Practice English Listening Tests for B2 – Listening Test 25

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

Audioscripts

1   You hear a tour guide talking about her job.

Yes, I really love my job as a tour guide! Of course there are drawbacks, and though I get to see some amazing places, I also know some rather too well – sometimes you do end up wishing you could go somewhere new. My colleagues are great, though, they’re the best thing early, I wouldn’t still be doing this if they weren’t such fun to be with. I’ve had some memorable meals too, not always because I liked them, though! I suppose you do learn to enjoy different things, but I’m still quite a fussy eater so I probably don’t take full advantage of all the good things on offer.

2   You hear the start of a radio programme about cars.

Good evening, and welcome to a special edition of Driving Force, devoted this week to the issue of car security. Engineers are constantly working on the problem, but why is there an increase in the number of vehicles being stolen, despite technological advances in security systems? Can a stolen vehicle be tracked electronically? Do steering wheel locks really work? Can mechanics fit and update new security gadgets easily? With me to discuss these issues is Betty Crawford, designer of the new Vortex GT6, the car which was recently declared Car of the Year.

3   You hear a businesswoman talking to her assistant.    

Terry, you know that report from head office we were talking about? The cost-cutting exercise? Well I have to make a few phone calls now and I wonder if you could write a few notes summarising what we discussed? You could email it to HR so they’ll know what our position is on the proposed changes before Brenda talks to head office. It needs doing straight away because I know she’s in meetings from ten today, and I’d like to make sure our views are taken into account. If you could get on with that now, that would be great.

4   You hear two friends talking about an evening out.

A:   Wasn’t that great? I really enjoyed it!

B:   Yes, what an evening! I really hadn’t expected to enjoy myself so much.

A:   Oh good, I hoped you’d like it. I read some very good reviews of it on the internet, and those people I met at the party – you know, the ones I was telling you about this afternoon – well, they’d been and they said they’d loved it.

B:   Well, I’m very glad on insisted on going. I expected it to be really boring, but it was one of the most exciting plays I’ve ever seen!

5   You hear a man talking about his aunt.

My Aunt Maud was rather a rebel for her time. She grew up in the early part of the twentieth century, when women weren’t really expected to have any profession. At the time, the common belief in upper middle-class families was that girls couldn’t have a career in show business, so her parents were absolutely furious when she told them she had enrolled at drama school and was leaving home! I think they were relieved when her younger brother became a lawyer. And her older brother was a doctor, so that was fine too!

6   You hear a brother and sister talking about a present for their mother.

A:   Amanda, I got Mum’s birthday present, but are you sure she’s going to like it? A guide to Italy?

B:   But it’s a guide to the cooking in different parts of the country. You know how Mum likes to experiment with dishes, and she’s been getting really keen on Italian cooking.

A:   Ah – so she can read about the cooking and then try out the dishes on us.

B:   That’s right; there’s a recipe section in the back. She’ll love it! And we can watch that film you have about Italy when we all have time to sit down together!

7   You hear an announcement in a multiplex cinema.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Gallery Multiplex. Please check your tickets for the start times of the films, and make sure you go to the right section of the cinema. This evening we have Crow’s Nest just starting in Screen 1, and at 18.45 Hurricane starts in Screen 7. In just over 20 minutes, at 18.55, Racing Fever begins in Screen 6, and at the same time Details of the Fall starts in Screen 5. Don’t forget you can buy soft drinks and snacks in the foyer. We hope you have a very enjoyable evening.

8   You hear a ballet dancer talking about an injury.

I’m a professional ballet dancer, so I’m usually pretty careful about the kind of physical work I do away from rehearsals. I know it was a very stupid thing to do, but one day I needed to change the light bulb, and the ladder I used looked quite stable … I was just reaching my arm up to the bulb when it collapsed. All of a sudden, there I was on the ground! I’d never realised back pain could be so awful! Eventually, I painfully pulled myself to my feet and called an ambulance … It’s taken me a while to get myself fit enough for dancing again.

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

Audioscripts

Interviewer:   Hello, Mark, thank you for agreeing to talk to us about your experience of being a student at Gramwell University. I’m sure many of our listeners will be thinking of applying next year, and they’ll be very interested in what you have to say!

Mark Stone:   Thanks, it’s great to be here.

Interviewer:   First of all, why did you choose Gramwell University?

Mark Stone:   Well, no one in my family had been to university before, and my parents couldn’t really help me decide. My mother hoped I’d live at home while I was a student, but I really wanted to go to a different city, and make new friends. And Gramwell is really one of the best places in the country for law, so that’s why I went for it.

Interviewer:   Was there anything that particularly surprised you when you arrived at Gramwell?

Mark Stone:   Yeah, I hadn’t actually realised before I came here how different many things would be. It may sound silly, I know, but I hadn’t actually spent more than a few hours here – when I came on an open day – before arriving at Gramwell as a student. Of course the buildings are all very modern, but I knew that. I just wasn’t prepared for how different everything would feel, you know – most people are my age, so it’s all quite exciting. It rains as much as it always did at home, though!

Interviewer:   And what’s it like, studying law?

Mark Stone:   People told me before I started that I’d find it very stressful. It hasn’t been too bad, though – I’ve really enjoyed the challenge. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of work involved, especially just before a deadline! But the more you put in, the better you do, and as long as you’re well organised, which I am – I think I get that from my mother – then it’s OK?

Interviewer:   Do you have a part-time job?

Mark Stone:   Yes, I share a flat with three other students, and I need to pay the rent! It’s OK though, it makes a change from the library and the people I work with are cool. It is quite tiring though, especially when I’ve been studying all day – I’m a waiter in a busy restaurant, so it certainly keeps me fit!

Interviewer:   I’m sure it does! And what are your lecturers like? Are they helpful?

Mark Stone:   I must admit I was a bit scared of them when I first arrived. You know, I thought ‘Why on earth would they want to talk to someone like me?’. In fact most of them are very interested in how their students are getting on. The problem is that students usually don’t take advantage of the opportunities they have to talk to them. They have times every week when you can go and see them. Even outside of those hours, it’s usually quite easy to find them and they won’t mind at all.

Interviewer:   Do you mainly mix with other law students?

Mark Stone:   I have some very good friends here in the law faculty, but because I lived in a big student residence in my first year, I met people doing all sorts of courses. It was nice not to talk about law for a change! One of my best friends is reading history, and I’m sharing a flat with him, as well as a biologist and a drama student!

Interviewer:   Sounds fun! And what’s the social life like at Gramwell?

Mark Stone:   There are lots of societies, and good sports facilities – there’s even a skateboarding club! I’ve made friends that way too – I’m in the basketball team – and as long as you don’t let it take up too much of your time, it’s a really good way of unwinding and forgetting about work for a while. And then when I get back to my desk, I’m definitely more focused. I know some people think we just spend all our time at parties, but that’s not actually the case.

Interviewer:   Well, thanks, Mark, it’s been great talking to you. Good luck with your studies!

Mark Stone:   Thank you!