INTERMEDIATE COURSE

LISTENING LESSON 7: FULL TEST PRACTICE

🎧 Listening Exercise: Fill in the blanks (3–4 words per phrase)

SECTION 1

CAROLINE: Good Morning. Youth Council. Caroline speaking.

ROGER: Oh, hello, I’m interested in (1) ________________, and I was told to give you a call.
CAROLINE: That’s good. Could I have your name, please?
ROGER: Yes, it’s Roger Brown.
CAROLINE: Thank you. I’m Caroline, the Youth Council administrator. So do you know much about (2)
________________, Roger?
ROGER: I’ve talked to Stephanie – I think she’s the chair of the Council.
CAROLINE: That’s right.
ROGER: And she told me a lot about it. How it’s a way for young people to discuss local issues, for
example, and (3) ________________. That’s what made me interested.
CAROLINE: Fine. Well let me take down some of your details. First of all, how old are you? You know
the Council is for young people aged from 13 to 18?
ROGER: I’ve just turned 18.
CAROLINE: And where do you live, Roger?
ROGER: Well, that’s a bit complicated. At the moment I’m (4) ________________, so I’m in a hostel from
Monday to Friday. I go back to my parents’ place at the weekend.
CAROLINE: OK, so where’s the best place to send you some information about the Council?
ROGER: Oh, to my parent’s address, please. That’s 17, Buckleigh Street – B-U-C-K-L-E-I-G-H Street,
Stamford, Lincolnshire.
CAROLINE: Oh, I know Stamford – it’s a lovely town. And what’s the postcode?
ROGER: PE9 7QT
CAROLINE: Right, thank you. So are you working here, or are you a student?
ROGER: I started studying at the university a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve got a (5) ________________.
CAROLINE: What do you do?
ROGER: Well, I’ve done several different things. I’ve just finished a short-term contract as a courier, and
now I’m working as a waiter in one of the big hotels.
CAROLINE: Uhuh. That can’t leave you much time for studying!
ROGER: Oh, it’s not too bad. I (6) ________________.
CAROLINE: What are you studying?
ROGER: My ambition is to go into parliament eventually, so (7) ________________. That’s partly why I
think the Youth Council is important and want to be a part of it.
CAROLINE: And I suppose you’re also taking a minor subject, aren’t you? I know a lot of people study
economics too.
ROGER: I chose history. To be honest, I’m not (8) ________________.
CAROLINE: OK, so with your studying and your part-time job, do you have time for any other interests or
hobbies?
ROGER: Well, I spend quite a lot of time cycling – both around town to get to university and to work, and
also long-distance, from here to London, for instance.
CAROLINE: That’s pretty impressive! Anything else?
ROGER: For relaxation I’m also (9) ________________ – I used to go at least once a week, but I can’t
manage to go so often now.
CAROLINE: Right. Are you sure you’ll have enough time for the Youth Council?
ROGER: Yes, I’ve worked out that I (10) ________________, and that will make the time.
CAROLINE: So is there any particular aspect of the Youth Council’s work that appeals to you, Roger?
ROGER: Well, my sister is blind, so I’m particularly interested in (11) ________________, to try and
improve the quality of their lives.
CAROLINE: That’s great. Well, the best way to get involved is to be nominated by some people who you
know.
ROGER: Right. Can you tell me (12) ________________?
CAROLINE: You should talk to Jeffrey, our Elections Officer. I can arrange a meeting in the council office
with him, if you like.
ROGER: Yes, please.
CAROLINE: He’ll be here next Monday, if that suits you.
ROGER: That’s the 14th, isn’t it?
CAROLINE: Yes.
ROGER: I can (13) ________________.
CAROLINE: Would you like to suggest a time? He generally leaves around 5.30.
ROGER: Well, would 4.30 be OK? My last class finishes at 4, so I’d have plenty of time to get to your
office.
CAROLINE: Right, that’s fine. Oh, and could I have a (14) ________________?
ROGER: Yes, my mobile number’s 07788 136711.
CAROLINE: Thank you. Well, we’ll (15) ________________ next week.
ROGER: Thanks very much. Goodbye.
CAROLINE: Bye.

