Practice English Listening Test for B1 with answer and audioscript – Test #21

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

Audioscript

1   Where will the friends meet?

Girl:   Hi, it’s Maria. Got your message. Yeah, I’d like to go to the movies. There’s a film called Lightworld Two, or a comedy – I don’t mind which … Shall we meet outside the cinema?

Boy:   Or, I know, at the coffee bar on the corner, we could have a snack before we go in. We could meet at the bus stop.

Girl:   Mum’s driving me into town this afternoon, to buy some trainers, so I won’t have to get the bus. But something to eat first is a good idea. Shall we say six o’clock?

Boy:   OK.

2   What has the girl forgotten to bring?

Boy:   Drink up your coffee – we’ll be late for class. What are you looking for now? Don’t tell me you’ve left your essay at home. You said you were working on it till midnight.

Girl:   Don’t worry, it was the first thing I put in my bag – look, here it is. I won’t be a second … just checking everything. Pen … now where did I …? Oh dear, you’ll be able to lend me one, won’t you? Keys? – oh, here they are, in my pocket as usual …

3   Which TV programme is on at 9 o’clock tonight?

Woman:   Because of the ski jumping finals we’re late finishing, so there are some changes to this evening’s programmes. We won’t now show the Nature Programme, about the dolphins found near the Florida coast, at nine o’clock. Instead. Tim Wong’s Chinese Kitchen will be at this time, an hour later than advertised. You can see the Nature Programme at its usual time next week.

4   How will the man book tickets for the show?

Woman:   Shall we go to the Boat Show? It’s on for three weeks – but you need to book if you want to go on the first night because there’s a party.

Man:   Really? Let’s go. How do you book?

Woman:   On the Internet or by phone … or there’s a form to fill in, in this week’s TV magazine with a discount on each ticket.

Man:   I like saving money, but the post’s always so slow. I prefer to talk to someone when I’m making a booking – just leave it to me.

5   What will the man do this winter?

Woman:   Will you go on working as a gardener when winter comes, Jim? You’ll get very cold and wet working outside.

Man:   Well, last winter I took a job in a supermarket. They’re advertising for staff again at the moment, but I prefer being in the fresh air – even when the weather’s bad. I’d really like to get a job abroad in the sun, but all the ones I’ve seen need building skills, which I haven’t got. So I’ll just stay in my present job for the time being.

6   How does the man want the woman to help him?

Man:   Sarah, could you do something for me?

Woman:   Well, it depends what it is.

Man:   I want to clean the bedroom windows this afternoon, but I lent the ladder to John … could you give me a lift to his house and then bring me back with the ladder?

Woman:   Of course – no problem.

7   Which house did the woman stay in?

Woman 1:   I love these photos of your holiday. Is this the house you stayed in? I love the balconies and all those plants growing up the walls. Oh, and there’s a lovely big swimming pool.

Woman 2:   Let me see. Oh, you’re looking at the wrong photo – that was the house our friends stayed in. Ours was exactly like that one, but we only had the sea to swim in. Here, let me show you a photo of our house. It was just as nice.

8 A   9 C   10 C   11 A   12 A   13 B

Audioscript

Interviewer:   And today in the studio we have a familiar face on television, Angela Bond, the news reporter. Angela, your job has taken you all over the world, hasn’t it?

Angela:   Yes. I’ve reported from a number of countries in Asia and I’ve just returned from the United States. I must say, it’s good to be able to unpack my suitcase now that the job has brought me to Britain for at least six months.

Interviewer:   Is the travelling what you enjoy about the job?

Angela:   It’s certainly interesting, but it can be annoying never knowing where I’m going to be next week! For me, the really exciting thing is being somewhere when a big news story is taking place and seeing it develop. Sometimes that can be quite dangerous, but all jobs have their disadvantages! And travelling gives me the chance to collect souvenirs.

Interviewer:   What kind of things?

Angela:   Mostly things for my flat. I’m mad about anything Chinese and so when I was in Hong Kong, I got a really nice table and some chairs – and in Turkey I spend a lot of money on carpets. Then I’ve got pictures and other bits of art from Thailand and India. The flat’s getting a bit crowded!

