Practice Test A - Listening Transcripts - Close
Practice Test B - Listening Transcripts - Close

Practice Test A - Listening Transcripts

Part 1: Listening to Problem Solving

You will hear a conversation between a student and a staff member. They are in a university computer lab.


Section 1:

WOMAN: Welcome to the computer lab. Sit anywhere you like. If you have any questions, please let me know.

MAN: Thanks! I’m doing a practice exam for one of my classes today, so I would like a computer in a quiet corner somewhere.

WOMAN: The computers next to the bookshelves in the back are a little out-of-the-way, so it should be pretty quiet.

MAN: Thanks. I really need to focus on studying. I’m worried about this exam because I've missed a lot of classes this past term.

WOMAN: Well, you've come to the right place. [pause] My name’s Deborah. I’m just filling in at the lab today. Normally, I work down the hall in technical support, so if you have any technical problems, I would be happy to help you. Good luck!

MAN: That’s good to know, thanks. How long is the lab open tonight?

WOMAN: Until 11. That should give you plenty of time.


Now answer questions 1-3.

1- Why did the man come to the computer lab?
2- What problem does the man expect to have?
3- What is true about the woman?

Section 2:

Man: Excuse me, I'm having technical problems. Could you help me? I can’t log in with my username.

Woman: Sure, let me take a look. (pause) Oh yes, you need to use your email address as your username and then enter the exam code below it.

Man: I did that, but the screen still isn’t loading! I need to finish this today! I think something is wrong with this computer.

Woman: Hmm, let’s clear the cache and check the settings. We should also double check your exam code; maybe you made a typo.

Man: Ugh… I can’t believe this! [sounding frustrated] My classmates were able to do the exam using the same code! How much more time am I going to waste before starting the test?

Woman: Let’s try to relax. I’m sure we can figure this out and get you going soon.

Man: I’m sorry, but I don't have time for this. I’ll just borrow my friend’s computer. One that actually works!


Now answer questions 4-5.

1- What does the woman believe?
2- What does the man believe?

Section 3:

Woman: Good morning! Welcome to… Oh! Hello again. I thought you were going to use your friend's computer! What happened?

Man: Well, it took me a while to find him. And when I finally found him, his laptop wasn't working either! He accidentally spilled coffee on the keyboard and it stopped working.

Woman: Oh no, that’s too bad! I hope the screen is okay at least.

Man: Anyway, can you help me today if I have trouble again? I really need to get some practice in. Now, I've only got 24 hours.

Woman: Yes. In fact... I've already fixed the problem. A system update had changed our settings; that's why you couldn't log on earlier. I've restored the original settings, so the system works now.

Man: Thanks again. You’re a real lifesaver! [sounding grateful]


Now answer questions 6-8.

1- Why has the man returned?
2- What was the problem with the laptop?
3- What will likely happen next?

Part 2: Listening to a Daily Life Conversation

You will hear a conversation between two neighbours.

WOMAN: Hi Robert! You should clean up the leaves on your lawn, like I am. My husband says to let the leaves blow down the street, but I like to get rid of them right away.

MAN: That's a good idea. I'll take care of them a little later today. Hey, are you going to take your kids to the Parade of Lights this weekend? The weather's supposed to be really nice on Saturday, so we won't freeze like last year.

WOMAN: We saw the Santa Claus Parade in Toronto, but I haven't heard about this one. Is it the same thing? Sort of an organized walk on main streets to celebrate a special event?

MAN: Yes, but here it's much smaller.

WOMAN: So who's in this parade? Will all those decorated platform things in the parade be related to Christmas?

MAN: Yeah, for the most part these floats have a Christmas theme. Some floats are organized by the Children's Hospital, or local cultural organizations, or charity groups. The last float is Santa Claus sitting in his sleigh with lots of his helpers giving candy to kids.

WOMAN: Well, we certainly enjoyed the one in Toronto, so we should see what this one is like. What time does the parade start? Our kids are too young to stay up very late.

MAN: It starts around 6:00pm downtown, and it takes about two hours for it to travel the full distance. Spring Garden Road is the best place to watch because that's halfway on the route, and you're close to shops and restaurants.

