Listening Test 2
This is a listening practice test that resembles the International English Language Testing System Listening Test.
The test consists of four sections. Answer the questions are you listen to the recording.
Note that the recording will be played once only. Please turn to Section 1.
Section 1
Annie is an overseas student who has just enrolled at the University of Lancaster.
Her friend Clive meets her on enrolment day. Look at the Example and Questions 1 and 2.
For each question, four pictures are given.
Decide which picture best matches what you hear on the tape,
and circle the letter indicating the correct location. First, you have some time to look more carefully at Questions 1 and 2.
Now listen to the conversation between Annie and Clive, and answer Questions 1 and 2.
Clive:Hi, Annie. I see you've just enrolled.
Annie:Oh, hi, Clive. Yes, it didn't take long. How was it for you?
Clive:Don't worry about me, because I've re-enrolled for another year,
I don't have to be here until this afternoon, but I thought I'd come along and help.
Annie:Oh, that's very kind of you, Clive. Maybe you could help me with this elective class timetable.
It's for students who need more English practice, like me.
Clive:Of course! Tell me about it.
Annie:It's on Mondays, and I have to choose which timetable is best for me.
There are six to choose from. Here, take a look.
Clive:Oh, I see. Well, what do you need?
Annie:I need everything...but especially conversation practice.
Clive:Well, do you want to go to the Conversation class in the morning or afternoon?
Annie:I think the morning would be best for me.
Clive:Fine. So, Grammar and Conversation classes in the morning.
Annie:Grammar? Oh, I can't stand studying grammar!
Clive:Well, in that case, Writing and Conversation in the morning, followed by Pronunciation and Reading in the afternoon.
Annie:I don't think my pronunciation is too bad, do you?
Clive:No, pronunciation is one of your strongest points.
Annie:Yes, but I do need to improve my vocabulary.
Clive:If you attend the Vocabulary class in the afternoon, you should study Grammar in the morning.
How is your listening ability?
Annie:I always need more listening practice.
Clive:Very well then, your best choice would be to attend the Grammar,
Writing and Conversation classes in the morning, followed by the Reading and Listening classes in the afternoon.
Annie:Do I have to take grammar?
Clive:Well, yes, if you are serious about improving your writing.
Annie:Yes, I suppose you are right. Which class is first in the morning?
Clive:Grammar. How is your reading, Annie?
Annie:Oh, I'm still a bit slow. Yes, I think I will study Grammar, Writing and Conversation in the morning...
Clive:Followed by Reading and Listening in the afternoon.
Good choice! Now is there anything else you need to do?
Annie:Let's see... I have to give this from to the English department tomorrow.
Clive:Do you have any classes today?
Annie:There is a special introductory English class for foreign students later this morning.
Clive:Oh, right...er...it's nine-thirty right now. What time is the class?
Annie:We have to be at the auditorium at 11:00 am.
Clive:Since we have time now, let's go to the Student Centre.
Annie:O.K. let's go!
Narrator:Clive and Annie continue their conversation at the Student Centre.
Choose the most suitable answers given for each of the questions numbered 3 to 7.
First, you have some time to look at the questions.
Now listen to the conversation, and answer Questions 3 to 7.
Annie:Clive, how many years have you been studying at the College?
Clive:This is my second year. Tell me, what is it you're studying, again?
Computer programming, isn't it?
Annie:Yes, I worked as a computer programmer after I graduated from university in China.
Clive:I suppose you are already very good at it.
Annie:Well I have already worked for five years in the computer field.
Clive:Right. Well then, here is the Student Centre.
Annie:Wow, it's so huge!
Clive:It should be, our campus enrolls 600 students and has 55 on the staff.
Annie:Oh, look! There is some information about clubs.
Clive:I'm already a member of the Chess and Stamp Collectors clubs. Do you want to collect stamps?
Annie:No offense Clive, but that sounds dreadfully boring! What else is there?
Clive:Astronomy, Bicycling, Hang-gliding, Sky Diving...
Annie:Sky-diving! That sounds like great fun! How much is it to join?
Clive:It says here, first-year students must pay 30 pounds.
Do you want to become a member?
Annie:Why not?
Clive:My, you are brave!
Narrator:At the Student Information Office, Annie wants to join the Sky Diving club.
