B1, B2 English Reading and Listening exercises

Exercise 1.

A phone call from a customer

Listen to the phone call from a customer to practise and improve your
listening skills.

It’s recommended to listen first, before watching the text.

Junko: Hello, Junko Mori speaking. How can I help you?

Andrea: Hi, Junko, it's Andrea here from Red Band. I'm calling about
our latest order.
Junko: Everything arrived OK, right? We got the delivery confirmation
at our end.
Andrea: Yes, everything's fine with the order. I'm calling about the
invoice and the payment terms. I need a favour.
Junko: A favour? What do you need?
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Andrea: This is a little, er ... difficult, but I need an extension on the
payment terms. I know they're usually 30 days, but we're having some
cash flow problems. You'd really be helping us out if you could extend it
to 60 days.
Junko: I'm not sure if I can do that, Andrea. We've got regulations at
our end, and also have to manage our own cash flow.
Andrea: I promise this won't become the norm, Junko. Actually, I also
want to place another new order. The same size order as last time. It's
for an important customer and they pay on delivery.
Junko: I see. So your cash flow problem will be solved after this new
order is delivered.
Andrea: Exactly.
Junko: That sounds good. Hold on, Andrea. Let me see what I can do.
Yes, I think we can make an exception this time.
Andrea: That's great, Junko. I appreciate your help.
Junko: And we appreciate your business, Andrea. It works both ways.
Andrea: Thanks again, Junko. Can you send me a quick email
confirmation of the payment terms extension?
Junko: Sure, no problem. We're happy to help you.
Andrea: Great. And I'll email you the new order.
Junko: Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for it. Talk to you soon.
Andrea: You too. Goodbye.
Listening B1: A phone call from a customer – 1
Are the sentences true or false?
1. The delivery hasn't arrived yet.
True
False

2. Andrea is having cash flow issues and needs a payment extension.

True
False
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3. Andrea usually asks for an extension of the payment terms.
True
False

4. Andrea has a new order to place, even bigger than the last one.
True
False

5. Junko can extend the payment terms on the last order to 60 days.
True
False

6. Junko will send Andrea an email confirmation.

True

False

Discussion
Do you ever do favours or make exceptions for important clients?

3
Exercise 2.

A team meeting about diversity

Listen to a team meeting about diversity to practise and improve your
listening skills.

It’s recommended to listen first, before watching the text.

Nina: As you know, our team has grown a lot in the past year and we
feel we need to address the diversity in the team.
Brenda: How do you mean, 'address the diversity'?
Nina: Well, we all know that diversity in teams is a good thing, but it
can also be a challenge for some people to respect and value people's
differences. We've got a really diverse team here – people of different
nationalities, backgrounds, religions, ages … and sometimes I don't feel
we make the most of this.
Stefano: Yes, and even if it isn't specifically challenging, many people
are simply unaware of the isolation that some team members may feel
because they are different.
Brenda: So, what does this mean? What are we going to do?
Nina: Well, we need to create a workplace charter. You know, one that
promotes equality, diversity and inclusion.
Brenda: That sounds like a good idea. But will people just see it as
something the management team has created? Maybe they won't even
pay attention to it.
Nina: I know. That's why we're going to involve everyone in creating it.
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Stefano: That's a good idea. We could run some workshops and get
ideas from the employees about how we can create a more inclusive
workplace.
Nina: Exactly. I was thinking that before that we could run some team-
building sessions so they can experience the value of diversity for
themselves.
Brenda: Yes, I like that. Many people see diversity as something
negative, often because there are different opinions or ways of doing
things.
Nina: Yes, I know, but if there's no diversity, then the risk is that we all
work in the same way, think the same and see the world the same. This
makes it hard to be creative and to innovate.
Stefano: I completely agree, Nina. OK. So, what do you want us to do?
Nina: Stefano, can you look for a successful trainer who specialises in
running workshops and team-building sessions on diversity and
inclusion?
Stefano: Sure. I'll be happy to.
Nina: And Brenda, can you find a fun venue? Somewhere that is quite
diverse itself. Something that's not the usual seminar-style
environment?
Brenda: Sure. That'll be fun.
Nina: And I'm going to do some further research into how other
organisations are benefiting from their diversity. I can share this with
the whole team.
Listening B1: A team meeting about diversity – 1
Are the sentences true or false?
1. The team has grown and become more diverse in the past year.
True
False
2. Everyone in the team respects and values everyone else.
True
False

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3. They’re going to create a workplace charter to encourage diversity, equality and inclusion.
True
False
4. They’re going to involve the whole team when creating the charter.
True
False
5. They have already run some successful workshops this year.
True
False
6. Nina has already shared some positive research.
True
False

Discussion
How diverse is your workplace? How can diversity benefit your team?

