Practice English Listening Tests for B2 - Listening Test 03

Listening 1

You will hear people talking in eight different situations. For questions 1-8, choose the best answer (A, B or C).

1 You hear a girl telling a friend about a charity walk she went on.

What does she say about the walk?

A There was an unexpected change in the weather.

B Some people had to give up due to injury.

C The route was more difficult than usual.

2 You hear a teacher talking to his class about a play they are going to see at the theatre.

What does he want them to do?

A compare their impressions of the play before and after their visit

B carefully consider the motives of one of the characters

C think about whether the stage scenery is appropriate

3 You hear a girl talking about her brother’s new job.

Why did he decide to apply for it?

A to have a complete change from his former position

B to be offered the opportunity to travel

C to improve his promotion prospects

4 You hear a boy talking to his sister about the meal she’s cooking.

How does she respond to what he says?

A She objects to his criticism.

B She’s grateful for his suggestion.

C She improves on his idea.

5 You hear a boy telling a friend about a toy he played with as a child.

What does he say about it?

A He always felt dissatisfied with it.

B He made more friends because of it.

C His dad felt sad once he stopped playing with it.

6 You hear a girl getting advice from a friend about some creative writing homework.

Which advice does she decide to follow?

A finding an alternative way of getting inspired

B seeking help from a reliable source

C taking some time out before continuing

7 You hear a teacher telling her class about an exhibition on their city’s architecture.

What does she want them to do there?

A consider what has influenced changes in the city’s architecture

B decide to what extent the city has been improved

C come up with ideas for further changes to benefit other cities.

8 You hear a boy telling his cousin about a skiing trip he went on.

After hearing his story, his cousin

A admits that he would have felt the same as him.

B agrees that he took the right course of action.

C suggests that it isn’t entirely true.

Answer & Audioscript

1 A 2 B 3 C 4 C 5 C 6 B 7 A 8 C

Audioscript

Tim: How was your charity walk, Megan?

Megan: Brilliant! Yeah, everyone enjoyed it. We do it every year, but it’s always a struggle for me to get to the end – it’s 25km, which is further than I ever walk usually! I think everyone’s feet were really sore by the end, and a couple of people hurt their ankles – the path goes up over some quite rough ground by the late – but they made it over the finish line.

Tim: I guess the rain halfway around didn’t help.

Megan: No, that was a pain, especially as it hadn’t been forecast. But it actually cleared up before the end, so that make crossing the finish line even better!

Now as you know, we’ve booked to see the play Cumberdown on Thursday. We’ve done a lot of work on it in class, but you may well change your opinions about it once you see it performed! As we’ve noticed, the storyline revolves around the actions of the hero’s brother, so as you’re matching, ask yourselves why he behaved as he did – and be prepared to share your answers next week. The art students among you will definitely get some inspiration for your next project from the scenery the designers have come up with, although personally I feel it’s too decorative for the play. Right, let’s move on to today’s lesson …

Darren: So how’s your brother’s new job going, Kirstie?

Kirstie: Fine, thanks – he seems to be settling in OK.

Darren: Good. I was surprised he’s looked for another job. I thought he was happy in his old one.

Kirstie: Well, he was, and he enjoyed the work, but he just felt he wouldn’t move up and get to take on more responsibility if he stayed there. There are some similarities between that job and what he’s doing now, though – you know, going abroad and stuff. He’s been asked to go to the United States on business next month, which he hadn’t expected so soon, so he’s pleased about that.

Darren: I’m sure – lucky him!

Andrew: What are you making, Jackie?

Jackie: Oh, a pie for supper – it’s Dad’s favourite. I wanted to surprise him.

Andrew: Hmm … are you sure it’s supposed to look like that? It’s a strange shape.

Jackie: Oh, don’t worry – that’s only because I added more meat and vegetables before I put the pastry on top. There wouldn’t have been enough for all of us otherwise.

Andrew: Right. Maybe you could put some decoration or something on top, just to make it look nicer?

Jackie: Yeah, I’ve already made some shapes to put on. Look. I think I’ll brush the top with some egg, too – then it’ll be nice and golden once it’s cooked!

Andrew: Sounds good!

Saskia: Who’s that boy in the photo, Sam?

Sam: Oh, that’s me when I was eight or nine – holding a model train engine. It used to belong to my dad.

Saskia: Was it part of that train set you’ve still got in your room?

Sam: Yeah, my dad and I built all that together – my mates used to come round and we’d spend hours playing with it. That engine was Dad’s favourite, but it didn’t go as fast as some of the others I’d got, so I finally just put it in a box in my room. He was quite upset, I think, but we did manage to find a replacement.

Saskia: Right.

Nadim: What’s up, Yasmin?

Yasmin: Oh, it’s that story we’ve got to write for our English class. Usually I’ve got loads of ideas, but nothing’s coming this time. I’m unwilling to ask Mrs Watson for help until I’m really desperate …

Nadim: Well, she’d be the best person to ask. And your dad’s a writer – if anyone’d know how to tackle it, he would! Or how about flicking through some story books? That could spark some ideas.

Yasmin: Honestly, I can’t think of anything. I’ll have to admit defeat and speak to someone who knows more about it.

Nadim: Maybe you could have a break from it and come back to it later?

Yasmin: Yeah, I could – if it wasn’t due in two days!

Nadim: Right.

