IELTS 2019 More Practice Tests
IELTS Listening
✓
Practice Test 12
Question Paper

Questions 11-13

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

11) Mr Gold had problems because he
A hated smoking.
B smoked.
C couldn't touch his toes.
D was very lazy.
12) Mr Gold used to travel across London to
A get exercise.
B see London at night.
C get cigarettes.
D buy food.
13) What did Mr Gold have difficulty with in the past?
A running
B giving up smoking
C getting to sleep at night
D getting up early in the morning

Questions 14-20

Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each answer.

Now look at Questions 14 to 20.

14) Mr Gold stopped smoking on .....................
15) Mr Gold said he was .................... if people had not seen him smoking.
16) The worst side effects he experienced were .....................
17) He saw giving up smoking as an .....................
18) It was easier for Mr Gold to stop smoking than he had .....................
19) The radio presenter would like to have Mr Gold's .....................
20) The presenter hopes listeners will find their own .................... to success.

Transcript Solution

  • Presenter
    And now let's hear what Mr Gold has to say about kicking the habit of smoking. It was connected with wanting to change your life and your desire to become an actor. Is that right, Mr Gold?
    MR Gold
    Mm. Yes.
    Presenter
    So can you tell our listeners a bit more about how you managed to give up?
    MR Gold
    Mm. Well, I enrolled on a variety of evening courses, where I found I wasn't able to do the warm-up sessions. Bending down to touch my toes made me breathless. Even though I hated to admit it, the problem wasn't so much my sitting around all the time, but my 15 to 20 a day smoking habitQ11.

    If I'd been able to limit myself to three or four cigarettes a day, there'd have been no problem, but I was seriously addicted. And I'm talking about waking up at 3 a.m. dying for a cigarette, or, in the days before 24-hour shopping, driving across London at night to buy a packet of cigarettesQ12 when I ran out. But above all, my addiction meant making sure I never ran out, at the expense of everything else, including necessities.

    Presenter
    So what did you do?
    MR Gold
    The thought of all my past attempts to give upQ13 just wouldn't go away. This was something that had constantly been on my mind, especially first thing in the morning with the chest pains, coughing fits and headaches. Not to mention the frequent colds and throat infections. But I couldn't imagine life without smoking.

    I also enjoyed my life. But the thing I longed for most was to escape the trap of a job I was bored with. I knew what I wanted, and I understood something else too. This time I was going to keep my little plan a secret.

    ===============================================================================

    MR Gold
    On 1st JulyQ14 I managed to get through 24 hours without a single cigarette. The next day I got to 48 hours. Then I aimed for a hundred, five hundred, a thousand. Easy! It was my own little private game, and I was winning it. If anyone mentioned they hadn't seen me smoking I simply said I was cutting downQ15. I had to be sure of success. Eventually, a month passed and I felt safe enough to 'come out'. I'd lost count of the number of hours I'd gone without a cigarette. All I suffered was a couple of bad headachesQ16 and then I was set for my most healthy year ever - not one single cold for over twelve months.

    I now realize that the secret of my success was to look upon this as an exciting adventureQ17, a way of helping me to become an actor. And because nobody knew what I was up to, I never once feared the accusation of having no willpower if I failed. With the right attitude, the whole thing turned out to be a lot easier than expectedQ18. I finally did get into much better physical shape, go to drama school and become a professional actor.

    Presenter
    Very interesting indeed! I'm sure we all wish we had Mr Gold's determinationQ19! Well, thank you very much Mr Gold, and I hope our listeners will learn from the experience you and our other guests have talked to us about today, and perhaps find their own road to successQ20.

  • Questions 11-13

    Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

    11) Mr Gold had problems because he
    A hated smoking.
    B smoked.✔
    C couldn't touch his toes.
    D was very lazy.
    12) Mr Gold used to travel across London to
    A get exercise.
    B see London at night.
    C get cigarettes.✔
    D buy food.
    13) What did Mr Gold have difficulty with in the past?
    A running
    B giving up smoking✔
    C getting to sleep at night
    D getting up early in the morning

    Questions 14-20

    Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each answer.

    Now look at Questions 14 to 20.

    14) Mr Gold stopped smoking on ..........1st July/July the first...........
    15) Mr Gold said he was ..........cutting down.......... if people had not seen him smoking.
    16) The worst side effects he experienced were ..........bad headaches...........
    17) He saw giving up smoking as an ..........adventure...........
    18) It was easier for Mr Gold to stop smoking than he had ...........expected..........
    19) The radio presenter would like to have Mr Gold's ...........determination..........
    20) The presenter hopes listeners will find their own ...........road......... to success.

You will hear a talk by one speaker on a topic of general interest. Section 2 is a little harder than Section 1. You will have to decide what the important details or facts on the recording are, without the help of another speaker’s questions to guide you.

You are going to hear a radio interview about giving up smoking.