Shadowing Practice: PET - B1 Preliminary 1 Authentic Practice Tests - PET Listening TEST 1 with ANSWER KEY - Learn English Speaking with Video
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B1 Preliminary for Schools 1,
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Tests 1 to 4 Published by Cambridge University Press and Uckels 2019 This recording is copyright
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CD1 Test 1 There are four parts to the test.
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You will hear each part twice.
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We will now stop for a moment.
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Please ask any questions now because you must not speak during the test.
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Now look at the instructions for part 1.
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For each question, choose the correct answer.
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Look at question one.
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One.
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What will they eat for dinner?
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Do you fancy an omelette and salad for dinner this evening, Grace?
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I haven't got much time, so I'll just do something quick.
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Sounds good, Dad.
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I'll give you a hand with the salad.
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Well, in that case, I can do a few chips to go with it then.
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I know how you never say no to those.
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Great.
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By the way, we need some bread.
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We should tell mum to get some on her way home.
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It can wait till tomorrow when I go shopping.
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Okay.
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Now listen again.
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Do you fancy an omelette and salad for dinner this evening, Grace?
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I haven't got much time, so I'll just do something quick.
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Sounds good, Dad.
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I'll give you a hand with the salad.
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Well, in that case, I can do a few chips to go with it then.
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I know how you never say no to those.
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Right.
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By the way, we need some bread.
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We should tell Mum to get some on her way home.
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It can wait till tomorrow when I go shopping.
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Okay.
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2. Where did the police find the stolen statue?
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A small statue of a horse was stolen from the City Museum yesterday afternoon.
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Museum security cameras showed the thieves driving out of the museum car park at 5pm.
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Fortunately, police discovered the valuable piece at the entrance to a tunnel on the main city road.
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After hearing about the robbery on the radio, the manager of a petrol station rang the police to say he'd seen the car.
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It seems the thieves threw the statue from the moving car while police were chasing them.
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Now listen again.
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A small statue of a horse was stolen from the city museum yesterday afternoon.
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museum security cameras showed the thieves driving out of the museum car park at 5 pm
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fortunately police discovered the valuable piece at the entrance to a tunnel on the main city road
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after hearing about the robbery on the radio the manager of
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a petrol station rang the police to say he'd seen the
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car it seems the thieves threw the statue from the moving car while police were chasing them.
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3. How did the mountain climbing group celebrate their success?
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You know the school climbing group?
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Well, they managed to reach the top of Mount Azra.
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Fantastic!
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Did they put the school flag at the top?
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They said they would.
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The head teacher said it was forbidden to use a flag in that way, which seems a shame.
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So they just ended up taking selfies of themselves.
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I'd set off loads of fireworks to celebrate if I managed to climb up a mountain like that.
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But you'd have to carry the fireworks all the way up.
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True, but it'd be fun.
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Now listen again.
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You know the school climbing group?
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Well, they managed to reach the top of Mount Azra.
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Fantastic!
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Did they put the school flag at the top?
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They said they would.
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The headteacher said it was forbidden to use a flag in that way, which seems a shame.
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So they just ended up taking selfies of themselves.
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I'd set off loads of fireworks to celebrate if I managed to climb up a mountain like that.
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But you'd have to carry the fireworks all the way up.
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True, but it'd be fun.
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4. What does the boy think his friend should buy?
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Hi Terry, it's Ben.
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You asked for some ideas for what you could buy for my sister's birthday present.
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She's into sport and music, so I wondered about a new sports bag.
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I've got a feeling she's just got a new one though.
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There's a novel called A Life in Music I'm sure she'd like, so that's what I'd go for.
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You mentioned headphones because she's always complaining hers are really old, but I think she'd prefer to choose her own.
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Anyway, call me back if you've got any questions.
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Now listen again.
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Hi Terry, it's Ben.
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You asked for some ideas for what you could buy for my sister's birthday present.
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she's into sport and music
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so I wondered about a new sports bag I've got a
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feeling she's just got a new one though there's a novel called a life in music I'm sure she'd like
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so that's what I'd go for you mentioned headphones
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because she's always complaining hers are really old
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but I think she'd prefer to choose her own anyway call me back if you've got any questions 5.
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What's the girl's holiday job?
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I've got a job working in the school holidays.
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Cool!
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Doing what?
