Test 1: Listening, Part 1 (page 20)

Now open your question paper and look at Part 1.

You will hear people talking in eight different situations.
For questions 18, choose the best answer (A, B or C).
Extract one
You hear two friends talking about attending a motor-racing event.
M:

Its brilliant what theyve done to improve the track, isnt it? Its faster and theres more room
for overtaking. Everyone was there to have fun and that made for a great feeling in the crowd.

F:

It was a wonderful day out. Its such a thrill to see and hear the cars. The race itself was less
exciting than Id been expecting but the mood of the spectators made up for it. It was a bit
difficult to find the exit though. They need more signs to show how to find the car park when
youre leaving.

M:

Mm, we did get a bit stuck in the crowd on our way out.

Extract two
You hear a football coach talking about a match.
M:

After losing an important match, as a coach, you go over and over what went wrong. You
wonder if the players had had enough training beforehand. In this case, theyd been training
every day for months. Physically they should have been strong and fast enough to win, but
the pressure and expectations make it difficult sometimes. I reckon they had so many
thoughts going through their minds that they werent thinking about the game itself, but more
about winning the cup. That led to some crucial mistakes that allowed the other team to score
even though they were probably the weaker side when it comes to fitness.

Extract three
You hear two people talking about a computer game.
F:

Have you been playing your new computer game? What do you think of it?

M:

Actually its quite hard to get the hang of. The way it operates, it takes an awful lot of practice.
There are so many stages before you really understand how to play it well, but thats the
whole point. Some people dont find that very interesting, but for me thats the fun of it, trying
to work out how to beat the game if you know what I mean. The worst thing is, it costs far
more than I reckon its worth. Probably because of all the TV advertising.

Extract four
You hear a woman talking about judging a poetry competition.

F:

It was fascinating judging the Young Poet of the Year Award. It seems many young poets
today are putting aside traditional dreamy views of trees, flowers and rivers in order to tackle
more everyday life topics. As you might expect, some of them showed great ability in seeing
the funny side of life and dealing with it in an amusing way. When discussing the poems as
judges, we discovered something remarkable. Of the 150 finalists, at least twenty had more
than one poem; one, more than a dozen. We weren't judging one-offs, we were looking at
young poets who wrote all the time and continuously developed their work.

Extract five
You hear a young man talking about travelling alone for the first time.
M:

When I finished college I decided to go travelling on my own around Europe. We lived in a

small town and Id only ever been on a few short trips abroad with my family before. Anyway,
Id been planning the trip for some time, but hadnt told my parents because I thought theyd
be anxious thinking something could go wrong. When I finally announced the news to them,
much to my amazement, they just sat down and spent the rest of the evening looking at maps
and giving me advice about what to take. Id been wondering if they would explode furiously
and tell me I couldnt go.

Extract six
You hear part of a talk by a nurse.
F:

Caring for people is hard work, but youre giving people something they need. You never
know whats going to happen every day on the ward is different and you meet loads of
different types of people. Most, but not all, are pleasant to deal with so being friendly but calm
is a vital quality. There are plenty of options about the type of people you work with, so some
deal with young children, or others prefer the elderly patients. One thing is the shifts you
often have to work weekends and nights, but the schedules are quite flexible and you can
earn more.

Extract seven
You hear a man talking about a long-distance journey he made.
M:

The trip took three days and although I could have got there in about two hours by plane it
wouldnt have been such fun. A lot of people think speeding down a motorway for hours on
your own is boring, but its the feeling of being a part of the environment that I love. Having
passengers around you talking and eating is something Id rather avoid. You can get a bit sick
of wearing a crash helmet all day, but what I spent on that and my other protective gear was
worth it when night fell, the wind got very bitter and I saved on fuel in the end.

Extract eight
You hear two friends talking about listening to the radio.
M:

Do you listen to the radio much?

F:

Not usually, but in fact I woke up this morning to the sound of my mums playing in the
background and I really got into the programme that was on.

M:

What was it?

F:

There was a discussion on about building and construction and I got hooked right away, even
though the subject isnt particularly relevant to me or my life. There were some real experts
talking about it and even the presenter seemed impressed by their knowledge of the subject.
Its funny how interesting something can be even though you wouldnt expect it to be.

