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Practice dictation & shadowing on the Cambridge IELTS 13 Academic Listening Part 3 Test 1.
Cambridge IELTS 13 Academic Listening Test 1 Part 3
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Speaker 1 (1)
We've got to choose a topic for our experiment, haven't we, Jack?
Speaker 1 (2)
Were you thinking of something to do with seeds?
Speaker 2 (3)
That's right. I thought we could look at seed germination, how a seed begins to grow.
Speaker 1 (4)
Okay. Any particular reason? I know you're hoping to work in plant science eventually.
Speaker 2 (5)
Yeah. But practically everything we do is going to feed into that.
Speaker 2 (6)
No, there's an optional module on seed structure and function in the third year that I might do.
Speaker 2 (7)
So I thought it might be useful for that.
Speaker 2 (8)
If I choose that option, I don't have to do a dissertation module.
Speaker 1 (9)
Good idea.
Speaker 2 (10)
Well, I thought for this experiment we could look at the relationship between seed size and the way the seeds are planted.
Speaker 2 (11)
So we could plant different sized seeds in different ways and see which grow best.
Speaker 1 (12)
Okay. Would need to allow time for the seeds to come up.
Speaker 2 (13)
That should be fine if we start now.
Speaker 2 (14)
A lot of the other possible experiments need quite a bit longer.
Speaker 1 (15)
So that'd make it a good one to choose.
Speaker 1 (16)
And I don't suppose it'd need much equipment.
Speaker 1 (17)
We're not doing chemical analysis or anything.
Speaker 1 (18)
Though that's not really an issue. We've got plenty of equipment in the laboratory.
Speaker 2 (19)
Yeah. We need to have a word with the tutor if we're going to go ahead with it, though.
Speaker 2 (20)
I'm sure our aim's okay.
Speaker 2 (21)
It's not very ambitious, but the assignment's only 10% of our final mark, isn't it?
Speaker 2 (22)
But we need to be sure we're the only ones doing it.
Speaker 1 (23)
Yeah. It's only 5%, actually.
Speaker 1 (24)
But it'd be a bit boring if everyone was doing it.
Speaker 2 (25)
Did you read that book on seed germination on our reading list?
Speaker 1 (26)
The one by Graves? I looked through it for my last experiment, though it wasn't all that relevant there.
Speaker 1 (27)
It would be for this experiment, though.
Speaker 1 (28)
I found it quite hard to follow, lots about the theory, which I hadn't expected.
Speaker 2 (29)
Yes. I'd been hoping for something more practical.
Speaker 2 (30)
It does include references to the recent findings on genetically modified seeds, though.
Speaker 1 (31)
Yes. That was interesting.
Speaker 2 (32)
I read an article about seed germination by Lee Hall.
Speaker 1 (33)
About seeds that lie in the ground for ages and only germinate after a fire?
Speaker 2 (34)
That's the one. I knew a bit about it already, but not about this research.
Speaker 2 (35)
His analysis of figures comparing the times of the fires and the proportion of seeds that germinated was done in a lot of detail - very impressive.
Speaker 1 (36)
Was that the article with the illustrations of early stages of plant development? They were very clear.
Speaker 2 (37)
I think those diagrams were in another article.
Speaker 1 (38)
Anyway, shall we have a look at the procedure for our experiment?
Speaker 1 (39)
We'll need to get going with it quite soon.
Speaker 2 (40)
Right. So the first thing we have to do is find our seeds.
Speaker 2 (41)
I think vegetable seeds would be best.
Speaker 2 (42)
And obviously, they mustn't all be the same size.
Speaker 2 (43)
So how many sorts do we need? About 4 different ones?
Speaker 1 (44)
I think that would be enough. There'll be quite a large number of seeds for each one.
Speaker 2 (45)
Then for each seed, we need to find out how much it weighs and also measure its dimensions.
Speaker 2 (46)
And we need to keep a careful record of all that.
Speaker 1 (47)
That'll be quite time consuming.
Speaker 1 (48)
And we also need to decide how deep we're going to plant the seeds, right on the surface a few millimetres down or several centimetres.
Speaker 2 (49)
Okay. So then we get planting.
Speaker 2 (50)
Do you think we can plant several seeds together in the same plant pot?
Speaker 1 (51)
No. I think we need a different one for each seed.
Speaker 2 (52)
Right. And we'll need to label them.
Speaker 2 (53)
We can use different coloured labels.
Speaker 2 (54)
Then we wait for the seeds to germinate.
Speaker 2 (55)
I reckon that'll be about 3 weeks, depending on what the weather's like.
Speaker 2 (56)
Then we see if our plants have come up and write down how tall they've grown.
Speaker 1 (57)
Then all we have to do is look at our numbers and see if there's any relation between them.
Speaker 2 (58)
That's right...