Practice English Listening B2 Exercises – Are you doing anything special?

A

Answers may vary. Possible answer: Oscar and Elena are talking about Oscar’s hiking trip.

B

1   Some hikers left their trash on the mountain.

2   Hikers are supposed to carry their trash out of the park with them.

3   Oscar saw a huge lake.

4   Swimming and hanging out at the lake made the whole trip worthwhile for Oscar.

A B

Elena:   Hey, Oscar. I heard you went hiking last weekend. How was it?

Oscar:   Well, the mountains were really beautiful, but some of the people there really made me mad.

Elena:   What do you mean?

Oscar:   Well, this other group of hikers went off into a conservation area to take selfies. You’re supposed to stay on the trails.

Elena:   I guess they weren’t aware of the rules.

Oscar:   Yeah, or they just didn’t care. There were signs everywhere telling people to keep out, but they went in anyway. It was actually a nesting place for endangered birds.

Elena:   Wow. Did you say anything to them?

Oscar:   No, I didn’t. I should have. Then there were some other people who just left their trash all over the ground.

Elena:   Really?

Oscar:   Yeah. People were having picnics on the mountain and then leaving behind bags of garbage. It was unbelievable!

Elena:   I don’t understand how people can litter like that.

Oscar:   Right? I mean, I know there aren’t any garbage cans in the park, but the rules say you’re supposed to carry out everything you carry in.

Elena:   So, were you still able to enjoy the hike?

Oscar:   Yeah, at the end of the trail, we finally got to this huge lake. There was no one there except for us, and the view was perfect.

Elena:   Nice!

Oscar:   Yeah. We swam and hung out there for a few hours. It made the whole trip worthwhile.

C

Elena:   Hey, Oscar. I heard you went hiking last weekend. How was it?

Oscar:   Well, the mountains were really beautiful, but some of the people there really made me mad.

Elena:   What do you mean?

Oscar:   Well, this other group of hikers went off into a conservation area to take selfies. You’re supposed to stay on the trails.

Elena:   I guess they weren’t aware of the rules.

Oscar:   Yeah, or they just didn’t care. There were signs everywhere telling people to keep out, but they went in anyway.

A

Answers may vary. Possible answer: Elena tells Oscar about her vacation plans in Costa Rica.

B

1   Elena will be in Costa Rica for two weeks.

2   She is going to Costa Rica with some friends.

3   She will be ziplining, snorkeling, hiking, seeing wildlife, rafting, relaxing, and walking along the beach.

4   They agree that sometimes the best things in life are unplanned.

A B

Oscar:   So, Elena. I saw your email about taking some time off. Are you going anywhere special?

Elena:   Haven’t you heard? By this time next week, my friends and I will be ziplining through the rain forest, or maybe snorkeling along a coral reef.

Oscar:   Whoa, where are you going to do all those things?

Elena:   Costa Rica. We’re flying into the capital and then driving out to the coast.

Oscar:   Cool! How long will you be there?

Elena:   Two weeks. Just long enough to get away from everything, see some beautiful sights, and, of course, forget about work for a while.

Oscar:   Ha! Lucky you! That sounds exciting!

Elena:   Yeah, I can’t wait. My friends are pretty adventurous, so we definitely won’t be hanging around the hotel the whole time.

Oscar:   What else do you have planned?

Elena:   Well, we want to hike through the rain forest to see some of the wildlife—I’d love to see some sloths and howler monkeys.

Oscar:   That would be really cool. I’ve always wanted to see a sloth in person.

Elena:   And we want to walk along the rain forest canopy and cross that bridge where you can see the wild crocodiles.

Oscar:   Wow! That sounds amazing!

Elena:   Plus, we also might go rafting one day. I’ve heard that they have some of the world’s best rapids there.

Oscar:   I guess you have everything all planned out!

Elena:   No, not really. We also want to have some time to just relax and walk along the beach. And we want to have some free time, too. You never know what else might come up.

Oscar:   I know what you mean. Sometimes you just have to let the unexpected happen to you. It’s hard to have an adventure if you plan everything out beforehand.

C

Oscar:   I saw your email about taking some time off. Are you going anywhere special?

Elena:   Haven’t you heard? By this time next week, my friends and I will be ziplining through the rain forest, or maybe snorkeling along a coral reef.

Oscar:   Whoa, where are you going to do all those things?

Elena:   Costa Rica. We’re flying in to the capital and then driving out to the coast.

Oscar:   Cool!

A

Answers may vary. Possible answer: The main idea of the talk is that ordinary people can make a difference to help the environment.

B

1 causing   2 because of   3 as a result of

C

1   Jill is collecting information from the special fin on her surfboard about ocean water and sending it to scientists all over the world.

2   Jill is giving presentations to students and community members to explain what she’s doing and to encourage other people to get involved.

3   Tim is participating in urban gardening. He planted a garden on the top of his apartment building.

4   Other people can find organizations online and talk to volunteers.

Making a Difference

Let’s face it—our planet is in trouble. Climate change is causing the earth to get warmer. Our air and water are becoming contaminated because of pollution.

These changes are happening now, right in front of us. So what, if anything, can the average person do to make things better?

A while back, my friend Jill was feeling pretty helpless about all this. After all, who can stop a glacier from melting or clean up the whole ocean? Then, she found out about an environmental project that fts her interests and abilities.

