CELPIP Listening Part 4 Practice Test: Geese on the Highway

NARRATOR: Commuters in Gatineau, Quebec, faced an unusual delay on Tuesday morning when a family of Canada geese decided to stroll across a busy highway. Shortly before eight o'clock, two adult geese and seven fluffy goslings wandered onto the westbound lanes near an exit ramp, bringing rush-hour traffic to a crawl. Rather than honking, several motorists switched on their hazard lights and stopped completely, forming a protective barrier of vehicles around the birds. One driver, Sylvie Gagnon, admitted she was running late for a job interview but simply couldn't bring herself to steer around the family. A police officer arrived within minutes and patiently guided the geese toward a grassy embankment beside a pond. Wildlife specialists say the birds were almost certainly heading for water, since goslings this young are incapable of flying. They caution that drivers should never leave their vehicles to chase animals off the road, which is considerably more dangerous than waiting. The disruption lasted approximately twenty minutes. As for Gagnon, she arrived at her interview fifteen minutes late, explained the circumstances, and was offered the position that same afternoon. Her new employer, it turns out, is an enthusiastic bird watcher.