Practice CAE (C1) Listening Test 02 with Answers and Audioscripts

1 B   A: This is Nathalie’s own observation, not something she’s read and been surprised by. C: This is information that Nathalie has heard before – it doesn’t surprise her.

2 C   A: David says watching horror movies helps people find solutions to work problems. B: He talks about feeling excited about possibilities, but this doesn’t match B.

3 A   B: Only the woman mentions out-of-town malls, and she doesn’t say they are less popular now. C: Only the woman talks about online shopping deliveries.

4 C   ‘But to my mind, getting people away from congested roads and pavements has to be the winning argument’ tells us that A and B are not ‘the greatest advantage’.

5 A   B: Gary explains that there has already been a public awareness campaign about this. C: He says he’d rather not focus on rules.

6 C   A: Sophie’s first study covered students at university level, but she doesn’t say that people are more likely to go to university if they do sport. B: Sophie tracked students’ attendance in her first study, but she doesn’t draw this conclusion.

Audioscript

Extract One

Nathalie: David, have you read this article about watching thriller movies?

David: No, is it good?

Nathalie: Yeah, well, I’d heard before that when we’re scared, our brains pump out the feel-good chemical dopamine, like when we’re in love with someone. But look at this: it says that families who like nothing better than sitting together on the sofa in front of a good thriller movie are the most contented. That’s news to me! Most people I know who adore thriller movies, appreciate them for the really good plot lines. You know, the stories are so rational in many ways that some otherwise very sensible people are drawn into them.

David: For me, when I watch horror movies, it’s like going on a mini vacation.

Nathalie: Do you mean you can wander off into a fantasy world?

David: More that it gives me ideas, even about how to solve issues at work. And I’ve heard other people say the same.

Nathalie: Really? I could understand it if you said something like it’s the suspense, the special effects or the thrill you get from watching them.

David: Well, it may sound odd, but they leave me feeling more excited about possibilities to do with daily life.

Extract Two

Woman: I’ve just been reading an article about building skyways in cities. Their effect on commerce, particularly shopping, can be considerable because when they link the upper floors of buildings, shops at ground level don’t get passing trade any more. Some even go bust.

Man: Absolutely. If people are walking about on the third or fourth floor, they won’t make a special trip down to the ground level to buy something, and that’s why so many stores are having to close, even when they’re in prime central locations.

Woman: I read they’re also struggling because people are buying online. And with online shopping, deliveries are becoming more efficient. Plus centres are suffering because all those large shopping malls on the outskirts of towns were built to attract people by offering a range of activities, like movie theatres.

Man: I think the two things are different. But you know the arguments – skyways mean pedestrians can enjoy walking through a city in any weather, and there’s less crime than at street level. But, to my mind, getting people away from congested roads and sidewalks has to be the winning argument. Skyways have the potential to bring life back to city centres. After all, the centre is where people not only want to shop and work, but live too.

Extract Three

Sophie: So, Gary, you’re working on public information campaigns, aren’t you?

Gary: Yes, Sophie, I’m actually employed by the government and the thinking behind the public awareness campaigns this year is all about encouraging participation in sports at school.

Sophie: Yes, I saw the very successful TV campaign showing the importance of doing sport for healthy growth in primary-aged children. But isn’t that something that the public already knows?

Gary: Most people, yes, and that’s why we started with the health aspect. What’s less well understood, and what I want to get across, is how sport helps children mature socially by teaching them about teamwork and about fair play. I’d rather not focus on the discipline aspect – the idea that sports are all about learning sets of rules and sticking to them.

Sophie: Interesting. I’m looking into the effect of sport on learning performance. My first study followed a group of children from primary school right through to university level. I tracked various things like how often they were absent through illness, and their grades, and what stood out was that those who did sport were much keener to try to get good grades in maths, English, those kinds of subjects.

Gary: And did they achieve that?

Sophie: Not always, but the aspiration was there. And for me, that’s what really counts.

