[0:03]This is a listening test. There are three tasks for the test. For each task of the test, there will be time for you to check your answers. At the start of each piece, you will hear this sound. You will have time at the end of the test to copy your answers onto the answer sheets. Remember, you must not speak during the test, and while you're listening, you can write your answers on the question paper of the test in notebook.
[0:34]Now open your tests in notebooks and look at task one. Questions one to six. You will listen to six recordings. There are six questions in this task. For each question, choose the correct answer: A, B, or C. Now look at the three pictures for question one.
[1:05]Now we're ready to start. Listen carefully. You will hear the recording twice. Hi Catherine, how are you today? I'm great, and you, Barbara? Not very relaxed, I'm afraid. I'm shopping now, but later I have to do a lot. What do you have to do? Well, first of all, I have to do the cooking. The kids' friends came around yesterday, the fridge is absolutely empty. And then? Lily Annie has a gymnastics competition this afternoon. I'm driving her to the gym. Fancy joining me to cheer up Freddy? Oh, sure. How is she doing? Pretty well. Has won three competitions this year. That's impressive.
[1:51]Now listen again. Hi Catherine, how are you today? I'm great, and you, Barbara? Not very relaxed, I'm afraid. I'm shopping now, but later I have to do a lot. What do you have to do? Well, first of all, I have to do the cooking. The kids' friends came around yesterday, the fridge is absolutely empty. And then? Lily Annie has a gymnastics competition this afternoon. I'm driving her to the gym. Fancy joining me to cheer up Freddy? Oh, sure. How is she doing? Pretty well. Has won three competitions this year. That's impressive.
[2:36]Now look at the pictures for question two.
[2:48]Hello Ram, I am seeing you after a long time. Yes, the length of my hair tells how long it's been. I sure will need a haircut. Have a seat and tell me how you'd like it cut. Well, I would like to grow my hair long enough for a ponytail, but my father just won't agree. The choice is yours. I could even shave your head if you choose. It's the end thing these days. Certainly not. Give me a short trendy haircut. What do me make my family happy? Okay, then I will give you a crew cut. Done.
[3:22]Now listen again. Hello Ram, I am seeing you after a long time. Yes, the length of my hair tells how long it's been. I sure will need a haircut. Have a seat and tell me how you'd like it cut. Well, I would like to grow my hair long enough for a ponytail, but my father just won't agree. The choice is yours. I could even shave your head if you choose. It's the end thing these days. Certainly not. Give me a short trendy haircut. What do me make my family happy? Okay, then I will give you a crew cut. Done.
[4:02]Now look at the three pictures for question three.
[4:14]What do you need for school, Peter? I need pencils. Anything else? I need a notebook. Do you need a pen? Now, I already have a pen. Do you need a calculator? The teacher doesn't permit calculators. How about a dictionary? Now, we have a big dictionary in the classroom. Well, I guess that's it. Yes, that's all I need for now.
[4:37]Now listen again. What do you need for school, Peter? I need pencils. Anything else? I need a notebook. Do you need a pen? Now, I already have a pen. Do you need a calculator? The teacher doesn't permit calculators. How about a dictionary? Now, we have a big dictionary in the classroom. Well, I guess that's it. Yes, that's all I need for now.
[5:05]Now you have 10 seconds to look at question four.
[5:20]So, you said you're kind of a wilderness boy, is there a problem with wild animals where you live? Yeah, I live up in the mountains. My home is about 3,000 meters, so I live at a very high altitude. It's the Rocky Mountains. There aren't very many people, but there are tons of animals. We have many black bears. Black bears aren't as dangerous as brown bears like there are in the north. They are not aggressive, but they are a huge nuisance and they cause a lot of damage. For instance, we spent a lot of time in a cabin up in the mountains. Last year, in about six months, this particular cabin had been broken into by four different bears, and they would knock down the front door, destroy the inside of the house. They would break through windows, their refrigerator was knocked over, food everywhere. It's a terrible mess that I had to clean up.
[6:15]Now listen again. So, you said you're kind of a wilderness boy, is there a problem with wild animals where you live? Yeah, I live up in the mountains. My home is about 3,000 meters, so I live at a very high altitude. It's the Rocky Mountains. There aren't very many people, but there are tons of animals. We have many black bears. Black bears aren't as dangerous as brown bears like there are in the north. They are not aggressive, but they are a huge nuisance and they cause a lot of damage. For instance, we spent a lot of time in a cabin up in the mountains. Last year, in about six months, this particular cabin had been broken into by four different bears, and they would knock down the front door, destroy the inside of the house. They would break through windows, their refrigerator was knocked over, food everywhere. It's a terrible mess that I had to clean up.
