Practice English Listening A2 Exercises – Listen to people talk about capsule hotels

A

busy, convenient, cramped

B

The hotel provides a TV, a reading light, a radio, an alarm clock, and lockers.

Transcripts

HOST:   Welcome to the program “Your Home Is My Home.” Our guest tonight is Brad Philips from California. Brad, tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do?

BRAD:   Well, at the moment, I’m working as an English teacher in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo is an exciting city, but it’s also very spread out. It can sometimes take hours to go from one part of the city to another. When I don’t feel like going all the way home, I sometimes stay in a capsule hotel.

HOST:   A capsule hotel? Can you explain what that is?

BRAD:   Yeah. It’s a hotel with lots of small rooms. Actually, they’re not really rooms. They’re spaces that are two meters by one meter, and only a meter high. In other words, they’re very cramped! But the hotel is cheap and very convenient.

HOST:   And what’s inside each little room, or should I say, each space?

BRAD:   Well, inside every capsule there’s a bed, a TV …

HOST:   A TV? Really?

BRAD:   Yeah, and a reading light, a radio, and an alarm clock. The hotel also has lockers, where you can keep your personal belongings.

HOST:   Interesting. So what kind of people stay in a capsule hotel?

BRAD:   Well, probably people like me. People who miss the last train home or don’t want to go all the way home only to turn around and come back to work again. It gets pretty busy, as you can imagine.

HOST:   Finally, would you recommend a capsule hotel to other people?

BRAD:   Sure! The rooms are small, but you get used to sleeping in a small space. I just wouldn’t recommend a capsule hotel to people who can’t relax in small, cramped spaces.

Brian would like to change jobs and live somewhere more exciting.

Transcripts

BRIAN:   Yeah! It’s sometimes pretty hard to pay the rent. I’m thinking of finding a new job.

TERRY:   Really? What kind of job would you like?

BRIAN:   I’m not sure, but I wish I worked somewhere else. I’m tired of this place. I need to live somewhere more exciting.

TERRY:   I know what you mean. Hey, maybe we could move to a different city. We could even be roommates!

BRIAN:   Yeah. Uhh. Maybe…

A

1 free time   2 skills   3 travel

B

1   She wishes she belonged to a club or sports team.

2   He wishes he could type better.

3   She wishes she could take a short trip to a beach.

Transcripts

1

WOMAN:   I get really bored on weekends. I wish I belonged to a club or a sports team. I’d get to meet new people and make new friends. And I’d get into better shape, too.

2

MAN:   I wish I could type better. I should take a typing course this summer. I really need it for my schoolwork. And people say that if you can type really well, it’s something you’ll find useful later in life.

3

WOMAN:   I’ve been so stressed out lately. I really need to get away. I wish I could take a short trip to a beach, just for a few days. No computer, no cell phone, no TV even. I’d just take a good book and relax.