6
Exercise 3.

A weather forecast
Listen to a weather forecast and answer the questions to practise and
improve your listening skills.

It’s recommended to listen first, before watching the text.

Hello and good morning! Well, we're off to a good start in the south this
week, as most of the rain from the weekend has disappeared – just a
few patches of cloud and maybe some showers here on the east coast.
They'll all clear up by lunchtime, though. Over the next day or so,
London and the area around Kent can expect a couple of isolated
showers, but mostly dry through until Thursday.
It's not such good news for the north-west this week, I'm afraid: more
wet weather, and not a lot of sunshine. Some of today's showers will be
heavy – and even thundery in Manchester and across the Pennines.
Leeds will escape the thunderstorms, with drizzle and light rain only
throughout the rest of the day and tonight.
Elsewhere it becomes dry today, but with some foggy patches towards
Wales. In England, tomorrow morning will see a dry, bright start in most
places, with high temperatures throughout the week. We might see one
or two thunderstorms appearing as the week goes on, with
temperatures everywhere at 29 to 30 degrees.
By the weekend, unfortunately, the dry weather will make way for
mostly cloudy skies and rain. The rain will move from Scotland, down
towards the north and reach the south coast by Saturday afternoon.
Temperatures, at least, will stay mostly warm at around 21 degrees for
the weekend. It might feel like a nice change from the high twenties and
early thirties we'll see in the week. That's all from me until tomorrow.
Enjoy the mini-heatwave while you can!
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Listening B1: A weather forecast – 2
Are the sentences true or false?
1. It will start raining at lunchtime today in the east.
True
False
2. The weather in the north-west will be worse than in the south.
True
False
3. There will be thunder in Leeds tonight.
True
False
4. Most of England will be hot this week.
True
False
5. Wet weather will move from the north to the south at the weekend.
True
False
6. It will stay hot when the rain comes.
True
False

Discussion
What kind of weather do you like best?

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Exercise 4.

At the chemist
Listen to a conversation at a chemist's to practise and improve your
listening skills.
It’s recommended to listen first, before watching the text.

Chemist: Hello, can I help?

Customer: Yes, my wife sent me here. I, erm, need something for a
sore throat … and I can't stop coughing. It really hurts.
Chemist: Do you have a headache too?
Customer: Not really, no.
Chemist: Well, we have this syrup. And these lozenges.
Customer: Which is better?
Chemist: They're both good. The syrup is more expensive.
Customer: Oh, well … I'll take the lozenges, then. How many do I take?
Chemist: Just one.
Customer: Sorry, I'm sorry. Er, how often should I take it?
Chemist: Just one every four to six hours. Take it before mealtimes.
Are you allergic to any medicine?
Customer: No.
Chemist: Then you'll be fine with this.
Customer: Can I get some antibiotics too?
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Chemist: I'm afraid you need a prescription for that.
Customer: Ah.
Chemist: You know, you should really see a doctor if that cough
continues.
Customer: Thanks. I know.
Chemist: Anything else?
Customer: No, thanks.
Chemist: That'll be £7.49 then, please.
Listening B1: At the chemist – 1
Choose the correct option.

The man needs something …

for his throat.

for his head.

for his wife.

The man …
is coughing and has a headache.
is coughing but doesn't have a headache.
isn't coughing, but has a headache.
The lozenges are …
cheaper than the syrup.
not as cheap as the syrup.
more expensive than the syrup.
He should have the lozenge …
every four to six hours, after he eats a meal.
every four to six hours, with food.
every four to six hours, before he eats a meal.
The pharmacist can't give him antibiotics because …
his prescription is only for tablets.
he doesn't have enough money.
he doesn't have a prescription.
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The man has to pay …
£7.49.
£17.49.
£7.99.

Discussion
How often do you get a cough or a cold? What do you recommend?

11
Exercise 5.

Arriving late to class

Listen to the conversation between two students to practise and improve
your listening skills.
It’s recommended to listen first, before watching the text.

