Practice English Listening B1 Exercises – Relationships

1

Charlotte

1   They looked identical. They didn’t talk to each other very much when playing together, because they knew what the other was thinking.

2   They wanted to create their own unique identities. They dressed very differently.

3   They’re really good friends. They speak on the phone every day and get together as often as they can.

Megan

1   She was Megan’s best friend. She was imaginative and used to make up stories.

2   They started to grow apart and made different friends.

3   They both love beach holidays, playing football, and they both frequently complain about their hair.

2

1 C   2 M   3 B   4 M   5 B   6 C

CHARLOTTE   When people find out I’m a twin, they generally ask the same questions: What’s it like? Can you read each other’s thoughts? Can people tell you apart? Do you do everything together? It’s true that I often know what Megan is thinking or feeling, but that’s because we grew up together and we’re very close. We’re no different from ordinary sisters.

But if you look at photos of us when we were younger, even I can’t say which one is me. We used to look absolutely identical. And Mum says we didn’t use to talk much when we were playing together – we seemed to know what each other was thinking.

I guess as we grew up we wanted to create our own unique identities. I remember at school Megan used to dress as differently from me as she could. I went through a phase of wearing lots of black and looking quite messy. So of course, Megan started wearing flowery dresses!

We used to have a lot of arguments as teenagers but now we’re really good friends. We usually speak on the phone two or three times a day, and we get together as often as we can. So, what’s it like to have a twin? It’s great – you have a best friend for life!

MEGAN   Charlotte and I had a wonderful childhood. We did everything together. I had my best friend with me 24/7 and we used to be very close. She had a brilliant imagination and used to invent wonderful stories. Of course, we played the usual twin jokes. At school, we used to swap clothes and confuse the teachers. I’m not sure they even noticed some of the time – we looked so similar that even our parents used to mix us up.

We didn’t use to argue much, but in our teenage years we started to grow apart. We were trying to find our own identity, I think, and we each made a different group of friends. Later on, we went to universities in different towns. But it turned out that you can never escape being a twin. After our first year away, we hadn’t seen each other for six months. The day we went home, we saw that we’d both cut all our hair off! These days, I think we have quite different personalities. Charlotte is very kind and caring, but often forgets things and gets lost. I’m a bit more confident and organised. But we still have lots in common – we both love beach holidays, playing football and we both complain about our hair!

Mark bought a desk online for his father, but it was a child’s desk, so it was very small. He forgot to check the measurements on the website.

Part 1

PAULA   Hi, Mark. Hi, Tom.

MARK   Hi, Paula.

TOM   Hi!

M   We’re still meeting at 10, right?

P   Yes, we are. We’re in meeting room 3, I think. See you in there?

T   Yep!

M   See you in a minute.

T   Coffee?

M   Yes, please.

T   So, did you have a good weekend?

M   It was good, thanks. But you won’t believe what I did.

T   What?

M   Remember I told you my dad wanted a desk for his new office? And I offered to help him find one online?

T   Oh yeah?

M   Well, I found one. It looked perfect, exactly what I was looking for. It was a fantastic price too.

T   Sounds good.

M   Exactly, so I ordered it.

T   Great!

M   And it arrived on Saturday. But, the funny thing is, it was really, really small.

T   How small?

M   It only came up to my knees!

T   Eh?

M   It turned out I’d ordered a desk for a child.

T   No way!

M   Mm-mm! I forgot to check the measurements on the website!

T   So, what did you do?

2

Mark phoned the company and they gave him a refund. He found another desk on a freecycling website. The second desk was free.

3

1 F   They agreed to give him a refund.

2 T

3 T

4 F   Tom says, ‘Freecycling? What’s that?’

5 F   He has to go and pick it up (collect it).

Part 2

TOM   So, what did you do?

MARK   Well, I phoned the company to explain, and luckily they agreed to give me a refund.

T   Really? That was very good of them.

M   Yeah, it was. But anyway, I still had to find a desk. I was looking everywhere, but I couldn’t find anything. In the end, Rachel suggested I try one of those freecycling websites.

