Audioscripts IELTS Practice 14 Listening Test 02

Part 1

You will hear a man telephoning a local council office to enquire about hiring a venue for an event.

First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5.

(pause)

Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 5.

Clerk: Good morning, City Council bookings department.

Steven: Hello. I’m calling to ask about renting a hall for a private function.

Clerk: Certainly. I can help with that. Could I start by taking your name, please?

Steven: Yes, it’s Steven Miller.

Clerk: Thank you, Mr Miller. And could I take a contact number for you?

Steven: Yes, my mobile is 07700 900461.

Clerk: Great. And do you have a specific date in mind for the event?

Steven: Yes, we are looking at the 25th of August.

Clerk: Okay, let me just check the availability. Yes, that date looks free at the moment. Now, what type of event is it?

Steven: It’s a retirement party for my father.

Clerk: Oh, lovely. Is it going to be a large gathering?

Steven: We were originally expecting about 80, but a few relatives can't make it, so now we are looking at around 60 people.

Clerk: Right. We have a couple of halls that would suit that size. One is the Community Hall on Forest Road.

Steven: Is that F-O-R-E-S-T?

Clerk: That's right. It's the one near the library.

Steven: And what about parking? Is there a car park there?

Clerk: Yes, there is a small car park at the back. The daily rate is £10, but if you just pay hourly, it’s £2.50.

Steven: That's fine. And it is free after 6 pm, right?

Clerk: Yes, exactly.

Steven: That’s good to know. The party will be in the evening.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 6 to 10.

(pause)

Now listen and answer questions 6 to 10.

Clerk: Now, regarding the facilities at the hall. Do you need access to a kitchen?

Steven: Yes, we will be providing our own food, so we’ll need somewhere to prepare it.

Clerk: Okay. The kitchen is fully equipped with a fridge, oven, and microwave. However, you will need to bring your own cutlery and plates. We only provide the cooking equipment.

Steven: That’s fine. We were planning to use disposable ones anyway. What about tables and chairs?

Clerk: We have plenty of those. There are 10 large round tables and about 80 chairs stored in the cupboard. You will have to set them up yourselves, though.

Steven: That’s not a problem. My brother will be helping me.

Clerk: And do you require any audio equipment?

Steven: Yes, we want to play some music. Is there a sound system?

Clerk: There is a basic system with speakers, but you will need to bring your own laptop or phone to connect to it. There is an auxiliary cable provided.

Steven: Okay, I’ll make a note of that.

Clerk: Now, one important thing to mention is the cleaning. You are expected to leave the hall exactly as you found it.

Steven: Of course.

Clerk: This means sweeping the floor and taking all your rubbish away with you. There are no bins on site for large amounts of waste.

Steven: Oh, really? That might be tricky.

Clerk: Most people just bring a couple of black bags and take them home.

Steven: Fair enough. And is there a deposit required?

Clerk: Yes, the hire fee is £200, and there is a refundable deposit of £100 to cover any potential damage.

Steven: That seems reasonable. When do we need to pay that?

Clerk: You can pay it when you collect the keys. That would be from the main office in the town centre.

Steven: Okay. And finally, what time do we have to vacate the premises?

Clerk: Well, the music must stop by 11:00 pm, and the hall must be locked up by 11:30 pm at the latest. The alarm sets automatically at midnight.

Steven: That gives us plenty of time.

Clerk: Excellent. So, would you like to go ahead and make a provisional booking?

Steven: Yes, please.

That is the end of Part 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Part 2

You will hear a guide welcoming visitors to an open-air museum called Green Valley Heritage Park.

First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15.

(pause)

Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 15.

Guide: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Green Valley Heritage Park. Before we head through the gates, I’d like to give you a brief introduction to the site and what you can expect to see today.

There has been a settlement here in the valley for over a thousand years. The first recorded structure was a small wooden chapel built in 850 AD by local monks seeking a quiet retreat. However, it was destroyed during a Viking raid a century later. After the Norman Conquest, the land was granted to a Baron named William de Courcy, who constructed a stone manor house that served as the administrative centre for the region.

Interestingly, when King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in the 1530s, the manor fell into disrepair. Instead of renovating it, the new owner decided to build a hunting lodge using the stone from the old ruins. He used it primarily for entertaining guests during the hunting season. It was said to be very grand, but sadly, it was demolished in the 18th century to make way for a more modern farmhouse.

