Practice English Listening Test for B2 with answer and audioscript – Test #47

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

Audioscript

1

Just watching her work is very useful. I’ve only been acting for about a year ago I’ve got so much to learn. When you meet someone who’s as famous as she is, there’s always a bit of nerves. She’s an intelligent actor and everything she does seems so effortless. As I’ve got such a small part in the drama, I get to stand around a lot during the scenes and it means I can watch and learn from her. She’s very composed when she’s acting; she takes her time to say her lines.

2

Woman:   I don’t know how he does it – he gets into the office before everyone else in the morning, and he’s also always the last to leave. He must be exhausted all the time!

Man:   He seems pretty fit, though – and whenever I see him at the weekends, he looks relaxed and happy. Maybe he just likes getting everything done before he goes home.

Woman:   Yeah, maybe you’re right … but he earns just the same as we do, and that’s not much.

Man:   It’s not too bad, though, is it? And I think he’ll be promoted before any of the rest of us are – he’s obviously very keen!

Woman:   There’s no denying that!

3

 Thanks for inviting me to come on the programme and talk about my new book. I thought the book might never happen when I was sitting at my desk day after day. I wished the words would simply flow out like they did when I was writing my other books. Sometimes I wondered if I’d ever get it finished. Of course, I know it’s unlikely to be become a best-seller, but I hope that my loyal readers will enjoy it. They’ll recognise some of the characters from my first novel, older and wiser – at least in some cases!

4

Man:   It’s funny really, but I just didn’t get it. Everyone was talking about it, but I just thought it was silly.

Woman:   You mean you wanted more information?

Man:   Exactly! I mean what’s the point of something like that? It didn’t even make me laugh.

Woman:   Oh come on, you have to admit it was pretty funny!

Man:   Well I didn’t think so. And it was annoying the way everybody whistled the tune all the time. Why on earth would that make me buy something?

Woman:   I think you’re too serious sometimes. It was just a bit of fun. If you want to find out more, then look on the internet.

5

You know how it is … as soon as you’ve finished one project, you have to get started on something else, and it’s often something completely different. I don’t find that a problem though, and I enjoy the fact that I can get it done effectively – after all, I’ve been in this job for a long time so I think I can say I know what I’m doing! I wish that was true of the people I’m working with – I reckon if I didn’t keep checking, they’d never get on with things! Though I guess I’m not feeling very motivated about this project either.

6

Man:   Hmm! Delicious soup!

Woman:   You think so? It’s a bit hot, isn’t it?

Man:   What do you mean, hot? Too many spices, or the temperature?

Woman:   It burned my mouth.

Man:   Well, you should have had something else. There was plenty to choose from.

Woman:   There may have been for you, but don’t forget I’m a vegetarian – there wasn’t much there for me.

Man:   But at least we haven’t paid a fortune for it.

Woman:   Um, I couldn’t even make it at home for that price. But I still think we should go somewhere else next time …

7

They always invite us round for dinner after they’ve been on holiday, and show us all the photos they’ve taken. I didn’t like the dinner much, but of course I didn’t say anything. They go to some interesting places, and they actually do pretty well considering they don’t have expensive equipment, or any training as photographers. I wish I could remember the name of the place they went to this summer – that’s really annoying – I should have written it down. I’ll have to ask them next time I see them.

8

Woman:   I really enjoyed that, didn’t you, despite the technical problems at the beginning.

Man:   Wonderful. Spanish flamenco music just makes you want to get up and dance.

Woman:   I noticed you standing up at one stage.

Man:   Yeah, but that was to get a better view.

Woman:   Ahh – yes, pity we were at the back. But it was all that was available when I bought the tickets on Friday.

Man:   I know, but next time we must book earlier.

Woman:   It was very hot in there.

Man:   Did that bother you? I just kept thinking it was like summer in Spain. I loved all the singing and the rhythm of the sticks they beat on the floor.

Woman:   Me too.