WOMAN: That sounds good, and the parade probably finishes there in an hour. I guess we need lots of time beforehand to find parking, though. It's going to be busy, right?

MAN: Oh yeah, it'll be busy. We usually take the kids downtown around 4:00 and have dinner somewhere. After that we do a little shopping, then find a place to watch the parade, and then we just wait.

WOMAN: We should have dinner together and watch the parade together. The kids would really like that. What do you think?

MAN: That's a great idea! I'll get Alison to call you and arrange all the details.


Now answer questions 1-5.

1- What are the man and woman planning to do?
2- Why do the man and woman want to be early?
3- Why is the woman familiar with this kind of event?
4- Why does the woman suggest going to the event together?
5- Why is the woman worried about the event start time?

Part 3: Listening for Information

You will hear a conversation between a man and a woman.

MAN: Hey Anika, you’re home early today! Do you have a minute? I was hoping you could look at my resumé. I’ve used it to apply for tons of jobs, but I haven’t gotten a single response! I could really use your expert opinion.

WOMAN: (laughing) Well, “expert opinion” might be an exaggeration—I’m no professional. But, I have helped quite a few people in the past... [pause] Okay, so, taking a quick look, you don’t seem to be showing your strengths with this resumé.

MAN: That makes sense. I know I have the qualifications, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had to do a resumé.

WOMAN: Well, my first suggestion is to make your resumé stand out in some way. It may seem simple, but some colour and an interesting font can be eye-catching and entice someone to actually take a look at your resumé. You’ll also need to do more than just list your past jobs.

MAN: That’s a great idea! I didn’t even think of colour and appearance… For content I thought the whole point was to list the jobs I’ve held over the last 10 years, with a few details about my roles and responsibilities.

WOMAN: Well, these days employers often hire people who can show the impact they’ve made in their companies. Since you want to highlight your leadership experience, you should definitely mention the sales and marketing seminars you conducted. Those boosted profits for your previous company 3 years in a row, right? That’s a big deal!

MAN: Yes, good point! I hadn’t thought of that. Any other advice?

WOMAN: Well, you may want to rearrange your resumé a bit because it’s very chronological. Although it’s good to have an overview of what you’ve done over the years, you should briefly mention your professional skills first.

MAN: Do you mean things like project management, budgeting, and business negotiation?

WOMAN: Yes, exactly! Not everyone possesses those skills, so you really should put them at the top of your resumé.

MAN: These are really useful suggestions! Thanks so much! I’m so glad I asked you.

WOMAN: Great! Just a few minor fixes and you’ll be getting those phone calls you’ve been hoping for! Oh, before you go—just let me run inside the house and grab the book you lent me. It was a great read!


Now answer questions 1-6.

1- What is probably true about the woman?
2- What is likely causing the man’s problem?
3- What is true about the man?
4- What will the man’s next step most likely be?
5- Why did the woman go into her house?
6- What was the woman’s main suggestion?

Part 4: Listening to a News Item

You will hear a news item about a man at a houseplant show.

A local man went home happy after collecting an award at the city’s annual Houseplant Show, held at the downtown Rhodes Arena this past weekend. Justin Wilson, 53, set a new record for the tallest cactus ever grown indoors.

When asked how he managed to grow the 3.5-metre beast, he claimed it was nothing but good fortune. Wilson explains how, nearly a decade ago, he bought the cactus at a local garden centre for a few dollars. After bringing it home, he simply placed it by his large living room window and watered it weekly.

Understandably, Wilson was not required to transport the cactus to the Houseplant Show, a popular indoor convention for houseplant enthusiasts. Instead, volunteers from the event met Wilson at his home, where they measured the towering cactus and photographed it for their records.

Wilson accepted the award for his oddity from Michael Cole, head organizer of the event and an ecologist at Maplewood University. Cole says that he sees cacti as tall as Wilson’s all the time in the desert, but never in someone’s home.

Part 5: Listening to a Discussion

You will watch a discussion among three co-workers, two men and one woman. The discussion takes place at a community soccer clubhouse.

