Listening

*Exam 1
PART 1:
You will hear three different extracts. For questions 1-6, choose the answer
(A, В or C) which fits best according to what you hear. There are two
questions for each extract.

Extract One
You hear part of an interview with a woman who works in retail
management.

1 How does the woman feel now about her first job in retailing?
A pleased by the way she handled the staff
B confident that it gave her a good start
C relaxed about the mistakes she made

2 What is the woman advised to do next?

A reflect on her skills
B volunteer for extra work
C discuss her situation with her boss

Extract Two
You overhear a woman telling a friend a story about a swan.

3 What problem did the woman have with the swan?

A She misunderstood its intentions
B She underestimated the speed of its approach
C She failed to realise the consequences of disturbing it
4 What is the man’s reaction to the story?
A He feels he would have handled the situation better
B He is unconvinced by the woman’s version of events
C He fails to see quite how serious the problem was

Extract Three
PART 2

You hear part of an interview with Bruce Loader, a successful businessman

who is talking about his early life.

5 Why did Bruce decide to give up the idea of studying art?

A He failed to gain a place at art college
B He became tired of doing representational art
C He was persuaded that he could not realise his ambition
6 What was his father’s reaction to Bruce’s decision?
A He was anxious to discuss alternative employment options
B He was angry that a good opportunity had been wasted
C He was dismissive of the advantages of higher education
PART 3:
You will hear an explorer called Richard Livingstone talking about a trip he
made in the rainforest of South America. For questions 7-14, complete the
sentences.

A Trip to the Rainforest

Richard and Matthew abandoned their boat because they couldn’t get past
a 7   .They decided to walk through the jungle as far as the 8   
marked on the map. Richard says that during the walk, they were always
both 9   and 9   . The first sign of human activity that they found
was a 10   .In a deserted camp, they found some soup made from
unusual 11  and 11   .
Richard says that by the time they had reached the camp, they were lacking
in 12   .
Richard says that after the meal, they began to feel 13   about what
they’d done.
Before leaving the camp, they left the sum of 14   to thank their host.

PART 4:
You will hear part of an interview with the astronaut Charles Duke, who is
talking about his trip to the moon. For questions 15-20, choose the answer
(А, В, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.
15 How did Charles feel about space travel as a boy?
A He thought it was unlikely to happen
B He regarded it as more than science fiction
C He was fascinated by the idea of it
D He showed no particular interest in it
16 What did Charles consider to be the hardest part of the training?
A feeling trapped in the heavy spacesuit
B endlessly practising the lunar surface landing
C constantly being afraid of making a mistake
D being unable to move his arms and hands
17 What was Charles’s reaction when he first found out he was going to the
moon?
A He realised he had to be cautious
B He felt proud to be given the opportunity
C He tried to control his excitement
D He reflected on his chances of survival.
18 How did the crew feel when they had landed on the moon?
A They felt as if they were coming home
B They realised they had achieved something special
C They were afraid of what they might find on the surface
D They were worried about how they would take off again
19 What feature of the moon made the greatest impact on Charles?
A the brightness of the
B the vastness of the sky
C the loneliness of the place
D the absence of any stars
20 What does Charles feel was the most memorable part of his mission?
A nearly falling into a crater
B walking on the moon’s surface
C seeing things never seen before
D holding a piece of the moon

PART 4:
You will hear five short extracts in which people are talking about an
occasion when they came into contact with a well-known celebrity.
  Best viewed in landscape mode

TASK TWO For questions 26-30, choose from the list A-H the opinion each speaker gives about the celebrity.

A He/She became more agitated than necessary. 26 Speaker 1 ABCDEFGH

B He/She enjoyed causing trouble. 27 Speaker 2 ABCDEFGH
C He/She appeared totally at ease. 28 Speaker 3 ABCDEFGH
D He/She expected too much privacy. 29 Speaker 4 ABCDEFGH
E He/She seemed insincere. 30 Speaker 5 ABCDEFGH
F He/She wasn’t able to cope with fame.
G He/She talked down to me.
H He/She eventually accepted the regulations.

TASK ONE
For questions 21-25, choose from the list A-H what each speaker says about coming into contact with a celebrity.

