News Sources - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Achieve IELTS Practice Tests Academic Listening Test 1 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
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Questions
Questions 31–35 Matching
Of which US news source is each of the following statements true?
Write the correct letter, A, B or C.
A. television
B. internet
C. the press
Questions 36–40 Summary Completion
Complete the summary below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Advertising and Newspapers
In the USA, newspapers are being increasingly inventive about the way they attract advertisers and their 36 now exceeds that of other industries. Advertising has increased because of a good relationship with the 37 sector. In addition, newspapers now run more adverts which include 38. These have been found to raise readership of the papers and create more sales for the 39. There are also an increasing number of more expensive 40 adverts.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | C | I suppose we traditionally think of the morning newspaper arriving on our doorstep with the daily news. Interestingly, this is not borne out by the statistics, which show that readership in the US is much higher when people have time to relax, when they're not working, especially on Sundays | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that newspaper reading numbers are much higher when individuals are resting from work, particularly on Sundays. Answer Explanation: The answer C means that traditional newspapers (the press) are read more on weekends than on weekdays. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the lecturer explains that newspaper readership in the United States rises significantly when people have free time and are not at work, particularly on Sundays (the weekend). In contrast, internet news usage stays the same throughout the week without variation. |
| Q32 | B | Interestingly, local radio has been hit less by the grip of quite strong local newspapers than by the internet, which is seen to offer a better regional service | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that local radio has suffered or lost listeners because of the internet, which provides a better regional service than local radio or newspapers. Answer Explanation: The answer B means that the internet is the news medium that has negatively impacted local radio. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker explains that local radio has been negatively affected ("hit") more by the internet than by local newspapers, as the internet provides better regional news coverage. Therefore, the internet matches the statement about affecting the popularity of local radio. |
| Q33 | C | Television has, of course, been global for a while, but now technological changes, which have fuelled the rise of online news, have also allowed newspapers to print and distribute editions across the world | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that while television has been international for a long time, new technology now allows newspapers to publish and sell their papers in other countries worldwide. Answer Explanation: The answer C means "the press", which refers to traditional newspapers. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the lecturer explains that new technology has recently enabled newspapers (the press) to print and share their papers all over the world. In this context, "print and distribute editions across the world" means to "expand internationally". Although television was already global before, it is newspapers that have now gained the ability to expand globally. |
| Q34 | A | whereas television, in order to offer something different, has had to come up with a much more mixed bag of reporting from hard news to light reports on celebrity events | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that television had to provide many different kinds of news stories, from serious news to fun celebrity news, to be different from other sources. Answer Explanation: The answer "A" means television is the news source being described. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker mentions that television wanted to offer something different, so it created a "mixed bag of reporting" that includes both serious news and light celebrity news. The phrase "mixed bag of reporting" directly matches the idea of "more varied reporting". |
| Q35 | A | Television, however, is seen as critical to political power and has become subject to harsh controls about what it can or cannot say | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that television is viewed as very important for political power, so it has strict rules controlling what information it can broadcast. Answer Explanation: The answer is A (television). Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker mentions that television is closely tied to political power and faces strict rules and limits on what it is allowed to report. In the talk, being "subject to harsh controls about what it can or cannot say" means it experiences government intervention. |
| Q36 | profit margin | This has meant that, contrary to popular belief, newspapers now have a significantly higher profit margin than the rest of American industry | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that American newspapers earn a much higher profit margin compared to other types of businesses in the country. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the percentage of profit made by newspapers from their sales, which is greater than what other businesses earn. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "profit margin" because the speaker explains that newspapers make money through creative advertising methods. As a result, their "profit margin" is much higher than that of other US businesses, which matches the sentence stating that their profit margin "now exceeds that of other industries." |
| Q37 | retail trade / retail | Well, they have put a lot of effort into developing and maintaining a very strong association with the retail trade | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that newspapers put great effort into building a strong partnership with businesses in the retail trade. Answer Explanation: The answer "retail" refers to the business sector involved in selling goods and products directly to consumers/shoppers. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is confirmed by the speaker's explanation of how newspapers increased their advertising income. The lecturer mentions that newspapers worked hard to develop and maintain a "very strong association with the retail trade." In the summary, "a good relationship with" matches "a very strong association with," and "trade" corresponds to "sector," making "retail" the missing word. |
