Practice English Listening Test for B1 with answer and audioscript – Test #18

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

Audioscript

1   Which sport will the woman learn on holiday?

Man:   … So if you’re interested in water sports, this hotel has two pools, diving boards, and its own private beach. You can learn to water ski there, and guests can windsurf too – although the hotel advises beginners to take a few lessons before going out on their own.

Woman:   Good. I’m quite a strong swimmer, and I have always wanted to try windsurfing, so that would suit me fine. I tried water skiing once, but I didn’t like it.

Man:   Well, I’m sure you’ll enjoy your stay there then.

Woman:   Good.

2   What does the girl’s penfriend look like now?

Woman:   Look at these photos of my penfriend and her family. I took them during the trip.

Man:   So is she the one with long hair?

Woman:   Oh, that’s her sister. This is her, next to me. She looks a lot like her sister, though, doesn’t she? And they used to have hair the same length, but hers has always been curly. It’s a shame she had it cut, though – I think it looked better when it was long.

3   Which animals did the children see?

Woman:   Well, the zoo was a bit disappointing. The children enjoyed feeding the horses and watching the monkeys and the birds, but they hoped to see lions and tigers, and there weren’t any. Someone told us they don’t have them there because the security isn’t good enough, but I don’t know if that’s true.

4   Which TV programme is on first?

Woman:   … and welcome to our Tuesday evening programmes. At 9.00 we’ll have the first of our new programmes on sport, and today you can see live the final of the international tennis cup. But before that we have singer, Jane Shelley in concert. She will perform songs from her new CD. This will be followed by today’s news from around the world …

5   What does the boy decide to buy for his grandmother?

Boy:   My mum says I’ve got to buy my granny a present because she always gets me one when she goes on holiday. I thought I’d get her a black T-shirt.

Girl:   Don’t be silly, old ladies don’t wear T-shirt. Why not get her some of the local perfume. It smells of roses, or one of those little wooden boxes – they’re great for keeping earrings and stuff in.

Boy:   That’s a good idea. She does a lot of travelling, so she can use it to put her jewellery in.

6   What time is the man’s appointment?

Woman:   Hello. Appointments.

Man:   Hello. Could I make an appointment to see Dr. Smith, next Tuesday please? Early evening, if possible – anything after 6 o’clock.

Woman:   Well, we open at 6.15 on Tuesday evenings, and there’s an appointment at 6.35 or 6.50.

Man:   Thanks. I’ll take the earlier one. My name’s …

7   What has the woman lost?

Woman:   Excuse me, I was sitting over there ten minutes ago making a call on my mobile phone. I got a pen out of my bag to write something down and I think my purse fell out. I can’t find it now. Has anyone handed it to you?

8 C   9 C   10 B   11 A   12 C   13 A

Audioscript

Woman:   Frank, tell us about some of the ships you’ve discovered.

Man:   Well, there’s nothing quite like finding your first old ship – it was 300 years old. It was just lying at the bottom of the sea, so it wasn’t difficult to find. Most are covered in sand and rocks – but this one wasn’t.

I’m actually a teacher, not a full-time diver – I dive in my free time but I often get to them before the professional divers, because I have good up-to-date equipment. Another thing that helps is talking to fishermen who tell me about their local area. I’ve even written a book about some of their experiences.

At the moment, I’m looking for the gold from a ship called The Seabird. It was an enormous well-built ship and it was coming from Australia on a winter night in 1859. Everything was going fine until the ship reached the English coast, when it crashed into some rocks in a very strong wind and sank to the bottom of the sea. It was carrying gold from Australia, and most of it is still at the bottom of the sea.

My wedding ring is actually made from gold which I found on an eighteenth-century sailing ship. A friend of mine, another diver, has already found £88,000 worth of gold from different ships. He’s now decided to give up his job and become a full-time diver.

