IELTS Listening Blind Technique — Day 13: Cambridge FCE Practice Test 1 - Paper 4 Listening

Part 1

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

You hear a woman talking on the radio about a trip to a rock festival. Why was she at the rock festival?
- to surprise her friends
- to spend time with her son
- to keep an eye on her son
You overhear a man and a woman talking about the woman's first week in a new job. What does she say about it?
- It was frightening.
- It was boring.
- It was tiring.
On the radio, you hear a review of a new travel book. What is the reviewer's opinion of the book?
- It is generally rather disappointing.
- It is a surprisingly detailed account.
- It relies too heavily on written descriptions.
You hear a journalist talking about an athlete called Helen Wright. What is the journalist's main point?
- Helen lacks the will to win.
- Helen has always shown a natural talent.
- Helen is beginning to take running more seriously.
You overhear a man and a woman talking about holidays. How did the woman feel about her holiday on a cruise ship?
- She regretted that the stops had been so short.
- She thought the accommodation was inadequate.
- She found the other passengers uninteresting.
You turn on the radio and hear a man talking about modern life. What point is the man making about life today?
- People are lucky to be given a number of choices.
- People need to concentrate on improving their lifestyle.
- People often find life can get too complicated.
You hear a writer talking on the radio. What is she explaining?
- why she writes about the past
- how her style of writing has changed
- where her inspiration comes from
You overhear a conversation between two teachers. What are they planning?
- an educational trip
- a sports event
- a musical event

Part 4

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

Why was Ivana's father pleased to be asked to write a weekly column?
- He was bored with the other work he was doing.
- He had to support a growing family.
- He had made the suggestion to the newspaper.
Why did Ivana's father find his job in a museum frustrating?
- He wasn't interested in sea creatures.
- He wasn't very good at detailed work.
- He wasn't able to study a range of things.
Why did Ivana's father take the family on long bus trips?
- to teach them about wildlife
- to get ideas for his articles
- to look for a new place to live
What did Ivana's father encourage his children to do on visits to the countryside?
- take photographs of rare things they saw
- take notes about anything interesting they found
- draw the ordinary creatures they observed
Why did Ivana and her brothers choose to do similar jobs to their father's?
- They didn't seriously consider other careers.
- They were persuaded to do so by their father.
- They weren't good enough at other subjects to pursue careers in them.
What was different about the articles Ivana's father wrote in his later years?
- He wrote fewer of them than before.
- He rewrote some of his previous articles.
- He responded to his readers' questions.
What does Ivana particularly remember about her father?
- his sense of curiosity
- the interesting talks he gave
- how ambitious he was

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DAY 13Cambridge FCE Practice Test 1 - Paper 4 Listening

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PART 1

Question 1 One.

You hear a iu oman talk:ing on the radio about a trip to a roc l: [est i val.

W'hy rnas she at the roc l: [est i val?

A to surprise her [ri ends

B to speed tii tie min her son

C to beep an eye on her son

You might well ask what a mother of three was doing ina mud-drenched f

with just herfourteen-year-old son, a sleeping bag and fifty-five thousand

fans. My friends certainly did. Basically, we had decided to get rid of the f«

holiday and do things individually, ona one-to-one basis with each of our

- be with them and give them lots of attention. Family holidays are all ven,

well if you get on, but my three sons seem to have spent most of the last

years fighting each other, which is not exactly the right atmosphere for ar

relaxing break.

[The recording/is repeated.)

Question 2 Two.

You overhear a man and a iu oman talking about the iu oman 's [i rst met

nei u Job.

What does she say about it?

A It rnas [tightening.

B It rnas boring.

C It rnas tiring.

Man: You'vejust finished your first week nursing, haven't you? What was iti

Woman: Not quite what | expected. | knew it would be hard work and it would |

me with little energy for other things but | was surprised how interest in!

and there is so much to learn.

Man: What were the patients like?

Woman: They seemed to be all right. i thought I'd have problems inthe first few

- you hear quite scary stories about people getting things wrong, pati e

complaining, tough bosses. But in fact, when you're working.so hard,

don't worry about things like that, you just get on with the job.

[pause] |

3 Three.

On the radio, you hear a review of a nei u travel book:. ;

What is the reviewer's opinion o[ the book: i

A It is generally rather disappointing.

B Itis.asurprisingly detailed account.

C Jr relies too heavily on written descriptions.

Having broadcast an interview with Martin Eaves atthe end of last year,

we knew what to expect from this book and we've been eagerly awaiting

its release. Nowwe've got our hands on a copy, and ithasn'tdisappointed.

Intrigued by tales of the Vaz i mba people - a mysterious tribe in Madagascar,

Martin packs his bags and sets off to search out the truth. Madagascan

Journey is a fascinating mix of historical detail, adventure and humour. My

only reservation concerns the illustrations. The map is sketchy to say the least

and, much as l enjoyed the descriptive passages, a few more photos to help

me visualise the place would have been welcome.

ion 4 'our.

You hear a journalist tali:ing about an athlete called Helen Wright.

What is the Journalist's main point?

A Helen fact:s the mill to win.

B Helen has a liu a ys s hoi un a natural talent.

C Helen is beginning to take running more seriously.

Speak to most athletes and they'll tell you how they ran before they could walk

and how, bythe third year of secondary school, there was no one anywhere

near them when they were crossing the finishing line. But Helen never

bothered much with running at primary school, and only joined a running club

to keep a friend company, and she wasn't the fastest then. Helen didn't win

anything last year either, but she isn't complaining as she came away with

a bronze medal inthe regional championships. She's certainly putting her

athletics higher up her list of priorities these days.

Question $ Five.

You overhear a man and a woman tall:ing about holidays.