Eric: Thanks for coming today. So, Fall Soccer is just around the corner and we want to make sure online registration goes smoothly. We had a lot of glitches last year—and complaints.

Ian: Oh, I remember that. [groaning] I spent hours fixing those issues and calming frenzied parents. I just overhauled the registration section on our website, so I don’t anticipate the same problems this year.

Alyssa: I’m glad you were the one dealing with that. You’re the techie! [slight pause] On another note, we’ve had a lot of inquiries about our fees. Can we manage to keep them the same as last year?

Eric: Good question. We’re looking at a 5% increase. But we need to stick to our mandate – developing players in the local community. I don’t want cost to become an obstacle. Families are already paying for registration, photography, uniforms, shoes, snacks . . .

Ian: Yeah, I’m worried that some kids won’t be able to participate if it strains their family budget.

Alyssa: Yeah, with three players in my house, soccer costs add up to a small fortune!

Eric: Well, some other clubs offer discounts to parents who volunteer throughout the season. Especially the parents who help out as assistant coaches, they really offset some of the costs. What do you think?

Ian: I don’t know about that. We’re fortunate to have enough time to volunteer for this club, but not all parents do. What about a family discount plan? For example, full price for the first child, then ten percent off for the second. And 15 percent off for the third, in families like Alyssa’s.

Alyssa: For me personally, that would be great – but it wouldn’t help most of our soccer families at all. [pause] How about a ‘used gear exchange’? Kids outgrow their stuff so quickly. If we set something up on our website, then parents could browse through used items when doing their registration.

Eric: That sounds good. We could add a discussion forum to our website where parents and players can arrange to buy, sell and trade their gear.

Ian: I’m not so sure about that idea. [not agreeable] From a technical perspective, it’s actually more complicated than it sounds.

Alyssa: Well, we could also consider a partnership with a local sports store in the area. For example, players could show their club ID cards to get a markdown on shoes and other gear.

Eric: I can look into something like that, but in the meantime, Ian, it would be great if you could research ways to get the online forum going.


Listening Part 6: Listening for Viewpoints.

You will hear a speech about an educational issue.

Welcome parents and staff of Cederbrook Elementary. I appreciate all of you being here tonight. It is standard practice at our school, indeed, at most schools everywhere, to issue daily homework assignments. Beginning in kindergarten, students are assigned tasks that typically take about 15 minutes to complete. With each grade level, the complexity and quantity of the assignments increases, to a maximum of about 2 hours per night for our grade eight students. Recently, this practice has been called into question.

Spearheading this debate is parent and child psychologist Jaime Lee. According to Lee, numerous studies have pointed to the detrimental impacts of daily homework. Indeed, increasingly in her practice, she is seeing these impacts. Many of her younger clients are experiencing high levels of stress, poor physical health, and feelings of isolation, with the long hours of homework after long days at school being the primary cause. According to Lee, these results are not surprising when you consider what children are giving up in order to manage their daily workloads; time with family, time with friends, time for themselves. For Lee, a child’s time after school should be unstructured. She contends daily homework leads to an overemphasis on academics that fails to address all of the developmental needs of children.

Arnold Blake, president of Cederbrook Elementary’s parent council, disagrees. For Blake, homework time is quality time with his child. In fact, sitting with his daughter while she does her homework is one of their favourite times of day. He appreciates knowing what his daughter is learning at school, what interests her, and what she finds challenging. Additionally, Blake believes this one-on-one attention, in the comfort of her own home, is crucial to his daughter’s learning. While, initially, his daughter struggled at school, her academic performance has gotten much better since Blake became more involved. He believes that her daily assignments have played a large role in this change. While Blake acknowledges a balance must be maintained, he does not feel his daughter’s development has been adversely impacted. In contrast, he has seen an increase in her confidence, a fact which has benefited all aspects of her life. In consideration of both perspectives, perhaps something we need to consider is the frame of mind of parents and children. If both the parent and child feel positive about the task, I believe homework can be a great way to improve grades and involve parents in their child’s learning. However, if either party feels negative, a fifteen-minute assignment can easily turn into a two-hour disciplinary nightmare. This would clearly be counterproductive. I’ll now open the floor for discussion.

