Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Exercise 1
Exercise 1
Exercise 1
You will hear a man called André Laroque talking about a luxury railway journey in Canada.
For questions 9-18, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.
André says that the route his train took is (9) ……………………………… kilometres long.
André says that Calgary was placed first in a list of the world’s (10) ……………………………… cities.
André was particularly impressed by how (11) ……………………………… the mountains along the route
are.
André says that pictures of trains on (12) ……………………………… have made the Canadian Pacific
internationally famous.
André was pleased to find that he had his own (13) ……………………………… in his compartment on
the train.
André was surprised that there was only one (14) ……………………………… for the sixteen passengers.
During dinner on the train, André listened to live (15) ……………………………… music.
André was disappointed not to see a (16) ……………………………… when the train stopped so
As they went down a hill called Big Hill, André saw a lot of (17) ……………………………… coming from
the train.
Towards the end of his journey, André saw the biggest (18) ……………………………… of its kind in North
America.
Listening Part 3
You will hear five short extracts in which people talk about why they changed their job.
For questions 19-23, choose from the list (A-H) the main reason each person gives for their last
change of job.
A to work outdoors
You will hear a radio interview with Lily Jenkins, whose favourite sport is windsurfing.
A Try to make sure your sail never falls into the water.
Listening Part 1
3 You hear a woman talking on the radio about a place called Dolphin Bay.
A on the Internet
B on the radio
C on television
A to collect a parcel
B to buy stamps
C to send a parcel
B protecting wildlife
C buying a motorcycle
7 You overhear a student talking about her new college.
8 You overhear a driving instructor talking to a learner after the lesson has
ended.
Listening Part 2
You will hear a student called Fiona Doyle talking about living in the countryside after growing up
in a city.
For questions 9-18, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.
Fiona says the lack of (9) ……………………………… in the countryside created a contrast at night.
At first, the (11) ……………………………… made it difficult for Fiona to sleep in the house.
Fiona finds she tends to (12) ……………………………… later in the day than when she was in the city.
In the countryside, Fiona sees (13) ……………………………… from her bedroom window.
Fiona sometimes finds the slowness of the (14) ……………………………… where she lives rather
irritating.
Out in the countryside, Fiona sometimes can’t get (15) ……………………………… from friends.
The nearest (16) ……………………………… is almost two kilometres away from where Fiona lives.
Fiona says you need to have a (17) ……………………………… in the country, but not in the city.
Fiona won’t have to travel as far to the (18) ……………………………… as she would from her old home.
Listening Part 3
You will hear five short extracts in which people are talking about difficult situations they have
been in.
For questions 19-23, choose from the list (A-H) what each speaker says they did in each situation.
Use the letters only once. There is one extra letter which you do not need to use.
Listening Part 4
You will hear an interview with travel writer Amy McCarthy about her first experience of
travelling abroad.
For questions 1-9, read the text below and think of the word which best fits the gap. Use
Food preservation
Keeping food for long periods (1)…………… time was historically a huge problem. This proved
especially crucial (2)…………… times when agricultural production (3)…………… severely limited by
weather or crop failure. People commonly used ice to keep food fresh but, of (4)……………, ice itself
melts relatively quickly. In 1859 an American, John Mason, invented a glass jar with a metal screw-
on lid, creating a perfect seal and making (5)…………… possible to preserve food that would
previously not have remained edible. Mason’s jar is still (6)…………… use throughout the world.
An even (7)…………… successful method for keeping food by canning it in metal containers was
perfected between 1870 (8)…………… 1920 by Englishman Bryan Donkin. This preserved food
beautifully, though the early iron cans were expensive, heavy and difficult to open. A breakthrough
came in the 1880s with the development of lighter materials (9)…………… also enabled mass
production of cans.
B2 Use of English Test 23 – Writing the missing word in gaps
For questions 1-9, read the text below and think of the word which best fits the gap. Use
The homing instinct is what makes certain animals, birds and fish return (1)…………… the place they
consider home. Cats often have this instinct. It was particularly strong in an American cat called
Ninja, which disappeared shortly (2)…………… its owners had taken it to their new home; a year
later the cat turned up at its old home even (3)…………… this was 1,360 kilometres away
from (4)…………… its owners were now living. Other cats may not travel so far but many (5)……………
on going back to their old home. Pilsbury, an English cat, made a 13-kilometre journey back to its
former home 40 times in spite of having to cross several busy roads to (6)…………… so.
