Practice English Listening Tests for B1 – Listening Test 13

8 C   9 A   10 B   11 C   12 A   13 B

Audioscripts

8   You will hear a man talking to his wife about a podcast.

Man:   I downloaded a really interesting podcast yesterday about history.

Woman:   Really? Do you think Jennifer would find it useful for her exams?

Man:   I’m not sure it covers the subjects she’s studying but the presenter is that guy on TV she loves, so that might interest her.

Woman:   Does it cost anything?

Man:   You can download the podcast for nothing. There’s a course he offers that you need to pay for. But she might not want that if the topic is different. Let’s see what she thinks of the podcast first.

Now listen again.

9   You will hear two friends talking about a new mobile phone.

Man:   So, are you enjoying your new phone? It certainly looks fantastic.

Woman:   It’s OK. It certainly cost enough! I’m not sure it’s a big improvement on the previous one, to be honest.

Man:   Why did you get a new one then?

Woman:   Well, I was getting these emails encouraging me to get the latest model. The other one had a little bit of damage to the screen, which didn’t look very nice. But it worked and I could do all the things I needed to do with it. Oh well, never mind!

Now listen again.

10   You will hear a woman talking to her husband about washing clothes.

Woman:   There’s something wrong with the washing machine. It seems to go on forever!

Man:   Not again’ We’ve had problems with it ever since we bought it.

Woman:   So, what should we do? We need to do the washing. Shall we get someone to have a look at it?

Man:   I don’t think it’s worth it. We’ve had people out before and they’re never cheap. I know we only bought it a couple of years ago but maybe it’s time to think about getting a new one. Shall we have a look online?

Now listen again.

11   You will hear two friends talking about living in the countryside.

Man:   I’ve been watching that programme on TV about moving to the countryside.

Woman:   That one about people who don’t want to live in the city anymore? I like having lots of people around me. Being on my own somewhere in the countryside wouldn’t suit me.

Man:   True, but if you have a car it doesn’t take long to get what you need. That wouldn’t bother me. I know people think it’s good for your health but not if you’re unhappy living there.

Now listen again.

12   You will hear two friends talking about travelling by plane.

Man:   I’ve been thinking about the number of flights I take a year. It’s not good for the environment.

Woman:   I know. It’s a worry, isn’t it?

Man:   It’s more expensive to travel by train than to fly on some short journeys. No wonder people choose to go by plane.

Woman:   I don’t think putting the price up would be very popular, do you?

Man:   I certainly wouldn’t like it. I think we should avoid travelling abroad for our holidays. That would probably make a difference.

Now listen again.

13   You will hear two friends talking about a local businesswoman.

Woman:   I was reading about Emily Wainwright, the local businesswoman of the year.

Man:   Mmm, she sounds like an interesting person, doesn’t she? That new shop she has in town is doing really well. It’s always busy when I go past.

Woman:   She seems to be popular with other businesspeople too.

Man:   I know. Her new business partner was on the radio the other day. He was explaining that she always recommends other local companies to customers and helps other women who are thinking of starting their own business.

Now listen again.

20 B   21 C   22 A   23 A   24 C   25 B

Audioscripts

Interviewer:   We have Carrie Lewis on the show today, who has just returned from a four-month holiday in Europe. Have you always spent so long travelling?

Carrie:   During the past few years I have tried to do as much travelling as possible. I’m 22 and I know eventually I have to start a career, but at the moment I want to see as much of the world as possible before I have responsibilities like children.

Interviewer:   But where do you find the money to go on such long holidays?

Carrie:   Well, I certainly don’t stay in expensive hotels. I wish I could. I often go camping or stay with people I have met on an earlier holiday. Most places have youth hostels that can be fairly cheap, though I haven’t stayed in one for a while. Then of course you can always find work while you’re travelling.

Interviewer:   Is that easy to do?

Carrie:   It depends where you are. It’s usually easy to find work as a waiter or waitress, but it’s a good idea to arrive early in the year as the jobs get taken quickly. In some countries you can work on farms picking fruit. A friend of mine found work in a hotel and I might try that myself next year.

Interviewer:   So where did you go this year?

Carrie:   I started in France and spent time travelling around some of the big cities. But I wanted to get to Greece to work in a restaurant. I had written to a few places before I left home and one of them had offered me work so I wanted to get there as soon as possible. I went by train and found a place to stay in Athens.

Interviewer:   And did you get the job?

Carrie: I did. It was a lovely family restaurant in Athens, and they were looking for someone who could speak English to help with the customers. They’ve got children who can speak it but they weren’t around over the summer, so they employed me.

Interviewer:   So that paid for your holiday then?

Carrie:   Most of it, yes. It was perfect for me as they only wanted me to work there during the week. That meant I could visit the islands at the weekend. I used to catch the boat on Friday evening, have two nights on an island somewhere and then get back on Sunday night ready for work.

Now listen again.