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IELTS LISTENING – THE HORTON CASTLE SITE S24T3

IELTS LISTENING

THE HORTON CASTLE SITE

NATALIE: Dave, I’m worried about our case study. I’ve done a bit of reading, but I’m not sure what’s involved in actually writing a case study – I missed the lecture where Dr. Baker talked us through it.

DAVE: OK, well it’s quite straightforward. We’ve got our focus – that’s tourism at the Horton Castle site. And you said you’d done some reading about it.

NATALIE: Yes, I found some articles and made notes of the main points.

DAVE: Q₂₁ Did you remember to keep a record of where you got the information from?

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NATALIE: Sure. I know what a pain it is when you forget that.

DAVE: OK, so we can compare what we’ve read. Then we have to decide on a particular problem or need at our site. And then think about who we’re going to interview to get more information.

NATALIE: OK. So who’d that be? Q₂₂ The people who work there? And presumably some of the tourists too?

DAVE: Yes, both those groups. So we’ll have to go to the site to do that, I suppose. But we might also do some of our interviewed away from the site – Q₂₃ we could even contact some people here in the city, like administrators involved in overseeing tourism.

NATALIE: OK. So we’ll need to think about our interview questions and fix times and places for the meetings. It’s all going to take a lot of time.

DAVE: Mmm. And if we can, we should ask our interviewees if they can bring along some numerical data that we can add to support our findings.

NATALIE: And photographs?

DAVE: I think we have plenty of those already. Q₂₄ But Dr. Baker also said we have to establish with our interviewees whether we can identify them in our case study. or whether they want to be anonymous.

NATALIE: Oh, I wouldn’t have thought of that. OK, once we’ve got all this information, I suppose we have to analyse it.

DAVE: Yes, put it all together and choose what’s relevant to the problem we’re focusing on. and Q₂₅ analyse that carefully to find out if we can identify any trends or regularities there. That’s the main thing at this stage, rather than concentrating on details or lots of facts.

NATALIE: OK. And then once we’ve analysed that, what next?

DAVE: Well, then we need to think about what we do with the data we’ve selected to make it as clear as possible to our readers. Things like graphs, tables, or charts.

NATALIE: Right.

DAVE: Then the case study itself is mostly quite standard; we begin by presenting the problem, and giving some background, then go through the main sections, but the thing that surprised me is that Q₂₆ in a normal report we’d end with some suggestions to deal with the problem or need we identified, but in a case study we end up with a question or a series of questions to our readers, and they decide what ought to be done.

NATALIE: Oh, I hadn’t realised that.

NATALIE: So basically, the problem we’re addressing in our case study of the Horton Castle site is why so few tourists are visiting it. And we’ll find out more from our interviews, but I did find one report on the internet that suggested that one reason might be because as far as transport goes, access is difficult.

DAVE: I read that too, but that report was actually written ten years ago when the road there was really bad. but that’s been improved now. And Q₂₇ I think there’s plenty of fascinating stuff there for a really good day out. but you’d never realise it from the castle website – maybe that’s the problem.

NATALIE: Yes. it’s really dry and boring.

DAVE: I read somewhere a suggestion that what the castle needs is a visitor centre. So we could have a look for some information about that on the internet. What would we need to know?

NATALIE: Well, who’d use it for a start? It’d be good to know what categories the visitors fell into too, like school parties or retired people, but I think we’d have to talk to staff to get that information.

DAVE: OK. And as we’re thinking of suggesting a visitor centre we’d also have to look at potential problems. I mean, obviously it wouldn’t be cheap to set up.

NATALIE: No. but it could be a really good investment. Q₂₈ And as it’s on a historical site it’d need to get special planning permission. I expect. That might be hard.

DAVE: Right, especially as the only possible place for it would be at the entrance, an d that’s right in front of the castle.

NATALIE: Mmm.

DAVE: But it could be a good thing for the town of Horton. At present, it’s a bit of a ghost town. Q₂₉ Once they’ve left school and got any skills or qualifications, the young people all get out as fast as they can to get jobs in the city. and the only people left are children and those who’ve retired.

