Listening Practice

Listening Practice Test 2

AUDIO - open this URL to listen to the audio:

http://master.ieltsonlinetests.com/ielts-mock-test-2018-march-listening-practice-
test-2

Questions 1-3
Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR
NUMBERS for each answer.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of sending things by air?

1

What might cause delays in transportation?

2

When will the customer arrive in Canada?

3

Questions 4-6
Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each
answer.

The costs on the price list include 4

The customer isn’t sending 5 .

There is no extra charge for packing 6 .

Questions 7-10

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Complete the following information.

Customer name 7

Shipping from 14 Hopton Close, Porton, 8 ,UK

Shipping to 9 Road, Toronto, TR12 3CN, Canada.

Contact number (mobile) 0977 023685

Collection date 19th

Crates 3 x 2 cubic metres

Total cost £360

Notes Must finish packing by 10

Questions 11-14
Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each
answer.

On the beach, there was a cast of a11

The area is one of the best in Europe for finding12

The museum contains reconstructions that are 13

Neovenator means 14

Questions 15-17
From the following list, choose the THREE things that you can experience at the
museum.

Write your answers on your answer sheet in any order.

A  cutting fossils from rocks

B  activity sheets for children
C  sitting inside a T-Rex jaw
D  sitting on a dinosaur’s brain
E  the smell of dead dinosaurs
F  a map of where some dinosaurs lived
G  an exhibition of dinosaur artwork
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Questions 18-20
Complete the following notes about admission and getting to the museum.

Opening times 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. April- October.

10 a.m. – 4 p.m. November – March.

Adults-£4.75
Children 18 -£2.75
Admission Family (2 adults + 2 children) – £13
Students/Pensioners – £3.75 includes 2-hour guided dinosaur
tour

bus number 30 from the 19 of the

Getting there
university

20 for groups of 8 or more, if booked in

Groups
advance

Tel.-01940434
Contact details
Website – www.sandowndinosaur.com

Question 21
Write the correct letter on your answer sheet

Which three guests are on the radio

21 programmer?

A  Tony Wu, an undergraduate student from China, Susan Hall, International

Student, and Wendy Clark, Head of the University.

B  Tony Wu, a Master’s student from China, Susan Hall, International

Student, and Wendy Clark, Head of the ESL Unit.

C  Tony Wu, a Master’s student from China, Susan Hall, International

Student Liaison, and Wendy Clark, Head of English.

D  Tony Wu, a Master’s student from China, Susan Hall, International

Student Liaison, and Wendy Clark, Head of the ESL Unit.

Questions 22-24
Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each
answer.

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Tony Wu took a Pre-Master’s course because of his22
English.

Susan says international students are a 23 of funds for

universities.

Wendy says living amongst native speakers helps students

24

Questions 25-27
Choose the correct answer, A, B, C or D.

How many students on Tony’s course

25 passed?

A  All of them.

B  28.

C  23.

D  5.

26

How many universities in the country have special course for international
students?

A  All of them.

B  More than 12.

C  12.

D  Less than 12.

What do private colleges focus on, according to

27 Wendy?

A  Pre-Master’s courses.

B  Exam-related courses.

C  General English courses.

D  Technological terminology.

Questions 28-30

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Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each
answer.

Wendy says a pre-Masters course should encourage students to

28 their teachers.

Wendy says a pre-Masters course costs the same as a29

Master’s programme.

Susan thinks a 30 for such courses would be good.

Questions 31-33
Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS
AND/OR NUMBERS for each answer.

Tiktaalik rosae is considered to be an evolutionary 31 .

Tiktaalik rosae lived around 32 ago.

The remains of the Tiktaalik rosae were found 600 miles from the
33 .

Questions 34-38

Label the diagram, of Tiktaalik rosae using NO MORE THAN THREE

WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS for each gap.

34

35 metres long

36 neck

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37 ribcage

pectoral fins with a 38

Questions 39-40
Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each
answer.

How long had the researchers been looking when they found the Tiktaalik remains?
39

Where were the late Devonian rocks originally created?