Practice Test B - Listening Transcripts

Part 1: Listening to Problem Solving

You will hear a conversation between a man and a woman on a neighbourhood street.


Section 1:

MAN: Can I help? Oh, you got a parking ticket!

WOMAN: Yes, and I don’t understand it. I live here. On this street! Well, as of a week ago.

MAN: Yeah... I’ve seen you around, at the post office and the corner store. Welcome to the neighborhood! But … do you have a parking permit?

WOMAN: I need a parking permit? Even though I live here? That doesn’t sound right. Are you sure?

MAN: Yes. You have to purchase a parking permit in order to park on the street. We used to be able to buy them online, but now you have to go to City Hall in person. They’re about fifty dollars.

WOMAN: Oh really? I didn’t know that... Thanks...


Now answer questions 1-2.

1- Why is the woman upset?
2- How does the woman feel about the man’s information?

Section 2:

MAN: Oh, hello again! What? What? You got another parking ticket?

WOMAN: Yes! And I have a parking permit. I bought one right away, after you told me.

MAN: May I take a look? Ah. You were parked on the wrong side of the street.

WOMAN: What? I have to have a permit to park on the street where I live AND I have to park on a certain side of the street?? That’s ridiculous!

MAN: Actually, I’m afraid it’s even worse than that. Some days, sometimes, you have to be on this side, and some days, sometimes, you have to be on the other side. You have to look at the signs. It’s so the snow removal equipment can get at all the snow.

WOMAN: I see. That makes sense. I didn’t realize that.


Now answer questions 3-5.

1- What’s the woman done since their first conversation?
2- How does the woman feel about the man’s answer at first?
3- What do the parking rules allow?

Section 3:

MAN: Any parking tickets lately?

WOMAN: No, but I’m finding that having a car is more trouble than it’s worth! I usually take the bus to work. I bought my car just for emergencies, occasional trips out of the city on the weekend, and maybe some shopping. But the insurance, the permit, and having to move my car all the time...

MAN: I know exactly what you mean. I’m the same way. Except I take the subway to work every day.

WOMAN: Hey, why don’t we share a car? I could sell my car, and we could go fifty-fifty on yours. Or vice versa.

MAN: Actually, that’s an interesting idea. If you sell your car, I could add you to my insurance policy. Then we could split the maintenance costs, the license plate fee, the parking permit …

WOMAN: Yes! We probably won’t want the car at the same time. And we could split the costs according to how many kilometers we drive it.

MAN: I like the idea! You’re planning to stay in this neighbourhood?

WOMAN: I am!

MAN: Well, let’s think about it and meet again in a few days.

WOMAN: Excellent!


Now answer questions 6-8.

1- What are the man and woman discussing?
2- When does the man usually use his car?
3- What are they thinking of doing?

Part 2: Listening to a Daily Life Conversation

You will hear a conversation between two colleagues. The conversation takes place at the office.

MAN: Hi Jillian. What’s the name of the floral company you always hire to ship flowers to your mom? I want to send flowers to my aunt, but I’m baffled about which service to choose.

WOMAN: In June, my mom got sick, and I used ShipLove to send her a get-well bouquet. It lasted over 2 weeks but was a bit pricey. So, for Thanksgiving I picked Flovely. I saved about 30 percent on the order, but the flowers died in 4 days. As I always say, buy nice or buy twice.

MAN: Thanks! I’ll check both, especially their service areas. My aunt lives close to here, but in a very remote wooded area, away from the city centre. I’m wondering if they’ll deliver to her home.

WOMAN: I’m sure they will—all flower businesses hire large shipping companies to deliver for them. Just make sure you place your order a few days in advance.

MAN: That’s good to hear. Did you order a dozen roses, their most popular item? Next Friday is my aunt’s 70th birthday, and I’d like to give her something more than just roses. Maybe a nice bouquet with a gift, but all the gifts I've researched were stuffed toys.

WOMAN: I ordered large mixed bouquets both times, but I know Flovely offers lots of gift options, like mugs, chocolates, and even paintings from local artists. They also have houseplants, dried bouquets, and tropical arrangements.

