Practice English Listening Test for B1 with answer and audioscript – Test #22

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

Audioscript

1   Where are the dictionaries?

Man:   As this is your first visit to the library, I’ll show you round. As you can see, shelves are clearly labelled according to subject. Most books you may take home with you but some, such as foreign language dictionaries, must stay in the library. These can be found over there behind the computers and it’s best if you take them to the desks by the window and study them there. Or you can use these armchairs if you prefer to sit somewhere more comfortable.

2   Which evening dress does the woman decide to wear?

Man:   Why are you taking so long to decide what to wear tomorrow night? The black dress with the long sleeves will be fine!

Woman:   Mmm … Long sleeves are a bit uncomfortable, but yes, it’s a nice dress. Trouble is, I’ve lent my short-sleeved dress to Angela. That would be perfect, it’s a long dress with a wide belt … Anyway, let’s see what I’ve got here … this one, also black, short-sleeved – but it’s got white flowers on the sleeves.

Man:   Why don’t you phone Angela and get your dress back?

Woman:   Yes, I think I will.

3   What is the man’s job now?

Man:   When I was young, I used to paint. I always dreamed of being an artist, painting pictures for a living. But I didn’t do very well at school and so I left early to join my dad working in the family photography business. After a few years of that I got bored, and felt I wanted to go back and study. That’s when I did my degree and teacher training, and I’ve taught photography ever since, although I still paint in my spare time.

4   Which calendar will the boy buy?

Boy:   Mum asked me to buy her a calendar. Shall I get this one with pictures of mountains, or this one with boats on it?

Girl:   She loves sailing, so get that one. I like that one with wild animals, but I don’t suppose Mum would. And you can’t get the one with mountains because she had that last year.

Boy:   Yes, I know. I’ll get the one you suggested then.

5   What time will the writer arrive at the bookshop?

Man:   All fans of Peter Robbins should go to the South Street book store tomorrow afternoon, where Peter will sign copies of his book Love of Life and answer questions. He is expected at a quarter past two and promises to stay until half past three, when he has to leave for another appointment. Get there as soon as you can because, if it’s anything like Peter’s last visit, queues will start to form at quarter to two or even earlier. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet everyone’s favourite writer.

6   What did the woman leave in the restaurant?

Man:   Hello … back again. Did you leave something behind?

Woman:   Yes. I don’t know if you remember but when I wanted to pay the bill I couldn’t find my purse, so I emptied everything out of my bag to look for it, and that’s when I took my keys out. When I got back to the car, I realised they weren’t in my bag …

Man:   Which table were you sitting at?

7   Where is the bicycle?

Boy:   I think someone’s stolen my bicycle. I left in by that tree on the pavement, but it’s not there any more.

Girl:   Perhaps it got in my father’s way when he was parking his car.

Boy:   Oh yeah, I think you’re right. It’s on the other side of the road, by that street light. He probably moved it. I’ll remember to leave it well away from the tree in future!

Girl:   Yes, and lock it next time as well.

8 A   9 A   10 C   11 B   12 B   13 A

Audioscript

Interviewer:   Oh, what a wonderful view! I’m here with Jack Williams, who’s telling me about his home town of Swanton.

Jack:   Yes, the top of this hill is the best place to see the area. Swanton is on the coast – you can see the harbour from here – but in fact the town is built along the river Dean. This river comes from a lake in the mountains, over there in the distance, then flows down to the flat land below us where the town is built.

Interviewer:   What do you most like about living here?

Jack:   About Swanton? Oh, it’s an important industrial town and a port, so there’s lots of activity. And there’s a forest behind the town with interesting wildlife. But the most exciting thing for me is the mountains. I go climbing whenever I get the chance.

Interviewer:   What about entertainment?

Jack:   There’s plenty of entertainment. A big centre was built last year to encourage the arts – very modern. It’s got a cinema, a theatre and an art gallery. And there’s football. The local team hasn’t done so well lately. A few years ago we nearly won the Cup. And our area is famous for music – not in Swanton itself, but there’s a well-known music festival in the next town.

Interviewer:   But there are problems with the environment.

