Workbook Listenings
Unit 1, Page 11 (CD 5, Track 1)
Lynn: Hi, Mum! I’m in New York.
Mum: Good! How are you? How was the flight?
Lynn: Great. I sat by the window, so I was looking out of
the window when the plane took off. The cars and
houses below us became smaller and smaller. It
was fun to watch.
Mum: What did you do during the flight?
Lynn: I watched two films. I had my own screen on the
seat in front of me, and I played computer games.
I played a lot of games. In fact, I broke one of my
records.
Mum: Nice.
Lynn: I also looked at the information about the flight on
my screen.
Mum: What do you mean by information about the
flight?
Lynn: Well, while the plane was flying over the Irish
Sea, the screen showed exactly where it was.
Later, the screen showed us where we were above
the Atlantic Ocean. We were flying about 10
kilometres above the ground. And do you know
how cold it was outside? It was -50 degrees
Celsius! That’s because we were so high!
Mum: Interesting. And darling, what did you eat on the
plane?
Lynn: I had chicken and potatoes. The food wasn’t bad.
Mum: Did you feel lonely on your own?
Lynn: No, I was fine. Two American women were sitting
next to me. They told me a lot about New York.
They were very nice.
Mum: That’s lovely. So, what’s happening now?
Lynn: Well, the time is 3 pm here in New York. That’s a
five-hour difference from London, right?
Mum: Right, five hours. It’s 8 pm here. So Lynn, you
must find Aunt Clare now. I’m sure she’s waiting
for you.
Lynn: Mum, Aunt Clare was waiting for me when I got off
the plane. Here, you can talk to her yourself. I’m
giving her my phone. Bye, Mum …
Unit 2, Page 19 (CD 5, Track 3)
Alice:Hey, Brad. Have you ever heard of Sho Yano? I’ve
just read a magazine article about him.
Brad:No, Alice, I haven’t. Who is he? What has he
done?
Alice:Well, he’s only 21 years old and he’s already got
his third degree at university!
Brad:Really? Three degrees? He must be a genius!
Alice:He is. He’s got an IQ of over 200. Listen to this:
He started studying for his Bachelor of Science
degree at university at the age of 9 and he
graduated with top marks in 2003 at the age of 12.
Brad:Are you serious? A first degree in science at the
age of 12?
Alice:That’s what it says here. He received a PhD in
molecular genetics and cell biology at the age of
18.
Brad: Wow! He is definitely a genius.
Alice:Yes, and his parents knew he was a genius from a
very young age. By the time he was two, Sho was
already reading and by the age of three, he was
playing the piano.
Brad:Playing the piano at three? Maybe that’s not so
amazing – my sister started playing the piano
when she was four or five.
Alice:Yes, but wait till you hear this. One day, Sho’s
mother was playing a difficult waltz on the piano.
About five minutes after she left the room, she was
shocked to hear Sho playing the same waltz! A
year later, at the age of four, he was also
composing his own music.
Brad: Amazing! Where’s he from?
Alice:He’s American, but his father is originally from
Japan and his mother from Korea.
Brad: What’s he doing now?
Alice:According to Sho, he is now living out his dream
– he’s entered medical school and he’s learning to
be a doctor.
Brad:Nice. He sounds like a good person, not just a
really clever one.
Alice:Yes, he does. In the article it says something like:
Sho believes that one person can change the
world, and he’s never felt it’s enough having a
high IQ. What really matters is contributing to
society.
Unit 3, Page 27 (CD 5, Track 5)
Katie: Hey, Ross.
Ross:Hi, Katie … Wow! It’s a text from my cousin Sam
in Los Angeles. He’s going to be here on Thursday
for about eight hours.
Katie:Why is he coming to London for only eight hours?
Ross:He’s changing flights on his way to Greece. He’ll
have enough time to come into town before his
flight to Athens.
Katie:That’s really fun. It’s an extra little trip. I did it
once, in Amsterdam. Your suitcase goes onto the
next flight – so you can just take your backpack
and passport and go and see the city.
