Audio files Website

http://www.ieltsanswers.com/mp3.html

The Authors
Mike Wattie has been working as an examiner and tutor in Taipei and Australia for over ten
years. His website www.ieltsanswers.com helps students to pass their IELTS test by giving
skills and strategies to pass the test, as well as providing mock speaking tests and an IELTS
writing correction service. Recently, Mike has put all of his collective wisdom, knowledge,
and experience as a teacher and examiner into writing a series of textbooks. These books are
invaluable for students as they highlight the skills and strategies that are required to score
well. Mike has a Master’s degree in Management, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education, and
a CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).

Phil Biggerton has been teaching English in Asia since 1992. He became an IELTS examiner
for the British Council in Taiwan and has spent over fifteen years developing his skills as an
IELTS teacher. Over the past ten years, Phil has been spending most of his time writing
textbooks for the IELTS test and tutoring IELTS students. Phil graduated from the
University of Warwick, majoring in Biological Science Hons., and has a TEFL (Teaching
English as a Foreign Language) certificate from Trinity College, Oxford.

Copyright © Mike Wattie and Phil Biggerton 2022

All Rights Reserved No part of this book or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied,
modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of the author, unless otherwise
indicated for stand-alone materials.
Contents

1. INTRODUCTION TO THE TEST ................................................................................................. 4

2. PRE-LISTENING STRATEGIES.................................................................................................... 8

3. LISTENING STRATEGIES ......................................................................................................... 11

4. POST LISTENING STRATEGIES................................................................................................ 15

5. QUESTION TYPES................................................................................................................... 16

Multiple Choice ......................................................................................................................... 16

Matching ................................................................................................................................... 21

Plan, map, diagram labeling...................................................................................................... 24

Form, note, table, flow-chart, summary completion ............................................................... 26

Sentence completion ................................................................................................................ 29

Short-answer questions ............................................................................................................ 36

PRACTICE TEST 1: .......................................................................................................................... 39

PRACTICE TEST 2 ........................................................................................................................... 46

PRACTICE TEST 3: .......................................................................................................................... 53

PRACTICE TEST 4: .......................................................................................................................... 59

ANSWERS ...................................................................................................................................... 65

TRANSCRIPTS ................................................................................................................................ 72
 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE TEST

The IELTS listening test is designed to assess a wide range of listening skills, including how well you
understand main ideas and specific factual information, recognize the opinions, attitudes, and
purpose of a speaker, and follow the development of an argument.

The listening test itself has four sections, each with ten questions making 40 questions in total. All
questions are worth one point and no points are deducted for wrong answers. This means that a
guess can only benefit you. If you are not sure of an answer guessing is an important part of
increasing your grade. A grade 9.0 can only be achieved by getting all 40 questions correct.
Approximately 24 correct answers would be a grade 6.0.

Band
0 1 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0 8.5 9.0
score
2 4 6 8 10 12 15 18 21 23 26 28 33 35 37 39
Raw
0 1 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
score
3 5 7 9 11 14 17 20 22 25 27 32 34 36 38 40

Each listening test is about 30 minutes in length and also you have 10 minutes after the test has
finished to transfer the answers from the question sheet to the answer sheet. Note that poor spelling
and grammar errors will result in answers being incorrect. Writing clearly, therefore, is essential. The
recordings are heard once only and include a range of accents, including British, Australian, New
Zealand and American.

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THE FOUR SECTIONS OF THE LISTENING TEST

Section 1
You have to listen to an informal or semi-informal conversation between two people in an everyday
social situation, e.g. a conversation in an accommodation agency, a gym or police office. Typically,
one person is collecting data from the other like family name, age, address, telephone number and so
on.

Section 2
You listen to a monologue set in an everyday social situation, e.g. a speech about local facilities or a
talk about the arrangements for meals during a conference.

Section 3
You listen to a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g.
a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment, or a group of students planning a research
project.

Section 4
You listen to a monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

There are ten main types of question that you might find in the listening test. You will probably not
find all of these in one test but you need to practice all of them before you are fully ready to take the
test. The number of questions found in each type can vary from test to test. The ten main types you
will find are:

• Multiple Choice
• Matching
• Plan/Map/Diagram Labelling
• Form Completion
• Note Completion
• Table Completion
• Flow-chart Completion
• Summary Completion
• Sentence Completion
• Short Answer

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 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How long is the IELTS listening test?

40 minutes. You will listen to recordings and write down your answers for 30 minutes, and then you
will be given 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the test sheet.

2. How many questions are there?

There are 40 questions.

3. How are the scores calculated?

You get one point for each correct answer. You do not lose points for an incorrect answer.

4. What is the difference between the academic test and general test?
There is no difference. Both types of candidates are given the exact same test.

5. Will I have time to look at the questions before I listen?

Yes. There is time to look at the questions before each set of questions. The recording will tell you
which questions to look at.

6. Can I write on the question paper?

Yes, you can. You can make notes, underline words and write on any part of the question paper.
Only your answer sheet will be marked.

7. How is the listening test marked?

Usually, the local staff, in your local test centre, will mark your paper by hand. The examiners who
mark the speaking and writing tests do not usually mark the listening test.

8. Are capital letters important?

No, they are not. For reading and listening capitalisation does not matter. Therefore, even if the
answer is London and you write it with a small “L” you still get it right.

9. Is spelling important?
Yes, it is. If the answer is spelt incorrectly, it will be marked wrong. You can use British or American
spelling.

10. Do my answers have to be grammatically correct?

Yes, pay close attention in order to make sure that your answer is grammatically correct.

11. What counts as a word/number for an answer word/number limit?

Words with hyphens count as one word. Right-handed is one word. For dates, 12th December is one
word and a number. 100 is one number, 1,000,000 is one number. NOTE: If you are told – NO
MORE THAN ONE WORD – it means exactly that. If you use two or more words (even if your
answer contains the correct word) the examiner will mark it incorrect. If you are told – NO MORE
THAN THREE WORDS – you can use up to a maximum of three words but possibly only one or
two words are needed.

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12. How many times do I hear the recording?
You will hear each recording ONCE only (other than for the example at the beginning of the test).

13. Do all answers come in order?

All answers occur sequentially [one after the other], for all question types. What this means is that
the answer to question 2 will always follow question 1 and so on.

14. How can I quickly improve my score?

The key to success in the listening test is getting used to the way questions get asked and the logic
needed to answer them. Do lots of practice tests to learn and understand this. In addition, do lots of
listening to English recordings and TV shows to improve your English vocabulary and also become
a better listener.

15. What accents do the speakers have on the recordings?

You will hear a range of English accents on the recordings (for example, Australian, British, New
Zealand and North American speakers). Accents can be a big issue for a lot of students especially if
they are not used to listening to a range of accents. In the IELTS test, you might hear British
(English, Scottish, Welsh Irish), Australian, New Zealand, and North American accents. If any of
these are unfamiliar to you, I would recommend going online and looking for websites that offer the
chance to listen to these accents. By simply typing in something like “Australian accent listening
practice” you will find some suitable sites to help you practice for free.

To improve your score in the IELTS listening section you should focus on:
1. Understanding the different question types, and how to answer them.
2. Developing pre-listening strategies (using the 30 seconds before each section).
3. Developing listening skills, such as listening for key words.
4. Doing lots of practice tests and noting why choices are incorrect and why the answer
is correct.

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 2. PRE-LISTENING STRATEGIES

At the beginning of each section, the speaker will give a brief introduction to the situation and give
you instructions. For example: "You are now going to listen to a conversation in a sports centre. Mary is
registering for a fitness course and talking to a lady at the counter. Read questions 1 to 6. As you listen to the tape,
write the correct answer in the spaces provided. First, you have some time to look at the questions 1 to 6."

You will then be given 30 seconds to look at the questions and this is when you should use your pre-
listening skills and strategies.

1. Check instructions
2. Skim and orientate – establish context
3. Underline keywords and think of synonyms
4. Predict required information

1. Check instructions

How many words/numbers are permitted for the answer?

Each set of questions comes with very clear instructions that you MUST follow.

For example:

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

This does NOT mean that you have to always use three words but there is a good chance that at
least one of the answers will use three words. Using four words will always be wrong with these
instructions.

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 2. Skim and orientate – establish context

In the time provided before the start of each listening section, it is best to read the questions that are
coming next in the test to give yourself an idea of the overall topic and organisation of the
information. You should skim the questions so that you have time to see all the questions. Skimming
means that you read to get the main information, and you can do this by focusing more on the
nouns, verbs and adjectives of the sentence and less on articles and prepositions.

It also helps you to see the type of questions being asked, e.g. Sentence Completion, and this is
useful because different techniques can be used for each question type.

Skimming can be used to quickly get an overall understanding of what the section is about. This will
help you to guess the meanings of unknown words and also to predict information you might
receive. For instance, if the topic is food and you see the phrase “various gastronomical delights”
you might guess this means some different types of delicious food.

3. Underline keywords and think of synonyms

Skim each question and underline keywords. These are words that you feel are the focus of the
question and will help you to catch the answer. Remember that you might hear a synonym of the
chosen keyword rather than the word itself. For example, identification card might be rephrased to
I.D. or cuisine might be rephrased to food.

Any word that you choose from a question to help you find the answer can be called a keyword. The
selection of good keywords is an essential part of finding answers to questions more quickly and
more accurately. This section will explain how to select good keywords.

The best keywords to take from a question sentence are usually proper nouns and numbers. It is
possible, however, that you can determine that the answer is going to be a proper noun (e.g. name or
city) or a number (e.g. telephone number or age).

As you practice, underline any keywords you select from the questions you read. As you do so, try to
think of how these words can be changed by using synonyms, which are phrases with a similar
meaning. For example, if you pick the key word – rich – you might hear:

 wealthy
 people with a lot of money
 people who are not poor (notice the negative here)

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 4. Predict required information

Based on the keywords you have noticed in the questions, you can guess what kind of answer you are
expecting. For instance, if the question contains the word “who” then you know you must listen
out for details regarding a person. If the question asks “how much” then you know to listen out for
numbers and possibly currencies like dollars or pounds.

To help you focus, as well as decide what you need to listen for; you should underline the important
words in each question. The Wh- questions – who, where, what, when, why, which, how – are all
good words to underline and they will also help you to think about what kind of answers you are
listening for. Also, think of words or phrases that might signal the predicted answer is coming. For
example, if the question asks – Why did he leave work early? – then you might hear expressions like;
because, so, in order to.

Becoming good at selecting what keywords to underline and predicting what to listen for will help
you answer more questions correctly but it will also help you to move on from one question to the
next question. You need to be ready, especially if you miss getting one question, to move onto the
next question. You can do this by making sure that you are listening for the keywords for more than
one answer at the same time.

Practice 1

Look at the exercise below and try to predict what kind of information you are listening for by
looking at the Wh-questions and then match it to the possible answers i–x. Notice that there are
more answers than needed.

Wh- questions Possible answers

A How i last fortnight
B How many ii 10 -14 days
C How often iii occasionally
D What iv by truck
E When v that project
F Where vi it became stuck
G Which vii New York
H Who viii rich tourists
I Why ix six
x a truck

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 3. LISTENING STRATEGIES

This section will introduce to you the strategies you should use when the recording starts to play.
These strategies are designed to help you deal with the speed of the recording as well as to catch the
correct answers.

1. Establish the context

2. Listen for keywords

3. Listen for signpost words

4. Listen for synonyms of keywords in the question.

5. Work on the current question and look ahead to the next question

6. Skip missed answers and move on

7. Be careful of distracters (incorrect answers)

11
1. Establish the context

Listen carefully at the start of the recording because it will give you a starting point for the
conversation or speech you will hear. This will often identify who the speakers are and what the
situation is. The talk will then proceed in a logical way from this starting point.

2. Listen for keywords

Listen for key words to help you follow the recording and also to help you get the correct answers.
These are often proper nouns (e.g. names of people, company names), numbers, (e.g. years, dates),
negatives (e.g. “He’s not going to school today). Native English speakers often highlight key words
by emphasizing them.

English is a stress-timed language; this means that more important words are given emphasis and
these tend to be words like nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Less important words are spoken more
quickly or de-stressed and these tend to be words like prepositions, articles, and so on. This can
make it difficult to follow the language until you have developed a better feeling for the stress and
rhythm and how we use the ‘weak’ words. For example – and – when in the middle of two words is
often pronounced like ‘in’ – fish ‘n’ chips, pen ‘n’ paper and so on.

The best way to improve your ability to hear stressed words is simply to become more aware of
them. By listening carefully to spoken English (YouTube is a good place to start), you will begin to
notice how other speakers use stress to express themselves. To think more about the key words you
might hear try the exercise below. The underlined words in Question 1 below are people and rooms as
it is very likely that they will still be used in the conversation.

PRACTICE 2

1. How many people are the rooms for?

2. How many beds are required?

3. How many nights will they stay?

4. On what date will they leave?

5. What time is the wake-up call?

12
3. Listen for signpost words

A signpost word or phrase is commonly used to connect clauses and sentences. The purpose of a
signpost word is to tell you what kind of information is coming next which is very useful if you
know the kind of information that you are listening for. For example if we hear the phrase in addition
we know to expect another similar additional point, whereas if we hear the word however we expect a
contrasting point. The more you become aware of these linking phrases and what information they
are linking to the more you can anticipate what is coming next.

4. Listen for synonyms of keywords in the question

Often you don't hear the exact words given in the question. Instead, you hear a synonym, which
means a similar word. For example, if the question contains the word difficult, you might hear hard or
challenging. Look at the exercise below and match the original keyword to its synonym.

PRACTICE 3

Keywords Synonym

1 develop A BMW

2 dog B crowd

3 car C bad weather

4 storm D improve

5 people E pet

13
5. Work on the current question and look ahead to the next question

All of the questions in the listening test are in order. One thing you must avoid is a situation where
you miss, for example, the answer for Question 6, but don’t know you have missed it. If you only
listen for this one answer you can easily miss many answers and then find it difficult to know where
the speaker is in the text. To avoid this you can listen for the keywords and signpost words and be
aware of the type of answers you expect to hear for the current question you are on and if possible
the next one you expect. This is because you can know you have missed an answer if you hear the
answer to the next question.

6. Skip missed answers and move on

If you do realize you have missed an answer it is usually best to just leave it and move on to the next
questions. This is because if you get out of sequence with the questions and recording you may miss
many answers and so you may have to “sacrifice” one question at times.

7. Be careful of distracters (incorrect answers)

It is very common, especially in Section 1, for information to be given in such a way that you think it
is the answer. As you are writing this down, the real answer is given but you miss it because you
have stopped listening. A typical conversation might be:

Woman: Could you give me your telephone number please?

Man: Certainly. It’s 0983-447-688

Man: Sorry, That’s 668

Notice that the distracter is when the man makes a mistake with the last three digits of the telephone
number and has to say the last three digits again – this time correctly. Below, is another example:

Woman: What is your family name?

Man: My family name is Erickson

Woman: Do you spell that E – R – I – C – S – O – N.

Man: No. It is E – R – I – C – K – S – O – N.

The distracter here is the different spelling of the family name. The second version is the correct
version.

14
 4. POST LISTENING STRATEGIES

At the end of your listening test, you will be given 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer
sheet. This section explains how to use this time wisely.

1. Carefully transfer your answers

2. Check for spelling or grammatical errors
3. Fill in something for any missing answers… GUESS!

1. Carefully transfer your answers

At the end of the listening test, you have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.
You should make sure that you use this time properly. This is a time when you must concentrate.
For example, you must focus on putting the correct answer in the correct space on the answer sheet.
Take time to write clearly because if it is too difficult to read what you have written your answer will
be marked as wrong.

2. Check for spelling or grammatical errors

Make sure that you spell words correctly and when needed, make sure that the grammar is correct,
and add units for numbers if they are not already in the information provided on the question sheet.
Punctuation does not matter, which means that capital letters do not matter and hyphens do not
matter either. For instance, London is still correct even if it is written as london without a capital
“L”.

