Shopping & Money – A1 English Listening Exercise
Listening 1
Listen to the conversation and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What does the student want to buy?
(A) Two pens and one eraser
(B) Two pencils and one eraser
(C) One pencil and two erasers
2 How much are the pencils?
(A) $1
(B) $2
(C) $3
3 What is the total price?
(A) $3
(B) $13
(C) $4
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) Two pencils and one eraser
- Explanation: The student says directly, “I want two pencils and one eraser” (The Key). Option A is a trap because “pens” sounds a little bit like “pencils”. Option C mixes up the numbers.
2 (B) $2
- Explanation: The assistant says clearly, “The pencils are two dollars” (The Key). Option A ($1) is the price of the eraser (The Trap), and Option C ($3) is the total price.
3 (A) $3
- Explanation: The assistant does the math (2 + 1) and says, “So, the total is three dollars.” The student also repeats “Three dollars” to confirm (The Key). Option B ($13) is a phonetic trap because “three” and “thirteen” can sound similar to beginners.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Student: Hello. I need some school supplies, please.
Assistant: Hi! What do you need?
Student: I want two pencils and one eraser.
Assistant: Okay. Two pencils and one eraser. Here you are.
Student: Thank you. How much is that?
Assistant: The pencils are two dollars, and the eraser is one dollar. So, the total is three dollars.
Student: Three dollars. Okay, here is the money.
Listening 2
Listen to the conversation and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What is the gift for Anna?
(A) A book
(B) A big cake
(C) A birthday card
2 How much money does each person give?
(A) $5
(B) $15
(C) $50
3 When is Anna’s birthday?
(A) May 2nd
(B) March 10th
(C) May 10th
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) A big cake
- Explanation: John says directly, “we are buying a big cake” (The Key). Gift ideas like “book” or “card” are not mentioned.
2 (A) $5
- Explanation: Sarah hears “fifty” (The Trap), but John corrects her immediately: “Not fifty. Only five dollars.”
3 (C) May 10th
- Explanation: John says the date at the end: “May 10th” (The Key). Option B is a trap because “March” sounds somewhat similar to “May” for beginners, and the number 10 is the same.
AUDIO SCRIPT
John: Hi Sarah. It is Anna’s birthday this Friday.
Sarah: Oh! Are we buying a gift for her?
John: Yes, we are buying a big cake. Everyone gives five dollars.
Sarah: Fifty dollars? That is a lot of money!
John: No, Sarah. Not fifty. Only five dollars.
Sarah: Oh, I see. Five dollars. Here you are.
John: Thanks. Her birthday is May 10th. Don’t forget!
Listening 3
Listen to the conversation and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What is the green button for?
(A) To cancel
(B) For credit cards
(C) For cash
2 Which button do you press if you make a mistake?
(A) The red button
(B) The blue button
(C) The yellow button
3 How does the manager spell the word for the green button’s function?
(A) C-A-R-D
(B) C-A-S-H
(C) C-O-S-T
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) For cash
- Explanation: The manager explicitly states, “Press the green button for cash” (The Key). Options A and B are traps because they are the functions of the red and blue buttons.
2 (A) The red button
- Explanation: The manager says, “The red button is to cancel. If you make a mistake, press red” (The Key). The blue button is for credit cards (The Trap), and the yellow button is not mentioned in the conversation.
3 (B) C-A-S-H
- Explanation: To help the new cashier remember, the manager spells the word “cash” letter by letter: “C-A-S-H” (The Key). “Card” is mentioned later but not spelled out.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Manager: Welcome, Sarah. Let’s look at the cash register.
Sarah: Okay, Mr. Smith. It looks difficult.
Manager: No, it is very easy. Press the green button for cash.
Sarah: The green button is for cash. And the red button?
Manager: The red button is to cancel. If you make a mistake, press red.
Sarah: What about the blue button?
Manager: The blue button is for credit cards.
Sarah: Okay. Green for cash, red to cancel, and blue for cards. Thank you!
Listening 4
Listen to the conversation and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What does the manager say to Tom at the beginning?
(A) Happy birthday.
(B) You did a great job.
(C) Good morning.
2 How much money does Tom get?
(A) $100
(B) $110
(C) $10
3 How does the manager clarify the number?
(A) One, one, zero
(B) One, zero
(C) One, zero, zero
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) You did a great job.
- Explanation: The manager says directly at the beginning, “You did a great job this week” (The Key). Options A and C are common greetings but are not mentioned in this audio.
2 (A) $100
- Explanation: Tom asks if the money is “one hundred and ten dollars” (The Trap). The manager says no and confirms, “Just one hundred” (The Key).
3 (C) One, zero, zero
- Explanation: To make sure Tom understands, the manager says the number digit by digit: “One, zero, zero” (The Key). This proves the total is $100, not $110.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Manager: Hello, Tom. You did a great job this week.
Tom: Thank you, Mr. Davis.
Manager: Here is your money for the week. It is one hundred dollars.
Tom: One hundred and ten dollars?
Manager: No, not one hundred and ten. Just one hundred. One, zero, zero.
Tom: Oh, I see. One hundred dollars. Thank you very much!
Manager: You are welcome. See you next week.
Listening 5
Listen to the conversation and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 How many five-dollar bills do they have?
(A) 5
(B) 10
(C) 20
2 What do they need more of?
(A) One-dollar bills
(B) Five-dollar bills
(C) Ten-dollar bills
3 Where will Alex go?
(A) To the bank
(B) To the manager
(C) To the supermarket
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) 20
- Explanation: Lisa clearly says, “We have twenty five-dollar bills” (The Key). Option A (5) is the value of the bill, not the quantity. Option B (10) is the number of one-dollar bills they have (The Trap).
2 (A) One-dollar bills
- Explanation: Lisa says, “We need more one-dollar bills” (The Key). They already have enough five-dollar bills (The Trap), and ten-dollar bills are not mentioned.
3 (A) To the bank
- Explanation: At the end, Alex says, “I will go to the bank to get some” (The Key). Going to the manager (Option B) is a plausible action in this context, but it is not mentioned in the audio.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Alex: Good morning, Lisa. Let’s check the money.
Lisa: Okay. We have twenty five-dollar bills.
Alex: That is good. What about one-dollar bills?
Lisa: Let me count. No, we only have ten. We need more one-dollar bills.
Alex: Okay. I will go to the bank to get some.