Ross:
Yeah, exactly. And here, it’s only a 15-minute ride
on the Heathrow Express train from the airport to
the city centre.
Katie:The Underground also runs to and from the airport
… and it’s much cheaper than the train. The
Heathrow Express costs over £20 now!
Ross:Yeah – but the Underground takes a lot longer.
Katie:That’s true. So – what time will he be here?
Ross:He’ll probably get into town by about 10.30 in the
morning. But I’ve got a maths exam, so Sam’s
going to be on his own until two o’clock.
Katie:I’m sure he’ll be fine, Ross. He can buy a
guidebook.
Ross:
Yeah – and a map too.
Katie:If the weather’s good, maybe he’ll want to explore
Hyde Park before meeting you. It’s less than a
kilometre from the train station.
Way to English ESO 3 © B Burlington Books
1
Workbook listenings
Ross:I thought about taking him there for a boat ride on
the Serpentine lake … but he’s never been here
before, so I guess he’ll want to see Trafalgar
Square, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.
Anyway, I’ll text him after my exam, and we’ll
meet. Hey – do you want to come, Katie?
Katie:Sure! I haven’t been a tourist in London for a
while.
Unit 4, Page 35 (CD 5, Track 7)
Announcer:It’s Friday again! Welcome to Sandown
High School Radio. Today, we’re talking to
two of our students – James Kent and Donna
Adams – to find out what they like and don’t
like about their neighbourhoods. Let’s start
with you, James. Where do you live in
Sandown?
James: I live in Waverley and I don’t like living
there because it’s far from the school and my
friends’ homes. If it were my decision, I’d
live near the centre of Sandown. There are
more shopping centres and restaurants in the
centre. You see, for example, if I want to buy
some clothes or sports equipment today, I’ll
need to take a bus to the centre of town. And
last Saturday evening, if my parents hadn’t
driven me to the bowling alley and back
home later, I wouldn’t have met my friends
because there aren’t any buses to Waverley
after nine o’clock.
Announcer: So James, you don’t like living far from the
centre of Sandown. What do you like about
Waverley?
James: Waverley has got a beautiful park. It’s got a
great running track and a basketball court. I
often play basketball there with my younger
brothers and cousins.
Announcer: Thanks, James, for coming to talk to us.
Hello to our next student, Donna. Where do
you live in Sandown?
Donna: I’m lucky! I live in the centre of town. If I
didn’t live in the centre, I probably wouldn’t
spend so much time with my friends at the
many different shops. We also go to the
cinema together a lot.
Announcer: How often do you go out?
Donna: Every Saturday night, I go out for pizza or to
see a film. Tomorrow night, I’m actually
going to a jazz concert with my sisters.
Announcer:What don’t you like about your
neighbourhood, Donna?
Donna: Well, if we didn’t have the noise from all the
cars and also from the trains, it would be
perfect. We live very close to a railway
station, so it’s never quiet for long.
Announcer: OK, Donna, you don’t like the noise, but you
like living in the centre of town. Thank you,
James and Donna, for talking to us today
and thank you everyone for listening. Next
week, …
Unit 5, Page 43 (CD 5, Track 9)
Mike: Lisa,
this hamburger is one of the best that I’ve
ever had! Here – try it.
Lisa: No thanks, Mike. I guess you don’t know … I’m a
vegetarian now.
Mike: Really? How long have you been a vegetarian?
Lisa: I’ve been a complete vegetarian for about two
months. But I started slowly before that by eating
less meat every week.
Mike: Wow! Two months already! I can’t imagine not
eating meat! But actually – your rice and cooked
vegetables look appetising.
Lisa: They’re really tasty – and very spicy. Would you
like to taste some?
Mike: G
reat – thanks! Uh – what made you decide to
become a vegetarian?
