Task 1: For questions 1–4, choose from the list (A–G) why each speaker did the test.

A They found it impossible to resist.

B They were curious about this kind of test
C They hadn’t planned to do it.
D They like volunteering for experiments.
E They were obliged to do it.
F They needed help with a problem.
G They had to do it as part of a job application.

(1) Speaker 1 _____

(2) Speaker 2 _____
(3) Speaker 3 _____
(4) Speaker 4 _____

Task 2: For questions 5–8, choose from the list (A–G) what each speaker’s feelings were after
they got the results.

A worried about the future ramifications

B annoyed that they hadn’t done a test like this before
C satisfied that they have the right job
D staggered at how true the results were
E regretful at having done the test
F unhappy with the procedures used to get results
G furious about what the test supposedly revealed

(5) Speaker 1 _____

(6) Speaker 2 _____
(7) Speaker 3 _____
(8) Speaker 4 _____

CAE (Advanced Exam) Listening Test 4

1 C 2 E 3 A 4 B 5 E 6 G 7 D 8 F
SCRIPT: Speaker 1:
I did this magazine quiz called How well does your partner
know you?  You had to grade statements and then give the
same quiz to your partner to answer about you. Well, there
was a huge discrepancy between my results and Charlie’s, and
the analysis said something like, ‘You should have spent more
time getting to know each other.’ We started to talk about the
questions and some of his answers really had me worried. He
can’t have been listening to half the things I’ve told him over
the years! I did the quiz on the spur of the moment but I
rather wish I hadn’t now.
[pause]
Narrator: 2
Speaker 2: I’d already had an interview and had actually been
working there for a couple of weeks. The job is perfect for me
– it involves working to deadlines and I thrive on pressure.
After a couple of weeks they said I had to do a personality
test. They must have got my results mixed up with someone
else’s because they said I wasn’t good at handling pressure.
I’ve never felt so insulted in my life. Me? Not handle pressure?
Well, now I think my boss sees just how wide of the mark the
results were.
[pause]
Narrator: 3
Speaker 3: I’m a real sucker for quizzes and personality tests. I
love them! But I honestly didn’t expect much from this one. I
mean how could choosing colours say anything about your
personality? You had to click on eight colours in order of
preference, then wait a few minutes and repeat the same test.
I clicked on purple first and then I can’t remember but I know I
put grey, blue and black last both times. When I read the
results I could hardly believe it. My attitudes, my worries, my
problems with my partner, my work habits – it was all
absolutely spot on.
[pause]
Narrator: 4
Speaker 4: The psychology department were asking for
student volunteers to do a personality test. I’ve always wanted
to get to the bottom of how these tests work, so I went along.
We were asked to wait until they called us in but they put us
in this really stuffy room with only three seats and there must
have been at least fifteen of us. We had to wait for ages! I was
getting really fed up. Finally, it was my turn. They thanked me
for coming and explained that they had really been looking at
our behaviour in the overcrowded room and recording it. They
ought to have told us that was what was going on. It’s not
ethical.

Listen to part of a discussion about a book on laughter and

complete the sentences. Use no more than three words in
each sentence.
1 Provine’s book proposes that laughter is used to improve
human ________________________ .

2 Mark says that today people often only laugh at TV

________________________ .

3 Diana says that women think a good ________________________

is vital in personal male/ female relationships.

4 Diana thinks that the fact that there haven’t been many
________________________ in the past reflects a commonly held
attitude.

5 Although laughter is important in relationships, there is no

evidence to suggest that our ________________________ would
benefit.

6 Provine’s book suggests that it’s important to

________________________ more frequently with friends if you
want to laugh more.

1 interaction
2 comedy
3 sense of humour
4 female comedians
5 health or longevity/longevity or health
6 socialise

Presenter: Welcome to the Review Show. Joining me today

are writers Diana Abel and Mark Shaw. The first book we’ll be
discussing is Robert Provine’s Laughter: a scientific
investigation. It’s certainly an interesting topic, Mark. But what
did you make of the idea that laughter is not primarily a
response to humour but a social lubricant – something used
to smooth interaction between people?
Mark: Yes. Very interesting. It’s something I’ve come across
before and I don’t think Provine is the first to make this claim.
But he is the first to popularise this theory. And I think a lot of
people will find it really difficult to accept that we don’t just
laugh because we find something funny. Laughter has a much
more complex role. What’s really disturbing is that, according
to some statistics, we’re laughing much less than we used to,
usually only when we’re watching a comedy on TV.
Presenter: Indeed. Diana, I know you were particularly struck
by the comparisons between male and female laughter in the
book.
Diana: Yes, that’s right. While researching the book, Provine
looked at hundreds of lonely hearts ads in the newspapers
and found that one of the key qualities women look for in a
potential partner is a good sense of humour – something
sought after much less commonly by men. That was news to
me. It seems women want a man who will make them laugh,
while men like women who laugh at their jokes. That might
explain why until relatively recently there were so few female
comedians around.
Presenter: Provine does stress the importance of increasing
laughter in our lives and gives some advice on how to achieve
this. Were you tempted to try out any of his suggestions,
Diana?
Diana: Well, Provine thinks laughter is important for
maintaining relationships but doesn’t necessarily support the
idea that laughter improves health or longevity. So he’s not
advocating attending laughter workshops or laughter yoga.
His message is really quite simple. If you want to laugh more,
rather than sitting in front of comedy programmes, socialise
more with people whose company you enjoy – which makes
sense to me. One thing I’m in favour of, which Provine doesn’t
mention, is that people should lighten up and laugh at
themselves more.
Presenter: Did either of you find your attitude to laughter had
changed after reading the book?
Mark: I certainly started noticing when people actually
laughed and found it confirmed Provine’s theory, that is,
people were laughing at things that weren’t remotely funny
and also in odd places during a conversation.
Diana: The effect it had on me was to monitor my own
impulses to laugh – it made me less spontaneous in a way.
Mark: … analysing what made you want to laugh instead of
reacting naturally – I experienced that, too.
Presenter: So did you find the book answered everything you
ever wanted to know about laughter?
Mark: It was pretty comprehensive, especially the parts on
how humour and comedy work. He also focuses on how
humour can be abusive and cruel – anyone who’s experienced
this in the playground will be able to relate to that. The
section on the mechanics of breathing and laughing I could
have done without.
Diana: I was more interested in the social aspects of laughter.
Provine argues that laughter existed before comedy and I wish
he’d gone into more depth about how laughter may have
begun.
Mark: That was my favourite section of the book, so more on
that would have been welcome. The descriptions of how
laughter may have started with chimpanzees tickling each
other are wonderful.
Presenter: But, overall, would you recommend this to
someone who hasn’t got a professional or academic interest
in laughter?
Mark: Without question, yes. There were some bits where I
felt my lack of a background in neuroscience was a
disadvantage but you can just skip those bits and move on to
some of the lovely anecdotes about the research – some of
the accounts of the contagious nature of laughter are really
amazing. In some places people couldn’t stop laughing for
days.
Diana: Yes, incredible.
Presenter: And do you think the book will help people?
Mark: Well, if you just want to find out about the benefits of
laughter, there are more appropriate self-help guides. This is
more wide-ranging than that.

Presenter: I see. So, moving on to another book about

comedy … [fade out]