ANSWER KEY – SCRIPTS
IELTS FIGHTER A – HOMEWORK 1 Contents
LISTENING ....................................................................................................................................... 3
UNIT 1. HOLIDAY & TRAVEL - YOUTH ............................................................................................ . 3
UNIT 2. NATURAL & ENVIRONMENT – FAMILY MATTERS .............................................................. 9 UNIT 3. EDUCATION CULTURE –
................................................................................................... 15
UNIT 4. EMPLOYMENT & FINANCES - YOUTH & LIFE STAGES ...................................................... 20
READING ....................................................................................................................................... 25
UNIT 1. FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS - HEALTH & FITNESS .............................................................. 25
UNIT 2. EDUCATION - NATURE & WATER ..................................................................................... 26
UNIT 3. LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION - SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ....................................... . 27
UNIT 4. EMPLOYMENT & FINANCES - YOUTH & LIFE STAGES ...................................................... 28 2 LIST S ENING
UNIT 1. HOLIDAY & TRAVEL - YOUTH Exercise 1 1 By minibus/ a mini bus 2 15/15 people 3 April 18th / April the 18th 4 Pallisades 5 B 6 D 7 280 8 14 9 20% 10 39745T Audio script:
RECEPTIONIST: Good afternoon, Dreamtime Travel. How can I help you?
CUSTOMER: Oh hello. I'm interested in the holidays you offer along the coast near here.
RECEPTIONIST: Yes. We operate several tours up the coast. Where in particular did you want to go?
CUSTOMER: Well, I like the sound of the holiday that mentioned whales. Was it 'Whale Watching'?
RECEPTIONIST: Oh, that's our Whale Watch Experience. lt's very popular and it's based in a
lovely little town with nice beaches.
CUSTOMER: Oh right, and how long does it last?
RECEPTIONIST: It's two days - that includes four hours' travel time each way from here.
CUSTOMER: Good, I don't want to be away any longer than that. So is that by coach?
RECEPTIONIST: Actually it's by minibus(1). We like to keep those tours small and personal so we
don't take a whole coachload of people. In fact, we only take up to fifteen people on this tour
(2), although we do run it with just twelve or thirteen. 3
CUSTOMER: Oh, right. So do you run these tours often?
RECEPTIONIST: Well it depends on the time of year. Of course in peak times like the summer
holidays we do them every weekend, but at the moment it's usually once a month at most.
CUSTOMER: And when is the next one going?
RECEPTIONIST: Mmm, let me see. Um, there's one in three weeks' time which is April the 18t h
(3), and then we don't have another one until June the 2nd.
CUSTOMER: All right, and is April a good time to go?
RECEPTIONIST: Pretty good. Though the really good time is later in the year. I have to say
though that the whale sighting is only one of the many things offered. CUSTOMER: Really?
RECEPTIONIST: Yes. The hotel itself where you stay has great facilities. It's called The Pallisades.
CUSTOMER: The Paris what?
RECEPTIONIST: No, it's actually The Pallisades, P-A-L-L-I-S-A-D-E-S(4). It's right on the main beach there. CUSTOMER: Oh, I see.
RECEPTIONIST: All of the rooms have nice views and the food is really good there too. CUSTOMER: Oh right.
CUSTOMER: And what about the other things? You know, that are included in the price.
RECEPTIONIST: Oh, there are lots of things. If you don't want to do the whale watch cruise,
your guide will take anyone who is interested either on a bushwalk through the national park
near the hotel (5), and there's no extra charge for that, or on a fishing trip. That's an extra $12 I
think. And there's also a reptile park in town - that costs more or less the same. 4
CUSTOMER: No, I think I'd prefer whales to snakes.
RECEPTIONIST: Yeah. And if you just want to relax you are free to sit by the hotel pool or go
down the beach. Oh, and they also have tennis courts at the hotel, but you have to pay for
those by the hour. But there are table tennis tables downstairs and they're part of the
accommodation package (6). Just speak to your guide.
CUSTOMER: Well that sounds good. So how much is the basic tour price?
