Practice English Listening Test for B1 with answer and audioscript – Test #30

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

Audioscript

1   Which part of the Arts Centre only opened recently?

Woman:   In the heart of the city the Arts Centre includes a concert hall, cinema and an art gallery. The cinema is presenting a programme of films by younger film-makers and is attracting larger audiences than ever. The open-air concert area is the new home to the City Orchestra with an exciting concert programme of new composers and guest performers, while the City Art Gallery has a major programme of exhibitions all summer. Guests can enjoy dinner in the popular restaurant and enjoy the wonderful views of the city and river.

2   What does the shop assistant give the man?

Man:   Excuse me, I bought this sweater here, but when I got home I noticed it had a hole in it.

Woman:   Oh, I’m sorry. Oh yes, I see. Well I can certainly exchange it for you. We have plenty more – or would you like your money back instead?

Man:   Well, I’d actually prefer one of those shirts over there but you haven’t got my size. Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ll just have a refund, please.

Woman:   Of course. We’re having more shirts in next week if you’re interested.

3   Where does the woman feel pain?

Woman:   Hello, it’s Maria here. Just to let you know about my health problems again. I saw Dr Jones last week about my knee and he told me to rest. It still hurts and he said if things don’t improve, I should go back and see him again. Honestly, it was my ankle a few weeks ago. At least my headaches seem to have gone for the moment. Give me a ring and let me know how you are. Let’s meet for a coffee soon. Call me back.

4   Where must the woman go to buy dollars?

Man:   Can I help you?

Woman:   I’d like to buy some dollars, please.

Man:   Do you bank with us? We only sell dollars to customers who have an account at this bank.

Woman:   No, I’m a tourist – I’m just in the country for a few days. I just wanted to change some euros into dollars. What do you suggest I do then?

Man:   There’s a currency exchange office at the airport.

Woman:   That’s so far away! Is there nowhere nearer? In a shopping mall, for example?

Man:   Sorry, there used to be an exchange office in the big department store in the mall, but it closed last year.

5   Which vegetable is used in all today’s recipes?

Man:   On today’s Student Cookery programme, I’m going to show you how to make some really cheap and healthy meals. Forget about opening tins and think fresh! You can do wonderful things with tomatoes, potatoes – and I don’t mean chips or fries! – even cabbage, yes cabbage rolls, filled with tasty rice and herbs. And the essential vegetable in all my recipes is the ordinary onion, red or white or brown – colour doesn’t matter. First of all, you need a sharp knife. So, watch carefully and off we go …

6   Where is the meeting?

Man:   Do you know where today’s meeting with the Theatre Director will be held?

Woman:   I thought it was in his office. Let me check his online diary.

Man:   He did say he might hold it outdoors as it’s so hot. But that’s never a very good idea as papers can get blown away. I hope it’s in the staff restaurant – I could do with a cold drink!

Woman:   Ah, here it is in the diary – he’s arranged it down by the lake. You could take something to drink with you – enjoy!

7   How did the man want to pay?

Man:   You’d think that paying a bill would be easy. On tonight’s Money Today, I’m looking at some of the difficulties there can be. The story starts with my own experience. Thinking it’d be simpler, I made the mistake of trying to pay a hotel bill in cash. Well, amazingly they insisted on me using a credit card. I didn’t have one with me, so had to get onto my internet banking site using my mobile phone to try and get my card details. Nothing’s easy.

8 B   9 A   10 C   11 C   12 C    13 B

Audioscript

Man:   Today I’m talking to Marta Stanston, who runs her own ‘mobile’ restaurant. Marta, how did you get into the restaurant business?

Marta:   Well, I learnt to cook at college. I always wanted to open my own restaurant – but had no money. So I got a job as a chef. I had all sorts of ideas for new dishes, which the staff thought would sell, but the guy who owned the place wasn’t interested. That’s when a friend told me about the ‘mobile restaurant’ idea. It sounded great.

Man:   Tell us about it.

Marta:   Well, it works like this: you decide on a menu – obviously you have to be able to cook – then you advertise it so people can book a meal. The most amazing thing is all the advertising’s done through social-networking websites. People set up tables in their sitting-room, or in a city car park, an empty factory – anywhere in fact. And because you know how many people you’re cooking for, food doesn’t get wasted.

Man:   So why was it good for you?

