Practice English Listening B2 Exercises – Exploring new cities

A

Diana is talking about Seoul.

Matt is talking about Athens.

B

1 M   2 D   3 M   4 D   5 D

6 M   7 D   8 D   9 M

Transcripts

Andy:   Well, this is Andy Wong, and we’re just about at the end of another episode of Where in the World . . . ? But before we sign off, I’d like to tell you a little about tomorrow’s program. Tomorrow we’ll have a very interesting report on two very exciting cities that I’m sure you won’t want to miss. Our reporters in the field, Diana and Matt, are standing by to fill us in on the details. Diana! Can you hear me?

Diana:   Yes, Andy, loud and clear!

Andy:   Well, where are you?

Diana:   You know I can’t tell you that, Andy! You’ll have to watch tomorrow’s program to get the answer.

Andy:   Oh, right, that’s right. Well, tell us about the place anyway.

Diana:   OK. As you said, this city is a very exciting place to visit. First of all, it is one of the 10 largest metropolitan areas in the world. It’s a very cosmopolitan city with a strong identity of its own. And the local food is delicious! I’m really enjoying the restaurants that serve barbecued beef, which is grilled right at your table. But I must warn you, a lot of the food is spicy, so come prepared. Do you like spicy food, Andy?

Andy:   I sure do.

Diana:   Well, you should come on over, then! Andy, this city is very old. And it’s divided by the beautiful Han River. The city has a striking combination of modern and ancient architecture. With its efficient subway system, it’s very easy to get around and see the sights. But be sure and use public transportation because the traffic can be heavy!

Andy:   Great, Diana. Thanks so much for . . .

Diana:   Oh, wait, Andy! One more thing I forgot to mention. The shopping. The street vendors here sell everything from shoes to electronics to furniture – all at discounted prices. Oops! Have I said too much?

Andy:   No, no, not at all. Sounds like you’re having a fantastic time. We’re looking forward to hearing your full report tomorrow and finding out just where in the world you are right now! Before we run out of time, though, let me turn it over to Matt. Matt? Are you there?

Matt:   I sure am. Hello, everyone. Well, my city is very old. It was founded over 3,000 years ago by the Greeks. It is now the largest city in the country, with over three and a half million inhabitants – that’s about a third of the population of the country. It’s quite fascinating. It’s surrounded by mountains, and it overlooks the sea. And if you enjoy swimming, there are beautiful beaches in the suburbs.

Andy:   Well, Matt, I guess we know where you’ve been the last few days . . . On the beach!

Matt:   Well, not exactly, Andy. There’s so much to see and do here. By the way, this city has some of the world’s best museums and one of its best-known monuments. This world famous ancient Greek temple that sits on the top of a rocky hill in the center of the city has to be seen with your own eyes to be believed.

Andy:   Mm-hmm. I’ll take your word for it. So, what do people who live there like to do at night?

Matt:   Well, there are a lot of theaters, including outdoor theaters. And there’s a local restaurant district just down the hill from the temple where people eat, talk, sing, and dance all night.

Andy:   That sounds great, Matt! Thanks a lot. Well, Diana and Matt certainly have given our listeners plenty to think about, but I’m sorry to say we’re out of time. That’s it, folks. This is Andy Wong reminding you to tune in tomorrow for the next installment of our travel show, Where in the World . . . ? So long, everybody!

A

Vicki

B

The features mentioned are:

1 climate

2 architecture

7 landmarks

8 nightlife

9 cuisine

Transcripts

Interviewer:   Hi, guys.

Carlos:   Hi.

Vicki:   Hey!

Interviewer:   Thanks for agreeing to meet me here on such short notice.

Carlos:   No problem.

Interviewer:   Well, listen, as I said to you on the phone, I’m doing a story for a magazine. I’m interviewing foreign students to get their impressions of different cities in the United States. Um, . . . this should only take about 10 minutes or so. Let’s see . . . uh, do you mind if I record our interview?

Vicki:   Oh no, not at all.