In the 19th century, the estate was purchased by the wealthy Sterling family, who were industrialists from the north. That's spelled S-T-E-R-L-I-N-G. They expanded the farmhouse and added beautiful gardens. However, by 1950, the family could no longer afford the upkeep, and the property was abandoned. It was eventually bought by a local historical society who wanted to preserve the rural history of the area.

When you go inside the farmhouse, you will notice that in the kitchen and parlour, there are actors dressed in period clothing who demonstrate traditional crafts like butter making and spinning wool. We find this brings history to life much better than just reading static signs. They stay in character, so feel free to ask them questions about their 'lives' in the 1800s.

The grounds are quite extensive. At one time, the fields were used for growing wheat, and in the early 20th century, the owners even kept a small herd of prize-winning cattle. They tried sheep farming for a while, but the ground was too wet. Nowadays, the old barns are used for educational workshops.

Now, you are free to explore at your own pace until 4 pm, but then, at the end of the day, we will all gather at the Tea Room. We will then proceed to the old orchard, where there is a lovely collection of vintage farming equipment, and we will finish with a demonstration of traditional cider pressing.

Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 16 to 20.

(pause)

Now listen and answer questions 16 to 20.

Guide: Now, if you look at your maps, you will see that Green Valley Heritage Park is divided into different zones. We are currently at the Ticket Office at the bottom of the map.

If you want a panoramic view of the whole valley, you can walk up to the Windmill. The path starts right here near the ticket office. Just walk straight North, past the duck pond until you reach the wooden gate. Go through the gate and it is just up the hill from there. Don't take the path to the woods on the right; that leads away from the park.

There will shortly be a demonstration of sheepdog trials. This takes place in the Main Paddock. The quickest way to get there is to take the first path on the right after the ticket office. Follow the gravel path past the barn, and you will see the field directly in front of you.

If you are interested in old vehicles, there is also a display of vintage tractors. If you go from the ticket office towards the Windmill, but turn left before you get to the gate instead of going through it, you will see a large shed on your left, just past the picnic area. That's where they are kept.

At 2 pm, there is a performance of folk music. This will be held on the Bandstand. That is right at the far end of the park, across the wooden bridge. It is about a fifteen-minute walk from here, so give yourself plenty of time.

And finally, the Gift Shop. It is actually located inside one of the old cottages. To find it, take the first left after the ticket office, go past the cafe and take the first path on the left. It has some wonderful handmade crafts and local produce.

Right, so let's head in.

That is the end of Part 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Part 3

You will hear two biology students called Jack and Ella discussing their research project on an extinct bird species called the Dodo with their tutor.

First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24.

(pause)

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24.

Tutor: So, Jack and Ella, let's look at what you've got for your presentation on the Dodo.

Ella: OK, we've got a rough outline here.

Tutor: Thanks. So, it's about the extinction event on Mauritius?

Jack: Yes, but we thought we needed something general about flightless birds in our introduction to establish that the Dodo was related to pigeons, but evolved in isolation.

Tutor: Maybe we could show a clip from a documentary about island evolution, but that might be too long. Or we could have a map.

Ella: It could be a world map highlighting all the islands with flightless birds. Or we could just show a sketch of a Dodo next to a modern pigeon for scale.

Tutor: No, let's go with your last suggestion. It’s simple and effective.

Jack: Good. Then we're describing the discovery of the Dodo remains in the Mare aux Songes swamp and why it was significant.

Tutor: Yes, the bones were found by a schoolteacher called George Clark. He dug them up from the mud in 1865. He knew they were important. For a start, it was the first time anyone had found a complete skeleton, not just fragments. Anyway, they realised the birds had been trapped there.

Ella: So why was that significant?

Tutor: Well, previous accounts were just based on sailors' drawings which were often exaggerated or wrong, so this was the first real scientific evidence of what the bird actually looked like.

Jack: Then we're making a flowchart to show the ecosystem of the island before humans arrived. So, originally, Mauritius had no mammals. It was a paradise for birds and reptiles, like giant tortoises, who could roam around safely.

Tutor: Then the sailors arrived in the late 16th century and started hunting them for food. But the bigger problem was the animals they brought with them. Rats, pigs, and monkeys escaped from the ships. They ate the Dodo's eggs, which were laid on the ground. And in fact, the species was wiped out in less than a hundred years after discovery.

Ella: So do you think hunting was the main cause?

