Honey Bees in Australia: listening answers and explanations
Grant Freeman, a biologist with the Australian Quarantine Service, talks to a seminar about his search for Asian honey bees. He explains why they are a threat to Australian bees, then how his team finds them by studying the pellets coughed up by a bird, the Rainbow Bee Eater.
Questions 21-24 come from the first half, mostly Grant answering questions from the professor and students: where the bees were found, what's wrong with them, Australian bees, and the cost. The summary (25-30) follows his method step by step, from the bird's diet to the lab and the result.
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: Grant mentions several states, several kinds of bee and several consequences. For each question, check that the option is about the right bee (Asian, Australian or European) and the right time (past or possible future).
Question 21
Answer: AWhen Grant first explains his research
Where have Asian honey bees been found before?
We discovered few of them in Queensland once and … eradicated them. Now, we're pretty keen to make sure that there aren't any more getting in, particularly to New South Wales and other states.
Question says → You hear
found in the pastWe discovered few of them in Queensland once
Why: The only past discovery was in Queensland, where they were wiped out. That is option A.
The trap: New South Wales and 'other states' come next, but as places they want to protect in the future. No bees have been found there.
Question 22
Answer: BWhen a student asks what's wrong with Asian honey bees
What is the problem with Asian honey bees?
they look almost the same, but they are infested with mites - microscopic creatures which live on them
Question says → You hear
carry parasitesinfested with mites - microscopic creatures which live on them
Why: Mites that live on the bees are parasites, so the bees carry parasites, option B.
The trap: The mites damage Australian bees, which makes 'attack native bees' tempting. But it is the mites that do the harm, not the bees attacking. Crops (C) come later, about native bees.
Question 23
Answer: CWhen the professor asks what would happen if Australian bees died out
What do we learn about Australian bees?
the honey from Australian bees is of excellent quality … In fact, Australia exports native Queen bees to large number of countries because of this.
Question says → You hear
sold to customers abroadAustralia exports native Queen bees to large number of countries
Why: Exporting Queen bees to many countries means selling them abroad, option C.
The trap: Being too big to pollinate native flowers (B) is said about the European honey bee. The honey quality (A) is consistently excellent, not variable.
Question 24
Answer: AWhen Grant mentions 'other consequences'
What would happen if Asian bees got into Australia?
We could lose a lot of money … it's estimated that native bees' pollination of flower and vegetable crops is worth 1.2 billion dollars a year.
Question says → You hear
the country's economy would be affectedWe could lose a lot of money
Why: Losing a lot of money and a crop value of 1.2 billion dollars a year point to the economy, option A.
The trap: Allergies (B) are mentioned straight after, but as a danger to people who are stung, not as something to study. Agriculture would lose, not benefit (C).
Summary completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 25-30
How to attack this block: The summary follows the method in order: what the birds eat, where researchers go, where the pellets are taken, what softens them, what is looked for, and why the method is good. Grant's words are close to the answers, but check the word form fits the summary.
Question 25
Answer: insectsWhen the professor asks how they'll know the bees have arrived
What do Rainbow Bee Eaters eat?
The Bee Eater doesn't care what it eats, as long as they're insects.
Question says → You hear
eat onlydoesn't care what it eats, as long as they're insects
Why: It will eat anything as long as it's an insect, which the summary puts as 'eat only insects'. Plural noun: insects.
The trap: Bees is too narrow: the bird eats any insect, which is why its diet is useful for spotting new ones.
Question 26
Answer: feedingWhen the professor asks 'how do you go about it?'
Also accepted: eating
What do the bee eaters use the places for?
In the field we track down the Bee Eaters and find their favourite … spots, you know, the places where the birds usually feed.
Question says → You hear
the locations the bee eaters like to usethe places where the birds usually feed
Why: The researchers go to the places where the birds feed. After 'use for' you need feeding (eating is accepted).
The trap: 'Feed' doesn't fit the grammar after 'for'. Check the form, not just the word.
Question 27
Answer: laboratoryStraight after the feeding spots
Where are the pellets taken?
We collect them up and take them back to the laboratory to examine the contents.
Question says → You hear
for analysisto examine the contents
Why: 'Examine the contents' becomes 'for analysis', and the place is the laboratory. Watch the spelling.
The trap: The microscope comes up a moment later, but it's a tool used in the lab, not the place the pellets are taken.
Question 28
Answer: waterWhen the professor asks 'How do you do that?'
What is used to soften the pellets?
we treat them by adding water to moisten them and make them softer
Question says → You hear
used to soften themadding water to moisten them and make them softer
Why: Water is added to make the pellets softer. One word: water.
The trap: The sun is mentioned just before, but it makes the pellets harder. Moisten is a verb, not the thing used.
Question 29
Answer: wingsWhen Grant describes pulling the pellets apart under the microscope
What part of the Asian bees are researchers looking for?
we're looking for wings so we just pull them all out and straighten them. Then we identify them to see if we can find any Asian bee wings.
Question says → You hear
look for the ... of Asian beeswe're looking for wings
Why: They look for wings and check them for Asian bee wings. Plural: wings.
The trap: Skeleton bits are in the pellets too, but the part they search for and identify is the wings.
Question 30
Answer: reliableThe end of Grant's talk, when the professor asks how many they've found
Also accepted: accurate
What is the advantage of this method over looking for live bees?
So far our research shows that Asian bees have not entered Australia … much more reliable than trying to find live ones as evidence of introduced insects
Question says → You hear
more ... than searching for live Asian beesmuch more reliable than trying to find live ones
Why: The pellet method is 'much more reliable than trying to find live ones'. The summary keeps 'more ... than', so the gap is reliable.
The trap: 'Good result' comes just before but doesn't fit 'more ... than'. Accurate is accepted, but reliable is the word you hear.
'Too big to pollinate' sounds like option B, but it describes European honey bees, not Australian ones. The Australian point is that Queen bees are exported.
Grant says 'feeding spots' and 'where the birds usually feed'. The summary needs a noun-like form after 'use for', so feeding (or eating), not feed.
Words from this recording worth keeping
quarantine(Introduction)
keeping goods, animals or people separate to stop disease spreading
eradicated(Where the bees were found)
completely destroyed or got rid of
infested(The problem with Asian bees)
full of insects or pests
pollinate(Australian bees)
carry pollen from flower to flower so plants make seeds
devastating(Australian bees)
causing very serious damage
allergic reaction(Consequences)
a bad physical response to something, like swelling
indigestible(The bee eater's diet)
impossible to digest or break down as food
moisten(In the laboratory)
make slightly wet
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The full Cambridge 8 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 8, Test 2, Listening Part 3. 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.
