IELTS Listening Practice Test 39

SECTION 1

Questions 1-10

Complete the notes below.

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

NOTES: travelling to France

Example                                                                   Answer

Time of travel                                                         September

Advantages of travelling by train:

1………………………………….

2…………………………………

3. take as much………………………………. as you need

The Eurostar:

• runs on schedule 4…………………………….. of the time
• can reach speeds of 5………………………….. miles per hour

Two options from Paris to Nice:

• Catch the TGV train at 6………………….
• Catch the TGV train at 7…………………. and travel 8………………………

Single tickets cost approximately 9…………………………… the return fare.

Flying from London to Nice takes 10…………………………

SECTION 2

Questions 11 – 15

Complete the table below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Questions 16 – 20

Label the floor plan below.

Write the correct letter A – G next to the questions below.

SECTION 3

Questions 21 – 25

Which student expresses each of the opinions about their tutor?

Choose your answer from the box and write the letters A – D next to questions 21 – 25.

When things don’t make sense I think it’s my mistake at first        21………

I find the tutor’s mistakes entertaining.                                               22……..

I think it’s unfortunate when tutors confuse people.                         23……..

I don’t believe the situation is so serious.                                             24……..

The professor should be aware of his tutor’s abilities.                       25……..

Questions 26 – 30

Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SURVIVING THE CONFUSING LAB CLASS

• Remember that English is not Mariena’s first language. She doesn’t understand when you’re joking around, so don’t 26……………………… her so much.
• If you pick on her, you will make her 27……………………………. that she can’t think clearly.
• If you need help, make an appointment to meet with her 28………………….and you might see a 29……………. of her.
• Remember that tutors are not old academics; she is not yet experienced as a 30…………………………..

SECTION 4

Questions 31 – 40

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

COURSE: epidemiology 101                                                       DATE: 23 May

                                                 Tuberculosis (also called TB)

•  Tuberculosis is closely associated with the 31………………………….

In the UK:

• common in the 19th century
• since than better living conditions, 32 ……………………………. immunisation and effective treatments have made it uncommon.

Globally:

• still common in 33………………….. and parts of 34……………………………
• cause 35……………….. deaths per year; more than any other infectious disease
• overall, 36…………………. of the world’s population is infected but net everyone gets sick

Risk factors

• a weakened immune system – due to HIV infection, immune-suppressing treatment, or alcohol or 37………………
• age – babies and the elderly are more likely to become sick
• certain environment – more common among homeless people, among prisoners, and people in 38……………….. and in more impoverished areas

Treatment

• 50 years ago, a way 39……………………. TB was found
• The most recent form of tuberculosis, XDR-TB, poses a 40………………….. to general TB control.

Answer key:

1. faster
2. more affordable
3. luggage
4. 92.4 percent
5. 186
6. 11:46
7. 22:25
8. overnight
9. half (of)
10. 2 hours
11. 142 weeks
12. 2-3 weeks
13. February
14. summer
15. early autumn
16. C
17. E
18. F
19. B
20. A
21. D
22. B
23. C
24. A
25. D
26. tease
27. so nervous
28. individually
29. different side
30. teacher
31. AIDS epidemic
32. better nutrition
33. developing countries
34. Eastern Europe
35. three million
36. one third
37. drug addiction
38. large cities
39. to cure
40. (serious) threat

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

F= Travel agent M= Student

F: Good morning!

M: Hi.

F: How can I help you?

M: I’m looking for information about travelling to […………………………….]. I’m studying in Nice next year and need to go there in September. I’m thinking of driving, so I guess it’s either through the […………………………….], or by ferry. Um— I think the ferry’s a lot slower, isn’t it?

F: Indeed it is; it takes around nine hours from […………………………….]to Paris, including the […………………………….]bits, and usually it’s more expensive too, unless you book well ahead of time; then sometimes the ferry’s more […………………………….].

M: How much does it cost?[…………………………….]F: Well, when you take the train and the […………………………….]now, you must buy your tickets […………………………….]…

M: Actually I’d prefer to take the […………………………….]. How much does that cost?

F: That depends on your travel date and availability of tickets, but you can […………………………….]to pay about […………………………….]each way for the car, in addition to your […………………………….]fares.

M: It’s not cheap.

F: No; will you be using your car a lot while you’re in France?

