Listening Exercises B1 – Travel

1: relaxing on the ……………. ……………. playing in the ……………. making ……………..

2: looking around ……………. going to ……………. hopping on a …………….. bus

3: catching the ……………. top of the ……………. ……………..down, fantastic ……………..

4: …………….. riding, ……………. ……………..-riding, doing …………….. things

5: being ……………. waking up in a ……………. going ……………..

6: sit on the …………….. and relax, look ……………..

Answer & Transcript

1: beach, swimming, sea, sand castles

2: museums, cathedrals, sightseeing

3: cable car, mountain, zooming, scenery

4: mountainbike, canoeing, horse, exciting

5: outdoors, tent, fishing

6: deck, out to sea

Transcript

(2 = American; 3 = American; 4 = Brazilian; 5 = Canadian; 6 = French)

1 Oh, my ideal holiday is … you know … relaxing on the beach, swimming. And the kids love playing in the sea, making sand castles, of course!

2 I really like looking around museums, going to cathedrals and that kind of thing. Hopping on a sightseeing bus. You know, just exploring.

3 Oh, it’s the best. Catching the cable car to the top of the mountain and then zooming down with all the fantastic scenery in front of you … You can’t beat it.

4 I need lots of things to do … Fun things, like mountainbike riding – that’s my favourite – or canoeing, and I like horse-riding too. Holidays are for doing exciting things.

5 I love being outdoors, you know, like waking up in a tent and then going fishing all day.

6 It’s great because you just sit on the deck and relax, look out to sea and wait for the world to come to you!

Choosing a holiday

1. Simon and Jenny Carter are booking their summer holiday with a travel agent. Listen and find six mistakes in the booking information form. The first one has been done for you.

Answer 2. Listen again and answer these questions.

a What does prpn mean? ………………………..

b How long does it take to drive from:

Vancouver to Lake Louise? ………………………..

Lake Louise to Jasper? ………………………..

Jasper to Calgary? ………………………..

c What can you do in these places?

Jasper National Park: ………………………..

Answer & Transcript

a Per room per night

b Vancouver to Lake Louise – 9 hours, Lake Louise to Jasper – 4 hours, Jasper to Calgary – 5 hours

c Jasper National Park: you can play golf, go hiking and go boating.

Calgary: you can go shopping, and visit museums and Calgary Tower.

Transcript

(Travel agent = South African)

Travel agent: Hello. Take a seat. How can I help?

Simon: We’re thinking of going to Canada, Vancouver and then to Calgary.

Jenny: Yes, flying to Vancouver on June the 12th.

Travel agent: OK. How many nights?

Jenny: Just eight. Coming back on the 20th, from Calgary.

Travel agent: OK … just a moment … Yes, with Air Canada, that’ll be £780 per person, including all taxes.

Jenny: Oh, that’s better than we thought!

Simon: Hmm! We were thinking three nights in Vancouver first. Somewhere rather nice?

Travel agent: We have a special on at the moment with the Metropolitan. It’s a lovely hotel, four stars … You can see it here. That’s, um … £140 a night.

Jenny: Per person?

Travel agent: No, that’s for the room. All these are per room per night, without breakfast.

Simon: Oh, yes. It certainly looks very nice.

Travel agent: It is! I stayed there last year. And you should definitely hire a car – it’s only £30 per day for a small car – and drive to Lake Louise.

Jenny: Oh, yes. We want to go there.

Travel agent: I recommend you stay at the Emerald Lake Lodge. It’s a perfect place to explore from.

Simon: That sounds good.

Travel agent: Let me see … that’ll be £150 per night. It’s worth spending two nights there.

Simon: Two nights?

Travel agent: Yes, it’s a nine-hour drive from Vancouver, so two nights is best. And then you can drive to Jasper – that’s four hours. Two nights at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge will be £250 per night. It’s expensive, but it’s well worth going there. A beautiful place.

Simon: Look, a log cabin!

Travel agent: Yes. You get your own cabin.

Jenny: And there’s plenty to do in Jasper National Park, is there?

Travel agent: Sure. You can play golf, go hiking … and boating if you fancy that. Then you’ve got a five-hour drive to Calgary. A final night somewhere like the Westin will save money – just £74. There’s enough for a day – shopping, museums and Calgary Tower, of course. You can drop your car off at the airport and fly back at ten in the evening.

Simon: Well, that’s the kind of thing we were thinking of, isn’t it, dear?

Jenny: Yes, it is. Can you print out those details and we’ll take a brochure?

Renting a car

1. Listen and complete these questions you can ask when you want to rent a car.

a What ……………….. of cars do you have? ……

b Is ……………….. included? ……

c Do I have to pay an ……………….. if I have an accident? ……

d Can I hire a car ………………. ……

e Is there a ……………….. limit? ……

f Do you provide ………………. ……

g Is ……………….. cover included? ……

h What ……………….. do I need? ……

Answer & Transcript

a range b insurance c excess d one-way e mileage

f child car seats g accident h documents

Transcripts

a What range of cars do you have?

b Is insurance included?

c Do I have to pay an excess if I have an accident?

d Can I hire a car one-way?

e Is there a mileage limit?

f Do you provide child car seats?

g Is accident cover included?

h What documents do I need?

2. Listen and write the number of each response (1-8) next to the correct question (a-h). Answer & Transcript

a 2 b 4 c 7 d 3 e 1 f 8 g 5 h 6

Transcript

1 If you average more than 250 miles per day, then there’s a charge of €10 per mile.

2 We have all kinds: small, compact, mid-sized and full-sized.

3 Sure. There’s an extra charge of €30 for all one-way hires.

4 Yes, full cover is provided for every named driver.

5 Yes, all that’s covered. There’s a 24-hour emergency number to call if you need assistance.

6 You need a valid driver’s licence or an international licence with a passport

7 Yes, you have to pay the first €900 of any claim.

8 Yes. They’re free of charge. We’ll fit them for you in the back seat.

3. Listen to Laura in Italy rent a car at Dublin airport. Complete the information. Answer & Transcript

a 89 b Compact c €99 d Intermediate e 139 f 169

4. Read these questions. Try to remember the answers. Then listen again and check.

a How long does she want to rent a car? ………………..

b Why doesn’t she want the VW Polo? ………………..

c Why doesn’t she rent the Ford Fiesta? ………………..

d How much does she finally pay? ………………..

e Why is this cheaper than the advertised price? ………………..

Answer & Transcript

a For a week.

b It’s too small.

c It’s not automatic.

d €125

e It’s a special offer.

Transcript

(Laura = Italian; assistant = Irish)

Laura: I’d like to hire a car for a week, from next Monday.

Assistant: Certainly. What class of car would you like to have?

Laura: Em, well. What have you got?

Assistant: Our Economy car is a two-door Polo. That’s 89 euro for a week.

Laura: Hmm. That’s too small. We are four. Do you have anything else?

Assistant: Next up is a Compact car. A Ford Fiesta. The rate for that is 99 euro.

Laura: Is that an automatic?

Assistant: No, it’s manual.

Laura: I want an automatic, really. What automatics have you got?

Assistant: We have a Toyota Corolla. Let me see … that’s 139 euro for the week.

Laura: Wow. That’s a big increase.

Assistant: Yes, well, it’s a bigger car. it’s an Intermediate class. All our full-sized cars are automatic, too, but they’re 169 euro.

Assistant: Actually, we have a special offer on at the moment. I think we have an automatic Corolla … Yes, for 125 euro.

Laura: OK. That’s the one!

Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Travel
Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – World
Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – History
Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Communities
Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Success
Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Emotion