Pigeons also have the homing instinct and, ever (7)…………… ancient times, human beings have
used them to carry messages back home. However, cat owners, (8)…………… have to keep returning
to their old address in (9)…………… to bring their cat home, tend to find the homing instinct simply
For questions 1-9, read the text below and think of the word which best fits the gap. Use
Reading is good (1)…………… us. In fact, there is plenty of evidence that reading for pleasure is more
than just another leisure pursuit – it actually improves our mental and physical health. Reading
for a considerable period of time, helps to lengthen attention spans in children and improves their
ability to think clearly. However, experts say (4)…………… is essential to acquire the habit of reading
Reading can undoubtedly (6)…………… beneficial to our mental well-being. Reading not (7)……………
helps combat feelings of loneliness, it also allows people to relax and forget their problems
for (8)…………… while. The concentration required during the act of reading seems to ease muscle
tension and slow the heart rate. Researchers have found that just six minutes of reading can
For questions 1-9, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
At school, the (1)…………… majority of what we learn is factual. In history lessons we memorise
names and dates; in science we have to cope (2)…………… chemical formulas and complex
equations; in maths it’s all numbers and signs. It’s only in language lessons where we
may (3)…………… fiction. Some people would argue that there’s (4)…………… point in reading
something which is ‘made up’. If this is the (5)……………, why do language teachers encourage their
It is because they are (7)…………… of the benefits that reading brings. It isn’t simply because reading
fiction helps us (8)…………… reality for a while and switch off from our everyday routines. Reading
fiction also teaches us to see the world through other people’s eyes. It (9)…………… us to
understand the feelings of others, making us more empathetic. Fiction, in other words, helps us
be better friends.
2 A for B on C by D with
For questions 1-9, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
Child’s play?
Imagine a restaurant, but with a (1)…………… . The restaurant is run (2)…………… by children aged
under 11; they cook and serve the food, and then wash up. The children even bring the bill at the
end of the meal, all with a little help from the (3)…………… staff of course. There are always four
adults on hand to (4)…………… the youngsters. There’s a set menu with a main course and dessert,
and everything is made from fresh (5)…………… . The food is healthy and prices are (6)…………… and
so, not surprisingly, the restaurant is very popular. This means that a reservation is usually
necessary to be (7)…………… of getting a table. The (8)…………… idea is to help parents by providing
childcare, and to help children learn to be responsible. This is done by giving them independence
in a fun and child-friendly (9)…………… . Is this the stuff of dreams? No, it’s the new reality of the
21st century.
For questions 1-9, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in
the gap.
Smartphones at school
Some of the schools in my home town are really strict and students are not (1)…………… (ALLOW)
to use their smartphones at school. Mine is different – there’s a much more (2)…………… (RELAX)
policy. In break times, it’s (3)…………… (ACCEPT) to use our smartphones. But in lessons, it’s the
individual teacher’s (4)…………… (DECIDE) whether we can use them or not. For some pieces of
work, like a timed writing task, they’re completely (5)…………… (FORBID) . Of course it’s
our (6)…………… (RESPONSIBLE) to follow the rules, which we do. In some lessons, the teachers
actively encourage us to use our phones when they think it’ll be (7)…………… (BENEFIT) to us. There
are lots of really good ways to use smartphones in class, and I’m in favour of these. One example
is games, where we choose multiple-choice answers on our phones. I’m really (8)……………
(COMPETE), so love doing those. Although it can be a bit (9)…………… (SOCIAL), when everyone just
For questions 1-9, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in
the gap.
There is an almost (1)…………… (LIMITED) number of video games on the market today and you
could be forgiven for being under the (2)…………… (IMPRESS) that the best ones are those packed
with special effects, requiring great techniques. Nothing could be further from the (3)……………
(TRUE). The favourite game of all time is also one of the oldest and most basic: Tetris. The player
has to fit a (4)…………… (VARY) of shapes together on the screen. When a whole row is made
without gaps between the blocks, the line vanishes. Should a line remain (5)…………… (COMPLETE),
however, new blocks will build up on top of it. Once the screen’s full, the game’s over.
