PRACTICE TEST 5

Part 1 (page 13)

Narrator: You will hear people talking in eight different situations. For questions 1-8, choose the best answer
(A, B or C).
1. You overhear a woman talking on the phone about her holiday plans. What is she worried about?
A not finding a hotel room
B having her things stolen
C travelling alone
Woman: Yep, I’ll be flying out next Thursday … I was going to go with a friend, but she had to cancel at the last
minute. Still, going alone has its pluses, I suppose… it gives me a bit more freedom. There’s just one thing
on my mind, though. I was talking to someone the other day and it turns out he’s been to the exact same
hotel that I’m going to. Anyway, he said some of his belongings had mysteriously gone missing from his
room. I thought about cancelling the reservation, but it’s unlikely I’d find anywhere else to stay at this late
stage. Oh well, I suppose I’ll just have to be extra careful not to leave any valuables lying around.
Narrator: 2. You hear a man talking on the radio. What is he?
A a book reviewer
B a publisher
C a writer
Man: You never get used to rejection. No matter how many times your manuscript is rejected, it’s still a big
disappointment. Although I have to say, if I were a publisher myself, I’d think twice before bringing
out a book about household rubbish and what we do with it! It’s only relatively recently that saving the
environment has become a hot topic. So it’s perhaps just as well that I had to wait so long to get published
because what the book has to say is more relevant now than ever before.
Narrator: 3. You hear a boss talking to her staff. Why is she talking to them?
A to criticise them
B to congratulate them
C to announce some bad news
Woman: This has been a particularly difficult year for the company. And not just for us; as you know, some of our
competitors have had to close down. There’ve been times when even I doubted whether we would survive.
But you have proved me wrong and we’ve managed to avoid the worst effects of the economic crisis and
keep our heads above water. If it weren’t for each and every one of you, we wouldn’t be in this position, so
keep it up, everybody, and let’s make sure we carry on getting results.
Narrator: 4. You overhear a man talking about a new shopping mall. What does he say about the mall?
A It improves the town’s appearance.
B It will create traffic problems.
C It cost relatively little to build.
Man: Oh, so you’ve been to the new shopping mall, have you? Well, I don’t know … I mean, you’re right …
it will mean more cars in the town centre, but I can’t really see that it will make that much difference. I
mean, the roads are congested as it is. At least the building looks impressive. It’ll brighten up the place, if
you ask me – give it more of a modern feel. A slight rise in traffic is a small price to pay.
Narrator: 5. You hear a teenager talking about the experience of acting in a play. What did the girl find most difficult
about acting?
A the need to memorise lines
B her anxiety about performing
C the physical demands of rehearsing

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Teenage girl: I’d always wanted to act on stage so when I heard the school was putting on a play, I saw my chance.
Little did I know then how hard it would be. It wasn’t so much learning my lines … even though I had a
major speaking part. But it’s really tiring after you’ve had a busy day at school, to have to go to rehearsals.
You’re on your feet most of the time. I’d get back home at 10, absolutely worn out! Mind you, on the big
night, I was really nervous … so much so that I didn’t feel a bit tired even though I’d hardly slept the
night before.
Narrator: 6. You overhear two friends talking. Why is the man staying with his sister?
A His flat is being renovated.
B He needs peace and quiet to concentrate.
C He doesn’t get on with his flatmate.
Woman: I was trying to phone you last night. Where were you?
Man: At my sister’s. She’s putting me up for the time being, just until the people next door finish their
renovation work. It’s been going on for ages, day and night. Normally I wouldn’t mind the noise, but I’ve
got an important exam coming up and it’s terribly distracting.
Woman: I know what you mean. My flatmate has music blaring from his room all the time. It really gets to me.
Man: Oh, I just couldn’t put up with that.
Narrator: 7. You hear a young athlete talking on the radio. How does she feel about her career?
A dissatisfied with her swimming technique
B anxious about her future in athletics
C concerned about the level of competition
Woman: I’ve been doing the triathlon since I was 11. I actually started swimming first, but I wasn’t taught
technique properly … which is probably why it’s not as good as it should be now. My current coach has
helped me a lot, but I’ve still got a long way to go. Running is my strongest sport and the speed timings
show that I’m running better than ever before, so I certainly feel I have as good a chance as anyone
of winning the Junior Championships next week. It’s a tough competition, but nothing I can’t handle.
Obviously I do get nervous before races but that’s probably a good thing; the nervous energy helps me
prepare for the race ahead.
Narrator: 8. You overhear a woman telling her friend about a hike. What is her opinion of the hiking route?
A It was too long.
B It was too dangerous.
C It was too slippery.
Man: How was that hike you went on last weekend?
Woman: Well I enjoyed it … up to a point. It’s so beautiful up in the mountains and the first few hours walking was
quite gentle, you know.
Man: You took an easy route then?
Woman: Well, apparently not, because the path started to get steeper and steeper and there were these really
narrow sections with drops of several hundred feet on one side. You know, if you slipped … well, that
was it! And nobody warned me we’d be risking our lives in that way.