SECTION 2🎧 Listening Exercise: Fill in the blanks (3–4 words per phrase)

Hi. Great to see you! I’m Jody, and I’ll (1) __________________ for the first month you’re working here
at the Amersham Theatre. I’ll tell you something about the theatre now, then take you to meet two of the
other staff.
It’s an old building, and it’s (2) __________________ several times. In fact, as you can see, we’re carrying
out a major refurbishment at the moment. The interior has just been repainted, and we’re about to start on
the exterior of the building – that’ll be a big job.
The work’s running over budget, so we’ve had to (3) __________________ an elevator. I hope you’re
happy running up and down stairs!
When the theatre was built, people were generally slimmer and shorter than now, and the seats were very
close together. We’ve replaced them with larger seats, with more legroom. This means fewer seats in total,
but we’ve (4) __________________ to install seats that can easily be moved, to create different acting
spaces.
We’ve also turned a few (5) __________________ to other purposes like using them for meetings.

We try hard to (6) __________________ in the theatre. One way is by organising backstage tours so people
can be shown round the building and learn how a theatre operates. These are (7) __________________.
What we’re finding is that people want to have lunch or a cup of coffee while they’re here, so we’re looking
into the possibility of opening a café in due course.
We have a bookshop, which specialises in books about drama and that (8) __________________. Then
there are two large rooms that will be decorated next month, and they’ll be available for hire, for
conferences and private functions, such as parties. We’re also considering hiring out costumes to amateur
drama clubs.

Now I want to tell you about our workshops. We recently started a programme of workshops that (9)
__________________. Eventually we intend to run courses in acting, but we’re waiting until we’ve got the
right people in place as trainers. That’s (10) __________________!
There’s a big demand to learn about the technical side of putting on a production, and our lighting workshop
has (11) __________________. We’re going to start one on sound next month.
A number of people have enquired about workshops on make-up, and that’s something we’re considering
for the future.
A surprise success is the workshop on making puppets – we happen to have someone working here who
does it as a hobby, and she offered to run a workshop. It was so popular (12) __________________!
Now, a word about the layout of the building. The auditorium, stage and dressing rooms for the actors are
(13) __________________.
Here on the ground floor we have most of the rooms that the public doesn’t see. The majority are internal, so
they have (14) __________________ to light them.

Standing here in the foyer, you’re probably wondering why the box office isn’t here, where the public would
expect to find it. Well, you might have noticed it on your way in – although it’s part of this building, it’s
(15) __________________ with a separate entrance from the road.

For the theatre manager’s office, you go across the foyer and through the double doors, turn right, and it’s
the room at the end of the corridor, with the (16) __________________.
The lighting box is where the computerised stage lighting is operated and it’s at the back of the building.
When you’re through the double doors turn left, turn right at the water cooler, and right again at the end. It’s
(17) __________________. The lighting box has a window into the auditorium, which of course is below
us.
The artistic director’s office is through the double doors, turn right and it’s the (18) __________________.
And finally, for the moment, the room where I’ll take you next – the relaxation room. So (19)
__________________ …

SECTION 3

🎧 Listening for Details – Fill in the Blanks

Listen to the conversation between Marco and his tutor. Fill in the missing information using 3–4 words
exactly as spoken.

T: Hi Marco, come in.

M: Thanks. I’ve got a bit stuck trying to (1) ________________ for next semester. Could you help me,
please?
T: Of course. Sit down. First of all, most people just go for the areas of business that they’re interested in,
but – even if something doesn’t (2) ________________ – it’s important that you can use it once you get a
job. It’s not much good choosing areas that aren’t going to be helpful later on.
M: Right. I want to (3) ________________, so I’ll need to think about that. And should I start specialising
in a particular area yet?
T: I don’t think that’s wise, at this stage. It’s better to (4) ________________ of subjects, especially as
management covers so many possibilities. You shouldn’t be limiting your choices for later on.
M: Yes I see.
T: You should also look at (5) ________________ – will you have regular seminars and tutorials, for
example, as well as lectures?
M: OK. Some of the lecturers are (6) ________________, aren’t they? Should I aim to go to their courses?
T: Well remember that the lecturers who aren’t well-known may still be (7) ________________! I’d say we
have a consistently high standard of teaching in this department, so you don’t need to worry about it.
M: Good. Well that’s a great help.
T: Now last time we met, you mentioned doing (8) ________________, didn’t you?
M: That’s right. I’m still quite keen on the idea.
T: The trouble is that because of (9) ________________ of various courses, Team Management overlaps
with the Introduction to Management course you took in your first year. So what you’d learn from it would
be too little for the (10) ________________.
M: I’ll (11) ________________, then. Have you had a chance to look at the outline I wrote for my finance
dissertation? I left it in your pigeonhole last week.
T: Yes. Why exactly do you want to write a dissertation, instead of taking the finance modules? It’ll be (12)
________________.
M: Well, I’m quite prepared to do the extra work, because I’m keen to (13) ________________ instead of
just skating across the surface. I realise that a broader knowledge base may be more useful to my career, but
I’m really keen to do this.
T: Right. Well I had a quick look through your outline, and the first thing that struck me was that you’ll
have to be careful how you set about it, as the way you’ve organised it seems (14) ________________. The
data that you want to collect and analyse is potentially valuable, but you’ll need to (15) ________________
to make the whole thing manageable.
M: OK, I’ll (16) ________________. I was talking to Professor Briggs about it yesterday, and I got some
more ideas then. For part of the dissertation I was thinking of trying to (17) ________________ from three
or four companies to let me ask them about their company finances. If not I think I’ll have to change to
another topic.
T: Well go ahead then. I could (18) ________________.
M: Thanks.
T: Now let’s talk about practicalities. Your dissertation must be finalised by the end of May, so you should
aim to (19) ________________ by the end of March. Is that feasible?
M: Yes, it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll need to register for the dissertation, won’t I? Is that with the
Registrar’s department?
T: No, it’s internal to this department, so you just need to (20) ________________. Do that as soon as
you’re sure you’re going to write the dissertation.

