Noise in cities: listening answers and explanations
An acoustic engineer lectures on sound in cities. The talk covers the limits of noise maps, the problems noise causes, why some loud sounds are pleasant, what people want to hear, and how architects, other disciplines and technology could help design better soundscapes.
Ten gaps in order, under the note headings. Noise maps (31-32) and problems (33) come first; 'one problem with decibel measurement' leads to 34-35; 'So what exactly do people want to hear' gives 36-37; and the last three come in the art form and virtual reality sections at the end.
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.
How to attack this block: The notes paraphrase heavily, so listen for meaning: 'people's neighbours are in their ...' for 'gardens of their neighbours', 'researchers may use methods from ... sciences' for 'social science techniques'. Many answers are adjectives (political, lively, silent), so check the grammar around the gap.
Question 31
Answer: gardenWhen the lecturer says what noise maps ignore
Also accepted: gardens
Where are neighbours when their noise isn't shown on maps?
they ignore important issues such as the noise someone might hear from the open windows or gardens of their neighbours
Question says → You hear
do not show other sources of noisethey ignore important issues
people's neighbours are in theirgardens of their neighbours
Why: Noise from neighbours' open windows or gardens isn't shown. Windows is already in the note, so garden or gardens.
The trap: Summer is mentioned next as when this noise matters, but it isn't a place.
Question 32
Answer: politicalAfter 'even though these noise maps are fairly crude'
What kind of issue have maps made people realise noise is?
raising awareness that noise matters, we need to deal with it and so it's … political matter
Question says → You hear
have made people realizeraising awareness
that must be dealt withwe need to deal with it
Why: 'Raising awareness' matches 'made people realise', and noise is 'a political matter'. The gap needs an adjective before 'issue': political.
The trap: Rules and regulations come straight after, but they're the result of it being political.
Question 33
Answer: workThe third problem, after sleep and stress
Also accepted: study
What noise affects in schoolchildren?
if schoolchildren don't have a quiet place to study, their work will suffer
Question says → You hear
effect on the ... of schoolchildrentheir work will suffer
Why: Noise means their work suffers. Work is the key; study is also accepted.
The trap: Sleep and stress are already in the notes as the first two problems.
Question 34
Answer: fountainWhen the lecturer says decibels don't tell types of noise apart
What pleasant sound in a town might score high in decibels?
think of the sound made by a fountain in a town square, for example
Question says → You hear
the sound of a ... in a townthe sound made by a fountain in a town square
Why: A fountain in a town square is loud but relaxing. The answer is fountain.
The trap: Square is next to the answer, but 'in a town' already covers it. The note wants the source of the sound.
Question 35
Answer: socialWhen the lecturer says just measuring decibels won't help
Which sciences do researchers borrow methods from?
Instead, many researchers are using social science techniques, studying people's emotional response to sound by using questionnaires and so on.
Question says → You hear
methods from ... sciences e.g. questionnairessocial science techniques … by using questionnaires
Why: 'Social science techniques' becomes 'methods from ... sciences'. The gap needs the adjective: social.
The trap: 'Emotional' is near the answer, but it describes people's response, not the type of science.
Question 36
Answer: lively'So what exactly do people want to hear in an urban environment?'
What do people want urban environments to be like?
city needs to have a sense of activity, so it needs to be lively
Question says → You hear
Plenty of activityneeds to have a sense of activity
also allow people to relaxwe need to be able to relax
Why: A city needs a sense of activity, so it needs to be lively. The gap after 'which are' needs an adjective: lively.
The trap: 'Intrusive' is said next, with 'mustn't be'. It describes what the sounds should not be.
Question 37
Answer: trainingWhen the lecturer says the problem is getting architects to use the research
What don't architects and town planners get much of in acoustics?
these people receive … little training in this area
Question says → You hear
do not get muchreceive … little training
Why: They receive very little training in acoustics. 'Receive very little' matches 'do not get much'. One word: training.
The trap: 'Research' comes just before, but that's what they should use, not what they don't get.
Question 38
Answer: cultureWhen the lecturer lists what we need to understand
What should we understand sound's relationship to?
We need to develop a complex understanding of many factors. What is the relationship between sound and culture?
Question says → You hear
how sound relates tothe relationship between sound and culture
Why: 'The relationship between sound and culture' becomes 'how sound relates to ...'. The answer is culture.
The trap: Psychology, human development and social relationships come next, but psychology already has its own line in the notes.
Question 39
Answer: natureRight after the questions about psychology
What about sound might physics help us understand?
Can we learn anything from physics about the nature of sound itself?
Question says → You hear
whether physics can help us understandCan we learn anything from physics
Why: Physics might teach us about the nature of sound. The gap after 'the' needs nature.
The trap: 'Thought and feelings' is the psychology point, just before.
Question 40
Answer: silentWhen the lecturer says 'Today's powerful technologies can also help us'
What is the current disadvantage of virtual reality programs?
architects and town planners already use virtual reality - but these programs are silent
Question says → You hear
current disadvantage: they arebut these programs are silent
Why: 'But these programs are silent' is the drawback. The gap after 'they are' needs an adjective: silent.
The trap: 'Realistic sounds' is what future programs could use, not what they have now.
The sentence sounds contradictory: a city needs to be lively, with clacking heels and hissing coffee machines, but not intrusive. The note keeps the positive side, lively.
Virtual reality programs already show buildings, so the advantage is in the note. The disadvantage comes after a dash: 'but these programs are silent'.
Words from this recording worth keeping
acoustics(Introduction)
the science of sound
soundscapes(Past research)
all the sounds heard in a particular place
crude(Noise maps)
simple and not very accurate
perceptions(Noise maps)
the way people notice and understand something
differentiate(Different types of noise)
recognise the difference between things
intrusive(What people want)
disturbing or annoying people
interdisciplinary(What people want)
involving several subject areas
aesthetic(Sound as an art form)
to do with beauty and art
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The full Cambridge 12 Test 8 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 12, Test 8, Listening Part 4. 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.
