Listening 1 - Multiple choice 3 extracts

Task information

Part 1 consists of three short recordings, each with two three-option multiple-choice questions.
Each recording lasts about one minute and is played twice.
The recordings are about unrelated topics.
The recordings are taken from a wide range of contexts and cover a range of topics, styles of delivery and voices.
Each recording involves more than one speaker.
The questions may focus on a variety of aspects of the recordings (for example, detail, gist, speakers' opinions, feeling, attitude, purpose, function, agreement and listener course of action).

Recognizing paraphrase

The speakers you will hear in the listening paper often use different words to those in the questions. Normally you will hear a synonym. Match the words/phrases 1-8 with their synonyms a-h on your notebook.

a price
a location
funding
dangerous
a solution
to transport
disadvantage
an effect

a. money

b. to carry

c. a drawback

d. a fee

e. a place

f. risky

g. an impact

h. an answer

Answers

1 d, 2 e, 3 a, 4 f, 5 h, 6 b, 7 c, 8 g

From the 4 audios, tell the synonyms they use instead of the following phrases.

CGtoIELTS_14.mp3

#1

A. a place to stay

B. airfares

C. car hire

#2

A. improve the shade

B. remove plants

C. a water feature

#3

A. do research

B. make some cuts

C. add visual effects

#4

A. how snow forms

B. effect of snow on climate

C. effect of clouds on snow

Now, listen again and answer the questions.

#1

What do they decide to organize first?

A. a place to stay

B. airfares

C. car hire

#2

What change will they make in the garden?

A. improve the shade

B. remove plants

C. add a water feature

#3

What do the students agree they need to do with their project?

A. do research

B. make some cuts

C. add visual effects

#4

The scientists are studying...

A. how snow forms

B. effect of snow on climate

C. effect of clouds on snow

Answers

1. A, 2. A, 3. C, 4. B

Understanding distractors

Study this multiple-choice question and the recording script. Why is B correct? Why are A and C wrong?

You hear a man talking about buying a bicycle. What most attracted him to this bike?

A. its special features

B. its condition

C. its price

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‘I saw it advertised in the local newspaper and I thought I’d ring the seller to see if it was still for sale and whether he’d drop the price because it seemed a bit high to me (C). He wouldn’t, but I liked the sound of it and we arranged a time for me to call round later. Well as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. It was just an ordinary bike really, nothing remarkable about it at all (A), but it’d obviously been very well looked after. It was a few years old, but you really couldn’t tell (B). So I bought it there and then.’

Look at the next question and listen twice to the recording. Which is the correct answer, A, B or C? Why?

You overhear a conversation in a café between two people. Why didn’t she call him?

A. She didn’t have his number.

B. It was too late in the evening.

C. Her phone wasn’t working.

FirstTrainer_1.02.mp3

Answer

C. She blames it on a problem with the battery in her mobile, also because she couldn’t find the spare one. She would have called him otherwise.

Understanding different aspects of the recording

The questions may focus on a variety of aspects of the recordings (for example, detail, gist, speakers' opinions, feeling, attitude, purpose, function, agreement and listener course of action)

AdvTrainer_1.02.mp3

Listen to the recording and answer these questions about it.

1. Context: Where are the speakers?

A. in a restaurant

B. at a hotel

C. on a motorway

2. Relationships: What is the most likely relationship between the speakers?

A. driver and client

B. husband and wife

C. receptionist and customer

3. Opinion: What do the speakers agree about?

A. how tired they are

B. how hungry they are

C. how attractive the place looks

4. Detail: What does the man remind the woman to find out about?

A. relevant charges

B. what to do with their luggage

C. parking places

5. Function: What are the speakers trying to do?

A. settle an argument

B. come to a decision

C. express dissatisfaction

Answers

l B, 2 B, 3 A, 4 C, 5 B

Question order

The questions will appear in the following order. There will be space between one question and the next for you to read ahead.

CAE exam practice

Action plan

Use the listening preparation time to read the questions and think about possible answers.
Underline keywords in the question or statement.
Choose all the correct answers you can the first time you listen to the recording.
Do not worry about missing a question; leave it and listen for the answer to the next question.
Check your answers when you listen to the recording for the second time and answer any questions you have missed.
Do not leave any answers blank. Make a guess if you are not sure.
At the end of the test, carefully transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

AdvTrainer_1.03.mp3

Extract one

You hear two students discussing a lecture.

1. What surprised the woman about the lecture?

A. the topic of the lecture

B. the lecturer's approach to his subject

C. the other students' reactions

2. What do the speakers agree?

A. They would like to do some follow-up work.

B. They should have prepared better for the lecture.

C. The handouts they received will be very useful.

Extract two

You hear two business people discussing a meeting they attended.

3. Why did they go to the meeting?

A. to gain some information

B. to influence a decision

C. to offer some advice

4. How does the man feel about the meeting?

A. satisfied with his contribution

B. pleased with its outcome

C. doubtful about its value

Extract three

You hear a scientist being interviewed about her career.

5. What is the woman's attitude to her career?

A. She regrets not achieving more than she has.

B. It has been the most important aspect of her life.

C. It turned out unexpectedly well for her.

6. What does the woman say is the most important quality she looks for in young scientists hoping to work in her lab?

A. curiosity about the world around them

B. ability to deal with setbacks in a positive way

C. appreciation of the need for accuracy

Answers

1 B - A: The topic of the lecture didn't surprise the woman because she implies that, unlike the man, she had read something about the period beforehand. C: The students who are referred to are students from a previous year rather than students attending the same lecture as the speakers.

2 A - B: The man wishes he had prepared better, but the woman said she was 'OK on that score'. C: They both felt that the handouts were not as useful as they might have been in that they did not contain a bibliography.

3 A - B: The man's last tum makes it clear that their aim was simply to gather information rather than influence a decision. C: Advice is referred to in terms of the advice they are now going to offer their own management committee.

4 B - A: The man expresses a feeling that his own contribution could have been better. C: Although he says that he was not initially sure of the value of the meeting, he felt satisfied that it had been useful' by the end.

5 C - A: The woman is pleased with how much she has achieved. B: She says her family has been an equally important part of her life.

6 B - A and C: These are both important but not the most important thing for the woman.

CPE exam practice

CPE part 1.mp3

Extract one

You hear a man talking about a new project being launched in a group of small Atlantic islands.

1. What is the main objective of the project?

A. to raise environmental awareness

B. to encourage tourism in the islands

C. to follow the movements of tides

2. What is the speaker’s opinion of the new project?

A. The idea is over-ambitious.

B. The approach is innovative.

C. The experiment is unscientific.

Extract two

You hear part of an interview with an art critic, in which an exhibition featuring the latest work of photographer Tim Fitzgerald is discussed.

3. What is the art critic’s opinion of Fitzgerald’s latest work?

A. It demonstrates his lack of artistic range.

B. It compares favourably with his previous work.

C. It shows his poor understanding of relationships

4. The art critic says that Fitzgerald’s pictures in the current show

A. are unsuitable for rounding off the exhibition.

B. do not manage to engage the visitor’s interest.

C. lack artistic originality.

Extract three

You hear a woman talking on the radio about her favourite piece of music.

5. How does the speaker say she feels when listening to her favourite piece of music?

A. engrossed

B. nostalgic

C. inspired

6. The speaker believes that critics of her favourite music are wrong to

A. doubt the level of its popularity.

B. disregard the composer’s skills.

C. underrate it for its wide appeal.

Answers

1 C 2 B 3 A 4 B 5 A 6 C

Online practice

https://www.examenglish.com/CAE/cae_listening1.htm

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