OK, let’s talk about next Tuesday’s trip to the city architecture exhibition. Over the last century, the city’s experienced a lot of reconstruction, and as we discussed last week, it’s largely down to that that our environment has improved. As you’ll see at the exhibition, many artists and designers got involved in the city’s regeneration, but just how far did they contribute to the buildings we have today and what other factors were involved as well? That’s something you should give some thought to. And if any potential architects among you can think of ways to make the city even better, do share them when we get back!

Alexis: So, how was your skiing trip?

Dan: Well, I’d never skied before, so I wasn’t whizzing down the slopes immediately. But our instructor was brilliant – I improved quickly.

Alexis: Great.

Dan: Anyway, he finally took us down a really steep slope. I was pretty confident and managing to keep control, but then I started heading for a tree …

Alexis: Oh, no.

Dan: I know. The only way I could stop was to fall over in the snow.

Alexis: You could’ve been badly hurt, doing that. I mean, it’s hard to believe that the instructor would’ve let you loose like that, knowing you’d only just started to learn to ski. In your position, I’d have refused to even try it.

Dan: Yeah, well …

Listening 2

You will hear an interview with a student called Ella about the work experience she is currently doing as a lighting technician. For questions 24-30, choose the best answer (A, B or C).

24 Ella suggests that her interest in lighting started with

A the lights she once saw at a theatre show.

B an outstanding light show at a rock concert.

C the effects of a fireworks display.

25 Ella says that the work of theatre lighting technicians

A can vary according to the director they’re working with.

B can be more complex than she’d initially realised.

C can be important for people’s understanding of a play.

26 Ella thinks that members of a theatre audience

A only really notice the lighting when something goes wrong.

B generally appreciate what good lighting adds to a performance.

C rarely react to lighting effects.

27 Ella mentions an early lighting plan she made at school that

A relied on technology that the school didn’t have.

B was too difficult for anyone to follow.

C overlooked a key point about the play it was intended for.

28 During her research into theatre lighting, Ella

A felt disappointed to find that she knew so little about it.

B was impressed at what theatres achieved before using electricity.

C wondered whether modern lighting has spoilt the atmosphere in theatres.

29 After seeing the technology available for modern theatre lighting, Ella

A is excited by the creative possibilities it offers.

B thinks it has made a technician’s job easier than it used to be.

C has realised it’s important not to use it unnecessarily.

30 What does Ella feel might be a disadvantage of the job?

A It will probably always involve long hours.

B She may never become famous for what she does.

C It could take her years to reach the top of her profession.

Answer & Audioscript

24 A 25 C 26 A 27 C 28 B 29 C 30 B

Audioscript

Interviewer: I’m with Ella Fletcher, who’s currently doing work experience as a lighting technician at a theatre. Ella, welcome. What attracted you to this job?

Ella: Well, I’ve always been interested in brightly-coloured light shows, like the ones you see at rock concerts. I’ve always been keen on fireworks displays too. But I think a play I went to ages ago was the original inspiration – the memory of the amazing, constantly changing lighting they used at that theatre has stayed with me. I just know I’ll be happy in this area of work.

Interviewer: So what do theatre lighting technicians do, exactly?

Ella: Well, our theatre director once said some people think we just turn the lights on and off at the beginning and end of a performance – which really underestimates what we do! Not everyone thinks like that, though! In fact, lighting technicians really help the audience to get what’s happening on the stage during a play. Depending on the action, you can make a scene beautiful one minute and miserable the next – all with lights!

Interviewer: And to audiences ever comment on theatre lighting?

Ella: Well, they might do if they think it’s been particularly impressive during the performance, but not really. I just like the idea that you can create different moods with lighting – which the audience will always respond to, even though they won’t always realise how it’s being done. Of course, if the lighting completely failed for some reason, I guess people would comment on that!

Interviewer: You started getting involved with stage lighting at school, didn’t you?

Ella: I did. For the first production I helped with, I drew up a really detailed plan for the play lighting – you know, total darkness at one point, one big light at another. We had some sophisticated lighting equipment in the school hall, which I was keen to experiment with. My teacher was impressed – but then politely pointed out the play was actually set during the day, so no darkness was required! Now I make sure I’ve read any play I want to work on very carefully before I share my ideas with anyone!

Interviewer: And you’ve also started researching the history of theatre lighting.

Ella: Yes, I was asked to do it for the play we’re producing at the moment, and I got really into it! There was a lot I didn’t know, like the fact that electric lighting wasn’t used in theatres until the late 19th century. So before that, they just used candles, and then gaslights – which would have created a really special atmosphere, I think. It’s awesome to think about all the great performances that went on in the past despite the lack of modern lighting.

Interviewer: So how do you think technology has changed the job?

Ella: Well, it’s hard for me to tell, as I’ve grown up with technology, but my boss says it’s changed things enormously. In the theatre I’m in, for example, there’s now a digital desk that can store loads of different lighting combinations. This means technicians on big productions can now create thousands of fantastic changes in lighting during one performance, although they probably have to be programmed in, which is quite complicated. But my boss says that even though we now have all these options, he still believes ‘less is more’ and that we shouldn’t use absolutely everything if the overall effect isn’t as good as simple lighting. That’s been an important lesson for me.

Interviewer: You’re obviously enjoying your work experience, Ella. But is there anything you might not enjoy about the job as a career?

Ella: Well, there are long hours, for sure, but I can cope with that! I have realised that unlike actors or theatre directors, my name may never be recognised by the public, though. Still, lighting technicians do win awards, so that’s something I might hope to achieve one day! But I’m right at the beginning of my career at the moment, so I’m not in a hurry.

Interviewer: Right! Thanks, Ella!