Cambridge B2 First Listening practice test 1

You will hear people talking in eight different situations. For questions 1 to 8, choose the best answer (A, B or C).

1. You hear a professional basketball player talking about appearing on a TV entertainment show. Why did he agree to take part?

A) to bring his club to the attention of a wider audience

B) to test himself in a situation where he had no experience

C) to please a family member who is a fan of the show

2. You hear two members of a community choir talking after a rehearsal. The woman thinks the choir should

A) rehearse more often

B) choose more modern songs

C) perform in public more regularly

3. You hear a woman leaving a voicemail message for a colleague. Why is she calling?

A) to apologise for a mistake she made

B) to ask her colleague to do something for her

C) to rearrange a meeting with a client

4. You hear a man talking about his first evening at a pottery class. How did he feel at the end of the class?

A) disappointed with what he had made

B) keen to carry on with the course

C) embarrassed in front of the other students

5. You hear two friends talking about a novel they have read for their book club. What does the man criticise about it?

A) The ending was too easy to guess

B) The main character was hard to believe in

C) It was much longer than it needed to be

6. You hear a woman talking on local radio about a plan for a new cycle lane. What is she doing?

A) complaining about a decision that has been made

B) describing how the new scheme will operate

C) urging listeners to give their views on the plan

7. You hear two friends talking about a walking holiday they went on together. What do they both think about the holiday?

A) The weather spoiled some of their days

B) The places they stayed in were disappointing

C) The route was harder than they had expected

8. You hear a man talking about his work as a volunteer at a local museum. What does he get most out of the work?

A) talking to people who visit the museum

B) helping with research in the archive

C) finding out about the history of the objects

You will hear {speaker_line}. For questions 9 to 18, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.

9. Owen says that the thing he remembers most from his first visit to a paper mill is the {{9}}.

10. Owen explains that most of the energy used in making paper goes into {{10}} the pulp.

11. According to Owen, paper fibres can usually be recycled about {{11}} times before they become too short to use.

12. Owen says the items people put in their paper bins that cause the most problems are {{12}}.

13. Owen was surprised to learn that some new packaging is made from {{13}} instead of wood.

14. Owen's factory now collects {{14}} to use in the production process.

15. Owen admits he gets frustrated when small items bought online arrive in {{15}}.

16. Owen says glossy magazine paper is difficult to recycle because of the {{16}} added to its surface.

17. Owen says that in the offices his company checks, the printed documents most often thrown away are {{17}}.

18. Owen hopes his company will introduce a {{18}} for local businesses next year.

You will hear five short extracts in which people are talking about a long train journey they made across Europe. For questions 19 to 23, choose from the list (A to H) what each speaker liked most about the journey they made. Use the letters only once. There are three extra letters which you do not need to use.

19. Speaker 1

A) the chance to get to know other passengers

B) the views from the window

C) the quality of the food on board

D) the comfort of the sleeping compartment

E) the time to work without being interrupted

F) the helpfulness of the staff

G) the reliability of the connections

H) the short breaks in towns along the route

20. Speaker 2

A) the chance to get to know other passengers

B) the views from the window

C) the quality of the food on board

D) the comfort of the sleeping compartment

E) the time to work without being interrupted

F) the helpfulness of the staff

G) the reliability of the connections

H) the short breaks in towns along the route

21. Speaker 3

A) the chance to get to know other passengers

B) the views from the window

C) the quality of the food on board

D) the comfort of the sleeping compartment

E) the time to work without being interrupted

F) the helpfulness of the staff

G) the reliability of the connections

H) the short breaks in towns along the route

22. Speaker 4

A) the chance to get to know other passengers

B) the views from the window

C) the quality of the food on board

D) the comfort of the sleeping compartment

E) the time to work without being interrupted

F) the helpfulness of the staff

G) the reliability of the connections

H) the short breaks in towns along the route

23. Speaker 5

A) the chance to get to know other passengers

B) the views from the window

C) the quality of the food on board

D) the comfort of the sleeping compartment

E) the time to work without being interrupted

F) the helpfulness of the staff

G) the reliability of the connections

H) the short breaks in towns along the route

You will hear part of a radio interview with a woman called Nadia Hollis, a screenwriter who has turned a serious novel into a comedy film. For questions 24 to 30, choose the best answer (A, B or C).

24. How did Nadia feel when she was first asked to adapt the novel?

A) anxious that fans of the book would dislike a comedy

B) unsure whether she was the right writer for it

C) delighted to work on a book she had always loved

25. Why did Nadia decide to tell the story as a comedy?

A) She believed audiences would avoid a serious drama

B) The producer insisted on a lighter approach

C) She realised the novel itself was full of dark humour

26. What does Nadia say was the hardest part of writing the script?

A) keeping the narrator's irony without using a voice-over

B) fitting many years of events into two hours

C) making the two main characters likeable

27. What does Nadia say about the actors' suggestions during filming?

A) They made some of the jokes too obvious

B) They added depth to the more serious moments

C) She would have liked more time to try them out

28. What surprised Nadia about the audience at the first screening?

A) They laughed at moments meant to be sad

B) Older viewers enjoyed it more than younger ones

C) They became completely silent near the end

29. What does Nadia think about the way the film is being advertised?

A) It makes the film seem lighter than it really is

B) It reveals too much of the story

C) It relies too heavily on one well-known actor

30. What does Nadia say about her next project?

A) She will adapt another novel, but as a drama

B) She wants to write a story of her own

C) She is planning to direct a film herself