Practice English Listening Test for B2 with answer and audioscript – Test #14

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

Audioscript

1

Boy:   When did you last see your scarf?

Girl:   Well, I don’t recall whether I was actually wearing it before I went into the department store, where I tried a sweater on – which of course I wouldn’t have done with my hat and scarf on.

Boy:   You must’ve left it there, then.

Girl:   Oh yes, I remember now. I did leave my hat behind and I went back into the changing room and got it.

Boy:   But not your scarf?

Girl:   No, and it’d definitely gone by the time I got the bus home. So it most likely happened when I was looking at shop windows earlier. It was quite windy.

2

Woman:   Most people round here are against the new road, aren’t they?

Man:   Well, it’d go straight through an area of outstanding natural beauty and the view from the village would never be the same again.

Woman:   And I imagine it’d be very noisy, too, with lots of vehicles racing along day and night.

Man:   I don’t know. I mean, it’d be some way off and if there is any sound from it I imagine it’ll be fairly distant.

Woman:   Even so the route they’re proposing would mean building over the village football pitch, wouldn’t it?

Man:   That’s true, though to be honest I’m not really bothered about that. I’m a rugby player myself.

3

If you’ve never seen them play live before, make sure you get to the park nice and early this evening so you’re not too far back from the stage. And to do that you’ll need to allow at least 45 minutes to get into town because there’s likely to be unusually heavy traffic on the ring road. As well as people returning from the sales, which began today, there’ll be thousands of fans heading home after the big match finishes a quarter of an hour or so from now.

4

If you’re going into the sports shop when you’re in town this morning, could you have a look at the prices of trainers for me? Size 38, white. If there are any special offers on, I’ll try to get over there sometime later in the week. I can’t get away from the office myself this afternoon, but I know my cousin Emily will be delighted to see you if you want to call round to her place. Could you mention that I’ve bought her that hat she liked so much, and that I’ll give it to her when I see her just before the wedding next month. Thanks.

5

Woman:   Brazil and China are two places I’ve really enjoyed, though I know you’re not keen on flying long distances so somewhere nearer home might suit you better. It’s time you had a proper holiday.

Man:   You’re probably right. I could do with a decent break, preferably somewhere quiet.

Woman:   I doubt whether a package holiday would appeal much, then, so how about spending a fortnight in the village in the nature reserve? You wouldn’t leave much of a carbon footprint there because there’s no road – and no power supply, either.

Man:   Maybe. I know some people at work did that once so I’ll have a word with them.

6

Technically, it’s a superb work in every respect. That goes without saying. But so are many others of its kind, and yet they don’t attract the same degree of public attention and affection. And why is this one considered so much more special than those that cost tens of millions more? Perhaps the answer lies in the situation it shows. Or, more precisely, the way it sums up a situation that all of us have to face up to and deal with at some point in our lives. That, I think, is what makes it so valuable to us, rather than its price in the international art markets.

7

I’ve always been quite good at my job. Never one of the stars, but certainly someone who meets their sales targets every month, so it came as something of a shock when I heard a rumour about a younger representative possibly taking my place in the sales team. I know other employers would be keen to have me, but I’ve no desire to make a move. Actually, it’s not so long ago that people were talking about me as the next sales manager, and I was already imagining how I’d spend the higher salary that went with it. How times change.

8

Woman:   We spent an awfully long time in that ship, didn’t we?

Man:   Yes, though we actually sailed into the harbour right on schedule. It’s just as well there was plenty to do on board to pass the time, though.

Woman:   Right. I enjoyed the film they showed, and the restaurant was good, too. I just wished I hadn’t eaten quite so much once we reached the open sea and the ship started rolling around. At one point I thought I was going to be sick.

Man:   You didn’t look too good for a while. That used to happen to me whenever I sailed anywhere, but these days I’m OK.

