Practice English Listening Test for B2 with answer and audioscript – Test #48

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

Audioscript

1

When I work so hard for any competition and then it’s over, the following weeks can be really difficult – quite an anti-climax. But then the next competition comes along and I get straight back into training. But this time it’ll be different. I’ll miss it, of course I will. But at some point in your career you have to say enough is enough and I wanted to finish at the top of my game. I don’t have any plans yet but it won’t be anything connected with sport. I’ve always wanted to be a writer so perhaps I’ll do a writing course next.

2

Woman:   How do you think the experiment went, then?

Man:   Not sure, really. It was pretty exciting at the time, but now we have to work out what it all means.

Woman:   Yes, it always does take a while to analyse the results. I just hope we did it all properly.

Man:   Yeah, that’s what concerns me – if we got anything wrong, then we’ll have to start all over again, which would be a pain.

Woman:   True, but I think we were very careful. I can’t see why we should have to repeat it all.

Man:   I hope you’re right!

3

Hello, I wonder if I could talk to someone about the History of Art course? My teacher told me I could call your department if I needed to discuss anything – and I do. The trouble is, I’m finding it difficult to get all the work for this course module done on time. Even though the classes are great – and that’s very much because of the teacher, Mr Flynn – I just can’t keep up. So I wondered if I could come in and see the head of department about the problem.

4

Woman:   Did you have a look at that study skills website I told you about?

Man:   Yes, I did.

Woman:   And what did you think?

Man:   Well, I had no trouble finding my way around it, which was good.

Woman:   Is that all? Did you find any ideas you could use yourself?

Man:   Not really, I’m afraid.

Woman:   Oh dear, it sounds as if you found it a bit dull.

Man:   Well … it’s just that I’ve seen a lot of those ideas before. It’s hard for people to come up with anything new, I suppose.

Woman:   That’s true … if you come across a good one, you’ll let me know, won’t you?

Man:   Sure!

5

I don’t come from a particularly musical family and it was very difficult to tell my parents I wanted to become a singer because they obviously didn’t want me to do it. I’m sure my mother would have been equally annoyed if I’d gone into classical music. She just thought music wasn’t a viable career choice. She’s always had faith in me as a person and knows I’m very determined and would succeed whatever I chose to do but she wanted me to get some qualifications behind me first. Once I started to become successful she was grudgingly happy for me, but she was still convinced it wouldn’t last.

6

Hello, I came into your shop a few days ago to look at TVs. You didn’t have the one I wanted in stock, but you said you could order it for me. My name’s Hogg, Jim Hogg. I paid when I was in the shop, and I got a message just now saying the TV’s arrived. When I came in the other day, your colleague said one of your van drivers could drop it off one evening next week. I’m usually back from work after six, so …

7

Man:   Well, that meal was OK – I can’t manage a dessert. How was your fried fish, Anna?

Anna:   It was quite nice though it could have been hotter. I’m not sure that salad went with it, either. I’d have preferred some cooked vegetables. Yours looked really good, with your steak.

Man:   Yeah – they wouldn’t been a much better combination with your meal. Maybe we should’ve swapped – I like salad with steak. Anyway, it was a pretty reasonable price.

Anna:   Yours was – mine was a bit much, I reckon.

Man:   We both had a lot of food on our plates, though – can’t complain about that.

Anna:   I guess not.

8

So that’s good news, isn’t it? You won’t actually need to hand the project in until next month now, which gives you a couple of extra weeks. I know you can do it all yourself, and I’m sure it’ll be very good. You’ve always produced excellent work in the past, haven’t you? Everything you need to know has been covered in the lessons, and there are plenty of books in the library. You can also use the computers there if you need to go online for more information. So there’s really nothing to worry about, is there?

9 horse(-)riding   10 starter   11 (green) badge(s)

12 35/thirty-five (pounds)   13 gym   14 (sport)(-)bag

15 first(-)team   16 notice(-)board   17 party

18 discount

Audioscript

Hi there. I’m Kyra and I’m a member of the local Badminton club. I’m here to tell you all about the club, and hopefully find a few new members.

