MSU-CELP_ PRACTICE TEST #4

1. A bargain
F: Hi Dave, this is Susan. I wanted to ask you, umm, are you still planning on getting some
of the photos you took on your trip this summer framed?
M: Hi Susan. Funny, I was just thinking about that. Yeah, I want to give them as holiday
gifts to everyone who went on our trip, but getting things professionally framed is just too
expensive. Plus, some of the landscape photos are an odd size and they might not fit
standard size frames.
F: Right. Well, anyway, I just saw that the art store down the street has a 50% off sale on
all frames. They looked pretty nice. And you know, your pictures are digital, so you
could try to resize them to fit the frames and then send them to the store to be printed.
M: You know, that’s a good point. I’ll head over there this afternoon.

2. A soccer game
F: Hey, did you watch the soccer game last night? What a shocker when they called that
goal by John Martin! That shot gave us a historic one-nothing win!
M: I did, it was the first time we’ve ever defeated them. But you shouldn’t put too much
emphasis on the results of a friendly game. I think you should sort of keep a level head
about it.
F: Well, I think it shows incredible progress. We beat one of the most established powers in
soccer. We should be excited about it. We played really well defensively, they had a lot
of opportunities and we totally thwarted them.

3. A presentation at work
M: Excuse me, Jessica—are you presenting at the company workshop today?
F: No, Richard is. He and I wrote the report together. I designed the slideshow, but he’ll
actually be the one who handles the presentation.
M: Oh, okay. I can talk to you, then. The sales team wants me to go with them to a meeting
across town with a new client. They need someone who can answer questions about the
technical requirements for the new software. So I won’t be able to attend the workshop
today, but I’d still like to see the presentation.
F: Oh, that’s no problem. I’ll just send you the presentation by email and, if you want, you
and I can sit down afterwards and I’ll fill you in on what you missed at the workshop.
Sound good?

4. Studying for an exam

F: I can’t wait until tomorrow when this exam is over. I am so tired of studying for it.
M: Yeah? I haven’t even started … I’d better get home and get going, though.
F: What? You’re not serious, are you? How can you put it off until the last minute like that?
I would be in a total panic if I did that. I’m methodical. I have to digest the information a
day at a time. How do you do it?
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M: I don’t know, I’ve always been this way; I never seem to get things done early. I think I
just do well under pressure. It’s like the stress makes me more focused.

5. In the library
F: James, look at what the librarian showed me. It’s amazing—you just type in a word here
and it displays a graph showing how many times that word has appeared in printed texts
between 1800 and 2000.
M: That’s incredible. This would be a perfect thing to include during our presentation.
Professor Wilkins said that any additional resources on language change would be
welcome. I wonder if he even knows about this.
F: Oh, probably. He’s the chair of the linguistics department, so I would assume that he
does. Look at this: I just typed in “trousers” and the graph peaks around 1940. From
there, it’s just one long decline. There are about half as many instances of the word today
as there were sixty years ago.
M: Hmm, that’s interesting. I guess that explains why I say “pants” and my grandfather says
“trousers”! I think my father actually uses both!

6. A computer problem
F: These computers are so slow! I waste so much time waiting for the programs to load.
M: Yeah, this whole lab needs a major upgrade.
F: Wasn’t the school supposed to do that last term?
M: I thought so. I guess they haven’t gotten around to it, as usual.

7. Holiday plans
M: Can you believe the holidays are coming so soon?
F: Oh, it just seems that way because of all the advertisements.
M: I don’t know, maybe, but I’m already starting to worry about what presents to buy people
and I’ve barely noticed the ads.
F: Well, it looks like they’re doing their job then, doesn’t it?
M: Yeah, I guess you’re right.

8. Advice from a friend

M: Seriously, Mary, I don’t know why my wrists have been hurting so much the last couple
of weeks. Since school started, it’s beginning to impact my note taking and my job - it’s
getting really hard to type. I’d sure like to know what’s causing it.
F: Strange that they just started aching when school began. Are you doing push-ups or
playing tennis? (pause) Oh, wait, don’t you have a new electronic notepad?
M: Yeah, I do – it’s great for taking notes in class; weighs less, and I don’t have to take my
laptop everywhere.
F: I just saw a video on the health center’s web site about technology-related injuries that
they’re seeing more frequently. Apparently, the hard surface on electronic notepads
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doesn’t absorb the shock from typing that well. They suggested icing your wrists and
typing for shorter periods if at all possible.

