Town & Places – A1 English Listening Exercise
Listening 1
Listen to the conversation between a tourist and a police officer. Read the questions and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What place is the tourist looking for?
(A) The City Hotel
(B) The City Hospital
(C) The City Bank
2 What is the name of the street?
(A) King Street
(B) Ring Street
(C) Kim Street
3 What direction does the police officer give?
(A) Go straight
(B) Turn right
(C) Turn left
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: B (The City Hospital)
- Explanation: The tourist clearly says, “I am looking for the City Hospital,” and the police officer repeats it.
- Why the traps are wrong: Option A is a phonetic trap (“Hotel” sounds similar to “Hospital” for beginners). Option C is a plausible place in a city but is never mentioned.
2 Correct Answer: A (King Street)
- Explanation: The police officer states the street name and spells it out slowly: “K-I-N-G. King Street.”
- Why the traps are wrong: Options B and C are phonetic traps. “Ring” and “Kim” sound very similar to “King”, testing if the student can follow the exact spelling provided in the audio.
3 Correct Answer: C (Turn left)
- Explanation: The police officer says, “Please turn left at the next intersection,” and confirms it again when the tourist asks.
- Why the traps are wrong: Option A is a trap because the tourist asks, “Do I go straight?”, but the officer explicitly rejects it by saying, “No, do not go straight.” Option B is a plausible direction but is not mentioned.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Tourist: Excuse me, officer. Can you help me? I am looking for the City Hospital.
Police Officer: The City Hospital? It is on King Street. K-I-N-G. King Street.
Tourist: Thank you. How do I get there? Do I go straight?
Police Officer: No, do not go straight. Please turn left at the next intersection.
Tourist: Turn left?
Police Officer: Yes, turn left. The hospital is very big. You will see it.
Listening 2
Listen to the conversation between a passenger and a taxi driver. Read the questions and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 Where does the passenger want to go?
(A) To the bus station
(B) To the train station
(C) To the airport
2 Which station does the passenger want to go to?
(A) North Station
(B) City Station
(C) Central Station
3 How many minutes will the trip take?
(A) Two minutes
(B) Ten minutes
(C) Twenty minutes
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: B (To the train station)
- Explanation: The passenger explicitly says at the beginning, “Please take me to the train station.”
- Why the traps are wrong: Options A and C are plausible transportation hubs, but they are never mentioned in the audio.
2 Correct Answer: C (Central Station)
- Explanation: The passenger says, “I want to go to the Central Station”.
- Why the traps are wrong: Option A is a trap because the driver asks about the “North Station,” but the passenger rejects it by saying, “No, not the North Station.” Option B is a plausible name for a station but is not mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: B (Ten minutes)
- Explanation: The taxi driver answers the passenger’s question by saying, “We will be there in ten minutes.”
- Why the traps are wrong: Options A and C are phonetic and number traps. “Two” and “Twenty” might confuse a beginner who is not listening closely to the word “ten”.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Passenger: Hello! Please take me to the train station. I am very late!
Taxi Driver: Okay. Do you want to go to the North Station?
Passenger: No, not the North Station. I want to go to the Central Station.
Taxi Driver: I understand. The Central Station.
Passenger: How many minutes will it take?
Taxi Driver: We will be there in ten minutes. Please put on your seatbelt.
Listening 3
Listen to the conversation between a tourist and a ticket agent. Read the questions and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 Where does bus number 5 go?
(A) To the Zoo
(B) To the shopping mall
(C) To the park
2 Which bus goes to the Zoo?
(A) Bus number 5
(B) Bus number 15
(C) Bus number 50
3 What does the tourist want to buy?
(A) A map
(B) A train ticket
(C) A bus ticket
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: B (To the shopping mall)
- Explanation: The ticket agent clearly says, “It goes to the shopping mall.”
- Why the traps are wrong: Option A is a trap because the tourist asks if bus number 5 goes to the Zoo, but the agent says “No.” Option C is a plausible place but is never mentioned in the audio.
2 Correct Answer: B (Bus number 15)
- Explanation: The agent tells the tourist, “You need bus number 15. One-Five. It goes to the Zoo.”
