Part 1
You'll hear people talking in eight different situations. For questions 1 to 8, choose the best answer, A, B or C.
Question 1
One.
You overhear a woman talking to her husband on a mobile phone.
What is the background to the conversation?
A The family's holiday may have to be cancelled.
B The woman wants to buy their son a computer.
C Their son has schoolwork to complete before the start of term.
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tone
Listen, about Jimmy's school project. I spoke to the computer department at work about borrowing a laptop, and apparently they're only supposed to give them out to people on company business. So I guess Jimmy will just have to write it all out by hand and type it out when we get back. That'll only give him two days, but what can we do? I know he's been at home all summer, but that's Jimmy for you, and he's only twelve. I just wish his school was a bit more understanding about people's holiday arrangements.
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[The recording is repeated.]
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Question 2
Two.
You hear a phone-in programme on the radio.
Why has the man phoned?
A to complain about the traffic scheme
B to express his support for the traffic scheme
C to question the aims of the traffic scheme
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tone
Woman: Go ahead, Paul, I'm listening.
Man: Well ... I'm fed up with listening to all your callers moaning on about the new traffic scheme. I mean, that woman who said it took fifty minutes to cross the city by car instead of her usual thirty. Poor thing! Why doesn't she leave the car at home and use the bus service instead? Anyway, the aim of the new scheme isn't to make car journeys quicker; it's for shoppers and pedestrians and cyclists and bus passengers, and it's working. I recommend everyone to have a walk in the city centre and see for themselves. That's all I wanted to say.
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[The recording is repeated.]
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Question 3
Three.
On the radio, you hear a woman talking about her house.
What has she recently done?
A decided to move to another area
B solved a problem that she had
C made improvements to her house
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tone
I do sometimes think about moving, I can't deny it, but when you've lived in a house for as long as I have, you learn to accept its drawbacks and you stop always trying to change things. Here, the garden is a bit big for me to cope with as I would like, but now I've got someone who comes in once a week to help me out, and things have definitely improved, so I think I'll be staying put for just a little bit longer.
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[The recording is repeated.]
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Question 4
Four.
You overhear two people discussing a friend.
What language does their friend usually speak at home?
A French
B English
C Italian
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tone
Man: I had dinner at Mark's house last night. His father made a delicious Italian dessert.
Woman: Oh, yes, his parents are Italian, aren't they? I keep forgetting that because Mark's English is so good.
Man: Of course it is! He was born in Texas. And his mother's not Italian, she's French. That's what they all speak to each other, though they used English when I was there. Mark has to go to classes on Saturdays to learn to read and write Italian. To hear him speak on the phone to his grandmother in Rome, you'd think it was his first language!
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[The recording is repeated.]
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Question 5
Five.
You hear a man talking about an activity holiday he went on as a child with his family.
How did he feel during the holiday?
A bored by the climbing
B upset with his father
C disappointed with the rowing boat
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tone
As a child all our holidays were in Scotland because my father was very keen on climbing and he insisted we went climbing every day. One day the weather stopped us going climbing, much to my relief, so we hired a rowing boat on the lake. My father complained it was uncomfortable and slow (he preferred motorboats) but I sat there and thought, 'This feels good!' - even though the boat was old and creaky. After that, I just got the bug really ... and I've been rowing ever since. And the boats now are better than that first one in Scotland!
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tone
[The recording is repeated.]
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Question 6
Six.
You hear the beginning of a radio programme.
What is the programme going to be about?
A child development
B the environment
C a form of entertainment
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tone
As any parent or childcarer knows, it's pointless buying drums or expensive instruments for small children; give them a wooden spoon, a saucepan lid and a cardboard box, and they'll happily bang away for hours. So you could say that the group named Thump are simply having their second childhood. Just over seven years ago, this small band of street performers from the north of England decided to turn their routine with metal rubbish bins and bicycle chains into a stage show. They now have five separate groups working nightly across the country and are just about to begin their first tour of the USA.
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[The recording is repeated.]
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Question 7
Seven.
You hear a man being interviewed about a new project he has set up.
What is the purpose of the project?
A to help people find accommodation in Scotland
B to tell people where to stay in Australia
C to advise people how to set up a flat agency
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tone
Woman: Mark, this new project you've got, this flat agency, has this arisen from your own experience, or what?
Man: Both from bitter personal experience of having to find somewhere to live in Edinburgh over the last few years - crossing the city from one corner to the next and turning up at hundreds of places which weren't suitable ... and also it was taken from an idea in Australia where a similar service was set up and I thought, 'Well, let's try and take out some of the misery of trying to find a flat here in Scotland.'
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[The recording is repeated.]
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Question 8
Eight.
You switch on the radio in the middle of a programme.
What kind of programme is it?
A an arts review
B an interview
C a quiz show
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tone
Woman: And now, Mr Harman, what I want to ask you is in which of Shakespeare's plays does the character Queen Titania appear?
Man: Mmm, now let me think for a moment. Well, it was one of the comedies. I believe she was a fairy ...
Woman: I can tell you that it was performed at the Regent Theatre last year starring Eveline Thomas and had excellent reviews.
Man: I don't remember that. Now, is it Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare?
Woman: Indeed it is.
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[The recording is repeated.]
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That's the end of Part One.