Practice English Listening Tests for B1 – Listening Test 16

8 B   9 A   10 A   11 C   12 B   13 A

Audioscripts

8   You will hear two friends talking about a book they read.

Man:   What did you think of the new Inspector Lawson book?

Woman:   I’ve only just finished it. It took me quite a while to read this one.

Man:   It’s not that long, is it?

Woman:   No, it’s a fairly short book, but I found the plot very difficult to follow, so I had to keep going back and reading things again to work out what was going on.

Man:   It had a great ending, though, didn’t it?

Woman:   To be honest, I’m not really keen on endings that leave the reader guessing. I like the writer to tell me exactly what happened.

9   You will hear a boy telling a friend about his uncle.

Boy:   So, my uncle has moved into the house next door to us.

Girl:   Oh, that’s great. Have you been to visit him yet?

Boy:   Yeah, I called in yesterday. He’s great, but I don’t think we’ll be seeing much of him.

Girl:   Why? Does he travel a lot?

Boy:   No, he doesn’t at all. But he’s already a member of every local club you can think of! He’s in two choirs, the chess club, the film club, the bowling club, and he’s a member of the gym, too.

Girl:   Wow! It sounds as though he likes to keep busy!

10   You will hear two people talking about a friend.

Man:   What are you doing on Saturday?

Woman:   I’m meeting Adam in town. We’re going to see a film at the cinema. That’s if he turns up, of course!

Man:   Oh, don’t get me started! I was supposed to meet him last week, and he was over an hour late!

Woman:   I don’t know how he does it. He wears that expensive watch all the time, but I don’t think he ever looks at it!

Man:   You should tell him to meet you an hour earlier than you want him to. That way he might just get there at the right time!

11   You will hear two friends talking about a school trip.

Girl:   Did you enjoy the trip to the museum last week?

Boy:   Yes, it was good, thanks. We saw some interesting things, and I found out some useful information for my history project. I just wish we’d had longer to look around the museum.

Girl:   I thought you were there all day?

Boy:   No, the trip lasted all day. But it took us three hours to get to the museum on the coach, and another three hours to get back. Most of that time was spent trying to get through the city. The traffic there was terrible. By the time we got to the museum, it was nearly time to come home again!

Girl:   That’s a shame.

12   You will hear a girl telling a friend about her new home.

Boy:   So, how’s the new flat your family’s just moved into?

Girl:   Great, thanks! Of course, it’s always strange sleeping in a new place. And every building makes different noises, so that takes some getting used to.

Boy:   Oh yes. And what about the neighbours?

Girl:   I’ve just met one girl around my age so far. She seemed very friendly.

Boy:   It must be a change for you, living in the city now.

Girl:   It is, but it’s really convenient to be so close to everything now … school, all the shops, you know? I love having everything I need right outside my door. I think I’m going to be very happy here.

13   You will hear two friends talking about a new department store.

Girl:   Have you been to that new department store in town?

Boy:   Yes, I went there yesterday. They’ve got a great selection of stuff. You can buy all sorts of unusual things there.

Girl:   I know, and they’re much cheaper than our other department stores, too.

Boy:   I know! I’d shop there all the time if the queues weren’t so long.

Girl:   Oh, they’re awful, aren’t they? They really need to get some more staff if they don’t want to lose a lot of business.

Boy:   I’m sure they will. They won’t want to lose customers.

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

Audioscripts

Interviewer:   Welcome back! I’m here with Alice Parker, who is the owner of a new local business.

Alice:   Hello! My business is called Small World. It’s in the centre of town. It’s different because it isn’t just a shop. At the front, we sell clothes, jewellery, wooden animals, wooden boxes, bowls and other interesting items from around the world. Then, at the back, there’s a small café where we sell different kinds of tea and coffee, and home-made vegetarian snacks.

Interviewer:   Starting your own business is a bit of a risk, isn’t it?

Alice:   Yes. People ask me why I decided to start my own business when it can be so difficult and when you can’t be sure you’ll make any money. Well, I’ve worked for other people in shops and cafés all my life and I wanted to do something on my own. I wanted to work for myself.

Interviewer:   Are you confident that Small World will be a success?

Alice:   Well, I feel that I have good experience of the business world. I’ve also travelled to many countries including Brazil, Kenya, India and Thailand so I know what people want to buy. In fact, it was while I was in Kenya visiting a street market that I had the idea of starting Small World. And although there are businesses like mine in many places in Britain, there’s nothing like it in this area. Most of the things I sell I’ve collected myself. I go abroad regularly in order to get more. I look for things that are original and a bit different. I bring a lot of it back myself, although larger items have to be sent. The prices aren’t too expensive. There’s always something there that most people can afford.

Interviewer:   Do you run the business on your own?

Alice:   At the moment, I employ one other person to work with me, but as we are becoming busier, I’ll probably need more staff. I thought about selling food, too – not just in the café, I mean – but a shop selling international food has just opened near here, so I don’t think I’ll do that right now.

Interviewer:   Do you enjoy being a small business owner?

Alice:   It’s hard work and there are disadvantages. I’m working more hours now than I’ve ever done and that’s probably the most difficult thing. But I enjoy meeting people and get on well with my customers, even the difficult ones. I like travelling and learning about new cultures. It’s great to do something that I’m really interested in.