3. Fill in something for any missing answers

Use this time to guess any missing answers as NO points are taken away from you if you guess
incorrectly. On the other hand, a correct guess can mean the difference between the grade you want
and having to take the test again.

15
 5. QUESTION TYPES

This section outlines the types of questions you will get in your IELTS listening test. Strategies
are given for before the recording starts (pre-listening strategies) and for during the recording
(listening strategies). Knowing how to deal with each type of question effectively and efficiently
can result in better time management and a higher score.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

This question type is used to test a wide range of skills and may require you to have a detailed
understanding of specific points or an overall understanding of the main points of the listening text.

Pre-Listening Tips

1. Read the instructions carefully and check how many words/numbers you are allowed to write.

2. Skim the questions and the answer choices quickly before the recording starts during the time
given. As you do this try to understand the context and work out what you are going to hear from
the vocabulary of the questions. This can be the hardest question type to skim because there is so
much information to cover.

3. Underline the key words such as the ‘wh-’ words and nouns.

4. Predict answers.

16
During Listening Tips

1. Listen to the introduction carefully as it will provide you with the context.

2. Listen for the keywords you established in the pre-listening stage. The information will be given in
the same order as the questions, although it might be expressed differently; in other words, you must
be on the lookout for synonyms of the keywords you identified in the pre-listening stage.

3. Answer the questions as you listen. If you are not sure of the answer make notes beside the
question, so you can go back later and have a try to guess the answer to the question.

4. Skip missed answers and move on. If you miss an answer – DO NOT PANIC – move on to the
next question. Looking at your keywords and listening for signpost words will help you do this. Do
not stay frozen on one question because the answers come in sequential order. If you get out of
sequence you may miss many answers and so you may have to “sacrifice” one question at times

5. You may hear the speaker talking about all of the different options you have to choose from.
This means that you might hear something mentioned that seems to relate to one of the options
mentioned but it might not be correct. You must select the correct answer, not the first one you
hear. If you hear words like – “but” and “however” – this could completely change the answer that
you were expecting. Remember that in the IELTS listening test the speakers try to trick you into
picking the wrong answer and this can happen a lot on Multiple Choice questions. You can choose
what you think is the answer but always pay attention to see if another piece of information pops up
that is actually the real answer.

You can now practice this question type by completing the exercises that follow.

17
Exercise – 1: Life in a Public School

Track 1 Listen to a radio show and choose the correct answer A, B or C.

[click the Track 1 link above or download the audio from here:

1. Mrs. Bell’s nephew is ________ years old. 5. Usually there are about ________ students.

A. 30 A. 13
B. 13 B. 1300
C. 2 C. 30

2. Dr. Witherspoon’s favourite school is 6. Every boy has his own ________.
________.
A. study
A. Eton B. bedroom
B. Windsor C. study-bedroom
C. Ofwich

3. King’s College was founded in the year 7. The maid will ________.
________.
A. play cards
A. 440 B. be friendly
B. 1440 C. tip you
C. 1441

4 Seventy scholars received ________ 8. All boys may go out with ________.
education.
A. their parents
A. three years of B. their House Master
B. French C. Michaelmas
C. free

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Exercise – 2:
The West’s Debt to Chinese Science

Track 2. Questions 1–5 Choose the correct letter, A–D.

1. The speaker’s purpose is to inform us that

A. European technology owes a large debt to B. The world has always been a global village.
Chinese science.
C. Chinese technology was better than D. The ancient Chinese were advanced in
European technology. shipping technology.

2. Which Chinese invention do few people know about?

A. the compass B. wheelbarrows C. beer D. pianos

3. Chinese shipping technology often came to the West indirectly through

A. periods of change B. India C. Portuguese sailors D. Arabs

4. Which Western country was the first to use the Chinese plough?
A. America B. Holland C. England D. Europe

5. Which advantage of the Chinese plough is not mentioned?

A. efficiency B. strength C. adjustable depth D. low cost

19
Exercise - 3
A Job Interview

Track 3. You are going to listen to a job interview.

Listen carefully and answer the following questions.

1. What looks impressive?

A. Sir B. C.V. C. Mr. Ludwig

2. Mr. Ludwig lives in …..?

A. Hobart B. Wellington C. Sydney

3. Mr. Ludwig needs how many weeks to train for his job?

A. 3 B. 2 C. 4

4. Mr. Ludwig will travel to ……….?

A. Hawaii B. London C. Rome

20
MATCHING

The matching test item format provides a way for learners to connect a word, sentence or phrase in
one column to a corresponding word, sentence or phrase in a second column. This task type
assesses the skill of listening for detail. It often assesses the ability to follow a conversation involving
interaction between two people. In other words, who said what?

Pre-Listening Tips

1. Read the instructions carefully.

2. Skim the questions and the answer choices, there should be plenty of time to do this as there is
not too much to read.

3. Underline the key words if appropriate. If there are only brief lists you may not do this and
instead spend more time on the next step.

4. Start to predict answers by looking for grammatical clues to help match questions. For example,
singular must match singular and plural must match plural; also verb tenses must match.

During Listening Tips

1. Listen carefully at the start of the recording because it will give you the context of the recording.
The talk will then proceed in a logical way from this starting point.

2. Listen for the key words you have identified in the pre-listening stage and stay alert for synonyms
of the words you are expecting.

3. Homonyms, or words that sound similar, are often used for this question type such as “quotient”
and “quotation” and only one of these words will lead to the correct answer.

4. If you miss an answer or were not sure, then take a guess…you might answer correctly!

5. Skip missed answers and move on. Looking at your keywords and listening for signpost words
will help you do this. Do not stay frozen on one question because the answers come in sequential
order. If you get out of sequence you may miss many answers and so you may have to “sacrifice”
one question at times

21
6. You may hear the speaker talking about all of the different options you have to choose from.
This means that you might hear something mentioned that seems to relate to one of the options
mentioned but it might not be correct. You must select the correct answer, not the first one you
hear. You can often hear pronouns such as – it, this, they – to link back to words that have already
been said. Try to keep track of what these pronouns are referring back to in order to answer
questions more effectively.

Culture Shock

Exercise - 4
In Part 4 of the listening test you will often hear a university lecturer talking to a group of students.

Track 4. Write the appropriate letters A–H at the end of sentences 1–5. Use each letter once only.

A Culture shock 1 Dr. Oberg used this expression first. _____.

B Culture vulture 2 Another expression used by other researchers was _____.

C Culture snappy 3 In a new culture one could experience _____.

D Culture fatigue 4 To begin with people are _____.

E obsession 5 Food from home could become a/an _____.

F excited 6 Some people become H (EXAMPLE)

G Highs and lows

H opinionated

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Exercise - 5
Questions 7–12.

Track 5. Write i–vi in the gaps in the sentences 7–12.

7 Many people immediately feel __i____. (EXAMPLE) i at home

8 Some do not have a problem _______. ii cultural vacuum

9 If you are _____, you are more likely to overcome culture shock. iii settling in

10 In a new environment, you can avoid frustrations if you have _______. iv adjusted well

11 It might not be easy to live in a/an _______. v well travelled

12 A person in a new country may be treated as _______. vi outside

vii an outsider

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PLAN, MAP, DIAGRAM LABELING

This task type assesses the ability to understand, a description of a place, process, or diagram and to
relate this to a visual representation. This may include being able to follow language expressing
spatial relationships and directions (e.g. straight on/through the far door).

Pre-Listening Tips

1. Read the instructions carefully. They will state how many words you should use or whether to use
words from a box of labels provided.

2. Study the illustration. It is a good idea to familiarise yourself with any labels that are already given,
and to think about how the other parts of the diagram, map or plan which you are required to label
may be described.

3. Think about where the discussion might begin on the illustration.

4. Check whether the numbered labels are in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. The
information will be given in the same order as the numbers on the diagram.

5. You may be able to predict one or two answers or associated vocabulary that you may hear
connected to a particular label. Predict what type of words might be the answer i.e. will it be a place,
room, street, building etc.

During Listening Tips

1. Listen carefully at the start of the recording because it will give you a starting point on the
illustration. The talk will then proceed in a logical way from this starting point.

2. Listen for signpost words like ‘In the next room we are going to see…’, or ‘If you now follow me
to….’, to help you move around the illustration and to catch answers.

3. Answers will keep coming in the same logical order so it is extremely important to stay oriented
with the illustration. If you get “lost” you may miss many answers, so it is better to miss an answer
than get lost.

24
4. Use the information given in the diagram to help you if you get lost.

5. Try to visualize the place or thing being described whilst the person is talking. Pay attention to
distractors that are there to confuse you e.g. ‘this was the post office but it was converted to a
bakery a few years ago’.

6. If you do not know how to spell a word, just write it down quickly and think about the spelling
later at the end of the section.

Exercise - 6
Questions 1–10.

Track 6. As you listen to the conversation, write the correct letter A-K of the building mentioned
next to the questions 1-6. An example has been done for you.

Example: Campus clock H

1 Post Office
2 Rag shop
3 Radio station
4 Computer store
5 Sports stadium
6 Internet cafe

25
7. On day one, in Super Saver__________ TVs were sold.

8. On the first day, __________ mobile phones were bought mainly by women.

9. Every day, a variety of __________ kinds of overseas newspapers are on sale.

10. Women can choose from __________ foreign magazines for ladies.

FORM, NOTE, TABLE, FLOW-CHART, SUMMARY COMPLETION

This task type focuses on listening to a speech or conversation and writing down the main points
from it.

Pre-Listening Tips

1. Read the instructions carefully and check how many words/numbers you are allowed to write.

2. Skim the questions carefully. As you do this try to understand the context and work out what you
are going to hear from any words used in the questions and/or pictures. It might be in the form of
notes, a table, a flow-chart, and so on. If you can see that you are going to fill in a form with a name
and address then be prepared to listen carefully for names and addresses. If these words are spelt
then not the letters - B, D, E, T, G, P and C all have a similar ending sound, so it is important to
hear the starting sound of the word; and even more challenging is differentiating between the letters
“m” and “n”. Try to think of what makes more sense, for example, we can predict the last letter is
“n” in a name like “Herman”. Similarly, with numbers – did they say 8 or 18, 15 or 50 and so on?
Only practice can really help here but knowing that this is a common trick to confuse you can help
you focus more when you know a number is going to be given.

3. Underline the key words such as the ‘wh-’ words and nouns.

4. Predict and think about potential answers from the information you are given.

26
During Listening Tips

1. Listen carefully at the start of the recording because it will help you establish the context.

2. Listen for the keywords you are expecting from your pre-listening and also for signpost words
that indicate an answer is coming or has just been given. If you are listening for something like an
address you might hear something like “I live at…”

3. Stay alert for synonyms of the words you are expecting. A form might state: ‘Arrival Date’, but
listening just for this might cost you a point. They might ask you – “What day do you arrive’.
Similarly, you may read ‘Departure Date’, but you might hear: ‘What day do you leave’.

4. Answers will keep coming in sequential order so it is extremely important to know which question
you are up to. If you get “lost” you may miss many answers, so it is better to miss an answer than
get lost.

5. A commonly used distractor is for a speaker to correct factual information. For instance, to give a
price and then state that there has been a recent price increase and to then give the current correct
price.

Exercise - 7
Track 7. Complete the following table using THREE WORDS OR LESS for questions 11–16.

Guest Name: 11. Mr. Mark __________

Telephone Number: 12. __________

No. of guests: 13. __________

Arrival Date: 14. Thursday __________

Departure Date: 15. __________

Time of Arrival: 16. __________

27
Exercise - 8

Booking Tables

Track 8. Listen to Janet making a restaurant reservation.

Write NO MORE TH AN TH REE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Date: Saturday, December (1) ……………….. Time: (2) …………………

No. of people: 20 Seating: (3) …………………… room, one long table

Food: salad, soup, (4) ……………………………., and five XL pizzas

Drinks: soft drinks and two free bottles of (5) …………………..

Price: (6) ……………………… per person

Name: Janet (7) …………………………..

Telephone number: office number (8) ……………………………

28
SENTENCE COMPLETION

This task type focuses on the ability to identify the key information in a listening text. Test takers
have to understand functional relationships such as cause and effect.

Pre-Listening Tips

1. Read the instructions carefully and check how many words/numbers you are allowed to write.

2. Skim the questions and the answer choices quickly before the recording starts and during the time
given. As you do this try to understand the overall context and work out what you are going to hear
from the vocabulary of the questions.

3. As you read each question underline the keywords and think of potential synonyms.

4. Predict the kind of word you are listening for. Even if you can not be very specific with this try to
decide if you are listening for a verb, noun, and adjective and so on. Notice the word that comes
directly before the missing word or words. This word, or a synonym, might be heard just before the
answer is given. E.G. Dave went to --------. Dave is a good keyword and even if they change the
word ‘went’ to ‘travelled’ you will still hear the word ‘to’ before they give the answer.

During Listening Tips

1. Listen carefully at the start of the recording because it will help you establish the context.

2. Listen for the keywords you established in the pre-listening stage and for signpost words that
indicate an answer is coming or has just been given. If you are listening for something like an
address you might hear something like “I live at…”

3. Stay alert for synonyms of the words you are expecting. A form might state: ‘Arrival Date’, but
listening just for this might cost you a point. They might ask you – “What day do you arrive’.
Similarly, you may read ‘Departure Date’, but you might hear: ‘What day do you leave’.

4. Answers will keep coming in sequential order so it is extremely important to know which question
you are up to. It is better to miss an answer than get “lost”.

5. Once completed the sentence should be grammatically correct and this may require changing the
words to fit; for instance, from plural to singular form. This can be done after the section ends if
you don’t have time.

29
Place Names
Spelling is important for the listening test. You are expected to be able to spell common names of
people and important places. The exercises below will help check you can spell some common
places and names.

Exercise - 9
Track 9. Listen to this passage about the UK and complete the notes.

What is the UK?

Great Britain consists of (1) , (2) , and (3) .

People from these places are called British, or English, Scottish, and Welsh.

The name Great Britain is often shortened to (4) .

The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and (5) .

Cities

(6) is the capital and largest city in England.

Other important cities include: (7) , (8) and Birmingham.

The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh but the largest city is Glasgow.

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, and Cardiff is the capital of Wales.

The cities of (9) and (10) are known for their universities.

30
Exercise - 10
British Names

Track 10. Now listen to the second part of the listening and write the names.

Common British Family Names

(1) Names from occupations: Potter , , , ,

(2) Names from places: London , , , ,

(3) Patronyms (names from the father’s first name)

With “son” suffix: Robinson , , ,

Shortened to “s:” Williams , , ,

Scottish Mac/Mc: MacDonald means “son of Donald”

Irish O’: O’Connor means “ ”

Popular First Names

(4) Male: , Jack __ , , Thomas , .

(5) Female: Emily , , Sophie , , Isabelle .

Street names

(6) Most common street name: .

(7) Named after the British Royalty: Queen Street , , .

(8) Named after local places: Park Street , , .

31
Exercise - 11

Track 11. Listen to this speech about the Three Gorges Dam and complete the following sentences
using no more than three words.

The Three Gorges Dam

Early dam on Min River, built in the year (1) __________ .

Three Gorges Dam has three main purposes:

Flood (2) __________ . 1998 flood caused (3) __________ deaths.

Generating electricity. Much less polluting than using (4) __________ .

Improved navigation. (5) __________ able to reach Chongching City.

Dam first suggested by Dr. Sun Yat-sen in (6) __________ .

Approval for construction given in (7) __________ .

Environmental concern about build-up of (8) __________ in the dam.

Talking about Problems

Questions about problems and solutions are common in Section Three. After a question about
changes, there is often a question about problems. Questions about problems are usually followed
by one about solutions. The next exercise will help you prepare for this.

32
Exercise - 12
Track 12.

Listen and write the missing words in the blanks. There are two words for each blank.

