Practice FCE (B2) Listening Test 24 with Answers and Audioscripts

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

Audioscripts

1   You hear a woman bringing an MP3 player back to the shop where she bought it.

Well, I bought this MP3 player a few months ago, and it seems to have developed a fault. When I’m playing a track, suddenly, for no reason, it just stops. And before I can do anything about it, it goes on to the next song. I’ve tried pressing stop, but that doesn’t seem to help. When I start it up again, it goes back to the first track it was playing. I find it very frustrating. I hope you’ll be able to fix it, or if that can’t be done, then perhaps you could replace it? I’m very surprised this had happened, especially as it was so expensive!

2   You hear a woman talking to a waiter.

A:   I’m afraid this isn’t what we ordered. You must have got it mixed up with another table. We wanted a mineral water and a grapefruit juice for the children, and a white coffee, no sugar for me!

B:   I’m very sorry. I’ll be back with your order in a minute.

A:   Don’t worry about the mineral water and the juice – the kids are quite happy with what they’ve got. But I really would like my coffee!

B:   Yes of course, I’ll bring it to you straight away.

A:   Thank you! Oh, and could we have a couple more napkins, too? I think the children might need them …

3   You hear a man describing a journey.

It was awful! First of all, there was some delay on the line from London, so we were late starting, and I was afraid I wouldn’t get to Leeds in time. Well, I did miss the connection, but luckily, there was a train to Manchester, so I took that. And then there was a bus for the last part of the journey. I was really exhausted when I finally got there! It was even worse than my last train journey – you know the one where I was stuck in Crewe for an hour when my connection was cancelled?

4   You hear an advertisement for a sale in a furniture store.

Don’t you think it’s time to replace some of that old furniture you’ve had in your home for far too long? Well, this is your opportunity to do so without having to spend a fortune! Don’t miss the sensational GFI furniture sale this Monday! Incredible reductions on all items in stock. Armchairs at an amazing half price! Sofas with up to 40 per cent reductions and double beds with 35 per cent reductions! Hurry while stocks last! GFI furniture sale starts Monday at eight o’clock sharp! Don’t be late for these amazing bargains!

5   You hear a woman talking to a car mechanic.

A:   Could you please have a look at my car? Do you think you might be able to repair it by the end of the day today?

B:   It depends what’s wrong with it, doesn’t it? What seems to be the trouble?

A:   It starts OK, but then the motor just cuts out every time I stop, like at traffic lights. I mean, when I put the brakes on, it slows down OK, but then I have to start the engine again when I want to drive off.

B:   Let’s have a look at it …

6   You hear a graphic designer talking about his work.

I’ve been in this business for almost 20 years now, and I have to say it’s still very exciting for me. I don’t regret for a comment working freelance, although in the beginning I was afraid I might get bored working from home. You hear stories, don’t you, about how it just doesn’t suit some people? Of course, things are totally different now I’ve got a lovely little office in the attic, with a new computer and my favourite software. I wouldn’t dream of going back to working in a multinational company.

7   You hear a radio announcement about traffic on a motorway.

Good morning, this is Radio Kent with the latest traffic news for the M2 heading into London. Traffic is pretty heavy, especially between junctions 17 and 18, due to roadworks on the A229 which is causing a bottleneck here. Last week road widening was causing long delays between junctions 13 and 14, though I’m glad to say it has now been completed, and we’re getting reports of a steady flow right up to junction 11. And this is where you should expect the longest delays. Delays up to two hours are expected between junctions 10 and 11, lasting right through until evening …

8   You hear a man phoning his local newsagent’s shop.

Good morning, this is George MacPherson, at number 50 Regent Avenue. It’s about my morning newspaper. I’ve been getting my Telegraph delivered from your shop for the last 25 years, and I really think that entitles me to a bit of service! I came downstairs first thing this morning, looking forward to having my first cup of tea and reading the paper – and what do I find on the doormat? The Sun! And a few days ago it was the Daily Mirror! This is unacceptable! I expect you to send someone round with my newspaper now!

