B1 Preliminary

Audioscript, Sample Test 1

Cambridge, Preliminary English Test, Listening. Sample Test 1.
There are four parts to the test. You will hear each piece twice.
We will now stop for a moment.
Please ask any questions now because you must NOT speak during the test.
Now look at the instructions for Part One.
Pause

PART ONE For each question, choose the correct answer.

Look at Question 1.
1 What lesson did the man especially like at school?
F: Do you miss school now that you’re working?
M: A bit. I’ve never been into sport, so I’m happy not to have to do that now. My geography
teacher was great, though – he made it so interesting to learn about different countries and I
still love reading about that sort of thing. I have to use quite a lot of maths in my work, so it’s
nice to use some of the skills I learnt in maths classes, even though I don’t remember enjoying
them very much when I was actually in them.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause
2 Which flavour ice cream does the woman choose?
M: Which ice cream are you going to have?
F: I don’t know. There are too many flavours to choose from. Oh, there’s lemon – that’s quite
unusual.
M: I actually had that last time and was a bit disappointed with it.
F: Oh, OK. I always have chocolate so it seems a shame to have that when there are so many
other flavours. The strawberry one looks good – it has big pieces of fruit in it.
M: I might have that.
F: I think I will too, even though the chocolate’s probably my favourite.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause

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B1 Preliminary Audioscript Sample Test 1

3 Where has the man just been?

F: You look hot! You usually go to the gym after work, not before.
M: I’d love to have time to go there in the morning, but I had to see my son’s teacher actually.
I didn’t want to be late for work so I had to run here from the school.
F: You’re very good. You don’t even take time off work to go to the dentist’s.
M: Only because my dentist opens early in the morning so I have time for my appointment before
I need to be here.
F: That’s good.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause
4 How much will the woman pay for the sailing course?
F: Oh, hi, I’ve found out some information about the sailing course we were both interested in.
They have a special offer on during the whole of May, which is exactly when we wanted to do
it. It’ll only be £70 then, which includes a £50 discount off the normal price of £120. I hope you
don’t mind, but I’ve gone ahead and booked it to make sure we get a place on the course then.
We don’t need to pay just yet anyway. OK, see you soon.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause
5 Where has the man parked his car?
M: Sorry I’m late – I couldn’t find anywhere to park.
F: There are some free spaces just in front of the cinema.
M: Yes, I noticed those but you’re only allowed to park there for thirty minutes and the film’s much
longer than that. The car park I usually use by the station is great – it’s free and it’s not far to
walk. It was full though, so I left the car outside the supermarket instead. You’re not really
supposed to park there unless you’re a customer but I don’t think anyone’ll notice.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause

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 B1 Preliminary Audioscript Sample Test 1

6 How is the woman going to get fit?

M: Last time we met, you were going to start running to help you get fit. So how’s it going?
F: Actually I changed my mind about that after a friend told me about having trouble with her
knees when she starting running.
M: Oh dear, that sounds painful.
F: Yes, so I’ve bought a bike instead and I’m just waiting for it to be delivered. I thought about
swimming too, as that’s really good for you and you don’t get injured, but it’s a bit boring just
going up and down a pool.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause
7 What will the man make for the party?
M: Hi Gina, it’s me. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve got some pizzas for the party next week,
so you don’t need to bring any. They were on special offer when I went to the supermarket this
afternoon so I just got them. I think we’re going to need some sandwiches, though, so would it
be possible for you to make some? I think I’ll be too busy baking the cakes to have time to do
those as well. Give me a ring if that’s a problem.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause

That is the end of Part One.

Pause

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B1 Preliminary Audioscript Sample Test 1

Now look at Part Two.

PART TWO For each question, choose the correct answer.
8 You will hear two friends talking about a presentation they attended.
Pause
F: That was a great presentation. I’m really glad we went.
M: Me too. I never knew learning about local history could be so entertaining.
F: No. Most people who give presentations just show you the pictures and tell you what’s in them.
So even with photos as good as the ones she had, it can end up being quite boring. I’m glad
she didn’t do that.
M: Me too.
F: I thought the way she told a personal story connected to each picture and asked people who
were there for their thoughts about them really helped to involve the audience too.
M: It certainly did.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause
9 You will hear a man telling his friend about a play he performed in.
F: How was the play?
M: OK, although I made an embarrassing mistake.
F: Don’t tell me you couldn’t remember some of your lines...
M: Another actor had to be reminded a few times, but I was OK. I needed to change my clothes
for different scenes, though, and forgot to do it on one occasion. It meant I wore a policeman’s
uniform in a scene where I was getting into bed.
F: I bet the audience just laughed, didn’t they?
M: Yes, probably more than at the scene that’s actually meant to be funny, where I end up on the
floor because I don’t notice some stairs.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause

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 B1 Preliminary Audioscript Sample Test 1

