Presentation on nanotechnology: listening answers and explanations
Russ, a student, meets his tutor to get help planning a class presentation on nanotechnology. They discuss what approach to take, whether to use slides, how to begin and what to do next, and then the tutor gives feedback on Russ's last presentation.
Questions 21-25 follow the planning advice in order. The tutor's 'now let's think about actually giving the presentation' moves you to 26-30, where she comments on his previous presentation in the order of the list: structure, eye contact, body language, choice of words, handouts. The tutor gives most answers; Russ suggests and she agrees or not.
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 tutor offers several approaches, and Russ tries out ideas she sometimes turns down. The answer is where they end up, not the first idea on the table. Listen for 'I think that would be a good idea' and 'That sounds sensible'.
Question 21
Answer: BAt the start, when Russ says 'I'm really struggling'
What is causing Russ's difficulty in planning?
but now I've read so much about it, in a way there … You could do either, but you'll need to have it clear in your own mind
Question says → You hear
his uncertainty about what he should try to achieveYou could do either, but you'll need to have it clear in your own mind
Why: Russ has too much to say and can't decide whether to give an overview or focus on one aspect. The tutor tells him he needs to be clear in his own mind about it. That's B.
The trap: A: he chose the topic because he didn't know much, but that was before; now he's read a lot. C: the short time is for the presentation itself, not for preparing it.
Question 22
Answer: AWhen the tutor suggests a third way of approaching the topic
What approach do Russ and the tutor agree on?
Or another way would be to focus on its impact in one particular area … That would make it easier to focus. Perhaps I should do that. … I think that would be a good idea
Question says → You hear
concentrate on ... one fieldfocus on its impact in one particular area
Why: The tutor suggests looking at one area, such as medicine or space exploration. Russ says that would make it easier and the tutor agrees. That's A.
The trap: B, chronological order, and C, the many ways it's applied (water-repellent films, stronger helmets), are both suggested first. Neither is chosen.
Question 23
Answer: CWhen Russ asks how important it is to include slides
What does the tutor advise about slides?
They aren't essential, by any means. … You might find it better to leave them out
Question says → You hear
consider omitting slides altogetherYou might find it better to leave them out
Why: The tutor says slides aren't essential and he might be better off leaving them out. 'Leave them out' is 'omitting', C.
The trap: A and B both describe what she warns against: shaping your talk to fit the slides you can find, and spending too long looking for suitable ones.
Question 24
Answer: CWhen Russ says 'Another thing I was wondering about was how to start'
How do they agree Russ should start?
you might find that you can't do anything with the answers you get … So, maybe I should mention a particular way that nanotechnology … That sounds sensible
Question says → You hear
to provide an examplemention a particular way that nanotechnology
Why: Russ suggests starting with one particular use of nanotechnology to catch people's attention, and the tutor calls it sensible. A particular use is an example, C.
The trap: A: asking the audience what they know is Russ's first idea, but the tutor says it would eat into his short time. B: the 'First I'm going to talk about this' opening is mentioned only as the usual way, not the agreed one.
Question 25
Answer: AWhen Russ asks 'What do you think I should do next?'
What should Russ do next?
write a single short sentence that ties together the whole presentation
Question says → You hear
summarise the main pointa single short sentence that ties together the whole presentation
Why: One short sentence that ties the whole presentation together is a summary of his main point, A. He then plans the content around it.
The trap: B: the tutor tells him to ignore his notes at first, the opposite of reading them. C: listing topics isn't mentioned; the content comes after the sentence.
Matching (A-G)
Questions 26-30
How to attack this block: Each comment is a paraphrase: 'ended rather abruptly, without rounding it off' for lacked a conclusion, 'very little' for not enough. Seven comments for five aspects, so two are never used. Some aspects are praised and some criticised, so note which way each comment goes.
Question 26
Answer: AWhen the tutor says 'With regard to the structure'
What does the tutor say about the structure of his last presentation?
ended rather abruptly, without rounding it off. Be careful not to do that
Question says → You hear
lacked a conclusionended rather abruptly, without rounding it off
Why: Ending abruptly without rounding off means there was no proper conclusion: A.
The trap: The tutor starts by saying it was 'better in some respects than in others', which can make you expect praise. The comment on structure is a criticism.
Question 27
Answer: CStraight after the comment on structure
What does the tutor say about his eye contact?
you made very little eye contact
Question says → You hear
not enoughvery little eye contact
Why: 'Very little' eye contact means there was not enough: C. He was looking down at his notes most of the time.
The trap: Sometimes distracting (D) belongs to the next aspect. Eye contact was simply too rare.
Question 28
Answer: DWhen the tutor says his body language 'was a little odd'
What does the tutor say about his body language?
was a little odd. Every time you showed a … instead of listening to what you were saying
Question says → You hear
sometimes distractinginstead of listening to what you were saying
Why: Every time he showed a slide he did something odd, and the tutor found herself watching for it instead of listening. Taking attention away from what he said is distracting, D.
The trap: 'Odd' might suggest showed originality (E), but the tutor isn't praising it. It's a criticism.
Question 29
Answer: GWhen Russ asks 'What did you think of the language?'
What does the tutor say about his choice of words?
You used a few words that are specific to the field, but you … always explained what they meant
Question says → You hear
not too technicalspecific to the field, but you … always explained what they meant
Why: He used a few specialist words but always explained them, so the audience had no difficulty. The language was not too technical, G.
The trap: The first half of her answer, 'specific to the field', sounds like a criticism. The 'but' turns it into praise.
Question 30
Answer: BThe tutor's last comment, ending with 'So well done on that'
What does the tutor say about his handouts?
summary of your presentation, which people would … able to refer to
Question says → You hear
useful in the futurewhich people would … able to refer to
Why: In the recording the tutor praises his handouts: they gave a summary people could refer to later. Something you can use later is useful in the future, B.
The trap: Covered a wide range (F) might fit a summary of a whole presentation, but the point she makes is about using it later, not about its range.
Russ says he chose the topic because he didn't know much about it, so A sounds right. But now he's read so much that he can't decide what to aim for: an overview or one aspect. The problem is uncertainty, not knowledge.
Russ's first idea, asking the audience what they know, is the one people remember. The tutor says it would waste his short time. They agree he should start with a particular way nanotechnology is used, which is an example.
'Words that are specific to the field' sounds like a criticism. The tutor goes on to say he always explained them, so the audience had no difficulty: not too technical.
Words from this recording worth keeping
struggling(Planning)
finding something very difficult
overview(Planning)
a general description of a whole subject
chronological order(Approach)
the order in which things happened
water-repellent(Approach)
not letting water soak in
tailoring(Slides)
changing something to fit a purpose
eats into(How to start)
uses up part of something
abruptly(Feedback on structure)
suddenly and without warning
rounding it off(Feedback on structure)
finishing it in a suitable way
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Cambridge IELTS 13, Test 2, 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.
