Question 1-6
What does Lisa say about each object?
Complete the table as follows. Write
A if she says it is ESSENTIAL
B if she says it is RECOMMENDED.
C if she says it is NOT RECOMMENDED.
Example Documents Answer A
1 At least £50 …………
2 Warm clothing …………
3 Personal computer …………
4 Food from home …………
5 Favourite tapes or CDs …………
6 Photos from home …………
Questions 7-10
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
The labels on Dan’s luggage must state ‘Mr & Mrs 7……………………………. and their address.
Lisa says he should carry some spare clothes in 8……………………………..
For health reasons, Dan intends to wear 9…………………………….during the flight.
Dan should practise carrying his luggage for a minimum distance of 10……………………………..
SECTION 2
Questions 11-13
Choose THREE letters A-F.
What does Sally say about universities?
A. Compared to the general population, few students are disabled.
B. Most universities don’t want students aged over 25.
C. Old universities can present particular difficulties for the disabled. D All university buildings have to provide facilities for the disabled. E There arc very few university disability advisors.
F. Some disability advisors can do little to help disabled students.
Questions 14-19
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
| Disability | Facilities |
| General | personal care and assistance |
| Mobility impairment | ramps and easy access, fire and emergency procedures 14_____________ |
| 15___________ | lavatory facilities |
| Sight impairment | Braille translators, 17__________on stairs, floors, etc fire and emergency procedures |
| Dyslexia | use of computer 18__________ to finish work |
| Other difficulties | access to treatment: medication/therapy 19___________ procedures |
Question 20
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
20 What is the speaker’s main purpose?
A. to explain why comparatively few students are disabled
B. to advise disabled students what to look for in a university
C. to describe the facilities for the disabled in a particular university
D. to criticize the facilities for the disabled in most universities
SECTION 3
Questions 21-26
Complete the notes below using letters A-F from the box.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
A. tour of the university campus
B. formal dinner party
C. meeting with ‘senior students
D. driving in this country
E. visit to a night club
F. tour of the city
Orientation Course for international students
What Liz liked about the course.
21 …………
22 …………
23 …………
What Mark thinks could be improved.
24 …………
25 …………
26 …………
Questions 27-30
Choose the correct letters A, B, C, or D.
27. Your room during the Orientation Course is
A usually shared with another student.
B the same room you will have for the rest of the year.
C some distance from the university.
D furnished, and with bedclothes provided.
28 The daytime temperature will probably be
A less than 10°C.
B between 10°C and 20°C.
C 20°C.
D more than 20°C.
29 How much free email time do you get?
A 30 minutes
B 20 minutes
C 15 minutes
D 10 minutes
30 There are Orientation Course activities from A Sunday to Saturday.
B Sunday to Friday.
C Monday to Friday.
D Monday to Saturday.
SECTION 4
Questions 31-33
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Fireworks were first used in China, probably in the 31……………………………. century.
By the following century, they were known in Arabia as 32…………………………
Fireworks first appeared in 33…………………………….in the thirteenth century.
Questions 38-40
Choose the correct letters A, B, C or D.
38 A multibreak shell
A is more dangerous than a simple shell.
B may make a noise when it bursts.
C has a single fuse for all its sections.
39 An aerial heart shape is made by the explosion of
A stars placed inside a shell in the form of a circle.
B heart-shaped stars placed inside a shell.
C stars arranged in the form of a heart inside a shell.
40 What does a Serpentine shell look like in the sky?
Answer key:
- A
- A
- C
- C
- B
- B
- Wark
- his hand luggage
- wear tights
- 500 metres
11 – 13 A, C, F (any order) - A
- C
- F
- lifts that work
- hearing impairment
- visual doorbells
- clear markings
- extra time
- emergency
- D
- C
- B
- F
- E
- A
- D
- D
- B
- B
- C
- sixth/6th
- Chinese Arrows
- Europe
- shell
- 75/seventy-five mm/millimetres
- 500/ five hundred mm/millimetres
- lifting
- B
- C
- B
BONUS EXERCISE: GAP-FILLING
The texts below are transcript for your IELTS Listening Practice Test. To make the most out of this transcript, we removed some words from the texts and replaced with spaces. You has to fill each space with the missing word by listening to the audio for this IELTS listening practice test.
