IELTS LISTENING TEST 27

SECTION 1 You will hear a man who has just retired telephoning a part-time society to ask about membership and activities. First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5. You will see there is an example that has been done for you. On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first. Hello, this is the Leighton Society. How can I help? Oh, hello. I'm just phoning you because I'm interested in becoming a member of your society, and I was wondering if you could give me some more information. The name of the society is Leighton, so Leighton has been written in the space. Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time. Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 5. Hello, this is the Leighton Society. How can I help? Oh, hello. I'm just phoning you because I'm interested in becoming a member of your society, and I was wondering if you could give me some more information. Of course. What would you like to know? Well, first of all, I'd like to know where you hold the club meetings. As I'm not very mobile anymore, and I'm looking for somewhere that's within walking distance of my house. Are you still down at the old boathouse? No, we moved away from there a while ago. Meetings are now held at the clubhouse. Oh, brilliant. That's only five minutes from me. Do you require members to have any skills or experience? No, there is no experience required. We have plenty of female singers and actresses, but we don't have many men who can play the male roles. We are looking to resolve this, and are especially interested in recruiting male actors and singers. I've never sung professionally, but I'm very keen on it, and I've been told that I'm talented, so I think this would be a good fit. Do you organise coaches to transport members to practice at the theatre? Unfortunately, the club does not have sufficient funds to organise transportation, though this is something we are working towards. We are currently looking for members who can drive, so that we can organise car sharing. Members who are able to shuttle people in their cars will obviously be compensated for their petrol usage. I don't drive, but I'd be happy to contribute some money in order to use the shuttle services. Yes, that is no problem. Are you aware of when the meetings take place? No, I couldn't find the meeting times on your website. We hold meetings from 6 to 8pm every Tuesday. Ah, that's lucky. I go to a debating club every Wednesday, so I'm glad that it's on a different night so I can attend both. Do you operate year round? We used to close during December for the Christmas period, but we found that a lot of members wanted to continue their practices during this time. We operate for most of the year, but we do, however, close for August because the weather gets so hot that we are unable to practice comfortably. This may change when we have enough funds to operate the air conditioning. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 6 to 10. Now listen and answer questions 6 to 10. OK. I also wanted to ask how much the membership fee is and what is included with it. Our membership fee is inexpensive and it includes many benefits that certainly make the costs worth it. For example, we hold an annual event where members can meet each other and converse about topics that they have in common. We find that this is very popular as the dinner is truly superb and included with your membership fee. Wow, that sounds great. And how much does membership cost? We have a couple of membership rates depending on your age and situation. For employed members under the age of 30, the fee is £40, while it costs £60 for members aged between 30 and 60. Which of these categories do you fit into? Oh, I don't fit into either of those. I'm 65 years old and retired, so I'm no longer employed. That's no problem at all. You qualify for the lowest priced membership fee of £25, which applies to those who are either unemployed or retired. Wow, that's really affordable. I was thinking of bringing my grandson along to some of the practices. So what would the membership cost for him? He's 14. I'm afraid that the club is for adults only. That is to say, we don't allow members who are aged 16 and under. He is welcome to join in two years' time though. Ah, that's a shame. I guess I can wait and buy him a membership for his birthday present. Yes, what a good idea. I was hoping I could bring him with me so I have someone there to talk to. I'm worried that I won't have anything in common with the other members. I'm sure you'll fit in just fine. All our members are very friendly and interested in culture and music. Most of the people involved are modern day authors looking for new experiences to write about in their books. You could read some of their books so you have something to discuss with them. That's a good suggestion. I'll definitely do that. I'm really looking forward to attending the annual dinner so I can meet new people and hopefully make some friends. Absolutely. Everyone has a great night and it's all for charity, as all of the money raised from this event is donated to the children's hospital so they can buy toys and clothes. Wow, what a great cause. Well, I will definitely be popping in soon to arrange my membership. Thank you for all of your help. No problem at all. Goodbye. Bye. That is the end of section 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

SECTION 2 You will hear a part of a talk given by a director of a train station. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14. Hello and thank you for attending this meeting. I have called it to discuss station matters as there have been a number of changes made and I want to ensure that you are all filled in. Well, as I'm sure you will all have heard, there are plans underway to make some alterations to the station complex. Though we did the reconstruction work that occurred last year, from the data collected this year, we have learned that our station is too small to cope with a large number of visitors passing through it on a daily basis. However, relocation is unnecessary which means you, our staff, will be unaffected and can continue with your work as normal. We have decided that our only option is to make the area bigger by building new platforms and new facilities such as cafes and lounge areas. We have already purchased the site on which these new facilities will be constructed. We had initially planned to build on the site of the old industrial buildings. However, tests carried out on the soil and water showed that it was too highly contaminated with waste from the industrial processes. Instead, we