Compact First Listening 1

• ust
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

Cambridge First 

Listening 

Part 1

The task

People talking in eight different situations

Questions focus on opinion, purpose, place, etc.

• How does the woman feel about...? (opinion)
  
• Why is the man speaking? (purpose)
  
• Where is she? (place)
  

Sample question

1. You hear a reporter talking on the radio. 

    Where is he?

Strategies: 

Read the first line carefully. What is the situation? Will you hear one or two speakers? Will a male or female answer the question? What is the focus of the question? 

“I’m standing here in Church Avenue with about thirty other media people, but by the look of the place there isn’t anybody in. Nobody is quite sure if he’ll be back later this afternoon – or whether he’s spending the weekend away, perhaps at a luxury hotel in the city centre. What does seem clear, though, is that he’s unlikely to play in Sunday’s big match – otherwise these TV crews would be waiting at the gates of the club’s training ground to film him, not here.”

A. outside a training ground

B. outside an expensive hotel

C. outside somebody's house

You hear a man talking about crime fiction? What is his attitude to crime novels now?

You hear two friends discussing their plans for the weekend. What's the man doing?

You hear a woman talking about crossword puzzles. How does she feel about doing them?

You hear two sports journalists talking about a tennis player who's retiring. What do they agree about the tennis player?

Read and try answering the question yourself first:

“I’m standing here in Church Avenue with about thirty other media people, but by the look of the place there isn’t anybody in. Nobody is quite sure if he’ll be back later this afternoon – or whether he’s spending the weekend away, perhaps at a luxury hotel in the city centre. What does seem clear, though, is that he’s unlikely to play in Sunday’s big match – otherwise these TV crews would be waiting at the gates of the club’s training ground to film him, not here.”

Now you: Open p. 8 Exam task

Before hearing each script, prepare yourself by 

reading the first line and thinking about  

• the situation,  
• number of speakers, 
• who will answer (male/female), 
• the focus of the question. 

And then answer the question.

How likely are you to use the strategies that you've practiced with today? Why?