Transport from Airport to Milton: listening answers and explanations
A woman flying into Toronto rings the airport's transport information desk to ask how to get to Milton, a town about 150 miles away. The clerk compares a taxi, the Greyhound bus and the Airport Shuttle, and then books her a seat on the shuttle.
Two blocks in order. Questions 1-5 come while the clerk compares the options (taxi, then bus, then shuttle). Questions 6-10 come once he says he has to fill in a form: date, bus time, her surname, flight number and, at the very end, her card number.
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 1-5 · Note completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
How to attack this block: The notes list the transport options in the same order the clerk gives them. Each option has a short comment, so listen for the drawback or detail he attaches to each one. The words are short and mostly copied straight from the recording.
Question 1
Answer: taxiRight after she says she doesn't want to drive herself
Also accepted: a taxi / cab / a cab
Which transport option is described as expensive?
the quickest and most comfortable is a cab and of course there are always plenty available. … for that kind of distance a cab would be way beyond my budget.
Question says → You hear
expensivea cab would be way beyond my budget
Why: The clerk warns that a cab will cost her, and she says it would be 'way beyond my budget'. The key gives taxi, and cab is accepted too.
The trap: Car hire is already on the notes as the example, so don't write it again. The bus and the shuttle come next, but both are described as cheaper.
Question 2
Answer: city centreWhen she asks whereabouts the bus stops in Milton
Also accepted: city center
Where does the Greyhound bus go in Milton?
It goes directly from the airport here to the City Centre and it's pretty fast.
Question says → You hear
direct to theIt goes directly from the airport here to the City Centre
Why: 'Directly' matches 'direct to the' in the notes, and the destination is the City Centre. Two words, well inside the limit.
The trap: Spelling. Both centre and center are accepted, but 'city' must be there: 'centre' alone doesn't say where.
Question 3
Answer: waitStraight after she says her flight lands at 11.30
What is the drawback of the bus timetable?
the bus leaves at 3.45, so you would have quite a wait - more than 4 hours.
Question says → You hear
longyou would have quite a wait - more than 4 hours
Why: There's only one bus a day, at 3.45, so she'd be waiting more than four hours. 'Long' in the notes paraphrases 'quite a wait ... more than 4 hours', and the gap needs a noun: wait.
The trap: 'Only one departure a day' is mentioned just before, so some people write 'departure' or a time. The note 'long ...' only fits wait.
Question 4
Answer: door-to-doorWhen she asks about the shuttle he mentioned earlier
What kind of service is the Airport Shuttle?
It's a door-to-door service and it would suit you much better, because there's one every two hours.
Question says → You hear
service; every 2 hoursIt's a door-to-door service … there's one every two hours
Why: The note already has the word 'service', so the gap needs the description before it: door-to-door. It counts as one hyphenated word.
The trap: 'Right to your hotel or private address' explains the idea, but it's too long and isn't the label. Leaving out the hyphens risks the mark.
Question 5
Answer: reserve a seatJust after the shuttle prices, when she says it doesn't sound too bad
Also accepted: reserve
What do you have to do before using the shuttle?
But you do need to reserve a seat.
Question says → You hear
need toyou do need to reserve a seat
Why: The notes copy 'need to' straight from the recording, so the gap is the rest of the phrase: reserve a seat (three words, within the limit). 'Reserve' alone is also accepted.
The trap: Right after, she asks to 'make a booking', and 'book' is tempting. It fits the meaning, but the key wants the clerk's words.
Form completion (ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 6-10
How to attack this block: A booking form: dates, times, a name, a flight code and a long card number. Expect self-corrections (the wrong date first) and spelling checks. Write numbers as digits and copy codes exactly.
Question 6
Answer: 17th OctoberThe first question once the clerk starts filling in the form
Also accepted: 17 October / October 17 / October 17th / the 17th of October / 17th of October
What date is the shuttle booked for?
The 16th of October - oh, no, sorry, that's my departure date. I arrive on the 17th, so book it for then, please.
Question says → You hear
DateI arrive on the 17th, so book it for then
Why: She corrects herself: the 16th is when she leaves the UK, and she arrives on the 17th. The shuttle meets her flight, so 17th October.
The trap: The 16th comes first and is said in full. It's the departure date, not the booking date.
Question 7
Answer: 12.30When the clerk checks her arrival time again
Also accepted: 12:30
What time is the shuttle booked for?
So if I book your Shuttle for after 12.00 - let's say, 12.30: that should give you plenty of time
Question says → You hear
Bus Time: ... pmlet's say, 12.30
Why: He suggests 12.30 to give her time to collect her bags, and she says that sounds fine. The form already shows 'pm', so write 12.30 only.
The trap: 11.30 is her landing time and 12.00 is only 'after 12.00', a rough limit. Neither is the bus time.
Question 8
Answer: ThomsonWhen the clerk asks for her name
What is her surname?
Janet, Janet Thomson. … Is that Thompson spelt with a 'p'?
Why: Her name is Janet Thomson, and the clerk asks whether it has a 'p' because the name is often spelt that way. The key is Thomson, without the p.
The trap: Thompson with a 'p' is the spelling the clerk suggests and the more common one. Writing it loses the mark.
Question 9
Answer: AC 936Right after the clerk asks whether she's coming from the UK
Also accepted: AC936
What is her flight number?
Oh, it's Air Canada flight number AC936, from London Heathrow.
Question says → You hear
Flight Noflight number AC936
Why: She reads out the airline code and the number together. Copy the letters and the three digits exactly: AC936 (a space after AC is also fine).
The trap: London Heathrow is already printed on the form. Don't turn 'Air Canada' into the answer either: the form wants the code.
Question 10
Answer: 3303 8450 2045 6837The very end, after the clerk asks for the $35
Also accepted: 3303845020456837
What is her credit card number?
Yes, it's a VISA card, and the number is 3303 8450 2045 6837.
Question says → You hear
Credit Card Nothe number is 3303 8450 2045 6837
Why: A sixteen-digit number read in four groups. Write all sixteen digits; grouping them in fours helps you check you haven't dropped one.
The trap: The fare, $35, is said just before. And one missing or swapped digit makes the whole answer wrong, so check the groups carefully.
The notes say 'long ...', but the recording never says 'long wait'. You have to turn 'you would have quite a wait' into the noun the gap needs: wait.
Words from this recording worth keeping
options(Comparing transport)
possible choices
beyond my budget(Taxi)
more than I can afford
one way(Greyhound bus)
a single ticket, not a return
departure(Greyhound bus)
a bus or flight leaving
door-to-door service(Airport Shuttle)
transport that takes you right to your address
reserve(Airport Shuttle)
book in advance
fare(Booking form)
the price of a journey
in advance(Booking form)
before the day itself
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The rest of Cambridge 7 Test 1 Listening
Part 1 · Questions 1-10 · You're hereTransport from Airport to Milton
