Aluminium cans: listening answers and explanations
Two students, Ilmar and Dawn, plan a presentation on everyday objects using a magazine article about aluminium drink cans. They pick out surprising facts and then label a drawing of a can, part by part.
Questions 22-25 are the facts from the article, in order. 'What I thought was that we could do a large picture of a coke can' starts the labelling (26-31), which goes body, label, base, then up to the rim, the lid and the opening.
Answer key and self-check
Type what you wrote and hit mark. Hide the key first if you haven't done the part yet. Every question number jumps to its explanation.
Q
Your answer
Answer
Questions 22-25 · Note completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
How to attack this block: Numbers and comparisons from the article. The students read figures aloud and react to them, so you'll often hear each number twice.
Question 22
Answer: 300 millionIlmar's first fact from the article
Also accepted: three hundred million
How many cans are produced every day in the US?
it says that in the US they produce 300 million aluminium drink cans each day. … Wow! 300 million!
Question says → You hear
produced every day in the USin the US they produce 300 million aluminium drink cans each day
Why: 'Each day' matches 'every day', and Dawn repeats the figure: 300 million.
The trap: Make sure you write million: 300 alone is far too small.
Question 23
Answer: paper clipsStraight after '300 million'
Also accepted: paperclips
Which product besides nails do they make fewer of than cans?
outstrips the production of nails or paper clips
Question says → You hear
more cans produced than nails oroutstrips the production of nails or paper clips
Why: 'Outstrips' means is greater than. Nails is printed, so the gap is paper clips.
The trap: The aircraft wing comes next, but that's about precision, not numbers produced.
Question 24
Answer: magazine pagesWhen Dawn reads the bit about the weight
Also accepted: pieces of paper / pages
What is a can thinner than?
thinner than two pieces of paper ... from this magazine
Question says → You hear
thinner than twothinner than two pieces of paper ... from this magazine
Why: The can is thinner than two pages of the magazine. Magazine pages, pieces of paper and pages are all accepted.
The trap: 0.48 ounces is printed and is the weight, not the comparison.
Question 25
Answer: three timesWhen Ilmar says the can can take a lot of weight
Also accepted: 3 times
How does a can's pressure compare with a car tyre?
More than 90 pounds of pressure per square inch - three times the pressure of a car tyre.
Question says → You hear
over ... the pressure of a car tyrethree times the pressure of a car tyre
Why: The words right before 'the pressure of a car tyre' are the answer: three times (or 3 times).
The trap: 90 pounds is printed. The gap is the comparison, not the measurement.
Diagram labelling (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
Questions 26-31
How to attack this block: The labels follow the order they draw the can: bottom to top. Note that in the drawing the label at top left marked (26) is actually Question 31, so match the gaps by their wording, not their position.
Question 26
Answer: thickerWhen they start labelling with the body
What is special about the body of the can at the base?
it's thicker at the bottom. … Right, so that it can take all that pressure.
Question says → You hear
Body - ... at baseit's thicker at the bottom
Why: 'At the bottom' matches 'at base', so the gap is the adjective: thicker.
The trap: 'Aluminium' is what the body is made of, said just before. It doesn't fit '... at base'.
Question 27
Answer: labelWhen Dawn says to draw another line from the body
Which part has a reflective surface that is easy to decorate?
you should draw another line from the body for the label. … A reflective surface suitable for decoration.
Question says → You hear
reflective surface ... can easily be decoratedA reflective surface suitable for decoration
Why: They draw a line for the label, then read about the reflective surface suitable for decoration. The part is the label.
The trap: 'Body' is the part the line starts from, and it's already the first label.
Question 28
Answer: a domeWhen Ilmar says 'and then there's the base'
Also accepted: dome
What shape is the base?
the bottom of the can is shaped like a dome so that it can resist the internal pressure
Question says → You hear
Base - shaped like ... to withstand pressureshaped like a dome so that it can resist the internal pressure
Why: 'Shaped like' is in both, and 'resist' matches 'withstand'. Write a dome or dome.
The trap: Writing 'pressure' just copies the end of the label. The gap is the shape.
Question 29
Answer: flangeWhen they move up to the lid and the rim
What is the special word for the rim seal?
There's the rim around the edge which seals the can. … And there's a funny word for the seal isn't there? … Yes, it's a flange
Question says → You hear
RimThere's the rim around the edge which seals the can
Why: Ilmar asks for the 'funny word for the seal' and Dawn gives it: flange. He spells it, F-L-A-N-G-E.
The trap: 'Seam' comes up as what it looks like, but flange is the name.
Question 30
Answer: 25%When Dawn says they should label the lid itself
Also accepted: 25 per cent / 25 percent
How much of the total weight is the lid?
I think we should label the lid itself and say that it constitutes twenty five percent of the total weight.
Question says → You hear
Lid - makes up ... of total weightit constitutes twenty five percent of the total weight
Why: 'Constitutes' means makes up. Write 25% (or 25 per cent); Ilmar repeats the figure.
The trap: Not much of a trap, but write a percentage, not just 25.
Question 31
Answer: scored openingAt the end, after they discuss the tab and rivet
What part is at the top of the can beside the tab?
the opening is scored so that it pushes in easily but doesn't detach itself. … I'll label it scored opening.
Question says → You hear
Top of the can, beside the tabWe can show the opening though
Why: Ilmar says exactly what the label will be: scored opening. 'Scored' explains why it pushes in without coming off.
The trap: The tab and the rivet come first, but they agree they're too small to label. 'Opening' alone loses the word that describes it.
The article says 'thinner than two pieces of paper', and Dawn adds 'from this magazine'. The key's answer is magazine pages; pieces of paper or pages are accepted.
The tab and the rivet come first, but they decide those are too small to include. The part they label beside the tab is the scored opening.
Words from this recording worth keeping
outstrips(Factsheet)
is greater than
precision(Factsheet)
great accuracy and care
reflective surface(Label)
a surface that throws back light, like a mirror
resist(Base)
hold strong against a force
internal pressure(Base)
force pushing out from inside
seals(Rim)
closes something so that nothing can get in or out
trimmed(Rim)
cut neatly to shape
detach(Scored opening)
come off or separate
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The full Cambridge 1 Test 4 listening paper with the real audio: all four parts, played once, marked the moment you finish. Already done it? Take it again and listen for the traps this page showed you.
Cambridge IELTS 1, Test 4, Listening Part 3. The recording, transcript and questions belong to Cambridge University Press and are not reproduced here. We quote short extracts of the transcript only as evidence for our own commentary, and the answers are published for self-marking. Get the book for the full material, or sit the test on Langujet.
