Practice Listening English Exercises for B1 – Vacations

Getting Ready

Would you like to take any of these vacations? Check (✓) your answers and compare them with a partner.

Yes

No

a tour of Europe

a trip to the beach

a whitewater rafting trip

a trip to Disney World

an African safari

other: ________.

Show answers

your own answers

Listening 1

People are discussing vacation plans with their friends. Which trip do they prefer? Listen and circle the correct answer.

1)  a a trip to the Caribbean

b a trip to the Philippines

2)  a a ski vacation

b a Malaysian jungle trip

3)  a a Nile River trip

b an Australian outback trip

4)  a a Grand Canyon rafting trip

b an African safari

5)  a a Southeast Asian trip

b a China tour

6)  a a European bus trip

b a Russian train trip

Show answers & Transcript

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

Transcript

1)

A:   What do you think I should do for vacation this summer?

B:   Well, you like the beach, and you love hanging out in the sun. Why don’t you go to the Caribbean? Or how about the Philippines? Some friends of mine stayed at a beach resort there last summer.

A: Well, I’ve been to the Caribbean a couple of times, and I always enjoy it. But I’ve never been to the Philippines. I think that would be fun.

2)

A: I’m not sure where to go for vacation this year.

B: Why don’t you go skiing? I had a great time at a ski resort in the mountains last winter. Or how about a jungle trip to the Malaysian National Forest? I did that a couple of years ago, and it was amazing.

A: Well, I just bought some new ski equipment and I’m dying to try it. I have to say that I’m not too excited about the idea of a jungle trip. I don’t like bugs, and I bet there would be a lot of them.

3)

A: I’d like to do something really different for vacation this year.

B: How about a trip down the Nile River? You’ve never been to Egypt, right? Or maybe you could spend a week in the Australian outback.

A: Hmm. They both sound interesting, but I guess I’d prefer the Australian trip. The Nile River might be just a little too exciting for me.

4)

A:  I’d like to do something exciting this vacation. I don’t want to just lie around on a beach.

B:  How about whitewater rafting down the Colorado River? It takes you right through the Grand Canyon. That’s really exciting. Or you could go on a 10-day African safari. I’ve heard that’s a great trip.

A: The safari trip would be fun sometime, but I only have one week. I think I’ll do the Grand Canyon trip. Thanks for the tip!

5)

A:  Any ideas about where we should go for vacation?

B:  I’m thinking about a couple of trips. We could go to Southeast Asia. We’d go to Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia. The other place I was thinking about going to is China.

A: China! I’ve never been there. I hear it’s fascinating. I’ve already been to Thailand and Indonesia, so let’s go to China.

6)

A: I need help figuring out what to do for vacation.

B: Well, last year, friends and I went on a two-week bus tour of Europe. We traveled in nice, comfortable motor coaches and stopped in different cities. We stayed in each city for a day or two, and all our hotel reservations were taken care of.

A:  Hmm, that could be fun, but sometimes I get sick when I ride in cars and buses.

B:  You could take a train trip across Russia. sister did that a couple of years ago.

A:  Oh, I love trains. And I’ve never been to Russia.

Listening 2

Task 1

People are talking about their vacation plans. Where will they go? Listen and check (✓) yes or no.

Yes

No

How long?

1) Taipei

_____________

     Seoul

_____________

     Hong Kong

_____________

     Beijing

_____________

     Thailand

_____________

     Tokyo

_____________

     Malaysia

_____________


Yes

No

How long?

2) London

_____________

     Oxford

_____________

     Cambridge

_____________

     France

_____________

     Germany

_____________

     Switzerland

_____________

     Italy

_____________


Yes

No

How long?

3) Los Angeles

_____________

     San Francisco

_____________

     Denver

_____________

     Chicago

_____________

     Washington, D.C.

_____________

     New York

_____________

     Boston

_____________

Show answers

The places the people will visit are:

1) Taipei, Seoul, Hong Kong, Thailand

2) London, Oxford, Paris, Switzerland, Italy

3) Los Angeles, Denver, Washington, D.C., New York

Task 2

Listen again. How long will they stay in each place? Write the correct answers in the charts.

Show answers & Transcript

1) Taipei: 3 days

  Seoul: 3 days

  Hong Kong: 2 days

  Thailand: 5 days

2) London: 1 week

 Oxford: 2 days

 Paris: 5 days

 Switzerland: 3 days

 Italy: 5 days

3) Los Angeles: 3 days

 Denver: 1 week

     Washington, D.C.: 2 days

     New York: 3 days

Transcript

1)

I’m so excited about trip to Asia. I’ve never been there before. First, I’m flying to Taipei from the U.S. I’ll be spending three days there, because I hear that there’s a lot to see and do. I’ll also be spending three days in Seoul. I hear the nightlife there is great. Then we go from there to Hong Kong. I’m planning to do lots of shopping there, so I hope two days is enough time to buy everything I need. I would really love to go to Beijing for a few days. But, unfortunately, this tour doesn’t go there. After Hong Kong, we’ll end up in Thailand for five days. So I guess I won’t be able to get to Tokyo or Malaysia on this trip. Oh well. I have to save a few places to visit on next vacation.