Jack:   We’re working on that. The river was a great place for fish, but the water got so polluted by the factories that most of the fish disappeared. Well, we’ve cleaned the river up now, and the fish are starting to come back. But I’m unhappy about Swanton woods. The trees are quite healthy, but if you look, there are no birds there, and that’s because pollution has reduced the number of insects.

Interviewer:   Swanton’s growing fast. Are you pleased about the way it’s changed?

Jack:   You’ve got to move with the times. It was completely different when I was a boy. In those days everybody worked in the factories, and the families all knew each other. Maybe it was a little boring. Today there are hundreds of different companies, and so many few houses that some people don’t even know their neighbours. There are disadvantages, but it’s impossible to be bored with all the things going on.

Interviewer:   And what about Swanton’s future?

Jack:   Education is important to us. We have a fine university, which specialises in advanced technology. And a huge shopping centre, just built, which is bringing in double the number of visitors – good news for us. And last year we improved our airport, so more planes can come in.

14   O/opera(s)

15   T/ten (students) /10

16   (to) R/relax

17   C/classic(al) (s) (songs)

18   (the) S/salad (s) (bar)

19   T/Tuesday T/tues

Audioscript

Interviewer:   I’ve just come back from a short music course called Singing for Beginners. It was at Brownstoke College, which is just to the north of London.

A woman called Lena Phipps runs these three-day courses for people with no previous experience of singing. Lena used to be an opera singer, but no longer appears on the stage. Nowadays she occasionally sings in jazz clubs, but spends most of her time teaching. She was excellent!

There were only nine of us on the course I attended, five men and four women, and Lena never takes more than ten students on a course. This means that everyone has lots of attention and plenty of opportunity to sing.

We were all very nervous at the beginning, but every class begins with some exercises to help students relax. These are followed by warm-up exercises to improve the quality of the voice.

During the three days, students learn around twenty songs in a variety of different styles, depending on the interests of the class members. There are classical and modern songs, including pop songs. By the last day, everyone was confident enough to perform their favourite song on their own!

I would really recommend this course. Brownstoke College is an old building surrounded by a beautiful garden. Accommodation is very comfortable – the single and twin rooms are clean and warm, and three meals a day are included in the cost; a cooked breakfast, lunch and an evening meal. The lunch is very good, and the salads can be recommended.

Courses begin on the last Tuesday of the month, so the next one begins on the 24th of September and continues until Thursday the 26th of September. I would advise you to reserve a place early, because it’s certain to be very popular.

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

Audioscript

Marco:   So … what did you think of the film?

Sarah:   Mmm … I didn’t know what it would be like. I wasn’t very keen to see it when you suggested it, but I’m pleased I came now.

Marco:   Oh, good. I’m glad you liked it.

Sarah:   And it was great to see scenes of London in the background. I’m sure I recognised the hotel where we stayed last year.

Marco:   Mmm … I wasn’t sure it was London at first, but then I recognised the place we stayed, too. It was nice to see it, wasn’t it?

Sarah:   Oooh, my legs are stiff from sitting for so long. Over three hours, wasn’t it?

Marco:   At least. I didn’t notice the time going by at all, though – I was interested in the film. I thought it was good – and I usually hate long films! I often find them a bit boring.

Sarah:   Well, the man sitting next to me didn’t find it as interesting as you did. Did you see he fell asleep after fifteen minutes?

Marco:   Oh, I didn’t notice.

Sarah:   And the two women in front kept talking right through the exciting bits. I couldn’t concentrate. I was really angry.

Marco:   Mmm … it’s a shame they talked when the main actor was on screen. I can’t remember his name, but I liked his acting. He was brilliant.

Sarah:   Mmm … you’re right. He must be a new actor – I haven’t seen him before. He’s obviously going to have a great career.

Marco:   Mmm … and the director’s really good, too. I think I prefer the other films he’s made, though. His earliest one was probably the most entertaining.

Sarah:   Oh, I must see that, then. Perhaps we can get it on DVD …

Marco:   Good idea. We could stop at the shop on the way home, and see if they’ve got it.

Sarah:   Right.