A lecturer explains what microplastics are, where they come from and how they affect wildlife and food. The second half reports an Anglia Ruskin University study on earthworms, showing how microplastics in soil harm worms, plants and, in the end, society.
One ten-gap note block, strictly in order, under three headings: where microplastics come from (31), their effects (32-35), and the Anglia Ruskin study (36-40). The study's results come as a list of three, and the conclusion is the very last sentence of the lecture.
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: Lots of the notes are lists, with some items printed and one gap. The answer is the item the note hasn't given you yet. Expect paraphrase in the note (fibres for threads, banned for legislation) and keep plurals where the speaker uses them.
Question 31
Answer: clothingThe first source of microplastics in the list
What do fibres come off during washing?
Threads and microfibres detach from synthetic clothing every time they're put in a washing machine
Question says → You hear
fibres from some ... during washingmicrofibres detach from synthetic clothing … put in a washing machine
Why: 'Synthetic clothing' is the source of the fibres. 'Some' in the note stands in for 'synthetic', so the one word is clothing.
The trap: 'Synthetic' is an adjective and can't stand alone in the gap. The water system is where the fibres end up, not where they come from.
Question 32
Answer: mouthsWhen the lecturer moves from sources to what we know about effects
What part of small creatures do microplastics injure?
microplastics harm small creatures in a variety of ways, such as by damaging their mouths, or by impairing their ability to feed
Question says → You hear
cause injuries to the ... of wildlifeharm small creatures … by damaging their mouths
Why: 'Damaging their mouths' becomes 'injuries to the mouths'. Keep the plural.
The trap: The digestive system is mentioned straight after, but it's already in the note as a separate effect.
Question 33
Answer: saltWhen the lecturer says humans probably eat microplastics
Besides water and seafood, what food contains microplastics?
What's more, salt and many kinds of seafood have also been found to contain microplastics.
Question says → You hear
bottled and tap water, ... and seafoodbottled water … direct from the tap. What's more, salt and many kinds of seafood
Why: Bottled water, tap water and seafood are printed. The missing item is salt.
The trap: Fish appears earlier, but in the studies of animals harmed by microplastics, not as food people eat.
Question 34
Answer: toothpasteRight after 'there is not yet conclusive proof' about harm to people
Besides skin cleaning products, what product is microbeads banned from?
there is legislation which prevents manufacturers from adding plastic microbeads to shower gels facial cleansers and toothpaste.
Question says → You hear
They may not affect human healththere is not yet conclusive proof that microplastics cause significant harm to people
already bannedlegislation which prevents manufacturers from adding plastic microbeads
Why: Legislation that prevents something is a ban. Shower gels and facial cleansers are skin cleaning products, so the extra item is toothpaste.
The trap: Shower gel and cleansers are the first products you hear, but the note has already grouped them as skin cleaning products.
Question 35
Answer: fertilisersWhen the lecturer says microplastics in soil are hard to measure
Also accepted: fertilizers
Apart from air and rain, how do microplastics get into soil?
they are carried in the air and deposited in the soil by rain. What's more, many of the fertilisers used by both farmers and gardeners contain microplastics.
Question says → You hear
enter the soil through the air, rain andcarried in the air … by rain. What's more, many of the fertilisers
Why: Air and rain are printed; the third route is fertilisers. Use the plural, as the lecturer does. American spelling is also accepted.
The trap: Farmers and gardeners are the people using the fertilisers, not the route itself.
Question 36
Answer: nutrientsWhen the study is introduced, at 'These worms, which live in topsoil'
What do earthworms add to soil?
By feeding on soil, they mix nutrients into it, thereby making it more fertile.
Question says → You hear
add ... to the soilthey mix nutrients into it
Why: 'Mix nutrients into it' becomes 'add nutrients to the soil'.
The trap: 'Fertile' is an adjective, so it can't follow 'add'. It's the result of adding nutrients.
Question 37
Answer: growthAt 'The researchers set out to discover'
What did the study want to know about plants?
would impact soil quality and ultimately inhibit plant growth.
Question says → You hear
The study aimed to find whetherThe researchers set out to discover whether
affect the ... of plantsinhibit plant growth
Why: 'Set out to discover' is 'aimed to find'. 'Inhibit plant growth' becomes 'affect the growth of plants'.
The trap: Soil quality is also mentioned, but the note asks about plants. 'Quality of plants' isn't what was tested.
Question 38
Answer: weightThe end of the paragraph on the rye grass experiment
What did the earthworms lose?
The result was that the worms lost weight rapidly.
Question says → You hear
... loss in earthwormsthe worms lost weight rapidly
Why: 'Lost weight' becomes 'weight loss'. The gap is weight.
The trap: Seed germination is the next result, and it's already printed as 'fewer seeds to germinate'.
Question 39
Answer: acidWhen the lecturer adds a final finding after germination
What rose in the soil?
The team also discovered that there was an increase in the amount of acid found in the soil
Question says → You hear
a rise in the level of ... in the soilan increase in the amount of acid found in the soil
Why: 'Increase in the amount of' becomes 'rise in the level of'. The word in between is acid.
The trap: HDPE is named right after, but it's the type of plastic that caused the acid, not what rose.
Question 40
Answer: societyThe final sentence of the lecture
Besides ecosystems, what do changes to soil damage?
when soil becomes impoverished by the presence of microplastics, not only ecosystems but also the whole of society are negatively impacted.
Question says → You hear
damage both ecosystems andnot only ecosystems but also the whole of society are negatively impacted
Why: 'Not only ecosystems but also' matches 'both ecosystems and'. One word only, so write society, not 'the whole of society'.
The trap: Nature is in the sentence before ('any other process in nature'), but it's part of the first conclusion, which is already printed.
Three products are banned from containing microbeads: shower gels, facial cleansers and toothpaste. The note already covers the first two as 'skin cleaning products', so the gap is toothpaste.
The last sentence names two things harmed: ecosystems and society. Ecosystems is printed, so the gap is society.
Words from this recording worth keeping
synthetic(Sources)
man-made, not natural
detach(Sources)
come off or separate
impairing(Effects)
damaging or weakening
conclusive proof(Effects)
evidence that settles a question
legislation(Effects)
laws passed by a government
fertile(The study)
able to grow good crops
inhibit(The study)
slow down or stop
impoverished(Conclusions)
made poorer in quality
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The full Cambridge 19 Test 3 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 19, Test 3, 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.
