Practice English Listening Test for B1 with answer and audioscript – Test #17

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

Audioscript

1   What was damaged in the storm?

Man:   Was the roof of your house all right after the storm, Anna? I saw a workman there with a ladder today.

Woman:   I’d had the roof repaired recently so that wasn’t a problem. The workman was putting some new glass in an upstairs window. I think a branch from a free broke it when it fell off in the wind. I was quite lucky – it didn’t damage my car which was parked right under the tree.

2   What present does the man decide to take?

Man:   My boss has invited me to dinner at his house tomorrow night, but I don’t know what sort of present I should take.

Woman:   I suppose flowers are best, but it’s not a good time of year for them … and people always take chocolates; that’s really boring. What about a plant?

Man:   I think I’d be happier with the boring chocolates than with a plant actually, but thanks for the ideas, anyway.

3   Which is the woman’s jacket?

Woman:   Excuse me, has anyone found my jacket? I left it on the plane. It’s grey, with two buttons down the front and one on each sleeve.

Man:   Anything in the pockets, madam?

Woman:   I don’t think so.

Man:   Yes, I’ve got it here.

4   Which sport is not included in the price of the holiday?

Man:   Hello. This is the travel agency returning your call. You left a message about the holiday you’ve booked, asking which sports are included in the cost. There is an extra charge for windsurfing but if you want to play golf, that’s free for all hotel guests and horse-riding is also available at no extra charge, which is good because I think you were especially interested in that. Let me know if I can help you with any other information. Goodbye.

5   Which postcard will they send?

Woman:   We mustn’t forget to send Mum a postcard … how about this one with a picture of a castle?

Man:   Well, it’s nice, but it’s not where we’re actually staying. What about a view of the beach and town instead? Or perhaps one of the garden pictures if you think she’d prefer it. Look at the cottage and all the flowers …

Woman:   Mmm … I think your first idea was better … we could put a cross to show where we’re staying.

Man:   Right then, let’s do that.

6   Where do they decide to go?

Woman:   So, we’ve got three hours free. Shall we go to an exhibition? What do you think?

Man:   Well, there’s an exhibition of photographs at the city museum, or there’s a sculpture exhibition at the art gallery, which is meant to be good.

Woman:   Oh, sculpture’s boring! Let’s go to the museum. I like photos, and we haven’t been there since last year when they had that really interesting exhibition of clothes. Do you remember?

Man:   OK. I can go and see the sculptures another day.

7   What will the boy do first?

Boy:   I’m off now, Mum. I’m going to meet Ben at the tennis club because he’s bought some new handlebars for his bike and he wants me to help him put them on … and I’ve got to go to the library to take my books back sometime today too.

Woman:   Well, do that before you start work on the bike because it isn’t open this afternoon.

Boy:   OK. And we’re going to play tennis after we’ve done the bike, so I won’t see you until supper this evening. Bye!

8 A   9 C   10 B   11 B   12 C   13 A

Audioscript

Man:   Britta, you’re English, but you live in Berlin. Have you lived here for a long time?

Woman:   Well, I was born in England, but I’ve lived in Germany for the past twenty years. I arrived in Berlin about four years ago. Before that, I lived in Bonn for six years, but I work as a journalist, and when the newspaper moved to Berlin, I moved with them.

Man:   Were you pleased to come to Berlin?

Woman:   Yes, I was. I was looking forward to being in a big city like Berlin. Bonn was quite a lot smaller, so I love the busy atmosphere and all the culture entertainments here: museums, theatres and so on. the only thing I don’t like is the traffic; it’s a bit noisy in the mornings. It wakes me up about 6.30, but most days I have to get up early anyway!

Man:   Where do you live in Berlin?

Woman:   I have a flat in the old part of the city. It’s right in the centre, and it’s not too expensive – it costs me about £500 a month. My street is becoming very popular: there are lots of new art galleries, and small cafés and friendly restaurants everywhere. Eating out in Berlin is fun, and it’s cheap, so it’s something I do quite often.

