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    Cambridge IELTS 7, Test 4, Listening Part 2

    Bicentennial Park: listening answers and explanations

    Sally, a guide, leads a group around the Bicentennial Park. She explains the site's history, takes them up The Tower to point out features in each direction, and then walks them through the nature reserve.

    Questions 11-20 · 10 marks · 3 question blocks

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    How the answers come

    All in order. Questions 11-14 cover the welcome and background. Questions 15-17 come at the top of The Tower, as she looks east, south, west and north in turn. Questions 18-20 come after 'let's climb down now', following the three nature reserve areas in the table's order.

    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 11-14 · Multiple choice
    11
    		C
    12
    		B
    13
    		A
    14
    		B
    Questions 15-17 · Plan labelling (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
    15
    		car park
    16
    		rose garden
    17
    		cafeAlso accepted: café
    Questions 18-20 · Table completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
    18
    		cycling
    19
    		biology lessonAlso accepted: biology lessons
    20
    		viewing shelter
    Multiple choice

    Questions 11-14

    How to attack this block: Background questions, so the answers are often paraphrased: 'comfortable shoes' for walking, 'factories' and 'warehouses' for industry, 'recreation' for leisure. Ignore options that are mentioned only to be rejected.

    Question 11

    Answer: CHer welcome at the very start

    What sort of tour is Sally leading?

    I hope that you're all wearing your most comfortable shoes and that you can keep up the pace.

    Question says → You hear

    • a walking tourwearing your most comfortable shoes … keep up the pace

    Why: Comfortable shoes and keeping up the pace tell you they'll be walking. Later she says 'follow me' and 'let's climb down now'.

    The trap: Train lines and a station come up later, but they're features she points out, not how the tour moves. No bus is mentioned.

    Question 12

    Answer: BWhen she says she'll start with some background information

    What were the original buildings on the site?

    There used to be a lot of factories in this area until the 1960s. … most of the exciting park space all around you was originally warehouses and storehouses.

    Question says → You hear

    • industrial buildingsfactories … warehouses and storehouses

    Why: Factories, warehouses and storehouses are all industrial buildings.

    The trap: Houses come up straight after, but as a high-rise housing plan that the community rejected. They were never built.

    Question 13

    Answer: AWhen she explains how the idea of a park started

    What did local people want the site used for?

    If the land was to be cleaned up, they wanted to use the site for recreation. Residents wanted open space for outdoor activities, rather than housing or even an indoor sports complex.

    Question says → You hear

    • wanted to use the site for leisurethey wanted to use the site for recreation

    Why: 'Recreation' and 'outdoor activities' match leisure.

    The trap: 'Rather than housing or even an indoor sports complex' rules out the other two options. They're both said, but as what residents didn't want.

    Question 14

    Answer: BWhen she says the park has two areas

    What is The Tower at the centre of?

    The tall blue-and-white building in front of us is called The Tower and is the centre point for the formal gardens.

    Question says → You hear

    • at the centre of theis the centre point for the formal gardens

    Why: 'The centre point for the formal gardens' matches B directly.

    The trap: The park has two areas, a nature reserve and a formal park, so The Tower isn't the centre of the whole park. The nature reserve comes later.

    Plan labelling (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)

    Questions 15-17

    How to attack this block: From the top of The Tower, Sally turns east, south, west and north in that order. Find The Tower on the plan and follow the compass with her. Each label is a facility she names in that direction.

    Question 15

    Answer: car parkLooking east, at the end of the Olympic site description

    What is marked at number 15 on the plan?

    The site has its own station to encourage the use of public … transport. There is also a car park, but it only holds a limited number of cars.

    Question says → You hear

    • 15There is also a car park

    Why: In the east, near the Olympic site and the train station, she adds that there's also a car park. That's the label.

    The trap: The station is in the same breath, and the arena, stadium and pool are just before. Check which feature the plan marks; the key is car park.

    Question 16

    Answer: rose gardenWhen she turns to the west

    What is marked at number 16 on the plan?

    And around to the west, you can relax and sit on a bench to smell the flowers in the rose garden

    Question says → You hear

    • 16around to the west … in the rose garden

    Why: To the west there's a bench where you can smell the flowers in the rose garden. Two words.

    The trap: The circular ornamental pond is to the south, just before. 'Bench' and 'flowers' are details; the feature is the rose garden.

    Question 17

    Answer: cafeWhen she turns north to the lake

    Also accepted: café

    What is marked at number 17 on the plan?

    you can hire rowing boats at the boat shed, which you can't see from here, but if you look through the trees, you can see the café

    Question says → You hear

    • 17if you look through the trees, you can see the café

    Why: To the north is the lake, and through the trees you can see the café with views across the water. That's the label (cafe or café).

    The trap: The boat shed is mentioned first, but 'you can't see from here', so it isn't what she's pointing out. The island is in the lake's centre.

    Table completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)

    Questions 18-20

    How to attack this block: Three areas in order, each with a facility and an activity. Sally often gives the expected use first and then the real one ('You'd think ... but in fact'), so wait for the correction.

    Question 18

    Answer: cyclingAfter the boardwalk built during the park's upgrade

    What activity happens at the Mangroves?

    You'd think that people would come here to look at the unusual plant life of the area, but in fact it's more often used for cycling and is very popular with the local clubs.

    Question says → You hear

    • The Mangroves - Activityin fact it's more often used for cycling

    Why: 'But in fact' brings in the real use: cycling.

    The trap: Looking at plant life is what you'd expect, and Sally says so, but she corrects it. The boardwalk is already in the table.

    Question 19

    Answer: biology lessonWhen she says the outdoor classroom is a favourite spot for school parties

    Also accepted: biology lessons

    What activity happens at the Frog Pond's outdoor classroom?

    Just next to it we have our outdoor classroom, a favourite spot for school parties. The area is now most often used by primary schools for biology lessons.

    Question says → You hear

    • outdoor classroom - Activitymost often used by primary schools for biology lessons

    Why: The activity is biology lessons (singular or plural accepted).

    The trap: 'School parties' and 'primary schools' are who uses it, not the activity.

    Question 20

    Answer: viewing shelterWhen she says 'And finally let's pass by the Waterbird Refuge'

    What is the facility at the Waterbird Refuge?

    that's why the park's viewing shelter is a favourite spot for bird watchers who can use … spy through binoculars.

    Question says → You hear

    • Facility ... bird watchingthe park's viewing shelter is a favourite spot for bird watchers

    Why: Bird watching is printed as the activity; the facility used for it is the viewing shelter.

    The trap: 'Binoculars' are what the bird watchers use, not the facility. 'Black swans' are what they see.

    The questions most people get wrong

    Question 18

    'You'd think that people would come here to look at the unusual plant life' is the trap. 'But in fact it's more often used for cycling'.

    Question 13

    Housing and an indoor sports complex are both said, but as what residents didn't want. They wanted recreation, so leisure.

    Question 15

    The car park comes as an afterthought at the end of the long Olympic section. Many people are still writing stadium or station when it's said.

    Words from this recording worth keeping

    demolition(Background)
    knocking buildings down
    derelict(Background)
    empty and falling apart
    property developer(Background)
    a company that builds and sells buildings
    recreation(Background)
    activities done for fun
    synchronised swimming(View to the east)
    a sport where swimmers move together to music
    ornamental(View to the south)
    for decoration
    accessible(Nature reserve)
    easy to reach or enter
    estuary(Waterbird Refuge)
    where a river meets the sea

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