PART ONE. You will hear part of a radio interview with a comedian called Cameron Baines, who performs one-man stand-up comedy shows. For questions 1 – 7, choose the best answer (A, B or C).
Cameron Baines - stand-up comedian
1 When he changed schools, Cameron
A found friends easily.
B felt he became a different person.
C joined the sports team.
2 What does Cameron say about his father?
A Some people found him irritating.
B He was an experienced amateur actor.
C He used humour to good effect.
3 At school, Cameron’s drama lessons
A helped him develop the skills of a comedian.
B were often quite funny.
C used music to improve the students’ performance.
4 What Cameron enjoys most about his work is
A testing out new jokes.
B being the centre of attention.
C dealing with a difficult audience.
5 Cameron finds ideas for jokes
A in everyday life.
B on the internet.
C by watching other comedians.
6 What does Cameron think of his friend Lorna?
A He likes her confidence.
B He values her criticism.
C He loves her sense of humour.
7 When discussing his future Cameron says
A being on social media will help achieve his goal.
B his short-term goal is to continue what he’s currently doing
C his main aim has changed over the years.
PART TWO. You will hear a fashion historian called Gillian McGinty talking about flared trousers. For questions 1 – 10, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.
The history of flared trousers
The first people known to have worn flares were those working on (1)_________________ . Gillian says that flares saved sailors from (2)___________________ if they fell into the sea. Gillian doubts whether flared trousers helped protect sailors against (3)________________ .
These trousers were worn by military personnel up until (4)_______________________ . Flares gained popularity with (5)__________________ thanks to a famous fashion designer. In the 1960s, young people wanting to protest chose not to buy clothing in (6)____________ as their parents did.
Gillian explains that flared trousers became popular because they were (7)____________ and long-lasting.
In the 1960s, wearing flares was also a way to show people’s (8)_________________ .
According to Gillian, the 1970s saw flares become part of (9)_________________ fashion. In the 1980s, the word (10)___________________ was used to describe jeans with thinner legs.
PART THREE. SENTENCE SELECTION. You will hear people talking in eight different situations. For questions 1 – 8 decide which sentences are true (T) and which are false (F) according to what you hear.
1. You hear a man talking about a train journey. He says his train was delayed. _______
2. You hear a salesman talking to a customer about a new mobile phone. He says the phone’s best feature is the battery. ______
3. You hear two friends talking about exercising at their gym. They agree
that The instructor’s exercise programme is too hard. _______
4. The woman at the wedding finds the venue disappointing. _______
5. The last thing the cyclist does before setting off is to quickly check his bike. ______
6. The woman is calling to cancel a meeting. ______
7. Both sociology students are unsure about how long they have to
complete the assignment. _______
8. The footballer says he felt the referee was unfair. ________
KEY
Part 1
1 B
2 C
3 A
4 C
5 A
6 B
7 B
Part 2
1 boats
2 sinking
3 (animal) attacks
4 1998
5 the general public
6 chain stores
7 cheap
8 individuality
9 mainstream
10 skinny
Part 3
1. F (His property was stolen.)
2. T
3. F (they agree that the behaviour of the other gym users is rude).
4. F (the music)
5. T
6. F (to postpone a meeting)
7. F (who they need to get information from)
8. T
Transcripts
Part 1
Narrator: You will hear part of a radio interview
with a comedian called Cameron Baines,
who performs one-man stand-up comedy
shows. For questions 24 – 30, choose the
best answer (A, B or C).
Interviewer: Cameron Baines needs no introduction
to fans of stand-up comedy. We’re
delighted to have him in the studio today.
Cameron: Thanks for having me on the show.
Interviewer: Cameron, you’ve been doing stand-up
for five years now. Where did it all begin?
Cameron: Well, when I was 10, my mum got a
better job, and we had to move to
another city. That meant I suddenly found
myself among a whole new bunch of
people. It was a very worrying time for
me and making friends at that age can
be tricky. On the other hand, it was also a
chance to redefine myself. Like most boys
I wanted to be a sportsman but I didn’t
stand out in terms of sporting ability. I
had developed a good sense of humour,
though, and that helped me find a role
for myself, making schoolmates laugh,
which I hadn’t done before.
Interviewer: You mentioned friends there but what
about family? Are there any comedians in
your family?
Cameron: I’d like to say I come from a long line of
performers, actors and so on, but that
wouldn’t really be true. My father’s great
love was going to the theatre – I think
he might have had unfulfilled ambitions
there. He was also very skilled at defusing
the tension in a situation. Whenever
he could feel others getting irritated,
more often than not, he managed to say
something that would raise a laugh. I
think I get my love of language from him,
as well.
Interviewer: Did you train to become a stand-up comedian?
