Practice Test 2 – listening transcripts + Answer Keys and audio

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Cassette 1 Side A Listening Test 2 Sections 1,2 and 3. Section 4 is on Cassette 1, Side B Narrator: Prepare for IELTS Practice Listening Tests.Practice Listening Test 2.

Turn to Section 1 of Practice Listening Test 2.

Section 1. This conversation is between two people, Tom and Mary, who are choosing radios, televisions and telephones in an electronics shop. Listen to the conversation and decide which of the items in the picture, A, B, C, or D they are going to buy. First you have some time to look at Questions 1 to 4 now. You will see that there is an example which has been done for you. The conversation relating to this will be played first.

Tom: Well, here we are. There’s certainly plenty to choose from.

Mary: I’m finding it hard to know where to start. Would you like to look at the answering machines? Tom: Let’s start there. I like this one.

Mary: We have a lot to buv, Tom. We can’t afford to pay $129 for an answering machine. And we can’t afford to pay $127.50 for the dual tape answering machine, either.

Tom: Alright. We’ll buy a cheaper one then. There’s this one for $89 or the smaller one for $59.95.

Mary: I like the square shape of the smaller one. It’ll fit neatly on my desk.

Tom: And it’s the cheapest. Okay. We’ll buy that one. Narrator Tom and Mary choose the small, square answering machine costing 559.95, the cheapest available, so letter B has been circled. Now we shall begin. Ypu should answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear the recording a second time. Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 4. Tom: Well, here we are. There’s certainly plenty to choose from.

Mary: I’m finding it hard to know where to start. Would you like to look at the answering machines? Tom: Let’s start there. I like this one.

Mary: We have a lot to buy, Tom. We can’t afford to pay $129 for an answering machine. And we can’t afford to pay $127.50 for the dual tape answering machine, either.

Tom: Alright. We’ll buy a cheaper one then. There’s this one for $89 or the smaller one for $59.95.

Mary: I like the square shape of the smaller one.

It’ll fit neatly onto my desk.

Tom: And it’s the cheapest. Okay, we’ll buy that one. Mary: Good. Now, we need to buy a telephone for the office.

Tom: I’d like to get a portable phone. You know, one of those cordless ones.

Mary: Are you sure?

Tom: I think it’s a good idea. We don’t need another telephone answering machine, so we can look for a small one.

Mary: I really like the one with the hinge in the middle. Tom: A folding telephone! Yes, that’s a good idea. So we’ll take that one. Are you ready to look at the other things we need?

Mary: Yes. Let me look at the list. We need a couple of radios.

Tom: I want one I can listen to while I’m walking. Mary: I know. They’re just over here. I don’t think you should buy the really cheap one.

Tom: You mean this one? $17 is a very good price. Mary: Ah, that’s true, but I believe they give a very bad sound quality. And what if you want to use a cassette? It doesn’t have any space for a cassette. Tom: You’re right. Hmm. Well, I really hate the ones where you have to put the small earphones into your ear.

Mary: Here’s one with big earphones you put over your ears.

Tom: Ooh. It’s expensive …

Mary: It’s only $20 more than the one with the little earphones. Take it!

Tom: Okay. What’s next?

Mary: We have to choose a television.

Tom: We need one which is – ah – big enough to… Mary: But not too big. I don’t want anything larger than 48 cm.

Tom: I really think 34 cm is too small for our room. That’s only about thirteen and a half inches.

Mary: Okay. Let’s take the size bigger than 34 cm. Tom: What about another radio?

Mary: How would you feel about a clock radio instead of just a radio?

Tom: I don’t want a dock radio. I’m very fond of my alarm dock! But I like this radio with the curved carry handle.

Mary: So do I. It’s a good price, too. So, now we’ve chosen an answering machine, a cordless telephone, a radio for you to use when you go for a walk, another radio and a television.

Tom: Anything else?

Mary: No. Let’s go and have a cup of coffee!

Narrator. Tom and Mary go for their cup of coffee. Listen to their conversation, and be ready to answer questions 5 to 10.

Now listen to the conversation between Tom and Mary, and answer questions 5 to 10. Write no more than three words for each answer.

Mary: Shopping’s hard work!

Tom: I’m glad it’s over.

Mary: Do you want to go home now?

Tom: Yes, I think I’ll take the things we bought home. Mary: Okay. I’ll go to the office. I’ve got lots to do.

I’ll come back later, straight from the office.

