Practice English Listening Test for B2 with answer and audioscript – Test #17

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

Audioscript

1

I travel abroad a lot for my work and I regularly take flights that are at least twelve hours long. That can get boring, but I keep busy on the plane and I usually travel business class. The thing that really gets to me is how exhausting it is to adapt to different time zones, especially when you’re only there for a few days. I’ve tried loads of techniques, like, when I get on the plane, I set my watch to the time zone in the country I’m flying to, so I establish a new routine from the start of my journey. But nothing seems to make much difference.

2

Man:   That’s a lovely necklace you’re wearing, Becky.

Woman:   Thanks, I made it myself at a jewellery class I did in the evenings.

Man:   Really. That sounds like a very relaxing activity to do after work.

Woman:   Mmm … I just shut myself off and got on with my creations. There were about fifteen of us on the course altogether, but everyone worked really quietly. That’s what made it such a pleasurable experience. Some of the people are now selling their pieces at the craft market and asked me to join them, but that’s not really my thing.

Man:   Well, I’d buy your necklace if it was for sale. My sister would adore it.

3

I’ve just moved into a new apartment on the other side of they city. It’s not near any of my friends, which is a real shame, but the upside is my commute to work is now under twenty minutes. I didn’t enjoy the process of moving though: it seemed to take weeks to pack everything up, and then even more time to unpack and sort through it all when I got to the new place. I ended up throwing away loads of stuff I didn’t need any more. I won’t make that mistake next time. I can’t believe I paid the removal company to transport all that old stuff.

4

Man:   What did you think of Tania Fry’s latest film, In the Park?

Woman:   Well, I’ve only given it two stars in my review. I mean, Tania did the best job she could, given the plot was so predictable and the dialogue uninspiring.

Man:   She’s a brilliant actor with a particular talent for comedy, but this production didn’t bring out that side of her.

Woman:   Well, I suppose there were a few funny moments, but essentially yes, that was the main issue – this role didn’t stretch her in the slightest. But I do think it’s great there are so many more parts around now for older actors.

Man:   Mmm … it’s a welcome development.

5

As a professional football referee, I make sure I take plenty of exercise and eat healthily. I prefer refereeing top league games, or even international matches, but so do most of my colleagues, and there’s quite a lot of competition between referees. But we’re also each other’s support network, so I always have someone to talk to about what went wrong in a game. I couldn’t do without this, as refereeing can be really stressful. Don’t get me wrong, football’s come a long way, and standards of refereeing have improved, but there are still disagreements on the pitch between players, and some of them question the referee’s decisions.

6

Woman:   I really enjoyed the exhibition. Thanks for asking me to come.

Man:   That’s OK. I know you’re a keen photographer yourself.

Woman:   Yes, but not in the same league as that. I’ve been following the photographer’s work since I saw an article about him online. It’s great to see how he’s developed over the years, but I am a bit envious of the amazing landscapes he manages to capture so beautifully. It’s really made me want to track down the locations he used, so I can go and photograph them too.

Man:   What a good idea.

7

For my project, I’m looking at pop-culture tourism – that is, people who travel to destinations featured in literature, movies, TV shows, etc. All these forms of entertainment have huge numbers of devoted fans who get really excited at any chance to go and visit where the action happens. This presents the tourism industry with many new opportunities, but at the same time it’s proving hard to deliver what fans expect once they arrive in the destination. Pop-culture tourism providers have been working with local people and experimenting with what to offer visitors, but more work needs to be done on this growing sector of the industry.

8

Man:   Do you ever go to the local market? I’ve started shopping there since it re-opened.

Woman:   No, but I’d heard the building looks lovely now they’ve put a glass roof on it. I wouldn’t really call myself a fan of markets, to be honest. I can’t bear being squashed into the narrow gaps between the lines of stalls.

Man:   You might give it a try one time, I think you’d be impressed that only goods from this region are sold there, which is great for the economy around here. It might be a bit dearer than shopping elsewhere, and it is getting really popular, but I think it’s worth it.

Woman:   OK, thanks for the tip.