Part 2: Longer Conversations

9-11 Parent-teacher conference

F: Hi, I’m Danny Snow’s mom and I’m looking for Mr. Patterson’s room.
M: Oh hello Mrs. Snow. I’m Mike Patterson. It’s nice to get a chance to meet you.
F: Likewise. So, for the past two months, physics is the only thing we can get Danny to talk
about when we ask him about school.
M: Oh. (Dismayed) Is he having difficulties I don’t know about?
F: No. Quite the opposite, in fact. He says yours is the first class that he feels has challenged
him to really try his hardest.
M: Well, that’s wonderful to hear! Well as you know, the point of these parent-teacher
conferences is simply for me to give you a bit better insight into how your son is doing
and address any concerns either of us may have. From my end this will be very brief.
Your son is performing admirably and quickly setting himself apart as one of the year’s
most promising students.
F: Oh I’m so glad.
M: Well you should be…and proud too. Now, I’d like to know how you’d feel about him
joining a club that I’m hoping to start up after school a couple days a week?
F: Like a homework club?
M: No. Actually, it’s a robotics club. I applied for a grant from the National Science
Foundation and next month I plan to have students start putting together some prototypes.
I was thinking this semester we could take a couple of afternoons to work on building and
testing…then next semester we’ll be ready to participate in some regional conferences
and competitions.
F: That sounds like fun…and certainly more worthwhile than him spending the afternoon
playing video games with his friends…
M: Wonderful! Well I’d love to chat some more with you about this, but I actually have
another parent conference that will begin any minute. But I’ll be sure to send some
information home with Danny if he decides he’s interested.
F: Great! Thanks for all your hard work!

12-14 Dining out at a restaurant

F: So, sir… are you ready to order, or would you like a little more time to look over the
menu?
M: Oh, I made up my mind quite awhile ago. I’ve just been sitting here sipping my wine,
waiting for you to come back.
F: I’m very sorry, sir. Our menu is pretty extensive and I’ve found most people really need
the time to pore over it. I apologize for the delay.
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M: Well, it’s OK…. guess I’m just an efficient decision-maker. (pause) So…I’d like the
special of the day… the poached salmon, lemongrass couscous and braised greens, I
believe it was?
F: That’s exactly right. (reluctant) Now I really hate to do this to you, but the chef just
informed me that we are all out of the salmon…
M: You must be joking. It’s not even seven. How can you run out of the special of the day?
F: It was apparently much more popular than the chef anticipated. Again, I’m very sorry. Is
there something else I can bring you instead?
M: Well, I suppose I’ll take the grilled tuna. But that entrée says it comes with steamed
broccoli. Would it be possible to get it with the braised greens? And also, I notice the
tuna is a bit more pricy. Since it’s not my fault you’re out of salmon, will I be able to get
my meal for the same price as the special?
F: I can definitely bring you the tuna steak with the braised greens. As for the price, I’ll
have to double check with the manager, but I think I can make that work. I’ll put your
order right in. Again, sorry for the inconvenience…

15-18 Car repairs at the garage

M: Good afternoon! What brings you to the shop today?
F: Well, actually, I was involved in a bit of an accident a few days ago on the interstate and
I’m looking to get some estimates on the repairs…
M: Yes, I can certainly take a look at it for you. I hope nobody was hurt?
F: Oh, you know…my kids were a bit shaken up when the car hit us, but really, we’re very
lucky that our car did exactly what it was designed to do-- it sustained all the damage and
kept us safe and sound. I was actually quite shocked to see how bad the damage looks,
though, because the impact really felt rather gentle from the inside.
M: Yeah, looking at your bumper and wheel wells, I’m honestly a bit surprised you could
drive away from this accident…and it happened, what…several days ago you said?
F: Yeah, but I’ve been extremely overwhelmed with work…I’m a teacher so with the new
semester starting and all…life has just been too crazy for me to rush down to the shop
and try to arrange for a rental…
M: I totally understand. Do you have a few minutes to sit in the lobby now? I’d actually like
to get the car up on my lift to check the undercarriage. Oftentimes with rear-end
collisions, there’ll be more extensive damage under the car and I want to be sure to
include all that in the estimate. I assume your insurance will be covering the repairs?
F: Yes, well, actually that’s one thing I forgot to mention. It seems my insurance will just
write me a check based on your estimate and then I pay you directly. So does that mean I
have to actually get all the repairs done?
M: Well, ma’am…that’s partly up to you. My personal feeling is since you pay so much for
coverage, insurance has an obligation to make your car whole again and I definitely
recommend making the repairs…especially since you mentioned chauffeuring your
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children around in the vehicle. I wouldn’t avoid making complete repairs, if I were you,
just to save some money After all, it won’t cost you anything.

