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    Cambridge IELTS 19, Test 2, Listening Part 3

    Recycling footwear: listening answers and explanations

    Two students, Bella and Don, discuss an article on recycling footwear for their presentation. They talk about trainers and their own habits, the falling recycling rate, why a recycling manager rejected four pairs of shoes, and a failed project to make new shoes from old ones.

    Questions 21-30 · 10 marks · 3 question blocks

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    How the answers come

    All in order. Questions 21-24 cover their first reactions to the article, 25-28 follow the manager's four rejected items in the order printed, and 29-30 come from the shoe project and the end of the discussion. Answers come from both speakers, and the agreement or disagreement matters.

    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.

    QYour answerAnswer
    Questions 21-24 · Multiple choice
    21
    		A
    22
    		B
    23
    		B
    24
    		B
    Questions 25-28 · Matching (A-F)
    25
    		E
    26
    		B
    27
    		A
    28
    		C
    Questions 29-30 · Multiple choice
    29
    		C
    30
    		A
    Multiple choice

    Questions 21-24

    How to attack this block: This block tests opinions and reasons. Listen for who says what: in 22 the students disagree, so you need the point where one says yes and the other says no. In 23 and 24 Bella and Don each rule out the details that don't apply.

    Question 21

    Answer: ARight at the start, when Bella asks if it's a good topic

    What did Don first think was wrong with the topic?

    perhaps there isn't enough to say about it, cos we put shoes in recycling bins, they go to charity shops and that's about it.

    Question says → You hear

    • limited in scopethere isn't enough to say about it … that's about it

    Why: 'Not enough to say' means the topic seemed too narrow, which is limited in scope.

    The trap: Don says it's 'quite interesting', so it isn't boring (C). Research comes up only as something he now wants to do more of.

    Question 22

    Answer: BAfter Don says how many pairs of trainers get recycled

    What do Bella and Don disagree about when they discuss trainers?

    don't they look a bit casual for school uniform? I don't think they're right for that. … Actually, I think some of them look quite smart on pupils

    Question says → You hear

    • how suitable they are for schoolI don't think they're right for that … some of them look quite smart on pupils

    Why: Don thinks trainers are too casual for school; Bella says some look smart on pupils. That's the disagreement.

    The trap: Popularity (A) is something they both accept. Don says trainers are hard-wearing and nobody argues, so C isn't a disagreement either.

    Question 23

    Answer: BWhen Bella admits something about her own habits

    Why does Bella sometimes recycle shoes?

    I've recycled some perfectly good shoes, that haven't gone out of fashion and still fit, just because they don't look great on me any more.

    Question says → You hear

    • she no longer likes themthey don't look great on me any more

    Why: If she thinks shoes don't look good on her any more, she no longer likes them. 'Just because' introduces the real reason.

    The trap: Fit and fashion are both mentioned, but negated: the shoes 'haven't gone out of fashion and still fit'.

    Question 24

    Answer: BAfter he mentions that footwear sales have increased

    What point in the article confused Don?

    the amount of recycled footwear has fallen; it's 6 percent now compared to a previous level of 11 percent. That doesn't seem to make sense.

    Question says → You hear

    • confused DonThat doesn't seem to make sense
    • Less footwear is recycled nowthe amount of recycled footwear has fallen

    Why: The drop from 11 to 6 percent is what 'doesn't seem to make sense' to him.

    The trap: A is in the article too, but Bella says 'That didn't surprise me' and Don agrees. The rise in sales isn't the confusing part.

    Matching (A-F)

    Questions 25-28

    How to attack this block: Six reasons for four shoes, so two are never used. Each shoe gets a short description, often with a detail that sounds like a reason but isn't (worn heels, new baby shoes). Wait for 'but that wasn't the problem' and similar corrections.

    Question 25

    Answer: EThe first item Bella asks about from the interview

    Why were the high-heeled shoes rejected?

    it looked like someone had only worn them once, but in a very wet field so the heels were too stained with mud and grass to re-sell them.

