Practice English Listening Tests for B2 – Listening Test 27

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

Audioscripts

1   You hear two school friends talking about a drumming workshop they will take part in.

A:   Are you looking forward to the music class tomorrow? Remember some professional musicians are coming to do a drumming workshop with us.

B:   Oh, yeah, I’d forgotten about that. I’ve never done any drumming before. It’s not that I mind having a go, and I suppose it’s not too technical, but aren’t we supposed to be giving a performance for the rest of the school at the end of it? I’m not really into getting up on stage in front of everyone – I could totally mess it up.

A:   Don’t worry! It’s new for all of us and no one will expect us to be perfect – it’s all about having fun!

2   You hear a woman talking about a shopping trip.

A:   How was your shopping trip?

B:   Well, I wasn’t looking for anything myself as I’d got that new coat last week, but I’d promised Mum I’d help her find an outfit for the wedding she and Dad are going to. I knew it was a bad idea – not because of Mum, of course, but because I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist treating myself once we got into town. Which is why I’d actually given myself a small budget, despite what I spent last time. Anyway, it ended up being a successful trip – Mum got a really nice suit and I came back with a cool pair of earrings!

3   You hear a man talking about a car he used to own.

I got a sports car as soon as I could afford it, and it wasn’t really very economical, but I decided I could live with that. However, after a few weeks I got a job further away from home, and I realised it was the wrong car for long journeys; it was too noisy, there wasn’t enough leg room, the suspension was broken and you could feel every bump in the road. That’s why I decided to sell it. I’ve still got to get from A to B, though, and I’ve got my eye on something at the car showroom. I’m going to go and test drive it later.

4   You hear a woman phoning the reception desk of her hotel.

Hello, I wonder if you could help me? I’m in room 447 – I just checked in this morning – and there seems to be something wrong with the radiators – they won’t come on, so it’s very cold in here. I tried turning the control knob, but it simply won’t move. Could you send someone to have a look at it, please? Oh, and could you tell me how to operate the TV? I’ve been trying to follow the instructions for the control but I seem to be doing something wrong. Everything else seems fine – I had a problem with getting the door to lock but I’ve worked it out!

5   You hear a girl talking to her father about a school trip.

A:   So how many kids from your class are going on this trip?

B:   Practically everyone’s going, Dad! We go on a guided tour of the city, including the Eiffel Tower and a boat trip on the Seine, and then we’re back in London by Sunday afternoon, so I’ll be home early on Sunday night.

A:   Oh, I have no doubt the activities will be worthwhile. Paris is a lovely city and it’s not the expense that’s bothering me either – I just want to make sure you have enough supervision and won’t be spending all day wandering about on your own.

B:   You’re kidding! Every minute of our time is going to be organised!

6   You hear a man describing a trip in a hot-air balloon.

As soon as we took off, the basket started swaying from side to side, which took a while to get used to, but it was no major concern, really, Apart from the slight creaking that caused, there wasn’t a sound to be heard. After doing quite a bit of flying in commercial planes, I think that’s what stunned me most about this flight. Drifting along with the wind helped me chill out – I got real peace of mind knowing there was nothing to do but sit back! I think it made one or two of the other passengers a bit nervous, but the operator had everything perfectly in order.

7   You hear two friends talking about an exercise routine.

A:   Have you heard about high intensity training? There was a programme on about it last night.

B:   You mean the regime where you just do three minutes of exercise a week and that’s supposed to be enough to keep you fit? I can’t see how that could possibly work, do you?

A:   I had my doubts about it initially – though the scientist on the programme did a good job of explaining things. Cycling as fast as you can for three minutes must be exhausting!

B:   Do you really think so? It can’t be too challenging to do three minutes a week, can it?

A:   I guess it wouldn’t be too hard to keep up.

8   You hear a woman talking about a magazine she used to read as a teenager.

I remember the magazine used to come out on Fridays, and every Friday after school I’d race round to the newsagent’s and buy a copy, and then spend all evening reading it. It was aimed at girls exactly like me; it gave you ideas how to choose accessories, how to wear make-up and had information about the latest trends in fashion. The only thing it didn’t have was interviews with pop stars and free posters! I sent in a story once that I’d written for it – I was convinced it’d get published as I thought it was a great story. I never heard anything back from them, though!

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

Audioscripts

Interviewer:   Today I’m going to be talking to a successful young American singer, Kay Stanley, about a special aspect of her work – one that’s not very well known on this side of the Atlantic. And that’s the Stanley Trust. Kay, welcome to the programme. Would you start by explaining what the Stanley Trust is?

Key Stanley:   Sure. It’s basically an organisation set up by my father to help kids who have problems reading and writing – kids with dyslexia. I’m dyslexic myself, you see, and after I had been diagnosed, my dad realised there weren’t many organisations for dyslexic kids, and he decided to set one up himself a few years later.

Interviewer:   I believe one of the problems with dyslexia is that it isn’t diagnosed in many cases, or not early enough. Was this what happened with you?

Key Stanley:   I used to learn stories off by heart by playing the tapes of them over and over again, and then pretend to read them. In fact, I was so good at it that my mum only guessed there was something wrong when she caught me learning the stories like that! Then my parents got me examined by a doctor, and luckily, he knew something about dyslexia, so he sent me to an expert.

Interviewer:   And what did the expert say about your condition?

Key Stanley:   He said I’m pretty fortunate because my condition is less severe, compared to other people with dyslexia. Some people have a great deal of trouble spelling even the most simple, high-frequency words. Other people have difficulty reading very short notices and signs. Of course the experts see all sorts of people so they can build up a picture of the different effects it has.

Interviewer:   You must know quite a lot about it yourself by now?

Key Stanley:   I do, yes, but one of the problems with dyslexia is that even the specialists don’t really understand it. They know dyslexics think in a different way from other people. They often have distinctive talents and a creative imagination. But whether dyslexia has other effects on the brain or not, nobody really knows. Some people say you use a different sort of logic if you’re dyslexic, and it’s easier for you to solve problems, but of course it’s hard to test that.

Interviewer:   And once you were diagnosed, did you start to improve?

Key Stanley:   Not immediately. At first, I was too unhappy about the whole thing, and my parents felt frustrated and confused. I knew at an early age that I wanted to become a singer, and getting school qualifications was not a priority for me. In the end, I did work hard to improve my reading skills just to show my fellow students that I was every bit as clever as they were.

Interviewer:   Is it better for children with dyslexia to get special treatment?

Key Stanley:   It depends what you mean by that. I don’t think it’s a good idea to isolate them and put them in special schools, because that makes them feel awkward. On the other hand, they do need extra teaching in reading and writing, by teachers who understand the problem.

Interviewer:   And getting back to the Stanley Trust, how do you feel you can best help the Trust? Will you be giving speeches about dyslexia in public?

Key Stanley:   I doubt it. I think the public would get tired of someone like me talking about the subject all the time. It seems to me the best thing I can do is set a good example of how dyslexics can live a normal, happy life.

Interviewer:   Well, I wish you luck with that. And thank you for talking to us today.

Key Stanley:   Thank you.