Anna and Robert’s Presentation - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Academic Listening Test 4 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–25 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 26–30 Matching
What advantage do the speakers identify for each of the following projects?
Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A−G, next to Questions 26−30.
A. It should save time.
B. It will create new jobs.
C. It will benefit local communities.
D. It will make money.
E. It will encourage personal responsibility.
F. It will be easy to advertise.
G. It will involve very little cost.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | C | Well, I was looking at a British study from 2013. It basically concluded that 12 billion pounds' worth of food and drink was thrown away each year - all of it ending up in landfill sites But one thing the study did investigate was the amount of milk and soft drinks that were wasted, and I think it was probably quite unique in that respect |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Robert talking about a 2013 study that looked at 'food and drink.' Later, he explains that it specifically looked at 'milk and soft drinks,' which are liquids, and he says this focus was rare or 'unique' for such a study. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the 2013 study looked at both things you eat (solid food) and things you drink (liquid waste). Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because Robert notes that the British study included 'drink' and specifically mentions 'milk and soft drinks' as part of the items thrown away. Since milk and soft drinks are liquids, this confirms the study included liquid waste. He also mentions that the study did not include packaging and had no data on restaurants, which makes options A and B incorrect. |
| Q22 | A | Robert: I know what you are going to say. They never refer to the fuel that farms and factories require to produce the food, and the carbon dioxide that releases? Anna: Exactly. We could really cut down on carbon emissions if less food was supplied in the first place. To my mind, the reports talk too much about the carbon dioxide produced by the trucks that deliver the fresh goods to the shops and take the waste away. They forget about one of the key causes of carbon dioxide. Robert: Absolutely | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Robert and Anna discussing how reports miss the pollution (carbon dioxide) created when farms and factories 'produce' (make) food. They agree that reports focus too much on transportation but leave out the important stage of manufacturing food. Answer Explanation: The answer means that common reports on food waste should focus more on how carbon dioxide is produced when food is being made on farms and in factories. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because both speakers agree that current reports ignore the energy used during the production stage of food. Robert mentions that reports fail to mention the fuel used by farms and factories to create food. Anna agrees (saying 'Exactly') and notes that while reports discuss transport (trucks) and waste disposal, they forget a 'key cause' of carbon dioxide, which is the production process itself. Robert finishes by saying reports must be 'more comprehensive' by including these facts. |
| Q23 | B | My point exactly. These days they all seem to be focusing on where your meat, fruit and vegetables are sourced from. We're being encouraged to buy locally, not from overseas | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that TV shows now focus on whether food comes from nearby (locally) or from a different country (overseas). Answer Explanation: The answer means that modern TV shows usually talk about where food comes from. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because Robert says that today's documentaries (television programs) focus on finding out "where your meat, fruit and vegetables are sourced from." The word "sourced" is a synonym for "origin," which means the place where something starts or comes from. While Anna mentions things like fat, sugar, and chemicals, she is talking about magazine articles, not TV shows. |
| Q24 | C | What concerns me above all else is that in a recession governments should be encouraging business to find ways to cut costs. Apparently supermarkets in the USA lose about 11% of their fruit to waste. That's throwing money away | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Anna using the phrase "above all else" to mark her most important point. She mentions a "recession" (a time when the economy is doing poorly) and says that waste is like "throwing money away." This confirms she is most interested in the financial side of the problem. Answer Explanation: The answer is the economic effect. This means how food waste relates to money and the costs for businesses. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because Anna clearly states that her biggest worry is about saving money during a bad financial time. She uses the words "recession" and "cut costs," which show she is thinking about the economy. She believes that wasting food is the same as wasting money, which is her main focus for the presentation. |