Talking about Problems

A. In what ways has health care changed in your country?

Health care is (1) high-tech now. There are a lot of machines such as scanners. In addition, people go to
hospitals more often than before, (2) simple things, because the government’s national health insurance
has made visiting hospitals so cheap. I also think that in the past, western medicine was (3)_ ____ than
Chinese medicine. Nowadays, most people prefer western medicine, especially for serious medical problems.

B. What problems have changes in the health care system caused?

Because medicine has become more high-tech, it has also become more expensive. Only big hospitals in large cities can
afford the best equipment. (4) is that the gap between rural and urban areas has grown. (5) ____ _
is that too many people are going to hospital for minor problems because the national health insurance system has made
it so cheap for patients. This overuse is expensive for the government and (6)____ _ doctors spend less time
with patients.

C. What are some possible solutions for these problems?

Well, I’m (7) how we can narrow the rural-urban gap in medical equipment but the government has been
trying to increase the quality of medical personnel in rural areas; many medical school graduates who have studied on
government scholarships are now required to serve in remote areas for at least one year. (8)_____ the problem
of overuse, the solution is relatively simple; the government needs to increase the cost of medical care at hospitals.

D. What are some of the most serious health problems in the developed world?

People in the developed world tend to eat, drink and smoke too much. As a result, the most serious health problems
are heart disease, cancer, especially lung cancer, and diabetes. Traffic accidents are also a (9)__ ___ _ of injuries
and deaths. Mental health is a big problem, too; depression and stress (10)_ ____ increasingly common in
developed countries.

33
Exercise - 13
Track 13.

Complete the summary below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Aboriginal Bush Medicine

Listening skills need to be “honed” in order to achieve a higher IELTS score. Gap-fill exercises are
ideal for this. You are going to hear a short extract on Aboriginal Bush Medicines. First, look at the
gaps and try to guess what type of word is missing. Then you will be ready to begin.

Aboriginal people traditionally were much 1 _______________ than they are today.
Living in the open in a land largely free from disease, they benefited from a better

2 _______________, more exercise, less stress, a more supportive society and a tight-
knit social structure.

Nonetheless, Aboriginal peoples often had need of bush medicines. Sleeping at night by
fires meant they sometimes suffered from burns. 3 _______________ sunshine and
certain foods caused headaches, and eye infections were common. Feasting on sour
4 _______________ or rancid meat caused digestive upsets, and although tooth decay
was not a problem, coarse gritty food sometimes wore teeth down to the nerves.
Aborigines were also occasionally stung by jellyfish or bitten by snakes and
5 _______________. In the bush there was always a chance of injury, and
6 _______________ usually ended in severe bruises and gashes.

Unfortunately, much of the knowledge of traditional Aboriginal medicine has been

7 _______________. Very little is known of medical practice in 8 _______________
and eastern Australia, where traditional Aboriginal culture was largely obliterated more
than a 9 _______________ ago.

34
Exercise - 14
Track 14. Questions 1–6

Complete the summary below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Elephant Attacks

People underestimate how (1)………………… elephants can be. Although elephant attacks are
generally people’s fault, elephants are usually (2) …………………. African elephants live in tightly-
knit family herds, led by a matriarch. Elephants are protective of each other, especially when a
(3) ………………… is present. Elephants are more aggressive when under stress and when their
(4) ………………… is invaded. They require more room when steveniles are present. Elephant
(5) ………………… can be extremely dangerous when in musth. During musth, testosterone
(6) ………………… are extremely high, and they become very aggressive.

Exercise – 15

Track 15. Questions 7–9

Choose THREE letters A–F.

Which factors were involved in the elephant attack mentioned in the talk?

A. An overpopulated herd D. Bulls competing for the matriarch

B. The presence of a calf E. Violation of personal space

C. Stress F. Musth

35
SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS

This question type focuses on the ability to listen for concrete facts – such as places, prices or times
– given in the listening text.

Pre-Listening Tips

1. Read the instructions carefully and check how many words/numbers you are allowed to write.

2. Skim the questions and the answer choices quickly before the recording starts and during the time
given. As you do this try to understand the overall context. This can be done quickly with this
question type leaving more time for the steps that follow.

3. Read each question and underline the keywords and also predict the kind of word you are
listening for.

4. Spend your remaining time thinking of synonyms for the keywords you have underlined.

During Listening Tips

1. Listen carefully at the start of the recording because it will help you establish the context.

2. Listen for signpost words that indicate an answer is coming or has just been given.
If you are listening for something like where someone works you might hear something like “I work
at…”

3. Stay alert for synonyms of the words you are expecting. “study at” might be rephrased to
something like “a student at”.

4. Answers will keep coming in sequential order so it is extremely important to know which question
you are up to. If you get “lost” you may miss many answers, so it is better to miss an answer than
get lost.

5. Be on the lookout for any changes to the facts that are given; for instance, a change in a price of a
product, or a change of a place to go.

36
Exercise - 16

Track 16. Listen to Part One and USING NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER complete the questions 1–5 below.

1. What are the two guest speakers’ names?

2. Which organisation did they work for?

3. How many weeks did they work for this organisation?

4. Where did they work?

5. What were they doing?

Exercise - 17

Track 17. Questions 6–10. Listen to Part Two.

6. Where did they get the water?

7. How often did they fetch water?

8. Who did they work with?

9. What would the women do?

10. What was surprising about the women?

37
Exercise - 18
Track 18. Questions 11–14. Now complete Part Three USING NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.

11. When was a delivery of gravel arranged?

12. Where was it to be sent?

13. How often did they go to Barahona?

14. Which kind of tourist is mentioned?

38
 PRACTICE TEST 1:

TEST 1 MP3
SECTION 1 Questions 1-10

Questions 1-5

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

Example: Steven went to

A his flat
B a music shop
C an interesting shop

1 In the music shop, Steven saw

A a Latin American music festival
B a CD of Latin American music
C an advertisement for a music festival
2 Steven suggests they attend the music festival on
A Friday morning
B Friday night
C Saturday night
3 The address is
A 4 Brown Avenue
B 40 Brown Avenue
C 14 Brown Avenue
4 The telephone postcode is
A WG5939
B WG3939
C WG5539
5 The telephone number is
A 02684 553343
B 02684 555543
C 02684 555343

39
Questions 6-10

Complete the form below

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBER for each answer

LATIN AMERICAN CONCERT

Start time Type of performance Price of tickets

7 PM 6 ……………….. $ 10

7 ……………….. Salsa 8 $ ………………..

10 PM Rumba 9 $ ………………..

Take note: Early ticket buyers receive a 10. ……………….. discount on

all tickets

40
SECTION 2 Questions 11-20

Questions 11-14

Complete the sentences below

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBER for each answer

11 The first emergency workers to arrive at a fire, traffic accident or other emergency are
known as the ………………...responders.

12 According to the Census Bureau, some New York neighbourhoods' residents are mostly
………………..

13 According to the Census Bureau nearly ……………….. languages are spoken in New
York.

14 Steven Lee says that the first responders must be able to communicate
……………….. and ……………….. when there is an emergency.

Questions 15-20

Choose the correct letter A, B, or C.

15 Lee says that it's vital that first responders

A respond first
B can speak the same language
C can communicate with people

16 One of the most important questions is

A whether there is anybody in the building

B which building has a fire
C where a fire is burning

17 Each day in New York City there are six

A non-English speaking Asians

B Asian-American firefighters
C fires at six Asian-Americans' homes

41
18 The speaker mentions that Chinese is one of the

A most amazing languages

B first languages
C most difficult languages

19 The first step of the "Chinglish" way is to

A say a sentence in Chinese

B explain the English order of a sentence
C explain a sentence in Chinese

20 the teacher really shows the class

A how to use Chinese

B how to understand Chinese
C how to learn Chinese

42
SECTION 3 Questions 21-30

Questions 21-25

Match the letters on the right to the question numbers on the left

21 linguists believe learning a second A discusses brain training

language
B prevents brain damage if you have a stroke
22 today's talk
C boosts brainpower
23 being bilingual
D stimulates your brain
24 changing from one language to another
E makes the brain stronger and fitter
25 brushing your teeth with your left hand

Questions 26-30

Choose the correct letter A, B, or C.

26 You can improve your brain by

A declining memory
B doing exercise
C eating chocolate

27 Continually stimulating the brain helps to

A learn a language
B appreciate music more
C build up cognitive reserve

28 People who start learning languages will

A protect their brain

B become more active
C get more stimulation

43
29 If you put someone's mind at rest you

A help them relax

B stop them worrying
C stimulate their brain

30 How many neurons in the typical human brain

A 80 million
B 80 billion
C 18 billion

44
SECTION 4 Questions 31-40

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBER to complete the summary.

31 Dixson says another objective of her writing is to help increase knowledge of the
……………………………

32 She also wants to find out how this …………………………… affects fish that live around
the reefs.

33 Early in her research, she made some …………………………… for people in Fiji.

34 Dixson uses ……………………………story books to capture the imagination of children.

35 She wrote a book about …………………………… called Mr and Mrs Goby.

36 Her book helps explain that one form of seaweed …………………………… on contact.

37 She ran a series of …………………………… to see how the goby helps the coral fight
seaweed.

38 As a marine scientist, Dixson wants her stories to be both …………………………… and

inspirational.

39 Dixson’s books make science……………………………. and understandable for children.

40 But her books may have an unintended consequence, something she may not have
.…………………………….

45
 PRACTICE TEST 2

TEST 2 MP3
SECTION 1 Questions 1-10
Questions 1-6
Complete the form below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBER for each answer

Rental Agreement

EXAMPLE

First name: Tina

Surname: 1 ……………

Phone number: 2 ……………

E-mail: [email protected]

Occupation: 3 ……………

Pets: 4 ……………

Length of rental: 5 ……………

Start date: 6 ……………. of August

46
Questions 7-10

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBER for each answer

7 What is the main reason why this tenant wants to rent this apartment?

8 What type of transport does the tenant like to use?

9 What type of sport does the tenant like to play?

10 Where does the tenant play this sport?

47
SECTION 2 Questions 11-20

Complete the form below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBER for each answer

11 The speaker took a boat from ……………………….

12 Vanbrugh Castle was built in ……………………….

13 Nowadays, Greenwich is most famous for its maritime ……………………….

14 The Royal Observatory passes,………………………. longitude.

15 Greenwich Mean Time is now also referred to as ………………………. Time.

16 The National Maritime Museum tells the story of Britain's past …………………strength.

17 The National Maritime Museum is a good example of Georgian ………………………..

18 King George formally opened the National Maritime Museum in……………………….

19 It took ……………………….to build the Queen’s House.

20 The Queen’s House was finished in ……………………….

48
SECTION 3 Questions 21-30

Questions 21-25

Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-F below.

21 Seals are used by scientists as they are good …......

22 A sensor is a small electronic device that is used for …......

23 The salt level of the sea is very important, particularly to …......

24 The information from seals is transmitted back to the lab by …......

25 Sensors on the heads of seals collect information about water …......

A coral reefs
B divers
C measurements
D sensor
E internet
F temperature

Questions 26-30

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

26 Seals are helping scientists get an understanding of

A what is happening with fish
B what is happening under the water
C what is happening with a rare glimpse

27 Seals spend most of the winter

A searching for fish and squid

B with sensors on their heads
C measuring salinity

49
28 Information is transmitted back to the lab

A under the ice

B by light waves
C when the seals return to the surface

29 Information is being gathered to predict

A what is going to happen to the Great Barrier Reef

B what is going to happen to seals
C what is going to happen to Antarctica

30 Researchers believe there is a connection between

A Antarctica and the Great Barrier Reef

B seals and the future
C Antarctica and seals

50
SECTION 4 Questions 31-40

Questions 31-35

Complete each sentence with the correct letter, A-F, below.

31 The world’s biggest obesity study was conducted on about ………..million people.

32 Global obesity rates for men increased to……….. percent.

33 In 2014 there were ……….. million obese women.

34 The study found that more than ……….. percent of men are considered severely obese.

35 A severely obese person has a BMI of over ……….. kilograms per square meter.

A 10.8
B 2.3
C 375
D 35
E 305
F 20

51
Questions 36-40

Complete the summary form below

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBER for each answer

Obesity and Health

The problem

36 The number of people across the globe who are morbidly obese is ………………….…

A potential solution

37 Initiatives include looking at the “price of healthy food compared to unhealthy food,
or taxing …………………… and highly-processed foods.”

Survey Results

38 The researchers warn if the problem of obesity worsens, 18 percent of men and
…………………… of women will be obese by 2025.

39 The study found that …………………… has the most obese people of any country and the
United States has the largest number of severely obese people.

40 Underweight levels have dropped from 14 percent to 9 percent among men, and from
15 percent to …………………… among women.

52
 PRACTICE TEST 3:

TEST 3 MP3
SECTION 1 Questions 1-10

Questions 1-5

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

Example: The booking is for

A Monday afternoon
B Sunday afternoon
C Saturday afternoon

1 The date of the booking is

A November 4
B November 2
C November 14
2 The lunch booking is for
A 5 people
B 6 people
C 56 people
3 The type of cake the customer wants is
A strawberry
B white banana
C cheese cake
4 The customer says she likes
A fresh fruit
B strawberries
C bananas
5 The customer’s phone number is
A 09684 45333
B 09684 55533
C 09684 55333

53
Questions 6-10

Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBER for each answer

6 The customer’s son has an allergy to ………………..

7 The ……………….. is highly trained.

8 One of the restaurants best dishes is ………………..

9 Next Sunday is also ……………….., so we are expecting to be very busy.

10 My husband always likes to be ………………...

54
SECTION 2 Questions 11– 20

Questions 11 – 16

Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each answer.

11 The meat pie was first made in …………………..

12 Common ingredients in pies are diced ………………, mushrooms and mashed green peas.

13 People eat pies at sporting events such as the …………………..in summer.

14 Pies can be eaten for lunch or dinner in a …………………..

15 Pies are often served on a plate with mashed potato, green ……………and gravy.

16 You can make your own pies at home using your own choice of ………………ingredients.

Questions 17 – 20

Match the states to the pie companies by writing the correct letter, A-E,
next to numbers 17-20.

State Pie Company

A Cottage Pies

17 Victoria ………………….. B Vili's

18 South Australia ………………….. C Bendigo Bakery

19 West Australia ………………….. D National Pies.

20 Tasmania ………………….. E Mrs Mac's

F Four’n’Twenty

55
SECTION 3 Questions 21 – 30

Questions 21 – 27

Complete the sentences below with words you hear from the recording.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS/NUMBERS for each answer.

21 The results of a poll showed that ………………of people were against daylight saving.

22 One person who was against it didn't like kissing his ………………goodnight in broad
daylight.

23 Those who wanted daylight saving found that it was just ………………for them to enjoy
their recreational pastimes.

24 My Scott is against it because he feels that too many people are ………………affected by it.

25 In the two-year ………………period of daylight savings Tasmanians found that an hour of

extra daylight at the end of the working day was good for sport and leisure.

26 On the Derwent estuary it's well after ………………before the boats need to leave the water.

27 There’s time for a drive on what used to be a quiet ………………

56
Questions 28 – 30

Complete the sentences below.

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

28 On the weekend 40-hour week workers enjoy

A two full days of leisure

B two full days of pleasure

C two full days of sport

29 Polls among farmers indicate

A no support for daylight savings

B support for daylight savings

C support for more sport

30 The woman likes to spend her extra time to

A cut class

B cut glass

C cut grass

57
SECTION 4 Questions 31 – 40

Questions 31 – 40
Complete the summary below.
Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD/NUMBER for each answer.

The McGillicuddy Serious Party

The McGillicuddy MCGSP was a satirical political party in New Zealand. For many years from
1984 to 1999 McGillicuddy serious provided colour to New Zealand politics. The party stood
candidates in the 1984, 1987, 1990 1993 (31) ……………and 1999 general elections; the 1986
1989 1992 1995 (32) …………… local body elections.

Section 1 origins

The McGillicuddy serious party was founded in 1984 in Hamilton as the political arm of clan
McGillicuddy which had been established in 1978. The party had a strong (33)
………………..theme and the kilt was considered to be one of the party symbols. initially, many
candidates were students of the University of Waikato. They also included a number of (34)
………………..performers in comedic musical groups.