Part of the (6)…………… (APPEALING) is that anyone can play Tetris. Scientists also believe that the
game’s (7)…………… (POPULAR) is due to the fact that it makes our brains work with
greater (8)…………… (EFFICIENT). The more we play, the easier it becomes, so we carry
You are going to read an article about a man who appeared on a reality TV programme. For
questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Some years ago, a British TV company came up with an idea for a reality TV show. People with no
experience would be trained in a profession in a very short period of time, then would try and pass
themselves off as the real thing with the general public. The show was called Faking It, and the
format has since been imitated the world over. One of the first contestants was Gavin Freeborn, a
twenty-three-year-old farmer’s son, who trained with celebrity hairdresser Trevor Sorbie in
‘I was at university, studying for a degree in agriculture, when some friends mentioned that a TV
company had advertised for people to take part in Faking It. They were looking for someone who’d
never picked up a pair of scissors or thought of hairdressing as a career, which I certainly hadn’t. I
reckoned it would be a laugh. Having spent my school holidays shearing sheep on my parents’
farm, I was used to the idea of haircutting, but obviously it’s harder doing it on people – because
‘I’d never been to London before and it was so busy that I felt a bit overwhelmed at first. Meeting
Trevor for the first time, he seemed really strict, but once he realised I was taking the challenge
seriously we got on like a house on fire and they often had to stop filming because we couldn’t
stop giggling. Fortunately, I didn’t have to do any of the washing or sweeping floors other people
new to the business have to do. I went straight into blow-drying and cutting instead.’
‘At first I practised on a dummy’s head, which was a welcome safety net, but I did make a really
bad mistake halfway through filming when I was cutting one real man’s hair. I’d been shown how
to use clippers to get a cropped effect but hadn’t been warned to angle the comb. I ended up
shaving off a huge patch of hair! He couldn’t see what I’d done, but the camera crew couldn’t stop
laughing, so it was obvious I’d made a mistake. Luckily, I managed to rectify the situation and told
‘By the day of my final test, I knew I was capable but I felt sick with nerves. I didn’t want to let Trevor
down. But even though I failed to convince the client that I was a real hairdresser, she approved
of the haircut and the judges were impressed by it, too. It didn’t worry me at the time but, looking
back now, I think it was a bit unfair that I was penalised for taking too long – and hour-and-a-half
– when I’d been taught the most important thing was to ensure your client walks out of the salon
fallen in love with the buzz of the city. People in town kept stopping and staring at me as if I was
famous. I found this unnerving at first, but with time I got used to it. There were a few comments
‘When I agreed to do Faking It, I had no idea how much I was signing my life away, but I couldn’t
say I have any regrets. The thing is that I’ve discovered growing up on a farm doesn’t mean I can’t
work in a creative field. What’s more, I’ve now got choices I didn’t realise I had, which is brilliant.
Although I still keep in contact with everyone from Trevor’s salon, and we all go out when I’m in
2 How did Gavin feel about the hairdressing mistake he made one day?
You are going to read an extract from a book about a cycle ride from Russia to the UK. For
questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
We had been flying east all night and I awoke to notice that it was already daylight. Looking out of
the window onto the empty landscape below, the dark shades of brown and green reassured me
that, although it was mid-September, it had not yet started snowing in Siberia. I could see no sign
of human life and the view rolled away in an otherworldly blend of mountains, streams and forests
to an endless horizon.
