Practice PET (B1) Listening Test 18 with Answers and Audioscripts

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

Audioscripts

1   What did the boy have to drink?

Girl:   Have you been to that new café on the High Street?

Boy:   Yes, I’ve been there a few times.

Girl:   What kinds of tea do they have?

Boy:   I don’t know. I don’t drink tea. I usually have a milkshake or something like that when I go to a café.

Girl:   Oh well, are the milkshakes any good?

Boy:   I don’t know that either, I’m afraid, because they don’t sell them. The orange juice is OK. It’s nothing exciting, though.

2   On which date will the author sign books?

Man:   We’re very pleased to announce an exciting new event at our bookshop. World-famous author Karabo Drumbo is going to be here next month! She’ll be reading from her latest novel, Philo and Burke, at 7 p.m. on April 24th. There’s a separate book-signing event with Karabo on the 25th. Tickets for both can be purchased from the 21st. We recommend booking early to avoid disappointment. This is going to be very special indeed. Don’t miss it!

3   What was the weather like in the afternoon?

Mum:   Well, are you all having fun at the beach today?

Girl:   Oh, hi Mum. Well, it started out great because the weather was amazing. It was really sunny early this morning so everyone went for a swim in the sea. That was lovely. A couple of hours later, we decided to play beach volleyball, but it was a disaster because the weather completely changed! The wind was incredibly strong and no one could control the ball. It was funny, though. After lunch, it started to rain so we all went to the beach café for some cake. That’s where I am now!

4   What time is the English exam?

Woman:   Can you all please remember that the date of your English exam has changed. It’s no longer on Friday at nine o’clock. It’s now on the following Monday. The time remains the same, but don’t forget to get here half an hour earlier so that you can be calm and ready to begin. Don’t forget French is still on Monday afternoon at one o’clock, so you’re all going to have a busy day. Make sure you get plenty of rest on Saturday and Sunday.

5   What does the girl’s new friend look like?

Girl:   Is it OK if I invite Sara to come shopping with us? She’s a new girl at my gym. You’ve seen her. She works out on the running machines a lot.

Boy:   Sure, that’s fine. It’s always nice to meet new people. Is Sara the girl with short dark hair?

Girl:   She’s got dark hair, but it’s long and she always ties it back.

Boy:   Oh yeah. I know who you mean. Yes, bring her along. I look forward to meeting her.

6   Where is the man going tomorrow?

Woman:   I’m going shopping and then to the cinema tomorrow. Do you fancy coming? It should be a fun day.

Man:   I’d love to, but I’ve already arranged to meet some friends in town.

Woman:   Are you having lunch or something? I’ve heard that the new burger place is quite good.

Man:   Yeah, that’s where we’re meeting, actually. We all wanted to try it out. It’s right next to the cinema, so maybe you could come along after the film and join us.

7   Where is the magazine?

Boy:   Have you finished reading the magazine I lent you?

Girl:   Oh yeah, thanks. It was great. Do you want it back? I’ve left it upstairs, in my room.

Boy:   Yes, please. There’s an article I wanted to read in it. Can I go up to your room and get it? Is it in your bag?

Girl:   I took it out of there and put it on my desk. It’s on top of my English book. And that reminds me. I need to do my homework. Can you bring my book down with you, please?

8 B   9 C   10 B   11 C   12 B   13 B

Audioscripts

8   You will hear two people talking about a painting.

Woman:   This is an amazing portrait, isn’t it? You feel as though the woman is really looking at you.

Man:   I know. She has a very interesting expression on her face, too. She looks as though she’s done something that she really regrets. It looks like she’s very sad, but she’s trying not to show it.

Woman:   Do you think so? I think she looks as though she’s just realized the answer to a difficult problem. She looks relieved and calm to me.

Man:   Oh well, that’s interesting. I wonder why we both have such different ideas about what she’s thinking. Maybe you’re a more positive person than I am!

9   You will hear a woman telling a friend about her new bag.

Woman:   Oh, where are my keys? I know I put them in my bag!

Man:   It’s a very smart bag.

Woman:   I know. I bought it last week. It looks great, but it drives me crazy because I can never find anything in it! I thought it would be better than my old bag because it’s bigger and it has so many useful pockets.

Man:   It certainly looks like there’s a pocket for everything.

Woman:   There is. But I can never remember which pocket I’ve put things in! I hope I’ll get used to it soon, or I’ll have to go back to using my little old bag!

10   You will hear two friends talking about a song.

Man:   Not that song again! I can’t get it out of my head. It seems to be playing everywhere I go at the moment. I can’t seem to escape it!

Woman:   I know. It’s really popular, isn’t it? It’s on every radio station, in every shop or café … I think it’s really catchy!

Man:   You can say that again. I keep singing it without realizing. I wish I could stop, but it’s like a disease!

Woman:   Haha! You’re funny. I’d love to hear you singing it.

Man:   Well, if I start, please pinch me. I really need to stop doing it!

11   You will hear two friends talking about swimming pool.

Girl:   Did you enjoy your swim this morning?

