At the Restaurant – A1 English Listening Exercise
Listening 1
Listen to the conversation between a manager and a waiter. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 How many chairs do they need?
(A) 16
(B) 10
(C) 6
2 Where will the manager put the chairs?
(A) At the big table
(B) At the small table
(C) At the round table
3 What else does the manager ask for?
(A) Water
(B) A menu
(C) A baby chair
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: C) 6
- Explanation: The manager clearly says, “Just 6. Please put 6 chairs…”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (16) is a trap. Leo asks “Do we need 16 chairs?” but the manager says “No, not 16.” Option B (10) is a plausible number but is not mentioned at all.
2 Correct Answer: A) At the big table
- Explanation: The manager tells Leo to put the chairs “at the big table.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option B (At the small table) is a trap. The manager explicitly says “Not the small table.” Option C (At the round table) is plausible in a restaurant but is never mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: C) A baby chair
- Explanation: The manager says, “But we need one baby chair, please.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (Water) is a trap. Leo asks if they want water, but the manager says “No water yet.” Option B (A menu) is a plausible restaurant item but is not mentioned in the audio.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Manager: Leo, we have guests coming soon. We need more chairs.
Leo: Okay. Do we need 16 chairs?
Manager: No, not 16. Just 6. Please put 6 chairs at the big table. Not the small table.
Leo: Okay, 6 chairs at the big table. Do they want water now?
Manager: No water yet. But we need one baby chair, please.
Leo: Got it. One baby chair.
Listening 2
Listen to the conversation between two colleagues. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What will they eat for lunch?
(A) Pizza
(B) A sandwich
(C) Salad
2 How much time does Sarah have?
(A) 13 minutes
(B) 30 minutes
(C) 60 minutes
3 Where will they eat?
(A) In the park
(B) In the office
(C) In a restaurant
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: B) A sandwich
- Explanation: Mark asks if she wants pizza or a sandwich. Sarah chooses the sandwich because it is “faster”. Mark also confirms at the end, “I will go buy the sandwiches.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (Pizza) is a trap. Mark mentions it as a choice, but Sarah rejects it because she doesn’t have much time. Option C (Salad) is a plausible lunch item but is not mentioned.
2 Correct Answer: B) 30 minutes
- Explanation: Sarah clearly states, “I have 30 minutes,” and spells out “Three-zero” to be sure.
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (13 minutes) is a phonetic trap. Mark guesses “13 minutes?” because 13 (thirteen) and 30 (thirty) sound similar, but Sarah says “No, not 13.” Option C (60 minutes) is a normal lunch break time but is not mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: B) In the office
- Explanation: Sarah says, “Let’s eat here in the office.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (In the park) is a trap. Mark mentions the park but immediately rejects it (“Not the park then”). Option C (In a restaurant) is plausible but is not mentioned in the audio.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Mark: Hi, Sarah. Let’s go out for lunch. Do you want pizza or a sandwich?
Sarah: A sandwich is faster. I don’t have much time today.
Mark: Oh. How many minutes do you have? 13 minutes?
Sarah: No, not 13. I have 30 minutes. Three-zero. Let’s eat here in the office.
Mark: Okay. Not the park then. I will go buy the sandwiches.
Listening 3
Listen to the phone conversation between a manager and a waitress. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 Why is Anna calling?
(A) To order some food
(B) To say she cannot work
(C) To ask for a job
2 What time does Anna usually start work today?
(A) 5:00
(B) 15:00
(C) 9:00
3 What is wrong with Anna?
(A) She has a headache
(B) She is very tired
(C) She has a bad cold
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: B) To say she cannot work
- Explanation: Anna clearly says, “I cannot come to work today.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (To order some food) is a trap because “Gino’s Restaurant” is mentioned, so students might think she is a customer. Option C is not mentioned.
2 Correct Answer: A) 5:00
- Explanation: Mr. Davis asks, “You start work at 5:00 today, right?” and Anna does not say this time is wrong; she only says she cannot come.