MAN: Did you say houseplants? I’d love to get my aunt a potted plant. She has such a green thumb and enjoys growing things in her garden. A potted plant would remind her of me year-round, unlike toys or a box of chocolates.

WOMAN: Another option is buying a flower delivery subscription as a gift for your aunt. That way she’d be getting fresh bouquets every week or month for a year. You’d get a hefty discount and free delivery. My neighbour ordered that from ShipLove for his wife and she was ecstatic!

MAN: That sounds great! So many options to look at. I’ll make sure I place my order by Monday.

WOMAN: Let me know what you settle on!


Now answer questions 1-5.

1- What is the conversation mainly about?
2- What is most likely true about Flovely?
3- Why is the man sending flowers to his aunt?
4- What did the woman purchase for her mother?
5- What does the man say his aunt likes?

Part 3: Listening for Information

You will hear a conversation between two neighbours. The man asks the woman for some help.

M: Hey, Jude, I’m wondering if you can help me solve a mystery.

W: Sure, what’s up?

M: You know how the garbage pickup comes every Wednesday morning? Well, lately, every week when I go to bring my trash cans back in at around noon, I see that a lot of my garbage has been thrown all over the place.

W: Oh, that’s not good! And then you have to pick it all up. That must take a while!

M: Yes! This has been going on for some time now. I haven't noticed any suspicious behaviour in the neighbourhood, which leaves the garbage collectors as potential suspects. Although, I doubt they would toss around my garbage.

W: No, I agree, that’s unlikely.

M: And I can’t imagine any kids doing it. They’d have to make a point of coming over in the middle of the night or getting up early in the morning before the pickup. I suppose it’s possible, but...

W: I’m thinking no. I know all the kids in this neighbourhood. How long did you say this has been going on?

M: A few weeks. Not at all during the winter...maybe just since the beginning of spring?

W: Oh! Raccoons! I’ll bet raccoons are coming and going through your garbage, finding whatever they can to eat--and leaving a mess!

M: Raccoons?

W: Yes, they’re about cat-sized, very fluffy, look like they’re wearing a mask, and have rings around their tails. Really cute, actually, and they love garbage! And every spring, there seems to be more of them! That’s why we all put our garbage out in the morning, and NOT the night before!

M: Oh! I didn’t realize that! I’ve been putting it out in the evening, just before I go to work. I arrive back home around two in the morning, so getting up at six or seven to put it out would be like getting up in the middle of the night for me!

W: I see. Well, you could try putting heavy bricks on the lids. That works. Or, I’ve seen some trash cans that have a latch. Raccoons can be quite clever, so something simple might not work. You could go to the hardware store and see what they’ve got.

M: I’ll do that! Thanks, you’ve solved the mystery!


Now answer questions 1-6.

1- What is the main mystery?
2- What does the woman think about the neighbourhood?
3- What does the conversation suggest about the man?
4- Why does the man put his garbage out the night before the pickup?
5- What does the woman say about raccoons?
6- What does the conversation say about raccoons?

Part 4: Listening to a News Item

You will hear a news item about an area resident.

Daisy, a dog owned and cherished by Deb Fitherstone, went missing Thursday night. Fitherstone had arranged for Daisy to be looked after by a neighbour. However, instead of just letting the dog out occasionally throughout the day as instructed, the neighbour took Daisy to her home nearby for some extended company.

Unfortunately, the dog wandered away. The dog is elderly, and confusion and fatigue likely played a role in its inability to find its way either back to the neighbour’s house or back home. A frantic search by both the neighbour and, upon her return, Deb, was unsuccessful.

The next day, seeing the ‘MISSING DOG’ posters on telephone poles, Genevieve Genereau put her own dog’s excellent nose to the test. While on their daily walk, Genevieve said enthusiastically to Snookums, “Go find Daisy! Where’s Daisy? Where is she?”

Snookums, who did not know Daisy, did understand the enthusiasm of “Go find…!” and “Where is…?” Half an hour later, after finding several half-finished fast food meals, Snookums led Genevieve off the road into the bush to Daisy, curled up in a hole, uninjured, but unable to climb back out. Daisy and Deb were successfully reunited and Daisy is doing well.


