Recycling Footwear - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic Listening Test 2 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–24 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 25–28 Matching
What reasons did the recycling manager give for rejecting footwear, according tothe students?
Choose FOUR answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-F.
Reason
A. one shoe was missing
B. the colour of one shoe had faded
C. one shoe had a hole in it
D. the shoes were brand new
E. he shoes were too dirty
F. the stitching on the shoes was broken
Footwear
Questions 29–30 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | A | Well, before I started reading it, I thought recycling footwear, well, although it’s quite interesting, perhaps there isn’t enough to say about it | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that at first, Don thought recycling footwear might be interesting, but he was worried that there might not be enough information to talk about it. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Don thought the topic might be too limited, which means he was unsure if there was enough content to discuss. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the excerpt shows that Don felt recycling footwear might be interesting, but he was afraid it could be too small a topic. He was not worried about it being hard to research or boring for listeners. |
| Q22 | B | I guess they are very hard-wearing, but don’t they look a bit casual for school uniform? I don’t think they’re right for that. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that Bella thinks trainers are strong and last a long time. However, she also feels that trainers look too casual and are not good for wearing with school uniforms. She believes trainers are not suitable for school. Answer Explanation: The answer 'B' means that Bella and Don disagree about whether trainers are appropriate to wear for school. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'B' because Bella says trainers look too casual for school uniforms, which shows that she thinks they are not suitable for school. This indicates a disagreement with Don about their use in a school setting. |
| Q23 | B | I must admit, I’ve recycled some perfectly good shoes, that haven’t gone out of fashion and still fit, just because they don’t look great on me any more. That’s awful isn’t it? | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that Bella has recycled shoes that still fit her and are not out of fashion. She recycled them because they do not look good on her anymore. This means she does not like the way they look on her. Answer Explanation: The answer B means she no longer likes the shoes. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because Bella recycled the shoes just because they don't look great on her anymore, which means she no longer likes them. |
| Q24 | B | No. But then it said that the amount of recycled footwear has fallen: it’s 6 percent now compared to a previous level of 11 percent. That doesn’t seem to make sense. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that Don is confused because it mentions that fewer shoes are being recycled now. It used to be 11 percent of shoes were recycled, but now it is only 6 percent. This change does not make sense to him. Answer Explanation: The answer B means that less footwear is recycled now than it was in the past. This matches with what Don is confused about in the transcript. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because it directly states that the amount of recycled footwear has fallen, which is what Don is confused about. He finds it strange that the percentage of recycling has decreased from 11 percent to 6 percent. |
| Q25 | E | but in a very wet field so the heels were too stained with mud and grass to re-sell them. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the high-heeled shoes were in a very wet field. Because of this, the shoes got very dirty with mud and grass. They were too stained to sell again. Answer Explanation: The answer is E, which means the shoes were too dirty. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is E because the transcript explains that the shoes were too stained with mud and grass. This means they were too dirty to be sold. |
| Q26 | B | One of the shoes was a much lighter shade than the other one | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that one of the shoes looked much lighter than the other shoe. This means that the color of one shoe changed and was not the same as the other shoe. Answer Explanation: The answer is B, which means that one shoe had lost its color or faded compared to the other shoe. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the transcript shows that one shoe was a much lighter shade than the other. This means that the color of one shoe had faded, which is why the recycling manager rejected them. |
| Q27 | A | You’d think it would have been easy to find the other, but it wasn’t. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that it should have been easy to find the other shoe, but it was not easy. This means one of the shoes was missing. Answer Explanation: The answer A means that one shoe was missing. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the transcript talks about a missing shoe, which matches the reason for rejection. |
| Q28 | C | One of the soles was so worn under the foot that you could put your finger through it. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that one of the soles (the bottom part of the shoe) was so worn out (used a lot) that you could put your finger through it. This means the shoe had a big hole in it. Answer Explanation: The answer 'C' means that one shoe had a hole in it. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'C' because the transcript describes a shoe with a worn-out sole that has a hole, which matches reason 'C'. |
| Q29 | C | It was because the pairs of shoes weren’t identical. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the project failed because the pairs of shoes were not the same. This means that when they made new shoes from old ones, the shoes did not match or look identical. Answer Explanation: The answer 'C' means that the shoes in the new pairs were not completely alike, which agrees with what the transcript says. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'C' because it explains that the project failed because the new shoes made from old shoes did not match, just like the transcript says. |
| Q30 | A | we can show that by taking a very different approach to it. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that Bella and Don can take a different approach to their topic. This means they want to present it in a new or interesting way. Answer Explanation: The answer 'A' means they will show their topic from a new angle, which is a different way of looking at it. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the excerpt talks about taking a very different approach to their topic, which fits with presenting it from a new angle. |
Transcript
BELLA: Hi Don – did you get the copy of the article on recycling footwear that I emailed you?