So, first of all, why badminton? Well, I’d say whatever your level of fitness, you should definitely consider taking up badminton. It’s a sociable sport that you can play at any age, whilst requiring very little specific training or equipment.

Before I took up badminton, I’d never been very sporty, despite the fact that my brother’s a skateboarding champion and my parents are very keen on tennis. The only sport I’d ever really enjoyed was horse-riding. But I didn’t even keep that up once I’d left school. It was a friend who talked me into trying badminton, and I’ve never looked back.

Regular badminton sessions are held every Wednesday evening at the Sportsworld Centre. But next Sunday we’re holding what’s known as a ‘starter’ session. Now this isn’t a normal session and nor is it a training session – instead it’s a chance for prospective members to come along, have a game and see if they like the sport. Obviously we hope they will, and that they’ll sign up – but there’s no obligation.

So why not come along and find out what it’s all about? There’s nothing to pay. You should just wear comfortable clothes and trainers. Don’t worry if you don’t have proper sports gear – and of course you’ll be given a racquet and shuttlecocks, and be introduced to a partner, if you’re on your own. If you do have any questions, however, just ask a committee member. Everyone at Sportsworld has to wear a badge; you’ll be given one at the door, but committee members wear special green ones, so you can’t miss them.

If you do decide to join the badminton club, then you’ll pay an annual fee of thirty-five pounds. Membership of Sportsworld, with access to certain facilities at the centre usually costs forty-five pounds, but it’s included in the badminton club membership for new members – so that’s really good value for money. This gives you, amongst other things, free use of the gym, but not the swimming pool. All our regular sessions are held at Sportsworld, although matches are sometimes held elsewhere.

Oh and I nearly forgot, we also have a shop where you can buy a second-hand racquet or a T-shirt and other stuff, and then you join our club we’ll give you a free sports bag – so it’s a good deal all round.

Our regular sessions are open to all members – those who enjoy the social side of the sport, as well as those who are looking for competitive games in order to improve. For our fist team, we also offer coaching once a week on Monday evenings from eight to ten. That’s a dedicated session just for them.

At other times, you might want to come along for a game, and there are sometimes courts available at Sportsworld. Although we have a website, which is regularly updated with club news, it doesn’t yet have a court booking facility, unfortunately – so you need to check the club’s notice-board at Sportsworld to see what’s available.

The club also holds regular social events – and for many people that’s an important aspect of membership. We put on quiz nights, for example, and often meet up for a meal in a local restaurant. The highlight of the year, however, is the party. We raise a lot of money for the club selling tickets for that.

So I hope I’ve managed to convince you that the badminton club is worth giving a try, and that you’ll come along and find out more about us. As a final incentive, If you go up to the Sportsworld café on Sunday and say you’re taking part in the badminton club session, you won’t get a free drink, but you will get a discount. You see – we really want you to come!

So now, before I pass you over to …

19 D   20 G   21 B   22 E   23 F

Audioscript

Speaker 1

I started making dolls filled with scented herbs for my daughter’s friends in 2008. They proved a great hit because parents discovered that the dolls helped their children to sleep at night, so I started my own business making them. I soon couldn’t keep up with demand from satisfied customers. I was lucky because I had a great product and I could prove that there was a market for it, so it wasn’t difficult to find an investor. If I hadn’t been able to do that, I’d still be doing this as a hobby and I certainly wouldn’t be employing twenty people. The business has really boomed and last year we doubled our turnover.

Speaker 2

When I bought my first taxi a couple of years ago, I saw it as a way to get out of my career in sales. I’d been thinking about doing it for years, but I felt anxious about the financial commitment. I didn’t have a lot of money back then, so I talked to all my contacts – entrepreneurs who ran their own companies – and asked for their suggestions about running a business. They were really generous with their time. Now that I run a very successful taxi business, I’ve even been asked to give talks to students on business courses. You know, give them a bit of advice and feedback on their work.

Speaker 3

I’ve always loved designing gardens and I knew I didn’t want to work for someone else, so I put a small advert in the local paper and within a week I’d got my first client. It’s not easy persuading people to employ a garden designer because it’s something a lot of people think they can do themselves. Three years ago, I started distributing leaflets at the weekends, when most people are doing their gardening. I was able to talk to them in person about their gardens. I got a lot more business that way and it was much better than an ad in the newspaper. My business has really taken off since then and I’ve got five people working for me now.