19-23 Taking grandma to the doctor

M: Mary, hi. I’m glad I ran into you today. I wanted to ask if you have time before the next
anatomy class to talk about yesterday’s lecture – I need to check my notes.
F: Oh, sure. We didn’t see you at the lecture yesterday and missed you at lunch.
M: Yeah, I had to take care of something else. I watched the lecture online and took notes,
but I wanna make sure I didn’t miss anything.
F: Was there an emergency at your house?
M: Well, sort of. I took my grandmother to her appointment at the University Eye clinic here
on campus and stayed with her…. I figured as the medical student in the family, I should
help explain things to her.
F: Well that was nice of you. Did everything go o.k.?
M: Eh, not exactly. She was actually in the emergency room last night, because she’d been
noticing these constant flashing lights in the corner of her eye.
F: Weird. I never heard of anything like that.
M: Me neither, although maybe when we get to the human eye chapter we’ll hear something
about it. Anyways, the emergency room told her to go to the eye clinic because they
didn’t have a machine that could do an extensive eye exam.
F: I see. So, did she find out what was causing the light flashes?
M: Well, she has DVD – detached vitreous disease. It can occur as you get older – places in
the jelly-like part of the eye become softer, sort of liquid. Then little spaces form and
cause the light flashes.
F: Is there a treatment?
M: The doctor said it’s not uncommon to get this with aging, and just needs to be monitored.
The retina can tear and then she might need surgery.
F: It was lucky she had it checked. Anyways, I have some time before I have to start work in
the lab, if you still wanna go over the anatomy notes.
M: Sure, thanks.

Part 3: Extended Discourse

24-31 A radio show

Hello, everyone, and welcome to World View, your daily dose of cultural topics of
interest from around the world. My name is Sarah Gonzalez, and I’m filling in this week for Jane
Landis.
It’s June, which can only mean one thing: wedding season. All this week we’ll be shining
the spotlight on wedding customs from around the world. Of course, the customs we feature may
not be unique to a given culture; many customs show up, in one way or another, in a variety of
cultural practices around the world. One such practice is that of giving a toast, that is, a short
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speech that often includes best wishes for a newly married couple. Typically in the US, toasts
happen at the dinner following a wedding ceremony. At the end of the speech, everyone holds
up their dinner glasses, which may be filled with wine, champagne, or simply water, and touches
them together, making a “clinking” sound, with those seated around them.
It’s not clear about the origins of the toast, but historians tell us that the celebratory ritual
is firmly rooted in Western culture. Theories range from the credible to the absurd. According to
the International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture, toasting is probably a carryover from
ancient sacrificial customs in which a sacred liquid, such as wine, was offered to the gods in
exchange for the fulfillment of a wish or a prayer, for such things as a long life or good health.
Stories of more doubtful origin claim that the touching of glasses during a toast was out of a
concern for being poisoned. The belief was that if you clinked the glasses together hard enough,
the poison from your glass would leap out of it and go into your companion’s glass.
Whatever the history, the toast is a way to commemorate events and honor people. In an
American wedding, there are often several toasts. The first wedding toast is usually offered by
the bride’s father. This toast serves to welcome the wedding guests and wish the newlyweds
success and happiness. The best man, often a brother or best friend of the groom, traditionally
offers a toast to the married couple during the meal. Occasionally, the maid of honor gives a
toast as well, and sometimes the groom, himself, will offer a final toast towards the end of the
wedding to thank the bride’s parents, the members of the wedding party, and the guests.
But it’s the best man’s toast that I’d like to talk about for a minute. It takes the form of a
short speech and often uses a combination of sincerity and humor. The toast also tends to be less
formal and religious than the rest of the wedding ceremony, although there are occasional
exceptions. I happen to prefer short toasts, but I’m sure all of you can think of a wedding you’ve
attended where the best man spoke for 10 minutes or more! If you need to kill some time, visit
YouTube and search for “best man speeches”—you’ll see some great toasts…but you’ll also see
some duds!
Take my own brother’s wedding, for instance. (Sorry, Chris!) The wedding took place at
the nicest hotel in the city and the bride looked stunning. The whole affair was pretty relaxed.
My brother’s best man offered the toast about halfway through dinner, but the poor guy was
clearly uncomfortable speaking in front of a big group. He was so nervous that he froze on the
spot. He had memorized his speech but ended up forgetting most of it because he was so scared.
His voice was low, he was mumbling, and he kept stopping and starting. It was a disaster!
My brother was a good sport about the whole thing, but I think that he really wished that
his friend had written the toast down on paper! This is actually pretty common, and definitely a
good idea for anyone who doesn’t routinely do a lot of public speaking.

