Cambridge IELTS 2 Test 1 — Listening Dictation Practice
Part 1: Joining a Video Library
Section 1, Louise wants to join a video library. You will hear a conversation between Louise and the owner of the video library. First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5. You will see that there is an example that has been done for you. On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first. Oh, hello. I'd like to join the video library. OK, would you like to fill in the application form now? Yes, I can do it now. Hold on, and I'll get a form. Now, I'll just ask you a few questions, and then I'll get you to sign at the bottom. Right. What's your full name? Louise Cynthia Jones. Jones? Yes, that's right. Louis's surname is Jones, so Jones has been written on the form. Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time. Listen carefully to the conversation and answer questions 1 to 5. Oh, hello. I'd like to join the video library. OK, would you like to fill in the application form now? Yes, I can do it now. Hold on, and I'll get a form. Now, I'll just ask you a few questions, and then I'll get you to sign at the bottom. Right. What's your full name? Louise Cynthia Jones. Jones? Yes, that's right. OK, and what's your address? Apartment 1, 72 Black Street, Highbridge. Black street. That's just around the corner, isn't it? Yes. OK, so the postcode is 2 0 8 5 right? Yes, 2 0 8 5. Hmm. And your telephone number, I need both home and work. Home is 98356712, and work is 94561309. Do you need any ID or anything like that? Uh. Yes, we need your driver's license number. That is, if you have one. Yes, I know it off by heart. It's an easy one. 2020BD. Do you need to see it? Uh. Yes, I'm afraid I do. Hmm. Here. Right, thanks. And could you tell me your date of birth please? 25 July 1977. That's the most important part out of the way, but could I just ask you a few questions for a survey we're conducting? OK. Before the conversation continues, you have some time to look at questions 6 to 10. Now listen carefully and answer questions 6 to 10. What kind of videos do you prefer to watch? Uh. Have a look at this list. Hmm. Well, I love anything that makes me laugh. I just love to hear jokes and funny punch lines. I'm not very keen on westerns, although my father likes them. But I'm a real softy, so anything with a bit of a love story is good for me. It doesn't matter how old, not musicals though, they're too much. Hmm, anything else? I'm completely taken by documentaries of the great outdoors. You know the sort, animals, plants and far away places. I saw a wonderful one on dolphins last week. It was amazing. Now, I think that's all from me, except I need you to sign here on the line. Um. Here's a pen. Oh, and I nearly forgot the membership fee, $25 refundable if you leave the library for any reason. There you are. Uh. And do I sign here? Yes, that's it. You can borrow videos now if you like, but your card won't be ready until next week. You can come and pick it up when you bring your first videos back. That is if you want to take some now. Yes, I'd like to. I'll have a look around. Fine. That is the end of section 1. You will now have half a minute to check your answers.
Part 2: An Expedition across Morocco's Attora Mountains
Section 2, you will hear a radio interview about an expedition across the Attora Mountains. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15. Now listen carefully to the interview, and answer questions 11 to 15. A dream came true in 1995, when over 96 days of the spring and summer, an expedition of four men undertook what they believe to have been the first and only complete end to end crossing of Morocco's Attora mountains. I talked to Charles Owen, the leader of the expedition group, about the trip. Charles, how much planning went on beforehand? Um. Well, as you know, I run these walking trips across the mountains for tourists. And over the years, I've collected maps and other data to prepare what I call a 'route book' for this trip. And this book basically shows the route across the mountains that we took. Hmm, you actually broke records while you were out there, didn't you? Mmm. Yes, it was 900 miles in total, and we managed to climb 32 peaks that were over 3,000 meters high, including Toubkal. Which is of course the highest in North Africa. Yes, uh, we weren't actually out to make a name for ourselves. It just happened really. Ha ha ha. What was the weather like? Oh. It got us right from day one, and we were pretty taken aback really to find that it rained on quite a number of days, and so we were forced to start replanning our route almost from the outset. One of the obvious problems is the heavy snow which blocks the mountain passes. So you have to make considerable detours. When we were on the way to Imilchil, for example, the snow forced us into a northern bypass which was new to us. But anyway, either way we would have been rewarded, because well, we fell upon amazing high meadows, uh, huge gorges and wonderful snowcapped mountains. The scenery was as fine as any we saw on the trip, and that was how it was every time. Having to take another pass was never a disappointment. You now have some time to look at questions 16 to 20. Now listen to the rest of the interview, and answer questions 16 to 20. It was in many ways a social trip, wasn't it? Yes, yes... Uh. We'd arranged to meet up with friends at various points on the journey. I mean this was actually one of the purposes of the trip. And we managed to keep all these dates, which well, it's amazing really considering the detours we made. Um. An old friend acted as a sort of transport organizer for everyone, and the Hotel Ali in Marrakech was a good social base. I'd really recommend it, although I can't remember who runs it. Anyway, groups of friends actually joined us for three week stints, and others just linked up with us. Some whom we hadn't met before the trip at all tagged on for short bursts, people from the area who just came along for the ride, but outside the major visitor areas like Toubkal. We only met one other group of travelers like ourselves in the whole 96 days. Were there any bad moments? Um. Well, we took two, I must say long suffering donkeys with us to help transport water and tents and things. I suppose if we were to do it all again, we'd probably hire donkeys along the way. Taza and Tamri as we called them. After the last places in the trip, well, they made quite a unique journey between them, and well, but it was continuously demanding for them, on both the really high summits, they took diversions that were quite out of character. And I can only assume that it must have been due to tiredness. Well, thank you. And Charles has put together a video about this journey, and continues to lead groups to the Attora mountains, so if you want further information. That is the end of Section 2. You will now have half a minute to check your answers.
