Ostrich Farming - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 03 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–33 Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
| "NEW" MEAT | CAN BE COMPARED TO | PROBLEM |
|---|---|---|
| kangaroo | 31 | 32 |
| crocodile | chicken | fatty |
| ostrich | 33 |
Questions 34–36 Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
| OSTRICH PRODUCT | USE |
|---|---|
| Ostrich feathers |
|
| Ostrich hide |
|
| Ostrich 36 |
|
Questions 37–40 One Choice
Choose the correct letters A-C.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | rabbit meat / rabbit | It looks and tastes rather like rabbit, though it’s slightly darker in colour, but it is rather tough, so that’s a problem for some people | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that kangaroo meat has a similar look and taste to rabbit meat, even though it is a bit darker and harder to chew. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the meat from a kangaroo is similar in look and flavor to the meat from a rabbit. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'rabbit (meat)' because Ted Hunter explicitly compares the appearance and taste of kangaroo meat to that of a rabbit. While he notes some small differences, such as the color being slightly darker and the meat being tough, the primary comparison used to describe what it is like is the rabbit. |
| Q32 | rather tough / tough | The kangaroo is one animal that’s now being farmed for its meat and eaten outside Australia, where it comes from. It looks and tastes rather like rabbit, though it’s slightly darker in colour, but it is rather tough, so that’s a problem for some people | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that kangaroo meat looks and tastes like rabbit meat, but it is hard to chew (tough). This toughness is why some people do not want to eat it. Answer Explanation: The answer means the kangaroo meat is a bit hard and difficult to chew. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the speaker's description of kangaroo meat. He says it tastes like rabbit but points out a negative part. He uses the word 'problem' to explain that the meat is 'rather tough,' which means it is not soft enough for everyone to eat easily. |
| Q33 | beef | ostrich, which most people say has a similar taste and texture to beef | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that ostrich meat is like beef because it has a similar flavor and feel. Answer Explanation: The answer is beef, which is the meat that comes from cows. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is beef because Ted Hunter, the speaker, compares ostrich meat to it. He explains that most people who eat ostrich find that the flavor (taste) and the way it feels when chewed (texture) are similar to beef. This makes beef the closest comparison for ostrich in the table. |
| Q34 | ladies' feather fans / ladies' fans / feather fans / fans | In Africa they were used for tribal ceremonial dress and they were also exported to Europe and America where they were made into ladies’ fans and used for decorating hats | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that ostrich feathers were used for special clothes in Africa. They were also sent to Europe and America to make fans for women and to put on hats. Answer Explanation: The answer is fans, specifically those made for women using feathers, which are held in the hand and waved to create a cool breeze. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is '(ladies') (feather) fans' because the speaker lists the different ways ostrich feathers were used. He mentions they were used for special traditional clothes (tribal ceremonial dress), sent to other countries to be made into fans for women, and used to make hats look pretty. Since the table already lists 'tribal ceremonial dress' and 'decorated hats', 'fans' is the remaining item mentioned in that list. |
| Q35 | leather | Later, feather fans and big. decorated hats went out of fashion but ostriches were still bred, this time for their hide. This can be treated to produce about half a square metre of leather - very delicate, fine stuff of very good quality | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that when feathers became less popular, farmers raised ostriches for their skin (hide). This skin is made into about half a meter of leather, which is described as being high quality and very thin / soft. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies that ostrich skin is used to make leather that is soft, high quality, and thin. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found in the section of the transcript discussing the history of ostrich products. The speaker mentions that after ostrich feathers were no longer trendy for hats and fans, the birds were raised for their 'hide' (skin). He explains that this hide is processed (treated) to make leather and gives specific details about the leather's texture and value, calling it 'delicate, fine stuff of very good quality.' |
| Q36 | meat | At the same time, some of the meat was used for biltong - the air-dried strips of meat popular in South Africa as a sort of fast food | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that 'biltong' is a food made from the meat of the ostrich. Answer Explanation: The answer "meat" is the part of the ostrich used to make a food called 'biltong'. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is derived from Ted Hunter's explanation of ostrich farming history. He mentions that while the birds were initially bred for feathers and skins (hide), their meat was also used to make a specific snack called "biltong," which consists of dried strips of meat. |
| Q37 | A | Ostrich meat is slightly higher in protein than beef- and much lower in fats and cholesterol | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that ostrich meat has a little more protein than beef and much less fat and cholesterol. Answer Explanation: The answer means that ostrich meat contains more protein compared to beef. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because Ted Hunter explicitly states that ostrich meat has a higher amount of protein than beef. He also mentions it is lower in fats and cholesterol, making it a healthier option. The speaker uses the word 'higher' to show that there is more protein in ostrich than in beef. |