RECEPTIONIST: At this time of year it's usually around $300 but let me check. Er...oh, it's actually $280. (7)
CUSTOMER: And the next tour, are there any places on that one?
RECEPTIONIST: HOW many people Is It for?
CUSTOMER: These are two of us.
RECEPTIONIST: Yes, that should be fine. Can I just mention that we require all bookings to be
made at least fourteen days (8) before you travel to avoid cancellations of tours. And if you
cancel within seven days of departure you will have to pay 50% of your total booking. CUSTOMER: OK.
RECEPTIONIST: And you also need to pay a 20% deposit (9) at the time of booking.
CUSTOMER: Can I pay that by credit card?
RECEPTIONIST: Yes, you can.
CUSTOMER: All right, what I'll do is I'll talk to my partner and get back to you.
RECEPTIONIST: Fine. So I'll make a provisional booking, shall I? - two for the Whale Watch
Experience. Let me issue you with a customer reference number for when you call back. Do you have a pen? CUSTOMER: Yes. 5
RECEPTIONIST: OK, it's three nine seven, four five, T. That's T for tango (10). When you call back,
ask to speak to the Tour Manager, that's me, Tracy.
CUSTOMER: Fine, I will. Exercise 2 11 Club house 12 Picnic 13 Prizes 14 10/Ten 15 Wednesday afternoon(s) 16 4/Four 17 Sunday afternoon(s)
18 Collect (the) fees/collect (the) money
19 Send (out/the) newsletter(s) 20 Supervise (the) teams Audio script:
Good evening everyone and thank you for coming to the Soccer Club meeting. It's good to see
so many parents and children here tonight, and I know you are looking forward to a great
football season. Now I'd like to take a few minutes to tell you about some changes to the Soccer Club for the coming season.
Now, this season we'll be playing all our matches for both the junior and senior competitions at
King's Park, instead of Royal Park, which was used last season.
Now for meetings, we're going to use the clubhouse in King's Park, and the next meeting will be
held in the clubhouse (11) on the 2nd of July.
As usual, we hope to begin the season with a picnic (12) next Saturday at the clubhouse. Please
try and come to the picnic as it's always good fun. The last week of the season we usually have
a dinner and presentation of prizes to the players, and more information about this will be
given to you later in the season. (3) 6
This season we have more teams than ever. We hope to have ten teams, instead of five, (14) in
the junior competition and they will play on Saturday mornings, beginning at 8.30 a.m. Training
sessions will be held in King's Park on Wednesday afternoons (15) for the juniors and they will be
wearing red shirts again this year.
In the senior competition, there'll be four teams, (16) the same as last year, and their games will
be played on Saturday afternoons starting at 2.30, no sorry, it will be a 2 o'clock start, and the
training session for seniors is planned for Sunday afternoons. (17)
Now I'd like to introduce you to the new committee for the Soccer Club for this season. Firstly,
let me welcome Robert Young, the new President, who will manage the meetings for the next
two years. Robert's son has been playing football with the club for over five years now, and
many thanks to Robert for taking on the job of President.
Next we have Gina Costello, she's the treasurer, and she will collect the fees from you for the
season. (18) Please try and give Gina your fees as early as possible in the season, as the club
needs the money to buy some new equipment.
Then there's David West who has volunteered to be the club secretary, and one of the many
jobs he will have is to send out newsletters to you regularly (19). If you have any information that
may be useful, please let David know so that it can be included in these newsletters.
Also I'd like to introduce you to Jason Dokie who is the Head Coach. For all the new members
here tonight, this is the third year that Jason has been with us as Head Coach, and we are very
lucky to have such an experienced coach and former player at our club. He will continue
to supervise the teams, (20) at training sessions and on match days. 7
Now before we finish and have some refreshments, does anyone have any questions they'd like to ask the new committee? 8
UNIT 2. NATURAL & ENVIRONMENT – FA – MILY MATTERS Exercise 1 Adult females 2 bond groups
co-ordination / co-ordination between families 4 hearing 5 broadcast it 6 a female / a female elephant 7 hear it 8 C 9 F 10 B Audio script:
Lecturer: In today's lecture I'm going to continue the theme of animal communication, and I'm
going to describe some of the latest research into the largest of all land animals. And that is the elephant, of course.
