Practice English Listening Test for B2 with answer and audioscript – Test #52

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

Audioscript

1

Man:   Oh, I love this song by The Foolz!

Woman:   Do you? I find it a bit sad.

Man:   Yeah, I know what you mean. I do normally like music that’s a bit more light hearted, but this particular one still works for me. My parents always played upbeat stuff by The Foolz at home, so when I first heard this track, it came as a bit of a surprise.

Woman:   I can imagine – it’s quite different from their usual style.

Man:   No one in my family plays a musical instrument, but I actually started teaching myself the guitar because I wanted to be able to play this.

Woman:   And can you?

Man:   Not yet! I’ll be really pleased when I can!

2

I was educated in quite a posh and rather expensive school, really, so expectations for pupils were high, and that put us under pressure a bit. Mind you, I wouldn’t have got down to it and done much otherwise, and certainly wouldn’t have gone to university. Perhaps that’s why I’ve found my niche in trying to make sure that everyone gets the kind of education that allows them to realise their full potential in life. Teaching wasn’t my first career choice, though. I think colleagues I worked with were amazed when I made the switch from industry. But I haven’t looked back since I did it.

3

Man:   How are you getting on with your new job in the café?

Woman:   Overall enjoying it a lot. The owners are a husband and wife, and he does the cooking downstairs while she’s in charge in the café. At times they’re quite casual and laid back, and at others they get really stressed out, like when you make a mistake or when it gets really full at lunch time! They seem to think I’m a master of all trades and that I know how to repair their faulty coffee machine … which is much too technical for me! Anyway, I mustn’t grumble … at least the customers have been nice so far, with a few exceptions who were just rather fussy for my liking.

4

Man:   I’m so glad I chose architecture, aren’t you?

Woman:   Yeah. The course is great, but sometimes I feel I can’t keep up. We always have so much work to do!

Man:   I think it’s about right, personally. And anyway, the teachers explain everything brilliantly!

Woman:   I don’t think I’ve ever learnt so much in such a short time, and it is because of them, that’s true.

Man:   What do you think of the other students? Some of them have fantastic ideas, don’t they!

Woman:   They produce good work, because they’re on such an inspiring course. I’m not sure how they’d perform in a different environment, though.

Man:   Yeah, you may be right. Anyway, I’m very happy.

5

Man:   Did you know they’re going to do up the chemistry labs next month?

Woman:   No, I didn’t. Bit weird, isn’t it? I mean some work was done on them last year and they’re OK, I think.

Man:   Well I still think they could do with a coat of paint.

Woman:   The main thing, I’d say, is that there are just so many of us wanting to use them this year and they’re too crowded.

Man:   Yeah, true, and I also think they should replace some of the equipment, don’t you?

Woman:   A lot of what they have is pretty much state-of-the-art, so I wouldn’t say that’s much of a problem.

Man:   Maybe you’re right.

6

Bradworth is a small seaside town and visits there were a huge part of my childhood. I have many fond memories of sailing off the coast, watching the seals, walking barefoot in the beautiful white sand and having sand fights with the other children. I remember all the parents getting together for picnics too. I’ve had lots of exotic vacations since then in the most amazing places but nothing to compare with those childhood memories. I’d love to go back but it wouldn’t be the same any more and I’d rather hang on to those wonderful childhood memories.

7

Man:   So the injury’s making slow progress, I’m afraid.

Woman:   Oh dear.

Man:   Yes. I went back to the doctor, and my lower leg is still swollen. The strange thing is, apparently it actually needs a bit of exercise in order to get the blood flowing to it so that it can heal. So things like swimming and cycling are fine, although even with those I shouldn’t push it … but even a bit of running is OK provided I run on soft surfaces. Then I’ve also been given some particular movements to do in front of a mirror which will stimulate the injured area in the right way.

8

I listen to a lot of stuff on the radio and I love hearing about stories of normal people leading normal lives. For several years now, I’ve been really into a programme called ‘Your Turn’ where people basically tell a story from their own life. Sometimes these stories can be quite gripping and emotional and at other times they can pass you by, but anyway I love having it on in the background while I’m working. It’s a really clever idea actually. The stories have to be true and they’re told – not read, but told – and they’re delivered in front of a live audience. Really effective.