Section 2 challenge for the crown

The clan attempted to settle the matter by trial by combat challenging the New Zealand Army to
a (35) ……………….. fight. The party was sometimes the subject of (36) ………………..
from unexpected quarters. In 1990, Green party candidate Warrick Pudney challenged his Te
Atatu rival to a paper-sword fight in Aotea Square. The fight was declared a draw, both
combatants were treated for (37) ……………….. cuts.

Section 3 candidate selection

Party candidates for election were at one point selected through trial by combat with (38)
……………… swords and water balloons. The loser of the combat becoming the candidate. In
1990, this policy was replaced by standing (39) ………………..candidates for the same seat. In
1996, Canterbury regional electorate candidates were selected by a giant (40) ……………….. of
musical chairs in Cathedral Square Christchurch.

58
 PRACTICE TEST 4:

TEST 4 MP3
SECTION 1 Questions 1-10
Questions 1-10 Complete the form below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBER for each answer
Sports Club Membership
First name: Jessie (EXAMPLE)

Surname: 1 …………………….

Phone number: 2 …………………….

E-mail: [email protected]

Occupation: 3 ……………………….

Main reason to join the centre: 4 ………………………….

How often the member will visit per week: 5 ……………………….

Faculties the member will use: pool, gym, 6 ………………pools

Reason for liking the centre’s location: 7 close to…………………….

Method of payment: 8 ………………………….

Car registration number: 9 ……………………….

Car insurer: 10 ………………………. Insurance

59
SECTION 2 Questions 11 – 20

Questions 11 – 15

Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS/NUMBERS for each answer.

11 Brisbane has a population of around ………………..people.

12 Brisbane is a progressive, and ………………..

13 Brisbane’s best beach destinations are the Gold Coast and the ………………..

14 The coldest months in Brisbane are ………………..and ………………..

15 Brisbane often has a late afternoon heavy downpour and ………………..

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Questions 16-20

Label the map below.

Choose FIVE answers from the box and WRITE THE CORRECT LETTERS A-I
next to questions 16-20.

A. Central Cafes
B. Kodak Beach.
C. Suncorp Plaza
D. Conservatorium
E. Streets Beach
F. Nepalese Pagoda.
G. Riverside Restaurants
H. Tea House
I. Performing Arts Centre

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SECTION 3 Questions 21 – 30

Questions 21 – 24

Complete the sentences below.

Choose two letters, A-E

21 Which two places are suggested to try to separate smokers and non-smokers?
A restaurants
B segregation
C buses
D public transport
E hotels

22 Which two issues are given as epidemics in the Western World?

A alcohol addiction
B tobacco addiction
C road accidents
D wanted pregnancy
E smoking in public places

23 Which two types of things are mentioned as not being able to legislate for?
A smoking cigarettes
B beating people
C the Anticancer Foundation
D good manners
E changing people's habits

24 Which two places are mentioned as places smokers are sitting where they shouldn’t?
A in conventions
B public transport
C trains
D airplanes
E in restaurants

62
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

25 City revelers had mixed emotions about the end of going out for a drink and
a……………...smoke.

26 I think that for ………………..everyone is going to be in shock

27 Venues with outdoor areas for smokers are focusing on the ………………...

28 It’s unclear how councils plan to enforce the ………………..

29 We don't know what kind of subsidies we're getting for our ashtrays and for our
………………..renovations.

30 Those who break the law face a ………………..fine.

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SECTION 4 Questions 31 – 40
Questions 31 – 40

Complete the summary below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS for each answer.

Method for Controlling Emotions

Fear, anger, hate and sadness: These are four emotions that can affect how we think and how we
act. Dealing with your emotions may involve a grammatical term: (31) ………………...
singular. Talking to yourself in the third-person seems to put a psychological distance between
you and (32) ……………….... Talking to yourself in the third-person is like giving yourself
(33)………………....

So, if Moser is feeling nervous or (34) ………………...during a flight, he talks to himself.

Moser suggests using your (35) ………………...and holding that discussion inside your head.
Moser felt helpless when his (36) ………………...were unable to use strategies he would
suggest to them. He wanted to find a method that people could easily use to control their
emotions. Moser says that simply telling people suffering from (37) ………………...to think
differently is not enough. Brain imaging tests show that it takes great effort for these people to
change their way of thinking.

Moser performed two experiments using (38) ………………...imaging techniques. In the first
study, researchers examined the (39) ………………...of both groups using an
electroencephalogram or EEG. In the second study, they looked at brain activity with a different
kind of (40) ………………..., MRI.

Moser says that in both studies, the subjects who used third-person self-talk had a big reduction
of emotional response in brain wave activity.

64
 ANSWERS

Practice 1: Wh-questions
a. iv, vi, x b. ii, ix c. ii, iii d. v, x e. i f. vii g. v,viii h. viii i. vi

Practice 2: keywords
1. How many people are the rooms for?
2. How many beds are required?
3. How many nights will they stay?
4. On what date will they leave?
5. What time is the wake-up call?

Practice 3: signpost words

Keywords Synonym
1 develop D improve
2 dog E pet
3 car A BMW
4 storm C bad weather
5 people B crowd

Exercise 1
1.B 2.A 3.B 4.C 5.B 6.C 7.B 8.A

Exercise 2
1.A 2.B 3.D 4.B 5.D

65
Exercise 3
1. B 2. A 3. A 4. B

Exercise 4
1. A 2. D 3. G 4. F 5. E 6. H

Exercise 5
7. I 8. iii 9. v 10. iv 11. ii 12. vi

Exercise 6
1. G - post office 2. A - rag shop 3. J - campus radio station 4. K - computer store
5. F - sports stadium 6. D - Internet café 7. 20 8. 40 9. 13 10. 30

Exercise 7
11. Baranski 12. 0916-2027445 13. One 14. 16th May 15. 18th May 16. 2.30pm

Exercise 8
1. 4th 2. 7pm (can be written in various ways) 3. private 4. garlic bread 5. red wine
6. $17 (can be written in various ways) 7. Williamson 8. 3700138

Exercise 9
(1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, (4) Britain, (5) Northern Ireland,
(6) London, (7) Manchester, (8) Liverpool, (9) Oxford, (10) Cambridge

Exercise 10
(1) Smith, Cook, Cooper (2) Ireland, Woods, Hill (3) Johnson, Williamson, Jones, Roberts, grandson
of Connor (4) Oliver, Harry, James (5) Jessica, Lily, (6) High Street (7) Victoria Street, Albert Street
(8) Church Road, Station Road

66
Exercise 11
1. 256 BC 2. control 3. 4,000 4. coal 5. (large) ships 6. 1919 7. 1992 8. sediment

Exercise 12
1. much more 2. even for 3. less popular 4. The result 5. Another problem
6. means that 7. not sure 8. As to 9. major cause 10. have become

Exercise 13
1. healthier 2. diet 3. Strong 4. fruits 5. spiders 6. fighting 7. lost 8. southern 9. century

Exercise 14
1. dangerous 2. blamed 3. calf 4. personal space 5. bulls 6. levels

Exercise 15
7-9. (in any order) B, C, E

Exercise 16
1. John and David Lee 2. Habitat 3. two weeks 4. Dominican Republic 5. charity work / building
houses

Exercise 17
6. from a creek 7. every morning 8. Dominicans / mainly men 9. cooking duties 10. stamina

Exercise 18
11. Monday morning 12. the housing project 13. occasionally 14. rich tourists

67
 TEST 1

Section 1 Questions 1-10 Section 3 Questions 21-30

1 C 21 C
2 B 22 A
3 C 23 B
4 A 24 E
5 C 25 D
6 instrumental/instrumental performance 26 C
7 8.30pm 27 C
8 $20 28 A
9 $14 29 B
10 20% (20 per cent) 30 B

Section 2 Questions 11-20 Section 4 Questions 31-40

11 first 31 ocean environment

12 immigrants 32 degradation
13 200 33 videos
14 quickly; effectively 34 colourful/colorful
15 C 35 two fish
16 A 36 kills coral
17 B 37 experiments
18 C 38 educational
19 B 39 fun
20 A 40 planned on

68
 TEST 2

Section 1 Questions 1-10 Section 3 Questions 21-30

1 Shen 21 B
2 047 6477 6640 22 C
3 accountant 23 A
4 goldfish 24 E
5 9 months / nine months 25 F
6 5th/5 26 B
7 very quiet / quiet 27 A
8 car 28 C
9 tennis 29 A
10 university / university courts 30 A

Section 2 Questions 11-20 Section 4 Questions 31-40

11 Tower Bridge 31 F
12 1717 32 A
13 history 33 C
14 zero degrees / 0 degrees 34 B
15 Universal 35 D
16 naval 36 55 million
17 architecture 37 high sugar
18 1937 38 21 percent / 21%
19 19 years 39 China
20 1635 40 10 percent / 10%

69
 TEST 3

Section 1 Questions 1-10 Section 3 Questions 21-30

1 C 21 20%
2 B 22 girl
3 C 23 delightful
4 A 24 physically
5 C 25 trial
6 peanuts 26 6 o'clock / six o'clock
7 chef 27 country road / road
8 roast chicken 28 A
9 Father's Day 29 B
10 punctual 30 C

Section 2 Questions 11-20 Section 4 Questions 31-40

11 Britain 31 1996
12 onions 32 1998
13 cricket 33 Scottish
14 pub 34 street
15 peas 35 pillow
16 healthy 36 aggression
17 F 37 paper
18 B 38 newspaper
19 E 39 several
20 D 40 game

70
 TEST 4

Section 1 Questions 1-10 Section 3 Questions 21-30

1 Pepper 21 AE
2 09 007 40 14 40 22 BC
3 self-employed 23 DE
4 swimming 24 BD
5 2 times / two times 25 social
6 spa 26 one month / 1 month
7 mother’s home 27 positive side.
8 credit card/ visa card 28 law / new law
9 PB1440 29 outdoor
10 Pacific Health 30 $110

Section 2 Questions 11-20 Section 4 Questions 31-40

11 2.3 million 31 third person / 3rd person

12 modern city 32 your emotions
13 Sunshine Coast 33 advice
14 July August (both needed) 34 afraid
15 thunderstorms 35 brain
16 I: Performing Arts Centre 36 patients
17 F: Nepalese Pagoda 37 depression
18 C: Suncorp Plaza 38 two different / 2 different
19 A: Central Cafes 39 brain activity
20 E: Street’s Beach 40 technology

71
 TRANSCRIPTS

Life in a Public School

Exercise 1 – Track 1

Host: Good evening and welcome to Tuesday’s Tea-Time Tittle Tattle. Here in the studio today we have Dr.
Bill Witherspoon of the Outer London Education Council. Er, thanks for coming today Bill.
Bill: Oh, thank you for inviting me.
Host: A Mrs. Madge Bell has called in to ask which first type of school she should send her 13-year-old
nephew to, and what information, if any, you can share with her. Actually, that call came all the way from
Durban, South Africa about 5 minutes ago. Over to you Bill.
Bill: Well now, in Britain we have lots of very good schools, of which Eton near Windsor is my favourite.
119
Host: Now, Eton has a long history doesn’t it Bill?
Bill: Oh, yes. In 1440 Henry VI founded ‘The King’s College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor’ and, a
year later, the college in Cambridge, which was to be supplied with scholars from Eton. The school was to be
part of a large foundation which included a community of secular priests, 10 of whom were Fellows, a
pilgrimage church, and an almshouse. Provision was made for 70 scholars to receive free education.
Host: So, how many boys are we talking about today?
Bill: At any one time there are almost 1300 boys in the school, almost all of whom joined the school at age
13.
Host: And do they live in dorms?
Bill: Every boy at Eton has his own study-bedroom. This is his own private zone that he can decorate as he
pleases (within limits set by his House Master) and where he can entertain friends — or exclude them if he
wants a bit of peace and quiet. But beware, the Boys’ Maid will be a great friend and ally if he plays his cards
right, but will not take it kindly if his room is a perpetual tip.
Host: And holidays?
Bill: All boys have the normal school holidays but they can also go home or go out with their parents — with
the House Master’s permission — whenever they are free from school or house commitments.
Host: I’ll stop you there Bill. It’s time for a commercial.

The West’s Debt to Chinese Science

Exercise 2– Track 2

Last week we looked at the transfer of science from Ancient Greece to Ancient Rome and how this
knowledge resurfaced later during the Renaissance. Today I am going to move to the East, and look at
Chinese science. Actually, the West owes a great deal to Chinese science. By this, I mean that a lot of Western
technology is actually built upon Chinese science. In fact, it was estimated by the great Sinologist Joseph
Needham that more than half of the basic inventions and discoveries upon which the modern world depends

72
come from China. This transfer of technology also shows how closely humanity is connected, and that the
world has always been more of a global village than is commonly thought.
Most people know that fireworks, the compass, paper, and printing were first invented in China but they do
not realise how many other ordinary things such as wheelbarrows, fishing reels and playing cards were also
invented there. Many seemingly simple Chinese inventions, like the iron plough and rudder, changed the
course of history.
European exploration and the colonization of the world that followed the Age of Discovery were built on
Eastern nautical technology. Shipping is not usually an area of expertise associated with China, yet except for
the last few centuries its nautical technology was superior to the West’s. European ships were simple one-
masted boats without rudders and fitted with ineffectual square sails. Chinese masts and sails allowed ships to
sail into the wind. European ones couldn’t. The adoption of Chinese technology, particularly the
development of three-masted ships, enabled the great voyages of Magellan and Columbus. Much of this
shipping technology was transferred by diffusion; in other words, it came to the West indirectly, in this case
by Arab sailors.
One of the greatest gifts China gave the world was a good plough. The plough was taken back to Holland in
the early 1600s, from where it spread through Europe and across the Atlantic to America. The introduction
of the new plough has been described as “the single most important element in the European agricultural
revolution.” Chinese ploughs had a cast-iron share (the share is the blade that cuts through the soil) and a
moldboard (that is, a curved plate of iron attached above the share that turns the soil to the side and thereby
greatly reduces friction on the plough). Chinese ploughs were strong and allowed the ploughing depth to be
adjusted. European ploughs had a crude share attached to a piece of wood, couldn’t be adjusted for depth,
and had no moldboard. The difference in muscle power required to work the two types is incredible: Chinese
farmers could plough with a single ox, but Europeans needed a large team of oxen. To recap, the Chinese
ploughs were more efficient, stronger, and could be adjusted for depth.

Job Interview

Exercise 3 – Track 3
A. Well now, your C.V. does look impressive Mr. Ludwig.
B. Thank you sir.
A. Have you always lived here in Hobart?
B. Yes, ever since we arrived in Tasmania 3 years ago. We saw Mt. Wellington and knew at once that this
could be home, and we’ve been here in the capital ever since.
A. Mmm. So why do you want to leave your present job?
B. I would like to work for a larger company that can offer me the chance to further my career. I’d also like
more responsibility.
A. And when would you be available?
B. To be fair to my present employer, I would need to give one month’s notice. Shall we say in just over 4
weeks, as I’d need to train someone for my position?
A. Fine, I understand perfectly. However, if we do employ you, you would have to go to King Island for 3
weeks’ training’
B. No problem at all. Is there a lot of travelling with the job?
A. Quite a bit, Mr. Ludwig. You’ll attend meetings all over the island, and also in Sydney and Auckland. We
used to have a number of conferences in Hawaii but this changed last year. Next year we might ask you to fly
to London.
B. Great. I’d love to.

73
Culture Shock

Exercise 4 – Track 4

The Dean: Thank you, thank you and now for a gentleman who needs no introduction. Please welcome our
guest this afternoon – Dr. Gerd Von Conrad. Over to you Doctor.

GCV: Thank you. It’s always a pleasure to be here. So let’s think about culture shock. For over thirty years,
culture shock has been a bona fide field of research for European and American anthropologists and
psychologists. They have studied the reactions and experiences during the first few months in a new country
of travellers and diplomats, business people and international students.