40

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 Solution:

1 faster, more expensive 2 logistics, weather (conditions)

3 19th next month 4 tax (and) insurance
5 furniture 6 fragile items/things
7 Debra Whealing 8 PT6 2JA
9 42a Lake View 10 1 o’clock/13:00
11 dinosaur’s footprint 12 dinosaur fossils
13 full-size / full size 14 new hunter
15
17
B,E,F 18 under 15
19 main gate 20 discount
21 D 22 lack of fluency
23 significant source 24 develop language skills
25 C 26 B
27 B 28 challenge
29 full 30 nationwide benchmark
31 missing link 32 375 million years
33 north pole 34 sharp teeth
35 1.2-2.7 36 clearly defined
37 strong 38 wrist joint
39 5/five years 40 near (the) equator

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 Audio Script:

SECTION 1
Salesman: Good afternoon, madam. How may I help you?

Customer: Good afternoon. I’d like to ship some possessions to Canada and was hoping
you could answer a few of my questions.

Salesman: Certainly. Please take a seat. Where exactly are you going to ship the goods?

Customer: To Toronto. I’m taking a job there at the end of next month.

Salesman: Right. We can ship your possessions by air or by sea and land. Shipping by air
is Q1 faster but is obviously more expensive .

Customer: I understand. That’s what I expected . If I want the things there by – the 25th of
next month, do I still have time to send them by sea?

Salesman: I’ll just check the schedules … Yes, if your possessions start their journey by
the 26th of this month at the latest, they’ll be in Toronto by the 25th of next month.
However, I would recommend that you send them earlier if possible because there are
sometimes delays due to Q2 logistics or weather conditions.

Customer: Yes, of course. I was thinking of sending them on the 20th or thereabout .

Salesman: That’s great. There’s a cargo ship leaving on the 21st . Would it be possible to
send your possessions on the 19th? It can take two days to get the items to the port and
to clear customs at this end.

Customer: Yes, I guess that would be OK.

Salesman: In that case, your possessions should arrive on or around the Q3 19th of next
month, though, as I said, there are sometimes delays. Is that OK for you?

Customer: That’s perfect ! That’s the very day 1 arrive in Canada. It could be a
bit hectic though. Anyway, I won’t need my things immediately , so d short delay won’t
cause any problems.

Salesman: Don’t worry. You won’t be able to take delivery of your possessions that day
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because of customs checks Those usually take a couple of days. Will you be packing
everything yourself or would you like us to take care of that for you?

Customer: I’d prefer to have your employees do it. As you can imagine, I’m rather busy at
the moment.

Salesman: And you’ll want us to arrange delivery to your new home in canada rather than
leaving the items at the warehouse in Toronto, right?

Customer: Yes, please. I know that door-to-door delivery costs more, but it’s so much
more convenient .

Salesman: OK then. Here’s a price list. The prices include Q4 tax and insurance . As you
can see, the price depends mainly on the dimensions of the crates and the number of
crates rather than their weight. However, we do add an extra charge for particularly heavy
items. Do you intend to ship any Q5 furniture?

Customer: No, nothing like that-just books, clothes, a few small electrical items and a few
ornaments.

Salesman: If there are any Q6 fragile items, such as glass ornaments , I can make a note
for our packers. There’s no extra charge for such items.

Customer: Thank you. There is a little glassware . Using plenty of bubble wrap should
ensure it arrives intact. Would you recommend three of the smaller sized crates or one of
the very large ones?

Salesman: For ease of handling we normally suggest that customers use the smaller sized
ones. The large ones appear cheaper, but if they exceed a certain weight they incur an
extra charge. We generally only use them for large lightweight items or furniture.

Customer: I see. I think that three of the smaller crates measuring two cubic metres should
do the trick.

Salesman: OK. In that case, the total price will be three hundred and sixty pounds . Is that
OK?

Customer: Yes, that’s fine. Thank you. Can I pay by credit card? I have master express .

Salesman: Of course. I need to take down a few details. Could I take your name, please?

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Customer: My given name is Q7 Debra -DEBRA- and my surname is Whealing –
WHEALING.

Salesman: And your address?

Customer: 14 Hopton Close. The postcode is Q8 pt6 2j a .

Salesman: And the address where we should ship your possession to in Canada?

Customer: Q9 42a Lake View Road in the district of Victoria.

