Practice English Listening A2 Exercises – Think before you speak

A

Jack and Emma are Rosemary’s neighbors. They have broken up.

B

1 a   2 c   3 b   4 c

I = Iris, R = Rosemary

I   Hello, Rosemary. How are you this morning?

R   Hello, Iris. I’m fine, thanks, but you’ll never guess what’s happened. Jack and Emma have broken up!

I   No! Jack and Emma from number thirty-six? That can’t be true.

I   saw them last week and they looked really happy.

R   No, it’s definitely true. I heard them shouting. They were having a terrible argument.

I   No! When?

R   Last night. After he came home from work.

I   What did they say?

R   Well, I wasn’t really listening…

I   Of course not.

R   But I couldn’t help hearing. She was talking so loudly, and of course, the walls are very thin…

I   So what did they say?

R   Well, she said that she was going to stay with her mum! She told him that she wouldn’t come back.

I   Ooh, how awful. What about the children?

R   She said she’d taken them to her sister’s. I suppose she’ll take them with her in the end. And anyway, then five minutes later I saw her leaving the house with a suitcase!

I   No! Why do you think she’s leaving him? Is he seeing another woman?

R   I don’t know. Ooh, here’s my bus.

I   I must go and tell Mrs Jones at number fourteen. She’s always thought there was something…something strange about him.

No, she wasn’t. She either misunderstood a lot of what she heard, or only heard part of the conversation. In fact, Emma isn’t leaving Jack; she’s going to look after her mother, who has had an accident.

J = Jack, E = Emma

J   Hi, Emma. I’m back. Where are you?

E   I’m upstairs in the bedroom. I’m packing.

J   Why? Where are you going?

E   I’m going to stay with my mum.

J   Your mum? Why?

E   She’s had an accident. She fell over in the street yesterday, and she’s broken her leg.

J   How awful! Poor thing. Shall I go and make you a cup of tea?

E   That’d be lovely. Thanks, darling.

J   How long do you think you’ll have to stay?

E   I won’t come back until the weekend, I don’t think.

J   Sorry, until when?

E   Until the weekend. I’ll have to make sure she’s OK. I’ve taken the children to my sister’s for the night, and she’ll take them to school tomorrow morning. Can you pick them up after school?

J   Of course I can, darling. Now don’t worry about anything. We’ll be absolutely fine. Drink your tea, and I’ll go and get your suitcase.

E   Thanks, darling. The taxi’ll be here in five minutes.

1 c   2 b   3 a   4 b   5 c

1

I = interviewer, M = Mark

I   Did you like school?

M   I loved school actually. Um, I think I preferred senior school more than junior school, but yeah, um, lots of friends, lots of, sort of sporting activities and things, so yeah, I loved it.

I   What were your best and worst subjects?

M   My best subject was probably mathematics. Um, loved mathematics and found I was, sort of, very capable at it, so it was quite easy. Um, I think it’s one of those things that’s natural. But, um, worst subject, maybe Latin. Never very good at languages even though I use them every day now, but never very, I like languages now but I hated them at school.

2

I = interviewer, C = Caroline

I   Did you have a favourite or least favourite teacher at school?

C   Um, let me think about that. Yes, I, um, liked the French teacher. She was probably my favourite, favourite teacher because, um, she was French and she taught us to speak with a very good French accent.

I   Did she inspire you?

C   She did, and I’m still learning French and go, I live in Australia, um, and I go to France every year and I go to French language schools.

3

I = interviewer, J = John

I   Do you have a problem making decisions? What about?

J   It depends what sort of decision it is. If it’s a sort of instant decision, I make pretty good instant decisions, but the longer you think about them, then I probably decide, or try to decipher, which is the best decision. So, instant decisions is a better way for me.

4

I = interviewer, A = Alison

I   Do you know any twins? Are they identical?

A   Yes, I’m a twin myself. I have a twin brother. And my sister has got twin boys. They’re aged 16 and they’re not identical. They don’t look very similar and they don’t have similar personalities either.

5

I = interviewer, K = Kathy

I   Who do you think gossips more, men or women? Why?

K   I think stereotypic-, stereotypically people say women gossip more, um, but I actually think men gossip quite a lot as well. I think, I think men gossip more in a factual way, whereas women gossip more, maybe, in more of a personal, emotional way, so maybe in kind of a nastier way than what men do, I would say. But I would say that they probably gossip the same, or in a similar way.