The anthropologist Dr. Kalvero Oberg was the first to use the term. Others have since experimented with
‘culture fatigue’ and ‘role shock’ but these have not made it into everyday usage. Culture shock is snappy and
somehow we all know what it means to us, although if asked, we may find it as difficult to define as ‘jet lag’ or
‘homesickness’.

Some researchers describe five stages; others believe it is a six or even seven stage process. Not everyone
experiences the same exact stages but most travellers will go through the highs and lows, the positive as well
as the negative aspects of living in a new culture. The different stages roughly are as follows:

At first, you are excited by the new environment and a few frustrations do not spoil your enthusiasm. When
experiencing some difficulties with simple things like, for instance, making telephone calls, or using public
transport, you tend to down-play negative emotions.

Then follows a period in which cultural differences in behaviour and values become more obvious. What
previously seemed exciting, new and challenging is now merely frustrating. You may feel isolated and become
withdrawn from life around you. You seek security in the familiar. Food from home, possibly even what you
never particularly enjoyed, becomes a focus, maybe an obsession.

In the next stage, you may reject what is around you, perhaps becoming opinionated and negative. You may
feel that everyone is against you and that nobody understands you.

Exercise 5 – Track 5

GCV: But what about all those many people who immediately feel at home in Britain? What kind of person
embraces everything wholeheartedly and enthusiastically? Who experiences no problems in settling in?

Research has shown that the more well travelled and practised at absorbing, accepting and adapting you are,
the more easily you overcome culture shock. If you are confident from speaking the language and possess a
thorough knowledge of your new home, you can feel settled after a relatively short period.

If you have adjusted well to your new environment, you perform competently the roles that each social
context requires and thus avoid the frustrations resulting from inappropriate behaviour. Some individuals do
not seek cultural adjustment, either because they do not agree with the values and behaviour prevalent in the
new country, or because they are afraid of losing too much of their own cultural identity. Living in a cultural
vacuum may not be easy and can lead to feeling, and being treated, like an outsider.

74
Penny Lane Map

Exercise 6 – Track 6

Guide: Hi everybody, my name is Sarah and I’m here to show you around your new second home; if we can
call a campus “home” that is. We’ve just left the student union and are looking at the main campus clock in
front of us. Now follow me. We’re heading for the building to our left, the post office, which is between the
physics laboratory and the Mechanical Engineering Department.
Student 1. Is it open every day?
Guide: Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm. It’s always closed over the weekend.
Student 1. Do you have an internet café?
Guide: Let me see, we do yes. I’ll come to that in a minute. If you look across Penny Lane, you can see a 2-
storey modern building with a flat roof. That’s where our student magazine is produced. Also, we print our
very own weekly newspaper there. People tend to call the place the rag shop.
Student 2. But all these buildings are modern.
Guide: Well, I’m talking about the one between those two. It’s set back a little. Most of what you see are
classrooms and the library. If we head back to the student union you can see the oldest building on campus to
its left. It used to be the library but was converted last year into the campus radio station. Behind it is the
computer store.
Student 2: What are the opening hours of the computer store?
Guide: It opens Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm. It opens at the same time on Saturday but closes
slightly earlier at 4pm. It is closed all day on Sunday. We were originally going to build the sports stadium
where the computer store is but it was decided to relocate it. You can see it over there. It is the large building
this side of Penny Lane, opposite the internet café for those of you interested in emailing home to family and
friends
Student 1. Excuse me Sarah, some of us would like to go to shop in the Super Saver. Do we have time to go
there now?
Guide: Of course. There are great bargains to be had. However, you must show your student I.D. That goes
for all of you. The shop itself was opened in July 2005. On the first day alone 20 plasma television sets were
sold, along with twice as many cell phones. Most buyers were girls. Each day 13 different types of foreign
newspapers are still sold despite the Internet. Weekly, the ladies are given a choice of 30 various foreign
magazines. So come on, let’s go shopping.

Hotel Form

Exercise 7 – Track 7

A. Good morning. The Hilton Hotel. My name is Robin. How can I help you?
B. Oh, hello. I’d like to book a room, please.
A. Certainly sir. I just have to take a few details.
B. Of course.
A. May I have your name please?
B. Yes. My name is Mark Baranski.
A. Could you spell that please?
B. Mark – M – A – R – K, Baranski – B – A – R – A – N – S – K – I
A. And your telephone number?
B. My land line is 508118. No. Wait. Sorry, let me give you my mobile number. It’s 0916-2027445
A. And how many guests will be arriving?
B. I’ll be travelling solo for this trip.
A. When will you be arriving Mr. Baranski?

75
B. Let me see. It’s Monday today, so on Thursday. Thursday the 16th of May.
A. And how long will you be staying?
B. Two nights.
A. So leaving on the Sunday?
B. No, leaving on the Saturday? Saturday the 18th.
A. Ah, yes. Thank you. Do you know the time you’ll be arriving so that we can make sure your room is ready
for you?
B. Yes, about 1pm. No make that 2.30. I forgot I have a meeting that day.
A. Thank you.

Booking a Table

Exercise 8 – Track 8

A: Hello. The Italian Job.

B: Hi. I’m calling about a group booking for this coming weekend, Saturday evening, December 4th. It’s our
Christmas party but we’re having it early this year.
A: That’s a good idea. What time did you have in mind?
B: Well, some of us are working until six, so seven would be ideal, but if it’s later, say 8 o’clock, that’s okay
too.
A: Let me check. This Saturday, the 4th, umm, yes, 7 o’clock is fine. How many people will there be in total?
B: There are 22 of us in the office, but I think 20 will turn up, yes, 18 to 20 I would say.
A: Okay. I’ll prepare for 20 but let me know by noon if there are any cancellations. Now, I have a few
questions for seating. Would you like a private room?
B: Yes, that would be perfect.
A: And the seating: you could have three large round banquet tables, or a single long table.
B: We would like to be together as much as possible. We’ll take one of those long tables.
A: No problem.
B: About the food; you’re still running the promotion for groups? It’s called the Number Five Set Meal I
think.
A: Yes, that’s right; you’ll get salad, soup, garlic bread, five different extra-large pizzas, and soft drinks. And
with the special offer, you’ll get two bottles of red wine on the house.
B: If memory serves me right, that’s $19 a person.
A: Actually, it’s just $17 per person.
B: All right, that sounds very reasonable. I guess you’ll need my contact details.
A. Yes, your name and a telephone number please.
B: Janet Williamson.
A: Janet Williamson, okay.
B: And I’ll give you my work number, that’s at the First Commercial Bank, 3700138.
A: 3700138. Well, that’s all we need. We’ll see you on Saturday then.
B: Thanks.

76
Place Names. What is the UK?

Exercise 9 Track 9

Place Names What is the UK?

England, Britain, Great Britain, the UK, the United Kingdom – are these all names of the same place? Yes,
and no. Great Britain is made up of England, Scotland and Wales. The people are “British,” though we can
also refer to people from the various parts as English, Scottish and Welsh. It’s worth remembering that many
people from Wales and Scotland don’t like to be called English. The name Great Britain is often shortened to
Britain. The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Island. People usually say “the UK”
rather than the full name. Don’t confuse Ireland, which is an independent country, with Northern Ireland.
They are located on the same island but are different political entities. By far, the largest city in Britain is
London. It’s located in the south-east of England. It’s the capital and an important world financial centre.
Some other large English cities include Manchester, the port city of Liverpool and Birmingham. The capital
city of Scotland is Edinburgh but the largest city is Glasgow. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, and
Cardiff is the capital of Wales. The cities of Oxford and Cambridge are known around the world for their
ancient and excellent universities.

Common British Family Names

Exercise 10 – Track 10

Common British Family Names

Some surnames come from occupations. For example, the family name “Potter.” A potter is someone who
makes dishes from clay, or to put it more simply, makes pots. Another surname that comes from an
occupation is “Smith.” A smith is a person who works with metal. Some names are quite obvious: “Cook”,
for instance. Other names are less obvious because the occupations have died out or are rare. The surname
“Cooper” is a good example of this. A cooper is a person who makes barrels.
Some common surnames come from places, both place names and landscapes. So, we can find surnames that
come from a city such as “London” or even a country, “Ireland.” Surnames from geographical features are
more widespread; two common ones are “Woods” and “Hill.”
Perhaps the most common origin of family names is from patronyms. This means that the surnames come
from the father’s first name. There are several main kinds. Firstly, those with the suffix “son” added. Take the
surname “Robinson” for example. “Robinson” means “the son of Robin.” “Johnson” means the “son of
John” and “Williamson” is “the son of William,” and so on. There’s a short form of “son” – this is where
“s,” is added instead. So, rather than “Williamson” we have “Williams.” Other common examples are “Jones”
and “Roberts.”
Some Scottish and Irish names use prefixes. “Mac” – spelt either M-A-C or M-C – means “son of.”
“McDonald,” for example, means “son of Donald.” “O’” is Irish for “grandson of,” so the surname
“O’Connor” means “grandson of Connor.”

Popular First Names

Time to turn to some popular first names. For boys we have: Oliver, Jack, Harry, Thomas, and James. And
for girls, some current favourites are: Emily, Jessica, Sophie, Lily, and Isabelle.

77
Street Names
“High Street” is the most common street name in Britain. Its origins have nothing to do with the streets
being physically higher, but in the meaning of high as “superior.”

Many street names use titles of British Royalty, for example, “Queen Street.” Often a particular monarch’s
name is used. Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901 and pretty much every town or city has a “Victoria
Street.” Nearby, you may find an “Albert Street,” named after Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert.
Many roads and streets take their name from important town landmarks or places. We often see a “Park
Street” or a “Church Road.” Likewise, railway stations were a focal point of towns so “Station Road” is one
of the most common names.

The Three Gorges Dam

Exercise 11 – Track 11

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It’s an honour to be here. My name is David Frear. I’m an ecologist and
I am going to give a short talk on the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydro-electric dam. Now, I
know it’s quite cold in here but that’s to make sure nobody dozes off during my speech. My presentation isn’t
long so I’ll have plenty of time to answer any questions at the end.
The Chinese have a long history of water works; they were already building a dam on the Min River as early
as 256BC. This dam was part of an irrigation system that also served to control annual flooding. Likewise, the
Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River was built for multiple purposes. There were three motivations for
building it: the first is to control flooding along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In 1998, for example,
flooding in that area resulted in 4,000 dead, 14 million people left homeless and $24 billion in economic loss.
The second purpose is to generate electricity. China needs more energy to power its rapid economic growth.
Electricity from the dam will make China less reliant on coal and foreign oil. One big environmental benefit
of this is that there will be fewer greenhouse gases produced. When the dam is operating at full power in a
few years, it will reduce coal consumption by 31 million tonnes per year, avoiding the emission of 100 million
tonnes of greenhouse gases.
The third purpose is to improve navigation of the river above the dam. This third point may need some
explaining as it seems counterintuitive. You might think a dam would interrupt shipping, but the dam results
in a higher water level, and therefore a deeper shipping channel above it. This means that large ships can now
travel up to the booming city of Chongching. There is also an environmental benefit from shipping; it has a
smaller carbon footprint than moving goods by truck.
Of course, the dam is also a symbol: it shows the world just how far China has come. The Three Gorges
Dam is China’s biggest construction project since the Great Wall was erected. It is 600 feet high and one and
a half miles wide. The idea for a dam was originally proposed in 1919 by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Because of civil
unrest and World War Two, the project, although not forgotten, went no further than a plan on paper.
Interest in building a dam resurfaced in the 1980s, and government approval was finally given in 1992.
Construction began in 1994.
Okay, now I would like to look at some of the possible negative environmental impacts. Critics of the dam
have expressed concern about sedimentation, that is, the build-up of sediment in the dam. The Yangtze River
is the fourth largest carrier of sediment in the world. This build-up of sediment

78
Dealing with Problems

Exercise 12 – Track 12

A. In what ways has health care changed in your country?

Health care is much more high-tech now. There are a lot of machines such as scanners. In addition, people go
to hospitals more often than before, even for simple things, because the government’s national health
insurance has made visiting hospitals so cheap. I also think that in the past, western medicine was less popular
than Chinese medicine. Nowadays, most people prefer western medicine, especially for serious medical
problems.

B. What problems have changes in the health care system caused?

Because medicine has become more high-tech, it has also become more expensive. Only big hospitals in large
cities can afford the best equipment. The result is that the gap between rural and urban areas has grown.
Another problem is that too many people are going to hospital for minor problems because the national
health insurance system has made it so cheap for patients. This overuse is expensive for the government and
means that doctors spend less time with patients.

C. What are some possible solutions for these problems?

Well, I’m not sure how we can narrow the rural-urban gap in medical equipment but the government has
been trying to increase the quality of medical personnel in rural areas; many medical school graduates who
have studied on government scholarships are now required to serve in remote areas for at least one year. As
to the problem of overuse, the solution is relatively simple; the government needs to increase the cost of
medical care at hospitals.

D. What are some of the most serious health problems in the developed world?
People in the developed world tend to eat, drink and smoke too much. As a result, the most serious health
problems are heart disease, cancer, especially lung cancer, and diabetes. Traffic accidents are also a major
cause of injuries and deaths. Mental health is a big problem, too; depression and stress have become
increasingly common in developed countries.

Aboriginal People

Exercise 12 – Track 13

Aboriginal people traditionally were much healthier than they are today. Living in the open in land largely free
from disease, they benefited from a better diet, more exercise, less stress, and a tight-knit social structure.

Nonetheless, Aboriginal peoples often had need of bush medicines. Sleeping at night by fires meant they
sometimes suffered from burns. Strong sunshine and certain foods caused headaches, and eye infections were
common. Feasting on sour fruits or rancid meat caused digestive upsets, and although tooth decay was not a
problem, coarse gritty food sometimes wore teeth down to the nerves. Aborigines were also occasionally
stung by jellyfish or bitten by snakes and spiders. In the bush there was always a chance of injury, and fighting
usually ended in severe bruises and gashes.

Unfortunately, much of the knowledge of traditional Aboriginal medicine has been lost. Very little is known
of medical practice in southern and eastern Australia, where traditional Aboriginal culture was largely
obliterated more than a century ago.

79
The Not So Friendly Giants

Exercise 14 – Track 14

Many of you will have seen the dramatic footage of the recent elephant attack in South Africa. Three tourists
and their field guide were travelling in a four-wheel-drive vehicle along a dirt road in a game reserve. They
were looking for elephants, and they had no idea that what had started out as a sightseeing drive, would end
in horror. As they drove over a ridge, the elephants were suddenly right in front of them on the road. The
matriarch turned to face them. She fanned her ears forward, lowered her head, and made a low trumpeting
distress call. The elephant charged the reversing vehicle. It was not a bluff-charge! The elephant caught up
with them, and within seconds she overturned the vehicle with the aid of her tusks and trunk.
This dramatic encounter is a reminder of how dangerous elephants are. The fact of the matter is the general
public does not realize how dangerous elephants can be. I often get annoyed when I see these reports of
attacks, because I know that in most cases the people were at fault, but usually the elephants are blamed. I
would like to explain some of the reasons why elephants attack people.
The African elephant is the world’s largest land animal. They live in tightly-knit family herds, led by the oldest
cow – the matriarch. Because they are very social, and closely related, they are defensive, that is protective, of
each other. This is doubly true if a calf is present. It is not only the mother that will defend a calf; aunties and
older sisters will also come to the aid of a calf in distress.
Anyone who has ever worked in uncomfortable conditions, or worked while feeling sick, would admit that it
is very easy for tempers to flare. Likewise, when elephants are under stress, they tend to be more aggressive.
When you step into a crowded elevator, most of the people will be staring at the ground, or at the walls.
People do this since they feel uncomfortable when other people are standing within their personal space. All
animals have a personal space, but unlike humans, whose personal space is a radius of about one meter, the
personal space of animals is relatively large. And when juveniles and protective parents are brought into the
equation, the area becomes even bigger. When a person enters this area, intentionally or accidentally, animals
often respond with aggression.
The final condition under which an elephant can be extremely dangerous is when elephant bulls are in musth.
During this period, which lasts two to three months, testosterone levels are extremely high, and they become
very aggressive. An elephant bull in musth will challenge any intruder it sees as a threat, and bulls that lose
fights against rival bulls often vent their frustration on trees and any other object they encounter, including
people and vehicles.

