Very hard ielts listening practice test 2023 | cambridge listening

This is the IELTS

listening

comprehension

test

. You will listen to several different recordings and have to answer questions about what you hear. There will be time for you to read the instructions and questions and you will have the opportunity to check your work on all recordings. will be played only once the exam consists of four parts at the end of the exam you will be given 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet now move on to the first part you will hear a woman from an employment agency giving information to a man about working in a restaurant chain first you have some time to look at questions one to five now listen carefully and answer questions one to five so I understand that you are interested in working in a restaurant yes I have some experience and I can provide references , that's good.

I can check all that later. Now Milo's restaurants have a few vacancies right now. They are a

very

good company to work for and they get many benefits. Okay, yes, they have a

very

good reputation for taking care of their staff. For example, all employees receive training, even temporary staff. Oh, actually, that's quite unusual, isn't it? It certainly is. And doing things also gets free uniforms. You only need to wear a white t-shirt and black pants, it says here, so I guess not, but it's another benefit. What about working for a big company like this is that you can get a discount at any of their restaurants, even on the weekends, no, but you'll work anyway so oh yeah, I guess most of their restaurants are in the center of the city, no.

It is very easy to get to them by bus. Yes, that's true, but if you have to work a late shift and finish work after midnight, the company will pay you to take a taxi home. I probably won't need one. I think I would use my Well, now they have some pretty specific requirements for the type of person they're looking for. Milos is a young and dynamic company and they are very interested in creating a strong team. It is very important that you can fit in and get along. Y'all, yeah I don't have a problem with that, it sounds good, in fact the last place I worked for was pretty demanding too.

We had to make sure we provided a really high level of service, that's good to hear because it will be equally important on Milos I. I know they want people who have a good eye for detail, that's good. I am very used to working in that type of environment, perfect, so the only thing required is good communication skills, so you will need to have a certificate in English before doing that. listen to the rest of the conversation you have some time to look at questions six to ten now listen and answer questions six to ten okay let's take a look at the current job vacancies in Milos the first one is on Wivenhoe Street sorry , where Wivenhoe W-i-v-e-n-h-o-e is quite Central, just off Cork Street, of course, they are looking for a breakfast supervisor who would be nice, so you are probably familiar with the type of responsibilities involved, obviously checking that all the portions are correct etc. ., and then things like checking all the cleaning procedures.

The team is tracking well and what about the salary at my last job? He received nine pounds 50 an hour. I was hoping to earn a little more than that. Well, to begin with, you would get nine pounds 75, but that goes up to 11 pounds 25 after three months that's not too bad and I guess it's starting very early that's the only unattractive thing about this job but then you have the afternoons and evenings free so the restaurant starts serving breakfast from 7am and you would have to be there at 5:30 to set everything up, but you would finish at 12:30.

Hmm, well, as you say, there are advantages to that, now you might also be interested in the job at the City Road branch which is for a junior chef, so again. position of responsibility, you might prefer that, actually, well obviously this role would involve supporting the sous chef and other senior staff and you would be responsible for ensuring there is enough stock each week and ordering all deliveries. I've never done that before. but I imagine it's pretty simple once you get the hang of it, yes, and you'd be working alongside more experienced staff to begin with, so I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem, the salary is slightly higher here, it's an annual salary of £23,000 right, I know if they like you they're likely to promote you pretty quickly so it's worth thinking about that.

Yes, it sounds interesting. What are the usual hours? I think there is a lot of night and weekend work, but Mondays are closed, but you have a Sunday off every four weeks. Do you want me to send you your CV? This is the end of the first part. Now you have a minute to check your answers to the first part. Second part, you will listen to a talk. to members of the public about plans for a new housing development near a town called Nunston. First you have some time to read questions 11 to 14. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14.

Hello everyone, it's good to see that there are so many members. of the public have turned up to our presentation on the new housing development planned on the outskirts of Nunston. I'm Mark Reynolds and I'm the development communications manager. I will begin by giving you a brief overview of our plans for development. So one thing I'm sure you'll want to know is why we've selected this particular site for a housing development. It is currently being used for agriculture as is much of the land around Nunston, but due to the new industrial center in Nunston there is a lot of demand for employee accommodation in the region, as many employees have to commute long distances at the moment, of course.