Let me begin by briefly outlining the structure of elephant society. Elephants live in layered
societies. The basic family unit is formed of small groups of adult females, who are related to
each other, and their young of both sexes. Now the females remain in their families for life (1),
they're highly social, but male elephants leave their families at about fourteen years of age. They
travel alone or congregate in small, loose groups with other males, occasionally joining a family
on a temporary basis. When males are ready to mate they wander widely, searching for receptive females.
The family unit, on the other hand, often contains three generations, and it can remain stable for
decades, or even centuries. Then ... each family associates with between one and five other
families, probably consisting of their more distant relatives. Scientists call these groups of families
"bond groups" (2), and bond groups belong, in turn, to even larger groups, called clans. 9
So elephants have a complex social structure. And like other social animals they have to be able
to communicate. But what baffled early naturalists was their ability to communicate over long
distances. So they set about researching this question.
In one experiment, scientists fitted groups of elephants with radio-tracking collars. And what they
observed about their behavior really intrigued them. Because they found that there was some
sort of co-ordination between families (3). For example, two separate family groups might move
in parallel to each other, miles apart, and then change direction simultaneously, either turning
or moving towards each other. Now elephants have a keen sense of smell which they use
whenever they can. But smell alone couldn't account for these synchronized movements,
because the wind often carries odours in the wrong direction. So, the scientists concluded that
the elephants were using their hearing instead, and attention then turned to the nature of elephant calls (4).
In another experiment, scientists from Cornell University in America went to Etosha National Park
in Namibia, and they produced a recording of calls made by a female elephant to potential mates.
Then they broadcast it (5). And they did this from a van which was parked more than half a mile
from a water hole where several bull elephants were drinking. And two of these looked up,
spread their ears wide, and then crunched through the bush towards the loudspeakers. As you
can imagine, the scientists may have been alarmed at this point, but the elephants marched
straight on, past them and their van, in search of a female elephant (6). But the striking aspect of
this experiment was that, when they replayed their recording, neither the two scientists nor the
rest of their team, who were filming from a nearby tower, could hear it (7). And that's because
the sounds that they had replayed were below the lower threshold of human hearing. In scientific
terminology, the sounds are infrasonic.
Elephants can make these extremely low-pitched sounds because although they have a larynx,
or voice box, that is similar to those of all other mammals, it's much larger. But what do the
sounds ‘mean'? Scientists from Pittsburgh Zoo in the USA have classified certain infrasonic calls,
based on when these occur and how other elephants react to them. They found, for example,
that when individual family members re-unite after separation, they greet each other very 10
enthusiastically, and the excitement increases with the length of time that they've been
separated. They trumpet and scream and touch each other. They also use a greeting rumble. This
starts at a low 18 Hertz - Hertz is a measurement of sound pitch - crests at 25 Hertz, which is a
level just high enough to be audible to humans, and then falls back to 18 Hertz again (8). In another
example, an elephant attempting to locate its family uses the contact call. This call has a relatively
quiet, low tone, with a strong overtone which is clearly audible to humans. Immediately after
contact calling, the elephant will lift and spread its ears, and rotate its head, as if listening for the
response. The contact answer is louder and more abrupt than the greeting call, and it trails off at
the end. Contact calls and answers can last for hours, until the elephant successfully rejoins her
family (9). A third type of call seems to represent a summons to move on. At the end of a meal,
one member of a family moves to the edge of the group, typically lifts one leg and flaps her ears.
At the same time she emits a "let's go" rumble, which arouses the family, and they start to move
on. Finally, mating activity is associated with yet another group of calls (10).
So, our understanding of elephant communication has increased considerably in recent years.