- Why the trap is wrong: Option B (15:00) is a phonetic trap to check if students confuse the pronunciation of “five” and “fifteen”. Option C is not mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: C) She has a bad cold
- Explanation: Anna states her problem clearly: “I have a bad cold.” Mr. Davis also repeats, “A bad cold.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (She has a headache) is a trap. Mr. Davis asks if she has a headache, but Anna rejects it by saying, “No, my head is fine.” Option B is plausible but not mentioned.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Mr. Davis: Hello, Gino’s Restaurant.
Anna: Hi, Mr. Davis. It is Anna.
Mr. Davis: Hi, Anna. You start work at 5:00 today, right?
Anna: I am sorry, Mr. Davis. I cannot come to work today.
Mr. Davis: Oh. Are you okay? Do you have a headache?
Anna: No, my head is fine. But I have a bad cold.
Mr. Davis: I see. A bad cold. Okay, stay home and rest, Anna.
Anna: Thank you.
Listening 4
Listen to the job interview between a manager and a student. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What job does the restaurant need?
(A) A cook
(B) A waiter
(C) A manager
2 Why can’t Leo work on Saturday?
(A) He is sick.
(B) He is tired.
(C) He has school.
3 What day will Leo work?
(A) Friday
(B) Saturday
(C) Sunday
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: B) A waiter
- Explanation: The manager clearly says, “We need a new waiter.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option C (A manager) is a trap. The person speaking is the manager, but that is not the job they are looking for. Option A (A cook) is a plausible restaurant job but is not mentioned.
2 Correct Answer: C) He has school.
- Explanation: Leo says, “I cannot work on Saturday. I have school.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Options A (He is sick) and B (He is tired) are common reasons to miss work, but they are not mentioned in the audio.
3 Correct Answer: C) Sunday
- Explanation: The manager asks, “Can you work on Sunday?” and Leo says, “Yes, I can!” The manager then confirms he will start this Sunday.
- Why the trap is wrong: Option B (Saturday) is the main trap. The manager asks about Saturday first, but Leo rejects it because he has school. Option A (Friday) is not mentioned.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Manager: Hello, Leo. Welcome to Gino’s Restaurant. We need a new waiter. Can you work on Saturdays?
Leo: I am sorry. I cannot work on Saturday. I have school.
Manager: I see. How about Sunday? Can you work on Sunday?
Leo: Yes, I can! I am free all day on Sunday.
Manager: Great. You can start this Sunday at 10:00 AM.
Leo: Thank you so much!
Listening 5
Listen to the conversation between two waiters. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What does Lisa count first?
(A) Glasses
(B) Spoons
(C) Plates
2 How many plates do they have?
(A) 16
(B) 60
(C) 100
3 How many glasses do they have?
(A) 40
(B) 14
(C) 60
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: C) Plates
- Explanation: Tom asks, “How many plates do we have?” and Lisa counts them first.
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (Glasses) is a trap. Glasses are mentioned, but they are counted second, not first. Option B (Spoons) is a plausible restaurant item but is not mentioned at all.
2 Correct Answer: B) 60
- Explanation: Lisa clearly says they have 60 plates and spells it out as “Six-zero”.
- Why the trap is wrong: Option A (16) is a phonetic trap. Tom mishears and asks “16 plates?”, but Lisa directly rejects this by saying “No”. Option C (100) is not mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: A) 40
- Explanation: Lisa states clearly, “We have 40 glasses.”
- Why the trap is wrong: Option B (14) is a phonetic trap to see if students confuse the pronunciation of “forty” and “fourteen”. Option C (60) is a trap because 60 is the number of plates, not glasses.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Tom: Lisa, the restaurant opens soon. Let’s check the tables. How many plates do we have?
Lisa: Let me count. We have 60 plates.
Tom: 16 plates? That is not enough!
Lisa: No, 60. Six-zero.
Tom: Oh, good. And how many glasses?
Lisa: We have 40 glasses. Let’s put them on the tables.