9 engineer   10 skis   11 loneliness/lonelyness   12 water   13 weight   14 toes

15 rest   16 half(-)way   17 relief   18 alien

Audioscript

Hi, my name’s Peter and I’m going to talk about how I ended up in a TV documentary about going to the South Pole. Basically, what happened was, I spotted an online advert asking for people to apply for the trip of a lifetime. A TV company was making a documentary programme about this, and had left one place on the expedition for a member of the public to take part. I applied as, in my work as an engineer, I’d worked with an environmentalist who’d really inspired me with his tales of the South Pole. To my great surprise, I was accepted.

The TV company were keen to make the documentary unusual … for example concerning the transport. The idea was that we’d travel on skis, rather than using dogs and sledges, as many people have done before us.

In fact, the expedition turned out to be much, much harder than I ever thought it would be. Before I went, I thought the most challenging thing would be the physical toll on my body. And yes, it was incredibly challenging. But even though I wasn’t alone – there were five others in the group – it was the loneliness I found the hardest to take. I really missed my family and friends, especially my wife.

The Antarctic trip took us seven weeks in all and we were travelling across an icy wilderness in sub-zero temperatures. We kept going for up to sixteen hours a day and we burnt nine thousand calories each and every day. It was crucial that those calories were replaced but our main preoccupation was the constant need to make water from the snow so we didn’t become dehydrated.

We carried snack-packs of high-calorie food like cheese, salami, nuts and chocolate, and we cooked dehydrated meals with loads of fat for breakfast and dinner. It was incredible that fairly soon into the journey I’d lost the weight I had deliberately put on before I started. Despite this, I didn’t suffer loss of concentration or motivation.

However, by the time we reached the South Pole I was beginning to suffer from exhaustion, and I was afraid that my toes would be permanently damaged by the freezing temperatures. Luckily the special gloves I wore saved my fingers from having the same problem.

My team-mates suffered too. Of course, we all found the temperature difficult to take, but one of our group, John, suffered the most health problems. He developed a chest infection and the altitude didn’t help that at all – neither did the fact that we rarely had a rest, because we needed to keep walking. This took us all by surprise, as John had been the fittest and most well-prepared member of the team before we started.

At various points on the journey we had breaks. At the halfway point we were examined by doctors and John was nearly forbidden from continuing. He was only given permission to carry on at the last minute. If he hadn’t been allowed to carry on, that would have been the end of the whole adventure.

Lots of people have asked me why I went. It’s a difficult question to answer. When I was travelling, all I could think about was getting through each day, and then when we got to the South Pole, rather than feeling a sense of achievement, I actually felt relief. It was an amazing experience. It’s so incredible when you think that we survived for so long in such a physically and mentally demanding environment, which I can only call ‘alien’. I don’t think I’ll want to go back there for quite some time!

19 E   20 H   21 A   22 C   23 F

Audioscript

Speaker 1

I haven’t given many presentations so far, but I have talked to a lot of my fellow students about them and I’m certainly more relaxed about giving them than I used to be. The main thing as far as I’m concerned is to make sure you’ve already given it loads of times before you’re actually standing in front of your audience. You may risk boring yourself to tears, but believe me, it’s worth it! And I don’t mean you should give a shorter version, either. They need to hear every single word, from start to finish. The best people to help you with this are your friends and family.

Speaker 2

When you’re planning your presentation, the main point to remember is laughably simple: you’re trying to communicate something to other people, so the focus has to be on them, not on you. That means the more you know about them, the better. I can remember one of my college lecturers repeating this time and again, and I think she was absolutely right. However well you know your subject and however many jokes you tell, your presentation won’t be a success unless you bear this point in mind. There’s a big difference between a talk for people who already know a lot about a subject and one for those who don’t.

Speaker 3

In my opinion, a good presentation isn’t necessarily one which makes the audience laugh, or one that has wonderful graphics to illustrate the speaker’s points. The key thing, I’d say, is to make sure you hold your audience’s attention throughout, and you’ll only be able to do that if you don’t go on at length. That may sound easy, but if you’re too relaxed you’re in danger of forgetting this basic rule. When you’re preparing, it’s important to decide what your main message is and work out how best to communicate it briefly. If you can do that there’ll be no need to repeat the same point three times.

