Laser B2 Extra Listening Activities: keys

Laser B2 Extra Listening Activities, Listening Part 1

You will hear people talking in eight different situations. For questions 1 to 8, choose the best answer, A, B or C.

1 You hear a teenager talking about something he has just bought. What is he talking about? A a computer, B a mobile phone, C a DVD player

[Track 1]

It’s amazing how much it can do considering its size. Well the top folds out like this and you’ve got quite a big screen, which you need if you’re going to access the web. It’s got video so you can take movies and edit on your computer at home. And there are some great games installed. Now what do you think of this ring tone?

[Track 2]

2 You hear a football manager giving an interview after a match. What was the result?

A His team won. B His team lost. C His team drew.

When they put the second one past us just before half time I thought we had no chance. We were out of it. I mean we were sleeping out there. When was the last time United gave away a two-goal lead at home? But all credit to the lads. We got an early goal just after the restart, which gave us confidence, and Rossi was giving their defence all sorts of problems. What a brilliant shot from outside the area to pull us level. We could have won if we’d put away any of the chances we created in the last ten minutes, but I’m happy with the result.

[Track 3]

3 You hear these people talking about an event. What event are they talking about? A a concert, B a play, C a film.

Woman: My ears are still ringing. It was so loud, wasn’t it?

Man:       Well we were up at the front right next to the speakers.

Woman: And they played for what? About two and a half hours. Do you think we’ll be in the video – I’m sure the cameras were on us some of the time.

Man:        I’m sure you’ll be in it. You were dancing like a maniac. You should have got up on stage.

Woman: What, and got thrown off by those security gorillas?

      

[Track 4]

4 You hear two people talking in a café. What is the relationship between them?

A They are married. B They are brother and sister. C They are friends.

Man:       So, what did you think of the wedding?

Woman: Perfect, wasn’t it? I can’t wait to see the photos.

Man:        Yes, but Dad went a bit over the top, didn’t he? I mean, dancing on the table?

Woman: At least he didn’t fall off, and he made a great speech.

Man:       Yes, though he made the same jokes at my wedding.

Woman: But in your case they were true!

[Track 5]

5 You hear some people talking. How does the woman feel? A confused, B relieved, C annoyed.

Man:        You must have been really worried, but everything’s all right now, isn’t it?

Woman: Thank goodness, yes, but she could have phoned. She must have known we’d be worried. I didn’t know what to think, what with the rain and the taxi strike. Her mobile was switched off. Five o’clock in the morning! I was just about to phone the police when she came in through the door. I can’t be angry with her though. I remember what it’s like to be seventeen. At least she got back safe and sound.

[Track 6]

6 You hear part of an advertisement on the radio. What is it for? A a car, B an air conditioner, C a magazine.

Stormy weather. Blistering heat. Icy conditions. Let nature throw at us what it will. We will survive. We will overcome. We have the technology. We have the will and the means to get you where you want to be. How you would like to go. Rated best four-by-four by Car and Driver magazine. Air conditioning and tinted windows standard. You want more? You have it. Weather the storm.

[Track 7]

7 You hear a woman talking about somewhere she visited on holiday. What place did she like most? A the caves, B the archaeological sites, C the volcano.

I must admit that the volcano was a bit of a disappointment. In the brochure it sounded like it was going to be, you know, active and bubbling and exciting, but it just had these rather smelly craters. The ancient ruins were quite interesting, if you like that sort of thing. Nice columns and the guide told us some interesting stories about the gods and heroes associated with them. For me, however, it was our trip to the caves under the volcano which I’ll remember most.

[Track 8]

8 You hear this man speaking about his job. Who is he? A a lawyer, B a teacher, C a doctor.

During my studies, they taught us all about how to deal with the physical but very little about assessing the mental and emotional state of the people who come to us. I believe that we should be educated to treat the whole person, not just the illness. A lawyer will examine motives as well as facts. Teachers are well aware of the importance of our children’s environment in their success. We doctors too must look to a wider definition of our profession.

[Track 9]

Laser B2 Extra Listening Activities, Listening Part 2

You will hear part of a radio interview with a mayor, Jim Patterson. For questions 9 to 18, complete the sentences.

Interviewer:       We all know about the Olympic Games, which are first recorded as happening in 776 BC. They were a bit different to today’s massive international festival, now over a hundred years old. But a small American town can stake a claim to being the home of the modern games. In 1872, the mayor and townsfolk of Olympia in the state of Virginia decided to hold their own Olympics and have been doing so ever since. I’m here in Olympia with the current mayor, Jim Patterson. Jim, tell us about the games.

Jim:                     Well, this was little more than a village back then but the population came from all over. It was a small but multi-ethnic community so I guess what with the name and all, they came up with the idea. The Irish got a team together, the Germans and so on, but we don’t organise it on ethnic roots anymore. Now, these are our own kind of games but we keep with the ancient Greek tradition of having both cultural events as well as sports. And in the spirit of the original games when there was a truce between enemies, the courts shut down for the duration. We also use the judges for the competitions here.

Interviewer:      So what goes on at your games?

Jim:                     On the sporting side, we have three-legged races, egg and spoon races, horseshoe throwing, tossing a bale of hay, apple dipping, tug of war. The sorts of games all the family can join in. The competitions are separated into different age groups but the winners of each group get to play against each other. It’s great to see the granddads taking on their grandchildren. Mostly it’s team games – you have to work together and it’s a whole lot of fun. Sport’s gotten way too serious these days.

