Exercises
Unit 1 Front Vowels
Tick the words you recognize in the sentences you hear.
Test 1
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a. sheep b. ship
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a. bean b. bin
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a. cheeks b. chicks
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a. cheap b. chip
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a. heel b. hill
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a. peel b. pill
Test 2
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a. pin b. pen
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a. pig b. peg
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a. tins b. tens
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a. sit b. set
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a. Jinny b. Jenny
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a. picked b. pecked
Test 3
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a. pen b. pan
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a. men b. man
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a. said b. sad
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a. gem b. jam
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a. pet b. pat
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a. bed b. bad
Listen and repeat the following words.
thirteen thirty fourteen forty fifteen
fifty sixteen sixty seventeen seventy
eighteen eighty nineteen ninety pen
bell cheques pan man sad
Listen and repeat the following sentences.
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A big pig is sleeping on a ship.
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Do you see the key on that seat?
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There’s a bee on the leaf of that tree.
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Do you like to eat fish and chips?
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Eat more fish, less meat.
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A friend in need is a friend indeed.
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Harry doesn’t like the tennis net.
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East or west, home is best.
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Better late than never.
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Handsome is as handsome does.
Listen to the following dialogues and try to imitate them.
// focused
In a restaurant
Peter: What would you like to eat, Edith?
Edith: A meat sandwich.
Peter: Jean? Would you like a meat sandwich or a cheese sandwich?
Jean: A cheese sandwich, please, Peter.
Waiter: Good evening.
Peter: Good evening. We’ll have one meat sandwich and two cheese sandwiches.
Edith: And three teas, please.
Waiter: (writing down the order) One meat sandwich … two cheese sandwiches … and … three teas.
// focused
An interesting film
Bill: Is Tim in?
Lyn: Is he coming to the pictures?
Mrs. Smith: Tim’s ill.
Bill: Here he is! Hello, Tim.
Tim: Hello, Bill.
Lyn: Are you ill, Tim?
Tim: Is it an interesting film?
Lyn: It’s ‘Big Jim and the Indians’.
Bill: And it begins in six minutes.
Mrs. Smith: If you’re ill, Tim…
Tim: Quick! Or we’ll miss the beginning of the film!
// focused
An expensive holiday
Eddie: Hello, Ellen! Hello, Ben! Hello, Jenny!
Ben: Hello, Eddie. Have a cigarette.
Eddie: Thanks, Ben.
Ellen: Help yourself to whisky.
Jenny: It’s on the shelf.
Ben: How did you spend your holiday, Eddie?
Eddie: I went to America with a friend.
Everybody: Well!
Ellen: We’re all jealous.
Ben: Was it expensive?
Eddie: Yes. Very. I’ve spent everything.
Jenny: Haven’t you any money left?
Eddie: Yes, Jenny. Ten pence!
// focused
A bad hijacker
Hostess Bradley: Alice! Perhaps that passenger is a hijacker!
Hostess Allen: Which passenger, Anne? That sad man with the camera? He’s wearing black slacks and a jacket.
Hostess Bradley: No. That fat lady with the big black handbag in her left hand.
Hostess Allen: Is she standing next to the lavatory?
Hostess Bradley: Yes. She’s travelling to Amsterdam.
Hostess Allen: You’re mad, Anne, I don’t understand.
Hostess Bradley: You see, when she went into the lavatory she didn’t have that handbag in her hand, and now she’s …
Fat lady: (clapping her hands) EVERYBODY STAND! I’m a hijacker. And in this handbag I have a …
Handbag: BANG!
Work in pairs.
Situation: A is an English friend of B, a Chinese student. This is the first time for C (A’s wife) and B to meet at the party in A’s house. A introduces his wife to B. Try to speak fluently and naturally.
Sample dialogue:
A: Good evening, Mr. Wang.
B: Good evening, Mr. Smith.
A: Have you met my wife, Mary?
B: No, I haven’t had the pleasure.
A: Mary, this is Mr. Wang, my new Chinese friend.
C: How do you do, Mr. Wang? You’re welcome.
B: How do you do?
A: Have a glass of wine, and let me introduce you to some of my guests.
B: Thank you.
Unit 2 Back Vowels
Tick the words you recognize in the sentences you hear.