Tom: Okay. I’d better hurry. My brother’s waiting at the house to help carry the television in.

Mary: Good. I hope he’ll still be there when 1 get home -1 haven’t seen your brother for ages. No, wait, I forgot to tell you. I’ll be late home tonight. I’ve got a meeting at 5 o’clock.

Tom: When do you think it will end?

Mary: I’m not sure. Still, I should be home by eight.

If I think I’ll be later than 8 o’dock I’ll call you.

Tom: Okay. It’s nice now that your office is in City Square. You don’t have to travel very far at all.

Mary: I certainly appreciate it! Taxi drivers always know where City Square is, too. By the way, are you going to watch People are Funny on TV tonight? Tom: What did you say? What TV show? Oh, People are Funny? Of course 1 am. i’ll tell you what happened when you get home. I need something to laugh at -I’m going to the new office at Newtown tomorrow, and I’m not looking forward to it.

Mary: I’d better go. Take care. I’ll see you later. Bye bye. Narrator That is the end of Section 1. You now have some time to check your answers.

Now turn to Section 2.

Section 2. You are going to hear a student arranging to transfer between English classes. She is leaving a message on the language department’s answering machine. The student’s name is May Lee. First look at questions 11 to 17.

As you listen to the first part of the talk, answer questions 11 to 17.

May: Hello. This is May Lee speaking. This message is for Mrs Brooks, in student affairs. Mrs Brooks, I telephoned you last week and you told me to call back and put the details of my request to transfer on the answering machine. I hope you can hear me easily. I have the form here and I’ll give you the information working from the top to the bottom.

As you know, my family name is Lee, spelled L-E-E, and my first name is May. My student number is 002312, that’s 002312. I’m in Mr Anderson’s class -you know, he’s the one who helps out with the football team.

The next part of the form asks for my address. I’ll give it slowly. I live at Flat 5,10 University Avenue -you probably know the building, iTs just near the engineering school.

The telephone number is 818 6074, and I share it with a lot of other people so it’s often engaged. Til give it to you again, 818 6074.1 think that’s all I have to put on this part of the form. I know you were curious about my reason for requesting a transfer, so I’ll explain that next.

Narrator Now look at questions 18 to 22.

As May Lee continues her message, answer questions 18 to 22.

May: Now I’ll tell you why I want a transfer between classes. Mrs Brooks, I really like my teacher and my classmates, but I find it very hard not to speak in my own language. I just begin to think in English when the class ends, and I’m surrounded by other people from my country so it’s natural that we all speak in our mother tongue. I have been looking around for a class where there are very few other people from my country so I will be forced to use English.

The best class I can find is the evening class which , begins at 6 pm. Most of the students in that class come from countries which speak Spanish, and I can’t speak a word so I must use English. I have an Italian friend in the class, and she tells me there are two Hong Kong Chinese, six Spanish speakers and one Japanese student. She says most people speak English at the break, although sometimes the Spanish slip into their own language.

I checked the class list, and two students have dropped out of the evening class so there should be room for me. Could you please see if I can join the class? I’m not sure what the class number is, but the i evening class I want is in Room 305 of the Trotter Building. The class I’m in now is next door to the Trotter building in Prince Tower, so it’s very easy for me to find my way to the new class.

i’m not going home until late today, so could you please leave a message for me at my friend Margaret’s house? Her number is 812 7543, and she has an answering machine. I do hope you can transfer me, Mrs Brooks. If there is any more information you need please call me. Thank you very much.

Narrator That is the end of Section 2. You will now have some time to check your answers.

Now turn to Section 3. ,

Section 3. In this section you will hear a discussion between a tutor, Dr Lester, and two students, Greg and Alexandra, at the end of a talk about music. In the first part of the discussion they are talking about some of the students’ favourite instruments, and favourite styles of music.

Complete the table showing the students’ opinions. Choose your answers from the box. There are more words than spaces so you will not use them all. You may use any of the words more than once. First look at questions 23 to 27. Note the example that has been done for you.

Now listen to the first part and answer questions 23 to 27. Dr Lester: 1 think it’s time we looked at the results of our survey. Ah. What did you find out, Alexandra? Alexandra: We’re a group with very diverse tastes, Dr Lester.

Dr Lester: Hm, I’m not surprised. What were the favourite instruments?

Alexandra: Well, Greg loves drums. He told me he played drums when he was at primary school, and now he plays drums with his friends at weekends. They have a band.

