Listening practice
Local Radio News: B2 Listening
A city's bike-sharing scheme is growing, and not everyone is happy.
- Age
- Ages 13+
- Level
- B2
- Skill
- Listening
- Time
- 30 min
- Format
- Interactive
- Listening
- Monologue
The voice is your device's built-in speech synthesis, not a recording, so it sounds different on every phone, tablet and computer. Dialogues use two voices where the device has them. The transcript is always one tap away.
1. Before you listen
Read the question, then listen to the whole script once and choose the answer.
2. Listen
Play the whole script or one line at a time. Try the questions before you open the transcript.
Transcript
- Line 1 · Transcript hidden
- Line 2 · Transcript hidden
- Line 3 · Transcript hidden
- Line 4 · Transcript hidden
- Line 5 · Transcript hidden
- Line 6 · Transcript hidden
3. Listen for detail
Listen again and answer the five questions.
4. Dictation
Play each sentence and type the missing words. Capital letters and punctuation don't matter.
- 1.Under the new plans, another twenty-five will be built, mainly near schools and railway stations.
- 2.However, not everyone is .
- 3.Meanwhile, from next month, the first thirty minutes of will be free for students.
- 4.In other news, the closure of the Elm Street bridge has been extended by due to further repair work.
5. Your turn to speak
Would a bike-sharing scheme work where you live? Give your opinion for one minute: mention one advantage and one problem, and say what you would change.
Printable worksheet
The tasks, the transcript and an answer key on a separate page.
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A. Before you listen
What is the main story about?
- ☐ a) A bridge that is closing for good
- ☐ b) Plans to expand a bike-sharing scheme
- ☐ c) A new railway line
B. Listen for detail
- The trial in the city centre was more popular than the council expected.☐ a) True☐ b) False
- How many times have the bikes been hired?☐ a) About four hundred times☐ b) Just over two thousand times☐ c) More than ninety thousand times
- Why are some shop owners against the plans?☐ a) They expect prices to go up☐ b) Their customers could lose parking spaces☐ c) They think the bikes are dangerous
- The council has already chosen where the new stations will go.☐ a) True☐ b) False
- What will students get from next month?☐ a) A free bike of their own☐ b) Cheaper parking near schools☐ c) The first thirty minutes of each journey free
C. Dictation: write the missing words
- Under the new plans, another twenty-five will be built, mainly near schools and railway stations.
- However, not everyone is .
- Meanwhile, from next month, the first thirty minutes of will be free for students.
- In other news, the closure of the Elm Street bridge has been extended by due to further repair work.
D. Speaking
Would a bike-sharing scheme work where you live? Give your opinion for one minute: mention one advantage and one problem, and say what you would change.
Transcript
And now the local news. The city council has announced that its bike-sharing scheme will be extended to the northern suburbs from next spring, after a trial in the city centre proved far more popular than expected.
Since the scheme was launched in March, its four hundred bikes have been hired more than ninety thousand times, almost double the council's original estimate. Under the new plans, another twenty-five docking stations will be built, mainly near schools and railway stations.
However, not everyone is convinced. Some local shop owners say the new stations would take up parking spaces their customers depend on, and a petition against the plans has already collected over two thousand signatures.
The council insists that no final decisions about locations have been made, and says residents will be able to comment on the proposals online until the end of November.
Meanwhile, from next month, the first thirty minutes of every journey will be free for students.
In other news, the closure of the Elm Street bridge has been extended by another fortnight due to further repair work.
Key phrases are in bold.
Answer key
- A. b) Plans to expand a bike-sharing scheme
- B. 1 a) True · 2 c) More than ninety thousand times · 3 b) Their customers could lose parking spaces · 4 b) False · 5 c) The first thirty minutes of each journey free
- C. 1 docking stations · 2 convinced · 3 every journey · 4 another fortnight