Travel Problems – B1 English Listening Exercise

1 Correct Answer: B

• The Key: The woman says, “The signal dropped for a second and the map completely froze.” Option B correctly paraphrases this issue.
• The Trap (C): The man didn’t give the wrong instructions; the woman was the one holding the phone and reading the map.
• Plausible (A): They are in an empty neighborhood, but this is the result of getting lost, not the cause.

2 Correct Answer: A

• The Key: The man complains, “We’ve been wandering around… for twenty minutes. My feet are killing me.” Option A paraphrases his physical discomfort.
• The Trap (B): The museum is mentioned, but it is not closed yet. The woman says it “closes in an hour.”
• Plausible (C): It is common to be nervous about talking to strangers abroad, but the man never mentions feeling this way (he simply agrees by saying “Fine”).

3 Correct Answer: C

• The Key: The woman suggests speaking to the “security guard for the bank” to see if he knows the route. Option C paraphrases this as getting assistance from a “local employee.”
• The Trap (A): Returning to their starting point (“trace our steps back to the square”) is suggested by the man, but the woman immediately rejects it (“No, that’ll take forever”).
• Plausible (B): They lost their internet connection, so finding Wi-Fi seems like a logical step, but neither person suggests doing this in the conversation.

Mark: Well, this doesn’t look right at all. Are you sure we’re heading towards the Central Museum?

Sarah: Um, let me check my phone again. Yeah… the GPS says we should have taken a left at that huge fountain back there.

Mark: A left? But you told me to keep walking straight! We’ve been wandering around this empty neighborhood for twenty minutes. My feet are killing me.

Sarah: Look, I’m sorry, okay? The signal dropped for a second and the map completely froze. It’s not my fault the internet connection is terrible here.

Mark: Ah, great. So what’s the plan now? Should we just try to trace our steps back to the square?

Sarah: No, that’ll take forever, and the museum closes in an hour. Wait… see that guy over there in the uniform? He looks like a security guard for the bank.

Mark: Yeah?

Sarah: Let’s just go over and see if he speaks English. He probably knows the quickest route.

Mark: Fine. But I’m holding the phone from now on.

1 Correct Answer: A

• The Key: The man mentions he ate “grilled squid from a street vendor” and the woman notes that “seafood goes bad so quickly.” Option A correctly paraphrases this.
• The Trap (B): The hotel is mentioned, but the woman says they “had lunch together at the hotel” and implies that meal was perfectly fine.
• Plausible (C): The beach is mentioned (the market was “by the beach”) and water is discussed later, but contaminated water is not the cause of his illness.

2 Correct Answer: B

• The Key: The man says “My stomach is killing me” and “I feel so dizzy.” Option B paraphrases these exact symptoms (stomach pain and feeling unsteady).
• The Trap (A): Water is mentioned, but he isn’t unable to find it; he says he drank “a little bit, but I can’t keep anything down.”
• Plausible (C): Fever and headache are common symptoms of food poisoning, but the man never actually mentions having them in the audio.

3 Correct Answer: B

• The Key: The woman says she will “run down to the local pharmacy” to get “rehydration salts and something to settle your stomach.” Option B is a perfect synonym for this action.
• The Trap (C): Food and street vendors are mentioned earlier in the conversation, but she is definitely not going to buy him more food right now.
• Plausible (A): Calling a doctor is a very logical thing to do when someone is sick, but it is never mentioned in this conversation.

Chloe: Alex, are you okay? You look incredibly pale.

Alex: Ugh… I feel awful. My stomach is killing me, and I’ve been running to the bathroom all night. I think I just threw up for the third time.

Chloe: Oh no, that sounds like terrible food poisoning! What did you even eat yesterday? We had lunch together at the hotel, so it must be something from last night.

Alex: Yeah… remember when I went to that crowded night market by the beach? I bought some grilled squid from a street vendor. Honestly, it tasted a bit strange, but I was so hungry I didn’t really care.

Chloe: Well, seafood goes bad so quickly in this heat. Have you drank any water? You need to stay hydrated.

Alex: A little bit, but I can’t keep anything down. I feel so dizzy right now.

Chloe: Listen, just lie down and try to rest. I’m going to run down to the local pharmacy across the street. I’ll get you some rehydration salts and something to settle your stomach.

Alex: Thanks, Chloe. I really appreciate it.

1 Correct Answer: B

• The Key: Liam complains that Emma “hit snooze on your alarm three times” and she admits she “didn’t hear it go off.” Option B is a perfect paraphrase for oversleeping.
• The Trap (A): The words “arguing” and “twenty minutes” are mentioned in the audio, but the argument happened after they missed the train, not before.
• Plausible (C): Traffic is a very common reason for being late, but nobody mentions it in this conversation.

2 Correct Answer: A

• The Key: Liam says they would have to “purchase brand new ones” (tickets) and that they are “incredibly expensive.” Option A summarizes this financial problem.
• The Trap (B): Their original passes are mentioned, but Liam clearly states they are “only valid for that specific departure” (the one they missed), so they cannot be saved or used again.
• Plausible (C): Trains being fully booked is a realistic problem, but it is never stated in the script.

3 Correct Answer: C

• The Key: Emma suggests going to the “coach station” (bus station) and Liam agrees to “check the timetable.” Option C paraphrases this as checking the schedule for a different vehicle.
• The Trap (A): The phrase “across the street” is mentioned, and they discuss something that “costs half the price” (discounted), but this is for a bus (coach), not a train.
• Plausible (B): Liam does tell Emma she has to buy him a coffee, but they are not going to a cafe to wait for money; they are going to buy bus tickets.

