Crime & Punishment – B1 English Listening Exercise

1 Answer: (B) One of the lights on the back of the car is not working.

• The Key: The officer says, “your left rear light is completely broken.” A rear light is a light on the back of the car, and broken means not working.
• The Trap (A): The driver asks, “Was I driving over the speed limit?” (going too fast), but the officer clearly answers, “No, your speed was perfectly fine.”
• Plausible but not mentioned (C): Running a red light is a common traffic violation, but they do not talk about traffic signals in this conversation.

2 Answer: (A) He recently purchased it from a previous owner.

• The Key: The driver explains, “I just bought this car second-hand last week.” Buying a car second-hand means purchasing it from a previous owner.
• The Trap (B): The driver mentions a “mechanic,” but he says he will take the car to the mechanic tomorrow morning. He didn’t do it recently.
• Plausible but not mentioned (C): Borrowing a car is a reasonable excuse for not knowing it was broken, but he clearly says he bought it.

3 Answer: (C) He gives a verbal warning and allows the driver to leave.

• The Key: The driver asks for “just a warning”, and the officer agrees, saying “I won’t write you a ticket tonight.” This means he is letting the driver go with a warning.
• The Trap (A): The officer mentions a “financial penalty,” but he says he would “normally” do this. Tonight, because the driver’s record is clean, he does not force him to pay.
• Plausible but not mentioned (B): The officer says driving without the light is dangerous, so telling the driver to stop driving sounds logical, but the officer allows him to drive home.

Officer: Good evening, sir. Do you know why I asked you to stop your vehicle tonight?

Driver: Good evening, officer. Um, honestly, I have no idea. Was I driving over the speed limit?

Officer: No, your speed was perfectly fine. However, your left rear light is completely broken. It’s quite dangerous to drive in the dark without it.

Driver: Oh my goodness, really? I had no idea. I just bought this car second-hand last week, and everything seemed to be working normally. I am so sorry.

Officer: Well, it’s a safety hazard. Normally, I would give you a financial penalty for this traffic violation.

Driver: Please, officer. If you let me go this time with just a warning, I promise I will take it to the mechanic and get it repaired first thing tomorrow morning.

Officer: Alright. Since your driving record is clean, I won’t write you a ticket tonight. But make sure you fix that light before you drive at night again.

Driver: Thank you so much, officer. I definitely will.

1 Answer: (A) The store’s warning system made a loud noise.

• The Key: The customer is shocked and says, “I don’t understand why the alarm is ringing.” An alarm ringing means the warning system made a loud noise.
• The Trap (B): The customer mentions a “pair of jeans” and fears people might think she is a “shoplifter” (stealing), but the guard never accused her. He says, “I believe you.”
• Plausible but not mentioned (C): Losing a receipt can make a customer upset, but she explicitly says, “Here is my receipt.”

2 Answer: (B) A store worker failed to take off a protective item.

• The Key: The guard explains, “The person at the register forgot to remove the plastic device.” The person at the register is a store worker, and the plastic device is a protective item (security tag).
• The Trap (A): The audio mentions a “sweater” and her “bag,” but she paid for it and did not try to hide it.
• Plausible but not mentioned (C): Broken sensors often cause false alarms, but in this case, the sensors were working correctly; it was a human error by the cashier.

3 Answer: (C) Carry the clothing to the desk to detach the device.

• The Key: The guard says, “Let me take this back to the counter and get it removed for you.” Taking it to the counter means carrying it to the desk, and getting it removed means detaching the device.
• The Trap (A): The “person at the register” is mentioned earlier as the one who made the mistake, but the guard does not offer to ask them for a refund.
• Plausible but not mentioned (B): Offering a discount is a common way to apologize for an inconvenience in retail, but the guard only apologizes verbally and removes the tag.

Security: Excuse me, miss. Could you please step back inside for a moment?

Customer: Oh my goodness! I don’t understand why the alarm is ringing. I paid for everything in my bag. Here is my receipt.

Security: Please don’t panic, miss. I believe you. Sometimes our system rings by mistake. Let me just check your shopping bag very quickly.

Customer: Sure, go ahead. I only bought a sweater and a pair of jeans.

Security: Ah, here is the problem. The person at the register forgot to remove the plastic device attached to your new sweater.

Customer: You mean the security tag?

Security: Exactly. When you walk through the front doors with it, the sensors automatically go off. It happens quite often, especially when the store is extremely busy.

Customer: Phew! I was so embarrassed. I thought people would think I was a shoplifter.

Security: Not at all. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Let me take this back to the counter and get it removed for you. It will only take a second.

Customer: Thank you very much.

1 Answer: (A) A driver crashing into an empty vehicle and leaving.

• The Key: The speakers see a truck crash into a red parked car, and Emma says “it looks completely empty” and the driver “is driving away” (leaving).
• The Trap (B): The “white truck” is mentioned, but it crashed into a parked car, not a person walking on the street.
• Plausible but not mentioned (C): Jack hopes the “police” will catch the guy at the end, but they do not see a police chase happening.

2 Answer: (B) To remember the letters and numbers on the truck.

• The Key: Jack says, “Quick, we need to memorize his registration number.” Memorizing a registration number means remembering the letters and numbers on the truck.
• The Trap (A): The “police” are mentioned at the very end of the conversation, but Jack does not tell Emma to call them immediately.
• Plausible but not mentioned (C): Stopping the truck would be a brave action, but the pedestrians do not try to physically stop the vehicle.