Dr Lester: Hm. Good, Ah. What do you like to play, Alexandra?

Alexandra: My favourite is the guitar. However,

I haven’t played for years, so I keep hoping to start again. Will I go on with the others? ’

Dr Lester: Hm. Yes, please.

Alexandra: Katja is like Greg. She loves to listen to drums. She says she’s not a player, just a listener. Rachel, as you know, is a violinist, so of course it’s natural that she should favour the violin.

Dr Lester: Hm. So we have two people who love the sound of the drum and two who like strings – ah, the violin for Rachel and the guitar for Alex. What does Harry like?

Alexandra: Harry says the best instrument of them all is the piano. He claims it’s more versatile than any other instrument. Emiko plays the piano, but her favourite instrument is the flute.

Dr Lester The flute?

Alexandra: Yes. Emiko plays the flute too, of course. Dr Lester: Hm. Thank you, .Alexandra. Ah, Greg, will you tell us the students’ favourite style of music? Greg: We’re really very conservative. My favourite is classical music,” and that’s Alexandra’s choice too. Katja claims to like rock.

Dr Lester: So that’s a vote from Greg, Alexandra and Katja. Doesn’t Rachel prefer classical music? Greg: Rachel made a choice which surprised me.

She plavs the violin, so I expected classical or opera, but Rachel says that she prefers country music.

Dr Lester Hm. How interesting! What’s Harry’s choice? Greg: Harry likes to listen to opera, and loves to go to see a performance. He says opera has everything, colour and spectacle and theatre and great music.

Dr Lester And Emiko?

Greg: Emiko says jazz is her favourite music. She goes to listen to jazz every Friday evening. She also likes opera, heavy metal, classical… but jazz is the best.

Dr Lester; Thank you, Greg. I wanted to see what you all iiked so 1 could understand your musical tastes more, and I want to move from this to a discussion of the physiological effects of music. Narrator; In the second part of the discussion Dr Lester will talk about the way music affects our bodies. Look at questions 28 to 31 first.

As you listen to the discussion, complete the sentences. Dr Lester: For the purposes of this discussion. I’m going to divide music roughly into two types: music which stimulates us and music which calms us.

It seems that music which stimulates us gives rise to actual changes in our bodies. We listen to exciting music and our hearts beat faster, our blood pressure rises, and our blood flows more quickly. In short, we’re stimulated. Soothing music, however, has the opposite effect. We relax, and let the world go by.

Our heart beats more gently, our blood pressure drops, and we feel calm. Um Alexandra, can you think of things which help us to relax?

Alexandra: Um. Gentle rhythms?

Dr Lester; Yes, in part. The melodies which help us to relax are smooth flowing and often have repeated rhythms. These rhythms are constant and dynamic, a little like the crash of the sea on the beach. Their very predictability is sedating, relaxing. By contrast very loud, discordant music with unpredictable rhythms and structures excites and stimulates us. These two generalisatio ns abo u t the differe nces between music which stimulates and music which soothes are true as far as they go, but they are far from conclusive, We still have a lot of research to do to find out what, ah, for instance, people of different cultures hear and feel when they listen to music.

This department is taking part in a continuing study on the influence of culture on musical perception, and we’ll talk about that more next week.

Narrator That is the end of Section 3. You will now have some time to check your answers.

This side of the tape is now complete. Practice Listening Test 2 continues on side 8. Please tum the tape over.

Tape 1 Side B Practice Listening Test 2 continues. Now tum to Section 4.

Section 4. You will hear an extract from a talk about 1 preventative medicine – specifically, how students can look after their own health. Listen to what the speaker says, and answer questions 32 to 40.

First you have some time to look at the questions. Now listen carefully and answer questions 32 to 36. Parker. Good morning. I’m Dr Pat Parker, and I’m here to talk to you about preventative medicine in its widest and most personal aspects. In other words, I’m here to tell vou how the patient should wrest ’ control of their health away from the practitioners of medicine and take charge of their own medical destiny. I want ttJ talk about staving out of the hands of the doctor.

When the patient takes responsibly for her or ; his own health – and let’s decide the patient is male for now – men are in fact more at risk than women anyway – when the patient takes over his own health regime he must decide what he wants to do. The first thing, of course, is to give up the demon nicotine. Smoking is the worst threat to health, and ít’s self-inflicted damage. I have colleagues who are reluctant to treat smokers. If you want to stay well, stay off tobacco and smoking in all its m a infestations.