She has to give information about herself to the clerk. Listen to the conversation,
and complete the information on the Club Registration form in the spaces numbered 8 to 14.
First, you have some time to look at the form.
Now listen to the conversation, and answer Question 8 to 14.
Clive:Hello. My friend Annie is a new student and she would like to join the Sky Diving club.
Clerk:Of course. All I have to do is fill in this registration for
and the cost is only 30 pounds for first year students.
To start with, I need your full name. It's Annie, isn't it?
Annie:Actually no, Annie is my English name. My real name is spelled W-E-N-L-I.
Clerk:Family name?
Annie:Gao.
Clerk:Gao...How do you spell that?
Annie:G-A-O.
Clerk:Gao, very good and where are you form...?
Annie:...China.
Clerk:Nationality:Chinese. I've been to China, well Hong Kong actually.
OK, what's your student number?
Annie:Here is it on my student card. The number is:666 - L C F.
Clerk:666-L C F. Got it. You must be doing the Advanced Programming course.
Tell me about your Sky Diving experience. How long have you been diving?
Annie:I once had to jump out of a plane that was going to crash...
Clive:You've got to be joking!
Annie:No it's a true story!
Clerk:So you have jumped once before. Now for the record we need to know your blood type.
Annie:Oh, right. I'm A negative.
Clerk:And we always dive with a partner. Will you be diving together?
Clive:Me, jump out of a plane? I collect stamps for a hobby.
Annie:Oh, come on Clive. Try it just once!
Clive:Sure, I'll try it once...but if I get killed it will be your fault!
Clerk:Your name sir?
Clive:Clive, C-L-I-V-E.
Clerk:Family name?
Clive:Boddington, B-O-D-D-I-N-G-T-O-N.
Clerk:Good. Now, when would you like to go sky diving?
Annie:We have to do it on Saturday mornings. Is that all right with you Clive?
Clive:Saturday is as good as any day to jump into one's grave.
Annie:Oh stop being so mellowdramatic! It will be fun, you'll see.
Clerk:Saturday morning is fine. Now, one more thing,
I need a contact telephone number in case we need to right you...
Weather conditions or something like that... What's your home phone number?
Annie:555-2626.
Clerk:555-2626. Now, all you have to do is pay 30 pounds, and I'll give you a club membership card.
Here's some information about the Club.
You are finished Ms Gao. Now you need to give me some information for your membership,
Mr.Boddington.
Annie:I'll see you later, Clive.
Clive:I must have woken up daft this morning.
Narrator:That is the end of Section 1. You now have 30 seconds to check your naswers to Section 1.
Now turn to Section 2.
Section 2. At the Student Centre, Annie watches an educational program on television.
Fill in the gaps in the summary of the news item with the correct word or phrase, according to what you hear.
Write your answers to Question 15 to 23 in the column on the right of the page.
The first one has been done for you as an example. You now have some time to look at the summary.
Now listen to the program about Britain's climate, and answer Questions 15 to 23.
...Northern Ireland generally has a sparse and scattered population,
and is a largely rural country with good agricultural land.
The relative smallness of the country and the widespread influences of a warm sea and westerly winds mean that there are no extreme contrasts in temperature throughout Britain.
The climate is mainly temperate, with variations between coolness and mildness.
Altitude modifies temperatures, so that higher ground is colder than low-lying land.
Much of Scotland and the upland areas of Wales and England are therefore cool in summer and cold in winter compared with most of England.
The main factors affecting the amount of British rainfall are (1) the depressions,
or low-pressure areas, which travel eastward across the Atlantic Ocean;
(2)the prevailing south-westerly winds throughout much of the yeaer;
(3)the exposure of the western coasts to the Atlantic Ocean; and (4) the fact that most of the highest ground lies in the wes
As a result, the heaviest annual rainfall is in the west and north, over 1,600 mm,
with an autumn or winter maximum. The high ground in the west protects the lowlands of the south and east,
so that annual rainfall here is quite moderate at about 800 mm, with a slight summer maximum.
The total national rainfall average is over 1,000 mm annually.
March to June tend to be the driest months, while September to January are the wettest.
Although drought conditions are infrequent, they do occur and can cause problems for farmers, the water companies and consumers.