There's also the fact that we have an international airport just a 20-minute drive away, but while that's certainly convenient, it wasn't one of our main criteria for choosing the location. We were more interested in the fact that there's an excellent hospital just 15 minutes away. miles away and a great high school even closer. One downside to the site is that it is on a fairly steep slope, but we have taken that into account in our planning so it shouldn't be a major issue. We have received a lot of positive feedback about the plans. People like the wide variety of accommodation types and prices and the fact that it's just a short drive to get there. development field, we were particularly pleased that so many people liked the designs for the development layout and most people said that overall it made a good impression and blended well with the natural features of the landscape with provisions to protect trees and wildlife on the site, some people have mentioned that they would like to see more cycling facilities and we will see that, but the general response has been that the design and facilities of the development make it look like a place where people of all ages can live happily together before

listening

to the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20.

Now listen and answer questions 15 to 20. Okay, then I will put a map of the proposed development on the page. On the screen you will see that it is bounded on the south side by the main road which then continues towards Nunston. Another boundary is formed by London Road on the western side of the development. Within the development there will be around 400 houses and three apartment blocks there. There will also be a school for children up to 11 years old, if you look at the south entrance at the bottom of the map, there is a road from there that goes up the development, the school will be on that road at the corner of At the second turn to the Left, a large sports center is planned with facilities for indoor and outdoor activities.

This will be on the western side of the development, just below the road that branches off from London Road. There will be a clinic that residents can go to if they wish. If you have any health problems, can you see the lake at the top of the map? The clinic will be just below, to the right of a street of houses. There will also be a community center for people of all ages on the northeast side of the development. There will be a row of purpose-built homes specifically for residents aged 65 and over and the community center will be adjacent.

We haven't forgotten about shopping. There will be a supermarket between the two entrances to the development we are planning to leave. three large trees near London Road and will be just south of these, it is planned to have a play area for younger children. If you look at the path going up from the south entrance, you will see that it curves to the left at the top and the playground will be on that curve with nice views of the lake. Well, does anyone have any questions? This is the end of the second part. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to the second part.

The third part you will hear two geography. Students Adam and Michelle talk about a volcanic eruption that took place in Iceland in 1783. First, you have some time to look at questions 21-26, now listen carefully and answer questions 21-26, so Michelle, can we start with our presentation? I don't have much time left, not Adam, but at least we've done all the background reading. I found it really interesting. I had never heard of the lucky eruption before this one. I guess 1783 was a long time ago, but it was. a huge eruption and had such devastating consequences. I know it was great, there were so many primary sources to look at.

It really gives you an idea of ​​how catastrophic the volcano was. People were really trying to make sense of science for the first time. true, but what I found most significant was how it directly and indirectly impacted political events, as well as having huge social and economic consequences hmm, I know that should be the main focus of our presentation, the observations made by people at the time They were interesting. I mean, they all gave a pretty consistent account of what happened, even if they didn't always use the same terminology. Yes, I was surprised that so many weather stations had been established at that time, so you can see how the weather changed frequently.

Every hour the writers of the time spoke of the lucky Haze to describe the volcanic fog that spread across Europe, everyone realized that this was not the type of fog they were used to and of course this was in the pre-industrial era, so I had not experienced sulfur-smelling fog before. No, that's true. Reports from the time blamed the fog for an increase in headaches, breathing problems and asthma attacks, and all described how it covered the Sun and made it look a strange red color. Hmm, it must have been very strange, it's interesting that Benjamin Franklin wrote about the haze.

Did you read that he was the American ambassador in Paris at the time? Yes, at first no one realized that the haze was caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland. It was Benjamin Franklin who realized that before anyone else. otherwise, he is apparently credited with that, but a French naturalist beat him to it. I don't remember his name. I would have to look it up, then other naturalists had the same idea, all independently of each other. Oh, sure, we should talk about the immediate. The impact of the eruption was obviously huge, especially in Iceland where so many people died.