Student 1: Sorry. Sorry, excuse me. I'm just … just coming to sit over
here. Phew. Hey. How's it going? So, what have I missed?
Student 2: Nothing. He just started around five minutes ago.
Student 1: Did he say anything about the mid-term?
Student 2: What?
Student 1: About the mid-term tests. Did he say anything about when
he was going to hand them back?
Student 2: He's almost finished marking them, he said. We get them
next Tuesday.
Student 1: I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. When do we get them?
Student 2: Tuesday. Next Tuesday.
Student 1: OK. Got it. Sorry. What page are we meant to be on?
Student 2: Page 34.
Student 1: Page … 34. Oh, wait. I don't have my textbook. Can I …
share with you? Wow. This is hard stuff.
Student 2: Mmm.
Student 1: What does SEO mean?
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Student 2: What?
Student 1: SEO. This is all about SEO but he hasn't said what it means.
Student 2: Search engine optimisation. How to appear on internet
searches.
Student 1: Internet searches. Right. Right. OK.
Student 2: He said what it meant.
Student 1: What?
Student 2: He explained it before you got here.
Student 1: Oh. Right. OK.
Student 2: Can you be quiet? I'm trying to listen to the lecture.
Student 1: So am I. Sorry. Sorry, one more question. What does this
have to do with the American Revolution?
Student 2: What?
Student 1: I don't get it. Why is he talking about search engines in a
course on the American Revolution?
Student 2: What are you talking about? This is a class on software
engineering.
Student 1: You mean, it's not Early American History?
Student 2: You're in the wrong class.
Student 1: Oh, wow. Now it all makes sense. I'm so sorry.
Student 2: It's fine.
Student 1: Here, I'll just … excuse me. I'm in the wrong class. Excuse
me. Thanks. Sorry.
Listening B1: Arriving late to class – 1
Are the sentences true or false?

1. The class started five minutes ago.

True
False

13
2. The teacher will hand back the tests next Thursday.
True
False
3. The boy shares his textbook with the girl.
True
False
4. The teacher is going on about search engines.
True
False
5. The boy thought this class was about the French Revolution.
True
False
6. The boy is in the wrong class.
True
False

Discussion
When you don't understand something in class, what do you do?

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 B1, B2 English Grammar Explanations
The First Conditional
The first conditional has the present simple after 'if', then the future simple in the
other clause:

 if + present simple, ... will + infinitive

It's used to talk about things which might happen in the future. Of course, we can't
know what will happen in the future, but this describes possible things, which could
easily come true.

 If it rains, I won't go to the park.

 If I study today, I'll go to the party tonight.
 If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes.
 She'll be late if the train is delayed.
 She'll miss the bus if she doesn't leave soon.
 If I see her, I'll tell her.

The Second Conditional

The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then 'would' and the infinitive:

 if + past simple, ...would + infinitive

(We can use 'were' instead of 'was' with 'I' and 'he/she/it'. This is mostly done in
formal writing).

It has two uses.

First, we can use it to talk about things in the future that are probably not going to
be true. Maybe I'm imagining some dream for example.

 If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.(I probably won't win the lottery)
 If I met the Queen of England, I would say hello.
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 She would travel all over the world if she were rich.
 She would pass the exam if she ever studied.(She never studies, so this won't
happen)

Second, we can use it to talk about something in the present which is impossible,
because it's not true. Is that clear? Have a look at the examples:

 If I had his number, I would call him. (I don't have his number now, so it's
impossible for me to call him).
 If I were you, I wouldn't go out with that man.

How is this different from the first conditional?

This kind of conditional sentence is different from the first conditional because this
is a lot more unlikely.

For example (second conditional): If I had enough money I would buy a house with
twenty bedrooms and a swimming pool (I'm probably not going to have this much
money, it's just a dream, not very real)

But (first conditional): If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes (It's much
more likely that I'll have enough money to buy some shoes).

The Third Conditional

We make the third conditional by using the past perfect after 'if' and then 'would
have' and the past participle in the second part of the sentence:

 if + past perfect, ...would + have + past participle

It talks about the past. It's used to describe a situation that didn't happen, and to
imagine the result of this situation.

 If she had studied, she would have passed the exam (but, really we know she
didn't study and so she didn't pass)
 If I hadn't eaten so much, I wouldn't have felt sick (but I did eat a lot, and so I did
feel sick).
 If we had taken a taxi, we wouldn't have missed the plane
 She wouldn't have been tired if she had gone to bed earlier
 She would have become a teacher if she had gone to university
 He would have been on time for the interview if he had left the house at nine.