Test 1: Listening, Part 2 (page 21)

You will hear a singer called Tim Tanner, who sings with his twin brother Sam Tanner, talking about
their lives and career.
For questions 918, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.
You now have 45 seconds to look at Part 2.
Hi there. My names Tim Tanner, and I usually sing with my twin brother, Sam Tanner. Im going to
tell you about our career. Sam and Ive been pretty famous as the singing twin brothers for about
three years and weve appeared on lots of TV shows including Summer Holiday Special and
Funtime, which is the talent show where we were voted best act you probably saw it. Its the one
where the people in the acts had to be related to each other. After that we had four hit singles in a
row and I guess the rest is history really.
People often ask us what its like to be twins whove grown up looking so alike. Sam and Ive shared
almost every experience, and were never usually apart for more than an hour at a time. I was born
ten minutes before Sam so officially Im the older brother, although we do actually have a real older
brother, Ken, whos a year older than us.
We were born premature, you know earlier than we were supposed to be. Mum says it was hard
carrying both of us when she was pregnant, and she was quite relieved when we suddenly
appeared in October rather than January, over two months earlier than expected. Our big brother
Kens birthdays in December so were pretty close in age it must have been tough for our
parents with three young boys.
Sam and I arent completely identical, but most people cant tell us apart. Its only mum who never
mixes us up. Even our dad makes a mistake sometimes calling me Sam and my brother Tim,
because theres hardly any difference in our hair, and were the same height and build. But as soon
as we open our mouths, hell know which one it is by the voice. Sams is a bit deeper than mine, but
most people dont even notice that.
In character were quite similar weve both always loved music, and since we were five weve
wanted to be pop stars. Weve always had a real interest in going out, and being sociable too. Im a
bit shyer though people that know us say Im not as confident as Sam is, which is probably true.
Although Im not exactly shy, you know. After all, you cant appear on TV if you are!
At school we used to pretend to be each other sometimes for a laugh. Sometimes wed swap places
for spelling tests but nobody noticed because we got the same marks, which were pretty low we
were better at sports, and both played in the school football team. I was also good at basketball, but
Sam wasnt as keen, preferring volleyball for some reason.
We were both much more interested in music. I began learning the guitar and he started proper
singing lessons with a private teacher when we were about thirteen, but a year or so later we both
got into dancing in a big way and then we went to a special school where we could do loads of stuff
thats turned out to be useful things like drama.
We share everything, and have one phone and computer between us and we get on well almost
100 percent of the time, but of course occasionally we have a row, usually about shoes because we

share them too, but if we both want to wear the same ones for a show then well argue for about 20
seconds and then one of usll give in and itll all be over. We manage to share the computer pretty
well without fighting over it, which some people might find surprising.
Our image is based on being twins and looking alike and because we both have poor eyesight we
enjoy choosing different styles of glasses for performances, you know, maybe green ones, to go
with green suits, or dark ones with T-shirts and jeans. So the glasses are a major aspect of the way
people see us on stage.
And look out for some new looks on our next tour, to promote the new album which is called Time
Dance and comes out in a few weeks. Its got some exciting new songs on it, quite different from
our first album Soul Brothers. Sam and I wrote all the new songs together.

Test 1: Listening, Part 3 (page 22)

You will hear five short extracts in which people are talking about classical music.
For questions 1923, choose from the list (AH) the reason each person gives for starting to play
classical music. Use the letters only once. There are three extra letters which you do not need to
use.
You now have 30 seconds to look at Part 3.
Speaker one
Classical musics often seen as old-fashioned and though theres people everywhere who go to
concerts, and some classical musicians are big-name stars, it doesnt really excite young people
that much; they prefer pop music or more modern stuff. But the truth is, its hard to interpret complex
music, even with the best teacher in the world, unless you start training early on in life. Luckily for
me, I came to this conclusion myself when I was in my early teens, and when I said I wanted to
become a classical guitarist, my parents rather reluctantly went along with the idea and bought me
some lessons. Since then, Ive played almost every day.
Speaker two
I bought my first classical recording aged fourteen. It was a violin concerto by a Russian composer.
Although my school had a strong arts focus, Id no particular interest in classical music till one day
when I heard a big rock star going on about the most exciting piece of music ever written. Being a
fan of his music, I felt I had to hear it. By the third listening, I was convinced he was right. Whats
more, I found I really had an urge to play the violin myself and found myself a teacher. Despite my
dads complaints about the noise I produced, I practised every day at home. Ive never looked back.
Speaker three
At my school, I was made to learn the recorder, and I had to practise every day. The sound I
produced was so dreadful that whatever piece of music I was supposed to be playing was hard to
recognise, despite all the efforts made by our music teacher, whod actually been quite a famous
musician himself when younger. It took a while, but I recovered from that, and got to know the work
of some of the top composers thanks to my uncle. That got me excited enough to beg to have piano
lessons when I was about twelve. After that, everything just took off. Now here I am getting quite
well-known as a concert pianist.
Speaker four
At school, our music teacher tried to get us into classical music without much success he just
seemed to go for the most unexciting pieces. It was me who noticed classical music turning up in
movies, cartoons and stuff. Like, I remember one day hearing a really famous classical piece being
played on a commercial trying to attract young kids to some fast food place. Youd think things like
thatd be enough to put anyone off classical music, but they had the opposite effect on me
encouraging me to want to learn to play and seek out a good teacher, which is what I did, much to
my mums amazement, I remember.