| Q38 | vouchers | A critical tool in their sales plan has been suggesting that the adverts they run can have vouchers | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that a very important selling strategy was recommending that newspaper advertisements include discount vouchers. Answer Explanation: The answer means special tickets, coupons, or slips of paper that give customers discounts or free items when buying products. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "vouchers" because the speaker discusses how newspapers improved their advertising sales. The speaker notes that an important method in their sales plan was recommending that "the adverts they run can have vouchers". In the summary, the phrase "run more adverts which include" corresponds directly to "the adverts they run can have vouchers". |
| Q39 | clients | This has been enormously effective because they have found that, not only do more people buy the paper to get the discounts but also that this inevitably means much higher sales for the clients who advertised | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that adding vouchers to advertisements causes more people to purchase newspapers and directly leads to greater sales for the clients who place the adverts. Answer Explanation: The answer "clients" refers to the business customers or advertisers who pay newspapers to run their advertisements. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "clients" because the summary asks who benefits from increased sales due to discount adverts. The speaker states that putting discount vouchers in advertisements "inevitably means much higher sales for the clients who advertised." Therefore, "clients" correctly completes the phrase "create more sales for the clients." |
| Q40 | full-page / full page | This has resulted in a significant and continuing rise in the number of advertisers prepared to pay the extra for full-page ads | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that there is a growing number of advertisers who are willing to pay more money for full-page advertisements. Answer Explanation: The answer "full-page" or "full page" describes advertisements that cover an entire whole page of a newspaper. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "full-page" (or "full page") because the speaker explains that more advertisers are now willing to pay extra money for these larger advertisements. In the summary, "an increasing number of" matches "a significant and continuing rise in the number of", and "more expensive" matches "pay the extra for". Therefore, the missing word describing the adverts is "full-page". |
Transcript
Lecturer: OK, now many of you will have heard about the predicted death of newspapers as people increasingly access the TV and the internet for their news. Today I want to look at the USA, which has very advanced news sources, to see if this is actually true.
In the USA the main news sources without doubt are TV, the internet and the press - that is traditional newspapers. And, although they are each surviving and growing, they are also changing. Obviously TV news has been around for a while, and the early evening bulletins when people get in from work are very popular. I suppose we traditionally think of the morning newspaper arriving on our doorstep with the daily news. Interestingly, this is not borne out by the statistics, which show that readership in the US is much higher when people have time to relax, when they're not working, especially on Sundays. The internet is also a popular weekend activity but shows no variation with weekday access. So people are using the different sources in different ways. Interestingly, local radio has been hit less by the grip of quite strong local newspapers than by the internet, which is seen to offer a better regional service. But just because the internet is seen as the new force in news media does not mean it is dominant. Television has, of course, been global for a while, but now technological changes, which have fuelled the rise of online news, have also allowed newspapers to print and distribute editions across the world. In fact, internet news, which is seen as the big competitor for traditional markets, does not offer that much variety. Often the sources are the online versions of the newspapers, whereas television, in order to offer something different, has had to come up with a much more mixed bag of reporting from hard news to light reports on celebrity events. Another issue is reliability - the internet is virtually unregulated so anything can be reported there, whether true or not. Journalists on newspapers have fought a long hard battle to fight intervention and to retain the freedom of the press. Television, however, is seen as critical to political power and has become subject to harsh controls about what it can or cannot say.
Now one very critical factor in keeping newspapers alive and well in the USA has been their approach to advertising. Obviously newspapers are heavily dependent on advertising revenue and they have become more and more imaginative in what they offer, in order to make sure that advertisers use them, and not other news sources. This has meant that, contrary to popular belief, newspapers now have a significantly higher profit margin than the rest of American industry. So how have they managed to raise advertising revenue in this way? Well, they have put a lot of effort into developing and maintaining a very strong association with the retail trade. And they've come up with a winner. A critical tool in their sales plan has been suggesting that the adverts they run can have vouchers. This has been enormously effective because they have found that, not only do more people buy the paper to get the discounts but also that this inevitably means much higher sales for the clients who advertised. As well as doing this, the newspapers have also introduced aggressive sales campaigns over the last few years. This has resulted in a significant and continuing rise in the number of advertisers prepared to pay the extra for full-page ads. So, what I would like ... (fade) ...