Practice English Listening Tests for B2 – Listening Test 02

Answer & Audioscript

24 B 25 C 26 A 27 A 28 C 29 B 30 A
Audioscript
Interviewer: Today I’m with John Benton, who’s just taken part in a 25-kilometre
running race. John, you’d never run that distance before, what made you decide
to enter the race?
John: Well, a few famous people have recently taken up running – one in
particular ran twice the distance I did. That really impressed me – but what finally
made me get my running shoes out was my mates’ attitude. They reckoned I was
far too lazy to complete any race at all, so I was determined to show them I could
do it! Anyway, my dad’s a keen runner – and once I’d decided to enter, he came
along during my training runs as my ‘running buddy’, which was great.
Interviewer: So how much training did you do beforehand?
John: Well, I was pretty organised! First of all, I drew up a 12-week training plan,
and built in goals I thought would be manageable. Dad wondered if I was being
over-ambitious time-wise, ‘cos I hadn’t run for a while – but then I do play football,
so I knew I was in reasonable shape. And I was told I shouldn’t push myself too
hard without resting and recovering between training sessions, but I admit I didn’t
really listen to that advice!
Interviewer: And I imagine the training was tough. Were there any problems?
John: Well, of course there were school mornings when the alarm went off really
early, and it was freezing outside, but I’d still look forward to getting myself out
there. Getting back home again in time for the school bus caused problems
though – and when I got home from school, after 4 p.m., it was really too dark to
run, but I still went. Anyway, at least after my training, I could still play computer
games on the sofa as usual!
Interviewer: And did you follow a special diet?
John: Well, some runners do things like eat high-protein, high-carbohydrate
diets, but I just tried to eat what I usually do, pretty healthily – apart from chocolate
and chips, which I cut out, and I didn’t miss them. Then about a week before the
race, I started eating more carbohydrates, like pizza and pasta, to build up my
energy levels, and that worked fine especially on the day of the race itself. I knew
I had to start all that well before the race, though – it’s too late to experiment on
the day.
Interviewer: And what was the day of the race like?
John: Pretty exciting. There were loads of people there when we arrived, and
even complete strangers were wishing me luck. Anyway, once we’d all set off,
everyone was cheering us along the route, and calling out the names of their
friends – I actually spotted my mates holding up a sign with my name on! That
really made me determined to finish the race.
Interviewer: So did you have any strategies to help you keep going?
John: I had a finishing time in mind that I was aiming for. But once I’d started,
the aim just became ‘keep going and cross the finish line’! Since I’d never done
a race like that before, I didn’t have a ‘personal best’ to beat. I’d been told, too,
that starting too fast is a mistake, that I should just relax and enjoy it, then speed
up before the end – which did work. It’s blocking out the voice in your head, telling
you that you can’t do it that’s hardest. But I’d learnt to manage that by dealing
with the race in stages, and remembering my training.
Interviewer: So how did you feel when you finally crossed the line?
John: Well, I’d assumed my first thought would be that I’d never attempt
anything so tough again! But I had such a feeling of achievement that I’d finished,
and my dad looked so proud, waiting there with my friends – although I was so
exhausted I barely registered it. But we did celebrate later! And I’ve already
signed up for my next run!
Interviewer: I’m sure! Congratulations, John!