Shadowing Practice: IELTS LISTENING PRACTICE TEST 2025 WITH ANSWERS | 15.09.2025 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Part 1 Part 1
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You will hear a conversation about a language course.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 5.
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Good morning, Borgheimer Language Courses.
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How may I help you?
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Oh, yes.
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I contacted you some time ago about following a German course in Germany, and you advised me to take your placement test before we go any further.
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Well, I've done that now, so I'd like to go ahead with booking the course for this summer, if that's possible.
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Certainly, sir.
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You said you took the placement test.
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What was the result?
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I was placed at the O3 level.
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O3.
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Right.
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That's lower intermediate.
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Fine, Mr...
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Petterson.
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John Petterson.
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Could you spell that for me, please, Mr. Petterson?
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P-E-T-T-E-R-S-O-N.
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That's a double T and a double S.
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Am I right?
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Am I right?
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That's right.
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Now could I ask you where the course takes place?
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Well, we offer courses in Hamburg and Berlin.
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For your level there's never a problem.
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There are always plenty of people for the intermediate classes.
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Oh dear.
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Does that mean that there might be a lot of students in my class?
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I wouldn't be very happy about that.
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No, don't worry Mr. Petterson.
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The maximum class size is twelve, but I've never known there to be more than nine or ten in a class.
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It could even be five or six.
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Good.
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Actually I'd prefer to study in Berlin.
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And how long is the course?
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Three weeks, five hours a day.
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Two hours only on Saturday, Sundays free.
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I see.
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And what about accommodation?
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There you have a choice, Mr. Petterson.
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You can either stay with a German family who are used to having such guests, or you can stay on the university campus,
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or we can book you into a nearby bed and breakfast.
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Is there a big difference in price?
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Not really.
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Staying with the family works out the cheapest, and the bed and breakfast is a bit more money.
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Staying on the university campus comes somewhere between the two price-wise, but Berlin is not too expensive anyway.
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Which do you recommend?
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Well, if you want to practise your German and be part of a German family, I would recommend staying with a family.
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Our families are all hand-picked and we've never had any sort of complaint.
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Yes, I'll probably do that then.
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What are the dates of the course?
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The first summer course starts on the 1st of June in Hamburg and a week later in Berlin,
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which is what would concern you as you have chosen the Berlin course.
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That's the 8th of June.
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The next course would begin on the 2nd of July and then...
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The 2nd of July course would be perfect for me.
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Can you put me down for it now?
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Certainly, Mr. Petterson.
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Can I have your address, please?
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26 Mayfield Drive, Orpington, Kent.
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I'm afraid I can't remember the postal code.
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Don't worry, Mr. Petterson.
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I'll check on it.
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Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions six to ten.
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Now listen and answer questions six to ten.
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There are a couple of other things I'd like to ask.
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Certainly.
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What do I need to bring on the course?
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Well, apart from the obvious, you'll need our textbooks.
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I'll email you the name and publisher.
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You should be able to find it in your local bookstore.
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If you do have problems, call me or email me and I'll see what I can do.
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We provide the computers, computer disks, translation exercises and all that sort of thing, but you will need a good dictionary.
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We recommend Langenscheid, which is more than adequate for your level.
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You don't have to go and spend a lot of money on an expensive dictionary, not yet anyway.
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Maybe you will when your German reaches a very high standard.
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That would be very nice.
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Now, finally, what about the cost of the course and how do I pay?
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Would you like to pay that in pounds or in euros?
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Euros would be fine.
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In that case, it's 550 euros.
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You can pay by credit card if you like.
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Oh dear, I'm afraid I haven't got a credit card.
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How else can I pay?
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That's not a problem, Mr. Petterson.
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You can pay by bank transfer.
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Fine.
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By the way, I forgot to mention I am a full-time student.
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Have you got a student card?
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Oh, yes.
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Then that does make a difference, you'll be pleased to hear.
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You are entitled to 35% off the full price.
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And if you can persuade a few people to join you, it would work out even cheaper.
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How do you mean exactly?
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Well, for every five people you find, one goes free.
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In other words, if there are six of you, you get one free course.
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Of course, in reality, you would divide up the savings amongst you, presumably.
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Right.
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Well, I'll see what I can do.
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Thank you.
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Not at all, Mr. Petterson, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the course.
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There are, of course, sightseeing possibilities.
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Would you like me to send you our brochure describing them?
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Yes, thank you.
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I'd appreciate that.
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Anyway, thanks for your help.
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If I want to call back, who do I ask for?
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Susanna, I'm here most of the time.