Hmm, it was to be expected, and the fact that the volcanic ash moved so quickly, but not that the effects would last that long or two years after the eruption. Strange weather events were being reported from as far away as North America and North Africa. No, I also found it

hard

to believe. It must have been terrible and there was nothing anyone could do about it, even if they knew the ash cloud was coming in their direction. Before listening to the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 27 to 30. Now listen and answer questions 27 to 30.

We should review some of the terrible consequences of the eruption experienced in different countries. There is quite a varied variety. Starting with Iceland, where the impact on agriculture was devastating, one of the most dramatic things was the effect on livestock that grazed in the fields and were poisoned because they received vegetation that had been contaminated with fluoride as a result of the volcanic rain that produced. Horrible in Egypt, the strange weather patterns caused a severe drought and as a result the Nile did not flood, which meant that all the crops failed. It is so far from where the eruption occurred and yet the famine there killed more people than any other country. was worse than the plague, then in the United Kingdom the death rate increased greatly, presumably from respiratory diseases, according to one report, it was about twice the usual rate and included an unusually high percentage of people under 25 years of age.

Hmm, I think People will be surprised to know that the weather in the US was also severely affected. George Washington even notes in his diary that they were covered in snow until March in Virginia, that is, before he became president, yes, and there was icefloating down the Mississippi, which was unprecedented, really amazing, anyway, what do you think we should include next? This is the end of the third part. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part three, part four, you will hear a student in a fashion design course giving a talk on the history of pockets first you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. now listen Sincerely and answer questions 31 to 40.

Good morning, now we have been asked to choose an aspect of European clothing or fashion and talk about its development over time. I decided to focus on a fairly small area of ​​the clothing and that is the pockets. I chose pockets for two reasons: we really all have them in jean jackets, coats, for example, and although we often also carry bags or briefcases, nothing is as convenient as being able to put your phone or credit card in your pocket, but I suspect That aside, people don't think too much about Pockets and rather overlook them as a fashion item, it's certainly very interesting to go back in time and see how Pockets developed for men and women in the 18th century. .

Fashions were quite different from what they are now and pockets were too. If we think about men's fashion first, that was the era when suits became popular. The pants only reached the knee and were known as breeches. the vests were short and the jackets were long, but all three garments were lined with fabric and pockets were sewn into this fabric with whichever Taylor the customer wore, the wearer could carry small objects such as pencils or coins and reach them through a gap . on the lining of the coat The pockets became increasingly decorative on the outside for men who wanted to look smart, but were often larger but flatter if the wearer was someone in a profession who needed to carry medical instruments, a doctor or medical, for example, the development of women's pockets. was a little different on the one hand, they were not as visible or as easy to reach as men in the 18th and 19th centuries, women carried numerous possessions on their person and some of them could be worth a lot of money, women were more vulnerable to Theft and rich women in particular were constantly worried about pickpockets so what they did was make a couple of pockets tied with rope, the pockets were made of fabric which could be recycled fabric if the user was short on money or something more expensive as Because linen sometimes featured very delicate embroidery, women tied the pockets around their waists so that they hung under their clothes.

Remember that skirts were long then and there was plenty of room to hide a whole host of small belongings between the layers of petticoats that were commonly worn. They would have an opening in the folds of their skirts through which they could reach anything they needed, such as their perfume. Working women, of course, also needed to carry items with them that they could use for whatever work or trade they were involved in, but their pairs of pockets still remained on the inside of their clothing, they simply became larger or longer, as They sometimes reached to the knees, so the pocket tie lasted well into the 19th century and only changed when fashion changed towards the end of that period, when dresses became tighter and less bulky. and the pairs of pockets became very noticeable, they stood out too much and detracted from the image of the woman, women who were used to carrying a variety of personal belongings and still wanted to need a place to carry these items on their person, that was when Small purses or pouches as they were known became fashionable and of course inevitably carried over to the bags of more modern times, especially when the fashion faded.

Pockets completely, that's the end of part four. You now have one minute to check your answers to the fourth part, which is the At the end of the listening

test

in the IELTS exam, you will now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the listening answer sheet.