Hobbies & Free time – A1 English Listening Exercise

1 (A) Go cycling

• Explanation: The man explicitly says, “We can’t go cycling in the park today,” which was their original plan. Option (B) “Bake a cake” is a trap because it is their new plan, not what they wanted to do first. Option (C) “Go swimming” is never mentioned.

2 (C) Lemon

• Explanation: The woman clearly names and spells the flavor: “Let’s make a lemon cake. That is L-E-M-O-N.” Option (A) “Melon” is a trap because it uses the exact same letters and sounds somewhat similar. Option (B) “Apple” is a plausible cake flavor but is not mentioned.

3 (B) Four

• Explanation: The man states and repeats the quantity: “We need four eggs. Four eggs for the cake.” Option (A) “Fourteen” is a phonetic trap (words ending in -teen are often confused with single digits at the A1 level). Option (C) “Five” is simply not mentioned.

Man: Oh no! Look at the rain. We can’t go cycling in the park today.

Woman: That is sad. I really wanted to ride my bike.

Man: Let’s stay home. We can bake a cake. Yes, bake a cake!

Woman: Great idea! Let’s make a lemon cake. That is L-E-M-O-N.

Man: Okay. We need four eggs. Four eggs for the cake. Let’s start!

1 (A) The guitar string

• Explanation: The man explicitly says, “The string is broken.” Option (B) “The music shop” is a trap because the shop is mentioned right after, but it is not broken. Option (C) “The drum” is a plausible musical instrument but is not mentioned at all.

2 (C) Melody

• Explanation: The woman spells the shop’s name clearly out loud: “That is M-E-L-O-D-Y.” Option (A) “Melodi” and Option (B) “Medoly” are traps because they sound very similar and have almost the same letters, testing the listener’s spelling recognition.

3 (B) Five minutes

• Explanation: The woman states and repeats the distance: “It is only five minutes away. Yes, five minutes!” Option (A) “Fifteen minutes” and Option (C) “Fifty minutes” are classic A1 phonetic traps, as “five”, “fifteen”, and “fifty” are easily confused by beginners.

Man: Oh no! My guitar!

Woman: What is wrong?

Man: The string is broken. Do you have an extra string?

Woman: No, I don’t. But there is a music shop near here.

Man: Great! What is the name of the shop?

Woman: It is Melody Music. That is M-E-L-O-D-Y.

Man: How far is it?

Woman: It is only five minutes away. Yes, five minutes! Let’s go.

1 (A) The TV

• Explanation: Man A clearly states, “My TV is broken.” Option (B) “The phone” is a trap; it is plausible because they are talking on the phone, but the phone is not broken. Option (C) “The car” is not mentioned at all.

2 (B) Eight o’clock

• Explanation: Man B says and repeats, “The match is at eight o’clock. Yes, eight o’clock!” Option (A) “Seven thirty” is a trap because it is mentioned in the audio, but it is the time Man A will arrive, not the time the match starts. Option (C) “Nine o’clock” is not mentioned.

3 (C) Green

• Explanation: Man B spells the name of his street out loud: “That is G-R-E-E-N.” Option (B) “Breen” is a phonetic trap because it sounds very similar to “Green”. Option (A) “Queen” is a plausible street name but is never mentioned.

Man A: Hello, Tom! My TV is broken. I can’t watch the football match today.

Man B: Oh no! The match is at eight o’clock. Yes, eight o’clock!

Man A: Can I come to your house to watch it?

Man B: Yes! Come to my house. I live on Green Street. That is G-R-E-E-N.

Man A: Thank you! I will be there at seven thirty.

1 (B) His running shoes

• Explanation: The customer explicitly states, “I forgot my running shoes.” Option (A) “His gym bag” is a trap; it is mentioned in the audio, but it is what he has with him, not what he forgot. Option (C) “His water bottle” is a plausible gym item but is not mentioned at all.

2 (C) Forty

• Explanation: The customer clearly says and repeats, “My size is forty. Yes, size forty.” Option (A) “Fourteen” is a classic phonetic trap, as “fourteen” and “forty” sound very similar to beginners. Option (B) “Four” is another phonetic distractor related to the number four.

3 (A) Finn

• Explanation: The customer spells his name out loud: “That is F-I-N-N.” Option (B) “Vinn” is a distractor because the letter “V” sounds similar to “F”, testing the listener’s phonetic recognition. Option (C) “Phil” is a plausible name but is never mentioned.

Customer: Hello. I have my gym bag, but I forgot my running shoes.

Receptionist: No problem. We can rent shoes to you. What is your shoe size?

Customer: My size is forty. Yes, size forty.

Receptionist: Okay. And what is your name, please?

Customer: My name is Finn. That is F-I-N-N.

Receptionist: Thank you. Here are your shoes, Finn.

1 (B) Photography

• Explanation: The reader clearly states, “It is a book about photography.” Option (A) “Cars” is a trap; the librarian asks if it is a book about cars, but the reader says “No”. Option (C) “Music” is a plausible hobby but is not mentioned at all.

2 (C) Focus

• Explanation: The reader spells the title of the book out loud: “That is F-O-C-U-S.” Option (A) “Pocus” and Option (B) “Lotus” are phonetic traps because they rhyme and sound very similar to “Focus”, testing the listener’s ability to hear specific starting letters.

3 (B) Fifteen dollars

• Explanation: The librarian states and repeats the price: “It is fifteen dollars. Yes, fifteen dollars.” Option (A) “Fifty dollars” is a classic A1 phonetic trap (confusing “-teen” and “-ty”). Option (C) “Five dollars” is a trap using a similar base number but is not the correct amount.

Reader: Hello. I am sorry. I lost my library book.

Librarian: Oh no. Is it the book about cars?

Reader: No, it is a book about photography. The name is Focus. That is F-O-C-U-S.

Librarian: Let me check. I see. You need to pay for the book.

Reader: How much is it?

Librarian: It is fifteen dollars. Yes, fifteen dollars.

Reader: Okay. Here is the money.