Barron's IELTS 1 Listening Test 1

Part 1 — Enquiry about language classes

Narrator: You will hear a number of different recordings, and you will have to answer questions on what you will hear. There will be time for you to read the instructions and questions, and you will have a chance to check your work. All the recordings will be played once only. The test is in four sections. Write all of your answers on the test pages. At the end of the test you will be given ten minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet. Now turn to Section 1 on page 5. Section 1. You will hear a man asking for information about language classes over the phone. First you have some time to look at Questions 1 to 4 on page 5. You will see that there is an example that has been done for you. On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first. Woman: Good morning. Globetrotters Language School. How may I help you? Man: Yes, I was wondering if you could give me some information on language classes. Narrator: The woman answers the phone, "Globetrotters Language School," so the word Globetrotters has been written at the top of the form. Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time. Listen carefully and answer Questions 1 to 4. Woman: Good morning. Globetrotters Language School. How may I help you? Man: Yes, I was wondering if you could give me some information on language classes. Woman: Certainly. What language are you interested in studying? Man: Well, that's the thing. I'm interested in learning Japanese, but I'd also like to improve my Chinese. I don't know which to study right now. Woman: Maybe the class schedule will help you decide. Did you want to study in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Man: I work in the evenings, so mornings or afternoons would be best. Woman: Then that decides it for you. We offer an advanced Chinese class, but it meets on Wednesday and Friday evenings. Man: I couldn't do that. When do the Japanese classes meet? Woman: We have beginning Japanese on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, no wait, that's intermediate Japanese. Which level do you want? Advanced? Man: No, beginning. Definitely. I know some Chinese and some French, but I'm a real beginner with Japanese. Woman: Well then, are you free Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings? That's when the beginning Japanese classes meet. We also have intermediate French on Friday mornings. Man: I could do those mornings, but I'd prefer afternoon. Don't you have anything in the afternoon? Woman: We have intermediate Japanese class on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Man: I really need a beginner class. So I'll take the morning Japanese class. Could you give me an idea of the cost? What would be the tuition for the Japanese class? Narrator: Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at Questions 5 to 10 on page 5. Now listen and answer questions 5 to 10. Woman: The beginning-level classes meet three times a week, so they cost a bit more than the other levels. For a six-week course, the cost would be $175. Man: That's a bit steep. Woman: If it's hard for you to pay that much, you could sign up for just four weeks of class and pay $410. Or, you could pay for one week at a time, at $125 a week. Man: That comes out to be much more expensive once you add up all the weeks. Woman: That's true. You can save money by registering for two levels together. For example, pay for your beginning and intermediate classes now and you'll get twelve weeks of class for just $1,050. Man: That's not a bad deal, but I can't come up with that much money at once. I'll just pay for the six-week course. Woman: Fine. That class begins next week, so you need to register right away. Man: Can't I register over the phone? Woman: No, I'm sorry, we don't take phone registrations. What you'll need to do is visit the school office today or tomorrow. Bring a check for the tuition and a photo ID. Man: Is that all? Woman: Yes, we'll give you a registration form to complete, or you can save time by visiting our website and downloading the form there. Complete it and bring it into the office with your check. Man: Great. I'll stop by this afternoon. Woman: Fine. When you arrive, ask for Mr. Lindsay. He's in charge of student registration. Man: I'm sorry, Mr. who? Woman: Mr. Lindsay, spelled L-I-N-D-S-A-Y. Man: Thank you for your help. Woman: Thank you. We'll look forward to seeing you in class. Narrator: That is the end of Section 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Part 2 — Tour of the city shopping district

