LISTENING EXAM PREPARATION

Unit 5: CONSUMERISM
What will we learn from this topic?
• multiple choice questions
• recognize paraphrases and synonyms
EXAM SKILLS
09. Follow the advice below and answer the questions.
• First identify the keywords in the questions
• The questions follow the order of the recording, but options A, B, and C
might not
• Listen for the keywords in the questions or words with a similar meaning
• Be aware of distractors – think about the whole meaning of the sentence you
hear
• Don’t choose the option just because you hear words from it on the meaning
Listen and choose the correct letter, A, B, or C (audio 45)
1. The Shopping Tour bus is outside
A. The theatre
B. The train station
C. Some cafes
2. Nowadays the theatre is popular because of
A. Its modern architecture
B. Its music performance
C. The famous actors that appear there
3. The shopping tour will begin at
A. 9.10
B. 9.30
C. 9.45
4. What can people buy in Market Place today?
A. Souvenirs
B. Fruit and vegetables
 C. Clothes
5. The main purpose of the visit to the Regional Food Centre is
A. To have a meal
B. To buy local fruit juices
C. To taste cheese from the region
6. At the Fashion Fair, how will people on the tour know which building the
footwear is in?
A. It is a red building
B. It has a green roof
C. It has blue doors

Key answer:
1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6-
Transcript:
Hello everyone. So can you all hear me and see me? OK, my name's David
Edwards and I'm your tour leader for your shopping tour today. Now, as you can
see, we're parked just in front of the main theatre. If any of you would like tickets
for tonight's performance, we can arrange that for you. We're just round the corner
from the railway station. If you want to come on our Historic Buildings tour
tomorrow, the coach will leave from just outside the station. And if you want to go
for a drink at the end of our tour today, there are plenty of cafes just behind the
station.

We're still waiting for a few people, but while we wait I can tell you a little
about the theatre. Although the building is very modern, in fact, a theatre has
existed on this site for over 200 years. The original theatre used to be very popular
because of the musicals it put on. However, it had to be rebuilt after a fire. Some
people love the striking modern design, others hate it. These days, its popularity is
mainly due to the fact that it attracts a lot of well-known performers.

Now, in a few minutes' time - at 9.30 -we'll be starting our tour. First, we're
going to make our way down to Market Place, which is one of the most famous
squares in the city - that should take us about ten minutes. There's not too much
traffic on the roads, so we should get there at quarter to ten at the latest.

Market Place was the city's old food market. People used to come in from the
countryside to sell their fresh fruit and vegetables. Remember that these were the
days before supermarkets! You won't find any food here now though. It's now a
craft market and I think you'll find lots to interest you - especially if you want to
take presents home. You'll see all kinds of things like hand-painted local pottery and
leather goods. Personally, I suggest that you visit the jewelry stalls. You really
won't find anything like it anywhere else! But if you're looking for clothes, I'm
afraid you'll be disappointed. Wait for this afternoon's visit.

We'll stop at Market Place for an hour and a half and then continue the tour
with a visit to the Regional Food Centre. Here you can find over 50 types of local
cheeses! There is also fresh fruit juice on sale -orange juice, peach juice,
pomegranate juice, produced in the villages of the region, and local jam too. You're
welcome to buy things to take home with you, but the real reason for our visit is
lunch. The idea is that you buy food and drink from the stalls and take it to eat in
the lovely open-air dining area.

And finally, in the afternoon we will be visiting the Fashion Fair in the
exhibition center on the outskirts of the city. This is a huge venue, so try not to get
lost. There is a whole hall devoted just to footwear - every kind of shoes and boots
you can imagine. You can easily find it because it has a green roof. Just don't go
through the blue doors at the entrance of the center - you have to pay for that part of
the exhibition. And if all that shopping has exhausted you, there's a cafe where you
can rest your weary feet! That's in the building with a red sign. But don't worry, I'll
remind you all about that later.

Right, everyone's here now, so, if you've all got your shopping bags, let's go!
 Unit 6: LEISURE TIME
What will we learn from this topic?
• understand a description of a place
• follow directions
• label a map
LABELLING A MAP
04. Look at the map and find Tanya’s house. Then listen to the phonw message.
Tanya has offered to give Melisa a lift to a concert. Listen to Melisa giving
Tanya directions to her house and label the map.

