SKILLS BOOST

B1 LISTENING 7–12 AUDIOSCRIPTS

B1 Listening 7
I’ve just arrived in the city of Lopburi in Thailand. For a lot of people this historic place is known as
Monkey City and I can see …and hear why.
Every year thousands of tourists come to visit the ancient buildings where the macaque monkeys live.
Macaque monkeys come from Asia but they are now found in other parts of the world too including the
USA. They’re quite small with pink faces, short hair on their heads, and large cheeks that can hold as
much food as their stomachs. They make lots of different expressions with their faces, this one right in
front of me is smiling and showing me his teeth. I’m standing in a group of people and it’s clear that the
monkeys aren’t scared of the visitors at all. In fact, if you aren’t careful, they might steal food from your
bag or your hand.
I’m here today to watch the annual monkey festival. The local people believe that the monkeys are very
important because they attract visitors and money to the area. To show that they are grateful for this,
the locals organise a special day for the monkeys. It’s special because the monkeys can eat as much food
as they want. The tables are prepared with long red tablecloths and flowers and they’re covered with
an amazing selection of food. Local chefs have prepared more than 2,000 kilograms of food for them.
There are plenty of fruits and vegetables that monkeys often eat such as nuts, cabbage, bananas and
cucumbers but also some more unusual foods such as cake, candy and drinks. It hasn’t taken long for
the monkeys to realise this is all for them. Some of them are dancing on the table and throwing food at
each other. An older monkey with huge teeth is trying to open a can of Coke. I’ve never seen anything
like it! They’re eating the food quickly and some of the monkeys are beginning to leave. It looks like
they’re going to look for somewhere to lie down. Perhaps that’s not surprising after a day like this.

Skills Boost B1 LISTENING 7–12 AUDIOSCRIPTS © RICHMOND 2014 Photocopiable

B1 Listening 8
Presenter Good morning and welcome to the show. Today we’re talking to two special people,
Maria and David. Perhaps you saw them on TV on Saturday night when they won the
international singing competition called You can sing. Now they’re here to talk to us at
Sunshine Radio. First let’s meet Maria, hi Maria, how are you?

Maria Hi, I’m fine thanks but I’m a little tired after the competition.

Presenter I’m not surprised. It was an exciting show and you were both brilliant. Were you
nervous Maria?

Maria No, not at all. I loved every minute of it.

Presenter Have you taken part in many competitions?

Maria Yes, I have, maybe 6 or 7? I won my first competition five years ago.

Presenter And when did you start singing?

Maria Oh, a long time ago! After my first child was born I decided to do something different. I
loved singing and dancing but I decided to start singing classes because dancing was too
energetic after carrying a baby around all day!

Presenter Now, this is interesting. Can you tell us… who was your first child?

Maria My first child was David’s mother.

Presenter So David is your grandson! You won an international singing competition with your
grandson! David, is that true?

David Yes, it is. Actually, my grandmother taught me to sing.

Presenter And how did that start?

David Well, Grandma loved singing and she had a fantastic voice. We used to sing together
when she was looking after me. Then, five years ago she started teaching children to
sing. I was twelve then. At first I just watched the classes then one day Grandma invited
me to sing with them.

Presenter Was David always a good singer Maria?

Maria Yes, he was, but he also learnt very quickly.

Presenter And David, who were the other students in the singing classes?

David Well, there weren’t any boys, just girls.

Presenter Did you have a problem with that?

David No, not at all. At first the girls thought it was funny because I wanted to sing with them,
but then they were very friendly. The classes were fun.

Skills Boost B1 LISTENING 7–12 AUDIOSCRIPTS © RICHMOND 2014 Photocopiable

Presenter Were you surprised when you won the competition?

David Yes, because the other singers were great.

Presenter What are your plans now?

David Well, I’m going to do the same as my Grandma and be a teacher. I want more boys to
learn to sing and enjoy it as a hobby.

Presenter And are you going to do any more competitions?

David Of course. We’re practising for another one next year. It’s another international
competition, and this time we’ll be flying to China to take part!

Presenter Well, good luck It’s been great hearing your story.

David Thanks.

Maria Thank you.

Skills Boost B1 LISTENING 7–12 AUDIOSCRIPTS © RICHMOND 2014 Photocopiable

B1 Listening 9
Conversation 1
A Excuse me.
A Excuse me, can I sit here?
B Oh, I’m sorry. Of course, just a second. I’ll move my bag and laptop.
A Oh, thanks. There aren’t enough seats.
B I know. It’s not right when the tickets are so expensive.
A Is it always like this?
B It’s often busy but today there’s a football match so the train is full of football fans.
A Ah, I see.