NATALIE: Right. Something else we could investigate would be the potential damage that tourists might cause to the castle site, I mean their environmental impact. At present the tourists can just wander round wherever they want, Q₃₀ but if numbers increase, there might have to be some restrictions, like sticking to marked ways. And there’d need to be guides and wardens around to make sure these were enforced.

DAVE: Yes, we could look at that too. OK, well …

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IELTS LISTENING – The effects of environmental change on birds S24T4

November 18, 2022/in IELTS Listening, IELTS Listening Easy Demo for All, Uncategorized /by IELTS Simulator

IELTS LISTENING

The effects of environmental change on birds

OK, so we’ve been looking at how man-made changes in our environment can affect wildlife. Now I’ll discuss a particular example. Let’s take a look at mercury. Mercury’s one of the 120 or so elements that make up all matter, and it has the symbol Hg. It’s a shiny, silvery substance. You may have seen it in old-fashioned thermometers, but it’s not used much for domestic purposes now because it’s highly toxic.

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But the problem is that the amount of mercury in the environment’s increasing. The main reason for this is the power plants used to produce electricity. The main source of energy that most of them use is still coal, and when it’s burned it releases mercury into the atmosphere. Some of this gets deposited into lakes and rivers, and if it’s ingested by a fish it’s not excreted, it stays in the fish’s body and it enters the food chain. So it’s been known for some time that birds which eat fish may be affected, but Q₃₁ what wasn’t known until quite recently is that those that eat insects can also be affected.

So a woman called Claire Varian-Ramos is doing some research on how this is affecting birds.

And rather than looking at how many birds are actually killed by mercury poisoning, she’s looking for more subtle sub-effects. And Q₃₂ these may be to do with the behaviour of the birds, or with the effect of mercury on the way their brain works, so whether it leads to problems with memory, for example. And she’s particularly focusing on the effects of mercury on bird song. Q₃₃ Now. the process of song learning happens at a particular stage in the birds’ development, and what you may not know is that a young bird seems to acquire this skill by listening to the songs produced by its father, rather than by any other bird.

And Varian-Ramos has already found in her research that Q₃₄ if young male birds are exposed to mercury. if they eat food contaminated with mercury. then the songs they produce aren’t as complex as those produced by other birds. So quite low-level exposure to mercury is likely to have an impact on male birds in a natural situation, because it can mean that they’re less attractive to female birds, and so Q₃₅ it can affect their chances of reproduction.

Now the way she’s carrying out this research is worth thinking about. She’s using a mixture of studies using birds kept in laboratories, and studies carried out outdoors in the wild. Q₃₆ The lab-based studies have the advantage that you don’t get all the variables you would in a natural setting. so the experimenter has a much higher level of control, and that means they can be more confident about their results in some ways. And of course they don’t have to worry about going out and finding the birds in order to observe them.

So what are the implications here for humans? Well, Q₃₇ because many birds are migratory, they may be transporting mercury far from contaminated sites. For example, it’s been found that ducks who’d been feeding at a contaminated site were later shot by hunters over a thousand kilometres away, and presumably eaten. But these birds likely had mercury levels high enough to warrant concern for human consumption.

In addition, going back to song learning by birds, we saw that this may be affected by mercury contamination. Well, Q₃₈ we also know that in humans, mercury causes developmental delays in the acquisition of language, and in fact, this process is very similar in the brain regions it involves and even the genes that are involved. But mercury contamination has other important implications for humans as well. Q₃₉ It’s now known that an unborn child can be affected if the food eaten by its mother contains high levels of mercury, and these effects can be quite substantial.

In the end, it comes down to whether more value is placed on human economic well-being or environmental well-being. Q₄₀ It’s true there are new regulations for mercury emissions from power plants, but these will need billions of dollars to implement, and increase costs for everyone. Some argue that’s too much to pay to protect wildlife. But as we’ve seen, the issues go beyond that, and I think it’s an issue we need to consider very carefully.

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IELTS LISTENING – EVENTS DURING KENTON FESTIVAL S23T1

November 18, 2022/in IELTS Listening, IELTS Listening Easy Demo for All, Uncategorized /by IELTS Simulator

IELTS LISTENING

Events During Kenton Festival

MAN: Good morning, Kenton Festival box office. How can I help you?