Boy:   Yeah, it was great. I feel really refreshed now. Hey, have you been to the new swimming pool?

Girl:   Yes, I went with Celia last Saturday afternoon. It was really busy, though. We could hardly find room to swim!

Boy:   Oh, it was lovely and quiet this morning. Next time, you should go early in the day – there was hardly anybody else there first thing this morning. The water was freezing, though! I nearly screamed when I jumped in! I had to swim really fast to warm up.

Girl:   Oh dear! That’s certainly one way to make people get fit!

12   You will hear a woman telling a friend about her weekend.

Man:   Did you have a good weekend, Sarah?

Woman:   Yes, thank you. I visited some friends in the countryside.

Man:   That sounds relaxing. It’s good to get out of the city sometimes, isn’t it?

Woman:   Yes, it was very peaceful and it’s wonderful to breathe clean air after all the pollution in the city. They live in a quiet village surrounded by fields and trees. Everything was so green. I found it a bit scary at night, though. When it gets dark in the countryside, it gets really dark. There are no street lights, or lights from cars and buildings.

Man:   I bet you had a fantastic view of the stars, though!

Woman:   That’s true. It was really beautiful.

13   You will hear two friends talking about a curry.

Man:   Did you enjoy that curry, Laura? I thought it was very tasty.

Woman:   What, really? I thought it was horrible! I left most of it on my plate; look.

Man:   Oh, was it too hot for you?

Woman:   No. I like spicy food! I just thought this curry had a terrible flavour. It tasted kind of sour to me. It was disgusting.

Man:   Hmm, that’s very strange because I loved it. For me, it had an excellent balance of flavours. I was tempted to get some more, to be honest.

Woman:   Well, you can have mine. I’m going to buy a sandwich or something because I’m still hungry.

14 13th / thirteenth   15 Park   16 6 / six

17 extreme cycling   18 map   19 team

Audioscripts

Man:   Are you wondering what to do over the summer holidays? The international sports festival starts on the 30th of June, lasts for two weeks and ends on the 13th of July with prize giving and fireworks. It’s well worth attending. Here’s why.

The fun starts on day one with a huge event in Prospect Park. Organizers will arrive early to set up, but the event for the public begins at 12 p.m. and lasts all day until 6.00. Throughout the day, many different clubs and companies will be giving free workshops, which means you’ll be able to try sports that you may never have tried before.

Some of the highlights at the opening even include skateboarding and break-dancing workshops. You might also like to bring your bike and try some extreme cycling. Before you start, an expert will check over your bike to make sure it’s safe. There will also be a bike race.

To find out more information about exact times of each workshop, look on our website. You’ll also be able to download a map which shows where everything will be in the park on the day.

For the remaining two weeks of the festival, you’ll be able to enjoy further workshops and sessions in the area. Locations and events include water sports at River Swimming Complex, track events at the Athletics Stadium and you can also take part in indoor team games at Central Leisure. This festival is the first of its kind in our town and I really recommend you see what it’s all about.

20 A   21 C   22 B   23 A   24 B   25 C

Audioscripts

Presenter:   Hello and welcome to the programme. Today, I’m talking to David Watts, who is leader of Youth Expeditions, which is an organization that gives opportunities to young people to explore different parts of the world. David is here to try to show us that going on expeditions is a challenge that all young people can take part in, not just the super fit and super confident. David, could you tell us first about what the organization does?

David:   Hello. Yes, we organize expeditions to different places and invite young people aged 16-20 to go on them at as low a cost as possible. Basically we provide a grant for about 75% of the total. The aim is to develop confidence and a sense of adventure, but we also work with scientists and environmentalists. Although we want people who are keen to learn, we don’t expect them to have expert scientific knowledge already.

Presenter:   How often do you organize expeditions?

David:   About three or four every year and they include month-long summer expeditions to the Arctic for those aged between 16 and 20. And then, for those over 18, there are our Arctic and desert gap-year expeditions.

Presenter:   Tell us about one of your most recent expeditions.

David:   This June, a group went to the edge of the Arctic Ocean. They went with seven leaders and a group of scientists. They cross-country skied to where they were camping and then went everywhere on foot. They took part in a series of scientific studies, investigating glaciers, rivers, plants and so on. It was a very interesting trip.

Presenter:   You also run competitions.

David:   That’s right. And for this year’s, three young explorers can win a place on our next expedition to the Arctic for which we’ll pay the whole cost. For two months they’ll live in tents and snow caves and will learn how to survive in the extreme cold. For part of the time they’ll work with environmentalists on the subject of climate change, but there will also be opportunities for mountaineering and cross-country skiing. It should be a lot of fun.

Presenter:   So how do people enter?

David:   Entrants should make a short film that gives information about themselves; why they are interested in going to the Arctic, and what they hope to get out of the experience. They should send this to us by post and we’ll choose a number of people to come for an interview. From those, we’ll decide who has won.

Presenter:   It sounds like an excellent opportunity and I wish our listeners luck with that.