Historical Uses Of Wind Power - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Barrons IELTS Practice Exams Academic Listening Test 1 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–33 Table Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Historical Uses of Wind Power
| Ancient China | Windmills were used to 31 |
| Ancient Persia | Farmers used wind power to 32 |
| The Netherlands | People used windmills to 33 |
Questions 34–40 Table Completion
Complete the chart below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Wind Power
| Advantages | Unlike oil and coal, wind power does not cause 34 | There are limited supplies of oil and coal, but wind is a 35 | It 36 to generate electricity with the wind. | Wind turbines do not take up much land. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disadvantages | The cost of the initial investment is high. | The 37 of the wind is not constant. | Wind turbines are usually located far from 38 | Wind turbines may spoil 39 | Wind turbines create as much 40 as a high-speed car. |
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | pump water | In ancient China, farmers used a rudimentary sort of windmill to pump water | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that in old times in China, farmers used a simple kind of windmill to move water. Answer Explanation: The answer means moving water from one place to another using a machine. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'pump water' because the speaker mentions that long ago in China, farmers used early windmills for the purpose of moving water. |
| Q32 | grind grain | In Persia, for example, farmers used wind-powered mills to grind their grain | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that long ago in Persia, farmers used wind energy to crush their grain. Answer Explanation: The answer "grind grain" means to crush grain seeds into small pieces or powder to make food like flour. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "grind grain" because the speaker mentions that in ancient Persia, farmers used mills powered by the wind to "grind their grain". The prompt asks what farmers in Ancient Persia used wind power to do, so "grind grain" completes the note correctly. |
| Q33 | drain lakes | They used windmills to drain lakes, thereby creating more land for farming | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that people used windmills to remove water from lakes in order to make more land available for farming. Answer Explanation: The answer "drain lakes" means to empty or remove water from lakes. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "drain lakes" because the speaker explains that during the Middle Ages in the Netherlands, people used windmills to drain lakes so they could make more land for farming. |
| Q34 | pollution | One of the biggest problems with using fuels such as oil and coal is pollution. Wind power, on the other hand, is clean. It causes no pollution and therefore doesn’t contribute to global warming | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that oil and coal cause pollution, but wind power is clean and does not make any pollution. Answer Explanation: The answer means dirty things that harm the environment, such as dirty air or water. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'pollution' because the speaker compares fossil fuels like oil and coal with wind power. While oil and coal create pollution, wind power is a clean energy source that 'causes no pollution'. Therefore, 'pollution' fills in the blank correctly. |
| Q35 | renewable resource | Another great advantage of wind power is that it’s a renewable resource | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that one major benefit of using wind power is that it is a source of energy that continuously renews itself. Answer Explanation: The answer means a natural supply of energy that can replace itself and will never run out. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'renewable resource' because the lecturer states that supplies of oil and coal are limited, whereas wind power is a 'renewable resource' that will never be exhausted. |
| Q36 | costs less | Using the wind to generate electricity costs less, much less, than running other types of generators | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that making electricity with wind energy is cheaper than using other kinds of machines. Answer Explanation: The answer means that using wind energy to make electricity needs less money than other ways. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'costs less' because the speaker directly states that using wind energy to produce electricity requires less money compared to other generators. In the transcript, 'generate electricity' matches the phrase in the question. |
| Q37 | strength | Wind doesn’t blow at a constant strength | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the force or power of the wind changes and is not always the same. Answer Explanation: The answer means how strong the wind blows. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "strength" because the lecturer explains that wind is not always reliable because it does not blow with the same power all the time. The chart sentence "The [strength] of the wind is not constant" directly matches the speaker's statement. |
| Q38 | cities | Wind turbines usually have to be located in rural areas where the land is open. Their distance from cities, where the most electricity is needed, is another issue | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that wind turbines are built in open country areas (rural areas), which creates an issue because they are far away from cities where the most electricity is needed. Answer Explanation: The answer means large towns or urban areas where many people live and work. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "cities" because the speaker mentions that wind turbines are placed in rural areas, making their distance from cities a key disadvantage since cities need the most electricity. Keywords like "distance from" match the phrase "located far from" in the chart. |
| Q39 | the scenery / scenery / local scenery | Rural residents often feel that the beautiful local scenery is spoiled by the sight of the wind turbines | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that people living in country areas often believe that the wind turbines ruin (spoil) the nice natural view (scenery) around them. Answer Explanation: The answer means the natural view or beautiful appearance of the land in a countryside area. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'the scenery' because the speaker explains that people living in rural areas feel the beautiful view of the land is ruined or damaged (spoiled) by looking at the wind turbines. |
| Q40 | noise | In addition, wind turbines aren’t quiet. In fact, one wind turbine can produce as much noise as a car traveling at highway speeds | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that wind turbines are not quiet and can create as much sound as a fast-moving car on a highway. Answer Explanation: The answer means making a lot of loud sounds. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "noise" because the speaker explains that wind turbines are not quiet. In fact, a single wind turbine can be as noisy as a car driving at fast speeds on a highway. |
Transcript
Narrator: Now turn to Section 4 on page 8.
Section 4. You will hear a lecture about wind energy.
First, you have some time to look at Questions 31 to 33 on page 8.
Now listen carefully and answer Questions 31 to 33.
Lecturer: With the rising cost of fossil fuels, there’s a great deal of interest these days in developing alternative sources of energy. Today, I’d like to talk about one of these—wind power. In the past couple of decades, there’s been an upsurge of interest in using the wind as a source of energy, but the idea isn’t new at all. People have been harnessing the power of the wind for centuries, ever since ancient peoples first used sailboats. In ancient China, farmers used a rudimentary sort of windmill to pump water. Wind power was used in other parts of the ancient world, as well. In Persia, for example, farmers used wind-powered mills to grind their grain. During the Middle Ages in the Netherlands, people went back to the ancient idea of using the power of the wind to move water. They used windmills to drain lakes, thereby creating more land for farming.
Narrator: Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at Questions 34 to 40 on page 9.
Now listen carefully and answer Questions 34 to 40.
Lecturer: At present, people around the world are using the wind to generate electricity, some old methods, some new. Is this the solution to our modern energy problems? Well, as with anything, there are both advantages and disadvantages to using wind power. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons to use wind power. One of the biggest problems with using fuels such as oil and coal is pollution. Wind power, on the other hand, is clean. It causes no pollution and therefore doesn’t contribute to global warming. Another great advantage of wind power is that it’s a renewable resource. Oil and coal reserves are limited, but we’ll never run out of wind. Economics is another reason to use wind power. Using the wind to generate electricity costs less, much less, than running other types of generators. In addition, since wind turbines don’t take up much land, the land around them can be used for other purposes, such as farming.
There are disadvantages, however. Even though generating electricity with wind is relatively inexpensive, the technology isn’t cheap. The initial costs of setting up wind turbines can be quite high. Another issue is reliability. Wind doesn’t blow at a constant strength. Therefore, at times, a lot of electricity can be produced while at others there may be little or none. Wind turbines usually have to be located in rural areas where the land is open. Their distance from cities, where the most electricity is needed, is another issue. Although wind is considered to be a clean source of energy, wind turbines cause their own sort of pollution. Wind turbines are usually placed in high, open areas, where they’re easy to be seen. Rural residents often feel that the beautiful local scenery is spoiled by the sight of the wind turbines. In addition, wind turbines aren’t quiet. In fact, one wind turbine can produce as much noise as a car traveling at highway speeds.
Narrator: That is the end of Section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers.
You will now have ten minutes to transfer your answers to the listening answer sheet.