WOMAN: Oh, good morning. I’m coming to Kenton for a few days’ holiday next month, and a friend told me there’s a festival. She gave me this number to find out about it.

MAN: That’s right. Example The festival begins on the 16^th of May and goes on till the 19^th.

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WOMAN: Oh, that’s great. I’ll be there from the 15^th till the 19^th. So could you tell me the programme, please?

MAN: Well, on the first day, there’s the opening ceremony, in the town centre. People start gathering around 2 o’clock, to get a good place to see from, and Q₁ the events will start at 2.45. and finish about 5.30.

WOMAN: OK, thanks. I’ll make sure I get there early to get a good spot.

MAN: The festival will be officially opened by the mayor. He’ll just speak for a few minutes, welcoming everyone to the festival. All the town councillors will be there, and of course lots of other people.

WOMAN: Right.

MAN: Q₂ Then there’ll be a performance by a band. Most years we have a children’s choir, but this year the local army cadets offered to perform and they’re very good.

WOMAN: Uhuh.

MAN: Q₃ After that, a community group from the town will perform a play they’ve written themselves, just a short one. It’s about Helen Tungate. I don’t know if you’ve heard of her.

WOMAN: I certainly have. Q₄ She was a scientist years ago.

MAN: That’s right. She was born in Kenton exactly 100 years ago, so we’re celebrating her centenary.

WOMAN: I’m a biologist, so I’ve always been interested in her. I didn’t realise she came from Kenton.

MAN: Yes. Well, all that will take place in the afternoon, and Q₅ later, as the sun sets, there’ll be a firework display. You should go to the park to watch, as you’ll get the best view from there, and the display takes place on the opposite side of the river. It’s always one of the most popular events in the festival.

WOMAN: Sounds great.

WOMAN: And what’s happening on the other days?

MAN: There are several events that go on the whole time. For example, Q₆ the students of the art college have produced a number of videos, all connected with relationships between children and their grandparents.

WOMAN: That sounds interesting. It makes a change from children and parents, doesn’t it!

MAN: Exactly. Because the art college is in use for classes, throughout the festival, Q₇ the videos are being shown in Handsworth House.

WOMAN: How do you spell the name?

MAN: H-A-N-D-S-W-O-R-T-H. Handsworth House. It’s close to the Town Hall.

WOMAN: Right.

MAN: Now let me see, what else can I tell you about?

WOMAN: Are there any displays of ballet dancing? I’m particularly interested in that as l do it as a hobby.

MAN: There isn’t any ballet. I’m afraid, but Q₈ there’ll be a demonstration of traditional dances from all round the country.

WOMAN: Oh, that’d be nice. Where’s that being held?

MAN: Q₉ It’s in the market in the town centre – the outdoor one. not the covered market. And it’s on at 2 and 5 every afternoon of the festival, apart from the first day.

WOMAN: Lovely. I’m interested in all kinds of dancing, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy that!

MAN: Mmm. I’m sure you will.

WOMAN: And I’d really like to go to some concerts if there are any.

MAN: Yes, there are several. Three performed by professionals, and one by local children.

WOMAN: And where is it being held?

MAN: It’s in the library, which is in Park Street. On the 18^th, at 6.30 in the evening.

WOMAN: I presume I’ll need tickets for that.

MAN: Q₁₀ Yes. you can book online, or you can buy them when you arrive in Kenton, either at the festival box office or from any shops displaying our logo in the windows.

WOMAN: Well, I think that’ll keep me busy for the whole of my stay in Kenton. Thank you so much for all your help.

MAN: You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy your stay.

WOMAN: Thank you. Goodbye.

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IELTS LISTENING – Scandinavian Studies S23T3

November 18, 2022/in IELTS Listening, IELTS Listening Easy Demo for All, Uncategorized /by IELTS Simulator

IELTS LISTENING

Scandinavian Studies

BETH: Oh good morning. You must be James. I’m Beth Cartwright – please call me Beth.

JAMES: Thank you.