M: Uh, not really, but I’ll have a lot of […………………………….], so it seems like the easiest way. Besides, I hate flying.

F: Driving is never the easiest way to get from the UK to France, I’m afraid! And of course, your […………………………….]wheel will be on the wrong side when you get there! If you’re not going to need your car when you […………………………….], may I suggest leaving it at home and travelling by train?

It’s much faster, more affordable and you can take as much luggage as you need, there aren’t limits.

M: Oh, I didn’t know that about the luggage – that’s good It would […………………………….]be more relaxing, I suppose. Ok, tell me about the train.

F: It’s […………………………….]the most popular option these days. Eurostar has now captured over […………………………….] of the London to Paris market from the […………………………….], and maybe this has something to do with the fact that […………………………….]of Eurostar trains run on time, against just […………………………….]of flights on the same […………………………….]. From central London to central Paris, Eurostar is faster than flying as well.

M: And the Eurostar is _ what exactly? A train company?

F: Oh, sorry! The Eurostar is the […………………………….]passenger train that runs from London to Paris via the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar can reach […………………………….]per hour, and the journey takes just 2 hours 15 minutes.

M: All right, so it’s easy to get to Paris, but what about Nice? It’s a fair bit farther.

F: Yes, but it couldn’t be easier. There are two main options; you can leave London at seven twenty-seven in the morning, then […………………………….]in Paris to catch the TGV train at […………………………….], which takes about five and a half hours, and be in Nice in time for an evening meal. Or, you can take any Eurostar to Paris in time to catch the twentv-two twenty-five from Paris, which arrives in Nice at […………………………….]. It’s a longer journey, but many people prefer the […………………………….]of travelling overnight.

M: Yes, that appeals to me. About how much does the overnight journey cost?

F: The example I’ve pulled up on the computer now costs a hundred and thirty-five pounds return, but sometimes it’s lower as low as […………………………….]. I’ll write down a couple of website […………………………….]for you, and you can search for various times and fares on your own.

M: Thanks, that’s great _ oh _ one more thing. Ill need a single fare, because I won’t be returning for a while. Is that going to be more […………………………….]?

F: No, don’t worry. Singles are […………………………….]half of the return fare, though this wasn’t true several years ago, when it wasn’t […………………………….]for a return to be cheaper than a single.

Nt Ok, this sounds good, but what about flying? Is that an option?

F: If you aren’t going to opt for taking the train, flying is another good option. While the train’s the […………………………….]way to travel from London to Paris, you can actually save time by opting to fly from London to the South of France.

M: I guess there’s an airport in Nice, isn’t there?

F: Yes; the Nice Cote d’Azur Airport. It’s about […………………………….] from the centre of Nice. Since it’s the third most important airport in France after Charles de Gaulle and Orly in Paris, there’s no […………………………….]of flights.

M: Do you know […………………………….]how long it takes?

F: Two hours.

M: That’s quick!

F: Yes, but you need to consider that you’ll lose time checking in and waiting to collect luggage and such. And of course, there’s a […………………………….]allowance.

M: True. All right, thanks very much for your help. I’ve got a lot to think about now.

F: No problem at all. Feel free to come back if you have more questions.

 Section 2

Good morning ladies and gentlemen! Thanks for joining me on our monthly […………………………….]to visit new […………………………….]and city planning developments in our city of Birmingham. Today, as you can see, we’re here at the […………………………….]site of “the Cube”, and its construction is well […………………………….]. Indeed, the year ahead will be an exciting year for Birmingham Development Company and its […………………………….]arm, Buildability, as the construction of “the Cube’, the most […………………………….]building in Birmingham, continues at speed. This new building, valued at over […………………………….], has been designed by the internationally renowned […………………………….], MAKE Their design team, led by Ken Shuttleworth, has created a […………………………….]cube aimed at providing a spectacular contrast to the increasing number of towers appearing on the Birmingham […………………………….].

The complex […………………………….]building programme that will trans¬form the Birmingham […………………………….]upon its completion, is currently over halfway through its development. The building will continue to […………………………….], over the coming year, with each floor taking […………………………….]to complete. As you can see, to your right, the first […………………………….]of the special gold […………………………….]cladding that will adorn the cube has now arrived on site, and from February, the […………………………….]golden […………………………….]will begin to be installed, bringing the […………………………….]building to life. Late summer will see the topping out1 of the […………………………….]frame of the cube structure, with the […………………………….]metallic fretwork screen beginning to take shape in the early […………………………….].