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 Exercise 1.
Choose the correct response for each of the sentences:

1. If you _________ greasy food, you will become fat.

eat

will eat

2. If your sister goes to Paris, she _________ a good time.

has

will have

3. If he _________ that, he will be sorry.

will do

does

4. If I leave now, I ________ in New York by 8:00 PM.

will arrive

arrive

5. You ________ on your test if you don't study.

won't do well

don't do well

6. They won't know the truth if you ________ them.

won't tell

don't tell

7. If I bake a cake, ________ have some? 17

 will you

do you

8. If he ________ you, will you answer the phone?

will call

calls

9. If you don't go to the party, I ________ very upset.

am

will be

10. If you get a haircut, you ________ much better.

will look

look

Exercise 2.
REMEMBER: The second conditional is used to talk about unreal situations in
the present (things that are impossible, that won't happen, etc.) - Choose the correct
response for each of the sentences:

1. If his nose were smaller, he _________ very handsome.

would be

was

2. I would come if I _________ a car.

would have

had

3. If she _________, she would tell him.

knows

knew 18
4. If his parents didn't give him money, he ________ so much.

wouldn't go out

didn't go out

5. If she ________ me, she would have told me.

didn't believe

wouldn't believe

6. He wouldn't say that if he ________ it.

wouldn't mean

didn't mean

7. I ________ on a trip around the world if I won the lottery.

would go

will go

8. I ________ that if I were you.

will not do

would not do

9. If these walls _________ thicker, we wouldn't hear the neighbours.

would be

were

10. If I were a millionaire, ________ a mansion.

I'd buy

I'm going to buy

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 Exercise 3.
REMEMBER: The third conditional is used to talk about unreal situations in
the past (things that were impossible, that didn't happen, etc.) - Choose the correct
response for each of the sentences:

1. If they hadn't been drunk, the doorman _________.

would have let them in

had let them in

2. If you _________ your last exam, you would have graduated in May.

have not failed

hadn't failed

3. My mother _________ this apartment if she had known it was so noisy.

wouldn't have rented

did not rent

4. I would not ________ to see this movie if I had known how boring it was.

go

have gone

5. If I hadn't lost my mobile, I ________ you.

would have called

would call

6. If I hadn't driven so fast, I ________ into an accident.

would not get

would not have gotten

7. If the store ________ open, I would have bought some food.

would be

had been

8. I ________ on time if I hadn't missed the bus.

had been. 20
 would have been

9. If you hadn't changed your hairstyle, I _________ you.

would have recognized

had recognized

10. If I ________ full, I would have eaten more.

would not have been

hadn't been.

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 B1, B2 English Listening Comprehension
Exercise 1.

Listen to the following conversation and answer the questions.

Listening B1: Chatting about a series – 2

Choose the correct answer.
How often does the woman watch the show?

Always
Sometimes
We don't know.

How has the woman's opinion of the show changed over time?
It's become more positive.
It's become less positive.
It hasn't changed.
What does the man think of the story?
It's very well written.
Too many characters died.
He can't remember much about it.
What is the one negative thing about the show for the man?
They spent too much money on the special effects.
The episodes were too short.
There weren't enough episodes

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Why does the man think the writers have fewer ideas for stories now?
Because they're saving their ideas to make a Hollywood film.
Because they aren't copying the books.
Because they're copying the books.
Why does the woman like Cersei?
The character does unpredictable things.
The character learns from her mistakes.
She's a very intelligent character.

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 Exercise 2.
Listen to the following conversation and answer the questions.

Listening B1: Meeting an old friend – 1

Are the sentences true or false?
1. Patrick and Selina have never met each other before.
True
False
2. Selina still lives in London.
True
False
3. Selina didn't like her job in London.
True
False
4. Selina is living with her parents.
True
False
5. Patrick also went to London.
True
False
6. Selina is surprised that Patrick is married.
True
False
7. Patrick has a daughter named Marigold.
True
False 24
8. Patrick invites Selina to his house.
True
False

Exercise 3.
Listen to the following conversation and answer the questions by writing.

1. What are they discussing about?

2. What’s the reason because Mars is not so far from Earth?

3. What are the differences between Mars and Earth?

4. What’s the main component into the Mars atmosphere?

5. How could be water found in Mars?

6. What’s the gravity percentage in Mars compared with Earth?

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The labour of this text was possible
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