English Refresher

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Environmental Problems in Our Area

Two neighbors compare what has gone wrong where they live, and one of them has a sister with a completely different problem. Listen twice, answer fifteen questions that mark themselves, and open the script last.

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Listen

The Conversation

What to do: Sarah and Ben describe three different problems, and one of them is not in their own neighborhood. Listen straight through once and separate the problems from the solutions. Then listen a second time for who says what.
AudioEnvironmental Problems in Our Area
Try all three question sets before you open the script. You will learn more from listening than from reading.

Sarah: Have you noticed how bad the air’s been recently?

Ben: Yes, definitely. One issue is the traffic on the main road. There are more cars every year, and the pollution is getting worse.

Sarah: I agree. And in this area, another problem is the lack of green spaces. We’ve lost two small parks because of new housing.

Ben: That’s true. On the other hand, my sister lives in the countryside, and her biggest issue is waste management. Rubbish collection doesn’t happen very often.

Sarah: That’s interesting. Here, one solution might be encouraging people to use public transport or cycle instead of driving.

Ben: We could try pushing the local council to improve bus services. If they were more reliable, fewer people would use their cars.

Sarah: Another solution might be organizing community clean-up days. At least it would help deal with litter and raise awareness.

Ben: That sounds realistic. People are usually willing to help if it’s local and practical.

Sarah: Exactly. Big changes take time, but small actions can still make a difference.

Three words worth noticing. Ben says rubbish collection and the local council. In American English these are trash collection and the city council. Sarah also says public transport, where Americans more often say public transportation. Both versions are correct, and the transcript matches the recording exactly so you can hear the difference for yourself. The multiple-choice questions use the American words. The gap-fill quotes Sarah exactly, because you are writing down what you hear.
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Multiple Choice

Who Said What?

What to do: Choose the best answer according to the conversation. Check the name in each question carefully — some answers are true of the other speaker.
1. What does Ben say is making the pollution worse?
2. Why does Sarah say the area has lost two small parks?
3. Ben mentions someone with a different problem. Who is it, and what is the problem?
4. What does Ben want the city council to do?
5. Why does Ben think the clean-up days would actually work?
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True or False

Is That What They Said?

What to do: Decide whether each sentence is true or false according to the conversation. Then tap Check Answers.
1. Sarah starts the conversation by saying the air has been bad recently.
2. Ben says the number of cars has stayed about the same.
3. Ben's sister has the same problems as Sarah and Ben.
4. Ben says fewer people would drive if the buses were more reliable.
5. Sarah believes that only large changes are worth making.
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Complete the Notes

One or Two Words

What to do: Complete each sentence with one or two words from the conversation. Listen again if you need to. Then tap Check Answers. Spelling counts.
1. The area has lost two small ______ because of new housing.
2. Ben's sister lives in the ______.
3. Sarah suggests people use public transport or ______ instead of driving.
4. If the buses were more ______, fewer people would use their cars.
5. Clean-up days would help deal with litter and raise ______.
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Talk About It

Discussion

What to do: Discuss with a partner or write your own answers. There is no score, so give your real opinion.

Questions

  • Sarah and Ben describe a city problem and a countryside problem. Which would you find harder to live with?
  • Ben says small local actions work because people will actually do them. Is that a good reason, or an excuse to avoid the bigger fix?
  • Two parks were replaced by housing. How should a town decide between homes and green space?
  • Would better buses really get people out of their cars where you live? What else would have to change?
  • Whose job is it to fix these problems — residents, the city council, or businesses?
  • Sarah says big changes take time but small actions still count. Do you agree, or does that let people off too easily?

Tap to see your score on the three graded tasks, then show your teacher.

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This conversation is a script written for this lesson and performed for the recording. It is not a recording of real people, and no names, places, or figures in it refer to anywhere in particular.