Conversation 2
Passenger Is this the right stop for the train station?
Driver No, this is the town centre.
Passenger Oh, is the station far from here?
Driver It’s about fifteen minutes on foot. It’s better to stay on the bus.
Passenger OK. Can you tell me where I should get off?
Driver Of course. It’s the last stop.
Passenger Ah, that’s good.

Conversation 3
Dad Ah, we’re finally moving. That was a bad traffic jam.
Child Are we going to stop soon, Dad?
Dad Oh, all right.
Child I’m bored.
Dad Me too.
Child And I’m hungry
Dad OK, let’s stop here. I’ve got to get some petrol so I’ll get us some sandwiches too while I’m in
there.
Child And some crisps…and a drink please!
Dad No crisps but I’ll get a drink. All right?

Conversation 4
A Hello, can I help you?
B Yes, please. My son’s suffering from earache, it’s quite bad. He’s been like this since take off.
A Just a minute. I’ll go and get him a drink.
A OK, here’s a glass of water and a sweet. It’s important that he drinks water or sucks a sweet until
we land.
B Thank you. He doesn’t like sweets though. Could we have some ice, please?
A No problem. Here you go. You’ll feel better soon.

Skills Boost B1 LISTENING 7–12 AUDIOSCRIPTS © RICHMOND 2014 Photocopiable

B1 Listening 10
A Did you hear that Ben’s got a new job?

B No, I didn’t. But I thought he enjoyed being a hairdresser. He’s very good at it.

A Yes, he likes it but it he’s been doing it for a long time and he wants to change career.

B So what happened?

A Well, an important customer came to the shop one day. Ben was cutting her hair and they were
talking about their jobs. Ben told her he wanted to train to do something new. She said she’d
just opened that new hotel in the centre of town and was looking for people to join the team.

B But just a minute, Ben’s never been interested in hotel work!

A I know but this is a bit different. The woman told Ben that they were opening a gym and
swimming pool at the hotel and that she was looking for new staff to work there.

B That’s great. Ben’s always been into health and fitness. But he hasn’t got any experience of
working in a gym, has he?

A No, he hasn’t, but he has organised a weekly jogging group at his local community centre and it
was very popular. I went with them for a jog in the park and Ben was brilliant. He works well
with all sorts of people and knows how to motivate them.

B So, did he go for an interview at the hotel?

A Yes, he did. They interviewed ten people, and Ben was extremely nervous because he didn’t
have as much experience as the others.

B That’s true, but he does work well in a team and he learns very quickly, he’s also used to
working long hours. That has to be good for any job.

A Exactly. His job as a hairdresser has taught him a lot and I’m sure he’ll be able to use his skills.

B So, when did he hear that he had got the job?

A The day after the interview. The woman called him and gave him the news. She thought Ben was
a very positive and organised person and would enjoy the challenge.

B Brilliant. When’s he going to start then?

A Not for a few weeks. First, the hotel has paid for him to do a training course. When he comes
back he’ll start work in the hotel gym and swimming pool. He’s already got his first customers.

B Really?

A Yes, the hotel manager and her husband! Ben used to cut her hair but now he’s going to help
them both get fit.

B Well, I think it’s a great opportunity for him. He works really hard and he wants to do well. He’ll

Skills Boost B1 LISTENING 7–12 AUDIOSCRIPTS © RICHMOND 2014 Photocopiable

 probably be the manager of the gym one day.

A That’s right. It’s a completely new career for him but he knows he’s doing the right thing. I think
he’s finally found the perfect job.

B Lucky Ben! I’m really happy for him. But who’s going to cut my hair now?

Skills Boost B1 LISTENING 7–12 AUDIOSCRIPTS © RICHMOND 2014 Photocopiable

B1 Listening 11
If you want to try something different this summer, come along to Sunny Fields activity weekend. The
action starts at 8 o’clock on Friday evening with a magical evening walk in the forest. As it gets dark,
follow the coloured lights and listen to the sounds of the birds and forest creatures all around you. On
Saturday and Sunday there will be activities all day from 9 in the morning until 6. You can try horse-
riding, rock-climbing and enjoy a game of tennis or volleyball. And don’t forget our photography
competition. This year the theme is summer magic. In the evening an open-air cinema will show two
films and there will also be live music until midnight. Visitors can buy a one day ticket or there’s a
weekend ticket that includes camping. This year the centre also has a new café that will serve a selection
of international food. So, come with friends or bring the whole family. For more information call 01285
868853.

Woman That sounds good, I must phone and find out if it’s suitable for young kids.

Activity Centre Hello, Sunny Fields Activity Centre, can I help you?