1- Main Street
2- Silver Street
3- Melisa’s house
4- New road
5- Sarah’s house
6- Oak Avenue

Transcript 49:
Melissa: Thanks for offering to drive us all to the concert. It's really kind of you
and makes getting there much easier. I don't live far from you at all. First, you need
to turn right onto Maple Avenue and drive to the bottom of the road, passing the
supermarket on your left. Then, you need to turn left at the traffic lights and then
take a sharp right onto Main Street. You can also go straight on here, past the
surgery, but I usually drive down Main Street. Follow this road until you reach a
roundabout - you'll pass a park and some shops on your right. When you get to the
roundabout, take the first turning on the left, onto Silver Street. As you approach the
crossroads here, my house is the first on the corner.
Melissa: Sorry, I've just remembered, I told Sarah you would collect her on the
way. Forget the route I just gave you, I'll give you another set of directions. This
route might even be easier. Again, you need to turn right onto Maple Avenue and go
up to the lights. Instead of turning left here, turn right, with the park on your left.
Then after the zebra crossing, take the first turning on your left onto New Road.
Drive along New Road until you reach the bridge. Sarah's house is the second house
after the bridge. That's on the right; there are shops on the left. Once you've picked
up Sarah, take the first turning on the left, onto Silver Street, and go straight ahead
until you reach the roundabout. Go straight ahead at the roundabout and then take
the first turning on the right, Oak Avenue. My house is number 1. It's on the corner.

Map Of A Building
07. Listen to Tanya’s message to another friend, arranging to meet before the
concert. Listen to Tanya’s description and label the map. Choose the correct
letter A-H.

1- . 2- 3- 4-
A art gallery E restaurant
B cinema F exhibition centre
C live music G Arena
D car park H shopping centre
Transcript 51:
Tanya: Hi Jane, this is Tanya. I'm calling to make arrangements for the concert on
Saturday. I can't believe you've never been to the Arena before. I often go at the
weekend. There isn't just the Arena concert venue, there are also lots of other things
to do: shopping, restaurants, exhibitions. I'm giving Melissa and Sarah a lift, so
shall we all meet up for a coffee before the concert? I'll give you directions. OK,
listen carefully.
As you walk through the main entrance, you come to a square with a big
fountain in the middle. This is where people usually arrange to meet up and
sometimes they have live music here. Beyond the square, on Main Avenue, on your
right, there are several restaurants, and opposite these on your left is an exhibition
center. There used to be a cinema here, but they moved it when they finished
building the Arena.
So there are several coffee shops to choose from, one near the fountain and
one in the north end of the building, but I suggest that we go to the one at the end of
Main Avenue, because it'll probably be less busy than the others. It's right at the end
after you pass the art gallery on the right. So shall we all meet there at seven
o'clock?
Then, after we've had a coffee, to get into the Arena we just need to go
through the shopping center, which will be on our right once we go back down
Main Avenue. It can be a bit tempting, but there's no other way to get there, as the
Arena is the other side of it. Oh, and there are toilets beside the entrance if you need
them. And then after the concert, they open the door opposite and you can go
straight out into the car park, which is very convenient. Let me know if you can
make it for seven. I'm looking forward to seeing you - it's been a while.

Map of a park
09. Listen to the manager giving a tour of the activity camp to a group of
teenagers. Label the map with which activity they can do in each place. Use no
more than TWO WORDS for each activity.
 1- . 5-
2- . 6-
3- . 7-
4- .

Transcript 52:

First of all, welcome to our activity summer camp. I hope you enjoy all the
activities we have on offer. We start our tour at the outdoor theatre here, where we
hold many of our evening activities. From here you can see our various watersport
activities. Directly in front of the campsite, on the edge of the lake, we have the
kayaking center. And then in front of the beach, we have an area reserved for
diving. Swimming isn't permitted here.

If you like racket sports, just behind the beach you can practice badminton in
the large building. That's quite popular in the evenings. We also have some outdoor
tennis courts. We used to have basketball in the building too, but now you can play
it on the court behind the building. And if these activities make you hungry, the path
from there takes you straight to the cafe and dining hall.

However, we'll continue our walk along the lake shore and I'd like to draw
your attention to two other areas. One is this part of the lake which is perfect for
swimming, but, for safety reasons, only when an instructor is present.
Unfortunately, we can't offer sailing as an option here this year. And I also want to
point out, just across the lake, a track for cycling. Some people in the past have also
gone running on the track, but there were a few accidents because there isn't enough
space for runners and cyclists, so now running isn't allowed. So now let's take this
path here, towards the tenniscourts. On our left, you can see there's a football field.
Gary's our coach and he'll be organizing tournaments during the week. He'll arrive
tomorrow because he's taking part in a rugby game today.

And now if we walk up to the right of the tennis courts, we can see the
archery field, surrounded by trees. And in the building just to the right of this, you
can hire equipment for the archery and buy snacks and drinks. It also has some table
tennis tables, so you can go there and have a game if the weather turns bad.