A I failed to recognise the person. 21 Speaker 1 ABCDEFGH

B I realised I had forgotten something. 22 Speaker 2 ABCDEFGH
C I insisted on something. 23 Speaker 3 ABCDEFGH
D I was upset by personal criticism. 24 Speaker 4 ABCDEFGH
E I had been given incorrect information. 25 Speaker 5 ABCDEFGH
F I was pleasantly surprised.
G I refused a request.
H I was amused by something.

EXAM 2:
You will hear three different extracts. For questions 1-6, choose the answer
(A, В or C) which fits best according to what you hear. There are two
questions for each extract.
Extract One
You overhear two friends, John and Diane, discussing holiday plans.

1 John thinks Diane’s indecision about the holiday is

A unreasonable in view of her financial position
B surprising since her holiday is well overdue
C understandable given how much money is involved
2 How does Diane feel about the prospect of a break from work?
A nervous that her boss will regret promoting her
B worried that staff will take advantage of her absence
C doubtful whether she can clear her backlog of work in time

Extract Two
You overhear two friends discussing a new film.

3 Why has the film been refused a certificate allowing it to be shown to

children?
A The soundtrack makes it too frightening in places
B The plot is too psychologically complex
C The opening images are too violent
4 The friends agree that the original story on which the film is based
A is written in a rather unusual style
B gives a convincing portrayal of a historical character
C manages to keep the reader in suspense until the end

Extract Three
You hear an interview with the architect Ingrid Chapman, who is talking
about an office building she has recently designed.

5 What does Ingrid think is the best feature of the new building?
A the amount of light that comes in
B the space she has created for staff interaction
C the way each floor has its own facilities
6 What does she suggest companies with outdated office buildings should
do?
A employ her to design a more modern building
B ask staff what kind of workplace they would like
C use imagination to improve aspects of the offices

You will hear a guide taking a group of visitors around a museum. For
questions 7-14, complete the sentences.
Museum Tour
This museum houses objects collected by the 7   based in the city.
It has one of the country’s best galleries containing 8   exhibits.
The museum’s displays of 9   and 9   are closed to visitors at
present.
The section called 10   is popular with young people.
The picture galleries contain works on various themes by 11   .
The museum’s 12   needs modernising.
The guide uses the word 13   to describe the Rutland Dinosaur’s
effect on people.
Polystyrene was used to reconstruct most of the Rutland Dinosaur’s 14 

You will hear part of a radio interview in which Harry and Jennifer, two
members of an after-work adult drama class, are asked about their reasons
for attending the class. For questions 15-20, choose the answer (А, В, C or D)
which fits best according to what you hear.
15 How does Jennifer feel about working with strangers in the class?
A resigned to the need for it
B doubtful about the value of it
C relaxed in her attitude towards it
D excited at the thought of it
16 According to Harry, the improvisation sessions
A require some careful preparation
B enable him to use his imagination
C allow him to show his acting talent
D encourage him to relate to the group
17 What does Jennifer say about improvisation?
A It is important not to make a mistake
B It is necessary to be aware of the timing
C You should be familiar with the character you invent
D You need to be completely involved in the activity
 18 In Jennifer’s opinion, playing written parts will
A be less challenging than improvisation
B include research into previous performances
C involve guidance from an expert
D lead to competition for parts
19 Jennifer says that the drama classes have taught her how to
A improve her interaction with people
B manage groups of people
C develop her natural acting skills
D be satisfied with minor achievements
20 Harry was annoyed because the newcomer to the group
A interrupted the class by arriving late
B was reluctant to participate
C seemed unaware of the mood of the group
D wasted the tea break with pointless questions

You will hear five short extracts in which British people are talking about
living abroad.

 Best viewed in landscape mode

TASK ONE
For questions 21-25, choose from the list A-H each speaker’s present occupation.

A business person 21  Speaker 1 ABCDEFGH

B pensioner 22  Speaker 2 ABCDEFGH
C doctor 23  Speaker 3 ABCDEFGH
D farmer 24  Speaker 4 ABCDEFGH
E diplomat 25  Speaker 5 ABCDEFGH
F student
G engineer
H architect

TASK TWO
For questions 26-30, choose from the list A-H the main advantage each speaker mentions
about living where they do

A a beautiful language 26  Speaker 1 ABCDEFGH

B friendly people 27  Speaker 2 ABCDEFGH
C luxury accommodation 28  Speaker 3 ABCDEFGH
D a good climate 29  Speaker 4 ABCDEFGH
E interesting challenges 30  Speaker 5 ABCDEFGH
F varied sports
G a high salary
H excellent food