Speaker 4

Many people think that to give a good presentation, you need to practise a lot, but I find that just makes me nervous for days in advance. I think audiences need something to focus on while they’re listening. Colour diagrams and graphs are a really engaging way of putting your message across, and everyone will enjoy your input more, including you. If you’re short of ideas however, try to avoid telling jokes, which are no substitute for the real thing, that is, information. And you can always ask your fellow students and colleagues about what materials they’ve used in the past!

Speaker 5

If you’re well prepared and know what you’re talking about, then your presentation should be a pleasure to give as well as to listen to. If you feel comfortable and can manage to look as if you’re enjoying yourself, then the audience will respond to this and enjoy your presentation more. I’m not saying it’ll be easy at first, but the more you give different presentations, the easier you’ll find it. When I had to speak to a very large audience for the first time, I pictured them all sitting in trees wearing silly hats. It’s probably best, though, to focus on your subject matter rather than on the audience!

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

Audioscript

Interviewer:   So Maggie, welcome to the studio. Tell us about the sport of kitesurfing. What is it and how did you get into it?

Maggie:   Well, in kitesurfing your feet are strapped to a surfboard and you’re holding on to a big kite – and the wind takes you along on the water at tremendous speed. From the point when I started, a long time ago, it took me about a year to feel I could really call myself a kitesurfer. At least I was physically in good enough shape from the outset, though the lack of any really suitable instruction obstructed my progress. Having said that, it was straightforward to get everything you needed, but there wasn’t the range you see now – it’s become one of the fastest-growing sports in the country.

Interviewer:   So what’s changed in the sport during that time?

Maggie:   Well, helmets have gained increasing popularity, and I guess they’re good, because if you fall off you could easily hit your head, but my generation never felt the need for one. On the other hand, the wind is the fundamental element that all kitesurfers have to learn about. For example, you should never go on the water if the wind’s coming from off the land as you could be blown out to sea – and I’m not sure if kitesurfers now are as up on that as we were. Of course, they’ll know obvious things like not surfing in places near rocks or power lines – but sadly those hazards still aren’t as flagged up as they might be.

Interviewer:   Right – and you now take part in international events.

Maggie:   Yes, I’m going to Fiji soon for an eight-day competition. It’s a new event but the organisers are keen to get it as a regular fixture on the calendar. We’ll cover a hundred and fifty kilometres and perhaps a new world record’ll be set in distance kitesurfing. And it’ll be great if, as a result of seeing me take part, people will decide to give it a go. But it’s not just distance, we’ll be able to show off some freestyle tricks, too.

Interviewer:   But you’ve done some amazing distance events before.

Maggie:   Yeah, I’ve kitesurfed well over a hundred kilometres. That was tough – particularly on the feet and knees. And the fog meant my support boat was no longer visible for a while, which was an uncomfortable feeling. Then halfway across, I changed to a bigger kite so I could get more speed, and things went more smoothly after that. But apart from a few dolphins for company, we were out in the middle of the sea alone.

Interviewer:   An amazing achievement! So why’ve you done so well, do you think?

Maggie:   Well, it was always likely that I’d take up some kind of water sport because I grew up near the sea and my parents taught me to swim at an early age. It was the unpredictability of kitesurfing that appealed to my nature, really – I’ve always gone for things that are less straightforward. But of course, you don’t get anywhere if you don’t practise.

Interviewer:   And kitesurfing’s a growing sport. What do you think about the people taking it up now?

Maggie:   Well, kitesurfing’s a free-and-easy sport without many regulations that everyone has to follow. But, having said that, I’ve met a number of new people who are attracted to the sport because of the stuff you do up in the air, rather than on the water. What they don’t realise is that the dos and don’ts of the sport have to be mastered before they try something so ambitious – they’re too impatient – although one day they may well achieve great things once they’ve grasped those.

Interviewer:   What is there left for you to do in the sport?

Maggie:   Enjoy it, mostly – I’ll leave the competition for the young guys. But I still need to set myself goals, and I’m keen to help bring a bit more sponsorship into the sport without making it too commercial. My partner’s also a kitesurfer – he teaches young kids in the local area, and I help him. So I might even do more of that one day – who knows?

Interviewer:   Maggie, thanks …