9 May   10 safety   11 helmet   12 seats   13 700 / seven hundred

14 gloves   15 calm   16 silver   17 feather   18 T-shirt

Audioscript

Hello, my name is Henry Lee and I’ve been skydiving for several years now but I’m here today to tell you about my first experience. The idea of skydiving is that you jump out of a plane wearing a parachute but the parachute doesn’t open immediately. I’d always wanted to learn to skydive and when I was twenty, a friend bought me a skydiving lesson for my birthday. Now, my birthday is in December when the weather isn’t right for this type of sport so I decided to wait a bit until the weather improved around March. Anyway, as it turned out, it wasn’t until May that I finally got round to it.

I arrived at the skydiving club for my lesson and found that there were around seven other people who were jumping that day. We all had to sign a number of forms, and we looked at a short video about basic technique before having a presentation about safety. Then I was introduced to David, my instructor. As I was a beginner, I wouldn’t be jumping out of the plane alone. I would be attached to David and he would be in total control of the jump. David gave me most of the stuff I would need to wear – some overalls to wear over my clothes and a pair of goggles and, crucially, a helmet. I didn’t need to have a parachute as David would wear one.

There were thirteen of us on the plane; four of us were beginners with our instructors, and three solo jumpers and two cameramen who would film the dive for the club. It was an old cargo plane, without windows and, interestingly, there were no seats – just some metal boxes which were normally used for luggage – so it was quite uncomfortable. The plane trip was fine and during it I asked David how long he’d been skydiving. He said he’d started about three years ago and had seven hundred jumps to his name. Other guys on the plane though, had done over a thousand.

When we were a few minutes away from jumping I attached myself to David, who was wearing a system of belts called a harness. I also put on a pair of gloves which I’d been told to bring with me. I’d been very excited when we took off and I thought I would feel absolutely terrified when the plane door was opened. But actually I was completely calm. Once we reached the right height above the ground, the pilot cried out, ‘Door!’ and the more advanced divers just jumped out of the plane. When I reached the door I sat down in it and looked out over the ground below. I could see a farmer’s fields and a large house. What caught my eye was a river which looked silver rather than bright blue or dark grey, winding its way across the countryside. David and I were the last people out of the plane. We jumped with me facing downwards attached to David’s body. There were about forty or fifty seconds until he opened the parachute.

The landing was a bit different from what I thought it would be. I thought you’d hit the ground hard and fast and have to try hard not to break a leg. My landing was actually more like a feather falling to earth and I didn’t realise I was on the ground until I saw the parachute all around me. Everyone who completes the jump successfully is given a bag which contains a certificate, a discount voucher and a photograph of their jump. Only when I got home did I realise there was a T-shirt at the bottom of the bag. That was a nice surprise. I put my name down on the club notice board to have more lessons. My first skydiving experience was one that I’ll never forget and I’d recommend the sport to anyone.

19 H   20 E   21 F   22 C   23 G

Audioscript

Speaker 1

Coming from a mountain village about sixty kilometres away, and not knowing anyone in the city, I had no choice really – I had to ask for a place in a college residence. I knew it wouldn’t be easy making new friends, but I was assured I’d be with my classmates. It was a surprise to find the other guys in my block were all studying different things. Actually though, we were all the same age and into sports and stuff, so we got on really well from day one. It was a pity we all went our separate ways after that first year together. I should’ve made more effort to stay in touch.

Speaker 2

I wanted to study fashion, so I had to come to the capital, but it was hard leaving my friends back home. My older sister studied here too. She made friends really quickly because she’s really into sports and joined loads of clubs. But I’ve always been quite shy, so I didn’t do that. Fortunately, the college accommodation office found me a room in a residence and I got friendly with the other girls living there. I don’t know how I’d have got on at a big university, but here everyone knows each other – so you get to know people you wouldn’t normally have that much in common with – it’s nice.

Speaker 3

In my first few weeks here, I came down with a heavy cold that meant I couldn’t go out much. I’d been put in a student residence with a bunch of younger guys who were all studying theatre – so as a scientist I had nothing in common with them – they weren’t even into football! So I really needed to get to know my classmates better – yet there I was stuck in my room coughing and sneezing. I spent a lot of time chatting to friends back home on the internet. Anyway, in a big college like this, you eventually have to make friends – so it all sorted itself out in the end.

