Day 1

Fill the blank spaces while listening to the recording.

Audio 1: Free time.

Receptionist: Good morning, Brownton ____________ ____________.

Tyrone: Hello, ________ like some information about the water polo club.
Receptionist: Yes, of course. We have an under 14s club, an ______ ______ ________,
an under 18s club and an ________ club. How old are you?
Tyrone: I’m 15.
Receptionist: OK, so you want the under 16s club.
Tyrone: Yes.
Receptionist: Just a moment ... yes, we have two places in the under 16s club.
Tyrone: When do they ________ ?
Receptionist: Let’s see, the under 16s train two ________ a week, on Mondays, no sorry, on
__________ ___ ___________ from _______________. And matches are on Saturday
mornings. Tyrone: When does the training start?
Receptionist: Training starts next week, on ______________ _____.
Tyrone: OK. And how much are the classes?
Receptionist: Classes are free for under 18s.
Tyrone: Great! What do I have to do to join?
Receptionist: You have to come to the swimming pool and ________ ___ ________. You need
to bring a _______________ too.
Tyrone: OK.
Receptionist: _____ ___ ________ _______ _______?
Tyrone: Yes, it’s Tyrone Williams.
Receptionist: OK, thanks, Tyrone.
Tyrone: Thanks. Bye.
Fill the blank spaces while listening to the recording.

Audio 2: Amazing facts

A: Hey, I’m reading this really ___________ __________ about the ___________ body.
B: Yeah? Well, we know all about that from _________ ____________.
A: No, we didn’t learn much at all at school! They’re __________ loads more things all the time.
Really amazing things! Did you know that only about one tenth of the cells in your body are really
you? The rest are ___________.
B: What? I’m not really me?
A: No, of course you are you, but you also have _________, or __________, of bacteria in you.
B: Eeeeuuugh!
A: No, they’re mostly really helpful. Someone did an _________ to see if animals can live without
bacteria, and he found that a lot of them died or had to have a ________ ________. Animals
need bacteria to ________ food, you see. So _____ ___ _________ off with bacteria.
B: Unless the bacteria are bad.
A: Unless they are bad, but _______ nearly all good. Oh yeah, and going back to _____, do you
know how many cells you have in your body?
B: Quite a lot, _______ _________ . A good few.
A: Yeah, but how many?
B: I don’t know. I’m not _____________ .
A: 7 octillion! That’s 7 plus 27 noughts.
B: I knew it was a lot.
A: OK, that’s an amazingly huge number, almost impossible to imagine. But the really weird thing is
that most of the atoms are empty __________, just air or nothingness. And if you took out the
empty space, you could fit your body inside a ______ _______ which measures one 500th of a
centimetre on either side. That’s a box measuring __________ of a centimetre on each side.
You’d be much too small to see.
B: Mmm, I can imagine that. It sounds like something that would happen in a really bad Hollywood
movie. You know, a mad scientist goes: (funny voice) ‘I’m going to ________ all the air from
your body’. OK, enough facts for one day.
A: Don’t go! One last thing, did you know …
B: No.
A: Did you know that you probably have ________ in your ____________?
B: Mites in my eyelashes? What are mites exactly anyway?
A: Yeah, they’re very small creatures, like insects, only not insects. They’re about a third of a
millimetre long, so you can’t really see them. These ________ mites live in eyelashes
and ___________ .
B: But in mine?
A: Well, maybe not. Only about ________ of people have them, and more older people. So you
might not have any. Anyway, they’re completely ___________ , they just eat ______ ________.
B: Yeah, right, harmless. I really would have _____________ not to know that.
A: Sorry.
B: I mean, really!
Audio 3: Boy bands

Listening skills practice: Boy bands – exercises

1. Check your understanding: true or false

Do this exercise while you listen. Circle True or False for these sentences.

1. Many boy bands are not successful. True False

In the past, boy band members dressed differently but had similar
2. True False
personalities.

Having different types of boy in the group is supposed to appeal to

3. True False
different girls.

4. One Direction first became famous on YouTube. True False

5. One Direction lyrics are written for girls who like rebellious boys. True False

6. One Direction's stylists try to give each band member an individual look. True False

7. One Direction became famous in the US by clever use of social media. True False

8. One Direction have not tried to make money from merchandising. True False

2. Check your understanding: multiple choice

Do this exercise while you listen. Circle the best phrase to complete these sentences.

The most important thing for boy bands in the past was that they had some musical ability / they
1.
could dance well / they had different personalities .

Things have changed because people wanted something different / the media and new
2.
technology influence things differently / both of the above .

Starting on a reality show like X Factor is great for a band because appearing on TV is the
3. quickest way to get famous / the many viewers who vote every week become loyal fans / people
feel a personal connection with bands they see on TV .

The words to One Direction songs are designed to make teenage girls feel good about
4. themselves / appeal to mums by being a bit cheeky / communicate universal messages about love
.

One Direction's clothes are very individual and they each have a strong look / create a clean-cut,
5.
safe and non-threatening image / are casual and fashionable with a touch of rebelliousness .

Lots of people said One Direction wouldn't be regarded as serious musicians / get famous in the
6.
US as well as the UK / have a number one record .
 One Direction were the first British band to have their first album go to number one in the US / sell
7. so many copies of their first album in just one week / break into the US market by using social
media .

The boys have also made money from selling One Direction products like dolls and phones /
8.
performing as many sell-out concerts as possible / giving talks about their success .