Shadowing Practice: B1 Preliminary (PET) Listening Test 5 with answers (new format) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Now look at the instructions for part one.

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Look at question one.

1. What has the man forgotten to pack for the trip?

Hi, Freddy.

All ready for the camping trip?

Your backpack looks very full.

Well, I didn't want to forget my sleeping bag like the last time I went camping.

I was lucky then and it wasn't too cold.

I hope I've remembered everything this time.

Well, so long as you've got your sleeping bag, plus a torch and walking boots, you'll be fine.

Oh dear, I've just realised I've left my torch behind.

At least I've got my walking boots.

Never mind, I'll probably manage.

You'll be fine.

Now listen again.

Hi, Freddy.

All ready for the camping trip?

Your backpack looks very full.

Well, I didn't want to forget my sleeping bag like the last time I went camping.

I was lucky then and it wasn't too cold.

I hope I've remembered everything this time.

Well, so long as you've got your sleeping bag, plus a torch and walking boots, you'll be fine.

Oh dear, I've just realised I've left my torch behind.

At least I've got my walking boots.

Never mind, I'll probably manage.

You'll be fine.

2. What time is the plane expected to depart?

This is an announcement for all passengers waiting to travel on the 10.45 flight to Glasgow.

Due to poor weather, this flight is delayed and is unlikely to take off until 12.15.

All passengers travelling on this flight can collect a special ticket at the information desk, which they can exchange for a drink and a snack at the cafe.

Please note the check-in desk will close at 11.30.

We apologise for the delay to your flight, and we'll give you further updates as soon as we can.

Now listen again.

This is an announcement for all passengers waiting to travel on the 10.45 flight to Glasgow.

Due to poor weather, this flight is delayed and is unlikely to take off until 12.15.

All passengers travelling on this flight can collect a special ticket at the information desk, which they can exchange for a drink and a snack at the cafe.

Please note the check-in desk will close at 11.30.

We apologise for the delay to your flight and we'll give you further updates as soon as we can.

3. Where did the family go at the weekend?

How was your weekend?

Were there any tickets left for the play you wanted to see?

Yes, but we decided to do something else in the end.

I found a few more options online.

We ended up getting some discount tickets to visit a castle.

We all enjoyed it far more than the art gallery we went to last time we had a family day out.

We're actually thinking of going there again.

It's just as much fun as going to see a show at the theatre.

Now listen again.

How was your weekend?

Were there any tickets left for the play you wanted to see?

Yes, but we decided to do something else in the end.

I found a few more options online.

We ended up getting some discount tickets to visit a castle.

We all enjoyed it far more than the art gallery we went to last time we had a family day out.

We're actually thinking of going there again.

It's just as much fun as going to see a show at the theatre.

Four.

What are the man and woman going to order?

What shall we have to drink?

I'm quite thirsty, so I think I'll just have water.

Me too.

Let's get a large bottle to share.

Oh yes, we could do that.

Do you prefer sparkling?

I always have steel.

Oh, I like sparkling water.

How about getting a glass of steel and a glass of sparkling?

Actually, have you seen the prices?

What about asking for a jug of tap water?

It tastes just as good.

Especially if they put ice and lemon in it.

Good idea.

Now listen again.

What shall we have to drink?

I'm quite thirsty, so I think I'll just have water.

Me too.

Let's get a large bottle to share.

Oh yes, we could do that.

Do you prefer sparkling?

I always have steel.

Oh, I like sparkling water.

How about getting a glass of steel and a glass of sparkling?

Actually, have you seen the prices?

What about asking for a jug of tap water?

It tastes just as good.

Especially if they put ice and lemon in it.

Good idea.

Five.

Which photograph did the man take?

Your website's great.

Did you take all these photos?

Not all of them.

I included some others that were taken by friends, like this one of the desert.

You can tell which are mine because the style's different.

I'm interested in water, especially scenes showing rain.

Have a look at this one of mine.

Nice.

And is this one yours?

100

I love how the water in the lake's like a mirror for the trees.

101

It's beautiful, isn't it?

102

It's actually someone else's work, though.

103

Now listen again.

104

Your website's great.

105

Did you take all these photos?

106

Not all of them.

107

I included some others that were taken by friends, like this one of the desert.

108

You can tell which are mine because the style's different.

109

I'm interested in water, especially scenes showing rain.

110

Have a look at this one of mine.

111

Nice.

112

And is this one yours?

113

I love how the water in the lake's like a mirror for the trees.

114

It's beautiful, isn't it?

115

It's actually someone else's work, though.

116

6. How does the man suggest his friend should travel to the concert?

117

Hi, it's Neil.

118

Listen, I know I was supposed to give you and Jack a lift to the concert tonight, in my car, but I'm not going to be able to make it.

119

It's a shame my ticket will be wasted.