Salesman: Is “Lake View” written as one word or two?

Customer: Two. The postcode is tr one two three cn .

Salesman: Do you have a mobile phone?

Customer: I do. The number’s oh nine seven seven oh two three six eight five .

Salesman: Thank you. Right, then. Our packers will arrive on the morning of the 19th.
I’m afraid I can’t give you an exact time, but it should be around 10 o’clock, depending on
the traffic.

Customer: Thank you. As long as they finish before Q10 1 o’clock. I don’t mind.

Salesman: I’ll make a note of that. Right, I’ll just deal with the payment …

SECTION 2
Presenter: Good morning, everyone. I’m very happy to be here to give you
a brief introduction to some of the places you can visit in the localityof your university. I
hope that you can take some time out from your studies to pay a visit to at least a few of
them. First, I’d like to tell you about Dinosaur Isle and Fossil Walk. It’s one of
my favorite days out.

I remember my first visit there. We were walking along a beautiful sandy beach when
our paleontologist , guide stops suddenly and points at a rock perhaps 60
centimeters across. “That,” he says, “is the cast of a Q11 dinosaur's .” At first I thought he
wras joking, but he goes on to point out the three vast toes and to explain that this stone

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was molded in the Q11 footprint of an Iguanodon some 125 million years ago. From the
size of the “foot”, he adds, this particular herbivorous biped would have been about eight
meters long and perhaps ‘2.5 metres tall to the hip. This area is one of the
most prolific and accessible sites in Europe for Q12 dinosaur fossils who . Bits of bone are
regularly found on the beaches and the Dinosaur Isle museum has a collection of
international importance-and is thoroughly family-friendly to boot.

At the museum, you can walk back in time, via the last Ice Age and the Eocene to the
late cretaceous to the heyday of the dinosaurs, to which the main hall is dedicated . The
information is accessibly presented and there is enough to satisfy even the most ardent
“dinophile” of any age. The collection sensibly majors on the dinosaurs that
once roamed this area, with Q13 full-size re-reconstructions as well as fossils ranging
from huge vertebrae to toothed jaws and long leg bones. Many of the specimens were
found by amateur fossil hunters, including two families on holiday here in the 1970s who
found some bones on a beach in the southwest of the island; they turned out to belong to
an iguanodon and another completely new dinosaur, subsequently called Neovenator.
meaning “ Q14 new hunter”.

On my first Fossil Walk a piece of dinosaur rib bone was found, and the day before, four
dinosaur bones were discovered as well as a large prehistoric crocodile tooth. Even if you
are not lucky enough to find bits of dinosaur, there are 110 -year-old shells
and fossilized wood to be collected. Our guide was not only extremely knowledgeable but
also endlessly patient as he identified a steady stream of sandstone and flint with a few
fossils thrown in.

Q15 Back at the museum there is stacks for kids to do: three different activity sheets and
lots of interactive exhibits . The touchy-feely game was a big hit. It revealed
a sauropod claw, fossilised dinosaur poo. It’s great fun for the kids to make their parents
feel this! Q16 And then there is the cast of a Tyrannosaurus’ brain which is, remarkable
for its smallness Smells from the dinosaurs’ world were much enjoyed too-rotting
corpse, pine forest , swamp and carnivore breath. The last was particularly yucky in my
opinion.

Q17 An interactive map shows where the localities five main dinosaurs were found, along
with a second map indicating their global spread. Upstairs, there is a reconstruction of the
Sandown pterosaur, which was unearthed close to the museum and its fossils, along with
information about the area’s own tyrannosaurus , discovered in 1995-about half the size of
T Rex and called Eotyrannus Lengi-as well as loads of dinosaur related art activities.

Unfortunately, there are currently no refreshments available on site, but there is a mini-golf

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course next to the museum which has a cafe. The museum is fully wheelchair accessible.
Let me just give you the admission details. Dinosaur Isle and Fossil Walk are both open
daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., April to October, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., November-March. Adult
tickets are 4 pounds 75 , children Q18 under 15 pay 2 pounds 75 . There’s also a family
ticket, available for two adults and two children, which costs £13. Students
and retirees pay £3.75. The two-hour guided dinosaur walk is included in the ticket price .