T   Freecycling? What’s that?

M   It’s where people get rid of stuff they don’t want any more. I’ve never heard of it either. But there are a couple of websites for this area. I found the perfect desk straight away – and the best thing is, it’s free.

T   It’s free?

M   Yeah, I think the owner doesn’t have enough space for it, so he’s just giving it away. So all I have to do is go and pick it up.

T   Wow! That’s good. And you’re sure it’s the right size this time?

M   Ha-ha. Yeah, I double-checked the measurements this time.

P   Guys!

M   Oh, sorry, Paula! It’s my fault. I was just explaining to Tom about my desk mix-up.

They’re talking about their grandparents.

BRYAN   It’s a shame we don’t know much about our grandfather, isn’t it? Mom used to love talking about him and Grandma. She always used to tell so many interesting stories about them. But I’ve got no idea where or when they met.

SUSIE   Yeah. Well, I know he was born in England.

В   Who, Grandad? Yes, I know. And he wanted to go out and see the world, didn’t he? That’s why he went to train as a chef – so he could get work on a ship.

S   What kind of ship?

В   Cruise ships. And that was before the war. Some time in the 1930s.

S   Oh, right.

В   He loved travelling and that was the best way to see the world if you didn’t have a lot of money back then.

S   So, how did he meet Gran? She was a nurse, wasn’t she? And how did they both end up in Canada?

В   I … I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to do some research!

1

True: 4, 5, 6, 7; False: 1, 2, 3, 8

2

1 c   2 b   3 c   4 b   5 b   6 b

R0SIE   Hi there! Hi, my name’s Rosie Cameron and I’m a student here at the university. Do you have a few minutes?

BEN   Oh, uh, sure. What do you need?

R   Well, I’m doing a questionnaire on family and friendship, so would it be OK to ask you some questions?

B   Sure, no problem.

R   Great! Thank you so much! OK, so can you tell me your name and what you do?

B   Sure. My name’s Ben. Ben Boole. And I’m a second-year politics student.

R   Well, hello Ben! Oh I’ve said that already, haven’t l? OK, so you’re male – obviously – and your age group is 18to 24?

B   A bit older, actually. I’m 28. So you need to tick the25 to 32 box.

R   Twenty-eight. Great, thanks. OK, so first question. Are you in a relationship?

B   No, I’m single at the moment.

R   No way!

B   What?

R   Nothing! Sorry- not married, no girlfriend – OK, next question! When you meet people for the first time, do you find it easy to make friends with them?

B   Yes, I think so. I’m not shy. In fact, I think I’m generally quite confident.

R   OK, and how would you describe your childhood?

B   Really happy. Um, I grew up in quite a big family: there was my mum and dad, of course, but I’ve also got five older sisters.

R   Wow, so you’re the youngest of six children, then?

B   Yeah, that’s right. But I also lived with two of my grandparents – my mum’s mum and dad.

R   So there were three generations and ten people living in the same house, then? Wow.

B   Yes. Basically, I was brought up in a house full of women.  My grandmother, my mum, and my elder sisters. I think that’s why I’m quite confident now. Because I had so much support when I was growing up, I mean.

R   How cool! OK, do you keep in touch with friends you made at school?

B   Yes, I’ve got a friend called ‘Zippy’. Actually, his Real name’s Sipho, Sipho Zulu. His dad’s from Zimbabwe. But everyone calls him Zippy.

R   And did you get on with Zippy straight away?

B   No! Actually, that was the funny thing. Before we met, I’d been the best football player in the whole school.

R   Oh, I’m sure you were.

B   Sorry?

R   Nothing!

B   Uh, so anyway Zippy was such a good player that I really hated him at first.

R   So how did you become friends?

B   Well, we eventually discovered that we had lots of things in common. He’s also the youngest child in a big family and he also only has older sisters. And we definitely share the same sense of humour.

R   How important is a sense of humour in friendship?

B   Oh, really important! I mean…