Environmental Change Discussion - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Recent Actual Test 1 Academic Listening Test 2 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–25 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND / OR A NUMBER for each answer.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE DISCUSSION
- In Southeast Mexico, farmers did too much 21 so the environment has been destroyed.
- According to Dick, vegetation problems caused 22.
- A back issue of a periodical reported interviews with 23.
- According to one of the articles in the periodical, land 24 show it is very tough for plant growth there.
- In the past ten years, almost 25 kilometres of forest has disappeared.
Questions 26–30 Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Write ONE WORD AND / OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- "Growing Area" is about 26 kilometres.
- Scientists have taken 27 of the soil in the Yucatan.
- The university's own Geology Department has also analysed the 28 at the site.
- The 29 in Dr Horst's book are very useful and worth studying.
- The student needs a 30 to do the presentation.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | farming | There are too many farmers doing too much farming. It's really destroying the forests and ruining the soil | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that many people who work on the land are doing too much of that work. This excessive activity is damaging the trees and the ground. Answer Explanation: The answer 'farming' refers to the activity of growing crops or raising animals for food on a piece of land. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'farming' because Pete explicitly mentions that 'too much farming' is the cause of environmental destruction in the Yucatan. He explains that a high number of farmers are working the land excessively, which leads to soil damage and the loss of forests (deforestation). |
| Q22 | environmental damage | No, Dick, Harry's twin. Anyway, he told me how few trees there were now and how much empty ground that grows almost nothing. He said the place looked more like the desert than jungle in some parts. It brought environmental damage | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Pete talking about his brother Dick, who saw that many trees were gone and the land was empty. Pete notes that Dick said these conditions led to damage to the environment. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the harm caused to nature in Southeast Mexico due to the lack of plants. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found by looking at what Pete's brother, Dick, said about his trip. Dick observed that there were very few trees and the ground was empty. He explained that these issues with the trees and plants (vegetation) resulted in 'environmental damage'. In this context, 'brought' is a synonym for 'caused'. |
| Q23 | tourists | It includes interviews with tourists who've been there in the past few years | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the magazine has recorded conversations (interviews) with people who traveled (tourists) to that area recently. Answer Explanation: The answer "tourists" refers to people who visit a place for travel or pleasure. In this case, the magazine contains stories and opinions from these visitors about what they saw in the Yucatan. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "tourists" because Pete talks about an "old issue" (which is a back issue) of a magazine (a periodical called "National Geographic"). Throughout the conversation, he explains that this magazine contains "interviews" or records of what these "tourists" saw when they visited the Yucatan. |
| Q24 | samples | The first thing it points out is how soil samples show it is hard for anything to grow there | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that when scientists looked at small amounts of dirt from the ground, they found proof that it is very difficult for any plants to grow in that part of Mexico. Answer Explanation: The answer "samples" refers to small pieces or amounts of something (like dirt or soil) that are collected and tested to learn about the whole area. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by Pete's description of a magazine article. He mentions that the article uses "soil samples" as evidence. These samples are used to show that the ground's chemistry makes it very difficult for plants to grow. In the context of the notes, "land samples" and "soil samples" mean the same thing: small pieces of the earth collected for testing. |
| Q25 | 21,000 square / 21000 square | It says how an area of 21,000 square kilometres has lost most of its forest in the past ten years | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that during the last ten years, a very large space measuring 21,000 square kilometers lost almost all of its trees. Answer Explanation: The answer is the size of an area of land (21,000 square kilometers) where trees have been cut down or lost. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 21,000 square because Pete cites a magazine article that provides specific numbers regarding environmental damage. He mentions that this specific amount of land has lost most of its forest over the last ten years. The phrase 'lost most of its forest' in the transcript is a synonym for 'forest has disappeared' used in the question. |
| Q26 | 10.5 square | Scientists say there's a "growing area" of about 10.5 square kilometres where nothing can grow at all | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that scientists found a specific place they call the 'growing area.' This place is 10.5 square kilometres big, and no plants are able to grow in that soil. Answer Explanation: The answer is the size of the land area called the 'growing area.' It is 10.5 square kilometres. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found when Pete talks about the size of the damaged land. He says scientists found a 'growing area' that is 10.5 square kilometres. To correctly fill in the blank before 'kilometres' to describe land size, we need both the number '10.5' and the word 'square.' |
| Q27 | measurements | Scientists who've gone there have taken measurements. They do this by gathering a sample of the soil and running a simple test that shows the ionisation of the solution | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that scientists who visited the area collected soil and performed tests, and it specifically uses the term "taken measurements" to describe this action. Answer Explanation: The answer "measurements" means the scientists performed specific tests to record data or numbers about the soil. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "measurements" because Pete explicitly states that scientists who visited the Yucatan took measurements of the soil to test it for things like salt levels. This matches the sentence structure in the question which asks what the scientists have taken. |
| Q28 | soil | The Geology Department in our own university has reviewed the soil at the site, too | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the experts who study rocks and earth at Pete's university have examined the dirt found at the location in Mexico. Answer Explanation: The answer is soil, which refers to the top layer of earth or dirt where plants grow. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is soil because Pete states that the Geology Department at their own university looked at and checked the earth from the area. In the transcript, the word 'reviewed' is used, which means the same as 'analysed' in the question. Pete confirms that the department studied the dirt found at that location. |
| Q29 | photos / photographs | Here, study these photographs and check the damage yourself. That's what Dr Horst who wrote this book here did | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Pete inviting Dave to look at pictures (photographs) while discussing a book written by Dr. Horst. Pete explains that looking at these pictures is what the author of the book did. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to pictures taken by a camera, which are found in a book written by Dr. Horst. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'photos' or 'photographs' because Pete tells Dave to look at and study these specific images to see the environmental damage. He mentions that Dr. Horst, a scientist who wrote the book he is holding, also looked at them. Key words to note are 'study' (look at carefully), 'photographs' (pictures), and 'book'. |
| Q30 | map | I'm headed over to the Geography Department to borrow a map for my presentation | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Pete saying that he is going to pick up a map right now because he needs it for the talk he is preparing. Answer Explanation: The answer "map" refers to a visual drawing or picture of an area, which Pete wants to use to show people where the Yucatan is during his talk. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "map" because, near the end of their conversation, Pete tells Dave that he is going to the Geography Department specifically to get a map to help him with his presentation. In this context, "borrow" means to take something for a short time and then return it, and "presentation" is the speech he will give in class. |
Transcript
DAVE: Are you just leaving the library now? I saw you get there at 8:00 a.m.!