TASK II: GAP-FILLING
Section 1
LISA Homestay Language Learning; Lisa McDowEll here. How can I help you?
DAN Hello. My name’s Dan…
LISA Hello Dan.
DAN and I’m going to be living with a family in [………………………………]for three months, so I’d like some advice on what to bring with me. I’m flying in via Singapore on the [………………………………].
LISA Right. Well perhaps most important of all are your documents: [………………………………]certificate, [………………………………]letter and the certifying letter from us for [………………………………].
DAN Yes, I’ve got all those in order, I think. What I’m really wondering about are money and clothes, and things for my room. Personal [………………………………], in other words.
LISA OK, let’s start with cash. You’ll already have money in your [………………………………]here, of course, but make sure when you get here you have some [………………………………]on you. Pounds that is, not euros or dollars.
DAN How- much do you suggest?
USA I’d say fifty, as an absolute [………………………………].
DAN OK. Now the next thing is which clothes to bring. What do think?
LISA Well, as I’m sure you know it can get [………………………………]cold here, so you will need some warm clothing. There are shops near here that sell winter clothes quite cheaply, so you really don’t need to bring much. Do make sure, though, that you have at least one thick [………………………………]and a [………………………………]with you when you arrive here: the [………………………………]likely to be a lot lower than in Singapore!
DAN Thanks for the warning! Now something else I’m not sure about is whether to bring my computer. It’s a laptop, so it won’t take up much room.
Lisa Two problems: firstly, it might not be [………………………………]with the electricity supply in this country, and, secondly, there’s a risk of it getting broken in [………………………………]. Someone travelling here had hers [………………………………]only last month.
DAN But surely I can carry it as hand [………………………………]?
LISA Usually, yes. But because of all the tight security right now you may have to check it in. So my advice is to leave yours at home.
DAN OK, I think I will. Is there anything else you’d advise against bringing?
LISA Well you won’t need [………………………………]or cooking things: they’ll all be provided. And importing food, of course, isn’t allowed by Customs. Though I [………………………………]you already knew that.
DAN Well, er, yes.
LISA But there are one or two things I’d suggest you find room for in your [………………………………]…
DAN Yes?
LISA Perhaps a few of your favourite [………………………………]or compact disks? Of course, you might be able to find them in the shops here, but then again you might not.
DAN That’s a good idea. Anything else?
LISA Yes – some photographs of people and places that are [………………………………]to you could be nice. They can really make your room feel like home. It’s just a thought.
DAN Hmm. I’ll see if I’ve got a few good ones.
LISA Just a few points about packing: make sure all your cases are clearly [………………………………], in English, with your host family’s name and address. Just in case they go missing on the way. It has been known to happen.
DAN What name do I write, by the way?
LISA It’s ‘Wark’, Lewis and Amy Wark.
DAN So that’s W-A-L-K?
LISA It’s actually W-A-R-K, but we’ll be posting full [………………………………]to you later this week.
DAN Right, fine. And I’d better put some [………………………………]in my hand luggage. Enough for a night or two in case, as you say, anything happens to my main, er, cases.
LISA Yes – I’d recommend a change of T-shirt and socks and so on, plus any [………………………………]you may need. And a [………………………………], of course.
DAN And my tights.
LISA Your tights?
DAN Yes, for the flight. Wearing them helps prevent deep-vein [………………………………]when you’re flying long distances, not getting any exercise.
