Culture & Customs – B1 English Listening Exercise

1 (B) The guest forgot to remove his footwear before entering the house.

• Explanation: Mark realizes his mistake and says, “I walked right in with my boots on… I completely forgot that I’m supposed to take them off” (forgot to remove his footwear). Option (A) is a trap; Yumi mentions “street dirt” and “wooden floors”, but Mark didn’t spill dirt on the furniture. Option (C) is a trap; slippers are mentioned later, but Mark didn’t bring them.

2 (A) Because people in her culture frequently sit on the ground.

• Explanation: Yumi explains that they want to keep the dirt outside because “we often sit on the floor to eat our meals” (sit on the ground). Option (B) is a trap; Mark comments on the “shiny wooden floors”, but Yumi never says she paid to polish them. Option (C) is a trap; the slippers are for Mark to wear, not the reason for the rule.

3 (C) He asks for a tool to wash the area where he walked.

• Explanation: Mark feels terrible and asks, “Is there a mop I can use to clean up the hallway?” (asks for a tool to wash the area). Option (A) is not mentioned. Option (B) is a trap; he says he will “go back to the front door” to take off his boots, but he doesn’t say he will wait outside until dinner.

Mark: Wow, Yumi, your new apartment is absolutely beautiful! I really love the shiny wooden floors.

Yumi: Thanks, Mark! I’m glad you could make it. Come on in. Let me just take your coat… Oh, wait! Mark, your feet!

Mark: Huh? What’s wrong with my feet? Oh my goodness! I am so incredibly sorry. I walked right in with my boots on. I completely forgot that I’m supposed to take them off at the entrance.

Yumi: It’s okay, don’t panic. It’s a common mistake for foreign visitors. But yes, we strongly prefer to keep the street dirt outside, especially since we often sit on the floor to eat our meals.

Mark: I feel terrible about this. Let me go back to the front door and remove them right now. Is there a mop I can use to clean up the hallway?

Yumi: No, no, don’t worry about it. It hasn’t rained today, so your boots are dry. Just put on those indoor slippers over there in the basket.

Mark: Thank you for being so understanding, Yumi. I promise I will pay much closer attention next time!

1 (B) He is afraid his digestive system might react badly to the unfamiliar food.

• Explanation: David says he has a “sensitive stomach” (digestive system might react badly) with “completely new ingredients” (unfamiliar food) and doesn’t want to risk feeling ill. Option (A) is a trap; Somchai mentions “potato chips” to describe the crunchiness, but David isn’t allergic to them. Option (C) is a plausible reason in real life, but David never mentions being full.

2 (A) He accepts the refusal because visitors often feel nervous about the dish.

• Explanation: Somchai says, “I understand completely. Foreigners usually find them a bit intimidating at first” (visitors often feel nervous about the dish). Option (B) is incorrect because Somchai is very friendly and says “No pressure at all.” Option (C) is a trap; Somchai asks “Are you sure?” initially, but he does not insist after David explains his reason.

3 (C) Purchase a different, sweeter type of local street food.

• Explanation: David points out some “mango sticky rice” (a sweeter type of street food) and asks to try that instead, and Somchai agrees. Option (A) is a trap; David mentions not wanting to feel ill on his vacation, but he is currently fine and they stay at the market. Option (B) is a trap using the word “grasshoppers”.

Somchai: Come on, David! You can’t visit the night market without trying our most famous local snack. Here, have one of these crispy fried grasshoppers. They are absolutely delicious!

David: Oh, wow. Uh, thank you, Somchai. They certainly look… very unique. But honestly, I think I’ll have to pass on this one.

Somchai: Are you sure? They taste just like crunchy potato chips! And they are full of protein, too.

David: I appreciate your hospitality, I really do. It’s just that I have a rather sensitive stomach, especially with completely new ingredients. I just don’t want to risk feeling ill during my vacation.

Somchai: Ah, I understand completely. Foreigners usually find them a bit intimidating at first. No pressure at all, my friend.

David: Thank you so much for understanding! However, that mango sticky rice over at the next stall looks absolutely amazing. Could we try some of that instead?

Somchai: Absolutely! Let’s go get some right now.

1 (B) He expressed his criticism in a very blunt and public manner.

• Explanation: Emma felt hurt because Lukas called her plan “completely unrealistic” (blunt) “in front of the whole team” (public manner). Option (A) is a trap; Lukas asks if there is a “mistake” in his notes, but Emma says “no.” Option (C) is a trap; at the end, Emma suggests they “work on fixing that financial plan together,” meaning he didn’t refuse to help.

2 (A) He claims that speaking openly and directly is a standard norm in his home country.

• Explanation: Lukas explains, “In my culture, we highly value being direct” (speaking openly is a norm). Option (B) is a trap; he mentions saying things straight away to “save time”, but he wasn’t stressed because they were running out of time. Option (C) is a trap; Lukas explicitly states her overall presentation was “actually quite good”, not poorly prepared.

3 (B) They use gentle language to make negative comments sound less severe.

