Practice English Listening B2 Exercises – Doctor, doctor!

1   pulse, having a heart attack

2   calm her down

3   ambulance turned up

4   in shock

5   tripped and fell

6   was still conscious

7   really painful

8   fell backwards

9   called an ambulance

10   took him away

Bettina

1 …he didn’t have a pulse, so I thought he was probably having a heart attack.

2 …he took her to one side to calm her down.

3 I kept going until the ambulance turned up…

4 …because obviously she was in shock

Umesh

5 …an old lady stepped off the sidewalk in front of me and she tripped and fell onto the street.

6 She’d fallen pretty hard, but she was still conscious…

7 It was obviously an effort for her to sit up, it was really painful…

Alison

8 Then all of a sudden, he stopped walking and fell backwards…

9 Some teenagers in line called an ambulance…

10 …then they put him on a stretcher and took him away.

B

Bettina: Yes, because she used to be a nurse.

Umesh: Yes, because it happened right in front of him.

Alison: No, because she didn’t know what to do.

C

Bettina

1   She was out shopping with her husband.

2   A man. He was lying on the ground.

3   She felt his pulse and started doing cardiac massage.

4   An ambulance came and took the man to the hospital.

5 a)   She felt calm (because she knew what to do).

   b)   She felt happy (because she was able to do something).

Umesh

1   He was riding his bike to work.

2   An old lady. She tripped and fell onto the street.

3   He helped move her and then helped her sit up until the ambulance came.

4   She was taken to the hospital and he visited her there.

5 a)   He felt worried (because he thought someone might steal his backpack).

   b) He felt glad (because he was able to do something).

Alison

1   She was waiting for the bus.

2   A big, tall man. He fell backwards and hit his head on the pavement/sidewalk.

3   She didn’t really do anything.

4   An ambulance arrived, and the paramedics took him away on a stretcher.

5 a)   She felt helpless (because she didn’t know what to do).

   b)   She felt ashamed of not helping the man (because he was dirty).

Bettina

So, my husband and I were out shopping in our local town, and I saw a man lying on the ground. He was just a stranger, not someone I knew, and his wife was there, standing by him. And I used to be a nurse in the ER, so I went up to him to see if I could help. He was a little blue; I felt his pulse and he didn’t have a pulse, so I thought he was probably having a heart attack. I felt quite calm because I knew what to do – um, I started doing cardiac massage – you know, putting your hand on the chest and pressing down fast and at regular intervals – and my husband talked to the man’s wife; he took her to one side to calm her down, because obviously she was in shock. I kept going until the ambulance turned up, and the man was still alive then, and they took him to the hospital. I was really happy that I could do something.

Umesh

So, I was riding my bike to work one morning, and just as I was coming around the corner, an old lady stepped off the sidewalk in front of me and she tripped and fell onto the street. I just managed not to ride my bike into her, and I dropped my bike and I went over to see if she was OK. And it was busy on the street because the stores were just opening and lots of people were around. She’d fallen pretty hard, but she was still conscious, and she told us she was sure she’d broken her arm. Somebody stopped the traffic, and I helped move her to the sidewalk, somebody else went and got a chair from one of the stores, and someone else called an ambulance, and we stayed with her until it came. It was obviously an effort for her to sit up, it was very painful, so I let her lean against me. I remember I was kind of worried because I’d left my backpack on the bike with all my things in it, and I was worried someone was going to steal it, but I couldn’t move because I was holding the woman up. Later, I went to visit her in the hospital, and she’d actually broken her shoulder in two places and had to have an operation. I think, though, if I had just been walking past, I wouldn’t necessarily have gone to help, but because it had happened right in front of me, I felt I had to do something, and now I’m, I’m glad I was able to do something – I felt pretty good about it afterwards.

Alison

So, I was waiting for the bus at the end of my street, to go into work. A very big man, a very tall man, walked past the bus stop, and I noticed him particularly because he was wearing very dirty clothes and he was walking in kind of a strange way – and to be honest, I thought he might be dangerous. Then all of a sudden, he stopped walking and fell backwards, and hit the back of his head on the sidewalk. He fell so hard on the back of his head that it made a really loud noise. And then he just lay still. Some teenagers in the line called an ambulance and I stood by the man. I felt completely helpless. He was breathing, but I didn’t really know what to do. The ambulance arrived pretty quickly, and the paramedic took the man’s hand and talked to him, and then they put him on a stretcher and took him away. Afterwards, I thought I should’ve done more, I should’ve maybe turned him on his side, or put a coat under his head – at least, I should have held his hand to show someone was there. I felt kind of ashamed because I think the reason why I didn’t help him more was because he was dirty and scruffy, and I was scared of him.

1   A cough, headaches, a temperature

2   A brain tumor

3   A blood test

4   He should wait a few days, take acetaminophen, and go to bed early.

D = doctor, P = patient

D   Hello again, Mr. Payne. What’s the problem this time?

P   Doctor, I haven’t been feeling well for a few days. I’ve been coughing a lot, and I keep getting headaches. I have a temperature today.

D   What have you been taking for the headaches?

P   Acetaminophen. But I read on the internet that headaches can be the first symptom of a brain tumor.

D   How many tablets have you taken today?

P   I took two before breakfast.

D   And have you taken your temperature this morning?

P   Yes. I’ve taken it five or six times already. It’s high.

D   Let me see. Mmm… well, your temperature seems to be perfectly normal now.

P   I think I need a blood test. I haven’t had one for two months.

D   Well, Mr. Payne, you know, I think we should wait for a few days and see how your symptoms…um…develop. Take two more acetaminophen and go to bed early tonight.

P   But…

D   Goodbye, Mr. Payne. Goodbye.

They think he’s a pain in the neck.

We call someone who behaves like this “a hypochondriac.”

R = receptionist, D = doctor

R   Your next patient is Mrs. Morris – here is her file…

D   How many times has Mr. Payne been to the Health Center this month?

R   Uh, six times, I think…

D   That Mr. Payne! He’s a complete pain in the neck…