| Q25 | A | Anna: I agree. How about we give the other students a set of questions to answer – about what they suspect they waste every day? Robert: I'm fine with that. Probably a better option than showing pictures of landfill sites. It'll be more personalised, that way | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Anna suggesting they give the students a group of questions to answer, and Robert thinks this is a good idea because it makes the topic feel more personal than just using pictures of garbage. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Anna and Robert choose to start their talk by giving the students some questions to answer. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is Choice A because Anna and Robert talk about how they want to start their presentation. Robert says they should not start with numbers (statistics) like everyone else. Anna then suggests giving the other students a group of questions about what they waste every day. Robert agrees, saying it is better than showing photos of trash areas (landfill sites). In English, 'a set of questions' is another way to say a 'questionnaire'. |
| Q26 | G | The other good thing about the patches is that apparently they’ll be cheap to manufacture | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Robert explaining that one of the benefits of this project is that it does not cost a lot of money to make the patches. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies that the edible patch project is expected to be inexpensive to produce. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is G because Robert mentions that these edible patches will be 'cheap to manufacture'. In English, saying something is 'cheap' to make means it has a low price or 'very little cost' to produce. This makes it an advantage of the project. |
| Q27 | A | That’s got to be a quicker way to check for ripeness than taking each box off the shelf and opening it | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that scanning these sensors is a faster way to tell if fruit is ripe compared to the manual work of opening every box. Answer Explanation: The answer means that using the ripeness sensor will make a task happen faster. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because Anna describes how the sensor works by scanning boxes with a portable device. She points out that this is a quicker method than the traditional way of opening every single box to see if the fruit is ready. Using the word 'quicker' directly relates to saving time. |
| Q28 | D | Their waste tracking technology means that caterers can see how much food is being wasted and why. That’ll increase profits for them eventually | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that by using tracking technology, food providers can understand their waste, which will eventually lead to them earning more profit. Answer Explanation: The answer means that this technology helps businesses earn more money. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because Robert mentions that the waste tracking technology allows people who provide food (caterers) to see exactly what is being thrown away. He states that this will result in increased profits for them in the future. In business, increasing profits is a synonym for making more money. |
| Q29 | C | Anna: Yes. And did you read about Zero PerCent? They’ve produced this smartphone application that allows restaurants to send donation alerts to food charities. The charities can then pick up the unwanted food and distribute it to people in need. Robert: In the long run, that’ll definitely benefit poorer families in the neighbourhood. No kid should go to school hungry | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Anna mentioning a phone app that sends food to charities. Robert explains that this app will help poor families in the local area (neighbourhood) so that children do not have to be hungry. Answer Explanation: The answer C means that the phone app will help people who live in the local area. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the speakers discuss a phone app called Zero PerCent that helps restaurants donate extra food to charities. Robert mentions that this app will 'benefit poorer families in the neighbourhood.' In this context, the 'neighbourhood' refers to the local community, and helping families in that area means the project 'will benefit local communities.' |
| Q30 | E | But I guess if we all start composting, we'd be doing something positive about the problem of food waste ourselves, rather than relying on the government to sort it out | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that Robert believes composting is a way for people to act on their own and handle waste properly, rather than depending on the government to do it for them. Answer Explanation: The answer means that composting helps people take charge of their own actions to help the environment. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is E because Robert says that composting allows people to take action on the problem of food waste on their own. Instead of waiting for the government to fix things, people can do something helpful themselves. The phrase 'doing something ourselves' is a direct synonym for taking 'personal responsibility.' |
Transcript
Anna: Hi, Robert.
Robert: Hi. Sorry I'm late. I was just printing off some pages about food waste in Britain.
Anna: Do you want to include Britain in the presentation? I thought we were concentrating on the USA?
Robert: Well, it is a global problem, so I thought we ought to provide some statistics that show that.
Anna: Fair enough. What did you find out?
Robert: Well, I was looking at a British study from 2013. It basically concluded that 12 billion pounds' worth of food and drink was thrown away each year - all of it ending up in landfill sites. Over eight million tons - and that wasn't including packaging.
Anna: An incredible amount.
Robert: Yes, and they were only looking at what households threw away, so there's no information about restaurants and the catering industry. But one thing the study did investigate was the amount of milk and soft drinks that were wasted, and I think it was probably quite unique in that respect.
