Practice English Listening A1 Exercises – Lessons in life

A

1   Because we live in a technologically advanced world, yet wax models are still interesting for people.

2   They want to touch them and stand next to them.

3   It takes four months and costs about £150,000.

B

1   In Strasburg in 1761.

2   He was a doctor and he could make brilliant wax models.

3   No – they moved there a year later.

4   Because it was the French Revolution and people were being guillotined.

C

1 d   2 g   3 f   4 a   5 b   6 e   7 c

D

1 died   2 inherited   3 married   4 moved   5 stayed

6 worked   7 started   8 visited   9 opened   10 died

Audioscript

A

A   The museum today

Madame Tussauds waxworks museum is one of London’s most popular tourist attractions. You often see long queues of people waiting to visit their favourite lifelike stars, from Star Wars’ characters and the US President, to Prince William and Kate. It is amazing that in our technologically advanced world, people still want to touch and stand next to models made of wax.

It takes four months to make a model and costs about £150,000. There are Madame Tussauds museums all over the world, from Hollywood to Beijing.

So, where and when was the museum born? And who was Madame Tussaud?

 

B

B   Who was Madame Tussaud?

Marie Tussaud was born in 1761 in Strasburg. Her father, a soldier, died before she was born. When Marie was still very young, her mother moved to Switzerland, where she worked as a housekeeper for a doctor called Philippe Curtius. Marie and her mother lived with the doctor. He could make brilliant wax models. Marie loved these and wanted to learn how to make them. In 1766, Curtius moved to Paris. A year later, Marie and her mother joined him. Marie showed real talent for wax modelling and during the 1780s she worked on them with Curtius. It was the time of the French Revolution, and a frightened Marie started making death masks for people who were guillotined, including King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette.

 

C

1   A   When did Marie’s father die?

      B   Before she was born.

2   A   Did Marie and her mother move to London?

      B   No, they didn’t. They moved to Switzerland.

3   A   What did her mother do?

      B   She worked as a housekeeper.

4   A   Who did they live with?

      B   Dr Philippe Curtius.

5   A   What did Marie want to learn?

      B   How to make wax models.

6   A   Did she like making wax models?

      B   Yes, she did. She loved making them.

7   A   When did she start making death masks?

      B   During the French Revolution.

 

D

C   The move to England

Philippe Curtius died in 1794 and Marie inherited his waxworks. One year later, she married François Tussaud and two sons were born, but the marriage was not successful. In 1802, Marie moved to England with the waxworks and her son, Joseph. François stayed in France with the other son. Marie couldn’t speak a word of English, but she worked hard, and she started touring the country with her models. She visited over 70 towns in 33 years! The English were fascinated by the wax masks of dead French aristocrats.

In 1835, she opened her first museum in Baker Street, London and she worked there until 1842. She died in London on 16 April, 1850 – she was 88. In 1884, her grandsons moved the museum to the Marylebone Road, where it still is today.

 

E

1   Q   When did Philippe Curtius die?

      A   In 1794.

2   Q   Who did Marie marry?

      A   François Tussaud.

3   Q   How many children did she have?

      A   Two. Both sons.

4   Q   When did she move to England?

      A   In 1802.

5   Q   Did she speak any English?

      A   No, she didn’t. She couldn’t speak a word.

6   Q   Did the English like the death masks?

      A   Yes, they did. They loved them.

7   Q   Where and when did she open the first museum?

      A   In Baker Street, London, in 1835.

8   Q   Did she die in London? How old was she?

      A   Yes, she did. She died in London when she was 88.

1   He knows about 9/11 and George Bush becoming president.

2   He remembers 9/11, the foot and mouth crisis, Tiger Woods winning the Masters Golf Tournament, the first iPod and George Harrison dying.

Audioscript

2001 – the year you were born

L = Liam D = Dad

L   Hey, Dad! This is a really cool card!

D   Yeah, it’s really interesting, isn’t it? Did you know any of the events on it?

L   Well, obviously I knew about 9/11 . . .

D   Yeah – you were born just two weeks after that – on September 25th.

L   Yeah, exactly two weeks after. And, of course, I knew that Bush was the US president at that time, but I didn’t know Putin was the Russian prime minister. What do you remember of 2001?

D   Well, of course the best bit was when you came into the world.

L   That goes without saying, but what about the rest?

D   Let’s see the card – oh, I remember the foot and mouth crisis – that was terrible, the poor farmers. It went on and on – your mum and I couldn’t go walking in the countryside and I couldn’t play golf, the club was closed, and you know how I love my golf.

L   I do – so do you remember Tiger Woods being ‘Player of the Year’?

D   Oh yes, Tiger Woods, I remember that. And I remember buying my first iPod – that was great – all my favourite songs in one place. You know I’m a big Beatles fan . . .

L   . . . so you obviously remember when George Harrison died.

D   Yes, I do, but it wasn’t as shocking as when John Lennon was killed in New York in 1980.

L   Yeah, I know about that. What about Harry Potter? Did you know that the first film came out in 2001?

D   No, I had no idea when it came out. I saw the film years later with you.

L   Yeah – I loved all the Harry Potter books and the movies. Now, the last thing . . . the Tower of Pisa. Didn’t we have a holiday in Italy when I was very young?