My house is full of things like coins, bottles and old guns. My wife is always complaining about the number of objects around the house – she says I should open an antiques shop – but I love all these old things. Anyway, in the end, I gave some things from my collection to museums, because I didn’t want to sell them. But my wife still wasn’t very pleased, I’m afraid.

As diving is a dangerous hobby, it’s not a good idea to try to teach yourself. I’d advise anyone interested to do what I did. There are some excellent diving clubs like the one I joined, which run courses for beginners. It is best to do one of these before you go on a diving holiday …

14    back gate

15   The Party

16   (school) secretary

17   £15.75

18   ice cream

19   bus station or bus stop

Audioscript

Man:   Okay everyone, now I need to say a few things about our visit to Staunton Theatre next Tuesday. You need to be here at school at six o’clock. We’ll meet by the back gate because the coach can’t stop at the front one. We can’t leave any later than six, as the play starts at 7.30.

We’re seeing a very interesting play called The Party by Andrew McVitie. It’s a comedy about a birthday celebration. His works can be difficult to understand so you need to read the play in advance. There is a copy for everybody which you can pick up from the school secretary. Do that as soon as you can.

I’ll hand out the theatre tickets on the coach. We’re all sitting together, in rows E and F. The full price of these tickets is £18, but you’re lucky, because I managed to get a discount for the group, so you only have to pay £15.75 each. Could you let me have this money before Tuesday, please, and £3.50 for the coach.

Now, a lot of you have suggested going somewhere together afterwards. Well, the coach driver is willing to come back a bit later, but there isn’t time for a three course meal, so we’ll go to a café I know nearby for an ice cream and a coffee. Don’t forget to bring some money for that.

I’ve arranged for the coach to make an extra stop before it comes back to the school. So for those of you who need to take the bus home, it will be possible for you to get off at the bus station. If you decide to take a taxi, you should find plenty of taxis there, or you can walk to the main square.

Right, any questions …

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

Audioscript

Girl:   Hi Alex, where’s Mum?

Boy:   She’s gone out.

Girl:   Has she? Where’s she gone?

Boy:   I don’t know actually. She just left a note. I expect she’s gone to Grandad’s.

Girl:   But Grandad’s gone to his club today. He always goes on Tuesdays.

Boy:   Oh yes, you’re right. I don’t know where she is then.

Girl:   Oh, never mind. What’s for supper, then?

Boy:   Boring soup and boring salad.

Girl:   Oh no. I could make something more interesting.

Boy:   That’s a good idea, but you’re an awful cook, Rose. And anyway, there’s nothing else in the fridge.

Girl:   Let’s eat out then.

Boy:   We can’t. I haven’t got any money.

Girl:   Well, I have.

Boy:   Great! Let’s go to the Pizza Palace!

Girl:   I’m not that rich! Be reasonable, the prices at Pizza Palace are much higher than anywhere else. Why don’t we go to MacGregor’s?

Boy:   MacGregor’s! I’d rather have soup and salad at home.

Girl:   The food’s not that bad there. But they don’t have any music.

Boy:   Well, they do, but it’s really awful.

Girl:   They have good music at Classic Express though, don’t they?

Boy:   Well, sometimes they have terrible classical stuff, but you can ask them to change the CD for some cool rock music.

Girl:   Oh, I’ve never thought of doing that. That’s a good idea.

Boy:   Shall we go there then? What’s the food like? I’ve been there a few times, but only for a coffee.

Girl:   Well, you’d like it. You get really huge plates of food. There would even be enough for you. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed.

Boy:   Well, I haven’t.

Girl:   Anyway, I’m hungry now. Are we going or aren’t we?

Boy:   Sure. Let’s go by bike.

Girl:   You’re crazy, Alex, it’s pouring with rain out there!

Boy:   OK, how about a taxi?

Girl:   Yes, Alex, we could take a taxi, but then I wouldn’t have enough money for the meal. I’m going on foot, and you’re coming with me.

Boy:   Oh, all right. Sisters!