Bicycles for the World: listening answers and explanations
Dan Pearman talks on the radio about Pedal Power, a small UK charity he started that sends second-hand bikes to poor regions abroad. He explains how the idea began in Ecuador, how the charity works, its money troubles and award, and how listeners can help.
Questions 11-15 follow Dan's story in order: Ecuador, his neighbour, how the charity runs, the town of Rivas, then August 2000. Questions 16-17 come from the award and what they want to buy next. Questions 18-20 all come from the closing 'ways you can support' section.
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: Dan mentions something linked to almost every option, so don't tick the first one you hear. Listen for the reason or the result: why he went, why the neighbour did well, what the charity needs to keep going.
Question 11
Answer: CRight at the start of 'how the charity began'
Why did Dan go to Ecuador in 1993?
I went there in 1993 just after graduating from university. After three years of studying. I wanted adventure. … organisation and was sent to Ecuador to carry out land surveys.
Why: He joined a voluntary organisation, which sent him to Ecuador to do land surveys. That is C, a voluntary worker.
The trap: B is tempting because he says 'just after graduating', but that means his studies were finished. A picks up 'I loved travelling', but he never worked as a guide.
Question 12
Answer: CWhen Dan says that for years he couldn't understand why
Why was Dan's neighbour so successful?
bike meant he could get where he wanted to go without much trouble. Other local carpenters could only accept jobs in a three-kilometre radius, so no matter how skilled they were
Why: The bike let him reach jobs further away than other carpenters could. That's C, he found it easy to reach customers.
The trap: B uses 'skilled', but Dan says skill made no difference ('no matter how skilled they were'). A misuses 'carpenters': the other carpenters were his competitors, not his employees.
Question 13
Answer: AAfter he explains they sell the bikes for 5% of the price
What does the charity depend on?
order to continue operating we need to have a constant supply … bikes which we send out every six months
Why: 'To continue operating we need a constant supply of bikes' matches A, getting enough bicycles to send regularly ('every six months').
The trap: C is a true fact (they do charge 5% of the normal price), but Dan doesn't say the charity relies on that money. Finding new areas (B) only comes up at the very end, as a way the public can help.
Question 14
Answer: CWhen Dan gives 'one example of a town'
What does Dan say about Rivas?
Most people there now own a bicycle. The local economy … developed so much
Why: The economy has developed so much that 'you wouldn't recognise it as the same place'. That's C, totally transformed.
The trap: A: Rivas was the first place to get a full container, not the place with the most bikes. B: it has more bikes than Amsterdam, not almost as many.
Question 15
Answer: ARight after 'In August 2000'
What went wrong in August 2000?
we simply ran out of money. We had containers of bikes ready to send … to pay the bills
Why: They ran out of money and couldn't pay the bills. Bills are overheads, so A.
The trap: B: the bikes were ready and 'we managed to ensure the bikes went out on time', so no delay. C: the British media reported the problems, but Dan never says the charity was criticised.
Short answers (NO MORE THAN ONE WORD OR A NUMBER)
Questions 16-17
How to attack this block: Two quick facts close together after the award is mentioned. Q16 has two figures in one sentence, so catch which is the prize and which is the amount invested. For Q17, 'currently looking to invest in' is your cue.
Question 16
Answer: £75,000When Dan mentions the Enterprise Award in October 2000
Also accepted: 75,000 / 75000 / £75000
How much was the award worth?
we won an Enterprise Award which helped us enormously. We invested fifteen of the … thousand-pound prize money
Question says → You hear
money did the charity receiveprize money
Why: The prize was seventy-five thousand pounds and they invested fifteen thousand of it. The question asks what they received: £75,000. Digits are safer here.
The trap: Fifteen is the first number you hear, but it's the part invested. 14% (the rise in income) also comes up shortly after.
Question 17
Answer: computersRight after the 14% income increase
What does the charity want to buy now?
invest in computers so that our office staff can do an even better job
Question says → You hear
currently hoping to buyWe're currently looking … invest in computers
Why: 'Currently looking to invest in' matches 'currently hoping to buy'. One word: computers.
The trap: Shipping costs were paid with the prize money, and tools are something the public can give. Neither is what the charity is planning to buy.
Multiple choice (choose THREE)
Questions 18-20
How to attack this block: Dan lists ways to help near the end, and several options are close paraphrases with one detail changed (taking a bike to a collection is not organising one; contacting the volunteer staff is not working in the office). Check each option against exactly what he asks listeners to do.
Question 18-20
Answer: C and E and F (in either order)When Dan lists 'many ways in which you can support'
Which three things can the public do to help?
we always need tools, which are expensive to buy, so we welcome any … suggest activities you could organise to bring in funds for us … interested to hear of other places that would benefit from
Why: C: they welcome any tools you can give. E: the office staff suggest activities you can organise to raise funds, such as sponsored bike rides. F: they want to hear of places that would benefit from a consignment of bikes.
The trap: D is the strongest trap: you contact the voluntary staff, you don't work in the office. A: you take a bike to a collection, not organise one. B: the charity repairs bikes itself. G: Dan hopes government will help, but listeners aren't asked to write to it.
Rivas was the first place to get a full container, and it has more bikes than Amsterdam. Both sound like A or B, but neither matches: the point Dan makes is that the economy has changed beyond recognition.
D (voluntary work in the office) is the strongest distractor. Dan says contact the voluntary staff at the offices, and they'll suggest fundraising activities: that supports E, not D.
Words from this recording worth keeping
land surveys(Ecuador)
measuring and mapping an area of land
radius(Dan's neighbour)
the distance from a centre point in every direction
second-hand(How the charity works)
already used by someone else
constant supply(How the charity works)
a steady flow that never stops
raise our profile(The award)
make more people know about us
spare parts(How to help)
pieces used to repair machines
consignment(How to help)
a batch of goods sent together
public awareness(Closing)
how much ordinary people know about something
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
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 2. 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.
