Listening Exercises

Listen to the conversation again by pressing the Play Audio button and read along with the conversation. Review the Key Vocabulary and the sample sentences.

Woman: Hey. Have you been watching any of the World Cup soccer matches? Man: Well, I was watching until my favorite team was bounced out of the first round of play. I mean, they should have made all the way to the second round, but a whole series of events cost the team the opportunity to prove themselves on the world stage. Woman: What do you mean? Man: Well, in the first match, two of their star players were out with nagging injuries, so the rest of the players, unfortunately, just couldn't keep up with the opposing team. Woman: Well, that just life. I mean every team is going to have players out with injuries. Man: Yea, but that's beside the point. And, and then, in the second game, the refs made some terrible calls, allowing the opposing team to slip by with a victory. I mean, we were robbed on that one. The refs must have been walking in their sleep! Woman: But, didn't one of your own players accidentally kick the ball twice into his own goal? I mean that doesn't sound like a bad call to me. Man: That's just beside the POINT! Woman: Really? Man: And finally, our team was ahead in the final watch---I mean they were way out ahead until the other team rallied in the final three minutes of play to squeak out a victory. It was a total embarrassment for our team. Our team was booed. All I can say is that the sun must have been in our players' eyes . . . Woman: Uh, wasn't it a night game? Man: That's beside the point, too. You just not understanding anything I'm saying. Woman: So, who are you rooting for now, seeing that your team has been eliminated? Man: Ah, I can't watch any more soccer, so I've been following an online chess tournament. Woman: What?! Now, that has to be the most ridiculous reaction I have ever heard of. So, you're going to completely boycott the rest of the play just because your team got bounced out of the tournament? Man: Ah, forget it. You just don't understand.

Key Vocabulary [Top]

• be bounced out of (verb): be eliminated from
  - The team will be bounced out of of the tournament unless they improve their play.

• nagging (adjective): a continual unpleasant feeling that lasts for a long time
  - I've had a nagging pain in my neck that just won't go away.

• keep up with (verb): keep pace with or up to the level with
  - I never could keep up with with my brother when we ran races in high school.

• slip by (verb): barely pass by
  - My sister was able to slip by the final runner near the end of the race.

• rally (verb): come together for a common effort
  - The company employees rallied together to help a coworker who was suffering from cancer.

• squeak out (verb): barely pass or win something
  - Unfortunately, our team wasn't able to squeak out a victory in the last two minutes of play.

• root for (verb): show support for
  - The more fans that come to the event and root for the team, the better luck we might have.

• boycott (verb): refuse to take part in something
  - Several countries boycotted the sporting event due to political issues.

Vocabulary Activities [Top]

Now, do these exercises to review the vocabulary. Then, return back to the Post-Listening Exercise to use the vocabulary in real conversations. [Why do these?]

• Mixed-Up Sentence
• Multiple-Choice and Short-Answer Questions
• Sentence and Vocabulary Matching