120

Anyway, it's not that far to the concert hall from where you both live.

121

You could always take the underground to Green Oak Station, and it's only a short walk from there.

122

I'm sure you and Jack will be able to take a taxi home afterwards.

123

Anyway, I hope you both have fun.

124

Bye.

125

Now listen again.

126

Hi, it's Neil.

127

Listen, I know I was supposed to give you and Jack a lift to the concert tonight in my car, but I'm not going to be able to make it.

128

It's a shame my ticket will be wasted.

129

Anyway, it's not that far to the concert hall from where you both live.

130

You could always take the underground to Green Oak Station and it's only a short walk from there.

131

I'm sure you and Jack will be able to take a taxi home afterwards.

132

Anyway, I hope you both have fun.

133

Bye.

134

7. What is the weather forecast for the north this morning?

135

Now for an update on the weather.

136

Well, it's looking very different from yesterday in both the north and the south.

137

In southern areas, there'll be some thick fog to begin with, making conditions difficult for people driving to work.

138

That should disappear by around 11, though.

139

There'll be heavy snow showers, mainly in northern areas, but hopefully these will be over by lunchtime.

140

It'll be calm everywhere for most of the day, but with some strong winds coming in towards the evening.

141

Now listen again.

142

It'll be calm everywhere for most of the day, but with some strong winds coming in towards the evening.

143

That is the end of part one.

144

Now look at part two.

145

For each question, choose the correct answer.

146

Eight.

147

You will hear a boy telling a friend about plans for his birthday.

148

What are you doing for your birthday?

149

I'm having a group bike ride and then a picnic in the park.

150

I know it's the same as what we did last year, but I don't think that matters.

151

I wanted to have all my mates from college and my football team.

152

But it wouldn't be a good idea to have so many people riding together.

153

So I'll have to choose between them, which is a shame.

154

I'm sure it'll be fun whoever comes.

155

You're right.

156

I hate having to make decisions like this.

157

Anyway, you'll come, won't you? Of course.

158

Now listen again.

159

What are you doing for your birthday?

160

I'm having a group bike ride and then a picnic in the park.

161

I know it's the same as what we did last year, but I don't think that matters.

162

I wanted to have all my mates from college and my football team, but it wouldn't be a good idea to have so many people riding together.

163

So I'll have to choose between them, which is a shame.

164

I'm sure it'll be fun whoever comes.

165

You're right.

166

I hate having to make decisions like this.

167

Anyway, you'll come, won't you? Of course.

168

9. You will hear two friends talking about a football match they went to.

169

Did you enjoy the match last night?

170

I have to say I thought it was pretty dull.

171

Oh, I don't know.

172

Most people seem to be enjoying it, me included.

173

Although there weren't nearly as many people watching as there normally are.

174

The cold weather might be the reason for the low numbers.

175

And the people who were there weren't too happy with some of the things the referee did.

176

He had some difficult situations to deal with.

177

I didn't think he did too badly, actually.

178

Anyway, at least our team won.

179

That's what matters.

180

Now listen again.

181

Did you enjoy the match last night?

182

I have to say I thought it was pretty dull.

183

Oh, I don't know.

184

Most people seem to be enjoying it, me included.

185

Although there weren't nearly as many people watching as there normally are.

186

The cold weather might be the reason for the low numbers.

187

And the people who were there weren't too happy with some of the things the referee did.

188

He had some difficult situations to deal with.

189

I didn't think he did too badly, actually.

190

Anyway, at least our team won.

191

That's what matters.

192

10. You will hear a man telling his friend about a skiing holiday.

193

I'm never going skiing again.

194

Why?

195

You look like you are having a good time in the photos I saw on the internet.

196

They were taken at the start of the holiday.

197

I was so excited then.

198

So, what happened?

199

Everything was fine until someone suggested trying one of the more advanced routes.

200

I've never been so scared in all my life.

201

It was too difficult for me and I had to give up halfway.

202

I nearly hurt myself hitting a tree.

203

The others all found this very funny, which made me feel pretty silly.

204

Oh dear.

205

Now listen again.

206

I'm never going skiing again.

207

Why?

208

You look like you are having a good time in the photos I saw on the internet.

209

They were taken at the start of the holiday.

210

I was so excited then. So?

211

What happened?

212

Everything was fine until someone suggested trying one of the more advanced routes.

213

I've never been so scared in all my life.

214

It was too difficult for me and I had to give up halfway.

215

I nearly hurt myself hitting a tree.

216

The others all found this very funny, which made me feel pretty silly.

217

Oh dear.

218

Eleven.

219

You will hear two friends talking about cars.

220

I hear you just bought a new car.

221

How did you decide which one to get?

222

Well, I often watch that TV show about cars.

223

You know, the one with Ben Clark where they give all sorts of information about different models.

224

Ben mentioned some useful places to look online where people who've bought new cars give their opinions.