Part 2 (page 13)

Narrator: You will hear an interview with the long-distance runner Jack Burrows, who is talking about a
special kind of race. For questions 9-18, complete the sentences.
Interviewer: My guest today is Jack Burrows, who recently took part in a race – on foot – across Antarctica.
What was special about this particular race, Jack, apart from the fact that it was in the coldest place on
earth?

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Jack: Well, the race in Antarctica was the last in a series of races known as the Four Deserts Race, which takes
place throughout the year – each in a different desert. It seems strange to think of Antarctica as a desert but
it counts as one because it has less than 25 centimetres of rainfall in a year. The other races take place in
Chile (in the Atacama desert), in the Gobi desert in China, and in the Sahara in Egypt.
Interviewer: Did you run in the other races as well?
Jack: Not all of them; to qualify to take part in the final race – the one in Antarctica – you must first have
completed two out of the other three. I raced in Chile in March and in China in June. But I didn’t run in
the Sahara Desert in Egypt. It’s extremely difficult to do all four races in one year – only two people have
managed to do it so far.
Interviewer: What makes it so difficult?
Jack: Well, for a start, each race covers 250 kilometres and lasts about a week. And the conditions are about the
toughest that any runner will ever have to deal with, whether it’s subzero temperatures in Antarctica or
sandstorms in the Sahara. The organizers provide tents and water but each participant has to carry their
own food and other essential items, which weigh about nine kilos.
Interviewer: Which race did you find the hardest?
Jack: Well, you’d expect it to be the one in the Antarctic, wouldn’t you? But in fact, there was such a bad
snowstorm that the last two stages of that race had to be cancelled, so it turned out to be a five-and-a-half-
day race instead of the usual seven days. It was actually the Gobi desert race that I nearly gave up on. To
the competitors, it’s known as the Death March – and with good reason! I mean, the Sahara may be as bad,
if not worse, but in the Gobi you have to deal with dust storms, sudden changes in temperature and miles
of rocky riverbeds.
Interviewer: My goodness! How do you prepare for those kinds of conditions?
Jack: You do a lot of running on the roughest, rockiest ground you can find! Actually though, training for the
Antarctic – running in snow and ice – now that took some imagination! I ran in deep sand on the beach
near my house and pretended it was snow.
Interviewer: Do most of the competitors manage to complete the races?
Jack: No, not all. In the Gobi Desert race, for example, there were over 170 participants, and 27 dropped out
before the finish. The main reasons were foot injury – you know, blisters, swelling … that kind of thing
– or dehydration. Some people forgot to keep drinking and some ran in new shoes … which is never a
good idea.
Interviewer: What makes people want to take part in events like these, which are so physically demanding?
Jack: Well, they attract different types of people. You have what some people call ‘ultra athletes’, and this is
probably the category I fit into. We ultra athletes are addicted to challenge – the tougher, the better. So as
soon as we’ve completed one race, we’re already preparing for the next one. But the main aim of the Four
Deserts Race is to give people the chance to experience some of the last remaining places on earth that are
untouched by human development. So for the majority of participants, I think it’s more about being in an
extraordinary landscape.
Interviewer: I understand that the Four Deserts Race also raises money for charity.
Jack: That’s right. The organisers of the race – a company called ‘Racing the Planet’ – always do something
to try and help people in the countries where the races are held. In China, for example, they raised about
$30,000 for victims of the 2008 earthquake and they also gave books to schools in the Gobi desert area.
Interviewer: That’s wonderful! Jack Burrows, thank you very much for talking to us today.

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Part 3 (page 14)