LISA Oh yes … I’ve heard about that. Now talking about exercise, there’s one last thing. When you’ve packed your [………………………………], check you can carry it – all of it – at least [………………………………], without any help. You may have to do that!
DAN OK. Well, thanks for all your help. You’ve cleared up a lot of points.
LISA You’re welcome. Have a safe [………………………………], and we’ll look forward to seeing you next month. Bye.
DAN Bye.
Section 2
PRESENTER Welcome to Student Times, the [………………………………]with all the latest on whats happening at [………………………………]around the country. Today we’ll be discussing disabled [………………………………], and the kind of support they can expect to find – or not find – at the university of their choice. With me to tell us more is Student Disability [………………………………]Sally Taylor. Good morning, Sally.
SALLY Good morning, Hugh. I’d like to start by [………………………………]that although one in four people has some kind of disability, the [………………………………]among students is much lower. This is [………………………………]because most students are under 25 and many people only develop their [………………………………]as they get older – but it’s also because some universities don’t do much to [………………………………]access. It is true, though, that some have quite sticky problems when it comes to, for instance, [………………………………]access – ancient buildings, [………………………………]streets built centuries ago, and so on. When faced with such a situation, some universities make an extra special effort to provide for students with particular disabilities, while others have [………………………………]accommodation. In fact, all universities should have a written policy [………………………………]on students with disabilities, setting out what [………………………………]they have, what their [………………………………]is, and what they’re prepared to do.
But, having said that, only you can properly understand the [………………………………]of any disability you have, and so, before accepting a place at a university (or even, while you’re considering applying, if only to raise the universities’ [………………………………]), it’s good to talk to them and find out how much they can (and will) do for you. The problem is who to talk to. Most universities and some students’ unions have a disability advisor who is [………………………………]to know what [………………………………]they already have and will help with further [………………………………]if necessary or possible. However, all too often this person is a token. Sometimes it’s just an extra responsibility given to a [………………………………]. They don’t know what the [………………………………]is in practice, and they don’t have any real [………………………………]to change anything. So, given that for any [………………………………]student it’s best to visit a university before applying, it’s an especially good idea for students with disabilities or special needs to check whether the place really does come up to [………………………………]. In general, the university should provide personal care and [………………………………], and there are certain key [………………………………]to look out for if you have a particular disability, including the following.
SALLY Firstly, if your [………………………………]is impaired, check there are ramps and easy [………………………………]to all buildings, not just accommodation or teaching rooms. Then, when you’re inside, look for clear instructions on fire and [………………………………]procedures for the disabled. Also make sure there are [………………………………]that work – not the usual ones that seem to be out of order half the time – and check for suitable [………………………………]facilities. There is a different set of things to look for if you [………………………………]from any kind of hearing [………………………………]. There should be induction loops in lecture [………………………………], flashing sirens in all rooms, and, in accommodation, visual [………………………………]that light up when somebody calls round to see you. If it is your sight that is [………………………………], there obviously need to be Braille [………………………………]of books and documents. In all buildings, the stairs, floors, [………………………………]and windows must have clear markings, and there also have to be special fire and [………………………………]procedures for you. If you suffer from [………………………………], you will need a computer for general use and in exams. And, as exams may take you longer to [………………………………], you should be allowed extra time in which to do so. This applies to work in general, too. There are of course many other [………………………………]health difficulties that you may suffer from, such as [………………………………], [………………………………], or heart conditions. If this is the case, check the availability of access to appropriate treatment including medication and/or [………………………………]. Finally, make sure that in the event of an emergency, it is clear what you – and other people who may be involved – have to do.
Section 3
JULIA So you were both on last year’s [………………………………]Course, then. How did it go?
LIZ I loved it. The activities were well [………………………………], and I met people from all over the world.
MARK Yes, it was useful.
JULIA And you think I should sign up for this year’s course?
