Practice English Listening Test for B2 with answer and audioscript – Test #09

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

Audioscript

1

I didn’t want to go to university, so when I finished school I went and got a job. My parents said if I was in full-time education they’d give me an allowance, but if not I’d have to work. So I got a job in a big store, in the menswear department … Actually, I think I had to go out and find out what I could do, because in school I wasn’t particularly brilliant. So, when it came to doing work, I think I had to prove a lot of people wrong. So I really felt like doing it … even though it was just selling socks in Harridges.

2

The Hilton Dance Company have been at the Camden Theatre for almost a month now, offering us a wonderful programme of mainly modern dances. The company have just celebrated their twentieth year of performances all over the world! But this week they’ll be taking a break from dancing, to give us an idea of how a dance company works. Top dancer and company manager Lisa West will be in the theatre, telling us about the company’s work, but all the dancers will be there too, so it’s also your opportunity for a get-together! And, of course, you don’t need to have any experience of dance for this …

3

Woman:   I tell you, we were dead lucky! He could have done some serious damage if we hadn’t reacted so quickly.

Man:   What did he do – just shoot straight out without looking?

Woman:   Yeah. Clare yelled something at me and I just slammed on the brakes.

Man:   Did he stop?

Woman:   You’re joking! Just blasted his horn at us and carried on.

Man:   And there was nobody behind you?

Woman:  No, fortunately, other wise who knows what might have happened.

Man:   You were lucky. That road’s always busy.

4

The research for a major wildlife TV series can take up to a year, followed by about two years’ filming, with four or five camera teams around the world at any one time. Finding the right stories to film is only half the job. The other half is finding the right location and then going out to help the camera-person film it. This can be difficult – you have to make sure you’re in the right place at the right time. So good planning is essential. We spend a lot of time on the phone beforehand, getting advice from local experts.

5

This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever visited and, believe me, in my career as a travel writer I’ve seen some fabulous scenes. From the deck of this small sailing boat I have a wonderful view out over a short expanse of sparkling blue water to the white houses of the village on the left, and then to the wooded hillsides behind, which climb up to the snow-covered mountain peaks surrounding this lovely valley. By the water’s edge, people are sitting in the late-evening sun enjoying a leisurely meal of fresh fish, caught in these waters only a few hours ago. It’s heaven!

6

Giving me my money back isn’t the point. My son needs to practise for an important match, but at the moment his table is lying in bits on the floor. When I bought it, I was assured that it would only take a matter of moments to screw the different parts in place, but the instructions don’t make sense. Since I paid so much for it, I think it’s only fair to ask for some hands-on help from you in getting it into a usable state. My son is impatient for a game on his new table!

7

Interviewer:   Helen, was this business always a dream of yours?

Woman:   No, not really. It developed from what we used to do – build fishing boats.

Interviewer:   How long have you been in business?

Woman:   About eight years. First we built the marina, then we bought boats to rent out for cruising holidays. It’s going well.

Interviewer:   How many boats do you have? During the summer I bet you’re pretty busy.

Woman:   Yes, people use them like caravans, really. They go up river for their holidays and then bring them back to the moorings here for us to prepare for the next client …

8

This is a really delicious part – plenty to get your teeth into, some very good speeches, a lot of change of mood. There’s lots for the audience to identify with too, so it all goes to make my job more rewarding. The fact that this is a revival means I also have the challenge of putting my own stamp on a role. The original performance, by the man who created the part some twenty years ago, will still be in the mind of some members of the audience. I couldn’t ask for more!

9 tunnels   10 space (and) fresh air   11 Wales

12 climbing   13 (hard) hat   14 lamp   15 (strong) boots

16 all ages   17 special interest   18 competitions

Audioscript

Interviewer:   In the studio with me today I have Mike Reynolds, who’s what is known as a caver. In other words, he spends long periods of time exploring underground caves for pleasure. And Mike’s here to tell us all about this fascinating hobby and how to get started on it. So Mike, why caves?

Mike:   Well, cavers actually explore any space that’s underground, whether it’s caves, old mines or tunnels.

Interviewer:   Oh right. So how big are these underground spaces?