EXAM SKILLS
10. You will hear someone giving a talk about plans for a new forest center.
Label the map. Choose the correct letter A-M.

Pine Wood Centre

1 tickets on sale here
2 picnic field
3 barbecue area
4 Tree Tops Chanllenge
5 playgrounds for young children
6 indoor play area
7 sheep
8 goats
Transcript 53:
Good morning. I'd like to thank the council for agreeing to this meeting and
for welcoming us here today to explain to you our plans for Pine Woods Centre.
Our aim is to make Pine Woods a place where people of all ages can come and
enjoy their free time. The center will feature our TreeTops Challenge - only for the
brave and fearless! For the less brave, and for families with children, there will be
adventure playgrounds, indoor and outdoor, and a feeding area for farm animals and
we will also offer cycle trails through the woods. I'll give you an overview of Pine
Woods first and then tell you more about each area in more detail. This first slide
shows the overall layout of the center and where all the activities will be situated.
As you can see from the map, the entrance to this attraction will be on the south
side. As visitors enter from the car park, they will walk along this path leading them
to the cafe and gift shop. The gift shop will be where tickets are on sale and
therefore needs to be near the entrance. So this building here on the right will be the
cafe and the building on the left will be the gift shop. There will also be a picnic
field behind the cafe for the warmer months. It's the area just to the right of the cafe
as you look at the map. And in the bottom right-hand corner of the picnic field,
we're planning to have a barbecue area, where people can hire a barbecue and bring
their own food to cook. It'll be great for parties. In summer we plan to have bands
performing here in the evenings.
To the west of the gift shop is where the Tree Tops Challenge will take place.
There's a path here winding through the forest, and up in the trees, there will be all
sorts of high-level adventure apparatus - rope swigs, awesome rope bridges and
tunnels, and zip wires where you can fly way above the forest floor. This adventure
experience will only be open to those aged 15 and over. Beyond the Tree Tops
Challenge, there will be an adventure playground. To get to it, you go along this
path from the entrance until you reach the crossroads, then you turn left. The young
children's playground will have a fence around it, making it safer and keeping them
away from the lake. The indoor play area, only for the very young, will be on the
east side of the farm, near the cafe and just inside the picnic area.
And finally, let's turn our attention back to this area here, where the paths
meet and form a crossroads. This path leading to the east end of the farm will take
our visitors to the area which houses the farm animals. Children will be able to
watch the animals being fed and cared for, and in some instances, they will be able
to feed the animals themselves. The sheep will be in this first area on the right here,
directly opposite the pigs, and the goats will go at the very end there. We haven't
quite decided on the other areas yet. So those are our plans. We hope they will be
approved, and we look forward to welcoming you back in the not-too-distant future
to see the final result.

Unit 7: FAME AND THE MEDIA

What will we learn from this topic?
• complete a flow-chart
• predict what information is missing in a flow-chart
Predicting The Answer
• Underline the keywords in each sentence
• Read the word before and after the gap
• Make a note of the possible grammatical forms of the missing word
• Try to guess the missing words or some possible words
FLOW-CHART COMPLETION
Transcript 59:
Justin Bieber's rise to fame is an interesting story. He was interested in music
from a very early age and he taught himself how to play a whole selection of
musical instruments, which I think is rare in youngsters these days. Like a lot of
teenagers who want to be pop stars, he learned the guitar. But, whereas very few of
those teenagers put in the effort needed to be successful, Bieber, on the other hand,
not only learned how to play the piano as well, but also mastered the drums and
even the trumpet! One day he hopes to learn the violin.
He was clearly gifted, and his mother used to arrange for him to take part in
local competitions. He came second in one, and his mother posted his performance
on YouTube. She kept posting other clips of him singing, and soon these attracted a
number of fans who started following him, though at this point he still hadn't found
fame.
His big break came when a music executive came across these videos by
accident when he was looking for a performance by a di fferent artist. He
immediately recognized Bieber's talent and gave the teenager a contract with his
recording company. His first record was a worldwide hit. He shot to fame in just
two years and is now a global superstar, one of the most well-known performers the
world has ever seen.

