Audioscripts IELTS Practice 19 Listening Test 03

Part 1

You will hear a conversation between a new resident called Liam and his neighbour Sophie, regarding a local sports centre.

First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 6.

(pause)

Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 6.

Sophie: Hi Liam. Nice to see you again. Have you finished unpacking all your boxes yet?

Liam: Almost, Sophie. The kitchen is done, but the bedroom is still a mess. Actually, I was hoping to ask you for a recommendation. I’m looking to join a gym or a sports centre in the area. Do you know of any good ones?

Sophie: Yes, I go to a really good one. It’s not too big, but it’s very friendly. It’s called the Kingsley Centre.

Liam: Kingsley... Is that K-I-N-G-S-L-E-Y?

Sophie: Yes, that’s right. It’s quite old, but they’ve just renovated it.

Liam: Okay, great. And is it within walking distance?

Sophie: Definitely. It’s on Station Road. Do you know where the library is?

Liam: Yes, I went there yesterday to get a parking permit.

Sophie: Well, you just go past the library, keep going straight, and the sports centre is directly opposite the bank. You can't miss it; it has a big blue sign.

Liam: Opposite the bank. Got it. Do you know how much the membership costs? I don't want anything too expensive.

Sophie: It’s actually very reasonable. It used to be £35 a month, but they lowered it recently to compete with the big chain gyms. Now it’s only £25 a month.

Liam: Oh, that’s a bargain. Is there a contract?

Sophie: No, it’s a rolling monthly contract. Oh, and you should go down there this week if possible.

Liam: Why is that?

Sophie: They have a special offer on at the moment. Usually, you have to pay an administration fee to register, but if you sign up before the end of the month, the joining fee is completely free.

Liam: That sounds perfect. I’ll try to go down there tomorrow. Do I just speak to the person at the reception?

Sophie: You can, but it’s better to speak to the manager directly. He can give you a tour. His name is Mr Morrow.

Liam: Morrow? Like tomorrow?

Sophie: Spelt differently. It’s M-O-R-R-O-W. He’s very helpful.

Liam: Okay, I’ll ask for him. What are the facilities like? I assume the main attraction is a gym with weights and machines?

Sophie: Well, they do have a great gym on the first floor. But actually, the main facility that everyone goes for is the swimming pool. It’s on the ground floor. It’s heated, so you can swim even in winter.

Liam: Oh, I love swimming. That’s a huge plus for me.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 7 to 10.

(pause)

Now listen and answer questions 7 to 10.

Liam: Does the centre offer any classes? I’ve been thinking about trying Yoga.

Sophie: They do have Yoga, but it’s incredibly popular.

Liam: Can I just book a few days before?

Sophie: No, unfortunately not. You have to book weeks in advance to get a spot.

Liam: Wow, okay. I’ll keep that in mind. Is there anything else?

Sophie: Well, there is a tennis club that meets there. They are always looking for new players.

Liam: I used to play a bit at university. When do they meet?

Sophie: They meet twice a week. On Tuesdays they do training, and on Thursday evenings they play matches.

Liam: Thursday evenings works for me. I finish work early that day. Do I need to bring my own racket?

Sophie: No, you can hire rackets there for a small fee. And you don't need to bring a towel, they provide those. But you must remember to bring a padlock for the lockers. They don't provide those, and you don't want to leave your bag unattended.

Liam: Good tip. I’ve got a spare one somewhere. What about food and drink? Is there a café?

Sophie: Yes, there’s a nice little café in the lobby. They don't sell heavy meals, or even protein shakes, but they do excellent smoothies. They use fresh fruit, not the frozen stuff.

Liam: Sounds refreshing after a workout.

Sophie: It is. Oh, one last thing. You might want to note down their phone number in case you get lost or need to check the opening times.

Liam: Good idea. Let me get my phone. Ready.

Sophie: It’s 07700 900412.

Liam: Let me just read that back. 07700 900421?

Sophie: No, 412 at the end.

Liam: 412. Got it. Thanks, Sophie. You’ve been a massive help.

Sophie: No problem at all. Maybe I’ll see you there!

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

Part 2

You will hear a radio interview with a man called Mark Thompson, who is the manager of a new community garden project called Greenleaf.

First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 16.

(pause)

Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 16.

Presenter: Welcome back to Local Life. Today we’re talking about green spaces, and I’m delighted to welcome Mark Thompson from the newly opened Greenleaf Community Garden. Mark, thanks for joining us.

