News & Media – B1 English Listening Exercise
Listening 1
Listen to a telephone conversation between a customer and a newspaper agent. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 Why is the customer calling the delivery agency?
(A) To complain about the poor condition and timing of his newspaper.
(B) To cancel his subscription because he now reads the news at his office.
(C) To report that the delivery driver threw the newspaper at his car.
2 What is the main reason for the recent delivery problems?
(A) The company recently changed their official morning delivery schedule.
(B) The new driver got lost and could not find Elm Street on the map.
(C) The regular delivery person is currently taking some time off.
3 How does the agent plan to compensate the customer?
(A) By providing seven days of service at no extra charge.
(B) By sending a delivery manager to his house tomorrow morning.
(C) By replacing the wet newspapers from the past three days.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: (A) To complain about the poor condition and timing of his newspaper.
- Explanation: The customer says his paper has been “completely soaked” (poor condition) and “hasn’t been arriving until 8:30” (timing). Option A summarizes these two problems. Option B is the Trap: The word “office” is mentioned, but he says he has “already left for the office”, not that he wants to cancel. Option C is incorrect; the paper was thrown into a “puddle”, not at a car.
2 Correct Answer: (C) The regular delivery person is currently taking some time off.
- Explanation: Sarah explains that “Our usual driver is on vacation”. Option C paraphrases this perfectly (regular delivery person = usual driver; taking some time off = on vacation). Option A is not mentioned. Option B is the Trap: They have a “temporary replacement” (new driver), but he didn’t get lost; he just wasn’t “paying attention”.
3 Correct Answer: (A) By providing seven days of service at no extra charge.
- Explanation: Sarah promises to “add a week of free delivery” to his account. Option A uses synonyms to express this (seven days = a week; no extra charge = free). Option B is the Trap: Sarah says she will “speak to the delivery manager”, but she is not sending him to the customer’s house. Option C is a logical real-world solution, but it is not what she offered in the audio.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Sarah: Good morning, City Press Delivery. Sarah speaking. How can I help you?
Mr. Grant: Hello, Sarah. This is Robert Grant from 42 Elm Street. I’m calling because I’m having some serious issues with my morning paper.
Sarah: I’m so sorry to hear that, Mr. Grant. What seems to be the problem?
Mr. Grant: Well, for the past three days, my newspaper has been completely soaked. Whoever is delivering it keeps throwing it straight into the large puddle near my front gate.
Sarah: Oh dear. I apologize for that. Our usual driver is on vacation, so we have a temporary replacement this week. He must not be paying attention.
Mr. Grant: That’s not all. The delivery is supposed to be before 7:00 AM, right? But it hasn’t been arriving until 8:30. By that time, I’ve already left for the office, so I can’t even read the news over breakfast.
Sarah: I completely understand your frustration. Let me speak to the delivery manager right away. We will make sure your paper is placed safely on your porch tomorrow, and absolutely before 7:00 AM. I’ll also add a week of free delivery to your account to make up for this.
Mr. Grant: I appreciate that. Thank you, Sarah.
Listening 2
Listen to a phone conversation between a reader and a newspaper employee. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 What is the main reason for the man’s call?
(A) To complain about a technical issue with the news website.
(B) To point out an inaccurate detail in a recent news story.
(C) To suggest a new topic about the city’s botanical garden.
2 Whose name was written incorrectly in the article?
(A) The journalist who wrote the story.
(B) A long-time newspaper subscriber.
(C) A local government official.
3 What will Jessica do to solve the problem?
(A) Publish a formal apology in tomorrow’s printed newspaper.
(B) Have the online document modified to show the right information.
(C) Ask the original writer to rewrite the entire article from the beginning.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: (B) To point out an inaccurate detail in a recent news story.
- Explanation: Mr. Evans states that in the report, “there is a factual mistake” (an inaccurate detail). Option B paraphrases this perfectly. Option A is the Trap: Jessica asks if there is a “technical problem with the website”, but Mr. Evans replies, “No, the site works perfectly.” Option C is also a Trap: The “botanical garden” is the topic of the article, but he is not suggesting a new topic; he is correcting an old one.
2 Correct Answer: (C) A local government official.
- Explanation: The mistake is regarding the spelling of the “city mayor”. Option C uses a broader term (local government official = city mayor) to test vocabulary. Option A is not mentioned as having a spelling error. Option B is the Trap: Mr. Evans introduces himself as a “long-time subscriber”, but it is not his name that was misspelled.