9 challenging   10 independent   11 rain   12 (trip) leaders

13 accommodation   14 maps / a map   15 gentle   16 (cycle) paths

17 rest days   18 certificate

Audioscript

Hello. My name’s Pete and I’m here to tell you about a cycling holiday in the UK that my company organises. The trip involves cycling the length of England and Scotland – a journey of around 1,600 kilometres.

Incidentally, the fastest time anyone has ever made this journey is one day and 20 hours, but the shortest trip we offer is nine days long and is what we call ‘Extreme’ level. We find that most cyclists choose our ‘Challenging’ level, which is 15 days long. But if you’re fairly new to cycling, I’d recommend our ‘Beginner’ or ‘Regular’ levels – they’re 28 and 21 days long.

We offer this holiday twice a month during June, July, August and September. We call these our ‘Supported’ option, meaning you are accompanied throughout the trip. We also have an ‘Independent’ option, which involves us making all the arrangements for you but you do the cycling on your own. This option appeals to people who want more dates to select from.

Some people start the trip from the top of Scotland and cycle southwards, but we begin in the south-west of England. Whichever way you go, there’s more rain at the start and end of the trip, with generally dry weather in the middle. We set off very early in the morning, as soon as the sun comes up, and are often helped along by the wind.

You may see a few other companies offering this holiday, but ours is the only one that’s been given an international award for the past three years in a row. We believe the value for money that our trip provides is outstanding, but it’s been our trip leaders who’ve been recognised by the award organisers, probably because they have most interaction with customers.

If you book one of our holidays, you’ll be well looked after, and you’ll have delicious food to help you keep your strength up! We stop at roadside cafés during the day, and eat at restaurants at night. From this season onwards, we’re offering even more accommodation options than before. That’s because we generally stay in towns overnight, where there are places to suit all budgets.

So, what do our holidays include? Basically, you bring your bike to the starting point, and we provide the rest, except for personal belongings, cycling clothes and personal medical kits, of course. People often purchase maps of the route, but please don’t bother with this unless you particularly want to, as we provide them for you, together with daily briefings and route updates.

When people see that the route has a lot of hills, one question I’m often asked is how difficult the cycling is on this holiday. Overall most hills are gentle, and the views of the countryside below are beautiful. There are some sections which consist of some very steep climbs, and the cliffs near the start can be hilly.

Naturally, on a long-distance route like this, there’s bound to be times when we’re in busy cities. Wherever possible, we avoid busy main roads, especially dual carriageways, and in the biggest urban centres, we direct you onto cycle paths, as that’s the most sensible way to avoid the worst traffic.

Other things that are important to know about this holiday: obviously fitness is essential for all participants. Cyclists can use the services of our support vehicle, so luggage is carried for you, and our driver can do bike repairs if necessary, and he or she carries spare bottles of water, too. But you don’t get any rest days so you do need to be fit, and training beforehand is recommended.

The trip ends will a farewell celebration, though not everyone can always stay for that. There’s a certificate for everyone who completes the trip, and just for fun we award prizes like a T-shirt for the person who gets the most injuries or who tells the best jokes.

Are there any questions?

19 E   20 D   21 H   22 C   23 A

Audioscript

Speaker 1

The majority of adults can drive a car, so in theory, it should be possible for almost anyone to learn, shouldn’t it? Well, that’s what I thought when I first went to a driving school. They said I had to learn the theory first, so I worked through the advice and practice questions in a book, and that was all fine. But you have to be aware that the practical side of learning to drive is completely different, and it can take loads of sessions before you’re good enough to pass the driving test. Now I have passed and have got my own little car, the freedom’s great.

Speaker 2

Leading up to my first lesson, whenever I was being given a lift in someone else’s car, I studied closely what the driver was doing with the pedals and the gears. So when my turn at the wheel came, I didn’t feel like a beginner. That’s a real advantage. I passed my driving test in 15 lessons which I was thrilled about as my older brother needed 25 before he got his driving licence. I had a great instructor, who was so calm with me, even once when we were at a crossroads and the car just stopped.

Speaker 3

I remember the first time I got in my own car and drove off by myself. It was so weird not having my instructor sitting next to me, reminding me of the things I was doing wrong. I even had trouble getting the car into gear at one point. It was at traffic lights on a really busy road. Thank goodness that didn’t happen when I was doing my practical driving test as I’d never have passed. You have to accept that being an accomplished driver is something that you build up over years of driving experience.

