Difficulty level: C1 / advanced
In this part, you will hear short extracts from exchanges between interacting speakers with two multiple-choice questions on each extract.
- play
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- min volume
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M: Good flight?
F: Hardly. Air travel just goes from bad to worse. It wasn’t even a particularly cheap flight, but
there was precious little leg room, it left half-an-hour late and I wasn’t offered as much as a
glass of water.
M: Well it was the national airline, so you always pay a bit over the odds, but there are actuallyfewer seats, so it shouldn’t be cramped. But since the budget airlines started competing,
nobody’s offering free refreshments on these short routes anymore. Anyway, the pilot
obviously made up time. I’d only just turned up and there you were!
F: I expect you were late too! But there’s an inordinate amount of queuing up and hanging aboutinvolved in air travel. I know you’re going to say that’s because of security and so it’s not theairline’s fault ...
M: I wasn’t actually. The thing to do next time is steer clear of the big hubs. You could have
flown into the little airport down the coast even with this airline; lots less hanging about there.There’s not the volume of passengers and despite the drive, it’d still be quicker than the train.
F: It’s not this airport I’m complaining about. It’s the one I’ve just come from!
Extract TwoYou hear a science teacher telling a friend about her work.
Now look at questions 3 and 4.
M: From what I remember of science at school, it was mostly a case of ‘listen and make notes’with the odd set-piece experiment.
F: That’s not science. I mean, all subjects are knowledge-based to a certain extent, but with the
internet, kids can access information directly without the mediation of the teacher. What they
can’t manage to do on their own is question it – have a critical view of its accuracy and
usefulness. That’s where the teacher comes in.
M: Right.
F: And kids need to know how to use science in real life. So these days, it’s all about puttinginformation in context. Like, I did a lesson last week where they worked out how much energyis expended to make, buy and watch a television. I mean, there’s an immediate relevancethere.
M: So do kids everywhere do that now?
F: Well it’ll be good if they could. I worked out this scheme of work with some colleagues fromother local schools. It had official backing, but only time will tell if it gets adopted on a wider
scale. But we had a meeting last week to see how it was going and nobody wanted to change
anything!
Extract ThreeYou hear a new album being reviewed on a music radio station.
Now look at questions 5 and 6.
M: And Fiona, you’ve been listening to the first album from a new band, new to me at least,called The Forerunners. Where did they come from?
F: Well, basically Tom, what you’ve got here is four young guys from rural England who debut
with a record that’s effectively home made – not a studio recording. That’s incredible in itself.But what really blew me away was the fact that it’s unaffected in a way you’d scarcely think
possible. They make a gentle sound, and even when doing crescendos they never get harsh– never seem to fall in love with their own vibe. Added to that, they seem to use a wholerange of instruments without ever drawing your attention to the fact.
M: Yes I agree, and they keep the interest going from one little jewel to the next, there are
almost no duds here. And, although there are echoes of all sorts of people, it wouldn’t be fairto make comparisons. I mean, what makes them kind of unique is that they don’t seem to be
trying to sound like anyone but themselves.
F: Quite. Highly recommended!
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15 CAE Listening Practice Tests with answer keys, tapescripts and explanations. Complete a test and get a score [out of 210] and your CAE Listening grade. Practice online, print it or save in PDF. These listening tests are perfect for self-preparation!
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The old, print-friendly test
CAE Listening Part 1
//engexam.info/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/CAE-1-4-1.mp3You will hear three different extracts. For questions 1-6, choose the answer [A, В or C] which fits best according to what you hear. There are two questions for each extract.
Extract One
You hear part of a radio discussion about a football team
1 What impresses the man about the player called John Elliott?
A He is able to keep calm when he gets near the goal area
B He is good at preventing the opponents from scoring
C He can score many goals given the right conditions
2 What do the two speakers disagree about?
A the inflated price paid for the new player
B the new player’s long-term prospects in the team
C the manager’s previous mistakes when purchasing players
Extract Two
You hear part of a radio interview with Deanna Carriconde, who has just won a prize for her environmental work in South America
3 Deanna thinks the underlying cause of the ecosystem changes she mentions is
A overfishing by industrial fisheries
B increased local sea temperatures
C growth of predator populations in the area
4 How do the local fishermen feel about Deanna’s work now?
A unhappy about sharing their catch with marine creatures she protects
B pleased that she has prevented industrial exploitation of anchovies
C optimistic about the prospect of catching better quality fish
Extract Three
You hear part of a radio programme about books and reading
5 Why did the woman read the book she describes?
A It was an unexpected gift
B She came across it by chance
C It was recommended to her
6 What did the book help her to understand?
A how strange the world is
B how enjoyable stories can be
C how she could become a writer
For this task: Answer Keys :: Tapescript