LIZ Yes, definitely. Apart from being fun, it really does [………………………………]you for all the things you have to do in your first couple of weeks. In fact, one of the most useful things was [………………………………]to people who’d already been there for a year, [………………………………]senior students. They’d been on the Orientation Course the year before last, and [………………………………]it to us. Oh, and there was a great [………………………………]at the formal dinner, too. It was so [………………………………], with people in their traditional dress from Asia, Africa, South America. It was one of the high points of the whole week.
MARK That was right at the end, of course. The first thing they did, on the Monday, was take us on a [………………………………]tour of the Students Union.
LIZ And after that they took us round the city centre, showing us things like the bus [………………………………], the main shops …
MARK And the best [………………………………]…
LIZ Right. So it was very [………………………………].
MARK Yes, though maybe they could have taken us to a better night club. The music at the place we went to was [………………………………].
LIZ That’s a matter of taste, surely! Well anyway the next day they showed us round everything on the [………………………………].
MARK And believe me it was everything. We must have [………………………………]miles. I could have done with less information on every building in sight, given that I’ll probably never need to go into half of them, and a bit more on [………………………………]everyone’s likely to use at some time or other. Like the sports [………………………………], the health centre, the bicycle and car parks…
LIZ Which reminds me, there was an afternoon [………………………………]on how to drive in this country, which [………………………………]to me a bit weird – you know, for a university course.
MARK I suppose it’s because there’ve been accidents [………………………………]students who aren’t used to people driving on the left. I was there actually.
LIZ How was it?
MARK Well, I must say I was a bit [………………………………]. There were some useful driving tips, but it might have been more helpful if it had included stuff for [………………………………]. How to avoid getting run over, for example.
LIZ You didn’t go to the session on ‘safety’, then?
MARK No.
LIZ Well [………………………………]that dealt with road safety for pedestrians, along with lots of other [………………………………]of course. I wasn’t there myself, but that might be something worth going to, Julia.
JULIA I like the sound of the whole thing. Tell me, what’s the accommodation like? Do you have a room to yourself or do you have to [………………………………]? What do you have to take with you?
LIZ For the orientation course, you’ll have an individual room in one of the halls of [………………………………]. That’ll be a different hall from the one you’re [………………………………]into for the year, but they’re both on the [………………………………]so you won’t have far to go.
MARK And you won’t have to take too much with you. The room will have [………………………………], table, [………………………………], bed, mattress, blankets, sheets and so on.
LIZ Take a warm coat or jacket, though. It may well rain and it’s unlikely to reach even [………………………………] in late September.
MARK But it shouldn’t drop below about ten, at least during the day. Which is something, I [………………………………]!
JULIA Right. Now I know they can’t do much about the weather, but did you have the feeling that they were looking after you on the course?
LIZ Yes, we did. There were some little [………………………………]that showed they’d thought about what it was like to be starting a course of study abroad.
JULIA Such as?
LIZ Well it’s just a small example, but they gave us free email [………………………………]to contact people at home. [………………………………], if I remember correcdy.
MARK Actually I think it was twenty.
LIZ Yes, you’re right. 1 was on for over half an hour and paid for an extra ten or [………………………………]. Not that it was much!
JULIA Emails don’t take long to write anyway.
LIZ No, they don’t.[………………………………]JULIA So, just one more thing: the [………………………………]. When does the course actually start and finish?
MARK Well a lot of people get there on the Sunday, though you’d have to find a room for an extra night as the course accommodation is only [………………………………]from the Monday, when things get going.
LIZ Then they’ll keep you busy all week, until the dinner on the Friday.
JULIA And that’s it, is it?
LIZ Yes, there’s nothing after that.
MARK Though most people stay over till Saturday, [………………………………]to recover from the party but also because they can then move straight into their [………………………………]rooms.
JULIA 1 think I’ll do that. Well, thanks a lot for all your advice. I’m sure I’ll enjoy the course.
LIZ I wish I could go on this year’s, too!