3 Correct Answer: (B) Have the online document modified to show the right information.
- Explanation: Jessica promises to contact the web team to “update the text immediately”. Option B paraphrases this action (update the text = modify the online document). Option A is the Trap: Jessica mentions adding a “correction note”, but it will be on the website, not in “tomorrow’s printed newspaper”. Option C is an extreme action that is not mentioned in the audio.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Jessica: Good morning, The Daily Chronicle editorial desk. This is Jessica speaking. How can I help you today?
Mr. Evans: Hello, Jessica. My name is Thomas Evans. I’m a long-time subscriber. I’m calling regarding an article that was just published on your website about an hour ago.
Jessica: Thanks for reading, Mr. Evans. Is there a technical problem with the website loading?
Mr. Evans: No, the site works perfectly. However, in the report about the new botanical garden, there is a factual mistake. The writer incorrectly spelled the name of our city mayor. It says “Mayor Henderson”, but his actual last name is “Anderson”.
Jessica: Oh my goodness, let me pull that up right now. Ah, you are absolutely right. I can’t believe we missed that during the editing process. We sincerely apologize for the oversight.
Mr. Evans: It’s not a huge deal, but I thought you would want to fix it before too many people share the link.
Jessica: Definitely. I will contact the web team to update the text immediately and add a quick correction note. Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention!
Listening 3
Listen to a phone conversation between a customer and a technical support worker. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 Why is the man contacting technical support?
(A) He wants to renew his monthly payment for the newspaper.
(B) He forgot the password to his digital reading account.
(C) He is unable to access the full text of the online articles.
2 What caused the problem with the man’s account?
(A) He is using a recently purchased computer.
(B) He accidentally deleted his internet browser history.
(C) His credit card was rejected by the payment system.
3 What does the technical support worker instruct the man to do?
(A) Create a completely new user profile on the homepage.
(B) Provide his personal details to log into the system.
(C) Restart his device to update the website’s software.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: (C) He is unable to access the full text of the online articles.
- Explanation: Mark says that every time he clicks on a news story, a message asks him “to pay to continue reading”. Option C paraphrases this situation perfectly (unable to access the full text). Option A is the Trap: Mark says he “renewed my monthly subscription yesterday”, meaning he already paid; he doesn’t want to do it again. Option B is a plausible technical issue, but it is not the reason he called.
2 Correct Answer: (A) He is using a recently purchased computer.
- Explanation: Mark mentions that he got a “brand new laptop this morning”. Option A uses synonyms to express this (recently purchased computer = brand new laptop). Option B is the Trap: Lisa asks if he “cleared your internet history”, but Mark’s actual issue is the new laptop. Option C is a common issue with paywalls in real life, but it is never mentioned in the audio.
3 Correct Answer: (B) Provide his personal details to log into the system.
- Explanation: Lisa tells Mark to click the “Sign In” button and enter his “email address and password”. Option B describes this action using different words (provide personal details = enter email and password; log into the system = sign in). Option A is the Trap: He needs to sign into his existing account, not create a completely new profile. Option C is a common tech support instruction but is not mentioned here.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Lisa: Hello, Daily Globe technical support. My name is Lisa. How can I assist you today?
Mark: Hi, Lisa. Um, I’m a bit frustrated. I just renewed my monthly subscription yesterday, but every time I click on a news story, a message pops up asking me to pay to continue reading.
Lisa: I’m sorry for the inconvenience, sir. Let’s figure this out. Could you tell me if you recently cleared your internet history or bought a new phone?
Mark: Well, I did get a brand new laptop this morning. Why does that matter?
Lisa: Ah, that explains it! The website doesn’t recognize you on the new device yet. You just need to click the ‘Sign In’ button at the top right corner of the homepage and enter your email address and password.
Mark: Oh, I see. I thought the system would automatically know it was me. Let me try that… Ah, yes! The articles are fully visible now.
Lisa: Excellent. Is there anything else I can help you with?
Mark: No, that’s all. Thanks for your quick help.
Listening 4
Listen to a news anchor making an announcement on live television. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 What is the main problem with the live broadcast?
(A) The video screen suddenly went completely dark.
(B) The reporter’s voice cannot be heard by the viewers.
(C) The studio equipment was damaged by the weather.
2 What is the technical staff doing right now?
(A) They are trying to repair the sound issue.
(B) They are driving to the location to replace a camera.
(C) They are answering phone calls from angry viewers.
3 What topic will the news anchor talk about next?
(A) A new technology exhibition.
(B) A recent athletic event in the city.