9 meeting   10 Wednesday(s)   11 252 kilometres   12 hill

13 (wild) horses   14 clothes   15 (car) radio   16 air-conditioning

17 vehicle   18 (flat) tyres

Audioscript

Hi, my name is Jessica Morton and today I’m going to talk about what happened to me when I had to travel across the country on business earlier this year. It was a Tuesday morning in the heat of early summer when I had a phone call from my boss, saying there would be a meeting the following Thursday afternoon, and that it was vital for me to attend. The only problem was that it would be in the town of Alice Springs, in the centre of the country, and I was at a conference in the southern city of Adelaide. An online search revealed that all flights there were already booked. Then I checked the rail timetable and at first sight it seemed there was a train to Alice Springs every Sunday and Wednesday, but then I noticed the Wednesday service was only in winter. Not really fancying a 21-hour bus ride, I decided to hire a car. I drove north to the town of Port Augusta, and from there set off along the long, straight Stuart Highway through the desert. Passing a sign saying ‘Alice Springs 1,050 kilometres’, I reminded myself to fill up at the small town of Glendambo, as it would be 252 kilometres until the next petrol station. As I drove into Glendambo, I saw a sign that said ‘Population: sheep 22,500, flies 2 million, humans 30’. That made me smile, but a couple of hours after the stop I started to feel bored. I was tempted to stop and have a look at a dry river valley, and further on there were some trees, but it wasn’t until a hill became visible that I eventually turned off the highway to have a quick look at the countryside. I travelled several kilometres along a firm, flat track of red sand, passing a farmhouse and an old abandoned car, and was about to turn round when suddenly I had to brake sharply. I wouldn’t have been that surprised to see kangaroos running across the track as I’d seen some near the main road earlier on, but these were wild horses. Later I recalled hearing there are lots of them in the desert, and camels, too. At that moment, though, my only concern was the fact I couldn’t get the car moving. The front wheels were spinning, sinking deeper into the soft sand, so I got out of the air-conditioned car – and into oven-like heat. I needed something like rugs to place between the sand and the wheels to make them grip, but I didn’t have any so I used some clothes instead. That failed, and I realised I needed help. I knew my mobile phone would be useless in such a place, and of course emailing would be impossible, too. I turned the car radio on, just to hear some voices, really – but there was no sound from it. I was just too far from civilisation.

That shocked me, and at sunset, to avoid using up all the remaining petrol – which would’ve been a disaster – I turned off the air-conditioning. It was still fiercely hot and I couldn’t sleep, but at least I’d had the sense to bring plenty of water, and even a little food. The next morning, I set off for the farmhouse I’d seen. When I finally arrived, exhausted, I found it was empty, with broken windows and no water or electricity, and I began to wish I’d followed the rule of staying with your vehicle if you want to survive in the desert. Fortunately, I eventually managed to get back to mine, and I’d had an idea so I got to work on it. Five minutes later, I started the engine and slowly began to move forward, until at last I was rolling smoothly along the track. To increase the surface area of the tyres, I’d let some air out until they were almost as flat as those on the abandoned car. If I hadn’t seen them I’d probably never have thought of it. Later that day I reached Alice Springs. My business suit, though, was totally ruined.

19 E   20 D   21 G   22 H   23 C

Audioscript

Speaker 1

I’d been hoping to see my mates in my home town again this summer, but unfortunately they’ll all be away. So what I’m looking forward to doing this time is catching up on some works by my favourite French novelists, even though my knowledge of the language isn’t that great and it’ll have to be the translated versions. Actually, I’d love to spend some time in France, but that will have to be for another year – perhaps the summer after next if I can get a vacation job to save up some money just before I go.

Speaker 2

Like most of my fellow students I’m going to do a summer job, but unlike them I’ll be working as a volunteer, collecting old clothes for a not-for-profit organisation that sends them to the poorest people in developing countries. Unfortunately it’ll mean doing a lot of walking, but it’s for a good cause and in any case I can’t drive. I’ve read a bit about the work the organisation does and it seems very worthwhile. In fact, when I graduate in a couple of years I might go and work on a project with them in Africa.