32-40 New campus job

F: Hey Josh, how’s it going? I heard you just got a new job on campus.
M: Yeah. I’m working at the university greenhouse. I just started at the beginning of fall
semester.
F: That’s cool. I didn’t know you were into flowers and stuff.
M: Well, I wouldn’t say I’m big into flowers or anything, but since I don’t have a car, I knew
I had to find something on campus.
F: Yeah, that’s a good idea. So what do you actually do there? Just like, water the plants
and stuff?
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M: Yeah, watering’s part of it, along with adding fertilizer to the plants, occasionally some
insecticides if there’s an outbreak of something.
F: Sounds easy enough.
M: Well, most of it isn’t too complicated or anything, but it is hard work! You have to be
prepared to get hot, wet, and dirty, every single day. Most of the time, it’s around 95
degrees in there, so I gotta work at staying hydrated too, just like an athlete does. And I
spend a lot of time carrying hoses, and big pots, and wheelbarrows of dirt around, so it’s
pretty physically intense.
F: Wow. I never really thought about what it takes to maintain a greenhouse, but I guess it
makes sense. So, why does the university have a greenhouse, anyway? Is it just for
research?
M: Not entirely. The majority of stuff that’s grown in the greenhouse is for classes.
Sometimes, if they’re studying tropical trees or something, they’ll go meet there, but for
smaller stuff, I usually have to put it on a cart and haul it over to the biology building.
F: So they keep you running! Say, I think I saw a poster on campus that said “study in the
jungle” or something. What’s that all about?
M: Yeah, it’s this new feature they’re promoting. The greenhouse isn’t a bad place to study,
actually. We’ve got wifi, and there are a couple little areas with tables and chairs and
stuff scattered around different parts of the greenhouse, so it’s like a mini-trip to a natural
environment, like the desert or the rainforest, and it’s nice and warm on a winter’s day!
F: So people actually study in the greenhouse?
M: Yeah. There’s actually quite a bit of research demonstrating the beneficial mental health
aspects of being around nature, reducing stress and anxiety and what not. And since our
campus is right downtown, there aren’t really many other places to do that.
F: Yeah, I know what you mean. And the university pays for all this, right?
M: Not exactly. My supervisor tells me we barely get anything from the Grounds and
Facilities budget. Evidently we’re pretty reliant on the annual plant sale that’s held every
year in the spring. Of course, we do take donations too, but I get the impression there
hasn’t been anything substantial that’s come through in quite some time.
F: Hmm, too bad. Well (laughing), I sure can’t help you out! So tell me more about the
greenhouse itself. Like, do you have any carnivorous plants there? Like the ones that eat
flies and bugs and stuff? I think those are fascinating.
M: Oh yeah, you mean like the Venus Flytrap?
F: Yeah.
M: It’s one of the most popular plants. There’re actually quite a few different carnivorous
plants that we have.
F: Do you have to, like bring them bugs to eat, or something?
M: Not really. In the wild, the Venus Flytrap only catches and consumes about one fly per
month on average, so it’s not something we need to do very often. Where the work comes
in is that we do have to prepare very special soil for the plants to live in. Cuz, umm, the
reason carnivorous plants eat bugs is to get specific nutrients out of the bug’s body,
nutrients the plant can’t get from the soil, because they live in very harsh conditions. So
we have to bleach, or chemically remove, most of the minerals that would naturally be
found in the soil. Otherwise, if you put a carnivorous plant into regular soil, its roots will
absorb too many of the minerals it needs, and it’ll actually overdose, so to speak, and die.
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F: Huh! That’s really interesting, Josh. I bet that’ll work out to be a good job for you. It
sounds like you’ve already learned quite a bit, even though you’ve only been there a
couple of weeks. Maybe I’ll stop by and bring my homework some time.

STOP. THIS IS THE END OF THE CELP PRACTICE LISTENING TEST.

DO NOT TURN THE PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.