Practice English Listening B1+ Exercises – Did you see what she’s wearing?

A

a red carpet event before an awards show

B

1   something loose and pink with polka dots that looks like pajamas

2   She bumps into a guy who is typing his shoes so that he hits a reporter doing an interview.

3   She’s watching an old video of last year’s awards.

A B

Ed:   Hey, Paula, what’s up?

Paula:   Are you watching the awards show?

Ed:   Of course I am! I have to see all of my favorite Circle of Kings actors! It’s just red carpet interviews right now, though.

Paula:   Yeah, I know. That’s the best part! You get to see what everyone is wearing!

Ed:   Wait a second, is it showing live on TV in Mexico?

Paula:   Nah, I’m watching online.

Ed:   Oh, that makes sense.

Paula:   So I wanted to ask you… who is that woman wearing the blue dress? Her dress is gorgeous.

Ed:   Uh, which one?

Paula:   The blonde woman standing next to the guy in the plaid jacket.

Ed:   I don’t see her… oh wait, is it that woman in the back? In the blue striped dress? I don’t know who she is. I don’t think she’s very famous.

Paula:   Hmm. It’s not really striped–

Ed:   How about Stella Davina? Have you seen what she’s wearing?

Paula:   No, I haven’t seen her yet.

Ed:   Oh well… you won’t miss her. Her dress is pretty strange.

Paula:   Oh, is it a tight, sleeveless gold dress? I think I see her.

Ed:   No, it’s a really loose, pink polka-dotted thing–looks like pajamas.

Paula:   Oh man! Did you just see that?

Ed:   What?

Paula:   That guy tying his shoe! Amanda Morgan just backed into him and knocked him right over. He hit a reporter doing an interview… oh man. What a mess! Didn’t you see it?

Ed:   Uh… Paula?

Paula:   Yeah?

Ed:   That happened last year.

Paula:   What do you mean?

Ed:   Amanda Morgan knocking over the guy on the red carpet. That was last year. You’re watching last year’s video.

Paula:   Oh no! You’re kidding! How did I do that? Ugh, you’re right.

Ed:   Hey, it’s easy enough to do. Plus, it was worth it to see the red carpet disaster, right?

Paula:   You’ve got a point. Let’s see… Ah, here’s the live feed.

Ed:   Good. Now watch for those pink pajamas!

C

Paula:   Who is that woman wearing the blue dress? Her dress is gorgeous.

Ed:   Uh, which one?

Paula:   The blonde woman standing next to the guy in the plaid jacket.

A

b

B

1   You’re one of the best photographers we have.

2   One of the lights isn’t working.

3   They’re going to go to lunch.

A B

Ed:   Hey Leti, you’re back!

Leti:   Yep. Back again.

Ed:   So, are you here to shoot the photos for the new marketing materials?

Leti:   Yep. It should be good.

Ed:   That’s great. I was hoping they’d get you to do it. You’re one of the best photographers we have.

Leti:   Aw, thanks Ed! By the way, congratulations on the Social Media Specialist job.

Ed:   Thank you… So, when do you start the shoot?

Leti:   Unfortunately, we can’t get started until Wednesday.

Ed:   Why did you have to fly in today?

Leti:   We were supposed to start tomorrow, but nothing is ready.

Ed:   What do you mean?

Leti:   Let’s see . . . Mindy’s skirt is too loose, so we need to have it taken in. John spilled something on his jacket, so we need to get it cleaned. Marta broke the zipper on her pants, so we need to get that fixed.

Ed:   Oh boy. Maybe we should use different models next time.

Leti:   It’s not just the models! The room isn’t ready either. One of the lights in there isn’t working, so they need to get that replaced before I can shoot in there.

Ed:   Oh no! So when do you think you’ll finish?

Leti:   Oh, they’ll get everything taken care of tomorrow. If the models can have their makeup done by 8am, I can shoot it all on Wednesday.

Ed:   Oh, that’s not too bad. Do you want to get some lunch later?

Leti:   Why not? I’ve got lots of time!

C

Leti:   Let’s see . . . Mindy’s skirt is too loose, so we need to have it taken in. John spilled something on his jacket, so we need to get it cleaned. Marta broke the zipper on her pants so we need to get that fixed.

Ed:   Oh, boy.

A

b

B

1 In my opinion   2 I would say

C

1 confident   2 red   3 formally

4 sneakers   5 friendly

Clothing, Attitude, and Success

Did you know that wearing a superhero T-shirt can make you feel more confident than wearing a plain T-shirt? Or that athletes wearing red feel physically stronger–able to lift heavier weights–than athletes wearing blue? Or that people who put on a white coat do better on tests when they’re told it’s a doctor’s coat? This isn’t magic. It’s because what you wear affects your attitude. And your attitude affects your performance. In my opinion, your clothing can be the key to feeling good, making a good impression on others, and being successful.

