Practice FCE (B2) Listening Test 20 with Answers and Audioscripts

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

Audioscripts

1   You hear a news report on the radio.

Reporter:   And now some traffic news. Due to a bridge collapse there are no trains into Norcombe Central Station until further notice. Extra buses have been laid on but more people are using their cars to get into town so all main routes are now extremely busy. Police recommend that anyone who doesn’t have a good reason to go into town should avoid the area for the time being.

2   You hear a man talking to the receptionist in a leisure centre.

Receptionist:   Good morning, sir. How can I help you?

Man:   Yes … My name’s Paul Flynn. I recently renewed my membership and I was told I’d get my new card in the post. That was three weeks ago and it still hasn’t arrived.

Receptionist:   Ah yes … Um, Mr Flynn … I’ve got your membership card here. We need an up-to-date photo before we can release it.

Man:   Hmm. I wasn’t told that. I’ll have to get one taken.

3   You hear a man and a woman talking about a friend.

Woman:   Have you seen Jim since it happened?

Man:   Yes. I’ve been round his house a couple of times. He was doing to spend his holiday touring with his football team but he had to pull out.

Woman:   When will he be able to play again?

Man:   It’ll be a couple of months before he can start training. Probably longer before he can play for the team. It takes months for a broken leg to recover fully.

4   You hear a conversation in a lift.

Man:   So, how’s the new department?

Woman:   Not too bad. My colleagues are kind and helpful but I’ve had some issues with the boss.

Man:   Really? He’s supposed to be great to work for.

Woman:   Well, maybe it’s me, then, but he’s always looking at his watch when you go home at the end of the day. I don’t know how long he expects people to work for but he’s not going to make me feel guilty.

5   You hear a teacher talking to a student.

Teacher:   … But I told you the deadline was twelve, Susan.

Susan:   I know, and I did try to get the essay finished on time. And it’s not as if I haven’t finished. It’s ready to go but I need to get a hard copy.

Teacher:   How much time do you need?

Susan:   I just need to wait for the library to open after lunch so I can get the file printed …

6   You hear an author talking on the radio about a book she has written.

Presenter:   … It’s certainly a well researched biography. Did the research take a lot of time?

Author:   It did, and it entailed travelling to Glasgow, where Madeleine was born, and then to Madrid, where she spent her married life. Fortunately, I was able to build the trips to Spain around family holidays. My husband entertained the children while I interviewed people who knew Madeleine. I was expecting this to be difficult as I don’t speak Spanish but it turned out OK.

7   You hear a couple talking about their garden.

Man:   So, what needs doing?

Woman:   Well, the grass needs cutting, the hedge needs trimming and there’s a pile of rubbish at the end of the garden that needs throwing out.

Man:   But I’ve only got an hour. I’m playing golf this afternoon.

Woman:   Well, I can do the grass later, but I’m not tall enough to do the hedge … Oh! We do need to get that rubbish cleared before Bob and Mary come round for dinner tonight.

8   You hear a radio presenter talking about a new business.

Presenter:   … And now some news for job hunters and businesses looking for new staff. St John’s Recruitment Office opened last week in the centre of town. For one month only, until 31 May, local businesses can advertise vacancies for half price. And … if you’re looking for work, you can register on their website. Upload your CV and search for what’s available in your area. The service is free for job hunters.

9 techniques   10 timing

11 out loud   12 pen/ finger (tip)

13 (any) meaning   14 houses

15 headings   16 opening

17 confidence   18 summarise

Audioscripts

Teacher:   … OK. Now I did promise I was going to give you some tips about improving your reading speed. A lot of people get the wrong impression when they think about speed reading. They imagine it means doing what you normally do, just faster. But actually, you read more quickly by learning new techniques and reading in a different way.

First, you need to find out how fast you can read already by timing yourself. Read something with comprehension questions so you’ll know if you’ve actually understood what you’ve read. Then after a few months of training, try a similar test and see if you’re faster. There are lots of these tests online.

Now … techniques. My number one tip is: don’t say the words out loud as you read. It’s much faster to read in your head so keep your lips closed. To help you not to voice words, take a pen and run the tip quickly along the line you’re reading, paying attention to the words as you do so. The moving pen will force your eye to keep moving. Eventually, you’ll find a speed that you feel comfortable with but which will also be too fast for you to ‘speak’ the words.

Another thing. In order to understand a text, we don’t need to read every word. Words like ‘a’, ‘the’ and ‘did’ don’t carry any meaning so focus on key words, like nouns and verbs. Eventually, you should try to avoid reading individual words and instead focus on groups of words. Imagine you’re zooming out or away from the text, seeing it from further away, just like when we’re in an aeroplane … When we’re low down we see individual buildings but as we get higher, we see blocks of houses. Do the same when you read.

