A marine biologist who worked on a research station gives a talk about Antarctica. He covers its size and climate, life on the research stations, the food people need there, the main climate research, and work opportunities for young people.
Questions 31-40 · 10 marks · 1 question block
One note block in five headed sections, in the same order as the talk: geography, research stations, food and diet, research, work opportunities. Each heading is a clear shift in the lecture, so if you lose a gap, jump to the next heading and pick up again.
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: Two numbers (size and calories) and eight words. The notes paraphrase a lot ('classified as' for 'falls into the category of', 'adjustable' for 'extendable'), so match ideas, not exact words. Check each answer fits the grammar of its line.
How many times bigger than the UK is Antarctica?
the highest, coldest and windiest continent and over fifty- … times the size of the
Question says → You hear
Why: He says 'over fifty-eight times the size of the UK'. 'Over' matches 'more than'. Write 58.
The trap: 70% and 90% come straight after, but they're about fresh water and ice, not size.
How is most of Antarctica classified?
with very low snowfall, most of the continent technically falls unbelievably into the category of … desert
Question says → You hear
Why: Very little snow falls, so technically it counts as a desert. 'Falls into the category of' becomes 'is classified as'.
The trap: Ice is everywhere in this section, which makes 'ice-cap' or 'ice' tempting. The speaker's surprise ('unbelievably') signals the category is unexpected: desert.
What is integrated with technical support?
Here science and … support have been integrated in a very
Question says → You hear
Why: Science and technical support are integrated. Technical support is printed, so the gap is science.
The trap: 'Research' is in the heading and fits the meaning, but the speaker's word is science.
Also accepted: small hospital
What facility is listed between the kitchen and the gym?
a kitchen with a huge food store, a small hospital and a
Question says → You hear
Why: The list in the talk matches the notes: kitchen, hospital, gym. Write hospital (small hospital is also accepted).
The trap: The food store sits between the kitchen and the hospital, but it's part of the kitchen. The note has room for only one item there.
Where did supply sledges come from?
Supplies were brought to us on … sledges from … the ice edge
Question says → You hear
Why: Supplies came on large sledges from a ship fifteen kilometres away at the ice edge. The gap after 'a' needs a singular noun: ship.
The trap: The ice-shelf, 'hundreds of metres thick', is mentioned just before. Stations, not supplies, sit on the ice-shelf.
What are the stations now built on?
the buildings are placed on platforms which can be raised above the changing snow level on legs which
Question says → You hear
Why: The solution was platforms on legs that can be extended. 'Extendable' becomes 'adjustable'. Write the plural: platforms.
The trap: Legs is the obvious word to grab, but 'adjustable legs' is printed after the gap.
Also accepted: 3500
How many kilocalories does an adult in Antarctica need each day?
an adult in the UK will probably need about … kilocalories a day on average
Question says → You hear
Why: An adult in the UK needs about 1,700 kilocalories a day; someone in Antarctica needs about 3,500, 'just over double'. Write 3,500.
The trap: 1,700 is said first and with 'kilocalories a day on average' right after it, which matches the note. But it's the UK figure.
Also accepted: ocean currents
Besides sea levels, what could ice-cap changes affect?
on world sea levels and on ocean currents
Question says → You hear
Why: Changes in the ice-cap may affect sea levels and ocean currents. Write currents or ocean currents.
The trap: 'Volume and stability' is said just before, but that describes the ice-cap changes, not their effects.
Also accepted: the pollution
What do air bubbles in the ice measure?
provide an index of pollution because frozen inside them are samples … the effects of such human activities as agriculture and industry
Question says → You hear
Why: Bubbles give 'an index of pollution', and the evidence is linked to human activities. 'Index' matches 'measure'. Write pollution.
The trap: 'Ultra-violet radiation levels' comes from the ozone layer point just before, not from the bubbles.
What kind of people are there many openings for?
There are an increasing number of opportunities … young people to work
Question says → You hear
Why: 'An increasing number of opportunities' becomes 'many openings'. The adjective before 'people' is young.
The trap: Map-makers and research assistants are examples of jobs. They don't fit '... people'.
The notes say '... is integrated with technical support', and the speaker says 'science and technical support have been integrated'. You need the other half of the pair: science.
Sledges are the transport, but the note already says 'by sledge'. The gap is where the sledges came from: a ship at the edge of the ice.
The UK figure, 1,700, comes first. The Antarctic figure is about 3,500, 'just over double'. Write the second number in digits.
The full Cambridge 5 Test 2 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 5, Test 2, 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.
