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.
Almost everyone uses a mouse with their computer, often for hours a day, and this constant repetition of the same hand movement can eventually cause long-term harm. So to prevent this, more and more people are turning to the more upright kind of mouse, which is much kinder to hands and wrists. It’s simple to use and controls what happens on the screen in exactly the same way as a normal mouse, and although it may seem a little pricey by comparison, users all seem to agree that the vertical mouse is well worth the extra.
Question 2.
Like lots of people of my age, I’d often thought of spending a year or so in another country, possibly somewhere they pay very high salaries. Or perhaps just travelling around Asia or South America, seeing the amazing sights there. But I felt that wherever I went I’d want to be doing something useful for the local community, and that’s when I made my mind UP to do voluntary work. So next month I’m off to work on a project in a village deep in the African rainforest.
Question 3.
Well it was supposed to teach us everything we needed to know about the new operating system for the firm’s information technology equipment, but to be honest it did nothing of the sort. There was endless stuff about online security and working with different types of program, and I kept waiting for them to tell us something we didn’t already know. But it all seemed aimed at people who’d never used a computer before, and how many of them are there nowadays? We could’ve been doing something useful instead of sitting there for hours.
Question 4.
Woman: Have you been waiting long?
Man: Quite some time, yes. I suppose they’re bound to be running late in weather this bad.
Woman: It’s horrible, isn’t it? And when are they going to build a shelter here? People shouldn’t have to stand around getting wet and cold like this.
Man: It might’ve been better to take the train.
Woman: They probably won’t be running either. Though at least if we were at the station we’d be under cover.
Man: Anywhere’s better than here. Recently I was stuck at the airport for eight hours. It seemed bad at the time, but the place was warm, with comfortable seats. And you could get a nice cup of coffee.
Question 5.
At first it was really exciting to be in the big city. Everything moved so quickly and there were so many things to do there. But I soon realised that a student’s budget wouldn’t too far in a place like that and I couldn’t afford to do most of them, so I didn’t go out much.
I didn’t actually mind that, though. For the first time I had my own place, and at the college I was getting to know people. I mean, there were students from all over the world there, and most of them were in the same kind of situation as me.
Question 6.
Well obviously it means we’ll have even more planes flying over our house, but what really bothers me isn’t so much hearing them day and night - we’ve got double windows in all our rooms - but the effect they’ll have on the air round here. It’s already officially listed as very poor quality, and it’s bound to get even worse if this plan goes ahead. Our neighbours are saying that more flights will mean even more cars on the roads round here, though we don’t drive so that won’t affect us much.
Question 7.
Woman: I’m afraid I’m not allowed to do that, once it’s been played. Which this one has.
Man: Just once, and only for a minute. As soon as I realised it was the wrong film, I took it out and put it back into its box. It’s not damaged at all.
Woman: That’s not the point. We never give money back on DVD sales. It says so over there, on that sign.
Man: I’m not asking you to do that, just to give me a different film.
Woman: I’m sorry, but all I can do is let you have a replacement DVD, of the same film.
Man: But I don’t want to see that film.
Question 8.
Man: Did you have a good holiday last month?
Woman: Yes, great, thanks. We usually go to the US in the spring, either New York or Boston, but this year we thought we’d have a change.
Man: Did you go to Canada instead? I remember you saying that one day you’d like to go there.
Woman: Well that was our original intention, though after that freezing winter somewhere warm seemed appealing and that’s when Mexico came to mind. So when we looked at the likely temperatures in April in both countries, that’s where we decided to go. We’ll probably do a Canadian trip next year, though. I really want to see Montreal and Toronto.
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CORRECT ANSWERS
1A - 2A - 3B - 4B - 5B - 6C - 7C - 8A
