Hair - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–38 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
HAIR
Facts about hair
- main purposes – warmth and 31
- main component keratin – makes fingernails 32
- full head of hair can support a large weight – equal to two 33
- average number of strands of hair – 34 for an adult
- large amount of money spent on 35 for hair in the UK
Structure of hair
Three main parts:
a) bulb – like a 36 over end of hair follicle
b) root – contains glands that supply 37 to hair strand
c) shaft – not 38
Questions 39–40 Summary Completion
Complete the summary below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Health and Hair
Changes in diet will take longer to affect your hair than your 39 . Vitamins C, D and E are all important for healthy hair and 40 are one of the best sources of Vitamin C.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | protection | And there are – or were – two main reasons for having hair. One is to provide warmth but as humans have worn clothes for many years, body hair has significantly reduced. The other is for protection – and again this isn't as significant as it was once, but hair does still benefit areas of the body such as the head and around the eyes |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that humans originaly had hair for two main reasons. The first job of hair was to keep people warm, and the second job was to protect the body, specially the head and the eyes. Answer Explanation: The answer means hair helps keep parts of our body safe from harm. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'protection' because the speaker lists 'two main reasons'—which means 'main purposes'—for why humans have hair. The first reason mentioned is to provide 'warmth,' and the second reason mentioned is 'protection.' |
| Q32 | flexible | In fact, it's keratin which makes them flexible and without it they would be very rigid | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that a protein called keratin is the reason fingernails are bendy. It also mentions that without keratin, fingernails would be very hard and stiff. Answer Explanation: The answer means that fingernails can bend and move easily without breaking. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'flexible' because the lecturer explains that keratin is the material that makes up hair and fingernails. The lecturer specifically points out that this protein allows fingernails to bend; if they did not have keratin, they would be 'rigid' or stiff. Therefore, 'flexible' describes the quality that keratin gives to fingernails. |
| Q33 | elephants | This may not sound all that much, but a full head of hair can support up to 12 tonnes, which is the equivalent of a couple of elephants, which is simply amazing – though I advise you not to put this to the test | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that if you take all the hair on a human head, it can hold up a weight of 12 tonnes. It says this is the same weight as two elephants. Answer Explanation: The answer 'elephants' refers to very big and heavy land animals used here to describe how much weight a person's hair can hold. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'elephants' because the speaker compares the strength of a full head of hair to the weight of these animals. The lecture explains that while one hair isn't very strong, all the hair on a head together can hold 12 tonnes. To help the listener understand how heavy 12 tonnes is, the speaker says it is the same as ('equivalent of') two ('a couple of') elephants. |
| Q34 | 100 000 / 100,000 | There's some variation depending on hair colour but for an average adult the strand count is 100,000, so losing 100 a day is not too bad | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that while hair color matters, a normal grown-up usually has 100,000 hairs on their head. Answer Explanation: The answer is 100,000, which is the total number of hairs a person usually has on their head. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 100,000 because the speaker says this is the average number of hair strands for an adult. Even though the number of hairs can change based on a person's hair color, the speaker gives 100,000 as the general amount (strand count) for most people. |
| Q35 | products | Apart from the money involved in haircutting, shaving, trimming, etc., a fortune is spent just on hair products. In the UK alone, consumers spend over five billion pounds each year on these | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that besides paying for services like haircuts, people in the United Kingdom spend a very large amount of money every year on things you use for hair. Answer Explanation: The answer "products" refers to the different items people buy to look after their hair, such as shampoo, conditioner, and hair gel. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "products" because the speaker discusses how hair has become a big business. The transcript notes that people in the UK spend over five billion pounds each year specifically on items for their hair, which the speaker calls "hair products." |
| Q36 | cap | The bulb acts rather like a cap – it encloses the end of the hair in the head | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the bulb is a part of the hair that covers the end of it, just like a hat or a cap. Answer Explanation: The answer 'cap' tells us what the bulb looks like or how it works. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'cap' because the speaker explicitly compares the bulb to a cap when explaining the parts of a hair. In the transcript, the speaker says the bulb 'acts rather like a cap' because it covers or encloses the end of the hair. This matches the note 'bulb – like a over end of hair follicle'. |
| Q37 | oil | The next part of the hair is the root and this is the part of the hair which lies just beneath the skin and, in terms of hair production, is the most important. This can be considered the control centre for each strand of hair and is where the glands are found. These produce oil which flows along the length of the hair | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the root is located under the skin and contains glands. These glands make oil, and that oil travels down the entire hair strand. Answer Explanation: The answer is oil, which is a natural liquid produced by the body to keep things moist and healthy. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is oil because the speaker describes the 'root' part of the hair as the place where glands are located. These glands create oil, which then moves along the hair to keep it healthy. In biology, 'glands' are often parts of the body that make and release substances like oil. |