have purchased the site just across the road on which there used to be a lot of houses that were later converted into shops. These buildings will, of course, be demolished to make room for our new facilities. What is going to be built on this new site? I see you thinking to yourselves. There have been a lot of ideas put forward by all the parties involved. Initially, the station had planned to use the site as a car park. However, we decided this would be a very unsatisfactory way to occupy the space. Instead, we have hired an architect who has an exciting vision to transform the site into a large leisure centre complete with cafes, shops and a lounge where visitors can relax. We hope that this new complex will attract many visitors, not just from the station but also from the apartment blocks in the nearby town centre. As part of the construction works, we are also going to create new formal gardens where visitors can enjoy the greenery and sit outside in the fresh air. The new leisure complex will be located to the right of the shopping district, so these formal gardens will serve as a meeting place for pedestrians. Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20. Now, listen and answer questions 15 to 20. Now, I'm delighted to be able to introduce you all to the plans for our new complex, so if you could please focus your attention on the maps in front of you. We will start at the main entrance and make our way towards the cafe, which is located behind the wall that we can see directly in front of us, just next to the rear entrance. In this position, the cafe is obscured from the entrances, which will keep the space warm and also create an intimate atmosphere. Once visitors arrive at our station, they often need further transport in order to reach their homes. Therefore, we have introduced a taxi rank with its own waiting area. In order to reach these facilities, the visitors must simply leave the complex via the rear entrance and turn left. Visitors who have travelled to the station by car can leave it in the car park for a small fee, which is located just outside of the rear entrance to the right. At present, our station does not have an internal seating area for passengers, so they are forced to wait for their trains outside on the platforms, which can be particularly unpleasant during the winter. We have, therefore, decided to introduce a passenger waiting area inside the new complex to the right of the rear entrance, with comfortable seating where passengers can pass the time comfortably in the warmth. As this space is a distance away from the station, we have also proposed a waiting area for wheelchair users that is closer. As visitors enter through the main entrance, this space will be located behind the wall to their left. Finally, we have also decided that it would be a great idea to introduce a new tourist office, where visitors can get maps and information on our wonderful town. We want this new office to be easily accessible, so visitors entering through the main entrance will find it directly to their right. Now, I think that's all I have to tell you. Please feel free to ask any questions if you would like to know anything else. That is the end of section 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

SECTION 3 You will hear three students discussing an experiment they're interested in. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25. Oh, hi Jen and Irene. Are you two heading to class? Hey Bill. Yes, we're just walking there now. We're a little bit early, but we wanted to prepare our apparatus for the experiment. Do you want to walk with us? Yes, sure. It'll be good to catch up. How is everything going with your experiment? Have you decided what your test subject is yet? It's going really well and we're conducting the test as laboratory partners. We've decided to test the effects of gravitational force on a series of objects with different densities. It's interesting, but it's a lot of work. I've been planning the experiment for the last two weeks and I only finished yesterday. Gosh, Irene, I'm really impressed by how hard-working you are. I enjoy chemistry so much that it doesn't feel like work. Whenever I have some free time at the weekend, I spend it in the laboratory working on it. It almost feels like a second home to me. How about you, Bill? Who is your laboratory partner? The tutor partnered me with Kim. At first I was worried because I've never worked with him before and I was worried that he wouldn't be very good at laboratory work, but actually he's very capable. I've noticed that he's always very well-dressed. Yes, he's very stylish and we share the same tastes in clothes. That doesn't stop him from getting his hands dirty, though. He's a very hard worker and makes a significant contribution, which I'm really grateful for. Ah, it's good that you get on well with your partner. It makes the experiment so much more enjoyable when you work well together. What do you think of the other people in our group? A lot of the boys are really good at maths, which is really helpful with all the calculations we have to do. Irene is good at maths as well, which makes her contribution really useful because she can do all the equations. I take care of all the writing because Irene finds that difficult. We'd probably fail without each other's help. That's true. I'm so glad that we're nearly finished. Only because you've finished the data analysis. Oh, Jen, you give me too much credit. I'm so glad that I didn't get partnered with Linda again. Jen and I were grouped with her for our last experiment and it was a nightmare. Yes, she always submitted her work on time for the group work, but she never had her phone on her, so it was impossible for anyone to keep in touch with her and vice versa. Her attitude was pretty annoying, but in all fairness she was a very hard worker because she realised the amount of work needed to get a high score. Jen is such a hard worker. In fact, she has been invited to work on the professor's personal project. Wow, that's amazing. Well done. Why were you picked? I thought he would pick one of the students that he's closer to, but he told me he was impressed with me because I always complete reading the assignments in time for class. I bet you'll be really popular among the other students when they find out. They'll all want to hear about the project. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30. Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30. You should give everyone tasks so that they have the opportunity to participate. That's a really good idea actually. Will you help me decide who to assign each task to? Of course. Now let's see. Well, as Irene finds writing difficult, perhaps it would be useful for her to practice that by doing the bibliography. I think the bibliography is a bit long for me. I think I'd be better suited to the methodology. Yes, that makes sense. Bill, you've told us that Kim is a hard worker, so I think he should be tasked with the conclusions as there is quite a lot of effort involved. Okay, sure. I know that Kyle hasn't been feeling well, so he should take care of the abstract and the acknowledgement because there is very little work to be done for those tasks. Jen, do you want to review some of the literature? It's a lot of work, but I know that you really enjoy writing, so I'm confident that you'll do a good job. Sure, sounds great. Right, so that leaves the bibliography and the discussion to assign. I think that Linda will struggle with the amount of work involved in the referencing, so perhaps I should take care of that task, and she can do the other one? That's great, guys. Thanks for your help. I'll tell the tutor when he arrives. That is the end of Section 3. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Irene: That's impressive, Jen. You deserve it. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30. Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30. Jen: So, let's divide up the tasks for the final report. Irene, you should do the methodology since you planned the experiment. Irene: That makes sense. I'll take methodology. Bill: I'll handle the bibliography. I'm good at organizing references. Jen: Perfect. Kim, you can do the abstract since you have a good overview of the whole project. Kim: Sure, I'll write the abstract. Jen: I'll take the results section since I've been analyzing the data. Bill: What about Linda? What should she do? Jen: Linda can do the literature review. She's good at research and reading background materials. Irene: That works well. So we have methodology, bibliography, abstract, results, and literature review covered. Jen: Exactly. That covers all the main sections we need. That is the end of section 3. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

SECTION 4 You will hear a talk on research in nanotechnology. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the second lecture in our series on modern technology. Today I'll be discussing the recent developments in nanotechnology, in addition to its applications in a number of environments, such as domestic and medical. First of all, I'd like to begin with a short explanation of what nanotechnology is. It is the manipulation of matter on a minutes scale. Because of its limitless applications and uses, the government has invested billions of dollars into the research and development of nanotechnology in order to explore its potential. It is only recently that we have been able to engage in the development of nanotechnology since nanoparticles are so miniscule that a new type of microscope had to be invented to enable us to see them. Many of you may not realise that we all use nanotechnology in our homes as a part of our daily lives. For example, a new dietary supplement uses nanotechnology in order to help our body to absorb iron from our diet more efficiently, which can help to prevent anaemia. This technology also makes it easier and cheaper for factories to produce foods such as chocolates, as the nanomolecules help the food to meet our recommended daily intake of certain vitamins and minerals. This may sound odd, but in fact it just means that the food is healthier and cheaper and has increased flavour. Another application for nanotechnology is in the agriculture industry. In the past, farmers have been using many artificial chemicals to fertilise the soil, which is extremely bad for the planet as it contaminates the water that we drink. By using nanotechnology, scientists have been able to develop a spray, which increases the efficiency of fertilisers that occur naturally in the soil. This means that a lot more food can now be produced per square hectare, making it cheaper and more efficient to grow without harming the planet. One of the industries upon which nanotechnology has had the biggest impact is the production of pharmaceuticals. One of the most commonly occurring illnesses is food poisoning, as many foods have naturally occurring contaminants that can be harmful if eaten without being thoroughly cooked. Nanotechnology makes it possible for us to sterilise the food and make it safe to eat by killing these bacteria. A major success in the use of nanotechnology in the medical field is in the treatment of cancer. Researchers have found that they can attach medicine to nanoparticles, which are then injected into the body and enable the therapeutic drugs to be absorbed into the veins. These drugs then travel throughout the blood system and target cancerous tumours. Scientists have also discovered that certain metals contain nanoparticles that have antibacterial qualities with the ability to destroy over 650 types of bacteria. These metals are used, for example, on fridges to prevent the growth of bacteria. They can even be woven into materials to create clothing that is self-cleaning and has an attractive metallic appearance. The most popular of these materials contains silver, which naturally has the strongest antibacterial qualities. These clothes have a special tag on them to show that they use nanotechnology, so keep a look out for them next time you go shopping. Another observation made by some researchers showed that certain types of nanoparticles called splipherines can destroy fat tissues and therefore stimulate fat loss without the need for dieting or exercise. They are currently developing a supplement that can be ingested in order to help dieters with their weight loss programmes. It is predicted that these supplements will be on the market by 2020. I would like to finish today's lecture with a final example of a domestic application for nanotechnology – cosmetics. Nanoparticles are used in many make-ups and body lotions, but they have the greatest effect in sun cream. Ultraviolet rays given off by the sun are a serious cause of skin cancer, but the nanoparticles in sun cream protect the skin against the sun by blocking the ultraviolet radiation from entering the body. This is why you must always wear suntan lotion on the beach. Now I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. That is the end of section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers. That is the end of the listening test. In the IELTS test, you will now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.