7 officials   The tombs of servants were less elaborate and therefore, it is implied, of less interest.

8 behaviour / behavior   ‘show a keen observation of’ reflects ‘show a good understanding of’ in the question.

9 minerals   ‘The paint … has been analysed and found to be made from ground minerals’ is a paraphrase of the gapped sentence.

10 grain   ‘Some other paintings depict annual important events, such as the grain harvest’ is a paraphrase of the gapped sentence.

11 soldiers   Both sportsmen and soldiers are mentioned, but it’s only soldiers that Kylie links with training and it’s this interpretation of the paintings that she agrees with.

12 invasion   Birds in flight are symbols of invasion, whereas a bird being caught by a hunter represents victory over an enemy.

13 crocodiles   Cats are also mentioned, but they appear in many paintings because local people worshipped a cat goddess.

14 complexity   ‘These “mixed” creatures express the complexity of how the afterlife was conceived and formed part of religious worship’ is a paraphrase of the gapped sentence.

Audioscript

I’m going to tell you about an archaeological site called Beni Hassan. It’s located on the east bank of the Nile in central Egypt and it dates back to the 11th and 12th Dynasties of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom; that’s 2050–1650 BCE. The site and its decorated tombs not only tell us about the artists who worked on the tombs, but also reflect the lives of the people buried there. The tombs that interest me most are those of government officials. Their servants wouldn’t have had such elaborate tombs.

In the paintings on the walls, there’s a wonderful variety of fauna and flora, and you can even see some plants and animals that you don’t often find in Egyptian art. Many of the tombs at Beni Hassan include full-panel representations of animals and show a keen observation of their behaviour, usually while they are out in the wild, typically in habitats such as marshes or deserts.

The paint that was used to decorate tombs has been analysed and found to be made from ground minerals; it was sometimes applied straight onto the walls of the tombs, and at other times onto a sort of base made of plaster. Although I’ve said that the scenes painted were very varied, you do find the same, or very similar, scenes repeat ed in several tombs. This could well suggest that certain images were considered an essential part of any memorial.

Some other paintings depict important annual events, such as the grain harvest and its shipment to other parts of the kingdom. I know the Ancient Egyptians also grew vegetables, but I couldn’t see any in the photos of the paintings I saw. Other paintings show people wrestling. These are quite detailed, showing all kinds of different grips and holds. At first, it was thought these scenes were there to demonstrate the strength of sportsmen, but now it’s believed that they are intended to illustrate soldiers during their training. And, as it was important to show admiration of the power of the kingdom in those times, I tend to agree with this latest interpretation.

Interestingly, I discovered that birds in flight, which appear in many of the paintings, are symbols of invasion, so when there’s a bird being caught by a hunter, it represents victory over an enemy. Hunters are also shown using animals as a sort of tool to catch other animals. For instance, crocodiles catching birds. Cats also appear in many paintings because local people worshipped a cat goddess called Pakhet, meaning ‘the scratcher’.

As in many other tombs in Egypt, there are images of creatures that are half one animal and half another. In one of the tombs at Beni Hassan, there’s one creature with the head of a falcon and the body of a dog. These ‘mixed’ creatures express the complexity of how the afterlife was conceived and formed part of religious worship.

15 A   B: Jack refers to claims for the healthy effect of sea air, but doesn’t say this is the main reason people are attracted to beaches. C: The waves have this effect on Jack, but he doesn’t say it’s the main attraction, either for him or for people in general. D: This is Jack’s friend’s opinion.

16 C   A: Trisha doesn’t express surprise. B: She says the article was well researched which suggests she had all the information she needed. D: She didn’t question the advice – she was immediately persuaded by it.

17 D   A: They both say that building a seawall can have negative consequences, not that it’s more effective. B: Neither of them sees adding sand as a solution because, like building a seawall, it has negative consequences for the environment. C: When Jack talks about the movement of the sea it’s to explain how coastal erosion occurs.

