IELTS Listening Practice Test 2

Transcript (revealed after you submit) WOMAN: Good morning, Pampered Paws Mobile Grooming, Karen speaking. How can I help you? MAN: Hello, I would like to book a grooming appointment for my dog, please. WOMAN: Of course. Can I take your surname first? MAN: Yes, it is Bradshaw. That is B-R-A-D-S-H-A-W. WOMAN: Thank you. And what type of dog do you have? MAN: She is a spaniel, a working cocker spaniel to be exact. WOMAN: Lovely. And how old is she? MAN: She has just turned four. WOMAN: Great. Now, because we come to you in our van, can I take your address? MAN: Sure, it is 27 Elmwood Road. WOMAN: Is that a house or a flat? MAN: A house. There is parking right outside on the drive, so the van will be fine. WOMAN: Perfect. Which day would suit you best? We have slots free on Wednesday and Thursday this week. MAN: Thursday would be ideal, as I work from home that day. WOMAN: And would you prefer morning or afternoon? MAN: Could we do the morning? Say around half past nine? WOMAN: Nine thirty, that is booked in. Now, what would you like done? We offer a wash only, or a full groom, which includes clipping and styling. MAN: Let us go for the full groom. Her coat gets quite matted. WOMAN: No problem. Would you like us to add a nail trim as well? It is a popular extra. MAN: Yes please, her nails are getting long. WOMAN: I will add that. One more thing, a lot of owners with spaniels ask for our de-shedding treatment, as it really cuts down on the hair around the house. MAN: Oh, go on then, add the de-shedding too. WOMAN: Right. So the full groom on its own is forty pounds, and with the two extras the total comes to forty-five pounds. MAN: That is fine. WOMAN: And just for our records, how did you hear about us? MAN: A friend recommended you, actually. She uses you for her poodle. WOMAN: That is lovely to hear. So, to confirm, that is Thursday at nine thirty, a full groom with a nail trim and de-shedding, forty-five pounds in total. Our groomer is called Sophie and she will text you when she is on her way. MAN: Brilliant, thank you. WOMAN: One last thing, please make sure your dog has not been fed in the hour before the appointment, as it makes the whole session more comfortable for her. See you Thursday!

Transcript (revealed after you submit) GUIDE: Good morning everyone, and a very warm welcome to Hillcrest Community Farm on our biggest day of the year, our summer open day. My name is Martin and I will give you a quick overview before you head off to explore. First, a few practical points. The farm will stay open until five o’clock this afternoon, though the ticket desk itself closes at four, so do arrive in good time if any friends are joining you later. For those of you who drove here, please note that the main car park by the entrance is completely full already, so we are directing all cars to the overflow field, which is signposted just past the church. Now, what is new this year? Last summer everyone loved the new cafe, but this year we are really proud to have opened a brand new education centre, where children can learn about where their food comes from. When it comes to lunch, you are of course welcome to bring a picnic, but I would honestly recommend the hog roast by the barn, as it is always the first thing to sell out. Right, let me tell you about the different areas so you can plan your visit. Let us start with the animal barn, just behind me. It is home to our lambs, piglets and chicks, and it is a real favourite with our youngest visitors, so if you have brought little ones with you, do start there. From the barn, if you follow the gravel path up the slope, you will reach the orchard. It is a bit of a climb, I warn you, but the view from the top is worth it, and the apples should be nearly ripe. Next to the car park is our farm shop. This is the place to pick up our own honey, cheese and vegetables, all grown or made right here on site, and every penny you spend goes straight back into the farm. Over in the machinery shed we have a display of vintage tractors that the local club has lovingly restored. One quick request from the owners, please do not take any photographs in there, as some of the restorations are not finished and they would rather no images went online just yet. For the older children, the straw bale maze is great fun, but I should mention that it is not covered by your entry ticket, so there is a small charge of two pounds at the gate. Finally, a word about the pond area at the far end of the site. I am afraid it is out of bounds today, as the boardwalk is being repaired, so please keep well back from that section for your own safety. That is everything from me. Enjoy your day, and do not forget the raffle draw at four o’clock!

