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

Extract One
You hear a man talking to a friend who’s just arrived at an airport.
Now look at questions 1 and 2.

M: Good flight?
F: Hardly. Air travel just goes from bad to worse. It wasn’t even a particularly cheap flight, but
there was precious little leg room, it left half-an-hour late and I wasn’t offered as much as a
glass of water.
M: Well it was the national airline, so you always pay a bit over the odds, but there are actually
fewer seats, so it shouldn’t be cramped. But since the budget airlines started competing,
nobody’s offering free refreshments on these short routes anymore. Anyway, the pilot
obviously made up time. I’d only just turned up and there you were!
F: I expect you were late too! But there’s an inordinate amount of queuing up and hanging about
involved in air travel. I know you’re going to say that’s because of security and so it’s not the
airline’s fault ...
M: I wasn’t actually. The thing to do next time is steer clear of the big hubs. You could have
flown into the little airport down the coast even with this airline; lots less hanging about there.
There’s not the volume of passengers and despite the drive, it’d still be quicker than the train.
F: It’s not this airport I’m complaining about. It’s the one I’ve just come from!

Extract Two
You hear a science teacher telling a friend about her work.
Now look at questions 3 and 4.

M: From what I remember of science at school, it was mostly a case of ‘listen and make notes’
with the odd set-piece experiment.
F: That’s not science. I mean, all subjects are knowledge-based to a certain extent, but with the
internet, kids can access information directly without the mediation of the teacher. What they
can’t manage to do on their own is question it – have a critical view of its accuracy and
usefulness. That’s where the teacher comes in.
M: Right.
F: And kids need to know how to use science in real life. So these days, it’s all about putting
information in context. Like, I did a lesson last week where they worked out how much energy
is expended to make, buy and watch a television. I mean, there’s an immediate relevance
there.
M: So do kids everywhere do that now?
F: Well it’ll be good if they could. I worked out this scheme of work with some colleagues from
other local schools. It had official backing, but only time will tell if it gets adopted on a wider
scale. But we had a meeting last week to see how it was going and nobody wanted to change
anything!

Extract Three
You hear a new album being reviewed on a music radio station.
Now look at questions 5 and 6.

M: And Fiona, you’ve been listening to the first album from a new band, new to me at least,
called The Forerunners. Where did they come from?
F: Well, basically Tom, what you’ve got here is four young guys from rural England who debut
with a record that’s effectively home made – not a studio recording. That’s incredible in itself.
But what really blew me away was the fact that it’s unaffected in a way you’d scarcely think
possible. They make a gentle sound, and even when doing crescendos they never get harsh
– never seem to fall in love with their own vibe. Added to that, they seem to use a whole
range of instruments without ever drawing your attention to the fact.
M: Yes I agree, and they keep the interest going from one little jewel to the next, there are
almost no duds here. And, although there are echoes of all sorts of people, it wouldn’t be fair
to make comparisons. I mean, what makes them kind of unique is that they don’t seem to be
trying to sound like anyone but themselves.
F: Quite. Highly recommended!