Interviewer:   OK. Then, Carlos, why don’t we start with you? What do you think of San Francisco? How do you like it here so far?

Carlos:   It’s OK, I guess.

Interviewer:   Hmm, you don’t sound very enthusiastic.

Carlos:   No, no, I like it. It’s just that I’ve been so busy studying. I haven’t had much time to explore the city.

Interviewer:   Oh, that’s too bad.

Carlos:   I know. And when I have the time, well, it’s so cloudy and foggy here – especially in the summer. I never thought I’d be wearing a sweater in July!

Interviewer:   Well, this is Northern California. Maybe you should move south. I hear Los Angeles is warmer. Vicki?

Vicki:   Oh, I love it here. I think San Francisco is a beautiful city. The rolling hills, the views of the bay – it’s very romantic.

Interviewer:   Oh, yes. Many people agree. So, how do you guys spend your free time?

Carlos:   Well, I’m studying architecture, and I’m somewhat of a photographer.

Interviewer:   Really?

Carlos:   Oh, I’m just an amateur. Anyway, I . . . I’m always taking pictures of the buildings in this city. You know, the Victorians, the modern skyscrapers downtown . . . There’s such a variety of buildings here. The architecture is really great. I’ve also taken pictures of other landmarks, like the Golden Gate Bridge. It looks totally different when the weather changes.

Interviewer:   That’s interesting. So, Vicki, now it’s your turn. What do you like to do?

Vicki:   Well, I’m a bit of a night person. There’s always a new club, or a film, or a great outdoor café to check out with my friends. And we also like to explore the different neighborhoods. It’s pretty easy thanks to BART. You know, Bay Area Rapid Transit.

Interviewer:   Yeah, that’s a great subway system.

Vicki:   Anyway, yesterday we went to the Italian neighborhood, North Beach, to buy some pastries and have a cup of espresso. Today, I’m going down to the Mission district to get a burrito for lunch.

Interviewer:   So, you like Mexican food, do you?

Vicki:   Yes. And actually, I like the Mission a lot. It’s a Latino neighborhood. We don’t have anything like that where I come from.

Interviewer:   OK, well, I think that’s about it. Any final comments?

Carlos:   No, not really.

Vicki:   I’d just like to say that this is a great place to live. I’m glad that I got a chance to study here.

A

Maria

B

1 Maria   2 Both   3 Ian

4 Maria   5 Maria   6 Ian

Transcripts

Interviewer:   How do you enjoy living in Sydney, Maria?

Maria:   I love it. I lived in a little mountain town in the U.S. before I moved here, so I’m really enjoying Sydney life. And the climate is great most of the year.

Interviewer:   What do you like most about it?

Maria:   Well, for one thing, it’s a very easy city to get around. The public transportation is pretty good, which is important for me because I don’t have a car. So, you see, I use buses and trains most of the time. I can usually get wherever I want to pretty easily.

Interviewer:   How about you, Ian?

Ian:   Well, it’s a very beautiful city. I love the harbor and the opera house. And the beaches are great, of course.

Maria:   Oh, yeah, the beaches are great! There are great beaches close to town, like Bondi Beach.

Ian:   I know, it’s true. But I don’t have a lot of time to go to the beach because I have to work two jobs to make enough money to pay the rent. Actually, I’d really prefer to live somewhere smaller. I find Sydney too fast, too noisy, and definitely too expensive.

Maria:   Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I’m just lucky, but my rent’s not bad at all. Actually, since I’m splitting the rent with two roommates now, it’s about the same as I was paying in the U.S. And . . . um . . . yeah, I love the nightlife here, too. On weekends, my friends and I usually go to a club or a place with live music. There’s always something interesting going on downtown. I’ve made lots of friends since I moved here.

Interviewer:   That’s great. Ian, what do you do for fun in Sydney?

Ian:   Well, not much, I’m afraid. It’s so expensive to do anything here. Also, you know, because of the high rents I can only afford to live out in the suburbs. And there isn’t much happening out there, believe me. Hmm . . . I guess once in a while I like to go to Chinatown, though. There are plenty of restaurants there where you can eat fairly cheaply. Good ones, too.

