JETSET LEVEL 5

LISTENING TEST PRACTICE PAPER

TRANSCRIPT

Part One

Ben: Hi, Caroline! I see you’re back from your holiday in Hungary. Have you got
any photos?
Caroline: Yes, I’ve got them here on my laptop. I’ll show them to you if you like. Let me
find the file … we spent most of the time in Budapest, where we stayed in a
small hotel on the edge of the city, and then we stayed a few nights by Lake
Balaton where we camped beside the lake.
Ben: Lake Balaton – I’ve heard of it. It’s very big, isn’t it?
Caroline: Yes it is, in fact it’s one of the biggest fresh water lakes in Europe.
Ben: So how long were you there altogether?
Caroline: Well, we’d only planned to stay a week, but we soon realised that wasn’t
really enough time to see everything, and we managed to change the dates of
our flight and come back a week later.
Ben: That was good! Did the whole family go with you?
Caroline: Not all of us, no. My older brother couldn’t go because he was working, but
my other brother and my sister came. In fact my older brother had already
been to Hungary a couple of years ago so I’m not sure he wanted to come
with us anyway. Ah, here are the photos. This is Budapest…
Ben: Wow, what an impressive looking bridge.
Caroline: Yes, that’s the Chain Bridge over the River Danube. It’s quite old - it was
opened in 1849. And see the big building right beside the river? That’s the
Hungarian Parliament building.
Ben: It’s huge! It looks Gothic to me. When was it built?
Caroline: Well – it’s actually not as old as the bridge. The Parliament wasn’t built until
1902 … we had a very interesting tour around it…. ah yes, here’s a picture of
me with the guide.
Ben: Uh huh…and is this a castle?
Caroline: That’s right, Ben. That’s in the city park. We nearly got lost looking for it, and I
was worried we wouldn’t find our way home, but in the end we were all right.
Ben: And this must be Lake Balaton.
Caroline: Yes it is. Doesn’t it look wonderful? It was so peaceful. I really wish I was still
there. This was where we camped. That’s my tent, which I shared with my
sister, and that little one there is my brother’s.
Ben: They’re excellent pictures.
Caroline: Do you think so? I took them with my new 12 megapixel camera. I bought it
just before we went to Hungary – it cost me a small fortune!
Ben: I think it was worth it, though. The picture quality is very good. My camera
only has 8 megapixels and the quality isn’t as good as this.
Caroline: You can borrow mine if you like.
Ben: Thanks. That would be great!

END

Page 1 of 3
Part Two

Hello, my name is Jane Clarkson and I’m a veterinarian, more commonly known as a vet.
I’ve been working as a vet since I left Exeter University ten years ago, and I’ve had my own
clinic here in Oxford for the last eight years. Many vets like me work in clinics, caring mainly
for dogs, cats and other small mammals, but people keep all kinds of animals these days so
we also see birds, fish and exotic animals such as reptiles.
It’s not only important for vets to help sick animals, we must also try and stop them
becoming sick, for example by giving them vaccinations. Animals, like people, are given
regular injections when they are healthy to stop them catching diseases. Furthermore, vets
neuter animals like cats and dogs to make sure that there are not too many unwanted
animals around. Also, vets must educate pet owners how to keep their animals healthy and
happy.
It’s difficult to get on a course to study veterinary medicine. A good school education in
sciences is very important, for example the University of Nottingham currently requires
entrants to have A grades in chemistry and biology. You also need to have a good
knowledge of maths and good communication skills. The veterinary medicine course is more
than four years long.
Veterinary practice probably started when man first began to keep animals. Chinese writings
dating back to 2500 BC have been discovered that tell of the diseases of horses, oxen and
buffalo. There are also written records from 2000 BC in Egypt and Babylonia, when there
was not much difference between the job of a doctor and a vet. In 1598, an Italian named
Carlo Ruini wrote a book entitled ‘Anatomy of a Horse’ but it was not until the 18th century,
when the first veterinary college opened in Lyon, France that the veterinary profession
started to exist as we know it today. The first American veterinary college opened in
Philadelphia in 1852.
Following World War 2, a vet’s job became a lot more popular and respected. In those days,
most vets were male and treated mostly large, farm animals. Because of the strength
required to treat these animals, it was considered to be ‘no job for a lady’ and women had
great difficulty enrolling at veterinary schools. But today 75% of veterinary students are
female.
There are some leaflets about becoming a vet on the table at the back of the hall, and if you
have any questions, I will be happy to answer them at the end of the session…..

END

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Part Three

Number 21. When I was young, my great aunt gave me a beautiful old, gold necklace. I
think it was this that first made me interested in old things. I buy mostly
pottery and glassware these days, and most weekends I go to car boot sales
and flea markets to see what I can find. I don’t much like modern designs and
my house is full of old bits and pieces, mostly pre-1900.
Number 22. I got the idea from a television programme about the golden eagle. I thought,
wouldn’t it be wonderful to see a creature like that in its natural habitat. So
when we next went on holiday in the mountains, I took some binoculars with
me and spent hours watching the skies until at last my efforts were rewarded
and I saw my first eagle!
Number 23. I’m a very lazy person really. Some people like to go sight seeing when
they’re on holiday but I prefer to lie on the beach with a good book and work
on my tan. In the summer, as soon as the sun comes out I’m out in the
garden, slapping on the sun-cream and turning a lovely shade of golden
brown.
Number 24. When I was a kid, my dad and I used to spend hours sitting patiently on the
river’s edge hoping to catch something, but we rarely did. I remember being
so excited when I caught my first trout. It was only about ten centimetres long
so of course I had to throw it back. Last summer I caught a huge salmon,
though – it weighed over three kilos!
Number 25. It isn’t a particularly expensive sport, you just need a wet suit for the cold
weather and a board - I got mine second-hand and it was quite cheap. You
need to be a competent swimmer of course. I don’t live too far from the beach
so I can go there anytime. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of riding a big
wave.
Number 26. I usually go out in the evenings, sometimes with a friend, and we go three
times round the park, a distance of about five kilometres. I find it helps me to
unwind after a day at work, as well as keeping me fit. It’s important to have a
decent pair of trainers and some loose, comfortable clothes.
Number 27. My boss got me some tickets for the game between Liverpool and
Manchester United. That’ll be great. It’s not just football I enjoy, though, I also
support my local rugby team and I always go to the school swimming gala
because my son is the under-fifteen backstroke champion.
Number 28. There are about twenty of us in the group altogether and we meet up every
Saturday night for rehearsals. We do two shows a year, one in the summer
and one at Christmas. I played a detective in the last thriller we did, but
mostly I just help with the scenery and costumes.
Number 29. My mum used to tell everybody that I couldn’t even boil an egg, so I thought
I’d prove her wrong. I enrolled at the local college where I have a great
teacher and now I can make better cakes than my mum can! I’ve learnt how
to make all kinds of things. Last week I made a three-course meal for six
people!
Number 30. I’ve been playing since I was a child. Our home was always filled with music
so I grew up with Mozart and Beethoven. It’s very relaxing, running your
fingers over the black and white keys. I don’t play as much classical stuff as I
used to, though – these days I play mostly jazz.

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