However, even with the use of radio tracking collars it's technically difficult to document the
functions of long-range communication. So although scientists are aware that elephants may
know the whereabouts, and possibly the activities of other elephants that are several miles away,
there may be a lot of subtle, long-range interactions which are still not evident. Exercise 2 1 fuel 2 combustion engine 3 145% 4 agriculture 5 barrier 6 46 million 7 118 million 8 vegetation zones 9 diseases 10 species composition Audio script: 11
This lecture in Environmental Studies is on the topic of human influence on climate change. First,
I’ll outline some of the factors affecting climate, then go on to discuss what has already occurred,
and finish up by speculating on the effects.
Previously, we’ve covered how factors such as ocean currents and prevailing winds affect climate
change naturally. However, the influence of human activity on climate is what I’ll talk about
today. At first, the effect on the climate was relatively small; trees were cut down to provide fuel
for fires (1), and, as we know, trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen so the amount of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would have increased but not noticeably. –
So, in what ways has human activity really impacted on the climate? A major contributor was the
advent of the Industrial Revolution at the end of the 18th century, combined with the invention
of the combustion engine (2). In addition, Earth’s burgeoning population has had a marked effect
on climate. The first two factors saw increased amounts of carbon dioxide being released into
the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil. The final one, human
expansion, has resulted in deforestation on such a scale that the extra carbon dioxide in the air
cannot be soaked up and converted into oxygen by the remaining trees.
Okay – so what has already happened? Well, global temperatures have risen by 0.6 degrees
Celsius in the last 130 years. Levels of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide gases have
escalated. Carbon dioxide concentrations have climbed by 30% and methane levels have
increased by 145% (3) since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Gas produced by fossil fuel
extraction, livestock and paddy fields is primarily responsible for the growth of methane levels.
Nitrous oxide, or N2O, comes from natural sources
– wet tropical forests, for instance – but it is
also produced by human-related activities such as agriculture, which uses synthetic nitrogen
fertilisers, rubbish disposal systems and vehicle emissions (4).
How do gases like carbon dioxide and methane affect the climate? Well, this is what we call the
Greenhouse Effect. Under normal conditions, the sun’s rays hit the earth and some are reflected
back into space. However, these gases (CO2 and methane) create a barrier in the atmosphere (5)
which prevents a proportion of the sun’s rays from being reflected back into space – and, instead, 12
the gases become trapped in the atmosphere. It’s simple really – because the sun’s rays can’t escape, the Earth heats up.
What are the possible effects? Firstly, a rise in sea levels: we already know that the Arctic ice cap
has melted and shrunk considerably and great chunks of ice have been lost from Antarctica. In
1998, it was reported that 46 million people lived in areas at risk of flooding (6) … and the number
of people at risk will increase significantly if sea levels rise. It is estimated that a rise of only 50
centimetres would put that number at 92 million. Further projections would see a rise of one
metre put 118 million people in danger of losing their homes and livelihoods (7) – not to mention
the loss of prime, fertile farmland. Experts predict a rise of at least 50 centimetres over the next 50 years or so.
Secondly, there would be a modification of vegetation zones with changes in the boundaries
between grassland, shrub land, forest and desert. (8) This is already causing famine in arid areas
of north-eastern Africa, and has instigated and will continue to instigate – – mass movements of
people away from dry regions. What we are seeing now is only the first stage, with temporary
camps for climate refugees already at overcapacity; in the future, there will be significant
migration resulting in extreme overcrowding of towns and cities.
Another potentially disastrous effect of climate change is an increase in the range and
distribution of pests which could bring about an increase in the prevalence of certain diseases (9).
If we think of the malaria-carrying mosquito, for example, which thrives in warmer regions – at
the moment, about 45% of the world’s population is exposed to malaria – but with an increase
in temperature, there will be many millions more cases of malaria a year.
The last effect I’m going to mention today is the change in ecosystems. Global warming will
influence species composition (10) for both f – auna and flora such that some – animal species will
disappear and others will multiply; and it’ll be the same for plants and trees. It is predicted that
around two-thirds of the world’s forests will undergo major changes of some kind. Scientists also
expect deserts will become hotter and, of course, desertification will continue at an increasingly
worrying rate and will become harder, if not impossible, to reverse. 13
What can we do to stop the process? Well, that’s the subject of next week’s lecture – so I hope to see you all there. 14 UNIT 3. EDUCATION – CULTURE Exercise 1 1 Catalog(ue)s 2 Computer centre 3 Checklist 4 Teaching experience 5 Classroom 6 Review 7 Schools 8 (year) 2000 9 End of term 10 Research Audio script:
TUTOR: Hello, Sandy. How have you been getting on with your dissertation?