Interviewer:      And on the cultural side?

Jim:                     We have a traditional story telling competition, folk singing and original poetry events – just to mention a few. And there are also agricultural prizes, like for the biggest pumpkin or carrot grown. I took home the pumpkin prize myself last time.

Interviewer:      Can anyone take part?

Jim:                    Yep. Just pay your registration fee on time and you’re in.

Interviewer:      So you have to pay to participate?

Jim:                     The money goes to charity. This year we’re supporting the Books for All campaign, which runs a mobile library. And the prizes are all donated by local businesses.

Interviewer:      What’s the highlight of the games in your opinion?

Jim:                     We finish up with a rafting race on the river. Teams have to build their own from any materials they can get hold of and row them from one side to the other. We usually have more than one sinking, I can tell you. We organise a free barbeque on the last evening with a live band and fireworks topping it off and I can tell you the whole town just parties like crazy.

Laser B2 Extra Listening Activities, Listening Part 3

You will hear five people talking about their fathers. For questions 19 to 23, choose from the list A to F what each speaker says about their father. Use the letters only once. There is one extra letter which you do not need to use.

[Track 10]

Speaker 1

I never really got on well with my dad during my teenage years, but I suppose that’s true for many people. He ran his own business manufacturing ball bearings and expected me to show an interest in it and eventually work with him, but though I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life, I couldn’t see myself being down the factory eight hours a day. Since his heart attack last year, which he hasn’t really recovered from, I realised I should make the effort to get closer and I see him most weekends now.

[Track 11]

Speaker 2

OK, everyone’s heard of my father. When I was growing up it was both good and bad. Other kids wanted to know about him and I basked in some reflected glory but I was expected to show the same talent on the field, and to be quite honest, I was just a very mediocre player. He never pushed me to follow in his footsteps and has supported me in my decision to study interior design, as my mum did.

[Track 12]

Speaker 3

They say that girls adore their dads and argue with their mums. Well, the opposite was true for me. I don’t know what it was exactly that led to so many quarrels between us. Perhaps he wanted a son and certainly he was always pushing me to do sports and physical things. And he was so critical. I could never do anything right in his eyes. And I still can’t even now. At least I’ve always been able to share things with my mum, but I don’t know how she’s put up with him all these years.

[Track 13]

Speaker 4

When your parents divorce when you’re a kid, it’s not all bad news. You’ve got two houses to stay in and the parent you don’t live with maybe tries harder to keep up a good relationship with you and help you. Anyway, my dad did and despite the distance – he was in another city – I knew that when I saw him, we’d have the best time. He liked to travel abroad and every holiday would take me somewhere new. I can talk to him about anything and he confides in me too. It’s a very equal relationship.

[Track 14]

Speaker 5

My old man was the strong silent type. Well, certainly silent. He didn’t seem to see the need for conversation. As long as he could read the sports pages and smoke his pipe he was quite content to let the ladies in the house – and there were six of us – do the talking. When he came home after a hard day at the office – and they were always hard days according to him – he’d sit in his chair till dinner hardly acknowledging the activity going on around him. Whatever he thought or felt about things he kept to himself.

Laser B2 Extra Listening Activities, Listening Part 4

You will hear part of a story being read on the radio. For questions 24 to 30, choose the best answer, A, B or C.

[Track 15]

It was a dark and, yes, a stormy night as the young couple said their goodbyes at the church door to the small group of friends and relatives that had witnessed the short ceremony. They got into the black sedan and started driving towards their honeymoon hotel twenty kilometres away. The wedding had gone smoothly. The priest had arrived on time; the best man hadn’t forgotten the ring and nobody had stood up to claim there was any reason why John and Anna couldn’t get married. They had duly promised to love each other until death did them part. But little did they know how close they were to being parted that night. For as the rain fell and the thunder rolled above them on that lonely road, things were not as they should have been at Starry Skies Hotel. Madam Dupont, the owner, and her son, Jules, as well as the cook and the maid were not awaiting the newlyweds with open arms, as theirs had been tied behind their backs and their mouths had been gagged so they couldn’t speak. All the lights had been switched off and the only visible thing was the illuminated clock in the hall, which ticked off the seconds as the two men in black casually waited, sipping the drinks they had poured, waiting for the meeting only they knew was going to happen. They didn’t talk and only moved when they saw the headlights swing into view as the car pulled up outside. They positioned themselves one either side of the large oak door, ready for the bell to ring. Above the sound of the rain, they heard the car doors slam shut, some laughter and then footsteps fast approaching, crunching on the gravel. They nodded to each other.

Laser B2 Listening Extra

Answer key

Part 1

1 B

2 C

3 A

4 B

5 B

6 A

7 A

8 C

Part 2

9 1872

10 multi-ethnic

11 courts

12 team

13 poems

14 a registration fee

15 Books for All

16 local businesses

17 the rafting race

18 barbeque

Part 3

19 Speaker 1: E

20 Speaker 2: C

21 Speaker 3: D

22 Speaker 4: F

23 Speaker 5: A

Part 4

24 A

25 B

26 B

27 C

28 A

29 C

30 C