Online Shopping – B1 English Listening Exercise

1 Correct Answer: (C)

• Explanation: Kevin shows Ms. Taylor the virtual cart and she agrees to “authorize the payment.” Option C paraphrases this as getting “permission to finalize a company purchase.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (B) is a trap. Ms. Taylor mentions her “manager account,” but she already has it (“I’ll log in with my manager account”); Kevin is not asking her to create a new one. Option (A) is a trap because the “copy machine” is mentioned, but only regarding buying ink for it, not that it is broken.

2 Correct Answer: (A)

• Explanation: Kevin mentions adding “printer paper,” “ink cartridges,” and “ballpoint pens.” Option A uses synonyms: “Materials for printing” (paper and ink) and “writing instruments” (pens).
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (B) is a trap. The “reception desk” is mentioned, but Kevin is buying pens for that desk, not buying new furniture for the area. Option (C) is a plausible office purchase but is not mentioned in the audio.

3 Correct Answer: (B)

• Explanation: Ms. Taylor states they get the discount “if we spend over two hundred dollars,” and Kevin confirms the total is $215. Option B paraphrases this as “spending a large enough amount of money.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (C) is a trap. Ms. Taylor uses her “manager account” to authorize the payment at the end, but the discount is given based on the total price ($200+), not because of the account type. Option (A) is a common online shopping feature but is not mentioned.

Kevin: Excuse me, Ms. Taylor. Do you have a minute? I’ve just finished organizing the monthly supply order on the supplier’s website.

Ms. Taylor: Oh, great. Let me look at your screen. So, what exactly do we have in the virtual cart this time?

Kevin: Well, we are completely out of printer paper, so I added five boxes of those. I also included some black ink cartridges for the copy machine and a few packs of blue ballpoint pens for the reception desk.

Ms. Taylor: That sounds about right. Um, did you remember to check if they offer the bulk discount? We usually get ten percent off if we spend over two hundred dollars.

Kevin: Yes, I did. The total comes to two hundred and fifteen dollars, so the discount has already been applied automatically. I just need you to look it over.

Ms. Taylor: Excellent work, Kevin. I’ll log in with my manager account right now to authorize the payment. The package should arrive by Thursday.

Kevin: Perfect. Thanks, Ms. Taylor.

1 Correct Answer: (B)

• Explanation: Leo states their topic is “why teenagers and young adults prefer shopping on the internet.” Option B paraphrases this as “reasons why younger generations favor buying things online.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) is a trap. Mia asks if they should mention the “negative sides,” but Leo explicitly rejects this idea because the professor only wants them to focus on the positive reasons. Option (C) is a plausible e-commerce topic but is never mentioned.

2 Correct Answer: (B)

• Explanation: Mia says the biggest reason is convenience because “you don’t have to travel anywhere” and can buy things “from your bedroom.” Option B paraphrases this perfectly as purchasing items “without leaving their homes.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (C) is a trap. The audio mentions trying clothes on (“you can’t try the clothes on”), but Mia brings this up as a negative side of online shopping, not an advantage. Option (A) is not mentioned in the audio.

3 Correct Answer: (A)

• Explanation: Leo points out that online, “you can compare prices with just a few clicks” to find the best deals. Option A uses synonyms: “see which website offers the lowest cost” (compare prices).
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (C) is a trap. The “professor” is mentioned in the audio, but only regarding the instructions for the presentation, not teaching them how to get good deals. Option (B) is a plausible guess for students, but it is not mentioned in the conversation.

Leo: Hey Mia, thanks for meeting up. We need to plan our E-commerce presentation for next week. Our topic is why teenagers and young adults prefer shopping on the internet instead of going to physical stores.

Mia: Right. Well, I think the biggest reason is definitely convenience. You don’t have to travel anywhere or wait in long lines. You can just buy things from your bedroom at midnight if you want to.

Leo: Exactly. And another major point is how simple it is to find the best deals. When you are in a mall, you can’t easily check if another shop has the same jacket for less money. But online, you can compare prices with just a few clicks.

Mia: That’s a great point. Um, but should we also mention the negative sides? Like, you can’t try the clothes on before buying them.

Leo: I don’t think we need to include that. The professor only asked us to focus on the positive reasons why it is so popular.

Mia: Ah, okay. Makes sense. I’ll start typing up these two main ideas for our slides.

1 Correct Answer: (B)

• Explanation: David says his company wants to “order two hundred of them for our year-end staff party” and Lisa offers a “special wholesale price.” Option B paraphrases this as buying a “large number of employee gifts at a reduced price.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) is a trap. The “ceramic mugs” are mentioned in the audio, but David is buying new ones, not asking for a refund for damaged ones. Option (C) is a trap because the word “wholesale” is used in the audio, but he is a customer, not a job applicant.

2 Correct Answer: (A)

• Explanation: Lisa states the discount is for “orders of over one hundred items.” Option A paraphrases this mathematically as purchasing “more than a specific number of products.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (C) is a trap. The phrase “year-end” is mentioned by David regarding his “staff party,” but there is no mention of a “year-end sale” on the website. Option (B) is a plausible online shopping requirement but is never mentioned.