    Question says → You hear

    • too dirtytoo stained with mud and grass

    Why: Heels stained with mud and grass are too dirty to sell.

    The trap: 'Only worn them once' sounds like D (brand new), but they had been worn, and the dirt was the problem.

    Question 26

    Answer: BWhen Bella asks what was wrong with the leather ankle boots

    Why were the ankle boots rejected?

    Apparently the heels were worn - but that wasn't the problem. One of the shoes was a much lighter shade than the other one - it had obviously been left in the sun.

    Question says → You hear

    • the colour of one shoe had fadeda much lighter shade than the other one - it had obviously been left in the sun

    Why: A lighter shade after being left in the sun means the colour faded.

    The trap: The worn heels come first, but Don rules them out: 'that wasn't the problem'.

    Question 27

    Answer: AWhen Bella mentions the red baby shoes

    Why were the baby shoes rejected?

    we're told to tie shoes together when we put them in a recycling bin, but people often don't bother. … You'd think it would have been easy to find the other, but it wasn't.

    Question says → You hear

    • one shoe was missingYou'd think it would have been easy to find the other, but it wasn't

    Why: They couldn't find 'the other' shoe because it wasn't tied to its partner, so one was missing.

    The trap: Bella says they were 'obviously new', which points to D. Being new wasn't the problem; it made losing one 'a shame'.

    Question 28

    Answer: CThe last item, the trainers worn by a marathon runner

    Why were the trainers rejected?

    weren't they split? … Not exactly. One of the soles was so worn under the foot that you could put your finger through it.

    Question says → You hear

    • one shoe had a hole in itOne of the soles was so worn under the foot that you could put your finger through it

    Why: If you can put your finger through the sole, there's a hole in it.

    The trap: Bella suggests they were split, which sounds like broken stitching (F). Don says 'Not exactly'.

    Multiple choice

    Questions 29-30

    How to attack this block: In 29 Don gives one reason and Bella corrects him, so the answer is her version. In 30 both agree at the very end; listen for the phrase that matches 'angle' rather than the topic words.

    Question 29

    Answer: CWhen Bella asks about the manager's team project

    Why did the project to make shoes from old parts fail?

    Think of all the germs you could catch! … Well, people didn't refuse them for that reason, did they? It was because the pairs of shoes weren't identical.

    Question says → You hear

    • not completely alikethe pairs of shoes weren't identical

    Why: 'Weren't identical' means the two shoes in a pair weren't the same. Bella gives this as the real reason people refused them.

    The trap: Don's germs idea matches A (unhygienic), but Bella says people 'didn't refuse them for that reason'. B fails because Don says they get so many shoes they 'should be able to match parts'.

    Question 30

    Answer: AThe very end, after Don reflects on how he used to see the topic

    How do Bella and Don agree to present their topic?

    It's not as simple as you first think, and we can show that by taking a very different approach to it. … Absolutely.

    Question says → You hear

    • from a new angletaking a very different approach

    Why: A 'very different approach' is a new angle, and Don says 'Absolutely'.

    The trap: 'Not as simple' rules out C (straightforward). Images are never mentioned.

    The questions most people get wrong

    Question 23

    Bella lists the reasons that don't apply first: the shoes 'haven't gone out of fashion and still fit'. The real reason is that they 'don't look great on me any more', so she no longer likes them.

    Question 26

    Don starts with the worn heels, then says 'that wasn't the problem'. The reason was that one boot had faded in the sun.

    Question 29

    Don says people would worry about germs, which is option A. Bella corrects him: people didn't refuse the shoes for that reason, but because the pairs weren't identical.

    Words from this recording worth keeping

    hard-wearing(Trainers)
    lasting a long time without damage
    scruffy(Trainers)
    old, untidy and in poor condition
    rejected(The article's figures)
    not accepted because not good enough
    stained(Rejected footwear)
    marked with dirt that's hard to remove
    shade(Rejected footwear)
    a lighter or darker version of a colour
    landfill(Rejected footwear)
    a place where rubbish is buried
    identical(The shoe project)
    exactly the same
    perspective(Their approach)
    a way of looking at something

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