Speaker five
Although my dad had taught me to play the flute at an early age, I didnt get interested in learning to
play classical music then. I wasnt willing to try and understand it and didnt realise you have to do
that in order to enjoy it. As a kid, I wanted something that made me jump and got me going made
me feel happy or enthusiastic, so I resisted the efforts of my teacher to introduce me to classical
music. She got there in the end though, by sheer persistence, convincing me that theres great
excitement to be found in the joy of playing something difficult, and doing it well.

Test 1: Listening, Part 4 (page 23)

You will hear an interview with a professional athlete called Ann Brown.
For questions 2430, choose the best answer (A, B or C).
You now have one minute to look at Part 4.
Int:

Today Im talking to 21-year-old, long-distance runner Ann Brown, whos just returned from
the World Championships. So, Ann, how did you feel about your performance in the
championships?

Ann: When you havent raced for a while, youve no idea whether youre in sufficiently good shape.
Id only had a few weeks of training behind me so I wasnt thinking Id do brilliantly, and it
certainly wouldve been amazing to come first. Anyway, I was happy to get the silver medal. It
was an exciting race and the crowd was fantastic.
Int:

So whats your training routine like, Ann?

Ann: I do around 25 to 30 hours a week, mostly long-distance, steady stuff. I go running through
the woods. Running on roads is pretty dull so I make sure theres always some attractive
countryside to keep me interested. I get pleasure from seeing the changes in nature, but I do
have to remember to keep my eye on the time so I can check my pace. Its vital to keep
pushing myself to my limits.
Int:

Do you train every day or do you take a day off?

Ann: The accepted idea is that all professional sportspeople should have at least one rest day a
week, so the body can recover. Im not a great believer in that though. At my age I find I can
keep going without one. I do five hours a day and Id even like to be able to do more than
that, but I dont want to push my body too hard, because that can lead to other problems.
Int:

What about your competitors in races do you get to know them as friends?

Ann: I race against athletes from all sorts of places. I wouldnt say Ive got friendships with them,
though Im sure some of them are really good guys, but I tend to keep a professional
distance. Itd be too easy to let friendships start interfering with the way I run races. Of
course, at my age chatting about life, having fun and a good social life are important to me. I
share a house with three mates. Theyre the people I really get on well with.
Int:

So do you have any favourite free time activities?

Ann: Let me think. I suppose I did when I was a kid but Im not so sure nowadays. Yeah, I used to
take my kite to the top of the hills and fly it for hours. In season, skiings something that I get
into quite a bit when Ive got the time. Ive always enjoyed active things, and never really
been much of a reader of books or that kind of thing. Of course, I watch TV and play
computer games like most people.
Int:

And do you get recognised in the street very often?

Ann: Very rarely, Im pleased to say, as I think itd be a bit strange and Im not sure how
comfortable Id feel about being stopped for autographs and pictures all the time. On the
whole I find people wanting your autograph a bit of a pain to be honest. It happens
sometimes when Im at events and at first you say OK, and then after a while you wish itd
stop. I suppose I did that sort of thing when I was younger. It was always such a thrill to meet
someone in the public eye.
Int:

So are you planning for the next Olympics?

Ann: Well, in my sport most people peak in their late twenties so its important to have an eye on
the next five years or so, cos thats when supposedly Ill be at my best. In the immediate
future I want to do well of course but Im concentrating my attention further ahead.
Fortunately, Ive been injury-free so far so I dont have that worry. Its no use having
fantasies about winning gold medals until Ive reached the top of my own fitness and
endurance levels. Then I can start to think seriously about it.