18 D   A: Jack says that people are aware of these issues but choose to ignore them. B: He explains why there is such a great need for sand, but doesn’t say it is scarce. C: He says people move to the city for jobs, among other things, but not that money is the main concern.

19 A   B: This is something that Trisha wonders about, but it is not a particular concern. C and D: She mentions ‘a reduction in income from tourism’, but says this is not her main point.

20 A   B: Jack talks only about one particular architect and there is no mention of redesigning buildings. C: He mentions governments, but doesn’t say that they should impose stricter regulations. D: He hopes for measures to ‘get the message across’, but as a back-up for the main solution of producing artificial sand.

Audioscript

Interviewer: Thanks for joining us in the studio today. As you know, this is one in our series on ecology and today’s programme is on sand: why people love beaches so much and how sand is being used for the construction industry. Jack, are you someone who loves going to the beach?

Jack: Absolutely, me and the vast majority of the population, I should think! A friend of mine’s an artist and loves painting by the sea at sunrise. He says it’s the intensity of the colours that’s special for him. I’m not sure about the claims that sea air is really good for your health. I think it’s mainly the unchanging quality of the coast that means people keep going back to it. What I’ve noticed is I fall asleep very easily when I can hear the sea crashing onto the shore again and again.

Interviewer: What about you Trisha?

Trisha: Well, I love sunbathing on a sandy beach. But I’ve just read an article about pop-up beaches – you know, these fake beaches that spring up each year in major cities. Truckloads of sand are brought in and dumped in open spaces. The article was extremely well-researched – the reporter had obviously looked into the subject in great depth. The conclusion was that people shouldn’t support these projects because taking the sand from natural beaches causes all of problems. I’m embarrassed that I went to one in London last year, and wouldn’t have gone if I’d known then what I know now. Getting cities to realise this and find alternative entertainments might be difficult, though.

Jack: Instead of taking sand from beaches, it’s been suggested they should be putting new sand on some beaches because the ocean currents are washing away huge amounts of sand in some places.

Trisha: But surely the crabs, sand worms and so on on the beach can’t survive huge amounts of new sand being piled on top of them?

Jack: I can’t see how they could. Even doing something more permanent, like constructing a seawall, has negative consequences for the environment.

Trisha: Yeah, it can create an unnatural sort of barrier between the ocean and the land.

Jack: I think because so many people are becoming city dwellers these days, there’s an enormous need for housing, and to make concrete, you need sand. And where’s that sand coming from? Our beaches and rivers. You can’t blame people for moving to cities because that’s where the jobs, schools and amenities are. And I’d imagine that many do, in fact, realise that other parts of the country ‘pay’ for that in a way, but choose to turn a blind eye to it.

Trisha: Yes, the damage to the ecology of an area when sand is removed from its beaches has a knock-on effect and I don’t mean things like a reduction in the income from tourism. In some places, when fish are disturbed, there’s less fish for local people to catch, so they can’t carry on being fishermen and have to move or try to find another job. That’s a really drastic personal and economic consequence. I also wonder if the weather is affected, you know, if water flows further inland and forms pools or lagoons – that might lead to more rain.

Interviewer: So what do you think can be done to put a halt to people taking sand from beaches?

Jack: It’s interesting you ask that because I went to a public lecture the other day. The lecturer was an architect and he thought it wouldn’t be long before sand could be partially made from recycled materials. Some chemists are already working on that – wouldn’t that be great? And that could be backed up by some initiatives, government or private sector, to try to get the message across that taking sand from beaches is not OK!

Trisha: I agree. And I think the tourist industry is already trying to promote eco-tourism and tourists are becoming more discerning.

Interviewer: Well, thank you both. You’ve raised some interesting points.

Task One

21 D   ‘to find out how many face-to-face meetings we have compared to video conferencing’ reflects D. Some questions in the questionnaire were about customer care, but B was not the main focus of the research.