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Well, you know that clothes shop where my mum works?
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A friend who works with her told her the local hairdressers was looking for someone to help there one day a week.
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Great!
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Have you started yet?
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Yeah.
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My first day was really crowded with mums bringing their kids for haircuts, so it was incredibly noisy.
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I enjoyed it, though, and it means I can save more money for new clothes than I ever could from babysitting.
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Now listen again.
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I've got a job working in the school holidays.
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Cool.
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Doing what?
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Well, you know that clothes shop where my mum works?
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A friend who works with her told her the local hairdressers was looking for someone to help there one day a week.
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Great!
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Have you started yet?
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Yeah.
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My first day was really crowded with mums bringing their kids for haircuts, so it was incredibly noisy.
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I enjoyed it though, and it means I can save more money for new clothes than I ever could from babysitting.
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6. How are the friends going to get to the cinema?
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Hi, Anna.
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I'm really glad you can go to the cinema at the weekend.
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The film looks great.
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Shall we cycle?
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There are lots of places to leave bikes near the cinema.
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It's a good idea.
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I rode over some glass the other day though, so I may need a new tyre.
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I don't think it'd take too long if we went on foot.
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It's not that far.
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It'd be better than getting the bus as there are so few at weekends.
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Sounds okay.
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Now listen again.
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Hi Anna.
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I'm really glad you can go to the cinema at the weekend.
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The film looks great.
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Shall we cycle?
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There are lots of places to leave bikes near the cinema.
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It's a good idea.
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I rode over some glass the other day though, so I may need a new tyre.
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I don't think it'd take too long if we went on foot.
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It's not that far.
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It'd be better than getting the bus as there are so few at weekends.
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Sounds okay.
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7. What are they going to study in their next lesson?
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I'm looking forward to reading your essays on zebras next week.
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Please don't be late handing them in.
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Africa's full of amazing animals.
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Did you know there are even penguins there?
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Before we look at the lives of these creatures in our next class, there's a program on TV tonight that you might be interested in.
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It's all about giraffes and the environment they live in.
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Try and watch it if you can.
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I'll ask you some questions about it at a later date.
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Now listen again.
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I'm looking forward to reading your essays on zebras next week.
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Please don't be late handing them in.
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Africa's full of amazing animals.
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Did you know there are even penguins there?
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Before we look at the lives of these creatures in our next class, there's a program on TV tonight that you might be interested in.
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It's all about giraffes and the environment they live in.
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Try and watch it if you can.
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I'll ask you some questions about it at a later date.
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That is the end of part one.
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Now look at part two.
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For each question, choose the correct answer.
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8. You will hear two students talking about a history book.
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What did you think of that history book I lent you?
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Well, I'm not sure I'll remember much from it.
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Really?
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I used it to help me with an essay and I found some parts of it pretty useful.
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The last two chapters just repeat information from earlier in the book though, so I don't know why they included them.
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For studying, I prefer books with maps and photos and stuff.
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That makes it easier to understand.
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The book you lent me has pages and pages of details that aren't necessary.
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Some of it could be left out.
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Now listen again.
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and pages of details that aren't necessary.
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Some of it could be left out.
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9. You will hear two friends talking about their lunch break at school.
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Not long till lunch break.
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I heard there'll be some strange new dish.
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I'd prefer burger and chips.
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You're so boring.
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I'm going to try it.
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I hope there'll be time to play that new game, Starball.
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I downloaded it onto my phone this morning.
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Yeah, I want to try it.
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But don't forget, we've got to get that homework done before the afternoon lesson.
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If not, we'll be in trouble.
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True.
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Okay, let's do that.
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But then we won't have enough time for games as well.
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I'm sure we'll feel better after we've done it.
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Hope it's not too hard.
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Now listen again.
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Not long till lunch break.
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I heard there'll be some strange new dish.
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I'd prefer burger and chips.
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You're so boring.
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I'm going to try it.
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I hope there'll be time to play that new game, Starball.
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I downloaded it onto my phone this morning.
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Yeah, I want to try it.
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But don't forget, we've got to get that homework done before the afternoon lesson.
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If not, we'll be in trouble.
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True.
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Okay, let's do that.
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But then we won't have enough time for games as well.
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I'm sure we'll feel better after we've done it.
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Hope it's not too hard.