Part 5: Listening to a Discussion

You will watch a discussion among three library employees - two women and one man. The discussion is part of their weekly staff meeting which takes place in a room in the library.

Ellen: Let’s move on to the next item on our agenda. Jane, you suggested we start a Children’s Book Club. Could you tell us what you had in mind for that?

Jane: Sure. Well, we already have our Storytime for very young children. One of us reads a story and... [Seth and Ellen nod slightly] well, you both know what goes on during Storytime. The goal is to awaken a love of books. I’m thinking that a Children’s Book Club could continue where that leaves off.

Seth: So you imagine something similar to a Regular Book Club? The group decides on a book, everyone reads it, and they would discuss at the next book club meeting.

Jane: Precisely. I’d even thought about having refreshments – maybe juice and cookies, or something -- but I’ve changed my mind on that point. I think that the books should be the joy, happiness, enough!

Ellen: Well, we don’t allow food and drink in the library, so that would send a mixed signal. My concern is that there’s such a wide range of reading skills and preferences among children. Do you think we should have several groups, according to age?

Jane: Yes, maybe one for the eight- to ten-year-olds, another for eleven- to twelve-year-olds?

Seth: And then we could have a Teen Club, and split that as well: one group for the thirteen- to fourteen-year-olds, and another for the fifteen- to seventeen-year-olds. That way, everyone’s covered.

Ellen: Wouldn’t having four different clubs add significantly to the work load? We can’t afford to pay overtime.

Jane: Not significantly, no. Wouldn’t half an hour be long enough for a book club meeting?

Seth: Yes, but who’s going to be at the desk when you’re leading the book club? We can’t exactly run it as a self-service.

Jane: True enough. Well, maybe one of our student helpers would love to lead the clubs. Or maybe we could assign each club to a different student helper.

Ellen: Okay, so it sounds like we’re agreed to try it, and we don’t need to go to the Board for this, so...I’ll approach our student helpers. Jane, could you prepare a flyer that we can put up on the bulletin board? And perhaps you and Seth could put together a list of book suggestions.

Seth: We have more girls than boys, and we want to appeal to both. Curious George comes to mind, but that might not be at the right level… Harriet the Spy would be a good choice for the older group…


Part 6: Listening for Viewpoints

You will hear a presentation about television rating systems.

Increasing concern about violence in our society often leads to a consideration of violence on television. This is not surprising since the average Canadian adult watches 30 hours of television per week; that's 4-5 hours per day. The statistics are even worse for children, who watch up to 8 hours a day.

Television broadcasters in Canada must provide a rating for most of the programs they broadcast, including American and other foreign programs, that includes consideration of the violent content in the program. The rating system, which has been in effect since 1997, indicates the intended audience age group of the program.

Some people think that simply informing people is not enough. They think that programs with gratuitous violence or, worse, violence intended to entertain, should be prohibited from broadcast. Advocates of such a change in policy refer to studies showing that viewers of such violence, especially children, may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, may become more fearful of the world, and may themselves be more likely to behave in a violent way. Furthermore, refuting the catharsis argument, which claims that watching violence defuses a tendency to behave violently, such advocates point to sports events: violence increases, rather than decreases, when major sports events, which often include violence, are broadcast.

On the other hand, advocates of the status quo claim that prohibiting the broadcast of programs with excessive violence amounts to censorship. They argue that as long as people are able to make an informed choice -- and the rating system enables such a choice -- such censorship is not justified.

Television ratings systems consider not only violence, however. Sweden has recently adopted a new rating system for its televised broadcasts to highlight gender bias: to get an A rating, a movie must pass the Bechdel test (named after a cartoonist), which means it must (1) have at least two named female characters, (2) who talk to each other, (3) about something other than a man. Since its introduction, many people have been surprised to discover just how many programs fail the test.

Although Sweden's new rating system will certainly enable informed choice, it remains to be seen whether it will result in a decrease in gender bias in society at large, which is, presumably, its ultimate goal. Many people would argue that the rating system in Canada with respect to violence has not achieved its ultimate goal.