Exercise 15 – Track 15

The Not So Friendly Giants

I’d like to return to the elephant attack I began the lesson with. First of all, you’re probably wondering what
happened to the four people in the overturned vehicle. Amazingly, they survived with just a few scratches,
and the only fatality was the vehicle. So, which factors were involved in this incident? Obviously, as the attack
was made by the matriarch, musth did not play a role. Stress did however. It was the dry season, and the
elephants were under stress due to a shortage of water. Another factor was that the four-wheel-drive vehicle
mentioned earlier unintentionally entered the personal space of the elephants as it came over the ridge. This
was made worse by the fact that there was a calf present thus making the elephants even more protective than
usual.

80
The Dominican Republic

Exercise 16, 17 and 18 – Track 16, 17, 18

Dr. Moss: It’s my great pleasure to introduce you all to our distinguished guests for the afternoon, John and
David Lee. They have been working for two weeks with an organisation I’m sure you all know – Habitat. No,
they weren’t selling chairs and tables for two weeks; they were involved in charity work in the Dominican
Republic organized by Habitat.
John: Thank you. Yes, we went to the Dominican Republic to do some work with Habitat. The Dominican
Republic is a country of about ten million inhabitants in the Caribbean. It’s on the island of Hispaniola – the
nation of Haiti is in the western third of the island, and the Dominican Republic takes up the other two-thirds
of the island.
We spent about 10 of the 14 days of the project actually building houses. This meant constructing concrete
block homes about 8 by 6 metres with concrete roofs. Most of the homes we worked on already had walls
and the majority of the work involved mixing concrete and pouring the roofs.

Dr. Moss: Did you have any problems when you were building the homes?
David: Well, water was a big problem but we obtained it for the concrete from a creek near the town. Every
morning we headed down there in an old pick-up truck and scooped water into oil drums, which we covered
with reeds to minimize splashing. Then we headed up the hill to the housing project where we siphoned the
water out of the drums to mix with our concrete. It was hot, hard work, but very rewarding.
Dr. Moss: I’m sure it was. Did you get much help from the locals?
David: Habitat's policy is that the recipient family has to work on their own house, plus those of others. This
meant that we were working alongside the Dominicans – mainly men – during most of our day.
Dr. Moss: You say, ‘Mainly men’?
David: The women were assigned cooking duties – women's lib has not arrived there yet. It was interesting
to see the attitudes change towards the women in our group as the weeks wore on. Dominican men, like
many Latin Americans, tend to be naturally chauvinistic and were quite surprised at the stamina of the
women in our group. Many Dominican males seem to have mistresses as well as wives; very strange
considering it’s such a strong Catholic country.

Dr. Moss: Is that what you remember most about the Dominican Republic?
John: We’ve got lots of memories alright. On the first Sunday morning we were there, we had arranged a
delivery of a dump truck full of gravel to be delivered to the housing project on the following morning.
Unfortunately, just before it got to the housing project it became stuck up to its axles in a mud hole. We had
to dump the entire load – about 12 yards of gravel – out, then dig out the truck, and finally shovel it all back
on board again. This took most of the day. The heat and mosquitoes were overwhelming.
Dr. Moss: What about you David?
David: Occasionally after work, we would head off to the only tourist-type hotel in Barahona where they
would let us use their pool for a dollar. It was quite a strange feeling seeing all the rich tourists lying around
the pool sipping their drinks. Because we were there working and living with the locals, I tended to see them
in a different, not too complimentary, perspective. I have never felt comfortable with a package-type holiday
since.

81
 TEST 1

SECTION 1
ALISON: Hi, Steven! Glad you're back. We have been flat out!
STEVEN: Really?
ALISON: I've written down a whole lot of messages for you.
STEVEN: Sorry, I'm so late! I went to the music shop [EXAMPLE] to buy a CD and I came across
something really interesting.
ALISON: What? A CD?
STEVEN: No, an advertisement for a music festival; mainly Latin American music. Q1
Would you like to have a look?
ALISON: Latin American music Festival? I really love the singing. Let's have a look. So what's the
group El Camino?
STEVEN: I heard that they're really good. I had a listen to their CD while I was in the music store.
The singer is amazing I never heard anyone sing Latin American music this well before.
ALISON: I quite like Latin American music.
STEVEN: Do you think we should go to the festival then?
ALISON: Oh yeah, let's do it!
STEVEN: The tickets are really expensive though look at these prices!
ALISON: Oh, come on it’s worth it and we have been working so hard. Let's treat ourselves.
STEVEN: All right let's go on Friday night then. Q2
ALISON: Yes okay. I haven't made any plans. Shall I fill out the booking sheet or will you do it?
STEVEN: I can do it. Name: Steven Smith. Address: 14 Brown Avenue, Compton. Hey, what's our Q3
new postcode? I can't remember it.
Let me see I wrote it down somewhere. It's WG5939. Q4
ALISON: Do we need to write down the phone number as well?
STEVEN: Oh yes, they want us to write that down too.
ALISON: All right, let me see it’s 02684 555343. Q5
STEVEN: Okay, so that's 02684 555343… Is that correct?
ALISON: Yes that's right
[pause for next questions]
ALISON: Wow! I'm so excited we're actually going to do this!
STEVEN: Yes, and we deserve this as we have been working hard.
ALISON: So let's see, the first group starts at 7 PM and it is an instrumental performance. Q6
It's quite good value at only $10.
STEVEN: That might be a bit early I am not sure we can make it.
ALISON: Well okay, how about we start with the second performance. That starts at 8:30 PM. Q7
STEVEN: Okay excellent, and what type of performance is that.
ALISON: It's Salsa. It's a bit more expensive, but I'm sure it's worth it, it costs $20. Q8
STEVEN: Yeah alright, let's start with that then… Is there anything else worth checking out?
ALISON: Well, I'm not sure if you're into Rumba. That starts at 10 o'clock and tickets are $14. Q9
STEVEN: Yes let's do that as well, it's going to cost us a fortune but I think it's worth it.
ALISON: Oh, some good news on that! It says here that there is an early bird discount. And if we
hurry up and book we can get 20% off for booking early. Q10
STEVEN: All right good plan!

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SECTION 2

When emergency workers arrive at an old firehouse in New York City, the way they greet each other is
not what you might expect.

These first responders say, "Ni Hao!”

“Ni Hao” means "hello" in Mandarin Chinese.

First responders are the first emergency workers to arrive at a fire, traffic accident or other Q11
emergency. Some first responders are fire fighters, while others can be Emergency Medical
Technicians, also known as EMTs, or paramedics.

In Brooklyn, New York, over 20 first responders are studying Mandarin Chinese for about two hours a
week. The class is the first of its kind. It is offered by the Fire Department of New York's Phoenix
Society and the New York City Fire Department Foundation.

New York City is a diverse area. The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that some New York
neighborhoods are made up mostly of immigrants. Q12

Some people have predicted that the Chinese community is likely to become New York's largest
immigrant group. They think the city will have the largest Chinese community outside of Asia.

The Census Bureau also found that almost 200 languages are spoken in the city. So, knowing different Q13
languages is important, especially if you are a first responder.

Lieutenant Steve Lee is president of the Fire Department’s Phoenix Society. Lee says that first
responders must be able to communicate quickly and effectively when an emergency happens. He Q14
explains that first responders enter neighborhoods and communities to assist people regardless of where
they are from.

[PAUSE]

Lee says that many times first responders do not speak the same language as the people they are called
to help. He adds that it is vital, or very important, that first responders are able to communicate with the Q15
people calling for help.

Without help from homeowners and others, Lee adds, discovering exactly where a fire is burning can
be a real problem. First responders need to ask questions such as "What building? What address? What
apartment?” And one of the most important questions, “Is there anybody left in the building and Q16
where?"

The Census Bureau findings demonstrate the great need for multilingual skills. There are currently
450,000 non-English speaking Asians in New York City. On any given day, only six Asian-American Q17
firefighters are working the city streets.

Lily Cheung is teaching Mandarin Chinese to the first responders. She calls the first group taking the
classes "amazing."

83
Cheung says she can see amazing progress they have made with this language, which according to her
is one of the hardest languages in the world. Q18

She explains that these first responders work long hours. Some, she says, come to class right after
working a night shift without resting in between. “This is a really dedicated group,” she adds.

Cheung started teaching Mandarin when she was 11-years old. And she has her own method of
teaching, something she calls the "Chinglish Way."

She says she first explains the English order of the sentence, followed by the Chinese order. Then she Q19
takes an English sentence and says it in Chinese. Cheung says breaking up the sentence and then
combining the parts together can make it easy for students to understand.

One of her students is first responder Doraun Ellis. He has been a paramedic for 14 years.

Ellis explains that Cheung goes to each and every single student in the class and goes over the lesson
until the whole class understands it completely. He adds that the teacher really shows the class how to
use the language they are learning. Q20

Ellis adds that the more he is able to communicate with a patient on an emergency call, the more at
ease the patient feels.

SECTION 3

MIKE: Hola! Sarah.

SARAH: Your Spanish language lessons seem to be going well, Mike.
MIKE: Yes, and did you know, Sarah, that linguists believe learning a second language Q21
can boost brainpower? Bilingualism, or using two languages equally well can be
considered a type of brain training. Brain training is learning ways to increase your
memory or intelligence.
SARAH: That's great Mike, but are you bilingual?
MIKE: Er. Not yet. No.
SARAH: Well, brain training is the subject of today's talk. Q22
And there are lots of different ways you can train your brain such as doing homework,
enjoying puzzles or, according to research, studying a new language!
MIKE: Now let's listen to psychologist, Dr Thompson, talking about why being bilingual may Q23
protect your brain from damage if you have a stroke.
DR THOMPSON: I think the theory behind why speaking a second language might help prevent strokes
is that it seems to exercise different parts of our brain. This exercise seems to make our
brain more resilient when it comes to the sort of damage that can be caused by a
stroke. A stroke occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is cut off. Mental skills
involved in doing things like problem solving and planning seems to make the brain
resilient to temporary shortages of blood flows. So when a bilingual speaker switches
from one language to another this exercises parts of their brain, making it stronger and Q24
fitter. And because the brain is stronger and fitter, it's able to resist the damage caused
by a stroke.

84
SARAH: Well now I'm worried I am not exercising my brain and I might suffer from a
stroke.
MIKE: Don't worry, Sarah. There are other things you can do to exercise your brain like
doing some sort of puzzles that make you use your brain, so that you are
exercising it. If you're right-handed, doing tasks like brushing your teeth with your Q25
left hand will stimulate your brain
[PAUSE]
SARAH: Okay great, I enjoy puzzles, this sounds like a great excuse to go buy some more.
MIKE: There are other things you can also do such as to include certain foods in your diet.
Research shows chocolate may enhance or improve cognitive performance. Now Q26
let's listen to Dr Thompson talking about building up our cognitive reserve.
DR THOMPSON: Cognitive reserve is the idea of building up the brain to protect it against
declining memory or thinking. Continually just stimulating the brain and doing
things like learning a language, learning music, and educating yourself, seems to
continue to build up that cognitive reserve. This means that if people take up Q27
languages or do other cognitive tasks later in life it will give them a degree of Q28
protection. Stimulate means to make something become more active.
MIKE: Hmm. Not sure I'm continually stimulating my brain. What do you think Sarah?
SARAH: Well, what about your Spanish lessons.
MIKE: Sarah, you've put my mind at rest.
DR THOMPSON: And if you put someone's mind at rest you stop them worrying. Q29
Well, don't get too relaxed Mike your brain needs constant stimulation,
remember? Here is a question for you. How many neurons are there in the human
brain.
MIKE: I don’t know I guess about 80 million.
DR I thought you were feeling clever today, Mike. That’s a terrible answer. It's 80 Q30
THOMPSON: billion. Do you know how scientists calculated that number?
MIKE: No, not exactly. But I guess they would count how many neurons there are in one
part of the brain and then estimate it for the rest of the brain.
DR THOMPSON: Correct! Well done Mike.

SECTION 4

American Danielle Dixson is a marine biologist. She wants to make science fun for children. Dixson
has turned that idea into a series of children’s books. The nine books are written so that her research is
easy to understand.

Danielle Dixson is an assistant professor at the University of Delaware. Dixson says another goal of
her writing is to help increase understanding of the ocean environment. Q31

She spent almost two years in the South Pacific working on her post-doctoral research. She went to the
island nation of Fiji to investigate coral reefs that are collapsing or, as she says, degrading.

The goal of her research is to identify why some healthy coral reefs are breaking down. She also wants
to find out how this degradation affects fish that live in and around the reefs. Q32

85
Early in her research, Dixson made videos for people in Fiji. These videos explained her work to the Q33
local community. She says she wanted them to understand how her research would help them.

For the local children, Dixson started making books explaining her work. This helped to keep them
from walking through her “laboratory” – baby pools filled with water she was using for her
experiments.

When Dixson returned to the United States, she started doing the same thing for children in this
country. She uses colorful story books to capture the imagination of children. While she has their
attention, she provides very useful information about science. Q34

Home and family are at the heart of many great stories. The search for one’s home or protecting one’s
home is universal.

In one of her books, Danielle Dixson tells young readers about two fish Q35
-- Mr. and Mrs. Goby. The fish live in a coral reef. And their home is sick.

The story about the little fish was based on one of Dixson's studies. She explains that one form of
seaweed kills coral on contact. Q36

The goby fish have a strong interest in keeping their coral home healthy. When coral are in danger
from seaweed, the marine organisms send a distress signal to Mr. and Mrs. Goby.

“Please come help!” And that’s just what the fish do. Dixson explains.

So I was interested to see if since the goby lives in the coral, that's really its home, it should have
a vested interest in protecting its home. So I ran a series of experiments to see, you know, does the Q37
goby actually help the coral fight the seaweed? And it ends up that they do and we found out that the
corals actually can chemically communicate with the goby to tell it, like, ‘Come help me! I'm hurt right
here!’

As a marine scientist, Dixson wants her stories to be both educational and inspirational, Q38
serving as an agent for change. She also includes in her books “a call to action,” asking readers what
they can do to make a difference.

Danielle Dixson’s books shine a light on the environmental problems facing our world’s oceans. They
also make science fun and understandable for children. But her books may have an unintended Q39
consequence, something she may not have planned on. Q40

When Danielle visited an aquarium at age five, a tour guide gave her a book about whales. The
conversations that resulted from that book inspired Dixson to become a marine biologist. Perhaps her
books will inspire a child to make science a career.