Woman Oh, hello, I’ve just heard your advert on the radio and I’d like to know if the weekend
activities are OK for young children. My daughter’s only 5, you see.

Activity Centre Yes, that’s fine. Young children can do the same activities. We put them in very small
groups and parents can stay and watch.

Woman Oh, good. What about the films in the evening?

Activity Centre There are always two films. The first film starts at 7 o’clock and it’s often a cartoon or
something that’s fun for the kids. The second one is more for adults but that’s later at
half past nine.

Woman Ok and you say that it’s possible to camp. Are there showers on the campsite?

Activity Centre No, not on the campsite but there are showers inside the activity centre. You can use
them.

Woman Good and can I buy the tickets now?

Activity Centre Sorry you can’t buy them over the phone but we sell them on the website and you can
pick them up when you arrive.

Woman OK. I’ll do that now. Oh and one last question. What time does it all finish on Sunday?

Activity Centre The photography competition finishes at 6 o’clock when we give the prizes. After that
there’s a barbecue on the beach until half past nine.

Woman Oh, that sound good. Great. Well thanks for that information.

Activity Centre No problem. I hope we see you at the weekend.

Woman Yes, thanks.

Skills Boost B1 LISTENING 7–12 AUDIOSCRIPTS © RICHMOND 2014 Photocopiable

B1 Listening 12

Interviewer Hi, and in today’s final programme in our series called Adventures around the world, I’m
happy to welcome Nina Balding. Nina’s just arrived in the studio and she’s going to tell
us about her experience of climbing Mount Everest and how she prepared for it. At
nearly 9,000 metres, it’s the tallest mountain in the world and thousands of people try
to climb it each year. Nina, thanks for joining us.

Nina Thanks! Great to be here.

Interviewer Now, it sounds like you had an amazing trip Nina. First, can you tell us why you climbed
Everest at this time of the year?

Nina Hi, yes well, we set off at the beginning of March but didn’t start climbing until April. It’s
best to climb the mountain during April and May. In winter the low temperatures and
strong winds make it much more difficult and between June and September there are
often dangerous storms.

Interviewer And how did you begin to prepare for the climb?

Nina Well, of course the first thing is to be very fit. If you’re fit you find it easier to breathe on
Everest. I trained for about 12 months before I went. I used to run for an hour every day
with a heavy rucksack and I did weight-training. If you can you should also climb other
mountains to get some experience.

Interviewer And, you came back last week. Do you still feel fit at the moment?

Nina Yes I do but I lost a lot of weight while I was on Everest. That’s quite normal. In fact I was
told to eat a lot before I left so that I would be heavier during the climb.

Interviewer And, did you carry food with you?

Nina Yes, you have to eat all the time. The problem is, when you’re climbing you often don’t
want to eat. We took a lot of nuts, biscuits and chocolate. When we weren’t climbing we
cooked meals that we had taken with us, you know, prepared meals in plastic bags that
you put in boiling water. They’re not very tasty! We also had to melt snow and ice to
drink.

Interviewer What special clothes did you need for the trip?

Nina Lots! Although May is a good month, it can still be cold. One day it was minus 15
degrees. You can’t imagine how cold that is. However, I wore strong boots for the snow
and ice and I had 5 pairs of socks. The pants and jackets I took were light but they kept
me very warm. I wore them in my sleeping bag because it was the best way to dry them
at the end of the day. I also bought really good sunglasses and goggles to protect my
eyes.

Interviewer Where did you begin the climb?

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Nina We started the climb at a place called base camp. We stayed there for four weeks so
that we could get used to the extreme conditions. At first we all found it difficult to
breathe because the air was very thin. I got a lot of headaches and didn’t feel very well.

Interviewer And I know you don’t like the cold. Was that very difficult for you?

Nina Yes, it was. When the temperature of the body falls you just want to sleep but I knew
that was dangerous. Some days I just wanted to stay in the tent with a cup of tea but I
was in a good team. They had a lot of energy, and that helped me a lot.

Interviewer Great. So, now that you’re home, what was the best thing about the trip for you?

Nina Well, it was always my dream to climb Everest so I’m very happy I’ve done it. But the
best thing is that it’s made me a stronger person.

Interviewer And I have to ask you, Nina. Would you do it again?

Nina I’m not so sure. I know I’ve done it but I think that too many people are climbing Everest
at the same time. A mountain should be a quiet place but it was very busy.

Interviewer Thanks Nina. It’s been great to hear your story….and that’s it for today guys, next week,
we’ll start our new…

Skills Boost B1 LISTENING 7–12 AUDIOSCRIPTS © RICHMOND 2014 Photocopiable