EXAM 3:
You will hear three different extracts. For questions 1-6, choose the answer
(A, В or C) which fits best according to what you hear. There are two
questions for each extract.
Extract One
You hear two colleagues, Eva and Colin, talk about a problem at work

1 What is Colin’s opinion of their new boss?

A She fails to consult with colleagues
B She is too keen to establish new working practices
C She has little understanding of the organisation’s history
2 When talking about the problem, Eva is
A trying to suggest that it is unimportant
B comparing alternative ways of solving it
C encouraging Colin to take a more positive attitude to it
Extract Two
You hear an interview with an expert who repairs antique vases

3 What is the expert doing at the start of the interview?

A explaining what can ruin a restoration job
B comparing various methods of restoration she uses
C describing the difficulties of matching colours during restoration
4 How does the expert feel about leaving visible cracks in the finished vase?
A They should be avoided if at all possible
B They are part of the vase’s history and should be seen
C They affect the value of the vase rather than its appearance
Extract Three
On the radio, you hear a visitor talking to a man about the remote island
where he lives

5 The man wants a ferry service between the mainland and the island
because
A he is keen to develop tourism on the island
B he thinks more young people would come to live on the island
C he feels the island people should not be isolated from modern life
6 The speakers have different opinions about whether
A creating an airport would be advantageous
B building houses on the beach would be advisable
C commercial development would spoil the island’s unique nature

You will hear a short radio report about how technology is helping
archaeologists who want to learn more about some texts written over 2,000
years ago known as Roman tablets. For questions 7-14, complete the
sentences.
Roman tablets

The speaker says that an Ancient Roman ‘tablet’ was about as thick as a
present-day 7   .
At the site of an old 8   , archaeologists discovered about 200 tablets.
Roman soldiers often used tablets writing letter or documents of a 9  
nature.
On one tablet mentioned, the word 10   is legible as well as people’s
names.
An expert in what’s called 11   says that the project is very
challenging.
Panels on the tablets were once filled with 12   , which provided the
writing surface.
Efforts to analyse the original texts using 13   photography were
unsuccessful.
New technology is also being applied to other historical texts which were
written using 14   .

You  will  hear an interview with an architect called Lucy Collett who designs
small buildings. For questions 15-20, choose the answer (А, В, C or D) which
fits best according to what you hear.
15 Lucy enjoyed building the tree-house because it
A gave her children somewhere to play
B presented an interesting design problem
C demonstrated the type of work she does
D allowed her to fulfil a childhood ambition
16 What fascinated Lucy about the historical phone boxes?
A their international character
B their luxurious interiors
C their range of styles
D the quality of their construction
17 At college, Lucy designed small buildings so that they
A could be assembled in a shorter time
B would comply better with safety rules
C would have a wider range of uses
D could be built in a simpler style
18 Lucy got the idea for a folding market stall
A from her parents
B from travelling salesmen
C while she was at a trade fair
D while she was on an overseas trip
19 What did Lucy like best about her award-winning design?
A the shape
B the display space
C the decoration
D the building material
20 The hotel phone booths which Lucy worked on were
A developed with mobile phone users in mind
B designed for countries with relatively few mobile phones
C placed at the entrance to the hotel lobby
D intended to be the largest feature of the lobby

TASK ONE TASK TW

For que
For questions 21-25, choose from the list A-H the problem each person H each
encounters.

A a troublesome client 21  Speaker 1 ABCDEFGH

B poor pay and 22  Speaker 2 ABCDEFGH
conditions 23  Speaker 3 ABCDEFGH
C a difficult colleague 24  Speaker 4 ABCDEFGH
D conflict with 25  Speaker 5 
management
E a failed project
F excessive
responsibility
G a lack of promotion
H an inefficient IT
system
TASK TWO
For questions 26-30, choose from the list A-H each person’s current
feeling
A keen to bring in changes
B willing to accept their situation
C sure that things will improve
D reluctant to make a complaint
E annoyed by messages from
F aware of their own failings
G miserable in their present job
H unsure what to do about the problem
26 Speaker 1 ABCDEFGH
27 Speaker 2 ABCDEFGH
28 Speaker 3 ABCDEFGH
29 Speaker 4 ABCDEFGH
30 Speaker 5 ABCDEFGH