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That is the end of part one.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Part 2 Now turns to part 2.
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Part 2.
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You'll hear an introduction on the housing conditions in Chapmanville.
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First, look at questions 11 to 14.
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Thank you.
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11 to 14.
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Hi, I'm Gavin Murray.
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I'm the rental manager for the Central Chapmanville Real Estate Agency.
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I'm a real estate agent, much like any other, in that I help people buy and sell houses,
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but about half of my time is spent working to assist people in renting houses and flats.
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I've been in this business for a dozen years now, and I know the city very well,
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in terms of which areas are the better places to live and how much it costs to rent in these areas.
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Now, I normally divide Chapmanville into three areas in terms of rental prices.
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Generally speaking, the area in the northern part of the city is the low end of the spectrum, the cheapest housing, so if you're looking to spend as little as possible on rent,
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I suggest you look there.
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The most expensive area would be the eastern part of Chapmanville.
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Most people think it's the prettiest part of the metropolitan area because of all the hills and parks.
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As so many people desire to live there, housing prices tend to be quite high.
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The middle market in terms of price for accommodation is found in the city's western and southern areas.
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Now, let me give some examples of how much it will cost you to rent in these areas.
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Let's imagine you're a single person looking for a one-bedroom flat.
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In eastern Chapmanville, you would be paying no less than $650 a month for such a flat, you won't find anything for less than that.
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But a lot of people pay as much as $1,100 per month or more.
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The higher-priced flats are usually the ones in the hills, which run through the east.
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They've got the best views of the city.
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A similarly sized flat in the west of the city and the south, too, for that matter, would cost you at most $650.
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But there are many flats going for less, and if you look around a bit, you can find one for as little as $350.
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That's quite a reasonable rental price for most people.
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If you find that too expensive, I suggest you head to Chapmanville's North, where the cheapest flats are to be found.
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One-bedroom flats there start from about $170 a month and up to about $400.
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Now, for those of you who want something bigger, you'll have to be prepared to pay about double those prices for a small two or three bedroom house.
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Before the broadcast continues, look at questions 15 to 20.
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You will now listen to the second part of the talk.
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Listen carefully and answer questions 15 to 20.
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For those of you who want something bigger, you'll have to be prepared to pay about double those prices for a small two or three bedroom house.
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That goes for any of the areas I mentioned.
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Okay, so much for prices.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of these areas?
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Well, I told you that the eastern part of Chapmanville is the prettiest.
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There are lots of parks and lots of trees all around there.
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Oh, I should mention that the only public transport in the east is the bus.
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There aren't any trains, so it's not that convenient, as you can imagine, even though it's richer parts of the city.
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In the south, you've also got the river, but you won't find too many parks there, because of all the factories alongside the river.
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In fact, there's quite a bit of industry in the South, which makes it a less desirable place to live.
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Still, the South is convenient because of public transport.
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The South has very good train services to the city centre, as well as buses, and that's why a lot of people choose to live there.
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I said earlier that western
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and southern parts of Chapmanville are about the same in terms of the price you pay for accommodation.
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They also have the same sort of public transport services, but the two areas are quite different in other ways.
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The West is next to the Bay, so it's quite attractive in that sense, but there are a couple of problems with the West.
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One is that the Bay is polluted, so polluted in fact that you wouldn't want to swim there.
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I used to take my family there about ten years ago, but now I wouldn't go near it.
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The other disadvantage of the West is that it is where the airport is, the Chapmanville International Airport.
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The noise can be quite annoying.
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Lastly, the North.
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In northern Chapmanville, as I said before, housing is cheap, quite cheap in fact, but you pay in other ways.
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For example, the area is very low and made up entirely of wetlands.
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It's beautiful in a way, but it attracts an incredible amount of insects for most of the year.
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The mosquitoes there are really bad.
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This makes things quite unpleasant, and so few people have any real wish to live there.
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But if money's a problem, that's the place to go.
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Just bring your insect repellent.
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Let me finish by again welcoming you all to Chapmanville
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and wishing you good luck in finding accommodation and settling down in whichever part of the city which suits you best.
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That is the end of part two.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Now turns to part 3.
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Part 3 You're going to listen to a radio programme about buying a house.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25.
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Now, listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25.
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Good afternoon, listeners.
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Today, I'd like to welcome Edward Fox, who is going to talk to us today about buying a house.
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Edward.
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Thank you, Eunice.
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For most people, at least, buying a house is a major life event, and probably the single most expensive item you are ever likely to buy.
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It is also a place that you can make your home.
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Therefore, thinking carefully before you make a purchase is of the utmost importance.
