Practice PET (B1) Listening Test 20 with Answers and Audioscripts

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

Audioscripts

1   What is the woman going to buy today?

Woman:   I’m going shopping in town this afternoon. I need to get a present for Jan. It’s her birthday next week.

Man:   Oh, really? What are you thinking of getting her?

Woman:   I’ve already got her a bag and I thought about buying her a book or a scarf, too. What do you think?

Man:   I don’t think she reads much, so I think a scarf would probably be better.

Woman:   OK. Thanks. I’ll see if I can find something she’ll like.

2   What time did Clara finish band practice?

Mum:   You’re home late, Clara! I was starting to get worried about you. It’s nine o’clock!

Girl:   Yes, I know, Mum. I didn’t catch a train until 8.00.

Mum:   Were you at band practice all that time? That was a long rehearsal!

Girl:   No, I left at 6.00, but I met Eva on my way to the station. We got chatting and decided to go to a café. I hadn’t seen her for ages, so we had a lot to talk about.

3   Which piece of equipment was missing?

Dad:   Gosh, you’re back very early from cricket, Anthony. Do you not feel well?

Boy:   No, I’m OK. But I didn’t get to play cricket today.

Dad:   Why not? Did you forget your bat?

Boy:   No, I remembered to bring it. Actually, Toby forgot his helmet but, luckily, I had an extra one, so he was fine.

Dad:   Right. Then why on earth didn’t you play?

Boy:   No one had a ball, Dad! We were all there, ready to play, and …

Dad:   Oh no! Sorry, Anthony.

4   What is the weather going to be like this afternoon?

Woman:   After a bright and sunny morning, clouds are beginning to form and it looks like we’re going to see some rain later today, probably from around two o’clock, so don’t forget your umbrellas. The rain will be light, however, and no thunderstorms are expected. It will clear up in the evening, and there’ll be light cloud for the rest of the night, with a clear day tomorrow.

5   How did the man find out about the play?

Woman:   That was a fantastic play. Thank you for recommending it.

Man:   You’re very welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Woman:   How did you hear about it? Did you read a review about it?

Man:   No, I know there have been some good reviews in the newspapers, but I didn’t see them. My friend John heard about it on the radio and emailed me and suggested I went to see it. He’ll be pleased to hear that we both enjoyed it.

6   When is the man’s first guitar lesson?

Woman:   Have you started guitar lessons yet?

Man:   Not yet. They’ve been delayed. They were going to start on the 15th, but the teacher was ill.

Woman:   Oh hear. I hope she’s better now.

Man:   Yes, she is, and she’s going to give two lessons in one week this week to catch up. The first one will be on the 21st and the second will be on the 23rd.

Woman:   Great! I look forward to hearing you play something soon.

Man:   Haha! It might be a while before I can play a song!

7   How does the woman usually keep fit?

Man:   Hi, Sally. It’s great seeing you here. I didn’t know you liked running!

Woman:   I don’t! I go to the gym most days, but it’s closed at the moment. They’re doing some building work. I’ve got to do something while it’s closed and I haven’t got a bike, so I thought I’d better try running.

Man:   Oh well, why don’t you join me? I’m here every morning, and it’ll be good to have some company.

8 C   9 C   10 B   11 A   12 C   13 B

Audioscripts

8   You will hear two people talking about the weather.

Woman:   Oh dear. It’s raining again. I’m getting really fed up with all this wet weather. I wanted to go for a picnic this weekend.

Man:   Well, the weather forecast says that the rain is going to stop by Saturday morning, and we’re going to have a few sunny days.

Woman:   Really? I’ll believe that when I see it. I don’t trust the weather forecast.

Man:   I don’t know. They’re pretty accurate these days. I rely on the weather app on my phone to tell me when I need to take an umbrella with me!

Woman:   Well, I hope that you and your weather app are right. A few sunny days would be lovely.

9   You will hear a girl telling a friend about her dreams for the future.

Boy:   Where do you think you’ll be in 20 years’ time?

Girl:   Ooh – that’s difficult. Perhaps I’ll be living by a beautiful Italian lake surrounded by mountains. I could work as a windsurfing instructor. Or maybe I’ll be a businesswoman getting rich in New York City – I wonder what that would be like.

Boy:   You don’t think you’ll still be living here in Ireland, then?

Girl:   Oh yes, that’s it. I’ll live in one of those pretty little cottages you see round here, and sell my pictures of the local landscape.

Boy:   That makes sense. You’re a very talented painter.

10   You will hear two siblings talking about a trip.

Sister:   I’m so excited about our trip to London next month. Shall we go ahead and buy our train tickets online now? If you book early, it’s cheaper.

Brother:   Ummm, I don’t know …

Sister:   What, why? Do you not want to go anymore?

Brother:   No, it’s not that. I’m really looking forward to London, but I was thinking maybe we should take the bus instead. It’s better value for money.

Sister:   But doesn’t the bus take longer?