Mike:   Oh – anything up to eighty kilometres long … which means that, in some cases, in order to reach the end you’ve got to sleep, to set up camp, inside the cave at some point – usually where both space and fresh air are available.

Interviewer:   No good if you’re afraid of the dark.

Mike:   No.

Interviewer:   So where do you find the best caves?

Mike:   In terms of countries, the best places are, for example, Ireland, Australia and the Philippines. Here in the UK, various areas have the right sort of geology. My favourite is Wales, but you can find plenty of caves in northern England and in Scotland too.

Interviewer:   Caving involves a lot of physical exercise, doesn’t it?

Mike:   That’s right … in terms of physical activity, it’s very similar to climbing except they go up and we go down. The conditions can be very different though … we often find ourselves facing very small gaps in the rock, which we have to crawl through on our hands and knees.

Interviewer:   So the right equipment is obviously very important. If I wanted to start out on a hobby like this, what would I need?

Mike:   Well, you’d need a hard hat, and it’s important to get one that fits properly, so that it doesn’t keep falling over your eyes or feel too tight, and these can cost anything from five to twenty pounds.

Interviewer:   Umm … that doesn’t sound too much for starters.

Mike:   Oh but then there’s the lamp. You wear that on your head because it’s very important to keep your hands free at all times. But it doesn’t come with the hat and it can cost anything up to fifty pounds to get a suitable one.

Interviewer:   I guess warm clothes are a must too?

Mike:   You’ll need to spend thirty to forty pounds on a waterproof suit because the caves can be pretty wet and cold inside and you can get ill if you’re not protected. Then, of course, the thing that you really need to spend money on is something for your feet that keeps the water out. Strong boots are essential for this, also because without them you could be slipping on wet surfaces and doing yourself an injury. Cheap ones are just not as safe, I’m afraid.

Interviewer:   It sounds pretty tough. I mean, is it really only a sport for the young and fit?

Mike:   That’s quite interesting, because people tend to think that, but in fact cavers come from all ages and backgrounds – students and professionals alike. You even find eighty-year-olds who’ve been doing it for years.

Interviewer:   What exactly is it that people find so attractive?

Mike:   It’s excitement … the pleasure you get in finding something new – a passage that nobody knew about before or a piece of rock that’s just lovely to look at.

Interviewer:   And I understand that conservation has become a key issue as well.

Mike:   Yes. Forty-eight caves in Britain are now known as ‘places of special interest’ because of what they contain, and this is the same in other countries too.

Interviewer:   So, do cavers enjoy competing, like in other sports?

Mike:   No. We want to enjoy a safe sport and, in order to ensure that, there are no competitions in caving. We try to organise a range of events, but the emphasis is on co-operation and the enjoyment of the sport for what it can offer the individual.

Interviewer:   Well, it sounds like something I’ll have to try one day. Mike, thank you very much for coming in and sharing …

19 C   20 D   21 B    22 F   23 A

Audioscript

Speaker 1

I deal with anything to do with entertainment on board, and that covers guest lecturers, cabaret artists, the show company and any special nights. I have to plan each cruise with all the performers and then introduce them at the beginning of the show. There’s never a dull moment! And if I want time to myself I have to escape to my cabin, because a huge part of my job is to mix with people. There are often parties to attend … and then, sometimes, dance nights to organise. So, if I’m not in the shows, I’ll be out there dancing with the passengers, because that’s part of my job too.

Speaker 2

I’m in charge of reception at the Health and Fitness Centre, so I greet passengers and organise their individual fitness programmes and beauty treatments. I wouldn’t say it was glamorous because it’s very hard work, but the rewards for me are meeting really interesting people, and the system of working. We do eight-month contracts, and once you’ve finished, it’s up to you how much time you have off. Then you renew your contract when you’re ready. I like working on a contract basis; I don’t like to feel as if I’m stuck somewhere. At home, everyone follows the same nine-to-five pattern. Here, time just has a different meaning.

Speaker 3

I’m responsible for the safety of the passengers. That means that, apart from keeping an eye on things on a day-to-day basis, I have to make sure that passengers can be safely evacuated if there’s an emergency. So I do a lot of staff training to make sure each member of staff knows exactly what to do if there’s a problem … and, of course, we do emergency drills with the passengers. In theory, I’m on call for twenty-four hours a day, but, in fact, I’m generally on duty for about fifteen, so I do get the chance to socialise a bit too. When we’re in port, though, I get the whole time off.