Narrator: Now turn to Section 2 on page 6. Section 2. You will hear a tour guide giving information about a shopping district. First, you have some time to look at Questions 11 to 15 on page 6. As you listen to the first part of the talk, answer Questions 11 to 15. Tour guide: This afternoon we'll visit the city's shopping district. Several blocks in the area are closed to car traffic, and I know you'll enjoy walking around there. I'd like to give you an overview of the district now since you'll be on your own once we get there. You'll see on this map here that the shopping district consists of two streets—Pear Street, which runs north and south, and Cherry Street, which crosses Pear Street right here. Let's start our tour here on Pear Street where the star is. This star marks the Harbor View Bookstore. It's very popular among locals as well as tourists. You can buy a range of books of local interest as well as a variety of magazines and newspapers. It's directly across the street from the City Library, which is also worth a visit. It's in one of the oldest buildings in the city and contains, among other things, an interesting collection of rare books. Now, moving up Pear from the bookstore toward Cherry, the next building on the left is the Pear Cafe. You'll notice it's right on the corner of Pear and Cherry streets. It's a great place to relax while enjoying a delicious cup of coffee or tea. You can talk with friends or read quietly. They have a variety of books and magazines available. From the windows of the cafe, you can look right across Cherry Street for a lovely view of City Gardens. It's a rather small garden, but it contains a variety of exotic plants and flowers. Let's leave the cafe and cross Pear Street. On the opposite corner, we're at Caldwell's Clothing Store, which you might also want to visit. They sell both men's and women's fashions from countries around the world. Continuing down Cherry Street, the next building on the right after Caldwell's is the souvenir shop. Stop in here to get maps and books about the local area, as well as T-shirts and postcards with pictures of the city. Now, we cross Cherry Street and we're at the art gallery, one building down from the corner. Here you can see and, of course, purchase many fine paintings and sculptures by local artists. Let's keep going down Cherry Street toward the harbor. On the left, right after the gallery, is Harbor Park. It's a lovely place, and it's certainly worth spending some time there. Narrator: Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 16 to 20 on page 7. Now listen and answer questions 16 to 20. Harbor Park was built on land donated to the city by Captain Jones, a lifelong resident of this city. Captain Jones designed the park himself, and it was built in 1876. Exactly in the center of the park a statue of Captain Jones was erected, and it's still standing there today. It shows Captain Jones on the bow of his ship. After viewing the statue, you can follow the path that goes through the woods just behind. It will lead you to a lovely garden, in the middle of which is a fountain. This is a nice place to enjoy a few quiet moments. If you still feel like walking, continue on to the far end of the garden. There, you'll find a wooden staircase, which will take you down to the harbor. You might enjoy the view of the boats from there. There's also a walking path along the water, which will eventually bring you back up to Cherry Street. You can see that there's plenty to do in this part of the city. The bus leaves at 1:30. Narrator: That is the end of Section 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Part 3 — Using the City Archives

Narrator: Now turn to Section 3 on page 7. Section 3. You will hear a conversation between a university student and a librarian about using the City Archives. First, you have some time to look at Questions 21 to 24 on page 7. As you listen to the first part of the conversation, answer Questions 21 to 24. Student: Hello. I was wondering if you could give me some information about using the archives. Librarian: I'd be happy to. Are you a resident of the city? Student: Actually, I live just outside the city, but I study at the university downtown. Librarian: That's fine. All you need to do is show your university identification card and you can use the archives at no charge, as long as your ID card is current, of course. Student: Yes, it's valid. So I don't have to pay anything? Librarian: No. City residents pay an annual fee, but students can use the archives for free. Everyone else needs to get special permission from the director, but that doesn't apply to you, of course. Student: Oh, good. I was also wondering about the schedule. I have classes every day, Monday through Friday, and I also have a part-time job, so I could really only use the archives on weekends. Librarian: That's not a problem at all. We're open all weekend; actually the only day we're closed is Monday. So you can come any day, Tuesday through Sunday. Student: Are you open in the evenings? Librarian: Yes, we're open from 9:30 in the morning until 8:30 in the evening. Student: That will fit my schedule well. Narrator: Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at Questions 25 to 30 on page 8. Now listen and answer Questions 25 to 30. Librarian: Is there something else I can help you with? Student: Yes. One thing I'll be needing to see for one of my class projects is old photographs. Do you have photographs of the city in the nineteenth century that I could look at? Librarian: Yes, we store all the photographs in the basement. Those stairs over there will take you down to the photography collection. Just tell the librarian there what you're interested in, and he'll help you. Student: Those would be nineteenth-century photographs? Librarian: Yes, the entire collection is there. Now, if you're interested in seeing documents from the nineteenth century, those are right here on the ground floor. Student: I would like to see some of those documents. Does that collection include newspapers, too? Librarian: No, all the newspapers from the earliest ones, in the eighteenth century, up to the current time, are on the second floor. Here, let me just give you this map of the archives, and you'll be able to find whatever it is you need. Student: Thank you. Oh, I see you have a whole room devoted to maps. Librarian: Yes, on the third floor. Student: That's great because one thing I need to do is look at how the city has developed over time. Librarian: I'm sure you'll find a lot of helpful information there. Of course, some of the maps are several centuries old, so generally visitors are only allowed to see photographic reproductions of them. Student: That shouldn't be a problem. What's this on the fourth floor—Ogden's Woolen Mill? Librarian: As I'm sure you know, Ogden's Woolen Mill was the major entity responsible for the growth of this city in the nineteenth century. The Ogden heirs gave money for the archives to devote an entire floor to information about the history of the mill. Student: Will I be able to find information about the Ogden family there—photographs, personal papers, things like that? Librarian: Probably the family photographs are stored downstairs in the photography collection. The personal papers would be on the fifth floor, where we keep all the personal papers of famous residents of our city. Student: Thank you so much for your help. I'll be able to do a lot of my research here. Narrator: That is the end of Section 3. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Part 4 — Wind power