Speaker 4

My company is the main marketplace for new and used musical instruments. We sell to everyone from complete beginners to some of the most famous musicians in the industry and I’ve doubled my turnover in five years without adding any new stores or employing any new staff. Few companies approach things the way I do. See, most music stores provide temporary employment for people who want to be professional musicians. I, on the other hand, invest in my workforce and want them to develop as musicians while they’re here. That’s why I built a recording studio, which they can use too. When people are passionate about what they do, they’re happy – and if they’re happy, they sell more!

Speaker 5

I always had big dreams of working in the entertainment industry. I took a job with an event planner and in my free time I began making props and costumes. The turning point was when I began to see that I had a range of skills other people didn’t have. I also knew that advertising myself as a specialist in designing props and entertainment costumes would set me apart from others. Within three years I was earning more money from sewing than from my full-time job so I resigned and concentrated on my business. I took on more contracts and earned eighty thousand dollars in my first year.

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

Audioscript

Interviewer:   With me today I have Tony Little, who is well known for making wildlife documentaries and has just been made President of The Nature Trust. Tony, I’ve got a lot of questions here sent in by our listeners. The first one is: What do you think is going to be your hardest challenge during your time as president?

Tony:   Well, I think most people nowadays understand what The Nature Trust is about. We have quite a few neighbourhood groups in the UK now, but these consist mainly of adults and what I want to do is get kids to take an interest too – not always as easy as you might imagine. You know, helping out just for the fun of it – clearing woods and counting different bird species, things like that.

Interviewer:   Another listener wants to know: is there any special area that you would say needs attention most – for example our use of plastic?

Tony:   People are doing quite a bit to help conservation and the environment. However, what we do forget is the rubbish we pump into the sea. The amount of plastic waste we find on beaches is horrendous. And this causes serious problems to wildlife. Changing to paper bags would help enormously, but this might take some time as people are so used to having plastic ones.

Interviewer:   Someone has asked about your new website, Nature Talk. Can you tell us about that?

Tony:   It’s a project we’re launching next month. We’re confining ourselves first of all to animals which have a healthy population. There’ll be maps on the website so you’ll be able to pinpoint where these animals live and information about those areas – whether it’s a forest or whatever. We’re not expecting you to actually go and visit them.

Interviewer:   You’re known for your work with wildlife. Susan Smith wants to know: What have you achieved that you are most proud of?

Tony:   Actually, one of my most popular films was the one I did on lions but I didn’t feel it got anywhere near, in terms of being closest to my heart, to the time I spent rescuing orphan monkeys. The special sanctuary I set up won a world nature prize. A close second would be the research project I was involved with on whales in the South Atlantic. I spent quite a bit of time there and it was brilliant.

Interviewer:   I have a letter from Peter McDonald, who wants to become a cameraman. Any advice to give him?

Tony:   Well, Peter, first of all, let me say, the financial rewards can be great if you get the right pictures. When you start out though, it’ll take you some time to get your name known, so jobs will be few and far between. You’ll need to stick with it. It’s interesting how many people think the job involves sitting in a tree for weeks waiting for an animal to appear, but that isn’t always the case and shouldn’t put you off applying to be a cameraman.

Interviewer:   Many listeners have asked: Is there any particular equipment that they should get if they want to be a naturalist?

Tony:   I guess most people would think it’s a camera. I obviously have a large number of different models and they’re quite expensive. But I think any type will do, even a cheap one these days is fine. What I wouldn’t be without though are my binoculars, so get a top quality pair. Another useful item is a good pair of walking boots, but they aren’t top of the list.

Interviewer:   So, a question from me now: What about the future?

Tony:   Well, I have lots of ideas for new TV programmes, but not ones about mammals. I think my role should be to persuade people that wildlife isn’t just about big, exotic animals. I know that tigers and polar bears are endangered but, you know, so are a number of small insects and also plants which can be found in local parks and gardens. We must make sure people don’t forget them either.

Interviewer:   That’s great. Well, my thanks to …