Practice English Listening Tests for B2 – Listening Test 33

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

Audioscripts

1   You hear two friends talking about a hiking trip.

A:   This is going to be the most challenging climb we’ve ever done. What do you know about hiking at altitude?

B:   I know we’re likely to get short of breath because there’s less oxygen in the air. It’s nothing to be concerned about, though. It’ll slow us down a bit, that’s all.

A:   I can cope with that. At least we’ve invested in decent gear. We ought to have done a bit more training, though. I’m not sure how confident I am that we’ll reach the summit.

B:   I’m sure we will. And the views are said to be spectacular. You can look down over the whole of the island from up there.

2   You hear two students talking about maintaining traditions.

A:   Why preserve traditions? I mean, a lot of them are old-fashioned and they’re just not relevant to today’s culture.

B:   Well, I see it slightly differently, though. Customs do get adapted to suit modern circumstances as they pass through the generations. Not that I’m saying we should respect traditions that promote inequality or damage the environment …

A:   … which is my precise argument.

B:   But don’t forget that knowing about our past is vital to making progress in the future. Old traditions can teach us something about the way we used to be.

A:   So, it isn’t wasted knowledge. You’ve got a point.

3   You hear two students talking about a website.

A:   Have you logged on to that website our tutor recommended?

B:   The philosophy one you mean? Yeah, I hadn’t expected much from it. There’s a bunch of useful articles and resources on there, though – could be worth checking out when we do our next assignment. I’ve never been a great fan of forums – you know, everyone having a say about any old thing. I must admit this one’s changed my mind, though. I’m quite impressed with the way it promotes the exchange of ideas for anyone interested in philosophy – and there are some big names sharing their ideas. I wouldn’t dare argue with any of their comments, though!

4   You hear a man talking to his friend about the cookery school she runs.

A:   How’s business at your cookery school?

B:   Good, thanks. We’ve attracted a great deal of interest in classes since we opened in the autumn. What sets us apart is our focus on the experimental side of cooking.

A:   It’s the ‘in’ thing, isn’t it? Well done! Investing in your test laboratory is really paying off.

B:   Fortunately. Though I admit I wasn’t enormously confident about the technical elements before – if it weren’t for our new head of training, I’m not sure that side of things would’ve taken off.

A:   And you’re branching out into catering now?

B:   Yes, though we don’t expect to make much money for a while with that.

5   You hear part of a radio programme about modern zoos.

A:   You’re a zoo-keeper. Tell us about the role of modern zoos.

B:   Well, zoos were given a bad press for a long time for keeping wild animals in captivity. I agree that roaming animals need space to satisfy their natural instincts, but there’s also a convincing argument in favour of zoos. Some species would’ve died out completely if they hadn’t been kept and helped to reproduce. The modern zoo is quite different to that of the past – there’s a strong emphasis on the health, nutrition and well-being of the animals that live there. By buying a ticket to a zoo, the public plays an important role in animal conservation and welfare.

6   You hear a football coach talking to his team about winning and losing.

OK, guys. Before we kick off today’s training session, I want to say a few words about winning and losing. You’re bound to be upset when the side loses a match. But there’s a way to lose gracefully and I haven’t seen much evidence of this from you lately. As far as winning is concerned, I’ve no criticism. I’ve been the way you handle it, congratulating the other side and none of that leaping about and shouting which can be irritating for the losing team – be proud of that. There haven’t been many occasions to celebrate so far this year, but keep positive and don’t let your disappointment show.

7   You hear two people talking about a sports event they are organising.

A:   Hosting this year’s regional games is going to be a fantastic source of income for the town.

B:   I know. Tickets have already sold out for the main athletics events, like the 100-metre sprint. Clearly we got the pricing policy right.

A:   The advertising programme’s certainly been doing the job – we ought to turn our thoughts to coming up with ways to get rid of tickets for some of the less popular events, now.

B:   That’s our agenda. Before we do that, I’ll you a quick update about the facilities. I had a chat with the project manager and it looks like everything will be completed on time.

8   You hear two friends discussing a newspaper article about physics.

A:   Did you read that article by that physics teacher in the weekend paper – the one about the point of studying it?

B:   Yeah, it summed things up well.

A:   I really couldn’t get my head round some of the laws of physics when I was at school. Getting a teacher’s perspective was fascinating. I mean, it’s not that everything suddenly became clear – I didn’t get half of what the article was saying. No, it was his passion for teaching the subject. It made me think I could do anything if I put my mind to it. I’m still not keen on physics itself, but I wish he’d been my teacher!

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

Audioscripts

Interviewer:   Today, we have in our studio Matt Brown, who recently trained as a sailing instructor.

Matt Brown:   Hi!

Interviewer:   First of all, what made you want to be a sailing instructor, Matt?

Matt Brown:   Well I’ve always loved the sea – we lived miles from the coast when I was a child, but had fantastic summer holidays by the seaside every year. I learned to sail with my brothers, but it never occurred to me when I was younger that I might actually teach anyone else to do it. Then a good mate of mine suggested I should consider becoming an instructor. While I was busy working in a restaurant last summer to finish paying my university fees, he’d been having a much better time doing just that.

Interviewer:   Was it hard for you to find somewhere to train?

Matt Brown:   Yes, harder than I’d expected. I searched for courses on the internet, though people advised me not to take the online course reviews too seriously. And although there was a wide range of courses at reasonable prices, a lot of the ones I liked the look of were full, so it took a while for me to sort it out.

Interviewer:   And did you like the other people on the course?

Matt Brown:   I’d been a bit nervous about meeting them, I suppose, but maybe that’s not particularly surprising! What was, though, was the different types of people doing the course with me, and how much they already knew. I’d realised they would mostly be older than me, and of course we were all very eager to learn, but I was very lucky to be in a group like that.

Interviewer:   How did the first day go?

Matt Brown:   It was fantastic: we saw a group of five dolphins hunting together. We were all in one boat, and suddenly they were coming straight towards us! Some people thought they might turn the boat over or something – I wasn’t concerned about that – I was just so amazed, and I don’t know why, but I did my best to look cook about it, as if it was the sort of thing I saw every day. Everyone else rushed for their cameras. I got mine out too but then just stood there, staring.

Interviewer:   What about the rest of the course?

Matt Brown:   It was very hard work indeed, but I learnt so much. After the course was over the thing I missed most wasn’t, I have to admit, the early mornings, though there were some memorable sunrises. It was never reaching the end of a day without acquiring at least one different skill. That was a tremendous feeling. Now I’m qualified, which is very satisfying. The school have even said I can come back and sail there whenever I want, which is great.

Interviewer:   What do you think you’ll enjoy about being a sailing instructor, Matt?

Matt Brown:   It will be great to teach very young children to sail – it gives kids so much confidence, I think. Then when they’re teenagers, you know, they’ll be able to do what I’m doing if they want. And also, it’ll be cool to have a job working alongside colleagues who like the same things as I do – not everyone can do their hobby as a job! Some people want to train other instructors, but I’m not sure that’s for me, really.

Interviewer:   And what’s next?

Matt Brown:   Well, I’d love to go on a sailing holiday now, but before I can afford that I need to put what I’ve learned into practice, and be paid for it this time! So that’s the plan and I’ve got a place in mind on the Mediterranean. They run the kind of courses I’d love to teach, so I’m going to contact them …

Interviewer:   Well good luck with it all, Matt.

Matt Brown:   Thanks.