Narrator: Now turn to Section 4 on page 8. Section 4. You will hear a lecture about wind energy. First, you have some time to look at Questions 31 to 33 on page 8. Now listen carefully and answer Questions 31 to 33. Lecturer: With the rising cost of fossil fuels, there's a great deal of interest these days in developing alternative sources of energy. Today, I'd like to talk about one of these—wind power. In the past couple of decades, there's been an upsurge of interest in using the wind as a source of energy, but the idea isn't new at all. People have been harnessing the power of the wind for centuries, ever since ancient peoples first used sailboats. In ancient China, farmers used a rudimentary sort of windmill to pump water. Wind power was used in other parts of the ancient world, as well. In Persia, for example, farmers used wind-powered mills to grind their grain. During the Middle Ages in the Netherlands, people went back to the ancient idea of using the power of the wind to move water. They used windmills to drain lakes, thereby creating more land for farming. Narrator: Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at Questions 34 to 40 on page 9. Now listen carefully and answer Questions 34 to 40. Lecturer: At present, people around the world are using the wind to generate electricity, some old methods, some new. Is this the solution to our modern energy problems? Well, as with anything, there are both advantages and disadvantages to using wind power. Let's take a look at some of the reasons to use wind power. One of the biggest problems with using fuels such as oil and coal is pollution. Wind power, on the other hand, is clean. It causes no pollution and therefore doesn't contribute to global warming. Another great advantage of wind power is that it's a renewable resource. Oil and coal reserves are limited, but we'll never run out of wind. Economics is another reason to use wind power. Using the wind to generate electricity costs less, much less, than running other types of generators. In addition, since wind turbines don't take up much land, the land around them can be used for other purposes, such as farming. There are disadvantages, however. Even though generating electricity with wind is relatively inexpensive, the technology isn't cheap. The initial costs of setting up wind turbines can be quite high. Another issue is reliability. Wind doesn't blow at a constant strength. Therefore, at times, a lot of electricity can be produced while at others there may be little or none. Wind turbines usually have to be located in rural areas where the land is open. Their distance from cities, where the most electricity is needed, is another issue. Although wind is considered to be a clean source of energy, wind turbines cause their own sort of pollution. Wind turbines are usually placed in high, open areas, where they're easy to be seen. Rural residents often feel that the beautiful local scenery is spoiled by the sight of the wind turbines. In addition, wind turbines aren't quiet. In fact, one wind turbine can produce as much noise as a car traveling at highway speeds. Narrator: That is the end of Section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers. You will now have ten minutes to transfer your answers to the listening answer sheet.