I fell off.
Lucy: Oh, right! I remember now. You broke your new bicycle, too.
Tom: Exactly. My dad was not happy about that!