Practice English Listening Tests for B1 – Listening Test 37

1 C   2 A   3 C   4 C   5 B   6 A

Audioscripts

1   You will hear two friends talking about a school trip to a wildlife park.

Girl:   Did you enjoy the wildlife park?

Boy:   I thought it was OK. Though I’d prefer it if places like that only had animals that feel at home with the local weather, even if they’re ones that are in danger. It seems unfair keeping animals from hot countries in parks where it’s cold.

Girl:   You couldn’t learn about animals from other places then.

Boy:   True, but on the trip, most of them were so far away it was impossible to study them properly.

Girl:   At least there were posters about all of the animals.

Boy:   No one was actually reading them, though.

2   You will hear two friends discussing a talk they went to.

Boy:   I enjoy it when the college organises talks like that.

Girl:   Me too, and what the speaker was talking about gave me some good ideas for my science project.

Boy:   I’m doing mine on a very different topic, actually. It was interesting, though. She’s obviously done a lot of talks like this before – she knows exactly how to get everyone’s attention by including some funny stories as well as the serious stuff.

Girl:   I couldn’t stop laughing at one of them. I liked the photos of those old scientists in her presentation.

Boy:   I’ve seen most of them before on the internet, actually.

3   You will hear two friends talking about a new classmate.

Boy:   What do you think of our new classmate?

Girl:   I like her. I keep wanting to call her by the wrong name, though, because she looks a bit like a girl at my running club.

Boy:   Oh dear! You’ll upset her if you do.

Girl:   Don’t worry, I won’t! She seemed quite quiet to begin with, like someone who’d rather just get on with their work in class, and finds it hard to talk to others and make friends. She’s become much more sociable quite quickly, though.

Boy:   Yes, and now she chats just as much as any of us.

Girl:   Possibly even more!

4   You will hear two friends talking about a college play they’re in.

Boy:   Are you free one day after college this week?

Girl:   Yes, on Wednesday. Why?

Boy:   Well, you know there’s the college play coming up? And thanks to you, I got one of the best roles – the one I really wanted …

Girl:   Yes.

Boy:   There are some bits I’m not happy with. I feel like I’m standing in the wrong position and some of what I say doesn’t sound right. It’d be really helpful to have another opinion, but I know you’re busy.

Girl:   Not at all, and are you having trouble remembering what you need to say?

Boy:   My character certainly says a lot, but I’ve always been OK at remembering everything.

5   You will hear two friends talking about school uniforms.

Boy:   I heard our school’s thinking of introducing school uniforms.

Girl:   Really? It’d certainly make choosing what to wear in the morning easier.

Boy:   And I suppose there’d be less washing for me or my mum and dad to do.

Girl:   True, but then they’d need to iron our shirts, which takes ages. I’d feel sorry for the staff, though. They won’t know who’s who if we’re all wearing the same thing.

Boy:   At least to begin with … I read that wearing uniforms actually means students get into trouble less often.

Girl:   I’ll believe that when I see it, though. How can clothes change how you behave?

6   You will hear two friends talking about the journey on a college trip.

Girl:   I thought the journey was going to be difficult.

Boy:   Me too. Normally, it takes hours because the college always hires a really old, slow bus.

Girl:   The train took half the time, though. I wish they’d had something to drink apart from coffee and tea.

Boy:   Yes, and I was hoping to get a sandwich too because I didn’t have time to make one this morning. I’m not sure how much the other people in our carriage enjoyed having thirty college students travelling with them.

Girl:   They usually find it entertaining and start chatting to everyone.

Boy:   Not this time, though.

1 C   2 B   3 C   4 B   5 A   6 C

Audioscripts

Interviewer:   We’ve got TV actress Brittany Briers in the studio. Brittany, how did you discover your love of acting?

Brittany:   When I was twelve, Mum sent me to drama classes – I was always trying to be like TV characters at home, though I never thought that was acting. The others in the class were more experienced and that made me nervous, but I learned enough to act in a school play. Being on stage then was definitely what got me interested!

Interviewer:   What was your first professional theatre performance like?

Brittany:   You’ll probably expect me to say I felt calm ’cos of my training. The opposite was true! The person I played had an American accent – I kept thinking I’d go back to my own. I’m sure things like not remembering your lines are embarrassing when there’s a huge audience. I made sure that didn’t happen.

Interviewer:   Later you went into TV acting. Why?

Brittany:   It wasn’t that I got bored of the theatre. I was seen on stage by a director who thought I was perfect for a TV series he was making. I thought ‘Why not learn some fresh skills?’ The extra money was useful ’cos I was saving for a house – I’d never take a job just for money, though.

Interviewer:   Is TV filming more difficult than stage acting?

Brittany:   It’s different. There’s no audience, no clapping. That’s strange at first, though the director will tell you when you’ve done well. Sometimes you film the same bit over and over. That’s annoying till you realise it’s important to get it right. Then, in a theatre you have to make sure people at the back can hear – on screen that sounds like shouting. I have to be reminded about that lots!

Interviewer:   What do you love most about your job?

Brittany:   When a new TV series comes out and my family get excited – I prefer not to watch myself on screen and I’ve never been to any actors’ events – though I wouldn’t mind doing that one day. I get the real excitement from picking up the envelope containing my next role and I start reading the lines straightaway.

Interviewer:   Is there anything you don’t like about being an actor?

Brittany:   Some people find it hard to deal with being recognised in the street. That isn’t my favourite part of the job, but I accept it – most people are friendly. Getting up before it’s light is something I’ve never got used to, and I never will! But once a series is finished, you can take a long break, if you need to.