Narrator: You will hear five people talking about their work in film and television. For questions 19-23,
choose from the list (A-F) what each speaker says. Use the letters only once. There is one extra
letter which you do not need to use.
Speaker 1: As part of my degree in design studies, I made a music video and that’s when I realised that directing
was the career for me. Getting your foot in the door is hard though. I did what’s called work
experience – which is basically working for free – on a TV quiz show. Then I became a runner on a music
programme – you’re called a runner because you run all over the set bringing the crew things they need,
from extra props to a drink of water. Eventually I got the chance to film one of the live performances on
the show, which led to my getting a job as assistant director on a music documentary, and things really
started taking off from there.
Speaker 2: I work as a presenter for a news channel and as a correspondent so I’m either in the studio doing
interviews or travelling to cover major stories around the world. I did a degree in English, then went on
to study journalism for a year. The content of the course wasn’t that helpful although having a diploma
in journalism certainly has opened doors for me. But what helped me the most was hitchhiking around
Europe as a student. You find yourself next to a total stranger and you have to break the ice and start
talking – unless you want to spend the journey in silence. That was the best training for me because talking
to people is what being a journalist is all about.
Speaker 3: I’m a make-up effects artist, which means I do things like giving actors bigger noses or building monsters
out of rubber. After 10 years in the business, I can do anything they ask me to now, from making someone
look 50 years older, to creating battle scene injuries. My big break came when I was introduced to a
make-up artist who worked on Stars Wars. I showed him photos of work I’d done at art college and he
started recommending me to producers. I was 10 years old when I decided I wanted to work in films,
although I didn’t have a specific job in mind. Even when I was at college I never imagined I’d be doing
make-up for a living.
Speaker 4: As a sound recordist, I’m responsible for all the sound recorded on location. I’m also in charge of
positioning the microphones around the actors. I started working in radio initially, making programmes for
my university radio station, and then I got a chance to train in sound recording. Technology develops so
fast in this area that it’s hard work keeping on top of all the changes. There are lots of specialist magazines
which I subscribe to and they help me keep track of what’s new. And if you want to get ahead, you have
to be prepared to work for nothing at first and take every opportunity that’s offered to you, otherwise
somebody else will.
Speaker 5: I always thought I’d be an actor but at drama school, I realised I was better suited to being on the other
side of the camera. I started out working for free just to get my foot in the door, so it was a great feeling
when I eventually got paid for a job! I found myself working more and more on the location side – looking
for the right locations and then making sure we can use them. So that’s how I ended up as a film location
manager. You meet all sorts of people in this job. You can’t be afraid of just knocking on someone’s door
and asking if you can film in their front garden!

Part 4 (page 14)

Narrator: You will hear a radio interview with an artist called Lara Martin. For questions 24-30, choose the
best answer (A, B or C).
Man: In the studio today, we have the environmental artist Lara Martin. First of all, Lara, tell us what you do
exactly.
Woman: Well basically, I recycle junk and turn it into art. This year I also began doing art workshops with
schoolchildren, which was a new challenge for me. We make things out of household rubbish and talk
about how pollution is harming our environment. The idea is to change the way the younger generation
treats the planet. And I believe it’s working – the kids get really involved, which is encouraging because
I’m not sure the art I make in my studio actually changes the way people think.

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Man: What do you think kids learn from these workshops, then?
Woman: It gives them a different perspective on what art can be. It also makes them aware of the effect they
have on the environment. Once they know how plastic bags harm wild animals, they stop using them. I think
the younger generation is more open to making the lifestyle changes that must be made if we’re to save the
planet. Most parents, in my experience, are too busy to bother.
Man: And have you always produced art in this way – with minimum waste?
Woman: I suppose so, yes. And that has a lot to do with my background, in fact. I come from a poor family and a
large one, which meant that nothing could be wasted. All my clothes came from my older sisters or from
second-hand shops. But our things were always mended so well that they never actually looked reused.
Man: So it’s a way of life that you’re used to.
Woman: Yes, and knowing how to manage like that is useful when you have to create something on a small budget.
My first job after college was as set designer for a small theatre. After each production I had to take the
set apart and rework it into something completely new for the next production. And as an art student
I managed to save money by using free materials. I’d go to industrial areas where old equipment gets
thrown away to see what I could find. Once I came across a damaged telegraph pole – it gave me enough
wood to make over 20 sculptures.
Man: You also design wooden furniture, don’t you? Why do you like using wood in particular?
Woman: I love wood because the older it gets, the more interesting it looks. I recently designed a baby chair and a
big company wanted to sell it in their stores. The problem was they wanted to produce it in plastic. I told
them no. Wood gains character over the years, but plastic just gets scratched and ugly. This chair has more
than one function – this is the first time I’ve managed to do that with a design. It’s not only a chair, but
also a puzzle so when the child grows out of it, he can use it as a toy. The way I see it, if something I
make is ever thrown away, then I’ve failed somehow.
Man: You recently organised an exhibition called Sea Junk. Can you tell us how that came about?
Woman: Well, I was on the beach, looking for wood – a lot gets washed up on the shore, you see. And I suddenly
noticed just how much rubbish there was lying around – bottles, plastic, bits of rope … It was a horrible
sight! But my first thought was, ‘Wow! I could make an entire exhibition out of this!’ So I started
collecting, but soon realised there was so much stuff, I couldn’t possibly do it alone. So I got my students
to come and help. We took it all back to my studio and they used it to make pictures of beach scenes,
underwater scenes … anything connected to the sea. Sea Junk is the result.
Man: Sounds great! Can I ask one final question, Lara? Is this the job you always imagined you’d be doing?
Woman: I always knew I’d do something art-related, but as a teenager I dreamed of being a fashion designer.
Then I became more interested in sculpture, which is probably just as well as it’s difficult to work in the
fashion industry and save the planet. It’s an industry that creates huge amounts of waste. However, we are
beginning now to see a few ‘green’ fashion designers who care about the environment, which makes me
optimistic for the future.
Man: Thank you very much, Lara Martin.
End of Practice Test 5

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