22 E   ‘For my Master’s degree, I looked into how happy people who worked without a boss were’ reflects E. Although the speaker makes the point that some self-employed people weren’t living in luxury, C was not the focus of the research.

23 B   ‘I’ve been carrying out interviews with shoppers for a paper I’m writing’ reflects B. Although there is mention of companies saying they want to help save the planet, G is not the focus of the research.

24 G   ‘At present, I’m involved in a study examining the carbon footprint of trade’ reflects G. Although the speaker mentions consumers, B is not the focus of the research.

25 A   ‘[I’ve] been looking into how, as more people live on their own and families get smaller, the workplace takes on more importance as a place to make friends’ reflects A.

Task Two

26 H   ‘the need for continued education is going to feature more prominently in the workplace’ reflects H.

27 E   ‘The trend is definitely for people to set up their own small business and work from home’ reflects E.

28 F   ‘Any confidence people ever had in big business is going to evaporate over the next few years’ reflects F. Although the speaker mentions a company having financial difficulties, B is not the prediction that she makes.

29 C   ‘And the attraction of an urban environment for workers I’m sure will be powerful for many years to come’ reflects C. The speaker mentions how long he has been in business but D is not predicted.

30 D   ‘I’d say we’ll all be in work well into our 70s, rather than 50s or 60s as is the current norm’ reflects D. Although the speaker mentions people who work at home, E is not a prediction she makes about them.

Audioscript

Speaker 1

I’ve just got the results of a questionnaire which I sent out to my company’s offices in eight countries. Some questions touched on customer care and how ‘green’ we are, but the main thrust of the questions was to find out how many face to-face meetings we have compared to video conferencing and how people think this will change over the next five years. And, while some fears were expressed about automation and any resulting unemployment, it was clear that people were very keen to keep themselves up to date with the latest technology. I have no doubt that with the fast pace of change that we’re seeing, the need for continued education is going to feature more prominently in the workplace.

Speaker 2

As I’m still only in my 20s, and in my first job ever, I’m aware that by working in a range of different companies I’ll build up useful business experience. Like so many other people of my generation, I can’t see myself working for large companies for long. The trend is definitely for people to set up their own small business and work from home. Having no boss sounds good! For my Master’s degree I looked into how happy people who worked without a boss were, and they had more motivation, felt more sense of achievement and were more proud of what they did compared with office workers, even if they weren’t living in luxury.

Speaker 3

I’ve just been reading about the latest financial scandal to hit a large enterprise – it’s not the first and, in my view, it won’t be the last. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Any confidence people ever had in big business is going to evaporate over the next few years. The value of the company has plummeted, unsurprisingly. I’ve been carrying out interviews with shoppers for a paper I’m writing for a business journal, and people are smart, they see through propaganda that companies send out saying how they’re helping save the planet! Companies have to realise they only have a business if people buy their stuff!

Speaker 4

I’ve been in business for over 40 years and will be retiring soon. I’ve seen many changes. For one thing, the way management treat people has improved. Workers get much more of a say now. But some things remain the same – the attraction of an urban environment for workers, I’m sure will be powerful for many years to come. This sort of centralisation makes sense. At present, I’m involved in a study examining the carbon footprint of trade. It’s imperative that companies take responsibility, and also consumers. I mean, how many people really think about food air miles or where their latest gadget was made? We’ll be publishing our findings in the next couple of months.

Speaker 5

I give lectures at a business school and have been looking into how, as more people live on their own and families get smaller, the workplace takes on more importance as a place to make friends. We can’t underestimate the value of belonging to an organization from the employee’s personal point of view. Loneliness among the elderly, in particular, can be a problem, but if I were to make an educated guess, I’d say we’ll all be in work well into our 70s, rather than 50s or 60s as is the current norm, and that may go some way to solving the problem. Of course, those who have chosen to work at home may miss out on this benefit.