9 18 / eighteen   10 equipment

11 soccer   12 made redundant

13 encouragement   14 money

15 the government   16 success

17 reasonable   18 blue

Audioscripts

Hello, my name’s John Freeman, and I’m a golfer. I’m delighted to be here today in this magnificent venue to tell you all a little bit about myself and my career in what I consider to be the best sport anyone could possibly play – yes, golf!

I’ve been playing golf for a long time now, in fact I started about 18 years ago, even though I didn’t really think about entering competitions and taking it more seriously until I was 16 or 17.

It was my dad who got me interested first of all. He used to be quite a good player himself – strictly amateur, of course, but still pretty good. Unfortunately he never really progressed any further – the really good equipment was too expensive for him, but he was always very keen on the game. He’d always watch all the international competitions on TV, but he didn’t play himself for years.

You might think that with a dad like that, I’d have been very interested myself right from the start, but to tell you the truth, I wasn’t much. When I was at school, I was obsessed with soccer, and my ambition was to be a professional one day. But in my mid-teens I realised I wasn’t really much good at it. It was hard to give up my dream, but I knew I had to be realistic about my chances of making it.

At about the same time my dad decided to take up his old hobby again, because he was made redundant and suddenly had a lot of time on his hands. So he’d take me along with him, and I started to take more of an interest in it than I had ever done when I was younger.

Looking back, one thing that really annoys me is how teachers at my school reacted. I didn’t expect advice on becoming a golfer, of course, but when I told them I wanted to practise golf and become a professional golfer one day, they all tried to put me off. I wish they’d given me a bit of encouragement, but to be honest, I don’t think they knew much about the game.

That wasn’t particularly surprising, I suppose, especially a few years ago – I mean, I grew up in a fairly poor part of London, and went to the local school, and everyone there thought golf was just a game for people with a great deal of money. Because that’s the image golf’s got, isn’t it?

I think it’s a little different today, but not much. I’d like to see a lot more things change. For example, I think the government should do something for young people who play golf, like allowing them to hire good quality equipment at a reasonable price. I go round schools and talk to young people about how wonderful golf is, but I do think some extra support is needed.

Having said that, one thing that really seems to be making a difference and raising the sport’s profile among younger people is the huge success of some young British players these days. It doesn’t take many, just a few very talented players who are an inspiration to kids all over the country.

I’m in this sport because I like it and I can make a reasonable income from it. It hasn’t made me enormously wealthy, but it’s given me a great deal of enjoyment over the years. I’d be delighted if I could make kids feel the sport is a possibility for them.

I’ll be very happy to answer any questions you’d like to ask – but before that, I’ll tell you something I’m asked about wherever I go: why did I dye my hair when I was younger? There were in fact two reasons: I thought it would show up nicely against the green on television – it was blue, as some of you may remember – and it was also just to show that you didn’t need to look conventional to take the game seriously.

And now, if you have any questions …

19 E   20 C   21 G   22 A   23 H

Audioscripts

Speaker 1

A few years ago I went cycling in Holland with my mum, dad and Alice, my sister. I hadn’t really been looking forward to it; I was a teenager, and I didn’t get on with my parents. As I’d expected, the things my family chose to see weren’t all that interesting, and for the first couple of days I was in a really bad mood. However, by the end of the first week I found myself having a good time with my parents. I wasn’t a kid any more, and I felt that we were forming a friendship.

Speaker 2

The most unusual holiday I’ve ever had was before going to university, when a friend dragged me along on an archaeological dig. We were uncovering the remains of a Roman villa in Kent, and I’d somehow imagined we’d just be pottering around in the sun all day. Well, it was very hard work but I started to feel fascinated by the whole subject of the Romans in Britain and the effect they had on our modern society. The main thing I got from the holiday was the feeling that I had a better understanding of where I’d come from and who I was.