2)

Well, our trip starts off in London. We’ve got a week there. Then we’ll take the bus up to Oxford for two days to see friends. We also wanted to see Cambridge – I hear it’s beautiful – but we won’t have time this trip. Anyway, then we head to France. We have five days in Paris, which will give us time to see all of those museums. I wish we were going to spend a few days in Germany, too, but this trip doesn’t include it. But we do go to Switzerland for three days. I’m really looking forward to that. Then we end up in Italy for the last five days of the tour.

3)

We start off in Los Angeles. We’re going to stay there for three days because we want to hit the beach and see the sights. We’re not going to go to San Francisco this time, because we’ve been there before. Then we’re off to Denver to visit sister. We’re going to stay there for a week. I hope that’s enough time, because I haven’t seen her since last Christmas, and we have so much to talk about. We were thinking of going to Chicago after that, but we just don’t have time, so it’s straight on to Washington, D.C, and New York. We’ve got two days in Washington and three in New York. We’d really love to get up to Boston for a couple of days, but it probably won’t happen. Maybe next time.

Listening 3

Task 1

People are talking about vacations they’d like to take. What does each person want to do? Listen and circle the correct answer.

1)  a travel alone

b travel with a friend

     c   take a group tour

2)  a visit small towns

b visit big cities

     c   stay in expensive hotels

3)  a have a boring vacation

b stay in cheap hotels

     c   see and do everything


4)  a spend time on a quiet beach

b spend time in Bangkok

     c   see and do everything

5)  a spend a month in Mexico City

b visit a small town

     c   travel with other tourists

6)  a stay in cheap hotels

b stay in expensive hotels

     c   travel alone

Show answers

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

Task 2

Listen again. Why do the people want to take the vacations they describe? Write the correct letter.

1) She ____

2) He ____

3) She ____

4) He ____

5) She ____

6) She ____

a has been busy at work.

b wants to practice speaking Spanish.

c heard the beaches are great there.

d wants to be free.

e needs some excitement.

f needs to go somewhere quiet.

Show answers & Transcript

1) d   2) f   3) e   4) a   5) b   6) c

Transcript

1)

After graduation, I’m going to fly to Europe and spend a couple of weeks traveling on own. I’ll be in Germany and France, mostly. There are so many things I want to see and do: museums, restaurants, clubs, cafes, all that stuff. I know parents worry about me traveling alone, but I just prefer it that way. I guess it’s because I want to be free. On those group tours, everything is planned for you.

2)

I’m taking a trip to New Zealand. I hear it’s really quiet down there, and the people are really friendly. I want to go to small towns that don’t get a lot of tourists. Then I can just check into a cheap hotel and do own thing. I’m really looking forward to this trip. I guess it’s because I need to go somewhere quiet. The city where I like is so noisy, and the people are rude.

3)

When I’m in London, I want to see as many plays and concerts as I can. I also want to go to all the big museums and art galleries there. I’m going to go dancing as often as I can, too. Basically, I want to see and do everything! I really want to make the most of the week I’ll be there. I guess it’s because I need some excitement. life has been so boring this year.

4)

I’m going to go to Thailand this winter. I don’t want to spend any time in Bangkok because I’ve been there before. This time, I just want to relax on a nice, quiet beach. I can swim and snorkel every day if I want to, but I don’t have to do anything. I just want to relax. I guess it’s because I’ve been so busy at work recently.

5)

I’m spending a month in Mexico. It’s going to be great. I don’t want to spend any time in Mexico City, though. There are too many tourists there. Instead, I want to go to one of those small, old colonial towns. I guess it’s because I want to practice Spanish. I studied the language for three years in college, and I think I’ll get to use it a lot more in a small town.

6)

friend and I are going to Australia. It’s perfect for us because Australia has a lot of cheap hotels for backpackers. They’re great places to meet other young people and travelers from all over the world. I’m really excited about this trip. I guess it’s because the beaches are great there. I heard the east coast of Australia has some of the best surfing in the world.

Conversation Corner: Talking about vacations

Task 1

Listen to the conversation. Write the missing words.

A: Didn’t you ______ ______ ______ last month?

B: Yeah, I did. Joe and I went to a great beach resort in the Caribbean.

A: Wow! ______ ______ ______ a lot of sightseeing?

B: No. We mostly just relaxed on the beach.

A: That sounds like fun. Did you do anything else?

B: Not really, but we ______ ______ ______ to dinner every night.

A: Were the restaurants good?

B: _____ ______ ____! And we went to a different one each night.

Task 2

Practice the conversation with a partner. Be sure to link the vowel sounds.

Show answers & Transcript

A: Didn’t you go on vacation last month?

B: Yeah, I did. Joe and I went to a great beach resort in the Caribbean.

A: Wow! Did you do a lot of sightseeing?

B: No. We mostly just relaxed on the beach.

A: That sounds like fun. Did you do anything else?

B: Not really, but we did go out to dinner every night.

A: Were the restaurants good?

B: They were great ! And we went to a different one each night.

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