PETE: Yeah, I've been there all day.
DAVE: What for? They hired a cute new librarian or something?
PETE: I wish. No, it's the presentation that I will give in Environmental Science the day after tomorrow.
DAVE: What's it about? I heard you were really excited about the class. And Dr Schnee also calls you for the "arcane" questions, as he calls them.
PETE: It's about environmental damage in the Yucatan.
DAVE: Excuse me, what? Or is that where?
PETE: Yucatan. It's a state in Southeast Mexico.
DAVE: So what's happening there?
PETE: Agriculture is having a really adverse impact on the environment. There are too many farmers doing too much farming. It's really destroying the forests and ruining the soil. Deforestation is a major problem there now.
DAVE: How did you learn about this? I don't recall Dr Schnee saying anything about it in lecture.
PETE: Yes, but my brother went there last month, you know, to look at the old cities the Maya Indians built. That's what first got me interested.
DAVE: Your brother Tom?
PETE: No, Dick, Harry's twin. Anyway, he told me how few trees there were now and how much empty ground that grows almost nothing. He said the place looked more like the desert than jungle in some parts. It brought environmental damage. So I started looking for materials in the library. Here, look at this magazine.
DAVE: What's in it?
PETE: It's an old issue of "National Geographic". It includes interviews with tourists who've been there in the past few years. It's pretty bad. See the photos?
DAVE: I see the photos, but one or two photos don't prove anything.
PETE: Then read what the article says. Right there. The first thing it points out is how soil samples show it is hard for anything to grow there. It says how an area of 21,000 square kilometres has lost most of its forest in the past ten years. See, there are graphs. As the number of farmers increases, the acres of forest have decreased. It's an inverse relation.
DAVE: So how big is that state? I'm sorry, but I've never really learned the metric system.
PETE: It's bigger than the state of Massachusetts!
DAVE: That's shocking! Anything else?
PETE: There's lots of else. Scientists say there's a "growing area" of about 10.5 square kilometres where nothing can grow at all. It's like the beginning of a desert.
DAVE: Oh yes. What Dr Schnee called "desertification". But, why can't anything grow there? I've never really studied soil chemistry.
PETE: I'm just starting to look into that subject, but my sister Marie is a geologist and she says the problem is that the soil has too much saline, with no plants helping to adjust the chemistry. Apparently, that's a common problem with soil types throughout areas with rainforest. Once you lose the plant cover, it's difficult to bring it back. Reforestation is almost impossible, even if the land is not being used for other purposes.
DAVE: Wait a minute. What is "saline"?
PETE: Saline is salt dissolved in water. Scientists who've gone there have taken measurements. They do this by gathering a sample of the soil and running a simple test that shows the ionisation of the solution. The Geology Department in our own university has reviewed the soil at the site, too. They're right. It looks pretty bad. The level of salinity is going up. But the plants that would solve that problem can't be planted in soil like that. There is a narrow spectrum of salinity in which the plants will grow.
DAVE: And once you pass the threshold, there is no way to put the problem right?
PETE: Exactly. It's possible that no one can do anything to stop the trend now. All because of human greed! I...
DAVE: Wait a second. How do you know these "scientists" can be trusted? What kind of reputation do they have? Are they reliable?
PETE: Oh they're definitely reliable. They include four members of the faculty from the Geology Department right here at MIT. Here, study these photographs and check the damage yourself. That's what Dr Horst who wrote this book here did. He's newly appointed, but Dr Schnee says he's brilliant.
DAVE: So, where are you going now?
PETE: I'm headed over to the Geography Department to borrow a map for my presentation. You know, this whole problem could have been avoided! The farmers there in the Yucatan...
DAVE: Uh, Pete??
PETE: What?
DAVE: Go take a break! Leave some studying for the rest of us.