Practice English Listening B1 Exercises – Yes, I can!

A

2   He learned something, but not enough.

B

1 hour   optimistic (Because he has everything he needs, and he has a plan.)

2 hours   unhappy (Because playing the trumpet is difficult – he can’t play for very long before getting tired, and he can’t play the high notes.)

5 hours   annoying (Because the online teacher wears colorful shirts.)

9 hours   He’s frustrated by how little he can play (Because he still can’t play high notes, and he can’t play any tunes he likes.)

14 hours   He’s depressed and wants to give up (Because he isn’t improving.)

15 hours   badly (Because he’s doing everything wrong.)

17 hours   optimistic again (Because he’s improving and enjoying himself.)

20 hours   He thinks he’ll be able to improve (Because he says he’ll keep practicing.)

I haven’t played a musical instrument for years. Five years ago, I got a trumpet for my birthday, and I tried to learn it, but I gave up after seven minutes, and it ended up in the garage. So here I am, a beginner again.

ONE HOUR

I have everything I need: YouTube trumpet lessons, and a book called Trumpet for Beginners. I plan to practice for 20 minutes a day, three times a week. I want to be able to play the trumpet, and I want to do it fast!

TWO HOURS

Well, that was optimistic. Playing the trumpet is more difficult than it looks! I can only play for ten minutes before I start seeing stars and my mouth hurts. I can get from C to G, but I can’t get any higher. It’s depressing.

FIVE HOURS

I’m now practicing for ten minutes at a time. I can play a whole octave, from C to C. I’ve watched a lot of trumpet lessons on YouTube. The teacher has a beard and wears very colorful shirts. He’s beginning to annoy me, so I’m going to stop watching videos and use books instead.

NINE HOURS

I still can’t play high notes. I can play some very simple tunes, but nothing I actually want to play. It isn’t Rimsky-Korsakov.

FOURTEEN HOURS

I’ve been practicing three times a week, but I’m not getting any better. I’ve put the trumpet in the closet.

FIFTEEN HOURS

One evening, I’m at a school concert and I meet Matilda Lloyd, one of the best trumpet players around – she was a winner in the BBC Young Musician competition in 2014. I ask her for help, and the following week she gives me a trumpet lesson. I’m doing everything wrong. I need to forget everything I learned from the man with the beard and the colorful shirts. I need to start again.

SEVENTEEN HOURS

I’m getting better! My trumpet is starting to sound more like a musical instrument. I’m practicing for half an hour every day. I’m enjoying myself. And the neighbor’s dogs have stopped barking.

TWENTY HOURS

I was planning to finish my 20 hours of practice by performing in the subway for an afternoon, but I can’t do it. Twenty hours is too little. But give me 100 hours, and you’ll see me playing the trumpet on a street near you…

1 c   2 c   3 c   4 b   5 b

1

I = interviewer, N = Nick

I    How do you get to work?

N   I take the Tube.

I    How long does it take?

N   Forty-five minutes or so.

I    What do you think is the best way to get around London?

N   Um, the easiest way is to take the Tube, I think, but the nicest way is probably to go by Boris bike if you want to relax when you’re travelling, then it’s a nice way to see the city, but maybe not the quickest way to get around.

2

I = interviewer, B = Butterfly

I    Do you think women are better than men with young children, or do you think that’s just a stereotype?

B   I think that, um, it is definitely a stereotype that women are just better with children than men are. I believe that both sexes provide children with valuable, equally valuable, experiences, um, so I definitely trust either sex to raise children and love children, you know, with the same styles and the same quality and, you know, respect and love.

3

I = interviewer, C = Coleen

I    Are there any stereotypes about men and women that you think are true?

C   I think women do think differently to men, um, and I think conversations tend to be different as well. Women are much more into, um, ‘what did you say and what did he say, and what did you feel’ and all the rest of it, and men are far more pragmatic and, you know, just want to know the score, as it were.

4

I = interviewer, J = Jenny

I   How many languages do you speak?

J   I speak English and I also speak Afrikaans.

I   Is there a language you’d like to be able to speak?

J   I would very much like to be able to speak Spanish.

I   Why Spanish?

J   Because Spanish is spoken all over the world and I feel it’s, it would be, it’s important to be able to communicate with more people.

5

I = interviewer, L = Linwood

I    Is there anything that people do with phones that really annoys you?

L   I would say, from what I’ve experienced, they’re either texting or looking at their phones while walking and not looking where they’re going. Er, I would say, from what I’ve experienced so far in London, that would be the biggest for me.