Cameron: Not really. There isn’t any training for stand-up comedy. At school I got into
acting, but not in a big way, just school
productions. It’s funny, but I actually
preferred rehearsing to performing. I
particularly liked the improvisation side of the drama classes. I enjoyed being put on the spot, having to think quickly, a bit like
a jazz musician who responds to what’s happening around them. You need the
same abilities for stand-up comedy.
Interviewer: It must be quite a nerve-wracking experience. Is that true and what do
you like most about being a stand-up
comedian?
Cameron: There’s some truth in it. Nobody likes being ignored and being in the spotlight
is probably attractive for my fellow
comedians. For me, though, there’s
nothing better than turning a hostile,
sceptical audience into one that responds well. That’s the environment that I often like to try out new material in, too, to see how it goes down.
Interviewer: That’s sounds a little risky to me. Where do you get your ideas from, Cameron?
Cameron: I’m constantly on the lookout for new topics and new angles on old
subjects. My brand of humour comes
from observation. I notice a lot of the
strange little things people say and the
absurdities of our daily existence, be it
on the streets or online. I always carry a notebook and pencil, too, a little one that fits in my top pocket, so I can jot down
ideas to read later. I tried recording ideas on my phone, something I know a lot of
my fellow comedians do, but it didn’t
seem as effective for some reason.
Interviewer: Speaking of other comedians, do you write your material alone or with other
people?
Cameron: A lot of comedians have a permanent writing partner, and I sometimes bounce ideas off a friend of mine, Lorna. What
I like about her is that she’s completely
frank. When you think you’ve written
a brilliant joke, and you try it out on
somebody, but it doesn’t get the
response you’d hoped for, it can really
knock your confidence. But that kind of
brutal honesty is important in the process
of improving your comedy and it’s funnier
as a result.
Interviewer: What about the future, Cameron?
Cameron: Well, I’d like to get into TV work
eventually, just as I wanted to when I
started out. The internet has opened
up possibilities, too. Most younger
comics have a presence on social media
and I try to keep fans informed as well.
My immediate aim, though, is to keep
building on what I have at the moment.
That means sticking with small clubs,
universities, that sort of thing. I’m
confident that television work will come
in the end.
Interviewer: Thanks, Cameron.
Part 2
Narrator: You will hear a fashion historian called
Gillian McGinty talking about flared
trousers. For questions 9 – 18, complete
the sentences with a word or short
phrase.
Speaker 1: Although the clothes we wear don’t
change that much, every era seems to
have its own distinctive items of clothing
that become fashionable for a period
of time. And one such item is flared
trousers, which we also know as flares or
bell-bottoms.
Fashion historians like myself have been researching
this area for some time and the conclusion is that the
early history of flared trousers is unclear. But there are
accounts of trousers with wider legs being worn by
those working on boats in the 16th century. In general,
such trousers were functional items of clothing, as the
legs could be rolled up to avoid them getting wet
when water was sloshing about on the deck. It has also
been suggested that the wide legs of flared trousers
came in useful when a sailor fell overboard into the sea. Apparently, he could easily remove the wide-legged trousers over his boots, which prevented him from sinking. What’s more, a sailor who found himself in the water would also have been able to use his trousers as something similar to a lifebelt to keep him afloat by air being trapped inside them. A document in the US Navy archives also points out that by being able to keep his boots on, the sailor’s feet would have been protected from animal attacks. It sounds unlikely to me and I’m not aware of any cases where this really happened. Historians have noted that bell-bottomed trousers were worn by sailors in the war of 1812 between America and the United Kingdom, and remained part of US Navy clothing as late as 1998. This military history of flared trousers is long, but it was in the 1920s that the French fashion designer Coco Chanel played a significant part in flares becoming a fashion item for women, in this way taking them out of their military context and making them more popular with the general public.
Later on, in the shops of 1960s America, trousers generally had straight legs. These were frequently bought in large chain stores. However, with the political protests of the 1960s and counter-culture, young people adopted wide-bottomed trousers as a reaction to the styles in such shops, which they associated with their parents’ clothing. The advantage of flared trousers purchased in second-hand shops and army surplus stores was that they were durable and, most importantly of all, cheap. By adding flowers and brightly coloured patterns, the wearer could also express their individuality during this decade. The fact that bell-bottomed trousers were instantly recognizable was one of the reasons for their popularity. By the 1970s, flares had become less associated with counter-culture protests and had come into mainstream fashion. Celebrities appeared wearing flares and I’m sure we’ve all seen TV or film productions from that time that are full of wide-bottomed trousers made from synthetic materials.