225

I'd always rather see what car owners say than trust adverts or stuff on TV.

226

Anyway, they were all pretty positive about the model I was hoping to get, so I went for it in the end.

227

Now listen again.

228

I hear you just bought a new car.

229

How did you decide which one to get?

230

Well, I often watch that TV show about cars.

231

You know, the one with Ben Clark, where they give all sorts of information about different models.

232

They mention some useful places to look online, where people who've bought new cars give their opinions.

233

I'd always rather see what car owners say than trust adverts or stuff on TV.

234

Anyway, they were all pretty positive about the model I was hoping to get, so I went for it in the end.

235

Twelve.

236

You will hear a woman telling a friend about a singing competition.

237

How are things going with preparations for the singing competition?

238

Well, there are some strong singers this year, so I'm glad picking the winner's not my job.

239

I mean, how do you go about choosing?

240

Have you ever thought about entering a singing competition yourself?

241

I think it's more fun watching and making comments about everyone else.

242

And anyway, being in charge of the whole thing, I've more than enough to do, I can tell you.

243

I'm spending ages sorting things out, including most evenings, but I love it.

244

I'm sure it'll be great.

245

Now listen again.

246

How are things going with preparations for the singing competition?

247

Well, there are some strong singers this year, so I'm glad picking the winner's not my job.

248

I mean, how do you go about choosing?

249

Have you ever thought about entering a singing competition yourself?

250

I think it's more fun watching and making comments about everyone else.

251

And anyway, being in charge of the whole thing, I've more than enough to do, I can tell you.

252

I'm spending ages sorting things out, including most evenings, but I love it.

253

I'm sure it'll be great.

254

Thirteen.

255

You will hear a woman talking to a friend about her recent move to a city.

256

Are you happy about your move to the city?

257

Well, my neighbours are very quiet, but there's a lot of street noise from all the shops and restaurants.

258

I suppose everything's nearby, so now I can walk everywhere, which means I'm actually fitter than when I lived in the countryside.

259

I hadn't expected that.

260

I do sometimes wonder whether this is the right area for me, but once I've got to know more people, I'll be able to decide if it's the sort of place I'm going to be happy in.

261

Why don't you come round soon?

262

I'd love to.

263

Now listen again.

264

Are you happy about your move to the city?

265

Well, my neighbours are very quiet, but there's a lot of street noise from all the shops and restaurants.

266

I suppose everything's nearby, so now I can walk everywhere, which means I'm actually fitter than when I lived in the countryside.

267

I hadn't expected that.

268

I do sometimes wonder whether this is the right area for me.

269

But once I've got to know more people, I'll be able to decide if it's the sort of place I'm going to be happy in.

270

Why don't you come round soon?

271

I'd love to.

272

That is the end of part two.

273

Now look at part three.

274

For each question, write the correct answer in the gap.

275

Write one or two words, or a number, or a date, or a time.

276

Look at questions 14 to 19 now.

277

You have 20 seconds.

278

You will hear a woman called Kelly Robinson talking about her work as a maker of cartoon films.

279

My name's Kelly Robinson and I make cartoons for a living.

280

I do this on computers and I've been doing the job since I left university.

281

Although I now know almost as much about computing as I do about cartoon design, I actually studied art for my degree.

282

I got a job with a major film studio soon after leaving university.

283

It's a great company to work for.

284

The software programmes we use for making cartoons are really good, but it's the people there that make it such a fantastic place to work.

285

Each department has its own special job to do when we're making a cartoon film.

286

For example, the one I'm in works on animals in the story, while others focus on the human characters or the buildings.

287

It's then the director's job to bring everything together.

288

I'm always learning new skills to help improve my work.

289

I did a writing course last year and learnt a lot about different types of stories.

290

And I've just started doing acting classes, which are surprisingly useful for understanding filmmaking, even though I don't plan to appear in any films.

291

Some companies make cartoons the old-fashioned way, using thousands of individual drawings, but this takes a long time.

292

Using this technique, it can take about two years to create a full-length film.

293

Compare that to the eight months it takes my company to do the same, and you see the advantage of using computers.

294

My next cartoon project will be the first thing I've done that isn't a film for children.

295

It's actually something for a website.

296

After working on so many kids' comedies, it'll be an interesting challenge.

297

Now listen again.

298

My name's Kelly Robinson and I make cartoons for a living.

299

I do this on computers and I've been doing the job since I left university.

300

Although I now know almost as much about computing as I do about cartoon design, I actually studied art for my degree.

301

I got a job with a major film studio soon after leaving university.

302

It's a great company to work for.

303

The software programmes we use for making cartoons are really good, but it's the people there that make it such a fantastic place to work.

304

Each department has its own special job to do when we're making a cartoon film.

305

For example, the one I'm in works on animals in the story, while others focus on the human characters or the buildings.