My Russian neighbour Sergei woke up and smiled at me sleepily. I had told him that I was flying to
the far-eastern Siberian city of Magadan with only a one-way ticket because it was my intention to
return home to England by bicycle. ‘But, Robert,’ he had reasoned with me, ‘there is no road from
Magadan; you cannot ride a bicycle.’ I explained that I had reason to believe that there was a road,
‘Yes just one,’ I nodded. Sergei still looked unconvinced and with just one word ‘Holodna’ (cold)
he pointed outside. I tried to bolster my case by explaining to Sergei with (line 27) hand gestures
that I had a lot of warm clothes, though I left out the fact that, because my trip was self-funded I
was on a tight budget. Most of my clothes and equipment had been bought at slashed prices. In
reality, I was not at all sure they would be up to the job. This was especially true of my enormous
My life of travel had all started in a lecture hall in Scotland several years ago. The hall that morning
was full of students slumped in their seats. Some were taking notes, without energy. The lecturer
droned on. I was thinking hard about a particular dilemma. Should I ask him or not? ‘Well, why
not?’ I tore a fresh sheet from my pad and wrote, ‘Hi Al, Do you want to cycle across the Karakorum
Highway between Pakistan and China this summer? Rob.’ In the row in front of me slouched Al,
my old school friend. I tapped him on the shoulder and passed the note. He tried to decipher my
scrawl, scratched his head, wrote something and passed it back. I unfolded it and held my breath
Six years later I was going to join Al in Siberia. I had been working as a geography teacher and
although I was still far from having full control of my classes, the job did tick many important boxes
for me. It was frequently challenging, rarely boring, often fulfilling and of course there were great
long holidays in which to chase adventures. Twice since I had started teaching I had used these
holidays to go to meet Al. He had caught the adventuring bug in a big way after our bike ride
through Pakistan and so had decided to do something far more relaxing than teaching: to cycle
around the world. I was now joining him for the Siberian part of his trip.
Ever since that first ride we had taken together, Al had been setting himself greater and greater
challenges. This round-the-world by-bike trip was certainly his greatest so far. At times he thought
that the ride, or the road, would break him. Although it sounded tough, I envied him in many ways.
He was having an extraordinary adventure, finding that he could deal with each new challenge
even if it seemed impossible. He was proving wrong the sceptics who had told him he could not
do it. He was doing something that scared him nearly every day and it made him feel alive.
2 Robert uses the phrase ‘bolster my case’ in line 27 to show that he was trying to
C reassure Sergei.
D correct Sergei.
C he was confident that he was well prepared for the extreme cold.
You are going to read an article about four teenagers who have started their own business. For
questions 1-10, choose from the teenagers (A-D). The teenagers may be chosen more than once.
Which teenager
I suppose it was obvious I had a head for business when I was about six. I used to make my parents
cups of tea in the morning – and charge them 20p for each one. And it was another 20p if it needed
reheating. And then about a year ago I was in a chain coffee shop waiting in line to get my drink,
and I just realised how dreadful the whole experience was – dirty tables, rubbish Wifi and grumpy
staff. And I thought ‘I bet I could do better than that’. So a friend and I launched an app enabling
people to access menus, order and interact with each other. Since then I haven’t looked back. I
was concerned that I wasn’t doing too well at school, which was a bit depressing, but with the
B Jimbo, 15
When people ask what I do, I tell them I advise people about their brand on social media. They
can’t believe I’m doing this while I’m so young. But I love it. The tricky bit is getting everything done
that I need to; sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day! I’ve been doing the job about six
months, and it took quite a lot of effort at the start to persuade my mum and dad that it wasn’t
just a waste of time. But now they’re confident I’m doing OK. Which is just as well, because now
that I’ve launched an online magazine, I should have several more projects on the way, as long as
I can get the money together. One’s going to be setting up a firm with my best mate – it should
C Sarah McFinny, 18
Using social media comes naturally to me, and it’s not something I’ve ever had to try to get my
head around. I’m in my first year at uni, and I was lending a hand to someone who wanted to
organise a social media campaign for a university sports club. I did lots of work for her, setting it
up and publicising it, and she couldn’t believe the results I got. It was amazing! So I thought, ‘You
know what – I could make some money out of doing this sort of thing’. When I’m talking to clients,
obviously I don’t shout about my age, I mean you want to be taken seriously. When I graduate, I
want to help my parents run their business, or at least do that part-time. I’m excited about the
future.
D Duncan Jackson, 15
Well, I’ve never liked spending money, even at a really young age. But now that I’ve worked out
how to make money, I’m really driven to get out of bed every morning and make as much as I can.
I basically run an online shop, and I’ve had over 100 customers so far. It’s always nice when a
customer visits the store and buys from you again – you know you’re doing something right. I don’t
always get things right though. In fact, there are lots of things I’ve got very wrong, like setting my
prices too high – or too low! But that can be useful, because when something doesn’t go as
planned, you can always adapt and hope you do it better next time.
