Practice English Listening Tests for B1 – Listening Test 39

1 C   2 B   3 A   4 C   5 B   6 A

Audioscripts

1   You will hear two friends talking about going skiing.

Boy:   Are you going skiing again this winter?

Girl:   Probably. It’s funny because we go every year and then my parents spend the whole holiday worrying about my brother and I getting hurt. Falling over is part of the experience.

Boy:   I wouldn’t fancy it.

Girl:   I wish we didn’t go for two weeks, though. I love it to begin with but lose interest by the end of the first week.

Boy:   You could go somewhere warm by the sea in winter instead, like we do.

Girl:   I love spending time by the sea, but the same thing happens. Before long, I just want to go somewhere else!

2   You will hear two friends talking about professional football.

Boy:   Did you see the match last night?

Girl:   Of course.

Boy:   The TV presenters were complaining about the mistakes the managers made with the teams they chose and how they should play. It must be impossible for them to get it right every time.

Girl:   It’s easy if you’re watching on TV, but much harder when you’ve actually got to make those decisions yourself.

Boy:   Exactly. And footballers who get paid millions of pounds a year should really listen more to what managers tell them.

Girl:   I guess players earn it, with all the training and stuff, but you should still do what you’re told.

3   You will hear two friends talking about a cycling club.

Girl:   I’m getting my new bike on Saturday.

Boy:   Hey, great! I’d love to see it. Actually, a few of us are going out with the club on Sunday. If you could come, it’d be your first time since becoming a member, wouldn’t it?

Girl:   Yes, it would.

Boy:   It’ll be a great route. One of the most experienced members has chosen it. It’s the first time we’ve tried it and it looks really interesting – there’s supposed to be some fantastic scenery.

Girl:   I’d love to, but I promised my sister I’d help her then with a homework project she’s got.

Boy:   OK, another time, perhaps.

4   You will hear two friends talking about a sailing course they did.

Boy:   That sailing course was great.

Girl:   Yes. It was a good job I’d read a bit about how to do it before I went, because I couldn’t actually hear a lot of what the teacher said.

Boy:   The sails made quite a lot of noise in the wind, but there was just the right amount for learning how to sail.

Girl:   And the waves were really small too, which made things easier. I think the club needs to spend some money on new boats, though. The one I was in felt like it might fall to bits at any moment

5   You will hear two friends talking about a video game.

Girl:   Have you tried playing City Driving yet?

Boy:   Yes, but I was a bit disappointed with it, actually.

Girl:   Me too, with some of the things in it anyway. The songs that play while you’re driving add to the action at least.

Boy:   That’s true. It’s a shame that the creatures you choose to drive the cars are so dull.

Girl:   They’re just like the ones in several other games I know.

Boy:   I only got to the fifth stage of the game – the racing itself was fairly exciting.

Girl:   I guess we won’t finish the game any time soon – there are a hundred races altogether.

6   You will hear two friends talking about a basketball game they went to.

Girl:   The game last night was a bit disappointing, wasn’t it?

Boy:   It was. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually felt quite sorry for the other team.

Girl:   Me too. To lose by so much must feel awful.

Boy:   Especially as our star player was injured a couple of weeks ago and couldn’t even take part.

Girl:   I think it’s much more exciting to watch when the two sides are about as good as each other. Even if our team doesn’t win.

Boy:   I agree. It was almost like they were playing a team from a much lower league last night.

1 C   2 A   3 B   4 C   5 A   6 B

Audioscripts

Interviewer:   Scott Tenbury, you’re an architect and you’ve lived in some interesting buildings for research. Tell us about the one in Japan.

Scott:   I had what’s called a ‘capsule’ in an apartment block. It was one tiny room – I had to be creative and use interesting ways of getting everything I needed into the space. People asked ‘Isn’t it a bit like living in prison?’ But it’s nothing like that! And I never heard the neighbours, despite living so close to them.

Interviewer:   Interesting! You also once lived in what you called an ‘upside-down’ house.

Scott:   That’s right. It looked like the roof was on the ground and the front door was in the air! All the rooms were in their usual place inside, so it wasn’t that different to live in it. That was a bit disappointing. It wasn’t in an area that tourists visit, but I used to see people taking photos of it from time to time. They’d ask whether the house was difficult to look after – it wasn’t at all.

Interviewer:   You’ve also lived in a container in London – one of those big metal boxes which ships carry things in.

Scott:   Yes – in the city centre. Unfortunately, it had a metal roof and when it rained, I couldn’t hear the television! I wasn’t sorry to leave that behind when I sold it. It took me a while to sell it – although they’re small, they’re not cheap, but I managed to sell it to a young woman – she was an architect too.

Interviewer:   Have you always lived in cities?

Scott:   Yes, they’re wonderful. It’s great watching all those people living their lives – doing similar things in different ways! Many people like going to restaurants, shopping centres – I’m not bothered about all that. I work from home, so could live anywhere, but I love cities.

Interviewer:   What are you designing at the moment?

Scott:   I’m working on my ‘water building’, trying to make a box which appears to float on the water – that’s going well. People have been building on water for centuries, so there are no difficulties there. I want it to be the same grey-blue as the water – it seems almost impossible, because water changes so much with the light!

Interviewer:   What kind of building would you like to design?

Scott:   A railway station – one that’s on different levels. A big monument to trains! It’s not because I want people to say ‘Wow!’, but I’d like the challenge of making something so big and that does something useful, but is beautiful to look at too.