Practice English Listening B1 Exercises – Listening to issues and opinions

A

1   texting in a movie theater

2   taking selfies in crowded places

3   using the phone on speaker in public places

B

1   People shouldn’t be allowed to text at all in movie theaters. Our phones should have a movie mode that people should be required to turn on.

2   Selfies ought to be prohibited at any place with big crowds of people.

3   People should be prohibited from talking on speaker indoors in public places. Offices and public buildings should be required to post signs that prohibit it.

Transcripts

1

Woman:   Well, that was a great movie, but that guy in front of us texting the whole time was really annoying!

Man:   I agree! The light from his cell phone really distracted me.

Woman:   I think people shouldn’t be allowed to text at all in the movie theater. Our phones should have a movie mode that people should be required to turn on. You know – like airplane mode when you’re on a plane, but for movies!

Man:   Hey, movie mode! The screen wouldn’t light up and distract other people. I love that idea!

2

Man:   Ouch! That woman just stepped on my foot trying to take a selfie. I can’t believe we’re at this historic monument, and I’m being bothered with other people’s selfies!

Woman:   Something has really got to be done about this whole selfie phenomenon.

Man:   You know, I read that selfies have been banned at many tourist destinations, like at museums and monuments.

Woman:   Really? I think that’s great! Selfies ought to be prohibited at any place with big crowds of people. Whatever happened to just asking people to take a picture of you?

3

Woman:   I thought I was going to go crazy in that waiting room!

Man:   Why? Was it crowded?

Woman:   No, there was only one other man in there, but he was talking with his phone on speaker the whole time! I could hear his entire conversation with his co-worker. A rule has to be made that prohibits people from talking on speaker indoors in public places. It’s so unnecessary!

Man:   I agree. Offices and public buildings should be required to post signs that prohibit that. It’s very disrespectful.

Ted is concerned about what he’s going to do after he graduates.

Transcripts

Mara:   Oh, listen to me. I’m always complaining, aren’t I? Anyway, how are things with you?

Ted:   Oh, not bad, but I’m still not sure what I’m going to do after I graduate

Mara:   Yeah, it’s hard to find a job these days, isn’t it?

Ted:   It’s not that. I’m just not sure if going to engineering school was the right thing to do.

Mara:   What do you mean?

Ted:   I only have a few more months before I graduate, and now I’m wondering why I did this. I don’t want to be an engineer. It all seems like a waste of time now.

Mara:   So what are you going to do?

Ted:   Well, I’d like to move to Hawaii and set up a surfing school, but I think my parents would flip.

Parts A and B:

1   animals used for entertainment; for: they use the profits for research, rescue, and protection of the animals; against: animals are punished and abused if they don’t do things right; they’re kept in horrible conditions; it’s not natural for them to be in small spaces

2   supercenters: for: the products are cheaper and they provide a lot of jobs for the community; against: smaller businesses can’t compete with supercenters and they lose a lot of money, either closing down or limiting their products; consumers will have fewer choices when they go shopping

Transcripts

1

Woman:   Wow, that documentary about animals in entertainment was a little hard to watch. I mean, I love watching animals do tricks at amusement parks and circuses, but I had no idea how much they can suffer.

Man:   Yeah, some of those animals are kept in horrible conditions. That’s just not right! Then they’re punished and abused if they don’t do what they’re supposed to. And the only benefit is that the owners are making money. In most cases, they’re not trying to improve the animals’ living conditions. If it weren’t for those animals, they wouldn’t make any of that money!

Woman:   I know. It’s awful, isn’t it? But I feel like some places have the right idea, too. They use the animals for entertainment, but they make sure the animals are taken care of, and they use part of the profits to rescue other animals and do research. Research, rescue, and protection of the animals. That seems more acceptable, doesn’t it?

Man:   I guess, but how do we make sure that all places are acting responsibly and doing those things? I still think that animals should be in their natural habitats, not in some small space so they can help humans make money. It’s just not natural.

2

Man:   I just read in the paper that a supercenter is going to open just five minutes outside of town.

Woman:   A supercenter? Like a drugstore, supermarket, and discount store all combined into one?

Man:   Exactly. I think it’s great. The products are cheaper, and it will provide a lot of jobs for the community.

Woman:   I agree that the products are cheaper and it does create jobs, but what about the smaller family-owned stores in town? All those small markets and clothing stores and pharmacies will now have to compete with this supercenter. And a lot of those smaller businesses will lose a lot of money because, let’s face it, they can’t compete.

Man:   I guess I hadn’t thought about the impact on the small businesses in town.

Woman:   And not only that, but I think we’ll lose a lot of variety. If these smaller businesses start losing money, they will either close down or start limiting their products. Then we’ll have fewer choices when we go shopping.

Man:   Yeah, I guess big companies aren’t always good for small businesses, are they?