What has been […………………………….]to date in the city’s regeneration has been nothing short of amazing, yet we hope to set a new […………………………….]for developments in Birmingham. The Cube will bring forward a new standard of architecture and a building, which will not only be Birmingham’s most striking […………………………….]location, but also one wNch is […………………………….]around the world. The Cube breaks all the […………………………….]of what has been achieved in Birmingham so far.

The finished Cube will be a mixed-use building. It will house the city’s first […………………………….]restaurant with […………………………….]views whilst a boutique hotel and residential apartments below will feature […………………………….] views over the twisting atrium. Further down, high specification.

Grade A office space is planned with more exclusive retail and […………………………….]restaurants at the base. The Mailbox has already raised the bar in the quality and […………………………….]of our architecture and the […………………………….]offerings, worldwide brand names and […………………………….]restaurants have given Birmingham a […………………………….]profile rivalling the capitals of Europe.

From the outset, the Cube’s design team sought to create a new […………………………….]building for Birmingham which fits into its context and which towns people in. Lined with coloured glass and with an […………………………….]dad in […………………………….]metal fretwork, the Cube has visible links to Birmingham’s heritage in engineering and […………………………….]manufacture It was essential that the building created a strong visual […………………………….], immediately identi¬fiable as a gateway to the […………………………….]and city centre area to the north.

Our city is a city of the future and as a […………………………….]building with […………………………….]foresight in style and design, the Cube is […………………………….]of our plans in how we see Birmingham developing. The Cube will help to […………………………….]us onto a global stage Now, let’s go and have a look at the progress of the […………………………….]gateway.

 SECTION 3

L= Lynn T= Thomas S= Sophie D= David

L Thomas, let’s not go to the […………………………….]. Let’s just stay here in the student […………………………….]and drink tea and review the chapter.

T: You know we can’t do that. We’ve a […………………………….]to turn up and make sure our tutor has understood the week’s lectures. If we don’t go, no one will ever even […………………………….]she’s got the […………………………….]ail muddled up S: Oh really?

L Sophie, it’s awful Marlena just opens her mouth and I’m […………………………….]. Really, she…

T: Marlena’s our tutor.

S: Yeah, I gathered that…

L You lot have got no […………………………….]; I was in the middle of saying some¬thing? Shell say things that make no sense […………………………….], and I’m thinking I’ve […………………………….]something, and f’m looking around the room and everyone has these looks on their faces of…

T: Disbelief and […………………………….]!

L Maybe you do, Thomas, but we’re not all […………………………….]. Really, I’ll be so worried that I’ve got it all wrong, then people start asking questions, and by and by we figure out that she’s […………………………….]something up.

S: That’s too bad It’s not a good situation at all.

D: But surely you’re […………………………….]a bit. Lynn…

L No, it’s awful I don’t know how she got through her undergraduate studies, much less got […………………………….]as a […………………………….]here. You’d think our professor would have some idea about her abilities.

D: Marlena’s an unusual name. Is she English?

L She’s Spanish, David She’s got a really strong […………………………….]– T: Really that’s a lot of the problem, I think. I don’t think she’s thick; she just doesn’t […………………………….]very well. I’m not sure she understands us completely, especially when someone’s […………………………….]around. And we do […………………………….]her a bit I must admit

S: What a nightmare! I’d hate to have you in my class if I was a tutor, Tom!

T: As long as you’re […………………………….]Sophie, you’d have nothing to worry about…

S: But you’ve just said she’s not thick!

D: I think I’ve met her, actually; I think we had a class […………………………….], maybe last year. She was really shy and quiet Hardly spoke the whole term. But she was always […………………………….]and friendly. She seemed nice, actually, and I think she got one of the […………………………….]marks in the class. Maybe you’ve all picked on her so much that she’s so […………………………….]that she can’t think clearly. Ever think of that?

L But we don’t need to babysit; we need help! It’s a difficult subject!

S: Has anyone ever gone up and asked her for help […………………………….]?