Finally, I’ll let you know how to get there. Despite the name, Dinosaur Isle isn’t actually an
island. From the university, take bus number 30. which I believe stops right outside the
Q19 main gate. Is that right? Yes? Thank you. The bus stops almost directly in front of
the museum , and you can’t miss that because it has a big plastic T Rex outside! If you’re
going as a group of more than eight, please telephone in advance. A
group Q20 discount , is available if you do. but not if you arrive and announced . The
phone number is 019 40434, and there’s a website too-www.sandowndinosaur.com

SECTION 3
Interviewer: Welcome to our University Radio program entitled “Leaping the Language
Barrier”. Q21 My guests today are Tony Wu. a Master’s student from China. Susan Hall.
International Student Liaison, and Wendy Clark. Head of the ESL Unit here at the
university. Tony, you’re starting your Master’s degree in a few weeks, aren’t you?

Tony Wu: Yes, I am. I’ll be taking a Master’s in Computing. Like many overseas students, I
found the selection process tough. Making the transition from undergraduate studies
to postgraduate research is hard enough for a native speaker, but my Q22 lack
of fluency in English was a bigger hurdle. So. I decided to take a pre-Master’s course.

Interviewer: Susan, are these courses popular?

Susan Hall: Not at the moment, but each year, over 100,000 overseas students apply to
study for a postgraduate degree in this country. Many of these students, like Tony, need to
work on their English to get the maximum benefit from their time here. Paying full fees,
these students represent a Q23 significant source of income for the universities. As a
result, a growing number of universities and private colleges are offering foundation or
pre-Master’s courses. The pre-Master’s courses are designed to bridge the gap between
undergraduate studies and a postgraduate degree taught in English.

Tony Wu: That’s right. I won my place on the Master’s course after attending a nine-month
pre-master’s programme at the International foundation College, a private language and
study skills school approved by universities in this country.

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Interviewer: Wendy, you’re an ESL professional. How useful are these courses?

Wendy Clark: Very useful indeed. As Susan said, many students come here with some
English, but not really enough lo take full advantage of having an education in an English-
speaking country. Pre-Master’s courses bring language proficiency up to a more
acceptable level. Students Q24 develop language skills through
classroom interaction and bv being part of the wider community, living among native
English speakers.

Interviewer: Tony, how successful were the other students on your course?

Tony Wu: Q25 The IFC pre – Master’s course started in january with 28 students, all from
China. All but five gained places on university Master’s courses. The IFC was very happy
with the success rate.

Interviewer: Wendy, Tony didn’t do his course here, but this university does have a pre-
Master’s course, doesn’t it?

Wendy Clark: Yes, it does. Q26 In this country, at least a dozen universities now run
courses specially designed to cater for the needs of students from overseas regions-
regions particularly Russia, Japan, China, East and South Asia. Q27 On top of
that, private colleges are starting to enter the market, although most stick to what they do
best-improving students’ English language test scores . Last year, we prepared 80 foreign
students-mostly from China, South East Asia, Iran and the former Soviet republics -for
masters degrees at universities in this country. Studied over an academic year, the course
is demanding. Students from a range of disciplines are taught by a subject specialist , with
an English language teacher working alongside to review students’ comprehension and
written work. The course culminates in a mini dissertation prepared over four months.

Interviewer: Did you find that difficult, Tony?

Tony Wu: I certainly did!

Wendy Clark: I believe that a pre-Master’s course should do a lot more than boost
language skills. It’s also about preparing students from different cultural backgrounds to
succeed in the academic world. We prepare them to look at a variety of
sources, analyze the pros and cons, put forward their own ideas, Q28 challenge their
tutors and take part in rigorous discussion.

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Interviewer: Wendy, has the course run at this university been successful?

Wendy Clark: The results here speak for themselves . The one-year pre- Master’s
programme has a 90 percent success rate and a smattering of students go on to Harvard,
Yale, Oxford and Cambridge as well as other prestigious institutions. However, at $9,000 ,
the course fee is on a par with the Q29 full fee for a Master’s programme itself.

Interviewer: Susan, do you have any reservations about these programs ?