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10. You will hear two friends talking about a film they have seen.
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I really enjoyed that film, didn't you?
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Uh, well, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed.
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I was expecting something a bit more exciting. Were you?
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I thought you were going to say the actors were awful.
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You did last time.
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I didn't think much of them, actually.
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What did you like so much about the film?
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Well, it was funny how easy it was to predict how it would all finish.
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But apart from that, it was great.
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You know, action films are more my thing than comedies, and the special effects were fantastic.
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Now listen again.
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I really enjoyed that film, didn't you?
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Err, well, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed.
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I was expecting something a bit more exciting. Were you?
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I thought you were going to say the actors were awful.
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You did last time.
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I didn't think much of them, actually.
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What did you like so much about the film?
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Well, it was funny how easy it was to predict how it would all finish, but apart from that, it was great.
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You know, action films are more my thing than comedies, and the special effects were fantastic.
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11. You will hear two friends talking about a school trip.
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I really enjoyed the trip to the museum yesterday, didn't you?
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It was great once we got there, but it just took a long time to get everybody ready and onto the coach.
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Things are usually better planned than that.
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I didn't notice, but half a day was quite short, as there was so much to see.
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We really needed to spend the whole day there, especially as the entrance fee was quite high.
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I didn't think the price was too bad, but I was a bit disappointed that I ended up only seeing half the space exhibition.
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Now listen again.
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I really enjoyed the trip to the museum yesterday, didn't you?
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It was great once we got there, but it just took a long time to get everybody ready and onto the coach.
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Things are usually better planned than that.
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I didn't notice, but half a day was quite short as there was so much to see.
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We really needed to spend the whole day there, especially as the entrance fee was quite high.
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I didn't think the price was too bad, but I was a bit disappointed that I ended up only seeing half the space exhibition.
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Twelve.
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You will hear a boy telling his friend about a science lesson with a new teacher.
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We had that new science teacher for our lesson today, Mrs. Jones.
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Oh yes, I've heard she's pretty good.
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What did you think of her?
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Yeah, good.
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Our usual teacher's off sick this week.
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He always shows us cool experiments and stuff.
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It's a lot of fun.
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Mrs. Jones had a different style.
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I was impressed by her knowledge.
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You can ask questions about anything and she explains the answers really clearly.
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I enjoy my normal lessons more though, I think.
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I'm really into science anyway, especially when we get to do experiments in the lab.
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Now listen again.
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We had that new science teacher for our lesson today, Mrs. Jones.
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Oh yes, I've heard she's pretty good.
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What did you think of her?
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Yeah, good.
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Our usual teacher's off sick this week.
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He always shows us cool experiments and stuff.
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It's a lot of fun.
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Mrs. Jones had a different style.
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I was impressed by her knowledge.
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You can ask questions about anything and she explains the answers really clearly.
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I enjoy my normal lessons more though, I think.
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I'm really into science anyway, especially when we get to do experiments in the lab.
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13. You will hear two friends talking about where to have a party.
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We need to think about where to have our end of year party.
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I think it'd be good to find somewhere we can play football and cricket.
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There's only the sports club where you can do that, but it isn't that easy to get to, unless we ask our parents for lifts.
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Why don't we keep it simple and go to the park?
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Good idea.
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I don't think anyone lives too far away, so we'll be able to walk there.
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It's not huge, but there's enough space for us all and we can chat, play music and have some snacks.
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Now listen again.
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so we'll be able to walk there.
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It's not huge, but there's enough space for us all and we can chat, play music and have some snacks.
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That is the end of part two.
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Now look at part three.
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For each question, write the correct answer in the gap.
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Write one or two words, or a number, or a date, or a time.
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Look at questions 14 to 19 now.
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You have 20 seconds.
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You will hear some information about a talk at school by a writer called Marcia Wilson.
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Okay, everyone.
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The writer Marcia Wilson is coming to the school to give a talk next week.
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It's been hard to find a free day.
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Marcia couldn't come on Friday, and some classes are away on a trip on Wednesday.
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So Thursday, when the whole school's here, is the day we've arranged it for.
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Many of you enjoyed her last book, The Castle.
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I've seen lots of you reading it.
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And now, in her latest novel, The River, you can read all about a mystery set on a boat.
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Marcia's going to tell us about it, and you can ask her questions.
