Effects of urban environments on animals: listening answers and explanations
A lecturer talks about how animals adapt to life in cities. She starts with the species we always knew could cope, then describes four recent studies on mammals, blackbirds, a range of urban animals and squirrels, and ends with what these changes might mean in the long term.
Ten gaps in strict order. The introduction gives 31-33, then each researcher is named just before his or her gaps: Snell-Rood (34-35), Miranda (36-37), Atwell (38) and Partan (39). 'So what are the long-term implications of this?' leads into the last gap.
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 researchers' names are your signposts: when you hear one, you know which gaps are next. Every answer is a single word, mostly a noun, and several come in a contrast ('not at their anatomy but at their behaviour'), so wait for the second half.
Question 31
Answer: crowWhen the lecturer says we used to think only a few species could adapt
Which bird was known for being able to adapt to almost anything?
One species Which is well … adaptable is the crow, and there've been various studies about how
Question says → You hear
because of its general adaptabilityadaptable is the crow
Why: 'Highly adaptable' is the 'general adaptability' in the notes, and the species named is the crow.
The trap: The pigeon comes straight after, but it's already printed in the next line. The crow is the first bird.
Question 32
Answer: cliffsStraight after the crow, when the lecturer moves on to pigeons
What are city walls similar to for pigeons?
ledges on the walls of city buildings … they once perched on cliffs by the sea
Question says → You hear
walls of city buildings are similar toledges on the walls of city buildings … they once perched on cliffs by the sea
Why: Pigeons sit on the ledges of buildings just as they used to sit on cliffs by the sea. The notes need the plural noun: cliffs.
The trap: Ledges is also said, but ledges are part of the buildings, not what the walls are similar to. And 'sea' isn't the comparison: it's the cliffs.
Question 33
Answer: speedWhen the lecturer says 'one thing that researchers are finding especially interesting'
What is unusual about the way urban animals are adapting?
interesting is the speed with which they're … we're not talking about
Question says → You hear
adapting with unusualthe speed with which they're
Why: What researchers find interesting is how quickly the animals are adapting. The notes need a noun after 'unusual', so speed.
The trap: 'Fast' carries the same meaning, but it's an adjective, so 'unusual fast' doesn't work. Gradual evolution is what is not happening.
Question 34
Answer: brainWhen the lecturer describes Emilie Snell-Rood's museum specimens
Also accepted: brains
Which part of the body got bigger in the mammals Snell-Rood studied?
brain size when compared to rural mammals. Now, we can't be sure this means they're more intelligent
Question says → You hear
the size of their ... had increasedbrain size when compared to rural mammals
Why: The mammals experienced a jump in brain size compared with country mammals. The key accepts brain or brains.
The trap: 'Other parts of the body didn't change', the lecturer adds, so don't write 'body'. 'Intelligent' is a guess she doesn't make.
Question 35
Answer: foodWhen the lecturer gives Snell-Rood's explanation for the change
What did the city mammals need to find new sources of?
cognitive demands of adjusting to city life … food … coping with a whole new set of dangers
Question says → You hear
the need to locate new sources ofcognitive demands of adjusting to city life … food
deal with new dangerscoping with a whole new set of dangers
Why: The bigger brain may reflect the mental effort of city life: finding food and coping with new dangers. 'Coping with' matches 'deal with', which tells you the other half of the sentence is the food.
The trap: Dangers is the second item, and it's already printed in the notes. The gap is the first item.
Question 36
Answer: behaviourWhen the lecturer moves to Germany and the Max Planck Institute
Also accepted: behaviours / behavior / behaviors
What did Catarina Miranda study in blackbirds?
And she's been looking not at their anatomy but at their behaviour.
Question says → You hear
focused on thebeen looking not at their anatomy but at their behaviour
Why: Miranda studied the behaviour of urban and rural blackbirds. The key accepts behaviour or behavior, singular or plural.
The trap: Anatomy is said first and rejected with 'not ... but'. It's the obvious word to catch, and the wrong one.
Question 37
Answer: newWhen the lecturer says 'there's one type of situation that does seem to frighten' them
What type of situation frightens the bold city blackbirds?
anything new - anything they haven't experienced before. And if you think about it, that's quite sensible
Question says → You hear
afraid of situations that wereanything new - anything they haven't experienced before
Why: The city birds are bold, but they're scared of anything new. The gap needs an adjective after 'were': new.
The trap: 'Threats' is mentioned just before, but those are what city birds are brave about. Don't write 'unfamiliar' either: it's the meaning, but not the word you hear.
Question 38
Answer: stressWhen the lecturer introduces Jonathan Atwell at Indiana University
What do some animals respond to by producing fewer hormones?
He's found that when they're … react by reducing the amount … It's a sensible-seeming adaptation.
Question says → You hear
producing lower levels of hormonesreact by reducing the amount
Why: In the recording, Atwell found that when city animals are under stress, they react by producing smaller amounts of stress hormones. The notes give the hormones, so the gap is what they're reacting to: stress.
The trap: The rat example (a subway train rolling past) makes 'noise' or 'trains' tempting. Those are examples of what causes stress, not the word in the recording.
Question 39
Answer: tailThe last study, introduced as 'just one more study I'd like to mention'
Also accepted: tails
What part of their bodies do city squirrels use to communicate?
a routine part of their communication is carried out by waving their tails
Question says → You hear
use their ... to help them communicatetheir communication is carried out by waving their tails
Why: The squirrels wave their tails to communicate. The key accepts tail or tails.
The trap: Not really a trap, but the lecturer adds that it's possibly because cities are noisy. Don't write 'noise' or 'waving': the gap is the body part.
Question 40
Answer: permanentAt the end, after 'So what are the long-term implications of this?'
What might some of the changes not be?
not all of adaptations will be permanent. Once the animal's got accustomed to its new environment
Question says → You hear
some changes may not benot all of adaptations will be permanent
Why: Some adaptations may disappear once the animals no longer need them. 'Not all ... will be permanent' gives the adjective permanent.
The trap: The first possibility, new species developing in cities, is already printed in the notes. The gap is the 'on the other hand' point.
The notes say 'adapting with unusual ...', which needs a noun. The lecturer says 'the speed with which they're doing this' and then 'changing fast'. People who catch 'fast' write it, but the gap needs speed.
The gap is what the animals respond to, not how they respond. They react to stress by producing less of certain hormones. Hormones is already in the notes, so the answer is the cause: stress.
Words from this recording worth keeping
upheavals(Introduction)
big, sudden changes
adaptable(Introduction)
able to change to suit new conditions
specimens(Snell-Rood)
animals kept for scientific study
cognitive(Snell-Rood)
to do with thinking and the brain
counterparts(Miranda)
similar animals in a different place
prevalent(Partan)
common, happening a lot
implications(Long-term possibilities)
possible results or effects
accustomed to(Long-term possibilities)
used to
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The full Cambridge 13 Test 1 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 13, Test 1, 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.
