Practice English Listening A1 Exercises – Sport

1 comes   2 lives   3 plays   4 trains

5 doesn’t do   6 has   7 goes back   8 hopes

Audioscript

Sport is my life

‘I work hard … but I’m lucky! I love what I do’, says Logan Cooper. Logan Cooper is 19 years old. He comes from Perth, Australia, but he now lives in Newcastle, in the north of England. He’s a rugby player. He plays rugby for The Newcastle Rebels and he trains every day from Monday to Friday for the BIG game on Saturday. Sunday is his one free day, his day off! He doesn’t do much on Sundays. He has a flat near the sports ground with Tony, another player from the team. Every summer he goes back to Australia for one month. One day he hopes to play rugby for his country.

A

1   Usually at the sports ground, sometimes in the countryside.

2   By running or cycling.

3   On Friday evening, Tony cooks a huge meal.

4   On Sundays, they relax and watch TV – and Logan Skypes his parents.

B

1 train   2 go   3 love   4 don’t go

5 goes   6 doesn’t feel   7 cooks   8 don’t drink

9 don’t do   10 relax   11 miss   12 want

Audioscript

‘I live for my sport. I love it!’

‘I live for my sport – I love it. We train hard every weekday, usually at the sports ground, but sometimes we go running or cycling in the countryside. We cycle for miles, often to the sea. I really love the beaches near Newcastle, they’re beautiful, but I don’t go swimming there – I never swim – the North Sea is too cold. It’s freezing, summer and winter, not like in Australia! Tony goes swimming sometimes – but then he doesn’t feel the cold … he’s from Newcastle!

Saturday is the BIG day, Match Day! On Friday evening, Tony always cooks a huge meal for us, white rice or potatoes, with chicken and green vegetables, but of course we don’t drink any alcohol! I love the excitement on Saturday – especially when we win!

Sunday? … Sunday, we don’t do much, we’re so tired. We just relax and watch TV – sport of course. My favourite is the skiing, ‘Ski Sunday’, and football, I’m a Newcastle United fan – of course. Oh, and I ‘Skype’ my mum and dad in Australia. I miss them a lot. They want me to play for Australia one day.’

1   Q   What time do you get up?

      A   At about seven o’clock. (c)

2   Q   Who do you live with?

      A   My parents and my sister. (e)

3   Q   How do you travel to school?

      A   I always walk. (g)

4   Q   Do you go out on Fridays?

      A   Yes, I do sometimes. (a)

5   Q   What do you do on Sundays?

      A   I don’t do much. I like to relax. (h)

6   Q   Where do you go on holiday?

      A   We often go to Spain. (d)

7   Q   Why do you like to go there?

      A   Because it’s always sunny. (f)

8   Q   When do you go to bed?

      A   Usually late, about midnight. (b)

Audioscript

1   Anna

A   I play tennis a lot. I’m no good, but I like playing.

B   When do you play?

A   Oh, in summer I play every weekend.

B   Just in summer?

A   No, sometimes in spring and autumn, too, if it’s sunny.

2   Roger

R   My favourite sport is skiing. I go skiing with my family every year. We all love it.

B   When do you go?

R   Always in January or February, after Christmas. We go to France.

B   And are you a good skier?

R   I’m OK. My wife’s good, the kids are really good – but I’m just OK.

3   Linda

A   Do you go to the gym every day?

L   Yes, I do, every day, every morning before work.

A   And do you go swimming there?

L   Yes. I swim every morning, too. Do you go to the gym?

A   Well – er no, I don’t. I like my bed in the morning!

4   Adam & Josh

A   Adam, you like a lot of sports, don’t you?

B   Oh yeah, my favourite is windsurfing. Me and my brother, Josh, go to surf school every summer and we play golf and football, of course.

A   So, all outdoor sports?

B   Er – no, we watch sport a lot on TV and we play computer games after school.

A   Not a lot of time for homework then?

B   Well – er …

5    Sue & Bob

A   Sue, what do you and Bob do in your free time?

S   Well, in winter we love evenings at home.

A   What do you do? Watch TV?

S   Yes, we do sometimes. We like cookery programmes. I love cooking.

B   I like cooking, too … but you know our family. We also love our music. I often just sit down at the piano and play! And our son plays the guitar.

A   That’s great! You’re a really musical family.

1   It gives structure to our everyday lives.

2   ‘Play’ is important for a happy, balanced life. It’s important to find time to relax with family and friends. It’s not good to think about work all the time.

3   You never relax and it’s difficult for your family and bad for your health.

4   If you love your job, you never have to work again.

Audioscript

Dr Susan Hall – an expert on the work-life balance

Of course, work or study is important for us all – it gives structure to our everyday lives. But, for a happy, balanced life it’s also important to ‘play’ sometimes. It’s important to find time to relax with friends and family. It’s not good to think about work all the time. I know from my work as a doctor that it’s sometimes difficult not to take your work problems home – but if you take your problems home, you never relax and it’s difficult for your family and bad for your health. Don’t live to work, work to live! Life is more than work. How many people do you know who really love their work? How many people just work for the money? You know what they say, ‘If you love your job, you never have to work again!’ I think that’s true.