06. Now read the flow-chart below. Complete the flow-chart. Write no more
than TWO WORDS for each answer.
Transcripts:
Interviewer: So, you've been a famous singer for over three decades now. What
advice would you give to someone wanting to become famous?
Celebrity: Well, my first piece of advice is - don't try and become famous. Instead,
focus on being good at something. Choose something you enjoy and then work hard
at doing well in that area.
Interviewer: What did you do to become such a successful singer?
Celebrity: Well, a good way to be the best is to learn from the experts. Find people
you admire in your area of interest. Try to get as close to them as possible. Observe
them carefully. If possible, talk to them. Ask lots of questions. Don't copy them, but
try to learn from them. And don't be afraid to experiment, try something new.
Interviewer: Being the best is one thing, but how did you get yourself known?
Celebrity: Getting yourself known is indeed another skill you must work on. One
thing is for sure, nobody is going to come to you. You have to make opportunities
for yourself. You have a product to sell and the product is you. It's much easier to
do that these days, especially with the internet around. Many people use social
media for this.
Interviewer: Any other piece of advice?
Celebrity: Yes, the last thing I would say is, if you want to be really successful in
something, you will most likely experience a certain amount of failure. People who
fail at some point often say that the experience has been a great lesson and helped
them on the road to success. Try to learn from these moments instead of being
frightened of them. In fact, some of the most successful people have often failed
countless times before reaching their end goal. What makes them successful, is that
they kept on trying regardless.

08. Read the flow-chart below, which use a lot of technical language.
Look at the options in the box. You will hear a talk on how to get the best from
your camcorder. Choose 7 answers from the list and write the correct letter.

EXAM SKILLS
11. You will hear a lecture an how to make a short film. Complete the flow-
chart below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Key answer

Transcript 63:
So welcome to Film-makers' Club. I hope you're excited at the thought of
making a film and that you're bursting with great ideas. I've put you all into groups,
so here's what you're going to do. Now you might think the first thing that you need
to do is to come up with an idea for a story, but even before that you need to think
about what type of film you want to make.
Remember that a film is really a story in pictures. There are lots of ways of
telling a story. So choose a style of film that suits the talents of the group. If you
have talented artists, but no good writers, or actors, you might want to make your
film in the style of a cartoon or some other kind of animation. Last year a group
made an excellent film using Lego bricks.
So having decided that, you can start to think of your idea for the story. Think
about the movies you like to watch. What is it that makes them interesting? Is it the
characters, the plot? As regards plot, my advice is - don't be too ambitious, don't
make it complicated. Keep it simple- the simplest ideas are often the ones that work
the best. Initially you just need to find the basic concept. You can fill in the details
later. It's a good idea to keep a notebook in your pocket and carry it everywhere.
You never know when a great idea will suddenly come to you! And the more ideas,
the better, in my opinion.
The next stage is to write the screenplay- for this you need to divide the story
up into a series of scenes. For each scene, the screenplay should begin with a short
description of where it takes place and the time of day, that is day or night. Then the
rest consists of the script - the lines the actors will speak, and it should also describe
the camera movements, and give directions to the actors about how they should
move.
Before you can start filming, you need to prepare a storyboard of your film to
help everyone involved to imagine the scenes clearly and to understand what you
are trying to achieve. This is similar to a comic-book version of your film, but
without speech balloons.
And at this point, you need to appoint a director. This is a major role and it's
vital that he or she is a good communicator, as they are the key link between the
actors and the rest of the team. This person will have responsibility for the creative
side of the project. He or she will have the final say in the choice of the main actors
and in directing the action of the film.
That brings me to the next stage- casting your film- finding the actors. Don't
just rely on your friends. Be creative! Perhaps you could advertise on social media.
Or if your film needs a doctor, perhaps you could ask one from the local hospital if
they could spare a couple of hours for you.
And then before filming finally starts, you will need to assign other jobs, such
as director of photography- in your case this will be the person who operates the
camera; someone in charge of sound and music, and someone in charge of costumes
and props {including furniture and any other objects needed) and also someone to
look after hair and make-up. But we'll look at these roles in more detail in our next
session.
Unit 8: NATURAL WORLD
What will we learn from this topic?
• complete notes in a task
• use headings in the notes to guide you through what the speaker is saying
• use the speaker’s signposting words to help you follow notes
06. Read the notes about the mountain gorilla. Listen and complete the notes.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each sentence.

Key answer:

Transcript 67:
Hello everyone. Today I'm going to talk about a project I've done about the
mountain gorilla. I think it's a truly fascinating animal. They originate in Africa -
Central Africa, in fact.
So now I'm going to talk a little about where they live. As you can probably
guess, and as you can see in this first photo, their name reflects the environment
they live in - tropical mountain forests.
Now just like all other apes, they build nests out of leaves. But they don't
make their nests high up as other species do - mountain gorillas make them on the
ground instead. And they sleep wherever they end their day and they rarely sleep in
the same bed twice!
 So, I'll move on to talk about the physical features of the mountain gorilla. In
other words, what it looks like. So here are some more photographs on screen for
you all to have a look at. This gorilla here on the left is a male gorilla. We know that
he's an older male gorilla because of the color of his coat. As you can see, his coat is
grey. He's called a silverback. Younger male gorillas are called blackbacks. And
there's an obvious reason for that! Yes, a young adult male has a black coat. As he
gets older, his coat turns from black to grey.
Next, I'm going to tell you a little about the diet of the mountain gorilla.
Interestingly, mountain gorillas are herbivores. In other words, they survive on a
diet of plants. As you can see from this next picture, this gorilla is eating leaves.
They also eat fruit and flowers. They occasionally eat insects too, but only when
they're very hungry! And it might interest you to know that mountain gorillas very
rarely drink water, even though they live in a very warm climate. It appears they get
all the water they need from plants.
I'd like to conclude by talking about some of the threats that mountain
gorillas face. They are in serious danger of disappearing from our world altogether.
Let's have a look at two reasons why they're in such danger. And both of these
reasons are connected to human activity. Firstly, people are damaging the mountain
forests where these gorillas live. They're cutting down the trees to build farms and
towns. Mountain gorillas live in close family groups and this means that it's difficult
for them to get enough to eat in the small areas they now have to live in. Secondly,
gorillas are also suffering as a result of hunting. Sadly, some people find and kill
them to sell. So it's a very sad situation indeed for these beautiful animals.

10. Read the notes about the American bullfrog. Listen and complete the notes.
Write ONE WORD/ OR A NUMBER for each sentence.
Key answer:

Transcript 68:
Good morning, everyone. In today's lecture, I want to talk to you about a very
unpopular animal here in Britain. In fact, you could say that it's one of our least-
loved animals! It's called the American bullfrog and yes, it does in fact come from
America - the east of America, to be exact - and it was brought to Britain in the
early 19th century, so you could say that it's been here for quite a long time. It
wasn't brought here on purpose - it actually arrived in a big container of aquatic
plants. In other words, it was accidentally introduced into Britain.
Now, I'll tell you a little about its appearance. The American bullfrog is a
very large - and ugly - species of frog. And when I say it's large, I mean large.
Interestingly, female American bullfrogs are usually much larger than the males. In
fact, they can weigh up to 750 grams, whereas the males only go up to about 600
grams. Take a look at its head - it's really broad and flat, isn't it? And you can see its
mouth - just here - that's quite large too.
Now, both the male and the female American bullfrogs have green or brown
bodies and have dark spots on the top. But there's one important di fference between
them - the male's throat is yellow but the female has a white one instead. And the
other difference is their eardrums, here just behind their eyes. Those of the male are
much larger than the female's.
So, let's move on to why we so dislike the American bullfrog. Well, this is
because it has threatened our own native species of frogs. Firstly, it breeds very
quickly indeed. For example, female bullfrogs can lay up to 25,000 eggs every
single season. And secondly, the American bullfrog is very greedy. In fact, they eat
just about anything they can put into their mouths! As well as other frogs, they eat
insects, fish and have even been known to eat birds and snakes! So, in other words,
they eat the food sources of our own native species. Thirdly, they carry a disease
that is dangerous to other frogs. And finally, they don't just damage our natural
world, they cause financial damage too. Around £100,000 has been spent
monitoring the American bullfrog in the wild.
So, as scientists, we can learn a lesson from this about the dangers of
introducing any living species into a new environment.
EXAM SKILLS
13. Read the notes below. Write ONE WORD/ OR A NUMBER for each
sentence.
Key answer:

Transcript 69:
OK, everyone, I think we're ready to make a start. Now, when you think of a
dangerous animal, what do you think of? A tiger perhaps? Or maybe a leopard?
Most people think that all dangerous animals live on land, but in fact, some of the
most dangerous animals on the planet live in our seas and oceans. I'm going to talk
today about one of these - the box jellyfish.
There are different types of box jellyfish, and they are found in warm coastal
seas anywhere from the Indian Ocean to as far north as Japan, but the most
dangerous ones are found in the oceans around Australia.
OK, so now let's examine what these box jellyfish look like. There are no
prizes for guessing why it's called a box jellyfish! You can see that it's shaped like a
box or a cube, with four sides and rounded corners. And you can also see that its
body is light blue.
So, let's take a look at the tentacles of the box jellyfish more closely. It's got
15 of these growing from each of the four corners of the box. Now, you may be
surprised to learn that these tentacles can grow to a length of three meters! And
another surprising thing is its large number of eyes, that's six eyes on each of its
four sides, so 24 altogether.
So now let's move on to talk about the sting of a box jellyfish. What is it?
Well, a jellyfish has a lot of tentacles, and each tentacle has thousands of cells
which can produce a poison. If the tentacles come into contact with a fish, or a
person, they stick to their skin. If the tentacles are very long, they are in contact
with a lot of the body, giving a bad sting which hurts terribly. This can be
dangerous to the victim.
There are two ways that people can die as the result of a jellyfish sting.
Firstly, a very severe sting can cause a person to have a heart attack. This can
happen within minutes. Secondly, sometimes a swimmer goes into shock and can't
make it back to the beach because they are in such extreme pain. If they're in the
water alone, they'll die.
And now I'd like to conclude with advice on how to help someone who has
been stung by a box jellyfish. If they have had a heart attack, of course, the most
important thing is to try to revive them first of all. And then, the best thing to help is
vinegar. Yes, the same vinegar you use when you're cooking! Many Australian
beaches keep bottles of it near the jellyfish warning signs. You should pour a bottle
over the tentacles for 30 seconds, and then the tentacles can be removed. However,
if you get stung and don't have any vinegar, you should pour seawater on the skin.
This will help to ease the pain before you can get further medical help.

