Healthy Diets - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Succeed in IELTS Academic Listening Test 8 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–40 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
To calculate your Body Mass Index you should first take 31 in kilograms and divide it by your height in metres.
Healthy Diets
- It is important to eat starchy foods with fruit and vegetables.
- There are people who 32 that starchy foods are 'fattening'.
- Eat a minimum of 33 of fruit and vegetables a day.
- People tend to eat too much 34 and you only need a certain amount to keep healthy.
- People say that 35 can help protect against heart disease.
Exercise is good for us because:
1) it strengthens the heart
2) it tones our 36
3) it is good for the mind
- We do less exercise because we have domestic 37 to do things for us.
- Adults should do at least 38 moderate-intensity physical activity, five days a week.
A physical activity can be:
a) a lifestyle activity
b) a 39 activity
c) sports
Activities that produce 40 on the bones are necessary.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | your weight | To work out your BMI you should take your weight in kilograms and divide it by your height in metres | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that to calculate your BMI, you begin by taking your body weight measured in kilograms and dividing it by your height measured in metres. Answer Explanation: The answer means how heavy you are. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "your weight" because the speaker provides the formula to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). In the recording, the phrase "To work out your BMI" corresponds to "To calculate your Body Mass Index". He specifically instructs the listener to "take your weight in kilograms". |
| Q32 | wrongly think / think | Some people wrongly think that starchy foods are 'fattening' | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that some individuals have the incorrect idea that foods with starch make people fat. Answer Explanation: The answer means to mistakenly believe something that is not true. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "(wrongly) think" because the speaker explicitly states that "Some people wrongly think that starchy foods are 'fattening'". In the sentence prompt, "There are people who [blank] that starchy foods are 'fattening'", the missing words that describe what these people do are "wrongly think" (or simply "think"). |
| Q33 | five portions | It is also important to eat at least 5 portions, and ideally 7 to 9 portions, of a variety of fruit or vegetables each day | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that people should consume at least five servings of different fruits or vegetables each day, and ideally more. Answer Explanation: The answer means eating five servings or measured amounts of fruit and vegetables. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "five portions" because the speaker advises people to eat "at least 5 portions" of fruits or vegetables every day. The phrase "at least" matches the keyword "a minimum of" in the notes. |
| Q34 | protein | You also need a certain amount of protein to keep healthy. However, most people eat more protein than is necessary | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that your body only requires a specific amount of protein to be healthy, but most people end up eating more of it than their body needs. Answer Explanation: The answer "protein" refers to an important food nutrient found in things like meat, chicken, fish, and beans that helps your body stay strong and healthy. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "protein" because the speaker discusses the exact amount needed for good health versus how much people actually consume. In the talk, Dr Harold mentions that you need "a certain amount of protein to keep healthy," but then points out that "most people eat more protein than is necessary." The idea of eating more than is necessary matches the phrase "tend to eat too much" in the notes. |
| Q35 | oily fish | There is evidence that eating oily fish helps to protect against heart disease | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that studies show eating oily fish is good for protecting a person's heart from illness. Answer Explanation: The answer means a type of fish that has natural oil in its flesh, such as salmon or mackerel. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "oily fish" because the speaker mentions that there is proof showing that eating this specific kind of fish can protect a person from heart problems. In the notes, the phrase "can help protect against heart disease" directly matches the speaker's words. |
| Q36 | muscles | it is also crucial to do regular exercise as it strengthens the heart, tones our muscles and is also good for the mind | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that exercising often is very important because it makes the heart stronger, keeps muscles firm and in good shape, and helps mental health. Answer Explanation: The answer means the parts of the body that help us move and lift things. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "muscles" because the speaker lists three reasons why regular exercise is good: it strengthens the heart, "tones our muscles", and helps the mind. Therefore, "muscles" completes the sentence "it tones our...". |
| Q37 | appliances | We have domestic appliances to wash and dry for us | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that we have household machines to clean and dry things for us, which means we do less physical work ourselves. Answer Explanation: The answer "appliances" refers to home machines or devices, such as washing machines and dryers, that perform household chores. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "appliances" because Dr. Harold mentions that modern daily physical activity has decreased partly because people now rely on "domestic appliances" to wash and dry things instead of doing it by hand. In the notes, "domestic appliances to do things for us" matches the speaker's statement "domestic appliances to wash and dry for us". |