86
 TEST 2

SECTION 1

AGENT: Hello, nice to see you again, have you decided to rent the apartment?
TENANT: Yes, I would like to go for it. I have been looking for a long time and this place seems
ideal.
AGENT: I'm glad to hear that. Let's fill out a contract. What's your name?
TENANT: My name is Tina Shen. [EXAMPLE]
AGENT: Thank you and how do you spell your family name?
TENANT: It's Shen, that's S-H-E-N. Q1
AGENT: Thank you and can you tell me a contact phone number, please?
TENANT: Yes sure, I’ll give you the number for my sister's house, it’s 04764 776640 Q2
AGENT: Okay, so that's 0-4-7-6-4-7-7- 6-6-4-0… Is that correct?
TENANT: Yes, that's right.
AGENT: And do you have an e-mail address?
TENANT: Oh yes, sure it's [email protected].
AGENT: Thank you for that and it's just in case we can't get you on the phone. And may I ask what
your occupation is?
TENANT: I have just graduated from the University of Adelaide, and now I'm working there as an
accountant. Q3
AGENT: I That sounds like a good place to work. Now, do you know that you're not allowed to
keep any cats or dogs in the apartment?
TENANT: Yes, I know that. Actually, I have a pet goldfish, will it be okay to bring it? Q4
AGENT: Yeah sure, we don't have any problem with them, they don't cause any trouble with
neighbours!
TENANT: Oh, that's great because I really love my fish.
AGENT: Now how long would you like to sign a contract for? The minimum is six months, but we
can also do it for a year if you like.
TENANT: To be honest, what would be perfect is if I can rent it for nine months. My contract with Q5
the university expires in nine months and it would be good to stay flexible.
AGENT: Certainly, we can do that for you. And what date would you like to move in.
TENANT: Well, …let me see…How about the 5th of August? Q6

AGENT: Yes ok, …let me just write that down here….5th of August. Well, that is all we need for
the contract.
[pause]
TENANT: Great that was easy.
AGENT: And what is it that you like most about this apartment?
TENANT: Well, I like the large rooms, but what attracted me the most to this apartment is that it is
very quiet. I'm a light sleeper, so this is very important to me. Q7
AGENT: Yes and another thing is it's really close to public transportation, especially buses.
TENANT: Oh, I am too lazy to take busses. I like to drive my car everywhere. Q8

87
AGENT: Also, it is very close to a gym…do you play any sports?
TENANT: Yes, I saw the gym. It's another reason I am keen on the apartment, I do like to work out.
Oh, and I am a big fan of playing tennis. And sometimes I play a bit of badminton. Q9
AGENT: Oh, I play tennis too. Where do you play?
TENANT: Most nights, just after I finish work at the university, I play on the courts there. It is a Q10
convenient place for me to play…and also it is free because I have a staff card.
AGENT: Wow, lucky you. I have to pay a lot every month!

SECTION 2

Today I would like to introduce to you Greenwich a borough in London, which I visited on a recent
holiday. Due to its location on the banks of the River Thames, it is known for its maritime history. You
can get there by bus, but I got there by taking a boat from Tower Bridge, which is next to the Tower of Q11
London. The area became a popular resort in the 18th century and many grand houses were built there,
such as Vanbrugh Castle which was established, in 1717, on Maze Hill, next to the park. Nowadays, Q12
Greenwich is most famous for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Mean Q13
Time.

Anyway, on to my trip to Greenwich, the first place I visited was the Royal Observatory. This is a
famous spot where the prime meridian passes, the 0° longitude which separates the eastern and western Q14
hemispheres. This imaginary line passes through nine different countries.

You have probably heard of Greenwich Mean Time. Official time was based on the clocks kept at the
Royal Observatory, and this is now called Universal Time. Very often, you see the time zone of cities Q15
expressed as plus or minus GMT. For example, Italy is GMT +1, which means when it's two o'clock in
Greenwich, it's three o'clock in Italy.

[pause]

One of my favourite places was the National Maritime Museum. It has many exhibits which showcase
Britain's past naval strength. The navy was essential for Britain to grow its empire Q16
back in the last century. Even though I am not very interested in ships and sailing, I was fascinated by
the stories told there and even the old building itself, which is a fine example of Georgian architecture. Q17
The museum was built in the 1930s, but it was formally opened by
King George the Sixth, in 1937. Q18

Another building I really enjoyed was the Queen's house, which was built for the wife of Charles I,
Henrietta Maria. It took 19 years to build and was finished in 1635. Q19 Q20

There really are many things to see here, and you must make the effort to get on the boat which takes
you to this part of the city for a memorable experience.

88
SECTION 3

STEVE: Today's Talk is about the Great Barrier Reef, which is located off the east coast of
Australia.
BETH: Oh great, I've been to the Great Barrier Reef and I think it’s a fabulous place
STEVE: The Great Barrier Reef is considered one of the natural wonders of the world but it is in
danger from various environmental factors.
BETH: Why is it in danger?
STEVE: Scientists are using seals to find this out. Seals are excellent divers and they can go down Q21
deep underneath the surface of the ocean to the depth of the reef.
BETH: And then what do these seals do?
STEVE: Well, scientists are equipping them with a sensor, which is a small electronic device that
is used for taking measurements. Q22
BETH: And what are they trying to measure?
STEVE: Well, the coral is getting bleached and one theory about this is that it is because the water
is becoming saltier. The level of salt in the sea is very important for marine life,
particularly for coral reefs. Q23
BETH: Now to find out more about how seals are being used, let’s listen to Dr. Howard
DR Well, seals spend much of the winter foraging for fish and squid under the ice of the sea.
HOWARD: Our team have glued small sensors to the seals' heads, which measure salt levels and
water temperatures. When the seals resurface the information is transmitted back to our
lab by the internet. Q24
BETH: How do the seals get the information that scientists need?
DR Well, when the seals dive down under the ice, looking for food, the sensors on their heads
HOWARD: automatically collect the information about the salt level and temperature of the water. Q25
This information is then sent back to our lab when the seals surface.
[pause]
DR The seals are giving us an incredible amount of data about what is happening beneath the
HOWARD: waves' and with this data, we scientists are getting a good picture of what is happening
under the water. Q26
BETH: What do the seals do while they are under the water?
DR They spend much of the winter looking for fish and squid under the sea ice. They can Q27
HOWARD: spend quite a long time underwater, and then when the seals return to the surface the data Q28
is transmitted back to our lab.
STEVE: So how is this information being gathered under the ice of Antarctica of use in predicting
what is going to happen to the Great Barrier Reef? Q29
DR Scientists believe that what happens in Antarctica will happen in the future to the Great Q30
HOWARD: Barrier Reef. Therefore, they are keen to know what is happening in Antarctica because
similar conditions will occur later in the Great Barrier Reef.

89
SECTION 4

A new report says there are now more obese people in the world than there are underweight people.
Researchers from Imperial College London wrote the report. Their findings were published in the
British Medical journal The Lancet.

The researchers examined health records from about 20 million people for what they called the Q31
“world’s biggest obesity study.” Obesity is a condition in which the body stores large, unhealthy
amounts of fat. Obese individuals are considered overweight. They found that from 1975 to
2014, global obesity rates for men increased from 3.2 percent of the population to 10.8 percent. Q32
For women, it rose from 6.4 percent to 14.9 percent.

They estimate that in 2014 there were 266 million obese men and 375 million obese women Q33
worldwide. That represents about 9 percent of the more than 7 billion people alive today.

The study found that more than 2.3 percent of men and 5 percent of women are considered severely Q34
obese. A severely obese individual has a body mass index (or BMI) of over 35 kilograms per square Q35
meter. BMI is a way to measure a person’s height compared to their weight.

The study also found that about 1 percent of men and 2 percent of women are considered “morbidly
obese.” Such people have difficulty with simple activities because they are overweight. The
researchers say there are now 55 million morbidly obese adults worldwide. Majid Ezzati is the chief
writer of the report. He works at the Imperial College School of Public Health. Q36

He says coordinated global initiatives are needed to tackle this crisis. These initiatives
include looking at the “price of healthy food compared to unhealthy food, or taxing high sugar and Q37
highly-processed foods.”

The researchers warn if the problem of obesity worsens, 18 percent of men and 21 percent of women Q38
will be obese by 2025.

The study found that China has the most obese people of any country and the United States has Q39
the largest number of severely obese people.

The researchers also studied the number of people who are said to be underweight in different
countries. They said underweight levels have dropped from 14 percent to 9 percent among men, and
from 15 percent to 10 percent among women. Q40

About a fourth of the world’s underweight people live in India and Bangladesh.

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 TEST 3

SECTION 1

[phone rings]
RESTAURANT [man]: Good afternoon, Golden Dragon Restaurant. How may I help you?
CUSTOMER: [lady] I would like to book a table for next Sunday afternoon. We are
planning a bit of a celebration for my son's birthday.
RESTAURANT: Okay, so Sunday afternoon at about what time? [EXAMPLE]
CUSTOMER: Let's see one o'clock would be good, oh, let's make it 2 o'clock just to
make sure that we are not in any rush.
RESTAURANT: So that's the 14th?
CUSTOMER: Yes, the 14th of November at 2 o'clock. Q1
RESTAURANT: Now, how many people will be coming to the lunch? Sunday is our busy
day so we really need to know exactly how many people are coming.
CUSTOMER: Well let's see, there's my husband and I, my sister and her son. Oh, and of
course my son.
RESTAURANT: Okay, so that's five people than then?
CUSTOMER: Oh, wait six! I forgot about my son's best friend David. Q2
RESTAURANT: Since it's a birthday would you like us to prepare a cake for your son.
CUSTOMER: Yes, that would be fabulous that would save me a lot of effort. What sort
of cakes do you have?
RESTAURANT: We can do a strawberry cake, a banana cake, or our restaurant specialty of
white chocolate cheesecake.
CUSTOMER: Well my son loves chocolate so the cheesecake would be perfect Q3
RESTAURANT: Yes okay. And would you like to have strawberries on top of that?
CUSTOMER: Yes please, I just love fresh fruit. Q4
RESTAURANT: Sure and we will also put some shaved chocolate on top of the cake. Now what
name can I put the booking under
CUSTOMER: Oh, this is Mrs Anderson.
RESTAURANT: Could you also give me your phone number as well?
CUSTOMER: Oh yes, it’s 09684 55333. Q5
RESTAURANT: All right, so it’s 0-9-6-8-4 -5-5-3-3-3
CUSTOMER: Thank you and see you next week.
RESTAURANT: Have a good day.
[PAUSE: then the phone rings again]
RESTAURANT: Good afternoon, Golden Dragon Restaurant. How may I help you?
CUSTOMER: Yes, I was just talking to you and I suddenly remembered something important.
My son's friend has a food allergy, he is allergic to peanuts. Q6
RESTAURANT: Okay, not a problem I can instruct the chef to cook the food without any
peanuts.

91
CUSTOMER: I'm sorry but he is highly allergic and it's really important that it is in none
of the sauces or other condiments.
RESTAURANT: That's fine madam. Our chef is highly trained and I will personally notify him Q7
of the situation.
CUSTOMER: Okay excellent, you have put my mind at rest.
RESTAURANT: Can I suggest that we prepare a special set menu for your son's friend to
avoid any complications?
CUSTOMER: Yeah alright, that's a great idea. He really loves chicken so if you could
cook any kind of meal with chicken he would be happy.
RESTAURANT: Certainly, and one of our specialties is roast chicken do you think he would Q8
enjoy that.
CUSTOMER: That would be absolutely fabulous. I’m so glad that you are able to
accommodate this request.
RESTAURANT: It's my pleasure mam, we aim to please! Please remember to do your best to be
on time because next Sunday is also Father’s Day. Q9
CUSTOMER: Yes, my husband always likes to be punctual. Q10

SECTION 2

Alright, sticking with today’s theme of traditional foods from around the world, I’d like to talk about
the famous Australian ‘meat pie.’ Because it originated from Britain, it is not strictly an authentic Q11
Australian food, however, it is definitely one of the most popular snack foods eaten in Australia each
year.

It’s a palm-sized, square or circular shaped, baked, shortcrust pastry, filled with fatty minced meat and
gravy. Other common ingredients used are diced onions, mushrooms, and mashed green peas. There Q12
are also other variations of the meat pie, including the chicken pie, the steak and kidney pie, the pork
pie and even the fish pie.

The meat pie is a popular go-to snack food because it’s convenient, has a savoury taste and can be
eaten anywhere using just your hands. You can often see people enjoying a hearty meat pie on the go
or at sporting events such as the cricket in summer or the rugby or Australian Rules Football in winter. Q13
They are sold in convenience stores, cafes, at street kiosks and at social events.

They can also be eaten as a counter meal for lunch or dinner in a pub and are often served on a plate Q14
with mashed potato, green peas and smeared with a generous serving of delicious gravy on top. It is Q15
also common to see people eating a meat pie with tomato sauce on top instead of gravy to enhance the
taste. You can even make your own meat pies at home using your own choice of healthy ingredients. Q16

[Pause]

There are many iconic brands of Aussie meat pies, perhaps one of the most common is the
Four’n’Twenty brand of Meat pie. These pies were produced in 1947 by L. T. McClure in a small
bakery in Bendigo, Victoria. But, the earliest pie manufacturer in Australia seems to be Sargent. They Q17

92
can trace their pie making back to 1891. Victorians, also like to get their hands on Patties pies, as well
as Clarke's Pies from Mortlake, Kings Pies from Hamilton, Gillies from Bendigo and Beaumont's Pies
from Geelong.

South Australians, pies of choice are made by Balfours and Vili's. They have been making pies for Q18
over 100 years. West Australians, go for Mrs Mac's Pies which are sold nationwide, in service stations Q19
and convenience stores. In Tasmania, the biggest producer of pies is National Pies. They are famous Q20
for their beef mince pies, as well as Cottage Pies, which are meat pies topped with mashed potato.
National Pies' mince pies are rectangular in shape, whereas most other brands are round.

The humble meat pie is considered a classic Aussie snack food. The next time you’re in Australia, why
not try a hot Aussie meat pie with a nice cold beer.

SECTION 3

NEWSREADER: Times change, obviously, and talking about changing times as you're aware the
government's daylight saving legislation will be introduced into the house in the
next few weeks. We're very anxious to find out exactly what people in
Tasmania think about daylight saving and we'd like you to write and tell us.
First of all, tell us whether or not you want it, and in either case give your
reasons for your decision and address your letters to Lineup care of the ABC in
Hobart.

NEWSREADER2: Bruce Grundy compare of the current affairs program Lineup on ABC
Tasmanian television. A few months ago Lineup asked its viewers these
questions.

NEWSREADER: 80% percent of those who replied were in favour of daylight saving, and 20% Q21
were against. There were some very strange reasons, in my opinion, offered for
a number of the people’s opinions. Leave God’s time alone was one that we
found frequently. If God had wanted us to get up in the dark he’d have given us
cat’s eyes to help us do it more satisfactorily. One chap didn't like kissing his Q22
girl goodnight in broad daylight. Many people on the land were against it, on
the other hand, many farmers were also in favour of it, but basically, those who
wanted daylight saving found that it was just delightful for them to enjoy their Q23
recreational pastimes.

INTERVIEWER: Mr. Scott, you're against daylight saving, tell me why.

MR. SCOTT: Very much so. Well, the main reasons are that I feel that there’s too many Q24
people physically affected and even financially affected by a legislation that is
specifically introducing to the country, on no other excuse…for the purpose of
more sport and more leisure.

NEWSREADER: Tasmanians found in the two-year trial period of daylight savings that an hour’s Q25

93
 extra daylight at the end of the working day was good for sport and leisure. On
the Derwent estuary, it's well after six o'clock before the boats need leave the Q26
water. There's plenty of daylight left to clean them down. Later as the days
lengthen there’ll be races after working hours. There’s time for an extra hours
fishing from the Sorrell Causeway. There’s time for a drive on what used to be
a quiet country road. The daylight savers claim road safety improves with the Q27
long Twilight but there are no figures to prove it, yet.

[PAUSE]

NEWSREADER2: Most of the people I talk to, and these are so far have been townspeople, have
said it's a great idea it gives me an extra hour of daylight.

MR. SCOTT: Quiet correct; that is a fact, but they are mostly 40-hour week workers they
enjoy two full days of leisure on the weekend. They’ve got plenty of time for Q28
sport and leisure and in view of that, I would think that the… the reason for
more sport and more leisure, even if there's only two people, in my opinion,
were affected financially, wouldn't be good enough… wouldn't be a good
enough excuse.

NEWSREADER2: But even among farmers polls indicate support for daylight savings. Q29

NEWSREADER: What do you think of daylight saving?

FARMER: I'm all for it.

NEWSREADER: Why?

FARMER: Because I'd rather have my day's work over early so I can rest in, five o’clock,
or knock off and rest.

WOMAN: Well, I feel I gain an extra hour of sunshine in the afternoon which
appeals to me.

NEWSREADER: What to do with it?

WOMAN: Cut grass normally. Q30

NEWSREADER: So it's more work?

WOMAN: Indirectly perhaps it might be, but that's up to me.