| Q38 | active | The last part is the shaft and this is the hair which is above the skin and is, of course, what we can see. Fortunately, this is not active and I say 'fortunately' because otherwise it would be very painful to have your hair cut | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the 'shaft' is the hair we see outside the skin. It confirms that this part is not active, which is why it does not hurt when we get a haircut. Answer Explanation: The answer 'active' describes the state of the hair shaft, meaning it does not have living cells or nerves that feel pain. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'active' because the transcript explicitly states that the shaft—the part of the hair we can see above the skin—is not active. The speaker notes that this is lucky because it allows us to cut our hair without feeling any pain. This matches the note 'shaft – not active'. |
| Q39 | skin | But whereas a change in your diet to, for example, eating unhealthy foods will soon be noticeable in your skin, changes to your hair will take a lot longer | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that if you eat unhealthy food, you will see a result on your skin very quickly, but it takes much more time for your hair to be affected. Answer Explanation: The answer is the skin, which is the soft outer layer of a person's body. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is skin because the transcript contrasts how quickly diet affects different parts of the body. It mentions that while changes in what you eat are quickly noticeable in your skin, those same changes take a much longer time—specifically several months—to show any effect on your hair. |
| Q40 | blue-berries / blueberries | If you need a boost of vitamin C, for example, one of the best things to eat are blueberries | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that if you want to improve your hair health with Vitamin C, eating blueberries is an excellent way to do it. Answer Explanation: The answer is blueberries, which are small blue fruits that help keep your hair healthy. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'blueberries' because the speaker discusses specific vitamins that are needed for hair health. The speaker mentions that Vitamin C is one of these important vitamins and then identifies blueberries as one of the best foods to eat to get a 'boost' (an increase) of Vitamin C. |
Transcript
Good morning and welcome to this lecture on hair which is a part of the human biology course. This lecture covers a number of facts about hair – its structure and what can affect the general health of hair.
So, first of all, what is hair and why do we have it? If we look back at our ancestors, we'll see that they had a lot more hair on their bodies than we do now. And there are – or were – two main reasons for having hair. One is to provide warmth ... but as humans have worn clothes for many years, body hair has significantly reduced. The other is for protection – and again this isn't as significant as it was once, but hair does still benefit areas of the body such as the head and around the eyes.
Now hair, whatever it is for and wherever it is on the human body, is composed mainly of a protein called keratin. This, by the way, is also found in fingernails. In fact, it's keratin which makes them flexible and without it they would be very rigid. Another interesting fact about hair is that it is very strong – as strong as iron in fact. One single strand can support a weight of up to 100 grams. This may not sound all that much, but a full head of hair can support up to 12 tonnes, which is the equivalent of a couple of elephants, which is simply amazing – though I advise you not to put this to the test!
Humans lose up to 100 strands of hair a day, but we do have quite a lot of hair to start with. There's some variation depending on hair colour but for an average adult the strand count is 100,000, so losing 100 a day is not too bad. Although this is the average, people with red hair have around 80,000 strands, black or brown hair 100,000 and blondes have about 120,000.
So hair used to be important for the reasons I mentioned earlier but nowadays I'd say the main importance of hair is the fact that it is big business. Apart from the money involved in haircutting, shaving, trimming, etc., a fortune is spent just on hair products. In the UK alone, consumers spend over five billion pounds each year on these.
[pause]
So next, I'd like to just give you a quick overview of the structure of hair. As you can see, along the length of the hair, there are three main parts called the bulb, the root and the shaft. A single hair is fixed at one end below the skin in the bulb. The bulb acts rather like a cap – it encloses the end of the hair in the head. The next part of the hair is the root and this is the part of the hair which lies just beneath the skin and, in terms of hair production, is the most important. This can be considered the control centre for each strand of hair and is where the glands are found. These produce oil which flows along the length of the hair and the health of the root determines the overall health of the strand of hair. The last part is the shaft and this is the hair which is above the skin and is, of course, what we can see. Fortunately, this is not active and I say 'fortunately' because otherwise it would be very painful to have your hair cut!
And finally I'd just like to go over a few factors that impact on the overall health of hair. Like every other part of the body, our diet – that is what we eat – is extremely important to the condition of our hair. But whereas a change in your diet to, for example, eating unhealthy foods will soon be noticeable in your skin, changes to your hair will take a lot longer. A change in diet today could take several months to have an effect on your hair. And so – what is the key to healthy hair? Well – eating a balanced diet is the most important thing. There are a number of vitamins that are vital for good hair health, the main ones being vitamins C, D and E, and in a balanced diet all these vitamins should be readily available. If you need a boost of vitamin C, for example, one of the best things to eat are blueberries. For Vitamin D, the best examples are fish, mushrooms and eggs and for vitamin E, nuts and seeds.
Right so let's go on to ...