DON: Yeah – it’s here … I’ve had a look at it.
BELLA: So do you think it’s a good topic for our presentation?
DON: Well, before I started reading it, I thought recycling footwear, well, although it’s quite interesting, perhaps there isn’t enough to say about it, cos we put shoes in recycling bins, they go to charity shops and that’s about it.
BELLA: … but there’s much more to it than that.
DON: I realise that now and I’m keen to research the topic more.
BELLA: That’s great.
DON: One of the things I didn’t realise until I read the article was just how many pairs of trainers get recycled!
BELLA: Well, a lot of young people wear them all the time now. They’ve become more popular than ordinary shoes.
DON: I know. I guess they are very hard-wearing, but don’t they look a bit casual for school uniform? I don’t think they’re right for that.
BELLA: Actually, I think some of them look quite smart on pupils … better than a scruffy old pair of shoes.
DON: So do you keep shoes a long time?
BELLA: Yes. Though I do tend to wear my old pairs for doing dirty jobs like cleaning my bike.
BELLA: I must admit, I’ve recycled some perfectly good shoes, that haven’t gone out of fashion and still fit, just because they don’t look great on me any more. That’s awful isn’t it?
DON: I think it’s common because there’s so much choice. The article did say that recent sales of footwear have increased enormously.
BELLA: That didn’t surprise me.
DON: No. But then it said that the amount of recycled footwear has fallen: it’s 6 percent now compared to a previous level of 11 percent. That doesn’t seem to make sense.
BELLA: That’s because not everything goes through the recycling process. Some footwear just isn’t good enough to re-sell, for one reason or another, and gets rejected.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
BELLA: So let’s find some examples in the article of footwear that was rejected for recycling.
DON: OK. I think there are some in the interview with the recycling manager. Yeah – here it is.
BELLA: Mmm. Let’s start with the ladies’ high-heeled shoes. What did he say about those?
DON: He said they were probably expensive – the material was suede and they were beige in colour – it looked like someone had only worn them once, but in a very wet field so the heels were too stained with mud and grass to re-sell them.
BELLA: OK … and the leather ankle boots. What was wrong with them?
DON: Apparently, the heels were worn – but that wasn’t the problem. One of the shoes was a much lighter shade than the other one – it had obviously been left in the sun. I suppose even second-hand shoes should look the same!
BELLA: Sure. Then there were the red baby shoes.
DON: Oh yes – we’re told to tie shoes together when we put them in a recycling bin, but people often don’t bother.
BELLA: You’d think it would have been easy to find the other, but it wasn’t. That was a shame because they were obviously new.
DON: The trainers were interesting. He said they looked like they’d been worn by a marathon runner.
BELLA: Yeah – weren’t they split?
DON: Not exactly. One of the soles was so worn under the foot that you could put your finger through it.
BELLA: Well, we could certainly use some of those examples in our presentation to explain why 90 percent of shoes that people take to recycling centres or bins get thrown into landfill.
DON: Mmm. What did you think about the project his team set up to avoid this by making new shoes out of the good parts of old shoes?
BELLA: It sounded like a good idea. They get so many shoes, they should be able to match parts. I wasn’t surprised that it failed, though. I mean who wants to buy second-hand shoes really? Think of all the germs you could catch!
DON: Well, people didn’t refuse them for that reason, did they? It was because the pairs of shoes weren’t identical.
BELLA: They still managed to ship them overseas, though.
DON: That’s another area we need to discuss.
BELLA: You know I used to consider this topic just from my own perspective, by thinking about my own recycling behaviour without looking at the bigger picture. So much happens once shoes leave the recycling area.
DON: It’s not as simple as you first think, and we can show that by taking a very different approach to it.
BELLA: Absolutely. So let’s discuss …