Speaker 4

My first few driving lessons were in my mum’s big car on my uncle’s farm. It was a really stressful experience. Even though there were no other cars around, I found it impossible to keep the car going in a straight line with my mum calling out more instructions than I could possibly take in. What I’d say to other people is get yourself a patient instructor, ideally at one of the large driving schools because they’re more likely to offer a discount if you sign up for, say, 20 sessions when you enrol. Some people can practise with a relative, but it didn’t work for me.

Speaker 5

Learning the theory of driving is quite straightforward and you can do that in your own time. But I think it’s always worth finding out who your friends have learnt successfully from and then checking who gets the best online reviews. Then you can book with that person. Driving lessons aren’t exactly cheap, so the aim is to learn in the shortest space of time possible. You absolutely want to maximise your chances of passing the test first time, and then get out on the road in a car of your own. That’s what I think, anyway.

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

Audioscript

Interviewer:   Now, welcome to Helena Best, who’s been on several television quiz shows. Helena, is it three shows you’ve appeared on?

Helena:   Yes. The first one was called Full Marks, about ten years ago.

Interviewer:   How did you find that?

Helena:   Exciting, but scary. I remember walking out onto the stage – the spotlights were so bright, you could hardly see the studio. The cameras were noisy, but that didn’t bother me once the show started. There was a group of people watching – friends of another contestant – who kept talking when it was my turn to answer questions. It made it harder to stay focused on the questions, and I remember feeling quite cross about it. I did OK, but I didn’t win.

Interviewer:   Oh. And what about the second show?

Helena:   That was Great Minds. I’d tried to get on it, but was originally turned down. Then one day the show’s producer called me saying another contestant had suddenly dropped out an could I stand in. I’d watched the show loads of times and knew how it worked, so I said yes as I thought I’d be OK. But really it wasn’t a very sensible decision, as it was a general knowledge quiz and everyone else had been revising hard. They knew far more of the answers than me and weren’t very friendly, as they clearly felt they had nothing in common with me. I felt quite uncomfortable and was happy to go out in the first round.

Interviewer:   Then came Brainbox. Congratulations on winning the recent final!

Helena:   Thanks! In a way, that was harder than the other shows. It was a team competition and I should have felt less pressure, and, unlike the other shows I’d been on, it wasn’t going out live. The thing was, my team-mates were terribly nervous, which made it stressful. When it was my individual round, all the questions were about tennis – my perfect subject – and all the stress I’d been feeling just disappeared.

Interviewer:   How lucky. Apart from winning, what did you enjoy about being a contestant?

Helena:   Erm … everyone’s charming to you and you’re escorted everywhere as if you’re someone well known and important. That was the highlight for me. You’re picked up from home in a posh car and your hair and make-up are done by a professional! They tell you what to bring to wear, so I had to go clothes shopping beforehand. The host of the show was having his make-up done the same time as me, and we had a nice chat, which was lovely, as there wasn’t time for that later.

Interviewer:   How do people get picked to be a contestant? Presumably there’s an application process?

Helena:   That’s right. You fill out an online form – just like applying for jobs, really, except there’s more questions about family, hobbies and personal experiences than qualifications and career history. You have to let them know if you’ve done other programmes because if you’re not open about that, they’ll find out. They don’t want the same people popping up on quiz programmes, as it looks unfair.

Interviewer:   Yes.

Helena:   Actually, what some people might not know is that you have to sign a legal contract before the show.

Interviewer:   I suppose there’s a risk some people might put the questions on social media before the programme’s actually been shown.

Helena:   You won’t get into trouble for talking about the questions, but it is a matter of confidentiality. Some contestants earn money by selling their story to newspaper reporters, which is allowed according to the rules. But the issue is, you’re under strict obligation to stay silent about the outcome – even to family and closest friends.

Interviewer:   And finally, do you have any tips for anyone who’s going to appear in a TV quiz show?

Helena:   Forget you’ll be watched by millions of people, for a start. You don’t have to be a genius, but it really helps if you know the format of the who, so nothing comes as a surprise. Study all the previous series to get familiar with the kinds of questions they ask and how they ask them. Above all, remember it’s a privilege to be part of these shows, and that matters more than setting out to win.