Star%ng your own business – B2 English Reading Test
Reading Tests for B2
You are going to read an article about people who gave up their jobs to start their own business.
For questions 1-10, choose from the people (A-D). The people may be chosen more than once.
Which person
We talked to four people who gave up working for somebody else and started their own business
A Beautician
I had to rethink my future when the multi-national company I worked for as a marketing executive
decided to move my job to the USA. My life back then, wearing designer clothes and taking regular
long-haul flights, couldn’t be more different from today. Well, I wanted a job where I’d have the
chance to interact with people more, and saw a gap in the market for a beauty salon locally.
Working for yourself is great as you can make your own mind up about things and you aren’t
driven by someone else about when and how you do that. But the flipside is that there’s nobody
to share the burden with when you wake up in the middle of the night worrying about how you’re
B Gym owner
After seventeen years working in banking, I wanted to try something totally different. A business
that used a combination of my financial, sporting and parenting experience, but which didn’t
involve such long exhausting hours at the office appealed to me a great deal. I came across the
concept behind The Little Gym by accident when I was surfing the Internet. It’s a novel concept
that had gone down really well in the USA. It caters for children from four months to twelve years,
giving them good-quality physical instruction and a cerebral work-out at the same time. Having
control of my own life is a definite high, as is seeing my staff doing a good job. Every day is different,
I worked for a big international company, but was no longer finding it rewarding. I’d completed
twenty years’ service, so I had some money saved up, but not enough to retire on. But I took six
months off and we went to stay with my wife’s family in Spain. It was a good opportunity to ponder
the question: ‘What next?’ That’s when we got the idea for Tapas in a Box. We were in a bar eating
the local Spanish food called ‘tapas’ and I thought: ‘This would be perfect for people back home
who want to have a great, relaxed time with friends, without spending ages cooking.’ The challenge
was then to work out how to deliver the mix of foods all at once, because tapas includes things
like raw almonds and chilled cheeses as well as the hot things that need heating in an oven. Once
we’d cracked that, we were up and running. I can’t stress too much the thrill you feel when a
customer tells you they’ve had a great time. The sense of having gone from a new idea to actually
D Virtual PA
I’d been a secretary and personal assistant (PA) for twenty years and had begun to dread the
thought that I’d be at the same desk until I retired. When the company announced that its
European office was to close, I could’ve taken a drop in salary and found another job locally, but
decided to set up my own business instead. I got my idea because, in effect, I’d been a virtual PA
all along. My boss was usually only in the office a couple of days a month, so we’d always worked
remotely by email and phone calls. I thought I could offer a similar service to other busy people.
Now I’ve got all sorts of regular clients, including surveyors, solicitors, an advertising agency and
even an author. I never expected such a mix. I can’t wait to see what challenges lie in store for me.
Sneakers – B2 English Reading Test
You are going to read an article about sports shoes. Six sentences have been removed from the
article.
Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits each gap (1-6). There is one extra sentence
Sneakers
Sneakers, or shoes designed mainly for sports and other outdoor activities, are worn in almost
every country in the world. Arguably they have become a symbol of globalisation itself.
Yet there are some variations, not least in what they are called. In the US, they have always been
‘sneakers’, at least ever since the Boston Journal explained it to its readers as being ‘the name boys
give to tennis shoes’ back in 1887. (1)………… However, in Britain, the word ‘trainers’ is much more
common. Other names include ‘daps’ and ‘plimsolls’, which itself dates back to the 1870s. They are
also known as ‘rubber shoes’ in the Philippines, ‘tennis’ in South Africa, ‘running shoes’ in Australia
During the late 19th century, sneakers were worn by holidaymakers, as well as by sports players
on the tennis court. The main advantage of wearing these shoes was that they enabled the wearer
to move around quickly. (2)………… Later designs for sports players made this even more effective
by also adding metal spikes which would dig into the ground.