Speaker 3

In the holidays, I always seem to end up sleeping twice as much as in term time, but I’m determined to do something more useful this summer. I’ve thought of taking Chinese lessons, or reading all the works of Shakespeare, but the one thing that would really change my life would be if I didn’t have to rely on my parents for lifts everywhere. So I’ve already booked lessons for the summer, and will be taking my test in early autumn. After that, assuming I pass, I’ll be able to visit my friends whenever I want.

Speaker 4

When my friends said they were going to Florida for a beach holiday I was tempted to join them, but in the end I decided against the idea. Instead, I told myself I was going to change my rather unhealthy summer lifestyle, which usually consists of sitting around chatting, watching TV and reading magazines, and spend my time in the countryside. I’ve made my mind up to walk everywhere rather than use the car, even though I’ve just passed my driving test, though whether I actually manage to keep to that remains to be seen.

Speaker 5

For years now, I’ve been trying to learn Spanish, but so far I don’t seem to have made much progress with actually speaking it. So rather than spend another summer here doing not very much with my university friends, I’m going to improve my listening and speaking skills by staying with a host family in one of the countries – I haven’t decided which, yet – where they actually speak the language. I realise that a two-month stay won’t be cheap, but I’m now doing some evening work and hope to have saved up enough money before the summer.

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

Audioscript

Man:   Amelia, you’re a professional wedding planner, which means you handle all the arrangements for people’s weddings. What in particular do you have to do?

Amelia:   A whole range of things. I begin by meeting the couple and discussing their requirements, possibly giving them some guidance on how the ceremony and reception are conducted and putting forward some suggestions. I look after all the paperwork and correspondence and make most of the big decisions,  with the exception of more personal ones such as what the bride will wear, or who will be invited. I also book the venue, the photographer and the caterers, negotiating the price in each case as I’m responsible for ensuring that costs stay within budget.

Man:   So do people ask you to organise their weddings in order to save money?

Amelia:   Well, I might be able to reduce some of the costs, but they do have to pay my fee so it probably works out about the same. In most cases it’s more likely to be a question of them simply being too busy to do it without assistance. In the past the two families probably had a big role in planning the event, but nowadays it’s far less common for them to be involved in the details.

Man:   Tell me, what made you want to become a wedding planner?

Amelia:   In my case it was after I’d been doing some voluntary work for a not-for-profit organisation, setting up various kinds of entertainment for people in need. Others come into wedding planning through different routes, such as restaurant management or providing meals for open-air events. Some even do so when they find they enjoyed making all the arrangements for their own weddings, but I’m single so I wouldn’t know about that!

Man:   And what particular skills do you feel you have?

Amelia:   I’m told I’m quite good with people, and that I have good organisational skills. But I think that’s only true as long as I can concentrate on a single wedding and then move onto the next one. I suppose people can rely on me not to get upset or lose control of the situation if things go wrong, at what is often a very emotional time for everyone. Sometimes I find myself accepting jobs purely because I think a couple need my support, although that doesn’t really make financial sense.

Man:   So you don’t charge everyone the same amount?

Amelia:   Some of my colleagues do, but I prefer to look at the overall budget with the clients and charge, say, a tenth of that. I’ve thought of fixing an hourly rate for what I do, but that would mean negotiating payment after the event, and I’d rather agree a figure before it.

Man:   With weddings becoming so expensive these days, it sounds like quite a well-paid job to have. But does it have any disadvantages?

Amelia:   The hours might not appeal to everyone. Normally, meetings with clients can only take place after they finish work or on Saturdays or Sundays, though personally that doesn’t bother me. And from May to September, which is when most people choose to get married, I don’t get many days off, though it’s quite different in the winter months and that’s when I take a break or two. Of course, that also means I’m not earning then, and in fact I never actually know when or even if I’m going to get another pay cheque, so that’s certainly a less positive side to the work. I’d still recommend it, though.

Man:   So how would someone go about finding work in this type of business?

Amelia:   Well, some companies offer courses in wedding planning, though I’m not convinced the average couple are looking for diplomas. They’re far more likely to be impressed by shots of beautiful weddings planned and run by you. An alternative is to provide written references from past clients, but my own view is that when it comes to weddings, a picture really does say a thousand words.

Man:   Thank you, Amelia.