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Because there'll be so many students at the talk, some of you will have to bring extra chairs from the school library into the hall.
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Your class teacher will tell you whether you need to collect one.
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Marcia will be ready to begin her talk after our 11 o'clock morning break.
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She'll start at half past, so please make sure you're back inside ready to listen in plenty of time.
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The talk with questions will last an hour and a half, and then you can go to lunch as normal.
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There'll be the chance to buy a copy of Marcia's new book.
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It usually costs £12, but on the day of the talk, you can buy a signed copy for £8.75.
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That's a great discount, I'm sure you'll agree.
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Now, for more information about Marcia and her work, there's a really good website you can look at called youthlit.uk.
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I'll spell that.
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Y-O-U-T-H-L-I-T dot UK.
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So, are there any questions?
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Now listen again.
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Okay, everyone.
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The writer Marcia Wilson is coming to the school to give a talk next week.
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It's been hard to find a free day.
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Marcia couldn't come on Friday, and some classes are away on a trip on Wednesday.
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So Thursday, when the whole school's here, is the day we've arranged it for.
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Many of you enjoyed her last book, The Castle.
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I've seen lots of you reading it.
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And now, in her latest novel, The River, you can read all about a mystery set on a boat.
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Marcia's going to tell us about it, and you can ask her questions.
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Because there'll be so many students at the talk, some of you will have to bring extra chairs from the school library into the hall.
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Your class teacher will tell you whether you need to collect one.
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Marcia will be ready to begin her talk after our 11 o'clock morning break.
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She'll start at half past, so please make sure you're back inside ready to listen in plenty of time.
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The talk with questions will last an hour and a half and then you can go to lunch as normal.
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There'll be the chance to buy a copy of Marcia's new book.
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It usually costs £12 but on the day of the talk you can buy a signed copy for £8.75.
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That's a great discount, I'm sure you'll agree.
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Now for more information about Marcia and her work there's a really good website you can look at called youthlit.uk.
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I'll spell that.
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Y-O-U-T-H-L-I-T dot UK.
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So, are there any questions?
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That is the end of part three.
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Now look at part 4.
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For each question, choose the correct answer.
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Look at questions 20 to 25 now.
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You have 45 seconds.
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Thank you.
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You will hear an interview with a girl called Anna Taylor, who is a champion cyclist.
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Anna Taylor is a teenager and already a champion cyclist.
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Anna, when did you first get into cycling?
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Only a few years ago.
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I've always been keen on sports.
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I've tried everything from running to ice skating, but I never tried to be good at anything in particular.
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After I went to support a friend cycling in a competition, I decided to try it myself and loved it.
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Since then, it's been a big part of my life.
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Is it hard to practice cycling and do your schoolwork?
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Studying's difficult when there's a big competition coming up.
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I still have to attend all my lessons, and the teachers are very strict about giving in homework on time.
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I managed to get it done somehow.
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I have cycle practice in the afternoons after school, so then I have to work till bedtime once I've had dinner with my family.
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You do a lot of track cycling in a stadium.
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Tell me about that.
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We cycle around a special indoor track, and the fastest person wins.
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When cyclists race on the road, speed is important too, of course, and being strong is also essential.
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I think more skills are needed for track cycling.
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Watching one another and waiting for a chance to move to the front.
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It takes a lot of experience to get it right.
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Do you like cycling with teammates in road races?
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Yes, they're a great group of people, and we all have different styles.
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When things go wrong, it's not always easy to see the funny side, so it's nice to know the others are finding it as stressful as I am.
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We encourage each other.
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I'm beginning to understand just how important that is.
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How was your last road race?
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My team actually came second.
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But just before the start of the race, I had to make a quick phone call, and when I'd finished the call, 200 cyclists were racing past me.
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I was shocked to see it had already started.
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I ran to my bike, and then I saw my teammate had a tyre problem.
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But despite all that, things didn't go too badly in the end.
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What's your advice for anyone wanting to become a champion cyclist?
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Well, if all I did was cycling, life would be extremely difficult.
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It's a good idea to have interests other than sport.
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I don't want competing in races to be everything.
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When things go wrong in training, you have to remind yourself there are more things to life than winning competitions.
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Now listen again.
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Anna Taylor's a teenager and already a champion cyclist.
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Anna, when did you first get into cycling?
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Only a few years ago.