SANDY: Fine, and I've been working hard on the various action points we agreed on our last tutorial.
TUTOR: Do you want to talk me through what you've done?
SANDY: Yeah, sure. Well, we agreed on three main targets for me to aim for. The first one was
to find out about suitable data analysis software. TUTOR: Yes.
SANDY: And what I decided to do was to look through catalogues specialising in IT (1).
TUTOR: That's a good idea. What did you come up with?
SANDY: I found the names of two promising ones. TUTOR: Right.
SANDY: But I also thought it'd be worthwhile talking to a lecturer.
TUTOR: Oh right. Who did you see?
SANDY: Jane Prince. Do you know her? She's in the Computer Centre. (2) 15
TUTOR: Yes, of course, she's the new Head. (2)
SANDY: Yes. Well, she was very helpful.
TUTOR: Oh, that's good. Did she suggest anything in particular?
SANDY: Yeah. She recommended software called Vivat and said I should book up for a couple
of practice sessions using Vivat.
TUTOR: Great. I'm sure you'll find them useful.
SANDY: And, of course, the second target was to draw up a survey checklist (3) which I ...
TUTOR: Yes, you emailed me it last week.
SANDY: Have you had a chance to look ...?
TUTOR: Of course, um I think it's good. Very much on the right lines. I'd say your first two
sections are spot on. I wouldn't suggest that you change anything there, but in section
three you really do need to have questions on teaching experience (4).
SANDY: Yeah. I was thinking that section looked a bit short. TUTOR: Right.
SANDY: And my third target was, do further reading on discipline.
TUTOR: Oh yes. I mentioned a couple of writers, didn't I?
SANDY: Yes, well I got hold of the Banerjee and I thought that was excellent.
But I'm afraid I didn't manage to get hold of the essays about classroom management
- you know, the ones by Simon Ericsson. (5)
The bookshop said it was out of print and the library doesn't have a copy.
TUTOR: Oh right, and I'm afraid I've lent my copy to another student.
What I suggest you do is try the library again - this time apply for it through the service called special loans.
Have you done that before? You're entitled to six books a year. 16
SANDY: Yes. No problem. That's what I'll do.
TUTOR: So, lots of useful work done.
TUTOR: So, let's look at some new targets. We'll start by having a chat about your Chapter
One. I very much enjoyed reading it. Your written style is very clear and you've
included lots of interesting descriptions of education in your target area. I've just got a
couple of suggestions for some additional work.
SANDY: Of course. Could I just ask - what do you think I should call it?
TUTOR: Well, I'd go for something like Context Review (6). What do you think?
SANDY: Well, short and to the point.
TUTOR: Exactly. Now, as regards specific areas to work on, I'd be quite interested to have a
few more statistics about the schools in the different zones (7).
SANDY: Oh, that wouldn't be a problem. I can get them from the Internet.
TUTOR: Great, and although you did make a reference to quite a few different writers, I think
you should aim to cite more works written later than 2000 (8).
SANDY: OK. That's more difficult, but I can try When do you want that done by?
TUTOR: Oh, it's not urgent. Um I should aim for the end of term (9). But in the meantime, I
think you should also be thinking about Chapter Two.
SANDY: Should I be drafting it already?
TUTOR: No, but I think you should note down its main sections.
SANDY: Yes. You know, I always find that the hardest part.
TUTOR: I always find it helpful to put some ideas on index cards. 17 SANDY: Yeah.
TUTOR: Um ... and then you can sort them, and even lay them out on the floor. It's a real help.
SANDY: Well, I'll certainly try it! When would the deadline be for that?
TUTOR: My advice would be to get it done before you embark upon the research (10). You can
always change it later if you need to.