Unit 1: THE MAN-MADE ENVIRONMENT

What will we learn from this topic?
• listen for specific information (e.g. complex numbers, spellings) and write it
down correctly
• multiple choice questions
03. Look at these notes. Then listen to the recording and complete the notes
with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS/ OR A NUMBER.

Key answer:
Transcript 03:
Estate agent: Morgan's Estate Agents. How can I help you?
Caroline: Hello. I'm calling about a property that you have for sale - in Churchill
Road.
Estate agent: Sorry. Did you say Church Mill Road?
Caroline: No. Churchill Road - C-H-U-R-C H+L-L.
Estate agent: Oh, right. We have two for sale in Churchill Road - a three-bedroom
property and a two-bedroom one. Can you tell me which one you're calling about?
Caroline: It's the three-bedroom one.
Estate agent: Oh, yes. Would you like to arrange a viewing?
Caroline: Yes, but first of all, I'd like to check some details.
Estate agent: Certainly. What would you like to know?
Caroline: First, how many lounges has it got?
Estate agent: There are two. There's a small one at the front and a larger one at the
back, leading to a sun-room.
Caroline: A sun-room? That's nice to know.
Estate agent: Yes. It's perfect to sit in on those chilly or rainy days as it's got its
own heating. And you can get to the garden through the sun-room door.
Caroline: Lovely. I've always liked the idea of outdoor space with a lawn. I do a bit
of gardening myself. What about the kitchen?
Estate agent: It's fully-fitted - so it includes a cooker and a dishwasher and all the
other things you'd expect in a kitchen. You can also get to the outside spacethrough
the kitchen door.
Caroline: That sounds great, not having to buy a cooker and dishwasher.
Estate agent: Yes, it would be perfect for you. I should add that there's a garage
and a short driveway.
Caroline: Oh, that's very useful. My husband usually drives to work, but I mostly
use public transport.
Estate agent: Well, regarding transport, it's only five minutes from Edgely Station
and there are regular buses to the town center, so it's very well connected.
Caroline: That's excellent!
Estate agent: So, would you like to arrange a viewing?
Caroline: I'm free tomorrow morning. Is 11 o'clock OK?
Estate agent: Oh, no, I'msorry. I'm busy then.
Caroline: How about one o'clock then, or one forty-five?
Estate agent: One o'clock wouldbe best for me.
Caroline: OK, great. Let's meet then. Oh, my name is Caroline Prendergast. My
number is 07945 872310.
Estate agent: I'm Peter Eliot.
Caroline: Is that with two 'l's?
Estate agent: No, one: E-L-1-0-T. My number is07863 905073. That's 07863
905073. I look forward to seeing you then.
Caroline: OK. Goodbye.
Estate agent: Goodbye
05. Listen to the estate agent and client and complete the information sheet.

Key answer:

Transcript 05:
Estate agent: Hello. I'm Peter Eliot. You must be Ms Prendergast.
Caroline: Yes, that's right.
Estate agent: So, this is the property.
Caroline: Oh, I just wanted to check one thing - the price. If I remember rightly, it's
£340,000.
Estate agent: Actually, it's £350,000 at the moment, but we can discuss that later if
you like it. As you can see, the front garden is very well-kept.
Caroline: Yes. The owners have taken very good care of it.
Estate agent: Shall we go in? Follow me. Here's the hall and the front lounge to the
left.
Caroline: Hmm, yes. It's very nice. What are the dimensions?
Estate agent: It's 4.3 m by 3.28m. That's very spacious for a smaller lounge.
Caroline: Hmm, yes 4.3 m long and 3.28 m wide. Can we go through to the second
lounge?
Estate agent: Certainly. If you'd like to follow me.
Caroline: Oh, it's lovely. What's the size of this room?
Estate agent: Er, let's see ...the second lounge ... er ... it's 6.5 m x 4.25 m. And you
can see the sun-room at the back and the garden.
Caroline: Can we go and have a look?
Estate agent: Of course. As you can see, there's enough room here for some plants
and two sofas. You could even put a dining suite here.
Caroline: That would be perfect for cooler days. I love it!
Estate agent: And as you can see, a patio and a large lawn with flowers around the
edges.
Caroline: What are the dimensions of the garden?
Estate agent: It's 30 m long and 10 m wide.
Caroline: 30 m by 10 m? That's a good size for a family. It would be lovely in
summer.
Estate agent: Of course. Walk this way. Would you like to look upstairs?
Caroline: Yes, OK.
Estate agent: Here's the mainbedroom. It's 4.91 m x 3.95 m - perfect for a large
double bed. Oh, sorry, that's 4.91 m long and 3.95 m wide. And there's an en-suite
bathroom here, though it only has a shower unit and not a big bath like the main
bathroom.
Caroline: That would come in very useful when we all get up to get ready for
school or work.
Estate agent: Yes, that's a real positive. Here'sthe second bedroom. It's 4.2 m x
3.55 m - ideal for children to share.
Caroline: 4.2 m long and 3.55 m wide? OK, that's good. Yes, it's got plenty of
room to play in.
Estate agent: And here's the last bedroom, which is 3.25 m x 2.5 m. It would be
ideal for a child.
Caroline: Yes, it would be fine for my older daughter.
Estate agent: The bathroom is just over here. It's got a large bath as well as a
shower fitting.
Caroline: Great! It's just what we need.
Estate agent: So, would you like to put in an offer?
Caroline: Yes, please. This is the best property I've seen so far. I don't think I'll find
a more suitable one.
Estate agent: Wonderful! If you'd like to come back to the office, I can take your
details and arrange everything.
EXAM SKILLS
08. Listen to the final conversation again and choose the correct letter, A, B or
C.

Transcript:
Estate agent: So, Ms Prendergast, let me take your details. I'll just enter your name.
How do you spell it?
Caroline: P-R-E-N-D-E-R-G-A-S-T.
Estate agent: OK, that's it. And what's your present address?
Caroline: 52, Lanchester Road. That's L-A-N-C-H-E-S-T-E-R. It's in the Riverside
part of town. The postcode is KE7 8UD.
Estate agent: And your home phone number?
Caroline: 01594 398210.
Estate agent: And I've got your mobile number: 07945 872310.
Caroline: Yes, that's right
Estate agent: OK. Now the house is on the market for £350,000, but I know that
the owners would be happy to accept a close offer as it's been on for a few months.
What would your first offer be?
Caroline: I think £340,000 would be fair.
Estate agent: OK. I'll put that offer to them and we'll see what they say. Now,
usually buyers have a mortgage arranged with a bank-a loan to buy the house - so
that we can quickly complete the sale. Do you have one arranged yet?
Caroline: We've spoken to our bank and they're happy to offer us what we need, up
to £300,000. We also have a 15% deposit in our bank account - about £52,000 - so
that won't be a problem.
Estate agent: And is anyone buying your house? Will the sellers of this property
need to wait for you to sell yours?
Caroline: No. We sold it a couple of months ago and we're staying with relatives,
so we're ready to move in as soon as the sale is completed. So, when do you think
you can get an answer on the offer?
Estate agent: I should be able to get one tomorrow. Then, if they agree, we can do
things quite quickly. Your bank will do the survey - you know, send someone to
check the house is in good condition and at the right price - and, if that's OK, we
can then prepare the contracts for you and the seller to sign.
Caroline: How long do you think the sale will take after that?
Estate agent: Well, it's difficult to say. If things go well, we should complete it in
about two months at the most. Most sales take about two months. However, if there
are any problems, it could take longer, but we hope it won't be more than three
months. For example, part of the house, like the roof, might be in bad condition and
might need some work. Or there might be plans for a new road in the local area.
Anything like that can delay the sale, but most of our sales go through quickly.
Caroline: Oh, I hope nothing like that happens! We're really looking forward to
moving in soon. It's not easy living a long time with relatives, and my husband has a
long journey to get to work, but those aren't the things I'm really worried about. If
we can move in before the end of the summer, it'll be much easier for the children to
go to their new school. That's why I hope we can complete everything on time.
Estate agent: Don't worry. I don't see any problems with this sale, so I'm quite sure
you'll be in the house by then. So, just to go over things again: I'll talk to the sellers
tomorrow. If they accept your offer then we can continue. If they don't, you'll need
to put in a higher one quickly, but we should be able to agree by the end of the
week. Then you ask your bank to send someone to check the house. If that's all OK,
the next step is to prepare the contracts for you and the seller to sign, and we should
complete the sale soon after that.
Caroline: Wonderful! I'll look forward to your call tomorrow. Bye.
Estate agent: Bye

