Practice English Listening B2 Exercises – Survival

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a 7   b 3   c 5   d 4   e 2   f 8   g 1   h 6

ABBY   So, when are you off to South Africa?

ROB   End of next week. I can’t wait to get away.

A   I absolutely loved it when I went there last year. So, what have you got planned?

R   You know – the usual things – Cape Town first. I’ll definitely go to Robben Island.

A   Great.

R   And one thing I want to try while I’m there is surfing. Apparently, there are some really great schools you can go to.

A   Yeah, there are loads.

R   I’ve always wanted to learn how to surf and I’ll finally get to do it – you know, with proper waves! Cool!

A   That’s a great thing to do – I went to one of those schools.

R   And was it good? Did you learn a lot?

A   Yeah – yeah I did. But … but you’ve got to be a bit careful in the water there. Actually, I got into a bit of trouble once.

R   What, in the water?

A   Yeah, when I was first learning to surf I went out one time by myself. I was trying to catch this wave, but I came off my board, and stupidly, I’d forgotten to attach a leg rope from my ankle to the board.

R   So you lost the board?

A   Yeah, I tried to get hold of it, but it got swept away by the wave.

R   So what did you do – just swim to the shore?

A   Well, sort of. I started swimming and I soon realised that I wasn’t getting anywhere. Then very gradually I got the feeling I was being pulled out to sea.

R   You were caught in a current?

A   Yeah, and when I realised this, I began to panic a bit. So I waved to get someone’s attention. Luckily a life-guard had already seen that I was in trouble. And he came to rescue me in his lifeboat.

R   Bet you were pleased to see him!

A   Yeah! But the idea of being carried right out to sea is really frightening. I don’t think you could survive very long. I’m quite a strong swimmer, but even so …

R   Yeah, I think you’d start to really feel the cold in the water.

A   Well, I was wearing a wet suit. But they say if you get caught in a current you shouldn’t try and swim against it. The thing is, the water there is ocean, not sea. The waves are really powerful.

R   Hmm, maybe I’ll have another think about it.

A   About surfing you mean?

R   Yeah.

A   No, honestly you’ll love it. It really is the most amazing feeling. I just had a bad experience. I got myself a new surfboard, and as soon as I’d had some lessons and knew what I was doing, it was fantastic. It’s just you and the board, and you have this incredible sense of freedom. And when you catch the wave at the right time …

R   Yeah, you’re right, it sounds amazing.

A   Yeah, it’s fantastic. Oh, but, just watch out for sharks.

R   Yeah, I’ll … Watch out for what?!

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3, 4

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1   No, the humans interfered with the tiger’s logical response.

2   Yes, the tiger’s response was just logical.

3   No, people who live in the area say it’s never happened before.

4   Yes, humans hunt tigers, live in their habitat and take away their natural food.

5   No, there are 40 million humans but only 500 tigers.

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INTERVIEWER   Miles, tell us about the story. What happened?

MILES   Well, one day in the winter of 1997, in eastern Siberia, one of the wildest and most natural habitats on Earth, a hunter came across a Siberian tiger. He shot the tiger and wounded it and then took part of the dead animal that the tiger was about to eat. Of course, the tiger wasn’t happy. It attacked and killed Markov but it didn’t do this immediately. It waited 48 hours before attacking. In other words, it remembered what had happened and carefully planned the attack. So while Markov was away hunting, the tiger found its way to his hut in the forest and broke in through the door. The tiger then took Markov’s mattress outside and lay on it, waiting for him to return. When Markov finally appeared, the tiger dragged him into the forest and ate him, leaving only his boots. They found the boots later and figured out what had happened.

I   So these are very dangerous animals, obviously.

M   Yes, very dangerous if you make them angry, certainly. They’re also not just any tiger, they’re the largest species of cat walking on earth. The Siberian Tiger is a very impressive animal. They can be up to four metres long and they weigh more than 250 kilos. They can jump about ten metres if they need to. So imagine a creature that’s as active as a cat and has the weight of an industrial refrigerator – that’s what a Siberian tiger’s like!

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INTERVIEWER   So what happened then?

MILES   Well of course, a group of men hunted the tiger down and killed it.

I   I suppose they had to really.

M   But did they?

I   What do you mean?