368
I've always been keen on sports.
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I've tried everything from running to ice skating, but I never tried to be good at anything in particular.
370
After I went to support a friend cycling in a competition, I decided to try it myself and loved it.
371
Since then, it's been a big part of my life.
372
Is it hard to practice cycling and do your schoolwork?
373
Studying's difficult when there's a big competition coming up.
374
I still have to attend all my lessons, and the teachers are very strict about giving in homework on time.
375
I manage to get it done somehow.
376
I have cycle practice in the afternoons after school, so then I have to work till bedtime once I've had dinner with my family.
377
You do a lot of track cycling in a stadium.
378
Tell me about that.
379
We cycle around a special indoor track and the fastest person wins.
380
When cyclists race on the road, speed is important too, of course, and being strong is also essential.
381
I think more skills are needed for track cycling.
382
Watching one another and waiting for a chance to move to the front.
383
It takes a lot of experience to get it right.
384
Do you like cycling with teammates in road races?
385
Yes, they're a great group of people and we all have different styles.
386
When things go wrong, it's not always easy to see the funny side, so it's nice to know the others are finding it as stressful as I am.
387
We encourage each other.
388
I'm beginning to understand just how important that is.
389
How was your last road race?
390
My team actually came second.
391
But just before the start of the race, I had to make a quick phone call, and when I'd finished the call, 200 cyclists were racing past me.
392
I was shocked to see it had already started.
393
I ran to my bike, and then I saw my teammate had a tyre problem.
394
But despite all that, things didn't go too badly in the end.
395
What's your advice for anyone wanting to become a champion cyclist?
396
Well, if all I did was cycling, life would be extremely difficult.
397
It's a good idea to have interests other than sport.
398
I don't want competing in races to be everything.
399
When things go wrong in training, you have to remind yourself there are more things to life than winning competitions.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “PET - B1 Preliminary 1 Authentic Practice Tests - PET Listening TEST 1 with ANSWER KEY”. This video has 399 sentences and 3988 words to shadow. The speech runs for 30:09. The speaker talks at a steady 132 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cyclist noun | /ˈsaɪ.klɪst/ | A person who rides a cycle, especially a bicycle, or who habitually engages in cycling. |
| statue noun | /ˈstæt͡ʃu/ | A three-dimensional work of art, usually representing a person or animal, usually created by sculpting, carving, molding, or casting. |
| cinema noun | /ˈsɪn.ə.mə/ | A movie theatre, a movie house. |
| climb verb | /ˈklaɪ̯m/ | To traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending). |
| firework noun | /ˈfaɪɚˌwɚk/ | A device using gunpowder and other chemicals which, when lit, emits a combination of coloured flames, sparks, whistles or bangs, and sometimes made to rocket… |
| tyre noun | /taɪə(ɹ)/ | The ring-shaped protective covering around a wheel which is usually made of rubber or plastic composite and is either pneumatic or solid. |
| teammate noun | /ˈtiːmˌmeɪt/ | One who is on the same team. |
| thief noun | /ˈθiːf/ | One who carries out a theft. |
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| homework noun | /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ | Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class. |
| salad noun | /ˈsæl.əd/ | A food consisting principally of raw vegetables (especially greens, e.g. lettuce), other savoury ingredients (typically cooked), fruit, or confectionary; often… |
| chip noun | /t͡ʃɪp/ | A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material. |
| essay noun | /ˈɛs.eɪ/ | A written composition of moderate length, exploring a particular issue or subject. |
| babysit verb | /ˈbeɪ.bi.sɪt/ | To watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money. |
| excite verb | /ɪkˈsaɪt/ | To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. |
| leave out verb | To omit, to not include, to neglect to mention. |
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. |
| ride over verb | Synonym of ride roughshod over. |
| set off verb | To leave; to set out; to begin a journey or trip. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You know the school climbing group?
- Did you know there are even penguins there?
- I really enjoyed that film, didn't you?
- What did you like so much about the film?
- I really enjoyed the trip to the museum yesterday, didn't you?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you started · we've done · have seen |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was stolen · was forbidden · could be left |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | friend who works |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | were chasing · was looking · was expecting |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 127 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thief /ˈθiːf/, cloth /klɒθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: dish /dɪʃ/, instruction /ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like cyclist, statue, cinema.
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.