Pets and Animals – A1 English Listening Exercise
Listening 1
Listen to the conversation and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What is the puppy’s name?
(A) Barnie
(B) Banny
(C) Barny
2 How old is the puppy?
(A) 8 weeks
(B) 18 weeks
(C) 8 months
3 What color is the puppy?
(A) Black
(B) Dark brown
(C) White
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Answer: (C) Barny
- Explanation: The woman clearly spells the name B-A-R-N-Y. Option (A) has the wrong spelling (Trap: sounds exactly the same but spelled differently). Option (B) is a slightly different sound.
2 Answer: (A) 8 weeks
- Explanation: The woman says “He is only eight weeks old” and the man repeats “Eight weeks?”. Option (B) “18 weeks” is a trap because the sound “eight” and “eighteen” are often confused by A1 learners. Option (C) “8 months” is a trap using the correct number but the wrong unit of time.
3 Answer: (B) Dark brown
- Explanation: The woman says “he is dark brown”. Option (A) “Black” is a trap because the man asks “Is he black?” but the woman says “No”. Option (C) “White” is not mentioned in the audio at all.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Lisa: Hi Tom! Look at my new puppy!
Tom: Oh, wow! He is so cute. What is his name?
Lisa: His name is Barny.
Tom: Barny? How do you spell that?
Lisa: B-A-R-N-Y. Barny.
Tom: B-A-R-N-Y. Got it. How old is he?
Lisa: He is only eight weeks old.
Tom: Eight weeks? That’s so young! And I love his color. Is he black?
Lisa: No, he is dark brown. Very dark brown.
Listening 2
Listen to the conversation and circle the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 Has the cat eaten yet?
(A) Yes, she has.
(B) No, she hasn’t.
(C) She is sleeping.
2 What color is the box of cat food?
(A) White
(B) Wide
(C) Green
3 How do you spell the cat’s name?
(A) M-E-M-E
(B) N-I-N-I
(C) M-I-M-I
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Answer: (B) No, she hasn’t.
- Explanation: Leo says “No, I didn’t” when Mary asks if he fed the cat. Mary also says “Poor Mimi is very hungry”, which means she hasn’t eaten (Trap: Option A is a common mistake if students only hear the word “feed”).
2 Answer: (A) White
- Explanation: Mary says the food is in a “white box” and spells it W-H-I-T-E. (Trap: Option B “Wide” sounds similar to “White” but is incorrect).
3 Answer: (C) M-I-M-I
- Explanation: Mary clearly spells the name: M-I-M-I. (Trap: Option A and B use similar vowel sounds to confuse A1 level students who are still practicing the alphabet).
AUDIO SCRIPT
Mary: Leo, did you feed our cat?
Leo: No, I didn’t. I’m sorry. Where is the cat food?
Mary: It is in the kitchen, in a small white box.
Leo: A white box? How do you spell that?
Mary: W-H-I-T-E. White.
Leo: Okay. And is the cat’s name Mimi?
Mary: Yes, M-I-M-I. Poor Mimi is very hungry!
Leo: I will feed her now.
Listening 3
Listen to the conversation between a father and his daughter. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 What animal does the girl see on TV?
(A) A bird
(B) A tiger
(C) A bear
2 What is the name of the dog the father spells?
(A) Max
(B) Buster
(C) Bella
3 What animal does the girl NOT like?
(A) Cats
(B) Tigers
(C) Dogs
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
Q1 (B) A tiger
- Explanation: The girl says, “A tiger on TV! I like tigers.” Option A (A bird) is the trap because she mentions birds at the end, but they are not on TV. Option C (A bear) is not mentioned.
Q2 (B) Buster
- Explanation: The father spells the name of the dog: “B-U-S-T-E-R”. Option A (Max) is the trap because Max is the other dog, but the father does not spell his name. Option C (Bella) is not mentioned.
Q3 (A) Cats
- Explanation: The father asks, “Do you like cats?” and the girl answers, “No, I don’t like cats.” Option B (Tigers) is the trap because it is mentioned, but she likes tigers. Option C (Dogs) is mentioned because the father likes dogs.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Daughter: Look, Daddy! A tiger on TV! I like tigers. They are so big.
Father: Um, yes, they are beautiful. But they are a little scary.
Daughter: What is your favorite animal, Daddy?
Father: Well, I like dogs. We have two dogs at home.
Daughter: Oh, yes! Buster and Max. How do you spell Buster?
Father: It’s B-U-S-T-E-R. He is a very good dog. Do you like cats?
Daughter: No, I don’t like cats. I like birds. Can we get a small bird?
Father: Hmm, maybe next year.
Listening 4
Listen to the conversation and circle the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What is the dog’s name?
(A) Rickie
(B) Rocky
(C) Ronnie
2 Does the dog bite?
(A) Yes, sometimes.
(B) No, never.
(C) Only when he is hungry.
3 How old is the dog?
(A) 2 years old
(B) 3 years old
(C) 4 years old
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
Q1 (B) Rocky
- Explanation: The guest asks for the spelling. The owner clarifies: “It’s R-O-C-K-Y.” Option A (Rickie) is a trap because the guest guessed that spelling first.
Q2 (B) No, never.
- Explanation: The owner explicitly says, “He never bites.” Option A is a common distractor but incorrect. Option C is not mentioned in the dialogue.
Q3 (B) 3 years old
- Explanation: The owner says, “He is three years old.” Option A and C are plausible numbers for a dog’s age but are not mentioned in the script.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Guest: Oh, you have a dog! He is so cute. What is his name?
Owner: His name is Rocky.
Guest: How do you spell that? Is it R-O-C-K-I-E?
Owner: No, it’s R-O-C-K-Y. Rocky.
Guest: I see. Is he friendly? Does he bite?
Owner: No, don’t worry. He is very friendly. He never bites.
Guest: That’s good. How old is he?
Owner: He is three years old.
Guest: He is lovely!
Listening 5
Listen to two friends talking about some photos. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 How many cows are there in the photo?
(A) Three
(B) Thirteen
(C) Fifteen
2 What color is the pig?
(A) Pink
(B) Black
(C) Brown
3 How many chickens are there?
(A) 5
(B) 15
(C) 50
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
Q1 (A) Three
- Explanation: Alice clearly says, “there are three black cows.” Option C (Fifteen) is a trap because it is the number of chickens, not cows. Option B (Thirteen) is a similar-sounding number but is not mentioned.
Q2 (C) Brown
- Explanation: Ben asks if the pig is pink, but Alice says, “No, it is brown.” Option A (Pink) is the trap because Ben asks about it. Option B (Black) is the color of the cows.
Q3 (B) 15
- Explanation: Ben asks if there are fifty (50) chickens, but Alice corrects him: “No, not fifty. There are fifteen chickens. One, five.” Option C (50) is the trap based on similar sounds (fifteen vs. fifty). Option A (5) is just a distractor.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Alice: Look at these photos from my trip to the farm!
Ben: Oh, nice! Are those cows?
Alice: Yes, there are three black cows. And look here, this is a big pig.
Ben: Is the pig pink?
Alice: No, it is brown. But I like this photo the best. Look at the chickens!
Ben: Wow. How many chickens are there? Fifty?
Alice: No, not fifty. There are fifteen chickens. One, five.
Ben: Ah, fifteen. They are so small!