Low-pressure systems may produce very variable weather. They normally pass over the northern British Isles,
and south-westerly winds have a strong influence for much of the year.
The result can be windy, wet and unstable conditions.
But high-pressure systems, which also happen throughout the year,
are relatively stable and move more slowly, producing light winds and generally settled weather.
This pattern can result in fine and dry effects, both in winter and summer.
The amount of sunshine in Britain varies between regions.
It decreases from south to north, inland from the coastal belts, and with altitude.
In summer, the daily average sunshine varies from five hours in northern Scotland to eight hours on the Isle of Wight.
In winter, sunlight averages one hour in northern Scotland and two hours on the English south coast.
These average statistics indicate that Britain is not a particularly sunny country,
although there are periods of relief from the general greyness.
The frequent cloud-cover over the British Isles is a complicating factor,
so that even on a hot summer's day there may be little sunshine breaking through the clouds.
This can give humid, sticky conditions. The unpredictability of Britain's weather is virtually a national institution,
a topic of daily conversation, and for some a conditioning factor in the national character.
The British tend to think that they live in a more temperate climate than is actually the cas
But many escape abroad in both winter and summer.
That is the end of Section 2. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to Section 2.
Now turn to Section 3.
Section 3
Later that morning, Annie attends a special class for students who are non-native speakers.
The tutor is interviewing an ex-student of the College. For Questions 24 to 32,
listen to the interview, and complete each sentence with a suitable word or phrase.
First, you have some time to look at the Example and questions.
Now listen to the interview, and answer Questions 24 to 3
Tutor:Today I have with me Raul Sanchez, who was a student at this college, er... how long ago?
Raul:I was here one and a half...no, two years ago now.
Tutor:Raul was a student in this English class when he was at this college,
and he is here to tell us about the many problem facing a non-native speaker in a British tertiary institution.
What have you been doing since you graduated, Raul?
Raul:I was quite lucky when I left the college, because I got a job pretty quickly with the London Dental Council.
I'm still with them.
Tutor:Tell the class what course you took here at the college?
Raul:Yes, I originally wanted to work in advertising,
but I found it was too hard because of my English.
And so I changed my direction, and, well, I'm glad I did,
because I've now got an Associate Diploma in Dental Hygiene,
and that's how I managed to get a job with the council.
Tutor:What exactly do you do with the council?
Raul:I work with a dentist, making sure that the patients are taken care of and all the necessary tools have been cleaned and prepared for use.
Sometimes I must assist the dentist in complicated procedures. It's a demanding job, but I like it.
Tutor:You perform dental surgery?
Raul:Not quite, but I do use tools to make the patients feel more comfortable during the operation.
A lot of my time is spent in general checkups, cleaning teeth and demonstrating good dental practices.
I also develop x-rays.
Tutor:What exactly were the problems when you first arrived at the college?
Raul:I was very shy, you know. I couldn't communicate with the students in my class because most of them were British...
my English was not very good. But I, I thought everything was O.K.,
until I received the result of my first examination.
The tutor was worried why I was so quiet in class.
I told her it was because I was afraid to ask a question.
So she suggested that I talk to the school counselor.
Tutor:What advice did the counselor give?
Raul:Well, she was very kind and understanding, and I realized that I was doing the wrong course.
You have to be an 'extrovert'..., you know, outgoing. I think it's a personal thing with me.
You had to give a lot of opinions, and I am shy. So, she suggested I ask more questions in class,
so I made it a rule to ask at least one or two questions every lesson.
Tutor:So you swapped courses and began to talk more in class. Was there anything else that the counselor suggested?
Raul:Yes, she said I shouldn't live with students from my own country.
She suggested I should share a house with some British students.
So I did, and my English improved much faster.
Tutor:Are there any problems you currently have with English?
Raul:Of course, I used to have a lot of trouble with the technical vocabulary in my field,
but I picked it up very quickly. Now, it's mostly... I have difficulty trying to understand the colloquial language of Britain;
the way people express themselves here is sometimes strange to me.
Tutor:I see. How do you increase your vocabulary? Please give us some examples.
Raul:Well, I really like to watch movies.
I recommend that you watch movies you have already seen subtitled in your native language,
but this time only listen to the English, don't read the subtitles!
