What marathon training may do to the body, examined through one reporter’s preparation
Listen to the C2 Daily News report “What marathon training may do to the body, examined through one reporter’s preparation” and answer 8 comprehension questions.
About this practice test
Listen to the C2 Daily News report “What marathon training may do to the body, examined through one reporter’s preparation” and answer 8 comprehension questions.
What you’ll practice
Understanding detail
Follow specific information and examples.
Interpreting ideas
Identify main points and inferences.
Evaluating arguments
Assess claims, evidence, and limitations.
What to expect:
8 questions with explanations to review after submission.
Study the questions and tasks
Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.
- Practice level
- C2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.
- Question formats
- Single choice
How to approach this practice
Read the questions, then listen before opening the transcript. Notice names, numbers and any corrections the speaker makes.
News lesson for this practice
Read the complete article and use its text or audio alongside these exercises: What marathon training may do to the body, examined through one reporter’s preparation.
What marathon training may do to the body, examined through one reporter’s preparation
Read a transcript excerpt
Marathon training is usually measured in visible terms: miles completed, pace improved, and stamina built over time. Yet the most consequential changes may be less apparent. As a runner increases the duration and frequency of exercise, the body must continually respond to repeated physical stress, altered energy demands, and the need to recover between sessions. Before running the New York City Marathon, NPR reporter Elissa Nadworny sets out to examine…
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Question 1 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What does the body need to do between training sessions?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Maintain an unchanged pace
- Recover between sessions
- Avoid all physical stress
- Increase nutritional intake immediately
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Recover between sessions
The recording explicitly identifies recovery between sessions as necessary.
As a runner increases the duration and frequency of exercise, the body must continually respond to repeated physical stress, altered energy demands, and the need to recover between sessions.
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Question 2 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Which test observes the body during exercise itself?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- The bone scan
- The blood work
- The treadmill test
- The recovery assessment
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- The treadmill test
The treadmill test records physical response while the subject exercises.
A treadmill test, meanwhile, observes the body while it is exercising, making it possible to assess aspects of physical response under controlled conditions.
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Question 3 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What can a bone scan potentially help clinicians identify?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Changes in running pace
- Areas warranting closer attention
- The athlete’s nutritional preferences
- The precise duration of every training session
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Areas warranting closer attention
It may reveal areas requiring closer medical attention.
A bone scan is an imaging procedure that can show patterns of activity in bone, potentially helping clinicians identify areas that warrant closer attention.
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Question 4 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What does the recording say the examinations shift attention away from?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Clinical evaluation
- The demands of preparation
- The race itself
- Physical response
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- The race itself
Their combined effect redirects attention from racing to preparation.
Taken together, these examinations shift the focus from the race itself to the demands of preparing for it.
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Question 5 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
According to the recording, what is training an ongoing negotiation between?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Speed and competition
- Exertion and repair
- Nutrition and medical testing
- Mileage and public recognition
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Exertion and repair
The recording characterizes training as balancing exertion against repair.
Training is not simply a sequence of increasingly long runs; it is an ongoing negotiation between exertion and repair.
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Question 6 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What caveat follows the claim that training may expose weaknesses?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- It must always be abandoned
- It is inherently beneficial
- It is not necessarily damaging
- It requires no medical oversight
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- It is not necessarily damaging
The recording immediately denies that all endurance training is inherently harmful.
That does not mean endurance training is inherently damaging.
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Question 7 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What does the investigation regard as insufficient on its own?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Clinical evaluation
- The starting line
- Conventional athletic-progress measures
- Medical testing before competition
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Conventional athletic-progress measures
The conclusion questions whether standard progress measures capture everything important.
By combining exercise with clinical evaluation, it asks what conventional measures of athletic progress may overlook—and what the body might reveal before the starting line.
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Question 8 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What does the final sentence suggest the body may reveal?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Only the final race result
- Information before competition begins
- The ideal marathon route
- A guaranteed training outcome
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Information before competition begins
It emphasizes information available before the race begins.
By combining exercise with clinical evaluation, it asks what conventional measures of athletic progress may overlook—and what the body might reveal before the starting line.
What to review next
Listen again to difficult sections, then open the transcript to check what you heard. Repeat a useful phrase aloud and try the recording once more without the text.
A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.
Before you practise: a worked example
Listen for the final information, especially when a speaker corrects or changes an earlier statement.
Example transcript: “Let’s meet at five — actually, half past five would be better.” What is the final suggested time?
The final suggested time is 5:30. Actually signals a correction; the first time is replaced by the later suggestion.
This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.