Practice English Listening B2 Exercises – Can You Understand These People?

A 5   B –   C 2   D 1   E 4   F 3

1

Young offenders are getting younger all the time. In the past the average age was probably seventeen or eighteen but nowadays we find ourselves dealing with kids of thirteen and fourteen, and even younger. The other week we were called to a house where the burglar alarm had gone off and we found these kids hiding in the garden with the things they’d just stolen from the house and one was fourteen and the other was only twelve.

2

So really what they need is sort of stricter control and er rules and I know that lots of people think we’re too tolerant and that it’s our fault and I suppose it’s partly true that we find it difficult to say no to them sometimes. It’s not easy I mean you want your kids to have the same as everyone else. I think the problem is nowadays that children get bored and that’s why they do these things to get a bit of excitement.

3

So then I looked at her and said, aren’t you ashamed of yourself trying to rob an old lady pensioner? I could be your grandmother. And you know what she did? She spat at me and then she laughed and then she just ran off with my handbag. I was so angry.

4

The trouble is that most of us just feel helpless – we can’t do anything. They’re just not interested and what’s worse – they distract and disrupt the other kids who do want to learn, and sometimes they insult us or even get violent. The problem is that they don’t have enough discipline at home.

5

When I was doing my research I talked to a lot of young people in schools and I asked them if they thought a fine would stop them committing a crime and they said no it wouldn’t. They said that the only thing they were frightened of was getting sent to prison. I’ve also spoken to the police, social workers, lawyers, and they all agree that fines and community service just aren’t working.

1 N   2 D   3 N   4 M   5 D

6 M   7 N   8 M

I = interviewer, D = Dan, M = Marion

I    Marion and Dan, you are both mountain climbers and you regularly attempt some very difficult and dangerous climbs. Some people might say that you’re taking an unnecessary risk.

D   Many things we do in life have an element of risk. You drove here today on a motorway in the rain. That was a risky thing to do. People try to minimize risks – when they drive, they wear a seat belt for example – and I do the same when I go climbing. Before I go, I do my research so that I can avoid avalanche areas, I check the weather forecast, and I make sure my equipment is all working properly. And when I’m on the mountain I use my common sense and I don’t take unnecessary risks.

M   Also life isn’t just about protecting ourselves from risks. We can’t live in a bubble. We have to live life and do things which make us feel alive. Mountain climbing gives me energy to do other things in my life. I’m a secondary school teacher and climbing at the weekend gives me the extra energy I need to be a good teacher.

D   Exactly. I spend most of my time sitting down in an office. It’s not the most exciting of jobs and I would go mad if I didn’t have the chance to feel the adrenaline pumping through my body when I’m climbing a vertical rock face 3,000 metres up in the air.

I    Now you are both married and you, Dan, have young children. How do your partners feel about you climbing?

M   I was already a mountain climber when I met my partner, but I won’t pretend that he’s exactly over the moon when I walk out of the door with my climbing gear on a Friday evening. I don’t enjoy making him feel worried, but on the other hand, he does know and believe that I would never do anything that would put my life at risk.   

D   I used to have a lot of arguments with my partner about whether I was being selfish and irresponsible, especially when our first child was born. But now she’s fine with it.

I    But bad things can happen in climbing. Climbers do get killed, don’t they?

M   Yes, but this is usually because a climber gets over-confident or too careless, or because they don’t do the necessary preparation before the climb.

D   Or just bad luck.

M   Yes, sometimes.