- Why the traps are wrong: Option A is a trap because bus 5 goes to the shopping mall, not the Zoo. Option C (50) is a phonetic trap that sounds very similar to “15”, testing if the student can hear the “-teen” sound and the clarification “One-Five”.
3 Correct Answer: C (A bus ticket)
- Explanation: The tourist says at the very beginning, “I want to buy a bus ticket.”
- Why the traps are wrong: Option A is a plausible item for a tourist but is not mentioned. Option B is a trap using the word “ticket,” but it is for a bus, not a train.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Tourist: Hello. I want to buy a bus ticket. Does bus number 5 go to the Zoo?
Ticket Agent: No, bus number 5 does not go to the Zoo. It goes to the shopping mall.
Tourist: Oh, the shopping mall. Which bus goes to the Zoo?
Ticket Agent: You need bus number 15. One-Five. It goes to the Zoo.
Tourist: Bus number 15 to the Zoo. Thank you. I will buy one ticket, please.
Listening 4
Listen to the conversation at the tourist information center. Read the questions and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What does the tourist get?
(A) A free map
(B) A bus ticket
(C) A travel book
2 Where are they now?
(A) Near the museum
(B) On Rider Street
(C) On River Street
3 What color circle does the staff draw on the map?
(A) Red
(B) Blue
(C) Black
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: A (A free map)
- Explanation: The staff explicitly says, “Here is a free map for you.”
- Why the traps are wrong: Options B and C are plausible things a tourist might want, but they are never mentioned in the audio.
2 Correct Answer: C (On River Street)
- Explanation: The staff states their location and spells it out: “We are on River Street. R-I-V-E-R.”
- Why the traps are wrong: Option A is a trap because the tourist asks, “Are we near the museum?”, but the staff rejects it by saying, “No, we are not near the museum.” Option B is a phonetic trap (“Rider” sounds similar to “River”).
3 Correct Answer: A (Red)
- Explanation: The staff confirms the action by saying, “Let me draw a red circle.”
- Why the traps are wrong: Options B and C are plausible pen colors, but they are never mentioned in the conversation.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Tourist: Hello. Do you have a map of the town?
Staff: Yes, we do. Here is a free map for you.
Tourist: Thank you. Can you show me where we are? Are we near the museum?
Staff: No, we are not near the museum. We are on River Street. R-I-V-E-R.
Tourist: River Street. Okay. Can you circle it on the map?
Staff: Sure. Let me draw a red circle. We are right here.
Listening 5
Listen to the conversation between a passerby and a security guard. Read the questions and choose the correct answer (A, B, or C).
1 What does the passerby ask for first?
(A) A bank
(B) A hotel
(C) A supermarket
2 Where is the ATM?
(A) Inside the bank
(B) Inside the hotel
(C) Inside the supermarket
3 How do you spell the name of the supermarket?
(A) S-T-A-R-T
(B) S-T-A-R
(C) S-P-A-R
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: A (A bank)
- Explanation: The passerby asks at the very beginning, “Excuse me. Is there a bank near here?”
- Why the traps are wrong: Options B and C are places mentioned later in the conversation, but they are not what the passerby asks for first.
2 Correct Answer: C (Inside the supermarket)
- Explanation: The security guard explicitly states, “There is an ATM inside the Star Supermarket.”
- Why the traps are wrong: Option A is a trap because the bank was mentioned but rejected (“there isn’t a bank on this street”). Option B uses a place from the audio (hotel), but the ATM is next to the hotel, not inside it.
3 Correct Answer: B (S-T-A-R)
- Explanation: The guard says the name and spells it out clearly: “Star Supermarket. S-T-A-R.”
- Why the traps are wrong: Options A (Start) and C (Spar) are phonetic traps that sound similar to the correct answer, testing if the student can follow the exact letters spoken.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Passerby: Excuse me. Is there a bank near here? I need to get some money.
Security Guard: A bank? No, there isn’t a bank on this street.
Passerby: Oh, I see. Is there an ATM?
Security Guard: Yes, there is. There is an ATM inside the Star Supermarket. S-T-A-R.
Passerby: Star Supermarket. Where is that?
Security Guard: It is next to the hotel. You can walk there.
Passerby: Okay, next to the hotel. Thank you!