BETH: Now as this is your first tutorial since you started on the Scandinavian Studies course, I’d like to find out something about you. Why did you decide to take this course?

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JAMES: Q₂₁ Well, my mother is Danish, and although we always lived in England, she used to talk about her home a lot, and that made me want to visit Denmark. We hardly ever did, though – my mother usually went on her own. But whenever her relations or friends were in England they always came to see us.

BETH: I see. So I assume you already speak Danish, one of the languages you’ll be studying.

JAMES: I can get by when I talk to people, though I’m not terribly accurate.

BETH: Now you probably know that you’ll spend the third year of the course abroad. Have you had any thoughts about that?

JAMES: I’m really looking forward to it. And although Denmark seems the obvious place to go, because of my family connections, I’d love to spend the time in Iceland.

BETH: Oh, I’m sure it can be arranged. Do you have any plans for when you graduate? A lot of students go on to take a master’s degree.

JAMES: I think the four years of the undergraduate course will be enough for me. Q₂₂ I’m interested in journalism, and I quite like the idea of moving to Scandinavia and writing for magazines. I’d find that more creative than translating, which I suppose most graduates do.

BETH: OK. Now how are you finding the courses you’re taking this term, James?

JAMES: Well, I’m really enjoying the one on Swedish cinema.

BETH: Q₂₃ That’ll continue next term, but the one on Scandinavian literature that’s running at the moment will be replaced by more specialised courses. Oh. and by the way. if you’re interested in watching Danish television programmes ~ there’s going to be a course on that the term after next.

JAMES: That sounds good.

BETH: Have you started thinking about the literature paper that you have to write in the next
few weeks?

JAMES: Yes, my first choice would be to do something on the Icelandic sagas.

BETH: Hmm. The trouble with that is that a lot of people choose that topic, and it can be difficult to get hold of the books you’ll need. Why not leave that for another time?

JAMES: Right.

BETH: Q₂₄ You might find modern novels or 19th century playwrights interesting.

JAMES: I’ve read or seen several plays in translation, so that would be a good idea.

BETH: Fine. I’ll put you down for that topic.

JAMES: Right. So what would you advise me to aim at in the paper?

BETH: First I suggest you avoid taking one writer and going into a great deal of detail. That approach certainly has its place. but Q₂₅ I think you first need to get an understanding of the literature in the context of the society in which it was produced – who it was written for. how it was published, and so on. I also think that’s more fruitful than placing it within the history of the genre.

JAMES: OK, that sounds reasonable.

JAMES: Could I ask for some advice about writing the paper I’m working on about the Vikings? ! have to do that this week, and I’m a bit stuck.

BETH: Of course. Have you decided yet what to write about?

JAMES: No, I haven’t. There’s so much that seems interesting ~~ Viking settlement in other countries, trade, mythology…

BETH: Well, Q₂₆ what I suggest is that you read an assignment a student wrote last year. which is kept in the library. It’s short and well-focused, and I’m sure you’ll find it helpful. I’ll give you the details in a moment. Textbooks usually cover so many topics, it can be very difficult to choose just one.

JAMES: OK. I’ve got a DVD of the film about the Vikings that came out earlier this year. Should I watch that again?

BETH: If it’s the one I am thinking of, hmm, I’d ignore it – it’s more fantasy than reality. Q₂₇ But I’ve got a recording of a documentary that you should watch. It makes some interesting and provocative points, which I think will help you to focus your topic.

JAMES: Right.

JAMES: Q₂₈ So then should I work out an outline?

BETH: Yes. Just headings for different sections, at this stage. And Q₂₉ then you should start looking for suitable articles and books to draw on. and take notes which you organise according to those headings.

JAMES: I see.

BETH: Q₃₀ Then out short phrases and sentences as bullet points under each heading. Make sure that this skeleton makes sense and flows properly, before writing up the paper in full.

JAMES: OK. Thanks, that’s very helpful.

IELTS LISTENING – THE HORTON CASTLE SITE S24T3

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IELTS LISTENING – The effects of environmental change on birds S24T4

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IELTS LISTENING – EVENTS DURING KENTON FESTIVAL S23T1

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IELTS LISTENING – Scandinavian Studies S23T3

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