Cambridge C1 Advanced Listening practice test 2

You will hear three different extracts. For questions 1 to 6, choose the answer (A, B or C) which fits best according to what you hear. There are two questions for each extract.

1. You hear two colleagues discussing the appointment of their director's niece to a post in their company. What do they disagree about?

A) whether the niece is capable of doing the job

B) whether the selection process was fair

C) whether the appointment will affect the mood in the office

2. In the woman's opinion, the most serious consequence of appointments like this is that

A) able candidates from outside are discouraged from applying

B) the person appointed is never fully accepted by colleagues

C) the person appointed is unlikely to receive honest feedback

3. You hear two friends talking about learning a musical instrument as adults. How does the man feel about learning the piano?

A) surprised that practising alone is what he values most

B) frustrated that he is improving more slowly than he expected

C) encouraged by comparing himself with younger pupils

4. Why does the woman mention her experience of learning Spanish?

A) to warn him that his enthusiasm is likely to fade

B) to agree that enjoying the process matters more than the result

C) to suggest that a definite target would help him progress

5. You hear a woman telling a friend about volunteering at a repair café. What is she doing during the conversation?

A) admitting that the work is less rewarding than she had hoped

B) describing how the experience has changed her attitude to belongings

C) justifying the amount of time she spends there

6. Why does the man mention his grandfather's shed?

A) to suggest that her outlook is less new than she thinks

B) to show that he shares her enthusiasm for mending things

C) to question whether repairing things is always worth the effort

You will hear {speaker_line}. For questions 7 to 14, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.

7. Rachel first heard about the theft from a {{7}}, not from the exchange itself.

8. The attackers got into the system by pretending to be a {{8}} who needed help from staff.

9. Rachel believes the exchange's real weakness was its {{9}}, rather than its technology.

10. All the stolen funds had left the exchange within {{10}}.

11. Rachel uses the word {{11}} to describe the way the stolen money was spread across many accounts.

12. One of the thieves was eventually identified partly through a {{12}} he had posted online.

13. Rachel feels {{13}} about the exchange's promise to repay customers from its own reserves.

14. Rachel advises customers to read an exchange's {{14}} before depositing any money.

You will hear an interview in which two podcast producers called Nadia Kerr and Tom Ashworth are talking about making a documentary series about surveillance. For questions 15 to 20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.

15. What does Nadia say about the material that led to the series?

A) It confirmed a long-standing interest she had in the Cold War

B) She initially underestimated its potential as a story

C) She had to work hard to convince the broadcaster of its relevance

D) She discovered it while researching an unrelated project

16. How does Tom now feel about the decision to use actors to recreate conversations?

A) uneasy that some listeners took invented scenes for documented fact

B) convinced it was the only way to deal with incomplete transcripts

C) glad he eventually overcame his initial objections to it

D) concerned that the actors were given too much interpretative freedom

17. When former staff of the listening station agreed to be interviewed, Nadia felt

A) flattered that they had chosen to trust her with their story

B) surprised at how openly they were prepared to talk

C) suspicious that some of them wanted to steer how events were portrayed

D) frustrated that certain operations remained off limits

18. According to Tom, what was the main aim of the series' sound design?

A) to reproduce the station's original equipment as accurately as possible

B) to leave listeners with the sense that they themselves were being observed

C) to make up for the poor quality of the archive recordings

D) to heighten the suspense of the dramatised scenes

19. Nadia and Tom agree that the series' popularity with younger listeners

A) reflects present-day concerns about the collection of personal data

B) was largely the result of promotion on social media

C) proves that history is best presented as entertainment

D) was something they had not anticipated when planning it

20. When asked about a possible second series, Nadia and Tom reveal

A) a reluctance to repeat an approach that could become predictable

B) a disagreement about which story they should tell next

C) a concern that the logbooks have little more to offer

D) a hope that further witnesses will contact them

You will hear five short extracts in which {extracts_line}. For questions 21 to 25, choose from the list (A to H) {task_one}. For questions 26 to 30, choose from the list (A to H) {task_two}. While you listen you must complete both tasks.

21. Speaker 1

A) to confront a long-standing fear of heights

B) to keep a promise made to someone else

C) to gather material for their work

D) to judge whether it lived up to its publicity

E) to mark a personal milestone

F) to make the most of a sudden change of plan

G) to support a local fundraising cause

H) to repeat an experience from childhood

22. Speaker 2

A) to confront a long-standing fear of heights

B) to keep a promise made to someone else

C) to gather material for their work

D) to judge whether it lived up to its publicity

E) to mark a personal milestone

F) to make the most of a sudden change of plan

G) to support a local fundraising cause

H) to repeat an experience from childhood

23. Speaker 3

A) to confront a long-standing fear of heights

B) to keep a promise made to someone else

C) to gather material for their work

D) to judge whether it lived up to its publicity

E) to mark a personal milestone

F) to make the most of a sudden change of plan

G) to support a local fundraising cause

H) to repeat an experience from childhood

24. Speaker 4

A) to confront a long-standing fear of heights

B) to keep a promise made to someone else

C) to gather material for their work

D) to judge whether it lived up to its publicity

E) to mark a personal milestone

F) to make the most of a sudden change of plan

G) to support a local fundraising cause

H) to repeat an experience from childhood

25. Speaker 5

A) to confront a long-standing fear of heights

B) to keep a promise made to someone else

C) to gather material for their work

D) to judge whether it lived up to its publicity

E) to mark a personal milestone

F) to make the most of a sudden change of plan

G) to support a local fundraising cause

H) to repeat an experience from childhood

26. Speaker 1

A) disappointed that the view was obscured

B) surprised by how calm they felt

C) irritated by the behaviour of other visitors

D) proud of having persuaded someone else

E) uneasy about the impact on the landscape

F) embarrassed by their own reaction

G) keen to return in a different season

H) unexpectedly moved by the silence

27. Speaker 2

A) disappointed that the view was obscured

B) surprised by how calm they felt

C) irritated by the behaviour of other visitors

D) proud of having persuaded someone else

E) uneasy about the impact on the landscape

F) embarrassed by their own reaction

G) keen to return in a different season

H) unexpectedly moved by the silence

28. Speaker 3

A) disappointed that the view was obscured

B) surprised by how calm they felt

C) irritated by the behaviour of other visitors

D) proud of having persuaded someone else

E) uneasy about the impact on the landscape

F) embarrassed by their own reaction

G) keen to return in a different season

H) unexpectedly moved by the silence

29. Speaker 4

A) disappointed that the view was obscured

B) surprised by how calm they felt

C) irritated by the behaviour of other visitors

D) proud of having persuaded someone else

E) uneasy about the impact on the landscape

F) embarrassed by their own reaction

G) keen to return in a different season

H) unexpectedly moved by the silence

30. Speaker 5

A) disappointed that the view was obscured

B) surprised by how calm they felt

C) irritated by the behaviour of other visitors

D) proud of having persuaded someone else

E) uneasy about the impact on the landscape

F) embarrassed by their own reaction

G) keen to return in a different season

H) unexpectedly moved by the silence