Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Favorites

Getting Ready

What are your favorite things? Write your answers in the chart and compare them with a partner.

You

Your partner

favorite kind of sport

__________

__________

favorite kind of food

__________

__________

favorite kind of music

__________

__________

favorite kind of movie

__________

__________

favorite free time activity

__________

__________

other: ________

__________

__________

Show answers

your own answers

Listening 1

People are talking about their preferences. What do they prefer? Listen and circle the correct answer.

1)  a traveling by plane

b traveling by train

2)  a living in an apartment

b living in a house

3)  a British English

b American English

4)  a working in an office

b working in a store

5)  a learning Spanish

b learning German

6)  a rock music

b jazz music

Show answers & Transcript

1) b   2) a   3) b   4) b   5) a   6) b

Transcript

1)

A: Do you travel a lot?

B: Yeah, I do.

A: Which do you prefer – traveling by train or by plane?

B: Well, the thing I like about a train is it’s so comfortable. You can get up and walk around. A plane is faster, but you have to stay seated in those uncomfortable seats.

2)

A: Do you prefer living in a house or an apartment?

B: Well, I used to live in a house. I had a nice yard and we had lots of space. But it was too much work, taking care of the yard and all that. An apartment is so much more convenient.

3)

A:  Would you rather study American English or British English?

B:  Well, they’re very similar, but overall I think American English is more useful for me because I watch a lot of American movies and television shows. British English does sound very nice, though.

4)

A: Would you rather work in an office or a department store?

B: Well, I think working in a store would be more interesting. You would get to talk to more people. I think office work would get really boring after a while. I don’t like to sit at a desk all day.

5)

A: Which would you rather learn – German or Spanish?

B: Well, German is an interesting language and it’s useful in Germany and a few other countries in Europe. But Spanish is used in Spain, Central America, South America, and a lot of places in the U.S. So studying Spanish makes a lot more sense for me!

6)

A: What kinds of music do you like?

B: Well, I like all kinds of music, but I don’t care for rock-n-roll very much. It’s a little too loud for me. I guess jazz music is favorite. I really like the piano and strong melodies.

Listening 2

Task 1

People are talking about things they like. Listen and number the photos.

img

Show answers

a 3   b 1   c 4   d 2   e 6   f 5

Task 2

Listen again. Do the people agree? Check (✓) the correct answer.

1) They agree.

They don’t agree.

2) They agree.

They don’t agree.

3) They agree.

They don’t agree.

4) They agree.

They don’t agree.

5) They agree.

They don’t agree.

6) They agree.

They don’t agree.

Show answers & Transcript

1) agree   2) don’t agree   3) don’t agree

4) agree   5) don’t agree   6) agree

Transcript

1)

A: I love Mexican food. I like it hot and spicy.

B:  Yeah, I love it, too!

A: Here. Try some of this. I think you’re really going to like it.

B:  Mmm. This is delicious. I could eat this every night!

2)

A: I think I’m going to try to get a job in an office when I graduate. I believe I’d really enjoy office work.

B:  Really? I don’t think I’d like working in an office at all.

3)

A: You know what I like to do when I want to relax – sit down under a tree in a quiet place with a good book.

B: Oh, yeah? I just can’t read outdoors. Usually the insects drive me crazy.

4)

A: I guess favorite kind of music is country. I like music I can sing along with.

B: Me, too. I like country music. Do you like Keith Cannon?

A: Oh, yeah. He’s fantastic.

5)

A: In the summer, I play a lot of tennis. I really love it.

B: Do you? I’m not good at tennis, so I hardly ever play it. I prefer to go surfing at the beach in the summer.

6)

A:  Well, when I have free time on the weekend, I like to work on car.

B:  Hey, me, too. I just bought an old wreck. Want to come and have a look at it on Saturday?

A:  Sure!

Listening 3

Task 1

People are giving their preferences. What topic is each person talking about? Listen and circle the correct answer.

1)  a vacations

b friends

     c exercise

2)  a stores

b restaurants

     c places to live


3)  a hotels

b places to live

     c schools

4)  a cars

b hotels

     c places to live

5)  a cars

b computers

     c cats

6)  a vacations

b jobs

     c sports

Show answers

1) a   2) b   3) a   4) c   5) c   6) b

Task 2

Listen again. Are these statements true or false? Check (✓) the correct answer.

True

False

1) He prefers traveling by himself.

2) She likes loud, trendy places.

3) She prefers places with swimming pools.

4) he can’t stand living in the suburbs.

5) She prefers just one to keep her company.

6) Making a lot of money isn’t important to her.

Show answers & Transcript

1) True   2) False   3) False

4) False   5) True   6) True

Transcript

1)

I really don’t like those group tours. You know, the guide picks you up at the hotel every day, and you have to go and see all the sights. I prefer traveling by self. That way, I can relax. Relaxation is very important to me. I have a very stressful job, so every year I like to spend two-week vacation lying on the beach and doing nothing.

2)

When I go out to eat, I like to have a nice conversation, and I don’t want to be disturbed. That’s why I prefer quiet places. I don’t like those loud, trendy places. They play loud music in the background, and they’re full of such loud people. You have to shout so you can hear each other. It’s really annoying!

3)

I prefer staying at one of those small places because I think the service is better. The people at the front desk remember your name, and the housekeeping people are nice, too. It’s like staying in someone’s home. I don’t like those big tourist places. They might have more facilities, like a gym or a swimming pool. But what I care about most is service.

4)

I don’t know how people can stand living downtown. It’s too noisy, you can never find parking, and it’s dangerous, too. No, I prefer living in the suburbs, for a lot of reasons. For one thing, I like to have a lot of space. That’s important to me. I love having a big backyard and a garage for car. And I also like to have friendly neighbors around me.

5)

Having one is great, especially if you live in a small apartment like I do. That’s what I prefer – one just to keep me company. Two would be too hard to take care of. And feeding them would be expensive, too. They could keep each other company while I’m at work, though. But imagine all that cat hair!

6)

I’d prefer a position where I can help people. I know that many people are mainly interested in making a lot of money, but making a lot of money just isn’t that important to me. I’d rather do something that is good for everyone and not just self, even if it doesn’t pay very well.

Conversation Corner: Asking about preferences

Task 1

Listen to the conversation. Write the missing words.

A: ____ __. ______. ______. studying at night or in the morning?

B: I prefer studying at night. How about you?

A: I like studying at night, too. ______. ______. ______. prefer – going out to a movie or watching a DVD at home?

B: I prefer going out to a movie. I like watching movies on a big screen. Which ______. ______. ______. better?

A: I like to watch DVDs at home. It’s more comfortable, and I can rewind or pause the movie whenever I want to.

Task 2

Practice the conversation with a partner. Be sure to use the correct intonation.

Show answers & Transcript

A: Do you prefer studying at night or in the morning?

B: I prefer studying at night. How about you?

A: I like studying at night, too. Which do you prefer – going out to a movie or watching a DVD at home?

B: I prefer going out to a movie. I like watching movies on a big screen. Which do you like better?

A: I like to watch DVDs at home. It’s more comfortable, and I can rewind or pause the movie whenever I want to.

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