SANDY: OK. I'll get going on that then. Exercise 2 1 materialism 2 556 3 7/seven 4 money 5 expensive things 6 possessions 7 Japanese 8 American 9 Chinese 10 Not supported Audio script:
Lecturer: Having referred briefly to the general definition of culture, I want to move on to an
example of cultural research in action - a real example of what researchers into culture are doing.
This is a study done in 2004 into the 'global teenager hypothesis'. Now the global teenager
hypothesis states that the values and attitudes of teenagers all over the world have become very
similar, that teenagers are part of a global culture, rather than a national or a regional one. This
study investigated the subject of materialism (1) in three different cultures. It asked if teenagers'
attitudes to materialism were similar or different in those three different cultures. I'd like to go
through the main points of this study because I think it demonstrates the interest and usefulness
of this kind of research. The research took a sample of 556 (2) high school students of between
fourteen and seventeen years of age from three countries. The three countries - being also three
differing cultures - were China, Japan, and the USA. The high schools were in medium-sized cities
and the students came from middle-class areas. There were 172 respondents from China, 168 18
from Japan and 216 from the USA. The students were asked to reply to a questionnaire (or survey)
which consisted of seven (3) statements. They were asked to say if they agreed or disagreed with
the statements. The questionnaire was filled in during the students' regular class time. I'll give
you some examples of the statements in the questionnaire. And by the way, if you want to look
into this in further detail - I've got the reference here, let me see, oh yes, it's The International
Journal of Consumer Studies, Volume 28, Number 4, of September 2004. The first statement was:
It is really true that money (4) can make you happy. Respondents were asked - as they were asked
about all the statements - to give their answer on a scale of one to seven. One on the scale
indicated I strongly disagree'; four on the scale was neutral; and seven on the scale was I strongly
agree'. The second statement was: My dream in life is to be able to own expensive things (5). And
the fifth was: Having the right possessions (6) is the most important thing in life. Let's look at some
of the results. With regard to the first statement, it was the Japanese (7) teenagers who agreed
most strongly that money could make you happy. The Americans (8) were second and the
Chinese (9) agreed least. However, regarding one's life dream being to own expensive things, it
was American teenagers who agreed most strongly with this and the Chinese who agreed least.
As regards the fifth statement, about owning the right things the Americans agreed less strongly
than the other two groups. It was the Chinese who agreed most strongly with this statement. I
haven't been able to analyze all aspects of the study in this lecture, but it does suggest that the
hypothesis is not supported (10) by the data. It may be that the culture of the USA is more
individualistic, whereas the Chinese culture is more collectivist or communitarian. However, it
does not seem to support the global teenager hypothesis. As always, this is something on which
we need to carry out more research. 19
UNIT 4. EMPLOYMENT & FINANCES - YOUTH & LIFE STAGES Exercise 1. 21. B 26. 40 litres/litters 22. B 27. solar coil 23. C 28. 20 24. A 29. 65 25. A 30. rigid foam Mark
Hi Lyn. How’s your project coming along? Lyn
Oh, not very well. I’ve got all the information, but I can’t seem to organise it into a presentation.(21) Mark
Well you’d better hurry. You only have one more week. Lyn
Yes, that’s OK, it’s just that…ohh….(sound of desperation) Mark
Well, why don’t you try your presentation on me. Maybe l can help? Lyn
Really? Great! OK, well I’ve chosen solar power for my subject, and I’m going to talk
specifically about domestic water heating.(22) You know, like the ones popular in
America. I’ve got some facts here… Mark
That’s good, but just start your presentation from the beginning. Lyn
Oh, right. Here we go then. There are many reasons why we should be looking
elsewhere for energy sources. As most people are aware, fossil fuels and other such
non-renewable sources are by definition finite,(23) so something needs to be in
operation soon. Currently, there are a number of alternative energy sources available
which can, with a little preparation, be used to provide for a significant part of our
domestic energy requirements. In this presentation I am focusing solar power and its
application as a domestic water heater. As a renewable energy source, solar power is
in many ways ideal. The amount of the sun’s energy which reaches the Earth every
minute exceeds the energy that the global population consumes in a year. Although 20