Speaker 4

I was put in a student residence at first with people I didn’t get along with that well. I mean, we didn’t fall out or anything, but I didn’t hang out with them either. I don’t know what I’d have done if I hadn’t signed up for volleyball training with the college team. It’s a whole lot easier making friends with people who share your interests than with people who share your kitchen! The only downside for me in that first term was that I spent too much time on court and not enough in the library! I don’t regret it, but had to make up for lost time later on!

Speaker 5

The people I hung out with in the first few weeks didn’t become close friends actually. We were just people who happened to be thrown together in the same residence, but it was good to have someone to chat to when I got in from lectures. We still play tennis occasionally and I get invited to their parties, but I soon moved out to go live with some guys on my course. That was a big mistake actually. With friends at school, it was great to study together in the evenings – but I soon found that the last thing I wanted to talk about when I got back from lectures was economics!

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

Audioscript

Interviewer:   I’m talking to student athlete, Chelsea Matthews. Chelsea, what impact does playing soccer have on your life?

Chelsea:   For the past two years, I’ve played soccer for my college. And we train extremely hard almost every day during the year. We can only keep up by doing extra work at home. We travel by bus for hours and hours, missing out on typical college events and we sometimes spend our precious vacation time training abroad. But I love it.

Interviewer:   How young were you when you started playing soccer?

Chelsea:   Six, and I always dreamt of playing in college. By the time I was sixteen, I’d picked out my college, and started my training. While other teenagers where focused on parties, I was already planning my life as a college student-athlete. It has to be done that early, or you’ll miss so much, and won’t get through all the formalities that make you eligible to play. The one thing sports associations love more than trophies is paperwork.

Interviewer:   When does your year start at college?

Chelsea:   Well, because of where soccer falls in the school year (August to October), I have to arrive at my college about a month before classes start.

Interviewer:   Are you happy about that?

Chelsea:   Yes I’m used to it. On August first me and my team-mates return, and get straight back into school mode. By August second, I’ll be up at six am to start my training. Every college sport has a two-week ‘pre-season’ which is tough but essential. We run, lift, pass, kick, run more, and, basically, kill ourselves. Our coach is good, though, and keeps us motivated in spite of the pain.

Interviewer:   Do you have time to have some fun after training?

Chelsea:   I don’t know about other sports teams but we do have a little fun as a team after workouts. There’s no partying in pre-season though. By the time seven pm rolls around, we’re all so weary we just get in bed, crash, and know no more until the alarm goes off. Movies are out, and if it weren’t for the Internet, we’d never even get to watch TV! And it only gets harder once school starts.

Interviewer:   Are you allowed to miss class?

Chelsea:   During the season, thanks to away games, we frequently miss class. Other students see us athletes going up to professors, saying we’ll be away, and they’re probably jealous of the number of excused absences we get. But honestly, missing class is the worst part of being an athlete. First, our grades have to remain high or we could lose our place on the team. Second, the head of faculty allows a maximum number of hours we can take off class, and it’s not that many.

Interviewer:   How have you personally managed?

Chelsea:   I basically taught myself Business Calculus in my freshman year, because I missed some classes due to away games and had to be able to understand what was going on when I got back. You can trust me on this: trying to read, write, calculate, or draw on a moving bus with thirty other girls at ten thirty at night isn’t the best way to get a grade A. And because of all those absences, when I get sick (which happens when you’re on the road so much) I still have to go to class.

Interviewer:   In conclusion, any regrets?

Chelsea:   It’s hard work to try and balance school, soccer and a social life. But I love playing soccer, and I love my team. It’s thirty girls who all want the same thing: to win. We work together both off and on the field; we run together, we cheer each other on, we help each other with studies. My team are my best friends. I chose this life, and it’s given me ambition, shown me I must try to be the best – academically, athletically and personally.