Geography – A2 English Listening Exercise

1 (A) The five oceans.

• Why A is correct: The teacher explicitly says, “Let’s start with the oceans. Can you point to and name the five oceans for me?”
• Why B is a trap: The largest continent is what the teacher asks Tommy to find second, not first.
• Why C is wrong: Countries are not mentioned in this conversation at all.

2 (B) Africa

• Why B is correct: The teacher reminds him: “I remember you said it was Africa yesterday,” and Tommy agrees (“I thought it was Africa…”).
• Why A is a trap: Asia is the actual largest continent, but it is not what Tommy thought yesterday. This uses the classic A2 past vs. present distractor.
• Why C is wrong: Europe is a plausible continent but is never mentioned in the audio.

3 (B) Asia

• Why B is correct: Tommy corrects his previous mistake by saying, “but actually, it’s Asia. Here it is on the globe.”
• Why A is a trap: Africa was mentioned, but it was his incorrect answer from the day before, so he rejects it.
• Why C is wrong: Australia is not mentioned in the dialogue.

Teacher: Alright, class. Let’s look at this globe. Tommy, can you come up here, please?

Student: Um, sure, Mr. Davis.

Teacher: Great. Let’s start with the oceans. Can you point to and name the five oceans for me?

Student: Well, there is the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian, the Arctic, and… ah, the Southern Ocean!

Teacher: Excellent! Now, let’s find the largest continent. I remember you said it was Africa yesterday.

Student: Oh, right. I thought it was Africa, but actually, it’s Asia. Here it is on the globe.

Teacher: Spot on! Asia is indeed the biggest. You can go back to your seat.

1 (B) Mount Everest

• Why B is correct: The student clearly states his initial plan using the past tense: “At first, I wanted to talk about Mount Everest…”
• Why A is a trap: The Amazon River is the actual topic of the presentation, but the question asks what he originally wanted to talk about.
• Why C is wrong: The rainforest is mentioned later as a feature of the Amazon, not as the original topic.

2 (C) They think it only flows through Brazil.

• Why C is correct: The student points out this specific misconception: “Many people think it only flows through Brazil.”
• Why A is a trap: The river is in South America, which is a true fact stated in the audio, not a mistake or something people just “think.”
• Why B is wrong: The audio explicitly says there are thousands of animals living there.

3 (A) It flows through the world’s largest rainforest.

• Why A is correct: The script directly answers this: “It is very famous because it flows right through the world’s largest rainforest.”
• Why B is a trap: “Mount Everest” (a tall mountain) was mentioned at the beginning of the audio, but it has nothing to do with why the Amazon is famous.
• Why C is wrong: Big cities are never mentioned in the presentation.

Student: Hello, everyone. Today, my presentation is about a famous natural wonder. At first, I wanted to talk about Mount Everest, but I changed my mind. Instead, I am going to talk about the Amazon River. It is a huge river in South America. Many people think it only flows through Brazil. However, it actually goes through several other countries, too. It is very famous because it flows right through the world’s largest rainforest. There are thousands of different animals and green plants living there. I really hope to visit it one day. Thank you for listening.

1 (B) In the North.

• Why B is correct: The manager clearly states, “We are going to open it in the North instead.”
• Why A is a trap: The South is mentioned first by the employee, and the manager admits they “thought about the South at first,” but they changed their plan.
• Why C is wrong: The capital city is not mentioned in the audio at all.

2 (A) A lot of people live there.

• Why A is correct: The manager gives this as the first reason: “…there are a lot more people living there. It’s very crowded…”
• Why B is wrong: The cost of the office (rent) is a logical business reason, but it is never mentioned in the conversation.
• Why C is a trap (Opposite): The manager says the area is “crowded,” which means it is full of people, not quiet and relaxing.

3 (C) The sea.

• Why C is correct: The manager gives this as the second reason: “Second, it is closer to the sea.”
• Why A & B are wrong: A river and mountains are both plausible geographical features, but they are not mentioned in the audio.

Manager: Hi, Mark. Please sit down. I have some news about the company.

Employee: Oh? Are we opening that new office in the South?

Manager: Well, we thought about the South at first, but we changed our plan. We are going to open it in the North instead.

Employee: Really? Why the North?

Manager: Two reasons. First, there are a lot more people living there. It’s very crowded, which is good for our business. Second, it is closer to the sea. That will help our shipping a lot.

Employee: That makes sense! It sounds like a great location.

1 (B) By walking.

• Why B is correct: The teacher says, “We will walk through a large forest…”
• Why A is a trap: The bus is mentioned in the audio, but the teacher explicitly says, “we are not taking the bus inside the park.”
• Why C is wrong: A boat is a plausible way to travel on water, but it is never mentioned in the speech.

2 (C) Beside the lake.

• Why C is correct: This is the A2 “Twist.” The teacher confirms the final plan: “Instead, we are going to camp right beside the beautiful freshwater lake.”
• Why A is a trap: The teacher originally planned to camp next to the river (“At first, I planned for us to camp next to the river”), but changed her mind.
• Why B is wrong: The forest is where they will walk to study plants, not where they will camp.

3 (A) Because the river is dangerous right now.

• Why A is correct: The teacher explains the reason for the change: “the water is moving too fast right now, so it is a bit dangerous.”
• Why B is wrong: The distance (being closer) is not mentioned as a reason.
• Why C is a trap: The teacher mentions that it gets cold in the evening (so they need jackets), but the cold weather is not the reason they changed the camping spot.

Teacher: Listen up, everyone! Tomorrow is our geography field trip to the National Park. Please remember to wear comfortable shoes because we are not taking the bus inside the park. We will walk through a large forest to study the different types of plants. After that, we need to set up our tents. At first, I planned for us to camp next to the river. However, the water is moving too fast right now, so it is a bit dangerous. Instead, we are going to camp right beside the beautiful freshwater lake. It will be very safe and quiet. Don’t forget your jackets, as it gets cold in the evening!

1 (A) 2,000 meters

• Why A is correct: The tour guide clearly states: “actually, it is exactly 2,000 meters high.”
• Why B is a trap: The guide says that “Some tourists think it is 3,000 meters high”, but this is just what people guess, not the real height.
• Why C is wrong: 1,000 meters is never mentioned in the audio.

2 (B) 3 hours

• Why B is correct: The guide confirms the time by saying, “it will only take us 3 hours to get to the top.”
• Why A is a trap: “A whole day” is what people usually think it takes, but it is not the actual time for this group.
• Why C is wrong: 5 hours is not mentioned at all.

3 (B) The new trail

• Why B is correct: The guide tells the group: “We will use the new trail…”
• Why A is a trap: The “difficult path” is mentioned in the audio, but the guide explicitly rejects it (“We are not taking the difficult path”).
• Why C is wrong: An old road is a plausible path for a mountain, but it is not spoken about in the script.

Tour Guide: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our nature tour! Please look at the beautiful mountain right in front of us. Some tourists think it is 3,000 meters high, but actually, it is exactly 2,000 meters high. We are going to climb it today. Usually, people think it takes a whole day to reach the top. Don’t worry! We are not taking the difficult path. We will use the new trail, so it will only take us 3 hours to get to the top. Please make sure you have enough water, and let’s get started!