Environmental noise: listening answers and explanations
Paula Bundell lectures on environmental noise, using a planned housing estate at Manchester Park as her example. The site sits between a highway and a small airport, and she explains when it is noisiest, how loud it gets and how the houses must be built and laid out to cope.
One lecturer, in order. 31-34 come in the opening about traffic times and costs. 35 comes in the background section on decibels. After the dashed break, 'The construction of the houses' starts 36-38; 'Coming back now to the double glazing' gives 39, and the house layout at the end gives 40.
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.
Q
Your answer
Answer
Questions 31-34 · Short answers (NUMBERS AND/OR NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS)
Short answers (NUMBERS AND/OR NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS)
Questions 31-34
How to attack this block: Four quick facts in the first minute, each with a near-miss: two sets of hours, two groups of people, two days, and a cost. Read the questions closely ('lightest', 'most', 'least') so you pick the extreme, not the first thing you hear.
Question 31
Answer: 7.30pm and 5.30amRight after she says the airport is closed overnight
Also accepted: 7.30pm to 5.30am / 7.30 pm and 5.30 am / 7.30 pm to 5.30 am / 7.30pm-5.30am / 7:30pm and 5:30am
When is road traffic at its lightest?
The only noise after dark is from the highway and the traffic is somewhat reduced between 7.30pm and 5.30am.
Question says → You hear
road traffic is lightestthe traffic is somewhat reduced
Why: 'Reduced' traffic is the lightest traffic, and the hours are 7.30pm to 5.30am.
The trap: 6pm to 7am comes first, but those are the airport's closing hours, not the road's.
Question 32
Answer: housewivesStraight after the traffic hours
Also accepted: housewifes
Which group will be most bothered by the noise?
So, the people most affected by the noise will be, I expect, housewives.
Question says → You hear
notice the noise mostthe people most affected by the noise
Why: 'Most affected' is 'notice most', and the group is housewives, who are at home during the day.
The trap: Students and workers are mentioned next, but as people who get home after the noise has dropped.
Question 33
Answer: SundayWhen she says weekends are still a problem
Also accepted: Sundays
On which day is traffic lightest?
the traffic is certainly reduced on Saturdays to a large extent and even more so on Sundays
Question says → You hear
least trafficeven more so on Sundays
Why: Traffic drops on Saturdays and 'even more so' on Sundays, so Sunday has the least.
The trap: Saturday is heard first and traffic is lower then too, but not as low as Sunday.
Question 34
Answer: $25,000When she says modifications come at a significant cost
Also accepted: about $25,000 / 25,000 dollars / twenty-five thousand dollars / $25000
How much will the house modifications add?
The modifications I am about to outline will add about $25,000 to the price of a newly-built house.
Question says → You hear
extra cost of modifying houseswill add about $25,000 to the price
Why: The modifications add about $25,000. Include the dollar sign or the word dollars, as nothing is printed.
The trap: She then says the house will still be cheaper than in a quieter area. That's a comparison, not another figure.
Multiple choice
Question 35
How to attack this block: Two decibel figures are said one after the other. One is the normal limit for housing and the other is what this site reaches. The question asks about the site.
Question 35
Answer: CEnd of the background section, just before the dashed break
How loud can it get at the site?
the normal noise threshold for private housing is 55 decibels. At this site the levels have been recorded as high as 67 decibels.
Question says → You hear
can reachhave been recorded as high as 67 decibels
Why: 'Recorded as high as' is the same as 'can reach', and the figure is 67: C.
The trap: B, 55 decibels, is said first, but it's the normal limit for housing, not what the site reaches. 45 and 70 are never said.
Matching (A-C)
Questions 36-38
How to attack this block: The construction section lists many devices and where they go: doors, roof, walls, ceilings. Note the place said with each device. Two of the three answers are the same letter, which is allowed.
Question 36
Answer: CAfter the roof insulation and double brick walls
Where does double thickness plaster board go?
All ceilings will require double thickness plaster board to be used in the construction.
Why: She names the ceilings in the same sentence, so C.
The trap: Double brick walls come just before, and later two layers of plasterboard are used for bedroom walls in houses near the highway. The double thickness board in the list is for ceilings.
Question 37
Answer: AWhen she says 'In the noisiest areas'
Where does mechanical ventilation go?
In the noisiest areas mechanical ventilation will have to be installed in the exterior walls.
Question says → You hear
mechanical ventilationinstalled in the exterior walls
Why: 'Installed in the exterior walls' gives you walls: A.
The trap: Ceilings are said in the sentence just before and in the air conditioning sentence just after. Ventilation is the one in the walls.
Question 38
Answer: CAfter the fans with absorbers
Where could air conditioning be fitted?
Air conditioning units could also be fitted in the ceilings of such houses but this is substantially more expensive than fans
Question says → You hear
air conditioningAir conditioning units could also be fitted in the ceilings
Why: The units would be fitted in the ceilings: C.
The trap: She says it may not be needed on this site, which might make you leave it blank. The question asks where it could go, not whether it's needed.
Multiple choice (diagrams A-D)
Question 39
How to attack this block: Three numbers decide the diagram: the gap between the panes, and the thickness of the outer and inner glass. She repeats the key rules at the end, so you get a second chance.
Question 39
Answer: DWhen she says 'Coming back now to the double glazing'
Which diagram shows the correct acoustic double glazing?
The gap must be at least 7 centimetres. The thickness of the glass is also a factor, 8 millimetres on the outside and 6 on the inside pane.
Question says → You hear
correct constructionIt is essential that the glass be thicker on the outside than on the inside
Why: The correct diagram has a gap of at least 7 cm, an 8 mm outer pane and a 6 mm inner pane. That's D.
The trap: Watch for a diagram with the 8 mm and 6 mm panes swapped, or with a gap under 7 cm. She stresses both rules twice.
Multiple choice (plans A-D)
Question 40
How to attack this block: Find the highway on each plan first. Then check which rooms are on the highway side and which are at the back.
Question 40
Answer: CNear the end, after 'the noise factor will have to be taken into consideration with the layout'
Which house plan has the best layout?
Bedrooms and living rooms will have to be built towards the back … Those rooms constructed at the front of the houses should be garages, laundries, kitchens, bathrooms and dining rooms.
Question says → You hear
best layoutLiving areas will have to be designed at the back of the houses away from the highway
Why: The right plan puts the bedrooms and living room at the back, away from the highway, with the garage, laundry, kitchen, bathroom and dining room at the front. That's C.
The trap: Dining rooms sound like living areas, but she lists them with the rooms that go at the front, facing the highway.
The glass must be thicker on the outside (8 mm) than the inside (6 mm), with a gap of at least 7 cm. Diagrams with the panes swapped or a smaller gap are the traps. D is the one that matches.
Air conditioning goes in the ceilings, but mechanical ventilation goes in the exterior walls. They're mentioned close together, so it's easy to give them the same letter.
Words from this recording worth keeping
abated(When the noise is worst)
become less strong
modifications(Costs)
changes made to improve something
perimeter(Background to the site)
the outer edge of an area
threshold(Noise levels)
the level at which something starts to count or matter
adjacent to(Construction)
next to
insulation(Construction)
material that stops sound or heat passing through
double glazing(Construction)
windows with two layers of glass
acoustic(Conclusion)
related to sound
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 3 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 3, Test 4, 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.