Lisa:
Mike:
Lisa:
Mike:
Lisa:
Mike:
Lisa:
Mike:
Lisa:
Mike:
ell, first, I love animals and the idea of eating
W
meat really began to bother me. Second, I saw a
film that shows how raising animals for food
harms the environment. So, when I read about
Meatless Monday, I decided to try it.
Meatless Monday? Monday without meat?
Exactly.
So … before you became a vegetarian, you started
by just not eating meat on Mondays?
Yeah. And that’s the idea of Meatless Monday – to
eat less meat. It began in the United States in
2003, as part of a campaign for healthy eating by
Johns Hopkins University. Since then, Meatless
Monday has become quite popular in the US.
There are quite a lot of American families whose
Mondays have become meatless – I think about
18% of American families.
Eighteen per cent?! That is a lot!
It’s popular here in the UK, too. I know a lot of
people who are doing it. Even my parents are
doing it!
Well, even so ...
Why not try it for just one day?
And give up things like hamburgers? No
way ... . That’s too difficult for me!
Unit 6, Page 51 (CD 5, Track 11)
Dave: Hey, Lori. …. Uh, hello?
Lori: Oh, hi Dave. Sorry. I was concentrating ... .
Dave: Yeah, I could see that. What book are you reading?
Lori: A Streetcat Named Bob. It’s the true story of a
friendship between a cat and a street musician
called James Bowen.
Dave: Oh – it’s a true story? I like those.
Lori: Then you should read this. I really respect James
Bowen. He’s overcome a lot of obstacles.
Dave: What kinds of obstacles?
Lori: Well, when he was young, he always had
arguments with his parents. And at school, the
other kids made fun of him.
Dave: That’s not so unusual …
Way to English ESO 3 © B Burlington Books
2
Workbook listenings
Lori: True. But when he was a teenager, James moved to
London alone. He couldn’t find a job or a place to
live, so he lived in the street. Finally, James got
help, and his life improved. He began playing the
guitar and singing in public, and he lived in a
small flat. But he still wasn’t happy.
Dave: When did he get Bob?
Lori: He found him a few years ago. Bob was sitting
near James’ flat and he was badly hurt. James took
him to a vet and gave him medicine. After that,
Bob followed James everywhere, even on buses
and the Underground!
Dave: The cat went on public transport?
Lori: Yeah.
Dave: Wow! So ... Bob hung out with James while James
was playing music?
Lori: Yes. And because of Bob, more people gave James
money. And then, someone thought James should
write about his life.
Dave: What a happy ending!
Lori: Yeah, but the real happy ending was Bob’s
influence on James. Because Bob needed James
and trusted him, James felt he had a reason to live.
He knew he had to earn money so he could
continue to take care of Bob.
Dave: Hey ... can I borrow the book when you’re done?
Unit 7, Page 59 (CD 5, Track 13)
Sam: Hey, Jessica. Sorry I’m late.
Jessica: No problem, Sam. I got started on researching our
project on the 2011 London riots.
Sam:They were frightening – remember? There were
people rioting, breaking into shops, stealing
things, burning cars, buses and buildings, … . Our
parents didn’t allow us to go out.
Jessica: Yeah. But some teens were involved. Maybe that
should be the main part of our project.
Sam: Good idea. But let’s start with basic facts, like
dates.
Jessica: OK – Here’s a timeline. On 6th August, a riot
began in Tottenham, in north London.
Sam:The violence was started either by young gangs or
adult hooligans. Nobody knows for sure. People
used text messages to tell others to join, and riots
broke out all over London and in Manchester,
Birmingham and other cities. They lasted for four
days – the 6th to the 9th of August.
Jessica: And here – OK … 21% of the people arrested
during the riots were 17 or younger.
Sam: 21%? Almost a quarter!
Jessica: Yeah. And the youngest person found guilty of a
crime in the riots was an 11-year-old boy.
Sam: Really?! An 11-year-old?! That’s young!!
Jessica: Yeah. He stole a waste bin worth £50 and was
found guilty of burglary. A waste bin! What a
strange thing to steal! Why didn’t he take trainers
or a phone?