Our department has recently completed a survey of men’s health. We looked at men in dfiferent age groups and occupations, and we came up with a disturbing insight. Young men, particularly working class men, are at considerable risk of premature death because of their life style. As a group, they have high risk factors: they drink too much alcohol, they smoke more heavily than any other group, their diet is frequently heavy in saturated fats, and they don’t get enough exercise.

We then did a smaller survey in which we looked at envứonmental factors which affect health. I had privately expected to find air or water pollution to be the biggest hazards, and they must not be Ignored. However, the effects of the sun emerged as a threat which people simply do not take sufficiently seriously. Please remember that too much sunlight can cause permanent damage.

Given this information, and the self-destructive things which people, particularly young men, are doing to themselves, one could be excused for feeling very depressed. However, I believe that a well-funded education campaign will help US improve public health standards and will be particularly valuable for young men. I’m an optimist. I see things improving, but only if we work very hard. In the second part of the talk I want to consider different things that you as students can do to improve your fitness.

Narrator: Now answer questions 37 to 40.

Parker. So now I’d like to issue a qualification to everything I say. People will still get sick, and they will still need doctors. This advice is just to reduce the incidence of sickness – it would be great if disease were preventable, but it’s not. However, we have power. In the late 80’s the Surgeon-General of the United States said that 53 percent of our illnesses could be avoided by healthy lifestyle choices. I now want to discuss these choices with you.

You should try to make keeping fit fun! It’s very hard to go out and do exercises by yourself, so it’s wise to find a sport that you like and play it with other people, u you swim, you can consider scuba diving or snorkelling, If you jog, try to find a friend to go with. If you walk, choose pretty places to walk or have a reason for walking. Your exercise regime should be a pleasure, not a penance.

The university is an excellent place to find other people who share sporting interests with you, and there are many sports teams you can join. This, unfortunately, raises the issue of sports injuries, and different sports have characteristic injuries. As well as accidental injuries, we find repetitive strain injuries occurring in sports where the same motion is frequently performed, like rowing and squash. The parallel In working life is repetitive strain injury which may be suffered by typists or other people who perform the same action hour after hour, day after day.

In this context, therefore, the most important thing to remember before any sport is to warm up adequately. Do stretching exercises, and aim at all times to increase your flexibility. Be gentle with yourself, and allow time to prepare for the game you have chosen to play- Don’t be fooled by the term “warm up”, by the way. It’s every bit as important to do your warm up exercises on a hot day as on a cool one.

I think one of the most sensible and exciting developments in the reduction of injury is the recognition that all sports can borrow from each other. Many sports programmes are now encouraging players to use cross training techniques, that is, to borrow training techniques from other sports- Boxers have been using cross training for years; building up stamina by doing road work and weight training, while honing their skills and reflexes. Other sports which require a high level of eye-hand, coordination are following this trend, so you see table tennis players running and jogging to improve their performance, and footballers doing flexibility exercises which can help them control the ball better. All of these results are good, but the general sense of well-being is best, and is accessible to us all, from trained athletes to people who will never run a 100 metres in less than 15 seconds.

Good health is not only tor those who will achieve athletic greatness!

Narrator: That is the end of Section 4. Now you have some time to check your answers.

That is the end of Listening Practice 2.

ANSWER KEYS

Section 1 Questions 1-10

1. D

2. A

3. C

4. A

5. (to the/her ) office

6. (his) brother

7. (by) 8 pm / 8 o’clock 8* City Square

9. ‘ People are funny

10. (the) new office) / Newtown /

New Town

Section 2 Questions 11-22

11. Mrs Brooks

12. Lee

13. May / Mai / Mei 14 002312

15. (Mr) Artderson / Andersen

16. Hat 5/10 or 5/10 University Avenue / Ave

17. 818 6074

18. B

19. C

20. B

21. D

22. C

Section 3

Questions 23-31

23. guitar, classical

24. drums, rock

25* violin, country

26. piano, opera

27. flute, jazz

28. hearts / heartbeat / blood (flow)

29. blood pressure / heart beat

30. calming / relaxing / gentle

31. cultures
Section 4

Questions 32-40

32. (the) patient / himself

33. smoking

34. young men

35. (the) sun

36. public health (standards)

37. healthy lifestyle choices

38. fun / a pleasure

39. warm-up (time) / stretching (exercises)

40. cross training