Test 1
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a. look b. Luke
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a. full b. fool
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a. pull b. pool
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a. fullish b. foolish
Test 2
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a. cock b. cook
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a. lock b. look
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a. god b. good
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a. cod b. could
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a. Poss b. Puss
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a. Brockhurts b. Brookhurts
Test 3
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a. spots b. sports
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a. pots b. ports
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a. cod b. cord
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a. shot b. short
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a. Rod b. roared
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a. what a b. water
Test 4
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a. cat b. cot
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a. sack b. sock
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a. tap b. top
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a. Tammy b. Tommy
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a. baddie b. body
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a. black b. block
Test 5
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a. hat b. hut c. heart
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a. cat b. cut c. cart
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a. cap b. cup c. carp
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a. bun b. barn
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a. come b. calm
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a. Patty’s b. parties
Test 6
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a. cap b. cup
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a. hat b. hut
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a. bag b. bug
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a. mad b. mud
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a. hang b. hung
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a. ran b. run
Listen and repeat the following words.
pull pool full fool foot
boot look lock hot sock
caught port forks sports carp
cup heart hut barn bun
Listen and repeat the following sentences.
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Don’t put the bullet in his boot.
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I would if I could.
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Better report to the police officer walking there.
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I lost my wallet.
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Margaret likes to eat tomatoes and bananas.
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He laughs best who laughs last.
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Mark got his master degree of arts at an art college last year.
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Hurry up!
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Lunch is ready.
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I’m coming.
Listen to the following dialogues and try to imitate them.
// focused
In a good school
Miss Luke: Good afternoon, girls.
Girls: Good afternoon, Miss. Luke
Miss Luke: This afternoon we’re going to learn how to cook soup. Open your books at unit twenty-two.
Prue: Excuse, me, Miss Luke.
Miss Luke: Yes, Prue?
Prue: There’s some chewing gum on your shoe.
Miss Luke: Who threw their chewing gum on the floor? Was it you, Prue?
Prue: No, Miss Luke. It was June.
Miss Luke: Who?
Prue: June Cook.
June: It wasn’t me, stupid. It was Sue.
Sue: It was you!
June: It wasn’t me, you stupid fool. My mouth’s full of chewing gum. Look, Miss Luke!
Sue: Stop pulling my hair, June. It was you!
June: YOU!
Sue: YOU!
Miss Luke: Excuse me! You’re being very rude. You two nuisances can stay in school this afternoon instead of going to the swimming pool.
// focused
A lost book
Mr. Cook: Woman! Could you tell me where you’ve put my book?
Mrs. Cook: Isn’t it on the bookshelf?
Mr. Cook: No. The bookshelf is full of your cookery books.
Mrs. Cook: Then you should look in the bedroom, shouldn’t you?
Mr. Cook: I’ve looked. You took that book and put it somewhere, didn’t you?
Mrs. Cook: The living-room？
Mr. Cook: No. I’ve looked. I’m going to put all my books in a box and lock it!
Mrs. Cook: Look, Mr. Cook! It’s on the floor next to your foot.
Mr. Cook: Ah! Good!
// focused
A football match
Announcer: This morning the Roarers football team arrived back from York. Paul Short is our sports reporter, and he was at the airport.
Paul Short: Good morning. This is Paul Short. All the footballers are walking towards me. Here’s George Ball, the goalkeeper. Good morning, George.
George Ball: Good morning. Are you a reporter?
Paul Short: Yes. I’m from Channel 4. Please tell our audience about the football match with York.
George Ball: Well, it was awful. We lost. And the score was four, forty-four. But it wasn’t my fault.
Paul Short: Whose fault was it?
George Ball: The forwards.
Paul Short: The forwards?
George Ball: Yes. The forwards. They were always falling down or losing the ball!
// focused
TV advertisement for ‘Onwash’
Voice A: What’s wrong with you, Mrs. Bloggs?
Mrs. Bloggs: What’s wrong with me? I want a holiday from this horrible job of washing socks!
Voice B: Buy a bottle of ‘Onwash’, Mrs. Bloggs.
Voice C: ‘Onwash’ is so soft and strong.
Voice D: You don’t want lots of hot water with ‘Onwash’.
Voice A: It’s not a long job with ‘Onwash’.
Voice B: Use ‘Onwash’ often.
Voice C: You won’t be sorry when you’ve got ‘Onwash’.
Voice D: Everybody wants ‘Onwash’.
Everybody: ‘Onwash’ is so popular!
// focused
A t a party
Margaret: Where’s your glass, Barbara?
Barbara: It’s on the bar.
Martin: Barbara! Margaret! Come into the garden! Martha and Charles are dancing in the dark.
Margaret: In the garden? What a laugh!
Barbara: So they are! They’re dancing on the grass!
Margaret: They’re dancing under the stars!
Martin: And Arnold’s playing his guitar.
Barbara: Doesn’t Martha look smart!
Margaret: Look at Charles! What a marvelous dancer!
Barbara: Ah! Let’s take a photograph of Martha and Charles.
Martin: We can’t. It’s too dark.
// focused