This is the new Cambridge First Certificate in English Listening test, 2016.
Practicing on these Cambridge FCE Listening tests helps raise your score in the Cambridge English First exams. These tests are also very good to exercise English listening skills.
Correct answers & audio transcript are posted below.
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TRANSCRIPTS
Question 1.
Because you need water for various reasons, you often end up making your overnight camp by a river. Providing you take care to keep insects away, this can be as healthy a place as any. Much as you might feel you need a good wash, one trap not to fall into, though, is the use of soap or shampoo. These may make you feel good, but actually give off unnatural smells in the jungle which act as a magnet to insects, thus increasing the chances of your getting bitten. Better to actually go in for a dip, being careful to dry off and re-apply your anti-insect cream immediately afterwards.
Question 2.
- So, how did the school football competition go on Saturday? Sorry I didn’t turn up to help, but I had so much to do, you know how it is.
- Oh, don’t worry - luckily some of the other parents came along to help. We just didn’t attract as many teams as we thought we would, and I thought the whole thing lacked any excitement as a result. You know, of course, that the point was to raise some money to pay for new trees in the school grounds? Well, we achieved that, and my kids thought the whole afternoon was great, so I guess it was OK.
Question 3.
I was twenty-four when I went to China and persuaded the Beijing Opera School to take me on as their first Western pupil. I was twice the age of the other students and hardly spoke their language. At the interview I arrived with my little Chinese-English dictionary, which was quite funny, as it helped towards persuading them, ’cause they thought: This girl is so determined. When I actually started the lessons it was very irritating both for me and my teacher. Most of the time we were making signs at each other and misunderstanding. I just had to remain as patient as they were. I learnt the lesson of patience through that school...
Question 4.
To be honest, I sort of fell on my feet. I was doing this course in media studies, which meant, you know, looking at cameras and drinking lots of coffee. And one day, we visited a television station as, like, work experience. And they were making this variety show and said they were looking for a new comedian because someone had let them down, and so myself and my friend volunteered. It’s still a mystery to me why, but they liked us, and so I was on live television at the age of about seventeen. We thought we were absolutely brilliant, but I’m glad to say no copy exists of those programmes.
Question 5.
So tell me again, what time does that train get in? I see. That’s a bit late, because I wouldn’t really have enough time to get from the station to my meeting. What about the one before that, what time does that one arrive? Yes, that sounds better. Is it necessary to book? Will you see to that for me and leave the tickets on my desk? No, on second thoughts, I’ll be at my mother’s for the weekend. Can you post them to me there? It’ll save time all round. Thanks.
Question 6.
I get lots of ideas for novels, but I don’t necessarily follow them all up. Only when they stick around over a period of years do I realise that a particular idea has really got a hold on me. That’s certainly what happened with my latest novel. The Red Cord. Although it’s set in my home city of Sydney, Australia, the stirrings of an idea came about ten years ago when I was travelling in China. This was followed by a long period when the idea occasionally came back into my consciousness, each time refined a little more, until I reached a point where I thought I’d better start writing.
Question 7.
What do you mean, Mary, when you say I never invite friends round to my house? No, sorry, I can’t accept that. I invited everybody round here for a party on my last birthday, remember? I was going to cook something special for you all and then Henry and Mark insisted on taking us out to that new Japanese restaurant in town. It’s true that I accepted their offer, but I thought it would be very rude to refuse.
Question 8.
Memories of long summer days by the sea are recalled in The Last Summer, our family drama this afternoon. The Finnish children’s writer Tove Jansson, well known for her stories about family life, wrote The Last Summer, a magical recreation of her own long childhood summers spent on an isolated island with her grandmother. There are superb performances by Moira Harmer and Alice Williams. Tune in to The Last Summer at two o'clock this afternoon and be transported to an island in a blue sea, far away from the world of work.
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CORRECT ANSWERS
1B - 2B - 3C - 4A - 5A - 6C - 7B - 8A
