Practice English Listening Tests for B1 – Listening Test 35

8 B   9 B   10 C   11 C   12 B   13 A

Audioscripts

8   You will hear two friends talking about doing exercise.

Woman:   Hi Tom, how are you?

Man:   Fine thanks, but I need to get more exercise.

Woman:   You could join a gym. The one at the end of your road’s expensive, but it has lots of good machines.

Man:   I know, but it’s when to go, I’m at work all day, often till late. There’s a swimming pool near my office, but it’s always crowded there. The best option’s probably cycling to work. Bikes cost a lot, so I guess I’ll end up spending as much as I would on going to the gym, but I think I’ll look for one anyway.

9   You will hear two people talking in a restaurant.

Man:   What did you think of the meal? The soup had an unusual flavour.

Woman:   I thought it needed more pepper and garlic. But the salmon was wonderful.

Man:   It took a while to come, but my tuna was gorgeous. Lots of butter and herbs. I’d love to have the recipe. I’m not so sure about the dessert you had though – it looked a bit strange.

Woman:   I thought it was really nice. In fact I’d say it was my favourite part of the meal. But unfortunately I couldn’t eat it all.

Man:   I’m not a fan of desserts. I’d rather have a bigger main dish.

10   You will hear a woman telling her friend about her neighbours.

Man:   How are you getting on with your new neighbours?

Woman:   Well, they always smile and say hello. I think they have a lot of visitors because I hear them chatting and playing music in the evenings.

Man:   Oh, that’s annoying, especially if you need to sleep!

Woman:   Actually, I don’t mind – I can sleep through anything, and they won’t be able to complain if I make a noise! But what bothers me is the mess they’ve left outside – loads of empty boxes from when they moved in. I think I’ll have a chat with them, but I don’t want to seem rude.

11   You will hear two friends talking about a new museum.

Woman:   Have you been to the new history museum in the high street yet?

Man:   Yes, it’s fantastic, isn’t it?

Woman:   There was so much to see. The displays of 19th-century costumes were brilliant. I’m amazed you enjoyed looking at that kind of thing though, especially the fashion stuff … I really wanted to stay at the museum longer. It’s a shame it closes so early. Anyway, I wouldn’t mind having another look around, but I’ll have to wait until next weekend as that’s when I’m not working.

12   You will hear a man talking to a colleague about a hotel he stayed in.

Woman:   How was the hotel you stayed in?

Man:   It was comfortable enough and easy to reach from the station, but it wasn’t walking distance from the city centre, which is how it was advertised. It looked closer on the map. It was on a main road, so that was convenient for taxis, but there was lots of traffic. I was worried it’d be noisy in my room at night, but I hardly heard anything.

Woman:   Would you recommend it for me and my husband?

Man:   I was in a double room and there was only just enough space. Fine for me, but not really big enough for two.

13   You will hear two passengers talking on an aeroplane.

Man:   We’ve finally taken off!

Woman:   I’m so pleased. It’s a while since I’ve flown, but I recently started a new job and the long distances I need to travel for it just make flying a better option than the train.

Man:   I know what you mean. I do this same journey every month when I visit my family. They live a long way from the capital. I get nervous flying, but it’s just so much easier than any other form of transport.

Woman:   That’s absolutely true, but I can never get comfortable in the seat. I like watching movies though to pass the time.

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

Audioscripts

Woman:   I’m talking to James Sweeney, who’s a tree-climbing instructor. He teaches people who want to learn for different reasons. How did you get interested in trees, James?

Man:   I grew up around trees, because my mother was a garden designer. I often spent time in the gardens she worked on, although I wasn’t allowed to go up the trees. What really got me into them was that Mom had a friend who was an arborist – someone who takes care of trees – and he offered me a job one summer.

Woman:   And then you went on a course to learn to climb trees. How was that?

Man:   Well I was expecting everyone in the class to be young and fit, because I thought you needed to be strong to climb trees. In fact there were middle-aged climbers, children – even old people! There was obviously special equipment to make climbing safe. We stayed in the trees for hours because it was so much fun!

Woman:   And then you became a teacher of tree-climbing yourself … What do you enjoy most about it?

Man:   It’s great to be in the open, although not so much in the rain or when it’s very hot. And I like working with people. Particularly teaching those whose jobs involve having to go up trees, like scientists, for example. There aren’t so many of them – most people come because of happy memories of a childhood tree-climbing experience.

Woman:   You often travel around the USA, too. Why?

Man:   I live and work in the north-west of this country, and no-one wants to climb trees there in the winter. So I move around. I’ve climbed trees in every US state except Alaska! And in other countries – there’s actually more interest in the subject abroad than here though.

Woman:   And you like sleeping in trees, I understand. Why’s that?

Man:   It’s such a great place to get views of the night sky. People say it must be uncomfortable, but you get used to it – it’s not that bad really. You can’t wake up late in the trees though – even a tiny bird sounds very loud when it’s only a few inches from your head!

Woman:   You’ve climbed trees in rainforests too. How is that different?

Man:   The climbing’s more challenging – not because the trees are harder to climb, but because you have to move more slowly. It’s an important environment, so you need to be careful not to damage it. There are insects living in the trees too. If you go fast you attract them, and you’re more likely to get bitten.

Woman:   Thanks, James… (fade)