Brother:   It does, but not much, and it’s still more convenient. If we get the train, we’ll have to change at Birmingham and carry our bags to a different platform, you know? But the bus is direct.

11   You will hear a boy telling a friend about his father’s job.

Girl:   I think it’s so cool that your dad is a firefighter. He must face danger every day.

Boy:   Well, not every day, but it is cool! He told me that most of the calls they get are not actually for fires. They rescue people from all sorts of situations. And, when they do get called to a fire, they have all the right equipment. Apparently, the biggest danger is when a firefighter isn’t fit enough. It’s really important to keep fit in that job.

Girl:   Yes, it must be. And I expect communication is important, too.

Boy:   Oh yes. Everyone on the team needs to communicate really well, and to trust each other, too. If they work together well then everyone is a lot safer.

12   You will hear two friends talking about a song.

Girl:   This song is great, Tony. Have you heard it yet?

Boy:   Don’t tell me you actually like it. It sounds so miserable!

Girl:   Come on, it’s not that bad. Listen to the words she’s singing.

Boy:   OK, I can see that the song is well-written. You might even say that it’s interesting – but it just goes on and on!

Girl:   Well, it makes me smile. I can’t stop listening to it.

Boy:   I guess we just have different tastes. You know I prefer songs that sound more positive.

13   You will hear two friends talking about a computer game.

Boy:   Look at this new game! Isn’t it fantastic! The characters look like real people.

Girl:   Wow! It’s just like watching a film! That’s fantastic. Is it good fun to play?

Boy:   It’s great! The puzzles are a bit difficult, though. Sometimes it can take me days to work out what I need to do to get to the next stage of the game.

Girl:   Well, you don’t want it to be too easy, or you’ll finish the game too fast!

Boy:   That’s true, but I like to find out what happens next in the story. I get bored if I have to wait too long to move on in the game.

14 front   15 7 / seven   16 music

17 local   18 Thursday   19 5 / five minutes

Audioscripts

Woman:   Good afternoon, families! It’s lovely to see you all at our wonderful resort. You’ve certainly got some great weather for your holiday! Now, in a moment you’ll be shown up to your rooms. Then in about an hour’s time, at about one o’clock, a light lunch will be served in the dining room. The dining room is at the front of the hotel, next to the fitness centre. For your information, breakfast is served between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., lunch is from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner is served in the evening between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Traditional music is played by local musicians twice a week during dinner.

Now a few words about activities. There are family trips most mornings which you can join, if you like. These include visits to local places of interest, including the ruins and various monuments. I’ll give you more details about those later. You can also visit an outdoor market where you’ll be able to find souvenirs to take home. That’s only on Thursdays, so don’t miss it. In the afternoons, you can either walk to the beach, which is just five minutes away, or you can relax by the hotel swimming pool.

That’s it for now, I think. I hope you like your rooms. Please stay behind if you have any questions. Otherwise, I’ll see you in the dining room in about an hour. Thank you very much.

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

Audioscripts

Interviewer:   Welcome to the Leisure Programme. Today I’m interviewing Jack Hutchinson, the manager of a new leisure centre that opened last month. Welcome to the programme, Jack.

Jack:   Thank you.

Interviewer:   Jack, there are several leisure centres in this area. Why do you think yours has become so popular already? Is it because it has such a fantastic gym?

Jack:   No, I don’t think it’s because of the gym, although the gym is excellent. I think it’s because so many articles have been written about us in the local newspapers. People want to see if we’re as good as the journalists say.

Interviewer:   So, tell us about the centre.

Jack:   Well, let’s start with the pools – we’ve already got a very good, large swimming pool with a diving area. There’s also a smaller training pool, which is for children and for adults having lessons, and there are plans to build a fun pool with slides for children.

Interviewer:   And what about this amazing gym?

Jack:   The equipment is excellent and we have experienced staff who are very happy to give advice.

Interviewer:   Are the staff there all the time?

Jack:   They’re usually there for two hours in the afternoon and an hour in the evening. We’re hoping to increase the time they’re available when we employ more staff.

Interviewer:   What about courts?

Jack:   There are indoor courts for tennis, badminton, volleyball and basketball. The outdoor tennis courts aren’t quite ready, but they’ll be available next week.

Interviewer:   What about classes?

Jack:   There are swimming classes at all levels, karate, aerobics and keep-fit. We also offer one-day scuba-diving courses at the pool They’re given by instructors from the local diving school. I’ve done one myself and so have most of our swimming instructors. I can highly recommend them.

Interviewer:   So, in what way do you think your leisure centre is better than others?

Jack:   The facilities are of a very high quality. We offer a wide range of different activities and we have a café that sells good, healthy food.

Interviewer:   Well, … other centres offer all that, too.

Jack:   Yes, but they don’t offer our prices. Like other centres, we offer discounts to students and the over 60s, but people can also buy a membership card for just £15 a month. For this, you can use all the facilities as often as you like. You pay much more for membership in other centres.

Interviewer:   That sounds very good. Thank you for coming in, Jack …