M   Well, when you read the story, you’re not sure whose side you’re on, the tiger’s or the humans’. As Vaillant says, the tiger’s response is quite ‘logical’ and the tiger is ‘just trying to be a tiger’, and it’s a human who interferes with that.

I    So in a sense, it’s the humans who are dangerous, rather than the tiger?

M   In a way, yes. What’s interesting is that humans and tigers hunt the same animals and share the same environment, and they’ve done this in Siberia for years but they don’t normally disturb each other. But if you make the mistake of attacking a tiger, you’re in trouble. People who live in the area say this has never happened before. There is no record ever of a tiger hunting a human being.

I   So is that the message of the story – leave tigers alone?

M   Well, yes, don’t make a tiger angry, certainly, or it will take revenge. But also it makes you ask the question, ‘Which is the dangerous animal, tigers or humans?’ We think of tigers as dangerous, but of course we’re not at risk because of tigers, they’re at risk because of us. There are 40 million humans but only 500 tigers, so they really are an endangered species, and that’s mainly because of us hunting them and living in their habitat and taking away their natural food.

I   Miles, thank you. You heard Miles Holman talking about the book The Tiger by John Vaillant …

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1   She’s measuring the height of the tripod.

2  It’s difficult.

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1 T   2 F – she can’t get the right height or close enough.

3 T   4 T

Part 1

BECKY   Could you give me a hand with this please, Tessa?

TESSA   Sure.

B   I just, I just can’t get the right height.

T   OK.

B   Great, thank you.

T   No problem. Good shot?

B   Not really. I think I need to be closer.

B   It’s quite difficult.

T   Yeah, it’s hard, isn’t it? Do you need all this equipment?

B   I find it helps.

T   Do you?

B   Usually. Ah this is fun.

T   Yeah, much better than sitting in a lecture at college. All that theory!

B   Well, that can be interesting …

T   I’d really like to take a photo of something a bit more exciting – maybe a squirrel.

B   A squirrel? That’ll be good … if we can find one …

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Tessa thinks her own photo is not bad.

Becky thinks her own photos are pretty boring, nothing special.

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1   It was something she was into, a kind of a hobby.

2   Who should take the photo of the squirrel.

3   Becky thinks the lighting is bad. Tessa thinks it’s her best shot.

4   Becky’s flat.

Part 2

TESSA   Nice daffodils.

BECKY   Gorgeous, aren’t they? Can I have a look? Wow, what a great shot!

T   It’s all right.

B   You know just how to get a really good shot. The light is amazing.

T   Thanks. Guess it’s not bad. Can I have a look at yours?

B   It’s pretty boring.

T   Don’t you want me to?

B   No – I mean, it’s not a problem. I just feel it’s a pretty ordinary shot. You know, just … nothing special. Compared to yours. Have you ever worked as a photographer?

T   Me? No. It was just something I was kind of into. Kind of a hobby. How about you?

B   No, never. I used to have this job working in HR, but I’ve just given that up.

T   Too stressful?

B   Sort of.

T   Or too boring?

B   Well … both! My café job’s enough to pay the bills – just. You?

T   I’m just studying at the moment; I haven’t got a job …

B   Oh right …

T   Shhh. Squirrel! Over there.

B   Oh right. Great.

T   We’ll need to get a bit closer. But quietly.

B   You go first.

T   No, no. You go.

B   No, really – you should go.

T   It’s fine. This is your shot.

B   Sure?

T   Yeah.

B   OK. Oh no! It’s run away. Ah this is a really bad shot. The light’s all wrong. I need a reflector.

T   Can I have a look?

B   I don’t like it.

T   This is great.

B   Really?

T   Yeah, it’s your best shot.

B   But I didn’t have a chance to set it up.

T   Maybe sometimes you don’t need to.

B   Hm. OK. Maybe not. You know, one thing I don’t like about this assignment.

T   What’s that?

B   It’s so cold!

T   Yeah, it’s freezing, isn’t it?

B   My flat’s not far away. Do you fancy a nice warm cup of coffee?

T   OK. Yeah. Why not?

B   Great. Let’s go.

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1   Pacific Rim National Park, Canada

2   She got lost.

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1   She went the wrong way when taking what she thought was a short cut.