T: Yes, actually, I have. I couldn’t understand one of the […………………………….]in the first chapter – the theory about why it worked just made no […………………………….]to me, so I went and asked her about it and she cleared it right up. She was very […………………………….]. She’s not thick; I already said that.

S: She’s just so much fun to […………………………….], right?

T: Yep, that’s it!

S: Lynn, if you are having […………………………….]with something why don’t you make an […………………………….]to meet with her individually and see if she can help you that way? Maybe you’d see a different side of her. I reckon she just hates getting up in front of the class and I can hardly […………………………….]her.

L Yes, I could try that I suppose.

D: Guys, the tutors aren’t old […………………………….]who’ve been teaching for thirty years; they’re just like us, two years down the road, if we’re clever enough to continue with our […………………………….]. I know I’d be […………………………….]to get up in front of you lot, and I don’t think I’ll feel that differently in a couple of years’ time. You know, we’re far more […………………………….]as students than they are as teachers.

T: You’re right, David. Really, it’s more like one of our […………………………….]is trying to help us out, but you know, our mates aren’t so […………………………….]of us!

S: Yeah, but you aren’t so […………………………….]to your mates, are you?

 SECTION 4

Hello there; can I have your […………………………….]please? We’ve got a lot to cover today and we need to get started If you recall, last week we […………………………….]the AIDS […………………………….], and its effect on health care systems in the countries with the highest […………………………….]. Well, today I’m going to speak about another […………………………….]disease that is rather closely associated with the AIDS epidemic – […………………………….].

In the UK, active Tuberculosis, otherwise known as TB, was com¬mon in the […………………………….]century – the old ‘consumption’ of romantic novels. Since then, better-living conditions, better nutrition, […………………………….]and effective treatments in the twentieth century have all […………………………….]to make TB uncommon in the UK today. However. TB is still common in developing countries and parts of Eastern Europe. It causes more deaths […………………………….]than any other […………………………….]disease – about three million per year. This is a tragic […………………………….]since TB is now generally a […………………………….]disease. Overall, one-third of the world population is currently infected with the bacteria that cause TB. However, people infected with TB […………………………….]will not necessari¬ly become sick with the disease. The immune system “walls off” the TB bacilli which, protected by a thick […………………………….]coat can lie […………………………….]for years. It’s estimated that […………………………….]of people who are […………………………….]with TB bacilli, but who are not infected with HIV, become sick or infectious at some time during their life. Left […………………………….], each person with active TB disease will infect on average between 10 and 15 peo¬ple every year.

There are certain risk factors that make certain people more like¬ly to become ill with TB. When people’s […………………………….]systems are weak¬ened, their chances of becoming sick are greater, for example, due to HIV infection, […………………………….]treatment, or alcohol or drug addiction. Age is also a factor, with babies, young children and the elderly being most […………………………….]. In addition, poor nutrition and lack of vitamin D are linked to TB. Finally, TB is more common in cer¬tain environments such as among […………………………….]people, among prisoners, in large cities and in more […………………………….]areas.

Until […………………………….]ago, there were no medicines to cure TB. Finding medicines to cure TB was a […………………………….]breakthrough.

But now, strains that are […………………………….]to a single drug have been documented in every country […………………………….]what’s more, strains of TB resist¬ant to all major anti-TB drugs have emerged. Drug-resistant TB is caused by […………………………….]or partial treatment, when patients do not take all their medicines regularly for the required period because they start to feel better because doctors and health workers […………………………….]the wrong treatment […………………………….], or because the drug supply is unreli¬able.

A particularly dangerous form of […………………………….]TB is multidrug- resistant TB, […………………………….]as MDR-TB, which is defined as the disease caused by TB bacilli resistant to at least the two most powerful anti- TB drugs. Rates of MDR-TB are high in some countries, especially in the former Soviet Union, and […………………………….]TB control efforts. While drug- resistant TB is generally […………………………….], it requires extensive chemothera¬py – up to two years of treatment – with second-line anti-TB drugs These second-line drugs are more costly than first-line drugs, and produce […………………………….]drug reactions that are more severe, though still […………………………….].

The recent emergence of […………………………….]drug-resistant TB. called XDR-TB, particularly in settings where many TB patients are also […………………………….]with HV, poses a serious threat to TB control and con¬firms the urgent need to […………………………….]basic TB control and to apply the new WHO guidelines for the […………………………….]of drug-resistant TB.

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