(C) The upcoming weekend weather forecast.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: (B) The reporter’s voice cannot be heard by the viewers.
- Explanation: The anchor states that “we cannot hear anything he is saying” and his “microphone has completely stopped working”. Option B paraphrases this accurately. Option A is the Trap: The anchor specifically says “We can clearly see David on the screen”, meaning the video is working perfectly fine, only the audio is lost. Option C is not mentioned.
2 Correct Answer: (A) They are trying to repair the sound issue.
- Explanation: The anchor mentions that the engineering team is “working hard to fix the audio connection”. Option A uses synonyms to express this (repair = fix; sound issue = audio connection). Option B is the Trap: The “Convention Center” (location) is mentioned at the beginning, but the staff is not driving there to fix a camera (the camera is working). Option C is plausible for a TV station but is not mentioned in the audio.
3 Correct Answer: (B) A recent athletic event in the city.
- Explanation: To fill the time, the anchor says “let’s switch our focus to some local sports news” and talks about the “city basketball team”. Option B paraphrases this perfectly (athletic event = sports news / basketball). Option A is the Trap: The “technology exhibition” is what David was going to talk about before his microphone broke. Option C is not mentioned.
AUDIO SCRIPT
News Anchor: Welcome back to Channel 8 Evening News. Right now, we are going to go live to our field reporter, David, who is standing by at the City Convention Center to give us an update on the technology exhibition. David, are you there?
… It appears we are having a slight technical difficulty. We can clearly see David on the screen, but unfortunately, we cannot hear anything he is saying. It seems his microphone has completely stopped working. I sincerely apologize to our viewers for this frustrating interruption. Our engineering team is currently working hard to fix the audio connection. We hope to have David back with us before the end of the broadcast.
In the meantime, let’s switch our focus to some local sports news. Last night, the city basketball team achieved a stunning victory…
Listening 5
Listen to a conversation between two colleagues. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 What was the main argument of the newspaper article?
(A) Doing professional tasks from home reduces staff productivity.
(B) People spend too much time reading the news at the office.
(C) Managers need to organize more video meetings with their team.
2 Why does Mike think the article is unfair?
(A) The writer did not understand how to use modern chat applications.
(B) The newspaper refused to publish comments from the local workers.
(C) The author only focused on the perspectives of business leaders.
3 What is one thing that both speakers agree on?
(A) Journalists usually prefer writing negative stories.
(B) Traveling to the workplace can be a stressful experience.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: (A) Doing professional tasks from home reduces staff productivity.
- Explanation: Sarah says the article argued that “working from home makes employees lazy”. Option A paraphrases this idea perfectly (reduces staff productivity = makes employees lazy; doing professional tasks from home = working from home). Option B is not mentioned. Option C is the Trap: “Video calls” and “managers” are mentioned later in the audio, but they are not the main argument of the article.
2 Correct Answer: (C) The author only focused on the perspectives of business leaders.
- Explanation: Mike criticizes the article because the writer “only interviewed company CEOs” (business leaders). Option C uses synonyms to express this exact flaw. Option A is the Trap: Mike mentions “chat apps”, but as a solution for communication, not because the writer didn’t know how to use them. Option B is plausible but is never mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: (B) Traveling to the workplace can be a stressful experience.
- Explanation: Mike mentions the time saved on “commuting”, and Sarah agrees, saying, “That’s a fair point. The article didn’t mention the stress of traffic at all.” Option B paraphrases “commuting” and “stress of traffic” as “traveling to the workplace can be a stressful experience”. Option A is the Trap: Mike says journalists should present both sides, not just the negative one, but he doesn’t say they usually prefer negative stories. Option C mixes up “video calls” and “save money” to distract the listener.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Mike: Hey, Sarah. Did you read that opinion piece in The Daily Post this morning about remote working?
Sarah: Oh, the one arguing that working from home makes employees lazy? Yeah, I read it. I actually thought the author made some good points. I mean, without a manager watching, it’s easy to get distracted by household chores.
Mike: Really? I have to disagree. I felt the article was incredibly biased. The writer only interviewed company CEOs and completely ignored how much time and money workers save on commuting.
Sarah: Well, that’s a fair point. The article didn’t mention the stress of traffic at all. But you have to admit, team communication is much harder when everyone is sitting in different places.
Mike: Maybe, but using video calls and chat apps can easily solve that. I just think a good journalist should present both sides of the story, not just the negative one.
Sarah: I suppose you’re right. I’ll try to read those kinds of articles with a more critical eye next time.