306

It's then the director's job to bring everything together.

307

I'm always learning new skills to help improve my work.

308

I did a writing course last year and learnt a lot about different types of stories.

309

And I've just started doing acting classes, which are surprisingly useful for understanding filmmaking, even though I don't plan to appear in any films.

310

Some companies make cartoons the old fashioned way, using thousands of individual drawings, but this takes a long time using this technique it can

311

take about two years to create a full-length film compare

312

that to the eight months it takes my company to do the same

313

and you see the advantage of using computers my next cartoon project will be the first thing i've done

314

that isn't a film for children it's actually something for a website.

315

After working on so many kids' comedies, it'll be an interesting challenge.

316

That is the end of part three.

317

Now look at part four.

318

For each question, choose the correct answer.

319

Look at questions 20 to 25 now.

320

You have 45 seconds.

321

Thank you.

322

This week I'm joined by swimmer Rosie Banks, who swims in international competitions.

323

Rosie, welcome.

324

So, did you swim a lot when you were very young?

325

Yes, before I even started school.

326

My dad used to take my brother Joel and me to the pool in town.

327

He just wanted us to do something in our free time that wasn't looking at a screen.

328

Joel was better at swimming than anyone we knew, and I practised as often as possible so I could swim as fast as him.

329

And then you joined a swimming club and started training seriously.

330

Yes, I was invited to join the club when I was twelve.

331

It took an hour to get to their pool.

332

Mum drove me.

333

We had to leave for training early each morning, but we enjoyed chatting on the journey.

334

With all the training and competitions, I couldn't attend school sometimes, which I was unhappy about.

335

I was always much busier than my friends, but I still met up with them when I had time.

336

And now you've had success at the Swimstars International Competition.

337

Tell us about that.

338

Well, I trained hard and I expected to do well, although winning was still brilliant.

339

Swimming isn't shown much on TV.

340

It's usually famous footballers or tennis stars people love watching.

341

So I couldn't believe people wanted to read and watch interviews with me.

342

So I imagine it's expensive taking part in international competitions.

343

Do you get help with the costs?

344

Yes.

345

Fortunately, a sportswear company pays for plane tickets as long as I used their swimsuits, bags and other stuff showing their brand.

346

It'd be great if they also gave me financial support for hotels, as my parents have to spend a lot on that kind of thing.

347

So you've got a new swimming coach now.

348

What changes has she made?

349

Well, I'm doing the same regular fitness training, but thanks to her suggestions about the way I move my arms through the water,

350

I've already seen improvements in my speed.

351

She's also looked at the food I eat.

352

Luckily, she was satisfied with that.

353

I'm very strict with my diet.

354

And you're going to Spain soon, I hear.

355

Well, I've got a short break first, and then I'm going on a special training course there for the whole summer.

356

I'll work with lots of swimmers I haven't met before.

357

I'm really looking forward to that.

358

I won't do any races, but it'll still be hard work.

359

Thanks, Rosie.

360

Now listen again.

361

Joel was better at swimming than anyone we knew, and I practised as often as possible so I could swim as fast as him.

362

And then you joined a swimming club and started training seriously.

363

Yes, I was invited to join the club when I was twelve.

364

It took an hour to get to their pool.

365

Mum drove me.

366

We had to leave for training early each morning, but we enjoyed chatting on the journey.

367

With all the training and competitions, I couldn't attend school sometimes, which I was unhappy about.

368

I was always much busier than my friends, but I still met up with them when I had time.

369

And now you've had success at the Swimstars International Competition.

370

Tell us about that.

371

Well, I trained hard and I expected to do well, although winning was still brilliant.

372

Swimming isn't shown much on TV.

373

It's usually famous footballers or tennis stars people love watching.

374

So I couldn't believe people wanted to read and watch interviews with me.

375

So I imagine it's expensive taking part in international competitions.

376

Do you get help with the costs?

377

Yes.

378

Fortunately, a sportswear company pays for plane tickets as long as I use their swimsuits, bags and other stuff showing their brand.

379

It'd be great if they also gave me financial support for hotels, as my parents have to spend a lot on that kind of thing.

380

So you've got a new swimming coach now.

381

What changes has she made?

382

Well, I'm doing the same regular fitness training, but thanks to her suggestions about the way I move my arms through the water,

383

I've already seen improvements in my speed.

384

She's also looked at the food I eat.

385

Luckily, she was satisfied with that.

386

I'm very strict with my diet.

387

And you're going to Spain soon, I hear.

388

Well, I've got a short break first, and then I'm going on a special training course there for the whole summer.

389

I'll work with lots of swimmers I haven't met before.

390

I'm really looking forward to that.

391

I won't do any races, but it'll still be hard work.

392

Thanks, Rosie.

393

That is the end of part four.

394

You now have six minutes to write your answers on the answer sheet.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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