IELTS Listening 7 - Section 2

IELTS Tip: What is Section 2 like?

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.

Section 2: You are going to hear a radio interview about giving up smoking. First you have some time to look at Questions 11-13.

Now Listen carefully and answer Questions 11 to 13:

Questions 11-13

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

11Mr Gold had problems because he

12Mr Gold used to travel across London to

13What did Mr Gold have difficulty in the past?

Now look at Questions 14 to 20:

Questions 14-20

Complete the notes below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

14Mr Gold stopped smoking on .

15Mr Gold says he was if people had not seen him smoking.

16The worst side effects he experienced were .

17He saw giving up smoking as an .

18It was easier for Mr Gold to stop smoking than he had .

19The radio presenter would like to have Mr Gold's .

20The presenter hopes listeners will find their own to success.

CHECK ANSWERS

Questions 10-13
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 habit.

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 cigarettes 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 up 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.
Questions 14-20
MR GOLD:
On 1st July 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 down. 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 headaches 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 adventure, 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 expected. 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 determination! 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 success.

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