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One of the most important things to consider before buying any property is the location, because, remember, it is where you plan to spend a large part of your life,
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or indeed the rest of your life in some circumstances.
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Therefore, consider the type of life you enjoy leading.
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Are you a very sociable person who enjoys nightclubs and discos?
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If so, then you may wish to consider something close to the city,
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or indeed in a city where it is convenient for all types of nightlife.
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On the other hand, if, like me, you prefer a quieter life, then you may want to consider something away from the city.
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However, do remember that proximity to your place of work is also important.
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Indeed, we spend most of our life at work, and you don't want to have to spend two or more hours every day travelling to work now, do you?
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Therefore, transport is the utmost importance.
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City suburbs, however, are often conveniently located for commuting to work, all for shopping, without being in the heart of a busy city.
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You may, however, think that a house in the suburbs would be far too expensive.
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Yet houses located in cities can often exceed the price of suburban houses.
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So check out the prices.
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You may be surprised.
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Family is another important consideration.
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You may prefer a house that is away from a busy street or main road.
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And, of course, remember that children have to attend school.
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Is there a good school in the area?
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Or would your children have to travel a long distance to get to school?
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Therefore, if you have children or you plan to have children, location is a very important factor.
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And, of course, remember that a family influences the size of the property.
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Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30.
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Thank you.
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26 to 30.
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And of course, remember that a family influences the size of the property.
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There are, of course, various types of houses.
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There are detached houses, which stand alone, and are not joined by to another building.
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Then there are semi-detached houses, which incidentally are the most common, and for good reason, because they are less expensive than detached houses,
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this is because they are in fact two houses joined together
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and therefore take up less space and finally there are townhouses
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which are many houses joined together to form a long row
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but don't think that townhouses are less expensive than semi-detached houses they rarely are this is
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because they are usually built-in cities where the prices of property
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is very expensive indeed the age of property is another consideration if you're considering buying an old house, beware.
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You may be faced with expensive repairs and renovation bills, so have the house thoroughly checked by a professional surveyor before you decide to buy.
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But then again, there are things you can look for yourself.
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Things such as the condition of the woodwork, especially doors and windows that can be expensive to replace.
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More importantly, make sure all the fixtures and fittings, things such as cupboards, sinks,
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taps, bathtubs, are all in good working order because replacing kitchens and bathrooms can be a very costly business.
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And don't forget the garden.
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If the property has one, if you enjoy gardening then fine, but if you don't enjoy gardening then you may prefer a small garden as opposed to a big one.
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But even if you do enjoy gardening it is important to remember that gardens take up a lot of your time.
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So keeping a garden in good order may be very difficult if you work long hours.
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One final thing is the general feel of the place.
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Does it have a good atmosphere?
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And most importantly of all, would you feel comfortable living there?
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Thank you, Edward.
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But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today.
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But I'll be back next Wednesday when my guest speaker will be talking about buying a computer.
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So until then, bye for now.
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That is the end of part three.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Now it
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turns to parts.
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Part 4.
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Part 4.
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You will hear a lecturer talking about the solar eclipse in history.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 36.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 36.
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Good evening and welcome to this month's Observatory Club lecture.
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I'm Donald Mackey, and I'm here to talk to you about the solar eclipse in history.
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A thousand years ago, a total eclipse of the sun was a terrifying religious experience.
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But these days, an eclipse is more likely to be viewed as a tourist attraction than as a scientific or spiritual event.
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People will travel literally miles to be in the right place at the right time, to get the best view of their eclipse.
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Well, what exactly causes a solar eclipse when the world goes dark for a few minutes in the middle of the day.
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Scientifically speaking, the dark spot itself is easy to explain.
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It's the shadow of the moon streaking across the earth.
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This happens every year or two, each time along a different, and to all intents and purposes a seemingly random, piece of the globe.
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In the past, people often interpreted an eclipse as a danger signal heralding disaster,
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and And in fact, the Chinese were so disturbed by these events
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that they included among their gods one whose job it was to prevent eclipses.
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But whether or not you're superstitious or take a purely scientific view, our earthly eclipses are special in three ways.
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Firstly, there can be no doubt that they're very beautiful.
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It's as
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if a deep blue curtain had fallen over the daytime sky
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as the sun becomes a black void surrounded by the glow of its outer atmosphere.
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But beyond this, total eclipses possess a second more compelling beauty in the eyes of us scientists,
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for they offer a unique opportunity for research.
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Only during an eclipse can we study the corona and other dim things that are normally lost in the sun's glare.
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And thirdly, they are rare.
