Advanced Listening Test 1

CAE (Advanced Exam) Listening Test 1
1 A  2 B  3 C  4 A  5 B  6 B  7 A  8 C

Narrator: One. 
Speaker 1: When I was in the process of moving, I began to wonder if it was really feasible to live in such a small space. I mean, I've always had lots of stuff, so whittling it down has been a pretty daunting task. I'm still working on it, actually. It’s hard to part with some things but the payoff is that there’s less and less clutter and a lot less dusting and tidying to do than in my old flat. I spend more time outside, of course, because you can feel pretty hemmed in in such a small space and that can be too much at times. I was stuck inside for a couple of days last week in all that heavy rain and I really did begin to feel that I was going to go crazy. 
[pause] 
Narrator: 2 
Speaker 2: This was to be our dream home but in some ways it’s turned out to be a complete nightmare. I'd always lived in flats where I could pretty much see into every room, so I had no idea how edgy I was going to feel in a large house like this. I have to be careful not to watch horror films on TV because I start to imagine every creak and groan from the rafters is actually someone lurking in one of the other rooms. Of course, it’s glorious to have so much space after years of living in poky flats. I've finally been able to take my grandfather’s grand piano and a beautiful old sideboard out of storage. I would never have got them into my old place. 
[pause] 
Narrator: 3 
Speaker 3: I used to think it would be good to move out of the centre of the city but, really, we've got it all right here. Apart from the usual shops, there’s a cinema, some rather pleasant cafés and even a really great arts centre with a theatre where they show excellent movies. If we lived out of town, we'd both really miss all that. Sue is always on about how much she would love a big house with a garden but I think in her heart of hearts she would never be able to justify the expense. A nice balcony with a few pot plants is enough, though I must admit here we're walled in by other buildings on all sides and that gets to me sometimes.
[pause] 
2 
Narrator: 4 
Speaker 4: I tried to find something a bit bigger but everything I looked at was way outside my price range. I’ve had to put some of my things into storage but perhaps one day when I have my dream home I'll have space for more than a sofa bed and a desk! I tend to go out to eat – even for breakfast. The kitchenette is so tiny there’s barely room to chop a carrot and it’s difficult to get rid of the cooking smells afterwards. There are loads of cafés on this street anyway, so I'm spoilt for choice in terms of places to eat. A lot of my neighbours hang out there in the mornings as well, so I've got to know them. There’s a real sense of community here. 
[pause]