Jill is an enthusiastic surfer, and she loves the ocean. A few years ago, scientists developed special fins surfers can attach to their surfboards. These fins have sensors that can measure water quality and temperature. Surfers can send the data from the sensors through a smartphone app to scientists all over the world. Now, Jill isn’t just riding the waves; she’s also collecting information that’s helping scientists understand how climate change is affecting the oceans. She’s even taking the project one step further. Once a month, she gives presentations to students and community members about what she’s doing and encourages others to get involved.

Lots of people like Jill are teaming up with scientists to help the environment. For example, some are collecting samples from glaciers to help scientists learn how fast they’re melting. Others are monitoring and restoring coral reefs that have been damaged as a result of rising ocean temperatures.

However, not everyone is getting involved in projects so far from home. Take my friend Tim, for example. He wanted to help out more locally, so last year, he planted a garden on the top of his apartment building. Now, he’s one of millions of people around the world who are participating in urban gardening. Of course, their gardens give them a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, but they also help the environment. The plants filter carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. They not only cool down the apartment building, but, to a small extent, also the city during the hot summer months. But Tim wasn’t content just to manage his rooftop garden. Earlier this year, he joined an urban gardening organization that’s working with the government to add more parks and green spaces to the city. He’s working to get rid of air pollution and fight climate change one plant at a time.

Why am I telling you about Jill and Tim? Well, they’re ordinary people, just like you and me. But they’re pitching in to make the world a better place.

If you want to get involved, there are plenty of things you can do. There are organizations online that can set you up with projects in your own neighborhood or around the world. And look around you. I’m sure there’s at least one other volunteer in the audience. Start today. It’s never too late, and every little bit helps.

As Jill recently told me, “It’s better to make a small difference than to do nothing at all.”

A

Answers may vary. Possible answer: The website is advertising different travel packages to South America.

B

1   The company offers exotic adventures, not tours.

2   Adventures Only Travel is offering a city adventure to Buenos Aires and an extreme outdoor adventure to Patagonia.

3   The Buenos Aires adventure offers comfort and style with luxury accommodations and transportation and gourmet food. The Patagonia adventure offers an extreme outdoor adventure with sleeping under the stars and eating and travelling like the locals.

4   The Buenos Aires adventure is for people who like luxurious city tours. The Patagonia adventure is for people who like extreme outdoor adventures.

ADVENTURES ONLY TRAVEL

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OUR ADVENTURE OPTIONS

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Discover the beauty of Buenos Aires, the capital and heart of Argentina, and travel in comfort and style on this ten-day city adventure. Enjoy five-star, luxury accommodations and gourmet food as you get to know the “Paris of the South.”

Highlights of this adventure include:

• Tasting world-class cuisine at a parrilla—one of the barbecue restaurants famous for their steaks and other grilled meats
• Watching a musical performance at the historic Teatro Colón opera house, considered one of the top ten opera houses in the world
• Strolling down the world’s widest avenue, Avenida 9 de Julio, to see the incredible architecture in Buenos Aires
• Shopping on the Calle Florida, a street full of cafés and fantastic shops—take a break to watch the tango dancers and other street performers!

THE EXTREME OUTDOOR ADVENTURE: PATAGONIA

Journey off the beaten path and explore the wild side of Patagonia in this ten-day extreme outdoor adventure. Sleep under the stars and eat and travel like the locals do as you journey to the end of the world and back.

Highlights of this adventure include:

• Climbing to the top of the 2,652-meter-tall active Osorno volcano in Chile
• Hiking across the endless Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park in southern Argentina
• Rafting the world-famous rapids on the Futaleufú River in Chile, surrounded by the rugged peaks of the Andes Mountains
• Camping overnight in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile—home to a wide range of wild animals, including pumas and foxes

A

Answers may vary. Possible answer: This presentation is about a beautiful place in nature.

B

1   The park is in Hunan Province in China.

2   Misaki says that the rock formations in the park are unusual.

3   In the park, you can ride a cable car to see the rock formations, hike on the trails, and cross the canyon on a glass bridge.

If you want to visit a place in nature that’s both beautiful and mysterious, consider going to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan Province in China. This park is huge! It has 49.2 square kilometers to explore. Inside, you’ll find unusual rock formations, hiking trails, and a huge canyon.

First, the park has more than 3,000 unique rock formations. These formations are really skinny and tall—many are more than 200 meters high. They’re pinkish-orange, and bright green plants grow out of the tops and the sides.

These formations are all over the park, but the best way to see them is from one of the park’s cable cars.

The park also has plenty of hiking trails where you can see birds, monkeys, and other wildlife, as well as waterfalls. The park gets more than 30 million visitors a year, so it’s usually crowded, but you can leave the main trails and go off onto the smaller ones to enjoy some peace and quiet.

Finally, the park has a gigantic canyon, which is a deep river valley with very steep sides. If you’re not afraid of heights, you can walk across the glass bridge that stretches over it. This bridge is more than 300 meters high, and it’s big enough to hold 800 people at a time.

I loved my trip to this beautiful national park. If you ever get the chance to go there, I highly recommend exploring the unique rock formations, hiking on the beautiful trails, and walking over the breathtaking canyon.