Speaker 4

There are six photographers here, and we take photos of passengers in various locations on the ship. My main role, though, is to develop and print all the passenger film, so I’m less in evidence socially. We don’t have set hours because every cruise programme is different and, because I print the photos, I frequently carry on working until six in the morning – getting them ready for the next day. It’s quite exciting. People like having their pictures taken with the captain, and we also do quite a few shots in the restaurant and on party nights, but – generally – people come to us with their own requests.

Speaker 5

I’m in charge of all the restaurants on board. So, menus, costings and the quality of food, plus any staff issues – it’s all down to me. I love all that, even if the paperwork and accounts can be a bit dull sometimes. But I’ve worked for this company for nearly twenty-four years, and I haven’t regretted it for one minute. Even though we can’t choose where we go, we can put in requests for certain cruises. So, normally, I do four months away and then two months’ leave. Where else could you get a job like that and get paid for it? You miss your friends and family, but you don’t get time to think about it.

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

Audioscript

Interviewer:   … Welcome back to the programme. Well, statistics show that the fastest-growing sports in Britain are adventure sports, and I have with me Stan Leach, an official at the Sports Council, who’s going to tell us a bit about some of them. Stan, where shall we start?

Stan:   Well, most people start with walking, I think – although of course strictly speaking it’s not necessarily an adventure sport, but it’s what gets most people outdoors. Indeed, the great thing about walking in Britain is the endless variety, from an easy stroll to a country pub, to an energetic walk up a high peak. If you want to take up walking, you can start with a few short circular walks and then pick something longer and more demanding.

Interviewer:   What’s this thing called scrambling I’ve been hearing about?

Stan:   Yeah, scrambling is sort of in the grey area between walking and climbing. Scrambles are graded according to difficulty, and on the harder ones, which are quite close to rock climbing, it’s best to go with an expert.

Interviewer:   Well, that brings us nicely on to climbing – that’s really caught on here lately, hasn’t it?

Stan:   Yes, and of course you know it doesn’t have to mean going up the really big ones like Everest. Climbing might seem rather terrifying to begin with, but it’s great fun and really keeps you fit. You start by climbing small crags before moving on to a rock face. I went for a day’s lesson with mountaineer Alan Kimber in Scotland and it was really scary but really exciting.

Interviewer:   Right, well, what’s next?

Stan:   Mountain biking. If you can get used to the saddle, you can cycle across Britain. But unlike in the USA, where there are special cycling paths, in Britain most of the paths are the same as for walkers, which can cause a bit of trouble. After the initial investment – there’s one bike that costs four thousand pounds but you can get a very good one for two hundred – it’s a cost-efficient sport. And there are relatively easy trips, such as the Pyrenees Traverse, which has seventy per cent downhill slopes with not major climbs.

Interviewer:   Scuba driving’s my personal favourite – any advice on that?

Stan:   Yes, swimming underwater opens up a whole new world. Actually, for most people, the idea of being underwater, unable to breathe normally, is a frightening one, but with good tuition you can pick it up in no time at all. Once you get the qualification you need to be considered a competent diver, you can do it anywhere.

Interviewer:   I see you’ve got skydiving on your list. Surely that’s only for people who are very brave or mad?

Stan:   Well, it is the sort of thing you’d expect to only see in the movies but you’d be amazed how many people go in for it these days. Six hours of training will give you enough background to make the first jump. People who really take to it often join display teams, so if you take it up you might find yourself taking part in special events.

Interviewer:   OK, and finally canoeing. That always looks a bit dangerous to me – in that tiny boat with water rushing everywhere.

Stan:   Well, there are some terrible bits of water where the real canoeing experts go but beginners can start in gender waters and build up. There’s one stretch in Wales that was designed for the world championships that has a dam release, so that at pre-set times the water runs through. You can phone up and they’ll say it’s a full release tomorrow or a quarter release, so you can choose your times according to difficulty.

Interviewer:   OK, Stan, thanks a lot. After the break, we’ll be going to Canada to look at …