British company JW Foster and Sons produced the first shoes made specifically for running in 1895,
and the spikes allowed for greater acceleration and speed. (3)………… There, runners Harold
Abrahams and Eric Liddell won their 100 metre and 400 metre running races while wearing these
shoes. Doubtless Forster and Sons were delighted. The fortunes of Abrahams and Liddell were
During the 1920s and 1930s, sports became associated with building moral character and raising
national pride. Demand for sneakers rose as a result, so manufacturers could afford to make the
designs more varied. (4)………… All around the world, different shoes were also being produced for
different sports. In France, a brand called Spring Court marketed the first canvas tennis shoe,
complete with eight little holes for ventilation on the side of their rubber soles.
During the 1950s, people in America and Europe began to have more free time, more leisure
opportunities, and often more money to spend. There were great changes in the attitudes and
habits of the new generation. (5)………… Previously, they had simply worn the same things as
adults, but in smaller sizes. Dress codes relaxed, and fashion items from sneakers to jeans became
wearing, and then wanted the same for themselves. Now it is common for sports stars to endorse
(be seen to recommend) and advertise a particular brand of sneaker: recent examples include
tennis ace Roger Federer and basketball star Lebron James. But did you know that this is a long-
standing tradition, and that perhaps the bestselling sports shoe ever, the Converse All-Star was
Sneakers continued to become more and more popular. (6)………… This made sneakers the
cheaper option, which in turn made young people even more likely to buy them instead of an
B This was achieved by the use of an engraved piece of rubber on the underside of the shoe,
D In fact, sales grew so much that they negatively affected sales of traditional leather footwear.
E For perhaps the first time, children and teenagers everywhere were choosing for themselves
what to wear.
F They became very popular with athletes, including at the 1924 Olympics.
Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits each gap (1-6). There is one extra sentence
Going up in a glider
Gliders are planes without engines. We sent our reporter to find out what it’s like to fly in one.
When I arrive at the London Gliding School, Adrian, a volunteer instructor who has been gliding
for ten years, warmly greets me. He immediately takes me off to what’s clearly the centre of all
operations – the cafeteria. After a quick chat, we drive to the launch base where Dan, my instructor
for the day, begins to prepare me on all I need to know. Dan, who is twenty, did his first solo flight
Going through all the theory of how everything works and what to do once airborne seems pretty
simple. I’m not so keen, though, on the instructions about what to do in an emergency. (1)…………
The glider is connected by rope to a light aircraft as we’re pulled up into the air. A bumpy start
along the field and we’re off and up. ‘I like it when people scream’ were Dan’s words on the
ground. (2)………… But I am fiercely gripping my parachute straps and lots of noises are coming
from my stomach, which is doing somersaults. Once we’re up to around 1,500 feet, the rope is
detached with a clunk from the underside of the glider and we’re free.
It’s a strange feeling – there’s a sense of safety when the rope is attached to the
aeroplane. (3)………… ‘I am in control,’ Dan tells me. He’s not attempting to be heroic; this is glider
talk. ‘You are in control,’ I respond. Thankfully I’m not or I doubt we’d be swooping through the
peaceful skies so smoothly and effortlessly. Something you notice straightaway is the lack of an
The weather conditions aren’t ideal, as it’s an all-too-familiar grey English day. (4)………… But I’m
told that, with perfect weather conditions of a clear windy day and lots of cumulus cloud, we’d be
able to catch the thermals and rise, staying up in the air for longer. It’s possible to glide as far as
In a glider both pilot and passenger have a set of controls, so either person can take control. The
passenger can also ‘follow through’ with the controls, basically lightly touching all their own
controls and feeling what the pilot is doing. (5)………… So when Dan tells me ‘You are in control’
and I repeat ‘I am in control,’ I’m glad he can’t see the terror in my face. After some jumpy
manoeuvres to keep the glider at ‘normal gliding attitude,’ where the horizon remains at a constant
level, I’m just getting into the swing of it when Dan regains control to bring us in for landing.
Landing a glider is much calmer than other types of aircraft. (6)………… You descend and approach
the landing area, deploying the spoilers (flaps on the wings) to weaken the air flow, and ease the
glider lower until the wheels make contact and you’re gently bumping along the field. I absolutely
B Release the safety belts and jump out seems to be the only response possible.
D Once it goes, I feel I want to hold onto something in case we start falling to the ground.
E He tells me that it’s too cloudy for those acrobatics, however, and relief washes over me.
G It’s much less sudden and you notice the absence of engine roar.