Exercise 1
1. Listen to the first part of the conversation between Harry and Erica. Why can’t they go to the restaurant?
2. Listen to the whole conversation. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?
1 The restaurant had excellent reviews.
2 The person who invented Oscar’s owned a hotel.
3 His friend’s hotel was successful because it got lots of good reviews online.
4 Erica thinks there isn’t enough control over online reviews.
5 Fake reviewers often only write one review.
Answers
1
It doesn’t exist.
2
1 T
2 F A friend of the person who owned Oscar’s had a hotel.
3 F Another hotel owner wrote bad reviews about his friend’s hotel, and his friend lost a lot of business.
4 T 5 T
Audioscripts
1
ERICA How do you like the sound of this restaurant, Harry? Have a look at the reviews.
HARRY Hmm. Oscar’s restaurant, mostly five stars, ‘One of the best places to eat in Britain’, ‘Magical place’ …
E Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
H Yeah. Why?
E There’s only one problem. It doesn’t exist! Lots of people read those reviews and wanted to go there. But when they tried to book a table, there was no response.
H Uh?
2
ERICA How do you like the sound of this restaurant, Harry? Have a look at the reviews.
HARRY Hmm. Oscar’s restaurant, mostly five stars, ‘One of the best places to eat in Britain’, ‘Magical place’ …
E Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
H Yeah. Why?
E There’s only one problem. It doesn’t exist! Lots of people read those reviews and wanted to go there. But when they tried to book a table, there was no response.
H Uh?
E People even went there to see if they could find it. But all they found was an empty street full of
rubbish bins. Because the whole thing is a joke, a hoax, and there is actually no restaurant at all.
H So someone made it up, made the whole restaurant up, and then wrote reviews about it?
E Yeah, exactly.
H But why would someone do that, go to all that trouble?
E Well, apparently it was this businessman. He had a friend who owned a hotel. Another hotel owner wrote lots of bad reviews about the friend’s hotel, and the hotel lost a lot of business and had financial problems because of the fake reviews. So this businessman wanted to make a point about online reviews.
H About how they can damage people’s businesses?
E Exactly. He wanted to show that, really, anyone can write their opinion about anything online and a lot of people will believe it.
H Wow! I never knew these review sites had so much power.
E Yeah, they do. And I think this guy made a really good point. There should be much more control over which reviews are posted. People shouldn’t just be able to write anything they like.
H Actually, now I read these reviews again, they’re not very realistic, are they? And all these fake reviewers have only written one review on the website. So, yes of course, they’re all fake reviewers. Yes, it’s obvious. I would have spotted that if I’d had more time to look at them.
E Ahem. Yes, of course.
Exercise 2
1. Listen and match conversations 1-3 with pictures a-c. Is each customer happy?
2. Listen again. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?
Conversation 1
a He suggests changing the woman’s hairstyle.
b She warns him not to cut her hair too short.
c He recommends trying a new hair product.
d She agrees to have the new product on her hair.
Conversation 2
a He invites them to stay another night.
b He reminds them to write a review.
c They promise to write a good review.
d They advise him to advertise the hotel more.
Conversation 3
a The woman admits eating the dessert.
b The woman refuses to pay for the dessert.
c The woman threatens to write a bad review.
d The waiter offers to get the manager.
Answers
1
1 c happy 2 b happy 3 a not happy
2
1 a T b F c T d F
2 a F b T c T d F
3 a T b T c F d T
Audioscripts
Conversation 1
HAIRDRESSER So I was thinking, maybe we could go for a much shorter style this time? What do you think? Something very different, really short.
WOMAN Yes, yes, really short! Do it!
H If you like, I can use this new product on your hair this time. It’s very good. It’ll make the cut a bit more expensive, though.
W Oh, no. No, thanks.
Conversation 2
WOMAN Here are the keys. It’s been fantastic. Thank you.
RECEPTIONIST That’s good to hear. Don’t forget to write a review on our website when you get home!
W Yes, we will. We’ll give you excellent feedback, don’t worry!
Conversation 3
WAITER Here’s your bill.
WOMAN I’m sorry, but I’m not going to pay for the dessert. It was terrible.
WA But you ate it, madam.
WO Well, yes, but …
WA Then you have to pay for it, madam.
WO But it wasn’t …
WA Would you like me to get the manager?
Exercise 3
1. Listen to Part 1. Answer the questions.
1 What does Becky ask questions about in the interview?
2 How does Becky think the interview went?
2. Listen to Part 1 again. Complete each sentence with one or two words.
1 Rachel is worried that there’s not enough _____ in the area for two florists.
2 Becky prefers taking _____.
3 The course can include a _____ in a local gallery.
4 There are normally two _____ a year.
5 Becky found her interview more _____ than she was expecting.
6 They will tell her _____ whether she got a place.
Answers
1
1 A work placement and trips abroad.
2 Pretty well.
2
1 business 2 action shots 3 placement
4 study visits 5 difficult 6 this week
Audioscripts
Part 1
MARK Hi!