Emma: Wait… is that it? Is that the 9:15 to Edinburgh pulling out right now?

Liam: Yeah. It’s gone. We completely missed it. I can’t believe this, Emma. If you hadn’t hit snooze on your alarm three times, we would have been here twenty minutes ago!

Emma: Well, I didn’t hear it go off! Anyway, arguing isn’t going to help us now. Let’s just figure out what to do next. Um, do you think we can just hop on the next one?

Liam: No, our passes are only valid for that specific departure. We’d have to purchase brand new ones, and they are incredibly expensive on the day of travel. Like, over fifty pounds each!

Emma: Ugh, I don’t have that kind of cash. What about the coach station across the street? The journey takes about two hours longer, but it usually costs half the price.

Liam: I suppose we have no choice. Let’s head over there and check the timetable. But you’re buying the coffees since this is your fault!

Emma: Fair enough. Let’s go.

1 Correct Answer: B

• The Key: The boy wanted to go “surfing,” but it is “pouring” (raining heavily), and the mother says the “coastline is definitely off-limits.” Option B correctly paraphrases this.
• The Trap (A): The cinema and the storm are both mentioned, but the cinema is not closed. It was just a suggestion that the mother rejected.
• Plausible (C): Forgetting equipment is a common travel problem, but it is never mentioned in this conversation.

2 Correct Answer: A

• The Key: The mother says they didn’t travel here to watch a film they could “easily see back home” and suggests they “learn about the local area instead.” Option A paraphrases this desire for a unique holiday experience.
• The Trap (B): The robotics exhibition is mentioned later in the audio, but it is brought up by the Dad, not the Mom, and it is not her reason for saying no to the movie.
• Plausible (C): Expensive tickets are a realistic reason to reject an idea, but money is never discussed in the audio.

3 Correct Answer: C

• The Key: The Dad suggests the science center or history exhibition (educational indoor attractions) and ends by saying, “Let’s grab our coats and order a taxi” (take a cab).
• The Trap (A): Staying in the hotel room is mentioned, but the Dad immediately rejects it, saying “we can’t just sit in this hotel room staring at the walls.”
• Plausible (B): Walking downtown to an art gallery is a plausible indoor activity, but they mention taking a taxi (not walking), and they are going to a science center or history exhibition (not an art gallery).

Leo: This is so unfair. I’ve been looking forward to surfing all month, and now look at it. It’s absolutely pouring out there!

Mom: I know, sweetie, it’s really disappointing. The forecast says this thunderstorm will last until tomorrow morning. So, the coastline is definitely off-limits today.

Dad: Well, we can’t just sit in this hotel room staring at the walls all day. Let’s think of a backup plan. Are there any indoor activities nearby?

Leo: I guess we could go to the cinema? There’s a new action movie I really wanted to see.

Mom: Um, we didn’t travel all the way here just to watch a film we could easily see back home. How about we do something where we can learn about the local area instead?

Dad: Good point. Let me check my phone… Ah, here we go. There’s a maritime history exhibition downtown, and a science center just a few blocks away. Both are completely indoors.

Leo: The science center sounds cool, actually. Do they have interactive stuff?

Dad: Yeah, it says here they have a robotics section. Let’s grab our coats and order a taxi.

1 Correct Answer: A

• The Key: The man says the phone has his “credit cards attached” and his “flight boarding pass is saved on it.” Option A uses synonyms (bank cards and digital travel documents) to match this information perfectly.
• The Trap (B): The backpack is mentioned in the conversation, but he did not lock his phone inside it (he says his pockets are empty and he already checked the bag).
• Plausible (C): Transferring money to pay a driver is a realistic action in today’s world, but the man says they already finished “paying the fare,” so this is not why he is worried.

2 Correct Answer: B

• The Key: When the man first panics, the woman says, “Let’s check your backpack first.” Option B paraphrases this as looking inside his luggage one more time.
• The Trap (C): Contacting the taxi support team is exactly what they do at the end of the conversation, but the question asks for her initial (first) suggestion.
• Plausible (A): Calling the driver directly is a very logical thing to do when you leave something in a taxi, but neither of them suggests doing this.

3 Correct Answer: B

• The Key: The woman states, “I’ll just use my device to contact their customer service hotline.” Option B uses synonyms (reaching out to the helpline with her own phone) to express this action.
• The Trap (A): The man mentions the car was a “silver sedan” and the woman mentions they used an “app” to book the ride. However, she expects the company to track the driver; she is not going to look for the car on a GPS app herself.
• Plausible (C): Going to the police is a standard procedure for lost items, but it is never discussed in this audio.

Ben: Oh no… no, no, no. Lily, I can’t find it anywhere!

Lily: Find what? Calm down, Ben. What are you looking for?

Ben: My smartphone. I had it right in my hand when we were paying the fare, but now my pockets are completely empty. I must have dropped it on the backseat of the cab!

Lily: Are you absolutely sure? Let’s check your backpack first. Maybe you slipped it in there by mistake.

Ben: I already checked! It has all my credit cards attached to the case, and my flight boarding pass is saved on it. If I don’t get it back, I won’t be able to fly home tomorrow!

Lily: Okay, take a deep breath. Panicking won’t help. Do you remember the color of the car or the license plate?

Ben: Um, it was a silver sedan, but I didn’t look at the numbers.

Lily: That’s alright. We used the “City Cabs” app to book the ride, right? I’ll just use my device to contact their customer service hotline right now. They can track the driver and ask him to search the vehicle.

Ben: Okay… please hurry!