Mark: Thanks for having me. It’s great to be here.

Presenter: So, the garden is finally open. Can you talk us through some of the different zones you’ve created? I hear there’s something for everyone.

Mark: Absolutely. We wanted to move away from the traditional idea of just rows of cabbages. We’ve designed specific zones with different purposes.

First up, right at the entrance, we have the Sensory Zone. This was actually designed in consultation with a local charity for the blind. While you might think a garden is all about how things look, this area is strictly about smell and touch. We don't host local music events here; instead, we’ve planted highly aromatic herbs like lavender and rosemary, and plants with interesting textures. Its main aim is to provide an accessible experience for those with visual impairments.

Then, moving towards the centre, we have the Adventure Plot. This is proving very popular with the younger kids, especially the ones who have too much energy!

Presenter: Are they growing food for a café there?

Mark: No, we don't have a café, and we don't do any delicate planting here. Instead, it’s all about physical hard work. We have them digging large holes for trees and moving wheelbarrows of soil. It’s essentially an outdoor gym for children, designed to get them exercising without realizing it.

Next to that is the Upcycling Barn. This is an indoor space, which is handy when it rains. We noticed that a lot of people throw away garden furniture just because a leg is broken or the paint is peeling. So, in this zone, volunteers teach people how to repair and restore these items. It’s not about making new things from scratch, but rather about preventing waste and fixing what we already have.

For those interested in wildlife, we have the Pond Area. Now, usually, people assume this is for fishing or just sitting by the water, but we actually use it as a scientific hub. We have local primary schools coming in twice a week to count frog populations and monitor water insects. It’s strictly an educational zone for learning about nature and biodiversity, so we ask visitors not to disturb the water.

We also have a space we call the Social Hub. It’s basically an outdoor kitchen with a wood-fired oven. The idea here isn't just to cook, but to process the food we grow. So, if we have a surplus of tomatoes, we get everyone together to learn how to make sauces and preserves. It’s about teaching the journey from plot to plate.

Finally, tucked away in the quietest corner, is the Zen Garden. Unlike the Social Hub, which is noisy and chatty, this area has a strict no-talking rule. It’s a mobile-free zone designed purely for mental health and meditation. It’s for people to just relax in silence and escape the noise of the city for an hour.

Before you hear the rest of the interview, you have some time to look at questions 17 to 20.

(pause)

Now listen and answer questions 17 to 20.

Presenter: It sounds amazing, Mark. I know you have a big event coming up soon too.

Mark: We do. Next weekend is our annual Harvest Festival. It’s going to be a huge celebration.

Presenter: Is that the one with the vegetable competition?

Mark: Yes, but with a twist. Usually, these competitions are about who can grow the biggest pumpkin or the longest runner bean. We thought that was a bit boring. So, our competition is for the ugliest vegetable. We want to celebrate the carrots that have two legs or the potatoes that look like alien faces. We think it’s more fun and shows that food doesn't have to look perfect to taste good.

Presenter: I love that idea. And if people want to get involved as volunteers, what do they need to do?

Mark: Well, we are always looking for new hands. You don't need any gardening experience; we teach you everything. However, there are a couple of practical things. Firstly, regarding clothing. We provide high-visibility vests and tools, but we ask that everyone brings their own gloves. We have a lot of rose bushes and thorny plants, and for hygiene reasons, it’s better if you protect your hands with your own pair.

Presenter: That makes sense.

Mark: Also, just a note on commitment. We used to let people drop in whenever they wanted, but it became too chaotic to manage. So now, we ask volunteers to commit to a regular shift. In return, though, you get a share of the harvest. Every Friday, volunteers get a box of fresh vegetables to take home—things like carrots, potatoes, whatever we've picked that week. It saves a fortune on the weekly shop!

Presenter: It certainly would. And how do they sign up?

Mark: The best way is to come to our induction morning. It’s held on the first Sunday of every month. You just turn up at 10 am, have a coffee, and we show you the ropes.

Presenter: Brilliant. Mark, thank you so much for joining us.

That is the end of part two. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part two.

Part 3

You will hear two Business Studies students called Tom and Alice discussing a case study assignment on a failed product launch.

First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26.

(pause)

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26.

Tom: Hi Alice. Thanks for meeting me in the library. We really need to pin down the details for this case study assignment. The deadline is creeping up on us.

