Practice English Listening A2 Exercises – Where do you want to meet?

1 a   2 c   3 b   4 b

A

Teo:   Hi, Alba. How are you? What are you doing out here?

Alba:   Oh, hey, Teo! I’m meeting Mario. He’s on his way here from his hotel.

Teo:   Of course! There’s a team meeting this afternoon, right?

Alba:   Yes, there is. Ugh. It’s only Monday, and I’m already exhausted!

Teo:   Busy weekend?

Alba:   Yes, but not in a good way! My cousin’s apartment flooded during the storm yesterday, so now she’s staying with me.

Teo:   Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.

Alba:   Thanks. I’m helping her clean up. Her apartment is a mess.

Teo:   How terrible!

Alba:   I know. And unfortunately, a lot of her furniture was ruined. She’s going to go furniture shopping next weekend, so I told her I would help her with that, too.

Teo:   That’s really good of you.

Alba:   She has a ton of things to buy.

Teo:   Like what? What does she need?

Alba:   Well, her coffee table and her TV stand are OK. But she has to get a couch, a bookcase, an armchair, an end table, a floor lamp, curtains—the list is as long as my arm! It’s going to be expensive.

Teo:   Ah, I just thought of something. My friend is going to move overseas soon and he’s selling some of his furniture. Maybe your cousin can take a look at what he has.

Alba:   That’s a great idea.

Teo:   I’ll give him a call later today. I think he’ll be around this weekend. I can go with you. OK?

Alba:   That would be wonderful! Can you ask him if we can do it on Saturday morning?

Teo:   Sure! I’ll let you know what he says.

Alba:   Perfect! Thanks so much, Teo.

B

Alba:   I’m going to go furniture shopping with my cousin this weekend.

Teo:   Oh yeah? What does she need?

Alba:   She needs a couch, a bookcase, and a table.

Teo:   My friend is selling some of his furniture. Do you want to take a look?

Alba:   That’s a great idea!

Teo:   I think he’ll be around this weekend. I’ll give him a call.

Alba:   Perfect. Thanks so much.

1   overslept  

2   went to the wrong address

3   forgot his phone

Teo:   You look worried. Is everything OK?

Alba:   I am a little worried. I wonder where Mario is! He’s always on time.

Teo:   He might be stuck in traffic. You know how bad traffic is.

Alba:   Maybe. I’m going to call him. That’s strange. I can’t understand why he isn’t answering his phone.

Teo:   When was he supposed to be here?

Alba:   Half an hour ago.

Teo:   And does he know which building to come to? Maybe he got lost.

Alba:   No, I sent him a message with our new address.

Mario:   Hi, Alba. Sorry I’m late. Oh, hi, Teo!

Teo:   Hi, Mario.

Alba:   Mario! We were worried! Are you all right?

Mario:   I’m fine. You’ll never believe why I’m late. It’s a little embarrassing, actually.

Alba:   What happened?

Mario:   OK. So, the first thing that happened is that I overslept. I didn’t have time for breakfast or even coffee.

Alba:   You? No coffee? Mario is famous for drinking a LOT of coffee!

Mario:   Yes. Can you imagine? I left without having coffee! I got in my cab, and I told the driver the address, but I wasn’t really paying attention.

Teo:   Well, it sounds like you were sleeping with your eyes open.

Mario:   Exactly. After I got out of the cab, I realized where I was!

Alba:   Where were you?

Mario:   The old building! I had given the driver the wrong address! So, then I had to hail another cab to take me here.

Alba:   I’m so sorry!

Mario:   Yeah, and of course I wanted to call you, but then I realized I didn’t have my phone. I forgot it in my hotel room. I’m so sorry.

Alba:   Well, you’re here now. Let’s go inside and get you a cup of coffee!

B

Teo:   You look worried. Is everything OK?

Alba:   I’m just worried about Mario. I wonder where he is.

Teo:   I’m sure he’s OK. Maybe he overslept.

Alba:   I don’t think so. Maybe he got lost, or maybe he’s stuck in traffic.

Teo:   Could be. Does he know where the meeting is?

Alba:   Yes, he knows where it is. I’m going to call him.

A B

Possible answer: The story is going to be about a cat who hides and cannot be found.