FARMER: I work from daylight till dark no matter which way it goes.

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SECTION 4

The McGillicuddy Serious Party MCGSP was a satirical political party in New Zealand. For many
years from 1984 to 1999 McGillicuddy serious provide colour to New Zealand politics to ensure that
political process is not taken too seriously. The party stood candidates in the 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993, Q31
1996, and 1999 general elections; the 1986, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1998 local body elections along with Q32
various local body in Parliamentary by-elections and even some university student association
elections.

Section 1 origins

The McGillicuddy Serious Party was founded in 1984, in Hamilton, as the political arm of clan
McGillicuddy which had been established in 1978. Members of the clan had stood as candidates in
1983 local body elections in the Waikato, but the MCGSP was established in time to contest the 1984
general election. The party had a strong Scottish theme and the kilt was considered to be one of the Q33
party symbols. Initially, many candidates were students of the University of Waikato; they also
included a number of street performers in comedic musical groups such as the Serious Ukelele Q34
Ensemble and the Big Nothing Serious band

Section 2 challenge for the crown.

After discovering that he had some rather obscure relationship to the Stuart Pretenders clan
McGillicuddy advanced Bonnie Prince Geoffie the Reluctant as a replacement for Queen Elizabeth the
second. The clan attempted to settle the matter by trial by combat challenging the New Zealand Army Q35
to a pillow fight. Although HRH's official armed defenders declined the offer the McGillicuddy
Highland army occasionally fought the loyalist forces of Alf’s Imperial Army a pro-British pacifist
warfare group who supported the Wizard of New Zealand and McGillicuddy's rival for the silly vote
the Imperial British Conservative party. The party was sometimes the subject of aggression from Q36
unexpected quarters. In 1990, Green party candidate Warrick Pudney challenged his Te Atatu rival to a
paper-sword fight in Aotea Square. The fight was declared a draw, both combatants were treated for Q37
paper cuts. The unarmed insurrection having failed the clan reluctantly turned to the ballot box, from
1984 to 1999 contesting general elections.

Section 3 candidate selection

Party candidates for election were at one point selected through trial by combat with newspaper swords Q38
and water balloons; the loser of the combat becoming the candidate. In 1990, this policy was replaced
by standing several candidates for the same seat. It being illegal for the same candidate to contest two Q39
seats doubling the chances of election; but legal for a party to have two candidates standing in the same
electorate… halving their chances. In 1996, Canterbury regional electorate candidates were selected by
a giant game of musical chairs in Cathedral Square, Christchurch. Whoever was sitting on one of the Q40
labelled chairs when the music stopped became the candidate for that seat. Candidates for proportional
representation list seats were selected Cinderella style by trying to fit into labelled shoes.

95
 TEST 4

SECTION 1

ASSISTANT: Hello how can I help you?

CUSTOMER: Yes I have just moved to the area and I would like to become a member of your sports
centre. I am keen on playing sports and this place seems ideal.
ASSISTANT: Sure, I just need to get a few details; it won’t take long.
CUSTOMER: I'm glad to hear that, I’m in a bit of a rush
ASSISTANT: Ok, I will try to do it quickly for you. What's your name, please?
CUSTOMER: My name is Jessie Pepper. EXAMPLE
ASSISTANT: Thank you and how do you spell your family name?
CUSTOMER: It's Pepper, that's P-E-P-P-E-R, just like salt and pepper. Q1
ASSISTANT: Thank you and can you tell me a contact phone number, please?
CUSTOMER: Yes sure it is 09 007 40 14 40.
ASSISTANT: OK, 0-9-0-0-7-4-0-1-4-4-0. And do you have an e-mail address? Q2
CUSTOMER: Oh yes sure it's: [email protected].
ASSISTANT: And may I ask where you are working.
CUSTOMER: Yes sure, I am running my own business so I work from my home. Q3
ASSISTANT: Oh, lucky you! It must be great to work at home.
CUSTOMER: It has its benefits, but it’s not always easy to stay focused with so many distractions
around.
ASSISTANT: Ok, so what’s your favourite sport?
CUSTOMER: I like to watch football on the telly, but the key reason I want to join the centre is for
swimming. Q4

ASSISTANT: And, how often do you think you will go swimming?

CUSTOMER: Gosh, I don’t really know, my friend comes four times a week, but you know I’ll come Q5
at least two times a week.

[PAUSE]
ASSISTANT: What other facilities are you likely to use.
CUSTOMER: Well I plan to hit the gym a few times a week. It's another reason I am keen on joining
your centre, I do like to work out. Oh, and I am a big fan of spa pools so I will use that Q6
quite often.
ASSISTANT: And what is it that you like most about this sports centre’s location?
CUSTOMER: Well I like the large facilities, but what really attracted me about the location of this
centre is that it is very close to my mother’s home this is very important to me because I Q7
like to visit my sick mother every day.
ASSISTANT: Wow, your mom is lucky.

96
CUSTOMER: Well, we only have one mum!
ASSISTANT: Yes, OK, well that’s about it. And how would you like to pay the monthly membership
fees?
CUSTOMER: Oh, I’d like to charge it to my visa card if that’s Ok. Q8
ASSISTANT: Yes, sure and just so you know, we have a 4% surcharge on credit card payments.
CUSTOMER: No problems, that’s fine.
ASSISTANT: Another thing, we have parking behind this office and it is free because you have a
membership card.
CUSTOMER: That’s great news because I will be driving here. My registration is PB1440 that’s Q9
P-B-1-4-4-0.
ASSISTANT: OK, last question. Who is your car insured with?
CUSTOMER: Oh, I’m with Pacific Health. Q10
ASSISTANT: Great that’s everything, I hope you will enjoy coming here.
CUSTOMER: Thanks for your help; you have been wonderful.

SECTION 2

Fitting with today’s theme of great holiday destinations I’d like to describe my hometown of Brisbane.
Brisbane is the third largest city in Australia, population wise, after Sydney and Melbourne. It is the
fastest growing city in Australia with a population of around 2.3 million people. Q11

Brisbane used to be known as a sleepy city with nothing much to do, as it had monotonous nightlife
and limited cultural or culinary sophistication compared to its bigger and bolder southern rivals of
Sydney and Melbourne. However, this is unfair as Brisbane is now a progressive, and modern city. Q12
This can be seen by the number of new high rise buildings dotting the skyline and the vibrant nightlife
that has sprung up over the last several decades.

Brisbane is known for its laidback lifestyle and easy-going people, its long hot stifling summers, it’s
beautiful all timber ‘Queenslander’ style homes in the suburbs and even though Brisbane doesn’t have
beaches close to its CBD it more than makes up for it because of its close proximity to some of
Australia’s best beach destinations such as the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, both less than an Q13
hour and a half away by car. This is an important aspect of living in Brisbane as it is very common
between the months of September and April each year for Brisbanites to work in Brisbane during the
week and then head down to the Gold Coast on Friday evenings and spend the weekends at the beach.

One of the main advantages of living in Brisbane is its sub-tropical climate, so even in the middle of
winter, it is still quite warm. It’s common see people walking around in shorts and a tee shirt even in
the coldest months of July and August. The disadvantages are without doubt Brisbane’s sweltering Q14
humid days in summer which is often broken by a late afternoon heavy downpour and thunderstorms. Q15
Because of the heat and high rainfall throughout the year, there is a constant mosquito problem.
[pause]
Recently some friends came to visit me in my hometown of Brisbane, and I decided to show them
around Brisbane’s South Bank area, which is a multi-purpose entertainment, retail and dining site. We
took a train and got off at South Brisbane Train Station. Upon exiting the station we could see the

97
Queensland Performing Arts Centre, in front of us, on Grey Street. The Performing Arts Centre hosts a Q16
variety of entertainment events from operas to rock music concerts.

We then took the first left onto Russell St. and then the first right onto a winding path. Our first stop on
this path was the Nepalese Pagoda. This structure is made entirely of thousands of carefully hand- Q17
crafted pieces of wood. On the second floor, there is a tea house so we decided to have a herbal tea
while overlooking the Brisbane River.

After our tea break, we then proceeded along the winding path past the Queensland Conservatorium
and Suncorp Plaza on our right and the Riverside Restaurants on our left. We eventually came across a Q18
place called the Central Cafes where we decided to stop off for a bite to eat. While enjoying delicious Q19
and reasonably priced food we had a great view of the Brisbane River.

After about an hour we decided to proceed down the winding path and we saw a beautiful clear lagoon.
Q20
This is a place called Streets Beach which was formerly known as Kodak Beach. It has glistening
white sand and is still Australia’s only man-made urban beach. It was such a hot day we decided to go
for a quick dip in the lagoon to cool off.

SECTION 3

INTRODUCTION: In Britain, the idea of segregating smokers and non-smokers was tried in a few
pubs without much success. The smokers complained about discrimination and
finally won the fight to allow them to blow smoke over whomever they pleased.
Although, it's not the act of exerting smoke in crowds which really concerns
pollution buffs; it's the side stream from the end of the cigarette which concerns
non-smokers. But would smokers here support the idea of having rooms or bars
to themselves?
NEWSMAN: Already buses and other forms of public transport carry smokers and non-
smokers in separate spaces so segregation supporters can't see any reason why
this idea should not be extended to include other public areas, such as
restaurants and hotels. Q21
DR HACKET: I agree with those who say there are four great epidemics in the Western world
today, one is tobacco addiction, another is obesity, another is unwanted Q22i
pregnancy, and a fourth is road accidents. Q22ii
NEWSMAN: Dr. Earle Hackett is Chairman of the Anticancer Foundation Scientific
Advisory Committee. Does he think legislation would help control where and
when people smoked?
DR HACKET: You can't legislate for good manners. You could only bring this about, I Q23i
suppose, by being well-managed yourself in the first place because you can't
beat people into good manners, either. But insofar as on the Anticancer
Foundation we're concerned about smoking we certainly support the views of
non-smokers who don't like people smoking right close to them, in an ill-
considered way, but you couldn't possibly legislate to change people's habits. Q23ii
NEWSMAN: Well, you could suggest, you could suggest, though…are smokers the sort of

98
 people who would follow that suggestion if a sign said in a bar, 'No smoking in
this bar'?
DR HACKET: Well, I think smokers pay less and less attention to non-smoking signs. I see
people in public transport in non-smoking seats or non-smoking carriages, Q24i
smoking - they pay no attention to it. I think smokers should realize that non-
smokers hope that that convention will be obeyed when they go and sit in a
non-smoking area. You can ask in an airplane these days whether you can have
a seat in a non-smoking area and I often do that, but inevitably someone sits Q24ii
down beside me and smokes.
NEWSMAN: So already the system isn't working all that effectively and ideas to extend the
scheme are probably nothing more than a pipe dream. But smokers could help
with a little consideration. As Dr. Hackett says, you can't legislate for good
manners.
[PAUSE]
BARMAN: In five minutes, we'll no longer be able to smoke cigarettes in a licensed area in
Victoria!
NEWSWOMAN: City revelers had mixed emotions about the end of going out for a drink and a
social smoke. Q25
BAR WOMAN 2: Now, I think that like for one month everyone is going to be in shock and then Q26
we're all gonna rejoice in smoke-free areas.
NEWSWOMAN: Bar managers now have a nervous wait before them to see how the ban affects
business but venues with outdoor areas for smokers are focusing on the positive Q27
side.
BAR WOMAN 2: We have fourteen staff here and only one staff member smokes, so I think
they’re gonna be really, really, really happy.
NEWSWOMAN: Bar staff reported a good level of awareness among patrons about the change, Q28
however, some say it's unclear how councils plan to enforce the new law.
BARMAN: It's really vague, we don't know what we're doing, we don't know what kind of
subsidies we're getting for our ashtrays and for our outdoor renovations. All we Q29
know is that we have to stop people from smoking.
NEWSWOMAN: Those who break the law face a $110 fine. The Department of Human Services Q30
says there were no reports of fines being issued overnight.

99
SECTION 4

Fear, anger, hate and sadness: These are four emotions that can affect how we think and how we act.
When we are under pressure, mental or physical, our emotions are even more difficult to control. But
what if there was a quick and easy plan for dealing with your emotions every time you faced a stressful
situation?

Well, there may be such a plan. And it involves a grammatical term: third person singular. Teachers Q31
use this term when talking about verbs and the form they take with the third person pronouns “he,”
“she” or “it.” Now, an American researcher thinks he may have found a way to help control stress: talk
to yourself in the third-person.

Jason Moser is a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist. He serves as an associate professor of

psychology at Michigan State University. Moser says that talking to yourself in the third-person seems
to put a kind of psychological distance between you and your emotions. He thinks this distance is all Q32
some people need to control how they react to stress.

Talking to yourself in the third-person is like giving yourself advice. Moser uses himself in an Q33
example. He does not like flying, but he must fly often for his work. So, when he is feeling nervous or Q34
afraid during a flight, he talks to himself -- only silently.

Moser admits that talking out loud to yourself could look and sound strange to other people. So, he
suggests using your brain and holding that discussion inside your head. Thinking through that dialogue Q35
enables you to use this strategy anytime, anywhere. Moser’s research came from his desire as a mental
health expert to help patients. Moser felt helpless when his patients were unable to use strategies he Q36
would suggest to them. He wanted to find a method that people could easily use to control their
emotions. Moser says that simply telling people suffering from depression to think differently is not Q37
enough. Brain imaging tests show that it takes great effort for these people to change their way of
thinking.

Moser performed two experiments with other researchers at Michigan State University and
psychologists at the University of Michigan. He says they used two kinds of stimuli and they looked at
brain activity in the participants using two different imaging techniques. Q38
In the first study, Moser and his team showed the test subjects troubling pictures. They asked them to
think about the pictures, using either first-person pronouns or third-person self-talk. Then the
researchers examined the brain activity of both groups using an electroencephalogram or EEG. This is Q39
a test that recognizes electrical activity in a person’s brain.

In the second study, researchers asked the subjects to think of difficult memories, again using first-
person pronouns or third-person self-talk. But this time, they looked at the brain activity with a
different kind of technology, FMRI. Q40

Moser says that in both studies, the subjects who used third-person self-talk had a big reduction of
emotional response in brain wave activity. The two tests also showed that these participants did not
experience higher activity in other parts of the brain.

100
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Test 1
New York's Emergency Crews Learning Mandarin. April 07, 2016 https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/new-
york-emergency-crews-learn-mandarin/3269094.html
Text and Audio modified from the original. Questions are written by Mike Wattie.

Scientist Fights for Coral Reefs, Makes Science Fun. April 10, 2016
http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/marine-biologist-fight-for-coral-reefs-makes-science-fun/3232146.html
Text and Audio modified from the original. Questions are written by Mike Wattie.

Test 2
More Obese People than Underweight. April 11, 2016 https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/study-says-there-are-
more-obese-people-in-the-world-than-underweight-people/3271436.html
Text and Audio modified from the original. Questions are written by Mike Wattie.

Test 3
Australian Meat Pie was written by Bryan Carmody

Daylight Saving Adopted in Most States. Provided by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to Creative
Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ABC_Daylight_Saving.ogv CC BY-SA 3.0
Text and Audio modified from the original. Questions are written by Mike Wattie.

McGillicuddy Serious Party. User:T J McKenzie

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:McGillicuddy_Serious_Party.ogg
CC BY-SA 3.0
Provided under GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.2, November 2002
Copyright (C) 2000,2001,2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Text and Audio modified from the original. Questions are written by Mike Wattie.

Test 4
Brisbane, was written by Bryan Carmody.

Victoria Bans Indoor Smoking in Public Spaces, provided by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to
Creative Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smoke_Ban_ABC.ogv#filelinks CC BY-SA 3.0
Text and Audio modified from the original. Questions are written by Mike Wattie.

One Method for Controlling Emotions, Stress. October 30, 2017

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/health-lifestyle-controlling-emotions-stress/4073959.html
Text and Audio modified from the original. Questions are written by Mike Wattie.

101
Audio files Website

http://www.ieltsanswers.com/mp3.html http://www.ieltsanswers.com

102