Times change, and as is often the case with many styles, flared trousers went out of style in the 1980s. At that time, in many countries trousers became thinner, what were called ‘skinny jeans’, which fit quite tightly on the wearer’s leg. This trend seems to have stayed with us over the last couple of decades, although flares have made something of a comeback. Knowing how
fashion goes in cycles, I think we can expect flares to make a reappearance in the not-too-distant future.
Part 3
Narrator: 1
You hear a man talking about a train journey.
Man 1: I’d been looking forward to going since my last birthday, so I was ready in good
time. The taxi I’d booked didn’t turn up,
which meant I was late getting to the
station. Anyway, I found the right platform without any difficulty, and sat down on a bench. I was glad to take the weight off
my feet and put my rucksack and laptop
down. A man came up to me and asked
me for directions. I thought he must
have been lost. At that point, my train
arrived but I noticed some of my stuff had been taken. I couldn’t believe it – it was
supposed to be a special day.
Narrator: 2
You hear a salesman talking to a customer about a new mobile phone.
Man 2 (Salesman): This really is our top-of-the-range model, sir. Of course, all phones
have applications for everything
you might want these days and this
one is no different. Now, I’m sure
you’ll be needing to take photos,
and the camera is the best on the
market. The screen is impressive,
too, although you can find bigger
ones, if that’s what you want.
Most phones need charging every
day, depending on the number of
applications you’re running, but
this model lasts up to 3 days, which
is where it really stands out. So
with that and the camera, I can’t
recommend it highly enough.
Narrator: 3
You hear two friends talking about exercising at the gym.
Man: I feel much better after that workout! Woman: Yes, the instructor really made us work hard, didn’t she? Just what I was hoping for.
Man: Maybe for you. I didn’t find the exercises that challenging to be honest. I felt we
could have got more out of the new
equipment as well.
Woman: It was only that one machine, really. The rest looked a bit dated and in need of
repair, I thought.
Man: I’ll tell you what, though, I wish the others wouldn’t keep answering their phones. I couldn’t concentrate on the instructions. Woman: Yes, that was really annoying. The instructor didn’t look too happy, either. Man: You’re not kidding.
Narrator: 4
You hear a woman talking about a wedding she’s currently at.
Woman: Well, it is nice to see them all again. It’s ages since we were together at Jack’s wedding. They organised it in that rather run-down hotel, quite different to this
place. I remember there was plenty to eat at Jack’s wedding, the table was groaning under the weight of the food. Everything I’ve tried here is delicious, too, so far
at least. I just wish the band would play something people recognise to get us on the dance floor. Still, those youngsters look as if they’re enjoying it, don’t they?
Narrator: 5 You hear a famous cyclist talking about preparing for a bike trip.
Man: As you know, I’ve recently completed another round-the-world bike trip.
Preparation is the key to success and it’s not just a question of being in peak physical condition. Getting your bike in the right condition is essential and you need to have all that sorted out well in
advance. You need to sort out visas and plan your route in great detail to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. All this takes time, so don’t leave it too late. Selecting something appropriate to wear is a last-minute decision and inspecting your bike quickly on the big day is
important too. That’s been my system and it hasn’t let me down so far.
Narrator: 6
You hear a woman leaving a message on the answerphone.
Woman: Hi, it’s Joanne. It’s about the meeting tomorrow afternoon at John’s office. I’m sorry but I’m going to be out of town
in the morning and I’m not sure when
I’ll get back. It’ll be tricky for me to get
to John’s in the city centre for the time
we arranged, but let’s stick with the
venue. How about putting it off till late
afternoon, just to be on the safe side? I
wouldn’t want to call it off at such short
notice, especially after all the planning
we’ve done for it. Call me back or text me to confirm this is alright with you, will you?
Narrator: 7
You hear two sociology students talking about an assignment.
Man: I like the idea of us writing a report on family values. I wasn’t clear on exactly who we need to interview, though.
Woman: I think we need to conduct focus groups with different members of one family, but
it would be good to double check this
with the lecturer before we start.
Man: It might also be worth confirming the deadline, too.
Woman: That’s already been decided. It’s in one month, just before our final exam.
Man: Ok. And we need to hand it in via the student portal, right?
Woman: It’s actually via email as some of the students are having difficulty accessing
the portal.
Man: That’s good as I’m one of those students.
Narrator: 8
You hear part of an interview with a footballer.
Interviewer: What are your thoughts on today’s match? Man: Disappointing, to be honest. I thought I didn’t play that badly myself but the
manager wasn’t happy with the overall
performance of the team.
Interviewer: The fans in the stadium seemed to react quite badly to some of the refereeing
decisions, too.
Man: They did, yes, and rightly so in my
opinion. I felt he favoured the other
team too often and the crowd made
their feelings known about that. I can’t
fault them for this though, they pay a lot
of money for their tickets so I wouldn’t
expect them to stay quiet when things
don’t go our way.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.