| Q38 | 30 minutes | Adults should do a minimum of 30 minutes moderate-intensity physical activity, five days a week | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that adult people must do at least 30 minutes of medium-level exercise five days every week. Answer Explanation: The answer means a time period of half an hour of physical activity. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "30 minutes" because Dr Harold clearly states how much exercise grown adults need. In the notes, the phrase "at least" matches the words "a minimum of" from the talk. Both mean the lowest acceptable amount of time, which is "30 minutes". |
| Q39 | structured | The activity can be a 'lifestyle activity' such as walking to the shops or taking the dog out or structured exercise or sport, or a combination of these | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that physical movement can come from daily habits (lifestyle activity), organized workouts (structured exercise), or sports. Answer Explanation: The answer means planned or organized. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the speaker's discussion of different kinds of physical activity. The speaker explains that activity can be a 'lifestyle activity', 'structured exercise', or 'sport'. In the notes, 'structured' fits before 'activity' (or exercise) to complete the list. |
| Q40 | high physical stresses | For bone health, activities that produce high physical stresses on the bones are necessary | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that exercises or movements that put strong physical pressure on the bones are required to keep them healthy. Answer Explanation: The answer means strong physical pressure or heavy force placed on the skeleton. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the speaker's advice on keeping bones healthy. In the talk, Dr Harold directly states that activities causing strong forces or pressure on the skeleton are needed for bone health, using the exact phrase "high physical stresses". |
Transcript
Professor: I'd like to introduce our speaker today who has come all the way from Manchester. Dr Paul Harold, the Head of Research in Nutrition at Manchester University. He is going to talk to us about ways we can improve our lifestyle and fitness. This will include watching what we eat and being more careful about our calorie intake as well as taking regular exercise. This is an important current issue as many people eat too much junk food and the nation as a whole is fatter than it was one hundred years ago.
Dr Harold: Thank you, James, for your introduction. You are absolutely right; statistics show that the nation is heavier than it used to be and this is due to the long hours that we work and the lack of time we have to prepare healthy meals that are low in fat and sugar. There are some simple steps everyone can take to help improve their general health; maybe lose some weight first; in the long run, it could lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.
The first thing to do in order to check that your weight is healthy is to work out your Body Mass Index or BMI. This is a tool that can help you find out if you are a healthy weight for your height. Obviously the height of a person will affect what weight they should be. To work out your BMI you should take your weight in kilograms and divide it by your height in metres. Then you divide the results by your height in metres again. The results you come up with can be checked on a chart to see if your BMI is too high, too low or about right.
Even if your BMI is about where it should be it is still important to eat a healthy and well-balanced diet. A healthy diet involves consuming appropriate amounts of all the food groups, including an adequate amount of water. Nutrients can be obtained from many different foods, so there are a wide variety of healthy diets.
To start with, it is important to eat starchy foods such as bread, cereals, potatoes, rice, and pasta, together with fruit and vegetables and this should provide the bulk of most meals. Some people wrongly think that starchy foods are 'fattening'. In fact, they contain about half the calories of the same weight of fat. Also, starchy foods often contain a lot of fibre. When you eat starchy foods, you get a feeling of fullness which helps to control appetite. It is also important to eat at least 5 portions, and ideally 7 to 9 portions, of a variety of fruit or vegetables each day. If you eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, then your chances of developing heart disease, a stroke, or bowel cancer are reduced. You also need a certain amount of protein to keep healthy. However, most people eat more protein than is necessary. You should choose poultry such as chicken or lean meat. There is evidence that eating oily fish helps to protect against heart disease. It is probably the 'omega-3 fatty acids' in the fish oil that help to reduce build-up in the arteries. Aim to eat at least two portions of fish per week, one of which should be oily.
Obviously what we eat is highly important but it is also crucial to do regular exercise as it strengthens the heart, tones our muscles and is also good for the mind. We're increasingly living in a world where physical activity has stopped being a day-to-day part of our lives.
We have domestic appliances to wash and dry for us and cars to get us around and with the decline in manual labour many of us spend our working day sitting at desks. Adults should do a minimum of 30 minutes moderate-intensity physical activity, five days a week. You don't have to do the whole 30 minutes in one go. Your half-hour could be made up of three ten-minute bursts of activity spread through the day, if you prefer. The activity can be a 'lifestyle activity' such as walking to the shops or taking the dog out or structured exercise or sport, or a combination of these. But it does need to be of at least moderate intensity. For bone health, activities that produce high physical stresses on the bones are necessary.
Well, I hope you have learned some interesting facts from this talk and that it will help you to change your lifestyles for the better. Thank you for your attention and I believe that James has some handouts to give you on this subject, James...