RACHEL Hi! What are you doing here?
M I left work a bit early, so I brought you some cakes.
R Really? Thank you! I was just getting hungry, actually. I haven’t even had lunch yet. We’ve been really busy today.
M Well, that’s good.
R Yes, yes it is.
M Are you still worried about that new florist’s opening up down the road?
R Yes, kind of. I just don’t know whether there’s enough business around here for two places.
M Hmm. And have you heard anything from Becky? She’s got her interview today, right?
R Yes, she should be there right now. I hope it goes well – she really wants a place on that course.
BEN And finally, what kind of photos do you enjoy taking the most? You have a couple of portraits in your portfolio.
BECKY Well, taking portraits can be really rewarding, especially if the person likes the final photo. But I think, on the whole, I prefer taking action shots – sport and that sort of thing. It’s so satisfying when you manage to take the photo at just the right moment.
BEN OK, well that’s all the questions I have. Do you have any questions for me?
В Actually, yes, I do. The course description mentions a work placement. Could you tell me a little more about that?
BEN Of course. It tends to either be working at a local gallery on a photography exhibition or working with a professional photographer as an assistant. The placement generally lasts two weeks and normally happens during the holidays.
В OK, and there are trips abroad too, aren’t there? ben Yes, typically each class has two opportunities to go on study visits per year. Last year they went to Paris and Berlin to see exhibitions. In Berlin, they even had a private question and-answer session with the photographer.
В That sounds fantastic.
TOM So, how did it go?
В Yeah. Pretty well I think, on the whole. But it was much more difficult than I thought it was going to be. I was there around two hours.
T Wow.
B Yeah. There was one question I didn’t know how to answer, but otherwise, yeah, pretty well.
T What was the question?
В Oh, it was something about my opinion of a famous photographer. I’m not very good with that sort of thing.
T Don’t worry. Surely that’s what the course is for. Did you find out much about the course?
В Yeah, he told me quite a lot about it. It looks great. There’s a job placement where we get to work with professional photographers. And the university itself seems really nice.
T When will you find out if you have a place?
В Well, normally they don’t tell you during the interview, but the tutor said they’d be in touch this week.
3. Listen to Part 2. Answer the questions.
1 What news do you think Tina has about the new shop?
a The builders have stopped work.
b It’s going to be a clothes shop.
c It has closed down.
2 What news do you think Becky might receive?
a She’s got a new job as a photographer.
b She’s got some money to help her do the course.
c She’s got a place on the photography course.
Answers
1 b
2 c
Audioscripts
Part 2
MARK Hi Tina, how are you?
TINA Hi Mark, I’m good thanks. Listen, I just saw Sam from the newsagent’s. Apparently that new shop’s not going to be a florist’s. It’s going to be a clothes shop.
RACHEL Really?
TINA Really!
M That’s brilliant.
R Yes, that’s fantastic news. Though of course we’d have had no problem with a bit of competition!
BECKY Thank you. I’ve got an email from the university. Tom, I’ve got a place. They’ve accepted me on the course.
TOM Wow, that’s fantastic. I knew they would!
В Oh, I’m so excited, I can’t wait to start.
T We should celebrate!
В We should, but first I have to phone Rachel. After all, it was all her idea in the first place.
В Hi, Rachel. I’ve got some fantastic news!
R So have I! You first!
Exercise 4
1. Listen to the story. How close was it to your story?
2. Listen again. Are these statements true? Write true (T), false (F) or don’t know (DK).
1 The speaker read the story in a newspaper.
2 The boy was alone in the shopping centre.
3 His mother went to the airport to look for him.
4 The boy spoke to the children in the other family.
5 The boy didn’t have a boarding pass.
6 They didn’t count the passengers before they took off.
7 The airline offered the mother free flights in the future.
8 It’s the first time something like this has ever happened.
Answers
1
An 11-year-old boy was shopping in Manchester with his mother. He left her without her noticing (‘slipped away’) and went to the airport where he managed to get through security and onto a plane to Rome. His mother complained to the airline.
2
1 F The speaker read about the story online.
2 F He was with his mother.
3 DK 4 F No one noticed him.
5 T 6 DK
7 F They only offered her one free flight.
8 F It happens quite often.
Audioscripts
People were commenting online recently about an 11-year-old boy from Manchester in England, who flew to Rome on his own. He was out shopping with his mother at a shopping centre near Manchester Airport and while she was busy looking at something, he slipped away and walked into the airport. Of course he had no money or anything, he was only 11 years old, but he followed a family who were going on holiday and no one noticed him – everyone thought he was part of that family.