Tutor: Most likely it was a combination. Anyway, next we'll explain how scientists recently identified the diet of the Dodo. They concluded that it ate fruit, seeds, and even small stones to help digestion. It's based on scans they took of the skull shape and beak structure. They analysed it to find out how much force it could produce. It's a new technique, but it took nearly a year to process the data.

Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30.

(pause)

Now listen and answer questions 25 to 30.

Tutor: So why don't you quickly go through the main sections of your presentation and discuss what actions are needed for each part?

Jack: OK. So for the introduction, we're using a visual comparison. So once we've drawn that, we're done.

Tutor: I'm not sure. I think we need to script exactly what we are going to say here, not just wing it. The opening hook is crucial.

Ella: You're right. The story of the discovery is probably the most engaging part, but we don't have that much detail, only what we got from the textbook. I thought maybe we could email the museum curator who looks after the skeleton and ask him for some more background.

Tutor: Great idea. What about the section on the arrival of humans?

Jack: We've got loads of facts. But we need to make it interactive. We could create a quiz for the audience to guess which animal caused the most damage and then reveal the answer. I don't think it would take too long.

Tutor: Yes, that would wake everyone up. Then the section on recent scientific analysis of the beak. I wonder if we've actually got too much technical jargon here. Should we simplify it?

Ella: I don't think so, but the order is a bit confusing at present.

Tutor: Yes, maybe it would be better if we reorganised it by methodology.

Jack: I think so. The conclusion and future implications section is just about ready, but we need to time it so we're sure it won't run over the limit.

Tutor: I think it should be OK, but yes, let's double-check. In the last section, lessons for conservation today, you've got some standard points, but this is where you need to be more critical and offer your own opinion.

Ella: Okay, we'll work on that. Now, shall we show you some of the...

That is the end of Part 3. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Part 4

You will hear a lecture about the history of cartography, or map-making.

First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.

(pause)

Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

Lecturer: Good morning. In this series of lectures, we've been looking at how humans have understood and documented their world. Today, I’ll be focusing on the early history of cartography, or the science of making maps.

We'll start by going back thousands of years. The desire to represent the physical environment is as old as humanity itself. Most ancient cultures created maps, not just for navigation, but often for religious reasons. Generally, early maps were symbolic rather than accurate representations of geography.

But maps were also of practical importance. Around 2300 BC, the Babylonians produced detailed estate plans on clay tablets to resolve land disputes. The Egyptians also developed sophisticated surveying techniques. You might think this was to measure the impact of droughts, but actually, it was to re-establish farm limits after the annual flooding of the Nile.

The ancient Greeks were the first to apply mathematics and astronomy to cartography. The work of Eratosthenes in the 3rd century BC is especially noteworthy. He was the first person to calculate the circumference of the Earth with remarkable accuracy. He also developed a system of grid lines to pinpoint locations.

Many of his calculations were surprisingly precise. For example, he understood that the Earth was a sphere. But he also made some errors. He severely underestimated the size of the Atlantic Ocean, an error that would heavily influence explorers like Columbus centuries later.

For nearly 1,500 years, the work of Ptolemy was accepted as the chief authority. Alongside this, in the Middle Ages, European maps, known as Mappa Mundi, were often more artistic than scientific. Today we are used to maps having North at the top. However, these medieval maps were usually oriented with East at the top, pointing towards Paradise. Many of these contained mythical creatures, reflecting the beliefs and fears of the people.

For centuries, any attempt to map the world was based on traveller's tales. But in the 15th century, the Age of Discovery created a desperate need for accuracy. One of the most significant inventions in this era was the printing press, which allowed maps to be mass-produced and distributed widely.

In 1569, the cartographer Gerardus Mercator developed a revolutionary new projection. Before this, navigation was incredibly complicated. His projection allowed sailors to plot a course as a straight line, which was a huge advantage for navigation across oceans.

In the 18th century, the Cassini family in France carried out the first topographic survey of an entire country. They spent four generations completing the project. It was the Cassinis who finally proved that the Earth is not a perfect sphere, but is actually slightly flattened at the poles.

In addition to new surveying instruments, other developments contributed to our understanding. In the mid-19th century, the invention of photography made aerial views possible. Before airplanes were invented, these initial aerial photographs were taken from balloons. This eventually led to the detailed ordnance surveys we know today.

That is the end of Part 4. You now have one minute to check your answers.