C

1 moved to a new house

2 excited   3 downstairs

4 closets and bedrooms   5 outside

A

Anyone who has a cat knows that they’re like ninjas, those Japanese warriors that are almost invisible. They can jump from the floor to a high table. They move without making any noise. Sometimes you don’t even know they’re right behind you. Best of all, they can hide so well that you might never find them.

B C

Anyone who has a cat knows that they’re like ninjas, those Japanese warriors that are almost invisible. They can jump from the floor to a high table. They move without making any noise. Sometimes you don’t even know they’re right behind you. Best of all, they can hide so well that you might never find them.

A couple of months ago, my wife and I moved into a new house. It’s much bigger than our old house, with an attic, a basement, and a big garage. We were excited, but our cat, Tiger, wasn’t. When we got to the house, I could see him trying to hide in the corner of his carrier with his ears flat against his head. As soon as the movers headed toward their truck and we opened his carrier, he disappeared.

At first we weren’t worried. We thought he was upstairs. But when it was time for his dinner and we called him, he didn’t come to the kitchen—and he never misses a meal! So, we started to look for him. First we searched downstairs. We looked under all the furniture in the living room, under the stairs towards the back of the house, and in the small bathroom. We even went back into the kitchen, but he wasn’t there.

Then we went upstairs, and looked in the bedrooms—and in all of the closets. Tiger wasn’t anywhere! The attic door was locked, so we knew he wasn’t up there, and there was no way he could get outside and on to the roof.

My wife was upset and I was exhausted. We went back downstairs to have dinner. She kept saying, “He’s lost!” And all I could say was, “If he’s outside, he’ll come home soon.”

We went into the kitchen, and there was Tiger, eating his dinner. He was covered in dirt, and there were leaves and little feathers stuck in his fur. I said, “Where have you been, Tiger?” I could swear he was smiling at me, but he didn’t make a sound! I guess we’ll never know where he was all that time

. . .

A

b

B

1 b, c, d   2 b, c   3 a, b   4 a, c

Howl Reviews

Used NeighborGoods to get my furniture

Marina V. Has anyone used the NeighborGoods App to buy used stuff? If so, what did you think of it? I’d love to know how it works.

Carlos B. Marina, I use NeighborGoods all the time—it’s great. When I first heard about it, I had never used an app to buy things directly from people. But I did a search and the online reviews were positive, so I decided to check it out.

You’re going to like how easy it is to use. First, you choose your city from a list in a dropdown menu. Then you can look for items by browsing through categories or by typing in exactly what you want in the site’s search engine. The app connects you to items that people are giving away or selling within five miles of your address. Now, I know what you’re thinking: How can you trust someone you’ve never met? Well, the app checks everyone’s personal information when they join, so I think it’s safe to use.

Here’s what I like about it. It’s great if you’re looking for interesting or inexpensive furniture, clothes, or even children’s toys. There are a lot of great items. And because it only searches locally, you don’t have to waste time or money traveling too far away.

Dan M. I love this app! I used it to find furniture for my apartment. I recently moved, and I needed a lot of things—everything really. Plus, I didn’t have much money.

I browsed through the furniture section, and there was a lot to choose from. I realized that a lot of the furniture I liked was from one seller. It was a couple who lived right around the corner. I bought a bed, two end tables, and a bookcase, and it only cost me $100. It was such a great deal!

NeighborGoods is a smart way to find lots of inexpensive stuff. But my favorite thing about using the app was getting to meet my neighbors! The couple that I met was really nice and friendly. They told me everything I needed to know about the neighborhood. You should definitely give NeighborGoods a try!

A

Possible answer: He wants to redecorate his apartment.

B

Possible answers:

1   an end table, a sofa, a dining table and chairs.

2   end table: in the entryway; sofa: in the living room; dining table: near the kitchen

3   end table: so he has a place for his keys; sofa: so he and his roommates can sit and relax; dining table and chairs: so he and his roommates can eat their meals there

Hi, it’s Boris. I want to redecorate the living room in my apartment. It’s a small space, and I share it with two roommates, so I have to be creative. I’m going to put a small table here in the entryway. Then I’ll have a place to put my keys when I walk in the door. For my living room, I’m going to get a bigger sofa. Then we can all sit and relax when we come home. I’m also going to get a small dining table and chairs. I’ll put them near the kitchen over here so we can eat our meals there. Thanks for watching!