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Practice dictation & shadowing on the Cambridge IELTS 15 Academic Listening Part 3 Test 4.
Cambridge IELTS 15 Academic Listening Test 4 Part 3
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Total Correct Answers:
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Speaker 1 (1)
Okay, Jack. Before we plan our presentation about refrigeration, let's discuss what we've discovered so far.
Speaker 2 (2)
Fine, Annie. Though I have to admit I haven't done much research yet.
Speaker 1 (3)
Nor me. But I found an interesting article about ice houses.
Speaker 1 (4)
I'd seen some 18th and 19th-century ones here in the UK, so I knew they were often built in a shady area or underground, close to lakes that might freeze in the winter.
Speaker 1 (5)
Then blocks of ice could be cut and stored in the ice house.
Speaker 1 (6)
But I didn't realize that insulating the blocks with straw or sawdust meant they didn't melt for months.
Speaker 1 (7)
The ancient Romans had refrigeration too.
Speaker 2 (8)
I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (9)
Yes. Pits were dug in the ground, and snow was imported from the mountains, even though they were at quite a distance.
Speaker 1 (10)
The snow was stored in the pits.
Speaker 1 (11)
Ice formed at the bottom of it. Both the ice and the snow were then sold.
Speaker 1 (12)
The ice cost more than the snow, and my guess is that only the wealthy members of society could afford it.
Speaker 2 (13)
I wouldn't be surprised. I also came across an article about modern domestic fridges.
Speaker 2 (14)
Several different technologies are used, but they were too complex for me to understand.
Speaker 1 (15)
You have to wonder what happens when people get rid of old ones.
Speaker 2 (16)
You mean because the gases in them are harmful for the environment?
Speaker 1 (17)
Exactly. At least there are now plenty of organisations that will recycle most of the components safely, but of course, some people just dump old fridges in the countryside.
Speaker 2 (18)
It's hard to see how they can be stopped, unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (19)
In the UK we get rid of three million a year altogether!
Speaker 1 (20)
That sounds a lot, especially because fridges hardly ever break down.
Speaker 2 (21)
That's right. In this country we keep domestic fridges for 11 years on average, and a lot lasts for 20 or more.
Speaker 2 (22)
So if you divide the cost by the number of years you can use a fridge, they're not expensive compared with some household appliances.
Speaker 1 (23)
True. I suppose manufacturers encourage people to spend more by making them different colors and designs.
Speaker 1 (24)
I'm sure when my parents bought their first fridge, they had hardly any choice.
Speaker 2 (25)
Yes. There's been quite a change.
Speaker 2 (26)
Right. Let's make a list of topics to cover in our presentation and decide who's going to do more research on them.
Speaker 2 (27)
Then later, we can get together and plan the next step.
Speaker 1 (28)
Okay. How about starting with how useful refrigeration is, and the range of goods that are refrigerated nowadays?
Speaker 1 (29)
Because, of course, it's not just food and drinks.
Speaker 2 (30)
No. I suppose flowers and medicines are refrigerated too.
Speaker 1 (31)
And computers. I could do that, unless you particularly want to.
Speaker 2 (32)
No, that's fine by me. What about the effects of refrigeration on people's health?
Speaker 2 (33)
After all, some of the chemicals used in the 19th century were pretty harmful, but there have been lots of benefits too, like always having access to fresh food.
Speaker 2 (34)
Do you fancy dealing with that?
Speaker 1 (35)
I'm not terribly keen, to be honest.
Speaker 2 (36)
Mhmm. Nor me. My mind just goes blank when I read anything about chemicals.
Speaker 1 (37)
Oh, all right then. I'll do you a favor. But you owe me, Jack.
Speaker 1 (38)
Okay. What about the effects on food producers, like farmers in poorer countries being able to export their produce to developed countries? Something for you, maybe?
Speaker 2 (39)
I don't mind. It should be quite interesting.
Speaker 1 (40)
I think we should also look at how refrigeration has helped whole cities, like Las Vegas, which couldn't exist without refrigeration because it's in the middle of a desert.
Speaker 2 (41)
Right. I had a quick look at an economics book in the library that's got a chapter about this sort of thing.
Speaker 2 (42)
I could give you the title if you want to do this section.
Speaker 1 (43)
Not particularly, to be honest. I find economics books pretty heavy going as a rule.
Speaker 2 (44)
Okay. Leave it to me then.
Speaker 1 (45)
Thanks. Then there's transport, and the difference that refrigerated trucks have made. I wouldn't mind having a go at that.
Speaker 2 (46)
Don't forget trains too. I read something about milk and butter being transported in refrigerated railroad cars in the USA right back in the 1840s.
Speaker 1 (47)
I hadn't thought of trains. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (48)
Shall we have a separate section on domestic fridges? After all, they're something everyone's familiar with.
Speaker 1 (49)
What about splitting it into two?
Speaker 1 (50)
You could investigate 19th and 20th-century fridges, and I'll concentrate on what's available these days, and how manufacturers differentiate their products from those of their competitors.
Speaker 2 (51)
Okay. That'd suit me.