Marta:   Well, various reasons. Like, I could buy all the ingredients without risk because you make customers pay in advance. The greatest advantage, though, is by having a maximum of ten customers, I didn’t need to hire a waiter. Then, of course, I could prepare everything at home – just take a camping gas cooker with me, plus some plates, glasses, knives and forks.

Man:   Do you never run into problems?

Marta:   The whole experience is fun. People watch you cook and the atmosphere’s relaxed. I did one meal on a beach which almost went wrong because I didn’t think about the wind blowing sand into people’s food. Fortunately, I’d brought a large umbrella to protect myself from the sun, so I put it around their table instead!

Man:   And you sometimes use your own flat?

Marta:   If the weather’s bad, people come to my home instead, but it gets very crowded. Even though I’ve actually got enough chairs and a big table, it’s not ideal. I was worried we might disturb the neighbours, but they’ve been alright about it. I love the temporary feel of the mobile idea, so home’s not really what it’s about.

Man:   So, what’s the future of mobile restaurants?

Marta:   Well, it’s rather uncertain. Lots of new ones are popping up because it’s become fashionable. I think health inspectors will want to check them out. That doesn’t worry me, because I’m a trained chef. But if someone got ill in a less serious one, we might all get a bad name. So I guess inspections are a good thing.

14 hills   15 sunset   15 cushion

17 5 / five   18 picnic   19 CITYENTS

Audioscript

Man:   For those of you who love watching films, let me tell you about a new outdoor summer cinema that opens later this week. It’s been set up in the hills with beautiful views in all directions. The size of the cinema screen is fantastic, and the quality of the sound system is so good you forget that you’re outdoors. What’s so amazing is that you can enjoy the sunset at the same time as you’re watching a film!

There are no seats because members of the audience can sit on the ground wherever they like. The temperatures don’t drop in the evenings during summer, so you won’t need a blanket, but I do suggest taking a cushion with you because it can get rather uncomfortable after the first hour or two of sitting there.

So, how do you get to this cinema from the city? If you have a car, then there’s plenty of parking spaces and the round trip is about eight kilometres. Otherwise, you’ll need to rely on public transport, unless that is, you have enough energy for a five-kilometre walk along a narrow path.

When I visited earlier this week, I saw that some people had brought a picnic with them. The perfect thing to enjoy after the movie. Some other people tried to light a barbecue – but that’s against the rules, I’m afraid – so not such a good idea.

And one final word of advice. It’s not a good idea to arrive at this outdoor cinema without a ticket because numbers are limited for health-and-safety reasons. Tickets are available from any supermarket in the city, or you can get them online from the website, cityents dot org. That’s C-I-T-Y-E-N-T-S dot org. So, have fun …

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

Audioscript

Laura:   Hello Karl! I haven’t seen you since we both went away to study.

Karl:   Hello Laura, good to see you. I’m just back home for a few days.

Laura:   Yeah, me too. How are you finding it studying in a foreign country?

Karl:   It’s taken me a couple of weeks to find somewhere to live. I had to find my own accommodation, although the university was very helpful and gave me a list of apartments so it wasn’t that hard.

Laura:   Isn’t it a problem not being able to speak the language?

Karl:   Well, there’s lots of students from different countries and we all use English. Anyway, my course is taught in English. But understanding the other students’ jokes isn’t always easy!

Laura:   Sounds like fun, though! Well, I’m really concentrating on my studies at the moment because I’ve got an important essay to write. I was told how much work there’d be and so I’ve really managed to get myself organised.

Karl:   Yes, time management is essential. Have you thought about what you’ll do after your university course finishes?

Laura:   It’s still a long way off. How about you? Do you think you’ll come back home to work after your graduation?

Karl:   I haven’t made up my mind actually. I’ve heard that some employers may not accept qualifications from another country. But my parents would prefer it if I came back here.

Laura:   I guess you must feel lonely sometimes. I thought I’d love the freedom of being away from home, but it can be hard. If I saw my parents more often, I’d be happier.

Karl:   Well, it’s normal to feel like that. At times, I felt frightened in case I was making a mistake by going to university abroad. Why don’t you come and visit me when you can afford it? I’ll book you into a youth hostel – they’re not expensive.

Laura:   I’m really curious to see what it’s like at your university. I’ve got more than enough studying to do at the moment though, I’m afraid. But thanks for the invitation.