Man:   How do you find transport in Berlin?

Woman:   Well, the transport system here is very good, so I have a tram and bus ticket, but in fact, most of the time I cycle. Travel here is much cheaper than in other countries I know – perhaps that’s why people don’t walk very much!

Man:   What do you like to do in Berlin at the weekends?

Woman:   Well, I like art, so sometimes I go to one of the galleries. I have a nephew called Philippe. He’s only three but he likes coming with me. He likes the café best, I think. And it’s a change from going to the park – that’s something he does very often. He usually comes out with me while his parents go shopping.

Man:   Do you miss your friends and family in England?

Woman:   I don’t really miss England – most of my friends are here. I don’t see much of my work colleagues socially, but I’ve got some very good friends who live in the same street as me. I enjoy meeting people, and I find Berlin is a very friendly city.

Man:   Thank you for talking to us, Britta.

14   artist / painter

15   6(th) (of) November

16   18 / eighteen

17   hotel(s)

18   elephant(s)

19   lunch

Audioscript

Man:   Hello. I’m Stephen Mills. I will travel with you on the Tiger Tour to India, but I’m not your tour guide. I work as an artist and I’m going to take some photographs of tigers so that I can use them when I paint some pictures later. An expert guide will join the group when we arrive in India, but I’m leading the group until then.

We leave London on the 6th of November, arriving in India the following day. It’s a good time of year to visit the wildlife park where the tigers live. The rainy season finishes in October. And later in the year, the park gets more crowed and the tigers become shy.

We’ll spend ten days in the wildlife park. There are twenty other types of animal and three hundred types of bird to see as well as tigers. There are eighteen of us altogether and everything is organised for our comfort by the tour company. For example, although we’re in the jungle, we won’t have to sleep in tents! The hotels where we’ll stay are all very comfortable.

To be sure of seeing tigers, we’ll stay in two different parts of the wildlife park. We’ll spend three days in the north, where we’ll travel around in an open truck, and the rest of the time in the south, where we’ll travel around on elephants. That should be fun!

On the way back to London, we have dinner and one night’s bed and breakfast in the Indian capital, Delhi. There you can either go sightseeing or go shopping, whichever you prefer. But please note that lunch is not provided on our day of departure, as the plane leaves at two in the afternoon.

Now, if there are any questions …

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

Audioscript

Boy:   Hi Susanna, I’m just going to the practice for the school concert. Are you coming to play your violin in the school orchestra?

Girl:   I’m afraid not, Carl. I’m not at all keen on playing in concerts.

Boy:   You’re not nervous about performing in front of an audience, are you?

Girl:   It’s not that, but there are lots of other things I’d rather be doing.

Boy:   But I thought you liked music. You have violin lessons, don’t you?

Girl:   Yes I do, but I don’t enjoy them. The worst part is having to practise for half an hour every day. I never get any better and it just seems a waste of time.

Boy:   Oh, I enjoy practising because then I feel that I’m making progress. In fact, playing the piano is a way of escaping from the stress of my school work.

Girl:   I’d be happy if I could stop my violin lessons, but my parents won’t let me. They say I’ll regret it later, but I don’t agree. It’s not as if I’m going to make music my career like you are.

Boy:   I’m not good enough to be a professional musician, I’m afraid. And it’s much too uncertain. I’m hoping to be a chemist, like my father – that offers much more security!

Girl:   I want a good career too, but I don’t want to be a teacher like my parents. Perhaps when I’ve been to university I’ll have more idea of what I want to do. I’ll probably get a job abroad, because I’d really love to travel and see the world.

Boy:   Well, there’s lots of time to decide. But what about this concert – they really need more violins in the orchestra – won’t you come and join in?

Girl:   Sorry, you can’t make me change my mind.

Boy:   Well, that’s a pity – I suppose you won’t want a ticket to the concert either.

Girl:   You’re right, but I hope it goes well!