Anna: Interesting. You know, in the other European reports I've read - there's one thing they have in common when they talk about carbon dioxide emissions.
Robert: I know what you are going to say. They never refer to the fuel that farms and factories require to produce the food, and the carbon dioxide that releases?
Anna: Exactly. We could really cut down on carbon emissions if less food was supplied in the first place. To my mind, the reports talk too much about the carbon dioxide produced by the trucks that deliver the fresh goods to the shops and take the waste away. They forget about one of the key causes of carbon dioxide.
Robert: Absolutely. If the reports are actually going to be useful to people, they need to be more comprehensive.
Anna: Who do you mean by 'people'?
Robert: Well, the government, industries ... people making television programmes. Have you seen any documentaries about food waste?
Anna: Not that I remember.
Robert: My point exactly. These days they all seem to be focusing on where your meat, fruit and vegetables are sourced from. We're being encouraged to buy locally, not from overseas. That's probably a good thing but I'd still like to see something about waste.
Anna: Yes, it's the same with magazine articles - it's all about fat and sugar content and the kind of additives and colouring in food - but nothing about how it reaches your table and what happens after it ends up in the bin.
Robert: Well, we've only got 15 minutes for this presentation, so I think we'll have to limit what we say about the consequences of food waste. What do we want to concentrate on?
Anna: Well, I know some of the other presentations are looking at food and farming methods and what they do to the environment, so I think we'll avoid that. And the fact that in some countries, people can't afford the food grown on their own farms – that was covered last term.
Robert: OK. We don't want to repeat stuff.
Anna: What concerns me above all else is that in a recession governments should be encouraging business to find ways to cut costs. Apparently supermarkets in the USA lose about 11% of their fruit to waste. That's throwing money away.
Robert: All right – we’ll focus on that problem. It should get the others’ attention, anyway. Now, how do you want to begin the presentation? Let’s not start with statistics, though, because that’s what everybody does.
Anna: I agree. How about we give the other students a set of questions to answer – about what they suspect they waste every day?
Robert: I'm fine with that. Probably a better option than showing pictures of landfill sites. It'll be more personalised, that way.
Anna: All right, now let's start...
Robert: OK, shall we now have a look at the projects that different researchers and organisations are working on?
Anna: For me, the project I really liked was the one at Tufts University – you know, where they’ve invented tiny edible patches to stick on fresh foods that show you what level of bacteria is present, and so whether you can still eat it.
Robert: It’s a great idea as it tells you if you need to hurry up and eat the food before it goes off. The other good thing about the patches is that apparently they’ll be cheap to manufacture.
Anna: Good. Then the other thing I thought was great was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology project.
Robert: I hadn't seen that.
Anna: Well, they've developed these sensors that can detect tiny amounts of ethylene. Ethylene is the natural plant hormone in fruit that makes them turn ripe, apparently. The researchers think that they can attach the sensors to cardboard boxes – and then supermarkets can scan the sensors with a portable device to see how ripe the fruit inside is. That’s got to be a quicker way to check for ripeness than taking each box off the shelf and opening it.
Robert: Definitely. And I thought that Lean Path was worth mentioning, too. Their waste tracking technology means that caterers can see how much food is being wasted and why. That’ll increase profits for them eventually.
Anna: Yes. And did you read about Zero PerCent? They’ve produced this smartphone application that allows restaurants to send donation alerts to food charities. The charities can then pick up the unwanted food and distribute it to people in need.
Robert: In the long run, that’ll definitely benefit poorer families in the neighbourhood. No kid should go to school hungry.
Anna: I agree. And I read that quite a few local governments in the USA are thinking about introducing compulsory composting in their states – so you can’t put any food waste into your rubbish bins, just the compost bin.
Robert: Well, I guess that means a bit more work for people. I mean, they have to separate the organic and inorganic waste themselves before they take it out to the compost bin, and you know how lazy some people are! But I guess if we all start composting, we'd be doing something positive about the problem of food waste ourselves, rather than relying on the government to sort it out. Having said that, not everyone has a garden so ...