Section 4
LECTURER Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to this short talk on the [………………………………]of [………………………………]. Now, fireworks, as I’m sure many of you know, were [………………………………]in China, though there has long been [………………………………]as to exactly when, or even in which century. The [………………………………]nowadays, though, is that it was in the sixth, as there is considerable [………………………………]of war rockets being made then. We also know that fireworks were in use by the seventh century in Arabia, where they were called ‘Chinese Arrows’, [………………………………]their military potential. It then took a long time for them to [………………………………]to Europe: in fact it wasn’t until the [………………………………]that fireworks made their appearance there.
LECTURER The basic [………………………………]of fireworks have changed little to this day. Their [………………………………]capacity comes mainly from black powder, also known as [………………………………], which is produced from a mixture of [………………………………], sulphur and potassium nitrate. A modem aerial firework – the kind used nowadays in big public [………………………………], not the small rocket type that you might remember from your childhood – is normally made in the form of a shell, often a [………………………………]about the size of a [………………………………]. Inside the shell are a number of stars [………………………………]by black powder, and running through the centre of the round shell is a charge that makes the [………………………………]explode when it reaches the desired [………………………………]. This is known as the [………………………………]charge. When this explodes, it ignites the outside of the stars, which begin to burn with bright showers of [………………………………]. Since the explosion throws the stars in all directions, you get the huge [………………………………]of sparkling light that is so familiar at [………………………………]displays. A shell of this kind is launched from a [………………………………] millimetre-diameter mortar, which in some ways [………………………………]the type used by the military. The [………………………………]is a steel or – increasingly, for safety reasons – shatterproof plastic pipe. This is likely to be 500 [………………………………]long and sealed at one end. The other end is [………………………………]at the sky and at the bottom of the pipe, below the shell, is placed a [………………………………]containing black powder. This has a long fuse which projects out of the [………………………………]. When this is lit, it quickly burns down to the lifting charge, which [………………………………]to launch the shell. In so doing, it also lights the shell’s [………………………………]. The shell’s fuse burns while the shell rises to its correct [………………………………], and then [………………………………]the bursting charge so it explodes. More complicated shells are divided into sections and burst in two or three phases. Shells like this are called [………………………………]shells. They may contain stars of different colours and [………………………………]to create softer or brighter light, more or less sparks, etc. Some shells contain explosives [………………………………]to crackle in the sky, or whistles that explode [………………………………]with the stars. The sections of a [………………………………]shell are [………………………………]by different fuses and the bursting of one section [………………………………]the next. The shells must be assembled in such a way that each section explodes in [………………………………]to produce a distinct separate [………………………………]. The pattern that an [………………………………]shell paints in the sky depends on the [………………………………]of stars inside the shell. For example, if the stars are equally spaced in a cirde, with black powder inside the [………………………………], you will see an aerial display of smaller star [………………………………]equally spaced in a circle. To create a specific [………………………………]in the sky. for instance a heart shape, you create an outline of the figure in stars inside the shell. You then place [………………………………]charges inside those stars to blow them [………………………………]into the shape of a large heart. Each charge has to be [………………………………]at exactly the right time or the whole thing is [………………………………]. Many other shapes have particular names, like the Willow. This is formed by stars that fall in the shape of willow tree [………………………………]spreading a little to the side and then [………………………………]. The high charcoal [………………………………]of the stars makes them long-burning, so they may even stay visible until they hit the ground. The Ring Shell is fairly basic. It is produced by stars [………………………………]outwards to produce a [………………………………]ring of coloured lights. More complex is the pattern created by the [………………………………], which contains large comets, or charges in the shape of a [………………………………]. These travel outwards, explode and then curve downwards like the limbs of a palm tree. The Serpentine, the last one for now, is different again. When this one [………………………………], it sends small tubes of [………………………………]scattering outwards in random paths, which may [………………………………]in exploding stars. It can be quite spectacular.
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Huy Quoc
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