Practice English Listening Tests for B2 - Listening Test 04

Listening 1

You will hear people talking in eight different situations. For questions 1-8, choose the best answer (A, B or C).

1 You hear two friends talking about going to a new chess club at their school.

They both hope that playing chess will

A encourage them to reduce their screen time.

B improve their problem-solving skills.

C help to increase their self-confidence.

2 You hear a teacher telling her class about a shelter they are going to build in the woods.

What is she doing?

A warning them not to make their design too sophisticated

B advising them of the best way to approach the task

C encouraging them to be as creative as possible

3 You hear a boy talking to a friend about seeing his painting displayed in a competition.

How does he feel about the competition now?

A concerned that the message he tried to put across is too difficult

B astonished at the level of entries he’s competing against

C confident that his work is up to the standard of other entrants

4 You hear a student telling his class about a special boat race he took part in.

What does he think contributed to his team’s success?

A the level of their knowledge of engineering

B a chance event near the end of their race

C their determination to row as hard as possible

5 You hear a girl phoning her father.

Why is she phoning him?

A to ask him to do her a favour

B to remind him about what they’d agreed

C to give him more information about a plan

6 You hear two friends talking about a summer reading project they’re involved in.

What does the girl say about her progress?

A She is further behind schedule than their classmates.

B She has struggled to find a book that she’s really enjoyed.

C She has had too many recommendations to get through.

7 You hear a teacher telling her class about a tour of a film studio she has organised for them.

What does she think the students will gain from the trip?

A a better understanding of the director’s influence on the film

B a unique insight into where one particular film was made

C more appreciation for what happens behind the scenes in a film

8 You hear a boy telling a friend about a book he’s reading.

How does the book compare with his expectation?

A The subject matter is more serious.

B The quality of the images is better.

C The storyline is more complex.

Answer & Audioscript

1 B 2 C 3 A 4 B 5 C 6 B 7 C 8 A

Audioscript

Carla: I’d love to learn chess at the new after-school club.

Rick: Me too. My dad’s a good chess player – I’ve played a bit with him. He’s always telling me about the skills it teaches you, working out solutions and stuff. It would be good to improve my game. I might even beat him!

Carla: I thought it might be a good alternative to always being on my laptop. I also think if I was successful at it, it would make me feel better about my thinking skills.

Rick: Really? You’re not lacking in confidence, are you? You’re really good at school. But developing another interest away from video games – that would be a result, I admit …

Carla: So let’s go then!

As you know, we’re having a day in the woods next week, supervised by some forest skills experts. The aim of the day will be to construct a tough survival shelter. So before we go, we need some ideas for designs. I’ve passed around some photos of different shelters to give you inspiration – they range from simple to quite complicated, all made of natural materials. But the design you come up with is your choice ultimately. Don’t forget, the shelter can also be decorated in any way you choose – some can have art work inside them. So free up your imagination and see where it takes you. We’ll come together shortly to compare ideas …

Amelia: I saw your artwork on display at the competition today, Matt. It looked amazing – I’m sure the judges will give you a prize.

Matt: Do you think so? Thanks, Amelia … it’s tricky to tell with your own work whether what you’ve done is any better than other people’s. I’m just wondering now if they’ll get what I’m trying to say – I could have gone for something much more straightforward.

Amelia: Well, it’s hard to be objective about your own stuff, so you never know. Anyway, there were some amazing pictures there. You’d never guess they were done by people our age.

Matt: I know. It was the same last year, so I was prepared for that. Still, we’ll see …

As you know, we entered a race on Saturday for boats built by students, and our school team won! We were pleased – and surprised, as some other boats had clearly been built with the help of advanced engineering! We had some advice for the technical side too, though, and that kept us floating after most of the other boats had sunk. However, things might have turned out differently if our main rivals hadn’t also sunk just before the finishing line! People watching all said we should have rowed faster, and we put all our energy into it, but the boat was just slower than we’d expected. It still came first, though!

Hi Dad – it’s Maisie! I’m just in town with Tessa, and we’re about to go into the cinema to see the film, so thought I’d just ring and check the arrangements we made for later. We said you’d pick us up in the street outside the cinema at 8 p.m., didn’t we, but it turns out the road’s being fixed, and you won’t be able to stop the car there. So Tessa’s suggested a road around the back of the cinema – much easier to get to, apparently. Could you fetch us from there? Just text me when you have a minute, to let me know you’ve got this. Thanks, Dad!

Mike: How are you getting on with the summer reading challenge, Holly?

Holly: Hmm, well, I can’t say I’ve tackled as many books as I was intending to by this stage, but from that other people are saying, they’re pretty much in the same position.

Mike: So what have you read so far?

Holly: Well, I have to admit, I’ve tried a couple of titles that I’ve just put to one side again, just not my thing at all. Having said that, other friends have suggested quite a few titles they thought I’d take to. I guess those were better than the others, but I still gave up after a few chapters.

Mike: I know what you mean. I’m not doing very well either!

So we’ve got our tour of Grand Film Studios booked for Wednesday, which I know we’re all looking forward to. You’ll come away with a completely new understanding of the work that goes into producing even a few seconds of a film, and what influences how much gets edited out. When you next watch a film after the visit, you’ll read the list of credits at the end and think about all those people you don’t see on screen, from the director right down to the assistants. And you’ll be able to imagine how the classic sci-fi film ‘Spacetrek’ was produced. For those of you who haven’t seen it, I’ll bring it in the next week.

