Health – A1 English Listening Exercise

1 (B) Paul

• Explanation: The man explicitly says his name. Option A (Peter) is a phonetic trap because it is a common name starting with the letter ‘P’. Option C is wrong because the receptionist is the one answering the phone, not the patient.

2 (B) Tuesday

• Explanation: Paul asks, “Is Tuesday morning okay?” and they agree on Tuesday. Option A (Monday) is the main trap because the receptionist suggests Monday first, but Paul rejects it saying “No, I am busy on Monday.” Option C (Thursday) is a phonetic trap because “Tuesday” and “Thursday” sound similar to beginners.

3 (B) 10 o’clock

• Explanation: The receptionist confirms the time “at 10 o’clock” and repeats “Ten o’clock” (A1 repetition technique). Options A (2 o’clock) and C (12 o’clock) are phonetic traps because “Two”, “Ten”, and “Twelve” all start with the letter ‘T’.

Receptionist: Hello, City Clinic. Can I help you?

Paul: Hello. I want to see a doctor, please. My name is Paul.

Receptionist: Hi, Paul. Are you free on Monday?

Paul: No, I am busy on Monday. Is Tuesday morning okay?

Receptionist: Let me check. Yes, Tuesday at 10 o’clock. Ten o’clock.

Paul: Tuesday at 10 o’clock is great. Thank you.

1 (A) A cough and a sore throat

• Explanation: Mary explicitly says, “I have a bad cough,” and agrees when the doctor asks about a “sore throat”. Option B is a trap because it mentions “cough” but adds the wrong illness (“headache”). Option C is a plausible illness but is not mentioned.

2 (C) Warm water

• Explanation: The doctor gives a clear instruction: “You need to drink warm water”. Option A (Cold water) is a trap using the exact opposite word. Option B (Hot tea) is a logical drink for a sore throat, but it is not in the audio.

3 (B) Two times a day

• Explanation: The doctor clearly says “Two times a day” and repeats the phrase “Two times” (A1 repetition technique). Option C (Ten times a day) is a common A1 phonetic trap because “Two” and “Ten” sound similar to beginners. Option A is not mentioned.

Doctor: Good morning. What is the matter, Mary?

Mary: Good morning, Doctor. I feel sick. I have a bad cough.

Doctor: I see. Do you have a sore throat, too?

Mary: Yes, I do. A sore throat. It hurts a lot.

Doctor: Okay. You need to drink warm water and take this medicine.

Mary: Thank you. How many times a day?

Doctor: Two times a day. Two times.

Mary: Okay. Goodbye, Doctor.

1 (C) A headache

• Explanation: The customer clearly says “I have a bad headache”. Options A (stomachache) and B (toothache) are phonetic traps because they are common illnesses ending with the same “-ache” sound.

2 (A) One pill

• Explanation: The pharmacist explicitly says “Just take one pill” and repeats it. Option B (Two pills) is the main trap because the customer asks “Do I take two pills?”, but the pharmacist rejects it by saying “No, not two.” Option C (Ten pills) is a phonetic trap for beginners (“Two” vs. “Ten”).

3 (C) After dinner

• Explanation: The pharmacist gives a direct instruction: “take one pill after dinner,” and the customer confirms it. Options A (After breakfast) and B (Before dinner) are plausible times to take medicine, but they are not mentioned in the audio.

Customer: Hello. I need some medicine, please.

Pharmacist: Hello. What is the matter?

Customer: I have a bad headache.

Pharmacist: I see. Here is some good medicine for your headache.

Customer: Thank you. Do I take two pills?

Pharmacist: No, not two. Just take one pill after dinner. One pill.

Customer: Okay. One pill after dinner. Thank you.

1 (B) Anna

• Explanation: The receptionist clearly says her name. Option A (Emma) is a phonetic trap because it sounds very similar to Anna. Option C (Sarah) is a common name but is not mentioned.

2 (A) 6 o’clock

• Explanation: The receptionist says, “We open at 6 o’clock” and repeats “Six o’clock” (A1 repetition technique). Option B (7 o’clock) is the main trap because the customer asks, “Do you open at 7 o’clock?”, but the receptionist says “No”. Option C is not in the audio.

3 (A) In the morning

• Explanation: The customer explicitly states, “I want to exercise in the morning.” Options B and C are plausible times to go to the gym, but they are not mentioned in the dialogue.

Customer: Hello. I want to go to this gym.

Receptionist: Hello. Welcome to City Gym. My name is Anna.

Customer: Hi, Anna. Do you open at 7 o’clock?

Receptionist: No, we open early. We open at 6 o’clock in the morning. Six o’clock.

Customer: Six o’clock? That is good. I want to exercise in the morning.

Receptionist: Great! You can start tomorrow.

1 (C) Oranges

• Explanation: The customer asks, “Where are the oranges?” and at the end says, “Just oranges.” Option A (Apples) is the main trap because the employee mentions them, but the customer says “No apples today.” Option B (Bananas) is a plausible fruit but is not in the audio.

2 (A) Aisle 4

• Explanation: The employee says the oranges are in “Aisle 4” and repeats the word “Four”. Option B (Aisle 14) is a trap because the customer guesses it incorrectly, and the employee says “No, not 14.” Option C (Aisle 40) is a common A1 phonetic trap because “Four”, “Fourteen”, and “Forty” sound similar.

3 (C) Vitamin

• Explanation: The customer clearly spells the word “V-I-T-A-M-I-N”. Options A and B are mentioned in the conversation, but they are not spelled out letter by letter.

Customer: Excuse me. Where are the oranges?

Employee: Hello. The oranges are in Aisle 4.

Customer: Aisle 14?

Employee: No, not 14. Aisle 4. Four.

Customer: Thank you. I want some Vitamin C. V-I-T-A-M-I-N.

Employee: Yes. Oranges have a lot of Vitamin C. Apples are very healthy, too.

Customer: No apples today. Just oranges.