CEPT Short listening B2 level practice - text answer part 1

CEPT Short listening B2 level practice – text answer part 1


1. You hear a woman telling her son about her favourite schoolteacher. What did the woman like about her history teacher?

A his acting skills  - Incorrect, he was no actor                  
B his sense of humour - Incorrect, He was pretty serious             
C his passion for the subject - Correct, He was just so into history.

Audio script
Narrator: Question 1. You hear a woman telling her son about her favourite school teacher.
Boy: Did you have a favourite teacher at school, Mum?
Woman: Good question! … I remember we had this history teacher, Mr Evans, … I was fascinated by the way he taught. He was just so into history. I could listen to him talk for hours and everything he said would stick with me, even if I didn’t write anything down. Sometimes he’d read an account of an event aloud and although he was no actor, somehow I felt like I’d gone right back in time, to when the action was happening. He was pretty serious – I don’t remember laughing the way I did in other classes – but I loved every minute.
Narrator: Now listen again.


How to answer the listening section:

Step 1 – Analyze the question and answer options. Mark or remember the key words.
Question – What, woman like, history teacher

Answer options
A – acting,      B – humour,    C – passion

Step 2 – Listen for synonyms or paraphrased ideas and information.
his passion for the subject = He was just so into history. So, the correct answer is C.

Step 3 – Eliminate the distractors or wrong answers to help you find the best answer.

A his acting skills – Incorrect, because he was no actor.
B his sense of humour – Incorrect, he was pretty serious.


2. You hear a girl talking about maths. What does the girl enjoy most about maths?
A getting clear answers  👍        
B applying it to everyday life 👎
C solving difficult questions 👎

Audio script
Narrator: Question 2. You hear a girl talking about maths.
Girl: People often ask why I like maths so much, and if I find it easy. Well, no, I don’t. But if it wasn’t a challenge, I wouldn’t be half as excited about it. I can spend hours working on a single maths problem – I don’t give up till I’ve got the right answer. And that’s the great thing about maths – it’s either right or wrong. If you work hard enough, you can always get a hundred per cent and that’s so satisfying. Some mathematicians talk about how ‘maths is everywhere’ – that it’s relevant to everything you do in life – but I just love it for its own sake.
Narrator: Now listen again.

3. You hear a man telling a friend about being unable to study art at school. He says that he would have liked to study art in order to

A know more about art history.👎
B learn some techniques. 👍
C follow a career in art. 👎

Narrator: Question 3. You hear a man telling a friend about being unable to study art at school.
Woman: Is there a subject you wish you’d taken at school, but didn’t?
Man: Yes, art. We didn’t have the option to take that. The focus tended to be on more academic subjects then – you know, science, maths … I’m a bit annoyed about it now. I’ve always been into painting– not that I ever considered making a living from becoming an artist – I’ve always wanted to be an engineer … But it would’ve been useful to learn stuff like knowing how to apply different paints properly when I was younger. I love the skill in those amazing old paintings you can see hanging in galleries.
Narrator: Now listen again.

4. You hear two students discussing a sports class they have just attended. What do they agree on about the class?

A how relevant the information was for them 👎
B how knowledgeable the teacher was 👍
C how inspiring the new ideas were 👎

Narrator: Question 4. You hear two students discussing a sports class they have just attended.
Boy: What did you think of that sports class?
Girl: It made a change from actually playing sports, didn’t it?
Boy: Yeah, it did. It was interesting to consider the theoretical side of sport for once – all that detail about the psychology of winning was a new angle on things. Mr Banks is a great teacher. He’d done tons of research, hadn’t he?
Girl: He had. I’m not sure I’ll put what we talked about into practice, though. I’m highly unlikely to become a professional athlete.
Boy: Me neither – though I could see some of the others in the class looked pretty eager to get out there and try some of the techniques.
Narrator: Now listen again.