D   Yeah, you were five, I think, but we weren’t near the Tower of Pisa – I know nothing about that – I don’t know anything about its history at all.

L   I’ll look it up on Wikipedia – I didn’t know that began the year I was born. Did you know, Dad?

D   No, I didn’t. Your card is full of surprises.

1   ✗ They met in the morning.

2   ✗ It took about two hours for the fisherman to catch the tuna.

3   ✓

4   ✗ He has lots of free time activities.

5   ✓

6   ✓

7   ✓

8   ✗ He went home.

Audioscript

When a businessman met a fisherman

B = businessman   F = fisherman

B   Good morning. What beautiful tuna! How long did it take to catch them?

F   Oh, about two hours.

B   Only two hours! Amazing! Why didn’t you fish for longer and catch more?

F   I didn’t want to fish for longer. With this I have enough fish for my family.

B   But what do you do with the rest of your day?

F   I have a long lunch, play with my children, watch football, and take a siesta with my wife. Sometimes in the evenings I walk to the village to see my friends, play the guitar, and sing some songs.

B   Really? That’s all you do? Look, I am a very successful businessman. I went to Harvard University and I studied business. I can help you. Fish for four hours every day and sell the extra fish you catch.

F   But . . .

B   . . . then, you can buy a bigger boat, catch more and earn more money.

F   But . . .

B   . . . then buy a second boat, a third, and so on, until you have a big fleet of fishing boats.

F   But . . .

B   . . . and you can export the fish and leave this village and move to Mexico City, or LA, or New York, and start a fishing business.

F   OK, OK, but how long will all this take?

B   Er – let me think – er probably about 15 to 20 years.

F   15 to 20 years! And then what, señor?

B   Why, that’s the best part. You can sell your business and become very rich, a millionaire.

F   A millionaire? Really? But what do I do with all the money?

B   Well, let me think. Er – I know, you can stop work and – er move to a lovely, old fishing village where you can have long lunches, play with your grandchildren, watch football, take a siesta with your wife, and walk to the village in the evenings where you can play the guitar and sing with your friends all you want.

F   Mmm – well . . .

Fisherman’s children:   Papa, Papa, did you catch many fish?

F   I caught enough for us today and tomorrow and also some for this gentleman. Please, señor, have some of my beautiful fish. Goodbye, señor. Come on children, let’s go home to Mama.

A

A excited   B annoyed   C disappointed   D worried

E tired   F bored.

Audioscript

A

How I feel

I’m bored because I have nothing to do and nowhere to go.

I’m excited because my football team won the cup.

I’m tired because I couldn’t sleep last night.

I’m disappointed because I didn’t do well in the test.

I’m worried because I can’t find my passport.

I’m annoyed because I got another parking ticket.

 

B

It was really exciting!

1   A   Did you enjoy the film?

      B   No, I didn’t. I was bored from start to finish.

      A   What?! It wasn’t boring at all. It was really exciting and very funny.

      B   Well, I didn’t laugh once!

2   C   How was your exam?

      D   Awful. I’m really worried. I don’t think I’ll pass.

      C   But you worked really hard.

      D   I know, I studied until two in the morning, but then I was so tired today I couldn’t read the questions.

      C   Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll be OK.

3   E   I’m so disappointed. I really wanted my team to win this week.

      F   Did they lose again?

      E   No, it was a draw, nil-nil!

      F   What a boring game!

      E   I know, and now I’m so annoyed because I paid £45 for my ticket!

4   A   When’s Nina’s birthday party?

      B   You mean ‘when was it’. It was last Friday, on her birthday.

      A   Oh no! Was she annoyed that I forgot?

      B   No, she was just disappointed that you didn’t come to her party.

B

1   31st October (31/10)

2   30th January (30/1)

3   15th July (15/7)

4   4th March, 2012 (4/3/12)

5   18th February, 2020 (18/2/20)

6   6th August, 1960 (6/8/60)

Audioscript

A

1   The first of April. April the first.

2   The second of March. March the second.

3   The seventeenth of September. September the seventeenth.

4   The nineteenth of November. November the nineteenth.

5   The twenty-third of June. June the twenty-third.

6   The twenty-ninth of February, nineteen seventy-six.

7   December the nineteenth, nineteen eighty-three.

8   The third of October, nineteen ninety-nine.

9   May the thirty-first, two thousand and four.

10   January the fifteenth, twenty nineteen.

 

B

1   October the thirty-first.

2   The thirtieth of January.

3   July the fifteenth.

4   March the fourth, twenty twelve.

5   The eighteenth of February, twenty twenty.

6   The sixth of August, nineteen sixty.

The multimillionaire – Ben Way

Ben Way is 37 years old and he runs a company called ‘Rainmakers’. Ben’s a computer millionaire. However, he wasn’t always so successful. As a child he was dyslexic, so he didn’t do well at school. He didn’t read or write until he was nine and his father gave him a computer. He wrote his first software program when he was 11. He didn’t go to university because at 15 he started his own company. He first became a millionaire when he was just 17. He continued to be very successful until he was 21. He won a business award in 2000, but then in 2001 he lost it all. One year later he started ‘Rainmakers’, and now he’s a millionaire again.