Speaker 3

I was just 17 when my parents agreed to let me go away with two friends on a holiday in Wales. We were staying in a youth hostel that was next to a farm with horses. I’d always wanted to try horse riding, and on the second day, we visited the farm and got talking to the farmer, and the next thing we knew he’d agreed to show us how to ride. I got a great sense of achievement from that, and I’ll always remember the feeling of developing a new skill.

Speaker 4

Well, one summer this friend from work suggested we should go camping in Scotland. I didn’t know what camping was all about because my parents had never done anything like that when I was a child, but it sounded like fun. I couldn’t have been more wrong! The holiday was a disaster! The weather was awful, our tent started leaking, and we got soaking wet by the rain. But somehow we kept each other’s spirits up, and at the end of the camping trip we felt confident that our friendship could survive anything after that.

Speaker 5

The year I finished school, three friends and I got those student railcards for Europe. We were looking for something different to do, and most of our classmates had decided to go camping on the coast, which we thought might be a bit boring. Anyway, it was a big mistake! We spent endless hours travelling from one capital to the next and then went sightseeing to make the best of our holiday. After seven days we were exhausted and decided to get back. I can’t describe the feeling of absolute joy when I finally got home!

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

Audioscripts

Interviewer:   Welcome to this week’s edition of Careers for You. My guest on today’s programme is Laura Bartlett, a successful florist. I’m sure there are many young people out there who’ve never considered floristry as a career. Who knows, they might be inspired by Laura’s example! Laura, how did you become interested in floristry?

Laura Bartlett:   My parents were keen gardeners. My father used to grow rare varieties of vegetables and my mother grew orchids very successfully. But it was my mother’s sister who was the professional. She had a florist’s shop, and when I was a kid, I’d help out at weekends. I grew up knowing quite a lot about the business.

Interviewer:   So being a florist was something you’d always wanted?

Laura Bartlett:   Not exactly! When I was at school, I wanted to be an artist but my art teacher persuaded me to train as a graphic designer instead. After college I got a job working for a magazine, but I hated being in an office all day, so I resigned. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I had a number of temporary jobs. And then one day, my aunt fell and broke her arm. She asked me to help out in the shop until she got better. But I liked it so much that I stayed on, and eventually took over from her when she retired.

Interviewer:   What exactly did you do?

Laura Bartlett:   At first, I did the jobs I’d done as a kid: cleaning, delivering flowers to customers, things like that.

Interviewer:   Didn’t you work with flowers at all?

Laura Bartlett:   Well, that’s a skilled job. My aunt’s assistant would do the creative stuff and I’d put together simple bouquets – following her instructions.

Interviewer:   What kinds of skills did you need to learn?

Laura Bartlett:   Lots! Fortunately, I already knew a lot about the different species and varieties of flowers available, but I now had to learn how to look after them, prepare them so they lasted, wire them if necessary.

Interviewer:   Wire them?

Laura Bartlett:   Yes. In some arrangements, flowers have to keep a certain position, and one of the ways you can make sure they do this is by twisting fine wire round their stems.

Interviewer:   Oh, I see. Would you say that being a florist is a good career for a young person?

Laura Bartlett:   That depends. You have to love flowers, but you must also be good with people. You see, people come into a florist’s for many reasons – often they want some flowers as a gift for a birthday, perhaps they want to apologise to someone, a family member could be ill. They depend on you to help them make the right choice, so you have to take an interest. And it’s not all pretty flowers. You have to get up before dawn to buy good quality flowers from the market; it’s not much fun when you have to put your hands into freezing water in winter; you stand most of the day; you have to lift heavy containers; and before special occasions like Mother’s Day, you need to work through the night to prepare orders.

Interviewer:   So if any of our listeners would like to become florists, how should they go about it?

Laura Bartlett:   Well, they could try getting a job at a florist’s and learn the business on the job. Or they could take a course at a college. My advice would be to look for a part-time job and attend courses in floristry at the same time. That way you get a good knowledge of all aspects of the business. Because it is a business. If you want to run your own shop one day, you must learn how to manage a budget, run a website and keep accounts. No matter how talented you are, you will fail unless you can do all the other boring things!