Susan: Not here at our university, but I am unhappy at what I see as a lack of control over
the proliferation of pre-Master’s programmes. Some form of external validation is needed,
as there is no universal recognition of the quality of such courses. There is
a benchmark system for access to higher education courses for domestic students, but so
far there is no Q30 nationwide benchmark for foundation courses for international
students.

Interviewer: Thank you all very much. Next week, I’ll be talking to …

SECTION 4
Welcome everybody. My name is Derek Fisher and I’ll be taking you through this talk on
a truly amazing discovery made by my team of researchers last j’ear. As I’m sure you
know, we discovered Tiktaalik rose' , a so-called “ Q31 missing link” in
the evolutionary process-a fish that walked on land. We made this extraordinary discovery
in the Canadian Arctic. I should emphasize right at the beginning that I do not have
any evidence to suggest that this was the only such fish to make the leap from the sea to
the land. I think that further discoveries may await researchers.

Anyway, the fossil discovery illuminates a chapter in the history of life on Earth that
was essential to the ultimate emergence of human beings. This is an impression of
Tiktaalik roseac, which, we believe, lived about Q32 375 million years ago. As you can
see, it has features that blur the distinction between fish and terrestrial limbed creatures.
The fossils that we found on Ellesmere Island, 600 miles from the Q33 North Pole, are a
fine example of evolution in action. They have allowed us to freeze-frame a process of
adaptation to land that took tens of millions of years, and which made possible the
development of all the mammals , birds, reptiles and amphibians that have existed since.

Without creatures such as Tiktaalik there would have been no dinosaurs,

no primitive mammals and none of the hominids such as Australopithecus africanus and
Homo erectus that started the human family tree. This animal represents

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the transition from water to land-the part of history that includes ourselves . It’s as much a
part of our history as, say, Australopithecus africanus . Now, you can see those teeth.
From that, it is clear to us that Tiktaalik roseae was a predator with Q34 sharp teeth and a
head shaped like a crocodiles that grew to between four feet and nine feet-that’s between
Q35 1.2 metres and 2.7 metres long for those of you using the metric ! We named it
after consultation with elders from the Inuit people, who are native to the region, who
suggested their word for “large shallow- water fish”. The second part of the
name honors the person who funded our research, but wishes to remain anonymous .

It had several remarkable anatomical features that show it was capable not only of wading
in shallow water, like slightly earlier fish on the cusp of the move to land, but also
of supporting itself outside the water in the manner of four-limbed animals or tetrapods.
This is where Tiktaalik truly blurs the boundary between fish and land animals. This animal
is both fish and tetrapod . At first, we jokingly call it a “fishapod”. Unlike fish, it had a
Q36 clearly defined neck and a Q37 strong ribcage that would have enabled it to stand
outside water. Its pectoral fins had a Q38 wrist joint, which enabled it to crawl on the
ground. This wrist is sufficiently similar to that of later animals, including human beings, to
suggest that Tiktaalik or something very like it was an ancestor of all subsequent land
animals. However, we cannot be sure of that. When we talk about the fish’s wrist, we’re
talking about the origin of parts of our own wrist. It is absolutely clear from
Tiktaalik’s skeleton that it could support itself in shallowwater or on land. This is why it
represents a critical early phase in the evolution of all limbed animals, including humans.

WP found the Tiktaalik fossils in 2004 after a Q39 five-year search of a rock formation on
Ellesmere Island, one of the large islands that comprisedthe north of Canada. This site
was chosen because it was-or more exactly the rocks were-laid down during the late
Devonian period, between 380 million and 365 million years ago, when the transition of
fish from sea creatures to creatures that could survive on land is known to have taken
place. It may surprise you to know that although the rocks are now within the Arctic Circle,
in the late Devonian they lay close to Q40 the Equator. We, as individual humans, don’t
notice plate movements because dramatic changes can only be seen over millions of
years, but the continents as we know them today have moved considerably and will
continue to do so. This exciting discovery is providing a much deeper understanding of
this evolutionary milestone . Previous fossils representing this evolutionary event have
really been fish with a few land characteristics , or land vertebrates with a few residual fish
characteristics. These fossils show an animal that sits bang in the middle.

Now, let’s move on to …

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