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Even though an eclipse of the sun occurs somewhere on Earth every year or two, if you sit in your garden and wait,
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it will take 375 years on average for one to come to you.
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If the moon were any larger, eclipses would become a monthly bore.
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If it were smaller, they simply would not be possible.
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The ancient Babylonian priests, who spent a fair bit of time staring at the sky,
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had already noted that there was an 18-year pattern in their occurrence, but they didn't have the mathematics to predict an eclipse accurately.
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In the second part, the speaker talks about a number of scientists.
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Look at questions 37 to 40.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 37 to 40.
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It was Edmund Halley, the English astronomer, who knew his maths well enough to predict the return of the comet, which, incidentally, bears his name,
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and in 1715 he became the first person to make an accurate eclipse prediction.
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This brought eclipses firmly into the scientific domain, and they've since allowed a number of important scientific discoveries to be made.
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For instance, in the eclipse of 1868, two scientists, Janssen and Lockyer, were observing the sun's atmosphere,
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and it was these observations that ultimately led to the discovery of a new element.
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They named the element helium, after the Greek god of the sun.
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This was a major find, because helium turned out to be the most common element in the universe after hydrogen.
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Another great triumph involved Mercury.
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I'll just put that up on the board for you now.
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See, there's Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun, then Venus, Earth, etc. For centuries,
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scientists had been unable to understand why Mercury appeared to rotate faster than it should.
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Some astronomers suggested that there might be an undiscovered planet causing this unusual orbit, and even gave it the name Vulcan.
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During the eclipse of 1878, an American astronomer, James Watson, thought he'd spotted this so-called lost planet.
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But, alas for him, he was later obliged to admit that he'd been wrong about Vulcan and withdrew his claim.
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Then Albert Einstein came on the scene.
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Einstein suggested that, rather than being wrong about the number of planets, astronomers were actually wrong about gravity.
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Einstein's theory of relativity, for which he is so famous,
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disagreed with Newton's law of gravity in just the right way to explain Mercury's odd orbit.
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He also realised that a definitive test would be possible during the total eclipse of 1919,
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and this is indeed when his theory was finally proved correct.
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So there you have several examples of how eclipses have helped to increase our understanding of the universe.
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And now let's move on to the social aspects.
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That is the end of part four.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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The End
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I'm going to go to the next one.
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I love
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you, I love you
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Understanding the Language Course Conversation
The video features a practical dialogue between a student and a language course advisor, focusing on booking a German course in Berlin. It covers common real-life topics like placement tests, class sizes, accommodation options, and pricing—making it ideal for learners practicing everyday English communication.
5 Essential Phrases for Daily Use
- "Go ahead with booking": Use when ready to proceed with a reservation, e.g., "I’d like to go ahead with booking the hotel."
- "Works out the cheapest": Describes the most affordable option, e.g., "Cooking at home works out the cheapest."
- "Comes somewhere between the two": Indicates a middle range, e.g., "The new model comes somewhere between the old and premium versions in price."
- "Is there a big difference in price?": A key question for comparing costs, useful in shopping or travel planning.
- "Could you spell that for me?": Polite way to clarify spelling, essential for accurate communication.
Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video
Shadowing (repeating speech immediately after the speaker) is a great way to improve English pronunciation and fluency. Here’s how to use this dialogue:
Step 1: Listen and Analyze
First, watch the video without pausing. Note the pace, intonation, and stress in phrases like "lower intermediate" or "maximum class size." Pay attention to how the advisor responds to the student’s concerns.
Step 2: Repeat with a Shadowing App
Use a shadowing app to pause after each sentence. Repeat the speaker’s words, focusing on matching their rhythm and pronunciation. For tricky phrases like "P-E-T-T-E-R-S-O-N," practice until you can say them smoothly.
Step 3: Focus on Shadow Speech Details
Notice how the student uses polite language ("Could you...") and the advisor’s reassuring tone ("Don’t worry"). Mimic these nuances to sound more natural. A shadowing site can help you record your speech and compare it to the original.
Step 4: Practice in Chunks
Break the dialogue into sections (e.g., booking the course, accommodation options) and shadow each part repeatedly. This builds muscle memory for common conversational structures, making real-life interactions easier.
By using these strategies, you’ll not only improve your listening skills but also master practical phrases for daily communication. Remember, consistent shadowing practice—whether with an app, site, or just the video—will boost your confidence and pronunciation over time.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If it were smaller, they simply would not |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was placed · are entitled · is spent |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've done · I've never known · we've never had |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Langenscheid, which is · South, which makes · person who enjoys |
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.