History of sporting equipment: listening answers and explanations
Sports science students Thomas and Jeanne talk about why Thomas gave up his dream of being a professional athlete after a training trip to Kenya. Then they plan a discussion on technology and sport, looking at how six pieces of equipment developed.
Questions 21-24 come from the first half, about Thomas's school running and his time in Kenya. 'Have you thought of any ideas for the discussion session' starts 25-30, and the items come in the printed order: table tennis bat, cricket helmet, cycle helmet, golf club, hockey stick, football.
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 options are about Thomas's attitude, his training, his effort, his parents and his classmates. Most are touched on, so check each against what is actually said: his parents weren't disappointed, and he was confident, not negative.
Question 21-22
Answer: C and E (in either order)At the start, when Jeanne asks why he chose sports science
Which two points are made about Thomas's sport at school?
all my classmates assumed I would achieve it; they thought I was brilliant. … Perhaps they should have pushed me harder, though. … I think I should have practised more.
Question says → You hear
His fellow students admired himthey thought I was brilliant
could have worked harderI think I should have practised more
Why: E: his classmates thought he was brilliant, so they admired him. C: 'I should have practised more' means he could have worked harder.
The trap: D is the strongest distractor. When Jeanne asks about his parents he says 'Not at all', and 'they should have pushed me harder' is about his own lack of practice, not their disappointment.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 23-24
How to attack this block: You need two feelings from the Kenya story. Thomas describes them in his own words ('how fortunate I was', 'this can't be happening'), so match the meaning to the option names. One option is the opposite of what he says.
Question 23-24
Answer: A and D (in either order)When Thomas says he went to Kenya to train
Which two feelings did Thomas have in Kenya?
I just kept thinking how fortunate I was. What a great chance this was! … I thought 'this can't be happening'.
Question says → You hear
gratitudehow fortunate I was
disbeliefI thought 'this can't be happening'
Why: D: thinking how fortunate he was and what a great chance it was is gratitude. A: 'this can't be happening' when he realised he wasn't good enough is disbelief.
The trap: C (stress) is the opposite of 'I was so calm about it'. Relief and homesickness are never mentioned.
Matching (A-H)
Questions 25-30
How to attack this block: Eight comments for six items, so two are spare. Each item gets a short exchange, and the comment is often a paraphrase (in bulk, wet hair, had to get another, produce a stick yourself). Make sure the comment is about that item, not one mentioned next to it.
Question 25
Answer: BWhen Jeanne remembers reading about table tennis bats
What is said about the table tennis bat?
a factory was making rolls of the rubber in bulk for something like horse harnesses. … someone realised that it'd make a perfect covering for the wooden bats
Question says → You hear
mass produced for another purposemaking rolls of the rubber in bulk for something like horse harnesses
Why: Made 'in bulk' is mass produced, and 'for horse harnesses' is another purpose: B.
The trap: 'Just wooden at first' might suggest people made their own (C), but nothing about that is said for bats. That's the hockey stick.
Question 26
Answer: FWhen Thomas says the pads haven't changed much and looks online
What is said about the cricket helmet?
the Australian batsman who first wore it was booed and jeered by people watching because it was so ugly!
Question says → You hear
among spectatorsbooed and jeered by people watching
Why: Booed and jeered by 'people watching' means the crowd disliked it, and the crowd is the spectators: F, unpopular among spectators. Notice that the reason given (it was ugly) isn't one of the options. Don't let that throw you; match who disliked it.
The trap: H (no one using it liked it) is the near miss: it was the crowd who disliked it, not the batsman wearing it. Injuries (G) come up in Jeanne's reply, but as what helmets prevent.
Question 27
Answer: AWhen Thomas looks at pictures of early helmet designs
What is said about the cycle helmet?
It says serious cyclists ended up with wet hair from all the hard exercise.
Question says → You hear
excessive sweatingended up with wet hair from all the hard exercise
Why: Wet hair from hard exercise means the helmet made them sweat a lot: A. Jeanne's point about air vents today confirms it.
The trap: The upside-down bowl design sounds ugly, but the woman wearing it is proud, so it isn't H.
Question 28
Answer: DWhen Thomas suggests golf balls or golf clubs
What is said about the golf club?
because a club was made entirely of wood, it would easily break and players had to get another
Question says → You hear
had to be replacedit would easily break and players had to get another
Why: If it broke easily and players had to get another, it often had to be replaced: D.
The trap: Being 'more powerful' now is about today's clubs, and the material (wood) isn't called expensive.
Question 29
Answer: CWhen Thomas says 'The same must be true of hockey sticks'
What is said about the hockey stick?
when the game started you had to produce a stick yourself. … I guess they just weren't being manufactured.
Question says → You hear
make their ownyou had to produce a stick yourself
Why: 'Produce a stick yourself' means people made their own: C.
The trap: Manufactured sounds like B (mass produced), but Thomas says they weren't being manufactured.
Question 30
Answer: GThe last item, when Thomas asks 'What about football?'
What is said about the football?
the balls let in water when it rained. … You can imagine the damage to players' necks when the ball was headed.
Question says → You hear
caused injuriesthe damage to players' necks
Why: Wet, heavy balls damaged players' necks when headed, so they caused injuries: G.
The trap: Animal skin and leather are materials, but nobody says they were expensive (E).
'I was so calm about it' rules out stress, the option many choose for a big competition. The feelings are gratitude ('how fortunate I was') and disbelief ('this can't be happening').
Words from this recording worth keeping
professional athlete(Thomas at school)
someone paid to compete in sport
fortunate(Kenya)
lucky
in bulk(Table tennis bat)
in large quantities
innovative(Cricket)
new and original
jeered(Cricket helmet)
shouted insults at someone
air vents(Cycle helmet)
holes that let air in and out
manufactured(Hockey stick)
made in a factory
stitched(Football)
sewn together with thread
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The full Cambridge 17 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 17, 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.