Anita: What’s that you’re reading, Jake? A comic book?

Jake: No, it’s a graphic novel – a story that’s told with pictures. And it’s brilliant!

Anita: I always thought those books were just full of superheroes and stuff.

Jake: I must admit, I kind of thought the same, but this one’s really not at all like that. I mean, the plot’s fairly straightforward, unlike some I’ve read, but it’s a proper historical novel, based on facts, rather than some fictional superhero character, so I’m learning a lot. I always spend ages looking at the pictures in these novels, too, as they’re done by extremely talented artists. Look!

Anita: Mmm, they’re beautiful.

Listening 2

You will hear an interview with a young guitarist called Tom, whose band has just won a national music competition. For questions 24-30, choose the best answer (A, B or C).

24 Tom started playing the electric guitar because

A he was encouraged to do so by his parents.

B he found certain pieces of guitar music appealing.

C he failed to make progress on other instruments.

25 What did Tom love about his new electric guitar?

A It filled him with confidence when he performed in public.

B It helped him make friends because he could play so well.

C It made him look like a rock star in his photos.

26 What did Tom realise when he started looking for a personal guitar tutor?

A He would prefer to be taught by a tutor online.

B Progress would depend on his relationship with his tutor.

C It would be possible for him improve quickly without a tutor’s help.

27 How did Tom feel when he discovered he’d lost his guitar?

A furious with himself for having been so careless

B pessimistic about his chances of getting it back

C determined to replace it as quickly as possible

28 Once Tom was reunited with his electric guitar, he found

A the instrument looked more sophisticated than he’d remembered

B it was easier than he’d thought to instantly start playing.

C the discomfort of playing was far less than he’d expected.

29 Tom thinks that in comparison with other instruments, the electric guitar

A can produce a greater volume.

B is easier to transport and practise on.

C is more suited to being played in a group.

30 What did Tom feel about the response of an audience member during the competition?

A put off by the way he copied Tom’s actions.

B flattered that he was so impressed by Tom’s playing.

C embarrassed that he valued Tom’s talent so highly.

Answer & Audioscript

24 B 25 A 26 B 27 B 28 A 29 C 30 B

Audioscript

Interviewer: I’m with guitarist, Tom Barker, whose band has won a national music competition. Congratulations, Tom!

Tom: Thanks!

Interviewer: So tell us why you first took up the electric guitar.

Tom: Well, my brother’s always been a fan of rock guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Chuck Berry, so I grew up hearing their music. There were a few of their guitar pieces I really loved, so I tried playing them myself, on the violin, would you believe, which my parents preferred me to learn – that and the piano. They wouldn’t let me have a guitar as they hoped I’d get into classical music. Anyway, after paying for loads of lessons, they finally realised I wasn’t really into it, so they let me learn the guitar instead.

Interviewer: So you saved up and eventually bought your own guitar?

Tom: Yes, and I loved it! To be honest, though, when friends showed me photos they’d taken of me playing at school concerts, I was always disappointed. I’d imagined I looked like my rock heroes – but I definitely didn’t! Anyway, just having that guitar round my neck made me feel I could play absolutely anything when I got on stage, despite the fact I was normally a bit shy.

Interviewer: And then having taught yourself to play, you decided to find a local guitar tutor.

Tom: I did – I’d used online tutorials till then. There are loads of them on the internet, and some are great. But I could see that although I’d come quite far that way, I now needed to spend time with an individual tutor, preferably someone local, to speed things up a bit. I didn’t get on well with the first one I went to for lessons, though, and I could see that would affect how much I’d improve.

Interviewer: And then disaster struck – coming home from school one day, you lost your guitar. How did you feel?

Tom: Well, at first I couldn’t believe what I’d done! I didn’t often take my guitar into school, so I wasn’t used to carrying it around. I was chatting to a friend on the phone when I got off the bus that day – I just got distracted, and left the guitar behind. I became convinced I’d never see it again. And as it had taken me ages to save the money for it, I knew I wouldn’t manage to get another one any time soon.

Interviewer: But a month later, someone called and said they’d found it!

Tom: Yes – word had got around on social media, and this girl got in touch. Amazing! When I got the guitar back, I immediately put the strap over my shoulder, and started practising chords. That took me a while to get used to, as I’d forgotten the pain that the strap and the guitar strings always caused me! It was weird, though – I’d always thought of it as quite a basic instrument, but having played on really old guitars at school since I’d lost it, it suddenly seemed really cool and advanced, so I was thrilled to play it again!

Interviewer: So what’s made you stay with the electric guitar?

Tom: Well, I think of all the instruments I’ve played, it’s the one that feels it needs other musicians performing alongside it, rather than being played solo. I love playing as part of a group and I wouldn’t have met my band without it! So I wouldn’t swap it now. It’s a bit boring having to carry it round to practise with other people though, as it’s quite heavy. And you usually have to keep the sound turned down when you play, too, unless you’re at a concert, of course!

Interviewer: And then you and your band entered a national competition – and won!

Tom: Yes! We’ve really come together as a group now, and I’m proud of our music, although I wasn’t convinced we’d win. Then during the competition, I spotted a guy in the front row, playing exactly like me, but on an ‘air guitar’, totally lost in the music! He clearly thought my playing was good, and that really inspired me – I gave my best performance ever! So I think we won thanks to that guy!