3 Answer: (C) Leave it on the glass of the damaged car.

• The Key: Emma says they will “slide the note under the wiper on the front window.” The front window of a car is made of glass, and the red car is the damaged one.
• The Trap (A): The “owner” is mentioned, but Jack says the owner is “probably shopping inside the mall,” so they cannot give the paper directly to the owner right now.
• The Trap (B): Emma mentions having the paper in her “bag”, but she takes it out to write a note, not to keep it for the police.

Emma: Oh my gosh, look out! That white truck is backing up way too fast!

Jack: Wow! It just crashed right into that red parked car. That sounded terrible.

Emma: Wait, what is the driver doing? He’s not stopping to check the damage. He is driving away!

Jack: That’s a hit-and-run! Quick, we need to memorize his registration number. It’s… um… B-R-T, 8-9-2.

Emma: Let me write that down on my phone. B-R-T, 8-9-2. Got it. Do you think anyone was inside the red car?

Jack: No, it looks completely empty. The owner is probably shopping inside the mall.

Emma: Well, we can’t just leave. I have a pen and a small piece of paper in my bag. Let’s write a quick message for the owner.

Jack: Good idea. We should include the truck’s details and our phone numbers so they can contact us as witnesses.

Emma: Yeah, and we can slide the note under the wiper on the front window.

Jack: Perfect. I hope the police catch that guy.

1 Answer: (B) Because he moved ahead of the waiting people.

• The Key: The woman complains that “Pushing in front of others isn’t really fair.” Pushing in front means moving ahead of the waiting people.
• The Trap (A): The man mentions his “bottle of milk and some bread,” but he did not drop them. He just wants to buy them quickly.
• The Trap (C): The woman mentions the “fruit section” to show him where the line ends, but the man never asked for directions.

2 Answer: (A) He needs to leave quickly for public transportation.

• The Key: The man says, “I’m in a huge rush to catch a train.” Catching a train means using public transportation.
• The Trap (C): It is a common excuse for line-cutters to say they “didn’t see the line,” but this man admits he knows there is a line; he just thinks his two items will “only take a second.”
• Plausible but not mentioned (B): A medical emergency would make someone rush, but he specifically mentions a train, not a medical issue.

3 Answer: (C) She says it shows a lack of respect for others.

• The Key: The woman says his action is “quite disrespectful to everyone else.” Being disrespectful means showing a lack of respect.
• The Trap (A): The audio includes the words “crime” and “legal offense”, but the woman explicitly says, “it might not be a legal offense.”
• Plausible but not mentioned (B): Stealing is a common supermarket crime, but she is angry because he is breaking the rules of waiting, not because he is stealing.

Customer A: Excuse me, sir. I think you might have made a mistake. The end of the queue is actually all the way back by the fruit section.

Customer B: Oh, I just have these two items. It will only take a second. I’m in a huge rush to catch a train.

Customer A: I understand you are in a hurry, but we are all waiting to pay for our groceries. I’ve been standing here for fifteen minutes. Pushing in front of others isn’t really fair.

Customer B: Come on, it’s not a crime! I only grabbed a bottle of milk and some bread.

Customer A: Well, it might not be a legal offense, but it’s definitely breaking the rules of common courtesy. It’s quite disrespectful to everyone else who has been patiently waiting. You need to wait your turn like the rest of us. Please go to the back.

Customer B: Alright, fine. I didn’t mean to cause a public argument. I’ll walk to the back. There’s no need to be so serious.

Customer A: Thank you. I appreciate it.

1 Correct Answer: B

• Explanation: Chloe notices the zipper is “torn open” and the padlock is “missing”. Liam confirms that “Someone broke into my luggage”. Option B is a perfect paraphrase: “illegally forced it open”.
• Why the traps are wrong: Option A is a trap; lost luggage is a common airport problem, but Liam’s suitcase did arrive. Option C is a trap; the luggage is damaged, but it’s the zipper and lock, not the wheels.

2 Correct Answer: C

• Explanation: Liam says, “Oh my gosh, my silver watch is gone!” A watch is a type of “silver accessory”.
• Why the traps are wrong: Option A is a trap; Chloe asks about the laptop, but Liam says it is safely in his “carry-on backpack”. Option B is a trap; Liam looks “under these clothes” to find his watch, but the clothes themselves were not stolen.

3 Correct Answer: A

• Explanation: Chloe says they need to find the “aviation security desk,” and Liam agrees they must “report the crime and fill out an official form.” Making a “formal complaint” at the “security office” perfectly matches this.
• Why the traps are wrong: Option B is a trap; they are looking for airport security, not calling the local police to arrest staff. Option C is a trap; the padlock is missing, and they go to the information counter, but they go there to “ask for directions,” not to buy a new lock.

Liam: Hey Chloe, I think that blue suitcase coming around the corner is mine. Let me grab it.

Chloe: Wait a second, Liam. Look at the zipper. It’s completely torn open, and the padlock is missing!

Liam: Oh no! You’re right. Someone broke into my luggage. I can’t believe this. Let me check inside right now to see what’s missing.

Chloe: Did they take anything important? What about your laptop?

Liam: No, luckily I kept my laptop in my carry-on backpack. But… let me look under these clothes. Oh my gosh, my silver watch is gone! I packed it right here in this side pocket.

Chloe: That’s terrible. They definitely stole it. We cannot just leave the airport like this. We need to find the aviation security desk immediately.

Liam: Good idea. We have to report the crime and fill out an official form. Do you see any security officers around here?

Chloe: I don’t, but there’s an information counter over there. Let’s go ask them for directions to the security office.