10 You will hear two friends talking about a new supermarket.

F: That new supermarket’s pretty good.
M: Yes, it has everything you could possibly need, even oil for your car.
F: It certainly has plenty of stuff, but lots of types of the same thing. They have fifty different kinds
of coffee but then I couldn’t find any pizzas. It cost half as much as my shopping usually does
though.
M: I bought much more than usual but it was the same as I normally pay. The sales assistants all
said hello too.
F: The man I asked for help seemed to be having a bad day, but we all have those I guess.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause
11 You will hear two friends talking about language courses.
M: Are you still learning Spanish?
F: I am, although I’ve changed from doing it at college to studying online.
M: How’s that going?
F: It’s OK, actually. It’s such a good idea for anyone like me who doesn’t have much time because
they’re in full-time employment. I thought that learning online would be much less fun than
studying at college. It is a bit, but I was always so tired when I went to evening classes.
M: Isn’t it hard to practise speaking, though?
F: The website I use can actually correct your pronunciation, so it’s almost as good as having
a teacher.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause
12 You will hear two friends talking about a problem at work.
M: Are you OK?
F: Not really. I’m having trouble doing all the work my boss keeps giving me. I don’t have enough
time. Maybe I should take some time off and go away somewhere for a couple of weeks.
M: But the problem will still be there when you come back. You like the job generally, don’t you?
F: I suppose so.
M: So going away probably won’t help, and trying to find work with another company won’t
either. Your boss probably hasn’t even noticed that you’re finding it hard and never will if you
don’t say anything.
F: I guess you’re right.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause

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B1 Preliminary Audioscript Sample Test 1

13 You will hear two friends talking about a party.

F: You know that party I was planning?
M: Yes, it’s such a shame I’m going to be away.
F: Well, I’ve had to choose a different date so you might be able to come after all. It’s going to be
on the 14th May – are you free then?
M: I’m not sure. I’ll have to check my diary.
F: I really hope you can, but whether you’re able to or not, do you think you could organise the
music for it? I know you’ve got loads of great music and how much you love doing things like
that.
M: Yes, it’d be a pleasure.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause

That is the end of Part Two.

Pause

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 B1 Preliminary Audioscript Sample Test 1

Now look at Part Three.

PART THREE For each question, write the correct answer in the gap. Write one or two words or a
number or a date or a time.
Look at Questions 14 to 19 now. You have 20 seconds.
Pause
You will hear a woman called Michaela talking about shark diving trips she organises.
F: Hi, my name’s Michaela and I’m here to talk to you about shark diving trips that I organise.
I’ve just got a brand new boat for the trips. The last one I had, named The Penguin, was
getting a bit old so I bought a new one, which is called The Dolphin. It has all the comforts and
technology you could want on it.
Several nature documentaries include film of a type of shark called White Sharks catching its
food. If you’ve seen those programmes then you know exactly what the sharks we see on the
trip look like. There are other kinds that live around here called Tiger Sharks, but we never see
any as they live next to the coast.
We have to go far away from land to find the sharks, so we travel out into the open ocean for
about three hours. We then spend about two-and-a-half hours diving with the sharks in a large
cage before the return journey, so it takes about eight-and-a-half hours altogether.
Obviously, we’ll be going underwater for some time so you’ll need to know how to dive with
breathing equipment. There’s no need to have an expert diving qualification or to be an
advanced diver. A beginner’s certificate is good enough as there’s no deep diving involved.
We run the trips pretty much all year round. The crew have a holiday in August, which is the
middle of winter here. January is perhaps the month when the water’s warmest and we see
most sharks in this area in February.
If you’d like to know more, read reviews from people who’ve been on the trips and see loads of
photos then why not go to our website. It’s www.aleppareq.com. I’ll spell that for you: it’s A-L-
E-double-P-A-R-E-Q dot com.
Any questions?
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause

That is the end of Part Three.

Pause

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B1 Preliminary Audioscript Sample Test 1

Now look at Part Four.

PART FOUR For each question, choose the correct answer.
Look at Questions 20 to 25 now. You have 45 seconds.
Pause
You will hear an interview with a man called Tony whose hobby is making sculptures.
F: Welcome, Tony. You’re here to talk about your unusual hobby, which is creating sculptures.
How did you first become interested in sculptures?
M: My friends say it was because a very large, and now very famous, sculpture appeared close to
where I live, but that was just after I’d started making sculptures of my own. It was certainly
interesting watching them put it together. My parents always had art books around the house
when I was a kid, though. I found the photos of sculptures in them much more interesting than
any painting.
F: Did you do a sculpture course to learn how to do it better?
M: Yes, at my local college in between leaving school and getting my first job. It was better doing
it that way as it meant the course was free because I wasn’t working, so there were no issues
with not having enough money to pay for it.
F: Was the course difficult?
M: It was, actually. I’d imagined that we’d just make things, and by doing that, we’d get experience
of using all the equipment at the same time. We had to know all about how sculpture has
developed since it was first created, though, which was hard for me, before the teachers
started telling us how to make simple sculptures and we could start developing our skills.
F: You like to use metal for your sculptures. Why is that?
M: Many people prefer stone, but I find it too hard to work with and if I make one little mistake,
it’s difficult to correct. Metal is the complete opposite – it isn’t the cheapest thing to work with,
and lots of people prefer how stone looks, but I rarely have to throw anything away and start
again with metal.
F: You’ve taken part in your first exhibition recently. How did that feel?
M: My friends have seen my sculptures often enough and they’ve always reacted in a positive
way, so I knew most visitors would like them too. The exhibition was in quite a small place, but
that didn’t matter as I was just amazed that anyone would actually ask me to show my work
in public.
F: What are you working on at the moment?
M: Up to now, I’ve always created sculptures of things rather than people. My own favourite is one
I made of an elephant. I’m trying to develop my skills, though, so I’m in the middle of my first
sculpture of a human form. I’m finding it far more difficult than the previous one I completed,
which was a guitar.
F: Thanks for talking to us, Tony.
Pause
Now listen again.
Repeat
Pause

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 B1 Preliminary Audioscript Sample Test 1

That is the end of Part Four.

Pause
You now have six minutes to write your answers on the answer sheet.
Pause 5 minutes
You have one more minute.
Pause 1 minute
That is the end of the test.

9 © Cambridge University Press and UCLES 2019