A lecturer gives first-year students an introduction to geography: what studying it teaches us, its two main branches and its specific study areas. The lecturer then explains what geographers do with data and the tools they use to publish it: maps, aerial photographs and Landsat images.
All ten gaps follow the lecture in order. The first five come from the overview (why study geography, branches, study areas, the key point). After 'What do geographers actually do?' the answers follow the steps: find data, analyse it, then publish it as maps, aerial photos and Landsat pictures.
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: One word only, so you can't add 'the' or a second noun. The lecturer signposts each section clearly ('Okay', 'now for some practicalities', 'Let's consider the benefits of maps'), so use the note headings to keep your place. Most answers are said exactly as the note needs them.
Question 31
Answer: surfaceThe opening, when the lecturer asks what we learn by studying geography
What part of the Earth do the processes affect?
we learn a great deal about all the processes that have affected and that continue to affect the earth's surface
Question says → You hear
effects of different processesthe processes that have affected and that continue to affect
Why: The processes affect 'the earth's surface'. The note already says 'of the Earth', so the gap is surface.
The trap: Don't write 'earth's surface': that is two words and repeats the note. One word only.
Question 32
Answer: environmentStraight after 'But we learn far more than that'
What is in a relationship with the population?
the different kinds of relationships that develop between a particular environment and the people that live there
Question says → You hear
the dynamic betweenrelationships that develop between
populationthe people that live there
Why: 'Relationships between' becomes 'the dynamic between', and 'the people that live there' becomes 'population'. What's left is environment.
The trap: 'People' is the word you hear last, but the note already covers it with 'population'.
Question 33
Answer: impactWhen the lecturer describes the two main branches
Also accepted: impacts / effect / effects
What about human lifestyles is the second branch interested in?
there's the study of the ways in which we choose to live and of the impact of those on our planet
Question says → You hear
human lifestylesthe ways in which we choose to live
Why: 'The ways in which we choose to live' is lifestyles, and the study looks at 'the impact of those'. So the gap is impact (effects is accepted too).
The trap: Carbon fuels come next, but only as an example of an impact. They don't fit 'lifestyles and their ...'.
Question 34
Answer: urbanNear the end of the list of study areas, after historical geography
Which area of geography is missing from the list?
and urban geography, an aspect I'm particularly interested in
Why: The note already lists biophysical, topographic, political, social, economic and historical. The one left is urban, which the lecturer also says is the lecturer's own interest.
The trap: Cartography is the last item the lecturer names, but the notes give it separately ('and also cartography'). Don't spend the gap on it.
Question 35
Answer: problemsWhen the lecturer says 'to summarise' and gives the key answer
What does geography help us understand besides our surroundings?
without geographical knowledge, we would know very little about our surroundings and we wouldn't be able to identify all the problems that relate to
Question says → You hear
the associatedthe problems that relate to
Why: 'Problems that relate to them' is turned into 'the associated problems'. The gap needs the plural noun: problems.
The trap: The lecturer goes on to talk about solving them, so 'solutions' can creep in. The thing we identify is problems.
Question 36
Answer: imagesAfter 'What do geographers actually do?' and the census example
What form of information do computers and satellites provide?
We also need images of the earth's surface which we can produce by … computer-generation technology or with the help of satellite relays
Question says → You hear
using computer and satellite technologycomputer-generation technology or with the help of satellite relays
Why: What is produced with computers and satellites is 'images of the earth's surface'. Images is the plural noun the gap needs.
The trap: Census and data come first but are separate points in the note. Pens and paper belong to the old sailing-ship explorers.
Question 37
Answer: patternsRight after 'After we've gathered our information, we must analyse it!'
What do geographers look for when they analyse data?
We need to look for patterns, most commonly those of causes and consequences.
Question says → You hear
identifylook for
e.g. cause and effectthose of causes and consequences
Why: 'Look for patterns' becomes 'identify patterns', and causes and consequences are the example, given in the note as 'cause and effect'.
The trap: Causes or consequences won't do: they are the example after 'e.g.', which the note already has.
Question 38
Answer: distortionWhen the lecturer says 'But there is a drawback' about maps
Also accepted: distortions
What will a flat map always have?
that means there'll always be a certain degree of distortion on a map. It can't be avoided.
Question says → You hear
will always have somethere'll always be a certain degree of
Why: A flat map can't copy a round planet exactly, so 'there'll always be a certain degree of distortion'. The note keeps 'always', so the gap is distortion.
The trap: 'Drawback' is said first and fits the meaning loosely, but it is the label for the problem, not the problem itself.
Question 39
Answer: trafficWhen the lecturer moves on to aerial photographs
What kind of density can aerial photos show?
You can easily illustrate areas of diseased trees or how much traffic is on the roads at a given time or information about deep sea beds
Question says → You hear
vegetation problemsareas of diseased trees
densityhow much traffic is on the roads
ocean floordeep sea beds
Why: The note lists the lecturer's three examples in order. The middle one is 'how much traffic is on the roads', which the note turns into traffic density.
The trap: Roads is the last word before the next example, but 'road density' isn't what the lecturer describes. It is the amount of traffic.
Question 40
Answer: weatherThe final tool the lecturer mentions, Landsats
What conditions are Landsat pictures used to monitor?
you'll all be familiar with the information they give us about the weather, for example
Question says → You hear
used for monitoringthe information they give us about
Why: The lecturer's familiar example of Landsat information is the weather, so the note reads 'weather conditions'.
The trap: The lecturer says they circle the earth several times a day, which can push people towards time words. The gap needs the kind of conditions: weather.
The lecturer says 'there is a drawback' before explaining it. Drawback is the general word; the specific thing every flat map has is distortion.
Words from this recording worth keeping
branches(Two main branches)
main parts or divisions of a subject
topography(Specific study areas)
the study of the shape of the land and sea floor
cartography(Specific study areas)
the art and science of making maps
census(Collecting data)
an official count of the people in an area
at their disposal(Collecting data)
available for them to use
replicate(Maps)
copy something exactly
distortion(Maps)
a change in shape that makes something inaccurate
aerial(Aerial photographs)
taken from the air, high above the ground
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Cambridge IELTS 8, Test 1, 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.