Also, it can be quite helpful to keep a journal of new expressions you hear so you can ask your English friends about them.
Tutor:Let's talk more about your course at the college.
Do you remember any study projects you were involved in?
Raul:Well once we did a survey on the effects of different breakfast cereal on children's teeth.
The ages ranged from 5-12 years old and we interviewed over 100 different kids from each age group,
it was quite a big project! We discovered that many cereals that were advertised as being healthy were just as bad for teeth as the well known sugar-coated brands.
Tutor:Why was that?
Raul:It's complicated, but one of the main reasons was that many of these so-called "healthy" brands use just as much sugar as non-healthy breakfast cereals.
However, there are a few brands, such as "Cheerios" that contain many nutrients that help teeth grow and do not cause decay that leads to cavities and other bad dental hygiene.
The problem is that many children become addicted to sweet, sugary cereal very young,
and do not want to change. Some children even add more sugar to very healthy cereal such as corn flakes,
which completely destroys the benefits of the cereal for children's teeth.
Tutor:Um, one last question. What about your future? Do you have any immediate plans?
Raul:Well in the short-term I'll continue to work as a dental assistant and gain more experience.
After two years, I plan to attend dental school to become a dentist.
My long-term goal is to open my own dental practice here in Britain,
or maybe return to my own country and open a practice there.
Tutor:I see. Now, does anyone have a question for Raul? Yes. In the first row...
Narrator:That is the end of Section 3. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to Section 3.
Now turn to Section 4.
Section 4
You will hear part of the orientation in which Annie is shown the College's Physical Education facility.
For each of the questions numbered 33 to 40, circle the letter A if the statement is accurate,
I if the statement is inaccurate, or N if the information in the statement is not given in the listening passage.
First, you have some time to look at the Example and questions.
Now listen to the orientation, and answer Questions 33 to 40.
Ray:I'm pleased to introduce to you Dave Davies, who is in charge of maintaining the facilities of our physical education compound.
Over you to , Dave.
Dave:Yes, well thanks for that smashing introduction, Ray.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, this is the main indoor gym.
Here you can play basketball, volleyball and badminton.
Through those doors in the back you will find the weight room and exercise machines.
Outside the door on the left, you will find the outdoor football field, and tennis and table tennis courts.
And finally, the right door is the entrance to our indoor swimming pool.
Of course, maintenance is one of our primary concerns, so I will go over some of the rules of the main gym so that everyone can enjoy good fitness.
All students are expected to follow the rules.
Anyone found neglecting to follow the rules will be disallowed further use of the gym.
First of all you may only use the gym when the school's athletic teams are not having practice sessions.
Not to worry though, there are 40 hours of possible free time to use each section of the compound in one week.
If you want to know when these times are, I suggest you refer to the schedule of available free time posted at the main entrance.
The second step is that you must sign in at the equipment locker to use the courts or any accessories needed.
Do not just casually walk in and use the courts. During busy periods,
students may have to wait until a court is free.
This means that you may be cutting in front of someone who has been waiting for some time.
If you are caught, you can lose your gym privileges.
The third rule has to do with equipment borrowed from the gym.
Any damaged equipment should be reported immediately to the equipment room. This is very important,
because of liability in accident cases. Faulty exercise machines or dangerous court conditions can cause accidents.
If you are reckless and damage any of the compound's equipment you will be expected to pay for it.
This is not true in cases of normal wear and tear, for example,
a punctured basketball or a non-operating electrical unit on an exercise machine.
The fourth rule involves the use of the indoor swimming facility.
Before you may use the pool, you must pass a basic swimming test.
This is just a precaution to keep non-experienced swimmers from getting into trouble.
If you do not pass the swimming test, you have the chance to take a two-week free swimming course until your ability improves.
By the way, if any of you have any diving experience please let me know at the end of the lecture,
This is the first year we will be having a diving team on campus.
Well, I think I have gone over everything. If no one has any question
let me end by saying good luck to all of you, and I hope you find your fitness needs adequately met by our staff and facilities.
Back to you, Ray.
Ray:Yes, thanks, Dave. Now, if you will all follow me, we will be visiting the university's main computer lab next.
Narrator:That is the end of Section 4. You now have 30 second to check your answers to Section 4.
You now have one minute to check your answers for the entire test.