2   She waited until late afternoon because she knew the sun would go down in the west.

3   She followed a stream.

LUIZA   I spent a year in Vancouver in Canada. I loved the National Parks there – they’re very special environments full of rare and protected plants and animals. This one particular day I’d been exploring in the Pacific Rim National Park when I got in trouble in the forest. I’d been to see this waterfall. It was a very easy walk from the main track – less than an hour. On the way back I saw what I thought was a short cut that would get me back to the main track more quickly – a big mistake. After a couple of hours I realised that I was going round in circles and I wasn’t getting anywhere. I’d got completely lost. I was beginning to get worried – that’s for sure. All I had to eat was an energy bar and I had nothing to drink. Well, I waited until later in the afternoon because then I knew the sun would go down in the west and I knew roughly I should be going in an easterly direction. And I had a bit of luck – I came across a stream with fresh water. I followed the stream for a bit and I came to an open area – a kind of a clearing. I knew that eventually people would start looking for me – I’d told the forest ranger when I would be back and I was more than four hours late. And I knew it’s better to sit in one place where you can be seen. So I was sitting quietly and thinking about how I could spend the night in the forest and I suddenly had this strange feeling I was not alone.

1 T   2 F – she was panicking and terrified.

3 F – it flew away.   4 T

LUIZA   I looked around the clearing and on the edge of it I saw a bear looking at me. I knew that you shouldn’t run away or show fear. I stood up and said in a clear voice “I have a right to be here” and moved slowly backwards without looking at the bear in the eyes. I could sense the bear watching me. I tried to keep calm but inside I was really panicking. I was terrified. Suddenly, it started moving – thankfully it was away from me. It just disappeared back into the forest. I didn’t know if I should stay where I was or keep moving. But then I could hear a helicopter in the distance coming towards me. I thought it might be looking for me. I jumped up and tried to see it, but it flew away before I could get its attention. It was so frustrating. But about 15 minutes later it flew back and I was ready. I took off my jacket and turned it inside out – the lining was red and easy to see. This time they saw me and waved back. About a half an hour later rescuers arrived and guided me out. What I couldn’t get over is the fact that I was only 10 minutes away from the main track.

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1 b   2 a   3 b   4 c   5 b   6 a   7 c

ANNOUNCER   A woman reported missing over a month ago has been found safe. Alicia Lone, who works as an assistant chef, was expected home shortly after 9 pm. Her family were not initially concerned, as she had recently got involved with a sports club and often went there after work, before returning home. But when she still hadn’t returned by early next morning, they contacted the police. Here’s Michael Sanderson with the full report.

REPORTER   When Alicia Lone went missing last month, it seemed a complete mystery. Police knew she had left work by car after her shift finished at 8:15 pm, but after that, there were no signs of her at all. But last Saturday, the mystery was solved – Lone was found alive inside her car, under over a metre of snow, where she had managed to survive for 15 days. Police say there was no problem with her car and that it seems she got into trouble when she decided, because of the heavy snow, to take a different route. But she didn’t get very far – her car was found two kilometres from the main road. Police say she stopped soon after turning because the road was so bad, but was unable to turn back. She then spent a night in the car expecting to be able to get home the next day, but the snow got heavier and her car got totally stuck. Earlier, I spoke to Police Sergeant Granger, who gave us further details.

POLICE OFFICER   We’ve only been able to speak very briefly to Lone at the hospital so we don’t know the full story yet. But it seems she turned up that road to try and avoid some of the snow on the main road, but obviously she didn’t get anywhere and became stuck. Very few cars travel around this area during this winter period unless there’s some special reason, so she wasn’t able to get anyone’s attention to ask for help. So nobody saw her until yesterday, when a road maintenance crew went up there to check on the state of the road and saw the car under all the snow. When they found her, she was basically asleep. We could see she’d been eating in the car, that she had had some food in there, and she’d also been drinking melted snow. But it’s incredible that she was able to survive with so little, really.

R   Did they give you any idea at the hospital how she survived?

PO   Well when she was found, her body temperature was very low and they think that because of the cold weather her body just kind of went to sleep, like some animals do in winter. She couldn’t speak or walk when we found her. So the doctors say her body basically went to sleep, so she didn’t need much food or water. But she was sure lucky.

R   And do they think she’s going to be OK?

PO   They think so, yes – she’s going to make a full recovery. She has a few problems now but she should get over them fine.

R   So, it’s a story with a happy ending, fortunately. We’ll give you more news on Lone’s condition as soon as we get it.