Horn did the iu oman [eel about her holiday on a cruise ship?

A She regretted that the stops had been so short.

B She thought the accommodation was inadequate.

C She [o und the other passengers uninteresting.

Man: Where did you go on holiday last year?

Woman: We did a cruise around the Mediterranean.

Man: {went on one once, but didn't feel comfortable. The cabins were so s mal

felt |was trapped.

Woman: Well, we had lots of opportunities to go ashore to explore, although |

would've preferred it if we'd had longer in port for more sightseeing.

Man: That's the bit l enjoyed most, being able to get away from the other

passengers.

Woman: Actually, thatwasn't a problem.I'd expected them to be older than me but

that wasn't the case.

Question 6 Six.

now turn on the radio and hear a man talh.ing about modern life.

What pot nt is the man mak. ing about life today?

A I?eople are luck-y to be given a number of choices.

B People need to concentrate on improving their lifestyle.

C People o/ten [ind life can get too complicated.

Let me give you an example of what seems to be happening more and more

these days. Suppose you learn of two jobs, one with modest pay but good

career prospects and another offering a high salary but fewer prospects. You

make your decision, only to be lucky enough to be offered a third job in an

office near the sea. Suddenly, you are a i ven the on nn rti in itV tr imr r=s?= **=

Question 7 Seven.

You hear a writer talking on the radio.

What is she e:rp/«tinting?

A iu hy she writes about the past

B horn her style o[writing has changed

C where her inspiration comes [rom

Ever since | was a little girl in India, I've been prompted by events and my

emotions to pick up the pen. Back then, | wrote poems, short stories and

songs. I have avery vivid imagination. As far back as |can remember, I wrote.

In India, when | wrote stories, my teacher usedto read them out to the class.

But even then, | didn't see this as creative, as no one used that term. I just felt

that, since my teacher took the time to read my stories out to the class, they

must have been OK.

Question 8 Eight.

non overhear a conversation between tiu o teachers.

What are they planning?

A_an educational trip

Ba sports event

C n musical event

Woman: We've left ita bit late this year - we must get on with sorting out the details.

Man: Yes. There's a lotto do - get the players up to fitness, invite the parents, print

the list of competitors. So, we need to set a date. There's a school trip, isn't

there, around that time? We must make sure we don't clash with that.

Woman: No, that's sorted. They're off to Scotland the last week of March. So, as long

as we avoid the school's music week at the beginning of the month, we're all

right - the kids should all be free to take part.

Questions 1-8

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

0 / 15 answered

1You hear a woman talking on the radio about a trip to a rock festival.
Why was she at the rock festival?

2You overhear a man and a woman talking about the woman's first week in a new job.
What does she say about it?

3On the radio, you hear a review of a new travel book.
What is the reviewer's opinion of the book?

4You hear a journalist talking about an athlete called Helen Wright.
What is the journalist's main point?

5You overhear a man and a woman talking about holidays.
How did the woman feel about her holiday on a cruise ship?

6You turn on the radio and hear a man talking about modern life.
What point is the man making about life today?

7You hear a writer talking on the radio.
What is she explaining?

8You overhear a conversation between two teachers.
What are they planning?

IELTS Listening Blind Technique — Day 13: Cambridge FCE Practice Test 1 - Paper 4 Listening

Part 1

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

You hear a woman talking on the radio about a trip to a rock festival. Why was she at the rock festival?
- to surprise her friends
- to spend time with her son
- to keep an eye on her son
You overhear a man and a woman talking about the woman's first week in a new job. What does she say about it?
- It was frightening.
- It was boring.
- It was tiring.
On the radio, you hear a review of a new travel book. What is the reviewer's opinion of the book?
- It is generally rather disappointing.
- It is a surprisingly detailed account.
- It relies too heavily on written descriptions.
You hear a journalist talking about an athlete called Helen Wright. What is the journalist's main point?
- Helen lacks the will to win.
- Helen has always shown a natural talent.
- Helen is beginning to take running more seriously.
You overhear a man and a woman talking about holidays. How did the woman feel about her holiday on a cruise ship?
- She regretted that the stops had been so short.
- She thought the accommodation was inadequate.
- She found the other passengers uninteresting.
You turn on the radio and hear a man talking about modern life. What point is the man making about life today?
- People are lucky to be given a number of choices.
- People need to concentrate on improving their lifestyle.
- People often find life can get too complicated.
You hear a writer talking on the radio. What is she explaining?
- why she writes about the past
- how her style of writing has changed
- where her inspiration comes from
You overhear a conversation between two teachers. What are they planning?
- an educational trip
- a sports event
- a musical event

Part 4

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

Why was Ivana's father pleased to be asked to write a weekly column?
- He was bored with the other work he was doing.
- He had to support a growing family.
- He had made the suggestion to the newspaper.
Why did Ivana's father find his job in a museum frustrating?
- He wasn't interested in sea creatures.
- He wasn't very good at detailed work.
- He wasn't able to study a range of things.
Why did Ivana's father take the family on long bus trips?
- to teach them about wildlife
- to get ideas for his articles
- to look for a new place to live
What did Ivana's father encourage his children to do on visits to the countryside?
- take photographs of rare things they saw
- take notes about anything interesting they found
- draw the ordinary creatures they observed
Why did Ivana and her brothers choose to do similar jobs to their father's?
- They didn't seriously consider other careers.
- They were persuaded to do so by their father.
- They weren't good enough at other subjects to pursue careers in them.
What was different about the articles Ivana's father wrote in his later years?
- He wrote fewer of them than before.
- He rewrote some of his previous articles.
- He responded to his readers' questions.
What does Ivana particularly remember about her father?
- his sense of curiosity
- the interesting talks he gave
- how ambitious he was