[7:17]Now you have 10 seconds to look at question four.
[7:31]You know, I was reading the other day that video games might not be so bad for children. The author of the article actually wrote that video games, especially violent video games, decrease children crime instead of increasing it. What do you think about that? Do you think that the reason the crime goes down is because they get their aggression out, or because they're just staying at home more often? Actually, the article was saying that kids stay at home more, so they don't really have time to commit crimes. In that sense, then, it doesn't actually matter if they are playing violent video games or not, I would think.
[8:10]Now listen again. You know, I was reading the other day that video games might not be so bad for children. The author of the article actually wrote that video games, especially violent video games, decrease children crime instead of increasing it. What do you think about that? Do you think that the reason the crime goes down is because they get their aggression out, or because they're just staying at home more often? Actually, the article was saying that kids stay at home more, so they don't really have time to commit crimes. In that sense, then, it doesn't actually matter if they are playing violent video games or not, I would think.
[8:55]Now you have 10 seconds to look at question six.
[9:09]Are you a climate change believer or a climate change denier? I think it's hard to deny, really. I think what humans do to the planet is going to have some effect. It's been pretty bad in some places. I think it's been the wettest January on record in the UK at the moment. And science is science, you know. It's supported by evidence and facts, and scientists don't tend to say things until they know it's true, or as true as it can be. So, yeah, I'm definitely a believer in climate change, I think. We are affecting things on the planet.
[9:47]Now listen again. Are you a climate change believer or a climate change denier? I think it's hard to deny, really. I think what humans do to the planet is going to have some effect. It's been pretty bad in some places. I think it's been the wettest January on record in the UK at the moment. And science is science, you know. It's supported by evidence and facts, and scientists don't tend to say things until they know it's true, or as true as it can be. So, yeah, I'm definitely a believer in climate change, I think. We are affecting things on the planet.
[10:30]This is the end of task one.
[10:43]Now turn to task two. Question seven to 11. Look at the five statements for this task. You will listen to a story. Decide if each statement is true or false. For statement 7 to 11, choose T if the statement is true, according to the text, and F if it is false. Now you will have 20 seconds to look at the questions for task two.
[11:40]When it comes to showering, you likely fall into one of two camps. Those who shower in the morning, or those who prefer to do their grooming at night. Not surprisingly, it's one more thing that people disagree on. Our guest today is Dr. Kramert, head of the team of health researchers who recently attempted to scientifically prove whether it's better to shower in the morning or in the evening. So, Dr. Kramert, what are your conclusions? Both have merit. Yes, that's a bit of a letdown, but the best choice for you depends on what you hope to accomplish in the shower. For example, if you need to solve a problem, shower in the morning. It's a great way to start your day, especially if you're puzzling over an issue and haven't been able to come up with a solution. Some researchers compared the morning shower with meditation. What are the benefits of an evening shower then? If you have a hard time falling asleep, shower at night. When you take a warm shower in the evening, your internal body temperature will rise while you're under the water and then drop once you step out. That rapid cooling after you get out of the shower or out of the bath tends to be a natural sleep stimulator. So, it's a nice way to fool your body into thinking it's time to go to bed. So, what's your advice on choosing shower time? The bottom line is that your choice of time to shower has more to do with personal preferences than science, and may depend on lots of factors.
[13:06]Now listen again. When it comes to showering, you likely fall into one of two camps. Those who shower in the morning, or those who prefer to do their grooming at night. Not surprisingly, it's one more thing that people disagree on. Our guest today is Dr. Kramert, head of the team of health researchers who recently attempted to scientifically prove whether it's better to shower in the morning or in the evening. So, Dr. Kramert, what are your conclusions? Both have merit. Yes, that's a bit of a letdown, but the best choice for you depends on what you hope to accomplish in the shower. For example, if you need to solve a problem, shower in the morning. It's a great way to start your day, especially if you're puzzling over an issue and haven't been able to come up with a solution. Some researchers compared the morning shower with meditation. What are the benefits of an evening shower then? If you have a hard time falling asleep, shower at night. When you take a warm shower in the evening, your internal body temperature will rise while you're under the water and then drop once you step out. That rapid cooling after you get out of the shower or out of the bath tends to be a natural sleep stimulator. So, it's a nice way to fool your body into thinking it's time to go to bed. So, what's your advice on choosing shower time? The bottom line is that your choice of time to shower has more to do with personal preferences than science, and may depend on lots of factors.
[14:49]This is the end of task two.