SECTION 4

🎧 Listening for Details – Public Building Design

Complete the blanks using 3–4 words exactly as spoken in the listening.

We’ve been discussing the factors the architect has to consider when designing domestic buildings. I’m
going to move on now to consider the design of public buildings, and I’ll illustrate this by referring to the (1)
__________________ that’s recently been completed here in the city.
So, as with a domestic building, when designing a public building, an architect needs to consider the
function of the building – for example, is it to be used primarily for entertainment, or for education, or for
administration? The second thing the architect needs to think about is the (2) __________________ – this
includes its physical location obviously, but it also includes the (3) __________________ of the building,
how it relates to the people it’s built for.
And finally, for important public buildings, the architect may also be looking for a central symbolic idea on
which to base the design, a sort of (4) __________________ for the building and the way in which it is used.

Let’s look at the new Taylor Concert Hall in relation to these ideas. The location chosen was a site in a (5)
__________________ that has been ignored in previous redevelopment plans. It was occupied by a factory
that had been (6) __________________. The whole area was some distance from the high-rise office blocks
of the central business district and shopping centre, but it was only (7) __________________ from the ring
road. The site itself was bordered to the north by (8) __________________ which had once been used by
boats bringing in raw materials when the area was used for manufacturing.

The architect chosen for the project was Tom Harrison. He found the main design challenge was the location
of the site in an area that had (9) __________________ of any importance. To reflect the fact that the
significance of the building in this quite run-down location was as yet unknown, he decided to create a
building centred around (10) __________________ – something whose meaning still has to be discovered.

So how was this reflected in the design of the building? Well, Harrison decided to create (11)
__________________ to the building and to make use of the presence of water on the site. As people
approach the entrance, they therefore have to (12) __________________.
He wanted to give people a feeling of suspense as they see the building first from a distance, and then close-
up, and the initial impression he wanted to create from the shape of the building as a whole was that of (13)
__________________. The first side that people see, the southern wall, is just a high, flat wall (14)
__________________.

This might sound off-putting, but it supports Harrison’s concept of the building – that the person
approaching is intrigued and wonders what will be inside. And this flat wall also has another purpose. At
night-time, projectors are switched on and it (15) __________________, onto which images are projected.

The auditorium itself seats 1500 people. The floor’s supported by ten massive pads. These are constructed
from (16) __________________, and so are able to absorb any vibrations from outside and prevent them
from affecting the auditorium. The walls are made of several layers of honey-coloured wood, all sourced
from (17) __________________.

In order to improve the acoustic properties of the auditorium and to amplify the sound, they are not straight,
they are (18) __________________. The acoustics are also adjustable according to the size of orchestra and
the type of music being played. In order to achieve this, there are nine movable panels in the ceiling above
the orchestra which are all (19) __________________, and the walls also have curtains which can be opened
or closed to change the acoustics.

The reaction of the public to the new building has generally been positive. However, the evaluation of some
critics has been less enthusiastic. In spite of Harrison’s efforts to use local materials, they criticise the style
of the design as being (20) __________________, and say it doesn’t reflect features of the landscape or
society for which it is built.