Alice: I know, Tom. I’ve been looking through the list of failed products the tutor gave us. Have you had a chance to check it?

Tom: Yes. I initially thought about doing the study on that electric car that flopped in the 1990s. There's certainly no shortage of data available on it, and I don't mind that it happened too long ago. But my main concern is that half the class will choose it. It’s a bit cliché.

Alice: Agreed. I was actually reading about a soft drink brand called Vital-Fizz that launched two years ago and went bust within six months. It’s quite an interesting case because the company had a huge budget, but they still got it wrong.

Tom: Oh, I remember that! It was the green bottle, right? It tasted terrible.

Alice: Well, the taste was unpleasant, but reading the financial reports, the main issue seemed to be their target demographic. They were trying to sell a premium health drink to teenagers. It wasn't that the distribution network was too small, but they priced it higher than coffee. Teenagers just didn't have the disposable income.

Tom: That makes sense. So, shall we go with Vital-Fizz then? It offers plenty to analyze.

Alice: Yes, let's do it. So, we need to structure the presentation. We have to identify the main causes of failure. We’ve got pricing. What else?

Tom: I’d say the branding was confusing. I mean, the logo looked like a medical product. It didn't look like a refreshing drink.

Alice: True. But what about the distribution? I heard supermarkets refused to stock it initially.

Tom: Actually, I read that they eventually moved into supermarkets in the last month. For me, the most significant mistake was the advertising campaign. They used 1980s music to appeal to teenagers. It was completely out of touch and ruined their image.

Alice: You’re right. That’s definitely more significant. So, Pricing, Branding, and Advertising.

Tom: Great. Now, regarding the research part. Dr Peterson said we need to include some primary data. We can't just rely on the company reports.

Alice: I was thinking we could do an online survey.

Tom: It's not that a survey is difficult to design, but they usually get a very poor response rate. And people rush through them without thinking.

Alice: True, and while the ethics committee wouldn't mind an anonymous survey, we do need better quality data. What if we do a focus group with samples?

Tom: That sounds fun, but also expensive and time-consuming to organize. And we don't have the time to conduct individual interviews with gym members either. What if we did a comparative taste test in the cafeteria? We buy a generic health drink and a leading brand, and ask people to rate them.

Alice: That’s a brilliant idea. It’s practical, cheap, and we can get the data in one afternoon. Let’s do that.

Tom: Okay. I’ll write up the consent forms. You know how strict the ethics committee is about experiments involving food or drink.

Alice: Good point. We don't need to submit a budget for the experiment, or a list of competitors, but make sure you mention any information about allergies in the paperwork. They are very strict about that.

Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 27 to 30.

(pause)

Now listen and answer questions 27 to 30.

Alice: So, after we present the analysis of the failure, the second half of the assignment is the Re-launch Strategy. We have to propose how we would fix the product.

Tom: Right. So, first things first, the product name Vital-Fizz has to go. It sounds like a vitamin tablet. How about Zest?

Alice: Zest sounds a bit like soap. What about Hydra-Boost? It emphasises the hydration aspect.

Tom: I like that. We should definitely select a name that sounds scientific but active. Let’s go with Hydra-Boost.

Alice: Now, packaging. We agreed the green glass bottle was a disaster. It was too heavy for a gym bag, so maybe a plastic bottle?

Tom: No, plastic is terrible for the brand image if we’re claiming to be eco-friendly. Let's go for aluminium cans.

Alice: Good call. It's much better to choose a material that is easily recycled. Plus, it cools down faster.

Tom: Exactly. Now, the price point. The original was £3.50. That’s insane. I’d suggest £1.50.

Alice: That might be too low to cover the cost of the natural ingredients. We can't sell it at the original high price either. Maybe £1.99?

Tom: I agree. It’s smart to set the new price just below a psychological barrier, like two pounds. It gives us a better margin.

Alice: Perfect. Finally, the promotion. The original company did a black-tie dinner for investors. Boring.

Tom: Since we are targeting active young people, why don't we sponsor a local university sports day?

Alice: That’s good, but it’s a bit too local. What about a social media challenge? You know, get people to post videos of themselves doing a trick shot with the can?

Tom: A viral challenge? That’s risky, but if it works, it’s free advertising. Let’s propose that instead of the sports day.

Alice: Okay, I’ll start working on the slides. See you on Friday!

