Listening Part 1
You will hear people talking in eight different situations.
For questions 1-8, choose the best answer A, B or C.
1 You hear a restaurant manager talking 5 You hear a woman talking about how
about the cooks who work for him. she keeps fit
What does he say about them? Why did she decide to take up line dancing?
A They dislike cleaning tasks. A She thought the pace would suit her.
B They have a choice of jobs. B She had heard about it on television.
C They help to decide the menu. C She wanted to try exercising to music.
2 You hear a woman talking about a new 6 You overhear a conversation in a
book. restaurant.
What does she particularly like about the What does the woman think about the food
book? she has just eaten?
A It is educational. A It was expensive.
B It is well organised. B It was delicious.
C It is enjoyable. C It looked wonderful.
3 You hear the writer of a television 7 You turn on the radio and hear a man
soap opera being interviewed about the talking.
programme.
What is he talking about?
What will happen next in the story?
A drawing pictures
A Someone will make an important
decision. B writing fiction
B Someone will go away unexpectedly. C composing music
C Someone will learn the truth at last.
8 You overhear a student phoning her
parents.
4 You hear part of a radio interview.
What is her opinion of the place she is
Who is speaking? living in while at college?
A a taxi driver A She is not sure she will have enough
room to study.
B a porter
B She has difficulty in working because
C a tourist guide of the noise.
C She does not get on well with her room-
mates.
1
As restaurant manager, I feel responsible for the quality of the food we serve. So it’s up to me to check the ingredients
that have been delivered overnight to make sure they are of sufficient quality, and to produce a menu for the day. The
cooks arrive at about ten a.m. to prepare lunch and I’ll take them through the menu. Because lunch is concentrated
over a short period of time it can get very busy and very hot. But unlike some kitchens, we tend to divide the jobs up
according to who likes doing what, and that includes cleaning pots and pans and clearing the place before dinner.
2
It’s a factual book, a chronicle of the twentieth century and it’s wonderful. I mean it’s terribly bitty and it’s not going to
give you a lot of information nor be good for school work. That’s what’s really nice about it. Here is a reference book
which it is fun to dip in and out of. It’s hardly going to help anyone write an essay and it avoids being geared to any
school syllabus, unlike so much of what is published today. But for anyone who likes little details, you know, you can
look up your date of birth, for example, and see what else happened then, it’s a very good book.
3
Man: So, there’ve been some dramatic events in Victoria Street this past week, what with Mariela deciding not to ma-
rry Jason, and Stephen leaving home in the middle of a family row. Are next week’s episodes as exciting?
Woman: Well, I can’t give away the whole story, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! I can tell you that Stephen’s
mother is forced to tell her husband the secret she’s been hiding for years, which leads to more fireworks and a few
tears. And Jason refuses to accept Mariela’s decision, so you’re going to hear a lot more from him, and look out for some
surprises there.
4
We get people to the taxis, that’s the first priority, and to the trains. We make sure they get on early and get comfortable
seats. These days many passengers have a lot of luggage and they want assistance with it. So we provide a much-needed
service. We even take people down to the Underground or to places in the surrounding streets. But the majority of
users are airline passengers with a lot of bags and perhaps accompanied by elderly relatives, young children and so on.
Obviously they can’t manage everything on their own.
5
I exercise in the form of dance. At one time, I did aerobics because exercise is more interesting with music, but I’ve
since moved on to line dancing. It’s less energetic, but I go three times a week. I run my own business, work hard, and
it’s just a way to cut off rather than watch television. It’s also a challenge keeping up with the new steps. I think young
people sometimes take exercise too far, get over-concerned with how they look, when they’ll never be able to keep it up
at that sort of pace. Whereas line dancing struck me as something I could sustain as part of my normal life.
6
Man: Well, what did you think of that, then?
Woman: Brilliant! I’ve never tasted anything like it! I wish you I’d tried this place sooner. I mean, I’ve been walking
past it for years.
Man: Why didn’t you?
Woman: Well, to be honest, I never thought I’d be able to afford it, but it’s actually quite reasonable. Mind you, I think
they could have tried a bit harder with the presentation. I think if food looks good on the plate you automatically ex-
pect it to taste good. Yours was okay, but I think they could have made more of an effort with mine.
7
In practical terms, the place I’m in doesn’t matter too much. As long as I have the necessary tools, you know, pencil and
paper and, of course, my keyboard. Once I’m started, I go over things again and again – must be very dull if anyone’s
listening. I change a few notes here and there, but basically I tend to stick with an idea once I have it. I guess home’s
the best place in a way because there I’m relaxed enough to let my imagination flow and that’s what you need to do, in
order to produce a good piece …
8
Well, I’m sharing with two other girls … I know, it was supposed to be me and one other person, but there’s a shortage
of accommodation, apparently. Anyway, the room’s rather cramped. But it’s great. There’ve been three parties so far, and
it’s still the first week. It’s an incredibly noisy place, with doors banging and people laughing and shouting till the small
hours. Yes, I suppose we’ll have to get down to work soon, though I don’t know how we’ll be able to, packed into that
little space – none of us is very tidy …