• Explanation: Emma says people in her culture try to “soften our criticism” (make negative comments sound less severe). Option (A) is not mentioned in the audio. Option (C) is a trap; she gives an example of how they criticize (“It could need some adjustments”), meaning they do give negative feedback, they just don’t focus entirely on the positive.

Emma: Lukas, do you have a minute? I wanted to talk about the feedback you gave me on my project proposal yesterday.

Lukas: Sure, Emma. What about it? Is there a mistake in my notes?

Emma: Well, no. But honestly, I felt a bit hurt. You said my financial plan was “completely unrealistic” in front of the whole team. It felt very harsh.

Lukas: Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you at all. In my culture, we highly value being direct. If something needs fixing, we just say it straight away to save time. It certainly wasn’t a personal attack.

Emma: I see. Where I’m from, we usually try to be more polite and soften our criticism. We might say, “It could need some adjustments,” rather than saying it’s completely wrong.

Lukas: That makes perfect sense. I guess we just have different communication styles. I will try to be more careful with my words next time. Your overall presentation was actually quite good.

Emma: Thanks, Lukas. I appreciate you clarifying that. Let’s work on fixing that financial plan together later.

1 (C) Because the tourist’s behavior is bothering other passengers.

• Explanation: Yuki says it is “impolite to talk on the phone” because people want to “keep the carriage quiet so others can rest” (meaning his behavior is bothering them). Option (A) is a trap; the “next station” is mentioned later as a place to step out, not because he asked for directions. Option (B) is a trap; he is being loud, but he is talking, not playing music.

2 (A) He believed that his phone signal was weak.

• Explanation: Alex explains his loudness by saying, “I just thought my network connection was bad” (phone signal was weak). Option (B) is a trap; he was laughing (“haha”) and having a “casual chat”, not arguing. Option (C) is a trap; Yuki mentions passengers trying to “rest”, but Alex didn’t want to wake them up on purpose.

3 (B) He ends the conversation because it is not an urgent matter.

• Explanation: Alex says it’s “just a casual chat” (not an urgent matter) and promises to “end the call immediately.” Option (A) is a trap; Yuki suggests stepping out if it is an emergency, but Alex declines this option. Option (C) is a plausible reaction in real life, but Alex explicitly says he will end the call.

Alex: Yeah, so then I told him… haha, exactly! Wait, let me speak louder, the train is quite noisy. HELLO? Can you hear me now?

Yuki: Excuse me, sir. I am very sorry to interrupt you.

Alex: Oh, hold on a second, John. Yes? Can I help you?

Yuki: Actually, it’s considered quite impolite to talk on the phone while riding the train here. We try to keep the carriage quiet so others can rest or read peacefully after a long day.

Alex: Oh my goodness, I had absolutely no idea! I just thought my network connection was bad. I am so sorry.

Yuki: It’s a common mistake for tourists. If it’s a medical emergency or something urgent, you can step out at the next station to finish your conversation.

Alex: No, no, it’s just a casual chat with a friend. I will end the call immediately. Thank you for letting me know, and I truly apologize for the disturbance.

Yuki: Thank you for understanding.

1 (B) She feels disconnected, as if she were a visitor exploring a new place.

• Explanation: Mia states that she feels “like a tourist in my own city” (disconnected, like a visitor). Option (A) is a trap; she mentions that she thought she would “easily slide back into my old life,” but the reality is different. Option (C) is not mentioned.

2 (B) She struggles with the unexpected and unplanned nature of social events.

• Explanation: Mia explains that it’s “mainly the social pace” because people plan things “at the very last minute” (unexpected and unplanned). Option (A) is a trap; Tom asks about the traffic, and Mia admits it is louder, but she clarifies that the social pace is her primary issue. Option (C) is never mentioned.

3 (C) By taking her on an unannounced outing to practice being flexible.

• Explanation: Mia asks Tom to help her practice “going with the flow” (being flexible), and Tom agrees by saying he “won’t tell you where we are going until ten minutes before we leave” (an unannounced outing). Option (A) is a trap; Mia is already used to “scheduling everything weeks in advance,” so she doesn’t need help organizing. Option (B) is a trap related to the earlier distraction about traffic.

Tom: Hey Mia! It’s so good to finally have you back after four years! How does it feel to be home?

Mia: Thanks, Tom. Honestly, it feels… strange. I thought I would easily slide back into my old life, but I actually feel like a tourist in my own city.

Tom: Really? I guess that makes sense. You’ve been living in London for a long time. Is it the local traffic that’s bothering you?

Mia: Well, the traffic is definitely louder, but it’s mainly the social pace. Everyone here plans things at the very last minute, whereas I got so used to scheduling everything weeks in advance. It’s quite overwhelming.

Tom: Ah, the classic reverse culture shock! Don’t worry, you just need some time to readjust to our spontaneous lifestyle.

Mia: I hope so. Hey, do you think you could help me out? Maybe we could hang out this weekend, just to help me practice going with the flow again?

Tom: Absolutely! I won’t tell you where we are going until ten minutes before we leave.

Mia: Perfect. That’s exactly what I need.