PROGRESS TESTS |  Audioscript
PROGRESS TEST 1 (Units 1–4)
PT Track 1 | Listening, Exercises 1 and 2
1 why he didn’t tell anyone about it.
Boy: I don’t know how it happened. I just
put it down for a minute and the next
thing I knew it had gone.
Girl: Someone’s stolen your phone? You’re
joking. You’d only had it for a few
weeks, hadn’t you?
Boy: Yes, it was a birthday present from my
mum and dad and it cost over £100. I
know they’re going to accuse me of
being careless and I suppose they’re
right. I could have prevented it
happening if I’d been more careful.
Girl: Well, don’t tell them yet. The first thing
you should do is go to the police.
Boy: I don’t see the point – they’ll never be
able to find it. No, I’m just going to
have to own up about it to my parents.
Girl: Rather you than me!
2
Girl: Can you believe it? They’re going to be
doing auditions for that reality show
Talented Teens here next month. This is
our big chance!
Boy: Next month? That’s too soon!
Girl: But it’ll give us something to aim for.
Come on, Dan, you’ve been singing so
well recently. Let’s go for it!
Boy: I really don’t know if I want to take the
risk. What if it’s broadcast live and it’s
a complete flop?
Girl: Well, we can only do our best. Let’s see
what the others think. This has to be a
group decision, after all. Shall I send
them a message now?
Boy: Hang on a second. I need some time to
think about this. I’m still not sure if it’s
a good idea.
Girl: OK, but you’ve only got till Saturday
because that’s the deadline for
applications.
3 but I find that hard to believe. I wish
Boy: Did you see that article in the
newspaper about Dylan?
Girl: No! What did it say?
Boy: Well, he got a top award in some
competition for young scientists! I
think it said he’d won £500!
Girl: He’s won £500? No way! That’s really
impressive! What did he do?
Boy: He created some sort of high tech
app that helps you do your homework,
I think.
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Girl: Wow! I’d never have thought he could
do something like that. He’s so quiet
and shy at school.
Boy: I know what you mean. That’s probably
Girl: Either that or he’s just really modest.
He must be really clever. I wish I could
come up with something like that!
4
Interviewer: So, Adam, how did you come up with
the idea of creating your own website?
Boy: Well, I wanted to find a way to help
other dyslexic kids who, like me, have
difficulty in reading and writing.
Interviewer: Right. And how have you done that?
Boy: Well, er – sorry, I’ve forgotten what I
was going to say. I’ve never been on the
radio before!
Interviewer: Just relax and take your time.
Boy: OK. Oh, yes, I’ve got a list of tips on my
site that can help you with reading and
writing. For example, reading aloud is
much easier for many dyslexic people
than reading silently. I’ve also made a
list of well-known people who have
been successful in life in spite of being
dyslexic. A lot of people think that
having dyslexia means that you aren’t
clever because there’s something
wrong with you, but dyslexic people
just have a different type of brain from
other people.
Interviewer: That’s right. In fact, Einstein, who was
a genius, is said to have had dyslexia,
so I guess that proves your point!
5
Girl: What a relief!
Boy: What do you mean?
Girl: I mean it’s nice to be out of the cinema.
I couldn’t wait for that film to finish!
Boy: Me neither! Why do the trailers always
make films look so exciting?
Girl: I suppose because they only show the
best bits. And the posters said this was
a box office hit in the United States,
I’d never suggested going to see it.
Boy: Well, there were some good action
sequences …
Girl: Yes, but they were about the only thing
worth watching. With such a well-
known cast, you’d expect it to have
kept your attention for more than five
minutes! Did you notice? A couple of
people in the audience actually fell
asleep!
Boy: Yeah. I don’t think we’ll see top awards
going to the actors for this film.
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 PROGRESS TESTS |  Audioscript
PROGRESS TEST 2 (Units 5–8)
PT Track 2 | Listening, Exercises 1 and 2
Speaker 1
I still clearly remember the teachers who inspired me
as a child, as well as those who took all the joy out of
learning and put me off certain subjects forever! I
guess that’s what led me to go into teaching in the first
place – the fact that I would be making a huge
difference to children’s futures. Yet we are completely
burnt out because of all the other tasks we have to do
on top of all the marking and lesson preparation. Don’t
get the impression that I don’t like my job, though. On a
good day when your lessons go well and your classes
respond well, teaching is the best job in the world. Any
other job would seem boring in comparison.
Speaker 2
I only decided to apply to be a vet after having an
interview with the school careers adviser. I hated the
idea of working in an office and told her I wanted a job
that would be challenging and varied. When I also told
her I was doing science ‘A’ levels, she mentioned several
possible careers in science. Veterinary medicine stood
out. The course included a lot of work experience in
many different specialisations as a vet – as a farm vet, a
surgeon or in a wildlife hospital, to name a few. After
graduating, I got a job in a private practice, dealing
mainly with domestic animals plus the occasional
injured owl! I feel that I’m doing something really
useful every day, not just because I’m helping animals,
but because I’m having a positive effect on their
owners’ lives too.
Speaker 3
Most people find it strange when I say I get pleasure
out of cleaning, but it’s true! There’s something really
satisfying about transforming a messy, dirty room into a
clean, tidy one. I started off cleaning houses in my
neighbourhood and soon I had so many clients, I was
going crazy and working 10 hours a day! The business
just grew by word of mouth, really – I didn’t have to
advertise. There came a point when I realised I had to
take on someone to help me and now I have a staff of
15! We clean offices and shops as well as homes now
too. I don’t do any of the actual cleaning anymore
because I’m more involved with the management side
of things. The funny thing is I really miss it!
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Speaker 4
When I was younger, my dad ran a corner shop which
sold anything and everything. I started serving in the
shop on a Saturday when I was still at school – actually,
it was a great way of practising my maths and acquiring
useful social skills, although I didn’t realise it at the
time. Anyway, I was working as an accountant in
London, but not really enjoying it, when my dad rang
me to say he was thinking of retiring and selling the
shop. I felt overcome with sadness – that shop had been
such an important part of my life as I was growing up.
That’s when I made the decision to move back to the
town I grew up in and take over the family business.
Some people thought I was crazy, but if I hadn’t done it,
I would have regretted it.
Speaker 5
At the age of 10, I was extremely shy and a friend of my
parents suggested I go to drama classes to help build
up my confidence. It worked. I found that by pretending
to be a different person on stage, I could overcome my
fears. It was a real turning point for me because up till
then I had been quite miserable. After that, I tried to
insist on going to drama school when I left school, but
Mum and Dad wanted me to go to university. They
didn’t want me struggling, trying to make a living out of
acting. While I was in my second year, a producer friend
of mine who was making a short film asked me to fill in
for an actor who was sick. Unbelievably, the film won a
prize at the Glasgow Film Festival and that’s when I got
my break. If I hadn’t dropped out of university and
moved to London, I would never have become an actor.
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