PET Listening Practice Test 3

Answer Keys

Tapescript

The part of the text containing the answer is underlined with the question number given in square brackets []. If you still struggle with pet Listening, please refer to Listening tips.

Part 1

Question 1
Woman: What are you making for dinner tonight?
Man: I think I could make pasta tonight. We haven’t had it in a while and we’ve got some mushrooms that need using. There’s also enough chicken for a curry, though. So I’m not sure which to go with.
Woman: A curry sounds good. Do you have everything you need?
Man: Yeah, I stopped at the supermarket on my way home and picked up some rice and vegetables. While I was there, I found some fresh salmon on special offer, so that’s what I’m going to cook. I’ll roast it with the vegetables and make some rice to go with it.
Woman: That sounds much better! You’re so full of ideas.
Question 2
Man: Are you coming to Laura’s party tonight?
Woman: Yeah, sure, but I’ll probably arrive a little later than everyone else. I’ve got a dentist’s appointment at six.
Man: I thought we were meeting Laura for dinner at eight, so you should have plenty of time.
Woman: Haven’t you heard? She moved dinner to half past seven. The appointment shouldn’t take long, so I should be at her house by eight. If the traffic is bad, though, it could be a little later.
Man: Okay, I’ll tell her you’re on your way.

Question 3
Woman: You said your computer wasn’t working properly yesterday. What’s wrong with it?
Man: It turns on but there is nothing on the screen. I borrowed my friend’s display, but it made no difference. At this point I thought that I will have to replace the whole computer. I can’t afford that at the moment and I really need it for my work.
Woman: Did you figure it out? What was the problem?
Man: Yeah, I spend hours checking and rechecking everything. Then I noticed that the display cable was loose. So I bought a new one at a local tech store and now everything is fine!
Woman: Wow, I wish I knew as much about computers as you do! I would have probably ended up buying a new laptop!

Question 4
Woman: Are you driving to the concert tonight?
Man: I am, yes… I checked the map this morning, and there’s a car park next to the sports centre.
Woman: Isn’t that quite far from the concert hall? It almost defeats the purpose of driving. Can’t you just park outside the concert building?
Man: It’s pretty far, I agree, but the main car park near the hall is being used for an outdoor market. I considered parking in the street behind the library, but there’s a two-hour limit there. The sports centre doesn’t have that problem, and we can walk from there in about ten minutes.
Woman: I guess we’ll have to walk quite a bit then.

Question 5
Man: You seemed pretty busy over the weekend. What have you been up to?
Woman: I’m very happy with myself because I managed to do lots. On Saturday I planned to clean the whole flat, but my cousin called and asked me to help her move some furniture. She’s redecorating and I’m really into this kind of stuff.
Man: That sounds like hard work!
Woman: It wasn’t too bad, really, and we finished earlier than expected. I still didn’t get around to cleaning. On Sunday I met some friends for lunch, and afterwards we walked around the park for a couple of hours. I was going to see a film in the evening, but I was too tired.
Man: No wonder!

Question 6
Man: So… how did the shopping go? Have you finally found the right jacket for the trip?
Woman: I tried on a long one first, but it felt too heavy. Then I found a short jacket that was much more comfortable. And I really liked the colour too!
Man: The one with the large pockets?
Woman: No, that was another one. I liked the pockets, but the sleeves were too short for me. The jacket I bought is shorter than the first one and has a hood. It’ll be useful if it rains while we’re away.

Question 7
Woman: How’s the new apartment? Are you getting everything you need?
Man: Well, I’m taking my time with it.. I spent most of Saturday looking at furniture. I found a sofa I really liked – I’m not sure if it will fit through the stairway, so I’ve put buying it on hold for now.
Woman: I remember it is rather tight. You also talked about a dining table – how is that going?
Man: This is what I wanted to buy, however I decided to wait until I’ve measured the kitchen properly first. I did buy a floor lamp, though. The room is quite dark in the evening, and I found one that fits nicely beside the sofa.
Woman: The fact that you did buy something is what matters. You’ll get to buying the rest later.

Part 2

Question 8
Man: Hey Sue, how are you doing? Have you got any plan for this Saturday?
Woman: My parents are hoping I’ll help them in the garden. It’s a real mess and I don’t think they can manage themselves. However, the weather doesn’t look very good, so I guess I will have to do that next weekend.
Man: Didn’t you book that photography course? You kept bringing that up throughout the week
Woman: That’s next Saturday. This weekend, my grandmother is visiting my aunt, and I promised I’d take her to the station. Her train leaves at eleven, so I’ll probably spend the afternoon at home afterwards. If the weather improves, I might go for a walk.

Question 9
Woman: You should check the phone! There’s a message from the shop. They said something’s ready.
Man: Oh, that must be my watch. I left it there last week because it had stopped.
Woman: I thought you were getting your glasses repaired too. And it’s been a while since you handed them in to be taken care of.
Man: The optician fixed those yesterday. The watch is the only thing I’m waiting for now. I’ll pick it up on my way home.
Woman: Good. Don’t forget the receipt this time.