That is the end of part three. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part three.

Part 4

You will hear a lecture about the history and science of glass manufacturing.

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, everyone. In today's lecture, we are going to explore a material that is so ubiquitous in our daily lives that we rarely give it a second thought. I’m talking, of course, about glass. From the screens on our smartphones to the windows in our homes and the fibre optic cables that transmit our data, glass is essential to modern civilization. But the story of glass is a long one, stretching back thousands of years, and it involves a fascinating mix of chemistry, engineering, and accidental discovery.

We often think of glass as a human invention, but nature was actually the first glassmaker. You might think quartz was the first, but long before humans figured out the formula, volcanic eruptions were producing a natural glass known as obsidian. This is a black, shiny substance formed when lava with a high silica content cools rapidly. Prehistoric humans used obsidian to make tools like arrowheads and cutting blades because it can be fractured to create incredibly sharp edges—sharper, in fact, than even the finest modern surgical steel.

However, the history of man-made glass begins much later. While the exact origins are debated, the Roman historian Pliny the Elder tells a famous story about Phoenician sailors who landed on a beach and used blocks of natron—a natural form of soda—to support their cooking pots. The heat from the fire melted the soda and mixed it with the sand on the beach, creating the first liquid glass. While this story might be a myth, archaeological evidence suggests that true glassmaking began in Mesopotamia or Egypt around 2500 BC.

The real revolution in glass technology, however, occurred during the Roman Empire. It wasn't through moulding, but with the invention of glass blowing around the 1st century BC. Before this, glass was made by wrapping molten strands around a clay core, which was a slow and expensive process. Glass blowing allowed craftsmen to inflate molten glass into a bubble using a long tube. This technique made glass production much faster and cheaper, transforming it from a luxury item for the wealthy into a common material for storing food and wine. It was the Romans who first used glass for architectural purposes, installing early, albeit rather cloudy, windows in their public baths.

Moving through history, we cannot talk about glass without mentioning Venice. By the 13th century, Venice had become the glassmaking capital of the world. To protect their trade secrets and prevent fires in the city, the Venetian government ordered all glassmakers to move to the island of Murano. These artisans developed "Cristallo". Earlier glass usually had a green or yellow tint due to impurities like iron, but this new type of glass was almost perfectly clear. The penalty for a glassmaker leaving Murano and sharing these secrets with foreigners was, theoretically, death.

Let's fast forward to the modern era. The most significant development in the mass production of the flat glass we use for windows today came in the 1950s. It was developed by Sir Alastair Pilkington. Before this, making large sheets of flat glass was incredibly difficult. You had to roll it out, but that left marks on the surface, so it required extensive grinding and polishing, which was expensive and wasteful. Pilkington had a brilliant idea while washing dishes: he noticed grease floating on water. He realised he could float molten glass on top of a bath of molten tin. Tin was perfect because it melts at a lower temperature than glass but boils at a higher temperature. As the glass floats on the perfectly flat surface of the liquid tin, gravity and surface tension pull it flat, and it cools down to become solid before it is lifted off. This "Float Glass" process is now used to manufacture about 90% of the world's flat glass.

Now, let's look at the environmental aspect. Glass is often cited as a green material, and for good reason. It is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without loss in quality or purity. When we recycle glass, we crush it into small pieces known as cullet. The key advantage of using cullet is that it melts at a significantly lower temperature than the raw materials—sand, soda ash, and limestone. This means that for every 10% of cullet used in the manufacturing process, energy consumption drops by about 2-3%. This significantly reduces carbon emissions from the furnaces.

Finally, I want to touch on the future of glass. We are now entering the age of smart glass and bio-glass. In the medical field, scientists have developed bio-active glass which can bond with living tissue. Instead of metal implants, which are inert, this bio-glass is being used to repair bone fractures and even to help regrow lost material. It dissolves over time as the body heals, releasing ions that stimulate the body's natural repair mechanisms. Furthermore, research is being conducted into glass that can store data for billions of years, known as 5D optical data storage. This could solve the world's data archiving problems. Unlike hard drives which fail after a decade, glass is useful because it is chemically stable and can survive for practically forever.

So, from a volcanic rock used for arrowheads to a bio-material that heals our bodies, glass continues to be a material of endless possibilities. Next week, we will look at...

That is the end of part four. You now have one minute to check your answers to part four.