Practice English Listening Tests for B1 – Listening Test 42

1 e)   2 f)   3 b)   4 c)   5 a)   6 d)

Audioscript

Martin:   No, this is my round. Two more pints, please.

Brian:   Thanks, Martin.

Martin:   So … that’s enough talk about work. You look like you’re in great shape, Brian. Playing soccer again?

Brian:   No, I don’t play as much as I used to. But I am training for a marathon next month.

Martin:   Marathon? You’re not going to run 42 miles, are you?

Brian:   No, it’s only 26 actually, or 42 kilometers. Why don’t you do it with me? It’s for a good cause.

Martin:   What, a charity?

Brian:   Yes, Save the Rainforests. I’m hoping to raise $300 at least.

Martin:   You should talk to Olivia. She’s always talking about “saving the planet.” She won’t drive Jack and Megan to school anymore. They have to go on the bus or walk!

Brian:   Sounds great to me. It’s good for the kids! But, Celia’s the same. She recycles all our bottles and newspapers. It’s the only time she uses the car—to take all the garbage to the recycling center!

Carl:   Talking about cycling again?

Brian:   Oh, hi, Carl. No, we were talking about recycling and “saving the planet!”

Carl:   Oh, I’m all in favor of that! I spend hours going around the house, turning off TVs, computers, lights, etc., to save energy.

Brian:   Good for you! Does Christina do the same?

Carl:   You’re telling me! You won’t find a plastic bag in our house! She only uses paper bags now. What about you, Martin? What are you doing to save the planet?

Martin:   I do my part, too. I don’t have baths anymore to save water!

Carl:   What? And you only have a shower once a week?

2

1 13   2 Her dad/father   3 16/sixteen   4 4/four

5 sharing (her) knowledge   6 23/twenty-three

3

1 F   2 T   3 F   4 F   5 T   6 F

Audioscript

Narrator:   Listen to Sally talk about her life and how she came to work at the Sonke One Animal Reserve.

Sally:   The village where I grew up is 13 km away from the Sonke One Animal Reserve. My dad worked there as a ranger and knew a lot about animals and nature. He used to read animal tracks to see the journeys different animals made. I remember as a child that he often took me to work with him. He used to teach me about the animals that lived on the reserve, and, so, because of him, I spent most of my free time outside on the reserve.

When I was 16, I decided to become a ranger, too—it seemed like the natural thing to do. To begin with, I worked four days a week at the reserve and had the rest of the week off for my schoolwork. It was hard to study and work, but I learned more from doing both together. Sometimes I felt so tired I went straight to bed after work, although I did enjoy it. The other rangers were really helpful and always answered any questions I had. It wasn’t unusual for me to spend eight hours a day walking around the reserve. It was the only way to improve my tracking skills and to learn more about the different animals that lived there.

My favorite animal when I was young was the cheetah, and it’s still my favorite today. I feel very lucky to have seen cheetahs at the reserve because not many people get to see one in real life. They are the most beautiful animals in the world, and they’re the fastest, too. They can run over 110 km an hour, but they can’t run fast for a long distance because they get tired quickly. When people come to the reserve, we tell them that cheetahs only hunt in the daytime because they can see better then. This surprises a lot of people because they often think that cheetahs hunt at night like lions and leopards.

For me, one of the best things about being a ranger on this reserve is sharing my knowledge with the people who visit us, but it’s also about being among the animals here. I’ve now worked here for twenty-three years, and I love it even more than the first day I came here with my dad. I can’t imagine doing anything else!