Transcript (revealed after you submit) DR OWEN: Come in, all three of you. So, how is the group project on urban food waste coming along? LEAH: Quite well, thanks. We are really glad we picked this topic. DR OWEN: Remind me, why did you choose food waste in the first place? TOM: Well, we did think about plastic packaging, but in the end we chose food waste because there is so much recent local data available, which made the research much easier. DR OWEN: That is a sensible reason. And how did the survey go? PRIYA: The results were good, but we did have one issue with the first version. The questions were too long, so a lot of people gave up halfway through. DR OWEN: Ah, survey fatigue. A very common problem. So you shortened it? PRIYA: Yes, we cut it right down and it worked much better after that. DR OWEN: Good. Now, looking at your draft, I think it is strong, but there is one thing missing. You have got plenty of statistics, but you really need to include some interviews to give the numbers a human voice. LEAH: That is a good point, we could add a few quotes. DR OWEN: Exactly. Now, how many households did you actually manage to survey in the end? TOM: We were aiming for a hundred, but we got responses from eighty households, which we think is still enough. DR OWEN: That is a solid sample. And was there anything in the results that surprised you? LEAH: Definitely. We had expected bread to be the most wasted item, but actually it was salad that people threw away most, by quite a margin. DR OWEN: An interesting finding. Right, what is your plan before we meet again? PRIYA: Before the next meeting we are going to write up the first full draft and email it over to you. DR OWEN: Perfect. Now let us quickly sort out who is doing what. Leah, you are comfortable writing, so how about you take the introduction? LEAH: Yes, happy to do the introduction. DR OWEN: Tom, you designed the survey, so it makes sense for you to write the methodology section. TOM: Sure, the methodology is mine then. DR OWEN: And Priya, you are the one who is good with spreadsheets, so could you produce the data charts? PRIYA: No problem, I will do all the charts. DR OWEN: That just leaves the conclusion. Leah, you have got the clearest overview of the whole thing, so perhaps you could pull that together as well. LEAH: Okay, so I am doing the introduction and the conclusion. DR OWEN: Excellent. Send me that draft and we will talk again next week.

Transcript (revealed after you submit) LECTURER: Today we are looking at the history of the lighthouse, a structure whose basic purpose has never really changed, namely to keep ships safe by warning sailors away from dangerous coastlines. Let us begin in the ancient world. The most famous early example is the Pharos of Alexandria, built in Egypt around 280 BC. Standing well over a hundred metres tall, it was so impressive that it was listed as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. At the very top, keepers kept a fire burning right through the night, and its light is said to have been visible up to fifty kilometres out to sea. Now, the earliest towers were often built from wood, which was cheap and easy to work with but, as you can imagine, a serious fire risk. Over the centuries, builders switched to stone, which was far more durable and could withstand the constant pounding of the waves. The real challenge, though, was always the light itself. For a long time, keepers simply burned coal, which produced a great deal of smoke but only a rather weak glow. The introduction of oil lamps in the eighteenth century was a big improvement, giving a steadier and brighter flame. But the true breakthrough came in 1822, when a French engineer named Augustin Fresnel designed a special lens. The Fresnel lens used concentric rings of glass to bend the light into a single powerful beam. Suddenly, the same small lamp could be seen from a far greater distance, and this elegant design is still admired by engineers today. Of course, running a lighthouse required people. Traditionally, a keeper and his family lived in the tower itself, often in complete isolation for months at a time. The job demanded great patience, as the keeper’s main duty was simply to make sure the light never went out. Interestingly, many keepers kept detailed diaries, which are now valuable historical records for us. The twentieth century then changed everything through automation. One by one, human keepers were replaced by machines, and the last manned lighthouse in Britain was automated in 1998. Today, most lighthouses run on electricity, and increasingly on solar power, using modern bulbs that can last for years without attention. And while satellite navigation now guides most large ships safely into port, the lighthouse still remains a reassuring symbol of safety, and many of the old towers have been turned into small museums for tourists to visit.