Incredibly, he managed to get through security. It seems that no one noticed he didn’t have a boarding pass, and they even let him get on the plane. Normally, of course, they check your boarding pass when you get on, but I guess they just thought he was with the family. Anyway, they let him on and he found an empty seat somewhere.
They normally count the passengers to make sure they’ve got the right number, but it seems either they didn’t do it this time or they didn’t do it properly, so the plane took off and he flew to Rome. Then, luckily, when he got to Rome they found out he was on his own without a passport and they put him on the next flight back to Manchester.
Naturally, his mother was extremely worried about him and she complained about it. Both the airline and the airport admitted it was their fault straight away and they promised to look at their security. And they even offered her a free flight.
It’s incredible that he managed to get through all the airport security controls without them noticing. But apparently, it happens quite often, and it’s nearly always boys of about that age, between 11 and 14, who want to go on a plane.
Exercise 5
1. Listen to a conversation between two friends, Cathy and Cindy. Are the sentences true or false?
1 One of the women bought a painting.
2 One of the women bought something that she is not happy with.
3 One of the women has been in an argument in a shop.
4 One of the women has bought a pair of boots.
5 One of the women has some good news.
6 One of the women is an artist.
7 One of the women is complaining about something.
8 One of the women is the manager of a shop.
2. Listen to the conversation again and tick (✓) the correct answers.
1 When did Cathy buy the boots?
a in the morning
b yesterday
c last week
2 Why did Cathy think the boots were ‘good value’?
a They were half price.
b They were designer boots.
c They only cost £50.
3 The problem was that Cathy was given …
a boots that had been damaged.
b boots of the wrong size.
c boots in white instead of brown.
4 Cathy didn’t notice the problem until later because the shop assistant …
a didn’t open the box for her.
b hid the problem from her.
c gave her the wrong box.
5 The manager of the shop …
a offered to give Cathy another pair of boots.
b promised to give Cathy a refund.
c refused to give Cathy her money back.
6 What is Cathy going to do next?
a She is going to call the police.
b She is not sure what to do next.
c She is going to sell the boots.
Answers
1
True: 2, 3, 4, 7; False: 1, 5, 6, 8
2
1 b 2 a 3 a 4 b 5 c 6 b
Audioscripts
CATHY Hi, Cindy!
CINDY Hi, Cathy. How’s it going?
CA Well, I’ve had better days.
CI Oh dear, what’s happened?
CA Well, do you remember those boots I was looking at last week?
CI The brown leather ones?
CA Yes. Well anyway, yesterday I decided to go back and buy them.
GI Oh cool!
CA Ah, well …
CI Oh.
CA Yes, ‘Oh’. I thought they were really good value when I bought them. I mean, fifty percent off a pair of designer boots that had just come out only six months ago?
CI So what happened? Were they the wrong size or something?
CA That’s what typically happens to me but no, not This time. When I got home and took them out of the box, I realised why they had fifty percent off.
CI What do you mean?
CA As soon as I took them out of the box and turned them over. I saw that one of them had a big black mark on the side.
CI That’s absolutely awful. I hope you took them Back to the shop.
CA Yes, of course I did, but …
CI They didn’t refuse to give you a refund, did they?
CA Ha! Yes, you’ve got it! I couldn’t believe it!
CI I’m not surprised. But how…? I mean, what did they say?
CI Well, I went back to the shop and I found the manager and told him what had happened, that I’d been into the shop last week and tried on the boots and then. I’d gone back yesterday to buy them. I couldn’t see them on the shelves so I asked the assistant and he brought them out already in the box.
CI But didn’t he show you the boots before you paid for them?
CA Well, yes he did. He took the top off the box and asked me if everything was OK but by that time, you see, the boots were already lying flat inside the box. So I could only see the good side of them. I didn’t think to ask him to take them out of the box again.
CI Of course not. Why would you? So what did the manager say to that?
CA He told me that as a rule they would always give someone a refund but that that wasn’t possible this time because they were in the sale.
CI You’re kidding? So, what happened?
CA Well, he asked me if the shop assistant had shown me the boots in the box before I’d paid for them and I admitted that he had. But I said that I hadn’t realised that they were on sale because there was something wrong with them. But again he just said that he was really sorry but he couldn’t give me a refund.
CI Oh, what a …
CA I know.
CI So what’s happening now?
CA To be honest, I don’t know. Jim’s suggested that I call a lawyer or something, but I’m not sure I want to go that far.
CI Oh, I’m sorry. That really is bad, isn’t it?
CA I know, I know. So what would you recommend I do?
CI Well, how about …
Related Posts
- Practice English Listening B1 Exercises – Opportunities
- Practice English Listening B1 Exercises – Entertainment
- Practice English Listening B1 Exercises – House and home
- Practice English Listening B1 Exercises – Different cultures
- Practice English Listening B1 Exercises – The natural world
- Practice English Listening B1 Exercises – Personality