Practice English Listening A2 Exercises – Difficult situations

A

1   Chris is addicted to the Internet.

2   Kari lost all her money in Europe.

3   Zoey saw her classmates cheating.

B

1  a  She wouldn’t tell him he has a problem, and she would continue to suggest activities that don’t involve the Internet.

    b  She would be honest and tell him what she thinks because it could affect his relationships with other people.

2  a  He’d call his parents and ask them to send money right away.

    b  She’d also call her parents, but would probably sell her watch or camera. She might get a job as a server until she made enough money to buy a plane ticket home.

3  a  She would talk to the teacher and ask him not to say that she told him.

    b  He wouldn’t get involved. He’d pretend he didn’t see anything.

Transcripts

1

Blake:  You know, I’m really worried about Chris.

Zoey:   Why?

Blake:   Well, this may sound silly, but he spends too much time on the Internet. I think he might be addicted to it.

Jane:   Really? Why do you think so?

Blake:   We went to the movies yesterday and during the whole movie he was on his phone. He couldn’t even take a two-hour break to watch this movie he’s wanted to see! Then I suggested we go to the mountains this weekend for a hike, and he said no. He said if he didn’t have WiFi service in the mountains, he wouldn’t go.

Jane:   Wow, that is pretty bad. We all need time away from technology.

Blake:   So what would you do if you were in my position? Would you say something to him?

Jane:   I wouldn’t tell him he has a problem. He wouldn’t like that. I would continue to suggest activities that don’t involve the Internet. He can’t say no forever.

Zoey:   Oh, I would be honest and tell him what I think. He will make excuses until you’re direct with him. It’s a problem that could affect his relationships with other people and he needs to know that.

2

Jane:   I just got an email from my friend Kari. She lost all her money on vacation in Europe. Isn’t that horrible?

Zoey:   Yeah, that’s terrible.

Jane:   Blake, what would you do if you were on vacation overseas and you lost all your money and credit cards?

Blake:   I guess I’d call my parents and ask them to send me some money right away. What about you, Zoey?

Zoey:   Yeah, I’d probably do the same thing . . . though I guess I’d probably sell my watch and camera . . . or I might get a job as a server somewhere till I made enough money to buy a plane ticket home.

3

Zoey:  You know, something happened to me this morning and I don’t know what I should do.

Jane:   What happened?

Zoey: Well, I was taking a test in math and I saw two classmates cheating in front of me.

Jane:   How were they cheating?

Zoey:   Well, I heard some noise, so I looked over there, and they both were looking at their arms. Their arms had writing all over them.

Blake:   Oh, so they wrote the answers on their arms?

Zoey:   Yeah, and then after class they were laughing and talking all about it. What would you do if you saw two people cheating on a test?

Jane:   If I were in your position, I would talk to the teacher. I would tell him what you saw and ask him not to say that you told him. It’s not fair if they get a good grade and they didn’t spend any time studying like you did.

Blake:   I wouldn’t get involved. I would pretend I didn’t see anything. It’s not your business and sooner or later they’ll get caught.

A

B

Ronnie: He shouldn’t have told him he was selfish.

He shouldn’t have slammed the door.

Becca: She should have been more honest with her boss about wanting to grow in the company.

She should have talked to him and expressed that a long time ago.

Transcripts

Cole:   Good morning and welcome to Problem Solved, a podcast where we find great solutions to your problems. Life is full of predicaments, but there’s always a solution! I’m Cole Williams and today we have Dr. Jones with us. Thanks for being here, Dr. Jones.

Dr. Jones:    Hello, everyone. Thanks for having me. Cole: Now let’s get started with our first problem, from a listener named Ronnie. In his email, he says, “Dear Problem Solved, I’m a senior in high school and am starting to apply to college. My dad really wants me to study law. He’s a lawyer and loves it. But I love languages and want to be a language teacher. We got in a huge fight about it. I got really mad and told him he was selfish. Then I slammed the door. Now we’re not talking. What should I do? Thanks, Ronnie.” Dr. Jones, what advice would you give to Ronnie?

Dr. Jones:   Well, Ronnie, I understand your frustration. You know what you want to do and you feel you don’t have your father’s support. But you shouldn’t have told him he was selfish, and you definitely shouldn’t have slammed the door. He’s thinking about your future and wants what’s best for you. You need to apologize and tell him that you appreciate his opinion, but that studying languages is your passion. If I were you, I would’ve said that from the start. But don’t worry, your dad will understand and eventually let you decide your career. Be patient with him.

Cole:   Patience is always excellent advice. Let’s go to the next problem, from Becca, a listener in New York. In her email, she says, “Dear Problem Solved, I have a problem at work. I’ve been at my company for five years and have always arrived on time and even worked overtime to get the job done right. My boss often congratulates me on my work and I was sure I would get a promotion or raise soon. But I never said anything to him about wanting those things. Then last week, my boss welcomed a new employee. The company created a new position and this new guy is taking it! They gave him his own office and I know he’s making more money. Why didn’t they ask me? Now I feel unmotivated and unhappy at work. What should I do? Becca.”

Dr. Jones:   Becca, thanks for writing in. While there are plenty of things you should do now, let’s first look at what you should have done before this new employee arrived. You said your boss always appreciated your work, but maybe you should have been more honest with him about wanting to grow in the company. I would have talked to him and expressed that a long time ago. It’s possible he thought that you weren’t interested. But don’t worry, there are plenty of things you can do now. Why don’t you talk to your new co-worker? Find out about his education and work history. Look at him as a colleague and someone you can learn from, not as competition. He might suggest a course you could take or have some good advice. And then, talk to your boss, but be positive. Let him know how much you like working there and how much you’d like to grow more in the company. He might have some good advice too and in the end, he will appreciate your honesty and ambition.

Cole:   I think honesty and patience are two good lessons we can learn from today’s podcast. That’s all the time we have for today. Thank you, Dr. Jones, for being here with us. And listeners, remember, life is full of predicaments, but there’s always a solution. I’m Cole Williams and thank you for joining us today. Don’t miss the next episode of our podcast, Problem Solved, next week!