| Q38 | C | Mature breeding birds are very expensive - even a fertilised ostrich egg isn’t cheap so you need quite a bit of capital to begin with | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that both the adult birds used for breeding and the eggs that grow into chicks cost a lot of money. Therefore, a farmer needs a lot of money to start. Answer Explanation: The answer means that ostrich eggs are expensive, which is a difficulty for people who want to start an ostrich farm. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on Ted Hunter's explanation of the challenges involved in starting an ostrich farm. He mentions that mature birds are very expensive and specifically says that ostrich eggs are 'not cheap.' This means the high price of eggs is a financial barrier or a problem for new farmers. He also mentions that you need a lot of 'capital,' which is another word for a large amount of money, to cover these costs. |
| Q39 | C | The young chicks are very dependent on human minders, and need a lot of attention from the people looking after them | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript tells us that small ostrich chicks rely on people to help them and need workers to give them a lot of care. Answer Explanation: The answer means that baby ostriches on a farm need a person to watch and take care of them a lot. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the speaker says that ostrich chicks are very dependent on humans. In English, "dependent" means someone needs another person to help them live or do things. The speaker also says they need "a lot of attention," which means the same as "looking after carefully." |
| Q40 | B | A cow produces only one calf a year whereas a female ostrich can lay an egg every other day. And because the farmers can use incubators and hatched chicks are nourished well and protected from danger, the failure rate on farms is very low indeed and almost all the fertilised eggs will hatch out into chicks which will in turn reach maturity | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that ostriches lay eggs very often and that almost every egg becomes a grown bird on a farm. This makes the farm very productive compared to traditional livestock like cows. Answer Explanation: The answer means that ostrich farms can make a lot of money because the birds produce many babies that grow up successfully. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker explains that ostriches are more productive than other farm animals like cows. While a cow has only one baby per year, a female ostrich can lay an egg every two days. Furthermore, because farmers protect the babies from danger, almost all of them survive to become adult birds. This high level of production leads to good profits for the farmer. Keywords include 'lay an egg every other day' (showing high production) and 'failure rate on farms is very low' (showing that production is successful). |
Transcript
PAULA: Today I’d like to introduce Ted Hunter, who used to rear sheep and poultry but who is here to tell us about a rather unusual type of livestock that he’s been concentrating on in the last few years. Ted Hunter is a member of the Domesticated Ostrich Farming Association, and is here to tell us about the possibilities of breeding and rearing these birds here in this country.
TED: Thank you, Paula. When you look at international restaurant menus and supermarkets they all tend to feature the same range of meats - beef, lamb, chicken, pork, that sort of thing. But people are always interested in something different and we’re now finding that farming can bring new types of meat to our tables. The kangaroo is one animal that’s now being farmed for its meat and eaten outside Australia, where it comes from. It looks and tastes rather like rabbit, though it’s slightly darker in colour, but it is rather tough, so that’s a problem for some people. Crocodiles are also being farmed for their meat. This is rather like chicken, pale and tender, and it’s getting quite fashionable. Some people also find it’s rather fatty, but I think it makes a really tasty sandwich. Now a third type of meat becoming increasingly available, and the one that I think is by far the nicest of the three, is ostrich, which most people say has a similar taste and texture to beef. However, it’s much better for you than beef, as we’ll see later. Most people think of ostriches as wild animals, but in fact ostriches have been farmed in South Africa since around 1860. At first they were produced for their feathers. In Africa they were used for tribal ceremonial dress and they were also exported to Europe and America where they were made into ladies’ fans and used for decorating hats. Later, feather fans and big decorated hats went out of fashion but ostriches were still bred, this time for their hide. This can be treated to produce about half a square metre of leather - very delicate, fine stuff of very good quality. At the same time, some of the meat was used for biltong - the air-dried strips of meat popular in South Africa as a sort of fast food. However, recently there’s been more and more interest in the development of ostrich farming in other parts of the world, and more people are recognising its value as a food source. Ostrich meat is slightly higher in protein than beef- and much lower in fats and cholesterol. It tastes good too. A series of European taste tests found that 82% of people prefer ostrich to beef. And one ostrich produces a lot of meat - from around 30 to 50 kg, mostly from the hindquarters of the bird. Farmed ostriches don’t need African climates, and in fact ostrich farming is now becoming well established in other parts of the world. However, setting up an ostrich farm isn’t something to embark on lightly. Mature breeding birds are very expensive - even a fertilised ostrich egg isn’t cheap so you need quite a bit of capital to begin with. Then the farmer needs special equipment such as incubators for the eggs. The young chicks are very dependent on human minders, and need a lot of attention from the people looking after them. In addition, ostriches can’t be intensively farmed - they need space and exercise.
But in spite of this they make good farming sense. A cow produces only one calf a year whereas a female ostrich can lay an egg every other day. And because the farmers can use incubators and hatched chicks are nourished well and protected from danger, the failure rate on farms is very low indeed and almost all the fertilised eggs will hatch out into chicks which will in turn reach maturity. This is very different from the situation in the wild, where the vast majority of chicks will die or be killed before they grow up into mature ostriches. So it’s possible, once the initial outlay has been made, for the farmer to be looking at very good profit margins indeed. Ostrich farming is still in its early days outside Africa but we hope that ostrich meat will be freely available soon and before long will be as cheap as beef.