Part 3: University Life: Starting a New Term
Section 3, you will hear two new students, Jane and Tim, talking about their university studies. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25. Now listen carefully to the discussion, and answer questions 21 to 25. Hi, Tim. Jane. How are you? Fine. I've been wondering when I'd run into you. Have you been here long? I arrived yesterday, uh, on Sunday. How about you? I got here a few days ago, on Saturday. Um. No, wait a minute. What's today? Uh. Sorry, Friday, not Saturday. But we didn't have to be here till today. Yes, I know, but I wanted to get my things moved into my room, and just take a look around. So, did you decide to do English in the end? No, I changed my mind and opted for history instead. Oh, and you're doing biology, if I remember correctly. Yes, although to start with, I couldn't decide between that and geography. How much reading have you got? I was given an amazingly long list of books to read. See? Wow, it does look pretty long. Well, I counted 57, I could hardly believe it. What's your list like? Well, it's not as long as yours, but it's still pretty big. There are 43. I don't know how I'm gonna get through them all. Well, you don't have to read them all this week. You just have to stay ahead of the lectures and seminars. Hmm. Have you got your class schedule yet? Yep. It came with the reading list. When's your first lecture? Tuesday. How about you? The day after, it's my busiest day. I've got two lectures in the morning and one in the afternoon. Before the discussion continues, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30. Now listen carefully and answer questions 26 to 30. It's gonna be different from school, isn't it? Yeah, particularly the lectures. Hmm. Have you got any special strategy for listening to lectures? Well, I'm going to use a cassette recorder and record them all. What! Are you allowed to? Sure, lots of people do it nowadays. It means you can listen to the lectures all over again later and make really good notes. I couldn't do that. I like to take notes as I'm listening. I usually find I get all the important points. Reading is different, of course. My approach is to skim the book first to see what's important and what isn't. It saves hours of time. But what if you miss something? You don't mean you're going to read every word, do you? Well, that's what I usually do. Well, that's up to you, but I think you're crazy. What's your first lecture on anyway? Oh, it's a lecture on the French Revolution. The French Revolution, how boring. It's not boring at all. It was an amazing period of history. It changed everything in Europe. So what's your first lecture about? It's about animal behavior. It sounds really interesting. Look, I was on my way to the library. I'm going to get some of these books out and start reading for the first essay I've got to write. And what have you got to write about? Well, you'll never believe it. I think our professor must have a sense of humor. He's given us the title, "Why study history?" That's a good one. When you find the answer, let me know. I'm gonna enjoy writing it. Have you been given any writing assignments yet? Yes, I've got to write about animal language. Hmm, that sounds a challenge. I suppose you'll be off to the zoo to do field research... That is the end of Section 3. You will now have half a minute to check your answers.
Part 4: Physical Education Training Courses and Careers
Section 4, you will hear a lecture being given to school leavers on the jobs people can get in sport, and the training programs available to prepare for those jobs. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen carefully to the lecture, and answer questions 31 to 40. Welcome to Further Education Information Week. This is the Physical Education faculty session, and I'm the head of the faculty. During the course of this morning, we hope to give you a clear idea of what we offer in our training programs, and we will look at the types of courses. And the entry requirements if any for those courses. Uh. Some of these courses are open to school leavers, but for some, you need previous qualifications or relevant successful employment. So firstly, the Physical Fitness Instructor's course is offered as a 6 month certificate course, which includes an important component of personal fitness. But there are no specific entry requirements. For sports administrators, we provide a 4 month certificate course, but you should be aware that this is designed for those who are in employment. This employment must be current and related to sports administration. For the Sports Psychologist course, we offer a one year diploma course, but this diploma course is available only to those who already hold a degree in psychology. So you need to make sure you have that before you apply to do this course. Now, for Physical Education teachers we offer a four year degree in education. This degree course is designed for preparing students to teach in primary and secondary schools. And needs no prior qualifications, as it is entered directly by school leavers. And lastly, for the Recreation Officer's course, we offer a 6 month certificate. Entry to this course normally includes applicants of a wide range of ages and experiences. But we do not insist on any prerequisites for this course. Remember that this is a vocational training institute. We train you so that you can take up a particular kind of job. So, it is important that you know the main roles of the jobs, what the work is like, and what kind of qualities you need to succeed at them. A physical fitness instructor works in health and fitness centers, preparing individual programs for ordinary members of the public. Physical fitness instructors prepare routines of exercises to suit the individual client's age and level of fitness. Sports administrators run clubs and sporting associations. Their duties include such things as booking playing fields with local councils. And organizing the schedule of games or events for the club, so they need good organizational skills. Sports psychologists spend time with professional athletes, helping them approach competition with a positive mental attitude to enable them to achieve their personal best. They do this by improving motivation and concentration or assisting with stress management. Physical education or PE teachers instruct young students in how to exercise, play sport, and do other recreational activities correctly and safely. PE teachers help the development of coordination, balance, posture and flexibility with things like simple catching and throwing skills. They are not expected to be experts in all sports, but must be able to show students the basic techniques involved in a wide range of activities. Recreation Officers often find themselves working for local government authorities and local groups. Their aim is to raise people's awareness of healthy lifestyles. And improve general fitness through arranging recreational activities for groups of all ages from the very young to the elderly. There are many other job opportunities which our graduates can look forward to. If you're interested in any of these... That is the end of section 4. You will now have half a minute to check your answers.