Focus: Listening Practice #1

Student’s Name:
Exercise 1

You will hear four short recordings. Answer each question on the line provided. Write no more than
three words, or a number, for each answer.

You will hear each recording twice.

1 (a) How much does the tennis racket normally cost?

............................................................................................................................................

(b) What does the boy decide to buy?

............................................................................................................................................

2 (a) Who did the girl go to the cinema with?

............................................................................................................................................

(b) What did the girl like most about the film she saw?

............................................................................................................................................

3 (a) Where does the boy suggest meeting his friend?

............................................................................................................................................

(b) What does the boy want his friend to bring with him?

............................................................................................................................................

4 (a) Where is the woman going in the summer holiday?

............................................................................................................................................

(b) When will the woman return home?

............................................................................................................................................

[Turn over
 Exercise 2

5 You will hear a scientist giving a talk about small birds called hummingbirds. Listen to the talk and
complete the details below. Write one or two words, or a number, in each gap.

You will hear the talk twice.

Hummingbirds

These tiny birds are found in North and South America.

Hummingbird flight

The maximum rate at which hummingbirds beat their wings is

................................... times every minute.

Unlike other species of birds, hummingbirds are able to fly

................................... .

Hummingbirds’ bodies

Hummingbirds have twice as manyas people.

Like many types of birds, hummingbirds are unable to ...................................

their food.

In comparison to their size, hummingbirds have the largest ...................................

in the animal kingdom.

Hummingbird food

As well as nectar from flowers, hummingbirds eat ................................... .

Dangers to hummingbirds

Aroundof hummingbird species are in danger of dying out.

Some hummingbirds are known to get trapped in ................................... .

Exercise 3

6 You will hear six people talking about who they live with. For each of speakers 1 to 6, choose
from the list, A to G, which opinion each speaker expresses. Write the letter in the appropriate
box. Use each letter only once. There is one extra letter which you do not need to use.

You will hear the recordings twice.

Speaker 1 A I like the people I live with, but I want to live by myself.

Speaker 2 B I wish the people I live with were a bit tidier.

Speaker 3 C I hadn’t met any of the people I live with before we moved in
together.

Speaker 4 D It’s fun living with people who are both older and younger than
me.

Speaker 5 E Living with people I don’t know well has been easier than I
thought.

Speaker 6 F Where I live, we have a schedule for doing the housework.

G I’ll never get used to living with people who aren’t my family.
Please turn over for Exercise 4.
 Exercise 4

7 You will hear a radio presenter interviewing a teenage mountain climber called Trent. Listen to
the interview and look at the questions. For each question, choose the correct answer, A, B or C,
and put a tick (3) in the appropriate box.

You will hear the interview twice.

(a) Trent says he first became interested in mountain climbing after

A reading a book.

B seeing a painting.

C watching a TV programme.

(b) How did Trent feel just before climbing his first big mountain?

A confident he would reach the peak

B anxious he might injure himself

C surprised by how calm he was

(c) Why did Trent decide to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents?

A to raise money for research

B to try to set a world record

(d) What does Trent say about the people he climbed the highest mountain in Africa with?

A They complained quite a lot.

B They were less fit than he was.

C They sometimes treated him unfairly.

(e) Trent believes that the least enjoyable aspect of climbing a really high mountain is

A getting very little sleep.

B being away from home.

C dealing with dangerous wildlife.

A It takes a long time to prepare.

B The team sometimes takes too little.

C He dislikes the taste of it.

(g) In Trent’s opinion, the most important quality for a mountain climber to have is

A patience.

B determination.

C teamwork skills.

(h) What does Trent say he’s planning to do next?

A study at university

B work with children

C visit remote places

8 (a) You will hear a woman giving a talk about the development of the bicycle. Listen to the talk
and complete the notes in Part (a). Write one or two words only in each gap.

You will hear the talk twice.

The development of the bicycle

Leonardo da Vinci designed a bicycle in the 15th century which was never built.

The first known bicycle had a frame shaped like a ................................... .

The first bicycle with pedals was created by a....................................inventor.

The first mass-produced bicycle had wheels which were designed to ride on

................................... .

The first bicycle to be fitted with a chain appeared in 1879.

A third wheel was added to bicycles to make them easier for more

................................... to ride.

Putting....................................on bicycles helped them become one of the most

popular forms of transport.

(b) Now listen to a conversation between two students about a famous bike race called the Tour
de France, and complete the sentences in Part (b). Write one or two words only in each
gap.

You will hear the conversation twice.

The Tour de France

The Tour de France first started due to competition between two

................................... .

All competitors in the first Tour de France received money similar to the salary of a

................................... .

Until the 1930s, all riders had to cope with issues such as ...................................

on their own during the race.

The special prize for the rider who is best at cycling uphill was originally sponsored

by a ................................... .

The first Tour de France winner who was not....................................won in 1986.