Question 10
Woman: Our music group needs somewhere to practise before Friday’s concert. Last time we went in unprepared and it was a disaster! Our music teacher didn’t like that at all.
Man: That performance really was something ,wasn’t it? Anyway, can’t we use the school hall? It’s empty after four.
Woman: They’re going to be setting up the chairs for the parents’ meeting. It would have been the perfect place otherwise. As an alternative, Mr Harris offered us his house, but I’m afraid there isn’t enough room for everyone.
Man: Well, what’s the plan then? Where are we going?
Woman: The community centre has a large room available on Wednesday evening. We’ve booked it from six until eight.

Question 11
Man: You’re finally back from your vacation! You look stunning, by the way. So, how was Greece?
Woman: Ahhh, it was wonderful. The hotel was comfortable, although our room was quite small. It had all the necessary things though.
Man: And everyone says the food there is amazing. How did you find Greek cuisine?
Woman: It was good, especially the seafood. But what I really loved was the views and the nature. We hired a car for a few days and drove along the coast. Some of the views were incredible, particularly in the north.
Man: I wish I’d gone with you there, you make it sound too good to be true.

Question 12
Mother: Something is bothering me. Are you sure you checked everything before we left?
Boy: I fed the dog and closed all the windows. That’s what you told me to do anyway.
Mother: What about the back door? Did you lock it?
Boy: Dad locked it when he went out. Wait a minute — I think I’ve left the kitchen lights on.
Mother: You’re right. I think I saw the lights on when we were passing our house around the corner. We’ll have to go back now – can’t have them on all day.

Question 13
Woman: The sports centre has sent me their new timetable. There’s now a climbing class on Thursday evening. Fancy doing some climbing, John?
Man: Hm, That’s tempting. I haven’t climbed for years. And it’s a proper workout.
Woman: There’s also a yoga session at the same time, so you can’t really do both. You have to choose the one.
Man: This sounds like something I should really get into. There is also swimming, but I’m not so sure I want that right now. So, what time is yoga. It’s in the evening, isn’t it?
Woman: Yes, at 7.You can go there straight after work.
Man: That’s the one I’ll try. I need something that isn’t too competitive.
Man: Good idea. Let’s look at some this weekend.

Part 3

Lucy: My first day at university was more interesting than I’d expected, although I was pretty nervous when I arrived. The university is huge, and I wasn’t completely sure where to go. Luckily, the first person I spoke to was a security guard at the main entrance. [14] He showed me where the student services building was, which was where our new-student meeting was taking place.
At the meeting, we received lots of information about university life. I was particularly interested in finding out about sports clubs [15], because I’d like to play basketball while I’m studying. They also told us about the library and the different societies we could join.
After that, a few of us went looking for somewhere to eat. There are several cafés on campus, but they were extremely busy. In the end, we had lunch at the student restaurant [16], which was quieter and had quite a good choice of food.
In the afternoon, we listened to a talk about student accommodation [17]. I’d already found a place to live, so I wasn’t expecting to learn much from it, but some of the information about renting and bills was actually useful [18].
By the end of the day, I was exhausted, but I felt much more comfortable than I had that morning. I’d been worried that it would take weeks to get used to everything [19], but after just one day I felt quite confident about finding my way around and meeting people.

Part 4

Interviewer: Today we’re talking to Oliver Grant, who made a decision a couple of years ago to spend less money and simplify his life. Oliver, what made you decide to do that?
Oliver: There wasn’t one big event. I just noticed that I was buying things almost automatically. I’d have a stressful day at work and order something online, or go out for an expensive meal because I thought I deserved it. My bank account wasn’t in terrible shape, but I started asking myself whether all this spending was actually making me happier. Usually, the answer was no. The biggest push towards my decision was the news that our company was likely to make the majority of staff redundant. That made me want to change things, just to stay safe financially. [20]
Interviewer: What did you change first?
Oliver: I went through my bank statements and looked at all the regular payments. I found three subscriptions I hardly ever used, so I cancelled them [21]. That was surprisingly easy. After that, I started looking at other areas of my spending. I didn’t suddenly stop buying things or move into a tiny flat. I just became much more aware of where my money was going.
Interviewer: Was it difficult to give up the things you were used to buying?
Oliver: Some things were difficult at first. I still enjoy going to restaurants, for example, so I haven’t completely stopped. But I was surprised by how little I missed many of the things I used to buy. There were clothes I hardly wore and gadgets I’d forgotten I owned. Once I stopped buying them, I didn’t spend much time thinking about them [22].
Interviewer: Has your attitude to shopping changed?
Oliver: Definitely. Before, I’d see something I liked and immediately think about whether I could afford it. Now I ask myself a different question: Do I actually need this? If I do need something, I’m happy to spend a bit more on something that will last. Saving money doesn’t mean always choosing the cheapest product. [23]
Interviewer: So what do you do with your free time now, if you’re not shopping or going out to expensive places?
Oliver: Quite a lot, actually. I cook more, and I often invite friends over for dinner rather than meeting them in restaurants. But one of my favourite things is simply going for walks. I live near some countryside, and I’ve discovered paths and little villages that I never knew were there [24]. You can have a really good afternoon without spending almost anything.
Interviewer: Do you think you’ll continue living this way?
Oliver: Absolutely. I wouldn’t describe myself as extremely careful with money, and I still spend on things that are important to me. The difference is that I choose them rather than buying things without thinking. Looking back, I wish I’d made these changes earlier [25]. I used to think that having more things would make life more enjoyable. Now I think having fewer things gives me more space — both at home and in my head.
Interviewer: Thank you Oliver. I hope many of our listeners will learn a useful lesson from this interview.