Practice English Listening B1 Exercises – Meeting the parents

1 magazine   2 British   3 months   4 London   5 New York

6 permanent   7 find   8 family

J = Jenny, R = Rob

J    My name’s Jenny Zielinski. And New York is my city. I live here and I work for a magazine, NewYork 24seven.

R   My name’s Rob Walker. I’m a writer on NewYork 24seven. You can probably tell from my accent that I’m not actually from New York. I’m British, and I came over to the States a few months ago.

J    I met Rob in London, when I was visiting the UK on a work trip. He was writing for the London edition of 24seven. We got along well right away. I really liked him.

R   So why am I in New York? Because of Jenny, of course. When they gave me the opportunity to work here for a month, I took it immediately. It gave us the chance to get to know each other better. When they offered me a permanent job, I couldn’t believe it!

J    I helped Rob find an apartment. And now here we are. Together in New York. I’m so happy. I just hope Rob’s happy here, too.

R   I really loved living in London. A lot of my friends and family are there, so of course I still miss it. But New York’s a fantastic city. I’ve got a great job, and Jenny’s here, too.

J    Things are changing pretty fast in the office. We have a new boss, Don Taylor. And things are changing in my personal life, too. This evening’s kind of important. I’m taking Rob to meet my parents for the very first time. I just hope it goes well!

A

He left the chocolates on his desk at work.

She’s got a promotion – she’s now a manager.

B

1 T

2 F (Rob’s desk is always a complete mess.)

3 F (Rob is meeting Jenny’s parents for the first time.)

4 T

5 F (Jenny’s new job is Managing Editor.)

6 F (She is a manager, but not Rob’s manager.)

J = Jenny, R = Rob, H = Harry, S = Sally

J    I can’t believe we got here so late.

R   I’m sorry, Jenny. I had to finish that article for Don.

J    Don’t forget the chocolates.

R   OK…Oh no!

J    I don’t believe it. Don’t tell me you forgot them?

R   I think they’re still on my desk.

J    You’re kidding.

R   You know what my desk’s like.

J    Yeah, it’s a complete mess. Why don’t you ever tidy it?

***

R   We could go and buy some more.

J    How can we get some more? We’re already late!… Hi there!

H   You made it!

J    Sorry we’re late. So, this is my mom and dad, Harry and Sally. And this, of course, is Rob.

R   Hello.

S    It’s so nice to meet you at last.

H   Yes, Jenny’s finally decided to introduce you to us.

S    Come in, come in!

***

J    Mom, I’m really sorry – we bought you some chocolates, but we left them at the office.

S   What a pity. Never mind.

H   Yeah, don’t worry about it. We know what a busy young woman you are. And your mom has made way too much food for this evening anyway.

S   Oh, Harry.

J    But I also have some good news.

S   Really? What’s that?

J    Well, you know we have a new boss? He’s still new to the job and needs support, so today he made me the Managing Editor of the magazine.

S   So you’ve got a promotion? How fantastic!

H   That’s great news! Hey, does that mean Jenny’s going to be your boss, Rob?

R   Er…yes, I guess so.

J    Well, not exactly. I’m a manager, but I’m not Rob’s manager.

S   Let’s go and have dinner.

J    What a great idea!

A

The evening ends well.

B

1   Harvard

2   No, he isn’t, because he thinks creative people, like writers, sometimes don’t earn enough to pay the bills.

3   He likes taking photographs.

4   Jenny

5   Famous jazz musicians

6   That he knows about Wynton Marsalis (Harry’s idol) and has interviewed him and spent the day with him.

H = Harry, J = Jenny, R = Rob, S = Sally

H   You know, our Jenny has done incredibly well, Rob. She’s the first member of our family to study at Harvard. She’s a very capable and ambitious young woman.

J    Oh, Dad.

R   No, it’s true, Jenny.

H   But what about you, Rob? How do you see your career? Do you see yourself going into management?

R   Me? No. Not really. I’m more of a…a writer.

H   Really? What kind of things do you write?

R   Oh, you know, interviews, reviews…things like that…and I’m doing a lot of work for the online magazine…

J    Rob’s a very talented writer, Dad. He’s very creative.

H   That’s great, but being creative doesn’t always pay the bills.

J    You know, my dad’s a very keen photographer. He took all of these photos.

H   Oh, Rob won’t be interested in them.

R   But I am interested. I mean, I like photography. And I think I recognize some of these people.

H   That’s because most of them are of Jenny.

R   But there are some great jazz musicians, too.…That’s Miles Davis…and isn’t that John Coltrane? And that’s Wynton Marsalis.

H   You know about Wynton Marsalis?

R   Know about him? I’ve interviewed him!

H   How incredible! I love that guy. He’s a hero of mine.

R   Well, he’s a really nice guy. I spent a whole day with him, chatting and watching him rehearse.

H   Really? I want to hear all about it.

S   Have a cookie, Rob.

H   Go ahead, son! Sally makes the best cookies in New York!