[14:57]Now turn to task three. Questions 12 to 16. You will listen to an interview. For questions 12 to 16, choose the correct answer: A, B, or C. Now you have 45 seconds to look at the questions for task three.
[16:10]When extreme marathoner Dion Leonard started a seven-day 128-mile race in the deserts and mountains of China, he noticed a little dog keeping pace with the runners. No one knew where the little stray had come from, as the closest town was miles away. By the second day, the dog, whom Leonard called Gobi, joined him and ran side by side. She followed the marathoner into camp and curled up by his side, claiming him as her own. In the end, Gobi ran four of the six stages of the exhausting race through the Tian Shan Mountain Range. As the race approached, the Black Gobi desert, Leonard and the race organizers grew concerned about allowing Gobi to run, as the landscape would be too tiring and the temperatures very high, around 50° Celsius. So the organizers transported Gobi to the end of the stages, where she rested in the shade, patiently awaiting Leonard's arrival, and when he did, she jumped up and ran with him to the finish line. By stage six, the event was back into somewhat less inhospitable terrain, and Gobi once again ran alongside her partner. Leonard shared everything with Gobi, including food, water, and the sleeping space. Immediately after crossing the finish line, Leonard and his wife Lucia began looking into the possibility of bringing Gobi home. They discovered that it would take about four months, which would include medical checkups, two quarantines, and mountains of administrative paperwork in China and Scotland. They started a crowd fund page hoping to raise some of the £5,000 cost to bring Gobi home. Within 24 hours, the page was fully funded. By now, Leonard has raised more than four times the amount he needed. He plans to donate any extra funds raised to a local animal shelter. But not long after Leonard left, Gobi escaped from her home in China, where she was kept before being sent to quarantine. Leonard immediately flew from Scotland to search for her. With a team of volunteers, he started a social media campaign, put up flyers all over the city, and talked to taxi drivers, visited parks and shelters, and went on local TV. He wasn't optimistic that he'd find the pup. A local man called and said he had spotted a stray dog. He brought her home and thought she could be the missing Gobi. Leonard went to the man's home, skeptical that this could really be his dog. But Gobi spotted him as soon as he walked in and ran toward him, jumping and squealing with delight. Gobi still has to undergo 120 days of quarantine, but Leonard hopes to visit her during that time and have her home with him in Scotland by Christmas.
[19:05]Now listen again. When extreme marathoner Dion Leonard started a seven-day 128-mile race in the deserts and mountains of China, he noticed a little dog keeping pace with the runners. No one knew where the little stray had come from, as the closest town was miles away. By the second day, the dog, whom Leonard called Gobi, joined him and ran side by side. She followed the marathoner into camp and curled up by his side, claiming him as her own. In the end, Gobi ran four of the six stages of the exhausting race through the Tian Shan Mountain Range. As the race approached, the Black Gobi desert, Leonard and the race organizers grew concerned about allowing Gobi to run, as the landscape would be too tiring and the temperatures very high, around 50° Celsius. So the organizers transported Gobi to the end of the stages, where she rested in the shade, patiently awaiting Leonard's arrival, and when he did, she jumped up and ran with him to the finish line. By stage six, the event was back into somewhat less inhospitable terrain, and Gobi once again ran alongside her partner. Leonard shared everything with Gobi, including food, water, and the sleeping space. Immediately after crossing the finish line, Leonard and his wife Lucia began looking into the possibility of bringing Gobi home. They discovered that it would take about four months, which would include medical checkups, two quarantines, and mountains of administrative paperwork in China and Scotland. They started a crowd fund page hoping to raise some of the £5,000 cost to bring Gobi home. Within 24 hours, the page was fully funded. By now, Leonard has raised more than four times the amount he needed. He plans to donate any extra funds raised to a local animal shelter. But not long after Leonard left, Gobi escaped from her home in China, where she was kept before being sent to quarantine. Leonard immediately flew from Scotland to search for her. With a team of volunteers, he started a social media campaign, put up flyers all over the city, and talked to taxi drivers, visited parks and shelters, and went on local TV. He wasn't optimistic that he'd find the pup. A local man called and said he had spotted a stray dog. He brought her home and thought she could be the missing Gobi. Leonard went to the man's home, skeptical that this could really be his dog. But Gobi spotted him as soon as he walked in and ran toward him, jumping and squealing with delight. Gobi still has to undergo 120 days of quarantine, but Leonard hopes to visit her during that time and have her home with him in Scotland by Christmas.
[22:13]This is the end of task three. Now you have three minutes to check and copy your answers onto the answer sheet.
[24:21]You have one more minute.
[25:22]This is the end of the listening task. Thank you.