Unit 2: LEISURE AND RECREATION

What will we learn from this topic?
• understand directions from one place to another
• match descriptions with people, places, or things
• listen for specific information and classify it in a table

EXAM SKILLS
06. Listen to the last part of the message and complete the table with the pieces of
equipment. Write ONE WORD ONLY in each gap.

Key answer:
Transcript:
Now, about the equipment. For the badminton in the Dean Room, there are
two nets in the storeroom to set up and you know what to do so it shouldn't take you
long. The players will bring their own racquets with them, but there are some spare
ones, so take them into the badminton room as well, just in case. There are also a
couple of boxes of shuttlecocks if we need them.
For the basketball in the afternoon, you only need to bring in the balls
because the nets are always up and ready, so you can do that between the sports
events. In the Carsley Room, you'll have to get the gymnastics equipment in place
in the morning. That means bringing in the vaulting horse and putting it in the
middle. Put one mat in front and another behind the horse, and have some other
mats ready for the floor exercises. Then on the side, set up the bars for the
gymnastics.
There are two sets of bars: one for the men and one for the women. The other
equipment, such as the rings and pommel horse, are already in there, so you don't
need to worry about those. It's also a good idea to bring in the tables and nets for the
table tennis at the same time. There's enough room to leave them folded while the
gymnastics is going on, but you'll be able to set them up more quickly later. The
players should bring their own bats with them, but there's a box of bats there, so
bring those in as well as we might need them.
For the weightlifting, get someone to help you bring in the barbells and the
other weights so that you don't try to carry too much. The bench for the bench press
should be in there already, so check that it is when you arrive, but you'll need to
bring in the stand with the chalk for the lifters to put on their hands. I'll be there at
about ten o'clock as I have an appointment first thing, so you should be ready by
then. We can check everything together and then get ready to welcome the
contestants and the spectators. I hope everything goes well, and I'm sure we can do
it! Call me if you need any extra information.
07. The Director of Sports, Jeff, leaves another message for the three helpers,
Steve, Amanda, and Malik. In the message, he tells, them who should be in
charge of each event. Listen and write the correct organizer, A, B, C, or D next
to events 1-6.
Transcript:
Hi guys, it's Jeff, again. Can you let me know when you've received this
message? I've just realized that I probably won't be able to be there at the start of the
competition because I have an appointment that I can't cancel, so I'm going to tell
you what event I want each of you to organize during the day, just so that you
know. I've tried to work it out so that each of you can be in charge of the event you
prefer as far as possible. So, first of all, the morning: now, Steve and Amanda, I
know that you both like badminton and Amanda, you used to do gymnastics, so I
know you'd be happy with either, but I have to make sure of the best arrangement
on the day. Amanda, if I remember rightly, you also once did some training in the
rules of badminton, so it might be best if you take that on, rather than the
gymnastics. It will be useful to have you there to help with judging line calls and so
on. That means either you, Steve, or you, Malik, with the gymnastics. Either of you
is capable of doing that, but that leaves the weightlifting. Both of you do a lot of the
general training in our sports center, but this is a bit more specialist in terms of
getting the weights right for each competitor. OK, for the moment, I'll put Steve in
charge of the gymnastics and Malik can take care of the weightlifting in the
morning, as I think you have just that bit more experience of dealing with weights,
Malik.
For the afternoon, I know Amanda and Malik would both love to do the
basketball as you both play it, but Malik, you're already doing the weightlifting, so
perhaps Amanda, you can do the basketball. Actually, no, I've just thought. I'm
pretty certain I'll be in for the afternoon, so Malik, you won't need to do the
weightlifting then. How about you do the basketball, Malik? Then I can take over
the weightlifting in the afternoon as I'm particularly keen on that, as you all know,
and I'd like a chance to get involved with it. So then, Amanda, you can do the table
tennis, but that leaves Steve without anything. No, that's OK, actually, if we leave it
at that. Steve, you can be available to help wherever you're needed in the afternoon,
and if something happens and I can't make it in the early afternoon, you can take
care of the weightlifting till I arrive, though I don't think there'll be any problems.
OK, if you need to check on anything, call me on my mobile. Otherwise, see you
next week. think we're going to have a great day!