Another tip is to use features of the text to help you get an understanding. Paragraph headings will give you an idea of the general topic; scan the text for these before you read in more detail. Also, within each paragraph, the opening sentences will often tell you all you need to know. Now and again, you might need to get further details; that’s when you read the rest of the sentences.

Finally, get out of the habit of re-reading sections of a text. You’ll never improve unless you have the confidence to move on. Try covering the text you’ve just read with a piece of paper. And to prove to yourself that you have actually understood, summarise in a sentence or two what you’ve read when you get to the end of a page. You’ll be surprised by how much you remember.

19 C   20 G   21 F   22 H   23 A

Audioscripts

Speaker 1

Man:   I’ve got lots of acquaintances but just a couple of people that I class as being special. One of those is Cameron. He’s so cheerful that it’s guaranteed he’ll cheer me up if I’m feeling down. I’ve known him for years, since we were at school, and we’re very close. We have a long shared history so we can talk about things in a way that isn’t possible with other people I know.

Speaker 2

Woman:   I met Christine ten years ago when I was a nurse, but my opinion of her wasn’t very positive at first. She’s one of those people who sometimes seem to be uninterested in others. But as we got to know each other, we discovered we enjoyed each other’s company. We laugh about the same things and have similar interests. We’re the best of friends and even though we work in different hospitals now, we still see each other.

Speaker 3

Man:   I left college three years ago and got a job in an accountancy firm, where I shared an office with Jon, who had joined the company the year before. It was my first job and I was scared of making mistakes. But Jon was brilliant and spent hours helping me to learn new systems and processes even though he was busy himself. We became really good friends and see each other regularly outside of work.

Speaker 4

Woman:   Without doubt, my closest friend is my husband. I’ve got my own friends and I love them all but Paul is obviously special. He’s so laid-back and patient and rarely gets cross about anything. He even kept calm when he was teaching me to drive! I kept doing things wrong and he just kept telling me not to worry about my mistakes and not to let them affect my confidence.

Speaker 5

Woman:   I’ve known Amanda for years and in fact, she was a bridesmaid at my wedding. But she was very ill recently and had to spend a lengthy period in hospital. I hated seeing her suffer but I’m happy to say she made a full recovery. We both love classical music and now we can go to concerts together again, which is great as my husband isn’t interested in that kind of thing.

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

Audioscripts

Presenter:   Yvonne, how did you become interested in yoga?

Yvonne:   Soon after I’d given birth to my first child, I started getting back pain and tried everything to treat it, but with no success. Then a friend suggested yoga. I was in so much pain that I didn’t need much persuading, and after a few weeks my back felt better. I’d never been a great one for exercise so I was amazed how much I enjoyed it.

Presenter:   When did you decide you were going to teach professionally?

Yvonne:   About three years ago. I was a school teacher at the time but I decided to go on a part-time contract with my school and run yoga sessions in my spare time at a local sports centre. Then I was offered the chance to rent a room in a leisure centre so I gave up the teaching job to do yoga full time.

Presenter:   What’s the most rewarding part of your work?

Yvonne:   Well, I always enjoyed being a teacher and I get the same satisfaction from being a yoga instructor. I like helping people to discover what interests them. I love seeing people transform from people in physical or emotional pain into positive, healthy individuals. Some become passionate about yoga. I find that particularly satisfying.

Presenter:   Now what changes would I notice in my physical and mental health if I took up yoga?

Yvonne:   It’s an excellent means of improving your strength and flexibility and it can help relieve aches and pains. I’ve also lowered my blood pressure since doing it. It can help people suffering from stress, and lots of clients say their memory and concentration have improved since they’ve started.

Presenter:   Presumably, people notice the benefits of yoga in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Yvonne:   Yes. Yoga is about achieving balance and this applies to your life generally. We should take steps to become positive, to avoid people who make us feel bad about ourselves, to see the best in others and be kind.

Presenter:   What about diet?

Yvonne:   Personally, I eat seasonally and locally. Fresh, locally produced food is likely to be healthier and less expensive. And when we’re eating, we should enjoy our food. Don’t rush your meals so you can watch TV. And although the odd bar of chocolate or biscuit won’t kill you, eat things like that in moderation.

Presenter:   What advice would you give to anyone thinking of taking up yoga?

Yvonne:   I’d say speak to people who have done it and ask them how they’ve benefited. Sometimes that’s more persuasive than asking an instructor. Find a local school and see if they have introductory sessions. But the most important thing is to give it a chance. Do it for at least three months. Then you’ll know for sure whether it’s your thing or not.