When people say “Dress for success,” you might think, “That’s just for business executives. I’d rather just be comfortable.” But choosing the right clothes may be more important than you think. For example, studies show that people in business clothes do better on tests. Basically, when you dress more formally, your mind is sharper. Anyone here wear a suit to school? Maybe you should, at least on test days!

Another study found that dressing up makes you a better negotiator. Researchers put half of their subjects in sweatpants and T-shirts and the other half in suits and asked them to play a negotiation game. Those who dressed in suits reached better deals than their more comfortable partners. It seems that this is because those dressed in suits felt more confident and powerful. So I would say that if you need to negotiate—for example, if you’re buying a car–dress formally.

Now, maybe you’d rather not always wear traditional business clothes to work. Maybe you’d rather be a bit different. Well, it turns out that a little personal style can be a good thing too. One study showed that people have a better impression of those who make small changes to traditional styles. Study participants thought a man at a party wearing a bright red tie was more important and more intelligent than men wearing darker-colored ties. And when they saw pictures of a university professor wearing red sneakers, they thought he was more competent and a better teacher than a professor in traditional shoes.

Would you feel comfortable being a bit different? OK, enough about work. You also have a social life, and how you dress for it matters, too. In fact, formal work clothes are actually a problem when it comes to socializing. Studies have shown that dressing formally makes it more difficult to be warm and friendly. Some offices have “casual Fridays,” where people dress informally at work once a week. That may not be ideal for negotiations, but it’s great for creating a friendly workplace.

Whether it’s a business environment or a social one, you have a lot of control over your clothes. Think about what your clothes mean. And when you’re getting dressed tomorrow, don’t just think about what you’d rather wear. Instead, try to dress for success.

A

a

B

1 c   2 c   3 a

A Day in the Life of a Fashion Designer

Clarissa Chen grew up in Hong Kong, the child of a talented dressmaker and a businessman, and she absorbed both of her parents’ interests. After receiving her master’s degree in fashion design in London, she worked for a design house for a few years but soon decided that she wanted to open a business of her own. Now she owns a shop in London where women go to have bridal gowns and other special-event dresses designed and made. We asked Clarissa what a day is like for someone with such an unusual profession.

8:00 AM I start the day at my desk, drinking coffee and going through my email. Then I wander through the shop to make sure that everything is ready for the day. I look over the fabric room and check the sewing machines—it’s a kind of starting-the-day ritual for me.

9:00 The three tailors come in. They all operate the sewing machines, but I have one tailor who specializes in hand sewing, and she does most of the decorative needlework on the dresses.

9:30 My front desk manager, Kayla, comes in. She opens the shop and takes care of fabric orders and, most importantly, answers the phone. When they schedule an appointment, the clients tell Kayla about what they want and how soon they’ll need it. This helps me prepare for meeting them.

10:00 My first client comes into my office, and we talk about the style, color, and fabric for her dress. I really enjoy this process. Helping clients turn their ideas into a design is the most creative part of my job. I make a rough sketch, and then we go into the fitting room and I take measurements. I usually see two or three clients in the morning.

12:00 PM The shop closes, and everyone goes to lunch. I eat at my desk and talk to clients.

1:00 I spend an hour or two sewing after lunch every day. It was my love of sewing that got me into this profession in the first place, so I make sure I still make time for it.

3:00 In the afternoon, I see three or four more clients. Then Kayla and I work on the calendar to arrange work schedules for the next week.

6:00 Kayla closes up the shop and she and the tailors go home.

7:30 I go home, eat dinner, watch a little TV, and go to bed. I’m tired after a long day, but I spend my time being creative, making beautiful things, and working with people. I wouldn’t trade this life for anything!

A

You can’t judge people by the clothes they wear.

B

1

      Person 1: expensive designer suit

      Person 2: exercise clothes

2

      Person 1: no; the person is not wealthy

      Person 2: no; the person does not work out

The expression, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” means that you can’t tell whether a book will be good just by looking at the cover. A wonderful book might not have an attractive cover. It can also mean that a book with a beautiful cover might not be that good. The same idea can be applied to people and the clothes they wear.

For example, my friend Miguel always wears expensive designer clothes and appears wealthy, but he actually earns a salary that’s below average.

Instead of spending a small amount on clothes, he would rather use a large percentage of his income on high-quality, expensive clothing. You might think he’s too worried about appearance, but the truth is that he’s a salesperson, and making a good first impression is very important to his business.

Another example of where you can’t judge a book by its cover is my neighbor who wears tennis shoes and exercise clothes all the time. If you saw her, you might think that she runs or goes to the gym often, but she never works out!

The truth is that she has young children and prefers wearing exercise clothes because they’re easy to put on and comfortable when she’s running after her little kids!

It’s easy to think you can tell a lot about people based on their clothes, but this is a bad idea. The clothes they wear don’t always match how much money they have in their bank account or show what their interests really are. If you look closely, the reality may surprise you.