3 Correct Answer: (C)

• Explanation: Lisa instructs him to “check the box that says ‘Business Order'” and “type in your company name and tax identification number” on the payment page. Option C paraphrases this as entering “business details during the online checkout.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) is a trap. The “accounting department” is mentioned in the audio, but it is David’s own department that needs the invoice, not a place he has to visit to pick it up. Option (B) is a trap because Lisa explicitly says they will “email” the document, meaning it is an electronic copy, not a physical paper copy sent to his office.

David: Good morning. I’m calling regarding the ceramic coffee mugs listed on your online store. My company wants to order two hundred of them for our year-end staff party.

Lisa: Good morning! That’s a wonderful choice for a gift. Since you are ordering a large quantity, I can offer you a special wholesale price.

David: Oh, that sounds great. How much of a discount do we get?

Lisa: Well, for any orders of over one hundred items, we automatically apply a fifteen percent discount to your total cost.

David: Excellent. One more thing, um, my accounting department requires an official VAT invoice for our tax records. How do I get that?

Lisa: It’s very simple. When you reach the payment page on our website, just check the box that says “Business Order”. Then, type in your company name and tax identification number. We will email the official document to you within twenty-four hours after the purchase.

David: Alright, I understand. I will go ahead and complete the online form right now. Thank you for your help.

1 Correct Answer: (B)

• Explanation: The speaker says he has a “security announcement” about “cyber criminals” sending “fake delivery emails.” Option B paraphrases this as warning employees about a “dangerous online trick.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) is a trap. The speaker mentions that people are “buying gifts online,” but he is not teaching them how to do it cheaply. Option (C) is a plausible IT topic but is never mentioned.

2 Correct Answer: (A)

• Explanation: The speaker explains that the email subject lines say “Your package is on hold” or “Delivery failed.” Option A paraphrases this situation as claiming that a recent online purchase “cannot be delivered yet.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (B) is a trap. The word “gifts” is mentioned in the audio, but the scammers are not offering free gifts; they are asking for a “small shipping fee.” Option (C) is a common type of office scam, but it is not the one described in this audio.

3 Correct Answer: (C)

• Explanation: The speaker explicitly instructs the staff to “just delete it immediately” if they receive one of these messages. Option C paraphrases this perfectly as “Remove the email from their inbox right away.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (B) is a trap (exactly what NOT to do). The audio mentions paying a “small shipping fee,” but warns that if you do, scammers will “steal your credit card information.” Option (A) is not mentioned; the speaker tells them to call the “IT department” if unsure, not the police.

IT Specialist: Could I have everyone’s attention for a moment before we start the meeting? I have a quick security announcement. Since many of us are buying gifts online right now, cyber criminals are taking advantage of the situation.

Recently, we have seen a huge increase in fake delivery emails. These messages usually have a subject line that says something like, “Your package is on hold” or “Delivery failed.” Inside, they will tell you that you need to click a link to pay a small shipping fee to get your item.

Please, whatever you do, do not click on those links. It is a trick. If you type in your personal details, the scammers will steal your credit card information. Remember, real delivery companies will never ask you for extra money through a random email link.

If you receive one of these messages, just delete it immediately. If you are ever unsure whether an email is real or not, please call the IT department, and we will check it for you. Alright, thank you for listening. Let’s move on to the main meeting agenda.

1 Correct Answer: (A)

• Explanation: David points out that the Basic plan “doesn’t include shared cloud storage” which they “definitely need.” Option A paraphrases this as not offering “a specific feature the team requires.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (B) is a trap. The Pro plan (paid monthly) is the one described as “expensive,” whereas the Basic plan is actually “pretty cheap” ($10). Option (C) is a plausible software limitation, but it is not mentioned regarding the Basic plan.

2 Correct Answer: (B)

• Explanation: Sarah notices the Pro plan is $25 a month and says, “That’s a bit expensive for our small budget.” Option B paraphrases this as the “monthly payment option seems too high.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) is a trap. It is the Basic plan that is missing features; Mark confirms the Pro plan “has all the team collaboration tools we need.” Option (C) is not mentioned in the audio.

3 Correct Answer: (C)

• Explanation: Mark suggests switching to “annual billing” and David confirms that if they “pay for the whole year right now,” they get a discount. Option C paraphrases this perfectly as “paying for twelve months of service at one time.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) is a trap. The “cheapest option” is the Basic plan, but they rejected it because it lacked necessary features. Option (B) is a trap; the word “discount” is mentioned, but it is for annual billing, not a “holiday discount next month.”

Mark: Alright, team, let’s look at the screen. We need to buy the official license for our new design software today. There are three subscription plans on their website.

Sarah: Let’s see… Basic, Pro, and Enterprise. The Basic plan is only ten dollars a month. That’s pretty cheap.

David: Yes, but if you read the details, the Basic plan doesn’t include shared cloud storage. We definitely need that to work on projects together.

Mark: Good point, David. So, Basic is out. What about the Pro plan? It has all the team collaboration tools we need.

Sarah: It says here the Pro plan is twenty-five dollars a month per user. That’s a bit expensive for our small budget, isn’t it?

Mark: Um, wait a second. Look at this button at the top. If we switch from “monthly billing” to “annual billing”, the price drops to twenty dollars a month.

David: Oh, I see it! So if we pay for the whole year right now, we get a nice discount.

Mark: Exactly. It’s much more cost-effective. Do we all agree to get the Pro annual plan then?

Sarah: Yes, I think that’s the smartest choice.

David: I agree. Let’s go ahead and put it in the cart.