Sam:I bet he didn’t think about it. He probably just took
it in order to take something because that’s what
everyone around him was doing.
Jessica: Perhaps. Here’s an article about a 14-year-old boy.
He was arrested for robbing restaurant customers.
There are more examples here, too.
Sam: OK – but can we also include something positive
about teenagers? Lots of teens helped clean up
streets and shops after the riots.
Jessica: You’re right – we should include that. Especially
because you and I and a lot of other kids from our
school participated in the clean-up.
Sam: OK, so let’s make a plan for our project.
Unit 8, Page 67 (CD 5, Track 15)
Steve: I’m Steve Elkins, and this is TechTalk. The number
of smartphone owners is growing. By 2015,
between 80% and 90% of adults up to the age of
54 in the UK had bought a smartphone.
Smartphones are already sophisticated, but there
are more innovations on the way. Let’s find out
about some of them from Nina Johnson, an
engineer. Welcome, Nina.
Nina: Thanks, Steve.
Steve: What’s in the future for mobile phones?
Nina: Well, researchers are developing some ingenious
things right now. Some will be part of every phone
within the next five years. To begin with, there
will be better batteries. Some of these will be
movement-powered – that is, the batteries will get
more energy whenever the phone is moved.
Steve:Will it matter where the phone is – in a pocket, a
bag or in someone’s hand?
Nina: No. If the phone’s in motion, that movement will
power the battery.
Steve: It’ll be wonderful not to worry about dead
batteries! What other developments can you tell us
about?
Nina: Something quite exciting is a voice language
translator to translate from one language into
another instantly.
Steve: So if I speak English on the phone to someone,
say, in Spain, it will immediately translate my
words into spoken Spanish?
Nina: Exactly. Researchers in Japan and in the US are
working hard on this idea.
Steve: If it ever becomes available, I think it’ll really
catch on!
Nina: Oh, definitely! It will be useful for travelling!
Steve: So, movement-powered batteries, instant voice
translation … and what else?
Nina: This is my favourite: mobile phones will have the
ability to create “holograms” – very realisticlooking 3-D pictures that are made with lasers.
Steve: So, when we’re talking with someone on the
phone, we’ll see holograms of one another?
Nina: Exactly.
Steve: Wow! That’ll be fun! I can’t wait! Thanks, Nina.
We’ll look for these things on mobiles in the next
few years
Way to English ESO 3 © B Burlington Books
3
Workbook listenings
Unit 9, Page 75 (CD 5, Track 17)
Nick:
My project is about the Great Migration and I
interviewed Samantha Egan, an expert on Africa.
First of all, what is the Great Migration? It’s the
annual movement of an enormous number of
wildebeest, zebras and other animals. Every year,
they move, or migrate, slowly from Tanzania to
Kenya and back again, to find food and water. It’s
called the Great Migration because so many
animals are involved. Usually, more than a million
wildebeest, between 250,000 and 700,000 zebras,
and thousands of giraffes, gazelles and other
animals migrate. Also, Samantha said that lions,
cheetahs and hyenas accompanied the migration in
order to hunt.
The Great Migration usually starts in April or May.
Throughout the summer, the animals journey from
the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the
Masai Mara nature reserve in Kenya. They stay in
Kenya until November or December, and then
migrate back to Tanzania.
I asked Samantha how many kilometres this
journey was. She said the total distance changed
each year, but was around 1,800 km! I also asked
when the best time was to see the Great Migration.
She said July, August and September were
particularly good because during those months, the
animals crossed the Grumeti River in Tanzania and
the Mara River in Kenya. These two rivers are
dangerous for the animals: while they’re crossing
the rivers, crocodiles catch and kill some of them.
Samantha said it was exciting to see the animals
up close. She suggested taking a jeep tour. She
also recommended taking a flight in a hot-air
balloon, small aeroplane or helicopter, and seeing
the Great Migration from the air. I know where
I’m going on my next holiday!
Way to English ESO 3 © B Burlington Books
4