Interviewer:   It sounds colourful! Do you have a regular working day?

Angela:   Not really. At the moment I’m one of the team that reads the evening news, so sometimes I’m on at six thirty, and sometimes at ten o’clock. But that’s at the end of the day. It all starts in the morning at eight thirty when I phone the office to see what has happened and what they want me to go and report on.

Interviewer:   So you don’t have much time for a social life?

Angela:   It’s better now I’m in London and can see my boyfriend more often. My sister introduced us. he came round for dinner when I was staying with her a year ago. We have a lot in common. He’s a lawyer and I studied law at university. Also we’ve found that we lived in Hong Kong at the same time, although we never met.

Interviewer:   What do you like to do in your free time?

Angela:   Well, cooking is something new I’m trying because I can’t do it when I’m travelling. But I’m not very good at it yet so I find it a bit stressful. One of the best things I’ve bought recently was a boat and when I want to feel calm and peaceful I go for a sail on the river. It never fails!

Interviewer:   Angela – thanks.

14   T/tiger(s)

15   A/aug(ust) (evenings)

16   1765

17   K/kitchen(s)

18   (old) F/fishing

19   S/sweet(s)(es)(ies) C/candy(s)/C/candies

Audioscript

Man:   Are you interested in history? Well, I’d like to tell you about some of the historic places open to visitors in this part of the country.

Let’s start with the oldest first. Black Rock Caves have been here for over two million years. And, for half a million years, they were home to people and various animals, particularly tigers. You can explore these ancient homes and imagine what life was like for the people who lived there. The caves are open daily from April to October. A special attraction on evenings in August is a walk by candlelight. Don’t take this tour if you are afraid of the dark!

Next I recommend a visit to Salter House. This was built by Sir Joshua Salter and dates back to seventeen sixty-five. The Salter family are still living there today. The house became famous in nineteen eighty-two when the television series Aunt Dorothy was filmed there. The furniture and paintings we well worth seeing, but the attraction nobody wants to miss is the kitchen. This is where Aunt Dorothy cooked her enormous meals and gave advice to anyone who passed through this part of the house.

And don’t forget to visit The Old Port. You will need several hours to see everything there, especially if you take a trip along the riverside in an old tram as far as the fishing village. The guides there all wear traditional costume and you too get the chance to try on clothes from a hundred years ago. You can buy gifts in the old village stores and eat delicious snacks in the Tea Shop. If you visit the village factory, you can see how sweets were made a hundred years ago, and taste them, too.

So, you see there’s plenty of …

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

Audioscript

Marcus:   I feel awful. I’ve got two lots of homework to do today, and all I want to do after school is relax. It’s not fair.

Catherine:   Of course you’ve got a lot. You didn’t do any yesterday, did you?

Marcus:   No, I didn’t. I had football practice, and after that I was just too tired for anything else.

Catherine:   Well, maybe you could do more homework at the weekends, so you have time for football and other things during the week.

Marcus:   But at the weekend I often go out with my family. On Sunday we went to the Science Museum. It was great. I wouldn’t want to miss doing things like that just because I’ve got homework!

Catherine:   Actually, you’re quite lucky. I never do anything like that. Homework isn’t everything … I’m sure you learnt just as much there.

Marcus:   Yes, but I don’t suppose the teachers will be interested in that … I’ve got today’s maths to do, and I expect it’ll take me hours.

Catherine:   I tell you what … you can come round to my house this afternoon and we’ll work on it together.

Marcus:   I don’t know … You’re really good at maths. You’ll just finish it quickly and I can’t do that.

Catherine:   It’s not a competition, is it? It’s more important that we both finish it, and working together’ll be much more fun.

Marcus:   But if I don’t do it by myself, I could be in trouble with the teacher.

Catherine:   Well, we’ll tell her you’re finding it difficult and so I’m going to try and help you understand it. I’m sure she won’t mind that.

Marcus:   Alright then, thank you. Perhaps I’ll feel better about maths if you help me. At the moment, I still don’t know where to begin.

Catherine:   Don’t worry, we’ll get there.