Maria:   Is that right? I can’t seem to find cheap food anywhere. In fact, the restaurants near me are so pricey that I hardly ever eat out.

Interviewer:   All right, here’s a question. If you could change one thing about the city, what would it be?

Ian:   The traffic, without a doubt. I used to drive back in my hometown, but I hardly ever drive here. There are far too many cars, and drivers are very aggressive. You have to know where you’re going, and you have to drive fast, otherwise other drivers can be really rude.

Maria:   See, I don’t have a car so that doesn’t really bother me. Actually, you know, I wouldn’t change anything. It’s so much better here than in the tiny little town where I used to live!

Ian:   I don’t know. Sometimes I think life is better back home. Sure, it’s smaller, but it’s easier to live a good life. And you get to know the people better, too.

A

b   things that people should or should not have done in the past

B

1 True   2 False   3 False

4 False   5 True   6 True

Transcripts

Chris:   Hello and welcome to Who’s Sorry Now? Today, we’re going to be taking your calls about what you could have done, what you wish you’d done, and what you really should have done, because you’re sorry now! Here’s our first caller. Hello, Mark.

Mark:   Hi, Chris.

Chris:   So, Mark, what did you do? What do you think you should, or maybe shouldn’t, have done?

Mark:   OK. When I was in college I shared a house with a couple of other guys. We used to play practical jokes on each other. You know, hide each other’s shoes, put salt in the sugar bowl – that kind of thing.

Chris:   OK. Right.

Mark:   Well, I’m pretty good at faking voices. So this one time, my roommate Luke applied for a job at a store in town. The store manager called to ask him to come in for an interview. I pretended I was Luke.

Chris:   OK . . .

Mark:   I told him that I – I mean, me pretending to be Luke – that I didn’t really want the job.

Chris:   And . . . ?

Mark:   So I didn’t tell Luke about the call.

Chris:   Uh-huh . . .

Mark:   So Luke thought they weren’t interested in him and that was that.

Chris:   Not very nice.

Mark:   No, I felt terrible. I still do. I should have told him about the call.

Chris:   So, who’s sorry now, Mark?

Mark:   I am. I’m really, really sorry, Luke.

Chris:   OK. Thanks, Mark. Next caller: Anna.

Anna:   Well, I was on vacation with my family. We were driving around national parks. It should have been a great trip, but my brother had just gotten a harmonica for his birthday. He loved it, and he played it all the time. And I had to listen to it all the time. And he was terrible. So, we stopped at this place in the desert, and when he wasn’t looking, I threw it as far away from the car as I could. When he discovered it was missing, he looked everywhere for it.

Chris:   You didn’t really need to throw it away, did you? You could have just hidden it.

Anna:   Yeah, you’re right. I should have just put it in my suitcase or something. I didn’t have to throw it out. But I did.

Chris:   And you’re sorry now?

Anna:   Yeah, very. He saved up and bought a drum set when we got home, and then I had to listen to that every night.

Chris:   Aw, too bad for you. Next caller: Luke.

Luke:   Hi, Chris. Your first caller was my old roommate Mark. He told you about my job interview.

Chris:   Right. He never should have pretended to be you. That was kind of mean. I bet you’re feeling pretty angry after what you just heard.

Luke:   No, not really. Even before Mark spoke to the manager, I’d already decided I didn’t have time for a job – I really needed to study, you know – and so I called the manager to tell him. That’s when he told me he already knew I didn’t want the job. I knew right away what Mark had done.

Chris:   So, you weren’t angry when you found out?

Luke:   A little. He was supposed to be one of my best friends. I probably should have told him I knew what he’d done. But I kind of enjoyed his call tonight. He’s had to live with his “secret” all these years. So, all I can say is, “I got you, Mark!”

Chris:   OK, OK. That’s all we have time for tonight on Who’s Sorry Now? Tune in next week to hear more people talk . . .